The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-05-28

put 1T also contains elements or nlgn
est value in our every day life.
j has been said by Hugh Black that the
! greatest defect in human character
is the lack of decision. The mar
lacking decision does not own his
own mind. Character is often on the
verge Of destruction but is saved
from ruin by the delicate and firm
cord of decision. Through the power
of decision the popular saying: CAL
things are possible is beginning to
have meaning and conviction
When I decide, mean 81 will"
Emergencies will often arise in
our lives in college, in business and
in conversation when it becomes nee
essary for us to choose one thing or
another. In order to meet these
emergencies more successfully we
should have taken those studies
which would have developed our
power of discrimination and precision
of expression. These are gained to
good advantage by a study of the
Latin language. To those who say
that Latin is not practical, let us for
the sake of argument, grant this:
Shall we take from education all ex-
cept those things which deal directly
with the earning of our daily bread ?
Shall We narrow and dwarf our
minds by ignoring their possibilities
for refinement and culture? This
would be uncomfortable without some
thing to exalt and ennoble. Latin
most certainly has an aesthetic side
and of so great Importance that it
should be studied for this, if for no
other reason.
There is no reason for narrowing
existence down to a vocation. If the
fullest and best is to be got from
living, if our education is not to end
with our diplomas, our intellectual
and artistic interests in good litera-
! ture and art should be kept alive. An
education greatly increases ones
earning capacity, but it's true value is
not to help get a living but to help to
live. DR.. Angel has said: Education
means all that is good and promising
in life,
Are. not public school instituted
primarily to insure good citizenship?
1t not the object of all education the
development of right thinking and
right doing? Any branch of study,
therefore. which will promote the de-
velopment of stronger, purer man
hood and womanhood is essentially
practical, Certainly whatever adds
to the loneliness of character, or
enriches the thought contents of a
mind, or developes perception of
and love for what is beautiful is
'practiCal' in the highest degree.
Almost without exception, these
objections come from those who
knew nothing of the Latin language
for themselves. We who have studied
Latin and mastered even small
part of it, never regret the time so
spent When the study has been dis
continued, the first positive knOwl-
edge passes from the mind in a
great degree, yet the impression and
the training of systematic thought
remain. 1t requires no little mental
effort to comprehend the thought ex-
pressed by the intense Latin SEN
tence. Exercises of this sort cannot
fail to stimulate the mind. Over
glish language are derived directly
fore, a thorough understanding of
our own language and the value of
correct speaking depends upon a
knowledge of Latin. With this fact
in mind it is not surprising that in
studying Latin one uncOnsciOusly ac-
quires an ability for defining words.
A Latin student feels the force of the
words he is using, while another stu
dent may take the same words arbi-
trarily and find in them no beauty
nor appropriateness. After the first
years work, the student can readily
see the relation it sustains to the En-
glish language. How often students
say they never fully understand their
own language until they had studied
Latin If this can be said after one
years work, will it not be in much
greater degree after continued work?
All educators since the Renais-
sance have recognized the value of
Latin and given it an important part
of the curriculum of schools. The
student in any of the branches OF
science, medicine and law, who has
knowledge of Latin has great ad-
vantage over the one who knows
nothing of the language. 1t is found
that students who have much diff
Guilty with other languages are ones
who have not studied Latin or whose
knowledge of Latin is exceedingly
superficial
A minister in his. talk to children
was comparing people to wooden
blocks, triangular, square; hexagonal
and cylindrical Some he said, had
80 few interests that they might be
compared to triangular prisms, which
present sharp corners to the world:
Other people were sufficiently we'll
developed to be classed as square or
hexagonal prisms, meeting the world
less angularly. But the wise man, he
concluded, cultivates his mind on all
sides; he is the cylinder presenting
no sharp corners to be rubbed off by
the worlds hard knocks. Classical
education is one essential to the
rounding which makes the much to-be
desired cylinder man, it is an essen
tial because it brings out latent
forces for good.
The Latin literature is one of COM
bined strength and beauty. In what
other language will the student find
such beautiful thoughts, such strong
and rugged sentiments, expressed so
aptly in language SO appropriate for