New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-08-31

TAKE CARE OF Your GRAMMAR.-It was the saying
Of shrewd critic-and our own experience confirms
its truth-that few men can write page of matter
entirely free from grammatical errors. In fact, the
printed works of the best writers in the language
even when the proofs have been read by the authors
themselves, abound in such mistakes. A late critic
has amused himself by collecting examples of this
character from Burke, Hallan, Macaulay, Junius
of his samples will show how true the saying is that
" even Homer nods.' Burke, in one of his noblest
passages, writes the more accurate we Search the
stronger traces we find of his wisdom ,uho made it "
when he should have written, of the wisdom of
him ,pho made it," Macaulay, who, when reviewing,
tears an author to pieces for an error in grammar
perpetrates the following In depressed state, if
less than a million of tuns produced" Gibbon
,vere conspicuous. Even Blair, who thought himself
critic among critics, and was considered at time
the very pink OF accuracy, wrote: how far each
Of the three great epic poets haze distinguished
hemseluesn
An ordinary writer, after this, may "take heart Of
grace if he finds he has tripped in his grammar.
Especially may newspaper writers do this, for they
are generally compelled to compose on the spur Of
the moment usually write hand that is hardly legi
be and rarely enjoy the advantage OF correcting the
proofs OF their articles. Frequently journalist is
made by the printer to speak sheer nonsense though
captious public in laughing at his errors scarcely
ever takes this into consideration. In spite of the
haste with which he writes the editor bunders less
jority of cases, to blame not him but the printer
Editors, however, make as few Mistakes probably as
other writers, for custom will enable man, if he
commences his career Alright, to compose with aver
age accuracy even if he is in hurry. Every orcible
correct writer has acquired his or her proficiency
by extreme care at first. Literary beginners should
initiate this example, whether they desire to become
editors not careless habit Of writing once &C.
quired, ruins style and grammar alike. To quote the
old proverb Gas the twig is bent the tree is Inclined
We often hear writers censured, in conversation
with no little fippancy, for grammatical errors. Yet
where one writer confounds singular with plural,
dozen takers do it, and the fault finders the oftenes
In nothing is reform needed than in the gram
| mar of every day speeches. The best educated men
and women continually perpetrate bunders, the habit
of which they acquired in childhood and have never
shaken Off Persons having less book-learning, but
who are still cultivated, often in animated cooquy
let slip such enormities as have saw or seen,
| relics Of their infant days, when ignorant nurses
! talked to them in happy oblivion Of grammar. On
the stump, at the bar, even in the pulpit errors in
grammar are frequent Everybody as to this matter
lives in gasshouse; and he is prudent, therefore
who declines throwing stones. Wise men, instead OF
carpng at others Mistakes try to correct their owr
deficiencies. 1t is thousand times easier to pick
flaw in great writer's grammar than it is to rya
his logic his Imagination, or his stye fact which
if oftener remembered, would close the lips of the
word critic, the smallest Of all small dabbler in htera
ture. philadelphia Ledger.