University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-01-04

tion should not be perfunctOry task
for children but as human knowledge
is a relative thing. We could by his
same theory, limit composition to a
minus quantity.
Composition, We take it from his
article, is an art and not a science
Having put in a lifetime teaching SET
rules. he naturally chafes in his re-
tired years against any restraint OF
this nature An art it certainly is
native born quality with some. Mr.
Lounsberry defines it as that al
chemical power of style" 1t may be
said that the same thing is true of
music. of oratOry, of painting But
would we discourage the child of or
dinary talent from the study of mu-
sic? Certainly not. Geniuses are
rare. Perhaps many of us will never
write books, but it is a satisfaction
to get a well written letters men of
science must transmit their thoughts
largely by written speech,-why not
insist on a fair degree of compost
ton? Composition is also science.
in so far that there are well defined
rules of rhetoric and grammar. es-
tablished not by arbitrary power but
by common sense and logical forma-
ton.
So much for his discussion of the
necessity for composition. When he
comes to a discussion of the me-
chanics of composition, there is a
great deal of common sense i'm his
views. Language is. of course, fieX-
ible. Good usage today may be ar
chaic tomorrow and the slang of the
present may be the correct language
of the future. We outgrOw rules as
We Outgrow our clothes. Sometimes
we are slow to discard either, with
equally lugubriOus results. There
is." he says. mo divinely inspired
system of punctation.'' This would
be an excellent motto to paste over
the copy desk or to frame and hang
over the desk of freshmen English
teachers who sometimes are turned
loose unmuzzled on upper classes.
None" is perfectly proper used as
the relative of an antecedent without
life. The superlative degree may be
used in comparing two things. At
least. he says we have no right to
lay down arbitrary rules to the con-
trary.
There is joy ahead for the fresh
man English students but curses"
for the red ink manufacturers if COL
lege English departments adopt Mr..
Lounsbury's suggestions as to the
correction of themes. After twenty
five years of labOrious correction of
themes he comes to the conclusion
that the task is useless. When the
criticism is competent, he says, the
trouble is lost on the average stu
dent. but more frequently the criti-
cism is not even competent The
men who can rightfully set them
selves up as authorities on the Eng
lish language are few. Most of us
have always harbored suspicious that
ouCh 10 tHe Ease, particularly Wnen
some of our pet constructions have
returned with blOOd-red pen wounds
received at the hands of a newly
fiedged instructor from Harvard
These newly knighted English cham
pions seem to feel the same keen joy
of vivisectiOn as a cub copy reader
when first entrusted with a blue pen
ell.
The greater number of thinking
people will agree with Professor
LOunsbury to a certain point in his
argument. All cannot go with him
the entire distance. Teach English
as the flexible language which it is
and the irksome features of compO-
sitiOn will be removed. The multi
plicity and the contrariety of arbi-