766 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION J. 
is, as is well known and acknowledged, an exceedingly rare 
gift; and I do not think that the formation of a good taste 
in poetry, a thing so much to be desired, is likely to be 
assisted by encouraging the young to write or repeat the 
judgments of others, or to give expression to their own 
naturally crude and immature judgments. Good critical 
taste in poetry, I take it, if it can be acquired at all, is to be 
acquired by long, patient, loving, and silent study of the 
best poets. How can we expect this from schoolboys and 
girls? I must remark, in case of misunderstanding, that I 
am here speaking of poetry itself and its study, not the 
history of poetry or of literature, which is an entirely 
different thing, and, in fact, may be called one of the 
inexact sciences. 
To sum up: I have now endeavoured to show that poetry 
should play a very prominent part in the education of the 
young of both sexes; that its effects are beneficial to the 
mind, and more still to the soul and character of the young 
reader; that great care should be exercised in the selection 
of poetic works to be studied by the young; that English 
literature is peculiarly rich in those great wise natures 
whose expression in poetry is calculated to have the very 
best influence upon growing pliant minds; that there are 
very great and mischievous faults (which are tending to 
correct themselves however) in the methods of “ teaching 
poetry’ in our schools at the present day; that, in my 
opinion, the reading of good poetry should be encouraged, 
not enforced; and that, lastly, pupils should be encouraged 
to read solely for their own pleasure and delight, without 
being afterwards subjected to an annoying and wearisome 
examination in what they have read, or being obliged to 
write down their impressions, judgments, and opinions. 
Much of what I have been obliged to say here has been said 
very often before; and much that I should have liked to 
say, I have been forced to leave unsaid; yet I have ample 
justification in my own mind for both these facts. If I am 
right in complaining of the evils which have crept into our 
schools, I am sure I cannot speak too often nor too strongly 
against them. I, like many others, am anxious that these 
evils should be corrected, and I have this matter at heart. 
On the other hand, it would have been unwise in me to say 
all that T might have said on the examination system, for 
example, for I should then have defeated my object by 
wearying my hearers. 
I have only now to put before you the following curricu- 
lum, naturally merely an outline, which I recommend as a 
preliminary course of reading for the young in English 
