“I don’t think much of Latin, for my part,” said the squire. “If a man knows how to talk English, that’s as much as he actilly needs.”
“I don’t quite agree with you there, Squire Griffiths,” said the general. “My boy John is reading Cæsar’s works, and I want him to be a fine Latin scholar.”
“Was Cæsar a Latin?” asked Squire Griffiths.
“He used the Latin language,” said Walter.
“Well, maybe it’s all right to study Latin,” said the squire, “though I’ve lived man and boy more’n sixty year, and have got along without it.”
Squire Griffiths had rather a limited idea of the range of education, and thought if a boy could read and write and cipher, he was prepared to go out into the world.
“Latin is considered indispensable to a thorough education,” said General Wall.
“There’s a lot of new-fangled things come up since my day,” said the squire. “My Amandy says she wants to study botany. I asked her if it made the flowers smell any sweeter to know about ’em. Then there’s algebrey, or some sich nonsense.”
“By the way, Mr. Howard, can you teach algebra?” asked General Wall.
“Yes, sir.”