New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-04
STUDY IN THE MIDDLE AGES.
CLEVER BOOK on A GOOD TOPIC


ro.d.h,. .,.ponss of carly university history was
comnosod are made clear by the following polite
remark of the author L" | trust that the literary
dictionaries of the future. il they should grant
ma a nlarc in their pages, will have the goodness
when they mention my name to follow IL wiz"
this notice: Gabriel Compare, frehch "ri''r'
whose least mediocre work. translatcd mo Eng
lish before being printed. was p"piS"cu 4"
America The work is done essentially from
tho French noint OF view, and the ancient mi
vorsitv of Paris occupies the centre OF the PIC
ture To an advocate of Prague or BOLOGNA or
OK ford there are periods when this French ar
rangcment would not seem to he Just. bn''
taking the whole medieval university era NJ
one glance, the propricty of NJ. Compares view
cannot be disputed
Surcrst;tion dies hard. There is no better proof
of This than the incredible trash that still
abounds in fugitive writings about the Middle
Ages. II might he supposed that after the last
fifty years Of investigation, which have SHOWN
that the nineteenth century, with its passion for
inquiry and its eager speculation Is NOR" nearly
related in spirit TO the eleventh. twelfth ana
,birtocnth centuries than to the vapid humanism,
60 called Of the fifteenth. trouble on this point
would cease Yet the period Of the Renaissance
with its childish essays in Latin verse and us
cnptv and pompous Ciceronian prose. is praised
without being studied while the twelfth century,
full of invention, of fire. Of vigor, with Il
Iatinity which often rivalcd that of classic
times in force and natural beauty. II not IN
ELEGANCE is condemned "a though its people haa
somehow committed an offence merely by beng
horn l,nt that profound investigator. Roger
Bacon; that daring, not TO say TecK!asS' spec
nlator. Alexander Nccknm: those delightful
folk florists Gcrvasc of 1ilbury and Gerald dc
Bari and Walter Mapcs; that inspired orator
Peter Abclard. and even the militant h'r'>N
hunter. Bernard Of ClalrvauN, are nearer W
modcrn life than the Who'll" crowd OF humanls'N'
with the exception of two or three mcn of genius
ike pctrarch and Chauccr The number OF
tho~, who know these facts Is growlng' p"'
nevertheless the exploded supcrstitions OF the
eighteenth century still affect the minds Of
many
While NJ Compare points ont that the European
universities were no sudden phenomenon, his TO-
| marks will not make il clear low graduli thr
transition was from tho narrow schooi system VI
imperial and early medieval times 10 I'll" anarchi'
| hut vital and wde-rcaching liberty OF learning
| in the DAYS Of Abclar1. For example. llc draws
the line roo strictly between the university and
| its immediate prcdcccssor-the school OF the mo-
| nostic order II i true that the distinction
| richtfullv shut ont the monaSiic orders, when
| b,d hccomc the symbol of mental oppression,
whereas the university was the "mhodiln'h' o'
that fierce sometimes riotoas. spirit Of liberty
which had characterized the old barharihns o.
Furopc and continued 10 characterize th'iF de-
| sccndants BIT in methods Of instruction. III
| .bc manncrs Of the classroom. the unN"r-ify Wa
~ direct a branch Of the monastic school a. '""''
he imagined For example. VI. 'ompayre says
Tho classroom i, in no wisc luxurious. or oven
! comfortable The school furniture i oi IA" SIM
plcst. being comtoscl Of thing hlt PA
| form chair and n desk for H." master. >, ,H'
! nmr,i. Il, mn the Ground. which III" hcadl" hi'
! taken care 10 cover with little straw. a.
preventive against dampn"rs or dns'. lnn' u ~ .
| arr no GOATS for IN" children : due. ~ 'he nts'
| rlacc assurc1ly 70 economy. b'c'n th"f' j W.
| nancy ~ buy any: bat il seems th1t hlf u
/ notion al-o undcr"s H." tact q, ll'" - 49, -
! tho students will still u" "noin"d 20 ~ on ~
| ground and rot on chairs or benches, IN "rl'
th"v will u" told that th"y may "snaIr al IMP
,icn 10 rrde. The professor mount ~, t,.''
farm no j. a master regent 81 the Farulif 81 Ari
! liz - verv yonng for he f. inst h"gi"nlng; h'
was not promoted ~ tho ma-frr'hln nn'll y '.N
months ago and h" W. ih"n onN ,",'', ,,rr
! cowI conforrnablv - ia" STATUTES ~ - "n'I''
/ Robert de- CoUrcon lai prescribed ~ u.
master rcading in arts sha'l "' n,N M ,;.,
| "a the heels N least when j" i new beginner
Tic remark about economy in III" above d''''P
.,on mu., bc sct down 10 the authors imagination
for the habit Of students OF sitting on inc ero"h
d,,o1 from Greek times. and is mentioned in 4
massage from popular novel ~ IN" N''u' w
,l,oh ,r.odo,.s thc actual university. " ta'
novel was written by monk wd" '"'d nav
known little Of real life the pic'ur" when IL
rive. must 10 that II the closi"r To when W
,o,opcod and A. il was translated into v"rn'ci
,ar rotrv bv a courticr whose "dnca'loh wa
comnlc,rd before the new system had reached any
definite FORM the addition. mad" W Inn 10 wv
oriOin,l aust have been derived nom We ""''
schonls IN this schoo!room the young princes an
larons-only mobiles were admlIt"d-sat OF f's
mn th. floor while tl. teacher occupied soh"'Ii'''
like a pnlpt Over his shoulder, Il" wore i"'S
rich cloak TIE cloak was lined with cosby "
On his head cap, also "a lni' "h''h Wv
not laid aside in the room. But tn" CLOAK hl''
had IFS hood corresponding doubtless 10 III" ON
pr,scribcI nv Robert de Courcon. HE slmlllrl'l
between the old and new methods was on oc
casiop. still moro marked in til" ease oi VIVA
were known as extraordinary courses IN the "ni
ycrstics. for both masters and bachelors. VIII"
,hcy teach extraordinary may wen gowns "
any material they please Richness of dress wa
, almost n vice of the Mid'll" Ag":, ana learW
; mon were no exception to the rule
Tie me ilacNal pcflod sioh'H '" Wv "'''' y
noriod in Europc very much in the same r'latio
that III, pioneer times in America stand 10 lie a
tie present day. he Ia'K o' 'pP''a"''S ~
! Mental culture led IN cacn 10 the invcntio
Of devices for trniling that wcr" rnd" but cn"'
tive MANY a valued citizen of the ntrd STATE
in thc last generation, OF ever in The present, "i
aav that the most important lc'pr III his '"n'a
= ZION was the rough and ready country d"baiin
n society. Ii was without any iad> There wac II
V browning cult, nor any EonS"nsr about the on
' hundred best books but there was htfHiS'
n half in play. half in earnest. which strengthen"
: memory quckcncd mental insight and eniarg"
v tn, grasp of the mind on every them" s'ggcst''
= to 1t. The dcvi,c maize lawyers as good aS cv,
II spoke 10 jury, it made Icady-witcd preacher
/ and IT was the starting point Of more than on
:. man Who's, career has cn led in the senate
II Now, there are some POINTS in which the NEE
l. iacval university more like debating =