The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-04
Yale Extends Its
 Humanistic Efforts
President Angel Reports Important Contributions in
 This Field Under Five=Year Gift Grant

New Haven, May 4-The general board, in 1927, made large and gen. erous gife to Yale university, to be spent over a five-year period for the promotion of advanced studies in the humanistic field. Today President James Rowland Angell made public report on the work which has been done on this grant, prepared by Dean Edgar s. Furniss, of the Yale Graduate school, which shows that with the assistance of the gift, inn portant contributions to knowledge have been made by members of the Yale faculty in various divisions of ths humanities. As result of the research thus made possible, some 35 books have been published, or are in preparation.
 In addition to providing funds for excavation at Doura- -Europos in the valley of the Euphrates and Jerasfl in the Transjordan, an appreciable sum was appropriated from the gen. eral education board fund for the Goethe catalogue. This protest con- sists in the preparation of a defini- tive bibliography with critical notes of the materials in the Goethe col lection of the Yale university library, the collection being one of the rich est in existence. The bibliography is the result of many years labor by the late Professor William A. Speck and, latterly, by Professor Carl F. Schreiber of Yale. When completed, "it will be a distinctive contribu- ton to this field" President Angell said. The appropriation augments large expenditures on this project made by the university from other funds.
 The Yale classical studies. series which brings together for publica- tion the results of the research ac- tivities of classical scholars at Yale, have been made possible by grant from the fund. Thus far three vol umes have been prepared, each col lection of significant studies in classical archaeology. They are being published by the Yale University Press
 With the aid of the fund. lingus- tic scholars at Yale, under the gen eral administration of Professor Ed uard Prokosch are preparing series of comparative grammars in certain languages in which the need for such studies is especially pressing. The first of these, A Comparative Cram mar of the Germanic Language, IS completed and ready for the press. Studies are under way in the Celtic, Baltic, and Slavic languages.
 Professor George Dahl, of the Yale Divinity school. will soon publish "Redating the Old Testament Docu- ments," study based on his inves- tigation in Europe made possible by a grant from the general education board fund, together with appro- priations for other university funds. This study involves a critical re-ex- animation of the writings of the old testament with a view towards a more accurate determination Of their place in Jewish history. The assistance given Professor Dahl has enabled him to complete the first stage of this investigation with very significant results.
 Professor Charles c. Torrey chairman of the department of Semitic Language at Yale, assisted by grant from the general educa- ton board fund. augmented by grants from the university from oth- CT funds, mas enabled to take leave of absence to prepare new translation of the four gospels from the standpoint of the Aramaic back ground, and to publish his "Psuedo-