And just as a judicious drilling in the Classical authors
is the best of all trainings for an appreciation of modern
literature, so a study of Greek art is the best introduction
to an appreciation of all the art of past ages, and even
of value to those who are drawn to the practice of art.
The great qualities which belong to Greek art belong
also to the highest art of all periods, though of course
in modern art there are many additional features.

No doubt fifty years ago the Classics occupied too
great a part in education; and the consequence has
been a reaction, which has gone too far in the other
direction. But a counter reaction is setting in. France,
after numerous experiments, has been unable to find
any mental discipline which can take the place of the
Greek and Roman Classics, and has in a measure re-
instated them at the basis of the educational system.
And there is a great consensus in America, as published
volumes of evidence have shown, among statesmen,
professors, lawyers, and even self-trained men of business,
recognizing the unequalled value of the Classics as a
mental training and even as a preparation for practical
life. The English universities and schools, which have
most strongly experienced both the undue stress laid on
the Classics and the prejudiced reaction against them,
are beginning to feel the force of a fresh tide. But the
new teaching of the Classics must be wider and more
comprehensive than the old, directing its attention not
to the mere words of ancient writers, but to all aspects
of the life of antiquity.

For forty-five years it has been a great part of my
duty to instruct young men and women in Greek art,
and especially in Greek sculpture, in the Universities

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