in the world, invoke the learning of Greece and Rome, if he be ignorant of the conftitution of our nature, the modes of thinking which prevail, and the nice fhades and diftinctions that exift between right and wrong. He should understand well the conftitution, laws, and genius civil and military of his native country, and he fhould not be imperfectly acquainted with the civil polity of furrounding nations. The Latin and Greek languages, confidered as models of taste and fine writing, are ufeful to form the ftyle, and harpen the wit of men. But a coryphæus in ancient learning is but a mere pedant if he be ignorant of the nature, beauties, and power of his mother tongue. His learning, which would otherwise be an useful ornament to his more practical knowledge, cannot but impede his progrefs in the -world. An Englishman deftined to refide in his native country, is to think, write, and speak in English, not in Latin or Greek; and the greateft caufe that has hitherto obftructed the refinement of English literature, is the total neglect of our own language during our education. We cannot therefore be furprised when we find scholars exprefs themselves awkwardly in it; or when we difcover that the French, Italian, Latin, and Greek tongues, are better understood (because they are more attended to) than our own. Our acquaintance with the authors of antiquity fhould have taught us better plans. For according to the undoubted teftimonies of Quintilian and Cicero, the greatest pains were taken to inftruct the Roman youth in the Latin tongue, before they were taught the Greek, which was as foreign to them as French, Latin, or Greek are to the English. Were the Roman republic in existence, and were it judged proper that its youth fhould be converfant in the language of our country, we fhould find that it would not be attempted until they had been thoroughly acquainted with the general principles of Latin. The fame obfervation will apply to us. Let the divine languages of antiquity be cultivated as a part of education, but let them not abforb the whole; let them aflift the ftyle, but never exclude the bold and fimple energy of the British language."

P. 98.

THE ENGLISH GRAMMAR TOO MUCH

NEGLECTED IN SCHOOLS.

"THE propriety of introducing the English grammar into English fchools, cannot be difputed; a competent knowledge of our own language being both useful and ornamental in every profeffion, and a critical knowledge of it abfolutely neceffary to all. perfons of a liberal education. The little difficulty there is apprehended to be in the ftudy of it, is the chief reason, I believe, why it hath been fo much neglected. The Latin was fo complex a language, that it made of neceffity (notwithstanding the Greek was the learned tongue at Rome) a confiderable branch of Roman school education: whereas ours, by being more fimple, is, perhaps, lefs generally understood. And though the grammar-fchool be, on all accounts, the moft proper place for learning it, how many grammar-schools have we, and of no fmall reputation, which are deftitute of all provifion for the regular teaching of it? Indeed, it is not much above a century ago, that our native tongue feemed to be looked upon as below the notice of a classical scholar; and men of learning made very little use of it, either in converfation, or in writing. And even fince it hath been made the vehicle of knowledge of all kinds, it hath not found its way into the schools appropriated to language, in proportion to its growing importance. To obviate this inconvenience, we muft introduce into our schools English grammar, English compofitions, and frequent English translations from authors in other languages. The common objection to English compofitions, that it is like requiring bricks to be made without ftraw (boys not being fuppofed to be capable of fo much reflection as is neceffary to treat any fubject with propriety), is a very frivolous one; in many of which the whole attention may be employed upon language only; and from thence youth may be led on in a regular series of compofitions, in which the tranfition from language to fentiment may be as gradual and eafy as poffible.

"The English language is, perhaps, of all the prefent European languages, by much the most fimple in its form and conftruction. Of all the ancient languages extant, that is the moft fim

3 Ca

ple,

ple, which is undoubtedly the most ancient: but even that language itself does not equal the English in fimplicity. The words of the English language are perhaps fubject to fewer va riations from their original form, than thofe of any other. Its fubftantives have but one variation of cafe; nor have they any diftinction of gender, befide that which nature hath made. Its adjectives admit of no change at all, except that which expreffes the degrees of comparison. All the poffible variations of the original form of the verb are not above fix or feven; whereas in many languages they amount to fome hundreds: and almoft the whole bufinefs of modes, times, and voices, is managed with great cafe by the affiftance of eight or nine commodious little verbs, called from their ufe auxiliaries. The conftruction of this language is fo eafy and obvious, that our grammarians have thought it hardly worth while to give us any thing like a regular and fyftematical fyntax. In truth, the easier any fubject is in its own nature, the harder is it to make it more eafy by explanation; and nothing is more unneceflary, and at the fame time commonly more difficult, than to give a demonstration in form of a propofition almost self-evident. It doth not then proceed from any peculiar irregularity or difficulty of our language, that the general practice both of fpeaking and writing it is chargeable with inaccuracy. It is not the language, but the practice, that is in fault. The truth is, grammar is very much neglected among us: and it is not the difficulty of the language, but on the contrary the fimplicity and facility of it, that occafion this neglect. Were the language lefs eafy and fimple, we fhould find ourselves under a neceffity of ftudying it with more care and attention. But as it is, we take it for granted, that we have a competent knowledge and fkill, and are able to acquit ourselves properly, in our own native tongue: a faculty folely acquired by ufe, conducted by habit, and tried by the ear, carries us on without reflection; we meet with no rubs or difficulties in our way, or we do not perceive them; we find ourfelves able to go on without rules, and we do not fo much as fufpect that we ftand in need of them.

"A grammatical ftudy of our own

language makes no part of the ordinary method of inftruction, which we pafs through in our childhood; and it is very feldom that we apply ourselves to it afterward. Yet the want of it will not be effectually supplied by any other advantages whatsoever. Much practice in the polite world, and a ge'neral acquaintance with the beft authors, are good helps; but alone will hardly be fufficient: we have writers, who have enjoyed these advantages in their full extent, and yet cannot be re commended as models of an accurate ftyle. Much lefs then will what is commonly called learning ferve the purpose; that is, a critical knowledge of ancient languages, and much reading of ancient authors: the greateft critic and moft able grammarian of the laft age, when he came to apply his learning and his criticism to an English author, was frequently at a lofs in matters of ordinary ufe and common conftruction in his own vernacular idiom. A good foundation in the ge neral principles of grammar is in the first place neceffary for all those who are initiated in a learned education; and for all others likewife, who shall have occafion to furnish themselves with the knowledge of modern languages. Univerfal grammar cannot be taught abftractedly: it must be done with reference to fome language al ready known; in which the terms are to be explained, and the rules exemplified. The learner is fupposed to be unacquainted with all but his native tongue; and in what other, confift ently with reafon and common fenfe, can you go about to explain it to him? When he has a competent knowledge of the main principles of grammar in general, exemplified in his own language, he then will apply himself with great advantage to the study of any other. To enter at once upon the fcience of grammar, and the study of a foreign language, is to encounter two difficulties together, each of which would be much leffened by being taken feparately and in its proper order. For thefe plain reafons a competent grammatical knowledge of our own lan guage is the true foundation upon which all literature, properly fo called, ought to be raised. If this method were adopted in our fchools; if children were firft taught the common principles of grammar, by fome fhoft

and

cultivation of our own tongue, which excited the difguft of M. Voltaire." P. 141.

"Whatever the advantages or defects of the English language be, as it is our own language, it deferves a high degree of our study and attention, both with regard to the choice of words which we employ, and with regard to the fyntax, or the arrangement of thefe words in a fentence. We know how much the Greeks and the Romans, in their moft polifhed and flourishing times, cultivated their own tongues. We know how much ftudy both the French and the Italians have beftowed upon theirs. Whatever knowledge may be acquired by the study of other languages, it can never be communicated with advantage, unless by fuch as can write and speak their own language well. Let the matter of an author be ever fo good and ufeful, his compofitions will always fuffer in the public esteem, if his expreffion be deficient in purity and propriety. At the fame time, the attainment of a correct and elegant style, is an object which demands application and labour. If any imagine they can catch it merely by the ear, or acquire it by a flight perufal of fome of our good authors, they will find themselves much difappointed. The many errors, even in point of grammar; the many offences againft purity of language, which are committed by writers who are far from being contemptible, demonftrate, that a careful ftudy of the language is previously requifite in all who aim at writing it properly.

"Thefe obfervations appear to determine conclufively the fubject which we have been difcuffing; they will fuffice therefore to prove, that the application of a child to a dead language, before he is acquainted with his own, is a lamentable wafte of time, and highly detrimental to the improvement of his mind. It was the neglect of the

DLING CLASSES OF THE COMMU-
NITY.

"EMINENT fcholars are the brighteft ornaments of a nation: but the cultivation of ancient literature must be confined comparatively to a few; it never can become a national object in an inftitute of public education. Hence, the application of feveral years to the dead languages, by young perfons whofe views and fituation in life are fuch as to preclude them from deriving any advantage or pleasure from this ftudy, is an unprofitable and cenfurable wafte of time. And though the attainment of claffical learning should be open to every one defirous of feeling its charms, yet it should never be made a matter of neceffity with boys deftined to the inferior occupations. The fame course of studies cannot be proper for the lawyer, the divine, the physician, the foldier, the failor, the merchant, and the mechanic; and therefore, fome other mode of inftruction must be devised, different books read, and different exercises performed, in order to render youth competent to engage in their feveral spheres of active life, with credit to themfelves and profit to the community. The present system of education is diftri. buted, like a quack medicine, in equal proportions to all conftitutions, and in all diforders; it was framed in times of popery and arbitrary power; an age when knowledge only began to dawn, after that long night which darkened all efforts of genius, and eclipfed with clouds of barbarous fophiftry the luminous productions of Greece and Rome. But, what cannot fail to excite our admiration and pity at the obftinacy of established prejudices, it has fubfifted for three centuries, unaltered by the revolutions which have taken place in the religious, poli tical, and moral government of mankind, as well as in their manners, cuftoms, and opinions.

"The causes of all these absurdities may be traced to one fource. Ever fince the days of Henry VIII. the ftipend given for the inftruction of boys

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