discards even those monosyllables which have no signification. This process gives interest and animation to study even from its commencement, and enables the student to advance more rapidly both in the mechanical process of reading and in the intellectual process of comprehending what is read. At a subsequent period, when this elementary instruction is completed, he is taught to divide compound words (which form the greater portion of our language) into separate roots and particles, and to give synonymes more abundantly than before, and to the full extent of which our language admits. A common example may be taken from the word unprecedented. An ordinary explanation of the phrase 'an unprecedented act,' would be, that it meant an act such as no one had done before. The child of course would understand this definition at the moment, but would probably forget it before he met with the word again. Let his attention, however, be directed to the three component particles un, pre, and cede; let him be asked the meaning of un in composition, and be required to point out other words, such as uncommon, uncivil, in which un bears the same signification, ' not;' and let him be further asked for other syllables which as prefixes are synonymes with un, such as in, with its modification of ig, il, im, ir, together with dis, a, and non, giving examples of each; namely, ignorant, illiterate, immortal, irregular, disjointed, atheist, nonconformist. Let him next be interrogated as to the force of the syllable pre in composition; and let examples be given, such as previous, premature, prelude, &c. Let the syllable cede be next considered; and when it has been shown that cede signifies in general to go, let the signification of its various compounds be required, including precede, to go before; proceed, to go forward; succeed, to go or follow after; accede, to go towards; recede, to go back; exceed, to go beyond; secede, to go away; intercede, to go between, &c. Synonymes for each

of these words may, if time permits, be demanded, and a large acquaintance with the English vocabulary be acquired at a small expense of memory. During the whole of this process instruction and entertainment are combined. While the attention is kept alive, the understanding is exercised and improved. It is not words merely, but ideas that are gained, and gained in the most agreeable manner, by tracing analogies, an employment instinctively delightful, as well as profitable to the human mind."

The exercise which is here described affords, it is hoped, a sufficient illustration of the advantages which the new method must possess over that which has hitherto been generally in use. The reader must not however imagine that such an investigation of the meaning of every word in the reading lesson need take place. It will be enough to submit a few words in each lesson (perhaps six or eight of those most suitable) to this analytical process, taking those which are least frequent in their recurrence. This is of course on the supposition that the commoner words are well understood.

To facilitate the study of words according to their etymological meaning, many good manuals have been compiled both for the teacher and the pupil. Among the simpler books on this subject is one compiled by the Rev. A. Wilson, entitled "The Outlines of Etymology." Only the principal prefixes, affixes, and roots (Latin and Greek) are given; and in mentioning the English words derived from particular roots, the verb only is, in some cases, inserted, leaving the teacher to elicit the nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, connected with it. The plan recommended in the preface of this little book for teaching etymology is "to give in succession the literal meanings of all the words derived from a particular root, making the pupil in such instance give the word itself; and then to reverse this process, by giving the words, and requiring the pupil

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to give both the literal and conventional meanings. pupil should also be required to form short sentences with the words, in order to ascertain whether he understands them clearly, and can apply them correctly." A larger book on this subject, by the Rev. John Hunter, has lately been published by the National Society, called “The Manual of Etymology."

On Grammar.-The leading principles of grammar are. now generally taught, like spelling and etymology, from the reading lesson. The parts of speech with their inflection, and the rules of syntax, are allowed to receive their illustrations from the words and sentences which have been previously read. In most elementary schools grammar has hitherto been confined to the first class, and for this reason- that the definitions and rules of grammar as laid down in ordinary school-books have been for the most part beyond the comprehension of younger children. It will, however, be found that by a system of oral explanation, accompanied by familiar examples, the children, almost of the lowest class, may be taught to distinguish between the different parts of speech.

At first nothing more is done than to explain the nature of a noun and to direct the attention of the child to instances around him. He is next led from things which he can see to others which he can only hear, thougn care must be taken never to trouble him with words the meaning of which is beyond his understanding. As an exercise upon the noun he is required to pick out all the parts of speech belonging to that class which occur in any passage he has been reading. When he has become familiar with nouns he is taught something of their inflection. The distinction of proper and common, of gender and number, is explained and illustrated, but the definition and nature of case are reserved until the relation of the noun to other parts of speech has been considered.

If the simple definition of a “noun being a name," &c., is not considered sufficient, the following from the Eton Latin Grammar may be used. "A noun is the name of whatever we can speak of," and this will seldom fail in enabling a child to tell whether any word which occurs in his lesson is a noun or not, at least if he is acquainted with its meaning. For example, if he should call the word "inattentive a noun, the teacher would immediately say, "Can I speak of an inattentive?" and the pupil will at once see the incorrectness of his answer. Next to the noun the personal pronouns may perhaps follow, as affording the most natural gradation, on account of their frequent substitution for nouns. Then may be mentioned adjectives, and next adjective pronouns. After explaining the nature of the adjective, as being employed to qualify nouns, the plan recommended for the nouns may also be employed here, viz., to point out all the adjectives as they occur in the passage read with the nouns qualified by them. Adjective pronouns should be taught in connexion with adjectives, because they are really of the same nature. The verb follows next, with its distinction into regular and irregular, transitive and intransitive, its inflection by mood, tense, number, and person. In reference to the moods and tenses, the plan of using three only of the former (viz. the indicative, the imperative, and the infinitive), and two of the latter (viz. the present and past), is in use, as less perplexing to the children, and most in accordance with the genius of the language. In such a sentence as "I have been commanded," have" would be accounted the principal verb, and the words "been" and "commanded" would be called perfect participles. Next to verbs and participles the children are instructed in the adverb, and its use in limiting and qualifying verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. After instances have been given of more familiar application, as "That boy reads

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badly," "His pencil is very short," "The swallow flies. very swiftly," examples may be selected from the reading lesson. Prepositions are next explained; first, with regard to the literal meaning of the word. What are they placed before? Nouns and pronouns. At this point cases may be introduced in connexion with the relation which prepositions express between nouns and pronouns. Conjunctions form the next subject of consideration, those words which are most evidently connectives being first sought for. Interjections, the last and also least important of the parts of speech, are rarely to be met with in the course of ordinary reading; it is therefore necessary to furnish examples from extraneous sources.

In connexion with the foregoing exercise, the pupil should be early accustomed to put together those parts of speech which are naturally related to each other. For example, when the nouns and adjectives have been explained, he should be asked for instances of their combination- -as a good boy, pleasant weather, &c.; and thus will he be gradually led on to syntax, or the placing together words to form sentences. When the child has arrived at a correct knowledge of the most important parts of speech, the practice of classing them together may be dropped, and the rules of syntax may be conveyed to them through a system of parsing.

Before entering upon syntax it will be necessary to explain that the same word may occasionally be a noun, an adjective, a verb, or indeed some other part of speech, according to the position it occupies in the sentence to which it belongs. Take, for example, the word light. Speaking of the light of the sun, we evidently use the word as a noun, but in the sentence, "This is a light sovereign," the word light is used to qualify the noun sovereign, and is therefore an adjective. Again, we may ask, "Did you see the man light the lamp?" when the word ex