The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-20
NIGHT SCHOOL: HOW TO DO THINGS.
by seymour
dE

tsins bits OF English prose from hundreds
af dimerent pens, some skilled. some un-
skilled. and this turriose az styles does not
determine good Use.
Nor Is seed use 70 be learned from eur
faSocite author. unsupported by other au-
thcrity; not even from the Engfish Btoie
SsSn s,ssa. alone - The e, -ss sss
Scott or Burke or Washington Irving. or
whoever happens 70 be writing earnestly
IN Melbourne or sydney. does not make
these authorities use the word IN the same
sense wsuit 50 very Tar to establish The
nsage. The practice Of no one writer.
however high nc may stand n the pub
iic estimation. Is enough 10 settle point:
cut the uniform or nearly uniform rrAc-
tee OF those whom the wertd deems the
The use Of Ensliss s approved * this
standard is. as Prof. Wendell says. "oniy
a phase Of good manners"
BAD knslisn--that N Ensilsh unlike that
fui writer's produces IN the m.nd OF .
well-inforrned reader an Impression % vul-
sarity or ignorance similar TO that which
his knife. II Is with language as with
clothes and eonduct Persons who wish
20 be cissscd as cultivated people must
not only dress and act like cultivated
people. they mnsi also speak and write
Iise them
Here q Is necessary to interpcs- eau
are aScs % os senaemn ' an sxrrsss,.p Ss g
bad English because II Ia either illogical
or different from what they have been
taught In isnruasc the law % seod use
ample, she was handed a chair" tinstead
OF "A chair Was handed her'1 II An IL
ioxtcsl expression condemned for that
reason BY eorue krammarians. but since u
y found In the writings Of writer's whom
The world considers among this best, X n
now recosntzcd BY many 81 the best
good English" Ia Determined by. the
usage Of the best writer's and speakers.
who sometimes disagree IN their practice.
the Ensiish-speakinw woe,d. 4 follows
that some expressions cannot be pre-
bounced absolutely right" or wrong"
since tsass regarding them Il divided-
For example, some iocutions used xenee-
ally by the cultivated people Of the South
ara mover used by the cultivated people
o. the North; yet fer Ncrsh~rner 20 corr
he hsSty doxmasssm. II a person IA writ
ting for the general public he should avoid
expressions that are net used In the same
there Is no reason why he should he 10
particular in familiar conversation, Cob
loauiAl English a. o.. the EnEiish cf orfi-
place as literary English q. ., tho carsfui
ard exact English ~ STANDARD lttcfsturee,
In general the best wsy 10 bee me "a
niiiar with GOOD English and g firm
the habit Of using II r. 20 read the hret
literature. Language. Ike fnN~nsss. u
learned for the most part w i'm tEan.
and a person who 81 familiar WITH tho
language Of reputa BILE sneakers ard VIZ T.
.rs win use good English wsthpu' CON-
scious effort. just az a child hrcagAt up
among refined pennis generally has ed
manners without knowing " Gees read
ing ~ nd'rnen~ebic 20 xard rnfak'nx Or
writing without this. fui~e anN dict en-
aries are ~ little await In reading the
biographies ~ eminent writers T. IN.
tcresfsnx 10 note how many ~ them we're
great readers when they WERE rosfnEt
and teachers cen testify stat he best
wrfsera among their ruti's ars 'h-ss who
have read xooh literature or who have
heen accustomed 10 hear x~ed E~ki'sh
~ homo. The student ~ exnrsw Ton shnult
begin ~ cncc 10 mako the acquaintance
Of good literature
To become acgus 'ntrd with GOOD liter
ature how~scr. lakes tena tins. More
over, the use ~ eorTeet English r. mt all
together = matter ~ srn'sasfNn The avs
thorfs little hoy ~ wears old. ofsen uses
atrer'cu~ English from mere iGr r@-ew ~
the de snctsons tet~scn c rt~ n word snd
word.forms a. WHEN for fn@s~r~e. he
says. ia their ro'ng 20 ct shem1s a n
nery eosne instruction m the use ~ tie
mother tongue ~ shes~fr~e nrcr~-@rys
and following rwEs~rs will treat ~ how -
avoid soma common biunderx