THE BUGLE CALL
- Mr. Bayne’s Letter
To the Pupils of Public School No. 5:
This year we have been making an
earnest effort in many of the classes
toward forming good habits—habits of
conduct, of good manners, of study, of
thought. Some boys have shown re-
markable improvement in habit forma-
tion, particularly in the matter of per-
sonal cleanliness. This is as it should
be. The habit of being clean is the first
step towards creating self-respect, and
unless a boy respects himself, he need
expect no one else to respect him. For
this improvement we are very thankful.
I want to draw your attention to a
habit which is most difficult to acquire
but which is most valuable when once
we possess it. It is the habit of using
good English, It is most valuable be-
cause it enables us to take our place
among well educated people and aids us
in holding that self-respect which is nee-
essary to our progress in life.
Ask any employer which he prefers
for his employee, the slang user, or the
speaker of good English, and the answer
will undoubtedly be in favor of the user
of good English. Slang, careless un-
grammatical expressions, slovenly pro-
nuneiations are marks of the person who
lacks pride in himself; of the person
who does not know better, or of the one
who does know better and is too timid
or weak to speak correctly. If you use
poor English, to which of these classes
do you belong?
1. To the “don’t care” class, or
2. To the “don't know” class, or
3. To the “don’t dare” class.
There are very few of you who “don't
know” about your incorrect manners of
speech. This T say because I have but
to ask an offender to repeat what he has
said and with no further reminder on
my part he correct his error.
I might have added a fourth class of
users of poor English and called it the
“don’t think” class, These are the peo-
ple who know better but don’t think. In
it I fear many of our boys and girls of
P. S. No. 5 would have to place them-
selves.
Now what can you do? If you really
care about your speech being correct,
won't you try to form a habit? How?
First of all by taking care to see that
your pronunciations of common words
are clear and distinct. You will find at
the end of this letter a list of words
which the pupils of our school mispro-
nounce most frequently, They are what
I call the “Pronunciation Sins of P. S.
5.” Try to see that none of these sins
is yours. Take the list home. Ask
mother or father to go over them with
you at home. Ask your parents to help
you by watching your speech and cor-
recting you when necessary.
Take note of the errors of others.
Don’t be afraid of being corrected, it is
all for your own good, and finally don’t
be afraid of being precise in your speech
even if others are careless. It is easy to
fall into the habit of imitating others. It
won't do others any harm to hear cor-
rect pronunciation, and it will not do
you any harm to be known as a speaker
of good English.
A little later this coming term we are
planning to give every pupil a copy of
the “P. S. No. 5 Text Book,” in which
we hope to show what are the more com-
mon mistakes in English made by the
pupils of our school. I hope you will
make use of this litthe pamphlet. It
ought to be valuable because it will tell
tus what our faults are, and knowing our
faults, it ought not be difficult to do away
with them,
In the meantime, I hope every one of
you will make a firm resolution to join
the new club of P. S. 5—“The good Eng-
lish Club.” The only pledge of mem-
bership will be, “I promise to try to
speak good English at all times.”THE BUGLE CALL
Mispronunciations.
little yesterday windows
municipal and accept
next bade ate
oil brought boon
partner certain burning
scissors curtain children
suggestion don’t you drowned
then eleven dare not
those father engine
that forty first
throw girl genuine
threw innocent give me
world kept into
what length last
won't you matter library
you New York mother
always of ninety
attacked our often
brother pretty party
catch shirt says
city than strength
dog these think
eighth this Tuesday’
family through theatre
for thirty thirteen
geography was together
history which when
just went wish
let me want to with
mischievous yes your
nothing ing against
my beginning arithmetic
once doing bird
picture drawing can
saw drinking chimney
the going desk
‘toward moving early
though h playing every
thoroug! running
riety tung, feathers
voice ows get
work bellows heard
where follows Ttalian
word fellows latter