Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-09
THE GRAMMAR OF BABIES.
They Make Some of Their Own in Spite
 of All Precautions.

Iney make some or Their OWn Tn Spite
 of All Precautions.
 A month after our first baby was born we resolved to settle by experi- ment question which we had dis cussed for months, namely, whether a child's tendency to violate the rules of grammar is innate or is acquired through the sense of hearing.
 My wife declared that all children, no matter what their surroundings, will say: "Me wants sugar." until they are taught that it is proper to say: 'I want sugar." while contended that a child would speak grammatically from the beginning if 1t were not permitted to hear any ungrammatical talk.
 We had little difficulty in making the experiment thorough. We were living in little cottage three miles from the nearest village. We had but one serv- ant, an old negro, who did outdoor work exclusively and slept in an out house. Our only regular visitors were the doctor and the minister, both we'll educated men; and we resolved that our boy should not be within earshot when anyone called whose ability to speak pure English could be disputed.
 Of course we set good example our selves. We refrained from baby talk; used only the most polished language in the presence of our boy, and took particular pains to repeat before him in grammatical style those expressions which are usually the first in child's vocabulary.
 For instance, when he was less than year old, he would sit in his mothers lap, staring ao us, while remarked se- riously and with great distinctness: q want no water;" and my wife would say in an equally impressive manner: No, do not want any"
 Then when we thought that the little fellow must have gained some idea of the proper use of negatives, my wife would offer a suggestion of this sort: civilian, the cups are empty;" and l would proclaim that ''my hands are cold"
 We knew it would be useless at that time to try to teach him anything, but 1 cherished an abiding faith that the memory of our polished conversation would remain with him. My wife had no such faith, but she adhered Loyalty to her agreement to make the experi- ment as thorough as possible.
 When our boy had passed his fif- teenth month we began to look for ward anxiously to the result of the experiment.. We were sure that never in his brief life had he heard an un- grammatical sentence, and we agreed that his first expression would for ever settle the question involved.
 When he was sixteen months old he began to name articles of food with some distinctness. A month later he could couple two words. Then came the climax. He was just eighteen months and twelve days old when he launched his first sentence, and, I may add, knocked my pet theory into Q cooked hat.
 It happened at the breakfast table. My wife was telling me that little Willy's appetite seemed to be failing lately, and was trying to tempt him with spoonful of jam, when he leaned back in his high chair, made 0 wry face and said with terrible distinct- ness: Me don't want no damI'
 My wife was generous s. e did not laugh aloud. She did not say: "I told you so." But she was right, The ten dency to violate the rules of grammar is born in man, as the tendency to commit sin is born in him.-Youth's Companion.