The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-13
How Greek should bs Taught.


has taken o conspicuous part on the affirm
ferred to his arguments made public
through the London Tynss and through
MacmilLdn's Maoasins. His latest contribu-
ton 10 the discussion appears in the Novem-
Der number Of the Contemporary RevteU. and
It is especially interesting as showing him
TO be supporter Of Greek. not ss It Is at
present taught In schools and colleges. but
as IL might and should be taught.
According to Prof. FRKr1IAN. tho oppo-
nents OF the compulsory study Of Greek are
mistaken In their fundamental assertion
that to learn that tongue Is In itself hard.
whereas to learn German Is In Itself some
what easier. Thst oil depends, he says. ON
how the two languages are taught. It IL
cosy to learn any language 80 as to chatter
1t without really knowing anything about
1t. We are reminded that Greek Is. as .
matter Of fact. modern language: and for
thepurposes Of a diplomatist. or courier. or
waiter at Q restaurant. 1t may be learned
as easily as French, On the other hand. to
get . scientific and scholarly knowledge Of
French or German Ii just as difficult as to
get the same kind Of knowledge Of Greek.
Prof. FREEMAN insists that French. above
all. is not . language to be trihed with. and
that knowledge of 1t is no knowledge at
all IL it does not grow out OF knowledge Of
Latin. In bis Judgment, therefore. the talk
OF substituting modern language for an
ancient In schools and universities leads to
Q dilemma. Either the modern language
is to be taught In different and inferior
way from tho ancient one or else those to
whom Greek Is pain and sorrow will find
French or German equally exacting and
equally troublesome.
The study Of any language. ancient or
modern. must be scientific II It is to be truly
educational: that Is to say. II 1t is to develop
accuracy. perseverance, sustained and con.
centrated attention, patient and painstaking
effort. What does the scientific study of O
language imply2 Simply. that when boy
begins to learn Greek or any other Aryan
tongue he should be taught, first Of all.
what that tongue ID In respect Of Inheritance
and utilization: that he should be taught Ito
connection with his own tongue: that. In
other words. he should be taught so much
Of GRnfM's law a. bears on the language
concerned. Thus. instead Of telling him
that the Greek word ego should be trans.
lated /. and the Latin word genus
should DO construed Kin. We should
make him understand that ego aud Iupon
the one hand. and genus and kin upon tho
other. are only different forms Of the same
word. So. too. In learning French he should
be helped to see that champ not only means
the same thing as the Latin campus. but
that It is merely o later form Of the same
word. and under GRrMM's law could not
take any other form. Prot. FREEMAN con.
tends that this sort Of teaching is not only
fruitful but truly interesting. and that 1t is
applicable to children provided they ore not
unusually stupid. 1t is clear. at all events.
that the fundamental truths Of comparative
philology are not too recondite to DO 40
Quired by the majority OF passmen at uni
verslties. or even Of boys In their teens.
At the conference Of head masters of the
English public schools 1t was not denied
that GR1MM's law ought to be taught. but
IL was acknowledged that they did not
teach It, An inquiry instituted among
schoolboys in tho higher forms elected the
fact that most were unaware OF any connec.
ton between Greek and English. and thut
while few knew there was such thing,
they had never heard OF It In their school
teaching. It Is indeed admitted by Mr..
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. university exam.
liner who has expressed very low opinion
Of tho knowledge Of Greek possessed By
passmen that aim simply at degree. that
Greek is still taught at English schools and
colleges nearly as It was o century ago. In
other words. no use IL made Of the copious
and searching light thrown upon the study
OF languages during the last hundred years.
From such an admission Prof. FREEMAN
submits that the proper conclusion Is not
that Greek should DO cast aside altogether,
but that 1t should be taught moro intelli-
gently and fruitfully.