“The Athenians…were enthusiastically fond of oratory, and ardently cultivated fluency of speech. It was by this art that Themistocles kept the fleet together for the great battle of Salamis. It was by this art that Pericles so long held control of Athens. The sophists, the philosophers, the leaders of the assembly, were all adepts in the art of convincing by eloquence and argument, and oratory progressed until, in the later days of Grecian freedom, Athens possessed a group of public speakers who have never been surpassed, if equaled, in the history of the world.”I am so grateful for the 4 or 5 individuals in recent years that have urged me onward in taking up good books to continue the journey of learning. My wife last school year more than stretched me when she asked me to assume the duties of being a one-afternoon-each week tutor in English Grammar and Writing. I tutored four children as their parents sat in too.
I have some interest from high school students at present to launch a reading course on Ancient Greece and to learn New Testament Greek. We’ll see what develops. Hence, the quote above.
One like George Grant and his work at New College Franklin, Tennessee has inspired many the past 10-12 years to learn the stories of Western Civilization, and then to tell them to the next generation.
HT: J. Lockman, on the title for this entry
G. Mark Sumpter
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