cate of virtue and science, who strives to inculcate just principles of education and morality, without becoming the advocate of party; who censures vice without railing at the past or present administration, or praises virtue without naming men, who are, or have been in office, is almost neglected: by this neglect many errours have been tolerated in our schools, which are of sufficient importance to be worth the attention of those, who are more able to reform them than myself; yet I hope to be excused for attempting to point them out, and for endeavouring to draw the mind for a short time from political broils, to the contemplation of matters, that influence much more deeply the tenour of our lives. I am far from thinking politics unworthy of attention, but I think our domestic concerns deserve a much greater share of it. Our happiness de

pends chiefly on our own minds, and we must seek for it at home, rather than in the government; as we would think ourselves more interested in a friend for life, than a companion for an hour. Suppose our favourite candidate is elected to some high office, (as most of our political dissentions are for the choice of tyrants,*) what pleasure does it give us? Do we enjoy more rational pleasures than we formerly did? Does he blunt the arrow of affliction? -Perhaps the person we dislike is chosen; does he deprive us of the pleasures of society ?-Does he influence the elements against us?-No; but he burdens us with taxes! -What are all the taxes we pay to government, in comparison with those we pay to negligence, intemperance, or vanity? We have been taught by some, that certain measures of government would suddenly change our political affairs, create disorder in societies, overthrow religion, and almost counteract the operations of nature :-they have taken place, and the world still rolls on, religion is yet tolerated, and the fruits of the earth still continue to vegetate as before. There are few measures of government that influence individuals in any great degree. No government can give us happiness, if our family and social concections are not agreeable, and none can deprive us of it, where they are so; and since on the

"Dechirans a l'envi leur propre Republique "Lions contre lions, parens contre

parens,

Combattent follement pour le choix des tyrans." Boileau Sat. 8.

education of youth this source of happiness depends, why do we find people so inattentive to the character of those, to whom they intrust their education, that many are employed as instructers, who would be dull scholars in the branches they pretend to teach, and that the few who deserve encouragement and reputation are left almost without support. Not he only serves his country, who delivers his opinion on war and peace; but he also, who exhorts youth, and supplies their minds with the principles of vir

tue.

The two principal errours in our schools are these :-The attention, which most teachers pay to the memory, to the neglect of the reasoning powers; and the want of attention to the practical use, which the students make of their instruction. There are many who learn the rules of grammar, and are able to apply them to the works of others, and perhaps write their own thoughts correctly; but in conversation cannot be said to speak the English language. We are apt to acquire a careless manner of expressing our thoughts in common conversation, which should by all means be avoided; yet few make use of their knowledge of grammar to correct their own language. There are some, who by the vocal language express their ideas with fluency, but if they attempt it by the written are utterly unsuccessful. There are some, who write their sentiments with elegance themselves, but if they attempt to dictate for anothe er to write, find themselves quite incompetent. Incommon schools

we are taught to write, but very little care is taken to render our knowledge of this art useful. This is also the case with many other studies. Whence is it that so many are insensible of any connection between theoretical studies, and their practical use? It is a fact that this insensibility does exist, and it should be the business of teachers to reform the errour, by causing the student to speak grammatically in common discourse, and to write his sentiments often for inspection; finally, to teach him, (what many are unconscious of) that his studies are designed for use.

In regard to cultivating the memory instead of the mind, there are many teachers, who instead of teaching the scholar to understand his lesson, request him to repeat it only, by which means he obtains a mechanical knowledge of the arts and sciences, by the assistance of the memory, without any aid from the judgment, and without improving it. I have known some who committed their lessons to memory, and repeated them, without so far comprehending the instructions they contained, as to be able to answer any elementary question respecting them. It can be of little use to commit a lesson to memory, without understanding it, and a good scholar will comprehend a lesson much sooner than he can learn to repeat it, as a succession of words, without any ideas affixed to them, is with difficulty retained in the mind. He, who is taught in this manner, will improve the retentive faculty, and, with some assistance from his preceptor, will

hit on tolerable notions of the application of his lessons, but his own judgment will never lead him one step farther than he is guided by the direction of others; yet such scholars, from the facility with which they repeat their lessons, are often thought greater geniuses, (by those who are insensible that memory and judgment are incompatible in the same brain) than those who are so dull as to understand them. Nothing can be more hurtful than this inactivity of the mind, and those, who would obtain knowledge, should first learn to exercise the judgment.

It is surprising to observe how many read without seeming conscious that any ideas are expressed by language. Many will read a history of facts, or some work that requires but little abstract thinking, and fully comprehend the subject; but give them a treatise on ethics, or mathematics, and though they read apparrently with as much attention, and pause and emphasise with propriety, yet they will not be able to comprehend one idea. They read with the eye, whilst the mind is employed on something else. This capability of reading with the eye without the mind, is acquired by the faulty education we receive in our schools, where the sentiment is made a secondary object, and the chief attention is paid to mechanical pauses, emphasis, and pronunciation; where scholars are taught to spell words, but are left ignorant of their meaning; and where most of the books put into the hands of young readers are so far above their compre

hension, that they read them as a task, attending to nothing but the sound: they thus acquire a habit of reading without any observation of the idea, which habit is a great bar to the attainment of knowledge, and very difficult to overcome. I think it would be well to adopt Mr. Sheridan's plan for instructing scholars to read, for other reasons than those which he assigns. If children were taught to read in books, which should contain nothing but their own childish prattle, or sentiments not above their understanding, printed without any marks for the pauses, the idea would become the primary object, being that on which the pauses and emphasis depend; and that being understood, their lessons, instead of being a task, would be interesting, and they would obtain the most essential point, that of understanding what they read. They should also be taught to spell from a dictionary, and examined concerning the signification of words, as well as their orthography, accent, and pronunciation. By these means the scholar will acquire a habit of understanding what he reads, and practising what he learns, which will be beneficial through life.

GENERIC NAMES

S. S.

For the Country and People of the United States.

FOR THE ANTHOLOGY.

'Mr. Editor, As you have complied with the request of Aconteus in republishing judge Tudor's well written speculation on

a geographical name for the United States, you will oblige another of your correspondents by giving a place in your Magazine, from the "New-York Daily Advertizer," a proposal on the same subject by Dr. Mitchill. A. Z.*

THE portion of terraqueous globe comprehended by the great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence, the Ocean and the Missisippi, has it can be conveniently distinno general denomination by which guished in geography. Its subdivisions and local names are appropriate enough and suffi. ciently well understood. But there is still wanting one broad and universal appellation, to designate and characterize the whole appropriated and unappropriated territory of the United States.

Convention of 1787, that they It was a great oversight in the did not give a name to the country for which they devised a frame of government. Its citizens are suffering every day for lack of such a generic term. Destitute of a proper name for their own soil and region, they awkwardly on the subject.-By express themselves vaguely and some it is termed "United States;" this however is a political, and not a geographical title. By others it is called "America," and the inhabitants "Americans," But these epithets equally