Newark post., 1911-12-27
We are giving Our space to cor
respondents this week.
PROF. CONOVER ANSWERS MR..
WASHBURN
4 REJOINDER.


but, as Mr.. Washburn takes excep-
tion to some things | said in my ad-
dress at the high school and mis-
represents others, | feel impelled to
say few words i'll reply to his
Challenge. -
Teachers Of English, as well as
those in other departments, have
told me again and again that their
students who had had classical
training showed the greatest lInowl-
edge Of English. l thought this
was a pretty well established fact. .
Indeed, | never heard it disputed
before. Of course, there are eXcep- !
tions to this as well as to all other
rules, and Mr.. Washburn, himself, |
who claims to have 'little Latin
and less Greek" appears to be one
of these exceptions. An Abraham
Lincoln is not produced in every
generation. Such a genius is be-
yond all rules. No high school or
college could produce Lincolns.
Mr.. Washbrrn says: "To compel
the future farmers. plumbers, and
storekeepers to neglect even Eng
Iish to study Latin or Greek is
childish. - BY this sentence | am
grossly misrepresented. | have
never advocated the neglect OF
English for anything. In all my
teaching Of the classics | have
aimed to keep constantly before my
students the bearing Of those Ian
guages on English. There is hard
lv line in any Latin author that
does not contain several words
from which we have English de-
rivatives. A Latin root has often
been more productive of English
than of Latin words | once wrote
on the board for my classes a
list Of $50 English words derived
from single Latin ot,-far more
than the Romans themselves ever
had use for. | am sorry my critic
found the study Of Caesar pain
full | began the study Of Latin
without Il teacher when small
child and from that day to this |
have always found it's study a
keen pleasure. | took great delight
in almost all my studies at college,
except chemistry. | am glad L
took chemistry although it was
quite irlSsome to me. would not
for a moment belittle its import
ance in liberal education. Our
tastes are not all the same. | have
always urged upon students get
ting all the education they can.
Never have | advised them to ne
glect any other study for the sake
Of my department.
Mr.. Washburn says: "The Amer
lean Indians were ahead Of us in
their understanding Of education. y
This is perhaps the most absurd
statement he makes. The Ameri-
can Indian taught his son that all
work except war, hunting and
fishing was disgrace and fit only
for women. The squaw was com.
PEELED to do all the menial labors
indoors and out. According to our
school histories their estimated
number at the time America was
discovered was about equal to the
present population Of Delaware
With 100000 square miles OF fer
tile land from which to derive sus
tenance, they were frequently
brought to the point of starvation
Shall we take their system of edu
cation for model?
Mr.. Washburn criticises minis
ters because they have spent OF
the classics "the time they shoult
have devoted to learning the plat
forms of political parties, the prob
lens of the wage-earners, th
science of sociology, and the prac
tical use of brains in the solution
of the problems their par
ishioners face. SO far as m,
experience goes | have found NJ
class of people 50 in touch and sym
pathv Withevcrything tiIatc0nccrn
The welfare OF the community a
the ministers. | have found then
in the forefront Of every goot
cause. The schools, the Libraries
the temperance movement, and al
plans for civic betterment fint
their ablest supporters among tn
clergy. There is no reason why TIN
should not be 50, if reading tn
Bible in the original gives them
better understanding Of its truths
He says: 'their preaching is us
ually classical; the agonies, the as
pirations, the sorrows OF the human
rrt,ie, ,lo 10, a n