this case supports the weight? If two such pulleys be combined, what power will be gained? If six, what will be the result? What circumstance, in a certain degree, disturbs all the calculations with regard to the precise power gained by this and other machinery ?"

In the Sessional School, great and unceasing attention is paid to Grammar. And pray, it may be asked, What use can grammar be of to poor people? Why, as much-sometimes moreand of the same kind-as to rich people. Its chief value lies, in its enabling us to understand what we read. Every sentence, at all inverted or involved, has been observed by Mr Wood to be a stumbling block in the way of a child striving to understand. A lad once said to him, that he had never himself understood the metre translation of the Psalms, until the acquaintance which he there received with the principles of grammatical construction, enabled him to turn them into the ordinary prose arrangement, and that he felt the same thing in some degree, with respect to sermons. There can be no doubt-surely-that a knowledge of grammar must enable a man to know any discourse at all in a different style of language from every-day talk in the shop or at the fireside, a hundred times better, than any man of equal natural vigour of mind altogether ignorant of it. Could any of us, without impaired faculties, totally forget all our grammar, how we should stare at a great preacher, or a small one either-and in what a painful and perplexing glimmer and gloom, should we suddenly find all our powers of apprehension involved! Why, you may speak to some men in the lower orders, for hours, on very plain and simple matters, and they come to understand you about as well as a post. This does not arise from stupidityfor they are perhaps ingenious men in their profession-but they "have no grammar," and wonder what the deuce you, who have, we shall suppose, some little,—would be saying, if you could speak like themselves; for, granting even that they have been told, and believe, that you are a scholar, they cannot, or will not, make mental effort sufficiently strong to enable them to think that you are not talking a parcel of sad nonsense. It is certainly desirable that human beings should, as generally as possible, be

able to hold oral, or written communication with each other; and, for such pleasing and useful purpose, nothing, in our humble opinion, like grammar. If we seem to treat the subject too jocularly, do only think a mo

ment on the ideots who can see no use in teaching the lower orders how to be intelligible to the upper, and vice versa-and indeed to themselves; for there is perpetual blundering, and badgering in consequence of that blundering-many mistakes, and not a few lies, daily disturbing and infesting humble life, from the want of grammar-that is, the proper and the rational use of speech.

But how shall grammar be taught? That's the rub. Can it only be acquired by the memory arising from rules? From the tyranny of Dr Syntax? Mr Wood remembered too well his own gross ignorance of grammar, when a little boy at school, and it could not excel our own, in spite of all that horrid and hideous committing to memory. O, dear! "getting off by heart!" -a task which, in spite of our delight in angling, and other rural amusements, did often make us wish that we never had been born! He tells a good story of the proficiency made in grammar by the scholars generally, in the school in which he received, what were facetiously called, we presume, "the elements of his educa

tion.'

"

"Nor could we avoid frequently calling to recollection a singular, but now highly instructive incident, which occurred in this stage of our education. In going over the grammar as usual, the boy at the head of our class was asked, 'What is an article ?' to which he orthodoxly replied, 'An article is a particle, which' does something or other that we do not at this moment precisely recollect, adding, of course, in the usual manner, as a part of the definition, as, there is the lady I saw at church yesterday.' By some extraordinary accident, our worthy teacher, on the particular occasion of which we are now speaking, contrary to all his ordinary practice, asked, What is the article in that example?' to which the boy replied, 'An article is a particle, which,' &c.

But what,' rejoined the master, is the particular article in that passage?' An reply. The next boy was now applied to, article is a particle,' was again and again the who insisted that the dux was quite right, and that it was in that way in his book. A similar attempt at procuring an answer was made all round the class, and with a similar want of success. The attempt was at length

abandoned. We were permitted ever after. wards to repeat our grammar tasks, without being any more annoyed with troublesome questions, which were not in the book. And it was not until a very long time afterwards, that we could discover, what crotchet the good old man had taken on this singular occasion."-pp. 214, 215.

That there should be no such scene as this ever acted in the Sessional School, Mr Wood adopted what may be called the inductive method-that is to say, he attempted to make them acquainted merely with some of its leading principles, by illustrations from the passages which they happened to read. At first, grammar-the pure grammar of their own vernacular tongue, without reference to the peculiarities of other languages-was confined exclusively to the highest class, then extended by degrees to the second, third, and fourth classes.

To understand Mr Wood's very simple and efficacious method of teaching grammar, we must give a very long extract.

"In order to illustrate our method of teaching grammar, let us take the commencement of a passage in the school collection. The grandest, the most sublime, and extraordinary object, we have yet seen, is Fingal's Cave, in the isle of Staffa. It is a natural grotto of stupendous size, formed by ranges of columns,' &c. If the class be only commencing this study, after telling them that all names are NOUNS, we desire them to pick out the nouns in the passage before them: when the first boy will give object,' the second 'Fingal's,' the third cave, and so forth, till they have exhausted the remaining nouns, 'isle,'' Staffa,' grotto,' size,' 'ranges,'' columns,' When they are a little farther advanced, the first boy at the time of naming the noun object,' will be asked why it is object,' and not objects, and the distinction of singular and plural will be pointed out to him, and so on with the rest. After a little time, in place of putting the question in this form, the boy will be asked at once whether the noun is singular or plural? why ? and what it would have been if it had been plural? As soon as these words singular and plural are so familiar, as not only to be easily distinguished from each other, but readily brought to recollection, the question is put in this form, Of what number is object? why? &c. A similar process is observed with regard to the Genders. The Cases, as we observed, are at this period omitted.

"After the class have been for a sufficient time exercised exclusively on nouns, they next take the ARTICLES along with them. After their nature, object, and distinction, have been explained, the boys are then called upon to point out the articles contained in the particular passage. After the first boy has given the,' he is asked what every article is prefixed to? what noun the' is prefixed to in the present instance? what would be the difference between the object,' and an object? and the distinction between the definite and indefinite article is then explain

ed. As the children become better ac

quainted with this distinction, they are asked at once, Whether the' is the definite or indefinite article? and, when these terms are sufficiently familiar to them to be brought easily to recollection, the quescle is the? What other kind of article tion is put generally, What kind of artiis there? &c. The second boy is in like manner called upon to mention the next article in the passage, which also happens to be the,' and to be connected with the same noun object.' The third boy will, in like manner, mention the subsequent article the,' and its connexion with the noun isle.' And the fourth will give the article a,' and mention at the same time its connexion with the noun 'grotto.' In this last case, in addition to the former questions, the child will be asked why the article here is 'a' and not an.

"ADJECTIVES follow next in order. After having pointed out the difference betwixt these and substantive nouns, and the manner in which the former are employed to qualify the latter, the children are required seriatim to point out the different adjectives in the passage. Thus the first boy will give grandest.' He is then asked what every adjective quali fies? what noun grandest' here qualifies; and, when the pupil is sufficiently advanced to be able to understand the degrees of comparison, he is further asked of what degree of comparison 'grandest' is? what it would have been if it had been positive? and what if it had been comparative? In like manner the other adjectives, 'sublime,' extraordinary,' 'natural,'' stupendous,' are successively disposed of.

PRONOUNS are next explained, and the children being called upon to mention the first one in the passage, the boy at the top answers we.' He is then asked what a pronoun is used in place of? and what we' is put for in this passage? what kind of pronoun it is? of what number? why? and what it would have been

if it had been singular? The next boy, having in like manner given the pronoun 'it,' is asked what it is used in place of? what kind of a pronoun it is? of what gender? why? what it would have been if it had been feminine? and what if it had been masculine? of what number it is? why? and what it would have been if it had been plural?

"The VERB and PARTICIPLE follow next. Their nature and object having been explained, the children are called upon to select the first verb in the passage, which is 'bave.' When they are sufficiently acquainted with the nature of the verb itself, they are farther instructed about its different variations. Thus in the present instance the child, who has given the word have,' is next asked of what mood it is? and why? of what time? what it would have been if it had been past time? of what number? why? of what person? and why? The second boy, having in like manner given the verb 'is,' is asked of what mood it is? why? and what it would have been if it had been subjunctive? of what time? and what it would have been if it had been past, instead of present? of what number? why? and what it would have been if it had been plural? of what person? why? what it would have been if it had been of the second person? and what if it had been of the first? The participles will then be selected; and the boy who mentions seen' is asked whether it is the present or the past participle? what it would have been if it had been the other participle? and what if it had been the past time of the verb? The participle formed' will then be disposed of in like manner.

6

"PREPOSITIONS are next explained and selected. The first boy, having made mention of in,' is asked what every preposition is placed before? and before what noun'in' is here placed? The like inquiry is made with regard to the prepositions of and' by.'

"The pupils, being now made acquainted with verbs and prepositions, are at length in a condition to understand the nature and object of cases, which are therefore explained to them. In addition, accordingly, to the other questions regarding nouns and pronouns, those which relate to their cases are now asked. Thus, of what case is 'object?' why? Of what case is the pronoun we?' why? what if it had been objective? what if it had been po sessive? Of what case is the noun Fingal's?' Of what number is it? what would have been the difference if it had been the plural possessive? what if it had been the plural objective? what if it had been

the plural nominative? Of what case is cave?' why?-[And here, if the child be sufficiently advanced, he may be farther called upon to enumerate, in his own way, the various occasions on which a nominative case is used.]-Of what case is 'isle?' why? what other words besides prepositions govern an objective case? Of what case is it?' why? what if it had been possessive? what if it had been objective? So also with regard to the other nouns and pronouns.

"The pupils are next instructed in the nature of ADVERBS, and the distinction betwixt them and adjectives. Having mentioned the word most' as the first adverb in the passage, they are next asked what words the adverb is used to qualify? what word the adverb most' here qualifies? what degree of comparison most' is? what is the positive? what the comparative ? whether most' is ever any other part of speech? whether they can give any example of this? why the word is an adjective in the example so given? The children will then be required to point out the next adverb in the passage, which is yet.' With regard to this word, if they had previously been made acquainted with conjunctions, we should have asked, whether it is ever any other part of speech? and when?

"The next part of speech to which the pupil's attention is particularly called is the CONJUNCTION, of which, in the present case, they will give as an example the word 'and,' and be required to say what it connects.

"INTERJECTIONS form the last subject of consideration; and as these but rarely occur in the course of ordinary reading, it becomes necessary to furnish extraneous examples.

"After the children have learned all the parts of speech, or at least all the principal ones, the practice of classing the same parts of speech is entirely dropt, and each word is parsed according to the common method in its own order. Thus 'the,' the definite article prefixed to 'object;'' grandest,' an adjective in the superlative degree qualifying' object;' the,' the definite article prefixed to object;' most,' an adverb in the superlative degree qualifying sublime;' blime,' an adjective qualifying object;' and,' a conjunction connecting blime' and 'extraordinary;' ' object,' a noun, neuter, singular, nominative to is;' 'we,' a personal pronoun, plural, nominative to have;' have,' a verb, indicative mood, present time, plural number, and first person; ‘yet,' an adverb qualifying' seen;' 'is,' a verb, in

6

su

6 su

་

dicative mood, present, singular, third person; Fingal's,' a noun, masculine, possessive, singular; cave,' a noun, neuter, nominative, because it follows the verb 'is' preceded by a nominative; 'in,' a preposition governing isle;' the,' the definite article prefixed to 'isle;' isle,' a noun, neuter, singular, objective, governed by the preposition 'in;' 'of,' a preposition governing 'Staffa; Staffa,' a noun, neuter, singular, objective, governed by the preposition This routine, however, is very often broken in upon, (much oftener, indeed, than otherwise,) as the state of the class, the particular answer given, or any other circumstances, may suggest the propriety of more particular questions."

'of.'

In no other department is the proficiency of the boys in the Sessional School, more striking than in ARITH

METIC.

Some of the boys multiply the longest line of figures by another figure-quite according to the common method-with perfect accuracy, in less than half a second to a figure. That is to say, they will multiply such a line of figures as

7,685928,165487,938764, by 7, 8, or any other figure, in less than the sixth part of a minute. From such a line they will subtract another of the same length, in the ordinary way, in about seven seconds; and if allowed to perform the operation from left to right, while the question is under dictation-though it should be dictated with a rapidity which would not permit any one to take down merely the original figures-they will present the whole operation, both question and answer, in scarcely one second from the time of announcing the last figure. In addition, they will sum up seven lines of eight figures each, in the ordinary way, in less than one-third of a minute; and if allowed to perform the operation while the question is dictating, in about three seconds. All other calculations they perform with proportional celerity. These modes of working during dictation-when allowed-are suggestions of their own in their zeal to surpass each other, and not taught by the master.

While the principles, and various processes for carrying these principles into effect, have been explained, the application of these principles, and the selection of the particular opera

tion, are, in each case, left to the pupils themselves, who frequently devise new combinations, and far shorter and easier methods, than have occurred to the Master. In many schools, a quite opposite practice prevails. In these, upon the same principle by which the pupil is compelled to repeat every rule in the same undeviating words, and to give every translation in precisely the master's own language, he is also required to perform every arithmetical calculation in the particular manner, which has been peremptorily enjoined by the master, or has been prescribed in some particular book. With Mr Wood, on the contrary, the scholar is not only permitted, but encouraged, to take his own way; and, accordingly, out of half a dozen of boys performing the same calculation, it not unfrequently happens, that no two of them have been following the same method.

The mental arithmetic of the Sessional School is carried on as nearly as possible after the ordinary principles of slate arithmetic. The detail of the method is as complete as may bethe power acquired is surprising. The experiment was, of course, at first confined to the highest class, and reached no farther than the easier questions, What is the price of so many yards at so many shillings? or at 6s. 8d., 3s. 4d., and 1s. 8d., the integral parts of a pound? but was afterwards gradually extended to more difficult questions, such as the price of 272 yards at 103d. Mr Wood originally had no difficulty in making the calculations himself mentally along with the children, but this he was soon obliged to give up, and to resort to the slate. This, too, he ere long discovered would not answer, as the children performed the calculation so much more rapidly, that much time was unnecessarily lost. He then, in self-defence, thought of resorting to the "Ready Reckoner," which has ever since been employed as the principal Catechism in such matters. Those who have never had an opportunity of witnessing the performances of these children in mental arithmetic, may form some estimate of it, when they are told, that on more than one occasion, when three or four of the best Arithmeticians were employed to answer one question in every page of the Reckoner, and selected from every variety of column in that

page, (that is to say, the first question being 13 yards at a farthing, the second, 54 at a halfpenny, the third, 95 at three farthings, and so on to the last, being perhaps 10,000 at 19s. 6d.) the whole questions being 147 in number, were answered seriatim within 20 minutes, including the time taken in announcing the questions. Each boy was, of course, according to custom, allowed to take the method he found easiest for himself.

Mr Wood afterwards put the mental arithmetic in a more systematic train, commencing it simultaneously with the slate arithmetic, which improvement has been found of the greatest advantage, and has clearly evinced, that, though in the acquisition of this, as of every thing else, there is a variety of aptitude in children, all may arrive at it to an extent, which could not naturally be foreseen, and has been found highly beneficial. At the very commencement of Arithmetic, the child is taught to answer how many are 1 and 2, 3 and 3, 6 and 4, 10 and 5, 15 and 6, 21 and 7, &c. In preparing to enter upon subtraction, in like manner, he is asked, Take 1 from 100, how many remain ? 2 from 99, 3 from 97, 4 from 94, 5 from 90, &c. So also, before entering upon multiplication, he is taught to answer twice 2, three times 3, 4 times 4, &c. "What is this," it may be asked, "but the old multiplication table?" So it undoubtedly is; and this, he begs leave to add, is the only way, in which this table is now learned in the school, and it has been found a far more effectual, as well as more pleasing mode of learning it, than when it was enjoined as a task. Formerly nothing about the school was more annoying or more difficult to accomplish, than learning this table: now without any such table at all, or any annoyance, (for the present practice is literally a sport,) the object is infinitely better accomplished. Our readers cannot fail to remark, how much this practice is in unison with the rest of the system in its other departments. When the children are entering upon division, they are practised in a similar manner as in multiplication, only having the ques tions inverted; for example, how many eights are in 100? In the same manner, in entering upon the compound rules, they are made acquainted with the money tables, &c. and practised upon them mentally.

Finally, geography is taught very effectually, as far as it goes-in the Sessional School. This part of study, indeed, is not obligatory with pupils; but was bestowed as a boon, during extra hours, when it suited Mr Wood to attend, upon such as volunteeredwhile among the volunteers none were allowed to enter who were not distinguished for propriety of conduct.

In carrying this plan into execution, Mr Wood put no books into the hands of the children, nor prescribed to them any tasks to be learned at home. He set maps before them, and pointed out to them, and afterwards required them to point out to him, the various places on those maps, describing at the same time any thing remarkable connected with these places. As soon as they were able to do this sufficiently well upon the map, they were next transferred to a mere blank board, and required in the same manner to point out upon it the position of the same places, with their relative situations to each other. He has found this method remarkably successful in imprinting the map on the memories of the scholars. He by no means says, that the use of books ought to be proscribed in the study of geography, but much more use ought undoubtedly to be made of maps. With regard to ourselves, at the time of entering upon the study of geography, we may mention what we presume must also have occurred to many others, that we learned the names almost entirely from the book, as if they had been a mere vocabulary, and could much more easily have pointed out the word in the book, than the place on the map. The use of the blank board too, has, in Mr Wood's opinion,considerable advantages, which do not belong to the employment even of outline maps, though without names. The outline too often directly suggests at once both the existence and position of a country, which, where the board is used, are brought to recollection merely by the map engraved on the memory.

Hitherto we have purposely overlooked two excellent chapters-one on Emulation, Places, and Prizes-and another on Punishments-that we might not be interrupted in our abridgement of the other principles and details of the scheme. Mr Wood, like all other sensible people, who know any thing of human nature, sets a high value on Emulation as a strong