STUDY OF LANGUAGES. 847 



have a scientific knowledge of astronomy unless he knows 

 the laws that govern the motions of the heavenly bodies, so 

 no one can have a really scientific knowledge of any language 

 unless he has an accurate knowledge of the phonetic laws 

 that permeate that language. At present to many this state- 

 ment will seem a paradox ; the next generation will regard 

 it as a truism. The truth of it is every year being increasingly 

 recognised. In many Continental universities no student is 

 allowed to take a degree in any language, whether Latin, 

 French, or English, without passing an examination in com- 

 parative philology. Already in Melbourne University no 

 student can take honours in Greek and Latin after his first 

 year without passing in comparative philology ; and it is 

 earnestly to be hoped that the same obligation to scientific 

 study will soon be extended to English, French, and German, 

 as is, I believe, the case at Cambridge, so that it may no 

 longer be possible for a student to take honours in English 

 who is ignorant of the simplest laws that govern the develop- 

 ment of his own mother-tongue. It is especially in regard 

 to EngHsh that the need of reform is most manifest ; indeed, 

 the present neglect of the scientific study of EngUsh by all 

 but a few experts is a disgrace to the English race. 



In conclusion, I would appeal to teachers to give the 

 method sketched above a fair practical trial. The inductive 

 method of teaching is not a mere theoretical novelty ; it has 

 been advocated and employed with the highest success by 

 some of the ablest teachers of modern times. Undoubtedly 

 it demands much more work and skill from the teacher than 

 the grammatical method, and secondary teachers at present 

 are mostly overworked and underpaid. I admit also that in 

 its initial stages the method would not pay in certain popular 

 examinations, though even here it would pay in the long run. 

 But the end of education is not examination ; indeed, some- 

 times examinations, as in the case of the Melbourne matricu- 

 lation, may be a curse to education. I appeal only to those 

 who care for education. I believe that the method I have 

 sketched is not only the most scientific, but also the most 

 interesting to the learner, and the method which will in the 

 long run produce the most practical results. 



