Essentials of English Composition #262660

Sir philip sidney says of the lawyer that our wickedness maketh him necessary, and necessity mak eth him honorable. Something of the kind, I sup pose most teachers would agree, might be said of text books of composition. Whether or not necessity makes them honorable, our deficiencies make them necessary. The best teacher of composition I have known did not use a text-book; and if we could all teach like Dean Briggs, we might wisely make a bonfire of the books. As matters stand, however, they are generally regarded as a necessary evil.