Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-16

Editor of Kensebee Journal:


wish to reply to the defence of the Romau
method of Latin pronunciation by "w." in
Mondays Journal. The article by "W" con-
tains some very sweeping statements for
which he quotes no authority but his own; it
is fallacious in several important particulars
l. He says, 1.-The four colleges named
(Bowdoin, Amherst, Colby and Bates) ssdo
not receive a majority Of our High School
graduates; majority do not go TO college"
In speaking OF High School graduates. in the
discussion of Latin pronunciation |, of course,
had reference only 10 those who complete
classical course. aud am informed that these
usually constitute a minority of each class.
That the colleges named do receive a major.
ity OF those who complete the preparatory
course can be readily shown. The graduates
of our High School, now IN college. are dis
tributed as follows: Amherst 4. Colby 3,
Bowdoin !, Wellesley 2. Those entering
college since 1876 have been distributed, as
nearly az / can ascertain, as follows: Bow
doin Ii, Amherst 6. Colby 3, Yale |, Welles.
ley 2, Vassar l, Smith twenty t. colleges
which use the English method, IRE TO col
leges which use the Roman method; twenty
one bows, four girls. Surely this does not
indicate that 1--WE send nearly as MANY girls
as boys to college"
II He says, Il doubt if the experience of
teachers or students bears out the assertion
that pronunciation adds materially to the
difficulty Of acquiring language. II it did.
the argument would be as good for pronounc-
ing French by the English method, in opp,-
sition to the method used by the people of
France, rs for pronouncing Latin bv the
English method. in opposition to the method
Il. Il
ton Of New England"
To those who are laboring TO fathom the
intricacies of German and French pronuncia-
ton this will seem a somewhat remarkable
statement. Prot. NJ. N. Fisher, in his
Three Pronunciation. of Latin" tells US
that the acquiring of the phonetic. Of any
tongue not our own lis be.et with difficulties
peculiarly hard to overcome" and taking the
French language a. an example he adds,
"Look at the alphabet 1t is the Roman
alphabet and ours. too. The sign is perfectly
familiar. The sound Of some OF these signs
may be uttered in our ear hundreds of times
with the keene>t accuracy, and yet our lips
refuse to produce what we hear
The latter part of Nv - second number
appears to me TO be particularly misleading,
inasmuch a. there is a vital difference be-
tween the Latin and French languages Ac-
cording 10 Prof. Roby of England, one Of the
originators and sblest opponents of the Roman
method, the Latin tongue ''has not been ut
tered by an accredited representative tor
seventeen hundred years." whereas, the
French language is not confined to the usage
Of scholars nor the general councils" of any
religious sect, but is sp ken at this day by a
nation Of more than thirty-six millions of
people on the continent, as well AZ by a large
ana constantly increasing population in our
own country.
The statement thst the Roman method is
FUSED by all the world outside of small sec
ton of New England" is incorrect. In
Great Britain the English is still the prevail
ing method, while the Roman has made COM
parativelv little headwsy. The English
method is still in use in the universities of
Oxford and Cambridge as it has been for
NEARLY three hundred years" 1t is also
used in the famous preparatory schools Rug
by and Eton, and at Trinity College, Dub
lin, Ireland In the words of DR. Hum
phreys, l.. l.. ID a pupil of DR. Donaldson,
author of 'Varronianus' and New Cratylus, "
and formerly of Cambridge University, there
is no pruhabiltv of the adoption of the new
(Roma"j -v-tcn. to a1y m tterial extent for
a VERY ..'ng y tIrd # time. If ever 70
the following .trt,-tit. cpll.cte ny the Blu
reau Of Educati, u. nj Washington City, and
which may be- found, t"g, Their with lists OF
the colleges, in Fishers Three Pronuncia-
ton. ~ LATIN me of the abIcst works on
the subjtc whica has ever been written in
this COuutrv: