The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1884-06-12
(AffirInative.)
By JOHN A. SMITH.

ed by long and painful expert
ence.
This discussion, in one form OF
another, has appeared in every
civilized nation on the face of the
earth; has everywhere been
marked by bitterness and preju-
dice and has resulted in a siowl Y
| growing victory for modern cul-
ture. When the classics were in
troduced into the schools and col
leges. about the 9th century, ii
was for the purpose of intorma
tion, and that alone, but now it
is kept in the colleges as the main
study of seven years course. for
the purpose of training and de-
veloping the mind or mental dis
cipline, and this is all the mega
tive or any other person claims for
them. The information amounts
TO nothing, as any classical schol-
ar will tell you. An entire year
is spent in acquiring a smattering
of historical information from
Caesars Concentrates, when one
can read it in an English book in
about three hours.
Now if the mind is disciplined
at all by Latin or Greek. it is well
known TO be through the perfect
forms of the noun and verb, that
is the endings OF the conjugations.
Now as regard the various forms
in these languages, the English
contains more than either of
the. fhe verb ,ve in English,
has 80 different forms for the ac
tive voice, while its equivalent
in Latin, ''amo,' has but Is. Thus
you see that the variety of forms
of the verb in English exceed
those in Latin by Is, and there
fore proving to you that the En-
glish affords a broader and better
field for mental discipline than
Latin.
Now if this mental discipline
were received from the study of
English language. the scholar
wonil reap a twofold result. 1t
would make us more familiar
with our language; it would make
us study our language more, and
while we should receive a better
discipline than from Latin and
Greek. as we easily would, as |
Lave shown the English to afford
a better training for the mind
than Latin OF Greek, we would
gradually more and more every
year bring the English language
to perfection. The Greeks med
died not with foreign language,
but confined themselves to their
own, and as result brought it TO
perfection; and SO has Edmund
James said, that the English Ian
guage might be brought to per
lection by dropping all foreign
language and studying the En-
glist.
The time spent by the student
on Latin is not over estimated
In college course of Z years it
is held as the main study, and ont
of 5 hours day the students
spend in study, over one half of |
it is spent ON Latin; and then
when he is through what has he
got? His information amounts
to naught, and the discipline is
far from that they claim, while |
on the other hand if he had stud
led English he would have infor-
and discipline to very
high degree. Besides all the
while they would be tending to
perfect the English language
which is deficient in many cases
on account Of its being neglected.
Our opponents may claim it to
be Of eur advantage in the ETY.
mology of words, to find out the
root of a verb and hunt up its
But this is not reliable
since many words of the diction-
ary have changed their meaning.
For example: the word simple,
comes from the Latin word "6H=
care" :, to fold |; once meant in
but now means a person
weak in intellect. So we have
nothing TO do with the past wei
are supposed to be in advance of
those who have gone before us.
Besides, This is a practical age,
and we have nothing to do with
anything that is not needful to
oar general welfare.
We do not say that these stud
les are of no benefit in etymology
whatever, for once in while
they throw light Oh word and
enable US to understand it more
clearly. Yet the ridiculous and
mistakes thai grow
out OF it cannot be overlooked.
How etymology may lead to III /!
aiculous blunders may be illus
trated in the following: Some
one in deriving the roots of res
Iaurant," observed: a1es-thing;
/; a bully thing -
The ridiculous part does not lie
in the conclusion at all g; but as
any Latin scholar knows, the ac-
tual Latin parts, res and taa.Ts.s,
are present 10 be guessed at.
The English language is a dc
scendant and a representative of
he Anglo Saxon. 1t has lost
very much of its infections and
very many OF the words belong
ing TO the present language while
1n the other hand it has borrow
"a a few from foreign language.
Yet all the infections that re-
main in i; and most of The forma-
i've endlngs; the pronouns. par .
iciples, and in general. the words
,amiIiar in use. have come to it
rom the Anglo Saxon.
On a car ful examination Of /
Webster. we find about 10000 ,
words derived from the Latin,
and about 5000 derived from the
ireek, making in all 35 900 words