The sun., 1919-03-30

pairing students to master all other stud
les. whether scientific. professional.
| technical. historical. literary or artistic.
Their literature Is full of the noblest
impulses and Is admittedly the greatest
OF all foreign literatures. Their history
Is the key TO all history and II records
the origins Of our own civilized liberty.
| Justice and democracy. To omit the
classics would therefore be TO destroy q
main part OF the foundation OF our mod
| ern knowledge.
IF capable American boys and girls
are not provided with good opportuni-
ties for classical training they are thus
deprived OF very important part OF
their just chance for the best liberal
| education. Wherever this happens the
I classical schooling, not being made
! freely accessible to the many, becomes
automatically restricted to the few who
| can pay for It, In this way the chance
for knowledge. which ought to be open
| on equal terms to all, Ia made I'M
equal. Such a situation IL utterly I'M
fair and undemocratic. Tho very
! nature of American institutions de-
mands that our country shall not fail
to provide completely all kinds OF
| genuine education, including the best
liberal education for all who can take 1t.
+, THE future OF the classics as a
| separate study is OF relatively minor
! Importance. We care most for them
because they are a vital factor in
larser problem Their great impor tance
lies in the fact that experience proves
they are an essential element in the
best liberal education Of all countries
In the Western civilized world. There
fore to improve and extend our classical
education. not as an isolated thing but
as part OF the unified. fundamental pro-
IaA l,f..l,
also includes mathematics, science.
philosophy. history and modern litera-
ture, Is the object for which the Ameri-
can Classical League Is being formed.
These studies are our natural allies.
We are fighting their fight as we'll
as ours.
pending the formulation OF de-
tailed plan for the league the following
matters are Of immediate interest:
Il. A very large enrolment of classical
teachers as active members and OF other
friends OF the classics as associate mem
bers should be secured.
"2. with an adequate membership en-
rolled the first and most obvious work OF
the league is to secure a public hearing
Of the case for classical education. This
means a campaign OF publicity.
20. 1t will also be the function OF the
league to do all in it's power to improve
the quality OF our own teaching.
~. Another task Cor the lesK- Is 10
help and strengthen all existing classical
agencies without any interference In
their affairs
10. The campaign for the classics is
to be fought and won mainly In the sec
ondary schools. This Will largely deter
mine the attitude OF the colleges.
The war Is already affecting the
school enrolment In both the ancient and
modern languages, notably through the
displacement OF German, which had been
hrtificially stimulated to n large recent
growth. So far as published reports in
dictate the facts, German has lost three
fourths OF its students, French has gained
heavily. Latin and Spanish have gained
substantially. and Greek has reappeared
In some schools where It had been miss
Ing for many years.
but much more should and can be
done. 4 great new opportunity Is be-
fore us Full advantage should be
taken of the growing public sentiment,
stimulated BY the war, In favor OF
abandoning easy-going and loosely-ar-
ranged plans OF study and OF basng our
education. once for all. on the few
studies of most fundamental impor
tance, we'll and amply taught instead of
on wastefully expensive and educa-
tionally confusing miscellany Of shorter
courses. often chosen casually by the
student and forsaken by him for others
from time TO time"
The final session OF the conference was
held Saturday afternoon at 100 o'clock.
Miss Mary C. Robinson OF the High
School, Bangor, Me, read a pADer on
AN Experiment In Teaching Latin for
the Sake of English"
The second paper was read ny Pres
ident Samuel V. Cole. the subject OF
which was An Ancient Contemporary.
or the Modern Element in the poems OF
Virgil" lie said In part:
III we ask what distinguishes Virgil
amonS the classical writer's In a way
that should appeal to the sympathy of
this age we shall find part of the an