ALL OUR SCHOOLS, and should not teachers be expected and required to instruct all their scholars of a suitable age, from eight years upward, in the manner referred to, at least one hour of each day? and should not instructers qualify themselves to carry out the above system in a thorough and efficient manner? Should not those be refused employment who are not competent to promote such an object successfully? In respect to the precise age when such a course may be advantageously commenced, it may be entered upon as soon as the scholar is able to write a legible hand, and should be continued until the art of composing well has been matured, and is acquired as perfectly as the art of speaking the language well.

OBJECTS AND PLAN OF THIS WORK.

Its object is to train the young mind to think, and to be able to give a perspicuous, forcible, and elegant expression to thought in a written form. It is designed, also, to cultivate the taste, the judgment, the imagination; to exhibit not only the rules, but copious examples of conformity to those rules, in the study of which the scholar may learn to criticise the literary efforts of others as well as his own. It combines, also, what is conceived important to the awakening of a literary spirit in our youth, a succinct but satisfactory history of our excellent mother-tongue, also of the classes of writings which have been composed in it, and of their progress toward perfection. For the same purpose, it imbodies biographical and critical notices of the most distinguished poets of Great Britain and of the United States, illustrated by a carefully-prepared selection from their works, the daily study of which for a few weeks must produce important and beneficial results in a course of education. Notices are also given of other classes of writers, of orators, of historians, and philosophers. Critical remarks are made upon their merits and defects their prominent peculiarities. A brief history is given of American literature from the early settlement of the United States to the present time-a portion of the work that should give it favor with the patriot teacher and scholar. The characteristics of English and American literature are set forth, and estimates are produced of the comparative merits of each. It is believed that such sketches and specimens will do more to awaken that literary spirit which gives birth to excellence and vigor in composition than any other plan that has been adopted. The philosophy of rhetoric will thus be acquired with little effort, and in such a manner as to be agreeable to every mind.

The work contains copious practical exercises, from the most simple, progressively to the most difficul; and yet it is believed that no exercises are introduced which from their difficulty, can not and will not be used, as is too muen the case with books on composition. The character of these exercises will, in part, be seen by a reference merely to the tale of contents.

In the compilation, the author ha rad reference to the wants

of COMMON SCHOOLS as well as of academies, and has rendered it of a character suitable to the middle and older classes of the former, as well as to students in the latter. He is persuaded that no work is more needed than one of this kind. Large portions of it may be used for reading or parsing lessons.

In his selections he has been guided by a regard to the moral s well as literary culture of the youthful mind. He has also rawn largely from distinguished American authors, many of hom will bear an honorable comparison with the best writers of the parent country.

SOURCES WHENCE THIS WORK HAS BEEN DRAWN.

The author lays no claim, in this work, to an original production. It is merely a compilation; yet he claims to have derived it from the best and most recent sources-to nave embraced in nis plan a more comprehensive course of instruction than will be found in other works on rhetoric-to have used, in its preparation. the labors of such authors as are worthy of the highest confi dence, and to have employed great care and diligence in the arrangement and mutual adaptation of the materials he has thrown together. He offers it, therefore, to the literary public with more confidence than he would dare to entertain in reference to an original production of his own. He hopes, on the same ground, for its adoption and use, extensively, in the common schools and academies of our state

The basis of the work consists of Connel's Catechism of Composition, entire, and of portions of Reid's Rudiments of English Composition, both recent Edinburgh publications. With these has been incorporated abridged and selected matter from Beattie's Rhetoric, Blair's Rhetoric, Montgomery's Lectures on Poetry and other Literature, Lacon, Dr. Spring's Lectures, Dr. Cheever's Lectures, and some other similar productions.

The Department of English and American Literature has been supplied chiefly from Chambers's History of Literature, edited by Robbins, a very curious and valuable work; from Hall's and Frost's Selections from the British Poets; from Griswold's, Kettel's, and Cheever's Collections of American Poetry; from the North American Review and the Democratic, from Scott's, Wilson's, and Macauley's Miscellanies, and Hazlitt's Lectures.

Considerable attention has been paid to the subject of LETTERWRITING, on account of its universal utility, and the deplorable need of instruction that extensively prevails in regard to it. Beautiful examples of this kind of writing have been selected, that may answer, with slight modifications, as models of the style to be aimed at by those who have yet to learn this elegant and most useful art.

In the criticisms drawn from various publications, the compiler has aimed to present a candid and brief, yet full statement, of the peculiarities of style belonging to the authors quoted, in the study of which, the art of literary criticism and the elements of a cor rect taste may be acquired, with equal facility and pleasure

The author had prepared, chiefly from Chambers's History, by Robbins, a sketch of American authors in the various departments of literature, but has laid it aside, to avoid increasing too much the size of the book; and must content himself, therefore, with only referring the student to the work above named. The general Review, however, of American Literature at the close of this volume. is perhaps sufficient, without the other.

In respect to the History and Character of the English Language and Literature, Mr. Connel, in his Preface, justly remarks, "If to compose well be an object of importance, no less so is a knowledge of the history and the character of the English language and literature. For this reason, a succinct account of both of these subjects, from the earliest to the present times, has been subjoined to what relates more immediately to the matter of Composition. All the important facts, with their causes and consequences, connected with this subject, will be found imbodied in this brief detail, and the different characters of the English language and literature, at different periods. carefully pointed out

The present work is designed as a sequel to the ordinary textbooks on grammar; yet there are parts of it which may be advantageously used in connexion with such text-books. The author would also suggest to teachers the advantage of introducing into their schools, as preparatory to the use either of this work or of a grammar, some such exercises as the following, which have proved highly useful in the institution with which the author is connected. In his judgment, all our common schools, as well as academies, where they have not been used, would be much improved by the introduction of them.

EXERCISES SUITABLE TO PRECEDE AND TO ACCOMPANY THE USE OF THIS BOOK.

1. Scholars, as soon as tney are able to write a legible hand, should daily be employed in copying their reading-books and other text-books, to familiarize them with correct spelling, punctuation, use of capitals, and the division of paragraphs into sentences, as well as the combination of sentences into paragraphs.

2. They should be required to write down, in an accurate manner, what may be said or read to them by their teacher; and this process of verbal dictation and writing should form a regular daily exercise in every school

3. As the easiest method of beginning to learn to compose, when scholars shall have occasion to speak to their teacher on any subject, let them occasionally, each day, be required to write down on paper, or on a slate, what they desire to communicate. Let them be required to do this until they shall be able to transfer their thoughts, on familiar subjects, to paper, in a ready, as well as an exact manner. Let their written communication, in each case, be critically examined, and all its errors ported cut · and let neatness of penmanship be duly regarded.

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4. It will be found highly advantageous to put young students to the practice of writing a journal of their observations and attainments every day-a record of incidents which may have occurred to themselves or others, &c.

5. In the judgment of the author, the best purposes of English grammar would be answered by requiring those who study it to write out, carefully, all the Exercises in False Syntax, and to require them to rewrite such exercises until the scholar shall have attained perfect grammatical and literal accuracy. This practice would be found a readier help to the art of writing and of speaking the language correctly, than that of employing, or, rather, of wasting months and years, as is too commonly done, in simply parsing the language. Parsing is good, and necessary, in its place, but mischievous when used as a substitute for writing off correctly the Exercises in False Syntax.

By the plan thus recommended above, of writing off printed matter which is correct in Syntax, and of correcting Exercises in False Syntax, and writing off a correct copy of them, the surest method will be adopted of making correct writers and speakers of our language, which is one of the most important uses of English grammar.

6. In addition to the above suggestions, students who are en gaged in the study of Latin and Greek, or of French authors, should be required, once or twice a week, to furnish correct and tasteful translations of portions that may be designated by the teacher. This will serve to make critical scholars, not only in respect to those languages, but in respect to our own.

7. It is earnestly recommended that all the Practical Exercises in this work be carefully written by each scholar using it. When convenient, the short exercises may be written in the class, and the longer passages at home, to be afterward examined and corrected by the teacher.

8. The author would recommend that all the parts of this work, except the first, be used in the ordinary reading Exercise until rendered perfectly familiar. Thus the arts of Reading and of Rhetoric may be learned simultaneously. Young scholars should read over each lesson, in the class, the day before it is to be recited.

9. This work is constructed, especially Parts VI. and VII., as a book for Parsing. When so employed, the teacher should elicit rhetorical as well as grammatical principles. He should also study to improve the literary taste and critical powers of the student.

10. In correcting the Exercises and Compositions of students, the author has found great advantage in the use of red ink. The errors are thus rendered conspicuous, and, to sensitive scholars, formidable. They are not pleased with the glaring character given to their mistakes, or with the disfigured aspect which such corrections impart to their paper, and are led to greater care to avoid the evil in future essays.

The corrections should be particular, relating to ortnography, capitals, proper division into sentences and paragraphs, as well as to sentiments and alleged facts. Yet the corrections should not extend to the alteration of the style of the writer, unless very faulty; lest originality be sacrificed to accuracy or polish.

The compiler will consider himself well rewarded for his labour in preparing this work for the use of his young countrymen, if it shall find its way extensively into their hands; for, if properly used, it will secure to them suitable instruction, while at school, in the indispensable art which is here set forth and recommended. His strongest desire, in relation to the literary management of schools, is, that a radical change may soon be introduced in the course of instruction, both in common schools and academies, until it shall embrace, and secure the art, of the ready and elegant communication of thought with the pen, as well as with the tongue. A change like this will contribute greatly to the diffusion of valuable thoughts that now vanish with the breath, or even vanish without utterance; it will add much to social and individual happiness; it will advance the improvement, and increase the native vigor of the human mind.

Black River L. and R. Institute,

Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., August 1, 1844. }