EDITOR'S TABLE. 



415 



and very often have a heavy, cumbrous 

 way of expressing themselves." 



But the most striking exemplifica- 

 tion of this principle on a grand scale 

 is probably now to be found in Ger- 

 many. From the article of Professor 

 James we gather that the dead-language 

 superstition holds on in that country 

 with the greatest inveteracy. Dead 

 languages are the center and pivot of 

 the national system of education, main- 

 tained with unrelenting tenacity in all 

 the favorite government institutions of 

 culture, the trade-mark of social posi- 

 tion, and the gateways to all honor and 

 emolument. In the official preparatory 

 schools, the gymnasia, twice as much 

 time and labor are given to Latin and 

 Greek as in our own colleges. Cer- 

 tainly here, if anywhere, we should ob- 

 serve the general reflex advantages upon 

 the vernacular speech of life-long in- 

 tercourse of the cultivated German mind 

 with the classical masterpieces. If the 

 study of dead languages can perfect a 

 living language, then surely the Ger- 

 man language should have become the 

 world's model in every desirable attri- 

 bute, and German books should be 

 taken as the world's standards of the 

 finest lingual achievement. If the vir- 

 tues of grinding in Latin and Greek are 

 so great as they are alleged to be, Ger- 

 man writing should be the type of lu- 

 cidity, elegance, conciseness, and force 

 of expression. But such are not the 

 characters for which the German writ- 

 ers are usually distinguished. They are 

 the worst expositors in the world, and 

 the national habit is so careless and 

 slovenly that it is recognized even by 

 some German writers themselves as a 

 national reproach. Professor Helm- 

 holtz translated a series of works into 

 German, among other reasons for the 

 avowed purpose of doing something to 

 raise the standard of clearness and sim- 

 plicity in the use of the German lan- 

 guage. These works, offered as exem- 

 plars, were not from the treasures of 

 Latin and Greek, but were from a liv- 

 ing language, the English, and by a 



writer, Professor Tyndall, who had at- 

 tained his remarkable mastery of the 

 native tongue by the critical study of 

 it, and not by the study of dead lan- 

 guages. The following extract from an 

 editorial in " Science " of October 5th 

 sufficiently illustrates the literary hab- 

 its and general state of mind of a people 

 trained beyond any other people in the 

 old languages of Greece and Kome : 



In German scientific writings the excellence 

 of the matter usually contrasts vividly with 

 the defective style and presentation. Indeed, 

 the Germans, despite the superiority of their 

 modern literature, are awkward writers, and 

 too often slovenly in literary composition. 

 Conciseness and clearness are good qualities, 

 which may assuredly be attained by the ex- 

 penditure of thought and pains; but these 

 the German investigator seems unwilling, in 

 many cases, to bestow upon his pen-work, 

 but follows the easier plan of great diffuse- 

 ness. Besides this, another delect is not un- 

 common the ill-considered arrangement of 

 the matter. This occurs in all degrees, from 

 a well-nigh incredible confusion (to be some- 

 times found even in elaborate and important 

 essays) to a slightly illogical order. In this 

 regard, a curious and not infrequent variety 

 of this fault deserves mention. According 

 to the headings of the chapters or sections, 

 the division of topics is perfect; but under 

 each head the matters are tumbled together 

 as if a clerk was contented to stuff his papers 

 in anyhow, if only he crammed them into 

 the right pigeon-hole. Speaking broadly, 

 the German mind lacks conspicuously the 

 habits of clearness and order. There have 

 been celebrated exceptions, but they were in- 

 dividual. The nation regards itself as having 

 a decidedly philosophical bent, meaning a 

 facility at taking broad and profound views 

 of the known. We venture to contradict this 

 opinion, doing it advisedly. Their profundi- 

 ty is mysticism, their breadth vagueness, yet 

 a good philosopher must think clearly. It is 

 a remarkable but little-heeded fact, that Ger- 

 many has not contributed her share to the 

 generalizations of science ; she has produced 

 no Linn, Darwin, Lyell, Lavoisier, or Des- 

 cartes, each of whom bequeathed to posterity 

 a new realm of knowledge, although she has 

 given to the world grand results by the ac- 

 cumulated achievements of her investigators. 

 The German's imperfect sense of humor is 

 another obstacle which besets him on every 

 path. He is cut off from the perception of 

 some absurdity, like that of Kant's neume- 

 non, for instance. One can not explain this 



