Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-03-13

mars, are of little use, because they are not neces-
sarJ--and they are often announcement, because
many Of them are founded false notions of the
subject II is, however, Of the utmost importance
that the teacher should. from the commenc cement
be careful in correcting errors in quantity if this
be DONE half Of the pupils labor will be saved by
The habits he will thus acquire. When he is able to
read the Latin poets, for instance Virgil, the tutor
may require him 10 sommit to memory, and to re-
peat portions oil the lesson: this has been foun,,
by experience to be attended with many be- e.cisI
effec's-all its goodness, however, depends OH the
accuracy with which the talk is performed: the
parts selected, for this kind Of repetition, ought to
be such as the student is thoroughly acquainted
with.
The same remark will apply to the Greek poets,
Euripides, Homer, Sc
When a student has made some proficiency, the
practice OF transating into English and re- trans
lating the English into Latin or Greek may be
adopted with great advantage. The beue6ts of
this system are also atested by the experience Of
all who have tried it.
The utility of written TRANSACTIONS into English,
from the Greek and Latin authors that studied
Is also apparent: great accuracy is necessarily
required In a written uanslation; some care and
| consideration must be employed in finding correct
ana appropriate expressions-and to this may
add the practice will tend improve The STUDENT
knowledge of his owt- language, which experience
proves 10 be lamentably neglected in schools.
10 make any progress in language, it is ne
| cessary TO read considerable portion of several
good authors, and not, according TO the common
practice, scraps from great number, entitled
| Excerpta,' SelectD,' SC. or by whatever other
| name they designated.
One object in learning Greek or Latin ought to
be TO make ourselves acquainted with the subject
matter OF these authors; but modern education has
substituted instead Of large portions Of rhese an
tbnx- liz 10 4
dent with such an apparatus of grammars die
tionares and other helps. that the few years spent
at school not sufficient TO enable him to at
tain to that which is the object of his labor.
One single author carefully read and explained,
as It ought TO be, would give more real knowledge
and confer more satisfaction than unconnected i'll
| selected pieces from dozen different writers. II
would be easy to quote the of several illus.
| trious scholars whose knowledge OF first was &C.
| quired by the repeated perusal of or two IA
vorlie authors The German press offers now he
means oil procuring complete editions of the elias
sizes tor school use at lower rate than inferior
books are manufactured in other countries they
have no notes, which is great sdy anaae; all real
difficulties should he explained by the teacher:
there are very few books that contain notes of any
use 10 young students and how few there are
which contain notes with such information as a
man OF taste and Judgment would look for, every
Pereon may judge who has bad the modification OF
! consulting them.
1t is very desirable that the Greek language
should be taught before the Latin every language
that is learned ought TO be made useful in learning
any other kindred tongue. Greek might lie made
very useful in the acquisition of Latin: hut La,in
which has hitherto been employed medium for
the acquisition of Greek, is thus made great oh.
! siscle TO the attainment of this end We may
safely In this case too, appeal 10 experiences: few
persons are well acquainted with Greek, though
many have attempted to learn it, 1t certainly
must be the fault of the mode OF teaching that this
language should seldom be learned, which possesses
so many advantages, nearly all of which are such
as TO be favorable to learners progress. Greek
grammars in Latin are now little used Greek &
English Lexcons will also probably soon come
into general use: :hey will certainly be introduced
into good schools. Schneider's Greek and Ger
man Lexicon, with the German translated init
English, has lately been advertised for pub
LEGATION in England another by Donnegan,
I OF which copies are impoTted-( 4 )-anoth-
er by Jones-2 nanslaiions of Schreyeus have
made their appearance, one OF them with alera
tons and addiions-but j, is impossible to recon-
mend Schrev eIius, or any Lexicon which takes that
! for lis basis
I The use of the Analects Minora and Maiora has
proved an obstacle 10 the acquisition Of Greek: il
is almost impossible TO imagine how such extracts
were ever read In any school in the best schools
OF England they not used Not only the ex-
tracts Themselves in the ist vol. OF the Analecta
SlaJora, but many OF the authors from which they
are selected are entirely unfit for beginner, and
one or two of them not often used even by
those who devote much lime 10 Greek literature.
IL does not remove the objection To this book that
the Aenophon Is sometimes read FIRST land the more
difficult extracts after: the portion of Xenophon is
not sufficient and the SAMPLES from Thucy dides,
Herodotus, Plato, &c. too tiling TO deserve
notice. The 81 vol. of the Analecta Majors
. contains entire play of Sopbocles aud one of
EurPides, aud Is, therefore, useful but there
is no occasion TO buy the book on this account, as
much more may be got for less money The notes
will thus be lost 10 the learner, but there is nothing
IN them which good teacher will not readily
furnish by the use of those materials from which
these notes were compiled. There could be no
objection TO school or college book which con-
tanned large portions from the best authors arrane.
ed in proper order with short notes in English,
explanatory OF the Greek idiom and other thing,
which require explanation but there is no book oil
this description which is yet in use
! The Anabssis of Xenopbon is good book for
beginners: IL creates more interest than The Cyro-
Pedia-i ought TO be read through, and some know
ledge OF Greek will most certainly be acquired
Alter the Anabssis, with il, when the pupil has
made some proficiency may be read one or two ol
the plays OF EWipides, the AIcess, the Hip
polyius, or the Hecuba The Medea which is in
the Analecta contains more difficulties than these
From the careful study of these dr. smas the stu
dent will derive much valuable information on the
idloms and structure of the Attic Greek: a suifi-
ceet knowledge of quantity will be gained by the
diligent study of he lsmbic measure under the di.
rection OF the tutor, and by the occasional repet.
lion OF select paris-Herodotus may next be esd
and those portions which contain the most inter.
esting paris OF early Greek History; Lib. q Lib