THROUGH THEIR LOSS OF FAITH IN TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR, MEN HAVE "SINNED" AND CONTRIBUTED SLIGHTLY BUT IMPORTANTLY TO THE CREATION OF AN AMORAL AND RELATIVISTIC SOCIETY. PROMPTED BY THE SIN OF INTELLECTUAL PRIDE, SOME LINGUISTS SEEM TO ASSUME THAT GRAMMATICAL PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED BY RATIOCINATION ALONE. IGNORANCE OF THE PAST--ANOTHER SIN--AND IGNORANCE OF THE TRADITIONAL VALUE OF IDIOM HAVE RESULTED FROM THIS ATTITUDE, FURTHER, THE SENSE OF TACT AND OF GOOD TASTE UPON WHICH GRAMMAR DEPENDS FOR ITS LIFE AND STRENGTH HAVE TO A LARGE EXTENT DISAPPEARED FROM AMERICANS' WRITING AND SPEECH. IN THEIR STEAD, THE SINFUL PRACTICE OF SOCIAL LEVELLING HAS PERMEATED SCHOOLS, PERMITTING THE BEST USAGES IN ALL DISCIPLINES TO BE IGNORED IN ATTEMPTING "TO RETAIN THE INTEREST OF STUPID OR LAZY STUDENTS." FEW PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO SET STANDARDS OF LINGUISTIC TASTE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMON EVILS OF PRESCRIPTION--OCCASIONAL OVERSIMPLIFICATION AND OVERSTATEMENT--HAVE BEEN SUCCEEDED BY THE GREATER EVIL OF PERMITTING STUDENTS TO PROGRESS THROUGH SCHOOL WITHOUT RECEIVING THE TRAINING NECESSARY TO MAKE GOOD GRAMMATICAL CHOICES. ALTHOUGH ANY PRACTICAL GRAMMAR IS SOMEWHAT MAKESHIFT, THE "BEST EVIDENCE OF THE VALUE OF TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR IS THAT IT USUALLY WORKS." (THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE "ILLINOIS ENGLISH BULLETIN," VOL. 55 (DECEMBER 1967), 1-9.) (RD)