The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-05

| n,e,ic II advocates the universal adoption OF
the metric system, and gives brief history
Of the same. The report goes to the unrc's'
sonabe length of recommending that chill
| dren be taught to laugh at the English
| American, and other systems as "oia-ios.
| relics Of barbarisia." We are not going 10
| enter into defence of these systems, nor 70
| decry the metric; but we may say iiat 'i''
difficulties which lie in the way OF the aaol'-
ton of the latter make the committee "u-
vice aDpcar premature, if not visionary. II
;s very easy TO see that the metric system i
| beautiful one in theory, but !; VIII NC 'o.'H"
difficult to induce shoppers to Dcsle'e
that il is more sensible to call tor onc-teillh
| mr. two-tept's or four.tcnths OF meier OF
cloth than for onc-fourth or one-ha'i OF Il
yard. Suppose the meter to be better than
the ward. il would still seem TO the unsophis-
t,atcd that the manner of folding piece CT
cloth would indicate the natural manner oil
dividing it-that is, first into halves, then
iuto quarters, &c So as TO groceries. The
half-pourd seems to bc the first natural divl-
sion Of a pound. Advocates of the metric
system seem to assume that cloth and bacon
nav not only he easily divided into parts
under the metric system, but that the prices
will be equally accommodating. But 1t
would require years of laboriouS indoctri-
mating to educate the masses of the people
up to tic point Of using that system in their
daily transactions. In the mean time, there
fore. instead of assigning our own system 10
4 secondary place in the school-houSc, 1t must
necessarily have the first place. The report
Goes on to review the various arlthemctlcs
that have come under the notice OF The con-
nittcc. Algebra and geometry arc also
touched upon in speaking of textbooks on
those subjects.
The next article in the Journal is entitled
"'Its' in the Bible" It is interesting, but
not iun. 1t closes by inQuirinS when,
where, and how did "its" get into verse
of Lcyilicus xxv-the only place where il
appears in the Bible.
But we must skip over all other articles
and cone to one f. selected one] in the
official department, upon which we Wish 10
comment briefly. Ii is a highly interesting
report of the proceedings of The Augusta
Teachers Institute. Professor L. S. J0Y&E5
of Lexington, was one Of the speakers. He
said, amongst other things, that grammar is
only authority when it corresponds with the
usage Of language :; and tlEit il WAS &n GRO
ncous idea to suppose that grammar gives
law to language. This is indccd the first
thing taught in every grammar, but may DC
misunderstood. So the ganlui IS not music !;
yet we Imagine that ii would be very poor
music that should DC written in contempt Of
the gumut--of point aud coun;eFpoint-l'cH-
Ing in harmony, or melody, or bo!n.
The alphabet is not the language;
but the language is nothing without it. 30,
although BYRON may be allowed to take
liberties with the grammar IN small matters,
and 4 HAWTHORNE or a SCOTT to coin Row
meanings for words, still the rules OF gram
mar will in the eud prevail. The dictionary
is not the grammar. When whoever did so
first spoke Of mo:n'n3" vessel he aid
not change a rule of grammar, nor violate it.
He made Il new definition for the dictionary.
lie converted noun into an excellent verb.
The ignorant and the unlearncd, as we have
lad occasion to say before, make more new
words and phrases, aid change the meanings
of more words and phrases, than the learned
0caying out technical tcrmsl. 1t is the bust
ness of The educated to bend these tWiss so
that they will he properly inclined.
Professor JoYSrs is a live nan one abreast
with the times. lie expressed his full APP
proyal of the public school system, and said it
was idle and prcpostcrouS to question its pro-
| prictv and necessity "It will give better
"scllools, better graded and better conducted.
ethan the old system could ever have given
s.rhc schools are characterized by method
organization, uniformity, and cooperation
" lie hoped Tie common school system ocoulo
4" in time embrace all the institutions Of learn
ling in The State from the highest 10 The lo,c
I" est, each in its appropriate sphere" Al
honor to Professor JoYNES for these brave
words.
We have space for but little more in this
connection. Wcarc delighted TO see PROBES
sor JoYSEs upsctting the old-togy notion
that the phrase sis being built is incorrect
or inclcgnnt. lie demonstrated "its nccc5-
si'y" In all tue English language there is
but this one single aciivc-translirc verb
which the old ioeieS fix upon to prove that
it is not necessary to use both the present and
perfect Narticirlc in making Il passive sell
tcnee. ThcSncyer deelam against the thou
sands of others which cannot be employed,
us they would have "huilding" employed.
passiyely. They never say "the house is
painting" nor that "the field is plougling,"
nor that F'the wateris drinking" nor that the
:. bread is eating" nor that "dinncr is swal-
lowing" hut always and everywhere that
"the house is building because it is posi-
bic 50 to Use "huiliing' without provoking
derisiyc smile, and not possible So to use
the others without that result. These old
fogics say that "bcing built" and such like
| phrases, are ncoogiSms, and that they indi-
cate Il completed house or Il completed trans
action. Whc day when some one first wrote
"beng built" or "benc Goac" or f1bcinr