Latin letters should flourish

De defensione mea:

Etiam atque etiam rogatus sum quid in lingua Latina litterae meae scriptae sint. Esse adrogans, gloriosus, et insolens cogitatus sum, nam propter quam aliam rem lingua mortua aliquis scribat nisi ut se extollat? Haec esse dicetur exercitatio inanis quae facta est solum alios permovere. De defensione mea, me explico.
Incipiam his — Lingua Latina docta est sicut lingua, sed solum lecta, raro scripta, et numquam dicta. Ergo, Latinam scribo ut mea comprensio confirmetur. Non scribo ut alii permoveantur, aut ex genere masturbantis ingenii — pro intellecto meo scribo, pro spe sectatorum exemplum publico.
Detrectatorum meorum plurimi postulant Latinam mortuam esse, sed cum ea in vitas nostras diurnas advenit, et qua modus significationis estimata, velut mortua dimitti non potest.
Denique, alii quoque commentarios in Latina mitteant. Videre volo linguam vigentem, usu crescentem, vocem notionibus novis dantem, non semper oribus mortuis clausis labiisque inlaqueatam.

In my defense:

Again and again I have been asked why my letter was written in Latin. I have been thought to be arrogant, pretentious and haughty, after all, why else would anybody write in a dead language unless to glorify themselves? This is said to be a vain exercise which is fashioned only to impress others. In my defense, I explain myself.
To begin with, Latin is taught as a language, but it is only read, rarely written and never spoken. Therefore, I write Latin to strengthen my own knowledge. I do not write to impress others, or out of a sense of intellectual masturbation — I write for my understanding, out of a hope for followers, I publish my example. Most of my detractors claim Latin is dead, but when it comes into our daily lives, and is understood as a method of expression, it will not be able to be dismissed as “dead.”
Finally, other people should submit commentary in Latin. I want to see the language flourish, thrive with use, give voice to new ideas, not trapped always within dead mouths and closed lips.

—Maxwell Teitel-Paule
College first-year