proceedings of classical association vol. 12-13

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CONTENTS

PAGE

PROCEEDINGS OF

THE

TWELFTH

GENERAL

MEETING

Friday,

Janttary

8th,

1915

5

I

INDEX

TO

THE

PROCEEDINGS

38

STATEMENT OF

ACCOUNTS,

DECEMBER 16th,

1913,

TO

DECEMBER

15th, 1914

40

APPENDIX

Former

Presidents

of

the

Association-

Officers

AND

COIJNCIL

.

Rules

......

Names

and

Addresses

of

Members

TopoGRAPHiCAii

List

of

Members

.

Manchester

and

District

Branch

birminqham

and

midlands

branch

Liverpool

and

District

Branch .

Nottingham

and

District

Branch

London

Branch ....

Bristol

Branch

....

Northumberland

and

Durham

Branch

Cardiff

and

District

Branch

Leeds

and

District

Branch

Bombay

Branch

....

Classical

Association

of New South

Wales

Classical Association of

South

Australia

Classical

Association of

Victoria

3

44

45

48

51

98

115

118

119

120

121

123

123

124

125

127

128

129

130


8/250


9/250

/

TWELFTH

GENERAL

MEETING,

HELD

IN

LONDON,

JANUARY

8TH, 1915

On

Friday,

January

Sth,

at 2.45 p.m.,

the

Association

met

in

the

Hall

of

the

Merchant

Taylors'

Company.

The

President,

Professor

William

Eidgeway,

Litt.D.,

LL.D.,

Sc.D.,

F.B.A.,

Disney

Professor

of

Archaeology,

Cambridge,

occupied

the

chair.

The

President.

The

first

motion

which

I

bring

before

you

this

afternoon

is

a

vote

of

sympathy

with

the

sorely

tried

Uni-

versities

of

Belgium.

I

need

not

dilate

on

what

they have

endured

at

the

hands

of

those

who are

infinitely

worse

than

Mummius,

whose

name

has

been

handed

down

through

the

ages

in

connexion

with the

destruction

of

Corinth.

I

will

not waste

time

by

elaborating

the

subject,

but

I

will

say

that

we

must

not

lose

our

sense

of

proportion

through

our

sympathy

with

these

Universities

;

because,

after

all, what they

have

endured

in

material

loss

is

as

nothing

compared

with

that

great

sum

of

human

agony

and

misery

which the

Germans

have

inflicted

upon

the

peoples

of

Belgium

and

Northern

France.

The

Classical

Association

takes

this

opportunity

of

expressing

its

heartfelt

sympathy

with

the

sorely

tried

Universities

of

Belgium.

The

motion was

passed by

acclamation.

Mr.

Caspari

read

the

Report

of

Council.

Membership

The

Council

of

the

Association

has

pleasure

in

reporting

that

the

membership

of

the

Association

continues

to

increase.

It

now

stands

at

nearly

1,600.

Branches and

Affederated

Associations

The

newly

formed

Branches

for

Cardiff

and

District

and

Leeds

and

District

have

been

afl&liated

to

the

Association

5


10/250

6

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

and

have

successfully

concluded their

first year's

work.

The

Classical

Association

of

Victoria continues to

increase

its

numbers

and to

extend its

activities.

Local Correspondents

The

Council

has

decided

that

it

would be desirable to

appoint

one

officer

of each

Branch

to be

a

Local

Correspondent of

the

Association.

In

accordance

with this resolution a large

number

of

new

appointments

has

been

made.

Place

of

General

Meting

The

Council

decided

that

in view

of

the

European crisis

it

was

advisable to

postpone

the

General

Meeting,

appointed

to

be

held

at

Newcastle

in

January, 1915,

and on

behalf of

the

Association

thanked

the

Council of

the

Northumberland

and

Durham

Branch

of

the

Association for

their

profiert

d

hospitality

and

for the

work already

undertaken

in

organizing

the

intended

Meeting.

Council

further

decided

to

arrange

for a

brief

General

Meeting

to

be

held

in London

early

in

1915

with a view to

transacting

the necessary

annual

business

of

the

Association.

Classical

Materials

Board

In

continuation

of

the

policy

indicated in

its last

Report,

the

Council

appointed

five

representatives

of

the

Association to

consider

together with

representatives of

the

Association

for the

Reform of

Latin

Teaching,

the

Hellenic

Society

and

the

Roman

Society,

the

constitution and

functions

of a

proposed

Classical

Materials

Board. The Classical

Materials

Board

has now

been

constituted,

and consists of six

representatives

of

the

Classical

Association, three

representatives of

the

Association for the

Reform

of

Latin

Teaching,

and one

representative

each

of the

Hellenic

and

Roman

Societies.

The

work

of

the

Board

is

now

at a

standstill,

owing to

the war.

Meanwhile

its

Secretaries

hope to

prepare

a

list of

models,

casts

and

wall-pictures at present available

and

in

use

in

British

schools

and

colleges.


11/250

REPORT

OF

COUNCIL

7

Oral

Methods

of

Teaching

Classics

The

Council

has

considered

the

question

of

appointing

a

Committee

to

inquire

into

Oral

Methods

of

teaching

classics,

but

has

decided,

in

consultation

with

the

Association

for

the

Keform

of

Latin

Teaching,

that

such

a

step

would at

present

be

premature.

Grammatical

Terminology

The

movement

for

unifying

and

simplifying

the

terminology

of

grammar,

inaugurated

by

the

Classical

Association

in

the

years

1908

and

1909,

has

received

a

new

impetus

through

the

issue

in

final form

of

the

American

Report

of

the

Joint

Com-

mittee

on

Grammatical

Nomenclature.

This

Joint

Committee

was

formed

in

1911

by

the

common

action

of the

National

Education

Association,

the

Modern

Lan-

guage

Association

and

the

American

Philological

Association,

under

the

Chairmanship

of

Professor

W.

Gardner

Hale,

of

Chicago,

a

Vice-President

of

the

Classical

Association.

The

object

and

methods

of this

Committee

are

identical

with

those

of the

English

Joint

Commitee

on

Grammatical

Terminology

;

and

the

two

Committees

agree

to

a

large

extent

in

the

recommendations

of

terms

to

be

used

to

describe

the

fundamental

facts

of

grammar.

The

Report of

the

American

Joint

Committee

has

been

endorsed

by

a

Committee

of

the

National

Council

of

Teachers

of

English,

which

proposes

to

recommend

the

Report

for

adoption

by

the

National Council.

Books

for

Louvain

The

Council desires to

call the

attention

of members

to

a

circular

sent

out

inviting

them

to

inform Mr.

E.

Harrison,

of

Trinity

College, Cambridge, at

their

convenience,

what

books,

if

any,

they

are able

and

willing

to

offer towards

the

re-establish-

ment

of the

Library

of

the

University

of

Louvain.

Obituary

Council

regrets

to record

the

death

of

Dr.

H. J.

Roby,

the

venerable

scholar and

jurist,

and

recalls

with

gratitude

his

long


12/250

8

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

and

distinguished

services to Classical

Study

and

to

higher

education,

especially

as

Secretary

of

the

Endowed Schools

Com-

mission,

and

his

generous

friendship to

the

Classical

Association.

Classical

Journals

Board

The

Classical

Journals Board

reports

a

year

of progress

with

all

its publications. The four

Editors of The Classical Quarterly

and

The

Classical Review

have

continued their

valuable

help

and

so has Mr, Cyril

Bailey

with

The

Yearns

Work,

the

new

scheme for which

is

working well.

The number of

subscribers

to The

Classical

Quarterly

has

again

somewhat increased

; that for

The

Classical

Review

is

hardly

more than stationary.

The

enlargement

of

both

journals

was

maintained,

and

the

Editors

of

The

Classical

Review

have

been able

to overtake

con-

siderable arrears

of

book-notices.

In

view

of

the

very

probable

decline

in

the number

of foreign

subscriptions

for

1915

and

some other

sources

of

revenue under

pressure of the war, the

Board

has

reluctantly

determined

upon

a

slight

reduction

in the

size

of

both

journals

for the

current

year. For

this and every reason it desires again

to

remind

all

members

of the

Association

of the

substantial service

to

classical

study

which they

would render by doing all in their

power to

extend the

circulation

of the journals.

At the

end of

1913 Mr.

J. W.

Mackail

retired from

the

Board

and

the vacancy

was

filled by the

Council

by the

nomination

of

Professor

Gilbert

Murray

;

Mr.

R.

C. Seaton

was

elected

to

fill

the

vacancy

caused by the

retirement of

Professor F.

Haverfield

Professor R.

S.

Conway

was

elected

Chairman

and Mr.

W. E,

P.

Pantin Treasurer.

In

moving

the

adoption of

the

Report,

the

President

alluded

to

the

heavy

loss

which

Classical Studies

had

just

sustained

by

the

death

of

Dr. Ingram

Bywater, the

great

Aristotelian

scholar,

and

Dr.

R. Y.

Tyrrell, whom he

characterized

as

perhaps

the

most

felicitous

composer of

Latin and

Greek

verse

in

recent

years.

The

adoption

of

the

Report

of

Council

having

been

duly


13/250

THE

TREASURER'S

REPORT

9

put

and

carried,

the

Treasurer's

Report

was

then

presented

by

the

retiring

Hon.

Treasurer,

Mr.

R. C.

Seaton,

who

said

:

The

accounts

for

the

year

1914

show

that

the

receipts

were

412

and

the

expenses

440,

the

receipts

being

6

less

and

the

expenses

37

more,

than

last

year.

Still we

carry

forward

a

balance

of

66 to

this

year.

The

slight

diminution

in

receipts

is

due

to

rather

fewer

subscriptions

having

been

received

viz.

1,279

as

against

1,314

and

less

amounts

from

the

Associations

of

Victoria

and

New

South

Wales.

The

increased

expenditure

is

due

to

increased

expenses

for

Council,

publication

expenses

and

the

London

meeting.

On

the

whole

we

need

not

take

a

gloomy

view

of

the

financial

position

in

the

special

circumstances.

We

must

expect

that

the

war

will

make

some

difference

to

an

Association

such

as

ours.

I

desire

to

call

attention

to

the

great

success

which has

attended

the

foundation

of

a

Branch

at

Leeds

at

the

beginning

of

the

year,

a

success

which

has

been

chiefly

due to

the

devotion

and

persistence

of

Professor

Rhys

Roberts.

I have

now

ceased to

be

Hon.

Treasurer

and

it

only

remains

for me to

thank

the

members

of

the

Classical

Association

and

especially

the

members

of

Council

and my

colleagues

in

office,

for the

uniform

kindness

and

courtesy

with

which

they

have

treated me

during the

last

four

years.

I

should

like

also to

ask

for

the

same

consideration

on

behalf

of my

successor,

who,

I know,

will

not

be

able

to

give

so

much

time

to

the

interests

of

the

Association

as I

have

been

able to

do.

The

Hon.

Treasurer's

Report

was

then

formally

moved

from

the Chair

and

carried.

Sir

Frederic Kenyon

:

Mr.

President,

Ladies

and

Gentle-

men

:

Now that

the

Council,

through

their

Secretary

and Trea-

surer,

have rendered account of

their

stewardship

for the

last

year, we have

to

look forward

to

the

future

and I

have

the

honour

to propose

to you

the

election

of the

President

for the

year now

beginning.

In the past, as

you

know, we

have

had as

our

Presidents

distinguished

representatives

of

statesmanship,

of

divinity,

of

law,

of

science, of letters

and

of

scholarship

;

but

there

is

one important

branch of

human

activity

not

yet

repre-

sented

among

our Presidents

and

that

is

the

sphere

of

Art.

It

is

therefore

with

great

pleasure

that I

propose

to

you

as

our

President

for the coming

year

Sir

William

Richmond.

You

2


14/250

10

THE CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

know

Sir

William

Riclimond,

not

only

as a

distinguished

artist,

but

as an artist

whose work

is inspired by

classical

ideals. We

could not

have

found

among the

artists of

the present

day

any

one

unless it

were

the

President of

the

Royal Academy

who

could

more

fitly

represent

the

painter's

art

to

us

from the

point

of

view

of

classical

inspiration.

Sir William

Richmond

has

also taken

great

interest in

the actual

work

of

classical

archaeology.

You remember the

interest

aroused at

the time

when

Sir

Arthur

Evans discovered painted

art in the

palaces

of Crete

;

at

that

time Sir

William

Richmond ofiered to go

out

and

make

copies

of these ancient paintings.

That

was a

sign

of the

interest

he took and always

has

taken

in

classical

art.

We shall

therefore have in our new President one

who will

be

devoted

to the

interests of our

Association

and

who

will

worthily

represent

one of

the many

sides of

human activity

which

our

Association

touches.

I have much

pleasure in

proposing the

election

of

Sir

William

Richmond as our

President for

1915.

Mr.

Cradock

Watson having

seconded

the

proposal, it

was

adopted.

Professor

Connal

moved

the election

of the

Vice-Presidents

and

Members

of

Council,

and

said

:

It

has been

our custom to

add the name of

the

retiring President to

the

list

of

Vice-

Presidents. All

will agree

that

the

list will

gain

distinction

by

the addition

of

the

name

of

Professor

Ridgeway.

I

also

propose Professor Rhys Roberts, of

the

University

of

Leeds.

His

eminence as

a scholar

and

writer

on

classical

literature

and

his services

to the

Association at

various

general

meetings

are

familiar

to

us

all, and his devotion

to the

cause

of

classical

learning

and

classical

teaching

is

known to

no one

better

than

to

myself,

who have been closely

associated

with

him

for so

many

years.

His recent services to

the

Association

in

connexion

with the

establishment of

a

Branch

at

Leeds have

been

referred

to by the

Treasurer.

As

members of

Council

for the next

three years

in

succession

to

those

who

retire in the

ordinary way, I

propose

Mr.

Caspari

and

Mr.

Seaton,

the

retiring

Secretary

and

Treasurer.

I

am

sure

all

will

agree that the Council

will be

well

advised

in

de-

siring a continuance of their

services.

I

propose

also

the

names

of Miss

Strudwick,

now Head

Mistress

of

the

City

of

London


15/250

THE

ELECTION

OF

OFFICERS

11

School

for Girls,

who

will

be

remembered

by

all

those

who

were

present

at

the

Annual

Meeting

last

year

at

Bedford

College

Mr. R.

W,

Livingstone

of

Oxford,

who at

the

last

meeting

read

a

paper on

the

teaching

of

the

Classics

as

Literature,

which

everyone

will

recall

with

pleasure,

and

Mr. J.

T.

Sheppard, a

distinguished

Cambridge

writer

on

Greek

Tragedy.

Mr.

Duke

having

seconded

the

motion

for

the

election

of

the

two

Vice-Presidents

and

five

Members

of

Council,

they

were

declared

duly

elected.

Professor

Sonnenschein.

I

have

great

pleasure

in pro-

posing

a

hearty

vote

of

thanks

to

our

retiring

Treasurer

and

Secretary

and

also

the

election

of a

new

Treasurer

and

a

new

Secretary.

Those

who

have

been

in

close

contact

with

the

work

of

Mr.

Seaton

and

Mr.

Caspari

know

very

well

how

admir-

ably

they

have

performed

their

duties and

what a

considerable

amount

of time

and

thought

on

their

part

has

been

involved.

Mr.

Seaton

has

been

most

strenuous

in

every

matter

relating

to

the

financial side

of

the

work

of

the

Association

and we

have

felt

that

it has

been in

exceedingly

competent

hands.

Mr.

Caspari

has

also

devoted

himself

most

loyally

to

his

work.

Both

these

ofiicers

have

enjoyed

throughout

their

tenure of

office

the

complete

confidence

of

the

Council

;

and I hope they

will

have

their

reward

in

something

better

than a

mere vote

of

thanks,

however

cordial.

Indeed,

I am

sure

they

already

have

it

in

the

consciousness

of

service

rendered,

especially

in

con-

nexion

with

an

Association

so

sympathetic

and united

as the

Classical

Association

is

and

for

a cause

which

they

personally

have at

heart.

As one

who

himself held

office

for

some

time

as

Secretary,

I

feel that it

is

worth one's

while

to

make

sacrifices

for

the

sake

of

work of this

kind

;

and I hope

Mr.

Seaton

and

Mr.

Caspari have

this

feeling.

Li regard

to

the

new

holders

of these

offices,

the

Council

has

been

fortunate in securing

the

services

as

Treasurer

of

Mr.

Williamson,

an admirable

classical

scholar

and

experienced

teacher,

now

in

Manchester

Grammar

School and

previously

at

Oxford.

As our

new Secretary (to

take the

place

of

Mr.

Duke,

who

will

now

become our senior

Secretary),

Professor

Slater,

whom we have

an

opportunity

on this

occasion

of

congratulating

on his

appointment to Bedford

College,

London,

is

willing to


16/250

12

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

give

his

services.

Here,

again,

we

have

been

fortunate

in

find-

ing

a

man

competent

in every

way

for

the

task, though

singu-

larly

modest

as

to his

own

secretarial

abilities.

It

is

a

great

convenience

to

the

Association

that

at

least one

of

our

secre-

taries

should

be

resident

in

London.

I beg

to

propose

that

we

pass

a

vote

of

thanks

to

our

retiring

officers

and elect

as

our

new

officers

Mr.

Williamson

and

Professor

Slater.

Mr.

Sleeman

seconded

this

motion.

The

President

desired

to

associate

himself

with the

Vote

of

Thanks.

What

he

had

seen

of

the

work

of

the

retiring

officers

made

him

feel

that

Professor

Sonnenschein

had

said

too

little

of

the

work

they

had

done

for

the

Association.

The

votes

of

thanks

and

the

election

of

new

officers

were

passed

by

acclamation.

Sir

Frederic

Kenyon.

In

the

ordinary

way

a

proposal

is

made

to

the

general

body

of

the

Association

naming

the

place

of

the

next

General

Meeting.

This

year,

owing to

special

circumstances,

the

Council

is

not

able

to

put

forward

any

definite

proposal.

It

was

intended,

as

you

know,

that

the

present

meeting

should

have

been

held

in

Newcastle.

That

was

im-

possible

owing

to

the

war,

since

all

the

available

buildings in

Newcastle

are

required

for

military

purposes.

It is

at

present

not

possible

to

state

whether

the

meeting

can

be

held there

next

year

or

not.

I

think

the

general

feeling

of the

Associa-

tion

must

be

that

they

wish to

benefit

by

the

hospitality

which

Newcastle

has

once

ofiered

when

it

becomes

feasible.

Under

these

circumstances

perhaps

the

Association

will

leave

it to

the

Council

to

make

such

arrangements

as

are

possible

later

in

the

year,

fixing

the

time

and

place

of

the

next

General

Meeting.

Mr.

J.

W.

Mackail

seconded

and

the

proposal

was

adopted.

Mr.

Cradock

Watson

then

brought

forward

the

motion

standing

in his

name,

viz.

That

Council

be

invited

to

consider

how

our

Association

may

best

promote

the

practical

and

efiective

study

of

Latin

in

the

non-classical

schools

where

only

a

limited

time

can

be

devoted

to

the

subject

and

'scholarship'

in

the

ordinary

sense

is out

of the

question.

He

said

:

I

feel

I

ought

to

begin

with

some

sort

of

apology

for

the


17/250

THE

STUDY

OF

LATIN

18

extraordinary

incongruity

of

the

Agenda

which

must

hava

struck

many

people,

as

it

did me.

There

are

only

two

names

on

the

paper,

that

of

our

distinguished

President

and

that

of

a

humble

Headmaster

who

proposes a

motion.

I,

at

least,

have

no

cause

to

complain

and

I

am

proud

that

it

should

have

fallen

to

my

lot to

bring

forward a

proposal

in

this

magnificent

hall

because

it

enables

me

to

express

in

this

presence

my

obligation

to

the

Merchant

Taylors'

Company

for all

that

I am

or

have

in life.

I

was

appointed to

the

headmastership

of the

Merchant

Taylors'

School

at Crosby

by the

Merchant

Taylors

then

Governors

of

the

School,

though

unfortunately,

owing

to

the

march

of

democratic

progress,

no

longer so

and

I

had

the

privilege of

being

educated

at

the

Merchant

Taylors'

School,

London, over

which

they

have

ruled

successfully

for

more

than

.350

years

and

have

not

yet

been

dislodged.

I

can

testify

to

their

work

there

from

the

fact

that

not

only

was

I educated

there

myself, but

many of my

brothers,

my

father,

my

uncles,

my

grandfather

and

at least

one

of

my

great-

uncles.

Under

the

circumstances

I

hope

I

may

be

permitted

this

personal

reference.

Turning

to

the

motion

before me

I do

not

intend

this

after-

noon to

go

into

details

as to

how

this

proposal

should

be

carried

into

effect. I

leave

that

to

a

Committee

which,

I

hope,

will

be

appointed to

consider

it,

but

it

is

important

to

show

the

necessity

for

this

resolution,

which,

I

must

admit,

might

have

been

worded

better.

The

expression

'

non-classical

schools

is

not

a

precise

one

and needs a

word

of

explanation.

It means

those

schools

which do

not

concentrate

chiefly

on

classical

study.

Then there is

the

word

'

scholarship.'

We

all

know what

'

scholarship

'

means,

but

it

is

difficult

to

define.

We may

describe it

as a

certain

happy

taste

resulting

from

training

and

experience

and

carrying

with

it some

creative

power,

but I do not

offer

this

as a

formal

definition.

Unfortu-

nately scholars can

be

but

few,

whether

classical

or

otherwise,

and

the

misfortune

of

our public-school

education

in

the

past

the

reproach

is

less now,

I

grant

is

that we

have

educated

all

boys

as if they

were

going

to

be

scholars.

The

result

is

that

for

the sake

of

a

fortunate 5

per

cent,

some

95

per

cent.


18/250

14

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

have been

broken

on

the

wheel.

This

applies

not

merely

to the

study of

language,

but

in

all our

public

schools

in the

past

each

individual

was

educated

as

if

he

were

to

be

an

expert

on

each

particular subject.

The

teaching

of

arithmetic

and

geometry

in my time

used

to

be based

on

the

assumption

that

each

boy

would

be

a

mathematician.

We have

got

away

from

that

idea

now,

though

not

altogether,

and a

large

number

of

schools

in

this

country

still

concentrate

on the

turning

out

of

scholars.

No

doubt it is

a

good

thing

that

we

should

preserve

a

generation

of scholars,

but,

if

we

lay

too

much

stress

on

that

endeavour,

there

is

danger

of

reaction

and

there has

been

reaction

in

the

schools

of

more

modern

foundation

and

in

those

up

and

down the

country

which

are classed as

secondary

schools

a

word

which to

some

suggests

'

second-rate,'

but

is

only

an

abbreviation

for

schools

where a

'

secondary

education

'

is

given

i.e.

that

education

which

is

given

at

Eton or

Charter-

house

as

well

as in

any

Council

Secondary

School

in

the

country.

What

I am

aiming

at

in

this

resolution

is to

secure

through-

out

the

country a

proper

and

effective,

if

limited,

study

of

Latin.

The

question

of

Greek

must

be

allowed

to

stand

over

for the

time

being.

If

we

cannot

turn out scholars

all over

the

country

and

scholars

are

the

aristocracy

of

the

world

of

learning

let us

aim

at

something

like a

proletariat

of Latin,

an

outer

circle

;

because,

if we

have

only

scholars,

there

is

no

connecting

link

between

them

and

the

great

mass

of

'

uneducated

'

people.

We

want

to

maintain a

link

between

the

two

and

if

we

educate

the

greater

number

of

boys

up

to

a

certain

standard

in

Latin,

it

gives

us also

the

possibility

of

turning

out a

certain

number

of scholars

among

them.

If,

on

the

other

hand,

we go

too

far,

we

run the

danger

of losing

everything.

It

is

the

average

boy

we

are

concerned

with

at

the

present

time.

We

cannot

all

have

the

full

classical

franchise,

the

Civitas

Bomana,

so

to

speak

;

let

us

not

deny

the

'

Latin

Franchise

'

to those

who

want

it.

This is

not

the

time to

argue

the

necessities

and

advantages

of

the

study

of

Latin.

That question

has

often

been

discussed

outside

this

Association.

But it

is

well

that

we

should

from

time

to

time

emphasize

the

value

to

every

individual,

whether

scholar

or not,

whether

writer

or

journalist,

or

what-


19/250

THE

STUDY

OF

LATIN

15

ever

he

may be,

of

the study of

Latin

as

an

educational

instrument.

In

my

own school we

can turn

out very

few

'

scholars.'

We

are too

near

to

Liverpool

not

to

have

mainly

a

commercial

aim,

commercial in the

sense

that

we

try

to

turn

out

good

men

to

go

into

business

and maintain

high

ideals

in the

ranks

of

English

commerce.

What

is

the advantage

of

Latin

to

them

? I

maintain

that,

quite

apart

from

any

literary

or

spiritual

value

they may

derive from

its

study,

it

teaches

them

to be

accurate,

to

be observant

;

and

undoubtedly

it

gives

them

the

power

of

logical

thinking.

We

cannot

devote

much

time

to Latin

and

cannot aim

at

a

lofty

standard,

but

the

fact

that

boys

have

to

recast

modern

English

from

good

models

into

a

language

which

may

possibly

not be

the Eoman

language,

but

at any

rate is

called

'

Latin

prose,'

affords

them

an

excellent

training

in

precise

and

logical

thought.

And

I

maintain

that

at

the

same

time

we

do something

more. We

impart

unconsciously

a

certain

literary

taste

as well.

Also

we bring

boys

into

contact

with

the

original

documents

of

Eoman

history

and

give

them

some

insight

into

the

spiritual

ideals

of

the

Latin

poets

and

prose

writers.

Our

main

object,

however,

must

be

a purely

practical

one.

Now

we

have

about four

years in

which

to attain

our

object,

from

twelve to

sixteen,

and,

at

the

outside,

we can

devote

only

five or

six

hours

a

week to

it. Can

we

achieve our

object

in

that

time

?

Here

we may

learn

something from

a

country

from

which

we are

not

much

inclined

to learn

just

now,

namely,

Germany.

I

have

always

protested

against

having

American

and

German

educational

principles

rammed

down our

throats.

I have

maintained

that

these

methods

cannot

be

applied to

the

English

boy

because

of

the

diil'erence

of material.

The

English

boy has

not

the

'

push

'

and

alertness

of

the

American,

nor

the

docility

of

the

German.

The

American

learns

because

he is

ambitious

;

the

German

boy

because

he has

to,

while

the English

boy

refuses

to learn

for

much

the

same

reason. But both

nations

can

teach

us

a

great

deal. If

you

study the reports

on

the teaching

of

Latin

in

German

schools

in

Vol.

XX.

of

Special

Reports

on

Educational

Subjects,

issued by

the

Board

of

Education,

which

contains

valuable

articles

by

distinguished


20/250

16

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

Headmasters,

such as

Mr.

Fletcher,

now

Headmaster of

Charter-

house,

and Mr.

Paton

of

Manchester

^you

will

find that the

Germans

map

out

good

courses

for the

Realgymnasium and

Oberrealschule,

schools

corresponding

to the

types

we

are con-

sidering.

Their

planning

and

adaptation

of means

to ends

well

deserve

our

consideration,

even

though

their

teaching

methods

may

be

quite

impracticable

in

an English

school.

Can

we

imagine,

for

example,

a

class

of

English

boys

marking the

accents

in Greek

by

waving

their

arms as they

pronounce

each

word

But

this

must

not

blind

us

to

their

strong point,

their

definite

practical

aim

and

method.

Time

does not permit

of

further

discussion

of

this

now. My

object

on

this

occasion

is

to

lay

stress

on

the

fact that

the

whole question

is

a

very im-

portant

one.

There

is

grave

danger of

losing Latin study

in

this

country

and

a

still

greater

risk

of bad

teaching

of

Latin

in

many

of

the

smaller

schools.

We

have

considered

this

question

before.

You

will find

a

full

account

of

the

methods

and

procedure

adopted

in

the

Report

of

the

Curricula

Committee

in the

'

Proceedings

of

the

Classical

Association

'

for 1910.

My

point in

bringing

the

subject

up

this

afternoon

is

that

there

is

grave danger

of

the

whole

thing being

pigeon-holed.

I do not

think

myself

that

the

Classical

Association

has

that

influence

in the

national

life

that it

deserves

to

have

;

and

when it

was

stated

this

afternoon

that

our

membership

had

increased

to

1,600,

I

felt

what

a

miserable

total

it

was

for

our

population.

We

want

to do

everything

in

our

power

to

promote

the activity

and the

life

of

the

Classical

Association, making

its

influence

felt

every-

where.

The

wording

of

my

motion

this

afternoon

is

that

the

Council

be

invited to

consider how

our

Association

may

best

promote

the

study

of

Latin.

We

must

in some way

wake the

country up

to

the

value

of

Latin. Later

on,

a

further

question

will

arise

as

to

Greek,

but

whatever

we

do, let us have

before

us

a

definite

aim.

Very

much

of our

English education

has

been

determined

by

mere

opportunism.

Subjects

were

thrust

into

the

time-table

because

somebody

demanded

them.

We

have

lacked

definiteness

of

aim.

Before

you decide

what

to

teach,

you

must

know

what

your

aim

is.

To

determine

that

point

should

be,

in

this

instance,

the

work

of

the

Classical

Association.


21/250

DISCUSSION

17

I

have

much

pleasure

in

moving this

resolution.

Mr.

Caspari

seconded.

Mips

Wood

asked

if girls'

schools

might

be

associated

with

boys'

schools

in

the

motion.

There was

more

danger of

Latin

being squeezed

out

in

girls'

schools.

Mr.

Cradock

Watson

accepted

this addition.

Mr. A.

J.

Spilsbury

suggested

that

some

distinguished

popular

exponents

of

classical

knowledge

should

be

put

on what

might

be

called

a

Panel

that Panel to

be

appointed

by the

Classical

Association

for the purpose

of volunteering

occasionally

to

lecture

in

the

larger

manufacturing

towns.

In the

case

of

a

kindred

body,

the

English Association, a

good

deal

of

the

chief

work was

done in this

way by

English scholars

of

some

distinction

volunteering

to

lecture

on

their

particular

subjects,

but not

in

a

scholarly,

or

pedantic, or

frightening

way. This was

what

was

needed to

arouse interest

in

parents

and

a

sense of

the

importance

of

Latin

in the

scheme

of

education.

Dr.

J.

H. E.

Crees asked leave to

move

an amendment

That

Council

be

invited

also to consider how

the

organiza-

tion

of our

educational system may

be

improved, so

that

opportunities

of doing

more

advanced work in Classics may

not

be confined to

pupils in a limited

number

of

schools.

This

was

intended to

be

complementary to

Mr.

Cradock

Watson's

motion.

The

amendment

was not

seconded.

Professor

Conway

thought

Mr.

Spilsbury

could

not

be

in

touch

with any

Branch of

the

Association,

because

the

lectures

he

advocated were

the

main work of

the

Branches

and

some

of

them

had

organized

excellent schemes by

which

any

school

in

their

area

could

get

lectures

suitable for its

purpose.

Dr.

Mackail expressed himself

as

being in

sympathy

with

Mr. Cradock

Watson.

The

latter

had

referred to

the

fact

that

there

were

two

dangers

to be avoided

:

(1)

The

risk

that classical

teaching

might

disappear from

the

schools

;

and

(2)

Bad

or ineffective

classical

teaching.

It was

on the

second

point

that the

Association

should concentrate.

The

attitude

of

most of

the local

authorities

who

control municipal or

munici-

palized schools

was

very friendly

to

the study

of

Latin.

They

3


22/250

18

THE CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

wished

Latin

to be a real element

in

the

education

offered

by

them

to

the

boys and

girls of their

area

;

but, in

practice,

the

endeavour

to

carry

out that

most

laudable

desire failed

in

many of

the

schools

because the quality

of

the teaching

was

so deplorable.

In

fact, the

officers

of

the

central

authority

had

repeatedly

had

to

recommend

that in

certain

of

these schools

Latin should for the time being be dropped,

because

as

taught

it was

of

little

or

no

educational

value.

In

order to

concert

measures

against

that

risk,

the

Association

should

put their

best

brains

into the

matter

and

he

suggested

if

a

Committee

were appointed

for that purpose, this

should be

the point kept

primarily

before

them in arriving at

a

solution.

Miss

E.

Ryle

endorsed

the plea for

making

the

aims

of

Latin

teaching more

definite.

One of the

chief

reasons

why

Latin

teaching

was

felt

to

be ineffective

was

its

haziness of

aim.

Latin

was

taught

under

very

different

conditions in the various

schools.

In

some

the

boys

learnt from

eight

to

eighteen and then went

on to

the

University

;

in others they learnt from

ten

to sixteen

;

some

girls

did

not begin

it

until

fourteen and

then

had

two

years,

while others

had

three

or four

years. But

these different

conditions

were

not taken

into consideration

when the aims

of

Latin

teaching

were

discussed.

If investigations could

be

made

into

the

various

schools

of the country,

to discover

what

conditions

obtained, at

what age

pupils

began to learn, what

percentage

were

likely to

take

it

for three or four years,

how

old

they

were

when

they

began it

and what were

the aims

of

that

particular

school,

it

would clear

the air

and

at

the

same

time

help

to

show

the

w ay to

reform.

Mr.

Cradock

Watson

wanted to draw attention

to

the

urgency

of

the

whole question

but did

not

think

the

present

year

a

time

for

reconsideration

of methods.

It

rested with

the

Council

to

appoint a

Committee,

if

the

Meeting

approved

the

general

principles

raised by

his

resolution.

The

Chairman

proposed

that the

Council should

be

invited

to

take

steps

to

form

a

Committee and

the

resolution was

carried.

The

interval

was now

taken

and

after

tea the buildings,

with

all

their

treasures

of

art

and

architecture, were

by the

courtesy

of

the

Master

and the

Court

thrown open

to members

of

the


23/250

THE

PRESIDENT'S

SPEECH

19

Association,

who

reassembled

in

tlie

Hall at

five o'clock,

when

the

President

delivered

his

Speech.

He said

Ladies

and

Gentlemen,

My

first

duty

is

to

thank

the

Association

for

the

great

honour

which

it conferred

on

me

by

electing

me

to

the

Chair

which

has

been

occupied by

so

many

distinguished

predecessors.

But my

tenure

of

office

has

coin-

cided

with

conditions

unknown

not

only

in

the

history

of

this

Association,

but

in

that

of

England

herself.

We

meet

at

a time

when

the

nation

is

engaged

in

a

life-and-death

struggle.

As

soon

as

the

war

broke

out

it

was

obvious

that

not

only

the

character

but

even

the

place of

the

Annual

Meeting,

fixed

for

New-

castle,

would have

to

be

changed.

It is

also

obvious

that a

presidential

address

of

the

conventional

order,

dealing

with

some

side

of

classical

studies,

would

be

singularly out of

place at

a moment

when

the

noblest

of our race

are

day by

day

laying

down

their

lives

hardly

a

hundred miles

from

where we

are met,

in

order

to keep

the

most

ruthless of

enemies

from the

shores

of

their

native

land.

Indeed,

to hold

annual

meetings

of

societies

as

if

the

conditions

were

in

no

wise

abnormal,

would,

I venture

to say,

be

highly

immoral,

for

such

a

course

would

tend

to

the

continued

opiation

of

a

nation

so

long drugged

with

every

drowsy

syrup

of the

world

and

which is

even

yet not

fully

awake.

This

lethargy

had led

the

leading

minds

in

Germany,

not

merely soldiers

and

politicians,

but

the

professorial

and

intellectual

classes,

to the

conclusion

that

England

was so

besotted

by

cowardice,

luxury

and

sloth,

that

she

would

fall

an

easy

prey

to any

vigorous

martial

race.

It

must

be

at once

admitted

that

this

contempt,

or

Kataphronesis,

as

the

Greeks

would

call

it,

is

in

no

small

degree

due

not

only

to

the

attitude

of

certain


24/250

20

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

British

politicians

and

educationalists,

but

also

to that

of British

scholars,

theologians,

and

scientists,

with

some

few

exceptions,

towards

everything

German.

The

fact

is

that

for the

last

two

generations

British

scholars,

British

theologians

and

British

men

of

science

have

aimed

chiefly

at

being

the

first to

introduce

into

this

country

the

last thing

said

in

Germany,

even

though

that

might

be

only

the

worthless

thesis

produced

by

some

young

candidate

for his

doctorate.

But

what

was

worse,

no

one

dreamed

of

inquiring

whether

the

statements

of

the

savant

were

correct or

his

arguments

valid.

In-

deed, the

practice

of

adapting

wholesale

from

the

Germans

reached

such

a

pitch

that

I

remember

a con-

troversy

in

a

leading

weekly

in

which

Professor

A.

charged

Professor B.

with

having

plagiarized

from

him

(Professor

A.),

and

when

Professor

B.

replied

by

pointing

out that

he

also

could

read

German

and

had

taken the

point

in

question

direct

from

its

German

source,

Professor

A.,

not a

whit

abashed,

rejoined

that

as he

had been

the

first to

make

the

German

idea

known

to

England

it

was his

property.

But

this

attitude

had

a still

worse

influence.

It

led

the

ordinary

scholar,

theologian,

and

scientist

to

regard

with

bitterness

any

British

scholar

or

scientist

who

ventured

to

think

for

himself,

in

other

words, to

research,

and

if

any

one

was

so

rash as

to

attempt

to

do so,

he

was

held up

to

ridi-

cule

and

odium

for being

so

foolish

as to

try

to

con-

trovert

or improve

upon

the

current

views

in Germany.

This

statement

may

seem

incredible

to

some,

especially

to

my

younger

hearers, but I

speak from

personal

know-

ledge.

In

1887

the

late

Professor W.

Robertson

Smith,

then

editor

of

the

Encyclopcedia

Britannica,

asked

me to

write

an

article

on

Umbria

for the ninth

edition

of

that

work.

In

it I

embodied the

results

of

a very

careful

re-examination

of

all the

evidence

up to

date


25/250

THE

PRESIDENT'S

SPEECH

21

and

I

came

to

the

conclusion

that

a

well-known

theory

of

Theodor

Mommsen

was

untenable.

I

sent

the

article

to the

editor

and

some

two

months

later he

said to me

gravely,

'

I

have

submitted

your

article

to

the

chief

Roman

historians

of

the

kingdom

and

they

are

unanimous

in

condemning

it

as

worthless on

the

ground

that

it

controverts

Mommsen.

I have

asked

each

for

his

reasons

other

than

this and

none

of

them

could

give

me

such. I

have

therefore

decided

to

print

your

article as

it stands.'

But

all

editors

were

not

like

Robertson

Smith

and I

had the

greatest

difficulty

in

getting

my

paper

which

contained

the

principles

of

my

Origin

of

Metallic

Cur-

rency

admitted to The Hellenic

Journal.

Yet,

when

that

book

appeared

later,

it

got

an

excellent

reception

in

Germany.

I

had

a

still

greater

difficulty in

getting

a place

in the

same

journal for

my

paper

which

con-

tained

the

principles

of

my

Early

Age

of

Greece.

No-

thing

but

the

fine

sense

of

justice

of Sir

R.

C.

Jebb,

the

President of

the

Society, and

the

strong line

which

he

took

against the

then

editors of the

journal

and

another

referee

obtained

admittance for

my

paper and that

only

in

a

sadly

mutilated

condition.

A

little later,

when the paper had

been

well received on

the

Continent,

I

called the

attention

of

the

Council

of

the

Hellenic

Society

to the baleful

effects of

such

a policy

as

that

pursued

by their

editors, with

the result

that

that

body passed almost unanimously

a resolution

approv-

ing

the

action of

the

editors.

My

only

offence

was

that I

had

ventured

to

dispute what the Germans

had

said.

But

like

my

Metallic

Currency,

my

Early

Age

of

Greece got

a

hearty

reception from the best

men

in

Germany, including

the

late Professor

Furt-

wangler.

But

the

classical

scholars did

not

stand

alone.

At

the

same

time

that I

was

endeavouring

to

get

a

hear-


26/250

22

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

ing for

my views, a

friend and

colleague

had

made

the

first

assault

on

Weismannism. But as

all

the

British

biologists

owed

their positions

almost

solely

to

the fact

that

they

were the

proclaimers

of the

gospel

of

Weismann and controlled

the Biological

Journals,

it

was

nearly two

years before

that

paper,

which has

exercised

a

great influence

since,

could be

published.

But

now what a

change

Some

of those very

men

who were always

lauding

everything German, who

did

all

in

their

power

to

stifle free

discussion in this

country

and some

of whom

lived by preaching German

ideas,

are

now

hurling

denunciations on

German science,

German

scholarship

and

everything

else German

even

German education

in

the

columns

of

The Times

and elsewhere.

The

Greeks

had

a

great

doctrine,

the

most

vital

element

in their

thought and art, (jbriZh

ayav

'

Nothing

in

excess.'

Let

British

scholars,

theologians

and

scien-

tists

in

the future

write

it

upon

the

recording

tablets

of their minds. Take

whatever seems

the

truth,

from

Germany

and everywhere else, and

that

too

with full

acknowledgment,

but submit every

new idea,

whether

the

product of

the

greatest

German

or the

humblest

British

subject, to the same

rigid

test

of

criticism and

let

us

keep clear of those

who

are

'

So

overviolent

or

so

overcivil

That

every

[German

with them]

is

god

or devil.'

But

are

there

not

many lessons which

we

scholars

in

particular

can

learn from the Classics in

reference

to

our

own

present

condition

and

which

we

can in

turn

point

out to

others

? We

are

engaged

in a terrific

struggle

against two great

military

monarchies, I had

almost said,

one

great

military

monarchy,

but,

fortu-

nately,

not

only with

the aid

of

another democratic

state,

but

also

with

that

of

a

great military

monarchy.


27/250

THE

PRESIDENT'S

SPEECH

23

The

parallel with

the

struggle

of

Athens

and

the

Greek

States against

the

aggression

of

the

Persian

King

naturally

occurs

to

all.

It is

a

pleasant

comparison

just

now, for Greece

triumphed

over the

military

despot

once

and

for

all at

Salamis.

Later,

however,

she

became

involved

in

another

struggle

with a

military

monarchy and

this

time

the

comparison

is

not

so

reassuring,

for

the

man

of

Macedon

became

master

of

the democracies

of

Greece.

A

brief

inquiry into

the

causes

of

these

two

different

results may

not

be

without

some

value.

When

Athens

entered

upon the

struggle

with

Persia

she

was

not

as

yet

wholly

democratized

;

Themistocles,

the

leader

of

the

popular

party,

was

himself

an

aristocrat

and

a

real patriot, at least

in

his

earlier

career.

It

was

his

foresight

and

eloquence

that

persuaded

the

democracy

to

cease from

wasting

in

public

doles

the

revenue

from

the

mines of

Laurium,

'

that

well of

silver,

the

treasure-

house

of the

land,'

as

Aeschylus

termed

it,

and

instead

to

build that

fleet

which

overthrew

the

Persians.

On

the

other hand, although

the

aristocratic

party

were

then

no

longer in

power

and

their

leader,

Aristides

the

Just,

had

been

driven

into

exile by

the

demagogues

and

the mob, the

former

sank

all

party

feeling

in

face

of the common

danger

and, as

all know,

Aristides

joined

the Athenian

fleet

at Salamis

on

the

eve

of

the

great

battle, determined

to

share

the

fortunes

of

his

native

land

on

the

morrow,

whatever

these

might

prove.

As yet

also

the supreme

power was

not

vested

in

one

popular

assembly,

liable to

be swayed

hither

and

thither

like

the

waves

of

the sea by

any

demagogue

whose

flatteries

and

promises

for

the

moment

tickled

their

fancy.

There

was still a

second

chamber

of

great

weight,

the

Areopagus,

composed

of

men

who

had

served

the

state

as archons,

and

which

exercised

a


28/250

24

THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

potent

and

wholesome

control

on the

whims

and

passions

of

the

people.

How

Ephialtes and

Pericles,

by

robbing

the

Areopagus

of

its

power,

dealt

a

grievous

blow

to

Athens,

is

too

well

shown

by

her later

history.

One

example

will suffice

the

decree

passed by

the

Assembly

on the

motion

of

Cleon

to put to

death

the

whole

population

of

Mitylene.

Moreover,

it

must

be

remembered

that the

victories

over

Persia

were

not

the work

of

an

unaided

democracy,

for

beyond

all

doubt

the

Lacedaemonians,

who

lived

under

monarchical

institutions

and

rigorous

discipline,

not

only

had

a

large

share in

the

issue,

but

also

by

their

example

inspired

the

military

ardour

of

the

Athenians.

Finally,

it must

be

clearly

borne

in

mind

that

at

that

period

all

full citizens

of

military

age

had

to

take

their

share in

the defence

of

their

country.

But

when

we

pass

on

to

the

Macedonian

struggle,

the

chief

features

of

the

earlier

Athens

are

no

more.

The

flower

of

her

citizens

had

perished

in

the

thrice

nine

years

of

the

Peloponnesian

war,

entered

upon

and

blindly

waged

by

an

extreme

democracy,

led

by

dema-

gogues

as

foolish

and

incapable

as

they

were

corrupt

and

this

destruction

of

her

best

breeding

stock,

chiefly

her

middle

classes,

had

led

to

a

weakening

of

the

national

fibre.

Democracy

was

now

complete.

The

ordinary

Athenian

of

that day

had

little

inclination

himself

for

military

service

and

preferred

to

earn

his

triobol as

a

juryman.

The

majority

cast

all

the

burdens

of

the

navy

and

army

on

the

middle

and

upper

classes

and

spent

in

free

tickets

for the

theatre

the

money

formerly

applied to

National

Defence.

In

vain

did

Demosthenes

urge

universal

service

and

imitate

Themistocles

by

calling

upon

them

to

spend

upon

military

preparations

against

the

impending

attack

of

Macedon

the

revenues

which

were

now

being

wasted

by

the

demagogues

in


29/250

THE

PRESIDENT'S

SPEECH

25

order to

secure

the

adhesion

of the mob. As

one

of

these

gentry,

Demades,

bluntly said,

the

Theorie

fund

was

the

cement

of

the

constitution,

meaning

thereby

that

it

kept

the

masses

in

good

humour. But though

it

might

prove

good

party

cement,

it

did

not

provide

a

good

bulwark

against the

enemy.

When

danger

drew near, they

thought

of

hiring

mercenaries

from

this

place and

that,

but these

as

often

as not went

over to

the

enemy

or

mutinied.

Then they

looked

to other states,

to

the

Thessalians, the

Phocians, the

Thebans, for

help; in

fact they

looked

to

every

one

but to themselves, a

psychological

attitude

which

reminds

us of those

who

in these

latter

days

dream

of

bringing a quarter

of a

million

of

Russians

to

England,

or clamour

for

the

hiring of

a

like

army

from

Japan.

Then

there was

another

device,

that

of

sending

envoys

to Philip ;

and

Aeschines,

the head

of

the

Mace-

donian

party,

went on

a

Parapresbeia or

irregular

em-

bassy,

a

thing

not

without

parallels in our

own

day,

to

assure the despot of

the

affection

of

Athens

and

to beg

for

his kind

consideration.

Finally, by

this

time

Lace-

daemon

was no more. She

had

never recovered from

the

fatal

day

of

Leuctra and when

the

evil

hour

at

last came, Athens

had

no

Sparta

to

stand beside

her,

as

in

the

Persian times. Democracy

had

run

its

full

course. Democratic

principles,

philosophising

and

theorising

had done

their

work

and with the

death

of

Demosthenes

in

b.c.

322,

Athens

ceased

for

ever

to

have any

political

importance.

There are those

who

hope

that by the

fall of

all

military

monarchies

at

no

distant date

democracy

will

be universal and

that that universal

peace

of

which

so

many

dream

will

then

materialize

into

fact.

Again,

we

may learn

a lesson

from the Greeks.

They

too

had

dreams

of a

Golden

Age, but

they

saw

it not

before,

4


30/250

26 THE

CLASSICAL

ASSOCIATION

but far

behind in the beautiful

purple haze of

the past

and

it therefore exercised

not

the

slightest

effect

upon

the

great

questions

of

their

foreign

policy

and

prac-

tical

life.

But the

history

of

the

democracies

of Greece,

even

when

not

confronted

by

a military monarchy, warns

us

against

giving a

hasty credence

to this dream

of

perpetual peace

whether

within

or without.

In a

well-

known

passage in

the

Politics,

Aristotle

points out that

at

least

one

Stasis

or

revolution

had

taken

place

in

every

Greek polity

with

the single

exception of

Massalia.

As in our

own day,

such

internal dissention

gave

opportunity

to

rivals

and

in

too

many

cases

led

to a

hopeless

struggle

ended

only

by a

foreign

yoke.

This

illustrates

graphically

the inherent

weakness

of

demo-

cracy.

If

we

ask

why

Massalia did

not

share

a

like

fate,

Strabo

gives us a complete

answer

by

pointing

out

that

right down

to Roman

times Massalia

con-

tinued to

have

a

constitution

in

which the aristocratic

and

democratic

elements

were

admirably

blended and

balanced.'

So

much

for

the

internal peace of

demo-

cracies.

But

the Greek democratic states were,

if

possible,

still

more ambitious

and

grasping

for

com-

mercial

advantages and

new

territory

than were

those

under monarchical

institutions.

Athens herself was

much

more

aggressive

than Sparta, whilst

in

the

great

struggle between

Croton and Sybaris, ending

in

the

destruction

of

the

latter city,

we

have

a

typical

in-

stance

of

the

ordinary

feelings

between

republics

and

a stern

warning

against

any belief that a

modern

world,

filled

only

with

democratic states, will

be

a

world

of

unbroken

peace.

I

do not hesitate

to

say

that if

such

a

thing were

possible, it would be

the

greatest

calamity

^

No one w

as

allowed to

take

part in

the

legislature

and

administra-

tion

unless

he

was

sprung

from

three

generations

of

full

citizens,

a

practice

which

we

might imitate

with advantage.


31/250

THE

PRESIDENT'S

SPEECH

27

that ever

befell

the

human

race.

Such

a

condition means

the

death of

all

that

is

noblest

and

the growth and

prosperity

of

all

that

is

vilest. The

world

would

be

like

a

stagnant

pond

in

some

shady

spot,

mantled

over

by

a

greenish, slimy

scum,

never

ruffled

by

the

wind's

fresh

purging

blasts.

In it no

higher

animals

can live,

but it

is

filled

to

overflowing

with

all the

lowest

and

basest

forms of

life. So

in

a

world

of

perfect

peace

humanity

would perish

from

its

own

physical and

moral

corruption.

This

doctrine

of

a

world

of

democracies

pervaded

by

a

spirit

of

universal peace

assumes

that

democracies,

by

which

we

must

understand

the

demagogues

that

lead

them,

have neither

ambition,

hatred,

malice,

envy,

nor avarice,

and

no

longing

for

'

Naboth's

vineyards

proceedings of classical association vol. 12-13

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