116 On the Ufes of Claffical Education. 
that the fhorteft and eafieft way to knowledge and 
excellence, is through the medium of our mother 
tongue, and that a claffical education is of no utility 
whatever. One leffon indeed we may deduce from 
what has been advanced on this topic, and that is, 
to look with a lefs faftidious eye upon thofe, who 
without thefe advantages (for advantages they cer- 
tainly are) have made good their progrefs to emin- 
ence and fame. ; 
In eftimating the ufes of a claffical education, it 
is neceflary to confine our views entirely to the prefent 
. flate of literature, for indubitably a few centuries ago 
its advantages were infinitely greater, it was indeed 
not ornamental, but effentialte fcience. Difcarding, 
therefore, as much as poffible, every prejudice of 
every kind, the real ufes of a claffical education 
appear to be nearly as follow. 
I. In the firft place, grammar, and perhaps 
orthography, are aflifted, by an early acquaintance 
with the dead languages. I would not be underftood 
to affert, that a perfon may not be practically verfed 
in both thefe branches, without any fuch affiftance, 
but it isa queftion, whether almoft an equal portion 
of time is not confumed in the attainment of them, 
through the ordinary medium of Englifh grammars, 
&c. Befides this, Iam apprehenfive that a complete, 
an enlarged, a fcientific acquaintance with the prin- 
ciples of grammar, is hardly to be obtained, without 
the knowledge of fome other language than our 
own. ‘The grammar of the Latin language is more 
regular 
Sen ae 
