Page:Christian Greece and Living Greek.djvu/253

This page needs to be proofread.

GREEK AS INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE. 23 1 what, serious attempts have been made in re- gard to this desideratum. I read that the American Philosophical Society has proposed that the question of the creation or adoption of an international scientific language should be considered at a congress which was to be held at Paris in connection with the last exhibition. I read further that the Societe de Medecine Pra- tique had taken up the question, and a commis- sion, consisting of representatives of the prin- cipal scientific associations in Paris, had been appointed to study the matter. As far as I have learned, these associations set their face abso- lutely against Volapiik. Just at present there is much agitation in France for reform of instruction and examina- tion in medicine. The Ministry of Instruction propounded quite recently questions in this direction, to be decided upon by the medical faculty of Paris. A commission of five profes- sors and the rector of the faculty have consid- ered these questions, the principal of which was whether the study of the classical languages should be abandoned. The commission in its answer said : The physician is obliged to use a lexicology which is derived from the Greek and the Latin. Although he may, without having