Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-31
4 GRAND SUCCESS.
Continued from page ~

and satisfactory that it should be an.
nounced as the underlying principle OF
these requirements recommended bv the
n lllege commission.
Granting then. as We must, that the
y lwer to read Latin is the thing to aim
/ In Latin study, and therefore the
= 'oper test of proficiency in candidates
IS it possible to acquire this power in a
cur years course of five hours week
al d. If so, by what methods of study
answering the first question 1t is UNI
NJ essary to say that by the power to
70 I'd Latin 1t is not meant that boy
,er four years of study with five ex-
- Uses week. is expected to read any
L; tin that is put into his hands If we
ca suppose the case of a trained Latin
isl who mad spent decades in Latin study,
bu who. by some chance. had never read
II rstus. l doubt whether such a man
ca I'D pass satisfactory sight examina-
ii on Persius first satire. A boy in
his school course has read portions of
I esar, Nepos. Cicero. Virgil and Ovid.
he should have become thoroughly fami-
liar with the characteristic manner of
ose writers and with the words that
/; We occurred. say. twice. in the parts
Re I'd. Thus equipped, and with reasonable
il nea allowed him at the examination. he
81 ll(14f&nd no serious difficulty in trans
la s. Eair. average passage from any
II q 41e meaning of words wholly new
E6&Sany rare words is to besRiven him.
ts93to that IN Necessary hedge of
tn Il IA 1text l9*t0 be fuypi6 No one
81 ~ ss soy w 81 b E ne sss f e
only becauselslie has sl 1lifesSd the
/ me elements already q III times in
h iniilar combinations. X would be unfair
20 Set passages from Liyy, Sallist far Ia
citussS l4ucretius. Catullus or Horace, al
read these authors. would be able to do
credit&bly on parts carefully selected for
simplicity. On looking over my entrance
exanit1a tiOn records FOR the last few
Years. ] find teat the marks for the sight
average quite 40 high as those for Caesar
and Cicero, Wliicn latter have. of course.
always been taken from the parts pre-
viously read. As a matter of fact. Caesar.
which has not been looked at for two
years. is practically sight reading for the
candidate on examination day. and so
perhaps is much of the Cicero that he
has read.
Neither teachers nor pupils. then.
should make a bugbear of sight transla-
ton. Our methods of training have been
such as to foster in the pupil. regarding
unseen Latin. much the same dread that
child has about going into Il dark room.
Our methods ought to be such that boy.
after four years study. would find no
cile; while in several spacious apart
ments. he should be moving about with
the ease and freedom of one who feels
himself entirely at home.
On the other hand. the student must be
taught that sight translation is real trans
lation. not guesswork. not riding rough
shod over forms and constructions. trust
ing to arrive at some tolerable meaning.
1t will be noticed that the new scheme
seeks to guard this very matter in the
pl
With the sight translation and the COM
position "a thorough examination on a
limited portion of Cicero, directed to test
ing the candidates mastery of the ordi-
nary forms, constructions and idioms of
the language" Experience has shown in
the Harvard examinations that Il gram
NAUTICAL test is necessary in order to make
sure that the candidates attainment in
reading has real solidty For sight
translation that deserves the name must
rest on the foundation of Spartan drill
in forms, especially those of the verb. SO
that voice, mood. tense. number and per
son wiN be felt at glance. Three
fourths(of the troubles of Latin students
lie right here 1t is IL convincing argu-
ment for beginning Latin at the age of
10 or III that the sactive memory of the
child MAY be used to accomplish this
indispensable rote-work.
Coming now to the methods to be
adop1 to meet these requirements. we
sec n once that their form is such as to
lea, ne question of method very largely
in the teachers hands. where most teach
ers wilH agree that it ought to be left. A
teacheHs method is so largely the teacher
himself that naturally good teacher
with poor method will accomplish more
than a poor teacher with good method.
But nosgood teacher will be content with
a poor method. With no other guide than
his own common sense. he will soon hit
upon some seffectual method of doing the
work.
AS has been already shown. the initia-
tive in fraphing these new requirements
came from the schoolmen. They went to
the coilegei men and said: Give us re-
ailirements that shall be uniform for all
the colleges Iof New England. not neces-
sarily( Identical as to extent. but let the
colleges that require less be uniform with
every} other as far as they 60" Accord
ingly this scheme has been devised.
whereby the only possible uniformity
AMONGST the large and the small colleges
can be secured. each institution being
free to exact whatever amount II deems
hest of the same essential things. Some
of the New England colleges have adopted
| the requirements precisely as recon-
mended by the commission, others. with
| slight notifications. From the action OF
| the New York Conference. last year. and
| of the National Educational Association
| last April. uniformity. not only for New
England, but for the whole United
| States seems reasonably certain on this
| basis in the near future.
The school men said further: 1--WE arc
| tired Of going over. year after year. the
same parts Of Caesar. Cicero and Virgil:
| can YOU not shape your demands so as to
| give us the opportunity of taking up
/ fresh subject matter. though it be in the
| same authors?" In answer to this APP
! neal. the new scheme admits much more
variety in preparatory work. stimulus
10 the pupil and even more to the teacher.
i New reading in the language is indispens-
| able to the teachers interest and etfici-
/ cncy But his cares are so pressing that
4 In most cases. it is to be found. no time
| is found for Latin reading that cannot be
i made to tell directly in the classroom.
| 'rhe friends of classical learning have
reason to look for better results under
the new scheme. largely because it is cal
i ctiIated TO increase the zeal OF teachers
4 nv increasing their liberty.
1 AS to the important question whether
\ the proposed changes will require more
fine and work. We take pains to state.
in the Bowdoin catalogue. that lit Is not
4 expected that more time or IA materially
Ilarger amount of reading than formerly
will be needed for such preparation. II
Is hoped. howev err ;that better results
may be reached thRpgh improved met z.
DDS directed to. these more definite ends.
Is the expressed Intention of the New
England Commissions the New YORK con.
.rence and the NatiaIiRi association. moi
Hburden the schooieSm time or amount
l. *. III rs a n