2  "  Grammar  has  its  part  to  contribute,  but  rather  in  the  higher  than  in
the  lower  stages  of  the  work.  One  must  be  a  someuhat  reflective  user  of
language  to  amend  even  here  and  there  a  point  by  grammatical  reasons,
and  no  one  ever  changed  from  a  bad  speaker  to  a  good  one  by  applying
the  rules  of  grammar  to  what  he  said."  —  W.  D.  WHITNEY  in  "  Essentials
of  English  Grammar,"


2l8  THE  ART  OF  TEACHING.
Ends  and   Principles.
We  now  squarely  face  the   definite  question,  What

should  be  the  nature  of  language  training  during  the

first  six  years  of  school  ?     In  seeking  a  prac-

Nature  of  -'  ,  ..
Language  tical  answcr  to  this  question,  let  us  consider
Training.  ^ ^ ■j  ^|^g  q.vl^'s,  to  bc  attained  by  such  training;
(2)  the  principles  that  must  be  observed;  and  (3)  the
materials  and  methods  to  be  used.  Fortunately,  mod-
ern school  experience  sheds  a  clear  light  on  each  of
these  points.
I.   Ends  to  be  Attained.
In  no  other  branch  of  study  is  a  knowledge  of  the
ends  to  be  attained  more  important  than  in  language.
