312 Hev. A, />' Orsey on Study of the English Language. [Feb. 1, 



that the profounder attainments were due to the sound system of 

 teaching the principles of grammar, based on their own mother-tongue, 

 from the very earliest age. 



At home there had long been some cheering signs of encourage- 

 ment. Tn 1834 the Lord Provost and magistrates of Glasgow had led 

 the way, by establishing in the High School of that city a department of 

 the English language and literature. English professorships had 

 been founded in King's College and University College, London ; 

 in Dublin, and recently in the Queen's Colleges. Professor Aytoun 

 had restored the subject in Edinburgh. The theological colleges of 

 the Church of England were moving ; but the Dissenters' colleges, 

 especially the one under Dr. Angus, seemed more practical. Another 

 encouraging symptom was the demand for a far superior class of books 

 — the writings of Whately, Richardson, Bosworth, Smart, Max 

 Miiller, Latham, Trench, Dasent, Masson, Craik, Hunter, Morell, 

 Demaus, and last not least, Farrar. 



The press, too, was on our side. The Times not only by its own 

 racy idiomatic English was the composition-master for all England, 

 but had done good service by calling attention to the " something 

 rotten in the state" of school-work, as shown by the competitive 

 examinations. The Saturday Review, too, was unsparing in its. 

 criticism; and even our facetious friend Punch defended purity of lan- 

 guage from the contamination of slang, foreign terms, and the vulgarity 

 of " fine p]nglish." An admirable article, by Mr. Robinson, of York, in 

 Macmillan^s Magazine, must not be unnoticed. 



The remedies suggested were : — 1. Training schools for nursery 

 governesses.' 2. Greater "care in giving National Schoolmasters a 

 thorough knowledge of English, spoken and written. 3. Encourage- 

 ment to really good men to become and to remain National masters, by 

 rewarding distinguished veterans with School-Inspectorships, instead 

 of limiting such offices, as at present, to young clergymen and bar- 

 risters. 4. The appointment by the Committee of Council of a 

 Government Lecturer in each county, whose duty it should be to 

 lecture on the principles of English teaching, and to instruct the school- 

 masters. 5. The introduction of a thoroughly accomplished scholar 

 as English master in every great public school, not a mere educational 

 drudge, a "general utility gentleman," to look after the " small boys," 

 but one of equal rank with the classical masters. 6. The endowment 

 of at least one Professor of English in every University ; his duty 

 being to give men, during their undergraduate career, a critical know- 

 ledge of the language, supplying deficiencies, correcting errors in 

 speech and writing, suggesting courses of reading, drilling the future 

 barrister and legislator in accurate and fluent oratory, and training 

 candidates for the ministry to read distinctly and unaffectedly, and to 

 compose and deliver sermons in a clear, impressive, and attractive 

 style. 7. Making English take its place with Latin and Greek in 

 every examination for degrees, as it does in the India Civil Service 

 examinations, and giving substantial rewards (vScholarships and Fellow- 



