The central gazette. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1820-1827, 1827-03-24
CENTRAL GAZETTE,
SATURDAY,, MARCH "a, 1927.
INTERESTING PAPER

oh ONDAI, MAnCul %@t 1877.
INTERESTING PAPER
Wecaii the attention of our readers to the inter.
esting paper offroiessor Long, which we insert be-
low 1t isesteemed by those w,,6 are Judges, an
ss'sns which ~ i'll
aeiiitaeUery much the correct aca ureuent Of the
anticnt tongues = Should the course recommended
an this paper hold odt any advantages over those
heretofore pnfsuahby American institutions it will
certainly he hi4hiy worthy Of general notice-The
loose and imperfect in which the languages
OF Greece and Rome have been heretofore acquired
by the youth OF our country has been matter OF
much complaint. and the source ofmany pre;udiccs
and misconceptions ard TO- that spe ccs Of in
s,suetion But the wise and LEANED have invaria
bly, given ceptionable to its vast i'm
por,ance ip the ssasis asjon mud improvement the
inte,Iecs-~Ths Greek and Roman authors are in
contestaby the moot perfect models Of eioqoenee &
taste; and in found practic al sisdorn in Lucid de
velopemeaF Of tbc snatSes, passions and character
istic feelings of bua,an nature. they stand unrvai-
led in The circle of hisera' pss-They are filled with
the most anina,ing examples of Patriotism, and
they exhibit in ininsable colours thebesuties Of viz
tue and The. aeiosmietesof vice There IS hardly
mora! maxim. 6rapirtaous and disintetcsted sen,i-
ment thai Cam oe be gathered from their pages.
guage-In a fso ord. no books can be placed is-the
hands of youth which contain more ABUNDANT
harsessaf dom and truth and such beat and
perfect models ofisory coz, IS
ins results in the nee ofthem have not been expe.
rieneed in our country, Il must be aseried TO the in
juifsious p,anner in which instruction. has been
handed out The country WILDE mt nh indebted to
those who lend their aid IN the Improvement of
this experiment Of scholastic education.
80. sCHSlHE or, INSTRUCTION.
y has been subject ofsreaa aud just complaint,
thar SO n.nnh tiHssis speatin the study -of the
tient languages, and so iiryleis learned. This is
fact which canne, Denied as IL IS established bv
the unfortunate experience OF nearly all who have
had, what i, called, classic al cluSaiyn: the fei
WAC have a,a-e any, rea praii lenssase conscious
ana those who have lezred nothing, feel that both
have beetr wrees hedfy nssppHed A taste, Tor elias
steal pnrsuits, - now ~ cnmmon, and qGsint-
aaee with the Gtcex and Lain Language, is cob,
siaered by many 70 form so inportant part Of a
liberal edacaiioD, thru IT may be useful inquire,
why little is Icarneu, and how the mode OF in
struc, ion may be iai.,roged,
Among the worst methods of teach ;ng, may be
rnuineratedl most that N general use pa, lieu
lariy such arc employed in some OF the geeat
schools n Easland. The Et6n and Westminster
Grsmmars, with !Schrevetius' Lexicon, & si1ed
y ibc injudicions system Of teaching, have formed
an insuperable obstacle to the acquisition OF learn
ins some pr ivate schoolssaiid few of the larger
SCHOOLS have,
the letters imposed by the ignorance Of former
times {I) New modes Of Instruction have been a
dopted and they claim the OF AL interested
IN the improvement OF educ alton, the syste m is
The rcsuIt OF long experience It has been estab
Ilshed as principle, byiactua experiment, that in
The commencement OF the study ola Language, The
teacher must supply the place both of Grammar
and Dictionary. t.oe student should not be confu
SGD by general rules, which, but for an example
sohjoned, would be completely uninte lis IDLE: the
instructor shouh.jead him 70 observe number OF
particular INSTANCES, aod Ia ON them TO deduce a
general iaw--an operation, Chat the mind is always
pefy ready to perform-7be utility of a general
rufswlit then be apparent 10 the pupil: II may be
pointed oUt TO him ia good Grammar, to which
he can refer IN cases oiditftsulty. 4
That pa efthe Gssnmar, which is technically
called the Ac cidcnee the extensions OF nouns, the
copjpgaion of vel bs, &c best learned, not in tho
common way OF making the student merely repeat
what he finds in his Grammar, but IN making him
also write out on paper many nouns and verbs,
which are Formed M manner similar 20 the exaro
pies in the Gyammar. The proper English of
each word shouJd be furnished by the teacher such
exercise tanihsrzes the student with the words
of the new Language, and teaches him, at the same
time, the Orthograpby IL is a well known fact,
that this rs never learned in any Language without
the use Of the lip some schools it is usual for
the teacher to trans lae orsflY, the lesson to the
Junior Glasses, who are then required to study IL
tsSfstiy, pe,s~~s tke iHssssctor rrane
lations, detached from he book arc also allowed in
some schools; aud as The lesson Is 10 De construed
to the teacher, aud every word is to be accounted
for, the usual OBJECTIONS to such transiatons are
partly obviated.
Extempot aoeods constituting, as it is called, is
sometimes part o the systefu the pupils construe
with the assistance Of (hc master who ex plains the
unknown words ashley occur. This was the way
in which these Languages, 'werc taught before Lee
icons and Books Of Reference were so common /; il
was the way in which many great scholars were
formed This system requires able teacher and
little besides that good books are the best substt
utes where such a teacher cannot be had.
II cannot be objected to this systcrn, thath W.