The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-13
The Study of the Classics.

To the Editor of the 1ndianapo polls Journal:
The extensive publicity given by the press to
the recent action of the board of overseers of
Harvard College, by which Greek is made an
elective course in the preparation for that col
lege shows both the prestige of Harvard among
our educational Institutions which makes her
every step of national Importance, and the wide
spread interest in the adjustment of the college
curriculum to the real or supposed needs of the
day. The great influence Of the college arises
partly from its age, partly from it's wealth.
partly from the fact that the names connected
with it as overseers, professors or graduates in
clude so many of our prominent scholars and
authors. But the chief reason of this influence
is, perhaps, the wellrecognized position of the
college as that one of our older institutions
that has shown the most progressive spirit in
its administration during the last twenty years.
The college has introduced changes year by
year, since President Eliot assumed its highest
Office, until the government, the scope and dis
tribution of the courses of instruction, the meth
DDS of disciplinein short, the whole spirit of the
institution has been radically altered Other
colleges have adopted these innovations after
waiting for Harvard to test their success, so that
any change in the Harvard course is generally
believed TO herald similar change elsewhere
Cases in point are, the gradual development of
the lecture system; encouragement to candidates
to anticipate part or all of the fresh
man years work; permission to divide
the entrance examinations into two parts,
to be taken in successive years;
the institution of second year honors making
attendance at recitations for the upper classes
voluntary, and the holding of entrance examina-
tions by college authorities in six or more cities
simultaneously from Cambridge to San Fran
cisco.
The recent decision of the overseers is but
carrying out the suggestion of Mr.. Charles
Francis Adams, in his Phi Beta Kappa address
two years ago. In that address Mr. Adams did
not advocate the abolition of Greek in the
preparatory or in the college courses, as he is
commonly belize to have done by those who
did not hear or read it, but he merely
urged that Greek should not be forced upon all
candidates alike, but that liberty of choice
should be given in this regard. / heard Presi
dent Eliot remark, later in the same day,
that ten years before he had made the
same suggestion to the overseers, so that the
proposal was by no means new at that time.
The boundless advertising given to Mr.. Adams's
very vigorous paper, however, did much, I'M
doubleday. to hasten the change 1t was, by the
way, somewhat remarkable occasion when Mr..
Adams stood on the platform of Sanders Thea
ter, before hundreds of gentlemen who repre-
sented, as professors and other officials and as
distinguished alumni all the interests and tradi-
tons of the college, and boldly asserted, with
the utmost plainness and vgor, that for go years
the college had been worshiping fetch!
But we are most concerned now with the prob
able effect of this recent change in the re-
quirements. Win it drive Greek from the
curriculum BY no means; and for two reasons:
First, it merely excuses from the study of that
language those who either have no aptitude for
linguistic pursuits, or from pressure of circum-
stances are obliged to choose special course for
a special end; those who have relish for Greek
will pursue it all the more keenly when not
hampered by dead weight in the class Second,
the new regulation requires that candidates who
do not offer Greek must offer in its stead two
full courses in mathematics and in physics of
the freshman year This fact has not been suf
ficiently emphasized A pupil, then, must pur
chase exemption from Greek at pretty high
price, one that probably only q small proportion
of candidates are willing to pay
The sure result will be to encourage still
further the special training that is fast becoming