Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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FRANCIS A. RUPPERT. Came to Loyola in 1908 and has been a leader all through his course. ‘‘Franz” takes life philosophically.

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others who would investigate problems in history, philosophy, religion, literature, or practically anything else. They give us our technical vocabulary in all the sciences. And, finally, they open up for our inspection many of the greatest literary pro- ductions of all ages — works of oratory and pleading, poetry and the drama, that may truly be said to form the basis of all our modern literature. And yet these studies are rejected because of their lack of utility. How is it, one may ask, that the study of Latin and Greek is of such great value in building up and strengthening the mental and moral powers? The reasons can easily be seen. First of all, the daily translations from these languages into English is an excellent discipline for the mind, requiring, as it does, severe and systematic mental labor, close observation, and minute consideration and appreciation of details. And, just as bodily exercise develops and strengthens the physical side of man, so does this mental exercise assist greatly in the broadening of his intellectual side. Again, the transforming of thought from such tongues so widely differing from our own causes the student to develop a quickness and flexibility of mind, for the varying phases and idioms of the ancient world must be turned and twisted and made to fit our own times. And following upon this sharpening of the faculties must, of necessity, come a power of accurate and forcible expression, else the beauty and force of the ancient writers will not be felt in the translation. Thus these studies, while forcing the student to work and think independently, and to voice his thoughts with precision, at the same time open up before his eyes the storehouses of the wisdom of bygone days, and enable him to view and study the lives and achievements of men of other ages, and thus obtain a broadened outlook on life in general. The study of modern languages cannot well replace them. These latter- day tongues are of commercial value and nothing more. They are but poor developments of the two great mother tongues; their study does not require the same exertions of mind from the student, and cannot possibly develop the same discipline of mind and clear habit of thought. I shall quote a few opinions on the value of the classics from (21)

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men who have made their marks in the business and profes- sional worlds, and have seen just what the different systems of education have been able to accomplish. Banker, lawyer, statesman, scientist — one and all agree that, without the pecu- liar training afforded by the study of the classics, the young man is severely handicapped in his struggle for success. James Loeb, the senior member of the banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb Co., of Wall street, perhaps the leading financial insti- tution of the country, is a firm believer in the classical train- ing. “That a classical course is a valuable training for busi- ness life,” he says, “has always seemed to me a self-evident proposition. I firmly believe that a thorough training in these cultural studies is the sine qua non of every successful life. A graduate of such a course learns more quickly, and masters more thoroughly, whatever department of activity he enters, than does the one whose development is only along the lines of his own work.’’ That is what Wall Street thinks about the classics. Now let us take a glance at other lines of busi- ness. William J. Sloane, president of the W. J. Sloane Co., of New York, one of the largest carpet manufacturing concerns in the country, has this to say in favor of classical education: “I, for one, think that a classical education is a distinct advan- tage to a business man, and will prove to be so in increasing measure as he rises to positions of responsibility and influence in his business and elsewhere. It gives him a wider horizon, and this means greater ability to see through complex situa- tions, to understand motives, and to measure men.” From the classics to carpet making seems a far cry, but even in this branch of business are the ancient tongues able to hold their own. From the viewpoint of the statesman, the case for the clas- sics is put very clearly by the Hon. John W. Foster, Secretary of State in President Harrison’s Cabinet, and now a leading lawyer in Washington, D. C., who says: “Every man at the bar or in public life who was made familiar with the classics knows how valuable these studies have been to him in his pro- fessional career, because of the discipline they have given to the mind, and the accuracy of expression which they have (23)