Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-06-17
From the Boston Courier.
EDINRTTRGH HIGH SCHOOL.

nrom;se made to a friend, that he would Judge
from personal observation how far the accounts
a;ven of it on this side of the Atlantic were cor
Rect. The example of the High School OF Edln-
hurgh has been often urged to prove the appllca-
bilitty of the monitorial system of instruction to
the higher departments of education. The fail
ure of THE experiment and the abandonment OF
this mode of instruction, so far as 1t proves any
thing, proves the reverse.
The High School of Edinburgh is divided into
five classes, which are under a Rector and four
Masters. The time allotted to the course OF
studies at this School is six years. The first
four wears are spent by each class under the mas.
ter who first receives it; and the last two years,
under the Rector, who receives a class every year
from one of the masters. In this School, boys
assemble only to recste to their teachers the les
sons supposed to have been learned at home.
They do not, as with us, study at school, unless
to make UP deficiencies, or to acquire something
ont of the ordinary course. The mode of teach
inc is very thorough; although evidently done
with much loss Of time on the part of the boys,
who, to the number of from a hundred to a hun
dred and fifty, unite in one class under each mas
ter. and sit from tWo to three hours at recitation
twice a day. Their attention of course gets
weary or exhausted. and they lose much of this
time, especially the brighter boys. But the
gteat number Of pupils renders this necessary, as
they think; although cannot but believe that a
subdivision or two would be highly advanta-
geous. But these remarks do not apply to the
Rector's class, as will be seen hereafter.
Each of the four masters, in point o frank, is on
perfect equality with his peers. the Rector alone
having any pre-eminence in this respect. He
has a general supervision of the establishment,
and occasionally examines the different classes
under his colleagues. The course of studies is
much the same as that pursued at the Latin School
IN Boston,; and certainly not more extensive
The drilling in Latin Grammar is particularly
excellent: and the method Of teaching the higher
classes, judicious and well calculated to make
them thoroughly understood and retained i'll the
memory. Its peculiar excellence seems to con-
sist in the fullness and variety of explanations,
aad in the constant calculation by reference to
parallel passages, or the introduction OF mat
tiers bearing upon the subject. 1t too frequently
happens with us that the teacher rests satisfied,
or at least remains silent. If Il correct translation
is given by the pupil. Not so in England and
| Scotland. The teachers voice is almost con-
stantIy heard in the School, giving oral instruc-
ton, and demanding from his pupil the histori-
cal, NEUROLOGICAL or local references, made or
implied bv his author. went one morning by
lto III = ioNlby anu Il SpL-
fess | was astonished at the noise and apparent
| confusion of the scene. The Rector's voice was
raised to a pitch both uncomfortable to himself
and unpleasant to others. in order to make him.
self heard amidst the din of the noisy multitude
about him. And this too was at a time when
the whole class was pr0fessedly %reciting. zone at
a time, to himself; which is not always the case.
For as he receives a class from one of the mas
tiers every wear and retains it two years, his class
is nearly twice as large as the other classes
and as it would be quite impossible for him to
hear each individual of a class of more than
two hundred in the course of one recitation, IN
order to be sure that each understands the
lesson, he. has adopted the following method.
He first hears the class collectively recite the
lesson once, and at the same time he gives
his explanations, illustrations and remarks, the
class then divides itself into small sections of "a
bout eight or nine boys each. beginning at the
head: for the boys exchange places for correc-
ti0ns in this school, as with us.
The head Of each division, or a boy from the
head of each class, acting as monitor, the lesson Is
again recited several times by each section, du-
ring which there IS IN exchange of place for cor
~rectiuns. as before. Wien the class unites
again the each division resumes its relative posi-
ton, while the Individual members retain the
places Wnlch they nave gained during the rectal
ton IN sections. This is again repeated before
the bows leave the school-makins at least three
times of recitation for each lesson; and nearly
or quite the whole of il for each boy, as the guam
hty for a lesson is very small, not more than a
third as much as is given for the same staining
in our schools. This review by the boys consti-
tutes all the monitorial instruction in use at the
High School of Edinburgh, and this is confined
TO one class out of FIVE. So much does this estab-
lishment furnish of proof of the applicability of
monitorial instruction to the higher branches of
education. 1t is true that Professor Pillans,
when Rector of this School, did carry this system
further into use; having been forced to its adop-
ton in his own class prior to his advancement to
the rectorship by the number which his POPULAR
ty drew together. As boys remain four gears
under the master whose class they first enter. it
becomes an object to enter with the best instruct
er and a year or two in the time of entering is of
comparatively little Importance when balanced
by the choice of the teacher. Hence Mr.. Pillans,
as a favorite and successful master, had his
class crowded to such a degree that he was com-
PEELED to resort to the expedient of teaching by