The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-12-06


Lady Ably Discusses the Importance oi
Punctuation and Cites Some Notable
Incidents of Its Value How q Comms
Once Cost the Government Over Two
Million Dollars.
The third general meeting Of the CRY
reachers was held at the normal rooms
sn the city building yesterday morning
from 8 TO II o'clock.
1t was English day. Language, gram
mar, literature, literary appreciation, its
acquisition and meaning, being among
the subjects for discussion. The motto
On the program read. HE who writes
from the heart will write TO the heart.
Superintendent Dyet conducted the de-
votional exercises, after which the roll
was called, each teacher Of the High
school responding with a quotation ap-
propriate to the days topic.
The purpose and scope Of language
lessons was the subject of a ten min
ute paper by Miss Nellie Dorsey. She
demonstrated in clear argumentative
style that language, like every good gift,
hay be cultivated, nourished, improved,
tically lost. That, as in every other hu-
man attainment, so in the use of Ian
guage, there is no excellence without
great labor. Not a word passing from
the lips into the air can ever die until
the atmosphere which encircles this
great ball has passed away and the
heavens exist no more. If this be true
have we not then with US perpetually a
monograph that snail deliver to on.
subtler senses in the great beyond al
speech Of our ours in this lower plane?
This subject was ably discussed by
Miss Alletha Miller.
Miss Leichardt read a paper on 1.-The
place. purpose and contents of formal
grammar" She showed that accuracy
end facility in the use of language, both
spoken and written, are the chief ends
20 be secured BY the study of grammar
To secure these ends, a thorough &C.
quaintance with the. elements, forms
structure, and laws of our mother tongue
is Indispensable; and a practical knowl-
edge of these can be acquired only by
patient, persistent exercise in the
analysis and synthesis ohsyllables. words
ind sentences. The cry against formal
grammar should be directed against the
mode of instruction frequently used. II
properly taught il serves a most useful
purpose. and the schools can i'll afford to
spare subject so fruitful of good re-
suits
Miss Jane Burd was the next speaker.
She discussed the former paper. Among
other things Miss Burd said: I'VE are
practical nation. Let us, then, teach
grammar. Some twenty years ago, in
making a.tariff bill and enumerating the
articles to be admitted free of duty, con-
gress included in the list all foreign
fruit-plants. The engrossins clerks, in
copying IL, substituted comma for the
s1yphen. and for a whole year, all tropi-
cal fruit and plants were admitted free,
and the United States lost thereby
about two million dollars. This would
indicate that cammas, at least, are prac-
teal
"A pupil must know words before he
can talk about them, and some knowl-
edge of technical grammar is necessary
In order TO know the proprieties of
words. yet he must not take up technical
grammar until he reaches the sixth
grade.
"A person of more than ordinary abil-
ity recently told me that she always
thought that if The dog bit the man. is
active, then, The man bit the dog is
passive, as in one case the dog acts, and
liz the other case he acted upon.
Pupils do not always read the ideas
in the difnition. A seventh grade boy
said last weeI. that cat is indeterminate
gender. as ii is an inferior animal. and
the grammar says no distinction is
made in speaking of them. One of the
girls some where learned 'neuter gender
denotes objects without life, and in
speaking of the dead woman or the dead
man woman and man are both neuta-
gender, for they have no life, and
solomon with all his wisdom reasoned
not like enc of these
Further discussion on this subject was
participated in by Miss Lizzie Dicken-
son and MesSrs. r. F. Knight and J. n.
Allen of the High school,
Literary application. its meaning
and acquisition" was the subject of a
ten-minute paper by Miss Anna Mason.
Among other things Miss Mason said
that the study of literature is the study
Of the works of authors. and not neces-
EARLY the study of criticisms of their
works. For the pupil to repeat the
judgment Of others without any knowl-
edge for himself. is worse than useless.
He needs to read from the author. TO
think. judge. appreciate and enjoy for
himself. To know something of an au-
thor's life enhances the interest i'm his
writings, and is important TO full ap.
probation OF them. First the taste-the
love for literarture-must be acquired
before appreciative criticism can be
given.
She said that no child is too young to
begin the study of literature. Ii begins,
indeed. with his nursery rhymes, with
tho first poem or verse of scripture he
commits TO memory. That his taste
should be guided and cultivated. and his
craving judiciously satisfied, is of the
utmost Importance.
The next two numbers on the program
were in charge of several members of
the senior class Of the High school
Literary appreciation as exemplified by
the study of the Merchant of Venice -
by Robert Gehring. and Literary ap-
probation as eXemplified by Bacon's Es-
SAYS" by Anna Jones'. Well may
Wichita feel proud OF her city High
school. its corps of teachers. its pupils
and graduates. il the two young people
who addressed the teachers yesterday
morning were fair representatives of the
class of students in that school and in
the senior class Both Mr. Gehring and
Miss Jones reflected great credit upon
themselves, their class and their teach
ers by the easy dignity aad graceful ut
terance with which they acquitted them
selves, betokening the careful student
and showing their keen appreciation OF
the masterpieces of literature.
After a recess of thirty minutes the
following numbers occupied the attention
Of those present:
Teaching English in the primary