The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-01-07
JACKS STRUGGLES WITH
ENGLISH.

ENdL1Sk1s
You see, Jack" explained Mr..
'Trusty, ..you will have to depend upon
yourself in life, and it will be a great
thing for you to be able to write your
mother-tongu with ease. Now, the
first thing is to speak it correctly"
81 dom know as can do that" re-
turned the boy of eleven, looking at his
uncle, an unusual gravity in his merry
face.
esYou don't know as you can, return
ed Mr.. Trusty. Where did you pick up
that phrase, Jack? You've never heard
1t in my house"
'eOh, yes, uncle; Mrs. Moss says it,
and Nora and Bridget, guess, and lots
of people; but I'm awful sorry if you
don't like it.
MIR. Irusty sighed. "My housekeeper
and my servants. Perhaps that accounts
for the three errors there he said.
"What!" cried Jack.
Eyes, three errors in one breath. You
guess so. Now, you don't guess at all;
it's not puzzle that you're talking
about. Then, lots of people Now,
tell me, Jack, are people like lots,-
land that buildings are put uponP Think
of it. :"
well, know" returned the boy; sit
don't seem so a mite. But then, look
here, uncle, they like to have you leave
7em alone and keep your own side OF
the fence; but then I'd just as ieves say
something else if you want me TO. Shall
say numerous people?"
mo, that's stilted; say a great many
people. if YOU like" ct isn't what l
like, thoug ght Jack, but he was silent.)
. '.And you are awful sorry" went on
Mr. Trusty. ''Now you would call the
eruption of volcano, or storm at sea,
or even violent thunderstorm, awful.
But, if you are going to use great
word for simple thing, like being sorry
(though it's good thing, jack, you
must add the '1y' and make it an ad-
verb. If you must, why be lawfully
sorry and 'awfully glad and lawfully
hot and 'awfully cold; but, beg you,
don't be awful"
Jack laughed. 81 guess you've driven
in that peg, uncle;-oh, by the way, l
didn't mean to say 4 guess
"pm glad of that; if you correct two
errors a day you will improve very
fast"
Yes" commented the boy, 'fhat will
be six hundred year, or it will be seven
hundred and thirty if we count in the
Sundays. 1t won't be breaking the Sab
bath if we correct our faults that day,
will it?" But there was twinkle in
the boys eye which told Mr.. Trusty that
an answer was unnecessary. He smiled
at Jack, who went on: '.Tll commence
to improve right away, uncle. What!
something wrong there again?' he ex-
claimed, seeing that his listeners face
had undergone sudden change.
.'Truly, now, haven't scrap of an
idea what said"
''Jack, what does an idea meana"
''Why, suppose, suppose, you
sect means thought or a notion OF
some kind" }" -s.-
"What does scrap mean?"
t'A little piece of a thing"
s'Did you ever see a little piece of a
thoughte''
"No, uncle, never did, s.but then,"
lie added, rallying, I've seen people
that really didn't seem to have more
than piece OF a thought about any
thing; so, perhaps, that isn't so bad"
Mr.. Trusty laughed. Fortunately for
Jacks happiness. and his education al
SO, he knew how to do that 'tIt does seem
sometimes as if we caught one end of
thought while the other foated off and
left US, he said. But that only a
figure of speech, after all; thought is a
unit, one whole thing, like a man; it
may be great, or mean, but we can't cut
it into scraps without destroying it,
''Oh, aud arn't some people real
mean" cried the boy. There's Mr..
Leonard, he
''Never mind, my boy, bacE-biting IS
the hearts incorrect speech; don't let us
have that. You said q moment ago that
you would commence to improve. The
thought is excellent, but you must never
commence to walk, to run, to talk, to
act, to read, to write, nor even to i'm
prove; you must never commence to do
anything The word should not be fol-
lowed by to. For myself, l am not
fond of it at any time; It is not SO strong
as our Anglo-Saxon word begin"
What is an Anglo-Saxon word,
uncleP''
Il will tell you that some day. All
that l can say about it now is that
Anglo-Saxon words are usually shorter
than this other class that commence
belongs to. You may commence your
lesson, but you must not say that you
commence to study it. You may say,
however, that you begin your lesson, or
that you begin to study your lesson, and
either way will be right"
81 should admire to talk right if I
could" said the boy, '.just to please you,
uncle; the fellows don't care,-the boys,
bou know"
sThen you will not mind my telling
you that admire is to be used like com
mence. You must not admire to do
things, but you may admire things, and
people, too, to your hearts content.
"Pll tell you what I'll admire" said
Jack; ''rll admire my mother-tongue, as
you call it.''
| .'You shall have no more lessons in it
to-day, Jack. But, before you go out to
play with the boys whom see coming
into the yard, want you to understand
why am trying to train you not only
10 know the right words, but to use
them. What did you do before that
skating match that you won last win
fer?''
"Practised lot-ever so much.'
"And what did you do before that day
fhatyo arrow hit the bulls-eye nine
fimes out of temp
"Practised," cried Jack; ''you taught
me yourself ~
..if you had had to learn to manage
your skates on the day of the race, could
you have won it?"
mo, strr'
"And if you had had to learn how to
hold your bow that day spoke of, could
you have hit the bulls-eyep''
The other shook his head emphatical-
ly. Il see what you're driving at" he
cried; you've got to be able to handle
your things when the time comes"
Eyes; and when you come to write
and talk to be listened to, you must think
then of what you have to say, and not
be obliged to wonder if your words are
all right"
1T would have been funny about the
skates, :" returned Jack. 'tWell, good
bye, uncle; you've taken lots of trouble
and some of it'll stick Then Jack
whistled as a doubt of sentence struck
him. ''Well, goodbye" he repeated.
He could be sure of so much.-Frances
c. SparhaaUk, IN journal of Education.