Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

Page 11 text:

he Miami Recensio. IIE Freshmen quietly, hut resolutely, tiled into their places at the beginning of the year. and under the command of their able and etiicient leaders 1m steadily advancing to the front. Although their number is not so great as that of classes that have preceded them, yet they manifest a determination to make up the deficiency by individual effort. In the Department of Mathematics, especially, are they winning lnurels. and that, too, from the comparatively drv study of Algebra. 'l'he uGreek pill, we believe, has been to this class. what it has always been to it! predecessors, terribly hard to swallow. It is said that before the battle of Marathon the very name of the barbarian was sufficient to strike terror to the hearts of the Greeks. Behold, what revolutions time doth work! What now causeth such a knocking together of knees, such paling of faces among the young barbarians of an American college, as the mention of the word JGreek ? Under the new regime of Prof. Miilikin, however, the Freshmen are traveling with comparative ease through the ti Memorabilia of Xenophon, the famous leader cf the Ten Thousand, in the Anabasis 0f Cyrus. With Such an author in theil hands, and with the de- clared intention of' the Prol'cqsor to make his department more inter- esting to the Student than it has hitherto been, and thus in a manner to Hstrew with Howers the path of dry antiquity, we can not but believe that the Chtss of Seventy-four will do justice to themselves and to the University.

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been very euceeesful, n promines to he the star class of ti Miami Although Our predoceF- sors Ciditll the ehampiunship in muscle gained by many hnrd contests, Seventy-three conmle: itseit' by the thought lhnt muscle is not an indication of genius, and that men of Inurcle are more fitted For the P. R. than for intellectual giants, An :tlnnmt uncontrollable ambition to succeed ha; been the Cilurzlcleristic 01' most of in mem- bers, and Consequently Homer, Horace, 'i'illlijitiitic;. etc.. have ind the appearance of having been ptetty thumughiy vcnliluted after having gone through our hands. Party Spirit has :xIwu-xs run high, but the very 1:8:t of personal feelings has existed among its mem- 11ers. ch feel, however, that we have somewhat neglected our duties to the Freshies who have been so kindiy git en into our care lay their indulgent mothers. Yet we have often announced the time for their retirement, and for them to ceme to burn their petmleum for the night, and then have seen them :h'lcep by the Strains of :1 Ienrfnl lullaby curroied beneath their windows.eDo they wish any thing more 1' The answer, nothing. Our eluss-room experience has hitherto been pleasant. In Prof. McMullin We regret the logs of one who had shown himself worthy of the respect we held for him. Since he left the Greek room has been one of tiring formality. As we now hope to give the outside world a glance at what we are doing Within, may they find that- t Though the tree grows without ms the kernel forms the sprout.

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In the Latin room they are remorselessly engaged in mutilating the beautiful Odes of Horace. just as their predecessors have done before them. It mikes one writhe to hear their horrible renderings. It is plain that this is partly owing to the system of close and literal translation pursued and pushed to the extreme by the Professor of the L1tin Language and tLiteratureL, Which often entirely obscures the meaning of the author, and produces the most astonishing. ludi- crous, and senseless hungle of English sentences and phrases conceiv- able. We can not better take leave of the Class of Seventy-four than in the foilowing words of Carlyle :;t it Remember that all that a univer- sity or final high school can do for us is still but What the first began doingeteach us to read. It depends on what we read after all mau- ners of professors have Cone their best for us. The best unz't'eraz'ty times days 2's a collation of Louisa. iiLectures on Heroes.