The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-11-20

tents are carefully indexed, and the work is
gotten up in excellent shape.
French by the New Method.
One of the old scholars of Agassiz has told
of his first lesson in natural history. He was
put before a fish. and directed to observe It
carefully, reporting or recording everything
that he saw about it. 1t was three days before
he satisfied his teacher that he had seen the
fish; and only then did Agassiz give him any
anatomical names or def nitions. This method
of cultivating the perceptye faculties has been,
for the last few years, gaining favor In all
branches of natural science. The student of
botany or zoology has no longer to wade
through tedious definitions of unfamiliar things.
He first becomes acquainted with the parts of
animals or plants and their relations to each
other, then learns their scientific names aad
bearings. In Prof. Morse's new book of Zoolo-
gy, the scholar is sent to the woods and sea-
shore for specimens to examine and compare,
before any other instruction is offered him. Il
is not strange that the popularity of this meth
cd of instruction was shown in the sale OF q
very large edition of this work in a few days.
In fact, new era of teaching has been inaugu-
rated, from the Kinderga arten School TO the Col
lege and In the training of the ear as well as
the eye. Two recent examples may be found
in Prof. Heinness' plan of studying German
and Prot Sauveur's brilliant specially of
teaching French.
"We see what we look for" says a philoso-
pher, "and the eye has no more power to dis
cern objects than any other mass Of jelly" So
we may say that we hear what we listen for,
and the ear ha, no more power to hear than
any other collection of membranes. Prof.
Sauveur virtually tells his pupils, as does the
teacher in Natural History, 'Here are your
specimens; observe them carefully, listen at
tentively to each sound, see how 1 associate
every word with the object for which it stands.
Use these words till you become perfectly IA
miliar with them, and then will explain to you
their constructor and relations" HIS books
"Caaseries aUec mes Eleues." "Petites Causer.
les and "Cduseries ayec les E,yants," have sue
cessively appeared, giving to pupi,s of different
ages French conversations, fables, selections
from the masters of literature. and essays rom
his own pen, such as under the direction of
skillful teacher cannot fail to afford them .
wide acquaintance with the language. Hav-
ing made that acquaintance, they receive from
him his 'Entretiens sur la Grdmnadire," re-
Gently Published, TO explain to them tho parts of
speech and the rules for their employment
Under so pleasing guise IS this study OF gram
mar, (too often a scare-crow in the fields of
knowledge) presented, that the pupil halls it
with delight, aud resorts to it, just as after ex-
amining flower or she'll he seeks eagerly for
auy book which will further satisfy his curiosi-
ty. Various objections are, to be sure urged
against this method of imparting knowledge
like sugar-coated pills. Prof. Sauveurs system
Of teaching has been said to be impracticable,
to increase the teachers work, to be unified
for adoption in our public schools To AL this
the answer is only "C,me and see" Come
not only to the school of Modern Languages in
Boston where Prof Sauveur is acknowledged
sui generiS among teachers, but to the Boston
High School or any other where his sys.em is
employed. A visit to the Salem High School.
for example cannot fail TO convince one of the
superiority of this to all other methods and its
adaptability to the average scholar. The class
there is from the younger portion OF the school.
and, has only been engaged in the study since
last September; yet not one word OF English
has been spoken in its exercises since the work
began, aud the pupils readily understand all
that is said to them by their accomplished
teacher. Their bright questions and replies to
her and TO each other and the facility with
wbi,,h thew write or read by her direction, make
one long TO take place beside them on the set
tees aud begin the study of Fre ench Under the
same favorable conditions. The book here
4 -, ,I,a Glf3seo
ies''-and after this they will be prepared for
the "Entretieas sur la GaaDlDaaire," than which
no more unique and interesting volume ever
bore the name. No dry distractions loom up
to discourage review of it from beginning to
end: it is free from all mystery and confusion,
and ever the subjunctive mood 10 made thing
of beauty, showing all the delicate shades OF
meaning which by it the language can express.
| The explanations on all points are concise and
| clear. Quoted passages embrace choice read
| ings from La Rochefoucauld, Mime. de Sevigne,
Racine, Molere, Bossuet, Montesquieu, Rous-
| seau, Chateaubriand, G.. Sand and others,
which make it indeed most fascinating book
| to peruse. Heine said that the Romans would
never have had time to conquer the world il
| they had been obliged to master the Latin
| Grammar And so the ordinary French Gram
mar in English has ever been bete noir to all
students The mastery of this grammar of
Prof. Sauveur, is, on the contrary easy and
pleasant; and with it comes the conquest Of
French literat ure and polite society. Surely
we must believe that not only in Natural Sci
ence, but in Language also, the re is a royal
road to learning.