The Forrest City times., 1894-03-23

heaQ before Tne IoACOeT6 IUSLitul6, dt fOE"
 rest City. March It, 1891.
 Technical rammar does not tproperly.belong to the child, but as language is the road lead ing up to it, lit will be necessary for me to dis cuss that study to some extent before taking up grammar proper.
 In the first place, believe it is impossible for any amount of care and training in school to make correct speaker of the child unless 1t is made 10 use correct language at home, for as l heard a teacher say once. You can- not change the mother tongue" It is true, we can teach them HOW to speak correctly.
 but il is very poor encouragement for child to attempt putting his Knowledge of correct
 language in practice in the home when pa
 rent greets him with Have you saw JohuY" or II ain't SAW him to-day, which in the ma jOrity of cases is not ignorance on the part or that parent, but sheer c0relessness. Parents,
 take pains with your children! Make them
 be as courtly in their language and manners at home with just the family, as you would
 have them be before your most distinguished guest: then when the critical moment arrives you will have ''Lord Fauntieroy's,' instead of a forced attempt at correctness. thereby mak- ing themselves Imaginable sand at the same time disclosing the fact that they are "spludg-
 ing" on borrowed fnery. did not intend to
 get so far off my subject, but iInpiore your
 pardon and trust no harm is done.
 The first lessons in language, think, should
 accompany the first lessons in reading. which
 may be introduced by conversation exerclses, |,
 then as soon as the child can write, It should
 be made 10 write little stories every day. Do
 not call them compositions, Tor the very
 name brings a horror to the child, who has
 heard the older student say what an awful
 thing it is to write composition. in tnls
 manner they may be taught the facts ot cor
 rect language without ever once burdening
 their little minds with the dry abstract prin- cipies
 fourth grade u bookoOn. language may be ta- ken up. There are many good text DOCKS on the subject that give numerous exercises on composition, memory and oral ianguage' About the fifth and sixth grade, think analy- sis should be taken up, and thorough course ! in that prepares the pupil for technical gram mar. Ere this the child has attained the age of l5 or It years, and as grammar is language taught analytcaiy, abstracty and sclentIn caliy. 1t is necessary for h.m to have attained
 & "subtety of judgment and maturity or reasoD," not possessed by few pupils under that age. After they enter tho study proper,
 there is little left for the essaylst, except there are many text books, all or which have some good points, and it is ihe work of both teacher ana pupil to select from all to which they nave access such ce fnitions and principles as they may deem most plausible 10 tue human reason taking care uot tO truet too implicitly m the words of the author, but rather to nave an opinion of bis own and the self confluence to challenge any mans remarks, IL matters not l if he is The author of a text book
 Children should be taught to think. when once this is accomplished, and they become masters of their own minds. the battle TOT tt' education is half won. As W alter besNht says, Ono must observe closely and tAinh pro \
 l fOnndly to become scholar.
 Before closing. desire to draw q few paral- l leis ill regard to the study Of laugunsc and grammar, oI rather in the methods Oi present. l ing hOth
 First. Language is the objective method. while grammar is the abstract method. As Patterson says. teach q child that a unun is & naming word. instead of noun teach nim | the use of describing words. rather tnau call ! them by the abstract terins Ot aiieCtiVes and adyerDs; of action words instead Of yarbs | and of relation words tOr prepOsit0ns. These 1 terms will be mastered soon enough Lead ! tue child up t1 the word, instcaa ct uiNfnz | him the meaningless Nunles of the parts of speeca 10 nem0rize and then fGthOm tEe meaning.
 [ Then comes the discussion for and against 1 parsiug. the latter sidc 10 which | am au ad' nercnt. ParstnE according t0 q fixed HiuH4cl | becomes so dry aud unlntereSttnE that alter becoming wearied with The abstract ruhh bs loses taste for t. and ut once paTslug bcc11ts'r 1 q perfect bore tu him. To know the elnss and
 relation of words Is. think. the lnost inp2r- l tant thing in parsing. such facts as gender, ! number and person. etc. will be caught u} usage and practice. l ang heartily in favor ni bestowing Inc time spent ou lOtis parsinE eX ! ercises uo q thorough anslyHis Of every Kind 0i
 sentence that can Do constructed. and iu-iead ! of teaching the child tue iaborious technicail' | ties of mode. teusc, etc, to drtli him in sub | jects. predicates, relation CT the different l clauses and tue iufiuence ot punctuation upOu ! the sense or a sentence.
 CLARA wEBR.