Pagina:MAXEY, Mima; FAY, Marjorie - A New Latin Primer (1933).pdf/11

THE AUTHORS’ FOREWORD TO THE PUPILS

Attendite, discipulī! Our age has been called the “age of invention.” When we think of the wonderful part that modern inventions play in our lives, we are sure that the name is a good one. More important, however, than any two of these modern inventions that you can choose are two very old inventions, the invention of speech and the invention of writing. Today we find many languages that have grown out of that original invention of speech which are very different from each other. When we read a language other than our own, then, we are dealing with the expression of people who are different fronm us, and we are really looking into their minds. When we do this it is a real adventure, for, you know, a person's mind is the most interesting thing about him. When the people whose language we read is one that was at the height of its power almost two thousand years ago, the adventure is even greater. These Latin lessons are to start you out on that intellectual adventure. We hope that it will be one that you will enjoy. Valēte, discipulī.