Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-11
OIL KINGS HEIR
PROVES L|NGU|ST
RockefeIIer'S 7-Year-0Id Grand
son Talks, Reads and
Writes Latin

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass, July 10
In these days of modern teaching,
when the dead languages are falling
like dead leaves from the educational
tree, ii is indeed unusual to hear of a
7-year-old boy who not only reads
Latin, but talks Latin; and the fact
becomes the more interesting when 1t
is known that this 7year-old boy is no
college professors son, but John d.
Rockefeller Prentice, grandson of the
oil king, and son of e. Parmalee Prem
tice, whose summer home is at Will
Jamestown, Mass.
While the boy and his training are
interesting, they are not more SO than
the personality and theories of his
tutor, Arcadius Avellanus, Hungarian
by birth, who is demonstrating in a
practical way his belief that the Latin
language is a live language-much
more alive than the modern mechanical
teachers of Latin. The tutors name is
Latin, and he talks Latin as If he came
from some unknown land where the old
language still lives. He is merely talk
ing the father language of all Ian
guages; but If he should pop in some
day on the immigration officials with
his fluent, rolling tongue, he would be
the despair of the linguists at Ellis is
land and would be entered on the I'M
classified list of unknown races.
TALKS GERMAN AND FRENCH
Latin is the one subject which Mr.
Prentice's son is studying this sum-
mer, although he talks German with
his German governess and French with
his mother. His studying is under
conditions far different from those or
the average boy. His school room is
the broad veranda of many gabled,
green rooted house beneath the shadow
of the hills that shelter Williams col
lege in fact as we'll as in song, John
himself is a merry little chubby faced
lad, with direct and serious express
sion in his blue eyes that breaks up
into a smile that carries everything
before it when the boy is amused or
pleased. In addition to his pleasant
disposition there is a Willingness, a
readiness and alertness about him that
are typical of the family; and in MS
manner there is no sign of the self
consciousness or selflshness that ire
uuently marks the spoiled child OF the
wealthy parents of fiction.
The front Veranda of the Prentice
home, about mile from the college
town, looks out directly on the Grey
lock range of the Berkeley hills, the
highest mountains in the state, ana II
is on this Veranda that John Prentice
ereets his tutor every pleasant morn
ing about 8 o'clock, before they SIT
down to a low unvarnished table TO
take up the morning lesson. on the
table are few books and but little
paper. Practically no English is spok-
en- during the hour. If any Interrupt
ton comes they discuss the incident
in Latin, The tutor explains the
meaning of new words by blackboard
Illustrations, or other Latin words ana
gestures. The boy asks and answers
questions in Latin, only occasionally
Voicing an English word to be sure
of his understanding Of point. he
has acquired this simple natural COM
mand of the language in about eight
months training under the personal
instruction of Mr.. Avellanus.
sINrPLIFIEs INSTRUCTION
This tutor does not instruct in the
mechanical textbook fashion that Gus
tom has accepted, but by beginning
with the language in simple, natz
uraI way, You would rot start an
American boy learning English on the
writings of Shakespeare" says ne.
Then why should you start the Latin
scholar on advanced literature before
he is ready to grasp it?"
He begins his teaching with the
commonplace of everyday CONVERSE
ton until the pupil becomes fluent and
familiar in the natural use OF simple
words. Then he tells the boy Latin
fables, familiarizes him with the Latin
words and the story, and let's the poy
tell the story back at him in the boys
own Latin words. THE grammar we
will take up later, but not yet, ne
explains. when the hoy gets through
he will have a foundation for his edu-
cation that will not be like the wooden
stand supporting the golden cross OF
CO MANY college degrees,
Perhaps it is the teacher, perhaps
it is the method, perhaps 1t is the
pupil; but these is something about
the success of this big framed man
with this grandson of riches that makes
one wonder why there ever were un-
ruly pupils. From the minute that the
boy seats himself at his little rough
table and the tutor begins talking with
many gestures the boy is all attention.
He follows every word and quickly
grasps the meaning of new words. Dur
ing the past week these two have been
working on Latin story of the wreck
of the steamship Baltic near New York.
The boy copies the story in his own
handwriting while the tutor explains
the story in Latin and has the pupil
repeat it in Latin words of his own
choosing.
Sometimes the lesson is conversation
e: tirely. But whatever the daily rou-
tine, there is no haste on the part or
the boy to have his lesson over When
the hour is up there is lingering
"bene vale" for the tutor as he de-
parts down the hill with his big walk
ing stick, and at last call of You will
come again tomorrow"
Whatever may be the practically OF
teaching this method in all cases, GER
tain it is hat this youthful pupil is
securing a most practical basis for flu
ture study and understanding of the
great languages and literatures of the
world, and when one hears the familiar
way in which his tongue curls around
the old Latin roots that the ages have
stumbled over in their youth, one can
readny believe the forecast that John
d. Rockefeller Prentice will be pre-
pared to enter the lofty halls of. some
classic college before he has left his
twelfth birthday far behind.
MAM cEEKc CnMiMI ANN