758 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



tastes whose imaginations are never touched by merely literary stud- 

 ies. To save these from intellectual stagnation during several im- 

 portant years of their lives is something gained ; but the thorough- 

 going advocates of scientific education aim at much more. To them 

 it appears strange, and almost monstrous, that the dead languages 

 should hold the place they do in general education ; and it can hardly 

 be denied that their supremacy is the result of routine rather than of 

 argument. I do not, myself, take up the extreme position. I doubt 

 whether an exclusively scientific training would be satisfactory ; and 

 where there are plenty of time and a literary aptitude I can believe that 

 Latin and Greek may make a good foundation. But it is useless to 

 discuss the question upon the supposition that the majority of boys 

 attain either to a knowledge of the languages or to an appreciation of 

 the writings of the ancient authors. The contrary is notoriously the 

 truth ; and the defenders of the existing system usually take their 

 stand upon the excellence of its discipline. From this point of view 

 there is something to be said. The laziest boy must exert himself a 

 little in puzzling out a sentence with grammar and dictionary, while 

 instruction and supervision are easy to organize and not too costly. 

 But, when the case is stated plainly, few will agree that we can afford 

 so entirely to disregard results. In after-life the intellectual energies 

 are usually engrossed with business, and no further opportunity is 

 found for attacking the difficulties which block the gateways of knowl- 

 edge. Mathematics, especially, if not learned young, are likely to 

 remain unlearned. I will not further insist upon the educational im- 

 portance of mathematics and science, because with respect to them I 

 shall probably be supposed to be prejudiced. But of modem lan- 

 guages I am ignorant enough to give value to my advocacy. I believe 

 that French and German, if properly taught, which I admit they 

 rarely are at present, would go far to replace Latin and Greek from a 

 disciplinary point of view, while the actual value of the acquisition 

 would, in the majority of cases, be incomparably greater. In half the 

 time usually devoted, without success, to the classical languages, most 

 boys could acquire a really serviceable knowledge of French and Ger- 

 man. History and the serious study of English literature, now shame- 

 fully neglected, would also find a place in such a scheme. 



There is one objection often felt to a modernized education, as to 

 which a word may not be without use. Many excellent people are 

 afraid of science as tending toward materialism. That such appre- 

 hension should exist is not surprising, for unfortunately there are 

 writers, speaking in the name of science, who have set themselves to 

 foster it. It is true that among scientific men, as in other classes, 

 crude views are to be met with as to the deeper things of Nature ; but 

 that the life-long beliefs of Newton, of Faraday, and of Maxwell, are 

 inconsistent with the scientific habit of mind, is surely a proposition 

 which I need not pause to refute. It would be easy, however, to lay 



