HENRY WARD BEECHER ON GRAMMAR.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1524, 26 March 1886, Page 3

HENRY WARD BEECHER ON GRAMMAR.

Mrs Stowe gives a characteristic account of a grammatical exercise at which her brother, Henry Ward Beecher, assisted in hie school days. Young Beecher was about eleven years old, ami as full of fun and mischief as at pr s *nt. The teacher was drilling her pupils in the rudiments. "Now, Henry," said she, "A is the definite article, you see, and must be used only with the singular number. You can say ' a man,' but you can't say • a men,' can you ? " " fes, I can say ' amen' too/ was the rejoinder. " Father says it always at the end of his prayers." "Come, Henry, don't be joking; decline ' he.'" " Nominative he, possessive his, objective him." "You see ' his' is possessive. Now you can pay 'his book,' but you cannot say 1 him book.'" " Yes, Ido say * hymnbook' too," said the impracticable pupil, with a quizzical twinkle. Each one of these sallies made his young teacher laugh, which was the victory he wanted. " But now, Henry, seriously, just attend to the active and passive voice. Now ■ I strike,' is active, you see, because if you strike you do something. But 'I am struck, 1 is passive, because if you are struck you don't do anything, do youP " " Yes, I do j I strike back again." After about six months, Henry was returned on his parents' hands, with the reputation of being an inveterate joker and indifferent ■cholar.