only that it is to be taught viva voce by the master, instead of being prepared beforehand by the pupil for himself. I feel as strongly as any one the importance of a boy, especially a young boy, having all his lessons thoroughly catechised into him; and if the alternative lay between a boy's learning off grammatical rules by rote without explanation, and his having them taught to him by the master without book, I should certainly prefer the latter. But, as a security against the possible inefficiency of masters on the one hand, and the probable carelessness of boys on the other, I think there can be no doubt that the best plan is the use of a text-book, to be first explained by the master and then learned by the boys.

There is one further objection on which it may be well to say a few words. Granting that boys should learn off rules and practice examples, it may be doubted whether it is worth while to attempt an explanation of the rules in an elementary work. The study of principles, it is said, should be left to the end of the school course. My own experience does not quite agree with this. I believe general principles of almost any kind may be talked into boys; what puzzles them is a long chain of reasoning. The principles of grammar are not more abstract than those of geometry, and I think they may be explained in a manner which is both interesting and useful to the abler boys. Even young boys are capable of

being taught the analysis of sentences, which is perhaps the very best instrument for clearing away confusion of thought.

It is possible that some passages may be found in this book, in which I have rather had in view the case of an adult student using it for his or her own self-instruction, than that of an ordinary school-boy. If this should seem so to any master, he will, of course, use his own discretion as to omitting such a passage. In general, however, I believe that a boy who starts with a fair knowledge of Latin will find no difficulty in doing each exercise in its turn; and I hope that when he reaches the end of the book he will have acquired a good practical vocabulary, together with some idea of the constructions of the simple sentence. Even in the unsatisfactory case where Greek is discontinued after a few months' study, I hope the scholar will feel that his time has not been entirely thrown away, but that he has improved his knowledge of English, and at the same time gained an insight, however slight, into the relations it bears toward a language to which the civilized world owes so much.

To some teachers it may seem that this book is unfortunately lacking in those suggestions of classroom procedure upon which they have come to depend. It is intentionally so; the purpose having been to provide the data or materials for a method

not the method itself. For it has been assumed that the competent teacher already understands his work, and will find for himself such details of method as his own experience must suggest. Moreover, were it possible for all teachers to once agree as to a supposed ideal method of instruction, it is not at all likely that many would be willing or able to pursue identically the same method for successive years. There is, indeed, no such thing as an absolutely best method of class-room instruction; for every method must be constantly readjusted, as the varying aptitudes of the pupils or the larger experience and increasing skill of the teacher shall suggest. And for these reasons this book has been kept as free as possible from pedagogical limitations.

The experienced teacher does not need to be reminded that there is a most important advantage gained through "the plan of teaching elementary grammar by minute references." That command of knowledge which is called mastery is especially facilitated both by the quasi process of investigation itself, as well as by the fuller and more protracted attention which it necessarily involves.

It can not be too often iterated and reiterated that each lesson should be thoroughly MASTERED by every member of the class, and at the time when it is due. Nothing will prove more discouraging to the student than to find himself disqualified for the

prompt and easy doing of an exercise through mere insufficiency of preparation. Hesiod has said, ȧpxỳ δέ τοι ἥμισυ παντός; and to enable the beginner, therefore, to test from time to time his mastery of the earlier lessons, a list of Review Questions has been furnished in Appendix 11.

What use is to be made of the frequent references to the "Primer of Philology," by John Peile, or of the philological matter contained in "Explanations" and the Appendix, must depend on the circumstances, and is left to the discretion of the teacher. It will be well for him to remember, however, that

"At the present time there is a widely spread desire for scientific method in education. . . . Without doubt the desire could be more readily met, were not classics and science felt to be widely separated. And yet this separation of the two subjects is detrimental to both. The scholar accuses the man of science of 'a want of taste'; the man of science regards the scholar as one who neglects the present for the past. But when we regard language as an organism ["parasitic, indeed, but still an organism"], and the science of language as a physical science, this unfortunate separation is bridged over. . . . Now, by teaching language scientifically, all these distinctions [of inflection] and the reasons for them are impressed upon the pupil; and thus even a knowledge of the declensions becomes of value. he knows some

thing of language. And of all knowledge this is the most valuable. For language is in a nearer relation to the mind than anything else. It stands between us and the outward world; we may also say between us and our own thoughts. Unless we know something of its true nature, it is almost impossible for us to emancipate ourselves from its dominion and become thinking, not merely speaking, beings."—EVELYN ABBOTT, Translator of Curtius.

"And though, of course, scientific investigation and the practical teaching required at school are naturally far apart, it is by no means impossible to enliven the latter even from the very first by the insight obtained in the paths of science. Changes of sounds, rules of accentuation, forms of inflection, are no longer what they were, in the eyes of one who has learned to combine them into a whole, and to recognize even in the smallest details the web woven by the genius of language. . . . In this way, too, something of the delight which every glimpse of order and law insures will come even to the pupil's aid. If, when the forms have been impressed on the memory, the pupil is taught by correct analysis to see how they have arisen, and to perceive the special causes of apparent irregularities, there is no doubt that by such a course the attention is sharpened and the memory rendered more tenacious. And this can be brought

to the help of the youthful pupil without in the least