LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14085, 12 June 1909, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

TRAMCAR ACCIDENTS. Sir,—May I write a few lines on the above subject? Scarcely a month goes by without some fatal accident being recorded. Many of these mishaps must be duo to negligence on the part of tho motor men and conductors. I will give an instance. The other .norning I alighted from a tramcar in Queenstreet. I am very quick on my feet, and got out at once. Before I had time to get out the tram went on, so I jumped off just in time. A gentleman I was with spoke very severely to the conductor as the tram dashed along, but he only laughed in our faces. This is a fact. Accidents are far too numerous for a. small city like Auckland. June 11. Fair Plat. "THE TONGUE "WE SPEAK." Sir,—Mr. Frank Morton, in his article, " The Tongue We Speak," in the Herald's Saturday supplement, ridicules the teachers of the Dominion. All I can say is Heaven help *' the tongue wo speak " if it is to be spoken as Mr. Morton writes it. Fancy a man posing as an authority on English using this (sentence: " Our own carelessness and lack of national conscience is responsible for much." .You will agree with me, sir, that clearness is the first element of good English. Yet for the life of me I cannot understand what Mr. Morton is driving at in some places. He says: "These words have all been mispronounced in my hearing by school teachers and women specially retained to keep the well of English undented in those places in which defilement is most easy." What the phrase "in those places" refers to I am at loss to know. Does he mean the school and playground? Surely not! 1 understand him to mean "in youth —that defilement is " most easy " in youth. Youth is certainly a strange place. Further, Mr. Morton remarks:'* "The contagion is in the air: that phrase is rather bad English if you come to consider it." I have looked, sir, until I am weary for the phrase referred to, and I failed to find it. 1 must admit that it, is some time now since I dabbled in phrases and clauses, so perhaps Mr. Morton would kindly point out the phrase in question. Do you think, sir, that Shakespe.re would have used such an expression as " If you come to consider it?" Will Mr. Morion please tell us why we must *' come " before wo can " consider it? Such an expression savours more of the present-day schoolboy than of Shakespere. Mr. Morton is as strong on the "go" as the "come"e.g., "' The system is good enough as State systems go," " £3 is little enough as the times go." I once wrote an essay, and a much greater authority on English than Mr. Morton wrote at the end of it, " The use of parentheses is a sign of weakness." Yet we have no fewer than seven examples of parentheses in Mr. Morton's short article. 1 pass over Mr. Morton's attack on teachers' mispronunciations, for I conclude that his hearing is as defective as his English. There is an old book that contains not only English pure and undefiled, but some good advice. Here is a quotation: "First cast out tho beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Ignoramus.

Sir,—Frank Morton takes up the greater part of his article in last Saturday's supplement in finding fault with the English spoken by the public school teachers. I do not. at present, intend to argue whether lie is right, or not, but ] do think that, before lie begins to criticise others, he should make sure that his own English is without fault. If you turn to the article in question you will find the word "punctuation" used for "pronunciation," and also this expression: "The contagion is in the air." The writer of the article evidently has never heard of the Rule of Concord, for ho says: " Our own carelessness and lack of national conscience ' is' responsible for much." He also says: " The split infinitive haunts and maddens me, my noonday ghost," How any man can be his own ghost I am at u loss to understand, but if he looks carefully enough he will find his " noonday ghost" in his own phrase, " to be sternly prohibited." Other mistakes in toe use of the King's English are made, but these are so glaring that, a Standard VI. schoolboy would detect them. With regard to his statement that an offer of £3 a week for life would entice away most of our male teachers, 1 might say that most of our masters are already receiving more than that sum, they have every prospect of receiving double the amount, and have every hope of retiring on superannuation on at least £]50 a year. Teacher.