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ENGLISH COMPOSITION

PART II.

ARRANGED IN FIVE BOOKS,

AND

DIVIDED INTO APPROPRIATE LESSONS;

FORMING

AN INTRODUCTION TO ARGUMENTATIVE

COMPOSITION.

BY RICHARD HILEY,

PRINCIPAL OF THE LEEDS COLLEGIATE AND COMMERCIAL SCHOOL;

AUTHOR OF

AN ENGLISH GRAMMAR," "LATIN GRAMMAR,"

ETC. ETC.

LONDON:

LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS.

1852.

43

A

LONDON:

SPOTTISWOODES and SHAW,
New-street-Square.

PREFACE.

IN teaching the Art of Composition, the Author has long been convinced of the almost universal proneness of youth to seize upon any surreptitious aid instead of consulting their own minds on a proposed subject. For instance, were an Essay appointed on any Art or Science, the young tyro would transcribe or abridge from an encyclopædia rather than draw upon the information existing in his own mind. A similar mode would be adopted were the subject selected from History or Biography. Every branch indeed would become more or less the medium of exhibiting merely the furtive ingenuity of youth at evasion. Under such circumstances, the question naturally arose, whether or not, a course of instruction could be devised which, by supplying the pupil with proper aliment, should gradually induce in him a habit of evolving his own sentiments in appropriate language. To assist in accomplishing this desirable object is the aim of the present series of Exercises.

A progression gradually ascending in difficulty and interest has been the principle of construction throughout. Thus, the first lesson may be regarded as a suitable introduction to the second, the second to the third, and so on to the conclusion. Too much stress cannot be laid on this important feature of instruction. Nor has the matter of information communicated in the different lessons been deemed of little moment. On the

contrary, whatever tended to supply proper food for future useful thought and investigation has been freely inserted wherever the nature of the plan would admit.

The work, which has occupied the Author's leisure for upwards of eighteen months, was during its progress tested by weekly experiments on different classes of pupils: several alterations having been suggested by this mode, the whole was carefully rewritten, and finally submitted to the examination of several competent judges. It is hoped, therefore, that permanent utility may thus have been secured.

LEEDS COLLEGIATE AND COMMERCIAL SCHOOL,

Nov. 1852.

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