The herald., 1895-11-28
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Valuable Contribution by the
Editor of This Division
ENGLISH IN COLD TYPE
Vsssar Thirty Years Ago, by the First
Resident Physician
True Education, the Duchess Defense the
Story OF Gertrude. Interesting Con-
tribution Upon Dental Hygiene

Conducted by Miss Kate Virginia DarnH
The very candid statements made by
the" Harvard committee on Engilsn are
startling revelations TO the world at
large. These Sketches in Black ana
White, fac smile reproductions OF entrance
essays-from students who entered-are
made with Zoa-liIla frankness. They
show that thess students, after spending
wears in preparation for college, could
neither write nor spell good English.
Their thoughts were not clear, their
Language ill-chosen, composition ingram
matioal, and spelling of the Artemus ward
variety. OF all the essays published, only
two were cIcditable, both the work OF
young men trained in newspaper offices.
The trsnslatons from Latin, published
by the same Harvard committee tins
year, show no improvement.
What is that boosted System" by
which the best preparatory schools send
to colleges students who have not made
the acquaintance OF their mother tohgueF
A mem Der of one of the leading jew
eiry firms in New York, frcm which class
pins and society badges are largely
ordered, SAYS that the letters OF college
students are objects of mirtb and ridic1le
IN their Office from the bad spelling ana
absurd com position.
1t is safe to say, that if fathers and
mothers who read this article Will Try the
boys and girls or their families with
few pages of good. pure English, many
will find that their young people can
neither pronounce correctly, read fu-
emily nor gat her the full meaning OF the
author. Then, + you Will ask these same
young people to write a letter, they Will
find it Astounding in misspelled Worcs
and grammatical plumbers.
1t is surprising revelation to Amer
lean parents, coming with the sea- of
Harvard, that the system so prlAed
both in public and private schools, and
the teachers so well trained, are sending
the young out of school without work
Ing knowledge of their mother tongue.
1t is not the least of the many blessings
for which we celebrate Thanksgiving
day, that we inherit language so noble
and flexible, so rich in epitnet and
synonym, so full Of strength and sweet
ness, that, in the bald OF Il master, there
is neither height nor depth OF human
Joy or sorrow which it cannot compass.
Is it not almost crime to treat this
great inheritance lightly and to hand it
down to the next generation poor Sam
son, shorn OF strength and beauty
Below are few choice extracts from
the translatIons published by the Har-
ward committee on English, Charles Fran
els Adams, Edwin l.. Godkin, George R.
Nutter:
''Time is to disist from fight, alone /
am brought against Pallas Pallas alone
has debt with me, l wish his father
might be here to view the fight, then
the allies disist at the Just command.
Nor the shades OF the lowering groves,
nor the soft fields can move his mind nor
the which flying over the
rocks seeks the field by the streamlet4
(but his sides are shaken with sobs) and
stupor presses upon his fixed eyes, and
his neck by the bending weight looks
toward the earti:.
keep therefore longer in the province
him who obtains treuces Cor agreements)
for he (the colleague) has deceived you
with his sadness and countenance.
ethel sad ploughman went with his
brothers death the grieving bullock. and
he leaves the plough stuck in the ground
in the midst OF his work. ~
Other flowers might be culled. but per
haps it as well to ''disist' with the sad
ploughman,'