26 



Mr. Benthani's Plan of Educatiori. [Aug. 1» 



These vcflcdioiis occurred to me on 

 being presented \\\i\\ the following ac- 

 counts of a sale of lottery tickets diuijig 

 the last eighteen mouths: two hun- 

 dred and nine tickets, value 372/. 12*. 

 produced in prizes 46/. 4*. iO^r/., 

 being nearly one-eighth of tlic cost. 

 There is a saying, tlsat " e,\i)erience 

 makes fools wise." Never was fully, to 

 say the least of it, more coiDpleal than 

 this— to lay out y!72/. 12*. to gain 

 46/. 4*. lOf-/. If any of these jieople 

 should be entraped again, though the 

 uext lottery may be said to be more 

 inviting than any of the preceding, I 

 hope they will never laugh at any of the 

 antics of the Hottentots, or the natives 

 of the back settlements of America, or 

 the heathen gods or wooden devils of 

 the Catholics. W. Goodman. 



Market-place, Warwick; 

 June 10, 1816. 



To the Editor of the Monthhj Magazine. 



SIR, 



PROPOSALS have been circulated 

 for establishing in the metropolis, 

 a day-school, i'.i which an example may 

 be set of the apjilieation of the inijiroved 

 methods of teaching to the higher 

 brandies of education. ' 



Those of Dr. Hell, Mr. Ijaneaster, and 

 Mr. Beiitliani, arc specilied; and it may 

 be supposed, thai the equally elteetive, 

 though not equally nell pitfj'crl, 1\ teuro- 

 GATiVE System, will hold a principal 

 place in the establishment of such a 

 course. 



It is presumed that tlic extraordinary 

 expedition, cheapness, and accuracy, 

 with wliich the elements of instruction 

 have been com eyed to the children of 

 the poor, excite a well-grounded hope, 

 that important results will follow the 

 application of the new metiiods to supe- 

 rior branches of education. 



It is the plan to erect an octagonal 

 building, to serve as a school-room, for 

 the largest number (say 600), to which, 

 by the new methods, and the principle 

 of central inspection, combined, the su- 

 perin'.'i. dance of one r.iaster can be 

 effectually applied, to put in practice 

 the most ellicacious modes t>f tuition, 

 and to u'lqit a course of instruction 

 •vvhi<h shall occupy the space fnun se- 

 ven yeais of age, or under, to fourleen 

 or sis. teen, with the ac(|uisition of such 

 branches of kno\y ledge its are most sub- 

 servient to the ordinary business of liie, 

 and to the improvement of the luiinan 

 mind. . 



A delineation of tUc course of inslaic- 



tion which is best adapted to the species 

 of institution in view, was a diflienit, 

 but, at the same time, an indispensable, 

 preliminary. That service has been 

 rendered by the pen of Mr. Bentham, 

 and a scheme of instruction, drawn up, 

 say the projcetors, by that distinguislicd 

 lthilosoi)her, for the use of the institu- 

 tion, has been piintcd, under tlie title of 

 " C'/ires(oinalhia." 



The stages of instruction (in number, 

 six) have been arranged entirely upon 

 the principle of facility in the order of 

 aequiremeiit — precedence liciiig given 

 to those particulars for which it was sup- 

 posed the mind of the learner would be 

 first prepared. 



The first sta^e is elementary and pre- 

 paratory, including reading, writing, 

 and the fust elements of arithmetic ; 

 which, however, may in general be ex- 

 jiccted to be acquued at a preparatory 

 school. 



In {\\c second stage, the pupils \\\\\ re- 

 ceive arranged and systematic instruc- 

 tion, with regard to the more obvious 

 and familiar properties of external ob- 

 jects ; under their three great divisions, 

 of the mineral, the vegetable, and the 

 animal, kingdoms; the sciences relating 

 to wliieh are respectively dencmiinatcd, 

 mineralogy, botany, and zoology. Geo- 

 metrical figures will be rendtfcd fami- 

 liar by diagrams and models, and the 

 elementary propositions of geometry, 

 without the demonstrations, will be 

 lodged in the memory; the mind u ill 

 be stored with historiciil, chronological, 

 and geographical facts ; and the pupils 

 w ill begin to practise such of the ope- 

 rations of the art of drawing as are of 

 most importance to common life.* 



In the third stage, \\^c pupils will be in- 

 structed in meehanicsand chemistry. 'I'lie 

 former will comprehend, as far as it can 

 be given without niathematieal dcmor- 

 stration, the rioctrine of the mechanical 

 power-! — the lever, the pidley, the wedge, 

 &c. ; the equilibrium of lluids; acoustics; 

 and optics. The latter will include the 

 simple and elementary parts of mineral 

 chemistry, vegetable chemistry, animal 

 chemistry, and meteorology, or atmos- 

 pherical chemistry. Under both, con- 

 jointly, are included the branches of 

 science called, magnetism, electricity, 



* .See the Appendix to Bluii^s Universal 

 Precept Of, or the preface to his Tutor's ' 

 Key, wtiere a similar course is described 

 and recommended, and has long beeu 

 adopted in several hundred independaut 

 schools in town and country. 



1 galvanism. 



