Se ULE NSE. 
FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 1884. 
COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 
Comments and criticisms, at this season, 
turn naturally toward the schools and colleges 
which are holding their annual assemblies, and 
bestowing their academic honors. A year 
ago, at Harvard, a vigorous speaker applied 
the match to materials which proved to be very 
explosive ; and since then we have ‘had a suc- 
cession of arguments, public and private, with 
appeals to the law and to the testimony, Euro- 
pean and American, respecting the value of 
different branches of knowledge, and the proper 
order of studies. Having read the various 
pamphlets and magazine articles which have 
appeared on this subject by Adams, Hofmann, 
White, Dyer, James, Fisher, Sumner, and 
Eliot, and many others; having watched the 
controversy, carried on in the newspapers, 
—jit seems to us that the discussion, though 
rather monotonous to those who have previous- 
ly thought it out, has been timely, vigorous, 
and useful. Probably the leaders of the battle 
have not in the least changed their opinions ; 
but we think that the educated public has a 
clearer notion of the meaning of a liberal edu- 
cation, and that sounder views upon the rela- 
tions of literature and science are likely to 
prevail, as a result of this discussion. 
As to ancient life and letters, it is obvious 
that more and more is to be done in this country 
for their study. Classical teachers, conscious 
of the deficiencies of former days, are endeav- 
oring to secure more enthusiasm and higher 
scholarship by the use of better text-books, 
better methods of instruction, and ampler 
means of illustration; and, with great advan- 
tage both to teachers and pupils, they are 
eliminating from the classical classrooms, by 
various regulations, those who can not, or will 
not, or do not, learn their Greek and Latin. 
The country will certainly gain by this. 
No. 72.— 1884. 
But the Greek question, as it is called, is 
only one phase of the movement: there is an 
increasing zest in the study of antiquity, —in 
whatever interprets the history of mankind. 
The work of Baird, Powell, Mallory, Brinton, 
Bandelier, and of many others, is illuminating 
the records of the savage life and of the early 
civilizations in this country. ‘The establish- 
ment of an Archeological institute of America, 
and the opening of an American school of classi- 
cal studies in Athens, are indications of activity 
in the field of classical inquiry. The lectures 
given in various cities lust winter — by Clarke 
on his exploration of Assos, by Waldstein on 
Greek archeology, and by Stillman on his 
studies in the Levant —are similar signs. Be- 
fore many months have passed, a distinguished 
archeologist from Rome, the explorer of the 
Forum, will be lecturing among us.  Collec- 
tions of casts and photographs and coins are 
now to be found near all our classical colleges. 
The American journal of philology has reached 
its sixth volume, with marks of increasing 
value, and without drawing off material from 
the American oriental and the American philo- 
logical societies. Even Assyrian antiquities 
are receiving the most serious attention in this 
country from men trained in Germany, and 
acknowledged to be most competent for the 
interpretation of cuneiform inscriptions. All 
these facts are indications to our minds that 
the study of antiquity is in no danger at 
present of being undervalued by Americans. 
Certainly the lovers of Greek culture need not 
be alarmed ; for the flower of ancient literature 
and art will surely not be slighted by an intel- 
ligent community, once fully awakened to the 
study of the remote past. 
On the other hand, the claims of science 
are receiving more and more recognition. The 
great laboratories begun or completed within 
the year at Cambridge, New Haven, Baltimore. 
and Ithaca, are signs, which everybody can 
