few foreign words, introduced by commerce, or by
political and literary intercourse.

"Of these, _the Saxon words constitute our mother-tongue_, being
words which our ancestors brought with them from Asia.

"The Danish and Welsh also are primitive words, and may be considered
as a part of our vernacular language. They are of equal antiquity
with the Chaldee and Syriac."

But even were it true that our language was derived from the Latin,
wherein lies the difficulty in the way of the teacher explaining to his
pupils the meanings of the parts of English words which are of Latin
origin, without the necessity of the pupil's acquiring the same knowledge
by the roundabout process of learning one thousand words he will never
need, for one that may at some time be to him of some service as a
mnemonic?

Driven from this position, the advocates of "_classical_" studies tell us
that the study of Latin and Greek serves as a training for the intellect.
Unquestionably the exercise of the faculties of the mind serves to develop
the faculties so exercised; yet if this were the object to be attained,
Hebrew, nay, Chinese, would be preferable to Latin; but SCIENCE develops
the same faculties, and far more efficiently. The facts of science to be
stored up in the mind are so infinite in number and magnitude that no man,
however gifted, could ever hope to master them all, though he were to live
a thousand years. But their arrangement in scientific order not only
develops the analytical powers of the mind, but exercises the memory in a
method infinitely more useful and powerful than the study of any language.
Finally we are told classical studies develop the taste. If then to this
the advocates of such studies are driven, its mere announcement must
suffice to banish Latin and Greek from all schools supported by taxation;
for however essential it may be to provide the means of the best possible
instruction, it is as absolutely out of the sphere of the Trustees of
Public Moneys to provide, at the public expense, so _mere a luxury_ as on
this hypothesis Latin and Greek must be, as it would be to provide the
public with costly jewels! But even for the cultivation and development of
art and taste, SCIENCE is the true curriculum!

He who is ignorant of anatomy can not appreciate either sculpture or
painting! A knowledge of optics, of botany and of natural history, are
necessary, equally to the artist or to the c