raison, et ces livres peuvent l'égarer. Nous avons tellement devancé les anciens dans la route de la vérité, qu'il faut avoir sa raison déjà toute armée pour que ces précieuses dépouilles puissent l'enrichir sans la corrompre..."-CONDORCET, “Rapport sur l'Education Nationale," 1792. "On nous dit qu'il est impossible de devenir poète, orateur, écrivain, &c., sans avoir consumé les plus belles années de sa vie sur des rudiments, des dictionnaires et des traités de versification latine. C'est par là seulement qu'on peut être réputé homme de sens, d'esprit et de goût. Mais alors, tous les professeurs de latin et de grec qui vieillissent dans ce qu'on appelle si judicieusement les humanités, devraient se distinguer généralement par l'élégance et la pureté du style, par les formes riches et gracieuses de l'élocution; or, le plus souvent il arrive que les hommes les plus étrangers peut-être à l'éloquence et à la poésie, sont ceux qui sont chargés officiellement d'en transmettre les secrets, tandisque, au contraire, Vauvenargues, Rousseau, Bernardin de St. Pierre, Béranger et tant d'autres n'ont jamais étudié le latin ni le grec ! Quant à Corneille, Racine, Molière, Boileau, Bossuet, &c., si l'on attribuait aux études classiques la supériorité de leurs talents, je répliquerais avec une conviction fondée sur des récits du tems, qu'ils se sont formés au contraire eux-mêmes, comme par miracle, malgré les détestables études qu'on leur a fait faire, et que, à l'exemple de Descartes, ils ont rejeté toutes les leçons du collège pour refaire eux-mêmes toute leur éducation."-N. J. MORAND," Tribune de l'Enseignement." "Nous passons notre enfance à nous fatiguer pour ne rien apprendre, ou pour n'apprendre que des choses inutiles; et nous sommes condamnés à attendre l'âge viril pour nous instruire réellement. De tant d'hommes qui se sont distingués depuis le renouvellement des lettres, y en a-t-il un seul qui n'ait pas été dans la nécessité de recommencer ses études sur un nouveau plan? Si c'est hors des écoles publiques que nous devons nous instruire, à quoi servent-elles donc ?"-CONDILLAC, "Logique Complète." "En dépit de la raison et de l'expérience, la jeunesse la plus distinguée de l'Europe doit donc être condamnée à passer huit ou dix années du tems le plus précieux à deviner et à inventer du latin, sans pouvoir parvenir à lire en entier, sans une peine infinie, un livre quelconque écrit dans cette langue. Non, ceux mêmes qui l'enseignement dans l'université ne le savent pas à ce degré. Quand on considère que le latin, si imparfaitement appris par ceux qui réussissent le mieux, est néanmoins le seul objet sérieux des études dans les collèges, on ne peut que gémir sur le misérable résultat de tant de peines, de tems et de dépenses. Au reste, depuis que les jeunes gens consument à feuilleter des dictionnaires le tems qu'ils passent dans les collèges, n'est-il pas malheureusement constant que la plupart en sortent avec l'horreur du travail, sans compter que, comme l'ont témoigné tant d'illustres personnages qui ont le mieux connu et apprécié le résultat des études, ils n'y ont appris même ni grec ni latin?"-BIG. D'HARCOURT, “ De la Manière d'Enseigner les Humanités," 1819. (8) p. 152. ON BRITISH UNIVERSITIES. "The present universities of Europe were originally, the greater part of them, ecclesiastical corporations instituted for the education of churchmen. What was taught in the greater part of those universities was suitable to the end of their institution, either theology or something that was merely preparatory to theology. "When Christianity was first established by law, a corrupted Latin had become the common language of all the western parts of Europe. The service of the Church accordingly, and the translation of the Bible, which was read in churches, were both in that corrupted Latin; that is, in the common language of the country. After the irruption of the barbarous nations who overturned the Roman Empire, Latin gradually ceased to be the language of any part of Europe. But the reverence of the people naturally preserves the established forms and ceremonies of religion, long after the circumstances which first introduced them and rendered them reasonable are no more. Though Latin, therefore, was no longer understood anywhere by the great body of the people, the whole service of the Church still continued to be performed in that language. Two different languages were thus established in Europe, in the same manner as in ancient Egypt; a language of the priests, and a language of the people; a sacred and a profane; a learned and an unlearned language. But it was necessary that the priests should understand something of that sacred and learned language in which they were to officiate; and the study of the Latin language, therefore, made from the beginning an essential part of university education. Universities are the sanctuaries in which exploded systems and obsolete prejudices found shelter and protection, after they had been hunted out of every corner of the globe."-ADAM SMITH, "Wealth of Nations." George Ensor, after having pointed out some of the defects and deficiencies of the British universities, concludes thus: "Shall these conventicles be called universities, which, as defined by Johnson, mean 'schools where all the arts and faculties are taught?' So little do they deserve this general character, that a whole university, fellows and students, could scarcely afford one person fitted to fill, with credit, any civil situation. And this must be so, as scarcely any place can afford fewer opportunities of teaching the business of life.”—“ On National Education.” "The schools of Oxford and Cambridge were founded in a dark age of false and barbarous science; and they are still stained with the vices of their origin. Their primitive discipline was adapted to the education of priests and monks; and the government still remains in the hands of the clergy, an order of men whose manners are remote from the world, and whose eyes are dazzled by the light of philosophy. The legal incorporation of these societies by the charters of popes and kings had given them a monopoly of the public instruction; and the spirit of monopolists is narrow, lazy, and oppressive: their work is more costly and less productive than that of independent artists; and the new improvements so eagerly grasped by the competition of freedom, are admitted with slow and sullen reluctance in those proud corporations, above the fear of a rival, and below the confession of an error. We may scarcely hope that any reformation will be a voluntary act; and so deeply are they rooted in law and prejudice, that even the omnipotence of Parliament would shrink from an inquiry into the state and abuses of the two universities." -ED. GIBBON," Memoirs of my Life and Writings." (9) p. 176. STANDARD WORKS ON DOMESTIC EDUCATION FOR THE USE OF PARENTS. Among the works which may be read by parents, and especially by mothers anxious to fulfil the duties imposed on them by Providence and by society, we would recommend the following: J. LOCKE.-Thoughts on Education. MISS EDGEWORTH.-Practical Education. R. L. EDGEWORTH.-Essays on Professional Education. LORD KAMES.-Hints upon Education-Culture of the Heart. MRS. CHILD.-Mother's Book. Woman's Mission. Translated from Aimé-Martin. W. E. CHANNING.-Self-Culture. J. J. ROUSSEAU.-Emile, ou de l'Education. MME. DE GENLIS. -Adèle et Théodore, ou Lettres sur l'Education. AIMÉ-MARTIN.-Education des Mères de Famille. MME. NECKER DE SAUSSURE.-Education Progressive. MME. GUIZOT.-Lettres de Famille. MME. DE RÉMUSAT.-Essai sur l'Education des Femmes. M. A. JULLIEN.-Essai Général d'Education. FÉNÉLON.-De l'Education des Filles. (10) p. 197. STANDARD WORKS ON PUBLIC INSTRUCTION FOR THE USE OF TEACHERS. We have endeavoured, throughout this work, to point out to the professor of languages, how he can best perform the task which devolves on him, and thus render his office truly useful and honourable. Educators and instructors, in general, will find valuable hints on the best modes of fulfilling their duties, in the various works on education which we have had occasion to name, and more particularly in the following: J. LALOR.—On the Expediency and Means of Elevating the Profession of the Educator in Public Estimation-The Educator (Prize Essays.) THOS. WYSE.-Education Reform. I. ABBOTT.-The Teacher, or Moral Influences in the Instruction of the Young. GEO. JARDINE.-Outlines of Philosophical Education. MATTER.-Manuel de l'Instituteur, ou Principes Génér. de Pédagogie. CH. ROLLIN.-Traité des Etudes. I. WILLM.-Essai sur l'Education du Peuple. LAURENT DE JUSSIEU.-Exposé Analytique des Méthodes de l'Abbé M. A. JULLIEN.-Exposé de la Méthode d'Education de Pestalozzi. V. COUSIN.-Rapports sur l'Etat de l'Instruction en Allemagne. (11) p. 218. WORKS WHICH TREAT OF THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES. The reader desirous of making himself acquainted with the various methods of learning languages which have appeared in England and in France, will find here a list of those which have come to our knowledge. We have not included in this list any of the innumerable Grammars, Exercise-books, Dialogues, Vocabularies, and other school books, which, under the comprehensive, but deceitful title of " Method," contain only exercises or VOL. II. B B |