Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-03-14

AASoh 'RaASNo hhN AAebh oHANAhAN htbAhAuAb
which the world has ever seen, and il is
enough to say of the English language that it
is the language of that literature. Greek
literature compares with English as Homer
compares with Shakespeare that is as civili-
zation infantile with civilization adult. It
may further be said Of the English language
that IL is the native tongue of nations which
are preGminent in the world by force of char
acter, enterprise and wealth, and whose po-
litcal and social institutions have a higher
moral interest and greater promise than any
which mankind have hitherto invented And
now, with all this wealth and wonderful treas.
ure within our reach, English occupies but
subordinate place, at best, in our schools
Does it take equal rank with Greek and Lat
in in our colleges? By no means-not in
the number and rank of the teachers, nor in
the consideration in which the subject is held
by the faculty and students, nor in the time
which may be devoted TO it by candidate
for a degree. The character of the provis-
ions made for the study of English only serve
to show the ignorance which prevails among
the picked youth Of the country 1t may be
urged that English ought to be picked up.
To this the answer is, that as matter of fact
it has not been so picked up, and, as the proc
ess consists not in entertaining reading, but
laborious study, it cannot be picked up. This
language is due, C) to the relative newness Of
the language and literature (2) the real diff.
GUILTY of teaching English well CD the daz-
zling splendor Of the revived classical learn
ing.
The next subjects for which claim a posi-.
tion of academic equality with Greek, Latin
and mathematics are French and German.
This claim rests not on the usefulness Of these
languages to couriers, tourists or commercial
travellers, and not on their merit AZ languages
but on the magnitude and worth of the liter -
atures and on the unquestionablo fact that ia
cility in reading these languages is absolutely
indispensable to a scholar, whatever may be
his department of study. Indeed the stu
dent Of to. day can do better without Latin
than without the modern languages. The
old thoughts and theories are found in Latin
but the new, which contain all that is good in
tho old, are found in the modern languages.
Without these languages he will be much
worse of in respect to communicating with
his contemporaries than the student of the
seventeenth century was who could read and
speak Latin for through Latin the student of
the year 1854 could put himself into direct
communication with all contemporary learn.
ing. Without the knowledge Of these two
languages it is impossible to get at the expe-
rience of the world upon any modern indus
tTlhl, bOClhl VI uuhuNlhl NuthAlblt VI " llhsNSI
any profession which depends upon applca-
lions of modern science l urge no utilitari.
an argument, but rest the claims Of French
and German for admission to complete acad-
emic equality on the copiousness of the liter
atures and the indispensableness of the Ian
guages to all scholars. What is the condi.
tion of the instruction offered in these Ian
guages? At Yale college, for example, nc
French or German is required for admission.
No instruction is given in these languages un.
til the junior year, when French may and
| German must be studied. A few colleges
have demanded little German and French
and few schools have supplied the moder
ate demand The opportunities aud facilities
for studying Greek and Latin in our schools
and colleges are none too great but surely
the opportunities and facilities for studying
Franch and German are far too small. The
modern languages should be put on an equal
| ity with the ancient.
| HISTORICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES.
The next subject which demands an entire
| ly different position from that it now occu
! pies in American schools and colleges is his.
| tory. II any study is liberal and liberaliznl
| it is the modern study Of history-the study
| of the passions, opinions, beliefs, arts, law
! and institutions of different races or com
munites, and Of the joys sufferings, con
| ilicts and achievements Of mankind. Philol
| ogy and polite literature srrogale tho title o.
"the humsnities :" but what study can Sc
| Justly claim that honorable title as the study
which deals with the actual experience oI
this earth of social and progressive man
One would naturally suppose that the histor!
of the United States aud England at less
would hold an important place in the pro
grammes of American schools and colleges
and that no subject would occupy a NOR
| dignifed position in the best colleges RnC
universities than history in respect to the
number and rank OF its teachers, The fact
do not accord with this natural supposition
| The immense majority Of American college
(theTe are nearly 400 of them) make no re-
quirements in history for admission ant
have no efficient teacher in history whatever
Closely allied to the study of history is tn
study of the new science called political econ
omy or public economies. This subject is
branch of history, inasmuch as it CLEANS it
most important facts by the study Of th,
institutions and the industrial and social con
ditions OF the past it is the science OF wealtl
in so far as it deals with the methods by
which private or national wealth is accumu
lated, protected, enjoyed and distributed an,
it is branch of ethics in so far as it deal
with social theories and the moral effects 0
economic conditions. In some of it's aspect
il were better called the science of the healtl
of nations for it tries to teach how nation
might happily grow and live in conformit.
with physical and moral laws. 1t is proba
bly, the most difficult and complicated of al
sciences, and when introduced ii should b
for the purpose of giving more than mer
spattering knowledge. President Eliot dwel
upon the vast value Of the subject, and th
importance of offering TO large number O
students facilities for studying all that
known of political economy. "We find,
said he, that the provision made by our col
egos for the study Of political economy, o
an average, is poor in quality and insignif
cant in amount. Such is the comparatiy
neglect of a subject all important to our ow
generation and those which are to follow
that we are tempted TO join in the impatier
cry Are the young men being educated fC
the work of the twentieth century or Of IL
sixteenth 2"
THE NATURAL SCIENCES.
The last subject for which claim admi
sion TO the magic circle of the liberal arts
natural science. All the subjects which II
sixteenth century decided were liberal, an
all the subjects which / have hitherto di
cussed are. studied in books but natural SC
ence is to be studied not in books, but
things. The student of language, letter
philosophy, mathematics, history, or polit
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