290 Report S.A. A. Advancemknt of Science. 



methods, and we are at last thinking of opening the eyes of oui' youth 

 to the great living world around them, or rather — for the eyes of 

 many are open enough — of training them to use these eyes in 

 systematic observation. Even the conservatism of the advocates of 

 classical teaching is breaking down before the demand for improved 

 and living methods, though apparently only under stress of the threat 

 that if their methods are not revised thei-e will soon be no place for 

 them in the modern order. 



Thus the cr}^ is i-eform, always reform. The resultant reform, 

 however, is too often one of details rather than of principles and their 

 application, and there is in consequence a lack of finality about it 

 which partially explains the general dissatisfaction to which reference 

 has been made. The educationalist has added to his time-table subject 

 after subject till he can add no more, and he is now faced with the 

 position that he must largely disregard these so-called reforms. 



In South African education as elsewliere there is room for scien- 

 tific reform to step in, to review the ground, to weigh the pros and cons 

 for the retention or exclusion of this or that subject, and as far as 

 possible in what must always be evolutionary, to place the stamp of 

 finality upon both subject and method. If natural requirements, for 

 instance, point to the advisability of retaining the classical languages, 

 it is mere weakness to allow them to go in the fiice of connnercial 

 opposition ; if, on the other hand, it decides against them, it is 

 merely bolstering up inefficiency to endeavour to retain them. 



At the present time it is round this question that the struggle 

 is mainly centred — ^the place of Latin in the school and therefore 

 in the college course. For the most part South Africa has decided 

 that it has no time to study Greek. The report of a recent inspector 

 in Natal is brief: "Greek is as extinct as the dodo.' Tiiis out- 

 work of the classical position being carried, the attack has been 

 advanced against the sister language, and the voting in the University 

 Council on the question of optional Latin indicates fairly well the 

 immediate position of the fight. Most South African schoolmasters 

 know perfectl}^ well what optional Latin means in a country which is 

 over prone to take the line of least resistance. To make Latin optional 

 is practically to kill it. Always i-emembering that other subjects will 

 have to be admitted, so that the relative importance of Latin must be 

 reduced, are we to fight to retain it] 



With every prejudice in favour of an affirmative answei', I yet feel 

 that the time is past when the (luestion can be answered on prejudice 

 oidy, and I could wish that tlie arguments in favour of this atfirmative 

 reply were more conclusive than they seem to be. Tliere is no need 

 to enlarge on the stock arguments of the value of the inflexional 

 language, its importance in developing style and expression, the use of 

 the flifficult subject and so on. The.se arguments may have some value, 

 but are far from conclusive. Not less so is the personal compai-ison of 

 the classical with the scientific man, very often made to the detriment 

 of the latter. Tlie difference can be easily explainerl on otlier gj-ounds 

 than that of the value of the study of the classical languages. It is 



