New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-07-20
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

CIR: Your keen and convincing ed-
- torial entitled Gath in the Classics"
cannot fail to stimulate any reader,
whether his luck has been to find in edu-
cation anything Of greater value than the
study of Greek and Latin or not. In the
case of the words cited from Mr.. Irland's
list II ere is no doubt that their special
lied modern range cannot be determined.
with any sort of exactness by mere
recourse to etymology. If the student
doesn't know what "diabolcal" means, it
is clear that the shortest thing for him
to do. is to look it up. With this par
ticular word the dictionary definition will
last him quite long time, probably until
he begins to study Byron, when he will
need something more. "Doxology" would
surely puzzle one whose classical edrca-
ton had been nipped in the bud who
had never heard one AS to "sycophant,"
a glance at an up-to- date dictionary will
indeed give one better idea Of the words
modern Specification than all the knowl-
edge of Greek roots in the world. The
only thing that Greek training can do in
such a is to make clear that when
sycophamtes was first used it was quite
far from its root meaning "hyphen-
ate" is to-day-and meant much the same
thing, a contemplate pest. That is, it
bore hardly more relation to it's roots
than does "piker" to pike" This, Of
course, is particularly bad for the eager
young student, who thus, gets the per-
nicious idea that the ancients were &C.
casionally inelegant.
As to ssSfana;n0''
But as to stamina" the case is some
what different. 1t is surely no harder
mentally to connect the taut loom threads
with stays and staying powers than to
acquire a sense of English keen enough
to know intuitvely the meaning Of the
word just discussed.
And granting that "paregoric" is in
comprehensive, whether for the mind
Greek trained not, is its most important
meaning "a camphorsted tncture of
opium favored with aromatics"? Would
two people in hundred know from that
what the medicine was meant for? 1t is
in this and few like cases that the
dictionary definition seems not quite sat-
isfying.
1t may be urged that knowing about
LILO 1dlHDo" WtyHI pllHO d bLuueHC TO tHc
meaning Of "iridescent." Personally, can
not believe this possible.
But the trouble with this sort of rum
maging around in q Greek trained mind"
is that 1t would be no moro use in get
ting out the students daily lessons than
the editorial writer has found 1t in ex-
planning what he already knew intuitively.
Shall We suppose that no one can know
moro than ono meaning for dokein, or
any other root, when the merest schoolboy
has learned that not once In ten times
can he depend such old standbys as
Zero" and "ago" to mean "bear" and
"drive" respectively? Painful experience
will make his guess educated one, far
likelicr to approximate the true word
content and color whatever the modern
dictionary defnition) than tho most dill
gent search Of the unframed eye which
Gas hcre) Is apt to confuse "diabolical"
with noun, dynasty" with a concrete
word
An chronological Huntsman
Where tho editorial writer's suspicious
have been aroused he has suggested that
Mr.. Irland's "facts prove too much.
There are some persons who are naturally
Interested in words for their own sake,
who love them and pet them and study
them They the good spoilers. There
arc others who are bored stiff by them
and half close their eyes every time they