Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-09-25

Latin, one must be required to write
Latin, just as in order to speak Ian
guage one must converse habitually in
that language; and evidently the end
to be attained is to.enabIe the student to
think in the. language which he underta-
kes to master. Nothing but practical ex-
ercises in composition can give adequate
practice in the important art OF con-
structing sentences and thus fixing
the principles Of Latin or Greek syn
tax.
What is true of Latin and Greek is
equally true in regard to acquiring
knowledge of the structure of English.
Our best lessons are original exercises
in English composition, It is, there
fore, of the utmost Importance to en-
courage composition. All children like
to talk, but little tact is required on
the part Of the teacher to induce them
TO talk. 1t is indeed natural pleasure
for child to talk, and will ever so re-
main, unless this desire is suppressed
and crushed by unphilosophical, un
natural methods ofa so-called education.
1t would be equally pleasure for a
child to commit his thoughts to paper,
if but properly encouraged. If chill
dren could see that what they had
written look well, it would be a great
encouragement to them. The same is
true of young men and women. Not
withstanding the assertions Of profes-
sional penmen that everyone with
proper instruction and proper effort can
become skillful in the use of the pen
the fact remains that comparatively few
ever succeed in becoming expert pen
men. To the masses penmanship must
ever remain drudgery. fov they will
never acquire sufficient skill to render
writing even tolerable for any consider
able period of continuous effort.
Moreover, the nervous exhaustion in
separable from penmanship, is an i'm
pediment to mental activity. If this
fFs,opld be removed, writing and original
composition would receive an IJnpuIse
that would produce the most surpris-
ing results. Now this new factor in edu-
cation ofwhich | speak-the type writer
does indeed render writing positive
pleasure The drudgery Of the pen is
BY the magic touch of the typewriter
converted into delightful past-time
He that has never used typewriter
knows nothing of the genuine luxury Of
composition. The light and natural
movements Of arm and fingers are just
sufficient to stimulate mental activ-
ity without producing fatigue by
any reasonable amount of continuous
writing. | speak from personal expe'
rience when say that five consecutive
hours in the use Of the typewriter pro-
duces less fatigue, less diminution O
nervous strength and mental elasticity
than two hours in the use of the pen
In thus eliminating the fatigue hitherto
an inevitable concomitant of all writing
the type writer must of necessity greatly
promote the power Of thought. Wher
we can properly estimate the value O
English composition to the student O.
English, then, but not till then, can We
appreciate the value of the writer
as an educational factor. The duty O
writing is often neglected when it is t
be done with a pen, while with {
typewriter one will resort to writing a.
diversion and recreation. A ma
chine SO fascinating as the Prout1
Type Writer, or the Caligraph, or th'
Remington, or the Hammond, and 81
} potential in relieving fatigue a1d abol-
ishing drudgery, cannot be Overesti
j mated.
The time is at hand when the de
t mand for the introduction of type
t writing into our schools can no long
a er be resisted. The commercial college
: Of our cities have already put type
t writing into their courses of study. II
/. our own State type writingis making it
e way into our schools. It is a part ofth
e curriculum in the industrial college a
: Columbus. It is in use at the TrO
e Normal; at Mississippi College, NOR
d than 20 students learned type-writins
e Is or more purchasing type-writerS Q
s their own. Shuqulak Female Colleg
II has put type writing into the curriculum
o for next session. Iuka Normal, Stark
n vile Female College, Whitworth Femal
IL College, Lea Female College, the A.
n M. College, and other prominent school
$, contemplate the introduction OF type
e writing at an early day. 1t is the expe
" rience of those institutions where type
) writing has been taught, that CON
= position lessons taught have been NOR
} profitable; teachers finding criticism an
r correction so much less laborous haV
se required greater practice in this direC