New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-22

have you make your pupils love 1t great deal
more. To be sure this means more work for a time
selves sufficiently with the literature. but what OF
that? We are all workers and mere s5ret zen Pc
many weeks-Of the summer vacation don
know how it is with You but with that is about
the only period in the year when I have any time
for new work for the review Of old-time 20 sit
ancient author whom have never met before; or
time to feel about me once more the charm or tnJ
immortas whom learned to know long ago an.
we must take of that time, or some otnef
classics at all The old to this question
will longer serve We can no longer contshl
certain knowledge Of the contents of works com
posed over two thousand years ago are me %, oesS
preparatian which all boys and girls can nave
for all the demands Of life. But neither rs any
sq r}to1 h@ m tbe demands Of life Nobody could
hold suchi view of physics or psychoiosy OF PM
iosophy OF mathematics and there is no longer any
reason why it should be held Of classics Two or
three hundred years ago this was not the cas- o..
teachers in all matters. and the rcen OF those DAYS
Mere not mistaken rafscoered After the Dark Ages
and people began to read about the ancients. they
roan1 eiIfS ~ niviIizaton and learning. They
felt like children before their teachers or ratneI
which few children. 1 am afraid nave Tor 'ner
I remember that Professor F. D. Allen once said
that in former times men approached the anclents
on their knees We no longer assume this attitude
We do not study Greek and Latin because we think
that the ancients were blessed with q hgneT ciyIn
this study affords more than partial training foF
Decentralization OF the anclentS mas
hans done more real harm to the cause OF classical
studies than any other factor ,..~,
But the comparison Of civilizations or dlIIerehl
nations and ages is extremely dangerous tnihs'
n We try to say that is higher than the othet
This is because civilization is not determInane
mathem tcaIIy To civilization may mean
clean streets. TO another il may mean sculpture
We need to understand the man and MS strrouId-
ings before pOstulate anything about mss
position the scale OF Civiliza ton N
teacher has not tried to show his pupils n0t
merely the influence Of ViTsifs own times upon
Virgil. but also Virgins influence on the history
of poetic literature that has followed ne mas NOT
dome his duty to that great author. ne mas ieIt
him as an isolated phenomenon. If a teacher hHs
not tried to show his pupils that it is the influence
of living thought that gives rise TO what we caIi
rules of svntax not rules of syntax that govern
the expression of living thought, he well deserves
the OpprobriOus epithet of gerund grinder -.
Let us consider whether have not been deVotiIg
too much time to syntax: for instance. studied IoF
the sake of syntax: studied for example, IoV
the sake of mere CategOTies. sort or pgeonaonnS,
of which a great deal too much Is done to-day N
this land: reading at sight, for the sake o.
a facility which will lead nothing but the pass
ing OF an examination to the marking or quani-
w particularly of hidden quantity. with vnich
bows should seldom. if ever, be troubled. pr We
have been mistaken in these or in other WAYS ~
is never too late to change our methods tor de-
mend upon H. the salvation OF the study OF the
classics is in uobody's hands but our own