Star.
London, England, 1823-06-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The following important Works are Just Published,
by Colman and Co. viz :-1. The Second Limbo@ of Na-
poleon's Own Memoirs, in 4 Voss.-2. Sinnondrs History of
the Montan of the Sends of Europe, with Notes, by T. Roscoe,
Esq.-3. The Lids et Wilton Bayley, En. the friend and
biographer of Cswper, written by himself, 2 Vols,—and 4.1
The lianuseriptV idle, written at the eammesd of Napoleon, I
by puma Fain, and illustrated with a variety of Secret Cot;
respondence.
THE IMPROVED ENGLISH SYSTEM OF LIBERAL
EDUCATION.

Besides the systems of mutual instruction invented!
and promulgated by M. M. Bell and Lancaster, which
serve for the cheap instruction of the children of the
poor, another system has been invented, and generally
adopted, within the last twenty years, throughout the
British Empire, for the liberal instraction of children
belonging to the middling and sipper classes. For the
introduction and perfection of this latter system, the'
world is indebted to the perseverafice of Sir Richard
Phillips; who, in 1798, for the purpose of rendering
it practical, undertook the publication of a series of
Elementary Books, the plan of which is identified
with this legitimate principle of conveying instruction.
He calls it the lorzattoo.trtva &atm ; and, as
distinguished from the desultory and mechanical sys-
tems in general use, also confers on it the title of THE
THINKING, or INTELLECTUAL SYSTEM. He assumes
no originality of discovery, but merely claims a new
and extended application of an old and recognized
principle in Education. For example, ever sive
Arithmetic has been taught in Schools, the method
has been first to develope a rule, and then require'i,
the Pupil to work Problems in subserviency to that
rule. It would obviously, he says, be absurd to pre-
tend to perfect a young person in Arithmetic, by
merely directing him to commit the rules to memory,
and then a.suming that he had becomea proficient.
The more rational plan has been to require the Pupil i
to learn the rule, and then to exercise him- on its
sense and application by a variety of questions; in
preparing the answers to which he is obliged to think
for himself, and to work, so to speak, in the science of
which it is proposed he should acquire a practical
knowledge. By these means, Arithmetic has al-
ways been taught with success, and few persons have
learned this science at School, who, in consequence
of the practical method of teaching it, are not better
acquainted with its elements than with any other
parts of their School learning.
The improvement, therefore, which Sir Richard
Phillips has made, has been to extend the same prin-
ciple to various branches of Knowledge; and, in-
deed, to all the subjects of liberal Education which
it is customary or desirable to introduce into Schools
of either sex. With this view he has produceda series
of Elementary Books, by which the Pupil is enabled
to work at the subject of Study, just as in Arithmetic.
He has effected his purpose by means so simple and
unassumiag, as to create no feeling of surprise; ne-
vertheless, they are such as completely effect the de-
sign, by a happy combination of the several parts to
the end. Thus he has produced very superior TErr-
sautes in Natural Philosophy, History, Geography,
Cia,sic.rl Literature, Ecc. &c. and, in some cases, he
has a.lopted standard works for Tex r• Domes, as the
01.1 and N.:w Testament, Gifford's abridgment of
Blackstone, Robinson's Histories, Murray's English
Grammar, &c. am adapting to each his own work-
ing or practical system.
- -

The System itself consists of Miscellareous Ques-
tiors,- Exercises, and Experiments, referring to dif-
ferent passages in the Text-books, sometimes simple
or applicable to a single fact, and at other times
complicated and applicable to various facts and prin-
ciples scattered ihroughout the Text-book. This series
Ef mingled questions generally extends to about five
hundred in number; and the Pupil is required, as a
private exercise, to furnish an answer to each ques-
tion in his own phraseology. The questions ate pur-
posely mingled, and are riot in the order of the Text,
with a view to compel the young Student to turn
over and examine every part of the Teat-book; with
which, it is presumed, he must and will become fa-
miliar, long before he has answered the whole of the
five hundred questions.

A thorough acquaintance with the Text-book is,
of course, simultaneously accompanied by a familiar
acquaintance with the science treated of in the Text-
book ; while the constant exercise of writing the an-
swers to the questions, necessarily improves the Pupil
in the important arts and practice of Spelling, Gram-
mar, Thinking, and COmposition. In some the series
of Questions are annexed to the Text-books; others
ale printed- in little books ; and a few have been
printed in quarto Copy-books with ruled spaces for
the answers. •

But the system would be incomplete and impracti-
cable if it ended at this stage ; for the questions wotild,
often perplex the Tutor while they exercised the. Pu-
pil, and would require, on the part of the former, a
moi e intimate knowledge of the contents and arrange-
ment of the several Elementary Text-Books than
could. reasonably be expected. The whole system,'
therefore, is perfected, dovetailed together, and ren-
dered practical, by means of printed Keys, or answers,
to the several sets of questions for the use and refer-
ence of the Tutor; who, by their means is enabled to
examine the answers with promptitude, and verify
their correctness. These Keys, for the use and con-
venience of 'rotors, render the System complete; and
adapt the subjects and sciences to all Seminaries of
Education, without creating any solicitude or troyble
to the Tutor.

The same principle of requiring the Student to
work at the subject of Study, has led the publisher
to invent two sets of outline Maps, and of projections
of Maps, the filling up of which, by the Pupil, ren-
ders him more perfect in the details of Geography,
within a few months, than he could become in as
many years by the mere reading of books. As a
further and very important auxiliary, with reference
at once to Moral and Intellectual improvement, he has
also invented two Register Books, for Schoolmasters
and Gov eases, by which they are enabled to record
from daft to day, the conduct and improvement of
- every one of their Pupils, and exactly balance their
good and bad conduct at the end of every half-year.
The tarc-nocuca adapted to the System are the
most complete, on their several subjects, that ever
appeared,. while they are rendered moat attractive by

a greater variety of engravings than have before been
introduced info books of their size and price.
The facility which the new System has afforded,
of teaching the various liberal sciences, bas enabled
schools oUall descriptions, to introduce them: as parts
of every Ordinary course of education ; and thus the
great mass of the English People'are now.initiated in
branches of knowledge, the mere names of which-
were not understood by the same desciip* of per-
sons thirty years ago. In a ward, by this 'method the
Pupil makes an effective prqress in knowledge: and
while the mental results are iofinitely superior, every
subject is attained in a fourth Of the ordinary time,'
and with.one-tenth of the trouble and solicitude of
the Tutor. These are facts determined by the uni-
versal experience of the first schools in the Empire
during the last twenty years.
The System having become general and popular,
has, as usual, been injured in the opinions of unwary
persons, by clumsy imitators, by whom the principle
and practice not being understood, their questions
have been arranged in the exact order of the text,
and, consequently, as the mere echoes of the text, in-
volve no exercise of the mind, which is the sole ob-
ject of the system ; while quantity has been considered
by these parties as a substitute for quality, and they
have multiplied the questions beyond the power of
the Pupil to answer them in the limited time devoted
to single objects of study.
The Tem.-swims and "other Books used in this
System are indicated in lists, to be had or seen at
all Booksellirs, and .the cases are distinguished in
which the questions are united in the same binding,
or sold separately. The Keys. may be had in a vo-
lume, or separately, as is most agreeable to the Tu-.
tor ; and that no coMmercialdifficulty may interpose
or obstruct the free circulation of these works, the
best allowance is made on numbers, both to Book-
sellers and Teachers, that is usually made on Genuine
Editions of School Books.