Emmerich Manual High School - Ivian Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

Page 31 text:

MIND AND HAND. 23 FORGE ROOM. VIRGIL. §EVERAL months ago, with a great deal of fear and trembling, the ad- vanced Latin class began reading the Eneid. They have now more than half finished the poem, and what was at first a slow and laborious task has, by constant practice, become a pleasant and compara- tively easy one. The scansion, which in the beerinnhiff was a lesson in itself, now takes but a few minutes in the preparation. Each pupil is called upon to scan and read several lines, and happy is he who gets the lines he wishes. The object in translation is not to find English equivalents for Latin words, but to put into the best possible English, the thought expressed in the Latin without materially departing from the text. Quite frequently the class is asked to ex- press an opinion in regard to some part of the story. Many varied and diverse an- swers are given. Some are inclined to sympathize with the hero and others take the part of the ill-fated queen and scorn the pious Trojan. Man} 7 parts of the Eneid, especially the fourth book, are exceedingly romantic. The scene of the storm and refuge, in which the crafty Juno contrives to efi ' ect a marriage between the Trojan hero and her favorite, is awful in its grandeur and in- tensity. The fervency of her love, the fierce hatred to which his perfidy changes it, and the curses which she utters against him who has scorned her, are not incom- prehensible to us; for they touch feelings and tendencies of the human heart, which are deep-seated and fundamental. The time of most dread to the class is that

Page 30 text:

22 MIND AND HAND. of Tennyson ' s conception of a very similar character, that of Vivian. Both of these women are fair without and foul within. Although I do not like the lower inter- pretation of this poem, I think Spenser struck clearly and forcibly the key-note of the age in which he lived, that of bitter religious strife. Minnie Bowen, 12 A, English. WITHOUT. Once, in the twilight of a wintry day, One passed me silent, struggling on his way, With head bowed low, and hands that burdens bore, And saw not how, a little space before, A woman watched his coming, where the light Poured a glad welcome through a window bright, Set thick with flowers that showed no fairer bloom Than her sweet face turned outward to the gloom. Yet when his foot, with quick, impatient stride, But touched the step, the door swung open wide, Soft hands reached swiftly out with eager hold, And drew the dear one in from storm and cold. O love! whose eyes, from some celestial light, Behold me toiling, burdened through the night, Tender of every blast at which I cower, . Yet smiling still, to know how brief the hour, Keeping within thy radiant, love-lit home, Some glad surprise to whisper when I come, ' Tis but a breath till the door I win And thy dear hands will swiftly draw me in. Esta Olsen. THE GERMAN CLASS. FERHAPS some chance reader of this article has felt a curiosity concern- ing the way in which a foreign language is learned. I felt the same curiosity when I entered the recitation room on the first day of the term and found some twenty others assem- bled, each, like myself, thirsting for knowl- edge ( ? ) Our class motto might well have been: When in Germany, do as the Germans do, for, odd as it may seem, the first thing introduced to us was — German conversa- tion ! We commenced to learn how to speak German by speaking German ! A very simple rule, apparently. (I will say, however, for the benefit of the uninitiated, that it is truly wonderful how much German you can understand when it is cleverly acted out by your teacher.) Somewhat encouraged by the fact that we could really comprehend the new lan- guage, we were confronted with a fresh difficulty : We all had to learn our letters ! This is more of a task than might be supposed, when you consider that many of the letters differ but slightly in form, and if carelessly glanced over, lead to absurd changes in the words. Armed with our alphabetical key, we proceeded to unlock the mysteries of the grammar, with its vocabularies, transla- tions, declensions, conjugations, and what not. It is true, we have our trials. We have learned the bitterness which befalls him who neglects the remorseless der, die, das. Even now we are struggling in the toils of Gegenwart — Mitvergangenheit — Vor- zukunft, etc., hut we heartily agree with the immortal poet — Things like these, you know, must be In every famous victory. Last, but emphatically not least, our recitations are conducted wholly in Ger- man. Not only questions, but answers also, must he in this language, for, strange to say, the gentleman who teaches us can not understand a word of American ! Bessie Marsee Brown.

Page 32 text:

24 MIND AND HAND. of sight translation, when every member trembles as he thinks the next turn may be his. The teacher, however, thinks this the best of all drills, to which the pupils reluctantly assent. The question often arises as to Avhat good the study of Latin does, and many persons doubt its benefit. But he who has entered it with the right spirit feels that nothing is of greater value. It gives a wide knowledge of the world ' s life and history; it furnishes an insight into the beliefs and customs of the classic age, and the character of its people; it also brings that refinement and culture which the study of any great masterpiece ever must bring. In addition to this, Latin is a valuable aid in the study of English, as almost half our words are derived from Latin roots. The study of this language, which is much more accurate than our own, furnishes an excellent drill in the concise and accu- rate expression of English, since there is constant practice in rendering its idioms in clear and polished English, and care and judgment are required in the choice of words to express the exact thought and to avoid awkward repetitions. Aside from these incidental benefits, the chief reason for studying Latin is that which is gained from the Latin itself. Barring the pleasure which it gives one, the study of Latin is as efficient as that of mathematics in developing the mental power and promoting clear and sound rea- soning, while no other subject plays so im- portant a part in training and strengthen- ing the memory. Katie Kiefer. SEWING ROOM.