n to literary tastes can be insensible to the attraction of Greece and Rome. But I confess our present educational system excites in my mind grave misgivings. I cannot believe that a system is good，or even reasonable，which thrusts upon reluctant and uncomprehending multitudes treasures which can only be appreciated by the privileged and gifted few. To the vast majority of boys who attend our public schools a classical education is from beginning to end one long useless，meaningless rigmarole. If I am told that classes are the best preparation for the study of English，I reply that by far the greater number of students finish their education while this preparatory stage is still incomplete and without deriving any of the benefits which are promised as its result.
4.\tAnd even of those who，without being great scholars，attain a certain general acquaintance with the ancient writers，can it really be said that they have also obtained the mastery of English？How many young gentlemen there are from the universities and public schools who can turn a Latin verse with a facility which would make the old Romans squirm in their tombs? How few there are who can construct a few good sentences，or still less a few good paragraphs of plain，correct，and straight forward English. Now，I am a great admirer of the Greeks，although，of course，I have to depend upon what others tell me about them，-and I would like to see our educationists imitate in one respect，at least，the Greek example. How is it that the Greeks made their language the most graceful and compendious mode of expression ever known among men? Did they spend all their time studying the languages which had preceded theirs? Did they explore with tireless persistency the ancient root dialects of the vanished world？Not at all. They only studied Greek. They studied their own language. They loved it，they cherished it，they adorned it，they expanded it，and that is why it survives a model and delight to all posterity. Surely we，whose mo