The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-17
YALE men SHOULD
STUDY WEBSTER
Professor Says Ell Students Can
not Use English Properly

New Haven. Conn. Nov. l7.-Prof
Henry n. McCracken of the English
department of Yale has set the uni
versity agog by his severe criticism
before a state convention of school
teachers and college students ignor-
ance of English and the English die
tionary. Prof. McCracken advised
that, instead Of spending so much time
on eXtraneous matters, students in coll
leges and high schools should study
the dictionary; and he advocated that
every student be Obliged to carry one
In his support of his statement that
Yale men are strangely ignorant of the
use of English he gave some instances
Of definitions handed in To him by
students in the Sheffield Scientific
school since the university opened this
fall. He said that i'm the face of strong
opposition the English department Of
Shelf now required that students
should not only possess "A dictionary
but should know how to handle it as
we'll He continued in part as fol-
lows:
The study of words is the only
means by which "a student may acquire
the dictionary habit. When the fresh
man class this year entered the Shelf
neld Scientific school less than 20 per
cent of the students were equipped
with "a dictionary of any sort, and of
this number most all had an utterly
Inadequate apparatus. The require
ment by the English faculty in Shelf,
that every student must possess and
be prepared to handle an adequate die
tionary had been strenuously opposed
by every possible device which can he
cuntrvcd by unwilling students; but
10 no purpose. For the first time i'm my
own experience of Yale every stu
dent has a dictionary. The habit may
come later.
Some Fantastic Definitions.
This week | offered some simple
tests in definitions to college juniors
aud freshmen; | received answers like
,hc following:
An agnostic is one who believes
Just what he thinks
An infidel is one who has "A re-
lgion of his own
Pride is the habit of modesty and
sclf-control.'
"A man is playmate when he is
lazy-like
These definition ! pick at random
nom hundreds. 1t is not merely that
the words are strange TO the students;
A., 4. 10. ha
oategories to which belong the various
terms toward which their attention
has been called. In general, then. l
feel justified in saying that with the
average student the dictionary habit
does not exist
"But there are many minor advan-
tares 10 he gained 10y the greater en-
phlsis upon word study AS ones Vo-
,abulary Increases the horizon en-
larpcS. and one becomes more the mas
of ones self. II is even fair To say
that mentality may be actually de-
termined by the size of ones vocabu-
larry. II may be suggested as a fur
tai tests for maturity.
Right here lies an extraordinary
difference between the American and
the English schoolboy While the
former far surpasses his cousin over
sea in what we call practical knowl-
edge, the latter's mastery of his ma
tive tongue is incredibly superior. The
conclusion is inevitable that at present
The steady increase of vocabulary in
nigh school students is not one Of the
chief concerns of our departments of
composition.
"Mu2n mas recently been said about
IA" slovcnly pronunciation of English
IN America. There is no better cor
receive for faulty pronunciation and
spelling than directing the students
attention upon the study of definitions.
The chief fault of Americans in pro-
nunciation is the slurring of the minor
sNllahles in words. Concentration upon
single words brings out these minor
syilabes as new discoveries
The absence of tunnels on the deck
I.N