Abstract of the Third Part.

Syntax here acquires its final developement. It passes on by degrees from phrases of two to those of three propositions, and thence to others still more extensive; for our course of language must avoid all jumps and leaps, and advance step by step.

This gradation is based upon a very palpable truth: viz., the greater the number of truths to be concentrated on one point, the greater strength and scope of mind is necessary to seize and combine them. A little child will not begin by phrases when he first attempts to speak; nor even will he get through an entire proposition; but at first it will only be a word, or a fragment of a word. Whole propositions come later, and phrases of two propositions later still. And here, those whose intelligence has not been carefully developed by education, will generally stop short. Such persons rarely get beyond the phrase of two logical propositions, of which one will perhaps annex to itself a grammatical proposition, as a necessary explanation of some one of its elements. And yet this unlettered multitude is addressed from the pulpit and elsewhere in periods, and books whether of devotion or of other kinds are placed in their hands, in which there are long and complicated phrases; while on the other hand, the cultivation of their minds by instruction, is neglected or objected to.

The gradation to be observed in our work must be calculated not only upon the number, but also upon the nature of the propositions to be combined. Are they all logical? the combination will be the more laborious and difficult; and less so when there are some merely grammatical. These last consist of an adjective expressed in several words, and attached like it to a corresponding

noun.

Another thing to be considered in the arrangement of the phrases, will be the thoughts which they express. Some exceed the comprehension of childhood by their depth or their height, and these must not appear till the

pupils have acquired by exercise greater scope of mind and penetration.

In the third part of syntax will occur nearly all the phrases which we have given above, and particularly those on the moral, religious, social, and personal tendencies; for very few of them have less than three propositions. We make this observation, in order to point out to our readers that in a well-ordered work, every thing must come in its proper place; and that they would be wrong in expecting to find in the first parts of our syntax, what on all account can only be placed in the last. The duty of the early ones must be to prepare from afar the results we propose in education. The day does not burst suddenly upon us, for if it did, it would dazzle and injure our sight. First, a white streak is seen on the horizon; then the day begins to dawn; next come the rays of the sun, and lastly the sun itself in all its glory. And shall the eyes of the mind require less caution than those of the body? To attempt in education to make mid-day precede the dawn, is the way to fail; but alas! this error is not of rare occurrence.

Now to return to our syntax. It will contain the logic of childhood. This word has offended many; for they feared that the object was to initiate children into all the subtleties and the barbarous language of the ancient syllogism. But they forget that the child reasons, and the object of education must be to prevent his reasoning falsely. Syntax has ready at hand the means of doing so, for it must deal in phrases composed of a reason and a conclusion. It has, therefore, but to display the principal errors of life, by the side of its chief truths (without, however, going beyond the reach of the pupils), in order to recommend the truths and expose the errors; and thus our school of childhood will also have its logic. I once placed this logic in the hands of one of the teachers to the fourth class in my school, and I begged him to read it over and consider it. A day or two afterwards he said to me with amazement: "But you don't really think of it, Père Girard ?-why the pupils will never be able to understand or to do anything of the kind." My answer was:

“Excuse me, I have well considered it. This logic is only the developement of the systax which your pupils have had in the third class. They understood that, and you will see that they will find no difficulty in this." I thereupon called the boys in the upper division of it, and undertook to be their teacher. They immediately understood me, and the next day I put the paper into the hands of a monitor, who found no difficulty in continuing the lesson. Such is the result of a regular gradation calculated upon the natural developement of the faculties. The whole seems to work of itself.

The pupils will of course be required to make such reflections on the phrases of this third part of syntax, as are essential to an educative course of language. They must bear on the same subjects which are expressed in the phrases, and which are intended for the right formation of the heart. Among these some will be found which may be conjugated, in order to supply exercises of conjugation which are here generally superseded by different compositions; but although conjugation will have been nearly exhausted in the second part of the course, yet we have thought it better not to lose sight of it entirely here.

Vocabulary will now no longer concern itself about derivation. It will go a step further, and will address itself especially to the understanding. It will treat of synonymes, or of words which convey a similar but yet not the same idea. This will be to teach children the, value of terms, by teaching them to observe shades which still escape them in things. Our expressions have a literal and a figurative meaning. The resemblance between different objects makes us apply to one what in fact is only suitable to another. These expressions must also find a place in our vocabulary, for they are liable to mislead. Thus, for example, we ascribe to the Deity eyes, a hand, an arm, &c., and we must guard youth against misunderstanding these expressions. Again, this last part of vocabularly will treat of words which denote the genus or species comprised in these; for this will help to classify ideas in young minds, and to impart order and clearness;

N 3

and thus shall we unquestionably promote their cultivation.

In all this, vocabulary will not forget that, according to our motto, "Thoughts must be for the heart and life." The teacher will now, as elsewhere, lead the way, that his pupils may follow. And in order to ensure his taking a right direction, the Elementary Book will supply him with examples, without however preventing his adding some of his own.

To the third part will be added also a paper containing subjects of composition for the pupils. They have been prepared from afar for this work, since in all the lessons they have had to invent, or to draw upon their own recources. True, this has been on a small scale, but thus they have been prepared for doing more; a precaution which is often disregarded in education; for much is often required of children without having previously furnished them with the means, and thence arise dissatisfaction on one side, and discouragement on the other.

Before children can make compositions they must in the first place have acquired a tolerably rich and effective association of ideas, to supply them with a choice adapted to the subject on which they will be called upon to compose; otherwise you can only have a meagre skeleton work. In the second place they must have learnt to speak and write correctly, or all the time of the lesson will be taken up by faults of diction and writing, and none will remain for the composition itself. Compositions should therefore come where we have placed them, at the end of the course; for there only will they produce results, satisfactory both to pupils and teachers.

There will also be a pleasing variety in the compositions, because they will present in turn, narratives, dialogues, familiar letters, descriptions, and little treatises in an epistolary form. Narrative should come first, because nothing is so easy to children, and for the contrary reason the treatise should be the last in order of time. The others may be placed promiscuously between the two, to vary the work.

If the pupils should not find models of

each kind in their reading books, the teacher should read some to them, accompanying them with simple reflections, which may serve as rules; and to these he should recur again in correcting the essays. And all these compositions must be directed towards the one great object, uniformly kept in view by our educative course.

In the general table of exercises abstracts will be found side by side with compositions; of which they are the exact reverse, as they cut off the details, which the others add. This inverse operation is very useful in life, for it is well to be able to say much in a few words; and moreover it is an exercise very favourable to the developement of the mind. Nor will it appear strange to the pupils, if they have been duly required to give an account of what they read all together, and to make a short abstract of it, whether by word of mouth, or in writing.

CHAPTER II.

Remarks on the use of the Educative Course of Instruction in the Mother-Tongue.

We intend our course of language for schools and families; but its application cannot be exactly the same in both, on account of the great difference in the number of pupils. There are, however, some general rules, with which we shall begin.

1. General Rules.

Whatever be the use they intend to make of our educative course of language, we beg teachers to imbue themselves thoroughly with the spirit of its author. And this is embodied in our motto, "Words for thoughts, and thoughts for the heart and life." Language is then with us, as with the mother who first teaches her child to speak, but a means towards an end, and we must beware of converting it into an end; which is the case, when by