The Classics and Museum Study 



THE CLASSICS AND MUSEUM STUDY. 



Much progress has recently been made in our estimation 

 of the place which classical studies ought to occupy in educa- 

 tion. The old-world creed that the best method of evolving 

 a boy's intellectual powers was to flog him until he took 

 pains enough to be able to write verses in Latin has, of 

 course, long passed away. It is recognised that amongst the 

 manifold and very attractive developments of human know- 

 ledge which now claim attention, an intimate acquaintance 

 with the details of languages no longer in use, can claim 

 only a reasonable share. What that reasonable share may 

 be, must be decided with due reference to the varying pros- 

 pects in life of different students. We have admitted to the 

 privileges of education large classes of the community which 

 were formerly left out, and the needs of these have to be 

 considered. If a knowledge of Latin and Greek was essential 

 to the richer classes of a century ago, is it to be absolutely 

 omitted from the training which we now give to those who 

 in most other respects are better taught than they were ? The 

 " Grammar schools " of our forefathers are now, for the most 

 part, merged in Board Schools, but is " grammar " to be 

 wholly put on the shelf? What was meant by grammar 

 formerly was, in the main, Latin grammar. 



The scholars and professors of to-day, those best entitled 

 to their opinions in the matter, are content to recognise two 

 stages of classical attainment as being, under different con- 

 ditions, desirable. The one would aim at a really sound and 

 detailed acquaintance with the language studied, such as 

 would qualify its possessor to speak or to write in it. The 

 other would be content with a much lower attainment, and 

 would be happy if its disciples were able to read and enjoy 

 the classic authors in the original. Undoubtedly, it is one 

 thing to read Latin and Greek and another to write in them. 



