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that It is impossible to arrive at the knowledge of the classical languages through the medium of translations , whether free or literal . They may , indeed , be occasionally consulted as helps ; and great helps they will prove , if judici ously used ; but solely to depend upon a version in reading an original author , is the surest way to render a promising youth an idler and a ounce . The
injury done to his talents is not confined to the school or the college . His character is then formed ; and when he engages in the business of life , he will inevitably display the same imbecility of mind , the same propensity to acquiesce in superficial views of things , the same reluctance to depend on his own exertions in trying emergencies ; and , finally , the same disposition to expect success , only from the concurrence of others , which had been his constant practice during the period of his education . "—P . 22 ,
Apart from the peculiar plan of Mr . Hamilton , which we concur with Dr . Jones in thinking not only imperfect in essential points , but absurd and mischievous in others , we are still inclined to believe that several improvements might be made , and no doubt by judicious masters are often made , on the usual system . For instance , while grammar is studying and translation pursued on the laborious plan of self-instruction , of dictionary-hunting and analysis , we should think the scholar might acquire greater freedom and a
command of words by employing a portion of his time in more rapid translations , in classes like those used by the Hamiltonians . For these exercises , either preparation might be made by previous reference to good versions , or the instructor might lead the way by translating each passage aloud . In either way the pupil should have the real sense and grammatical construction given him , not those which are barbarous and nonsensical . The exercises most proper for such a purpose would be , what appear an obvious desideratum in
such a system , namely , compositions expressly formed with a view to comprise the roots and simplest constructions of a language . One is at a loss to conceive how a man could think of selecting for this purpose a book like St . John's Gospel , the greater part of which the pupil knows by heart before he begins , ana which is necessarily full of derivative senses and constructions , giving him no sort of clue to , but rather leading him away from , the elementary forms of the language . A short tract or two might be so contrived as
to involve nearly every root in a language , and from thence the pupil might be led on to analogical and derivative senses . It is obvious that a portion of a boy ' s time , thus employed , might be rather a relaxation than an increase to his labours , to which it would be a valuable auxiliary . By having his memory familiarized with the simpler senses of common words , he would feel himself more at his ease , as it appeats to us , in the severer branches of his
duty , those of tracing their etymological progress and grammatical affinities . We have sometimes thought , too , that in schools where it was important to bring pupils forward as fast as possible , it would be found useful to adopt two grammars of a language ; the one short , simple , and comprising only the primary and essential elements , to be got by rote ; the other , of a more comprehensive character , to be used in an advanced stage of the progress .
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Akt . III . — -u 4 Vindication of certain Passages in the Fourth and Fifth Volumes of the History of England . By J . Lingard , D . D . London . 1826 . When it comes , as it sometimes does , to the lion ' s turn to paint , the picture , as may be expected , is materially altered . The labours of Dr . Lin-
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1 , 16 Review . — Lingar&i Vindication .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1827, page 116, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1793/page/36/
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