National Republican., 1884-01-23

beautiful faces graceful draperies stays, chariots
affairs AID garlands The literature is not un.
worthy of the language S..
And yet this same writer said OF the study
Of Greek and Latin.
We say provide for the mind as you provide for
the body-hrst necessities, then conyenienoes,
then luxurics. Under which Of these heads do
the Greek and Latin languages come Surely
under the last. II a man Is able 10 con-
tnue his studies till his twenty. eighth or thirtieth
year by all means lot him learn Latin and Greek.
II he must terminate them at one aud twenty we
should in general advise him to be satisfied with
the modern languages
Our own Emerson said he would as soon
think of swimming the Charles river whom
he could walk over it on bridge as to read
the ancient classics in the original tongues,
although he had not like the Adams family,
"faled in Greek" or been negligent in
Latin"
Mr.. Cox cannot be wrong in his tribute to
Greek, but we would hardly think he would
be willing to set all our boys at it on pain of
their being excluded from liberal education
in other directions. If a few venerable insti-
tutions of learning shall see flt to still make
Greek a passport to their sacred precincts, let
them. But they should be Indifferent enough
Of money to have an honest enforcement of the
requirements, both for admission and for grad
uation, so that they be not scandali2ed by the
loud puppyism of young ounces stuffed with
conceit and colicky with egotism. Half
dozen of such fellows eau do more to break
down regard for the dead languages than can
forty members of the Adams family. The
public gorge rises against the pretensions of
universities which claim to turn Greek
scholars out of the same hopper with these
graceless manikins. Greek is all right for
the men who wish to spend their lives in be-
coming scholars, and who have the means to
crafty their wish Tho colleges which are
organized upon this basis should not issue
counterfeits as they are constantly doing.
Nor should any less pretentious institutions,
where Greek is not a prerequisite to
admission, inhict upon society class of
imposters who have paid the money of their
rich or influential fathers for false certificates
of that learning which they have not and
never could have acquired. 1t is a fair offer
we make to Mr.. Cox to aid him in preserving
the respect lue to Greek, and promoting
instruction in it among those who are to be
real scholars like himself, If he and all other
friends of the classics will help to fight the
machine" which in some leading colleges
turns out as graduates the ignorant and the
incapable.
But if few colleges are to be devoted to
Greek, let not the nation therefore famish,
but let other institutions open wide
their doors and give our youth polite learn
ing, mathematical training, some modern
languages, and a glimpse into tho region of
science. What we object to is not that Greek
should be held as desirable. but that it
should be- regarded as Indispensable. This
| is not defiance of Mr.. Cox. 1t is rather
intended as the soft answer which turneth
away wrath if we can imagine him capable
of such any uncanny emotion. Indeed, we
have not antagonized his views, but only adj
ded to them. @t"t'GEi
|