Monmouth College - Ravelings Yearbook (Monmouth, IL)

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22 CLASSICAL LANGUAGES The Creek and Roman worlds are the hist- orical source of western culture, its language, and its customs Creeks discovered the secrets of formal mathematics, developed the arts of sculp- ture and architecture, and the thinking of their philosophers was applied to establish the truth claims of Christianity Rome gave to posterity the model of effective government and legislation, the sparkle of its orators, and the beauty of its poetry The grandeur of these early civilizations is forever interred in their literature and poetry. Dr Ralston ' s Creek students may probe the works of Xenophon and Plato, or read selections from the Creek New Testament, while Ovid, Horace, and Vergil are studied in Latin courses taught by Miss Fox. These classical languages are not important only because of their cultural significance. The Creek tongue influenced the Latin language and Latin is the ancestor of the Italian, Spanish, French, and Roumaiman languages; and to a large extent the English language. This year a classics club has been organized at Monmouth College, it is sponsored by Miss Fox and attended by Dr Ralston and Dr Thiessen, who once taught Latin in Miss Fox ' s absence. The Classics Club is at present seeking to affiliate it- self with the national classics organization, Eta Sigma Phi Through the study of the classics students get an app

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In any present moment the streetlamp ' s arc is never clearly defined. Only in retrospect does its perimeter become clear. Wise men keep its limits before them in principle. It is the business of philosophy to examine these principles ration- ally; they are the necessary conditions of moral life — of goodness and honor. Dr. Thompson, the head of the philosophy department has done much to strengthen the liberal ideal at Monmouth College His proposal for curriculum revision is now under study by the faculty. This program is aimed at intensifying the |unior and senior programs along lines of in- tegration and depth. It calls for close inter- departmental cooperation on the part of the faculty and a broadening of the program of in- dependent study. This approach has provided a fertile background for such interdepartmental seminars as are now offered by English, sociology, and history departments PHILOSOPHY Dr. Thompson is the author of the recently published book, A Modern Philosophy of Religion, which has been adopted as a text book by some twenty five colleges and universities, including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Rochester, Syracuse University, Uni- versity of Nebraska, Indiana University, Rice Insti- tute, and Oberlin College

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23 MODERN LANGUAGES The learning of modern foreign languages enables us to understand and appreciate people nds beyond 01 Men and women who can read or speak a foreign language have a marked advantage over those who are fluent in only one tongue. Indus- tries, universities and research facilities are again operating in Germany, France and Spain, those who wish to keep abreast of the developments and discoveries made in these countries must do so bv reading technical literature printed in other lang- uages. The speed of modern aerial transportation has made America the neighbor of any foreign country. Through reading the literature and poetry of other people in lands beyond our own we may come to understand and appreciate them as fellow human beings. Today when mistrust and fear have poi- soned the minds of many, such understanding is at a premium. Through teaching modern foreign languages Dr. Donald, Dr. Garwood, and Professor Mullet make new dimensions of knowledge and apprecia- tion available to their students. Dr Garwood, posm; continue here next th her kitten, tells us that she will not