Modern inquiries, classical, professional, and miscellaneous / by Jacob Bigelow.

  • Jacob Bigelow
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern inquiries, classical, professional, and miscellaneous / by Jacob Bigelow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Truths and things have grown faster than words. Modern customs, arts, and sciences can he expressed in French or German, but not in Greek and Latin. A French writer, Professor Goffaux, lias undertaken to translate Robinson Crusoe into Latin. The trans- lation is successful, as far as easy diction and pure Latinity are concerned. But the language of the Romans is at fault in the islands of the Pacific, and new words must be coined to express, even imper- fectly, things which are not coeval with the language employed. The world-renowned “ man Friday ” is introduced to us under the vicarious name of “ Yen- dredi,” and when Friday goes a-shooting he loads his ‘‘ sclopetum ” with pul vis nitralis.” If modern Greece should ever become a first-class power among the natiqiis, it will have to complete, as it is now trying to do, a vocabulary of new terms to express the arts and commerce, the facts and fancies, the business and belles lettres, of the existing time. In other words, it must re-enforce its language with a new half, not found in the ancient classics. The admiration of the old Romans for the Greek language and literature had its origin in the fact, tliat, in that age of limited civilization, they found not much else of the kind to admire. They looked to Greece as the fountain of what had been achieved in art, philosophy, poetry, and eloquence. Of con- sequence it was chosen as the great place of resort for educational objects, and Athens became the em-