The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-22
Throw Thcm Away.

Atlanta Constitution.
The New York Sun. replying to CORE
spondent who criticises its use OF the
phrase some few as an offcnse against
good style. makes some remarks on Eng
lish grammar that We heartily commend
to tho attention OF boards of education.
superintendent aud teachers OF public
schools rs well as most prayoriully 10
parents who insist on having their chill
dren's minds turned away from good
literature aud weakened by studying that
which they can not understand and which
would do them no good If they could.
The Sun makes a crushing reply to It's
correspondent. and then gives him this
piece of advice:
Has he been reading an English gram
mar? Then he has been reading work BY
the side of which oven a report Of the
Federal department Of agriculture or q
speech made by the Hon. John Brooks
Leayitt seems almost Ineligible and
valuable, There never was an English
grammar that didn't darken understanding.
The whole pack of English grammar is but
a set of fossliiaed rules and obiter dicta
about this wonderful, illimitable, and pas-
sionately living speech. Use your Engish
grammar IL Heaven has been 30 harsh TO
you AS to give you one, for fuel IN winter
or for cigar lighters in the fiirnaceless aud
grateless months. Burn It, esteemed phila-
dcphian, II Is an ignorant and n presump-
tunus hereto and sinner against our sncri d
English speech. SO you may grow In
knowledge OF that speech, and be healthy
and fortunate, not some few. but very
many years.
There are many sober-minded persons.
as well as many teachers whose minds re-
main ut the dead Lowell OF text books. who
VIII resent the foregoing statement And
even those who have their suspicious about
the utility OF what is called English gram
mar. VIII say that the Sun Is too extreme.
But every word we have quoted from the
Sun Is the truth---as true In what IL I'M
piled as In what Is charged There IL MOTH
ing better calculated TO cause young mind
to close Itself rosolutely against all knOwl-
edge than the dreary task OF trying 10
master those monuments to folly that arc
called English grammar. There Is only one
reason why pupil can not understand
them, but that reason Is fatal to their use
fulness. II Is because they bear no Just,
or reasonable. or harmonious relation toI
the speech with which they pretend to
deal
1t would he far better for pupils of ten
years II the so-called English grammars
We're thrown away. and an elementary
Latin grammar substituted There. al least.
he VIII find harmony and a certain
rhythmic simplicity that VIII appeal TO his
car II not TO his mind. And even II he
falls 10 understand the Latin grammar or
its purport. nevertheless he viii not he
confronted by che confusion, the pedantry
and the misleading statements to be found
In the called English grammars.
IL may be said here at once that the
Constitution does rot hope TO bring about
any reform In this matter. II 1t were only
a question for wise educators to decide. the
brutality Of compelling children to strain
their minds in the effort to master the
follles OF grammarians, ao-called, would
come 10 an end at once. But public opin-
ion represented by parents and boards OF
education compel them to 20 on SHINING
against light and reason.
There arc thousands OF teachers. worthy
men and women, who would be glad to see
the children In their charge relieved OF this
special form OF torture. But over against
their desires are set parents quite as ignor-
ant as the grammarans. and 70 from
generation to generation the horrible grind
goes on Nothing saves the children but
the Instinct that enables them to close
their minds against that which they can
net understand. aud which insures oblivion
to the whole pack Of grammar writcrs
We repeat therefore. that the ConstJtu-
tion Is making no EFFORT to reform this
species Of imbecility Men and women have
been surviving the lnhiction for genera
tions but II is consoling TO know that such
men as Shakespeare and Milton never
knew anything Of the horrors OF the thug
which Is now called English grammar. No
body will ever know how many Shates-
peares and Millions the study OF English
grammsr, so.raiied has suppressed by
disgusting them with even rational study
Of their native tongue.
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