Theclassics，andtheirpositionofprerogativeintheschemeofeducationtowhichthehigherseminariesoflearningclingwithsuchafondpredilection，servetoshapetheintellectualattitudeandlowertheeconomicefficiencyofthenewlearnedgeneration。Theydothisnotonlybyholdingupanarchaicidealofmanhood，butalsobythediscriminationwhichtheyinculcatewithrespecttothereputableandthedisreputableinknowledge。Thisresultisaccomplishedintwoways:1byinspiringanhabitualaversiontowhatismerelyuseful，ascontrastedwithwhatismerelyhonorificinlearning，andsoshapingthetastesofthenovicethathecomesingoodfaithtofindgratificationofhistastessolely，oralmostsolely，insuchexerciseoftheintellectasnormallyresultsinnoindustrialorsocialgain；and2byconsumingthelearner’stimeandeffortinacquiringknowledgewhichisofnouse，exceptinsofarasthislearninghasbyconventionbecomeincorporatedintothesumoflearningrequiredofthescholar，andhastherebyaffectedtheterminologyanddictionemployedintheusefulbranchesofknowledge。Exceptforthisterminologicaldifficulty——whichisitselfaconsequenceofthevogueoftheclassicsofthepast——aknowledgeoftheancientlanguages，forinstance，wouldhavenopracticalbearingforanyscientistoranyscholarnotengagedonworkprimarilyofalinguisticcharacter。Ofcourse，allthishasnothingtosayastotheculturalvalueoftheclassics，noristhereanyintentiontodisparagethedisciplineoftheclassicsorthebentwhichtheirstudygivestothestudent。Thatbentseemstobeofaneconomicallydisserviceablekind，butthisfact——somewhatnotoriousindeed——needdisturbnoonewhohasthegoodfortunetofindcomfortandstrengthintheclassicallore。Thefactthatclassicallearningactstoderangethelearner’sworkmanlikeattitudesshouldfalllightlyupontheapprehensionofthosewhoholdworkmanshipofsmallaccountincomparisonwiththecultivationofdecorousideals:IamfidesetpaxethonospudorquePriscusetneglectaredirevirtusAudet。
Owingtothecircumstancethatthisknowledgehasbecomepartoftheelementaryrequirementsinoursystemofeducation，theabilitytouseandtounderstandcertainofthedeadlanguagesofsouthernEuropeisnotonlygratifyingtothepersonwhofindsoccasiontoparadehisaccomplishmentsinthisrespect，buttheevidenceofsuchknowledgeservesatthesametimetorecommendanysavanttohisaudience，bothlayandlearned。Itiscurrentlyexpectedthatacertainnumberofyearsshallhavebeenspentinacquiringthissubstantiallyuselessinformation，anditsabsensecreatesapresumptionofhastyandprecariouslearning，aswellasofavulgarpracticalitythatisequallyobnoxioustotheconventionalstandardsofsoundscholarshipandintellectualforce。
Thecaseisanalogoustowhathappensinthepurchaseofanyarticleofconsumptionbyapurchaserwhoisnotanexpertjudgeofmaterialsorofworkmanship。Hemakeshisestimateofvalueofthearticlechieflyonthegroundoftheapparentexpensivenessofthefinishofthosedecorativepartsandfeatureswhichhavenoimmediaterelationtotheintrinsicusefulnessofthearticle；
thepresumptionbeingthatsomesortofill-definedproportionsubsistsbetweenthesubstantialvalueofanarticleandtheexpenseofadornmentaddedinordertosellit。Thepresumptionthattherecanordinarilybenosoundscholarshipwhereaknowledgeoftheclassicsandhumanitiesiswantingleadstoaconspicuouswasteoftimeandlaboronthepartofthegeneralbodyofstudentsinacquiringsuchknowledge。Theconventionalinsistenceonamodicumofconspicuouswasteasanincidentofallreputablescholarshiphasaffectedourcanonsoftasteandofserviceabilityinmattersofscholarshipinmuchthesamewayasthesameprinciplehasinfluencedourjudgmentoftheserviceabilityofmanufacturedgoods。
Itistrue，sinceconspicuousconsumptionhasgainedmoreandmoreonconspicuousleisureasameansofrepute，theacquisitionofthedeadlanguagesisnolongersoimperativearequirementasitoncewas，anditstalismanicvirtueasavoucherofscholarshiphassufferedaconcomitantimpairment。Butwhilethisistrue，itisalsotruethattheclassicshavescarcelylostinabsolutevalueasavoucherofscholasticrespectability，sinceforthispurposeitisonlynecessarythatthescholarshouldbeabletoputinevidencesomelearningwhichisconventionallyrecognizedasevidenceofwastedtime；andtheclassicslendthemselveswithgreatfacilitytothisuse。Indeed，therecanbelittledoubtthatitistheirutilityasevidenceofwastedtimeandeffort，andhenceofthepecuniarystrengthnecessaryinordertoaffordthiswaste，thathassecuredtotheclassicstheirpositionofprerogativeintheschemeofhigherlearning，andhasledtotheirbeingesteemedthemosthonorificofalllearning。Theyservethedecorativeendsofleisure-classlearningbetterthananyotherbodyofknowledge，andhencetheyareaneffectivemeansofreputability。