reading of the Greek classics. "The Greeks are for us not one of the civilized nations of antiquity, but the civilized nation (das Kulturvolk), which has given us the models for all kinds of literary productions."[1] And Father Baumgartner observes: "The intellectual culture of the Greeks became a power which not only survived their political decadence, but for all coming centuries exercised a decisive influence on the development of the world's culture."[2]
In order to attain this object of the study of Greek, the reading of authors should be begun as soon as possible. Etymology should be limited to the essentials occurring in "the authors which form the staple reading in colleges. The old grammars contain many forms which never or quite exceptionally are met with in the course of reading. To this class belong many rare forms of declension, comparison, exceptional augments and reduplications, and, above all, numerous irregular verbs. They should be left out, as has been done in the best modern grammars.[3] The Jesuits always favored brief textbooks, "perquam breves," says a document in 1829.[4] This was in accordance with their fundamental principle: Pauca praecepta, multa exempla, exercitatio plurima.
Greek syntax may at first not be taught systematically but inductively, incidentally, as the rules are
- ↑ Dettweiler, Didaktik und Methodik des Griechischen, p. 11.
- ↑ Baumgartner, vol. III, p. 5.
- ↑ Perhaps one of the best modern grammars is the Small Greek Grammar by Professor Kaegi, which has been recently translated into English by J. Kleist, S. J. (Herder, St. Louis, 1902.)
- ↑ Pachtler, vol. IV, p. 404.
