Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-16
Monday, July 16, 1888.
GREEK AND LATIN AGAIN.

GREEK AND LATIN AGkkN.
 Mr. Charles Francis Adams, jr., wishes to correct the impression that has been made in regard to his position on the study of Greek in colleges. He says: I never sug- gested that Greek and Latin be set aside for French and German in college and school. never suggested anything which could be construed into this on the contrary should oppose it most earnestly. What did ven- ture to suggest was simply that Greek alone should no longer be.a compulsory req uire- ment for admission to college. never pro posed to set it aside. particularly and carefully said that would encourage it's study by putting heavy educational bounty on it but did ask that it should no longer be exacted from those who, like myself and all the members of my family, were unfor- tunately unable to acquire it.
 Professor Seelye of Amherst college in an address before the American Insti- ute of Instruction referred to the study of the languages, and what he said is well worth the attention of all i'm terested in education, including Mr. Charles Francis Adams, jr. President Seelye pointed out that the education we need is largely an education in language. All possible achieve ments of thought are expressed in language, and no single achievement of thought, there fore, in science, nor art, nor study, can possibly furnish so copious 8 discipline of thought, discipline so rich, so varied, so comprehensive, so complete, as language it. self. The childs development of thought will be found to proceed, step by step, with his development of language; and, as in every vital process, so here, the product of life is also the reproducer and strengthener of life The language obtained by thought itself begets and nourishes thought in re- turn. He declared the incontestable superiority of the Latin and Greek languages as mental discipline. After furnishing copious proof of this from the history of education, he showed the re- suits of the displacement of the classics where it had been attempted in some of the German universities and in the French col leges, and alluded to an interesting llustra- tion of the bearing of classical studies upon scientific work, as furnished by Amherst col lege. The college possesses extraordinary appliances for instruction in science. In or der that student there might have the op- portunity to avail himself to the utmost of all these resources four years scientific course was organized in the college, which student could pursue with no knowledge of Greek and but little of Latin. But since the course was organized, through 8 considera- ble number have pursued it. the best scientific students have in every year, with out single exception, been the classical stu dents, and, after an experiment of nearly ten ysavsS the college has become convinced that it's best work in science is to be done only on the basis of thorough grounding in the classics, and has determined to discontinue its scientific as separate from it's classical course
 This is valuable testimony from compe- tent source to the worth of "a classical edu- cation" Most of those who have had such an education will agree with President SeeI- ye rather than with MT. Adams