d Lacedaemon, the scene in Calypso's
cave, the building of the raft, the arrival of Odysseus among the
Phaeacians, his account of his own adventures, his return to Ithaca,
the slaying of the wooers, etc.; also the characters of the poem,
their individual experiences and behavior in various circumstances,
and the ideas which they express, comparing these characters and ideas
with those of modern times. In dealing with the drama, the students
would study the composition of each play, present its plot in
narrative form, and criticize it from the dramatic as well as from the
literary standpoint; they would discuss the characters and situations,
and the ideas embodied in each.[84] In dealing with Thucydides they
would discuss the plan of his book and the artistic elements in its
composition; also the critical standards of the author, his methods,
his objectivity, and his personal bias. They would study the debates
in which the arguments on both sides of great issues are presented,
expressing their own opinions on the questions involved. They would
study the great descriptions, such as the account of the siege of
Plataea, the plague at Athens, the last fight in the harbor of
Syracuse, making a summary in their own language of the most essential
or effective details. Lastly they would discuss such figures as
Pericles, Nicias and Alcibiades, Archidamus, Brasidas and Hermocrates,
their characters, principles, and motives. In dealing with Plato they
would study the character of Socrates and those ideas contained in the
Platonic dialogues which can be most readily comprehended by college
students.

=Classical studies not confined to the ancient authors=

The study of "The Classics" is not properly confined to the Greek and
Latin literatures: it includes the military, political, social, and
economic history of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their institutions,
their religion, morals, philosophy, science, art, and private life.
The geography and topography of ancient lands, anthropology and
ethnology, archaeology and epigraphy contribute to its material. It is
not necessary that all these subjects be taught by members of a
classical department. In particular it is the common practice in this
country to relegate the study of ancient philosophy to the Department
of Philosophy, whereas in England and on the Continent such
distinctions between departments are not recognized. But certainly
these branches of the study of the classical c