mature and vigorous understanding. The first step then to be taken in teaching the art of composition is to undeceive him in this respect.

Analogy, although it may be an unsafe ground of reasoning, is a clear and a legitimate mode of illustration. Let us then refer to analogy for the explanation of our subject.

Perhaps there is no diversion of which children are more fond than that of imitating Phæton as he drives the steeds of his father Apollo. Let us then suppose a child before us with his rope-yarn reins attached to the arms of another boy whom he is urging, with his eel-skin whip, to the top of his speed. He is delighted with his diversion, and the joyous blood as it mantles his face with the flush of youthful extacy, rushes in healthful flow through his whole system. He has no realizing sense of the mockery of the scene. His fancied horse is as much a horse to him as if his neck were clothed with thunder. Would it be the part of policy or of wisdom, or even of discretion, to say to him that he ought not to indulge himself in such diversions - but that he should husband his strength until chance or fortune puts into his hands the flowing reins of the real courser? Would it not be wiser to encourage his sports with the smile of approbation, and to admire his conscious skill as he fancies his temporary steed prancing in playful gambols or restive under the lash? A word of encouragement and of advice at his pastimes, will be remembered with complacency when his sports are exchanged for realities; and the future exertions of the man, will be influenced and controlled by the failure or success of the efforts of the boy.

In imitation then of his sports let us teach him to apply his inventive powers to the subjects presented to his notice, in the course of the developement of his intellectual powers. He cannot manage the steeds of Apollo - he cannot control the spirited courser on the turf, nor dexterously avoid in a crowded street the obstacles, which on the right hand and on the left array themselves in the course of the rattling wheels. But at a respectful distance, a distance commensurate with his powers, he can imitate the sober employments of the active and the strong of the old and efficient, of the learned and the wise; and although his early attempts may be feeble and awkward, and success seem coy and distant, yet it must be remembered that all the attainments of human skill are the re

sults of small beginnings, and that the wise and venerable were once in the ranks of simple abecedarians.

Two difficulties beset the pupil in his first attempts at composition. The first is the want of ideas the second is that of expressing them properly when obtained. The object of this lecture will be to endeavor to show how he may be aided in surmounting both of these difficulties. These two heads, or divisions, embrace the whole subject of composition, and it will readily be perceived that a single lecture will by no means afford sufficient space for a full or extended explanation of the plan. Much may be said, while much is left to be said on both of these topics. I shall begin by remarking that much which relates to expression, belongs peculiarly to the subject. of grammar, considered apart from composition; and as that is the province of another, I shall endeavor to confine myself to my own territories without invading the jurisdiction of my neighbors. The correction, therefore, of the errors of syntax, or of orthography, has nothing to do with the present lecture, belonging as it does exclusively to the subject of grammar. But I shall lay claim to such parts of rhetoric, although frequently embraced by some writers under the head of grammar, as belong peculiarly to the subject of composition—such as the whole subject of perspicuity, - purity, propriety, and precision, clearness, unity, strength, and harmony.

The first step in teaching composition, after having given the pupil to understand the nature of the exercise required of him, is to lead him to think. And here the teacher must avail himself of that fundamental principle of the mind called association, termed by some writers the law of suggestion. If a child were asked to write a sentence, without assistance derived from this source, he would naturally be at a loss what to say. But if the same child were requested to write or repeat a sentence containing a particular word, the word itself by this law of suggestion will suggest an idea — or rather a string of ideas, and his only difficulty will be to select from the number the one which he thinks will prove satisfactory to the teacher.

I will illustrate my meaning by an example. Suppose, for instance, that I have a class around me with their slates in their hands. I request them to write a sentence, original of course, which shall contain the word industrious. With little hesitation some would answer "The bee is busy and industrious."—"Industrious children accomplish much," &c. Here

the word suggests an idea, and from the idea, thus obtained, by the same law of association or suggestion, others will arise; and the skilful teacher may draw from his attentive listeners, in a short time, an exercise, at the length of which, both he and they will be surprised.

After this first step has been taken, it may with advantage be followed by a similar one, in which several words are required to be incorporated in the same sentence. The words will suggest the ideas as before, and as these ideas will necessarily be complex, another advance is made in the progress of thought, the interested listener will begin to perceive that there is not so much inherent difficulty in the subject of composition, as he at first supposed, and the progress he has made with so little exertion, will stimulate him with a fondness for the exercise which he at first so much dreaded.

These exercises will be profitably followed by others of a like character such as the incorporation of phrases in sentences, or the requisition to make sense of sentences from which some of the principal words have been purposely taken. I must here illustrate my meaning by an example. I give my little listeners the following sentence, or rather parts of a sentence, with the direction to fill it up in such a manner as to complete the sense.

to

"His father was his request." Here it will be seen that other words must be substituted for the blanks, and they may be supplied in different ways. Thus: his father was induced to grant his request, or his father was compelled to deny his request, &c.

This exercise will prepare the way for another not less useful, founded on the similar meanings of dissimilar terms, — or in other words, it will serve as an introduction to synonymes. Thus in the sentence. His father was compelled to deny his request if the pupil is taught that the words obliged, constrained, compelled, forced, &c., have a similar meaning in the sentence, he is led to think what other words may be substituted in other sentences for those which he has used. and this exercise of his mind will introduce him to variety of expression, and lead him by gradual stages to a discrimination of the strength, the beauty, the clearness and harmony of phrases. As he is thus led to think — and as the law of association or suggestion forbids the entrance of a solitary and unattended idea to the mind, the difficulty which the pupil at first encountered, in obtaining ideas, gives way to another, and

that is the difficulty of selection. The entire removal of this perplexity is reserved for the later stages of his progress when the subject of unity is considered.

Another exercise of different character, but of the same tendency, as it leads to the formation of ideas, is presented in lessons on objects. The pupils with their slates in their hands, stand prepared to record the result of their observations. Some sensible object being then presented, the powers of perception and comparison are to be called into action by an exercise somewhat like the following:- suppose a piece of sponge to be the object; and the teacher calls the attention of the class to the fact that it is not wholly solid, but apparently full of small holes or interstices he calls this a quality of the sponge and applies to it the name porous. He then desires them to notice the property it possesses of containing water, for this quality he seeks a name and terms it absorbent. These terms are then written upon the slate, and by a similar process of explanation he developes its other qualities and properties, under the names of soft, tough, opaque, elastic, dull, flexible, indurable, insoluble and infusible. The class of ideas thus developed, by the same law of association or suggestion, will introduce others of similar character, and gradually prepare the way for a careful analysis of objects; thus enabling the pupil to describe the subjects of his perceptions, and to reason upon them.

Lessons on objects may be succeeded by lessons on words. The qualities discovered in objects have been described by words of different meanings, but having, many of them, the same termination. Thus in the terms applied to the qualities of the sponge, the words flexible, durable, insoluble, infusible, &c. occur. From the explanation of the qualities, he readily gathers the meaning of the termination, b, l, e, and this will serve as a proper introduction to that part of etymology which relates to derivation; with the knowledge of the prefixes and suffixes of the language. This exercise, although perhaps a little too difficult for this stage of the pupil's progress, is a very important one, and should by no means be omitted, although it may with advantage be postponed.

As the preceding exercises have prepared the pupil for the operation of analysis, his attention may next be called to the parts of which a sensible object is composed. A book is the most simple and the nearest which is at hand. He may be desired to record on his slate the parts of which it is com

posed such as the outside, the inside, the edges, corners, binding, paper, back, sides, top, bottom, title-page, preface, introduction, contents, beginning, end, leaves, pages, margin, type-letters, numbers, stops, words, sentences, syllables, title, lettering, stitching, lines, &c. This enumeration of the

parts, may be followed by an enumeration of the qualities of each; their origin, whether natural or artificial, the difference between animal, mineral and vegetable productions, the substance of which each part is composed-whether it was manufactured at home or abroad, if made in a foreign country, how did we procure it-the meaning of importing and exporting, the name given to this interchange of productions the effects of trade and commerce the names of those who carry it on their motives - the various trades and occupations of mankind-the arts, especially those of ship-building and navigation.

Thus from a simple and single object at hand, the skilful teacher, with the aid of a few explanations and suggestions, can fill the minds of his attentive listeners with such a flow of rapid and successive thoughts, that little difficulty will be found in the performance of the exercise, to which all that has preceded is to be considered as merely introductory.

And this exercise is the first where the pupil may be left to himself, to perform it in the retirement of his closet. Neither the slate, the black board, or paper, are indispensable in the performance of all that has gone before, although in all cases a decided preference is given for a written exercise. The object of all the preceding exercises is to lead the pupil to think; and thus to overcome the first and principal difficulty in the task of composition.

The pupil having been led by the careful analysis of the parts of a sensible object to understand its nature and design, may now be employed in definitions. Of all sorts of writing this is the most difficult; and yet it is one which in this stage of his progress it will be very useful for him to attempt; in order to assist himself in the formation of correct ideas. It is not to be expected that he will be able to write a correct, philosophical definition, even of the simplest object. The design of the exercise is to practice him in the operations of combinations and comparison. If he be tolerably successful in his attempt, and be able also to trace the distinction or difference of objects, he may then proceed to a higher grade in his