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JiUiguiigc : coiiseqiieiitly tliey do not require that the students who 

 come to them shall know a woid of it, and all but a very small 

 proportion quit them in an equally blissful state of ignorance, and 

 entering schools and various professions exert a leavening influence 

 which is bettor imagined tlian described. In this nation whose 

 pemiliarities we are consiilering, no effort is made to include among 

 the responsible members of their Government a single person wlio 

 is versed in tlie use of the new language, and among several 

 liuudred members in their House of Representatives those who 

 really undei'stand it may probably be counted on the fingers. As 

 regards the daily ncAvspapers, which exercise a potent influence on 

 the ])eoi)le, their editors and regular staff of writers also know 

 nothing of the new language ; occasionally a paragraph appears in 

 their colunnis, but usually it is of trivial import and weak in style, 

 if not full of serious grammatical blunders. 



Pardon tliis long indictment, but I hold it to be the duty of 

 every one mIio is acquainted with the beauty and power of the new 

 language, to lose no opportunity of proclaiming these and of 

 advocating its study. At our meetings much, can be done m 

 making clear the meaning of the characters in which it is written, 

 and in expounding the beauty of some of the passages in the great 

 book of Xature, only decipherable after a knowledge of its cliaracter 

 has been gained. But you all know very well that a useful know- 

 ledge of a language, witlr power to make use of it, cannot be 

 gained by attendance at a few lectures ; and that to this end 

 prolonged and careful study under qualified teachers is necessary ; 

 also that it is of great advantage to commence this study early. 

 And tliis brings me to my main point : — What I hope uf this 

 Association is that its members will rise up in revolt, and will 

 induce their friends to rise up in revolt, against our school system : 

 that they will insist upon proper attention being given to the 

 teaching of this new language in our local scliools : that, in short, 

 they will be led to take a real interest in the school education of 

 their I'hildren, and by example and precept at home will encourage 

 them til strain every nerve to gain knowledge likely to be of such 

 encirmoiis value in the coming struggle. Probably I shall excite 

 the anger of many parents by this suggestion, but I care little if 



