Page:Letters to Squire Pedant in the East.pdf/11

iv because he knows the meaning of thousands of Latin and Greek words, necessarily annoy the social circle, or swell his style, with Greek quotations, or the employment of Latin words? Certainly not.

The Publisher wishes to impress upon the young that the style of these Letters is not to be used, unless when old school-chums, who had previously studied them, should accidentally meet and wish to enjoy the reminiscences of the past; then it might be allowable to spice the social chat a little with some of Altisonant's phrases.

It may again be urged that the words used in these Letters are mostly obsolete, and may be properly called dead English. Granted that many (for all are not) are dead and obsolete, does it follow that they should not be studied? Are not dead languages studied? If it be right to study dead Latin and dead Greek, will it be improper to study dead English? Would you have your sons explore the whole “Dead Sea" of Latin and Greek, and keep them forever from making similar explorations into the bays and gulfs of the English sea? Do you wish your children to learn Latin and Greek roots, and keep them ignorant of the number of their sprouts in your language? – A vast majority of the unusual words employed in these Letters are derivatives from the ancient languages – and by studying these derivatives, the acquisition of the primitives will become more easy. Hence,