The herald., 1895-11-24

Eternal newnpss, STRENGTH MIA ling,
Except old books, old { lends, old ruth
That's ever battling-still prevailing
Home English. How shall young
people be taught to speak and write the
English language correctly? is the mo-
mentous question OF the day. Certain
colleses-notably Harvard and Yale find
the matter of such pressing consequence
that they have raised special com m ittees
to examine and report upon it. From
these re ports it is perfectly plain, first,
that the Ignorance OF English which is
founi in BOYS Of IS nr 10, who are sup
psod I'd to have the pest schooling which
the country affords, is simply disgrace
ful; secondly it is q waste Of the re-
sources of tn great university to spend
them in a vain attempt to teach English
in college to persons who are so help
lessly ignorant, for no teaching which
college hasa right to give can be OF the
slightest use to them.
The colleges of course, disclaim re-
sponsi bility as to this, taking the ground
that boys come there to be taught some
thing else that takes SO much time that
English grammar can ve no proper
plaoe-no suff cient attic ton to accom-
plish what ought to have seen attended
to before.
The blame is thus put directly upon
the high schools and academies. These
in turn plead that they are compelled to
receive many pupils whose previous edu.
cation has been so wufully nsglscto that
there is no time TO go back and construct
foundations, and the teachers ri ust there.
fore build upon sand. Thus we have an
admitted state OF things that has no
parsllsl in the world. English, French
and German youth pass an examination
in the mother tongue at Is to II, which
the En- anticipating American boy can.
not we'll do, If at ALL much il any under
20.
This limitation lasts all through avery
educational course. Tbs boy without
voca bulary and constructive skill cannot
even study another language successfully,
for intelligent translation is the man
matter in volved. A recent writer on the
subject shows tnat in practice, tle whole
business OF getting boy through the
high school and college is too often
matter of skillful management. IF the
teachers were to insist Oh every transla-
ton from Latin, Greek or French being
presen ted in correct, iuIomatc English
the requisite amount OF These Languages
could never be crammed into the pupils
heads. The result is what might De ex.
pected. In large class OF schools Eng
lish is taught as q thing BY itself in the
hours assigned TO it and all other lam
guagey are taught as if English did not
exist" Annther way OF stating 1t would
be that the boys are too big to be taught
English like boys and there is no time
to 60 back and learn it, and 80 the early
mistake goes on through the whole
school life
Perhaps no man has given more
thought to this perple1ing problem than
passage from recent letter on this sub
ject, which, ii seems to Us, goes to the
10 of the matter:
~ nope you do not suppose that had
any dspo. ton to com plain Of or to crit
ciss American schools because American
boys advance more slowly tban European
boys. 1t NAV De partly the fault of tpe
scnoJls: it certainly ia partly the fault Of
the colleges; but believe IL is chi fly the
fault of the arents and OF unfavorable
conditions of American society,"
THE fault of parents and the uniavor-
able conditions of American society!
This is hitting the white. The sc oos
do not teach good Enalish, declaring that
there is no opportunity to make up for
neglect ed primary education. What can
saws us If habits OF correct speech be not
begun and insisted upon IN the family7
This not only cannot oe SO we'll ne
elsewhere. but 1t ap .ears to be out OF the
question to have It done at all elsawl ore.
The colleges lay the blame upon the
schools. and the schools place it further
back. What can save us, therefore, but
the proper training-at least proper start
ing-in the family? NoL.all par nts are
literally educated people. but there are
only few, Compatibility, who cam t
somehow see to it that chilirAn are
started and kept on the right tracx-at
least saved from the barbarisms of eech.
Let us have the fault attended 10 as best
VIZ may in the family, and there will not
be so many "uufa 'orabls conditions of
American society," threatening on every
hand. II every child be made to feel
that careful attention 10 ones speech en-.
sures ono perhaps the greatest charm
and grace of person, that 1t is the one
passport into the do main OF true and real
society, great point would be at once
gained. Why 10 this not uoneH How does
1t happen tnat so few parents appear to
alta the sma lest importance to this
vi al matter-this cheap. unbo. 6 t grace
Of lifel How dar- they neglect lnis, and
load the Child VT curse that oripples
hINl II through life?
Why should not I'll parents in this COM
munttr begin tnis reform themselves and
not hahltually use such phrases as like
my faNh er did, - like you dOT' For two
years huge canvas sign was hung across
Broad way restaurant bearing the legend
"Coffee Like Your Mother Made" Why
didn't sme woman's parliament with
draw its attention for momens from
more reru ots themes and hold a special
session over such an offense against ,he
eommunitF2 How much short of crime
is unneCesJary. inexCusable and persist
ent abuse vi the rich and beautiful Eng-
Ish language? No other nation on the
earth has despised and degraded the
mother tonga as Americans have done
as if actually i1cornins the simplest rules
of speech. O n, for fad that would set
society at wori: upon English grammar!
IT, tet up for purist IN speech, to
take on hypoGirtical airs, to assume u
superiority of any sort over others, is
hateful; nut to urge that fault of so
much Importance, and yet one SO easily
renedied. az our slovenly use of English,
should be seriously and praverfully con
sidered. is the duty of every teacher,
every parent, every public speaker and
every Iatagrapnlst in the land. Why
should surprise be expressed at the all
pervadin9 lack OF English acquireme nts
IN the schools, whom 20 little is done for
tle child by way of good early trainiu e
even example? II tile lawyer asks the
witness, Was you PRESENT." Why should
CHILDREN be xprcted to speak correct
ly ii the doctor does not pIonoun Q
tonsilitis or any OF er ''itis' CORRECTLY
way should the CHI ldren vi his patients
rxpc tie to do so?
We can conceive OF nothing that IS Of