The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-06 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

SIR—In the notice with which you hohoured
my Lecture of Friday, you pronounce the two
propositions contained in my prospectus—first,
" that the system of education in the primary
schools throughout the civilized world is essen-
tially vicious ;" and secondly, " that from the
moment a boy enters a school, till the moment
when his education is what is called completed,
he is taught nothing"—to be incorrect and con-
trary to the fact. I should be happy to be per-
mitted to discuss these propositions in your paper,
believing it possible to demonstrate the truth of
them : they will serve as a text to my prefatory
remarks at my lecture on Friday next. Mean
time, I think it important to observe, that while
I disclaim all pretension to miracle, and while I
admit the absolute possibility of taking 10 lessons,
and not knowing 10,000 words ; yet that, from
an experience of above 3,000 pupils, I have in-
variably found 10 lessons sufficient for that pur-
pose : more are offered gratuitously if necessary,
but it rarely happens that they are found neces-
sary. In like manner it has been found that 48
lessons are abundantly sufficient to teach a per-
son to write and speak any modern language
with grammatical purity, and to read it with as
much pleasure and facility as his native tongue ;
but if more are found necessary, they are given
without expence. Now lam unable to conceive
how a more satisfactory guarantee could be given
to the pupil. I assert that private gratuitousi
lessons are unnecessary with a very moderate
share of attention on the part of the pupil ; but
if this cannot be obtained? it is supplied as far as
possible by the teacher. This you admit to be
fair, to be honest, and I thank you forthe can-
dour of the admission ; but I deny the conse-
quence you draw from it, that such an offer as
this takes away from the system every thing which
it appears to have of extraordinary. I have never
said or insinuated that my pupils learn, without
any effort or application on their part; for
though they get nothing by rote, though they
make little use of grammar or dictionary, though
they do not study in the proper sense of that
word, yet they are required to read, but to read
what is perfectly easy and intelligible. I
have, indeed, asserted, and now assert, that
the effort or application necessary to obtain
any given sum of knowledge on the sys_
tem of the schools, would require tenfold the
effort and application which it would require on
the system which I advocate; and I offered in
my lecture such a proof of this as I might perhaps
have hoped you would have thought sufficiently
extraordinary to notice. A boy of 13 years of
age was brought to me on Monday, Dec. 22. He
stated himself that he had been five years learn.
ing French. Examined in presence of his fa-
ther, it was ascertained that he could not trans-
late the most easy phrase of the French Testa-
ment. On that day (Monday) he recomenced the
study of French, and in the afternoon the study
of German, of which he did not then knew one
letter. He took a lesson in each language
every day (except Sunday and Christmas-day) till
Friday, when I examined him, and found he had
read the whole of the Gospel of St. John in both
languages, translating every word in the analy-
tical manner of my lecture ; and that, in short,
he knew as much German as French. The boy's;
name and address are at foot. I invite you to
verify the truth of my statement. The lesson
never occupied two full hours, and the boy ac-
knowledges he has never looked at a book in
either language except in class, It is not con-
tended that this is a miracle; hut it is contended
that such a progress is utterly unknown, if not
utterly impossible, in the system of the schools.
Yet this is the progress which I guarantee to ef-
fect in every language which T
profess to teach,
with regard to every pulpit I receive. I there-
fore argue, that when a progress equal to this
can without risk of failure be guaranteed to every
pupil indiscriminately, the principle on which
they are-taught must be sun
vereminently correct,
and that a system entirely opposite in practice
and result must be essentially vicious.
I have the honour to be, Szc.
JAMES HAMILTGN.