The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-26 00:00:00

COURT OF REQUESTS, SEPT. 25.

CORDELL V. WILSON, OR " THE SCHOOLMASTER ABROAD."
The plaintiff in this case sought to recover the sum of
155., being the balance due for three quarters' instruction to
the defendant's son.
The plaintiff, in stating his case, said—Gentlemen, I
would inform this most honourable Court, inzprinris, that is,
in the first place, that I am a preceptor, vulgarly termed a
schoolmaster, and that my mode of tuition is most unique
and daedalian, as my circular will demonstrate (handing one
to each of the Commissioners). Secondly, I would inform
you that Mr. Wilson, at the midsummer preceding the last
placed his son Thomas under my superintending influence,
and I flatter myself I am not labouring under an inganna-
tion when I say that my characteristicalness to act impre-
judicately has always been predominant: Thirdly, that af-
ter Thomas Wilson had been at my establishment during
the estival and autumnal quarters of that year, and I had
given him a cognition of almost every thing cognoscible, the
defendant with great precipitation and without giving me an
opportunity of ratiocinating with him, removed his son
therefrom.
COMMISSIONER—We don't want a long harangue, nor so
many long words. Confine yourself to your claim on the
defendant.
Plaintiff—Well, Sir, fourthly and lastly, Mr. Wilson
acted very degencrously in taking his son away without
giving me notice of his intention.
The defendant denied that he was indebted one farthing
to the plaintiff ; his son only had been six months at the
school.

Plaintiff—Mine's a seminary, if you please, Sir.

Defendant—During which time he had not only learnt
nothing, but he had also forgotten what he had previously
known.

Plaintiff—Learnt nothing ! Did I not myself instruct
him in the science of pneumatics, or the doctrine of the air.
Defendant—l don't know what 'matics you say you
taught him, but I know there was so much " air" in your
school-room that he got the rheumatics, and I had the doc-
tor to pay as well as your bill, for which here is your receipt.
With regard to the plaintiff's boasted " unique mode of
education," he could assure the commissioners it was no-
thing more than placing a boy directly he began to spell to
learn words of seven or eight syllables, by which he taid
they acquired a knowledge of all the smaller syllables. This
system he enforced by an " ell of cord," which he applied
to the backs of all his pupils whenever they made a blun-
der, and so great was their terror thereof that they were
always blundering.
The plaintiff was going to enter into a long panegyric on
the excellence of his system when he was stopped by the
Commissioner, who asked him what the balance he claimed
was for, as it appeared from the receipt produced by the
defendant that he had been paid ?
Plaintiff said it was for another quarter, to which he
considered he was entitled after the trouble he had taken,
and his having no previous notice of Mr. Wilson's intention
to remove his son. _

The Commissioners, on referring to his circulars, found
that a quarter's notice was not specified, and they accord-
ingly decided against his demand.
The following is a copy of his " unique" circular :
Classical, commercial, and mathematical. seminary,
No. 4, Church-street.—Timothy Cordell instructs at the
above establishment the youth of both sexes in every
branch of polite education, including the following :
English, French, German, Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, and
all the dead languages ; mathematics, pneumatics, and hy-
drostatics ; conchology, ichthyology, and zoology ; astro-
nomy and trigonometry, horticulture and floriculture, Bcc.&c.
Parents placing their children under the superintending in-
fluence of T. Cordell may depend on their soon acquiring a
proficiency by a unique mode of instruction peculiar to his
seminary.—Terms 15s. per quarter.