276 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IX., Wo 215 



but from their forming the best introduction to all 

 modern studies. Not many jears ago modern geog- 

 raphy was taught in the most distinguished of Eng- 

 lish schools by what was called, a comparative 

 atlas and a comparative geography-book. Ancient 

 geography vvas taught first as the thing most 

 needful, and modern names were only dealt with 

 as the correlatives of ancient ones. A good Eng- 

 lish style vvas supposed t3 be acquired from the 

 study of classics. Latin verses formed the best 

 introduction to English poetry ; Latin themes 

 were the hest method of learning all general in- 

 formation. Even now at our universities many 

 people would, maintain that the science of modern 

 statesmanship could not be better learned than from 

 Aristotle's 'Politics.' Both these points of view 

 have suffered rude shocks. Undoubtedly from 

 considerations which were indicated above, Greek 

 and Latin, and Greek especially, do form an ad- 

 mirable training for the mind. Latin grammar 

 is more precise, more logical, and in these I'espects 

 harder, than the grammars of modern languages. 

 The Greeks were probably the most gifted people 

 who ever lived, and their language was adapted in 

 a wonderful manner to express most perfectly their 

 most subtle thoughts. To a mature scholar, who 

 recognizes every shade of his meaning;, Thucydides 

 will appear untranslatable. The words as he puts 

 them down, whether grammatical or not, express 

 precisely what he intends to say, with a vividness 

 and a directness which cannot be surpassed. To 

 express all that he would tell us in English would 

 require long clumsy paraphrases, and even these 

 would not express it altogether. The effort made 

 by a modern mind to follow in its subtlest folds 

 every sinuosity of the thought of Placo or Aris- 

 totle is in itself a very valuable training ; but to 

 profit by this training, a considerable standard in 

 the languages must have been reached, and as 

 years go on, the number who reach this standard 

 is fewer and fewer. The foundations have been 

 undermined, boys and parents avoid the trouble 

 of learning dead languages, and teachers are 

 ready to escape the trouble of teaching them. 

 The result is, that only the chosen niinority are in 

 the position of profiting by a training which was 

 once universal ; and these have such distinguished 

 and apprehensive intellects that they would almost 

 always make a training for themselves. 



If humanism has suffered by the growth of a 

 disbelief in its powers as a gymnastic, there is no 

 sign that its intrinsic worth is rated less highly 

 than it was. Indeed, as we begin to appreciate 

 more exactly the necessary elements of culture, 

 our respect for humanism grow^s greater. We are 

 told that there are two great elements in modern 

 civilization, — Hebr-aism and Hellenism. There is 



no fear at present that the first will not be well 

 looked after. No Christian country is without an 

 efficient church establishment ; and the training 

 of the clergy in all their several degrees, who are 

 the chosen guardians of Hebraism, is more ex- 

 tensive and more satisfactory than in previous 

 generations. Take away Hebraism, and the most 

 valuable part of our intellectual furniture which 

 remains is Hellenism. That can only be pre- 

 served, by the combined efforts of all those 

 who are indebted, to it, and who have learned 

 its value. This is the special function of schools 

 and universities. It is remarkable that each 

 attack made on the study of Greek has pro- 

 duced some new effort to make the study of 

 Hellenism more general. The establishment of 

 the English Hellenic society was the direct result 

 of an attempt to exclude Greek from the entrance 

 examinations of the university. The growth of 

 science has been coincident with the revival of 

 acted Greek plays, both in England and America. 

 The dead languages which were once reverenced 

 as a training are now valued for what they can 

 teach us ; and scholarship is defined, not as the 

 art of interchanging in the most ingenious man- 

 ner the idioms of the Greek, Latin, and English 

 languages, but as the caliin^-back to life of the 

 Hellenic wox'ld in all its branches. Hellenism 

 need not always mean the study of Greek life and 

 thought. Egyptian culture preceded Hellenic 

 culture. The Greeks went to study in the schools 

 o" Egspt, as the Romans frequented the universi- 

 ties of Greece, and as the En ^lish visit those of 

 Germany. As the learning of the Egyptians,, 

 whatever it may have been, has been absorbed for 

 our purposes partly by Hellenisni and partly by 

 Hebraism, so Hellenism itself may be absorbed,, 

 so far as it deserves to be, by modern literature. 

 One who knew Milton by heart would be no poor 

 Hebraist, and be who possessed the whole of 

 Goethe would be no mean Hellenist. But this 

 time has not yet arrived, if humanism suffers 

 now from a slight obscuration, due to its unfor- 

 tunate attempt to claim too much mastery over 

 the human mind ; yet there is no fear of its being 

 materially obscured, and the assistance which it 

 may yet render the human race, in her search 

 after the good, the beautiful, and the true, should 

 command the sympathy, and stimulate the eff or ts> 

 of every man to whom those objects are dear. 



Oscar Browning. 



SCHOOLS IN EGYPT. 



The report of the minister of public instruction 



for 1875 shows a total of 4,817 schools in Egypt,. 



with 6,045 teachers and 140,977 students. Of 



these, 4,685 schools and 3 so-called universities 



