Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1892 — Latin in the High Schools. [ARTICLE]

Latin in the High Schools.

During the past year in onr own community and in general throughout the country, - much has been said about Latin in the high schools. Not a few teachers, patrons and pupils have been positive in their opposition to Latin as a required study. Notwithstanding this opposition, many strong minded educators and patrons of the High School have earnestly insisted upon the maintenance of Latin in the course as a required'" study, To those who are sincere in their opposition to Latin, I present very briefly a few reasons why it should be made a required study in the High Schools as maintained by the State | Board of Education. The opposition of Latin arises 1 chiefly from two causes, Fiist. the I intensely practical tendency of our J civilization; Second, Ihe reactionary . influence upon the High Schools j from the loose modem college cur- 1 riculnm . ~ f ~- If Latin were in opposition to the utilitarian tendency in the American civilization, then, there would be sutheient reason for abandoning the study of it. Latin is not to l»e regarded as an end in itself, but as a means to an end. In his immature judgment a pupil may assert that he needs no Latin to become a competent physician or lawyer, but the profound student of medicine or law, will declare that fie could not possibly do without his Latin. In bis desire to get something that is easy or “practical” the youth may declare that he needs bookkeeping and not such nonsense as Latin; but the merchant who has disciplined his mind by the study ot Latin comprehends results more readily and more accurately than the graduate in a course of bookkeeping. " The individual who has subjected his miDd in youth to the rig d discipline of Latin becomes most practical and amasses wealth where one who has fed his mind on such poor disciplinary subjects as bookkeeping or an “English Course” finds trade dull-

Of course, I expect those who take a superficial view of this matter to" say that they “got rich” without Latin nud many others have done tue same thing; Latin of itself will make no man rich. But, everything else equal, it will develope a strong, and accurate mind whiefi makes the possibility of riches greater. In his desire to make an electromoter, a flying machine, or to accomplish some of the other wonderful things yet to come, many a school boy has forgotten that the technology of all the arts and sciences is based upon Latin or Greek. That scientist is necessarily superficial who does not known something of these languages, and with all of his attempts to be practical he must labor against odds which he can never overcome.

The so-called “elective course in English” has been advocated by many educators of mediocre ability. This course has met with much popular approval .* The reasons are several. Aside from some charaterisvics, it caters to the wishes of these who want to get something for nothing, and who would persuade themselves and others that they are educated when ini .reality they are not. The evils of an elective English course more than outweigh its advantages. The English course fails to train the mind to close application, accnrate habits of thought, and a polished scholarship. It fails to develope the mental muscle necessary to grapple with the great problems of life. It does not furnish a solid foundation for a good English vocabulary. An English course alone must necessarily be superficial, and any system of education which is superficial, is pernicious in Its influence and, therefore, must be avoided. The second influence against -Latin in the High Schools of the state does not come fiom the patrons of the schools, but from those educators yyho have been trained in the Universities and Colleges of the present which offer great freedom to pupils in their choice Of subjects. I have no criticism to offer upon the modern college curriculum; l am inclined to think it the best yet devised. But it is undoubtedly wrong to assume that because college students in their last two years of work are capable of selecting their studies. High School students are able to do the same. Scarcely a college has yet gone so far as to assume that a Freshman or Sophomore ip able to select what Is best for himself. If, therefore, Colleges assume that jtuefents of the first and second years are not sufficiently developed to judge what is best for them to study, there is much greater reason to assume that High School students are not capable of judging what subjtcts are best fitted to prtpar* 3 them for complete living. The course of human actions is a zigzag path, going from one extreme to arctlier, but ever advancing towards the ideal. This principle is admirably illustr a uo,in the history of education. For a gnat many years in the past the end cf education was to become a Latm scholia, til other subjects were secondary. 'Xot more than hall a century ago the reaction set in, and

the whole tendency of education was towards the natural sciences. But Clarence King has pointed out in the March number of the Forum that the leaders of educational thought to-day recognize that Ihe sciences can not do wmSwi&Afeeelassics, and the classics have their complement in the sciences. Hence we must conclude, that in Secondary and Higher Education we can ndt exclude Latin, but we must use it as a means to a broader culture in the sciences and arts and as the best of subjects to develope mental muscle and finished scholarship.

H. L. WILSON.