Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-11-29
Educational Department.
EDITED By
EDITED BIZ
G. B. COLEMAN.
j n. n OsHER, Z sss,+s
Franz MCKAY. 100

PNP01 '''~ 1900 -
Prof. Nosher, Of Kirwin, at the last
meeting of the. Teachers's Association.
Whether your views coincide with his
or not, It's perusal will well repay you.
Grammar as usually taught is a waste
of time:
Time was, time is and time viii be-
Past, present and future. Time was
when the subject of grammar was
looked upon by the average young man
with a dread that parlook more Of su-
perstitiOn than the witchcraf5 of olden
time. The papal bull Of excommunica-
ton was less dreaded than the an
nouncement that Grammar must be
commenced 80 Oh! the rules and the
long dry rules. Symbols they were,
but symbols of what? ''What is gram
MARI was the first harmonious query
that greeted the youthful ears. ''The
science Of language" was the reply
This was correct for the book said so,
and the teacher was pleased. II did not
signify that the word scieace was IN
known to US or that we never had re-
ceived one single language lesson.
''IntO how many parts is grammar
divided?" ''Four," was the answer.
''Name them Autobiography, ETY.
mology, Syntax and Prosody - How
easily and naturally we are proceeding
from the unknown to the unknown!
Strange that children manifest such an
indifference when the subject is so in
terestngi But perhaps children are
not what they should be, and instead
of changing them it may be more easy
to change our methods of instruction.
Yet it is somewhat hard to change
our plans when by our present system
humility is taught, No egotism here
the (pronoun) ''I'' is not made promi-
nent, but stands well under the dot.
No abrupt breaks in the composition,
but an easy transition from sentence to
sentence without stumbling over pune
luatiOn marks or clambering over capt.
tails. Must this all be abandoned and
the good old familiar, catechising way
become one of the past? Though hard,
it seems necessary.
But what then if. we do not teach as
we and our patrons were taughtP Is it
not letter to use the grammar prepared
on the system of three decades agoP
Shall we lay aside those staid old gram
mars and use in our schools the little
amusing, childish works on the English
language as it tsp Shocking to think
of? Shall we not cry out against It,
and blend our voices with the peda-
gogues of old in one long melancholy
howl in defense of the sanctity of an
cient customs? What does it matter
that we have q language of our ownP
Is it not a waving of dignity 20 say any
thing in favor of a system which at one
fell stroke sewers our grammatical re-
lations with the Latin and GreekP The
new system does not SAVIOR Of pedantry,
and the school master may be looked
upon as a man, and not as a combine
ton of mathematical and syntactieal
rules. But again, we must oppose this
innovation, for with language lessons in
our primary grades, with careful err
walton and exact description of natural
objects both oral and written, the
young American becomes americanized.
Strange marks are found at the close
of every sentence, and curious charac-
ters at the head. The child at the
early age of eight or nine years know
ing more OF the common things of ma
ture than his father before him. A
child who has never heard Of Botapy to
have a knowledge of the form and color
and general character of the vegetation
which surrounds him. One who has
never heard of Physiology to know
something of himself, One who knows
nothing OF Philosophy to understand
the simple laws of nature, and the CON
sequence of their violation. One who
knows nothing of Grammar to be able
to use pure, Grammatical Englishs and
10 write the same correctly.
How absurd! How redicuIousl But
still tie children are pleased. the pa
irons are satisfied, the object Is accom-
Pished, the scourge Of the school is