the role of the teacher in quintilian

7/27/2019 The Role of the Teacher in Quintilian

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-role-of-the-teacher-in-quintilian 1/91

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola eCommons

Master's eses eses and Dissertations

1947

e Role of the Teacher in Quintilian John J. Trainor Loyola University Chicago

is esis is brought to you for free and open access by the eses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in

Master's eses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please [email protected].

is work is licensed under a Creative Commons Aribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Copyright © 1947 John J. Trainor

Recommended CitationTrainor, John J., "e Role of the Teacher in Quintilian" (1947). Master's Teses. Paper 405.hp://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/405

http://ecommons.luc.edu/

http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses

http://ecommons.luc.edu/td

mailto:[email protected]

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/





mailto:[email protected]

http://ecommons.luc.edu/td

http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses

http://ecommons.luc.edu/



THE ROLE OF THE 'I·EACHER

IN QUINTILIAN

BY

JOHN J. TRAINOR, S.J.

A THESIS SUBMI'I'I'li.D IT\ FARTIAL FULFILEElJ1' OF

'I'HE R E r ~ U I R E H E N T S FOR THE IVJ.AS'I'ER OF AR'I'S

DEG-REE AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY

JANUARY

1947



TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

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.



CHAPTER I

OUTLINE OF QUINTILIAN'S SYSTEM

OF EDUCATION

When th i s pe.per sets out to dea.l with the role of the teache

in Quinti l ian, it must f i r s t give a.n over-al l summary a.nd ground

plan of the s y s t ~ m into which th is teacher i s to f i t . In order to

understand the chare.cter of a. me.n it i s f i r s t necessary to apprec

ate his background e.nd environment jus t as it i s necesse.ry to form

e genera.l plPn of e new house before you put the furni ture into

the individual rooms. Lidewise to understand the role of a. single

factor in e" movement or organization it i s f i r s t necessary to have

e. fu l l re&>lization of what t ha t movement or organizat ion ha.s as

i t s object and se t purpose. Before t rying to evaluate the

qual i t i es Pnd character is t ics of the ins t ruc tor th is paper must

e.ttempt to give the qual i t i es a.nd chara.cterist ics of the system of

v.·hich he i s e. part . The size e.nd importance of tha.t par t wil l be

determined. as the paper progresses in the delinee.tion of h is

character .

Is it not only na_tura.l the.t the educa.tiona.l pl.E.n wi l l be

determined by the end the author of the plan proposes to himself?

I f the finEtl product of the system i s to be a man who can

mecha.nically read, wri te , spel l , e.nd answer a. few ba.sic questions

about a few basic sciences such as Physics and Chemistry wil l i t

1



not be r ight for the program of study to revolve about a five hou

class day? Should i t not contain automaton-like training of as

many pupils es can SP.fely be packed into a classroom while, at the

same time, the rules of the ci ty about f ire hazards are observed?

Should not the dee.lings of the tee-cher with his forty odd pupils

who to him mean only a ,job and steady salary be impersone.l?

Bece.use of the purpose in view wil l i t not be only n.s.ture.l to turn

out unthinking robots instes.d of men who are ful ly e.ble to know

and love God. and the ways of God? If, on the other hand, the

system i s concerned with the more intimate problems and ideals of

the boys s.nd gir ls who e..re under i t . then the method and approach

wil l be entire ly different . There may s t i l l remain the five hour

day, but i t wil l not be five hours of drab e.nd pe.rrot-like

repetit ion of facts . There may, due to conditions, s t i l l be large

classrooms packed with children, but i t wil l be due to necessity,

rather then to mercenary aim. There wil l necessarily s t i l l exis t

the formal relat ionship between teachers and pupils . Yet due to

their commingling in terests i t will more closely resemble the

comradeship between fe.ther end son. The main difference between

the two systems, though, wil l be noticed in the end product of the

two vs.ris.nts of educational endeavor. In the f i rs t process pupils

were ejected as from an s.ssembly l ine l ike eo many mechanical

robots and i-.ri th about as much inte l lectual individuality. In the

second, the pupils he.ve been ta.ught to burrow through to the

reasons for things e-nd to be inte l lectual ly honest e.nd



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.



qui regere cons i l i i s urbes, fundare legibus,emendare iudic i i s possi t , non al ius s i tprofecto quam orator . 2

This idea.l i s what QuintiliRn i s a.iming a t as he se ts for th

to map out h is own theory of education. We can expect his theory

method and f ina l product to be attuned to h is purpose in e d u c a t iHe e.dmi t s thEit his ideal of eloquence a.nd goodness may never be

e.tteined, but he wil l never a.dmit tha.t it i s unat tainable.

Quint i l ian 1 s ore.to r must be endowed with the vir tues of courage,

just ice and self-control . Because of the var ie ty of ce.ses which

he i s expected·to handle the orator must be endowed with

imaginative powers a.nd picturesque dic t ion . I f for exa.mple he i s

defending a slave aga.inst his master who wishes to put him to dea

for pollut ing his swimming pool, the orator must be able to

describe the hea.ted slave overcome a t the sight of the clear

sparkl ing water which is pure as the blue sky above. He must be

a.ble to describe the WElter as it i s polluted by the swee.t and

grea.se from the slave s body and the film on the surface of the

wa.ter l ike a dab of grea.se on a spot less white tunic . 3

Quint i l ian looks with disfavor a.t the philosophers who were

content to keep thei r feet planted firmly in the clouds. The

problems of rea l l ive people were as rea l to these men as a

te legraph pole i s to an avia.tor with f ive thousand fee t of

2 Ibid, Pr . , 9

3 Ib id , Pr . , 12



5

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

Ii' Ib id , Pr . , 18



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

5 Ib id , Pr . , 26.6 Ib id , I , v i i i , 12.

7 Ibid, I I , v, 13.



8

of the case and se t t ing for th object ions against both Quinti l ian

f inal ly decides tha t public education is be t t e r fo r both the pupi

8.nd h is tee.cher. Other educators t rea t ing of the same subject

might give as the i r ree.sons tha t it would be eas ier on the tee.che

or they might se.y the,t i t would get the lad a.we_y from home and giv

a che.nce to meet other boys of h is o't'm ege, but are these

Quint i l ian 1 s reasons? No! He looks only to the educational aspe

of the problem and to the in te l lec tua l progress of the chi ld. The

mind of the young student requi res continue,l stimulus and

excitement which i t wi l l d e r i ~ e bes t from competition with other

boys. From a. considerat ion of the others,• f ine points as compared

with h is own the boy wi l l be s t i r red to a gree.ter endeavor. Will

not the boy who he,s received a public education speak with gree,te

ee,se before a crowd? The boy, on the other hand, who has spoken

only before h is sol i ta ry tu to r wi l l stammer and hem e.nd hew before

his forensic audience. At home the student can learn only what

the master gives him. In the classroom he wi l l also derive the

benefi t of what the tee.cher gives the others. In th is way he wi l

get ten t imes e.s much tre. ining because he wi l l learn from the othe

boys 1 mistakes in gre.mme.r and pronunciation. He wil l advance much

more re.pidly, therefore, than i f he worked alone with h is tutor . lO

The Roman Master 's descr ip t ion of h is idea l pupi l i s a t rue

part of the whole portre. i t of the ideal orator . The student i s to

Io Ib id , I , i i , 18-2L



9

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

11 Ibid, I , i i , ) .12 Ibid, I , i i i , 7.



10

night without respite . Growing boys need recree_tion and Quintil ia

amply provides for th is r e l e ~ a t i o n . The holidays wil l be adjusted

to the need of the boys. By being given when needed, the holiday

ftiill refresh the youngsters end give them renewed energy for thei r

study so they wil l approach the ir work with gree.ter sp i r i t and

enthusiasm af ter the ft>ee de.y.l3 The Roman Master, anticipating

modern schoolmen by nineteen hundred yee.rs, saw the.t games in the

classroom can be of gree.t adve.ntage in helping e.long th is drive to

eloquence. By competitions in and out of class in which they ask

e.nd e.nswer questions about grammar e.nd syntax the pupils wil l reve

in the sport e.nd s t i l l pick up many things the teacher e.ould give

them only after long hours of dr i l l and tedious le.bor.

Afterwards follows the instruction in gramme.r and in the use

of diction taken from comedy in order to incree.se the student 1 s

eloquence. From comedy the boy wil l learn rules of speaking,

peuses e.t the r ight plEtce Emd correct sentence structure. His

style of speaking must be moulded and developed along correct l ine

r ight from the very beginning by a careful and eff ic ient teacher.

The boy wil l learn select passages by heart e.nd declaim them with

the ease and gracefulness of forensic delivery. Gymnastics and

Exercise will be used to develop the proper gestures end motions

so thet the speaker will not find himself in a crouched fighting

stance when he is str iving to demonstrate the breadth of the whole

13 !bid, ! , 111, 9.



1.

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

17 Ib id , XII, iv .



~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1

to the formation of an e ~ c e l l e n t character and acquire a knowledg

of a l l that i s jus t and honorable. He must have therefore a

heal thywonder e.t the

wonders of ne.ture suche.s the

constant cour

of the planets and the reappearing of the flowers in the spring

time, as well as ~ firm understanding of the f inal goal of

philosophy ~ : m d sound rea son. He must not be e" philosopher who

dabbles solely withfue concept of abstract being, but he must be

a rea l is t ica l ly pract ical philosopher who can apply his learning

the forum. 18 He must ha.ve, be sides, e. complete under·ste.nding of

civ i l law which pertains to the laws of the s ta te . A knowledge o

the customs end rel igion of the state must also be included in h

repertoire because much 0f his court room dealings will be

concerned with these me"tters. He must be e. legal expert in order

to be able to inform the common people what they may Bnd may .not

do.l9

Since educt:Jtion builds on the nature.l abi l i t i es of man, the

orator must he"ve the qua.li t ies ....:hich are required in a good

spe.c>ker. His knowledge of the laws and customs -v;ill 'te his chief

instrument for defending justice. This knowledge wil l be supporte

by en equipped batte.lion of words and figureS., power of ime.ginetio

s·kill in arre.ngement, retentiveness of memory e.nd grace of

delivery. He will not shrink from danger and wil l advance

18 Ibid, XII, i i , 7-9.

19 Ibid, XII, i i , 18-20.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1.5

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

20 Ib id , XII, x, 80.



6

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

21 Ibid, XII, x i, 7.



should follov.J shor t ly e.nd then proceed simultaneously with Greek

that they may be l ike the two arms of the body which the lad may

use a t wil l . The ee.rly prof iciency in both subjec ts w i l l prevent

the boy from mixing Greek idioms with h is Latin which l a t e r he

would. f ind d i f f i c u l t to remove. The study of reading wil l follow

as soon as possible - perhaps when he i s but three or four years

old. Thus the boy 1 s mind wil l not be e.llowed to l i e fe.llow.

Instead the bes t possib le cultiva.tion wil l be made of h is quickne

of in te l l ec t a.nd natura.l ab i l i ty . Quint i l ian readi ly admits tha t

the pro f i t of these ear ly years ma.y be s l igh t ; yet refuses to

concede thc:t e.ny pr o f i t , no matter how small , . is to be neglected

The t ime ge.ined by t h i s ear ly t r a in ing wi l l pro f i t the chi ld when

he reaches the stage where h is mind becomes capable of a fu l l e r

understanding. In t h i s way, too, the boy w i l l not be t ry ing to

pcquire a la.ngua.ge e.t fourteen which he should have me.stered when

he was f ive years old . Most of the rudiments of education consis

in memorizing ru les , forms, voca.bule.ry and declensions. For th i s

memory work the mind of the young i s especia. l ly ada.pted. 22

When our educetor i s in s i s t ing on the eer ly t r a in ing of youth

a.l:'€ not h is wisdom end forEsight especial ly observable'? How well

he knows the.t i f a. chi ld i s ever so forced to study tha t he becom

wee.ry of tha t study, then most of the hope fo r future progress in

that branch of knowledge i s gone. He rea l izes tha t the sa.me hours

22 Ib id , I , i , 18.



~ : 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

23Ibid ,

I , i , 20.



- ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1

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

26 Quinti l ian, I , i , 28.



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 •.



~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -23

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.



· - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~2

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

30 Quint i l ian, I , iv , 5.



- - - - -2

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

posterioribus inciperentet, dum

ostentared.iscipulos circe. speciosiora ma_lunt, compendiamorerentur.32

The Rome.n educator thus insis ts that enough time be given to

fundamentals to make the journey into the real l i tera ture more ees

end pleesa.nt.

31 Hutchins, 37. end Saucier, 37332 Quintilie.n. I . iv . 22.



6

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

33 Hutchins, 36 and Butler, 40.



· - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - 7

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

34 Quint i l ian, I , v i , 33 e.nd )6.

35 Ib id , I , v i i i , 2.



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

36 Ib id , I , v i i i , 8,9.



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.

37 Ibid, I , x, 2-8.



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

42 Ib id , I I , iv , 7.



34

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

43 Ibid, I I , iv , 17.44 Ibid, I I , v, 21.



3

shine th Pn added grace. Here, too, Quinti l ian 1 s contempora.rie

maS be studied for the i r s ty le , ra.ther the.n fo r the i r content and

ideP.ls. 1+5 · ~ u i n t i l i a n then proceeds with the unrol l ing of the

foundations.of the school of rhetor ic by discussing the writ ing an

delivering of speeches. He recommends memorizing the speeches o

famous orators Rnd his to r ians ra ther than the boys' own or iginal

compositions. These more famous ora.tions wil l provide more

l iber ty i n ~ l i v e r y and more leeway in sty le . I f the boys succeed

in memorizing the speeches of others , they wi l l cer ta in ly f ind no

diff icul ty in memorizing the i r own speeches l a t e r . From the

speeches of other men the pupi ls wil l acquire a more a.bundant

voca.bulary, e command of ar t i s t i c s t ructure , and a plen t i fu l supp

of f igures of speech which wil l be geni i ready a t the i r beck a.nd

cel l in the forum e.nd la.w cour ts . 46 Here e.s in the school of

l i te ra ture there must be no f ru i t of the t ree of knowledge l e f t

untHsted. Every sor t of ore.tory must be known a.nd pract i sed so

thPt the students may ea.rn the t i t l e of "perfect ora_tor. 11

Q,uintilian does not e.ttempt to prescribe fixed end

uncha.ngeable rules fo r oratory bece.use he well knows tha t ru les-il l ha.ve to f i t the sty le of speaking; jus t as the fashion in

clothes he.s to f i t the season of the year. The a;yle of spea.king

~ ' i l l have to be adjusted to the personal! ty of the orator . Each

45 Ibid , I I , v, 23.

46 Ibid , II , vi i , 1-5.



36.

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

7 Ibid , I I , xi i i , 15.



37

8 consideration of the in te l l ec tua l , ped9.gogical e.nd moral

qual i t ies of the tee.cher in J . ~ u i n t i l i a n . I t s purpooe fins. l ly is to

show why these def in i te qual i t i es are a prerequis i te fo r the

successful outcome of the education of the perfect orator • .



CP..APTER II

THE INTELLECTUAL AND PEDAGOGICAL QUALITIES

OF THE TEACHER

After he.ving shown the fu l l effect of Quintil ian 1 s system of

education, the paper wil l now proceed to the main part of i t s

subject in the discussion of the requisi te qual i t ies , both

intellectue.l and moral, of the educBtor himself. Quintilie.n reallsets no definite chapters a. side for this spe9ific purpose. Here

and there in the f i r s t , second e.nd twelfth books he expresses

himself so forcefully as to leave no doubt in the reader 's mind

whe.t he 'tolrishes to se.y. In these second and third chapters,

therefore, much of what is said wil l be drawn by induction from th

me.in bod.;t of the Rome.n t s work. The purpose '!'rhich Quintil ian sets

for his system of education wil l give the f i r s t hint as to the

quali t ies required in the teacher. The perfection of the finished

product will provide another clue in our search. The method which

he pursues throughout the whole system is a third landmark and the

f inal clue in our search which wil l lead to the t reasure.

The finished product of th is e d u c e ~ t i o n a l system ie to be the

perfect orator who wil l be of perfect che"racter. Ne.turEtlly, a.s we

may infer from his general purpose, the boy will always be

striving to incree.se his powers of rhetoric. At the se.me time

because of example Bnd encouragement he wil l be trying to form a38



1.

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



42.

Included in th i s .!'!Cute discr imination of what the boy needs

8 nd can he.ndle must be an over-e.ll discrimina.tion in the whole of

th€ boy 1

s t ra in ing. Fromone boy the teacher

'Willpe.t iently

he.vet

drPW out the answer to h is question. This wil l be l ike pul l ing

teeth one by one. With enother boy he wil l have to content h i m s e lwith the lec ture method. With a thi rd he wil l use the example,

prBctice, e.nd correct ion system most prof i tably . I f education i s

to Attain i t s fu l l ef fec t , as i s eas i ly seen, much of the progress

wil l ul t imPtely depend. on the teacher 1 s ha.ndling of the individual

boy. There cen be no se t ru les fo r th i s receuse eB ch one must have

a specie.l a.dapta.tion of ru les fo r himself . The teacher must show

his discriminatory wisdom not only in the select ion of subjects

end in the apecia.l hB.ndling of the boys, but as well in the f ine

points of grl'tmme.r and rhetor ic . I t i s his task to point out

bErba.ri ems, e s well as solecisms, in 'tr.Ti t ing and speaking. His

judgment in these me.tters, as we have already seen, i s the ul t imat

cr i te r ion in these matters .

I f the ins t ruc tor here lacks discr imination and judgment, the

speech a.nd writ ings of the young orator wil l be fu l l of those

faul ts which wil l prevent h is success in the law courts . The

dist inct ions in both usage and sty le wi l l depend on the teacher

beceuse he i s the pupi l s guiding s ta r in such mEttters. I f he

fa i l s , then th i s whole system of education from i t s very beginning

wil l be unable even to approa.ch i t s goa.l of producing the perfect



43

orator .

His example and conduct before the b:oy wi l l alao eventual ly

determine whether or not the product of the school wi l l be of

perfect character . T h ~ young lad wi l l be so much inf luenced by th

conduct of the teEtcher the.t he w i l l desi re to imi ts.te him in any

thing he does.6 In the beginning the boy i s l ike the monkey who

v' i l l l earn good t r i cks or bad jus t as they are displayed before

him.

The possession of e. well-ba.lanced judgment i s the th i rd e.nd.one of the most importa.nt qua.li t i e s which Quint i l ian demends of

the tefl.cher. In he.ndling such an impressionable mind e.s the

teacher encounters in h is young pupi l cer ta in ly nothing i s more

importe.nt then sound judgment. The mind end hear t of the youth are

l ike clay in the hands of the sculptor ; so much·so tha t the youth

formation i s completely in the t e ~ c h e r s hands. He has the power

to feshion e. perfect s ta tue or to leave him deformed through

carelessness and has te . I f the teacher lacks the judgment to be

able to discern the innate qua l i t i e s of the lad.before him. and i f

he has not the sens ib i l i ty to a.pprecie.te the youngster ' s backgroun

a.nd e.bili t i e s , then r igh t from the ste.r t he wi l l ceprecia.te h is

cht:mces of inf luencing and forming the per fec t ore,tor. The t eache

is to gufde the pupi l not only in the pursu i t of k ~ o w l e d g e , but in

6 Ib id , IX, 2.



44

the pursu i t of a l i f e - long happiness and peace of hear t as well .

This happiness i s to consis t in the possession of vi r tue f i r s t

acquired and put in to pract ice in the early years of h is t rAining

tmd educe.tion. Much of th is he.ppiness -vdll depend on the goal the

bOY has e..nd on the means he takes to e.chieve th i s goal . Since it

wil l be the boy 1 s ear ly ~ a c h e r who wi l l present the ideals and

purpose in l iv ing to him, much of h is happiness wil l dt=pend then o

those idee.ls.

Since h is Judgment wi l l be the u l ime.te cr i te r ion of disputed

quest ions in c lass , he wil l have to be most cautious in employing

the la .st word in e discussion. In h is at tent ion to the f ine poin

of lv-ri t ing and speaking, th i s cha.racter is t ic of sound judgment wi

stB.nd him in good stea.d. I f he were to give long l i s t s of

exceptions, l ike a l i s t of B.ll the i r regula.r verbs in the Latin

lBngue.ge, then the boys would have a_ papyrus fu l l of l i s t s , but

he&.ds empty of knowledge. I f he takes those l i s t s e.nd gives them

to the pupils i n ~ e form of exRmples or apt i l lus t ra t ions , then he

wil l be adminis ter ing the ca.stor o i l in the form of a ce.ndy be.r.

The young s tudents could then accustom themselves to the prac t i ca l

applicat ion of the rule without the bother of learning a

complicated l i s t of w o ~ d s .

The teacher wi l l e.lso se lec t the boy's ree..ding. Here once

more the respons ib i l i ty fo r lhe resu l t of the system wi l l fe. l l upon

his judgment. I f the teacher should se lec t mediocre poets and



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



49.

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 ) .



.50

given to those subjects which the boy dis l ikes a.s to those tows.rds

which he i s natura l ly inc l ined , the teacher i s l iab le to give the

child ~ dis tas te fo r knowledge of any kind. In h is dem&nds on the

leds end in h is e,ssignments fo r the individual boys he rnust take

ce.re thE\t these s.re a.ccommodated to ea.ch character . I t i s more

than fool ish , es we may in fe r , to give a boy who cannot get

m&thematical concepts hour a f t e r hour of ext ra d r i l l on formulas,

and never give him a \.:ord of encouragement Pbout the language stud

which he l ikes end in which he i s prof ic ien t . The teacher i$ not

to re l inquish h is at tempts to teach the boy e.ny rertain subject , but

merely to present a.ll subjects in proport ion to incl ina . t ions and

netura.l ta len ts .

Nee umquam me in hia discent is annie offendat ,s i quid super fuer i t . Quin ip s i s quoque

doctor ibus hoc esse· curae velim, ut tenera.sadhuc mentes more nutricum moll ius a lan t e t

se.tit:tri velu t quodam iucundioris disc ip l inae

le.cte pat i an tur . Eri t i l1ud plenius inte4imcorpus, quod mox a.dul te. aeta.s a s t r inga . t . l

Since the chi ld i s being t ra ined in the a r t of being a. f ine

wri ter , it i s t o ~ expected tha t the f i f t h qual i ty of the

ins t ruc tor in th is system would. be h is ab i l i ty to wri te in a

polished manner. A teacher who knew l i t t l e or nothing concerning

the elements e.nd f ine points of cornposi t ion could he.rdly be

expected to produce an author with a beaut i ful s ty le of expression

I f the boy i s to have a mastery of usage, s ty le and dic t ion, then

14 Ib id , I I , iv , .5.



.51.

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

JS Ibid , I , v, 1 end .5.



.52.

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.

Ibid, I , x i, 6.



_ _ _ _ _ __ ,53.

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

17 Ibid, I I , vi i i , J and 12.

18 Ibid, I I , i i i , 11.



54.

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



.55.

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 '

17 Ibid, I I , v, 1 and .5.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -56

From what has been a l r eady noted of the cer ta in knmvledge,

discr iminRtion, sound. judgment, polished wri t ing end spea.king,

e. t tention to dete . i ls , end c r i t ice.l e b i l i ty which ere essen t ia l

notes of QuintiliEln 1 s ins t ruc tor it i s eas i ly d,educed tha t he must

heve a t l eas t a touch of genius himself . I t i s not d i f f i cu l t to

dre.w for th the qua l i t i e s which must go with Q,uintilian 1 s te8.cher 1 s

in te l lectue. l fecul ty . Since he i s the one l':ho he.s to judge the

capsb i l i t ies of the youth under him so as to lead each in the way

bes t sui ted to him, he must cer ta in ly be endowed with e.n acuteness

of mind. ancl a f ine ewareness or sens ib i l i ty e s rege.rds individual

che.racter end atte.inment. This i n t e l l ec tua l perception i s the

seventh qual i ty required in the teacher . The perfect ion of the

f inished product ' \ ~ t r i l l cepend le.rgely on the steady progression the

young mt=m mekee from study to study and endeavor to e n d e ~ t v o r . He

must never be cal led upon to exceed h is s t rength or yet to be l e f t

in a. class ~ . r h e r e he has alread_y derived the f u l l e s t possible a.moun

of benef i t .

The ins t ruc tor must be log ice l himself to be a.ble to see the

logica.l progression of s teps . 20 He must be sympa.thetic with the

boy• s moods so e.s to know when to encourage him to take the next

step upvJe.rds. The tee.cher must also know when and how to introduc

the other subjects which the future orator wil l need. The youth

knot·rs tha t he i s studying to be an orator . I f he sees no

20 Ibid



-----___,

roblem of me.inteining t he i r i n t e res t ' \ 'iill be solved. vlhen the boy

ees where he i s going, he wil l f ind it much eas ie r to f ind h is way

nd keep to h is path which wi l l lead to the f ina l goal of perfec t

Along with t h i s in t e l l ec tua l q u ~ l i t y of logica l i ty the

eacher must have a grea t deal of in te l lec tue . l prudence. His

udgment in disputed matters i s the l e s t decision. I t i s he who i s

o decide the r ~ : t t e of f-rogression in the pupi l 1 s s tudies . He i s to

e the exeiLplar of the correc t spee.king e.nd wri t ing. He i s the

tudent 1 s sole i n t e l l ec tua l guid.e, so i f he i s not prudent with

olomon t s prudence and yet dar ing with the de.ring of l ion t r a ine r s ,

system wil l not have a chance fo r success.

Since the tee.cher i s to be the pupi l t a sole guide in h i s s tud

he must be imbued with those qua l i t i e s which w i l l help him to

nfluence h is che.rges. I t i s h is te.sk to give the students the

as tor o i l of a l l knowledge - the fundamentals. I f he i s not the

font of luc id i ty , he Will not have e. chance to introduce the

in to the myster ies of good dpeeking and wri t ing. The next

equis i te qual i ty in the teacher , therefore , i s t ha t of c la r i ty .

he tee.cher i s e medium for the knowledge of h is pupi l ; it i s y_ui te

tha t on a bright day you can see fo r grea t dis tances , but i f

he medium. ie dul l and ha;y you cannot see e.t a l l . He has f i r s t to

ave e fu l l knowledge of the subject with which he i s deal ing. His

e.bili ty has. to meke t h i s wre.i th of knowledge something

tha t the youth can grasp without too much di f f i cu l ty . The



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

2 Q,uintilian, I I , i i i , 7.



60

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

Ibid , I I , iv , 9.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



- - - - ~ , - - .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

24 Ibid , I I , i i i , 7 and 9.



62.

necessary for a successful ora tor . Such a teacher w i l l be

sensi t ive in h is deal ings with boys and wil l have a f ine

sens ib i l i ty regElrding h is che.rges e.nd the i r ever- recurr ing

proble:ms. This teAcher w i l l be capable of guiding the boys and of

jucg\.ng the i r respect ive t a l en t s and a.bili t i e s . He w i l l thus be

eble to as s i s t them in a.tte.ining t he i r goe.l. Such a. man, in shor t

Kil l be equipped to e.ccomplish the fine.l purpose of Quinti l ie .n 1 s

system by turning out e f in ished ora tor who i s perfect in h is

me.nner, presentat ion, e.nd e.de.pta.bili ty and who i s a t the same t ime

a me.n of perfect chRre.cter.



CF..APTER I I I

THE MORAL QUALITIES OF 'l'HE TEACHER

Thus fe.r th is p e ~ p e r ha.s attempted to show the.t the theory of

education proposed. by Quint i l ian t::tims to produce e perfect orator

who i s also e men of s ter l ing character . In the preceding che.pter

the i n t e l l ec tua l e.nd pedagogice.l qual i t i es required. in the teacher

have been e:x.ph:ined so a.s to indicate how important are these

qual i t ies in the formation of the perfect ora tor . In th is present

chapter the thesis proposes to discuss the moral qual i t i es of the

tea.cher in reference to the simultaneous development of the pupi l '

chara.cter. I t would be as log ica l to expect EJ crol-l to give bi r th

to en ee.gle as i t -v,rould be to expect e. poorly educe. ted mEm to

produce e. spee.ker who would be perfect ly educeteci even down to th

l eas t dete.i ls. Likel':ise it would be absurd to suppose th8.t e. ma.n

of mora.l decrepitude could produce s. men of perfec t cha.racter sinc

e. me.n t s chare.cter depends so le.rgely on h is environment, h is

compa.nions, and his . instructors .

Again in th i s chapter most of the matter must be gathered by

process of ind.uction. Quint i l ian does not go into very expl ic i t

e.l:out the tea.cher 1 s vi t tues . But from e. considere.tion of

he expects h is teEtcher to do and of the influence he intend.s

his instructor to wield i t , i s easy to compile e. l i s t of the mora.

which are a prerequis i te fo r the complete success of the63



6.5.

then i f he ha.d no self-control at e.ll. I f he la.cked control of hi

temper or of hie anger, the boys would l ive in fear of his

punishments. They would keep order, e.n order proportion.s.te to theorder of prisoners in Ja.il, a.ll set to break out at the sl ightest

opportunity. Such a. tea.cher might exert no influence outside cla.S

hours, but, e.t lea.st, h is c l ~ : t s s during school hours would not re-

semble B. ple.yground or e. circus with clow-ns, f lying erA.sers, and

gelloping horses. The teacher who hes too perfect control of

himself wil l h8ve the opposite trouble. In the beginning the boys

would esteem him outside the classroom, but the classroom i t se l f

woulfl. soon be a ma.d sha.mbles.

'When the boys discovered the teacher could not be aroused, th

teacher would soon find that he had los t control and that not he,

but the boys were in charge of the classroom. Along with th is los

of control in the class would go also the loss of the boys 1

confidence and esteem outside cla.ss hours. Much less than forming

men of solid vir tue, the inst ructor would be helping to form men

without rega.rd for authol'i ty. From this 1 t can be seen r>hy

Quintilie.n re.nks control of the pupils a.longside of purity of

cha.re.c t er in the teacher.

et ferociores a l icent ia gravitas deterreat .Neque vero sat est aummam praestare abstinentiam,

n i ~ i disclpl inae severi tete convenientium quoquead se mores es t r inxer i t .2

2 Ibid, I I , i i , 4.



66.

To keep control of the boys the teacher must have a sense of

his o't-m e.uthori ty. This poe session of commanding authorjt;y' is the

second ~ o r a l quali ty required in the teacher.3 We can induce what

this must necessarily meAn. The teacher certainly has to be s t r ic

in his deP.lings with his pupils , or else he wil l oo useless to them

as an instructor. He must be s t r i c t to keep them in order and to

inst ruct them in e l l brs.nches of knmdedge. On the other hand., he

must not be severe. Severity wil l alienate their affect ions from

him e.nd te.ke e.way the t influence which Q,uintilian i s banking on so

heavily in forming the youth's character. Severity means harshnes

and harshness mea.ns a lack of serenity a.nd control. A lack of

serenity end control reveals a t r a i t of character v.rhich the young

lads wil l soon grasp and play upon. All euthori ty e.nd influence

then vanishes and the whole cause is los t . Stric tness , though,

means steediness which supports moderation and control. The

teacher 's moderation end control wil l allow his pupils to laugh in

the classroom and enjoy themselves at the proper times. I t wil l

mean that despite the s t r i c t discipline the boys wil l be eble to

enjoy the i r hours of confinement each dey. They wil l thus be to

find the utmost plea sure in the i r school l i f e , jus t e.s in e.ny othe

good thing.

With this s tr ic tness must go the property v.rhich ll!tll prevent i

from becoming severi ty. This property i s genial i ty , and i s the

Ibid, I I , I I , 4 end 5.



67.

more.l quel l ty which Q,uintilien requires in the teacher . 4 Th

must be genia l and alwe.ys ready to t-iel come with a smile cry

coming to him. This wil l help him to exer t the inf luence and

th e fu l l amount of help which the ent i re system presupposes

there i s a caution agains t something approaching genia l i ty ,

ut torhich i s i t s worst enemy, a.nd th i s i s too much fem i l iar i ty . I

he tee.cher i s too fe.miliar with one or a few white-haired boys,

a u t o m ~ t i c a l l y loses h is inf luence over t h e ~ s t who wil l fee

they hold only a \veak second pla.c€ in h is a.ffect ions . I f

or other he should manage to at ta in an e q u i l i b r i ~ m of gree

with a l l h is pupi l s , then the whole order of ·h i s c lass

would be disrupted s ince he would fear to breek the bonds of

by reprimending any boy who got out of' order . 'I'he whol

would be torn asunder a t i t s very foundations by the boys

o r f the inf luence and author i ty of the teacher .

Since the pur l ty of h is cha.racter wil l shun a.nything spurious

he t eacher wi l l have the fourth moral qual i ty of being frEe from

affecte . t ion. He wi l l not t ry to impress h is pupi ls with an

digni ty of e.n a.ssumed manner of spea.king. I f he mould pu

ai rs to furtther h is inf luence with h is students , he wil l find.

throv.;ing dust as a screen not only bl inds the on \\rho sees i t ,

ut dr ives him away as well . 'I'he very candid lads wil l not teke

to discover anything unne.tural in t he i r ins t ruc tor . I f they

Ibid I I . I I S



69

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

Butler, 64.

Hutchins, op. Cit . , 57.



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

Quintil ian I I . ii c and I I ix , 1.



71

says: "In emendando, quae corrigenda erunt, non acerbus minimeque

c o n t u m ~ l i n s u s ; nem id quidem multos ~ proposito studendi fugat ,

quidam s ic obiurg&nt quasi oderint ."9

By kindness, on the other hend, the ins t ructor can ga.in the

confidence and support so that he wil l be able to hEve the

influence for good which is expected of him. This

wil l be shown not only in discipl inary matters, but eYen

so in the inst ructor s teaching method and personP.l e.pproa.ch.

suppose thP.t the teacher wil l hP.ve to e.nswer exe.spere.ting

when he pFrsonslly would much ra ther go on with his class

n the new metter. I t is only too easy to sne.p off r:ry answer e.nd

with the cle.ss. That precisely is whet i r r i te tes the boy.

asks a question because he seeks information, jus t as he takes

mechinE a p ~ r t to see the plece and purpose of each cog. This

to be e n c o u r a g e ~ ~ i n c e the boy's best t rPining wil l come

the medium of questions a s ~ ~ t e d ~ m d graciously e.nd honestly

T ~ ekindnPss of the teacher 's manner in asking questions of

the boys a.nd in st r iv ing to help re ther than h:i_nder the youths

n the i r responses wil l be great ly appreciated by the boys, who

gain greater confidence in him. The teacher wil l a.lso give

of his kindness in recognizing the success of a boy's ef for t

Ibid, I I , l i , 7.



72.

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

Ibid, I I , i i , 6.

Ibid, I I , iv , 10.



Only hard work z:md steady honest applice.tion can bring

to intel lectual endee.vors. This seems to be in d i rec t

73.

to V ~ r h a t me.ny modern educetors are advoce.ting. They say

ot to give the chi ld work to do which he does not l ike fo r such

are l i ab le to put inh ib l t iona in h is mind ~ , r h i c h wil l spoi l

im fo r h is work in l i f e . l2 As so many employers e.re discover ing

the ed.ucP.tione.l system may not have spoi led the young s tudent

inh ib i t ions , but it hes in meny ce.ses spoi led him fo r l i f e by

him a diste.ste fo r work. In the factory i f a me.n wants to

ahead, he must work and work ha.rd. In the cla.ssroom i f a boy

to get a.n educat ion, he must study and study ha.rd. Gett ing

i s a b i t l ike get t ing wet and you do not get soaked merely

y standing on the bee.ch watching the lake or by wishing you were

n the water . So you do not get educated by s i t t i ng in the c lass -

by wishing you had a grea t fund of knowledge.

I f the tee.cher demands that · h is pupils study hard, then we ma.y

it i s only r igh t a.nd jvs t tha t the teacher himself be fu l ly

This industr iousness i s the next moral qual i ty which i s

in the teacher . 13 The ins t ruc tor must keep himself busy

for oppor tuni t ies to help the boys, to encourage them, a.nd

o forward t he i r i n t e l l ec tua l endeavors. This cannot be done by

J . D ewey, In te res t e.nd Effor t in Education, Houghton Miff l inCompany, Boston, 1913, Ch. I I .

Quint i l ian , I I , i1 , 8.



74

wishing it were so. The teacher hes to go out of h is way to f ind

the bes t method a.nd mee.ns of being e worthy ins t ruc tor bece.use one

learns to teach only by teaching, jus t as one learns to drive only

by driving. ·rhe tee.cher must encoure.ge h is pupils by h is own

example so tha t when they ~ e him a t work the boys wi l l be

encourEtged to work fo r themselves. I f the young students see t he i

teacher s t r iv ing fo r t he i r advancement, they are more l ike ly to

teke some concern for it themselve-s-. 1'he tee cher Jilu.st declaim

e.ily so tha t the pupi ls me.y see and imita :e the correc t manner o

spea.king. ~ l h e n the boys see th i s que.li ty of earnest endeavor in

he i r teacher end f ~ e l th i s benevolence in a.ction, they wil l more

eas i ly submit themselves to h is guidance and inf luence.

Teaching ~ b i l i t y i s necessary to complete the i n t e l l ec tua l

t i e s of the teacher and loveableness i s equally a prerequi s i t.or the working influ.ence of h is moral qua l i t i e s . The teacher may

he may posses competent s.uthori ta.t iveness. He may hav

he kindness resu l t ing from h is fa.therly e. t t i tude t ow9rds the boys

may be indust r ioui . Yet if he i s not loveable, then, despi te

h is other qua l i t i e s he cannot hope to wield the inf luence he

hould hB.ve on there under h is charge. When theboys fino. pleasure

n the company of t he i r me.ster, we in fe r tha t i s i s only neture.l

they wil l cer te in ly come within h is orb i t of inf luence. I f

do not f ind pleAsure in the i r tee.cher ' s compe.ny e.nd evoid him

ut side cle.ss hours, h is power to help and guide them wi l l be



min!mized ~ n d consequently destroyed. As he loves them

love of e ~ h e r , they must love and t rust him with the

of sons.

75.

This is e. consic1er&.tion of the teacher, though, rA.ther than o

he boys. Suppose a f ~ t h e r wishes to heve great influencP on his

development and t e l l s him that he wil l be most welcome any-

he wishes to stop into his study ~ o r a ohat. But this same

his son with a cold smile a.nd never has an encourag-

ng word to sa.y to him. He shows no in teres t in his son 1 s hobbies

r ga.mes and f inal ly he gives no demonstration of the love which

s rooted in his heart because he does not believe in display.

wonders because his son cloes not take advanta.ge of his

to have someone in whom to confide.

The same thing ia true of the teacher. I f he t e l l s the boys

e wa.nts to help a.nd guide them and then waits for them to come to

he, too, wil'l end up wondering why the pupils do not take up

is offer of assistance. l4 The teacher has to do more t h a n ~ l k ; it

s an old sp i r i tual maxim that actions speak louder than words,

d incidenta.lly a.re more a.ppreciated. For example, the teacher

to show in teres t in the sports in v:hich the boys engage, though

e may not have the ath le t ic ab i l i ty to compete with them, He mus

endeavor to show an active in teres t in the i r l i f e .

4 Ibid, I I , ix , 3.



76

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

15 ~ ~ u i n t i l i a n , I I , ix .



78

th is young me.n i s to be trained in the mora.l vir tues a.s tvell.

t the f in ish of his t reining the ONltor is to have not only the

of vir tue Pnd well-bred behavior, but i s to hEtVe also th

which wil l enable him to keep up his outward observance

is to be a man who places public in te res ts far above any private

ao as to be alwa.ys looking out for· the public welfe.re and

he w e l f ~ r e of the state. He i s to bE a man who wil l feel he has a

responsibi l i ty both to the state and to himself and his

in the manner in which he conducts himself both in public

nd private l i fe . This newly-formed orator , therefore, is to be th

on which the s ta te may res t . T ~ i s i& certainly a very lof ty

but i t is nonetheless the idee.l a t which ~ u i n t i l i a n aims in

\<l.rhole system of education.

The teacher i s to be the guiding s tar of the youth in his

of in te l lec tual achievement. In order to be a capable

and adviser the teacher must have the complete set of

which the boy is aiming. As th is paper

as 3et forth in deta i l , the inst ructor must have a cer te in

of e.ll subjects pertaining to oratory. He must he.ve fine

and a balanced j u ~ g m e n t in his direct ion of the b o yHe must be aesiduously attentive to his duties in order

o give an example of studiousness to his pupil . Ee must be a

spee.ker and wri ter vlho i s a.lso a f ine cr i t i c of the

t ing and. speaking of others . Finally along v-;i th hie expert



80

I f there i s rone thing more than e.ny other l'.'hi ch boys nF ed

during the i r trA-ining, it i s guide.nce. i'l:ey are beginning to clim

the ladder of knmvledge,r:md

from the beginningit

i s most import

ant to perceive how fa r ~ p a r t the rungs are . The energy must be

~ s t i m e t e c l which i s going to heve to be expended in going from run

to rung. I f the pupils underste.nd the di f f i cu l ty r igh t from the

ste . r t , then they wil l not be eo e8.sily dishee.rtened when they find

how laborious a climb it i s to the top of the ladder . The Atudent

need. encoure.gement to take the f i r s t step end then to hold whR.t

they have ge.ined while they ge.ther energy to tetke the n e ~ t step up

the ladder .

The boys es they climb th i s ladd.er of lmowledge w i l l of ten

t imes requ:re ess is tence from someone who hea Ellready climbed it to

the top. 1I'hey l<:ill need to knO'tti ho\': fa r o ff the next stee.dy foot-

hold i s so t he t they ce.n know how much they hi:we to depend on

smeller niches on they way to i t . This guicence, encouragement, en

i rec t ion are invaluable eids for the climbing boy. In f ~ c t they

.re so inve.luable thFt without them he cannot at tPin the highest

rung. I t i s up to the teacher who has a ~ a d y made t h i s climb safe

ly to gra.nt the pupi ls th i s guidance, encouragement, and direct ion

e i s the one they re ly on end he mv.st not fe. i l them i f they e.re

ever to a t t a in th i s lof ty perch overlooking the val ley of knowledg

On the ef fec t iveness of the t eacher ' s counsel r e s t s the

effec t iveness of the whole system of education. In proport ion to



81

h is effec t iveness the f in ished products v.rill be ei ther educAted me

or merely run of the mil l students who heve achieved something in

the l ine of intalecuta . l development, but who fs . l l fa.r benee.th

t he i r goal of being perfec t ly educated orators . The inf luence the

tea.cher ca.n a.nd l>Till ha.ve on t);::e boys wi l l depend l a rge ly on h is

own in te res t in them. I f the s tudents see the t the teacher i s

in teres ted in t he i r work t:md t he i r pro"bleins, more readi ly w i l l the

permit themselves to be helped by him. The boys a t t h i s age do no

wha.t they .1aeelly w a ~ t . I f they can ta lk to en experienced

teacher who i se lso t he i r f r iend, they can s t ra ighten out t he i r

aims and ideals . I f the teRcher i s s incerely in teres ted in the b ounder h is charge, he w i l l have the power of removing obstRcles to

t he i r :progress. He wil l be a.ble to show the :routh tha.t Etll else i

secondary, even spor ts and a good t ime. By h is earnes t endeavor h

:be t:tble to help them a t t a in a mean in t he i r use of spor ts and

hobbies. He wil l m&.ke study Etn enthra l Ling pursu i t which wil l be

r:1ore e. game than a labor because he wi l l persua.de the ooys the.t th

pursu i t of knowledge i s a re.ce and only the one who runs fas t a.nd

s tre . ight wil l reach the f in i sh l ine .

Right from the beginning the teacher wil l point out the

va.rious steps of the progression. Lest the boy should study

bl indly and incompetently, the teacher wi l l endeavor to show him

the purpose of the complete progression e.nd the purpose of ee.ch

indiv i1ual step as well . He wil l need to explain why the i n i t i a l



82

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



8J

to these dif f icul t ies in his direct ion of the boy. In thia way he

wil l secure close int imate contact , end wil l be able to afford ~ u c

grea.ter help to ea.ch youth. 1'he teacher wil l thus be r.ble to e:;ive

pc!_equete and careful pdvice in rege.rd to the ve.rious stages in the

boy 1 s t r ~ : t i n i n g . He w-ill be able to 2;uide a.nd leerl his pupil , to

regulate e.nd control his energy, and to play e. moet important per t

in the in te l lec tual formation of the boy. Much of the success of

the intel lecte. l development of the boy in Quintilia.n' s system of

educetion rests on the shoulders of the teacher. A perfect teache

can insure the process prGducing pGrfect orators . A poor teacher

wil l undoubtedly have the effect of producing in fer ior orators .

In the formation of the boy's character, as well as in the

formEttion of his mtnd, the teAcher he.s to pls.y a. :Jest important

role . At th is stage of the i r l ives during the period of

progressive education the boys e.re very plit=:b+e. They ere on the

verge of manhood and ere looking forwBrd to the i r s ta t ion in l i fe .

I f they become convinced that only e good men can be B rea l succes

in l i f e , they wil l s t r ive with a l l tbe i r effor t s to become good me

I t is up to the teacher to help give them th is assurance. By his

teeching and personA.l exe.mple he must show them the.t goodness i s a.

prerequis i te for complete success in the l i fe of any great men.

The teacher cannot achieve thia in a day or a week or a year, but

the over-al l to ta l of days and weeks and years wil l make the

impression that is most needed in thea e young l ives . From the



84.

very beginning the teacher must handle the boys with respect and love. If he

loves them end is able to show his affection in the proper way, then they in

turn will love him. He must win their. earnest and whole-hearted love in

order to influence and guide them. The teacher 's example in and out of the

classroom will mean a great deal in the development of the boy's character.

He is a sample of a class of good men who have made a success in l i fe . If his

own l i fe proves that men have to be good in order to succeed ful ly, his

students will take his example as their own norm.

By being observant, as well as always being near whon needed, the teacher

will be able to help the individual boys when they most require help. By

noticing their reactions and moods he will sense their being in trouble and

will be present to strengthen and help them. He will give his pupils the

impression that they do not stand alone in their diff icul t ies, but that there

are two of them f&cing the difficulty because the problem of each boy is the

teacher 's own problem. In this close observation, too, the teacher will

perceive how their personalities differ and what virtues each one needs most.

For one i t will be strength of will , for another meekness, and for s t i l l

another more confidence. I t will be up to the teacher then to help each one

acquire exactly what he needs.

He will therefore adapt his assitance to the individual, and will not

endeavor to turn out the whole class of boys as the same in every moral

respect. They will all be firm in all the ~ i r t u e s ,



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

Qulnt i l lan , M.F., Ins t i tu t io Orator ia , ~ . F . Putnem's Sons,New York, 1920, 4 vols . , Books I , I I a.nd XII.

Secondary Sources

Butler , F.A. , The Improvement of Teaching in SecoDdary Schools,The Univers i ty of ChicEtgo Press , Chice.go, 1939.

Dewey, J . , In te res t lmd Effor t in EducPtion, Houghton l>'lifflin Co.

Boston, 1913.Duff, J . W. , A Li tere.ry Hi etor;r of Rome in the Si lver Age,

Charles Scribnerfs Sons, New York, 1931.

Hutchins, R.H., No Friendly Voice, The Univers i ty of Chicago PresChicago, 1936.

Koch, s. J . , J . R., Quint i l ian and the Ra.tio Studiorum, Loyola.

thes is , 1939.

Saucier , W.A., Introduct ion to 1-lodern Views of Education, Ginn anCompe.ny, Boston, 1937.

Smail, VI. M. , Q.uinti l ian on Education, Oxford e.t the Ola.rendonPress, 1938. -

Per iodicals

Gwynn, A ., 11 Quinti l ie .n, Spe.nie.rd and Spokesman fo r the a.ncientClass ica l culture 1 , The Clas sice.l Bul le t in , 14, (1937)9-10.

Jones, W. H. s., "Quintilie>n, PJutarch, e.nd the Ee.rly Humanists",The Class ica l Review, 21 (1907), 33-43.

Le.ing, G.J . , 11 Q,uinti l ian, the Schoolmaster ," The Class ica l

Journal , 15 (1920), 515-534.

the role of the teacher in quintilian

Documents