a practical remark, having taught our own children to read by the "gradations in reading," with a pleasure both to ourselves and them. Of the Etymological Spelling Book, we can also report favourably. The whole of the first and second part, which is arranged on a similar plan to the gradations, is excellent. With regard to the third part, which appears to be on principle directly the reverse of the former portions, we are obliged to urge our honest objection. It goes into abstractions of language, which the pupil at this period cannot be prepared for; and although we acknowledge the meaning of the Latin and Greek prepositions may be of use to the classical student, it requires a far greater acquaintance with our language in a common way, than Mr. Butter's books will afford, before they should be entered upon. A child would be liable to make continual mistakes, if he were taught to think that the prefix or the termination of a word be an infallible guide to the signification. He is told that the Greek prefix dia, signifies through, and has given him illustration-diameter, a line passing through the centre of a circle (which, by the way, would never lead him to say, in reference to the breadth of a wheel, it was so much in diameter), and diaphanous that can be seen through. When he came to such words as diabetes, diabolical, diaper, diary, diapason, he would be very much puzzled with his Greek prefix. The same argument holds with the general plan of Mr. Butter, as giving the words derived from the Latin substantives and verbs, and from the Greek roots. We not long since entered a school when the pupils were very busily employed in acquiring the meaning of words in this manner; and we asked the meaning of patrimony-the answer was, money left by a father,being from pater, father, &c. What then is the meaning of matrimony? Money left by the mother was the reply; and such mistakes will constantly occur. Take, for instance, the Latin verb, facio (I do-or make), given by Mr. Butter, and we have, according to him, with others in which the Latin applies, to a certain degree Now what will a child understand of these words having any thing at all to do with the verb, I do or make. Such is the defect arising from the very nature of the plan, and which pervades the whole list of words: but what perhaps is calculated to retard the progress of the pupil at this period, is the necessity which exists in such a plan of pressing into the service of it, words which are rarely found in our common literature; for instance, take the Greek root, Cheir—a hand, given by the author, we have a list of words, whose meaning is only vaguely expressed by the root itself, and which are scarcely ever required in conversation or even in authorship. CHIRAGRA, the gout in the hands VOL. I-June, 1835. CHEROPLAST, an instrument to FFF Of what use is it to burthen the memory with the knowledge, that Alectoromachy, is cock-fighting; that Pignoration, is pawning;—or the introduction of such words, as Physicotheology, Phonocamptic, Cacophony, Xylophagous, Phyliphagous, Psychomachy, which are found in every, and abound in many of the pages. We would, therefore, impress upon the minds of teachers, the perfect fallacy of this mode of instruction, in the received meaning of the words, and would wish them to reflect on the following remarks of Dugald Stewart, no mean authority in this case. He observes," The instances are few indeed, in which etymology furnishes effectual aids to guide us in fixing the exact signification of words of ambiguous terms, or in drawing a line between expressions which seem to be nearly equivalent. In such cases nothing can be safely trusted to, but the habit of accurate induction, which by the study of the most improved models, elicits gradually and insensibly, the precise notions which our best authors have annexed to their phraseology." Etymological researches are of great service, and are highly interesting to the philologist and the philosopher, as they furnish important data for illustrating the progress of mankind; but the common school-boy's time is too precious to be used to any extent in such researches, and although it may, and will be useful to those who may have to acquire the Latin and Greek languages, a very small portion of such knowledge will be really of service, to those who have little time to spend at school, and less, excepting for the acquirement of even real knowledge, afterwards. SPIRITUAL SONGS FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS. BY WILLIAM MARTIN. ALL SEASONS BRING PEACE TO THE GODLY. Oh! why should our eye be less sparkling and bright, Of the cheek to pass off in its swallow-like flight, For that season may fling some seeds that will bring And why should life's pleasures grow sear on the brow? Though time passeth swiftly and seemeth to throw Yet each swift hour that hies, and each moment that flies, But bring the soft spirit more near to the skies. And why should the smile be forbidden to play Though the desolate grave may yawn grim on our way, 'Tis a memoir of rest to the weak and oppress'd, No. 11. LOVE OF GOD. Thy Love is, Lord, the life and light To guide them when they soar Thy Love is, Lord, the hope and stay Öf those that faint in clouds and sorrow, Thy Love is, Lord, our daily bread, And peacefully thy sheep will feed, Thy Love is, Lord, the living spring, Which panting faith with rapture hails— The dewy harbinger, that brings Bloom from the heart's sear witherings; The fount that never fails. Oh! yes, thy Love, Thou God of might, No. 12. THOU GOD SEEST ME. Thine eye is upon me, Thou all-seeing Lord, And the wings of thy goodness encompass and guard, I move in the life-giving warmth of thy light, Like a flower in the smile of the sun, But the cloud of thine anger would wither and blight Thine eye is upon me, when evil and sin Would lead my weak nature astray; And steadfast thy gaze when temptation would win, With pleasures, my spirit away. When the arch Tempter smiles, let thy frown, Lord, appear All awful and dread to my gaze, That trembling and pale, still in love, I may fear To fall from the peace of thy ways. SIR, Thine eye is upon me, in sorrow, and beams The tears of the heart; and with untiring gleams Yes, verdure will spring from those tear-drops that flow, That will blossom in joy, like the flow'rets that grow In the spring dews so blithly and free. Yes, thine eye is upon me, to warn and to awe, To guide us and show us the path of thy law, Thine eye is upon me, to comfort and cheer, Blending sweet sounds with sighs, and delight with the tear- Thine eye is upon me, in crowds and in throngs, In the stir and the turmoil so vain ; When fevers, and tumults, and undeserv'd wrongs, Thou beholdest the strivings of flesh through the vale, ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of Educational Magazine. The Numbers of your Magazine for Feb. and March, 1835, have been put into my hands; and I perceive, that in treating of the "Infant System," you do, without the least ceremony, ascribe the origin of Infant Schools to Louise Scheppler, a young female peasant, 15 years of age; and the only proof you give of the truth of what you advance is, "that she thought of collecting together even the infants of the earliest ages, in spacious halls, where some intelligent mistress should take care of, amuse, instruct in their letters, and exercise them in employments adapted to their ages." I call upon the writer of this article to tell us where these spacious halls are to be found, how the intelligent mistress managed the children, and what the employments were; that we may judge if they were suitable to their ages or not. I have learnt from another source, that they consisted in sewing, and knitting and teaching them their letters. My grandmother told me that all this was done in England, by the old dames, before Oberlin, Louise Scheppler, or I, were born. I must, therefore, boldly claim all this honour for my own aged countrywomen, with the addition of sampler work besides. I can, myself, solemnly affirm, that I never heard of the name of this person, that I never read a single page on the subject of Infant Schools prior to engaging personally on the subject, long before my first book appeared; and I have reason to believe that it was the first ever written on the subject, that gave a detailed account of the Infant System, and that drew the public attention to it. In page 77, you state that "the System is now without any responsible agents; there is no standing Committee, no Central or Model Schools, no regular Lesson," and so on. There was a Standing Committee, who had a meeting in 1824, in Freemasons'-Hall; their object was to erect a Model School. They collected money for this purpose, and engaged me as Superintendant, and I blest my stars that an opportunity was likely to be afforded of concentrating my views, and practically shewing, and working out by degrees, a System fit for general adoption; but, alas! I reckoned without my host; the prejudices against this visionary scheme were great; it was prophesied, that we were going to undermine all existing institutions. A gentleman from the pulpit designated the Infant System as fashionable folly, and wrote a pamphlet against it also; others said the schoolmaster was abroad with a vengeance-the whole thing was turned into ridicule by the wiseacres who had never studied the infant mind; and the consequence was that the Standing Committee could not stand it, and they left your humble servant to come in for his full share of sneers. Some persons said that any man who would assert that infants might be taught ANY THING, at eighteen months old, must be disordered in the upper regions, and that it was really worse than the lofty science of Bumpology, whilst ridicule was the order of the day. No person came forward to claim the bantling! We never heard of Louise Scheppler, or any other claimant: the thing had to work its own way, and I had to do it, deserted by the Society, who pretended to take me up, and who collected a large sum of money for a Model School, which has not been built; yet, Sir, the System spread far and wide; not by their exertions, nor Louise Scheppler's-but by its own merits, amidst as much opposition as ever assailed any plan that ever was brought before the public. It would ill become me to speak of my own doings; I may, however, be permitted to state, that I have had seventeen thousand infant pupils, from one end of the three kingdoms to the other; and I never yet found one too young to learn; but have often found I had grown too old to teach. I am now engaged in teaching both teachers and infants in this town (Wigan). I have been successful in other towns in this populous and much neglected neighbourhood; I have visited the various towns in Scotland, and planted Model Schools; I have done the same in Ireland, and in England too; and I think it awkward that you, with a single dash of your pen, should try to put an extinguisher upon me. Sir, you do not know if I am qualified for the task. I want a fair chance I want help. I only ask half the chance that Joseph Lancaster or Dr. Bell had, and when I have had this, and failed, then will be the time for you to state—I have "proved wanting in most particulars." I have not had time to write much, but I have had sixteen years practice in the doing department; I have thousands of witnesses to this fact, and I think I have some testimonials too, from no bad judges, and very far apart, who have seen what I could do, and what I have done, which rather differ from what you have written; one of which I shall enclose, because it is the last, and is not much older than this letter. You ask, in page 78, Where are the noble founders and their colleagues? I have in some measure answered that question, but lest I should be misunderstood, I beg leave to state, that they departed this life, I think in 1826, at No. 15, Bucklersbury, London: the secretary and I shed many tears at the funeral. I have since heard that the ghost of one or two of them has re-appeared at a bookseller's shop in Cheapside. I believe the bookseller calls himself Printer to the Society; but nobody can find them, nor can he tell what they have done. You are mistaken if you think the cause is expiring, and still more so if you think that no better place than Covent-garden could be found for a training establishment. As to the Society of Teachers you mention, in the same page, I know a little of their doings, and at present I shall not say more of them, except it be to state, that I think they have stepped a little out of their way. I may, probably, if you find room for this, trouble you again. I have much to say upon the subject: I have prepared the lessons you seem to imagine do not exist, and I only ask *Bolton Chronicle. |