The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-11-22
writing Compositions.

This exercise Is the dread and aver
sion of many pupils ut school; they
drag themselves up to 1t by sheer force
of will, go through 1t with an utter
want OF self-conhdence, and lay 1t aside
when completed with feelings Of dis
gust. They arc alert enough at the
purely mechanical part Of the work;
they procure pen and paper and mr.
range them irreproachably, perhaps
even select q subject and write a cap
tlOn at the top Of the sheet in fair
running hand, but then comes the tug
OF war. Such frowning and muttering,
such blotting and erasing, such nibbling
of quills and scratching Of added
heads, are painful to witness and must
bo agonizing to undergo. In win do
friends and teachers urge, rebuke and
encourage. The disheartened pupil ex-
claims, ~ am always ashamed Of what
l write. l never wrote anything that
was worth reading, and / know IneYGr
can. It's of no use to try" s8
Now the striking fact is that, to a
great extent at least the child Is right.
He is asked not merely to construct
sentences but to furnish thoughts, and
that, too, upon some abstract subject
In which he feels no interest and about
which he has no thoughts except those
which everybody has. To get up II
good essay from such material Ia an
impossibility, Neither boy nor man
living Is equal to the task. 1t Is true
that an easy flow OF words which con-
vey no thought worth mentioning can
be acquired by those who have q special
Rift that way, as every editors waste
basket can testify; but the gift Is n
thankless one, and leads to great waste
Of time and stationery and OF tho pa-
thence Of one or more readers, aS the
case may be- Our school boy Is asked
to do what ought never to be done.
HI Is asked TO make an effort to say
something where he really has nothing
TO saw, II he succeeds he has got up
an empty thing and set a baneful ex-
ample; he has generally the good sense
to be conscious that he has failed.
The mistake Is simple one and easi-
" corrected. The only use OF words
from pen or tongue Is TO express ideas
already existing, 10 introduce the
stranger who stands waiting, eager TO
mako your acquaintance. Would you
have the child go through the ceremony
OF introduction when there is nobody
there? Would you teach him the worth
less trick Of using words 10 disguise his
want of meaning? What he needs 10
learn is the art Of putting the thoughts
hO has on hand into clear, correct Eng
llsh, an art which everybody needs; not
TO start new trains OF thought, which
few people have occasion to do at any
age, and still fewer, perhaps, the pow
or. Let the schOOlbOy first put in his
own words some statement with which
he Is familiar; let him find the clothing
for the fact, as his sister dresses her
doll. When he has had some practice
in fitting word-drapery, give him, nota
bit Of news or history, but some subject
Of which his mind Is full. Stop him
when he Is enlarging volubly on some
exciting topic, and say, "Now write
this down instead OF speaking It," He
may hEve some difficulty in performs
ing the task, but IL will be In handling
real materials, not In searching for
those that have no existence. ewill
not wholly fail, and whenever he sue
ceeds no will have done something
which he will often have occasion to do
in after life. ..