The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-25
Greek AS Its Spoken.

The popular idea that Greek is q dead
language is all wrong. Ii 10 no more dead
than the English. We are accustomed To
think of it as having shared TIE same fate of
Latin. This Is great mistake. Nowhere
30 far as known. docs the speech of old
Rome exist. The language Of the Gracchis,
OF Cicero and of Marcus Aurelius. lies en-
tombed. II may be said TO have q sort OF
life in the deathless Latin literature also in
the languages of Italy, France and Spain
The Latin nations show 10y their speech their
Latin affinity. But even Italy and Rome itself
speak IL language which would be all Greek %
TO both the republic and the empire. Not
30 with Greece 4 hat country still
uses the Greek language. as truly as
America uses the English language. and the
few Greeks in our city, lndistingulshable from
the Italians, use the same language with
slight dialectc variations. rs did the people
from whom the world Las derived its highest
ideals in art and in literature. The isolation
of Greece from the rest OF Europe in modern
times has prevented realization of
the Vitality OF Greek. The students
of II have confined themselves 10 the study of
its literature. There has been no radical
change III this respect Since the italian human
lists. Of whom Petrarch was the most faniOu,
recovered the Classic literature and put the
human mind IN touch with the great
thinkers and poets OF classic literature
from Homer TO Seneca That revival OF
languages To the world Of letters. In the case
OF Latin that was all that could be done aud
1t was taken for granted that herein the two
occupied the same ground. from that day TO
this Greek has been studied solely as IL dead
language. Gradually that star In tho East
which the Italian magi saw and followed
with so much enthusiasm, moved west ward
until about four hundred Years ago II came
ana stood over that mHnger of Engllrh learn
Ing, Oxford. Almost al the same time that
Columbus was y.iny trying 10 interest Henry
VII. IN his proposed voyage 10 India. Il Dutch
man better known for his pietv than his learn.
ing. Erasmus. came To the great British uni
v-rsity and began 10 tench Greek His only
thought was to enable ;he scholar 10 read the
surviving literature of the language payiug
no attention. to prOnuDClatlun and accent
or, rather he pronounced ns If II were a part
OF the language OF Holland. and there has
been no material improvement upon Erasmus
slnce that day. In one Of his DISCUS lions on
culture Matthew Arnold expressed the hope
that Greek would some day come To be studied
more nationally than it ever had been He
gave no intimatiOn OF what he really meant
by this observation. but IT would certainly he
rational TO adopt the same method Of teach
ing Greek as OF teaching German. French or
any other ilvlng language. such 3 change Of
base IN the study OF Greek would greatly
facilitate Its mastery. There IS nothing IN
trlpsica ly difficult in Greek: no reason why
the study OF II should be 50 hard aud slow
except a. the misconception in question makes
1t 50. Its study IL popularity desie
mated delving IN root. instead of
gathering flowers and fruit One of
the most accomplished scholars Harvard ever
graduated. Mr.. Paul Shorey said in elect in
an essay read not 30 very lOug ago before a
literary club IN Chicago that 10 one who had
made thorough study OF the dead languages
the study OF modern language was recrea-
tion This is undoubtedly true, and II fol-
lows thet the reform suggested in the study
OF Greek would be an almost infinite relief
10 classical students. IL would also be an IN
caieulabe benefit TO them. They would
then learn 10 take delight in Greek literature.
anu 10 read II with Il clearness of under
standing which Ia impossible under what
may be called the Erasmus method of teach.
ing GTeek.-C Chicago lnieg-Ocean
James Parton Dead.
James Parton, one OF the most industrious
anu Nouminous of writers. was born in Can-
tseiouly' hngiahd IN February. 1922 but was
vlousht 70 TINS country by his parents wbsn
ne was only hye years oil and WAS educated
nrst IN the public schools OF New York cir
ana later IN the school of John Swinburnr
~ "hite Plaius. which enJoyed n bioh renn
uti"h NJ that time. and acquired there an
ardent Is te for Greek and classical literature
generally legacy of several hundred dol
iars enabled HIM 70 make tour of Europ.
sna GA ms return be went 10 Philadelphia
where lie opened a school
Soon Afterwards he began teaching in Nav
York, and finally became connected with the
press. largely through toe influence OF Mp
wins, whose attention be bad attracted bv |
IN article written on the question of ths !
authorship OF Jane Eyre" For some years