18 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



years since the requirement of Greek for this degree and that of Ph. D. 

 (with which the A. M. is always given) was dropped in Prussia; and 

 although some of the German professors would like to see Greek 

 restored to its place in the list of requirements, hecause it would reduce 

 the number of students at the universities, and some others would 

 like to see it restored for the same reasons which affect the opinion 

 of some American educators, there is no more probability of its being 

 restored than there is that the study of Hebrew or Sanskrit will be 

 made compulsory. 



It is a very significant fact, indeed, that the deepest students of the 

 art and science of education in Germany are opposed to the requirement 

 of Greek. A recent work by Professor Paulsen, of the University of 

 Berlin, on the history of university education in Germany since the 

 close of the middle ages, has some exceedingly significant remarks on 

 this topic. He shows in a masterly way how prevailing ideas change 

 in regard to the value of Greek and the proper method of its study 

 from decade to decade. He pictures also how this language has been 

 slowly slipping away from the position Which it held fifty years ago, 

 and how surely one can draw the conclusion as to its ultimate fate. 

 He assigns to it, indeed, a much more subordinate place than any one 

 here demands. He says that the course of development points to the 

 irresistible conclusion that Greek must disappear altogether from the 

 list of studies common in the preparatory course must become like 

 Sanskrit, Hebrew, Arabic, etc., a language to be studied by but few 

 persons chiefly those who expect to make a profession of preaching or 

 teaching language. He recognizes certain difficulties in the way of 

 the speedy realization of this end, most of which are not pedagogical 

 at all, but social and political i. e., difficulties which are entirely ex- 

 traneous to the merits of the case. 



The amount of Greek still required for the simple A. B. or M. A. at 

 English or Scotch universities is ridiculously small when judged in the 

 light of the wonderful results in the way of liberal education which are 

 claimed for them, and there can be but little doubt that just as soon 

 as the modern party can make itself felt and pedagogical considerations 

 secure the weight which is now accorded only to social and political 

 prejudice, the requirement of Greek in these pass-examinations will 

 go the way that many other old regulations of the university have 

 gone, which were vigorously defended by lovers of the old when they 

 were attacked, and which would now find absolutely no apologist. 



Of course, all this is independent of the merits of the question, and 

 I have proposed simply to describe actual facts in regard to present 

 conditions, and to call attention to what seems to be the inevitable 

 drift of events. Very few who belong to the so-called modern party 

 desire to belittle the study of Greek properly pursued, or would think 

 of classing Greek in the same list as Sanskrit relative to its importance 

 to our culture or civilization. They simply recognize the fact that 



