The herald., 1897-09-05

books and deliberately began to fit one to
the other. Horrible to relate, even read
the English first and then fitted 1t to the
Latin. l found that I could not read
line or clause of Virgil any more than if
I had never seen 1t, and could not have
done 1t with ton of dictionaries and
grammars. But, with nothing but the
translation, spent about an hour day
on it, and in a year could read it rapidly
from end to end and understand the
whole of 1t. Since then have read it a
dozen times without any help and in
short time and could read most other
Latin fairly well at sight.
AS soon as l was satisfied of the re-
suits took up Homer with Lord Derby's
translation in the same way. with the
same results. Aeschylus came next with
Miss Swanwick's remarkable transla-
ton, and before it the difficulties van
ished in the same way as before. The
long and short of all of which is that the
best way to learn language Is the
quickest, shortest and most interesting
way, or exactly the reverse Of the old
style professors method, which demands
perfection step by step. This is nothing
new, for found in Mexico thirteen years
being learned from the Mexican Finan-
ciSr, which prints both languages in par
aNel columns, than from all the teachers
and grammars in the republic, and that
the principal circulation of the paper
was from the demand for 1t by both Mex
leans and Americans to learn the other
language.
Learning to speak language requires
special training Of the ear to separate
the words which otherwise sound like
the rattle Of telegraph. One must also
have much practice in speaking and
should begin If possible with a good
teacher. Both these take considerable
| time, and grown person can rarely ac-
quire that peculiar twang about Ian
| guage which is different from the ac-
cent and cannot be explained in words
| If he tries it his speech Is very liable to
sound affected or silly. But while it is
| true that you can learn to speak we'll
only by much practice, it is equally true
that when you have learned to read a
| language at about half the speed at
which you read your OWL mean read
ing, not translating or groping-you will
learn to speak it very rapidly after hear
ing it spoken until your ear begins to
separate the words and recognize in
sound what your eye already knows on
paper. Until this happens, your speak
ing will amount to little anyhow, and In
the meantime you can be practicing
talking. The great advantage, however
of reading is that you can talk nearly as
we'll on one subject as another and will
not be limited to "the pretty gloves OF
the butchers aunt's coachman," or some
Of the similar topics of the Ollendorf OF
Meisterschaft systems; which, however
are not to be despised If with good
teacher they can be practiced in connec'
tion with your reading and other speak.
ing.
If wanted to learn to speak another
language and do 1t quickly, should ge
the most interesting novel In that Ian
guage with an English translation.
should have teacher read to me hal
an hour from the foreign book while
looked over the translation. In this way
would be learning and training The eal
at the same time. Then I would reat
half an hour to him, having him correc
my pronunciation as we went alony
and explain anything difficult in thu
J text. Al soon as had words enough Il