a fresher air blows through the schools. It remains only to hope, that what has been and may be accomplished by a judicious application of that method, will never be wholly lost sight of; thorough scholarship, to say nothing of the moral point, is not likely to be acquired by superficial reading and half-way explaining. It it not alone for reading Roman and Greek writers, but for learning the languages themselves, and for becoming acquainted with the moral and public character of the old Greeks and Romans, that the classics are studied, and even the knowledge of all this as such seems a trifle in comparison with the great intellectual and moral education, to be acquired by the very study itself. Still, manum de tabula !

For "author-lessons," a student is required to know all the necessary words and be able in some degree to translate the following chapter. Four or five perhaps get parts of it for translating. This being done, the teacher commences explaining by asking whatever the character of the passage and the standing of the students allow. In the lower gymnasium the Latin prose is used for repeating and applying the rules spoken of in the Syntax lessons; in the upper gymnasium grammatical remarks occur seldom, more frequently rhetorical, aesthetical and historical ones. Etymology is never lost sight of, but it is confined to Latin and Greek stems. The students are expected to make notes, to read them over at home, and are sometimes directed to learn the passages that have been read, by heart.

The editions of the classics used in the lessons are commonly without notes, and the use of such, as have all somewhat difficult passages explained is forbidden during the lesson-time. A good teacher keeps the whole class alive chiefly by questioning, and only when nobody has found the right or could find it, he formally begins to instruct. For, although the professor is the only source of instruction, the character of classical teaching is such, that it may be easily interwoven with any kind of examination, and few questions, proposed by an experienced and skilful teacher, will be so difficult as not to find among the many youths of different acquirements and abilities, at least one who could give a satisfactory answer. We mean an answer that gives a part of the point in question, and leads successively to the full explanation, which afterwards the professor in a few words recapitulates. But however correct the single remarks may be, that instruction only deserves to be called skilful and elegant, where every following question seems to originate from the preceding, and the whole series of remarks appears to be more or less internally connected.

In Prima, criticism is practised to some extent, and, we believe, not unsuccessfully. To be sure to discern hair-breadth philological nice

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Speaking and Writing Latin.

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ties, or to judge of the genuineness of a passage or a single word, belongs to the sphere of the professional study of philology; yet not only to give the result with some suggestions about the foregoing researches, but also to lay before the seniors such critical points to be decided as are not beyond the reach of their learning, will undoubtedly strengthen the power and acuteness of judgment in an interesting and profitable manner. But the judgment of the professor himself respecting the choice of the critical point of discussion, and the manner in which it is managed, are in the department of education, where method is everything, the chief point to be inquired after. That young men of about twenty years acquainted with language and literature, are qualified to play sometimes the part of critics, is evident, and they ought to be practised in it.

There will be more doubt about the utility of speaking Latin in Prima and partly in Secunda. Of course, the authors are translated into German, but generally explained in Latin. Besides, there is one hour a week set apart in some colleges for Latin conversation. It is true that the students become more familiar with the language in many respects, but the correctness of language and elegance of style are not always much improved by it. Agreeable as that acquirement is, and even necessary as yet for the students to understand the Latin lectures in the university, it is to be considered as subordinate to the achievement of a correct style, and only when the speaking is well balanced by continual exercises in writing, will it exert a great and wholesome influence, and become an essential part of the classical discipline of mind.

The exercises in writing Latin are duly appreciated in the German colleges. In Quarta and Lower Tertia, where the syntax is accurately reviewed in three or four hours a week, short exercises, suitable to fix the learned rules by application, are made during and between the lessons. A translation-book, not unlike the English Arnold with rules, is often used besides Zumpt's grammar, but the right understanding and the best exercises come from the teacher. In Upper Tertia and Lower Secunda the German text for translation is prepared by the teachers, in which some care is taken of the weekly reading and of the still fluctuating grammatical precepts. But in Upper Secunda and Prima, at least for two years, the Latin exercises are free compositions on a given theme. They are not always weekly, but half-monthly and monthly, in order to allow a longer time to larger compositions of six to ten pages, while the review of the same is going on usually two hours a week. These free exercises are not only an important, but also a pleasant task to the advanced scholar, who is beyond the reach

of a grammatical blunder, in the possession of all the necessary words, and fond of moving freely in imitating what he has read and in expressing what he thinks best. And only to him they are useful to whom they are easy. Another help for writing Latin are the "Extemporalia," in which the students, as the name indicates, is obliged to write immediately down in Latin what they are told in German. This quiet combination and exchange of the two languages, promotes greatly the faculty of thinking in Latin, necessary to speaking and writing. In one gymnasium we noticed the usage of spending in Prima one hour of the week in making a brief composition on a given subject, read in Cicero or spoken of during the week. The short time does not allow deep reflection, still, it is long enough to the eager student, to make a few periods chiefly with regard to the form, and to apply some elegancies of style remembered from the last Cicero-lesson. It is a matter of course, that free compositions in the German are made besides, and that they rank quite as high.

The teaching of the Greek reveals naturally a somewhat different character, as no reproduction either for speaking or for writing is intended. There is some writing in and for the grammar-lessons throughout all classes (Rost and Wüstemann's Exercises are much used), but it is easily perceived that the writing is by-work, and tends only to make authors and language better understood. Thus it happens that a young man who reads Homer without wanting the aid of a lexicon, is sometimes in some perplexity to find a common Greek word, if asked in German. And the Greek is not the worse for it, provided that on the one hand is gained, what on the other is lost. It may be supposed, however, that the philologist in the university is so well acquainted with the language by reading and explaining Greek writers, that he will be able to write and even to speak Greek tolerably, if compelled to do so.

In order to understand and enjoy poetry, one hour is appointed in every class for prosody and metre. The student of Tertia who commences reading Ovid, is prepared for it by a long practice of the rules of prosody and of the laws of the hexameter distichs. In Secunda it is required of the student to make free verses, hexameters or distichs. Having been introduced into the variegated world of lyrical forms, and enabled to read and appreciate the odes of Horace, the "Primaner" makes little poems of whatever metre, heroic, lyric or dramatic. We hold these lessons and exercises to be very useful, not only to get a correct idea of the poetical but also of the general rhythmical laws of the languages, without which a nice understanding of prose as well as of poetry is next to impossible. There is not more talent required

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to make a short poem, whatever its poetical worth may be, than to understand good poetry; and after much reading and exercise it will be even an easy task to write, if not in self-made thoughts, at least in the adopted language of poetry. And many a would-be-poet did not Hear Schiller's epigram:

more.

Weil ihm ein Vers gelingt in einer gebildeten Sprache,

Die für ihn dichtet und denkt, glaubt er ein Dichter zu sein!

But it is neither necessary to be a poet, nor to have the vain fancy of being one; however, to know the metrical laws and to practise them, is in the same degree desirable to a scholar, as it is the requisite of a well-bred gentleman to understand poetry.

Let us add a few words in regard to private studies. Our readers will have rightly inferred from the large number of lessons, that a German gymnasiast has plenty of work in order to do his public task conscientiously, and very little time left for fancy-studying, provided that he takes a sufficient time for meals, rest and exercise. On the other hand, it is obvious, that not all the authors mentioned above can be read. Yet some acquaintance with all of them is required, and the view is generally taken by the professors, that the reading which cannot be done in the lessons ought to be supplied at home. The student, therefore, must work pretty hard to be well prepared for the lessons, to have his weekly exercises, as German and Latin compositions, Greek, metrical and mathematical lessons, exactly studied, and to give, as it is required in some colleges, every month a good account of his private studies. There he presents extracts of an author with compositions of any kind he pleases, in prose or poetry; and where no such account is given publicly, private studies of the same sort are nevertheless expected. Besides the morning and night hours, the free afternoons of Wednesday and Saturday afford a longer series of studyhours. There are in the whole about eight weeks, vacation. The results of the home-studies are, of course, soon perceived by teacher and pupil, and the loss of time is doubly compensated by the rapid progress and by the ability to make the best exercises in the shortest time. Still, we do not mean merely free and independent reading and working, but chiefly the free spirit of diligence used independently of the necessities of school, yet in doing the school-work. Then the instruction of the professor and his suggestions, as well as his corrections, do safely conduct the student through the classical paradise.

The boy of fourteen is now a young gentleman of twenty years. Having made his lawful run, and having the permission of the professors to graduate, he must bite a sour apple and get examined. This

66 examen maturitatis" is somewhat more difficult and more important than the usual semi-annual or annual examinations, for it will declare him prepared for independent and professional studies, and also decide on the degree of his maturity ("imprimis," "omnis," "satis," dignus). Commonly one or two delegates of the country are present to preside, sometimes to examine themselves (in Berlin, Hegel examined the "Arbiturienten” in philosophy). Still, if the student has entered upon that last part of the examination, he may be certain of success, since those who have not satisfied by their compositions written previously, are commonly by a friendly hint prevented from exposing themselves to a useless display. To each composition one day is allowed. Sometimes students of other gymnasia come to be examined, in order to get their certificates or diplomas from a college of their State, after they have been educated in another State. Such have a harder work to get through, unless they are prepared like that student, who, being asked what authors he had read particularly, confidently answered, "I have read them all." Of course, he was about to study philology, and thus we bope, he read the remainder afterwards. With some allowance, we hope there are some like him. All however have laid a good foundation for any kind of scholarship, are likely to read with ease the New Testament (such as are to be theologians are taught the Hebrew in Prima), the Corpus Juris and Celsus, can understand a Latin lecture or oration, and retain so much during their professional life in the university, as to be able generally to speak Latin after three years, in the theological, juridical or medical examinations.

Alexander Humboldt in his "Kosmos," calls it a judicious remark, "that we in spite of the great telescopes know more about the interior than about the exterior of the stars." Not half so judicious, we know, nor likely to meet with much acknowledgment, will be our remark, that in many respects the same seems to be the case here with the star of German philology. All know its light, weight and productivity, but few know its physical condition and growth. We shall be happy if we have succeeded in acquainting a larger number with the organization of the German colleges or gymnasia.

The classical education, as common to all scholars, is here closed. But for those who intend devoting their lives to classical learning and teaching, the philological training continues in the universities. These professional institutions, especially with regard to philology, will be described in another article.