Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-14
THE COLLEGE FETCH.

there made, or, at least 10 express their
opinion of the line of thought followed out
by the orator. There has been some reluct-
ance, apparently, on the part of the colleges
to take up the gage so fairly thrownnto the
arena of discussion by Mr.. Adams. Wheth.
er from surprise ut the sudden and uneXpect'
ed nature OF the attack, coming as it did,
from foe within the camp, aud on
an occasion when least of all such sentiments
were to be looked for or whether the argu-
ments advanced were so convincing and
overwhelming TO the majority OF those
against whom they were directed as to be,
for the time, unanswerable, we do net know.
At all events, 1t was only by the enterprise
of one or two of our leading metropolitan
dailies that any reply at all, for the present,
could be secured to the assertions of the
reformed" scholar, and many Of these brief
replies were little more than qualified adj
missions of the principal statements oil
MIR. Adams. There have recently, however,
been published several magazine and re-
view articles aud pamphlets, which deal
some what more boldly with the champion of
college reform. Notably able among these
papers is the article of President Porter Of
Yale college, is the current PRINCETON Re
nje,o President Porter, by virtue OF his po-
si.on, his age aud experience, his ripe
scholarship and keen intellectual power, is
perhaps the champion to whom the colleges
of the country chiefly look as the viudicator
of their cause. At all events, his article is
by far the most mastery and decp-reaching
in our opinion, which the controversy has
yet called forth.
| President Porter assails Mr.. Adams, prac-
ticallv. at every point. Unlike the mai jrity
of those who have sailed out before him, he
Yields nothing admits nothing. The whole
to,o os bis manor ia high spiritel and Sc
vcrc it roads like the pa,ient but warm re-
brte of AGE and wisdom 10 youthful rre-
sumption and alyen,uresomcness Under
hi. srr, o,ro,, ,o,;c ono after another of
tho Harvard orator,s brilliant arguments
bend and brosls s,ise s,raws Their weak
non,s ore scorcbcd ont and exnosed os only
the leen intellectual mower of a PHILOSOPHER
and n man of .c,n,ricpcc cou,d search and
erno,e
Touching first unon the minor points of
Mr. Adams,s argument President Porter
shows that a knowledre of Greek and Latin
| is not necessary or even essential, to-day. to
does M, des;re tho advaptauos of a classical
oorrso No ,,rdsn, mood he h.rred ,b,, &c
oN'0' Nv ~ =,
| from colIege euucatiou, ny iSuo'auee Vi
Greek and Latin for students are now ad-
mitted to our leading colleges. and to regular
,.,II -, a,,oo;,,l ,,,,.,os .xa.,,,, s,,;,od 70
as well as special courses exactly suited 10
their requirements, without any knowledge
of these languages or any intention of acquir-
iny them A knowlcdge of Greek il only
-, .,;,;. ~ a,,,o;.,;. a.. H.
rclu'lcu rs c'u'''ion vi oo'a'n'nS 'i' ut
gree OF bachelor Of Arts. Ii student can
be content without the symbol of b. A. at
,.,o,, ,,;, ,o la ,oo, no NO ,oror.
''0"'' " ms AA' ~ 49, 10, ~
cncs 10 MI Auaihss college le'ich' "uu
may obtain at Harvard, or at any one OF
many other American COLLEGES. such an edu
oo,;on nc ho ,,I,,,s 90 DESIRABLE tho, vorrc
N"''o' 40 -. ''''""' 40 'l''
1
that they could not get
President por,o,,s renIv tn the question an
..,,.,...., IN .., Ill
'oi''oiy "s.u W -''' -A"""''' 10 w WV "''-
vantages which the study OF Greck as
| method Of mental discipline can claim over
,ho s,rd,, of modar, larouaroc oe for in.
80 ~ - 49,.
stance rrench anu "eiiiian' Is ." soou 'na'
We must quote it in substance
The ancient languages, he SAYS, in their
structure. their thoughts, also in the imagery
| which their literature embodies, are better
fitted than any modern language can he for
the single office of training the intellect, the
feelings and the taste, and in every
one of these advantages the Greek
is pre.emipcptly superior to the
Latin. They are. indeed, remote
from mouern me III iesPec. VI any woituy
v.rv nnsr ~ trn nnjversa, iutei,cr, and hear,
IN respect to their disqualification of that
curiosity and wonder which are the p'rpet-
ual Inspiration o! a.l scicnce. ,ney are als :,
sneoch vi,hon, which tho infticst nrclen
sions of science must sooner or lalcr be re-
jeclcd and for ineXorable exempitlcation OF
uI hn moa .nG iae Io 1 Gr, T, aoo, ~
and the Greek logic. The perfectiOn of the
Greek language as an instrument for the per-
petual training OF inc ih.hu oi 'le ia'er gen
or nhvsicn, cnvironment Int Is rather to be
ascribed to the fresh and energetic activity OF
cultivated nan, as he was gradually awaRcd
.no mus VI .n,5 NV ~,
form and structure nil that we can desire,
and the best that the race could attain, when
lits' III i's RANT anu next IN us renee,ive
in unon ,be human soul and Constructed
commemorative, and sought after social aud