The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-10-03
Writing "Compositions."

IHAvR lately received letter which il would
be well every teacher and parent in the land
should read. AS shall not betray the name or
residence Of the distressed young writer Of
whom have no knowledge except what is COM
manicated BY herletter, and as it may call atten-
ton to the last-dropin nthe-bucSet misery, in
feted upon children already sufficiently over
tasked, who are required 10 furnish ideas upon
a given subject which it is utterly impossible
their young minds should grasp, ! shall make no
apology for transcgibing it verbatim; calling
particular attention to the italicised passages.
DEAR AuNT FASSY You have said you are
Auntie to all poor girls in distress. am in dis
tress, If ever Anybody was and know that you
will be kind to me. Let me tell you aboutit |
am expected TO graduate IN about two weeks but
Ihave no ssay 10 read, and if | don't have one l
can't graduate / weuld not care so much for
that myself but my father would be so disap-
pointed aud be has made so many sacrifices to
keep me at school, that | can't disappont him.
Oh | have worked so hard TO keep up with my
class, for I am obliged to be absent so much,
and now if | can't 80 through, IshdH die, IkRoie.
am not afraid Of passing examination for
know I can do that successfully, but | never
could write any kind of "a decent composition
and now il seems as though it was worse than
ever, for hare tried for Tour months TO ur!ts
one, but Tam further OF from 10 than erer |
know that you will think me very, very dull, and
| suppose ] am; but oh! Aunt Fanny, do, do
pity me Please, please write me one to read
you can do it in a very short tine. know th>t
il is very great favor to ask Of YOU and should
not dare to do it, but oh . am almost crazy, and
fl,k.s .tfss oF,A
help me. Ipray every night that God will help
me- and | think lie put it into my heart to write
to you about it, have tried everything Oh,
dear, | can't write on anything at all. hare
eat up all night, but Tam as duU as erer. and I
dream about 10 giea I 90 10 sleep. Oh Aunt
Fanny, do. do pity me, and write for me. will
do anything in this wide world for you. Oh,
please, do; will never forget you. You can do
ANYTHING almost; | will bless you forever. Oh,
7 shall die fIdon't Aaee one! Do right me
line, anyway, and direct TO -, -. Excuse
me for writing so, but am nearly desperate.
Oh, for tie lore of' Col, d write me one IN tie0
reels, or at most hresl dare not even read
over what | have written to you Oh Aunt
Fanny, don'trefuSe me"
A better comment than this touching letter,
upon the present forcing, hot-house system of
education even should not desire. Think Of
this yoany girl, g)llel to the very verge Of in
sanity by those who should know that they are
Debating the very object they are trying to at
tain By forcing the young mind to string togeth-
or to ORDER and by the page, words without
ideas. In my opinioa tAis composition" bus
mess is the greatest possible nonsense. be-
lcve it 10 be the blperIl root Of the inflated style
of writing SO prevalent. Ibalio7a that there are
exercises in English which would serve the pur-
pose, millioas Of times b,stor, without driving
pupils md, AMI without oT3ring them prem-
um for d,ccit in passing OF as their own the
thoughts of Others. Not long since received
letter from the principals Of school, enclosing
"a com1ostion' to which "a prize" had just
been awarded, and which some person present
at the reading had detected as stolen from one Of
my books with request that would look it
over and pronounce upon The same. found it
word for word as hal written it in my book
Perhaps the moral effect Of this system may be
worth inquiring into even bythosc who seem to
be utterly insensblc to the wrctchej spectacle
of young head tossing feverishly, night after
night, on the pillow, under the brooding night
mare of an unwrittch composition" Let care
less parents, who arc quite as much to blame as
teachers, give this subject thought
FAgyY FERN