Arcadius Avellanus
Encyclopedia
Arcadius Avellanus, born Mogyoróssy Arkád (6 February 1851 – 16 June 1935) was a Hungarian American
scholar of Latin
and a proponent of Living Latin
Mogyoróssy was born in Esztergom
. Few details of his life in Europe are known with certainty; he is said to have spoken Latin as a child before he was fluent in Hungarian
. He studied extensively in Europe and used Latin whenever possible, in preference to any other language. He emigrated to the United States
in 1878, where he adopted a Latin translation of his original name; the common hazel
is "mogyoró" in Hungarian and Corylus avellana in Latin.
Avellanus edited the Praeco Latinus ("Latin Herald") in Philadelphia from 1894 to 1902. He later taught at a number of second- and third-level institutions, becoming a professor
at St. John's College in Brooklyn
. He founded a Latin-speaking club known as the Societas Gentium Latina, Inc. On his eightieth birthday the club held a dinner in his honor in one of the Hungarian restaurants where he gathered nightly with friends with whom he could converse in Latin.
Avellanus advocated Latin as an international auxiliary language
, deriding Esperanto
as "Desperanto".
He also edited, with commentary, an edition of Corderius
' Colloquia.
He made translations into Latin of popular fiction, published by Ezra Parmalee Prentice as Mount Hope Classics. Charles H. Forbes of Phillips Academy
criticized the language used as not faithful to that of the classical authors. However, Avellanus was a major proponent of breaking free of classical Latin models. In response, he defended his post-classical Latinity and criticized the rationale of classicists, many of whom he despised:
Translation:
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.-History:...
scholar of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and a proponent of Living Latin
Mogyoróssy was born in Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
. Few details of his life in Europe are known with certainty; he is said to have spoken Latin as a child before he was fluent in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. He studied extensively in Europe and used Latin whenever possible, in preference to any other language. He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1878, where he adopted a Latin translation of his original name; the common hazel
Corylus avellana
Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...
is "mogyoró" in Hungarian and Corylus avellana in Latin.
Avellanus edited the Praeco Latinus ("Latin Herald") in Philadelphia from 1894 to 1902. He later taught at a number of second- and third-level institutions, becoming a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at St. John's College in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He founded a Latin-speaking club known as the Societas Gentium Latina, Inc. On his eightieth birthday the club held a dinner in his honor in one of the Hungarian restaurants where he gathered nightly with friends with whom he could converse in Latin.
Avellanus advocated Latin as an international auxiliary language
International auxiliary language
An international auxiliary language or interlanguage is a language meant for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language...
, deriding Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
as "Desperanto".
Publications
His "Tusculum" system for learning spoken Latin was described in several editions:- Tusculum; folia latina menstrua ad disciplinam linguae latinae viva voce tradendam. (published serially in Philadelphia, 1893–6)
- Palaestra, being the primer of the Tusculan system of learning, and of teaching Latin to speak; for class use and for self-instruction: (3rd edition, Philadelphia, 1908)
- Arena palaestrarum (pars prior 1893; pars secunda 1900)
- Fabulae tusculanae, ad suppeditandam praeceptoribus studiosisque materiam latinum sermonem vivae vocis adminiculo docendi et discendi. (first edition New York 1913; second edition Brooklyn 1928), a student reader
He also edited, with commentary, an edition of Corderius
Corderius
Corderius is the Latinized form of name used by Mathurin Cordier. Mathurin Cordeir, was probably born in 1479, died the 8th of september of 1564, was a theologian, teacher, humanist, and pedagogian from Lausanne , of French origin...
' Colloquia.
He made translations into Latin of popular fiction, published by Ezra Parmalee Prentice as Mount Hope Classics. Charles H. Forbes of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
criticized the language used as not faithful to that of the classical authors. However, Avellanus was a major proponent of breaking free of classical Latin models. In response, he defended his post-classical Latinity and criticized the rationale of classicists, many of whom he despised:
Monebat Dr. Avellanus unum ex eiusmodi critica (sic) constare, praeceptores nostros nunquam antea librum Latinum vidisse praeter textus sibi ad tractandum praepositos. Nam si omnis liber qui a stylo Ciceronis differret, reiciendus esset, praeter quattuor primores auctores Romanos tota litteratura Latina binum millium annorum flammis esset abolenda: proinde patres Ecclesiae, Scholastici, Biblia Latina, omnia Chronica Monastica, opera Erasmi, Lutheri, Calvini, Philippi Melanchthonis, Capnionis, Hugonis Grotii, Baconum, omnium philologorum, physicorum, astronomorum, uno verbo, omnia opera Latina, omnes bibliothecae esset comburenda. Nemo nisi insaniat, critico eiusmodi adstipulabitur.
Translation:
Dr. Avellanus was warning that he [Forbes] was one critic of this manner: our teachers who had never before seen a book in Latin except for those texts that they had been assigned to discuss. For if every book must be rejected that differs from the style of CiceroCiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, the entire body of Latin literature of the last two thousand years, except for the first four Roman authors, must be tossed into the fire; moreover, those Church FathersChurch FathersThe Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, ScholasticsScholasticismScholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
, the Latin BibleVulgateThe Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
, all Monk ChroniclesChronicleGenerally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
, the works of Erasmus, LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, CalvinJohn CalvinJohn Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, Philipp MelanchthonPhilipp MelanchthonPhilipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
, CapnionJohann ReuchlinJohann Reuchlin was a German humanist and a scholar of Greek and Hebrew. For much of his life, he was the real centre of all Greek and Hebrew teaching in Germany.-Early life:...
, Hugo GrotiusHugo GrotiusHugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
, BaconFrancis BaconFrancis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, the works of all philologistsPhilologyPhilology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
s, astronomerAstronomerAn astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s, in one word, the whole body of Latin literatureLatin literatureLatin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings of the ancient Romans. In many ways, it seems to be a continuation of Greek literature, using many of the same forms...
--all libraries--must be burned. Nobody, unless he's insane, will support this kind of critic.
| Latin title | Year | Vol. | Translation of | Original author(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pericla Nauarchi Magonis | 1914 | 1 | The Adventures of Captain Mago | David Léon Cahun David Léon Cahun David Léon Cahun was a French traveler, Orientalist and writer.-Life:Cahun's family, who came originally from Lorraine, destined him for a military career. However, owing to family affairs he was compelled to relinquish this, and he devoted himself to geographical and historical studies... |
| Mons Spes, et novellae aliae | 1914 | 2 | Mount-Hope, The King of the Golden River The King of the Golden River The King of the Golden River or The Black Brothers: A Legend of Stiria by John Ruskin was originally written in 1841 for the twelve-year-old Effie Gray, whom Ruskin later married. It was published in book form in 1851, and became an early Victorian classic which sold out three editions... , The Necklace The Necklace The Necklace or The Diamond Necklace is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1884 in the French newspaper Le Gaulois. The story has become one of Maupassant's popular works and is well known for its ending. It is also the inspiration for Henry James's short story, "Paste"... , The House and the Brain, The Sire de Maletroit's Door, [Svppe tiarivm mergvlarvm] |
E. P. Prentice, John Ruskin John Ruskin John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political... , Guy de Maupassant Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents.... , Edward Bulwer Lytton, Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.... , E. P. Prentice |
| Mysterium Arcae Boulé | 1916 | 3 | The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet | Burton Egbert Stevenson Burton Egbert Stevenson Burton Egbert Stevenson was an American author, anthologist, and librarian. He was born at Chillicothe, Ohio on 9 November 1872, and attended Princeton University 1890–1893. He married Elizabeth Shepard Butler in 1895... |
| Fabulae Divales | 1918 | 4 | The Rose Fairy Book (and an adaptation of "Cupid and Psyche Cupid and Psyche Cupid and Psyche , is a legend that first appeared as a digressionary story told by an old woman in Lucius Apuleius' novel, The Golden Ass, written in the 2nd century CE. Apuleius likely used an earlier tale as the basis for his story, modifying it to suit the thematic needs of his novel.It has... " from the The Golden Ass The Golden Ass The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, which St. Augustine referred to as The Golden Ass , is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety.... ) |
"Mrs Herbert Strang Herbert Strang Herbert Strang was the pseudonym of two English authors, George Herbert Ely and Charles James L'Estrange . They specialized in writing adventure stories for boys.... " (and Apuleius Apuleius Apuleius was a Latin prose writer. He was a Berber, from Madaurus . He studied Platonist philosophy in Athens; travelled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt; and was an initiate in several cults or mysteries. The most famous incident in his life was when he was accused of using magic to gain the... ) |
| Insula Thesauraria | 1922 | 5 | Treasure Island Treasure Island Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the... |
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.... |
| Vita discriminaque Robinsonis Crusoei | 1928 | 6–7 | Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and... |
Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,... |