Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-11-19
STUDY OF THE CLASSICS
The Sources from Which the
Poets aud Classical Writers
Draw Their Inspiration and
Build Their Works.

We we're told yesterday by
gentleman in this city that he re
Icently had a conversation with
parent of our town who has a son
in our excellent Graded School,
and, that the parent was much ex
|ercised and complained greatly be-
cause his son was required to stu
|dy the English classics, and wa
especially opposed to his sons
studying Mythology. Of course
this good parent is interested deep
ly in the education of his boy, and
was sincere in his opposition to
what he considered useless studies:
but he simply did not understand
the art of teaching and the
sources from which knowledge is
drawn and education accom-
plished.
Our splendid Graded School
surpasses any public school we
know of in its superior literary
training; and the effort which the
school now has on foot-a series
of high grade entertainments, be-
ginning with the Swedish Quar-
tette Tuesday-to raise funds to
strengthen its public library, &C.
the most liberal encourage
ment from our people. And
one of the best-in fast, the
all-important preparation of the
student mind for the proper con-
ception and full appreciation of
classical and literary reading is
the study of Mythology. Take
one of the finished classical
works, of any age, give it to a stu
dent unacquainted with mythol>
ogy: he reads it, is charmed with
the exquisite flow of words, thrill
ed with the intense feeling, led
through labyrinths of
and yet finishes the
work with the unsatisfactory
feeling of not having thoroughly
understood it: and. why not? Be-
cause he is unacquainted with
the classical illusions found in
the works of our classical writ.
ers. The foundation requisite is
the literature Of mythology. Mys
thology has been a treasure
house for all ages for poets, who
love to dwell among the peopled
glades of old Greece and Rome,
bringing to light their half
myths and ever
finding fresh impulse in them.
And how they quicken the
imagination! The sun is no
a round globe of
fire, but Apollo, driving bis fiery
steeds westward through the
the moon, chaste Diana,
the lovely huntress, with drawn
DOW, riding swiftly through the
azure sky. IT'S no longer the
of the silvery streams
over moss covered stones, but
5he Nadia whispering to US as
We bend oyer the clear waters,
tbs no longer the rustic of the
in the forest, but the Dry>
ads sobbing softly in their
prisons.
We find these old myths, the
belief of an ancient people, in
5erwoveR with all our writings =
dramas, lyrics and novels
and unless we understand the
illusions we lose half the beauty
and thought of the work.
No one mind produced the
mythology of a nation, nor were
hey connected by one person.
IN Geece. Homer, "the blind old
nan of Scio's rocky isle," wrote
,he Iliad and Odyssey, mythical
poem of gods and heroes; here
burning Sappho loved and sung
Pindar, Greece's lyric writer,
Hove the exploits of the country's
heroes into his hymns and odes.
Herodotus, the father of his
introduces them into his
account of wars between Greece
and Asia. In Italy. Virgil, fol.
Homer, wrote the adven>
lures of Eneas. Ovid gave to
the world two great mytholo-
gical poems, his Matomorphoses
and his Fasti. The other writ
ers of these countries followed
their wake, and saved for US
the old myths which gradually
died out with the advance of
Christianity.
The Greek and northern mys
thology have Influenced English
more than the Oriental
mythology, which has produced
but little effect npon it.
The study of Greek mythology
shows US the highly imaginative
and poetical minds of these peo-
pie. To their eyes the things of
nature took on human attributes.
Each stream had its god, trees
the prisons Of nymphs,
the abode of gods.
the flow, RI had tender little
stories to account for their ex
istence, like the story of the
the stars were people
from the earth by angry
or compassionate gods and set in
the heavens.
The Greek and Roman my
thology is probably the bright
est and most fascinating, but we,
as English descendants. should
be the most familiar with Morse
and German mythology. The
Morse myths have descended to
as by means of the Runes, the
El~al1in nonmo tho Ei51oC onI