294 
this observation*may be so constantly 
made on every border, that scarcely 
any principle can be more firmly ésta- 
blished by constant and widely-ex- 
tended experience. 
To apply this principle to practice, 
we determined that our children 
should learn the English and French 
languages at the same time, from their 
infancy. In England, there is no ne- 
‘cessity to teach them English: it is 
scarcely possible to hinder them from 
learning the language. But French 
must be taught, and pains taken that it 
may be aequired. ‘To carry this part 
of our plan into execution, we deter- 
mined to have a French nursery-maid, 
and to speak to our children from the 
first, as far as possible, in that lan- 
guage only. Our family consists at 
present of four children ; a girl seven 
years old ; a girl of five ; a boy of three; 
and ¢ girl of one. When our eldest 
child Was three years of age, a young 
woman was brought from Paris by a 
nearrelative. But she was so little in- 
clined to fulfil the duties of her situa- 
tion, that she gave much trouble, and 
we were compelled to part with her in 
four months. Mr. Oakshott, an Eng- 
lishman, who keeps the Silver-Lion at 
Calais, then sent us a servant. She 
was entirely ignorant of the duty of an 
English nursery-maid, but as well dis- 
posed as she was ignorant. She con- 
sequently soon learnt her business, and 
proved a valuable acquisition. A year 
after the commencement of this plan, 
our family increasing, a French female, 
about sixteen years of age, who had 
come to London, was added to our 
establishment. A year ago, the health 
of the person’ who had come from 
Calais not bearing the Londonair, she 
returned to her native place. We took 
in her room a friend of hers already in 
England. At this time the last two 
servants continue with us, and the ex- 
periment has been carried on during 
four years. 
Soon after each of the two elder 
children was four years of age, she was 
taught to read. The letters were pro- 
nounced in the French mode; and, 
when the child had advanced far 
enough to read words, books of the 
same language alone were employed. 
It was our endeavour to keep English 
reading entirely away. And this en- 
deavour was tolerably successful ; for, 
after our eldest girl could read an easy 
French child’s book moderately well, 
she was totally incapable of making 
out the easiest sentence in her native 
A Parent's Method of Teaching the French Language. [Nov. 1, 
tongue. After a time, however, she 
did learn of herself to read it. Since 
then my wife has taught her regularly 
to read English, but in a small degree 
compared with French. 
At present our first child reads both 
French and English as well as children 
of her age usually read either; and 
spells the former very well, the latter 
by no means so well. She speaks and 
understands the French rather better 
than the English. She searcély talks 
the latter so quickly as children 
usually do; and occasionally, but very 
rarely, makes trifling blunders, which 
shew that it is not so familiar to her as 
the French. The disproportion be- 
tween these tongues is greater in the 
second, and still greater in the third 
child; who, although he generally 
understands what is said to him in 
English, is but little capable of reply- 
ing in that language. ‘The pronuncia- 
tion of English is not in the smallest 
degree affected in any of the family ; 
and few Gallicisms are introduced, in 
consequence of their learning both at 
the same time. The two are hardly 
ever mixed in the same sentence, even 
by the youngest of the children, -They 
very soon find that they are to speak 
French to particular persons, and to 
all others English. But, ifaddressed, 
they almost constantly answer in the 
language spoken to them. 
The expense attending our plan has 
been small. We have had to pay for 
the passage of two of the young women, 
and we give each of them a trifle yearly 
more than we should do English ser- 
vanis of the same description... We 
had also to purchase French books for 
children, which, including the duty, 
are dearer than English books, of a 
similar kind. 
The trouble of procuring servants at 
first was not inconsiderable. But, now 
that the plan is commenced, and is 
known at Calais, there would be no 
difficulty in obtaining persons from that 
place. Each individual requires to be 
entirely instructed, as she knows 
nothing of the duty of an English nur- 
sery-maid. But, excepting the. first, 
those females who have lived in’ our 
family were very tractable and desirous 
of instruction. A little, and really very 
little, inconvenience arises from their 
religion, which is generally that of 
Rome. They are forbidden to speak 
on religious topics to the children: 
‘and with this injunction they have 
complied. 
From the experience which we have 
obtained 
