TWO PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION. 593 



coming apparent in the very stronghold of classicism itself — in Ger- 

 many. It may not be generally known that during the past few years 

 a very interesting experiment has been in progress in Germany; namely, 

 the experiment of cutting off the first three years of the nine years 

 devoted to Latin in the gymnasium and real-gymnasium, and substitut- 

 ing instead three years of French. Three years ago there were in Ger- 

 many twenty-six gymnasiums and real-gymnasiums, in which this ex- 

 periment was in progress. Now, I am told, there are no less than forty. 

 The head-masters of these schools were unwilling, in some cases that 

 came under my observation, to express any opinion on the probable 

 results of this experiment until more time had elapsed. The experi- 

 ments were begun not long after the celebrated conference on second- 

 ary education, called by the Emperor in 1890. But others were em- 

 phatic in their belief that the experiment would be a success in the 

 interests of Latin itself; and it was really chiefly on this alleged ground 

 that the experiment had been permitted at all. I have no doubt that 

 the results will justify the expectations entertained by its promoters. 

 In this country one of our best known classical schools* has substituted 

 for some years past, for the first year of a six-year course in Latin, a 

 year of French; and there is no disposition whatever to return to the 

 former regime. 



A further argument for deferring Latin until after a modern lan- 

 guage has been studied could be derived from the analogy of the very 

 successful courses in elementary Greek now established in several Amer- 

 ican colleges — courses in which at least two years, sometimes three 

 years, of 'preparatory' Greek are done in a single year; and the work 

 is done much better than it can be done in the preparatory school, on 

 account of the greater maturity of the pupils, and their previous lin- 

 guistic training. All this points to the wisdom of deferring Latin to 

 the later secondary school years in the interests of the Latin. 



But there is another even stronger reason why a modern language, 

 instead of Latin, should be begun in the grammar school. Of course, 

 I have in mind a serious study of the modern language — as serious as 

 if the language were Latin, and with a similar expectation of building 

 on it a superior language training later on. These reasons are, first, 

 that in two or three years a serious study of a modern language will 

 yield a result in general culture infinitely superior to what can be de- 

 rived from Latin at the same age — i. e., it will give the pupil the power 

 to enjoy and to use another literature besides his own; and especially a 

 literature that he can use and enjoy, whether he ever goes to school an- 

 other day or not; and this cannot be asserted of Latin. I need not 

 remind you that most pupils do not enter the high school; and hence, 



* The Roxbury Latin School. 

 VOL. lviii.— 38 



