New-York daily tribune., 1857-08-25

strong complsints while the letters upon the sub
| ject which come to US from the West are Of the
same tenor Thus q friend in Illinois sends MS
word that in the South and West, during the last
| twenty years he has had under his direction q
great number of teachers has scrutinized the quail
fcations Of hundreds Of others, aud found hardly
one fit for the profession. He has pursued sensi-
bic cOurse and has resoutey insisted that instruct
ors under bis management should study as well as
teach. In doing this be has discovered that those
Of the greatest merit and who were naturally fitted
for usefulness in their profession, were the least
impatient Of suggestion and the least sensitive to
correction. 1t is the teacher who is not only igro
rant but unwilling to make the eXertions necessary
to supply bis or her deficiencies, who whines the
mos, paintivey or flies into the greatest passion at
expo,ure. II is the teacher who is most conscious
Of deserving rebuke, who cries out the most pitt
fully that he has been slandered. Under such
painful circumstances, instead of writing bad En-
glish to the newspapers, it would be great deal
wiser to e1pend little money in the purchase Of
Webster's Spelling Book and Murray's Grammar,
and little time in the study Of those venerable
volumes.
As the result Of his long experience our friend
in Illinois also declares that very few collegebred
men can spell decently, or construct English SEN
teDces accurately. This is one Of the complaints
made by in the very beginning of the controversy,
and it is perhaps the very one which has been re-
ceived with the least equanimity. It was con-
sdered really intolerabe to hint that one might
A ftar b.r
knowledge Of Latin and Greek and Mathematic,,
and yet be absolutely unable to write and spell his
own language correctly. And yet it is not difficult
TO account for this deficiency. In too many of our
universities those branches Of learning are most
esteemed which have not living utility, but dead
rspectability. In what college, we should like to
know, does the attention paid to the study Of the
English language bear anything like decent pro-
portion to that given to the cultivation of the
ca,sics, as they are absurdy called, just as if
Milton and Addison were not as classical as Homer
or Horace What position does the Professor of
Rhetoric occupy in the Faculty How many
such Professors are fit for their places Who
does not know many such the merest addle-beaded
pedants, who year after year give out such exciting
themes to their classes as "Duice Ct deeorum est
"pro pdtria mori, and who annually inform won.
deIipg freshmen that the first sentence Of an essay
should be short The country is searched for ablo
Professors of Latin and Greek, but almost anybody
is thought fit to be Professor of English. The
consequence is that students who learn to write
our beautiful language with power and elegance do
90 after they have left the encrcliDs arms Of Alma
Mater, Rave been knocked about little in the
world and have discovered the difference between
the ornamental ard the useful.
Let US give few specimens Of college English,
to prove that We have not been speaking too harsh
ly. Recently, the academic tranquility Of Knox
College, ILL.,, has been most seriously disturbed.
The learned Faculty have been al 'p;g 'Theads
shout something or other-no matter about what
Among those who took an active part in this con-
test was certain G.. W. Gale, who until recently
instilled into the tender minds of the youth fire.
quenting Knox knowledge of what is called Mo-
raj Philosophy. This sage had occasion to write a
letter to The Independent, which the remOrseess
conductor Of that newspaper had the cruelty to
print, as We did Hazeltines, rerJGtim It Hteratim.
From this, copy Of which is before us, it appears
thatthis Moral Philosopher, however profound may
be bis scientific requirements, which, without
doubt, equal those Of Paley and Wayland together,
spells in way which would keep him "a perma-
nence" at the foot of the lowest class in infant
,chool. Here are q few specimens of the Profes-
s0rs orthogsphy:
VULGAR METHOD. GALE METHOD.
vacations. vacasions.
formally. formerly.
volunteered volunteered.
apologies. apologies.
comuittee committs.
recommending. recommending.
professor. professor.
courteous courteous.
salay salery.
Moreover, Mr. Gale does not seem to have the
slightest idea Of the uses Of those little points
{. y, sometimes employed by correct writers.
We take it for granted that man who cannot
spell "sslary" ought not to receive one at any
rate The managers of Knox College seem to
have thought so Gale is an ex.professor, and no
longer teaches Moral Philosophy in that seat Of
learning. We hope it will not be thought neces-
sary to make him Professor Of Rhetoric as com.
peusaton for the loss Of his "sslery."
We own that, at Grst, we had the smell of sus-
picion. We were very chary Of it, and only just
breahed it to our particular friends. 1t did occur
to that the person who writes amateur editorials
in The Richmond Enqursr-the knight who called
out to saltpeter ordeal Mr. Pryor of The South
the "-," in fact, whose ixeognito Mr.. Pryor
20 cbivslrousy promised to preserve, might be
Gov. Wise. Those who are versed in the curiosi
ties of political lore will assuredly pardon our specu
lations, ard those who have watched the career
the acrobatc career if We may cay So Of the oyster