literature of the day, especially works of poetry and fiction, breathe a purer spirit; in bestowing honor and applause let more regard be had to the moral and religious character, and in elections for civil office let none be raised to places of power and trust but men of approved integrity and worth; let more consistent and practical views of religion be diffused among all classes, and let the standard of preaching be elevated, and its true and proper objects be better understood; finally, let educated men, rich men, and men of standing and influence, take a greater interest in Christianity themselves, and discover more of its influence in their conduct, and do more for its spread. These are the means which God has appointed for a real and general revival of religion. Any system or policy, which pretends to supersede this process, or interferes with it in the smallest measure, or unfits society for it, or has a tendency to turn public attention to any other quarter for help, is to be disowned and rejected.

ART. VII.—1. The Franklin Primer, or Lessons in Spelling and Reading, adapted to the Understandings of Children; composed and published by a Committee, appointed for the Purpose, by the School Convention of Franklin County. Fifth Ed. Greenfield. Phelps & Clark. 1828. 18mo. pp. 48. 2. Secondary Lessons, or the Improved Reader; intended as a Sequel to the Franklin Primer. By a FRIEND OF YOUTH. Second Edition. Greenfield. Phelps & Clark. 1828. 18mo. pp. 198.

3. The General Class Book, or Interesting Lessons, in Prose and Verse, on a great Variety of Subjects; combined with an Epitome of English Orthography and Pronunciation, and intended as the Third Book in a Course of Reading, for the Use of Schools. By the AUTHOR OF THE FRANKLIN PRIMER AND THE IMPROVED READER. Greenfield, Phelps & Clark. 1828. 18mo. pp. 312.

4. Essays on the Philosophy of Instruction, or the Nurture of Young Minds. Greenfield. Phelps & Clark. 1829.

18mo. pp. 36.

THESE books are the productions of one and the same author; a gentleman who has paid great attention to the subject of education, and particularly to that of childhood and early youth.

The Primer, beginning with the alphabet, proceeds to some of the simplest combinations of letters, and sounds, and tables of a number of common words for spelling; such words as children are accustomed to hear and to speak. These are followed by very simple lessons in reading, to which the curiosity is attracted by pictures, chiefly of natural objects, the names of which succeed in alphabetical order. The lessons which come next, are of a very familiar kind, such as are perfectly intelligible to the infant mind, while at the same time they are suited to wake the attention, to afford some useful knowledge, and to improve the heart by some prudential, moral, or religious reflection, growing out of the subject. Such a book, followed as it is by others adapted to the progressive improvement of the understanding, may well supersede the various spelling-books which have been so long used, and which have so long abused the innocent child, with their fearful and interminable array of words, no less repulsive from their length, than from the utter worthlessness of a great portion of them.

In the Improved Reader, the author keeps his plan steadily in view. It provides for an easy transition from the greatest possible simplicity of language and thought contained in the Primer, to what requires a little more advancement of intellect. Still, however, no steps are leaped over, and nothing is left unexplained. It proceeds from the well known to what is less known, from shorter and more common words to those which are longer and less familiar; presenting a few new words in each successive lesson, which are intelligibly defined. A considerable portion too has the form of conversation or dialogue, which, however questionable a good in regard to more advanced pupils, and the teaching of various arts, is well suited to the young child. It associates him more closely with his parent or instructer, and gives vivacity to both teacher and pupil. One other circumstance is worth mentioning; namely, the three artificial marks for the inflexions of voice, of more value than would readily be conceived by one who has not attended to the subject.

The General Class Book, besides the instructions given concerning orthography and pronunciation, consists principally of exercises in reading, chiefly in prose, on a great variety of useful subjects, instructive in their character, plain in style, not soaring into the regions of fancy or of fiction.

The Essays contain a general exhibition and vindication of

the author's principles of education, which are explained with much good sense, and enforced by many convincing illustrations. The author of these books is entitled, in our judgment, not only to the modest name of a 'friend of youth,' which he has given to himself, but to the higher title of a benefactor of youth.

In the first place, what has so generally been made a task, and a loathsome one, he has converted into a pleasure and a pastime. Everything is done to encourage the learner. And encouragement seems to be all that is wanting in beginning to learn, in the first steps of the infant pupil. He has enough of curiosity and desire, if they are properly met by the parent or teacher; and he will advance incomparably faster in this way, than by a given task, enforced against his will. So true is this, that we may generally with more advantage follow the child, and help him on his way, than prescribe a course from which he shall not deviate, and check every little erratic movement. The pernicious mistakes which have existed on this subject are, we trust, fast wearing away. We are constantly acquiring more just notions, and, if we may so speak, cherishing more respect for the understanding of the young mind; not regarding memory as the only faculty that can be improved, and improved by means no matter how mechanical and tedious.

Again, besides the pleasure which proceeds from understanding the lessons which are read, by which the feeling of a disgusting task is removed, actual improvement in the manner of reading, is an all important effect of the plan adopted by the author. The first lessons are of such a kind as to approach, as near as possible, to the conversation of children. Hence the natural utterance is not impeded by study for the meaning of words, or by hesitation at long or obscure words. A habit is thus begun, which, if the child is duly watched, and not tasked with sentences beyond his ability to comprehend, will stay by him. He will read in such a manner that the hearer will perceive that he understands what he reads. But how different is this from what we witness in a great portion of our schools! The pupils with very little discrimination, as soon as they can combine the syllables in most words with tolerable facility, are made to read or recite portions, which contain, it may be, fine sentiments, but perhaps not very distinct ones, rhetorical beauties or flights, poetical allusions or conceits, in prose, and fragments elevated and refined in thought, and ornate in diction, in verse. But the automaton reader utters the words

as if one had no connexion with the other; as if the manner of utterance had nothing to do with the expression of thought. This is no fiction; and we may safely appeal to the intelligent visiters of a great portion of our common schools, and of some schools which have the imposing name of Academies, for the truth of the representation. But why is it so? It is not always because the young reader is incapable of understanding what he reads, nor always because he does not understand it; but it is from the pernicious habit of pronouncing the words without any regard to the sense; of uttering them in a mechanical tone, with no reference to the particular expression. It is a habit of which some persons, and persons of good understanding too, never rid themselves. And we have known men of excellent sense and wide information, and of critical knowledge of language, men who write with accuracy and ability, capable of imparting valuable instruction, who read what they have written in such a manner, as scarcely to give any evidence that they understand a single sentence. Such are the evils of beginning wrong; of learning from books and instructers not competent to afford the proper instructions. I need not labor to show,' says one of the greatest of the ancient rhetoricians, 'how much more preferable it is to be instructed in the best method, and how difficult it is to correct faults which have become habitual; since in the last case double labor follows, the greater part of which, and that which must precede learning, is that of unlearning.' And we are told that Timotheus exacted a fee from pupils taught by an inferior musician, double of that which he demanded of those who had received no instruction.

It has been, and is still, perhaps, too common a notion, that the six or seven first years of infancy are of little value, and that there are few who can learn anything to much purpose in that period. But those who adopt this opinion must have been very slender observers of childhood. Curiosity, the avenue to so much useful knowledge, is then wide open, ready to receive various instruction, and eagerly craving it. Activity, and desire of knowledge are as natural to the human mind, as their respective elements are to the lower orders of created beings; and the absence of this curiosity or desire, is to be accounted among the rare exceptions from a general rule. may be checked and become timid, and lose, by fearing to attempt, what by encouragement it might have gained. And such probably has been its fate in thousands. But we should

It

beware of thinking meanly of what may be gained in the earliest years. If its amount is small, it is still so much saved from the period which follows; and what is perhaps of more value, an ardor is excited, and a habit of attention formed, for which, if checked by any discouragement, we might look in vain, it may be, at any after period.

The author of the books which we take pleasure in noticing, and in asking for them the attention of our readers, does not claim the praise of originality; but he has carried forward his plan of facile instruction more completely than is done in any similar books in our language, which have come to our knowledge. Indeed his principles and notions are older than the time of Quintilian, who cites the various prevailing opinions concerning infant education, and demands a respect for the infant mind, and sets forth its appetite for knowledge, and the importance of wholesome nourishment, as strenuously as our author. It is a subject not unworthy the attention of great and good men; a subject which has been strangely neglected, certainly in our own country. Not only the first elements of English learning, but almost every other kind of learning has been made too much an onerous task; and thus before the child has learned to love his work, he has associated with it a disgust, enduring, perhaps, and unconquerable. This abuse will last till teachers shall attend more to the elements of mind; till they shall be less mechanical in their scheme of instruction; till they and their pupils shall understand each other, and have more of mutual sympathy; till curiosity is not only excited, but; as far as may be, satisfied; till the doubts and difficulties of the learner shall no longer be smothered, or made more dark, but, as far as may be, explained; till the pupil shall sometimes be allowed to manifest a pleasure, short, however, of exultation, that he has discovered something not very obvious, and thus gain a little confidence in his own capabilities.

We know not exactly how far the whole business of school learning may have changed for some years past; but some of us, who are not very old, can remember how much we desired what we have just now particularized; how darkly we groped our way, and no one brought us to the light. How many schoolboys,' says Gibbon, we remember nearly his words, for they came home to our early recollections, 'how many schoolboys have been whipped for not understanding a passage, which Bentley could not interpret, nor Burman explain?' The