The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-04-23

graded and are up to the times.
They are in need Of more room
and especially Of chemical and
physical apparatus. Prof. Stone
gives almost his entire time to
experimenting. He has two as
sistants. There are four school
buildings and church in use now.
Two of these are comparatively
new. They have the Rutan sys-
tenn of heating and ventilating.
We wonder why when building,
they did not make their buildings
larger and thus obviate the neces-
sity of new building every year
or two.
LANGUAGE.
If the legitimate use of language
is to convey thought and not to
cover it up the study of language
should be, and is of prime impor-
lance. .E-
We have sometimes thought
that if parents better understood
the modern idea of the use of Ian
guage lessons and grammar, if the
realm of each and the best way of
teaching them were better under
stood by teachers in general we
would not so often hear from
would-b be pupils the remark, 90,
[ don't care nothin' bout grammar,
all [ want is 'rithmertic and
readen."
Years ago the accepted philoso-
ply of teaching language held
that it was impossible for pupil
to speak correctly before he had
mastered the English grammar.
The theoretical teacher would
have the child's mind filled with
grammatical definitions, principle
parts of verbs, their conjugations,
ETC., before it were ever allowed
to open it's mouth to speak. The
result of all this were that pupils
were allowed to use localisms,
commit gross violations of the laws
of the English language or butcher
the Kings English until they had
nearly completed the arithmetic,
then a small part of the school,
mostly girls, would take up gram
mar. They were expected to
master the principles of English
grammar and in exceptional in
stances they were expected to ap-
ply them to their language. This
of course would be next to an i'm
possibility, for the forms of speech
one has been accustomed to use
for the first fifteen years of ones
life will cling to them through life
in spite of all they can do. ri
But in our fathers time, in the
''destrict scule'', where the
teacher boarded round, and when
the oaken slab with sticks stuck in
for legs answered the purpose Of
patent seat and desk, few pupils
ever dreamed of any relation be-
tween grammar and language.
If you are inclined to doubt this
consider the mental chasm between
first person, I love; second person,
thou lowest; third person, he loves,
etc., and the correct statement of
any sentence in good English.
Another effect was, there was
no interest, no enthusiasm in the
subject, it seemed like nonsense to
pupils, and it was veritable non
sense, consequently parents and
pupils came to look upon it as a
sort OF aristocratic Establishment.
Unfortunately in some localities
this seems to be the popular opin-
ion of the subject yet. ..
The modern idea is that the cor
rect use of language is of the ut
most Importance, and provision is
made for the teaching Of language
from the first grade to the eighth.
Six years are given to the learning
how to speak and write correctly,
and the eight grade give one year
to the study Of reasons why we
say thus and so, or grammar.
The pupil who has gone through
this preparatory course of Ian
guage will be delighted and
greatly benefited by the study OF
grammar. l cannot recommend
too heartily to my fellow-teachers
of Mile Laos county that they use
every effort to teach the proper
use of language and language les:
sons. Begin with the ''little tots
show them pictures and require
them to write stories about them.
Correct them, have the best read
in class. Have the 2nd and Bird
reader reproduce history stories
that you may read to them, and Of
the higher grades require Original
description of some we'll known