The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-16

not absolutely rebellious against It shout
learn Crock and Latin after the good old fast
ion. tApplause.i had rather take young fe
low who knows the Ajax OF Sophocles. and VII
has read Tactus. and can scan every ode {
Horace. I would rather take him to report
prize fight or n spelling match. for instance
than to take one who has never had those ad
vantages. tApplausel I believe In the col
legos: I believe In high education: but I d.
not believe in scattering your fire before yo'
are In the face OF the enemy.
When you begin to practise the profession
OF q newspaper man. then Is the best time &c
begin to learn IL: but while you are In college
with the daily series Of professors and all the
appliances Of study that belong to the college
make the best OF them and pursue vigorously
those studies that give accuracy In learning
and that give fidelity and accuracy In recita'
ton. The great end OF education. President
Walker used to say. is to be able to tell what
you know: and he used to say. too. that some
bright mon carried IL so far that they were
able to tell q great deal they did not know
Laughter and applause.
There is no question that accuracy. the
faculty OF seeing a thing as 1t Is. OF knowing.
for instance. that IL is two and one-quarter
and not two and three eighths. and saying so.
that is one OF the first and most precious ends
Of good education. Next to that would put
tho ability to know how and where most
promptly to look for what you don't know. and
what you want to know. Thirdly. would put
DR.. Walkers great object. being able to tell
what you know. and to tell 1t accurately. pre-
cissly. without exaggeration. without preju-
dice, tho fact Just as it 10. whether 1t be report
OF . baseball game. or Of a sermon or OF q lee
ture on electricity. whatever it may be, to get
the thing exactly as it Is The man who can do
that is q very we'll educated man.
In addition come the qualities OF per-
sonal talent and genius. Now. genius is q
great factor. When we think OF such q genius
IS tho one have Just mentioned. the late Mr..
Greeley. why. our minds may well be filed
with admiration. do not suppose more than
ono ortwo gentlemen here ever knew Mr..
Greeley personally: but he was man OF i'm
menBe ability. Of instincts OF extraordinary
correctness in many respects and OF the power
Of expression. OF telling what he knew. in a de-
liGhtfully picturesque. humorous way which
not merely instructed the hearer and reader
but gave him q sense Of delight and satisfac-
ton from the mere art that was applied in the
telling. He had had no great advaD tages OF ed
ueation. He had to pick up his education as no
went along. reading in the winter evenings by
the freight. and never wasting Q chance OF
learning something. But he lacked one
OF tho most precious faculties which
It Is another great object OF the col
lego education to cultivate and bring
out and that is what We will call the critical
faculty. the judgment which. whom a PROPOSE
ton 10 stated to you or fact is reported. looks
ut It calmly and says THAT is true" or else.
" That 10 false: the judgment. the instinct
the developed and cultivated instinct which
knows tho truth when it is presented and de-
tects error when it comes masQueradng be-
fore you. without the necessity OF any long
examination to ascertain whether it is truth
or error. This great man Of whom am speak
ing. this great and brilliant journalist. one OF
the greatest we have produced. was deficient n
that faculty. so that sometimes he was mis-
taken. We are all Of US mistaken occasionally.
/ dare say. but perhaps his mistakes were
moro conspicuous because OF his great power
In writing, and his rare genius
Now. a. for the preliminary studies OF the
apart from tho ancient languages.
whose Importance. I think. cannot be over
estimated: and the reason why this i'm
portance, in my judgment. is so great, is tn at
they lie at the foundation OF our own language.
and the man who does not know the three or
four OF those old languages. or at least two OF
them-if he knows three. II he knows the old
Teutonic all the better-the man who has not
that knowledge does not really know the Eng
ltsh language. and does not command its Won
oertul resources' all the suotiet,es ana ablli-
ties OF expression which are in it. Certainly.
without Greek and Latin no man knows Eng
iish; and without Ieut"nic NO mans knowl-
eage OF EnSilsh Is perfect.
Inc nrst thing that the man who is looking
forward to this profession in which the use OF
the English language Ia the main thing. since |
It is the instrument that he must apply con- !
Tor the expression OF Ideas and for the
dissemination OF knowledge. is to know this |
language thoroughly. and that 10 the very |
,orner stone OF the education that a journalist !
should look forward to and should labor after
and should neglect no opportunity OF improv-
ing himself in
After knowledge OF the English language |
'omes. OF course. in regular order. the practice.
he cultivation OF the ability to use it. the de-
Telopment OF that art which in its latest form |
We call style. and which distinguishes one
writer from another. This style is something of |
'uch evanescent intangible nature that it Is
iimcult to tell in what 1t consists, I suppose
Z Is In the combination OF imagination and |