Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-11
CLASSICS AND MATHEMATICS
Two Papers Read at the Columbian Open
ing.
. Prof. Huntington and Prof. HOdgkina
Speak Of Their Spccinlties-Build-
ing n Complete Structure.

Two papers of much more than usual in
terest were read at the opening Of the
Graduate School of Columbian University
and the Corcoran Scientific School. The
Graduate School was opened by paper by
Prof. Huntington, upon the Importance
of the Studies of the Greek and Latin
Classics" AS the venerated and silver
| haired professor entered the room a stu
dent remarked to citizen, "The students
don't like Prof. Huntington" why not?"
asked the citizen in amazement. Because
they all love him." was the answer. The
professors paper had much of the elegance
of diction which he claimed for his favorite
Greek.
\ part was as follows: In general, the
two languages have equal claims to our at
tention.-the Latin stronger claim, on the
ground that it affords, in some respects, a
| better preparation for the study of our own
and other modern tongues; but the Greek
a far stronger claim on the ground that 1t
is better discipline of the judgment, Of
the power of discrimination, and of the
taste, and that it's literature is character
| lied by greater freshness, originality,
beauty and power.
1t is not possible that the guardians Of
the greatest universities in the civilized
world, after the most thorough examina-
ton of the real value of classical study as
| means of youthful discipline, would, age
after age even till now, have given it so
large space in our courses of liberal
training if any other study could have
been reasonably substituted in it's place.
We must remember that the two grand
ends OF university. as well of collegiate,
education are to draw out and cultivate
the faculties of the mind, and to store the
mind with knowledge; and that the first
end. that of discipline has been regarded
as more fundamental and important in
academic training than the second
The professor then showed under several
heads why the discipline derived from the
classics could be obtained from no other
studies, and that the classics claim our at
tention not only as means of discipline,
but also of positive knowledge.
The classics. he said, give the knowledge
of the highest civilization of the ancient
world-of what men in their best estate,
in olden times, were; of what they did, and
OF what they did for us; what the sources
In the far-off past were from which our
arts literature. philosophy. law, social
order and civilization were diffused over
the modern world.
Higher Matchmaker.
The opening address for the Corcoran
Scientific School was upon 1.-THE Study of
Higher Mathematics" made by DR.. Hodg-
kins. who, as student remarked. was the
professor who did heap of work, but not
with his mouth The size of the audience
and the hearty round of applause that
greeted him testified to his popularity.
Part of the address was as follows:
The conclusion is sometimes drawn that
higher mathematics consist of subjects
useless in themselves, barren of applica-
tions and merely wasteful of intellect and
energy. This conclusion is unsupported by
history. Analytic geometry and calculus,
at one time the higher mathematics, are
now Of constant use and wide application.
In general it may be said that the practi-
cal of today was the theoretical of yester-
day; in like manner will not the theoretical
of today be the practical of tomorrow?
We must prepare ourselves for more
than the knowledge of today. We must be
ready to understand and to utilize the
knowledge Of tomorrow. This is one view
We must hold of all education. knowledge
is not stationary. We have not yet reached
Its top. or sounded its bottom. or meas
ured it's extent. When we say that educa-
ton must be practical we do not mean
that it must be such as to enable us to
earn, at the earliest possible moment
few dollars to make ourselves self-sup-
porting. That is opposed to the business
practice of the most successful merchants
of the day. The engineer or scientist who
would be successful must be like the great
merchant, ready to compete with the best
in his profession Large successes can come
only from large Investments. Conditions
change, and we must be ready to respond.
More than that. We must be ready to force
the change.
But higher learning must not be sought
merely because of its possible applications,
but for its own sake. The criticism that
the courses of study in our scientific
schools are too theoretical rarely comes
from men who have reached the highest
positions in scientific and professional
ranks; but it does come from the men who
have failed to reach them: and have failed,
often, because of their lack Of the very
knowledge they condemn as useless. AS
an engineer never fails to build his stIuct-
ure stronger than his estimated load. so
the student should have factor Of safety
in his education. In tall buildings the
strength comes from the inner frame
work of steel, and not from the visible
stone or brick. This inner strength of steel
10 fha strength
higher mathematics that gives definite form
To many branches of science.