New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-22
Bringing the Classics to the
Man in the Street.

THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY.
Edited by T. f. Page. NJ. A. and W. H.
D. Rouse, Lift. ID. Euripides, with an
English Translation by Arthur >. way
Lucian, with an English Translation by
A. ~ Harmon. and other volumes
l6mo. The Macmillan Company.
The English reading world owes q
lasting debt TO Mr. James Loeb for the
magnificent undertaking that bears his
name. In an age that is increasingly
neglecting the humanities in its sys-
TENS Of education. and neglecting them
with increasing faith in the wisdom or
its course, these scholarly translations
of the Greek and Latin classics come
with a rare timelness. They are doubly
welcome because, side by side with
the diminishing attention given 10 them
in favor of more practical branches
Of teaching in our colleges. there en-
lists, if not a popular demand, at least
a popular and growing desire for an
easy approach to their beauty, still
more to their wisdom, on the part or
those DESTROYS Of remedying the defects
OF early educational opportunities. III
il be not inconceivable that the "Loeo
Classics" may in time be introduced IN
our colleges as shortcuts 10 the kerhei
whose shell of grammar and syntax
has always been so hard one 70 crack
80 often an invincible obstacle 10 the
appreciation and absorption OF the
spirit. II is yet in this ''popuarization'
that their greater service will lie.
Some wears ago n well-known Bos-
tonien smoke out in THE Atlantic
Monthly" with laudable frankness on
the subject of the unsatisfactory quail
ity of the average results obtained ny
current methods of the study Of the
classics in their originals. Mr.. Loeo
refers to this evil, but the complaint
is a far older one AS witness one oil
the classics included in his library, the
confessions of St. Augustine;
Rut why. then. did hate the Greek lit
erature that chants of such things? FOR
Homer himself was skilful in contrlvinS
such fctions. and Is most deHs IunS
wanton: but yet very harsh 10 me peln6
a schoolhoy | believe that virgil Is no
less To C;recian children when they be
compelled to learn him. as | was 10 learii
Homer: for to say truth. the dlihcultX OF
learning a strange language did Sprinkle:
as il we're with gall all the pleasures OF
those fabulous variations. For ! dld un-
derstand not a word Of II, yet they Vehe-
mently pressed me, and with most cruel
threatenngs and punishments, To make
me understand II.
The authors thus far issued in this
series are, besides st. Augustine's Con
fessions." in two volumes. Euripides In
four, Catulus. Tibullus. and the anon
ymous "PervigilrIm Neneris' in one:
Philostratuss "ApolOnius Of Tyana."
i'm two: Propertius. in one; Lucian Ap-
plans Roman History" and first
volume of "The Apostolic Fathers" The
original texts are printed side by side
with the translations, which. il may be
explained to ingenious college youths,
are 10 be relied upon as ponies for
the sense and the spirit rather than for
literal rendition. Where passages have
been omitted in the English version
the originals have been edited in the
same way.
The translatiOns themselves are un-
doubtedly the best obtanable. Some,
like Wattss Of st. Augustine 063W.
have stood the test Of time; others have