objected to as opposed to sound principle: but as there are so few articles, children soon learn to point them out quite correctly, though mechanically, and it is questionable whether it is not more advantageous, in some such cases, to admit of a small amount of the mechanical element, than to adhere strictly to the course which is founded upon purely intellectual teaching. Articles are continually recurring; so that more difficulty would be experienced in teaching children who did not know them, than advantage would be gained in waiting until they were able to learn them upon true principles. In the same way it will be found more expedient, in many cases, not to press upon young children the uses of the prepositions, and of some few of the adverbs; for it is sometimes a matter of considerable difficulty to point out the exact words connected by prepositions, and to explain the nature of the connection which they institute, and very frequently it is found almost impossible to make some adverbs agree with the definition. These exceptions can scarcely be quoted against the rule that the uses should be taught before the technical terms; for 'there is no general rule without exceptions.' If the teacher keep in mind, however, the broad principle which should be his guide, he may very safely exercise his judgment when any deviation may appear necessary.

These exceptions are, however, only a question of time; for in all cases the pupils, as they advance, should be taught the uses of these parts of speech just as fully as the others.

How to teach the article. The following hints may enable the child to get correct notions concerning the article.' The phrase 'a pen' can be applied to any pen in the school. We can say, pointing to one, that it is 'a pen;' to another, that it is 'a pen;' to a third, that it is 'a pen;' and so on, until we have applied it to all the pens in the school. We cannot, however, do this with the phrase 'the pen.' When we come to say that it is 'the pen,' we evidently find that we can only apply it to one thing in the same sense. If I tell a child to bring me 'the pen,' he must see that that phrase is applicable to only one particular object.

The phrase 'a pen' is therefore applicable to any one out of a class, while the phrase 'the pen' is applicable to some particular one-the difference in the application being caused solely by the use of the article.

Again, in the sentences-Man is mortal,' 'A man died yesterday,'' The man is dying rapidly '—we have three different applications of the one word Man, caused by the use of the article 'a' or 'the,' or the omission of both. In the first, it is applied to any of the human race-to man and woman, boy and girl. In

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this case it is said to be used in its widest sense;' and I may remark here that very few real nouns admit of being thus used. In the second the number of objects to which the term is applicable is very much diminished; it is now inapplicable to women or children, and refers only to such of the male sex, having arrived at the age of manhood, as died yesterday. If sixty men died yesterday, the phrase is applicable to each one of the sixty in exactly the same sense. The sentence, 'The man is dying rapidly,' clearly refers to but one man.

The article 'a' reduced the large number to which the first was applicable down to sixty, the article 'the' reduced this again to one. Hence the peculiar force of that part of speech 'in lessening the number of articles to which the noun may be applied.'

The definite article not very definite in pointing out nouns. Although the article 'the' points out the object more definitely than either 'a' or 'an,' and is thus entitled to be called the 'definite article,' it yet points it out very indefinitely after all. Thus, if I say, 'Bring me the chair,' I shall be understood by any one, if there is but one chair in the place, but I shall not be understood, if there are two or more chairs, except by those who had already received some clue to my wishes. The fact is that the expression is elliptical, and is, of course, intelligible only to those who can supply what is left out. 'Hand me the chair' (on which I always sit). 'Give me the pen' (with which I wrote yesterday). The parts in brackets, or something similar, being understood, complete the sense.

Demonstrative pronouns point out imperfectly also. In the same way the demonstrative pronoun, which is also used for pointing out, performs its peculiar functions imperfectly. It differs from the definite article, however, in this—that the sense is generally made complete in the one case by actually pointing to the object, and in the other by supplying certain words. 'Give me that chair' is indefinite unless I point to the chair. 'Give me the chair' is indefinite unless, as explained above, the ellipsis be filled up.

How to teach the preposition. With regard to the prepositions, many children never really understand their use, and the majority of those who do, do so only when age has improved the powers of their minds. The best plan to treat this part of speech is to select, in the beginning, the most familiar instances of its peculiar use. These will be found chiefly where the relation of one object to another in regard to place is denoted. Thus, 'The book is on the table,'' My hand is above the desk,' &c.-these can be gradually extended, and more difficult examples can be selected,

until the children have acquired a good knowledge of the force of this part of speech.

Conjunction. It is easier for a child to understand the use of the conjunction. When it connects words, the words which it connects are apparent, because the conjunction, in the great majority of cases, is written between the two. When it connects clauses or sentences, the nature of the connection will soon become familiar if the passage be read now and then with the conjunction left out.

In examining a child upon this part of speech, he should be required to name the exact words connected by each, and, in the cases of sentences, he should be called upon to read the sentences, making complete sense in both, without using the conjunction in either. Thus in the sentence 'John and James ride well now, because they practised riding early,' a child should be able to say that 'and' joins the words 'John' and 'James,' and that because connects the sentence 'John and James ride well now' with 'they practised riding early.'

Differences between the preposition and conjunction. He should also be able to tell the difference in use between the two connecting words, that is, between the preposition and conjunction. He should know

(1) That prepositions connect words and show relation.

That conjunctions connect words and do not show relation. (2) That conjunctions connect sentences as well as words. That prepositions do not.

How to teach the parts of speech by threes. In carrying out the system of teaching the parts of speech by threes, those who have learned to distinguish the first three should acquire a more extended knowledge of them during the time they are learning the others. Thus, when learning to point out the verb, adverb, and pronoun, they should learn also the number of nouns, their gender, and their kind (proper and common). They should learn the comparison of adjectives, and acquire a more intelligent knowledge of the use of the article, as explained in its definition, together with being able to distinguish the definite from the indefinite. In fact, they should learn, speaking generally, the leading features of the noun, adjective, and article-those parts of speech which form the first group.

When they come to the last three, they should learn in the same way the general features of the second three, while at the same time they should enter more minutely into the details connected with the first. That is, they should acquire such a knowledge of their 'parts' as would enable them to arrange these parts in their proper order, and to understand them when called

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upon to parse syntactically. This arrangement is called parsing etymologically, from its going so far into the details of true parsing as a mere knowledge of Etymology will allow.

When text-books should be made use of by children. All this information should be acquired by the mere verbal expositions of the master-entirely without text-books. When the child has, however, reached this point, a text-book should be put into his hands, for he has obtained a sufficient knowledge of grammar to enable him to understand the book, and profit by what it contains. He will receive from the text-book, in a methodised form, and therefore more advantageously, the various minute details which it now becomes his duty to acquire. Any earlier use of the textbook would have been disadvantageous, for he had not at any earlier period acquired enough about the broad features of the science to make it judicious to attempt a systematic arrangement of his knowledge, or to hamper him with the minute details that such books contain. The great principle is to sketch forcibly and fully, by means of oral teaching, the outline, inserting also the most prominent of the details, and leave for the text-book nothing to do but complete the picture. The portions selected for each day's task should be small, and should be committed to memory at home by the child, to be said to the master next morning.

Explanation of text-book by the master, The master should not forget to explain the text fully, both before the committal to memory-so as to enable the child to learn it with ease and pleasure, and to prevent the formation of wrong notionsand after it, to test how far his previous explanation had been understood, and to complete the true impression.

In this explanation the master should seek for difficulties where none apparently exist, and, in the test examination afterwards, he should guard against the common error of believing that a child really understands what it can repeat flippantly and accurately. This error is easily illustrated. Take, for instance, the definition of Etymology. How many will repeat it correctly, yet how few will be able to tell you fully what it means! 'Etymology treats of the derivation, classification, and inflection of words.' they repeat readily. But from which of them will you get a correct answer to the following questions?

This

What is meant when it is said that Etymology treats of the derivation of words?

What classification of words is alluded to?

What is meant by the inflection of words?

And yet, unless a child can answer these questions, he cannot possibly understand what Etymology treats of, no matter how flippantly he tells it to you in the words of the definition.

Should learn Etymology and Syntax together when using text-books. The child should commence the text-book, as he commenced his oral lessons on grammar, with Etymology. But conjointly with it he should commence the rules of Syntax. From his previous knowledge he is quite capable of understanding them, and by beginning them at this time, they will be fully known when the pupil is about to enter upon the higher portions of the parsing exercise.

Many teach the rules of Syntax orally. Many teachersand in this I think they are quite right—even go the length of making their pupils familiar with the chief portions of Syntax by the same sort of oral instructions that they employed to make them familiar with the outlines of Etymology. One who knows the rules of syntax well himself can easily teach them to his children without the aid of a text-book.

Usual plan of explaining the rules of Syntax. But whether the child learns them first from the grammar, or directly from the master, they should, in every case, be familiarly and clearly explained before being committed to memory. The usual plan, at present, is to repeat the rule, and then to explain it by examples. Now, I think that the reverse of this is more correct. We should first lay before the pupils a number of examples illustrative of the general principle whose truth we wish them to perceive; we should point out to them the coincidences and points of agreement which we wish to embody in what is called a rule; we should, by judicious leading, assist them to express the real essence of this rule in their own phraseology; and we should employ for some time the rule as so expressed. After a time we should introduce them to the rule properly worded; we should assist them in applying it to other sentences; and, as the final step, we should cause them to commit it verbatim to memory.

Example. Thus we say, 'a boy reads,' 'the boys read,' ‘a horse runs,' 'horses run,' &c.; and from these the child will see that the verb varies with the number of the nominative; that if the nominative be singular, the verb will be singular; and if the nominative be plural, the verb will be plural.

Again, we say, 'thou lovest,' 'I love,'' he loves;' 'I am,'' thou art,' he is;' and from these he will learn another fact that the verb varies also as the person of the nominative varies; that if the nominative be first person, then the verb will be first person; if the nominative be second person, then the verb will be second person; and if the nominative be third person, the verb will be third person also. And both of these truths he may afterwards embody in the following rule, 'A verb agrees with its nominative case in number and person,' which is Rule 1 in Syntax. This is