16 MARCH 1901, Page 22

The Modern Language Quarterly, edited by H. Frank Heath, Vol.

III., Part 3 (D. Nutt, 2s. 6d. net.), contains an interesting account of the annual general meeting of the Modern Language Association, held on January 3rd and 4th, 1901, at Liverpool. The meeting was opened with an excellent address from the President, Dr. Garnett. In the discussions that followed various important questions were handled. One proposition made was that one modern language should be made a compulsory subject in every matriculation or preliminary examination. An amend- ment was moved that the modern language should be an alterna- tive (practically to Greek). This was carried. It would have been injudicious, as Professor Skeet in moving the amendment pointed out, to increase the burden of the entrance examinations. There are some facts, however, that make for substituting a modern for a classical language. To dethrone Latin in favour of French seems shocking. Yet the average results of teaching in Latin are deplorably small. But" the matter hangs."