The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1885-11-25

Nettles's persplcaclty. The extraction Of
the cube root is done by q rule, the reasons
for which are learned by few pupils in our
schools and understood by still fewer. I have
no reason to suppose that Mr. Wilson belong
ed to either class. In several instances in the
examination on arithmetic the reasons for
operations were required. and in no in
stance did he give them. The extraction of
the cube root was not a matter of reasoning
to solution but of the application of the rule:
and it is not likely that the applicants fail
ing to know how to apply the rule one even
ing would be able to apply it next morning,
unless meantime they looked it up. It
would be too much of q trick of memory.
There are few who will not agree with me
fully upon this point. Mr.. Nettles goes of
(not on tangert) to tell Of many things
the applicants nnqh hnue done. l am not at
all concerned about what they might have
DONE but with what they did do. I leave
the speculation entirely to the mind of net
tied Nettles. There let it dwell with the
many brilliant thoughts" and other scintil,
lations. which,
rising through the mellow shade,
Glitter like swarm of irehies tangled in a
futile enterprise
have no possible objection to Mr.. VIII
sons being ready to make affidavit: shall
not attempt to prevent his dressing himself
for the purpose nor executing it.
In his opening Mr. Nettles essays crit.
cism of language. He exhibits. however,
ing an authors scope.
"Cavil he may, but never criticise.'
He means to say my article was difficult tc
understand. I know that perspicuity is
requisite in good style, and I always try tc
be perspicuous. feel that in one instance
I have succeeded. Every one for whom
intended the piece understood it fully and
when those for whom did not intend it al
so understood it, think ought to be set.
isfed Even Mr.. Nettles understood it and
that, too, after he had been diving into
psychology and had brought back such mud
as this: Last week, there appeared as an
editorial in the HINia'asJ'ry Herald rather an
anonymous article which, unless it is taken
for granted that Mr.. E. G. Chandler wrote
it, requires considerable skill to under
stand" have quoted it exactly. It is as
''tall a specimen of English as one wants
to see. According to the punctuation
Last week may modify the whole thing
or it may be an exclamation and (which
must be subject OF appeared. Ihe 1T Is
used both automatically and as apronoun il
the same clause. But the crowning glory
of the attempt at sentence is (Which re
quires considerable skill to understand"
never meant the poor article to auulerStant
anything merely meant it to be under
stood. l have no doubt thatlt ,could require
very considerable skill" in order 'to IN
derstand." I might think Mr.. Nettles hac
merely slipped on this effort to say some
thing, but there is just another such sen
tence (?) in his Manning Academy adver
tisement-now q perennial advise hin
to pull the beam of ignorance out of his OWL
eye, and if the operation leaves anything o
him. thai he then employ the remainder II
looking after other peoples motes-but no
till then. And meantime would caution
all to avoid the Nettlesonian heresy il mat
ters of English.
E. G. CHANDLER.