Newark post., 1911-12-13
THE STUDY OF THE CLASSICS
continued from page p


,,ou.rrucm... The gubernator was
thp pilot of a ship. The figure.
,.Ship of State.' is very common
IN Latin literature. Our governor
is thus the pilot Of our ship of
STATE. The word abundant is from
,h and unda. a wave. 1t means
wave after wave. How expressive
tbr phrase. abundantly able to
save Thousands Of examples
like these might be given. in each
If which new meaning is given to
words by knowing their history and
rtymoIogy.
We often hear the study Of Ian
ouay,.> decried as merely cultivat-
mo the memory, as if. forsooth, the
memory was a very unimportant
faculty. The Greeks appreciated
memory much more highly when
they WorShiped it as a goddess to
whom they attributed the mother
hood If the muses. who presided
over every branch of learning.
You have doubtless read of the
nine muses.. those deities whom
every uoet invoked to assist him in
writing. to inspire his mind. The
muses. were the daughters of Mem
orv and IeuS. the king Of heaven
and earth. a modern writer has
Said Memory is the cabinet of
imagination. the treasury Of rea-
son. the registry Of conscience. the
council chamber of thought. A
rood memory is to be despised only
hy those who do not possess it.
However. the study of the elias
sizes develops not only memory but
ouickneSS Of thought. reason. ac-
rlracy. and a philosophic mind.
1t giveS. as it We're, eyes and
nerves to the mind. In the
study of Latin and Greek the
Judgment is brought into play far
more than in the study of the
modern languages. not only be-
cause the order Of thought is so
different. but the meaning Of the
words is 50 variable and depends
So much upon the context. What a
inr discrimination it requires to
select the right word in accord
ance with the particular shade of
meaning required by the context !.
How much this aids us in selecting
the right word among synonyms
in English. The director of the
Case School Of Applied Science
said some Years ago that the stu
dents who made the best record in
his school We're the ones who had
had a classical training before en-
tpring. This was strong language
from the head Of one Of the best
engineering schools in the country.
The minds Of such students had
submitted to the severe disci pline
Of the classics and they knew how
TO study, how TO think.
\ person who is familiar with
Latin and Greek need have no
trouble with spelling. because he
not only knows how most words
are spelled. but why they are thus
spelled. \ great many persons
are troubled by words ending in
bic. > The Latin scholar knows
that if the word is from a verb Of
the first conjugatiOn it will be
spelled able:' as laudable, port
able, rulpable. durable. notable,
comparable. amiable. durable, in
fammable. Indispensable, etc. If
It is formed from verb Of any
other conjugation it will be spelled
'iblc:' AS audible. legible. intelli-
glbIp, edible. combustible. convert
jblo. dirigible. destructible. etc.
Some are bother by the endings
ant . and cent If the word is
derived from the first con jugation
We have ant; as radiant. variant.
recreant, recusant. litigant, etc. Ii
It Is from any other con- jugatlOn
We have ent; as salient. tangent,
pungent. current. diligent, peni-
tent, opponent. etc. There is no
excuse for a Latin scholar to spell
separate. seperate," if he knows
1t is from Sc and paro, ari, avi,
atus; or genitive, "genative,' it
he knows it is from gigno, gignere,
genul, genitus; or exhilarate, tex
hllerate," if he knows it is from
eX and hilaris; or exonerate, Eek
honorate," if he knows it is from
ey and onus. oneris, a burden; or
Supersede, "supercede.' if he
knows it is from super and sedeO,
10 SIT. Thousands Of other eXam-
pies like these might be given.
The study Of Latin and Greek
q.