ThisisthecaseagainstGreekputaspowerfullyasonecanstateit.Ontheotherside，wemaysay，thoughtheremarkmayseemabsurdatfirstsight，thattohavemasteredGreek，evenifyouforgetit，isnottohavewastedtime.Itreallyisaneducationalandmentaldiscipline.Thestudyissoseverethatitneedstheearnestapplicationofthemind.Thestudyisaversetoindolentintellectualways;itwillnotputupwitha\"thereorthereabouts，\"
anymorethanmathematicalideasadmitofbeingmadetoseem\"extremelyplausible.\"Hewhowrites，andwhomayventuretoofferhimselfasanexample，isnaturallyofamostslovenlyandslatternlymentalhabit.Itishisconstanttemptationto\"scamp\"
everykindofwork，andtosay\"itwilldowellenough.\"Hehatestakingtroubleandverifyingreferences.Andhecanhonestlyconfessthatnothinginhisexperiencehassohelped，inacertaindegree，tocounteractthosetendencies——asthelabourofthoroughlylearningcertainGreektexts——thedramatists，Thucydides，someofthebooksofAristotle.ExperiencehassatisfiedhimthatGreekisofrealeducationalvalue，and，apartfromtheacknowledgedandunsurpassedmeritofitsliterature，isasevereandlogicaltrainingofthemind.Thementalconstitutionisstrengthenedandbracedbythelabour，evenifthelanguageisforgotteninlaterlife.
Itismanifest，however，thatthispartofeducationisnotforeverybody.TherealeducationalproblemistodiscoverwhatboysGreekwillbegoodfor，andwhatboyswillonlywastetimeanddawdleoverit.Certainlytomenofaliteraryturn（averyminutepercentage），Greekisofaninestimablevalue.Greatpoets，even，maybeignorantofit，asShakespeareprobablywas，asKeatsandScottcertainlywere，asAlexandreDumaswas.ButDumasregrettedhisignorance;Scottregrettedit.WeknownothowmuchScott’sadmittedlaxityofstyleandhurriedcarelesshabitmighthavebeenmodifiedbyaknowledgeofGreek;howmuchofgrace，permanence，andgenerallyofart，hisgeniusmighthavegainedfromthelanguageandliteratureofHellas.ThemostHomericofmodernmencouldnotreadHomer.AsforKeats，hewasbornaGreek，ithasbeensaid;buthadhebeenbornwithaknowledgeofGreek，henever，probably，wouldhavebeenguiltyofhischiefliteraryfaults.Thisisnotcertain，forsomemodernmenoflettersdeeplyreadinGreekhaveallthequalitiesoffustianandeffusivenesswhichLonginusmostdespised.
GreekwillnotmakealuxuriouslyAsiaticmindHellenic，itiscertain;butitmay，atleast，helptorestraineffusiveandrhetoricalgabble.OurAsiaticrhetoriciansmightperhapsbeevenmorebarbarousthantheyareifGreekwereasealedbooktothem.