The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-20 00:00:00

THE LATIN GRAMMAR.

The day after my entry into this colossal institution, a
Latin grammar was placed into my hands. It was a bulky
book of its kind : considering the diminutiveness of the new
student, a portentously bulky nook. It was bulky in con-
sequence of its comprehensiveness, It gave all imaginable
rules, and all imaginable exceptions. It had providentially
stored within it the requisite gear for whatever casualty
might befall us. The syntax rules, in the edition presented
to me, were, for the first time, rendered mercifully in Eng-
lish : those for gender and quantity remained in the old
Latin; and the Latin was communicated in a hideously
discordant rhythm. Over a space of years we went syste-
matically through and through that book; page alter page,
chapter after chapter. It was all unintelligible ; all obscure ;
but some spots were wrapt in more tnan ordinary gloom.
Our chronic bewilderment was varied from time to
time by shooting pains, brought on by some
passage or expression unusually indigestible. We
read of creatures, happily few in number, that went about
in the _Epicone Gender. Were they fish, flesh, or fowl ?
Would the breed be ever extinct ? Under certain desperate
circumstances, a participle and a noun together were bound
hand and foot, and put into the Ablative Absolute. What
had they done, to be treated in a manner thus peremptory,
unreasonable, crotchety ? Did they ever get out after being
once put in ? Then there were gerunds in Di, Do, and
Dam. How they recalled to us that old Fee, Fi,
Finn, and the smell of English blood I And aupines in
Cm and U. What was the meaaltig of these cabalistic
nams ? I did not know then ; and I don't know now. And
yet I have been behind the scholastic curtain for twelve

long years.
Bewailing the fate of himself and his fellow-victims
ha continues—
The round-shot of a Latin grammar had bean, I believe,
tied to our legs, to prevent our intellectually straying.
However, in course of time we became habituated to the
encumbrance, and ceased to feel it as a serious check upon
our movements. Thehour at length arrived, in which it was
considered wise to attach another round-shot to our other
legs. This was done accordingly in the shape of a Greek
grammar, written entirely in Latin. This extra weight
answered the purpose effectually : we were all brought to
an immediate standstill
A little later on the Schoolmaster tells us how he
would impart Latin and other learning after his
own fashion, by calling in aid the understanding
rather than the memory. A quaint humour per-
vades the whole series of meditations. In the one
chapter entitled " Teeth on edge and closed lips"
we have an amusing glimpse of university exami-
nations and school exhibitions, beginning—
The Cardinal of Westminster has the reputation of being
the bast Latinist of all that now wear scarlet stockings.
What an interesting experiment it would be to kidnap his
Eminence with the ambassador from Athens into the Cam-
bridge senatediouse, when the annual prize exercises were
being read in Latin and Greek verse.
The very (3elightful chapter on " Nursery Reform"
is worthy of bei:lg read by all mothers and all
Governesses. The Schoolmaster premises thut he
loves little children—

And I care not whether they be blonde or brown ; clean
or dirty; lordlings or chimne7•sweepkins. Not a button.
I would rather they were not not too gootl ; or goody. Let
us have a little naughtiness, sprinkled in at intervals : it
gives a flavour to the insipidity of vegetable innocence.
A Pharisee is not a pleasant object, be he clad in swallow-
tails or cotton frock. And there is a soda: Pharisee as
well as a religions ono. Clean fade and glossy curls must
never frown upon little, smutty, streetling Publieeet. No,
no : it is quite possible that this little sparrow-boy' but
rarely waehes his face ; more rarely says his prayers ; at. d
never blows his nose : which practices are common
with genteel canary-ehildren. But not a sparrow
falloth to the ground without our Father. Let
us all halt a share of natural commoners; of whole-
some naughtiness; of clean dirt. Let us stand
occasionally in the colter of repentance ; " outside of all
joy, like Neptune in the cold," Then will we promise to
he good ; we will throw tiny ESTMS round papa's neck ; will
kiss him half way through his yellow beard ; we'll be happy
for ever, and ever, and ever, and live on key and almond
rock, 0 the bliss of making up I The rain after drought
the sunshine after rain ! Yea : 'tie a sweet thing and a
pleasant to have been a little naughty.
Eliminate misdoing from the world, and you annihilate
charity. The air is uninhabitable from a surplus of oxygen.
The good deea shines no longer that glistened like a glow
worm in a naughty world. Imagine, reader, the humUlat-
ing condition of a good parson who has overdone his
duty : the vestrymen are better than he ; the clerk is better
than the vestrymen; the pewopener is suspected of being
better than them all. Why, the church is top-heavY
another effort, and it will stand upon its spire. Come back
to the old ways, my friend. There must be degrees; there
must be degrees.
But while I can regard with somplacency a little
naughtiness in children, I am grieved to the heart to see
their eyes dimmed ever so little, and their cheeks ever so
ehtly pale. 0 me, for the faces that one sees at times,
so wee, an 2 wan, and old I for the littletrnyEldeorfs who
th:
g And
snd
begin life at the wry_ ._,'morons
hen follows a very L.- description
horrors of rudimentary edut.,!ltlon—learn log by

rote:--
From dawn to eve, this summer's day, they are commit-
ting to memory all words that end in ock, tits rock, IC.4zosk,
block, rock, stock, smock, flock—beginning with a cots that

must not crow; for the fowl is as- yet unproviden
with verb, and cujagatien, and voice—most essential
this for crowing—and mood and tense, and number

and person ; and ending with a flock that must neither
frolic nor bleat. To-morrow they will give undivided at-
tention to words that end in dom, as kingdom, beadledom ;
the day following, to words in ition, as deglutition, per-
dition; then to words in ation, as trituration, botheration;

and so on for a month or two, till the category of ordinary

words is exhausted.
But our Schoolmaster can ha tender and pathetic

as well as sarcastic and humorous ; witness, in the
. _

. _
chapter on the education of girls, entitled "Place
ass Dames," the following touching and evidently

truthful recollection :

A. TRIBUTE.
And once upon a time, Reader—a long, long while ago
—I knew a schoolmaster; and that schoolm ,ster had a
wife. And she was young, and fair, and learned ; like that
princess-pupil of old Aschain ; fair and learned as Sydney's
Awl her %mine waa ever soft.

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, ..T na e 18.

Fier Royal Highness the Princess Beatrice, Bt'
tended by Aidlle Norelle, went to Claremont So'
terday afternoon, and visited the Queen Marie

The Dean of Westminster and Lady Augusta
Stanley had the honour of dining with her MajestY
and the Royal Family.
The Duchess of Wellington left the Castle thi°
mornirg for London.
The Queen drove in the grounds this sraorniog
attended by Lady Augusta Stanley.
Her Royal Highness Prince Alfred, attended by
Lieutenant Haig, returned from London.
JUNE 19
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, attended 0.1
Major Elphinstone, arrived at the Castle yesterday
afternoon.
Earl De Grey and Ripon and the Dean of varisto
church also arrived.
The Queen, Prince Alfred, Princess lie' Ds'
Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leol?t'le,
and Princess Beatrice, and the Ladies and Gent ,
men in Waiting attended Divine service this In° r 0
ing in the private chapel; the Very Rev. the Pe'o
of Christchurch preached the sermon.

The Prince and Princess of Wales.
he
The Prince of Wales rode on horseback in t
rorenoon on Saturday, attended by Lieut...o°lo°

Keppel. • -
jed
The Prince and Princess of Wales, acconiP"or.
by Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse, took

riage drive.
03
-E1
The Prince of Wales and Prince Louis of 0
attended by Lieut.-Colonel Keppel and Captaill!: I
Westerweller, went to a conversazione at
College of Physicians. ;0 of
The Princess of Wales and the Princess Lcill" 1•a
Hesse went to the Italian Opera, Covent Garde 13',
the evening, attended by the Marchioness of C jr
marthen, Baroness von Grancy, and Mr. AV6c),
castle, e
Mr. E nge rl eeh ars a t
o thei
t , inb bridal
thed a
Ipngraiimfat
ceferosofsmt the Wales
:u
e asd Dukeeof:
eoi edc:
cask: t, offd presented
as
the ladies of New South Wales.
The Prbce and Princess of Wales, with the Mard
chioness of Girmarthen and Lieut.. Colonel .RePPeei
i
in waiting, attended Divine service at the COP
Royal, St, Jametee, yesterday morning.
The Communion eervice was read by the Be'c';
the Subdean, the Rev. .R. C. Packman, aLtd
Rev. H. M. Birch.
The Rev. H. M. Birch preached the Berms:l fr°ll:
St. Matthew, chapter 17, latter part of vorse

" Hear ye Him." ft
The Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse
Marlborough House at half-past one o'clock- 1°

Windsor Castle.

party on Saturday evening,
di,:,
Tlisnt.eerijraßraioeysvasl
aim; e, expressl
pHighness the Duchess of Canabrfdge
had a dinner
the Grand Duke of Mcckl • d 'Pr
enburg-Strelitz before his I
ture fot. Germany.
oyal Highnet;ges the Count and Cou owes:
ytomeet
ialit
ohyeari
Breiagidb :cos:
--)
GRthelieagdPh2e3tataroHinosefownjai.unilndtheh.9aonour Frances Countess Waldegreve it
their presence at her ball at Strawberry Hill on Thera
‘Wt
The Archbishopcshelaenc Chancellor eopl lfao t
dinner °n
Saturday 0
Lambeth Palace.
The Marquis and Marchioness ot' AilesbarY
rrtCyoafantttht.derbury received the
returned to their residence in Pall-mall on Saturday ece.:
ing, from attending the marriage Pf Lord and Lat.'YEIPIII-.
swine, at Dunmore Park, near Falkii.k, N.B. the
equer and lqrs•
The ltarl de Grey, who left town a iter
Cabinet Coun..7il on Saturday on a visit to her ;kiss
returned to town this morning, on
The Earl of Wiltoi left Grosvenor.square
Saturday for Cowes, Isle of Wight, for a few days.
Field4Marshal Viscount and Viscountess CO!
bermere will leave town in the course of the present vleoes:
for Combermare Abbey, Cheshire. The noble and gall:
i'..
b
viscount and viscountess intend to visit Buxton this seabed
Lord and Lady Egerton of Tattoo. entertalnct
his Excellency Baron Bentinck, the Earl and Countess
w.'
Erne, the Earl and Countess of Airlie, the Earl aud Cotue
Less of Galloway and Lady Helen Stewart, the Canny;
(Dow.) of Essex, Lord William Hay, Lord Edward Ca. _
peel, Mrs Raahleigh,
dish, Mr and Lady Virginia Sandars, dinixer
Sir Joseph Paxton, Colonel Mure, Mr 80., at
re.
on Saturday at the family mansion in St. James's .squa
Lady Churchill has arrived at the Ste Gt.torga
Hotel.