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I . INTRODUCTION; OUTLINE OF SYSTEM.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Theory---purpose of studies---educationfrom infancy---public education---idealpupil-w-scope of education; Purpose-•·ideal orator----perfect eloquence---master of a r t of speaking---lasting loveof le t te rs ; Product---perfect orator-w-perfect charactar- ....guide of public ... -practising philosopher---knowledge of
l a w a ~ - - c o u r t r o o m behaviour; Method---preliminary education---minor deta i ls - -
fundamentals---school of grammar---school of rhetoric---correct speech endpractice; Problem---what it i s not---What i t is-w-role of teacher in system.
I I . THE INTELLECTUALAND
PEDAGOGICAL qijALITIESOF THE TEACHER ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • 38Knowledge of & l sciences---certain knowledge---discrimination---judgment--assiduous attention to duties---polishedwriter---polished ora tor- - -cr i t ic - - reasoning faculty---lucidity in teaching---exuberant freshness---guidance.
I I I . THE MORAL QUALITIES OF THE TEACHER •••••••••••••• 63Goodness---authoritativeness---kindliness
---fatherliness---industriousness---loveableness---simplici ty---care for pupils.
IVo THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER IN THE SYSTEM.... . . . . . . . . 77Scope of system---character formation---intel lectual formation---handling ofpupils---guidance of boys on verge ofnun hood---system stan ds or fa l ls withteacher.
etrB.ightforward. After the i r t ra in ing they can see things in the
proper perspect ive to themselves and the people around them. In a
word, they wi l l have a correct focus on the values of l i f e . In
these two summaries the extremes of each system have been
considered. They are the extremes towards which each of i t s very
nature tends since to e> great extent educe.tion i s a theory and an
ideal a t which the system s.ims • but s t i l l always f a i l s in some
degree. The outl ines of two systems have been shown in order to
point out by cont ras t how the system th is paper wi l l consider
di f fers from the other extreme.
Q.uintilian def in i te ly i s in the second clflSs which has been
delineated above. His e.im i s to produce the "perfect orator" ,
the ideal orator who i s also e. man of s ter l ing character . A&o he
says:
Q.uibus ego primum hoc respondeo, quod M. Ciceroscripto a d Brutum l ibro f requent ius t e s te tu r ,non eum a nobis i n s t i t u i oratorem, qui s i t autfuer i t , sed ime.ginem quandPm concepisse nosanimo perfec t i i l l i u s e t nul la parte cessantis . 1
And ege.in:Oratorem autem insti t iurnus i l lum perfectum, quiesse nis i v ir bonus non potest ; ideoque nondicendi modo eximiem in eo fe.cultatem sed omnesenimi vi r tu tes exigimus. Neque enim hocconcesserim, rationem honestaeque vitae (utquidam pute.verunt) ad philosophos relegandum.cum v ir i l l e vere c iv i l i s e t publice.rum pr iva-te.rumque rerum edministre.t ioni accommodatus,
1M. F. Quint i l ian, Ins t i tu t io Ore.toria, G. P. Putnam's Sons,New York.l920, I , x, 4.
e l t i ude. QuintiliEm s orator must be a prac t ica l philosopher who
can solve his own problems and be equally adept in solving the
problems of taxes end marriage laws for others. His solut ions wi
ha.ve to be applicable to the ree.l i t i es of the forum e.nd the r o s t r uThis finished orator i s expected to be able to step into court
and take a.ny case. I f he i s une.cquainted with any of the sciences
renging from geometry to calculus and with any of the ar t s from
e.rchi tecture to poetry, then he 11.1.11 violate h is posi t ion of t rus t
in regard to his c l ient . In educating the ore.tor Quinti l ian
proposes to tree.t of a l l subjects which wil l help him to fu l f i l
th is idea l and th i s t rus t .
By th i s time the blind should see tha t the Roman Educator i s
an ideal i s t . Yet he real izes the.t he ce.nnot take 11 jus t anybody"
and turn him into the ore.tor to whom the system i s direc ted . As
i t i s impossible to te.ke a boy who he.s e.bsolutely no control over
his hands and feet and turn him into a big league bal l -p layer , so
you ce.nnot make a genius from a boy who i s without nature.l
in te l lec tua l te . lent. Quinti l ian real izes the.t e.rt bui lds upon
nature and tha t i f there i s no sol id natural foundation, then it
would be t rying to build on shif t ing sands.
I l lud tamen in primis testandum es t , nih i lpre.ecepte. e.tque e.rtes valere ni s i a.diuventenature.. Quapropter e i , cui deceri t ingenium,non magis haec scr ipta s in t qua.m de agrorumcultu s te r i l ibus t e r r i s . Sunt e t a l ia
ingenita cuique adiumenta, vox, l a tus pat iensls .boris, valetudo, constant ia , decor; quaes i medics. obtigerunt, possunt rat ione amplia.ri,sed nonnumque.m i t a de aunt, ut bona etiam ingeniistudiique corrumpe.nt; s icut e t haec ipse. sine
doctore per i to , studio per t inaci , scribendi,legendi, dicendi multa e t continua exerci tat ioneper se nihi l prosunt. 5
We see from th i s tha t Quintil ia.n intends not only to educate thos
lvho are perfect ly f i t t ed for courtroom eloquence, but sees h is wa
c ~ e e . r to developing those of l esser abi l i ty who are capa.ble of
systematic t ra in ing. The Roman educe.to r ' s prac t ica l sense i s
age. in shown when he se,ys,
Verum priora a.d pueros m a ~ i s , haec sequentia e.d
robustiores pert inebunt cum gramma.tices amore t usus l ec t ionis non schgls.rum temporibus, sedvitae spatio terminentur.6
The complete picture i s shown when the Master speaks of the
pupi l s ' future power to think fo r themselves. They should not
need ~ d w a y s to be te.ught. They should ha.ve the i r c r i t i ca l powers
ful ly developed. so tha t they wil l be a.ble to make new discover ies
for themselves. They wil l thus be able to t e l l r ight from wrong
end so s.pply the principles they he.ve learned. The chief aim of
this type of education i s to ene.ble the pupils to use the i r
in te l lec ts just as the pract ice of medicine i s the chief aim of
the studies of a future doctor .?
Since the education of the orator i s to embody a l l tha t i s
be e.gile in mind e.nd follow the teacher inte l l igent ly so that he
can a.sk questions about usage e.nd hard points in dif f icu l t passag
when the need arises . He is to learn by precept and example. 11
The different chara.cters of the boys are also taken into account.
Can the boys be handled l ike machines responding to the pull of a
lever or the push of a button? Are they not a l l to be t reated as
individuals? Some being inclined to laziness must be urged on as
donkey is encouraged with a goad. Others being opposed to . res tr ic
ions end control must be guided from afar. These lads must be
handled carefully because l ike unruly horses you want to tame them
but not t.o break thei r sp i r i t . For some the work can be given on
in small amounts and b it by b it so they can absorb i t at thei r
leisure a.nd th is wil l be l ike sma.ll doses of medicine sui ted to th
netural coneti tut ion. To others the whole ma.tter must be given a t
once so they may gra.sp i t with the strong holds of their mind and
fa.sten on i t with the tenacious grip of a bulldog. In a l l th is th
main rule is individua.l a.ttention and respect for the mental
equipment of each pupil . But ultimately the f i re and zeal for
study must fle.re up from the boy's own self .
Mihi i l le detur puer, quem laue exci te t , quemgloria iuvet , qui victus f lea t . Hie e r i talendus ambitu, hunc mordebit obiurgatio, hunchonor e x ~ i t a b i t , in hoc deeidiam numquamverebor. 12
These boys are not to be driven l ike oxen from morning to
the shape the teacher desires. Would not a single teacher workin
on one subJect t i re them end me.ke them restless? St i l l they can
from subject to subJect without the sl ightest sign of fatigue
because e.t this e.ge most of the i r progress is made in l i s tening to
the teacher. 15
Before the pe.per ca.n proceed e.ny :f'arther in considering this
system of education, i t must consider the f inal product of the
educational process. What precisely does Q,uintilian mean when he
speaks of the perfect orator! He fully answers this question in
the twelfth book of the Inst1tut1o Oratoria which he devotes
completely to the product of the system he has been sett ing forth.
He here sets forth his idea of the perfect orator:
Sit ergo nobis orator, quem const1tu1mus, i s ,
qui a M. Catone f1n1tur, vir bonus dicend1peri tus; verum, 1d quod et i l le posuit priuse t ipsa ne.tura potius ac malus est , utiquev ir bonus••• Longius tendi t hoc 1udic1um meum.Neque enim tantum id dico, eum, qui a i t orator,virum bonum esse oportere, sed ne futurumquidem oratorem nis i virum bonum••• Quodsineminem malum esse n1 s i s tul um eundem non moC!.o
a sap1ent1bus dici tur , sed vulgo quoque semperest creditum, certe non f i e t unquam s tul tusorator. l6
I t i ~ certainly a requirement that the perfect orator be a good
man. Otherwise the many dis tract ions of his vices wil l never
permit him to a t t ~ i n the devotion to ~ u d y which i s required of the
finished scholar.
I5 Ibid, I , x i i , 8.16 Ibid, XII, i , i and i i i .
Adde quod ne studio quidem operis pulcherrimiva.ce.re mens n i s i omnibus vi t i i s l ibere. pot es t :primum quod in eodem pectore nullum es t hones-torum turpiumque consortium, e t cogitare optimasimul ac deterrima non ma.gis es t unius animiqua.m eiusdem hominis bonum esse ac malum; tumi l l a quoque ex causa, quod meritem tantae re iintentam vacare omnibus a.li is etiam culpacerentibus curia oportet . I ta demum eniml ibera a.c to ta , nul la d is t r ingente e.tque a l ioducente causa, spectabi t solum ad quod accingi tur . l7
The a.im of every speech wi l l be to convince the judge ths.t th
case i s t rue . Certainly the good man, as ~ u i n t i l i a n i ns i s t s ,
rather than the ev i l one wil l have a bet ter chance of doing th is
His own character wil l ca.rry much weight with both judge and
people. The Orator thus educated is to be a specie.l blessing to
menkind, one to whom a l l history can find no para l le l . He wi l l
be uniquely perfec t in every de ta i l andut terly perfec t in though
e.nd speech. With these que .li ie s certa.inly the product of the
system \>Jill be one of the bevt of men. This orator wil l cer ta in
play h is ps.rt in the law courts , but h is most important dut ies wi
be in guiding and leading the peopi.e in public e.ffairs. Like
Wa.shington, Lincoln ~ m d Webster he must inspi re h is followers with
confidence in order to encourage them in the ps.th of vir tue and
jus t ice .
The character of the perfec t ora tor must be in keeping with
his knov!ledge ~ m d wisdom so he may be a worthy representa t ive of
those whom he i s guiding. He must necesss.r i ly devote h is at ten t io
enJl'rhere boldly on behe.lf of Jus t ice . His own self-confidence w
dispe l a l l fear in those who t rus t him. Finally h is vocal
quel i t i e s must be adequate to even the noise of a la.rge and
boisterous crowd.
In every ce.se, whether it concerns the widow's garden or the
senator ' s vi l l a , the oretor wi l l give h is fu l l at tent ion a n ~ care
to the ce.se so tha t at e.ll times he may show himself a worthy
defender of the one for whom he spes.ks. The product of th i s
system of education must never spee.k s.gainst just ice s.nd law s.nd
order. He wil l place the welfare of the c l i en t above any se l f i sh
desire for praise . In spea.king, the orator wil l a.lways conduct
himself as a gentlema.n in the law court a.nd wil l never at tack
e.nother me.n 1 s reputat ion for the sake of showing off h is own
rhetor ic . His speeches wil l be h is own and wil l ha.ve these
qual i t i es :
Sed e t copis habee.t modum, sine quo n ih i l neeleudsbile nee sa lu tare es t , et ni t e r i l l e cultumvirilem e t inventio iudicium. Sic erunt magnanon nimi!t, sublimis. non e.brupta, for t ia nontemerarit:l, severs. non t r i s t i a , gra.via non ta rda ,le.eta non luxuriosa , iucunde. non dissolute. ,grs.ndia non tumida.. Simil is in ceter i s ra t ioest ac tu t i ss ima fere per medium via , quiautr iusque ultimum vitium est .20
Before he i s une:ble to be heard over the roar of the crowd
the perfect orator wil l re t i re from act ive court l i f e and devote
himself to private study e.nd writ ing. He wi l l not we.i t unt i l h is
great beam of l ight bee been reduced to the fa int glow of the cand
to quit the court room, but wil l leave while he is s t i l l the best
ors.tor in the forum. He wil l e.fterwe.rds spend his time in prepar
ing the way for future g e n e r ~ t t i o n s . Perhe.ps he wil l interpret the
1 ~ w for those less skilled than himself or else compose some
tree.tise on the e r t of orEttory for those who are l a te r to follow
in his footsteps.
Ac nescio Bn eurn tunc beFJtissimurn credi oporteet
fore, cum iam secretus e t consecratus, l ibe rinvidia, procul contentionibus farnam in tutocolloce.ti t et sent ie t vivus earn, quae post fa.tapraesta.ri rne.gis solet , venere.tionern et, quid apudposteros futurus s i t , videbit.21
The next step in the pPper is to discover how Quintilian sets
out to fu l f i l his purpose of educating the perfect orator. Wha.t
tools does the Roman educator propose to use in constructing this
edifice?
There is so much to be e.ccornplished in the formation of the
perfect orator thEtt his education must begin practical ly a t bir th .
The fa.ther of the child should entertain the highest hopes for his
son so that he wil l miss no opportunity of encouraging the boy in
his education. The f i r s t subject to be studied is Greek. Since
the child is being raised in a Roman household h ~ will pick up
La.tin na.tura.lly from hearing i t spoken. But the longer Greek is
put off the harder i t becomes to learn i t . The study of Latin
~ : 1 n d . the same applice.tion to study c ~ : m n o t be demanded from both th
k i n d e r g E ~ . r t e n pupil and the univers i ty student. With the very you
thechief
care should. be the.t the chi lddoe·s
notcome
to hatehi
studies end. to dread the bi t te rness which through them has come to
him. rro e.void th is the studies of the young must be ra ther an
amusement than a t ask . I f h is hours with h is ins t ruc tor can be
rege.rded e.s merely a ser ious aspect of the day's play • the chief
obstacle wil l be hurdled. The pupi l should receive meet praise fo
his answers to the teacher ' s quest ions, and should be proud when
has dist inguished himself by an exceptionally good performance.
Since the boy i s only human there wil l be t imes when he wi l
give h is at tent ion to the birds of the a i r and the ca l l of the
we.nderlust ra ther than to his ins tructor e.nd the lessons of the da
This in te res t in beauty must be encouraged, but also must be
confined to 'the prope1• time and pla.ce. Once e.gain the Roman
educator shows his wisdom. Should the teacher argue with the pup
so as to convince him of the fundamental necessi ty of the matter h
isstud.ying? Should he punish him for being inat tent ive ' / What do
Quintilie.n a.dvise?
Lusus hie s i t ; e t rogetur e t laudetur e t
numquam non feci sse se gue.dee.t, e.lique.ndoipso nolente doceatur e l ius , cui invideat ;contendat interim e t saepius vincere so pute t ;praemiis etiam, quae capi i l le . aetas , evocetur . 23
The pupil should be praised. and encoura.ged by receiving prize
sui ted to his a.ge. · ~ u i n t i l i a n realizing that these eEtrly
instructions may seem stra.nge to many of his readers, sets down h
reasons:
Farve. docemus oratorem ins t i uendum professi ,sed est sua etiam studiis infantia; et utcorporum mox fortissimorum educatio a leotecunisque initium ducit , i t a futurus eloquent-issimus ed.id.i t Bliquando vagi tum et loquiprimum incerte. voce tempte.vi t et ha.esi t circaformas l i terarum. Nee s i quid dis cere se.tis
non est , ideo nee necesse est . Quodsi nemoreprehendi t petrem, qui haec non negligende. insuo f i l io putet , cur improbetur, s i quid ea,quae domi suae recte fe.ceret, in publicumpromit? Atque eo rnB.gis, quod minora etiamfpcil ius minores percipiunt , et ut corpora. adquosde.m membrorum flexus forme.ri nis i teneranon possunt, sic animos quoque s.d pleraqueduriores robur ipsum facit .24
Perhaps 'the ordinary educator would say that a mediocre
teacher would be quite suff icient for a mind which is only
beginning to gre.sp the besio fundamente.ls which a.ny teacher knows.
Yet, even in this early stage the educator a v o i d ~ mediocrity as he
~ r o u l d polio. From the beginning Quintilie.n prescribes the best
teP.cher for the child. Many other educators teke for grented the
leRrning of the alphabet as mere routine or neglect i t ent i re ly .
Likewise the consensus of opinion a.mong psychol-ogists and educators favors the word methodinstead of the l e t te r method and the method ofthe whole instead of the part in memorizing poetry.25
24 Ibid, I, i , 21.
25 W. A. Saucier, Introduction to Modern Views of Education,Ginn e.nd Company, Boston, 1937, 96.
Since the Roma.n real izes nothing plays a n ~ ' l i n s i g n i f i c a n t part in
education, he enters into the problem of teaching the youth his
l e t t e rs in a wa.y which wil l be immediately profi table for him. Hconsiders i t a waste of time to teach the child the names of the
l e t t e r and not e.t the same time teach him how they appear.
Quinti l ian, therefore, wil l have the l e t te r s ta.ught e.ccording to
both t he i r appeare.nce and the i r sound. Instead of ha.ving buildin
blocks for pley, the child wil l have ivory l e t te r s so that he ma
grow a.ccustomed to the i r shape through handling them. After th is
introduction he wil l be given a board in which the l e t t e r s wil l b
carved most accurately. By guiding h is writ ing instrument along
these l ines he wil l lea.rn to form the l e t te r s without error . Whi
learning to form these l e t t e r s , the child wil l also be developing
his dexteri ty and strength of wris t action. Quint i l ian emphasise
the importance of writ ing well:
Non es t al iena res , quae fere ab honestisnegligi solet , cura bene ac veloci terscribendi. Nam cum s i t in studi is praecipuum,quoque solo verus i l l e profectus e t a l t i s radi -cibus nix us pa.retur, scribere ipsum, tardiors t i lus , cogitationem moratur, rudis et confususin te l lec tu ca.ret; unde sequitur a.l te r dicta.ndi,qua.e tra.nsferenda. sunt, labor. Que.re cumsemper et ubique tum praecipue in epis to l i ssecret is e t fe.miliari bus delectabi ne hocquidem neglectum rel iquisse.26
In contre,st to these modern days when children Ere taught th
alphe.bet by being taught to read, i t wil l be stre.nge to hea:r whEtt
this educe.tor has to se.y about the ~ l r r a n g e m e n t of the greater to th
less. He ins is ts on teaching syl lables f i r s t and on these syllab
being so taught a.s to be impressed on the child 1 s memory. Unles
the orderly sequence of syllables wil l naturally conduce to rapid
ree.ding, for example, puer vidi t PEttrem, Quintilian will encoure.g
the child to ree.d slowly end make sure of the individual le t te rs .
'I'he teacher will be content to have the child read accurately a t
f i r s t . Once these l e t t e rs nre learned well, the boy wil l be taug
to construct words with the le t te rs and sentences with the words.
In contrast to Quintilie.n' s method the system of me.ny modern
educators insists on speed ra ther than efficiency. More and more
matter is to be read. Understanding is secondary:
Much of school learning ma.y be characterizedas the reci ta t ion of symbols of learning,meaning the.t both teachers snd pupils e.resat isf ied with the mere repetit ion of meening-
less memorized symbols. Whenever these symbolspass for true learning, the fault l ies withteachers. Pupils do what i s set for them todo; they follow the directors of learning.Pupils memorize theorems, rules , formulas,steps, provisions, e tc . , with never an inkl inginto the i r deri va.tion or mea.ning or L=tpplice.tion. 27
The best reasons for Quinti l ian 1 s position a.re those he himself
gives:
Hinc enim eccidi t dubitat io, intermissio,repeti t io plus quam possunt audentibus, deinde,cum errarUJmt, etiam l i s que.e ia.m sciuntdiffidentibus. Certa s i t ergo in prirois lec t io ,
deinde coniuncta et diu lent igr , donee exercitationecontinga.t emenda.ta. veloci tas. 2
27 F. A. Butler, The Improrement of Teeching in Secondary Schools,
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1939, 4o.28 Q,uintilian, op. c i t . , I , i , 32 •.
Etttention. The f i r s t i s the a r t of speaking correct ly; the second
iS the meR"ningful interpreta. t ion of the poets. Here once :again th
master <lisplays his pedagogics.l wisdom by indicat ing tha t athorough study of these t'\'.o.ro subjects would erect an incomplete
founda.tion of grammar. Along with these must be coupled the a r t o
writ ing, spea.king correct ly , and c r i t i c iz ing the v.·ri t ing and
speaking of others . The a r t of v.rri t ing must go he.nd in hand with
the s.rt of spee.king. Correct ree.ding necessar i ly precedes
interprete. t ion and in bothreeding and in terpretat ion cr i t ic ism has
1t s own task to perform. I t i s not enough to have :tf.:a.d the poets
Alone, no matter how thoroughly, but every kind. of wri t ing must be
studied fo r the vocabule.ry a"s well e.s the subject matter . In th i s
me.tter Quintilia.n shows us something tha t ma.ny modern educators ar
tending more end more to forget , namely, tha,t a.hsolute
specia.lize.tion in o11e f ie ld is even more dangerous than e. s l ight
smattering of knowledge in many f ie lds .
I f we look e.t the modern American universi ty ,we he.ve some di f f i cu l ty in seeing tha t it i suniformly ei ther one. I t sometimes seems toapproximate a kindergarten a t one end and aclus ter of specia l i s t s a t the other . Thespecia l i s t s are frequently bent on col lec t ingmore and more informa.tion ra.ther than grapplingwith funde.menta.ls. So much i s already known,so much i s being discovered, so many new f ie ldsa.re opening up, tha t th is approe.ch requires morecourses, more hours, more la .boratories, a.nd moredepe.rtments. And the process has carr ied with i tsurpr is ing losses in general i n t e l l ig ib i l i ty .29
29 R. M. Hutchins, No Friendly Votce, The Universi ty of ChicagoPress , Chicago, 1936, 28.
In the school of gra.mma.r there must also be lessons in music
bece.use li ere.ture would be incomplete without some mention of
metre and rhythm. To understend the poets in the i r measurement o
time ~ h e pupil must know some astronomy since frequently the poet
t e l l time by the p o ~ i o n of the s tars . I t i s a prerequis i te to th
philosophy of ne.ture, concerning which the poets consis tent ly t r ea
to know a t l eas t the fundamentals of philosophy. So here the who
foundations of the study of oratory must be la.id:
Eloquentia quoque non mediocri es t opus, u t dequaque eerum, quas demonstra.vimus,·rerum dicEltproprie e t copiose. Quo minus aunt ferendi ,qui ha.nc artem u t tenuem a.tque ieiunamcavillEl.ntur, quae n i s i ora.toris fu tur i fundaments.f ide l i t e r i e c i t , quidquid supers t ruxer is ,corruet; necessaria pueris , iucunda. senibus,<'iulc.is secrretorum comes e t quae vel sola inomni studiorum genere plus habea.t operis quamostentet ionis.JO
The tee.cher to insure a thorough and complete knowledge of th
l i erPture must l inger long on the fundementa.ls. The boys must
learn the in t r icacy of the subject which wil l not only sharpen h is
wits but wil l ene;ble him to exercise the most profound knowlea.ge
8nd erudi t ion. In the beginning he wil l necessa.rily dwell on
minutiae and fundamentals l ike the sounds of, a, e, i , o, u, and o
rea.ding, writ ing end ar i thmet ic . For eren in the d.ist inguishing o
two l ike sounds ce.re must be taken because many ears. me.ke no
dis t inc t ion a t a l l . This dis t inc t ion between s imi lar sounds must
be learned for correct a.nd polished spee.king. The young boys mus
begin, therefore, by leerning - amicus, e.mici, H. , e.nd amo- e.mare
ame.vi- amatus, otherwise they will adve.nce to their next subject
il l-equipped. In contrast to th is wisdom of getting the simple
things well, we find many modern educators insis t ing on quantity
rather than quali ty.
As for the res t of us, we he.ve taught ourstudents in h s ~ r m o n y with the worst Americantre.di t ion. We have etssumed the.t they could
learn nothing except in the classroom or fromtextbooks. The :reecJ.ing periods e.t Harvard andYe.le a.re ridiculous because they show how l i t t l e
time those univers i t ies feel should be devotedtc thought. Courses get longer and longer.There are more ~ n d more of them. The numberof hours in the classroom is the measure of thele bore of both teB cher e.nd student. And thehours in the ole.ssroom are devoted to theexposition of detai1.31
Even in the time of the emperors teachers were more eager to
display the knowled.ge e.lready impe.rted to thei r students than to
give them more knowledge. Against this custom Quintilian warns:
Nomina declinare et verba in primis pueri sciant ,neque enim a l i te r pervenire ad intellectumsequentium possunt; quod etiam rnonere supervacuumera.t, nis i e.mbi t iosa festinatione plerique a
In the.intensive grounding required for correct speaking and
writing this educator devotes careful attention to the treatment o
barbarisms and solecisms. He indeed gives such minute attention t
them that he tends to become tedious. And yet th is dr i l l is
necessary because faul ts in words and word connection would
certtdnly be e. very noticeable a.nd detra.cting part of s.n ora.tor' s
address. In opposition to th is the modern educator would object
that such minute deta i l s would clu t ter up his mind ra ther than
educa.te the student to a, fine point of perfection. Instead, me,ny
of these present-day educators would be teaching the student the
name of Henry VIII ' s f i f th wife.
We have in every universi ty in America theinteres t ing spectacle of pure scient is tsteaching in ways which cannot be reconciledwith the way they work. They offend e.s much
as, or more than, the res t of us in f i l l ingtheir students ful l of facts , in putting themthrough countless l i t t l e measurements, inmultiplying their courses, in insist ing theyhave more of the student 's time so that theycan give him more information, and in dividingup their subJects into sme.ller end sma.llerbits.33
Correct spell ing, the elimination of barbarisms from writing
and speaking, the correct placing of accents in both writing and
rhetoric, the ousting of solecisms from their sentence
constructions play e.n importe.nt role in this ste.ge of the youth's
educe.tion. There are me.ny deta.ils, of course, but e.s Q,uintilie_n
continually ins i s t s , the boy i s a virgin f ie ld . Only by sowing th
r ight crop of knowledge can the teacher develop tha t f ie ld to the
fu l les t possible f e r t i l i t y .
For the ce.sual reader Q,uintilian a t th is point becomes dry an
uninterest ing e,s he enters into the f ine points which require
8 ssiduous at tent ion in the school of gremme.r. For the young
tea.cher, however, he i s a ceaseless font bubbling up information.
He becomes a source of f reshness not only for the study of Latin
grB.mme.r, but for a l l gramme.r study in a.ny lEmguage. The R o m ~ . ndwells a t length upon the etymology of words and the analogy by
which we can arr ive a t the i r gender and declension. With a keen
sense of discernment he r id icu les the absurdi t ies to which these
ar ts of etymology a.nd analogy have been carr ied. 34 He t r ea t s ru le
for correct wri t ing a,t length and cautions against laying aside
these ru les as mere ornaments and as serving no pra.ctical purpose
Entering into the ru les for ree,ding Quint i l ien gives one tha t
stood, i s standing, a.nd must stand fo r s.ll ages to come.
Unum es t ig i tu r , quod in hac pe.rte praecipia.m:ut omnia. is ta, fa.cere possi t , i n t e l l i ga t . S itautem in primis l ec t io v i r i l i s e t cum suavitateque.dam gre.vim: e t non quidem prose.e s imi l i s ,quia e t carmen es t e t se poetae caneretes tantur .35
Should those e.uthors be reed who wi l l give examples of
bee.utiful sty le and form e.nd yet who wil l not t rouble the boys wit
much thought content? Would it not be eas ier fo r the students to
concentrate on developing gra.cious form without bothering about
intel lectua. l content? No, sa.ys Quinti l ian becuase education i s an
over-al l process and the fecets of the mind must a l l be t ra ined a t
once as much as possible .
Sed pueris , quae me.xime ingenium a lan t atqueanimum augee.nt, praelegenda; ce te r i s , quae a.d
eruditionem modo pert inent , longa aetas spatium
d.a.bi t ••• St:mcti ta s cer te e t , ut s ic dicam,v i r i l i t a s ab l i s petenda es t , quando nos inomnia. d e l i c i ~ r u m vi tie. dicendi quoque rat ionedefluximus.36
Here once again Quintilia.n indice.tes fra.nkly tha t his method
of education is e.n unusual one and i s fu l l of surpr ises to a l l
except those endowed with common sense. He gives a summe.ry accoun
of the trAining the youth wil l receive in the school of grammar
which corresponds to the modern high school. This school is to be
devoted to learning how to speak and write. 'I•he ree.der would
expect him to ret fo r th h is progre.m fo r speaking e.nd wri t ing and be
done with 1t . But a f t e r Quintil ia.n has wri t ten the ru les for thes
b!o branches of knowledge, he takes the next log ica l step without
compunction.
Nam iisdem fere annis alirum quoque disciplinarumstudia ingredienda sunt , quae, quia et ipsaeArtes sunt e t esse perfectae sine orandiscient la possunt nee rursus ad efficiendumoratorem se.tis valent sola.e, an s in t huic operi
necessariae quaeritur. • •• Aut quo melius veldefendet reum vel reget consil ia, qui citharaesonos nominibus et spat i i s dis t inxeri t? •••Quibus ego primum hoc respondeo, quod M.Cicero
scripta ad Brutum l ibra frequentius testa tur ,non eum a nobis i n ~ t i t i u oratorem, qui s i t autfueri t , sed imaginem quandam concepisse nosanimo perfecti i l l ius et nulla parte cessantis.•• nos mirabimur, s i orat io, qua nihi lpreestantius homini dedit provio_entie.., pluribusa.rtibus egeat, quae, etiam cum se non ostenduntin dicendo nee proferunt, vim tamen o c c u l t a ~suggerunt et te ci te.e quoque sentiuntur'l "Fui taliquis sine l i s disertus": sed ego oratoremvola. 11 Non multum adiiciunt 11
: sed e.eque non
er i t tatum, cui vel pe.rve. deerunt; e t optimumquidem hoc esse conveniet; cuius etiamsi inard.uo spes est , nos tamen praecipiamus omnia,ut sal tern plura. fie.nt. Sed cur d.eficie.t animus?Natura enim perfectum oratorem non prohibet, 37turpiterque deaperatur quidquid f i e r i poteet.
No subject which in e.ny way can direct ly influence or help t
pupil to e. t t8in his goal of being the perfect ore.tor ~ r i l l be
omi ttecl in this system. M u s H ~ ~ m d matheme.tics wil l ple.y an
importent role in 1he child 's education bece.use the rhythm of mus
is helpful in ga.ining control over the emotions of the audience.
I ts influence is able to gway the orator ' s l is teners with i t s
eloquence Rnd power. The knowledge of mathematics will ass is t in
exercising the mind of the future orator. I t will give him
genere.l quickness of perception, as well e.s a working acquaintanc
1-Ji th numbers E'"nd figures. In work with numbers logice.l developme
is of prime importance in the proof. Fortbere is certainly no
greeter ergument in ore.tory the.n the logical proof of the ce.se.
pupils who have been thus habi tue.ted e.re poorlyprepared to prof i t by the freedom sometimesgiven them a t the beginning of e.dolescence inthe senior high school.39
.3
The Rome,n educator says, no! He s ta tes the.t the boy should.
proceed from one school to another, "lfuen he is f i t . 114-0 Yet with
another display of wisdom which is completely in keeping with the
system so far , Quintilie.n i ns i s t s the t the two schools of knowledg
should be only re. t ionally dis t inc t . The boy is not to make such a
complete sh i f t from one school to the other tha t he drops one
subject when he takes up the other.
Neque hanc (ut al iqui pute.bunt) festinationemmee.m sic quisquam celur.mietur, tanquam eum,qui s i t rhe tor i t r ad i tus , ebducendum protinusa grs.mme.ticis putem. Dabuntur e t i l l i s tumquoque tempora sua, neque e r i t verendum, nebinis preeceptoribus oneretur puer. Non enimcrescet sed dividetur , qui sub uno miscebatur,
labor , e t e r i t sui quisque operis magisterut i l ior ·41
J
'!'hen the Ed.ucator discusses what wil l be included under the
hee.d of rhetor ic . From the very @eginning he cautions tempere.nce
in the boys 1 disple.ys. When they are l i s tening to e.n ors.tion, the
wil l wish to show t he i r approvs.l. I t i s only too easy to do th is
in e. we.y which wi l l disrupt the cle.ss s.nd prevent the good effec ts
intended from the orat ion. Applause is a germ fo r good or evi l .
A mutual e.id society tl:mugh indiscr iminate e.pplause must be gus.rde
39 Saucier , 294.40 Quinti1is.n, I I , i , 7.41 Ibid, I I , i , 1.3.
· - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 ~ .I l l a mihi in pueris ns.tura minimum spei dederi t ,in que. ingenium iudicio pra.esumitur . Me.teriamesse primum volo vel abundantiorem atque ul t ra
q u ~ m oporteat fusam. Multum inde decoquentenni ,
multum retio lims.bi t , e.liquid velut usu
ipso deteretur , sit- modo unde excidi poss i te t quod exsculpi ; e r i aut em, s i non s.b in i t iotenuem nimium lsminam d u ~ e r i m u s e t qus.mca.eletura e.lt i o r rumpa t . 2
Due at tent ion i s given here to the teacher ' s hs.ndling of h is
pupil. There must be order and disc ipl ine in the classroom, but
care must be taken to a.void gree.t sever i ty . Str ic tness , yes, but
severi ty e.nd the fee.r resu l t ing therefrom, n o ~ The teacher must b
reesone.ble in deal ing with h is young cha.rges beca.use a.t th is stage
of the i r tre.ining the young minds Pre so very impressionable.
Praise can help them, but u n r e a s o n ~ t b l e correct ions can hinder the i
work seriously. The·teacher should work with the boys and a t l eas
occesione.lly dic ta te whole themes of h is mm to hEtve them commit t
memory e.nd reci te in class . Improvised impromptu speeches must no
be permittefl, for they lead only tol::ad habi t s a.nd. the exercise of
natural faul ts . At the f i r s t stage the aim of both teacher and bo
should be to produce something t-rorthy of approva.l. As the pupi l
a d v ~ . n c e s fa.rther he wil l be brought closer a.nd closer to the poin
of speaking f luent ly .
In the beginning of th i s course in rhetor ic the themes wil l
consis t of defending or refut ing the credibi l i ty of a story or a
ne.rre..tion of history. In due time the student wil l proceed to
declsmation on the virtues or vices of famous men. The next step
will be a comparison of the natures of two men: and l a te r , actua
accusations egainst prominent vices, beca.use these declema.tions
were then so much in vogue in the law courts. As the powers of th
student increa.se, they should be applied to the pra.ise or
denunciation of certain laws which wil l a.llow for more deliberat iv
and controversial oratory.
in hoc assuesce.t, huius s ibi re i nature.m faciat .I l le demum in id , quod quaerimus, aut e i ·proximumpossi t evadere, qui ante discet recte dicerequem c i to . 43 .
Quintilie.n keeps steadily to the path he ha.s determined
for himself in th is system of education when he chooses Livy and
Cicero as '1he e.uthors to bE studirc1. Afterwards the authors who
most closely resemble Cicero in style and content are to be
permitted for the pupils rea.ding. Cato a.nd the Gracehi should b
avoided, especially at f i r s t , because as The Roman cr i t i c says:
f ient enim horr idi atque ieiuni; nam nequevim eorum adhuc in te l lec tu consequetttur e telocutione, quae. tum· sine dublin era.t optima,sed nostr is temporibus al iena est , contenti , quodest pessimum
4similes s ib i rnagnis vi r i s
videbuntur.4
After the pupi ls ' mind and style ha.ve been formed by Cicero and
Livy and other Romans l ike them, the older authors may be read, f
their robust vigor e.nd vi r i l i ty wil l me.ke the youngsters oratory
spee.ker \<Till have to ad .1ust himself to nature and his own tP-.lents
so es not to be set in a tli:x:ed e.r t i f ic ial mode which would not
Etllo·w-personal freedom
Rndexercise e.ccording to the individual
nt?ture of each one. But i f you ere to reap a ha.rvest, you he.ve
f i r s t to plow end sow; and th is our educator ins is ts upon:
Hulto lebore, a.ssiduo studio, va.riE. e:x:ercitatione,plurimis e:x:perimentis, sl t issima prudentia,praesentissimo consilio constat e.rs d i c e n d i ~Sed e.diuvatur his quoque, s i tarnen rectam viam,non unam orbitam monstrent; e qua declinare
qui credideri t nefes, patie.tur necesse efltilla.m perfunes ingredientium te.rdi tatem. · 7
No"r that the complete system of Q,uintilian 1 s progra.m of
educntion hs stEen delinee.ted, this pa.per ce.n proceed to the
specific subject stated in i t s t i t l e , "The Role of the Teacher in
Q,uintilien.'' This paper does not propose to undertake a discussion
of the minute detai ls 'tr!rhich rne.ke up the teaching of rhetoric. Nor
i t attempt a consideration of the differences which Quihtil ian
in his P:X:planation of different words and expressions. Nor
does i t undertake e t rea t ise on the a r t of oratory as s e ~orth by Quintilie.n. I t vrill not a.tt empt a minute and detailed
of the various stages of schools in the education of
he perfect orator. This paper, f inally, i s not concerned with e.n
ulogy of Quintilia.n, the man B.nd educe.tor.
The purpose of this thesis i s , then, to consider the role of
the teecher in Quintilian 1 s pedagogical system. I t wil l enter into
into a boy's abi l i ty and needs. Each boy wil l differ from every
other one in a thousand ways. This sense of discrimination wil l b
required in the teacher to ass is t him in seeing the difference
b e t ~ e e n individual boys and t o ~ j u s t himself to the i r individual
enc, peculiar needs. I f he does not ha.ve th is sense of
discriminBtion, he wil l be t rying to form the boys l ike jel lo in
l i t t l e t in ce.sts - which is e.ll r ight for je l lo , but not for boys.
Virtus praeceptoris haberi solet neo irnmerito
dil igenter in l i s , quod erudiendos suscepteri t ,notare discrimina ingeniorum e t, quo quemquenatura mexime fera t , scire . Nem est in hoc
incredibi l is quEtedam varieta.s nee paucioresanimorum paene quam corporum formae.4
Along t-li th this specia.l adapta.bili ty the 'teacher must rave a common
method which i s suited for the boys as a class .
Nam proprietates ingeniorum dispicere prorsus
necessarium est . In his quoque certum studiorumfacere delectum nemo dissuaser i t . Namque er i ta l ius his toriae magis idoneue, e.lius composi tusa.d ca.rmen, a l ius u t i l i a studio iur is , ut nonnulirus fortasse mittendi. Sic discernet haec dicendimagister, quomodo pa.laestricus i l l e cursoremfaciet aut pugilem a.ut luctatorem a.liudve quidex i i s , qua.e aunt sacrorum certa.minum. Verum e i,qui foro dest inabi tur , non in unam parteme.liqua.m sect in omnia., quae aunt eius operis ,etiam s i que di f f ic i l io ra discenti videbuntur,
elecborEmdum est . Nsm et omnino supervacua. eratdoctrine., s i natura suff iceret . An s i quiaingenio corruptus a.c tumidus, ut plerique aunt,incider i t , in hoc eum i re patiemur? Aridum atqueieiunum non alemus e t qua.si vestiemus'? Nam s iquaeda.m detrahere necessarium es t , cur non s i tadiicere conceseum? Neque ego contra naturampugno. Non enim deserendum id bonum, id quodingeni tum est , existimo, sed eugendum addend.umquequod cessa.t • .5
1n ~ T h i c h the youth i s prof ic ien t , then the f inished product wi l l
certainly be a well-rounded orator . The boy wil l avoid the
disabi l i t ies of the ovf'r-specis.lize.tion system which plants the
same crop year and year and takes no cognizance of the needed
rottottion.
Today, f i l l ed with useless facts ,60 per cent ofl-Jhich he he.s ha.d to repeat to pe.ss countlessque.rterly t es t s , h is in te l lec tua l in teres ts t i f led by the hopeless prospect of e.cquiringa l l the information he i s told he must possess,
the student t reads h is l'Jeary round, pickingup e. fragment here end a fragment there , un t i lhe hes been examined on fre.gment af ter fre.gmentend has served his t ime. Without in te l lec tua lgr2sp or scope, with the bel ie f the t thoughti s memory e.nd. specule.tion ve.ni ty , with noobvious incentive but the need to make a l iv ing,he becomes the proud product of our ins t i tu t ionsof higher lee.rning.lO
47
With e. l l knowledge e.s h is background, with ct.iscrimination in
the use of h is learning and. t a len t , e.nd with sound. judgment in
direct ing youth the teacher next requires assiduous et tent ion to
detai ls to make the other qual i t i es eff icacious. This i s the
fourth qual i ty in the teacher upon which Quintilia.n ins i s t s so
strongly; namely, an a s s i d u o u s ~ t e n t i o n to minor de ta i l s Rnd thus
a proper fu l f i l lment of the task entrusted to him. With the young
especial ly one cari never be too ce.reful about the l i t t l e dete . i l s . l
Each brick is e.ll importe.nt in construction a.nd one flaw spel l s
ruination. I t i s simple enough fo r the teacher to dwell on broecd
outl ines, on general ru les a.nd s t ructure . To keep checking up on
be well grounded in the fundamentals on which they wil l be buildin
ror the res t of the i r l i fe . Once more Quintilian repl ies to one
objecting to the use of thereat teacher r ight from the very
beginning.
al te r i l l e etiam frequentior, quod eos, quia.mpliorem dicendi fgcul E ~ t e m sint consecuti,non putant ad minora descendere, idque interimf ie r i , EIUia fastidia.nt pra.este.re bane inferioribuscuram, interim quia omnino non possint . Egoporro eum qui nol i t in numero preecipientiumnon habeo, posse autem maxime, s i vel i t ,
optimum quemque contendo; prlmum, quod eum,qui eloquentia ce:beri s praestet , i l la. quoque,per quae ad eloquentiam pervenitur, diligentissimepercepiase credibile est; deinde, quiaplurimum in pre.ecipiendo valet re,tio, quae
~ o c t i s e i m o cuique plenissime est; postremo,quia nemo sic in m ~ i o r i b u s eminet, ut eumminora d ~ f i c i a n t . l 2 ·
As pe.rt of his dut ies the teacher must e.sk questions to
escertein hol>r well his pupils a.re follm.rlng him, ~ s well e.s to tes
the powers of cri t icism in his youthful audience.
Neque solum haec ipse debebit docere praeceptorsed frequenter interrogare et iudiciumdiscipulorum experiri . Sic audientibussecuritas aberi t nee quae dicentur superfluentaures, simulque & id perducentur, quod exhoc qua.eri tur , ut invenia.nt ips i et intell iga.nt.Nn.m quid aliud e.gimus d.ocendo eoa, quem nesemper docendi aint?l3
Also in th is characteris t ic of assiduous attention to his
duties must be included. a.n ~ e c u t e observation of the needs e.nd
special abi l i t ies of each boy. I f he ins is ts on as much time bein
12 Quintil ian, I I , i i i , 4.13 Ibid, I I , v, l ) .
1 i s ea.sily infer red tha t Quintilit:m 1 s ins t ruc tor must also have
tbe qual i t i es of s ty le , dict ion and correct usage.
Ie.mcum omnia orat io t r ia habeat vir tu te a, utemendata, ut di lucida , u t ornata s i t (quia
dicere apte , quod es t praecipuum, pler iqueornat iu subl iciunt) , totidem v i t i a , quae auntsupra dic t i s contrar ia , emendate loquendiregulEtm, que.e gremmetices pr ior pars es t ,examinet••• Prima barbarismi ac soloecismifoeditas abs i t . Sed quia interim excusanturhaec vi t i a e.ut consuetudine aut euctor i te teaut vetus ta te aut denique vic in i ta te virtntum(nam seepe e f igur i s ee. separa.re d i f f i c i l e es t ) ,
ne qua tam lubr ica observe.tio fal le . t , a.cri te rse in i!blud tenue discrimen gramma.ticus in tendat ,de quo nos la . t ius ib i loquemur, ubi de f igur isoret ionis tracta.ndum e r i t . 1.5
Besides being a correc t a.nd polished wri ter , the young studen
is also tooocome the perfect orator . No one would expect a man wh
l isped or who could not fashion a whole sentence a t a time to be
able to ins t ruc t another in the a r t of spea.king with vivid
expression a.nd eloquence. So here Again i t is easi ly inferred tha
the next qua.li ty of Quint i l ian 1 s teacher must be tha t of being ra
polished orator . As no two occasions ever ca l l for the exact same
type of !!l.ddress, one of the f i r s t duties of the teacher wil l be to
e.cqua.int h is pupils with the dif feren t s ty les of ore.tory e.nd the
appropriate place and occasion for each. Along with th i s he wil l
ha.ve to tee.ch them voice and tone modula.tion so tha t in every
instance the speaker 's words mEJ.y ca.rry the i r fu l l \1\reight and
expression. In th is respect the teacher wi l l be l ike the comic
actor in producing sounds and expressions so as to demonstrate to
hiS class exactly what he means.
Ne i l las quidem circa l i t teram del ic ias hismagister feret , nee verbe in faucibus pat ie tureudir i nee oris inani te.te r e s o n ~ = ' ~ r e nee. quodminime sermoni puro conveniat, simplicem vocisneturam pleniore q ~ o d a m sono circumliniri , quodGraci l ( c o ( . . ' T , t 7 7 " • 1 T ' ~ f l l . c r } H ! " ~ ~ ~ ~ d i c u n t . Sic appele.turcantus t ibierum, quae praeclusis quibus clarescuntfor,stminibus, recto modo exi tu gra.viorem spi r i tumreddunt. Curabit etiem, ne extremae syllabaeintercidant , ut par sibi sermo s i t , ut,quotiens exclamandum er i t , la.teris cone.tus s i t
i l le non capi t is , ut gestus ad vocem, vultus adgestum accommodetur.l6
Then, too, the teacher in knowing his theory of oratory
thoroughly must be e ble to ~ c i d e wha.t speci2.l type eE ch boy should
cult ivate for his own. I t i s well to be able to speak in ma.ny
different manners, but i t i s necessary to have a special menner of
speaking sui ted to himself just a.s each successful baBebal l pitche
he s 2 special pitch a.ll his own. From his own knowledge of ora.tory
the teacher must be e.ble to guide the boy in his imi ta.tions and
epecial efforts in securing a sui table style. I t wil l , of course,
be impossible e.nd inadvisable t,o imitete e.ny speaker exactly.
St i l l , the pupil ce.n pick out certa.in qual i t ies or tones which are
ost sui ted to his type of spee.king and by imi ta.ting them perfect
is own delivery. But th is imitation and selection wil l depend to
a great extent on the ins tructor and his powers of eloquence.
Utile deinde plerisque visum est i ta quemqueinst i tuere, ut propria naturae bona doctrinafoverent et in id potissimum ingenia, quotenderent, adiuva_rentur; ut s i quia pa.la estra.e
peri tus ,cum
in aliquod plenum pueris gymnasiumvenerit , expertus eorum omni modo corpusanimumque discernat , cui quisque cetaminipraeparandus s i t , i ta p ~ q e c e p t o r e m eloquentiae,cum sagaci ter fuer i t in tu i tus , cuius ingeniuffipres so lima toque genere dicendi, cuius e_cri,gre.vi, dulci , aspero, ni t ido, urbana maxime
gaudeat , i te. se comrnodaturum singulis, ut ineo, quo quisque eminet, provehebatur; quod ett?diuta, curs. natura magis evalescat, et qui indi versa" duca.tur neque in i i s , qui bus minus a,ptus
est , sa t is possi t eff icere et ea, in quae natusvidetur, deserendo facia t infirmiora ••• Si verol ibera l ior materia cont iger i t et in q u ~ meritot?d spem oratoris simus a,ggressi, nulla, dicendivir tus omittenda. est . Nem l ice t s i t eliqua.min partem pronior, ut necesse es t , ceter isteJnen non repugnabit , e_tque ea cure. peria facie tl i s , in quibus erninebat;I7
'rhis l {U t l i ty of the tet?..cher' s being a perfect oretor is summed up
by Quintflie.n:
narnque ea. causa. vel mElxima est , cur optima cuiquepra.eceptori tra,dendus puer, quod apud eurn
diacipuli quoque rnelius 1nst1tut1 aut dicent, quodinuti le non s i t 1rn1tar1, aut s i quiderraverint,statim corrigentur; a t ind.octus i l l e etiamproba,bi t fort1::tsse vi tioee_ et pla.cere audienti busiudicio suo coget. Sit ergo tam eloquentia quammoribus praestantissimus, qui ad Pftoenicis Homerici
exernplumdicere ac
facere doceat . lI f a perfect writer and speaker is to be produced, helpful
cri ic i srn is required. '!'he sixth qua.li ty required in Quint i l ian s
tF?a,cher, therefore, is tha:t of being s.n expert cr i t i c . He must be
eble to teach by pointing out the mista.kes e.nd the excellent work
of the students. Many men are capable and self-assured writers an
speB.kers, but when they come to judge enother person' a work a.re
incapa.ble of a.ppreciating his strong points a,nd indicB.ting his wea
ones. For the inst ructor this quali ty of being a ~ i t i c must go
hand-in-he.nd with the other que.llties of being e.n expert writer e.n
spea,ker. Otherwise, we ma.y judge, e l l his other pov..•ers wil l not b
able to secure the end of perfect oratory required for those place
in his ce,re.
~ u i n t i l i a . n t s ins tructor , Just l ike any other tea.cher, must be
able to point out the youths' fai l ings in the i r writ ing and
s}:.lcaking. He must be e.ble to perceive their mistakes, show why
these points ere mista.kes, e.nd help in remedying the s i tua.tion. I
giving his students the principles of writ ing end speaking he wil l
shm. them by i l lustre. t ions from the poets and ore.tors whe.t points
Pre to be ~ o i d e d in the i r writing and speaking. in this way he
~ i l l werd off the budding errors and wil l be able to concentrate
more on the f iner points of s tyle and expression in correcting the
boys 1 themes.
As the most importe..nt pe.rt of speaking, in the beginning, is
gEtting accustomed to hearing the correct thing and u n d e r s t ~ n d i n gwhy i t is correct , he wil l reed or have one of the boysread s e l ~ c tions f r o ~ the orators. The teacher wil l then indicate why the
orator used this form of expression or th is order of words in plac
of some other. He wil l indicate why the orator used this to get
the utmost besuty from the picture or poem and why such a manner
\\B.S
most cs.lculeted towin
the a.pproval of thea.udience.
Through
such cri t icism the boys wil l ~ c o m e adept in the use of thei r talen
Interim, qule. prima rhetorices rudimentatra.ctemus, non omi ttendum vicletur id quoque,ut moneem, quamtum s i t collaturus ad profectumdiscentium rhetor , s i , quemedmodum e. &,rammetlcisexigitur poete.rum ene.rre.tio, ita. ipse quoquehistor iee ~ . t q u e etlam ms.gis orationum lectionesusceptos a se disclpulos ins truxeri t ; • . . At
dernonstare vir tutes vel , s i ~ u a m d o i ta incidat ,vi t ia , ld professlonis eius atque promissi,quo se megistrum eloquentiae poll icetur ,me.xime proprlum es t , eo quidem valid.lua, quodnon utique hunc 1eborem docentium postulo, utad gremium revocatis cuius quisque eorum ve l i tl ib r i lectione deserviant. Nam mihi cumfacl l ius tum etlem multo videtur magis ut i le ,facto si lent io unum aliquem (quod ipsumimperari per vices optimum est) consti tuerelectorem, ut protinus pronuntietioni quoQue
assuesce.nt; tum expos! te. ceusa, in quam scriptalegetur orat lo , (nam sic clf:trlus quae dicenturin te l l lg l poterunt) nih i l otiosum pat l , quodquein lnventlone quodque in elocutione s.dnotandumer i t , na.rr::mdi lux, brevltas, f ides, quodaliquando consillum et quam occulta cal l id i tas(nemque ea sole in hoc ar•s est , qua.e intel l iq; inis i ab ar t i f ice non possit) ; quanta delncepsin dividendo prudentla, quam subt i l i s et crebraa.rgumente.tio, quibus viribus inspiret , que.iucundi ts.te pc rmulceat, quanta in ma.ledictisasperi tas , in iocis urbsnitas, ut deniquedominetur in edfectibus atque in pectorairrumpat enimumque iudicium similem l i s , que.edici t , ef f ic la t . Tum in rat ione eloquendi, quodverbum propr_ium, ornetum, sullil.lme; ubi empliflce.tiolaudanda, quae vir tus e i contrar ia , quid speciosetrB.nslatum, quae figure. verborum, quae levis etquadrata sed v i r i l i s ta.men compositio.l7 '
aster ' s manner of presentation, his methpd of repet i t ion, his
esponse to questions wil l a l l determine collectively whether the
ystem is to succeed or not. I f he has a l l the other ~ ~ l i t i e shich Quintiliap ins is ts upon, P.nd does not h ~ 1 v e these peda.gogice.l
ual i t ies , then he i s a complete fa i lure .
sed hunc disertum praeceptorum prudentemquoque et non ignarum docendi esse oportebit
s u ~ a i t t e n t e m se ad mensuram discent is ; utvelocissimus quoque s i forte i t e r cum parvulefR.cie.t, det mb.num et gradum suum minue.t nee
proceda.tul t ra
qua.m comes poesit .
Q,uid'ts i
plerumque eccidi t ut facil iore aint Pd intelligendume t lucidiore. multo, quae e. doctissimo quoquedicuntur? Nam et prima est eloquentiae virtueperspicuitas,22
Just e,s freshness makes food, the substance of the body,
e.lete.ble,so does freshness make knowledge, the food of the mind,
asi ly digeate.ble. This is the quali ty which wil l endea.r the
ee.cher to the hee.rts of bis pupils , namely, e.n exubere.nt freshness
he 1Pe.cher could be a s clear and lucid· as the sunbeams a.nd yet be
neble to give his pupils s. share -in this knowledge bece.use of his
r id p r e ~ e n t a t i o n of the subject . An arid soi l ki l l s the best seed
.nd a dry teacher can too easily ruin the intel lectual h ~ r v e s t . Th
nstructor must be able to present his subject. in such A. way tha t
boys wil l went to make the knowledge of t h ~ t subject the i r own.
he subject , whatever i t i s , geometry, syntax, rules for writing,
ract ice in e.ddressing e.n s.udience, must entice the young hearts in
entice the young minds. I f they appreciate i t , the pupil
tussle e.vidly to ldn the me.stery of any subject matter . I f th
teecher does not i n s t i l l th is i n t e res t e.nd wil l to lee.rn in h is
students r igh t from the beginning, then there wi l l re su l t e distast
or intel lectue. l endelwor in the young minds. This dis tas te al'lr!ay
ends to cra.mp e.nd confine the boys' enthusia.sms and endeavors to
cquire '!llrholesome knowledge.
Quepropter in primis evitandus et in puerispraecipue mPgister ar idus , non minus quamtener is s.dhuc ple.ntis s1:ccum e t sine humore
ullo solurn. Inde f iunt hurniles stet im e tvelut terram spectantee , qui nih i l supracotidie.num sermonem a t to l l e re audeant. Me.ciesi l l i s pro sani tate e t i ud ic i i loco inf i rmitas
es t , e t dum sa t i s putant vi t io carere, in idipsum incidunt vitium, quod v i ~ t i b u s cerent .Quare mihi ne rnaturites quidern ipsa fes t ine t ,nee musta in l t = ~ . c u stat im a.ustera s in t s ic e te.nnos ferent e t vetus ta te p r o f i c i e n t . ~ : : : : : )
Then f inal ly the teaching knowledge of the teacher i s going to
a. most importa.nt p13.rt in th i s drama of producing the perfect
\'.rho i s a.lso the man of perfec t character . This teaching
is the l t = ~ s t qual i ty T , ~ c h i c h Q,uintilian requires in his
Q,uintilie.n himself has said a l l tha t can be said on
point of the necessi ty of the science of teaching. He i s
the object ion tha t Etn infer ior teacher wi l l be bet te r tha
n accomplished orator in the ear ly stages of the chi ld 1 s t ra in ing:
)
Q,uid ergo? non est quaedam eloquent ia meinr,quam ut ea.m in te l lec tu consequi pue! ' i l isinfirm!ta.s possi t? Ego vero confi teor : sedhunc disertum praeceptorem prudentem quoque e t
- - - - ~ , - - .non ignarum docendi esse opor tebi t summittentemse ad mensurPm discent is ; .•• Nam e t prima es teloquentiae vir tue perspicui tas , e t quo quiaingenio minus vale t , hoc se magis a t to l le re
e t dile. tere conPtur u t stature. breves in digi to aeriguntur e t plura infi rmi minantur. Nam tumidose t corruptos e t t i n n ~ l o s e t quocunque al ioce.cozelie.e genere pecc&ntes certum he.beo nonvirium sed inf i rmi te.t is vi t ic le.borare, u tcorpore. non robore sed valetudine in f lan tur e trecto i t inere lR.ssi plerumque dever tunt . Eri tergo etiam obscur ior , quo quiGque deter ior .24 _
61.
These, then are the in te l lec tua l rmd pedagogica.l q ue.li t i e s
vJhich Quintilie.n demands of the teecher in his system of educetion
The f ina l elm of the process i s to produce a perfec t orator who i s
also a perfect man. The production of a perfect orator , a man
ski l led in 1 • ~ r i t ing and speaking, "toTith a oroe.d knowledge of e l l
subjects which in eny way perta.in to his f ie ld of endee.vor, requir
e tee.cher ~ , T h o i s e ski l led ora.tor E.nd e.uthor e.nd who i s ecque.inted
w:tth the many subjects which go hand in hand with forensic
excellence. The teacher , thus, must have t:t cer ta in knowledge of e
subjects . He must have keen discr imination a.nd e. sound judgment,
He must be a polished writer end e.n elegant speaker. He must be a
cr i t i c of no mean ebil: t ty who has the facul ty of reasonirig which
wil l enable him to.guide the young boys under h is care. And
f ina l ly he must be e.s lucid in h is tee.ching e.s he i s exuberantly
fresh in h is manner of p r e ~ e n t A t i o n . A t e ~ c h e r with such qual i t i e
as these wil l be ce.pabl€ of stooping to the pupi l ' s ilievel end
i ns t i l l ing in them the funde.mentale and habi t s which are so
the end of the course, subject, or term. Teachersdo the reading, the exolaining, the thinking,the telking, the appreciating, the devising, theple.nning; the problems e.re teecher-..-Jorked, the
reasons ere teacher-thought-out, the formulas a.reteecher-derived, the e.ppa.ratus is teacher-set-up,the beautiful is teacher-selected, the wicked isteacher-condemned, the r ight is teacher-praised;a l l the.t the pupils do is to reme.in pe.ssive, tol i s ten , to copy, to memorize, Rnd f inal ly toreci te or write a t a steted t ~ m e what they cansqueeze out of crammed minds.
This is depersonalizing education because a teacher is trying to
e person b y ~ u t t i h g him on the spot where he cannot be himsel
he resul ts of this a.re only too appe.rent in the he.lf-educated boy
of unformed, end sometimes even deformed, character vJhich me.ny
schools today are producing.?
The teacher must have a care for the boy as i f he were his
precious child. 'Io et tc in this parental e. tt i tude the teacher
be content with respecting the 'person of the boys end
rea.ting them vJi th dignity. Love for his cha.rges i s of the
importance since boys sense nothing more quickly than
love. I f the teacher t ruly loves them, they wil l certainly
i t a.nd. repe.y him with l ike love. The boys, too, wil l
str ive to do well so as to merit this love of the
This love coupled with his intel iectuel Qualit ies will
the inst ructor to real ize the ful l roope of the educational
system by producing a man of perfect character who i s likewise a.
perfect oretor .
Sumat ig i tur snte omnia parentis erga diacipulossuoe animum, ac succedere se in eorum locum, aqui bus s ib i l ibe r i tra.c'lantur, exist imet. Ipsenee hsbeat vi t ia nee ferat .8
70
The moral qual i ty which follows immediately upon th i s one of
pe.rental reg.?rd i s the.t of kindliness to his young charges. Since
he boys e,re s t i l l only boys, though they be the ones destined to
the best of men, there wil l ~ l w a y s be a certain amount of
and commotion. T h e ~ a c h e r himself, not so long ago a
wil l readily sympathire with this res t lessness and c o ~ n o t i o n .~ d m o n i t i o n end gentle ~ a r n i n g he wil l be able to subdue the
sp i r i t s much more sf fect ively than by the use of floge;ing o
booily punishment. By reining in quiet ly the teacher wil l
respect aa t h e y ~ e he is real ly t rying to help
In correcting them, es occasion demands, the ins t ructor must
extremely careful to avoid sercasm end abuse. Sarcasm and abuse
re l ike a bully attacking a child who has his hands and feet t ied.
child nor the boy a in the cla.sbroom can s tr ike bf:lck.
tea.cher can me.ke a fool out of the ::roung pupil without fear of
Such ebuse cen mEtke the lad sullen end uncomplient, and_
h is character that def ini te twist for l i fe . As ~ u i n t i l i a n
n reci ta t ion or writ ins . By giving no sign of pleasure at a boy's
effort e.nd by evidencing gree.t displeasure s.t his sl ightest
teacher '\\rould. f a i l in just ice B.nd would lose the boy1s
Interrogantlbus l ibenter respondeat, noninterroga.ntes percontetur ul t ro. In leudendisdiscipulorum dictionibus nee mPlignus neeeffusus, quia res al tere taedium lRboris,elterR securitatem pari t . lO
This que.li ty of gentle kindness wil l a.lso be shown in the
rnsnner of correcting. When e. correction i s ma.d.e in e.
the reasons for the correction should be given. i f they are
ot e.pparent. Then the boy wil l know thPt the correction is not
e whim of the teacher or correction for correct ion 's seke.
Ne i l lud quidem quod edmoneemus indignum es t ,
ingenia puerorum nimia interim emendationiss e v e r i t ~ t e deficere; nam et desperant e t d o l e ~ t· et novissime oderunt e t , quod maxime nocet,dum omnia t iment, nihi l c o n ~ : ~ n t u r . Quod etiamrus t ic is notum est , qui frondibus teneris nonputant ed.hibendam esse fe.lcem, quiP. reformidareferrum videntur. et nondum cicatricem pat i posse.Iucundus ergo tum me.xime debet esse praeceptor,ut remedia, qua.e el ioqui naturH sunt aspera,molli manu lenientur; laudare aliqua, ferre
quaedam,mutare etiam, reddita cur id f i a t
rat ione, illumine.re interponendo e.liquid. su t . l l
The next moral quali ty which Quintilie.n requires in his
i s one of very great importance both for himself and for hi
Interest , then, is the f inal more.l li{ue.li ty required by
Quintilian for his teacher. This active in teres t wil l manifest
i t se l f ine.
sympe.thy of understanding. When the pupils come to himhe wil l not t rea t them t:ts infer iors . Their problems wil l not be
problems that he has solved m ~ n y times before, but each problems
wil l be something entirely new for him. Each boy must be the only
one in whom he is interested as the teacher is speaking to him.
Each problem must require ref lect ion and consideration, no matter
how many times he has solved i t before. Each boy with his problem
and dif f icul t ies wil l be his own son coming to him in his trouble
Then because of tb is menifestetion of love and concordant sympathy
the teacher will be loved and wil l be able to exert the influence
he ought on the growing boys. In this we.y, as Q.uintilian ins i s t s ,
the purpose of the whole educetional system will be attained.
Plura de officio doc:entium locutus discipulosid unum interim monee, ut pre.eceptores suos nonminus quam ipsa studia ament, et parentes essenon quidem corporum sed mentium credant. lvlultumhe.ec piete.s conferet studio; nem i ta et l ibenteraudient e t dic t is credent et esse similesconcupiscent in ipsos denique coetus scholeruml ae t i alacresque convenient, ernendFti non i rascentur,
laudati gaudebunt, ut sint carisairni, studiomerebuntur. Nam ut illorum officium est docere,s ic horurn praebere se dociles; alioqui nentrumsine al tere suff ic i t . Et sicut hominis ortus exutroque gignentlurn confertur, e t frustr2 sperserissemina, nis i i l ls . preemolli tus foveri t sulcus; 1taeloquentia coalescere nequit nis i sociata tradentisaccipientisque concordia.l5
le.bor, on grammar t!md finde.mc:ntals i s so necess::ry, though often so
c.ull. He wil l ht=: ve to mAke sure that the boy knows why he i s
studying gramma.r in the ltginning end not in the middle or &t the
end o ~ the progression of studies.
I t is the tee.cher who must decide v!hen the boy is re&.dy to
lePve the school of gre.rnme.r for t ha t of rhetor ic . This i s a l l
i m p o r t ~ m t for the boys. I f the teecher :;""J.oulfi }..;Ush him ahead too
swift ly, he wil l find the matter in the schorl of rhetor ic too
a d v a n c ~ d and di f f icu l t and wil l lose heart in his endeavors. I f tboy is retained too long in the ~ c h o o l of g r a m m ~ r , he wil l ~ e
~ o ~ r e . s t i n ~ · his time &.nd g-owing in disP..ppointment bece.use of the use-
less dr i l l and repet i t ion to which he i s b e i n ~ subjected. From t hi t i s easi ly seen bow important a role the t e ~ c h e r does play in th
system of educatiGn. I t is only he a t thia time ~ h o cen keep the
youth s t r iving ea.rnestly for his goal. And the continuance of the
boy's stPiving depends very largely on the master 's insight end
direct ion.
The teacher mtist always be present or nearby where he can
eesi ly be reached so that he i s at the boy's service a t a l l times.
Then, too, he cannot ~ . r a i t for his stuc.ents to come to him. The
instrmctor must go out of his v.rpy to go to them. He must make the
f i r s t advances, or else find that no advances a t &11 wil l be made.
He must go to the boya indi vidua.lly, find out the individual di f -
f icul t ies along in te l lec tua l l ines of each, and then adapt himself