Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-12-22

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may possess fine genius, without being perfect
reader; but be perfect reader without genius.
N. II. Reeicp.
The remainder of the Eclectic Series, Sc far
as Prof McGufiev is concerned. consists of four
Reading Books, which the author calls numer-
caily the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Rea-
ders. shall consider them summarily.
1t is much to he regretted that haste, careless
ness y some other cause, should have left so ma
ny typographical errors in the whole set of Rea-
dcrs. 50 many Of this kind OF errors occur, now
adays, in stereotype editions of books that one
would Id. ALMOST b. led o eanelgde tia.
SORT OF art for pcrpetuatng blundcrs, by making
them incorrgb!e. l have stcreotyped
Bible, which wa. more bemished with typogra-
phic inaccuracies, than any other copy ever ex-
amned. If this reInissness continue, to say that
book is stcreotypcd, will be no recommendation
/ In the Third and Fourth Readers, there
rules prefixcd to every lesson; to the First and
Second Readers there arc no such accompani
ments. Why all rules should be omitted in the
first books, when the habit of enuncia,ion is for
ming, cannot conceive. If rules necessary
at all, they surely necessary then. Two of
the rules attached to various lessons in the Fourth
,one''-"Give a distinct sound TO the consonants
in every syllable" Are not such cautions as
these rs useful to the beginner, as to the more
advanced pupil2 Are they not necessary !?
Would they no, be the means of forestalting a
vicious pronunciation!
In too many Of the selections and compositions
made for the Readers, there wanting that
grammatical accuracy, and that elegance OF die
ton, which give lustrc to the compositions of
Lindev Murray. ''Parens and Teachers,'' says
Pes,alozzi, "cannot be too particular in their use
of language in the presence OF initiative chill
dren." A child contracts modes of expression
from what he reads we'll as from what he hears
and acquires good or bad phraseology, as his ex
amp!es NAV be, which soon becomes fixed. In
specifying some of these inaccuracies and incle
gaucies, shall italcize them: they such as
were discovered on desultory examination o
the books; and hence many might be pointed
s out on a careful scrutiny. In the Second Reader
we are told: "Whcn our world first created
it had nothing beautiful upon il; but i, was al
dark and cmptv' Was our world created a Sc
cond timer But implies kind of opposition, tn
phrase in which il occurs is not IN opposition t
. he foregoing part of the sentence, but is an am
n plItlcatIOn Both italicized words should b
: omitted. In those prmeval DAYS, it seems, fror
n the annexed quotation. that the winged part
creation, not subject 10 the predatory attack
of cattle: There cattle 10 eat the grass
a. birds, the smallest insect to fly through tn
5; air" Speaking of the Peacock, the author says
b. ats coors rich and various. that kun0
C ar. can make any thing like them Art can ce
N tainly imitCte, though it may not equal them
IS .'But the taii,'' says he "of this splendid bird
a. the most beautiful part of its body" 'sThe lilo
he can be tanned, if taken young, and will eve
I'd show marks of kindness to its keeper. But it
,e dangerous folly to get into their powern In til
lie First Reader, fly is made to say ola child 81
as may try /. pat me, if he CAM To try is surel
4 altogether feasible; but to pat him. ne may
it unable. In Lesson "a, a youth is represented Z
prepared for ciphering; at the conclusion of II,
lesson, the young ari,hmetician is is made to sa,
ir sand here is Betty, the maid; she has come
n take me to bed" Here is a want of adaption: {
". the tyro is either great prodigy, great bah,
e ssHis reason seemed to come to hi