Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-09-10
LANGUAGE STUDIES.


Some Excellent Comment.. and some That
Are Open to Discussion.
Boys trained at Elton and Harrow
are said to write better English than
boys of the same grade in American
schools. and the reason assigned is
that they are required to translate
Latin and Greek into idiomatic Eng
fish. The study of Latin and Greek is
injurious whenever it causes the stu
dent to lose his habitual hold upon
the structural peculiarities of his own
language. Every language has its
idioms-phrases which are con-
fusing to foreigners and which
are inexplicable upon logical princi-
pies. Lander has remarked that every
good writer has much idiom." A
good sentence will die under the tor
ture of too much analysis. and the writ
er who undertakes to give every SEN
tence the logical eXactness and mathe-
NAUTICAL precision of an algebraic equa-
ton will end in dull and dismal fail
ure. What the writer needs above all
things, SO far as style is concerned, is
to catch the spirit. the genius of his
own language Writing in any other
fashion is like training the stems of
plants through tubes or cylinders of
glass that they may grow up straight
and without an opportunity to branch
out here and there with the spontane-
ity and freedom and luxuriance OF nat
ure.
Every word is good whose roots sus-
tain and nurture the stock of common
speech Slang is objectionable; but
slang consists rather in phrases than
in words. New words are made from
old words. Science and mechanical
invention go back a long way in
speech to find terms descriptive of
their latest discoveries and inventions.
The telegram, tive telephone, the phon-
ograph are graphic only to those who
| know at least a little Greek. The
philologist is constantly struck with
works us its old verbal material to ex-
press its new ideas and possessions.
| The history of the homeliest word
/ is venerable and fraught with innu-
| merable observation-disclosures pa
/ thetic, sublime. We need feel no cou-
/ tempt for these simple Anglo-Saxon
/ words into which the Earl of Derby
/ turned the ringing lines of Homer
[ They are older than Greek or Latin.
/ They were lisped by infants in their
mothers arms; they We're prattled by
+ children at play: they were whispered
/ py young men and msidens in love;
/ .hey were shouted by heroes in battle;
they were spoken by sages in counsel
long before one stone was laid in the
/ foundation of Rome-long before Cad
mus carried letters into Greece. The
broad, deep river of English speech is
fed by tributaries whose sources are
To be found in historic ages-per-
enaial springs whose abundance has
been adequate to the expression OF the
thought ard feeling OF every stage OF
] civilization. O. Picayuna
i An epicurean bishop was neatl
taken in by smart boy at Banbury
Being DESTROYS OF tasting the famou
cakes. he beckoned to the lad to com
TO him To the window of the railwa
carriage, and asked the price of tn
cakes. Three pence each. sir. repliet
the boy Giving him six pence, tn,
bishop desired him to bring one, ant
added as he was running off. Buy on,
for yourself with the other three pence.
Presently the boy returned, munchinS
his ''Banbury." and, handing thres
4 pence in coppers to the bishop. an,
nounced in the most ingenious manner,
There was only one left, sir. "-Loaaos
Ansersca. Register.