Today I started a mystery novel from the 1920s. Not highbrow at all (Austin Freeman). In the first 5 pages, there are two Latin phrases, a French one, and references to Hippocrates, Solon, and the Bible

The standard of literacy was higher in the past https://t.co/uKhVlHBS0T

— Kayla (@caryatis) September 1, 2025

I was reading a philosophy book from the 1920s fairly recently. There were (untranslated) phrases in Ancient Greek, Latin, French and German. I could read all but the Ancient Greek of course, but that many languages is gonna be a big lift for nearly all modern people.

Fewer people were literate then, but the standards certainly were much higher.