The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-14
URGES CHANGE OF METHODS
IN TEACHING THE CLASSICS
Greek and Latin l-i' in Must Be Spoken
as Well as
Written.
TIME TO MAKE BEGINNING.
Real Instruction Will Result in
Keen Enjoyment for
! Student.
by CHARLES w. Balm, NJ. a

lH f.tssa
by CHARLES w. BAN, NJ. "a.
In that brilliant comedy OF "The
5Froge,' Aristophanes, with tho keen
est insight into literary and moral
purposes. dissccts the poetic compost
tions OF the two mighty poets, Aeschy-
lus and Euripides. The strife is
battle royal between the great poets.
Their poems are brought forth,
weighed and criticized In every pos
sible manner to find out which OF them
twain should be carried BACK to earth
to rehabilitate fallen Athens. The
Anal Judgment is in favor OF Aeschy-
1us. and Lionysus. the god OF wine
and patron deity OF comedy. leads
Aeschylus back to earth with -four
ish OF triumphant trumpets. Honor
and glory are to be restored to
"ytolet-crowned Athens" Aristophanes
and his party despised Eurip!des.
Aeschylus appealed to the higher In
stincts. the finer qualities, the reason
OF the Athentans. His poetry breathed
lofty patriotism, and its effect was to 4
raise men to a higher view OF life.
Euripides. on the other hand. be-
longed to the new school, He was
FAR in advance OF the conservative
Aeschylus and Aristophanes. He had
$
modern ideas, and had incorporated
them into his poetry. He forced upon
the tragic stage all the lower. humber
means that awake the popular
emotions, and so for a time captured
the larger audiences, for the lower
g always finds. a wider circle OF sup
3porters. AS artist. as poet, 1t is true.
. Euripides had degraded the great ma
donal religion OF tragedy. but no poet
has more completely fathomed the
depths OF human emotion than did this
great tragedian OF $500 years ago.
Later generations have come to
saner view. and now both poets reign
supreme in their respective spheres.
Now all who read independently and
do not form their views and opinions
after the dictum OF another. acknowl-5
edge that both poets are great, how
ever, much they may differ In their
modes OF working and their points OF.
view.
ClassicaI StudIes.
This little ssory can be very well
applied to the condition of the clas-f
steal studies. which once ruled SUI
preme in the sphere OF educational
circles. They were the Aeschylus OF
the schools and colleges. they lcd to
a higher and nobler view OF life. and
their votaries strove earnestly for the
uplift OF humanity. The STRIFE be-.
tween the classics and other studies
Us not at all OF modern origin: Indeed
1T Is much older than many people
seem to think. It Is the way OF men
to attack whatever is up on pin-
nacle. to lash and cast down what
ever is exalted. It Is part OF the
the middle ages the syllogistic method
was all-conquering. but later ages
thought this was not the best method
for man. and 1t has passed into
oblivion, for systems OF education
must change to suit the altered con-.
ditfons or advancing civilization.
4 Light was brought into the dark
ness Of the world OF the middle ages,
when Petrarch was inspired with the
intense desire to learn, and busted
himself with searching out lost manu-
scripts OF the great Latin writer's. It.
is greatly to be regretted that Pet
rarch was ignorant Of Greek, for the
impetus that WAS given by, him to
learning and which was turned In
favorfof Lat tin, mi ght have saved many
Greek manuscript and preserved to
the world somo OF the great literary
treasures that we know existed at
that time, while 1t would have, at
the Same time. made secure the hold
Latin then had on tho world La tin
{ was at that time the language OF the
world: 4 scholars like Erasmus, OF a
later date, even d espised the modern
languages, for Latin continued Ito be-
the Language Of the olite and political
world as we'll as the language OF the
church. : e &
There was no danger, therefore, that
Latin could be hurt. While the fact
S that Greek was at that time being
spread into the western world by the
Rugitivesf from Byzantium, much was
4 lost because the scholars OF. Europe
could not understand the language
Tor this reason 1t could not be taken
up and conserved with the aviditya
With which Latin was studied and
propagated among al l{nations. Petrarchl
4 himself bitterly lamented the fact that
II he could not read the Homer in the
4 original, which had been presented to-
him by q. famous Byzantine Scholar
y and was compelled to- get him to make
sa5 translation into Latin for him. Crude
as was this transla tion. It was enough
to show to- that appreciative Intellect
the beauties and glories Of the rich-s
est and most flexible language ever
nodded by the lips OF man, So keen
\ was his enjoyment thAt the MI ghty.
scholar never ceased to regret that.
3 the real Homer was a. sealed book for
him. s3 8s ss5 s6 s
& First Fight Started.
1T was Francis yVayland, president
Of Brown University,sI I believe. who
in the early ties took up the cud
y gels against the classics, not because
he despised them, but because he
3 thoughtathat they occupied too large
and prominent part in the currlcl,laj
&#Of our schools and coll ges. IS He It
Il was who gave the impetus to the fight,
against them, but hi purpose was not
to displaoe them entirely, !, as s. ONE Of
3 his more ardent and less a BILE q ollow-i
Is ersS would have us do, but to make
s5 place for he growing sciences, ply
8 sical and d escriptive. as wei as alb.
stract.s It Is al fact often, II not al p
ways, Il owe RI ked that the true in1-i1
4 pulse to y scientific d Il study arose from
the classical Vi so hoo OILS, \ for hea great
German olsssic cal sch olagR figst intro.