Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-03-29
GREEK IS A
FINE LANGUAGE
That Is, When You Really
Get Well Acquainted, Says
Mr. Gardner
NEEDED IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS
Noted Pedagogue Sees No Rea
son Why Pupils Should
Discard 1t.

That the system of education that
allows a pupil or student to evade a.
study simply because that study may
seem difficult or disagreeable is per
nicious one; that there seems no log
ical reason for the high schools OF
America to drop the study of Greek
from the curriculum and that boys
and girls of this land years hence,
when they have grown older and
seek literature as a diversion-aye,
solace in their declining years may
deeply regret their complete inno-
cence of any knowledge of the Greek
classics-were opinions expressed
yesterday by William Emory Gardner,
noted linguist scholar, traveller and
club man, and nephew of Mrs. Jack
Gardner, the noted Boston society
| leader
| Mr. Gardner is the guest of Bronson
NJ Cutting at his home on Buena Wis
ia Heights and has just arrived from
the east. He was "corralled' by the
interviewer just as he was taking tea
with Mr.. Cutting, DR.. Frederick NJ.
Bishop of London who is visiting here,
and former Governor Herbert J. Ha-
german.
OF a wiry frame, and possessing
the high forehead, keen eyes, and
large eyeglasses as well as nous
tache of the late railroad king E. II.
Hartman, Mr.. Gardner at once at
tracts and commands attention.
He is man more than one famous
mans son has doubtless held in awe,
for he is the professor of Greek at
Groton, the noted school where just
$50 foremost Americans sons are edu,
Gated.
Mr. Gardner is no kin of the cele,
brated military authority and lectur-
er, Gordon Gardner, though he has
met him. but certainly he has Mr.
Gordon Gardner's command of Eng.
. lish despite the time he has devoted
to Greek, Ancient and Modern, Rus.
| sian, Italian and a few other Ian
guages more or less complicated OF
| musical.
, DO I mind talking about Greek?'
! asked the Bostonian repeating the in
terviewer's question, Why not at all
: He Likes Greek.
Then he admitted half with a smile
! and half with a twinkle in his eye tha
: he actually LIKED GREEK. Hert
int
! in the eyes of pupils and perhaps
9 students who have, like Byron, hat
ed Horace and Plato so" a phenome
nal one as we'll.
Then he explained
y According TO Mr., Gardner land ht
/ certainly knows Greek is a detesti
n Bile proposition" for years There
It are all kinds of thorns, and sharJ
r edged rocks to be brushed up agains
S for months and for years but the aver
II age American who goes in for an edu
Il cation, suddenly stops in disgust JUS
as he is about to be admitted to tn,
n garden of delights-furnished by tn,
I. knowledge of Greek.
why is this pet language of your
a so difficult" asked the interviewer il
o a tone of despair
- Simply because it is so differen
in its construction from many othe
languages l suppose" said the note,
: educator.
- But after its idosyncracies ar
4 mastered, one ought not to stop. a
most people do. The student shoul
i go on and then reap the harvest fo
+ which he has sowed"
o About the Accent, Etc
n Mr.. Gardner was then piled wit
questions about the Greek accent, an
If whether or not it is necessary. H
e admitted that in reading poetry tn
y accent, if anything, is impossible" !
If one is to get the metre. AS regard
4 pronunciation of ancient Greek, tn
J professor expressed the opinion tha
there are three ways of pronouncin
n it; one is as they do Modern Greek i
q Athens today; another is as certai
p learned men think it was pronounce
is in the olden times, and third is tn
:. way you and / speak English.
- seems to be the same about LatiI
=. and Mr.. Gardner gave very amusin
- imitation of the way Latin is chan
:. ed in a French cathedral Cdominu
T. was pronounced 'dominews' and S
u on
"In Berlin I found the. student
D pronouncing their Greek like thei
u German he said. But 70 pronounc
81 ancient Greek just as modern Gree
N is pronounced, as they do in Athen
is to say the least. very confusin
K There are too many e. sounds
g. is 1t Necessary?
If But is Greek necessary for Amer
x can boys and girls?" was asked
Mr.. Gardner replied without hesit
ton: 1T has been said that pupils TO
get almost everything they learn. Z
(. you or | remember or know any alg
bra today? Do we remember OF
k other studies. except perhaps histor
ii and something of literature? No, oil
IS studies are largely matter of disci
pit line, of training the faculty of pc
te ception For this reason see no re
d. son why Greek should be eliminate
as from the high school curricula
n this land. Its study makes one appr
n ciate the value of exactness.
m II pupil is brought up with tt
10 ~--------