The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-04-21
AUCATIDXA COLUAHX.
From the r. I. schoolmaster.
MisnONners or, Language the
Medium Of Concealins our
Tho Yehts.
BXJ. T. EDWARDS.

L tf.t VI
/ r4. O., BHJ. r. EDWARDS.
Nothing is more certain than thA,. accu-
racy Of expression frequently depends, upon
distipctness Of ideas perhaps correctness of
ideas as often depends upon accuracy of ex.
preston. s.e#e ss q
It is nonsense to say. "Never mind about
the words 80 that you give the sense.' The
two are inseparable. Their relation is such
that fault in the one necessitates defect
Fir, the other. - ' '" pr r..
Nest of the errors Of mankind have been
lcrystallized into speech, and soms Of these
farms have been preserved and yet deceive
us BY symboliziag that which vas long
since pr,ven to be false. Hence nice at
tention to, words Is most important, especial.
" to those who concern themselves with the
development Of mind or tho embodiment Of
thought. A @al
1t has been well said They who feel
an inward call to teach should deem it an
| important part Of their duty to draw out the
latent stores Of thought which are already
in their native language, to, purify it from
the corruption which time brings upon all
things, and from which language has no, ey-
emption; and to endeavor to give distinct
ness and precision to whatever in j, is con-
fused, or dimly seem" s T., .sa, 81. I'd
The rage for slang and hyberbolical ex.
preston, Characteristic Of our people, il too
apt to give false colpuring to truth, and
sometimes makes that which,is false appear
ITO bertrue.. 1er ras oa
Time was when the wills, opinions and
consciences of men were held in bondage,
but the shackles were broken, mind became
free, and with this liberty came the olsen
tLEAllmert of speech; but liberty abused be-
comes license, and it is . question whether
the spirit of freedom which .animates our
youth has not infused q certain contempt
for the established forms and usages of Ian
guage II is certain that the careless. i'm
proper and ex.ravagant mode Of speaking in
vogue does not tend to the elevation of ou.
colloauial powers or the Improvement of our
manners. The magnificent r. Sublime -
perfectly beautiful r. style of adjective is IN
such demand, that plain, unpretending
word is seldom used in describing the most
ordinary phenomena.
While the general tendency of this is to
produce distorted views of things, it not un :.
frequently by its very intenseness fails to
give the meaning intended. That hich is
simply picturesque, becomes the "most beau
tiful landscape ever scenr'
This practice. so contrary to correct taste,
is pot attended by so many evils as that of
using words and phrases which, under the
guise of truth, present to US falsehood.-
Language has been called t.fossil poetry,'-
and very properly so. as it frequently con-
tains some UNUSUAL metaphors, thoughts or
shades Of meaning which do not appear up
on the surface. But as the geologist some
times mistakes concretion for . petrifac-
ton. aud ,magines it to be the representa-
tive Of vitality 50 We are constantly using
forms Of expression which do not and never
did contain verify.
/ 1t has been quantity said that "language
is the vehicle Of thought" and it might be
added. that the carriage frequently goes out
empty. Were this all, however. itwould
not be so bad, but as hollow ssones are usu.
ally flled With toads and spiders, so these
have become the abodes of subtle errors. It
was the boast Of sophists. that they could
prove ordisnroye any question which might
he presented to them, and modern discus
sions are sbundantiy illustrative of the fact
th,t TO theory, right or wrong, which has
been invented has long lacked a garment in
which to appear, Fsr f,s.f. -
The writer Of this short article doas not
propose to relieve Father Atlas. or hope to
change single expression to which allusion
will be made. Promising. however, this
much, that "words' are ",he signs of ideas"
| is it not the duty Of every teacher especially,
to use only appropriate symbols, and care
fully AVOID those which contain an error p
Yet how csnstaptly is this rule violated
Walking out in the morning, a child asks
us why the flowers look so fresh. We an.
swer, "The dew has fallen upon them ~ and
as the little fell,w looks upon the glittering
drops, he receives an idea which it will re-
lquire whole course Of Natural Philosophy
to eradicate. Every generation has this les.
son to unlearn., Children are wonderfully
Truthful. and when you speak Of "fal!ing
dew" they understand you to mean just
what you say. Why not have some express.
sion which would not convey the false idea
that dew falls. s
| In the evea ing we 20 out to view the Ar
mament. The little folks go with us. A
meteor shoots athwart the sky. .What is
thatl" cries one. In our wisdom, we an
swer, "A shooting star !" and now they set
lie in their minds As fact, that stars can
leave their places and 6y aboqt like rockets.
Henceforth THIS is knowledge to them until
they study Astronomy. ho
Your little son goes after trout. catches q
number. and you compliment him by say
ing. "You have been very fortunate,' or
''lucky," thus giving him . fine lesson in
Moral Science.
The indian calls the death. dealing rum,
"9re.water :, the Frenchman, "eau ds pis, y
water OF life. r<it