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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1879)
NO. 7. TIIK UKGINNINO. 140 m ! T i ra h i V cal n at u 10 of our country; bill, to re ject the classics on tliese grounds would be absurd, unless one Is also prepared to reject higher education altogether. For or what use to the generality of mankind is a knowledge of botany, of chemistry, of higher mathematics, of any other Ian guago than our own. What is the use of colleges of Literature, Science and An? What is the use of a liberal education, that will justify the expenditure of so much time? Judged by this standard, education ought to consist only of reading writing and arithmetic. Very few utili tarians will admit this assertion, yet it is the legitimate conclusion of the original hypothesis by their manner of reasoning. The difficulty lies in the meaning at tached to the word use, by prejudiced minds. While considering the use of the classics they inquire do Latin and Greek aid the mechanic or strengthen the farm er? Do they increase the income of the banker or merchant? Do they sharpen the wits of the lawyer, or purify the mor. als of the statesman? Tliese questions they answer negatively, and as proof, point out men who have succeeded in the various positions without having studied the literature of Greece and Rome. A broader definition is given to the sumo word, when they are considering the sciences and modern languages. Then subjects physical and metaphysical, phil ological and philosophical, are deemed useful. These studies develop the men tal faculties, ennoble the mind, make pow erful the intellect, r line the taste, increase one's power of doing good. Such argu ments, when openly stated, refute them selves. Their plagiarism is equally unfair: for the arguments used to overthrow the ex clusive study of the classics, will not up. ply to their utter extinction If any other branch of study had occupied the posi tion which the ancient languages held one hundred years ago, it would have suf fered the same fate. When the classics lb i mod nearly the whole of education, and forced themselves upon every one seeking a few years of study, the evil as soon as it hecame apparent, was attacked by scholars and a reformation effected But now, that their true place as a medium of education has been found, scholars have ceased their assaults, except an article now and then against the strongholds which have surrendered on loo good terms. In this country scholars of recog nlzcd ability no longer decry the classics although they may d Uterus to their value compared with other courses of study. In western colleges they occupy a little more than a third of the lime in their own course, and with the variety of courses of fered form u very small per cent of the whole number of studies taught. And yet it is wonderful how so useless a course of training can entice into its ranks half of all the students entering our universities. Let us inquire into the reason of so many students prefering the classical course. Personally they can know very little about the relative value of dillcrent studies before entering, consequently thoy are influenced directly or indirectly by the opinions of their elders, or in other words by the general estimation in which tho degrets of the various courses are held, the relative value attached to dillor ent courses of study by scholars through out the land. These are tho only forces brought to hear on students seeking knowledge for its own sake, or studying to acquire a liberal education. No one can fail to notice Mie precedence given to the classical eouibo b the host educators. A superiority over tho other courses 13 certainly attributed to it, and although "the prevalence of a custom is not always sulllcient proof of its intrinsic value," yet when advocated by competent men, it is a pretty good indication of its value as a means to an end compared with other means to the same end. How ever we must not trust altogether to the arbitrary judgment of men out demand tho reasons for such a decision. The stu dent having learned tho effect produced