Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-08-14
COMMUNICATION.
LIYIUS-No. III.

EHct which an exercise oil the mental iaCuiues
Mad in strengthening aud giving them tome
We now say, that the method used by the haih',-
tonians il not at all calculated to rouse tose 'dGu
Sps 10 exertions, 4 does not require of them tna'
Eborwhich, by the old system, necessarily must oe
used In is true that the Westminster kevie"
rr remarks, that activity Of the nte,tectua iacui
ses is. in the very nature OF the thing. es'ehuai
70 the reception of new idea inns we are no'
silly enough to controvert; but the degree oi at
s,;tv reuuired by each is SO variant IN amount,
,b,t were that .:essential to the reception OF
new idea" according to the Reviewers tavoilte
T., represented by /, the mental activity re-
rnired by the old method might safely be esti-
lied Al 100. The mental exertion necessary
tor acquiring an idea thrO' mere oral instruction,
= precisely the same in amount, whether the TACT
communicated be, that s7,tts IS iati.. ioi horse,
ar that Andrew Jackson is President OF the l.
states. This is evident And thus we see, that
the intellectual activity required by the new plan
&c no greater than that excited by an interchange
nj our simplest ideas; while when learning Oy
the established method, the mindiS kept constant
l., ~, the alert: and 1t necessarily follows that
every item of knowledge gained. must be result
from, aud at the same time must draw along with
-. an exsr,lon uf the mental capacity, which, IA
;,,slc cannot be but highly beneficial. Were we
called ON To demonstrate this by parallel state
,oent of the benefits consequent on pursuit OF
siIher system. it would be much easier a. an un-
dertaking than brief and elaborate as digest OF
those relative benefits: wherefore. as we nave
nut rooln it shall be present no further nolceu.
Oar posi,iou here viii he Sufficiently illustrated,
howeyer. and we will DE- borne out IN our c0nciu-
.ions. if and which mast be the case oar hrst
proposition be granted, namely. that the degree
cf mower possessed by tie intellectual capacity
i, proportonate TO the quantum ct weli-drected
exertion in which that capacity has been employ
cd.
The Reviewer has this remarkable passage
lie Il e the teacher) trusts nothln@ to MS Pu-
nils sagacitv; he even affords hun no opportuhi,
" To try il; every thing Is mechanical" Need
we say any thing more on that point:
So.ne six or eight principles, as they are called,
are next stated. all of which may resolve them
selves into the primary maxim, that II is the duty
If the teacher 10 communicate orally. &c In
the statement of The eighth principle 1t is remark.
all that the words whose slgmhcauon Is learned
from GLOSSARY are s.cOmpletely isolated, bound
TO each other by no link, fading from the memory
almost as soon as learned. 20 Are words more
isolated whose meaning IS obtamed ny REFER
erce 70 n dictionary, than when that meaning Is
eonyeyed by mere word OF mouta-and admit
tine that they were, do they not become "bound
hv link" when woven into sentences and their
relative effect upon the sense Of a passage is ar
rived at bv collation. with.h s'ntext! And Is
Il not the object uf the Old SYSTEM, that boys shall
obtain the English Of words by their own ever
lions. give them proper bearing and signlIca-
finn in the translation! And will anY one, then.
pretend 10 say that words TINS learned are more
Isolated. less bound together by "lnk, and
io fade quicker from their memory, than when
MASSAGE is read over and expIained-the pupil
having no Indictment to keep It IN mind, while.
Nv ~ doing. the old school pupil makes the road
easier 10 further requirement. aud Knows well
that every item of learning recoiiected takes
away from the burthen OF the succeeding day ;
lesson. because If not remembered 1t would have
10 be re-huated for and re-acquired: The boy
taught according to the new system has no such
cares on his mind-no object to tax his memory
for: every thing is taught to him. no matter If
.wenty tines over. The pupil who Is debarred
the use of dictionary. or, what is as bad. who
knows not hOu to use one, can have no oPportu-
nifty IF studying BY himself, aud unless always
present with teacher, to be prompted By HIM.
can have no opportunity of learning more. and #
ne forget what he has been taught. forgotten 1t
must remain. He who is not brought up to de-
pend on his own exer,ions for acquiring know
iedre. If he wish 10 rise. hath but 4 slender reed
to lean on for support. When interiinear trans
Iations are used they but foster idleness.
It's cuntended BY the advocates OF the Ha
miitonian system that pupil can become better
acquainted with the grammar of foreign Ian
suase after he has learned the English CORES
pondiDg to a given number of words in the Ian
auage. The reader will bear in mind that he has
not as YET been taught to distinguish between
the parts of speech as they are called, tell which
word is a naun, which verb. sc. unless he has
discovered it BY retexertion ct his own sa-
escitv. for he is forbidden TO use this openly in
Obtaining information By the system. How a
knowledge Of these unimportant particulars I'VE
call them unimportant when compared with the
object principally to be kept in view in learning
a language, VIE: an acquaintance with its syn
tactical structure and original elements) can as
a;st person in acquiring what certainly cannot
h,- he rendered more difficult by what he has
previously learned, We are unable to see. 1t