whole work may become the subject of criticism, first by the class, and afterwards by the teacher.

II. Instruction in the Dead Languages.

The only Dead Languages that are taught to any great extent in our schools are the Latin and Greek, and special reference will be had in this Article to methods of teaching these languages, although the methods indicated will be found applicable to all languages belonging to the same class. The prominent place the languages of Greece and Rome have occupied in every liberal course of study would be a sufficient reason, if no other could be given, why some discussion of the methods of teaching these languages should be introduced into a work like the present one.

In regard to the benefits derived from the study of the Dead Languages, three opinions are entertained: first, that all other studies are less important than that of Latin and Greek, and that consequently the learning of these languages should occupy the most prominent place and the greatest portion of time in every liberal course of study; second, that the time now spent in the study of the Dead Languages might be employed to much better purpose in obtaining a more complete knowledge of our own language and the various sciences; and, third, that the study of Latin and Greek ought to occupy an important place in a course of study, but that school-time should be fairly proportioned between the several great departments of instruction, and that Collegiate and University honors ought not to be based upon proficiency in Latin and Greek

any more than upon proficiency in other branches of learning.

The first of these opinions gives undue prominence to the study of the Dead Languages; the second wholly discards their study; and the third occupies a middle ground between the two extremes, and, while holding that Latin and Greek are not indispensable in a liberal course of study, still maintains that they are valuable auxiliaries in the work of education.

In supporting the last named of these opinions, the reasons will appear why it is considered that both of the other opinions are erroneous. That

there are branches of instruction other than those of Latin and Greek which are worthy of careful study, will be generally conceded - conceded even by those whose practice does not correspond with their theory. Mathematics, Natural Science, Mental Philosophy, General Literature, History, the Modern Languages, and other branches of learning should not be omitted from a comprehensive course of study, and, as will be seen in the proper place, all of them furnish classes of facts and kinds of culture quite different from those derived from the study of the Dead Languages. Our duties as men of business and citizens may not be learned as well from the study of Latin and Greek as from some other studies, and this end of utility in study cannot be ignored in teaching.

The cause of education, however, is most likely to suffer detriment in this country, at this time, not from those who favor classical studies too much, but from those who oppose them altogether. The

danger is not now great anywhere that Latin and Greek will absorb too much of the pupil's time and attention; but there are persons everywhere who attach little value to the study of these languages. As might be expected from the utilitarian character of our people, America has her full share of these advocates for the abandonment of the study of Latin and Greek, and the substitution in their place of other branches which are supposed to bear a closer relation to the work of the office, the shop, and the farm. In such circumstances, it may be well to state the principal advantages which may be derived from the study of the classical languages.

1. The study of Latin and Greek assists in the study of our own Language. The English language, through the medium of the Norman-French and otherwise, derives at least one-half of all its words from the Latin. Almost all our scientific terms are of Latin or Greek origin, and no one who is unacquainted with these languages, can read a work on Law, Medicine, Theology, Teaching, or upon any science or art, without feeling sadly the want of such knowledge. The close analysis of an English author, such as Milton, is hardly possible for one who is unacquainted with Latin. The finer beauties and more hidden laws which characterize such a work can be fully appreciated only by the classical scholar.

2. The study of Latin and Greek assists in understanding the Character of the People who spoke them.-The character of the Greeks and Romans is well

worthy our study. Few nations have done so much that will live in History. The language of a people is closely related to its thought. In its language, as in a mirror, is reflected back an image of what a nation has thought and felt. Not even in the remains of their Sculpture and Painting, not even in their stupendous ruins, their Parthenons and their Colosseums, do the people of Greece and Rome represent themselves so perfectly as in the Poems, the Orations, the Histories and the Dramas, that have been preserved from the general destruction that overwhelmed them. Their noble languages. are the richest legacy they could have left us, for in their study we may learn to sympathize with the master-spirits of the past, catch some of their inspiration, and commune with the sentiment which they embalmed in words that remain fresh midst the lapse of centuries.

3. The study of the Latin and Greek assists in obtaining a Knowledge of the History of the Romans and Greeks.-There were both Greek and Roman Historians of great celebrity. No translation can do them justice. They must be read to be appreciated. Besides, what these classic nations of antiquity accomplished best appears in the works of their Poets, Orators, Dramatists, and Philosophers; and no one has ever acquired the ability to read these books that did not acknowledge himself amply repaid for all his time and trouble.

4. The study of Latin and Greek furnishes very good Intellectual Discipline.-A recitation in Latin or

Greek, when well conducted, gives exercise to the memory, the judgment, and the reason. No better culture for the intellectual faculties can be found than that which comes from making nice discriminations between the meaning of words; carefully comparing constructions; earnestly searching the underlying thought in one language and the fit words to express it in another; and closely studying the modifications and relations among words, phrases, and clauses. It is not maintained that there are not other valuable means of intellectual discipline. The polished Greek himself probably obtained his culture without the study of language other than his own. But it is claimed that the disciplinary advantages of the study of Latin and Greek have stood the test of centuries, and nothing has been found that can be safely used to supersede them. The amount of practical knowledge gained from the study of the Classics may not be equal to that which can be gained in the same time from other sources; but the grand end of study is to increase mental power, to give general efficiency; and no way has been found better suited to the accomplishment of this end than the thorough study of the noble languages of Greece and Rome.

5. The study of Latin and Greek furnishes fine Esthetic Culture.-No one can enter into the spirit of the classic authors without experiencing a refinement of his taste, and a more exalted flow of imagination. Relieved of whatever might have been gross, through the pages of Homer and Plato, Virgil and Cicero, the classic lands of Greece and