Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-12-10
Frok y. 2. cIark,sc Criticisms crItLeIzea.

bility in any of them. IN his earnest search
Tor defects and errors" he loses sight of
the distinctive features of the work which
nave given it popularity never acquired in
so short time by any other text book on
the same subject. The excellent system of
analysis, the unequaled method of diagram.
ming sentences, the systematic exercise, in
constructive, or synthetic grammar. and
other important and attractive characterist.
les so highly commended by the best schol.
arsllip OF the United States, are all unnotic.
ed, while the writer lays before his readers
an array of what he conceives to be "errors"
gathered here and there in his superficial
examination OF the work. The numerous
detects" said to exist are not specified, but
Il they are as imaginary as the "errors"
named, the book is certainly as nearly per-
feet as it is possible for any human work to
be. Perhaps Mr. C. would have us under.
stand these two terms as exact equivalents
In meaning. If so, why use both?
objection No. is so manifestly pontless
that it carries its own REPUTATION. The omis.
sion of the periods ON the cover is nurelv a
matter OF Typography, and is the common
practice oil the best publishers in England
aid America. See for example last revised
edition of McGufley's Readers, published
by Van Antwerp, Bragg d Co.
Inc clause quoted from fourth page of
preface, which without sufficient authority
he calls a sentence, is objected to on account
oil Its ending with the proposition "in" In
reply to this objection Mr.. {. is reminded
That deviations from the rhetorical principle
ne cites, are by no means unusual among the
best writer's AMI speakers. To close SEN
tence with proposition or other shortw
ii, IN many eases, not only best but ahso-
lu'eiy unavoidable. Lord Bacon says:
Houses are made to live in, not to lCok on"
Donne, celebrated English divine, saws,
hath God name to swear by? Hath God
name to curse by" Pinneo's Analytical
Grammar, page Ill, contains this sentences
"lhe subject is that which is chiefly spoken
OIL" Is not "of" aboutas insignificant" as
my
lie objects also to the definitions of sub
lect and predicate as given by Reed and
Kellogg To exclude from definition all
that Mr. c, says should be excluded, will
leave nothing to be said of subiect and
predicate except that they are words in the
sentence. A definition of either of these
that does not give its office in the sentence
is utterly worthless. For similar forms of
definition see Pinneo'S Grammar, page 40
what is Relative Pronoun" Answer.
"A Relative Pronoun relates" etc. Page
lOS exhibits the following: "What is Syn
taxT Answer, "Syntax treats of the rela-
tlon OF words" etc. Mr.. C.. never saw a
grammar that did not contain many such
definitions. For an erroneous definition of
the subject of sentence lie is referred to
the one above quoted, which is given by
Pinneo and other authors. The subject is
not the thing spoken of, but its name. In
this sentence, "The sun Shines" the sub
ject is not the sun itself any more than a
picture of man is the man himself.
Mr. c. will pardon us for inquiring lust
here by what authority he uses the pronoun
"they" in reference to the word "author" in
the sentence beginning, "When an author"
etc
Objection No. 4 is answered by the remark
on page A, in which the authors mention
several eases requiring the use of the comma
when no conjunction is omitted. BY the
way, is not "Thompson's Seasons" a peculiar
authority on this inject?
In objection No. he says the authors err
in emitting the article "a' before Subject"
in the sentence on the Goth page beginning,
''If the interrogative word is subject" etc.
The omission of the article indicates the
prominence of the subject over the subordi. |
nate elements of the sentence, and is there
fore legitimate and proper. 1t is just as one
would say, Mr.. c. is principal of the school
and not a principal. To have used the arti- |
Gle would have reduced the subject to the |
same footing with its modifers.
Objection is next urged to this sentence
on page 90: "Now, then, GO you to break
fast" Here Mr.. c. errs in taking snow"
and Chen" in their ordinary sense as ad. |
verbs of time. "Now" thus used is copsid.
cred by Webster as conjunction, while
Chen" has the force of therefore" Web.
ster and Worcester both quote and approve
this sentence from Dryden: "Now, then
be all thy weighty cares awav.n With nc