national writing day

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:58 AM -0400 10/21/09, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>Dennis,
>
>I'm sending the Web of Language article to two teachers of ESL I know.
>
>1)  For your quotation from Sen. Alexander:  I didn't find it
>Googling.  And the paragraph is not in the Web article -- were you
>unable to verify it?  8-)
>
>2)  It might be amusing to add Virginia Gov. William Berkeley's 1670
>remark upon printing (and "free schools").  I found the following via
>Google Books in _Religion in America ..._ by Robert Baird (1844),
>page 147, footnote:
>
>"Sir William Berkeley, in 1670, in replying to the inquiries
>addressed to him by the Lords of Plantations, says:
>'I thank God, _there are no free schools nor printing,_ and I hope we
>shall not have them these hundred years; for learning has brought
>_disobedience,_ and _heresy,_ and _sects_ into the world

Just think, if we could convince students that we have it on good
authority that "Learning brings sects" how much more attention they'd
pay in class...

LH

>  and
>printing has divulged them, and libels against the best
>government.  God keep us from both!' "
>
>3)  And to add a comment about prohibitions against printing the
>Bible in the vernacular, and against the hoi polloi reading it.
>
>Joel
>
>At 10/21/2009 12:31 AM, Dennis Baron wrote:
>>There's a new post on the Web of Language:
>>
>>It's National Writing Day. I wrote today, did you?
>>
>>Senate Resolution 310 proclaims today, Oct. 20, as the National Day on
>>Writing. Sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English, the
>>National Day on Writing seeks to promote personal, professional, and
>>civic writing in all its forms and celebrates writing by establishing
>>a National Writing Gallery to display all the writing created on
>>National Writing Day.
>>
>>The Senate resolution passed only because nowhere in its text are the
>>words "health care" or "communism"; there is no mention of the colors
>>red or pink; and so far as the administration's leftist agenda is
>>concerned, left-handed writers are specifically prohibited from
>>receiving government funds for any writing-related activities.
>>
>>Speaking against the resolution, however, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R.,
>>Tenn.) attacked the National Writing Day for promoting socialism. As
>>Alexander told a gathering at the Hoover Institution, "The
>>Resolution's second whereas clearly states, 'Whereas the social nature
>>of writing invites people of every age, profession, and walk of life
>>to create meaning through composing.' That says it right there, the
>>'social nature of writing' -- writing is a socialist activity."
>>
>>Read the rest of this post on the Web of Language: http://bit.ly/weblan
>>
>>
>>____________________
>>Dennis Baron
>>Professor of English and Linguistics
>>Department of English
>>University of Illinois
>>608 S. Wright St.
>>Urbana, IL 61801
>>
>>office: 217-244-0568
>>fax: 217-333-4321
>>
>>http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron
>>
>>read the Web of Language:
>>http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org