The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-11-30
WINTER SCHOOLS or SLANG
What Our Public schools Havc Not
Yet succeeded In Doing.

| Wnut our IuDuc SCHOOLS Have MOI
Yet succeeded In Doing.
How shall we teach our children to
speak good English? II their parents
speak it which is not certain-they can
oversee their children when with them
in the country or by the seashore. The
slang they VIII then pick up will be
only sea-slang, the inaccuracies they
will gather will be only rustlcities, and
these will fall off from them when re-
moved from the scene where such
things prevail. But winter will take
the children in measure from their
parents, and putt them under the in
iluence of the school, or of public IL
brary, of society, and no matter how
careful the parents may be. the slang
making Influence will set in. 1t is q
curious fact that no mere school system
has yet been succeeded in max ny
children speak good English; probably
because this must be done chiefly
through the ear, and so many teachers
either err themselves or do not exert
enough OF positive Influence to over
come the siovenly habits the children
bring from home. Mr.. Howels de-
clares that many Harvard graduates
say II don't know as" and though !
suppose the standard there to be rs
high as anywhere, there is no doubt
that this is true. 1t is melancholy
fact, but | have myself heard n Har-
ward professor say 1--WE was" in his
classroom, and probably the best insti-
tuition in the land is not free from like
blemishcs. How many teachers Of
public and private schools can be guar
anteed against saying, in the moment of
entire fami arity, 81 done il, " or using
81 come us past tense? How many
can steer their way with habitual ac
curacy between set and "sat" Yet
these are not scholastic refinement, but
matters of good breeding. ANY person
err .ng in these simple matters is like
one who eats with his knife or tits
his chair IN company; he classes him.
self AT once among those who have to
be apoogZcd for, who have to be ac-
cepted after some explanation. And
even where the teacher is unexception-
able the intimate society of school or
college not merely coins slang and
keeps it IN motion, but communicates
ine.eganc oS of speech from one to an
other, like measles or tho wL-Jping-
cough.
American books for children, at least
since NJ IS Alcoit's day, are realistic;
the boys and girls talk as they talk in
real life; and the temptation is, for the
sake OF fun. even to ovor>ta,e the colo
quialism. The other day, when GER
tan little girl of threw bombshell
into qu.ct household by calculating
Dear me, suz!. it led to IN investIga-
ton. there being nobody within ten
miles to be identified rs the origin of
that very unpleasant cxpletive. The
source OF this verbal dynam te was soon
found to be very anus ng set Of chill
dren's books that had been given her
on her birthday and had been read aloud
for her Improvement
In this Little series. Of which the scene
is laid in the well-bred city of Portland,
Me-, four different children say repeat
edly Dear suz!' and Dear me, SUI
and how can an innocent little reader
help borrowing phrase so novel? In
this case the parents of the child are
represented as being people of some ed
ucation; and is this really II bit Of real
ism? or, if so. is it necessary to carry
realism so far Granting that is far
enough, rs real SIN, for the New Eng |
land children TO say guess, and for
the small western cousin, n boy, to say |
The doctors they have ease an no ac- |
count" why should not the parents and |
uncles and aunts be little more pre-
rs 10 vocabulary? The favor
tic aunt. who is I'm formly described rs |
very charming and rs marrying II law
yer who is also colonel--the books be-
ing written during the war period
says What think. now?' and What
say to flying horSe?' instead of
"What do you Think and What do
YOU say?' The uncle, lawyer and a
general, says: Dear knows,
there is need enough of more ambition
in our schools" Ii seems clear that
there Is middle ground. 1t is very de-
sirable that books for young people
should paint society and life Is they are,
vet il is worth while to err little on
The side of good breeding and good
manners, and TO keep up instead of let
Ting down. the standard of daily speech.
II ". Higginson in EdTpor'S Bdsar.