The longer I live and think, the more dogged my conviction grows, that the definitions and rules and abstractions of grammar are altogether unsuited to the age and cerebral condition of pupils, before they are ready to enter the upper classes of the High-School. All the knowledge of the laws of their native tongue which they need, can be acquired in the Secondary Department in the same way as in the Primary, (mutatis mutandis, of course,) practically, by drills in language, by sentence-building, and, finally, when the learners are ripe for it, by original composition. I am confident that young people trained according to this natural method, under a lively and judicious teacher, himself possessing a ready command of correct and forcible language, fluency and versatility of expression, will, at the end of the course, not only know a great deal more of actual grammar, but will, in addition, have secured a correctness of style, in which classes taught in the old-fashioned way are so woefully deficient. At any rate, their grammatical furniture, be it much or little, will be of their own making. Every law will be the fruit of their own observation and deductions, acquired without weariness, thoroughly understood, since it will be the out-growth of their own intellect, not forced upon them at second hand. As a necessary consequence, it will be easily remembered, without the nauseous drillings and reviews indispensable in a course of artificial or

conventional grammar rules. To them, composition, that bugbear of our schools, will be divested of its terrors. By the time they are prepared for it, it will be a comparatively easy and, therefore, a pleasant work, because their previous course of language-drill, begun in the Primary Department, and carried on without intermission through all the succeeding stages, will have imparted to them such a command of words, such readiness in varying the structure of a sentence without altering its meaning, as to give them ample facility in expressing their thoughts in natural, simple, and correct language.

I was present lately at an examination of a Grammar-class in one of our Western Colleges. It happened that Goold Brown, the book recommended by one of the speakers at the Zanesville convention, was the text-book. It would have been ludicrous, had the waste of time, labor, and intellect not been so mournful, to listen to the pomposity, the solemn verbiage that issued out of the mouths of the demure scholars; the long-winded, formal speech necessary to establish the wonderful fact that it is wrong to say: "The pigs is all running about the garden," explaining to an attentive and, no doubt, highly edified audience how "the subject being found in the plural number, it was contrary to rule so and so for the verb to be found in the singular number!"

The scholars seemed admirably drilled, and the very intelligent young lady, their instructress, had evidently performed most faithfully the duty imposed on her, however much her irrepressible instinct of common-sense may have inwardly rebelled against the solemn mockery of the irrational process which she was compelled to administer,-a process which could have no other result than filling the minds of the superficial members of the class with emptiness and conceit, and the more thinking ones with disgust at the nonsensical drudgery of committing to memory those endless formularies, and having to repeat them over and over with wearisome repetition for every example, by way of proving what was already so plain, and which a few unpretending words could have settled at once and forever.

But it seems to be the aim of the whole system to make the scholars look on every fact in language as depending on some pedantic rule, laid down arbitrarily (for aught they know to the contrary) by grammarians, altogether ignoring the obvious and unalterable law of fitness and harmonious relation.

Am I prejudiced and presumptuous in asserting that nine-tenths of the scholars trained after this unnatural and pedantic fashion

may indeed succeed in learning by heart (!) the whole pack of rules and exceptions thereunto provided, and may be able glibly to quote chapter and verse for each item, not only without any appreciation of what constitutes beauty of style, but without the least suspicion that Grammar-the analysis of language-is but the application of common sense and of natural logic to the observation and classification of the laws which regulate human speech!

O how long will well-meaning and pains-taking teachers continue satisfied to put off their weary pupils with the dry bones of rules, instead of holding up to their delighted view Science herself, glowing with life and beauty! When will the scales fall from their eyes, blinded by prescription and prejudice? When shall it be given to them to see and feel and teach that every subject, whether grammar, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, etc., is but the application of common sense in that particular direction?

Shall I be accused of rashness and dogmatism when I assert that scholars, drilled according to the natural method of discovering for themselves the laws of language (grammar) by the study of well-constructed sentences and the building up of sentences of their own after certain prescribed models, will speak and write more correctly, will have a more just appreciation of correctness and beauty of language and a greater readiness in detecting and rectifying deviations from correct usage; that they will actually know more of the spirit and philosophy of grammar than those who have been, according to the orthodox plan, carried (dragged?) through Green or Brown, even if we suppose these works to contain no unwarranted assertions, no inconsistent definitions or illogical divisions, no forced applications (distortions) of the laws of one class of languages, the inflected, as Greek or Latin, to an essentially different family, that of the uninflected, among which the noble English tongue shines preëminent in majestic simplicity.

Is the study of abstract grammar, then, to be discarded from our course of studies? By no means. I am only anxious to see it placed in its appropriate rank, where its beauty and power can be appreciated. By the time that, with continual drilling and practice, our scholars have acquired such a command of correct language as may be expected from their age and opportunities, when their logical faculty has been developed by mathematics, etc., being now ripe for the study of mental philosophy—that is, the constitution and working of their own minds,-then indeed,

but not till then, I would advise that a didactic exposition of the definitions, natural divisions, and laws of Grammar, as established by inductive reasoning, be laid before them. They will now be able to appreciate and therefore to enjoy what the immature boy or girl would have looked on with bewildered dismay and wearily committed to memory, with a secret, perhaps an unconscious, protest of his inner nature and common sense.

In that systematic synopsis, he will, with glad surprise, recognize the laws which, long before, he has found out in detail, during the happy days of his training in sentence-building. Instead of blindly accepting whatever is set before him, he will now be qualified to exercise his privilege of discriminating, admitting, rejecting, or modifying each definition, division, and rule of his textbook, and thus of building for himself the edifice of his own knowledge, understandingly. This ought surely to be the great end and aim of all scholastic training,-the building up of the intellectual man by the digestive assimulation of intellectual food suited to his capacity, not the cramming and bolting down of an indigested and indigestible farrago of the notions of other minds.

Thus taught, Grammar is indeed a grand study, a fit preparation for the highest philosophy, the philosophy of man's spiritual and immortal nature.

T. E. S.

PRIMARY INSTRUCTION IN THE BOSTON SCHOOLS.

I have witnessed with great satisfaction the progress which has been made in the methods of teaching in these schools. Not that I find every teacher enterprising and progressive. I regret to be obliged to admit that there are some—a small number, I am willing to believe-who seem to be stationary, having apparently no disposition, if they have the capacity, to take a step forward, content with things as they are, disliking the very sound of the word "improvement," and extremely anxious "to be let alone." Such teachers have mistaken their calling; they lack the essential elements of success in teaching, and it would be no loss to the interests of education, if they were permitted to retire from the service, and engage in some more congenial occupation. But, leaving out of the account this small, exceptional class, and speaking of the teachers of this grade as a body, I feel sure that I do

them no more than justice, when I say that they deserve high commendation for their conscientious and zealous efforts to meet the reasonable demands of their arduous and responsible position. The merits of many of these faithful and devoted teachers can not be too highly appreciated. Language is inadequate to express the delight with which I witness the all but miraculous results of their earnest and skillful efforts. In saying this I say what I feel and know, and I say it because of my conviction that these good teachers—and I am speaking only of that class-both deserve and need ten words of commendation, encouragement and appreciation to one of criticism and admonition.

Go with me into a school kept by one of these meritorious teachers. Observe the condition of the room,-its neatness, order and cleanliness; look into the happy faces of the pupils, reflecting the intelligence and love beaming from the countenance of their teacher. They have evidently come from homes of extreme poverty, but notice their tidiness, and especially the good condition of their heads and hands; and see their position in their seats, neither stiff and restrained, nor careless and lounging, but easy and natural. The temperature, you will perceive, is what it should be; and the atmosphere uncommonly wholesome for a school-room,-no children roasting by stoves, or shivering in chilling drafts of air. What skill and care and patience, on the part of the teacher, have been employed to produce this state of things! Now witness the operations going on. The windows are opened more or less, according to the weather. The bell is struck, and the pupils are brought to their feet; they perform some brisk physical exercises with hands and arms, or march to music, or take a lively vocal drill according to Professor Monroe's instructions. In five minutes the scene changes; the windows are closed, half the pupils take their slates with simultaneous movement, place them in position, and proceed to print, draw or write exactly what has been indicated and illustrated for them as a copy. The rest stand, ranged soldier-like, in a compact line, with book in hand, and take their reading-lesson. Not one is listless or inattentive. Sometimes they read in turn, and sometimes they are called promiscuously, or they are permitted to volunteer; or the teacher reads a sentence or two, and the whole class read in concert after her; or they are allowed to read a paragraph silently. Now a hard word is spelled by sounds; then there is thrown in a little drill on inflection or emphasis. Many judicious questions are asked about the meaning of what is read,