The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-08-21
LATIN AND GREEK.
PREPARATION THAT SHOULD BE MADE
BY THOSE INTENDING TO ENTER
THE UNIVERSITY.
Some Important Suggestions That IL Fol-
lowed Will Save Students World
of Trouble.

In regard to the preparation which
should be made by those who expect
to study Latin and Greek in the uni
versity, suggestions are offered as fol-
lows:
l. Latin-For admission to the
freshman Latin class, are required
grammar, elementary exercises, two
books of Caesar, three orations OF
Cicero, and two books OF Virgil.
No particular grammars or exercise
books are required, nor does it make
any material difference what editions
of the Roman authors prescribed are
used. Each school has perfect free
dom in the selection OF text books.
OF course the grammars must not be
too elementary. There is no objec-
ton to beginning with mere primer,
but it should be followed up with a
more advanced grammar, such as
Gildersleeve, Allen & Greenough,
Hardness, Bingham, Chase & Stuart,
Bullion & Morris, or any grammar
of that grade. In the etymology the
regular forms should be learned thor
oughly; the exceptions only when
they form an important group, or
comprise words that are much used.
A general outline OF syntax is suffi-
cient.
AT the university the ancient pro-
nunciation of the early empire, so far
as it can be restored, is used in the
class room. This is what is usually
called the Roman method" and is
employed because the euphonic laws
are utterly incomprehensible if any
other system is used. The imperial
rather than the republican style is
employed, because in the days Of the
republic both the pronunciation and
the photography were more or less I'M
settled. While this method is used
by the instructors and all students are
expected to become sufficiently famil-
lar with it to know what the instructor
means when he calls word, still each
student is allowed to use the English
method, or the so-called continental,
if he prefers to do so. This plan gives
all the students an opportunity of
becoming acquainted with all the
methods without any loss of time.
Teachers, therefore, preparing stu
dents for the university will use any
method they prefer, but some method
ought to be used and inculcated.
In all methods long syllables should
DE pronounced long-that is, should
be dwelt upon and short ones should
be pronounced short-that is, in
about ore half the time OF long one.
Bat even if this is done, there is one
principle the observance of which is
essential to even the appearance of
Latin scholarship, and that is, in
words of two syllables to accent the
penult if it is long, and the antepenult
if the penult is short. If the teacher
is concious of the fact that he does
not know the quantity of the penult
OF all familiar words, he should select
an edition of Caesar in which the
quantity is marked, and require the
pupils to pronounce accordingly 1t
is very difficult for pupils to correct q
habit when once formed, in the pro-
nunciation of words that often
occur. In Virgil the meter
is a safeguard against errors Of
this kind, and if Virgil is not read
metrically it had better not be studied
at all, but Cornelius Nepos or some
such author should be substituted.
2. Greek-What has been said
about Latin applies, mutatis mutan-
dis, to Greek. If pupil has three
years in which to prepare his Latin
and Greek, it is advisable for him not
to begin his Greek until he has stud
led Latin one session. AT present
students are allowed to begin Greek in
the university, since the high schools,
in the great majority Of cases, find the
applicants for that branch too few to
Justify the formation OF class. The
class of beginners in the University is
known as the sub-Freshman class. If
students have the opportunity to take
Greek in high school, they should
study grammar, elementary exercises,
two books OF Xenophon's Anabasis,
and two books Of Xenophon's Memoir
abilla. If the Memorabilia is not
studied, three or four additional books
of the Anabasis should be substituted
for it.