The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-16
DON'T KNOW ENGLISH.
The Language is Neglected in the
American Schools.
From the Boston Advertiser.

From the Boston Advertiser.
Some years ago President Eliot, who is
a good authority on education, expressed
in memorable way his opinion that the
very quintessence of education consists in
acquiring mastery of ones mother tongue.
Some people were astonished at such doc
trine coming from the lips of the president
of a great university. They seem to have
taken it for granted that college magnate's.
idea of liberal learning must necessarily
center upon Greek and Latin, with a radius
extending far enough to include mathemat
les and possibly natural sciences. A para
grapher doing space work on comic paper,
being hard pushed once upon time, in
vented little story to the following pur-
port
A sweet girl graduate from young la
dies boarding school, who had been favored
with an introduction to the distinguished
head of Harvard University on a class day,
gushingly asked him whether it was true
that Harvard students used the Latin Ian
guage in their familiar conversation. On
receiving negative reply, she suggested,
in turn. Greek. French. German. and
finally, with an accent of disappointment,
said she supposed then, that they talked
English But ''Prex" smilingly gave his
fair interlocutor to understand that she was
still in error "What language do they
speak, then p she cried in desperation.
"Slang, mostly Dr. Eliot is alleged to
have replied The paragrapher's skill was
not very brilliant, but it will serve for Il
diverting introduction to serious subject.
Harvard has taken the lead among Amer
lean colleges in an urgently-needed reform
by giving more and more prominence to
the academic study of the English language.
Her honored president is entitled to i'm
mense credit for insisting upon this, and
for persistent efforts to induce teachers en-
gagged in primary and secondary education
to join in the good work.
The subject is one fitted to stir the blood
of every man who cares for true culture.
The lack of knowledge, practical knowledge,
of the English language on the part of
people who have been extensively and ex-
pensively educated in our American
schools is nothing less than appalling. The
evil exists all the way through from the
ranks of grammar school graduates to those
of collegiate alumni 1t is little, if any,
less in the latter than in the former
The melancholy truth is that many a
bachelor of arts, yes, many master of
arts, and many doctor of laws, and many
doctor of divinity cannot, or, at any rate,
do not. either speak or write English SEN
fences with any near approach to uniform
accuracy in the use of words. They do
not appear to know, in the first place, the
exact meaning of the words that they en-
ploy They say one thing when they in
tend to say another. Next, their sentences
are sIoveniy constructed There is confu-
sion, clauses that are designed to stand in
certain relations arc made to stand in very
uncertain relations Conjunctions do not
connect Comparisons are attempted be-
tween different parts of speech, and be-
tween clauses so differently constructed
that no comparisons are possible.
Even the simplest rules of grammar are
often disregarded. A plural predicate fol
lows singular nominative, pronoun does
not 'agree with its antecedent in gender,
number and person. In speech, orthoepy
is slaughtered. In writing, photography is
mutilated, With tongue and pen, euphony
is put upon the rack "Letters to the cdi-
tor" will seldom bear the ordeal of print
until the editor has stabbed them with his
pen in places more numerous than were
the rents in Caesars mantle made by the
daggers of Brutus and the envious Casca
What do we mean when we talk about
'illiteracy ?" Do we not intend by that
term to denote, in general way, absence
of educational requirements, but specif-
cally, lack of the knowledge of letters; thus
implying that he who cannot read and
write suffers under the sum of all ignorance?
Massachusetts, boasts of her high rank
among commonwealth in respect to the
comparatively small amount of illiteracy
within her borders; but if it were possible
for census tables to show what proportion
of our people can and do read with complete
understanding and write with tolerable cor
rectness, should we not hang our heads in
shame? Massachusetts might still find
comfort in thanking God that we were not
as other people, but it would be cold COM
fort, and it could be said with truth that
we were thankful for small favors.
i The great and crying need Is Tor reform
in public school teaching. Every Ameri-
can hoy and girl has the right, the birth
right. to such instruction, such training, in
free schools as will enable him or her for
evermore to use our glorious mother tongue
as not abusing it. Only few can go to
college; all can can go to school. Let the
colleges repent of their shameful negligence,
and bring forth works meet for repentance;
but, especially, let the common schools do
this, or prepare TO flee from the wrath to
come The American birthright is one
that must be no more basely snapped for
such messes of pottage as extracting cube
roots and loading adolescent memory with
the names of al the rivers that flow into