Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-03-18
Latin in GA. puI!ir scuEass.

1
Whatever may be said in regard to
the propriety Of having Latin taught in
our public schools, it is evident that the
time has not come Tor its Introduction
into the Wilmington public schools.
We would not say that such an event
would be desirable under some circum-
stances, but those circumstances do not |
exist and therefore its introduction |
would be a positive injury to the peo-
pie in general instead of ii benefit.
If there is any one hing more than
another of which Wilmington should be
proud, and We are pleased 10 say isl
proud, it is her public schools. That
they might be made better admits Of no
doubt but that they are us good and
efficient as they are is matter for pro
found congratulation. The public
school is expressly designed for the
education of the masses of the people
Our children enter them at a tender age,
and if everything goes well, they leave
them perfect in an education that fits
them tor all the active business duties
of life. They are taken as far as the
dead languages and there the end is
reached 50 far as our public schools are
concerned.
Though the public schools drop our
children at this point, this need not
necessarily end an education. To those
who wish to add knowledge to know
ledge, pursue the intricate windings of
the path of a higher education and revel
in the classics, the higher academies
and colleges are open. The public
schools have done their part, let
something be left for the higher tenn
pies of learning to complete.
But why not complete an education
or at least advance the standard by the
introduction of Latin in our public
schools we are asked? There are several
reasons why it is not eXpedient to do
this. What are they? 1t is of more
importance to teach the more useful
branches of Observation-Disclosures that
are general in their application. 1t is
more important to have a commendable
knowledge of photography, reading, the
primary and advanced branches of
arithmetic and mathematics, geometry,
surveying, algebra, history and gram
mar, than to learn these branches half
touched and plunge on into the mysteri-
GUS mazes of the dead languages. The
education we have marked out takes up
the life Of the average school boy and
girl until they arrive at an age when
they are expected to engage in some
business remunerative to themselves
and to their parents, who for many long
years have probably denied themselves
of many pleasures and comforts that
their children might 60 through the
whole course of study as provided in
our public schools. There seems to be
no time left in all that course for the
study of anything else.
To crowd inLatin would be to prolong
the school period of our children or by
laid down, render knowledge of them
by the scholar more imperfect. When
our children pass through all the grades
provided and graduate, there are no
places in the ordinary channels of bust
ness life that they are not competent to
fill. The business channels beyond
these that require a knowledge of Latin
are few-too few indeed to warrant an
increased expenditure in our pubic
schools which will increase the people's
taxes
We are not insensible to the fact that
Latin is the solid basis of all other Ian.
suares-in fact. the mother tonpue
from which all other languages are de-
riyed-bnt with this admission we are
free to say that outside of common En-
glish there are other languages. which,
if TAUGHT in orr hubble schools, would
he Of more practjcal benefit 70 orr chill.
dreu. Viewing the question from this
standnoint il mnst he admitted that for
nractical use the German in oar section
comes next in i1onyrrnnce To the En-
pljsb and that is closely followed by the
French
We already complain of onerous tax
atiop The Introduction of Latin will
reou;re additional teachers. and Latin
+sacbers az o.neral rule want all
thev can oct for their services. In this
resnect thew are very much like other
teachers Ont of 600 children who at
tond mr. nub,;c scbools how many of
them would he benefited by learning
Latino Hardly one in five hundred
Aoa;, tbn.a Who ,ponld studvI.t;n ara
tbe children generally Of well 70 do mar
entc who o,a ah,a to send them IN hioh.
ar nr;r,+., ins+;tn+i,n. of laarrino yyhera
tbara !. M bar or hindrance r. their
Io.rnino oil tho de,Il,nguag.s
The great mass Of the prople of orr
civ are satisfied if they can only secure