The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-24
So Says President Patton, and H@
Adds Remarks About Pigmy Poets
and second-CIaHs Statesmen.
POSITIVE AND CLEAR IDEAS
THE POPULAR TASTE IN LITERA-
TURE AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED.
College Life and Training, and Ath~
the Head of University.

Copyright. 1898. by George Grantham Bain.l
PRINCETON, n. j., April 22.-I had a
conversation, a few days ago. with Or.
Francis l. Patton. the president Of Prince
ton University. 1t was not an interview.
and it covered a wide range of topics from
literature to college athletics: but 1t dealt
particularly with university life, its oppor
tunites and limitations. And being an en-
preston of the views of a man of internH-
tional reputation as an educator, / have SIT
1T down with more than usual care.
To record from memory a conversation
with a man like DR.. Patton is no simple
undertaking. His ideas are so positive and
well defined, they find expression in such
clear-cut, strong and wel-formed phrases,
that even an experienced interviewer must
approach the task with difiidence But the
stimulus of conversation with the president
of Princeton refreshes the understanding
and enliyens the memory, so that the SUBJ
jeet carries an inspiration that may well
help one 10 success.
Throughout my conversation with him Or.
Patton sat in an attitude in which have
sometimes him pictured-one leg
crossed over the other, his shoulders bent
forward a little as his head moved now and
then in slight emphasis of his words. and
whose black silk cord hung about his neck.
In the beginning of our conversation I
quoted to him what a noted French writer
said recently-that he regretted wasting so
much time on the dead languages when he
might have been perfecting himself in Ger
man and English so that he could appre-
ciate now the literature of those languages.
DR.. Patton said that the study of Greek
and Latin was not alone valuable for the
knowledge 1t gave us OF dead tongue. but
for the mental training that 1t gave.
What we remember of studies is not
alone what has been of use to us" he said.
1.-THE study of Greek and Latin sharpens
the faculties and trains the mind. Every
time boy grasps the meaning of a COM
plicated Latin sentence he has brought into
activity his highest intellectual powers.
Whenever he racks his brain TO find the
equivalent for Greek word he revives and
freshens his English vocabulary. / believe
that Latin and Greek are not always taught
in the most attractive way. L am not sur
prised that a boy who studies Greek or
Latin with dictionary in his hand finds
it dry and uninteresting. If he were per-
mitted to go ahead and read the classic
works which he is studying his knowledge
Of grammar would be acquired gradually.
II Can De SalQ III favor OF the study OF
Greek. too, that IL one is seeking a knowl-
edge Of grammar the Greek grammar is as
perfect an example as he will find. AS TO
the man who said that he has found his
Latin and Greek of less value than the
modern languages, L am sure If he were
seeking the romance anguages-French.
Spanish and Italian-he would find his Latin
Of great benefit, because these languages
are derived from the Latin directly. But
any Of the modern languages he could pick
up in a comparatively short time and with
the expenditure of little effort If he chose"
DR.. Patton said that the question Of sub
shutting the study OF the modern for the
dead languages was still in controversy.
but he believed that the movement was los
ing instead of gaining strength. Speaking
Of the amount of matter studied which the
mind stored up, DR.. Patton said that mans
mind was likely to retain what was inter-
esting to it of what it studied or read.
AGE OBJ SECOND-CLASS MEN.
"In reading Tennyson," he said, AZ may
put by in my memory the lines that
think are worth remembering The others
am willing to forget as soon as have read
them"
Speaking OF Tennyson," said. SIS It not
remarkable that this generation has not one
great poet?'
1T is a fact said DR.. Patton. I'VE are
left to choose between Mr.. William wat
son, who poetizes on poetry and Mr.. Rud-
yard Kipling. Not that would bellttle Mr.
Kipling. for think that If he ever becomes
serious he may still do something worthy.
In fact, he has done recently something
which seems to bear the mark of insplra-
ton His occasional was the literary fea-
ture of the Queens jubilee. Thousands were
striving Tor something worthy of the occa-
sion, and Mr.. Kipling seemed to do, with
out effort, what all the others had failed
to accomplish. But it is not altogether sur
prising that we lack a great poet. This IS
an age of second-class men, When Bis
marck and Gladstone have passed away,
what really great man will be left2 The
periods of greatness in literature or states
Ipanship are recurrent The Elizabetha6
age was a marked period; the carly Vic
torian era gave us many men great in
statecraft and literature. We have fallen on
e. barren time now. Mr.. Augustine Birrell
phrased it very well when he said that the
only men who had anything to say were
scientists. and they did not know how to
say It; and the only men who knew how 10
say anything were the literary men, and
they had nothing to say"
L asked DR.. Patton If he believed there
was decadence in literary taste caused by
the enormous output OF trashy, common
place books.
There is no doubt Of it." he said, though
the taste for more serious reading has been
fostered in a great many ways, notably
through the university extension movement
That the ratio of readers Of good literature
has changed Tor the worse 1 am not pre-
Pared TO admit OF course. the character OF
serious literature has changed. We have a
more instructive literature. covering the
range of philosophy, of political economy.
of the sciences. The serious literature OF
to-day is much more serious than shat OF
the Ias1 generation"
us II possible to lay out course OF read
ing for any class of men or for men in gem
eral?'
COLLEGE, TRAINING.
mo. Every msn must choose his owr
mental diet The library Of a man IS the
outward expression of himself / can Inn
agine nothing more trying than to set he-
fore man even the most perfect anthology
ever compiled. Think of undertaking 10
read as duty The fun list OF 9he best one