210 Rev. A, Smith on the Interrogative System of Education. [Oct.1, 
amore liberal and equally interesting 
nature would have pleased more ge- 
nerally. The doctor being a collector 
of old rarities in this line, 1 would 
thank him for the information—who 
wrote the celebrated “ Vicar of Bray,” 
at what period it appeared, who set it 
to music, and where the music is to be 
found? The same of ‘Old Chyron 
thus preached to his pupil Achilles ;” 
both great ornaments to our lyrical 
list. « Curtosus. 
Grosvenor-place ; Aug. 13. 
— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Cn sR 
HE notice in your last Number in 
regard to the transfer of part of 
the interest in the far-famed books on 
the Interrogative System of Instruc- 
tion, leads me to speak for myself and 
my brother pedagogues, through your 
pages. I have used this system, ina 
seminary of one hundred pupils, du- 
ring the last fifteen years; and. have, 
in consequence, turned out a great 
number of well-informed youth, whose 
general and perfeet intelligence on 
many popular subjects has surprised 
and delighted their counexions. At 
fifieen they possess more general in- 
formation than most men of thirty, 
although the latter may have been mo- 
derately studious. 
It is, indeed, an undeniable fact, 
that no branch of knowledge can be 
practically taught, or effectually ac- 
quired, by any other means. The 
pupil must be made to think, by an 
obligation to answer dodging, and 
sometimes complicated, questions. 
Mere reading, answers little purpose, 
and makes no lasting impression. At 
the same time, the questions must not 
be in the order of the text, nor be ob- 
vious, or answers be to be found with- 
out some examination and trouble. I 
have seen many books accompanied 
by such questions ; bat these are not 
ef the slightest use. They aflord no 
exereise of thinking; and this is the 
sole design of questioning. Many 
book-makers seem to have conceived, 
that, if they appended a few questions 
at the end of a chapter, following one 
another in the very order of the text, 
they thereby rendered their book 
accordant with the Interrogative Sys- 
tem; but pothing can be more erro- 
neous and futile. Dodging and in- 
volved questions are the only onés of 
any use to ilie scholar, while they are 
sufficiently simplified for the master 
by a key, referring to the page or pas- 
sage forthe answer. 
For my own part, and I am not 
alone, in this part of the country, in the 
same opinion, I regard the true Inter- 
rogative System of mixed questions 
without answers, formed on able text- 
books, and provided with a key for 
tutors, as the greatest practical im- 
provement that ever was made in the 
education of youth; and I cheerfully 
subscribe to this testimony on the 
subject. A. SMITH, B.A- 
Newcastle U. L. Sept. 4. 
——— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
NEWS FROM PARNASSUS. 
NO. XXVII, 1 
De Berenger’s- Poems ; with ' 
Translations. 
De preceding a French name is 
commonly meant by the prefixer 
to indicate something about as dis- 
tantly grand, and - immeasurably 
antique, as an O’ similarly put will 
signify in Ireland, or a Mae in Scot- 
land; or in England—ah! they have 
no nominal partitive of nobility; no, 
nor any national song, and therefore, 
as a vaunting Frenchman once assured 
us, on the strength of a lovg heraldrie 
authority, which we forget almost as 
soon as uttered, are neither a noble 
people, nor a musical people,—super- 
lative samples these of non sequiturs,— 
and therefore, according ‘to their own 
Shakspeare,—* He that hath not,” &c. 
—decidedly a barbarous people! We 
wiii confess, we were then unable todis- 
pute, and are now todecide, the matter; 
but we protested, with true Bull blunt- 
ness, that the current of our ideas did 
not at all flow with the consequence. 
Had we known as much at the time of 
the rank confusion of heraldrical ano- 
malies, as a person nameless has since 
instructed us by, we perhaps had better 
spoken to the point. However, every 
rule has its exceptions,—a known 
truth; the exception, too, proves the 
rule,—an asserted truth: on the sup- 
position, therefore, that all good and 
strong argumentis on the Frenchman's 
side, England, in the case before us, 
-proves thé rule ; and that’s our answer 
to the next Gaul who says as much, 
I. P. de Berenger,—our theme,—is a 
sort of exception to the rule from 
amengst themselves; for, notwith- 
standing the de, his ballads have very 
pleasantly informed his friends ahd 
admirers in particalar, aud the read- 
1 ing 
