Page:Sarolea - Great Russia.djvu/151

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THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
135

humanities. Pedants continue to wrangle whether they should preserve Latin or Greek or both in the education of the young. I am convinced that the near future will force upon us an unexpected solution of the "Battle of Tongues." Although to the pedagogue of to-day it may appear as the wildest of visions, I confidently prophesy that before the schoolboy of to-day will have attained to mature age, the study of Russian will take the place of Greek in the schools of Europe; the study of Vladimir Soloviov[1] will take the place of his master Plato; Karamzin and Pushkin will replace Livy and Virgil. Before the first half of the century has run its course, Slav culture will at last come into its inheritance, and will take its revenge for the unjust neglect of the West.

  1. A complete English version of "War, Progress and the End of History," Soloviov's best known work, has just been published by Alfred A. Knopf.