The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-05-28
THE TEACHING OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE CONCLUDED.


pass the examination in English, re-
ported, after a careful investigation,
that ain the system of instruction as
now pursued in the preparatory
schools, as developed in the material
examined by, them, only here and
there the trace of an idea can be
found that is to enable those taught
to write the English language easily
and well, so that the writer may be
able to use it as tool familiar to his
hand, as speech to his tongue, in the
further process of education and in
the subsequent, pursuits of life. The
Committee cannot speak of other de
partments, but in the matter of English
Composition the scholar in the pre-
paratory schools receives, indeed,
nothing which can with any propriety
be called an education he is trained
to pass given examination that and
nothing more. The present system,
therefore, is radically defective. The
difficulty also, so far as your commit
tee is advised, is by no means conhn-
ed to the advanced schools which fit
for college. XPermeateS IN another
fern the a0hohe american grammar
Sch0c! system Qtalics are mine) """.
"The work of theme essay writing
aught to be pronounced a part of the
elementary training, and as such rele-
gated to the preparatory schools.
The student who presents himself for
admission to the College, and who
cannot write the English language
with facility and correctness, should
be sent back to the preparatory
school to remain there until he can SO
write it,
THE Committee recommend
that steps be taken in relation to the
standard Of English Composition re-
quired for admission TO our colleges
which shall compel the preparatory
schools to change their present sys-
TEN, and raise their standard to the
required point"
The meaning of the foregoing is too
clear to be misunderstood. 1t also
accords with reason and with the best
educational thought OF the day. Such
requirements will, of course, demand
better teaching than now prevails and
better qualified teachers, but the time
surely has come when no others
should be licensed to teach limo
cent children have already too long
been imposed upon.
Practical English, in other words,
the ability to write the English
language with ease and correctness,
is not a difficult thing to teach for
those who themselves have been pro-
perly taught it, but it must be com
menced early and taught throughout
a pupils period of school life. At first
only errors of speech should be cor
rected; afterwards, as soon as the pu-
pills can use the pen or pencil, written
work should be required of them. For
this purpose all their daily lessons
furnish ample material.
Grammar, so far as it is a help to
expression, should receive attention
along with language, wherever it can
with advantage to the pupils be
taught.
When the pupils minds have at
tained sufficient power to do so, regu-
lar essay work should be commenced,
and in connection with it, wherever
the opportunity is afforded, not only
such instruction in grammar as will
prove helpful should be given, but the
elementary principles of rhetoric
clearness, force, and unity, should be
taught,
The foregoing suggestions on teach
ing English re in accord with those
of The Committee of Ten appointed
by the National Educational Associa-
tion in 1922. The following is the
concluding paragraph Of the report of
the committee "With regard to the
study of formal grammar the confer
ence wishes to lay stress on three
points (I) student may be taught
to speak and write good English with
out receiving any special instruction
in formal grammar (2) the study of
formal grammar is valuable as train
ing in thought, but has only an indi-
rect bearing on the art of writing and
speaking and 60 the. teaching of
formal grammar should be as far as
possible incidental and should be
brought into close connection with
the pupils work in reading and COM
position. These principles explain
the considerable reduction recon-
mended by the conference in the
amount of time allowed to this study"
WILLIAM NoETLING.
SALES,