A further illustration of these remarks may be found in the common business of education. When a boy, translating an author, wants to ascertain the meaning of a word, he first, from habit, determines its part of speech, habit next guides him to seek in his lexicon, the word or its primitive; and out of the many explanations which he finds, habit suggests that which is the most suitable to his present purpose. Thus we find, that discrimination is a faculty, of which even childhood is capable, and to which it has constant recourse.

It is in this manner that the youthful mind may be trained to distinguish the several kinds of literary composition from each other: and at length, by regular gradation, to discriminate the leading characteristics of each.

The early intellect which can discern the narrative, the descriptive, and the argumentative, from each other,

habits are formed in all mental exertions. The performances of the Italian Improvisatori, or makers of poetry offhanded upon any presented subject, and in almost any kind of stanza, are generally cited as the most surprising efforts in this kind. But the power of extempore speaking is not less singular, though more frequently displayed, at least in this country. A practised orator will declaim in measured and in various periods will weave his discourse into one texture-form parenthesis within parenthesis-excite the passions, or move to laughter-take a turn in his discourse from an accidental interruption, making it the topic of his rhetoric for five minutes to come, and pursuing in like manner the new illustrations to which it gives rise-mould his diction with a view to attain or to shun an epigrammatic point, or an alliteration, or a discord; and all this with so much assured reliance on his own powers, and with such perfect ease to himself, that he shall even plan the next sentence while he is pronouncing off-hand the one he is engaged with, adapting each to the other, and shall look forward to the topic which is to follow and fit in the close of the one he is handling to be its introducer; nor shall any auditor be able to discover the least difference between all this and the portion of his speech which he has got by heart, or tell the transition from the one to the other."

may soon be taught to determine their respective species. Narrative will be divided into history, biography and detached events; the descriptive, into representations of places, persons and objects; and the argumentative, into that which relates to public, and that which regards individual affairs. Surely the mind which can correctly apply the rules of grammatical syntax, may as easily appreciate these departments of composition.

Descending however still further into detail, it will be found with how much facility, discrimination may be extended.

A boy, by short practice, will distinguish the objects and the actions included in a fable as easily as he can point out nouns and verbs. A little more experience will suggest to him the purpose, or, as it is commonly called, the moral of a fable: and thus he will soon readily determine the leading circumstance of every proposed narrative. The quickness of his discernment will, of course, be in proportion to the extent of his practice. No one will doubt this faculty of discrimination, and the practicability of exciting it, who has observed with what readiness young persons discover and correct violations of even the refined rules of grammar.

As it is one part of the system contained in the following work, to train youth in this habit of discriminating, and in the practice of relating with scrupulous fidelity all the circumstances of a narrative, I may be allowed to observe, that such a discipline must also have a probable tendency to produce a salutary effect on early morals.

Falsehood frequently proceeds from thoughtless exaggeration, careless omission, and an imperfect discernment of what is heard or seen. The habits of accuracy in discrimination, and of correctness in statement, will, may be hoped, prevent much of this disgraceful evil.

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From narrative the student may be conducted to the descriptive, and thence to the argumentative. In the former, he may be trained to distinguish the several objects of which the representation is formed; and in the latter, to analyze the reasoning, and to separate the arguments from the inference. But as these gradations will be explained in the progress of the work, they need not be introduced here.

Hitherto, discrimination has been considered only as it may be employed on narratives, descriptions, and reasonings already prepared, and submitted to the pupil for an exercise of his skill. But it is easy to conceive, how quickly the same intellect will acquire the power of discriminating its own resources upon any subject with which it may be acquainted: and as the habit of orally stating what has been discovered in the compositions of others, will have already been acquired, there cannot be much difficulty in training young persons to the like habit of expressing their own suggestions.

That the mind may not, however, seem to be urged to inordinate transitions, the faculty of mental discussion is inculcated by slow and cautious advances, and the most clear and easy methods are employed to initiate the pupil into the habit of thought, as well as of oral discussion.

Having thus explained the nature of discrimination, and the mode by which it may be taught, it is necessary to give some attention to memory, without which no one can hope to attain the art of speaking extempore.

No endowment with which man is blessed is more abused than that of memory. Want of recollection is one of the first excuses which ignorance and indolence plead for their deficiencies. But it is not always observed, that it is what they have never tried to remember, that has been thus soon forgotten. There is scarcely one of these forgetful persons who does not, in many

instances, expose a good memory, when inclination happens to have its influence. There are those who can recount the exact succession of cards in a game at whist, and yet shelter the most disgraceful ignorance under the plea of bad memory.

There are three modes, by either of which recollection will generally be supplied: inclination, practice, and association.

There is scarcely any effort or extent to which remembrance may not be enforced, if the inclination be but sufficiently strong. In confirmation of this opinion, reference need only be had to the favourite pursuit or amusement of any one; and it will seldom be found that memory is inadequate to the desired attainment. The astonishing tenacity which is requisite to perform, from remembrance, a musical piece of any considerable length; and the accuracy with which it is thus frequently executed, will sufficiently illustrate this position.

It is however of small consequence to know that inclination has so great an ascendency over the memory, if no useful result be thence obtained. But it seems to suggest, that subjects of instruction should always be rendered as inviting as possible; and that the most pleasing modes of tuition should be devised and adopted.

In this treatise, therefore, narrative has been first introduced, as most interesting, and therefore most easily retained. Description next succeeds, as being nearest in attraction; and reasoning does not follow, until memory shall have thus been trained by habit.

That memory is susceptible of improvement almost incredible, by the force of practice, is proved by constant observation and experience. "Concerning the ideas themselves," says Locke, "it is easy to remark, that those that are oftenest refreshed (amongst which are those that are conveyed into the mind by more ways

than one) by a frequent return of the objects or actions that produce them, fix themselves best in the memory, and remain clearest and longest there."* If a person go to a shop where two or three thousand different articles are sold (as is frequently the case), it is seldom found that even the most stupid vendor is at a loss to recollect the commodity required, nor the place wherein it has been deposited. A medical practitioner, by force of habit, recollects and combines all the probable amelioratives of disease: and a lawyer, by the same power of habit, recurs to and arranges all the authorities which affect his client's interest.

In like manner, continued practice will enable the young student in the art of public speaking, to retain the leading points of every narrative, description, and argument, which is offered to him, as well as of those subjects upon which his own judgment is employed.

Memory however may be greatly improved, if not almost re-created, by the method of association. Indeed, if memory be strictly examined, it will appear to be nothing more than a faculty, which combines images with each other. We never recall an idea, without acquiring some combination. In reading, we perceive only words, letters, or characters, which certainly do not por tray any idea; and yet ideas immediately follow, because we recollect the thought, sensation, or image, to which those words or characters are the index: hence a poem has been denominated, a speaking picture. The same principle will also apply inversely. A botanist, desirous of ascertaining the name of any vegetable production, examines the root, the plant, and fructification; and thence determines its class, order, genus, species and variety; and from these he collects its appropriate name.

* Essay on the Human Understanding, b. ii. c. 10.