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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1876)
awawtn 2 THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. utudy of languages; others natural mathe maticians, can accomplish more in this di rection tliau himself, and he becomes dis couraged. Because ho cannot store away ligontly on the most ordinary toplesof the! the planets by their positions to their een day. And yet, that this is the lamentable fact, thousands of graduates are only loo competent witnesses. That the present historic matter with the ease of a Bancroft (method of teaching the classics is the best or delve into science like an Agassi., he I may well be questioned, but that the pros is. apt to underrate his own powers, and i cut method of leaching German in our col ipso confidence in his own individuality. : leges is wrong, there 1h no room for doubt. No sucess can be expected without labor, : A native of Berlin would indeed llnd It and no one knows what he can do until ho la dilllcult task to acquire our language if pyrfloveringly applies himself to the slrug. ; he were introduced immediately to Shuks- gle. Honest toil always has its reward, njnl enjoyment follows closely in its wake. A. U. II. German in American Colleges. . The study of language will always form an important part of the Higher Educa tion. It is natural for man, as his mental vista widens, to desire to add to his vernac ular the idioms and beauties of other lan guages. This is so, not only because lan guage is the great vehicle of thought, the universal medium of intercourse, the com mon property of mankind, but because in herent in language itself we llnd the histo ry of the people by whom it was devel- a practicd language, as a medium of in peare and Milon,yot In American colleges, alter a few months' drill in grammar, we arc introduced to the masterpieces of Gojtho and Schiller. But suppose a Ger man should master Shakspcnre and Mil. ton, as classical writers, would he have any adequate, practical knowledge of the English language? Certainly not. Ami yet we are trying to acquire a practical knowledge of the German language by read, ing the masterpieces of its literature, under the same methods of instruction that we read Latin and Greek If we wish to acquire German only as a classical language, then thin is all well enough, but if wo are over to acquire it as tie of light and energy, If a man expose himself to the full light of woman's inlluence, the tilled is the same as when the earth exposes the greatest ex tent of Its surface to the sun. His whole system is warmed and invigorated good thoughts spring into action, and his whole life is beautilled, as is the earth when the King of the Bulgarians, taken captive to Constantinople, embraced the gospel Having been ransomed by her brother, slip boro back to his kingdom and court w knowledge of a purer, better faith and persuaded him to renounce Paganism and embrace the religion of the cross. Hence the early dillusion of Christianity among lliti tin) frtit-i line Suftjlfiu fmji.. l mi. .... ..,. iint.T, kinvnu. j.Miui-n min 4or. sun causes it to put on Its summer vest-1 weginns. Hut these are remote extreme oped. In the construction of the !uu- guage of a people wo have a stereoscopic view of their mental organization. In the indexible and rigid construction oi the Latin we read the history of a mind, bold) obdurate, inexorable; while in the multi plicity of forms and wonderful llexibility of the Greek wo have the history of a mind, genial, sympathetic, persuasive. On these two great monuments of the learning of antiquity are the fountains from which Mows the great tide of modern languages; and but few modern language. lercourse, our methods of instruction must be changed. A living language can be taught only by the living voice. Wo can learn to 3poak it correctly only by hearing it spoken correctly. Imitation is the only true method of learning a living lan guage. Then give us more of the elementary and conversational German and a more thorough drill in its enunciation. But in order to do this, we must have instruct- ments. While on the other hand, it he expose only a small portion to this benign inlluence, that portion, or that talent, is benefited, while the rest of his being is soon wrapped in snow and ice of egotism, narrow-mindedness, irritability, distrust of mankind, etc., and he becomes selllsh, sordid and illiberal. Such is the social power that women possess. That it is often used for evil is a lamentable truth. Thousands of women aro using it to ele vate humanity, and thousands are using it to degrade humanity, and wither and de stroy the frail exotic of morality, which springs up in every man's heart. In ancient times, there lived a woman who furnishes a good illustration of this class. In youth she was a llower girl, but by the trallic of her charms she corrupted the morals of nearly all Athens, and be came dictator to its greatest citizens. She laid a wager that she could deatio thu virtue of its greatest philosopher, and fail ing to do so, declared he was a god, not a man. She amassed such wealth that, on the walls of the city being destroyed, she oll'ered to rebuild them, if allowed to in scribe thereon her name and occupation, examples. ioi us sec wnni any woman of the present may do. As a wife and inotli. er, she can secure the fortunes and linppl. ness of her children: and even if s were the extent of her power, surely this would be a sulllcient destiny; but by her thrill, prudence and tact she can secure for herself and husband a competence in old age, no matter how small their beginning or how adverse a fate occasionally be theirs. By her cheerfulness, she can re. store her husband's spirits, shaken by tho anxieties of business. By her tender enre she can often restore him to health, if dis ease has seized upon his overtasked now era. By her counsels and love she can win him from bad company, if temptation in an evil hour has led him astray By her example and precept and her own sex's insight into character, she can mould her children, however diverse their dispo silions, into good men and women. And by leading in all things a true and beauti fi 1 life, she can reform, elevate and spirit utilize all who come within her inlluence, so that others of her sex, emulating and assisting her, she can do more to regener ate the world than all tho statesmen and which, thanks to the manhood that yet ic- ! reformers that ever legislated mainod in Athens, was refused. Such a She can do as much, alas! iipHiiiik. even arc more directly alleeted by the classics j guage, not masters of it as a olassio-il Ian. (-eatM f Unisus, her husband, and inllu-' the amount of evil that one uoiui than our own. So, howeer long may be .guage alone, but familiar with in idioms! uacot' llsl,ls lo l'l,!Valu Tiberias to the , the power to do? As a wife, she en the btruggle for precedence between an cient and modern languages, these models and fluent in its use. In American colleges there is no dull. of antiquity must ever hold a prominent cioncymoro marked, no waul more urgent pmue in i-mirau ui uu.-rai instruction, i than thorough, praotieed instruction But the Gorman, of which we wish to jn this .'cpartiuout. speak particularly, can present no such -p.,, ,-.. ...i .in i f. . . , ' , . ,, loo trequently the German is thrown in claims lor our study. As a classical Ian- ,,, 11, ,,. , .. , c , . , , , . J . . to eke out tho quota of some, classical tu guage it must give precedence to he an-l, . ,, ,, , , , kt -.1 -. i . i tor m assigned to those who have never cicnts. Neither can it claim to beany ma i ,, ., ... , ., .:..! ..:,i ... ,i ii.t r 7. ...... m!ule t a specialty, and thus it often be- -- -" i--" -- ". ...... guage. Upon what then must German rest its claim for tho place which it now holds in the college curriculum? Mani festly upon its direct, practical utility. ... ......... ... . . t'U-s who aie themselves masters of Hie Ian-, " l,im" ,Ub(J u,s 'll"' "ho instigated the more, to degrade man. Who can cMiintue man bus an ruin throne. Sucli was Herodias, who, to sate j her husband by her folly, extravagance. er her revenge, demanded in a charger the I want of affection. She can make a .hil head of the first prophet of the new dis-j of a man who might otherwise have be. pensation. Such was Jezebel, who per-' come a good member of society. She run suadod Aliab to take the life of Naboth to bring bickerings, strife and perpetual dis gain possession of his vineyard and sub- cord into what ought and might have been If it is the object of the classics to give depth of erudition by carrying us back -through the cycles of antiquity and giving us communication with the great minds I rmma n lint-flnn f ttw-tcf. nli.. in....l. :. l v,.,., .. .,.,.k.. ,, ,., mwoi. nign ivui;ii ii ami scarcely less to those who study it. Our influential German element, and the ulil- jitarian spirit, especially of the Wcst.de mand a revolution in this department; and this demand lias already too long been disregarded. It is to be hoped, bow ever, thai the change may soon come, and llml orofasors mav In; Hmw.m stitulc the rites of idolatry for the worship a happy home. She can change the in m uiu nun ami living uoti, ami who, as a cent babes which God lun intrusted to her judgement upon her infamous career, was ; care into vile men and even viler women, eaten by dogs in the streets of Jerusalem. . She can lower the moral tone of society' Such was the Spartan Helen whose faith- j and thus pollute logiblntion at the sprin-. less intrigues involved the whole Grecian head. She can, in line, become an instrn states in a toreigu war, and caused the j ment for evil instead of good. Instead of overthrow of Troy. Such was Sullia who ; making llowers of truth, purity, beauty murdered her husband, procured the as-1 and spirituality spring p i her footsteps sanation ol her father and ordered her until her pathway smiles with a radiance charioteer to drive over the mangled that is almost celestial, she ,:,. transform "..liMMimnvii inn, me streets of Koine, it into a bhu-U ...i !.i.i,.,i ,i i ii mii Pliiimmt may OU CllOSeil ,., I ,. . ., ,, , , ,J'1" uraui, ruin of the past, it is the ollice of modern lau- wln, SM.,.ia rfi,ren(. to , ,,,,. ' c" ' .,, yo,,','. wli... endowed by the; scorn of all evil passion b and sept guage to give brat Uh of view by opening , , view-.ho.o.igl, prae.ioal instruction ' , mmb,1,,;'.lb,tl,u'". ' ". i" "it- by the bitter blasts of everlasting death, commerce will, ihe mnMer inlnllecls of j o.-rmmi. f M v . I ?, I . 'S ' ,hu I'rt-"lnr- This b what one woman can do; and if -' Present. , ' ' " r dmbolici! poiaon, which she i one can accomplish so much, who can The Power of Women. J """''"sc'it.ng,,,.; comprehend the amount of good or evil ." ...v. .viiis iii uiu Miriai system, (ml she t1...t ,.i,i i... ,i i ..i .,, .. i -". iv iiuiii- aiiuiiiii mi IIIC Wl omen but ;;;:?;,,,f;,7,s,r,0,'!V'UOi.K,c.mblno i accomplish it. Look about u ,,.. r bo e,. benmiidauonol government. , you and mark the powers ...at are ,,.i Tlie German alone opuns to u& a vast field for exploration. It introduces us to a corps of philosophers and statesmen of That women nossess i.ownr. .mm. itwi llrcl rtitiL lint Kfiiiiiil iltiu ilk I.im. . . "."" '. -.. ."6u me siiatiowest ooservers of human nature : To the mi.,,.. iu.m, .i... ........... . .. ,J : n. '" and constant iinm.grat.onnl people who w (lon,, 0f the oxlo.it of that novver. maiori.v ... w . v. ...T . . .. lm,U"1 '0' -"l1 ",,(1 oviI- ,,,,d Jl wl sneak He Gorman and i.s a ei c (... i ....... .....' y "" " uiusuaiK rend fession grou jilace cojl its speoiii Wl injmericau colleges by virtue of its prac tical utility, it is still taught as a classical, oi? ho called, dend language. It is scarcely creditable to a college to graduate a stu dent in a course of three or four years iu Germau, wlto is not nble to converse Intel- ""- i"iue iviui mi' n. in in..,. ,i... i... .....,., iiii.v .....m. .... i.tnu ui.KrAw. ,ii.i i ii....ni v.......... .i - - ..vj ... niv uumiu. ers its acquisition a necessity ,., p,, Inl' 1C n.robblmrsof ,l, Mini. . Z'Z , V" V !. . ' .T.. !! ,0m K"''i Think you .., . womoll 0llIllll ,,, ul iiioii. And it is chielly upon this ,nv.im m...i. ..r .....i i... .'..........'... . tl'1 l",J,. ' (w.ilime any social evil? If ..,,. uomet. of il.is nd that it lots gained the prominent rig.. WOWWI ,ulV(1 rUeil J," " 'TTT''" "ml hU' wi" I'.d were to demand the same vi,,,,..,, which it now holds in American ornaments. , ,lIi.,WR ,. .. .... a, J ... ,...:... ... " "O0Pr were bap. character of men, as men demand ..f - eges. If, then, German is studied for c ,,nu . he con troll in- !.1llf.e 'P.., !. 1..I1. ., !?.'.' '!" .0VtM"' I,rc ",0"' w' n'fonnation there would be. direct utility it should be Uughl with ,ho ,.,,. urou,, wllloh t)iesocil)I ;,piK. I p,.,,,. m nillull ' ' , " V" ' r,bUil,iV ov"r Sul'l-e the women were to visit upon in- it retereuce to that end. 'ture is coiutructed. Tl.ev ..,- mil... t..ii I . ...?..... '""-"""'' 'ug- temperate men the same 6l;orn. cjiiteiiuu lile German has alu ays held its place, system what the sun is to the solar Bvi.,m. V.11...11..., a .... ,'' .'! six,lict'",,",y . and righteous condemnation that nun I -..v. , 4Mvt.vii, iui JVIi LI IW'Oll Xflll l.'liur tl..i......l. I !iKlk.Kuvfkii l-:...- i 1 1 . and we, the " 16rds of creation iimmri. 11... ..i....u H....1 , , fa' """"'"' give intemperate women; if thev woiil. we bob rnniilli- nmi.n.l -.. ,u,r ,.- 1.1T.. . . . - qeen, ncru.n, banish the are compelled by irresistable power to also revolve around this centre; and are as ma terlally hifluenqed by our relative posi tions to this centre of light and life as nre became votary ami defender of be ! I .T ' ' !".. . T.U .m"U,fil,r lr,,w. ".r,cly' faitli. In the Sne.o,.,.n .7. 7. ! '". ' " " "roin respectal.tlity an w....,b u,,,,,, S1A olJ1 or Anirlo.SiivM.i blur.. ..! 1 .. 0 ..nBo ujujuu in uiesamo way to embrace the Christian doctrine. In the ninth century, the sister of Bogaris, elleetually as the female drunkard is. King Alcohol would meet an. adversary who -would battle with his host more elleet ually than did Zenobin, the ancient war d
