108 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOE. 



English or any other tongue. Through such a practice, I shall 

 endeavour to conduct my readers. 



Let it, then, be understood that every exercise given for 

 parsing is intended to embrace everything that has previously 

 been taught. For instance, we have been occupied with the 

 definition and the classification of the parts of speech considered 

 as members of a simple sentence. In the first lesson on parsing, 

 then, you are expected to make a practical application, in the 

 /sentences supplied for the purpose, of the information already 

 conveyed. Similar must be your proceeding in every successive 

 lesson, always embracing the whole past in the present. I will 

 give an instance. Let the sentence to be parsed be 



A virtuous mind dislikes flattery. 



Viewing the sentence, first in relation to the parts of speech, I 

 enter into its structure and mark it thus : 



SUBJECT. PREDICATE. 



A virtuous mind dislikes flattery. 



I then take up each word in succession, and give as full an 

 account of it as I can, e.g. : 



A is the indefinite article, abbreviated from an, which has the 

 same root as one; an is used before words beginning with a 

 vowel, and a before words beginning with a consonant. 



Virtuous is an adjective, qualifying the word mind; it comes 

 from the Latin virtus, which originally meant valour, the conduct 

 of vir, that is, a man. 



Mind is a noun, or name, forming, with its adjective virtuous 

 and the article a, the subject to the verb dislikes. 



Dislikes is a verb ; it is a verb because it avers or declares 

 something, and together with flattery, it constitutes the predi- 

 cate of the proposition, or that which is stated of the subject, 

 virtuous mind. 



Flattery is a noun, being the object to the verb dislikes. The 

 whole forms a simple sentence. 



EXERCISES FOR PARSING. 



A nimble tongue often trips. The language of truth is plain. 

 Truth is never evasive. Flattery is the food of vanity. The smiles of 

 the world are deceitful. Constancy in friendship denotes a generous 

 mind. Fidelity is inseparable from love. One vice is more expensive 

 than many virtues. Wisdom is never sullen. The proper test of 

 friendship is adversity. The number of offenders lessen the disgrace 

 of crime. I will praise the name of God with a song. Go to the ant, 

 thou sluggard. The wise in heart will receive commandments. The 

 way of the Lord is strength to the upright. A soft answer turneth 

 away wrath. The patient ox quietly submits to the yoke. The love 

 of money is the root of all evil. Unthinking persons care little for the 

 future. Still waters are commonly deepest. 



After having carefully gone through the exercises in parsing, 

 und so ascertained that you are well acquainted with the pre- 

 vious instruction, you should, at the end of each successive 

 lesson or section, attempt to write a short composition out of 

 your own head. For this purpose, you may choose as your 

 subject some one of the sentences given you to parse, and 

 express your thoughts upon it as well as you can. At first, 

 never mind that your words are few never mind that your 

 sentences are ungrammatical never mind that your thoughts 

 are poor and superficial. Only write something, and let that 

 which you write be your own. If you wanted a lesson in spell- 

 ing, or in tracing letters, then transcription would be right. 

 But you have to practise in composition. Composition is the 

 expression of thought; therefore think, and then put down what 

 you think ; and put down nothing but your own thoughts. 



You will be assisted in finding materials for composition, if 

 you put to your own mind some questions. Suppose that the 

 iheme or subject on which you intend to write is this proposi- 

 tion, or 



THEME. 



One vice is more expensive than many virtues. 

 Ask these questions : 



1. Do I know the meaning of each word and the import of the 

 whole ? 



2. Is the statement true ? 



3. If true ; on what grounds, or for what reasons ? 



4. If not true ; can I state it so as to make it true ? if not, can I 

 ehow that it is untrue ? 



5. If true ; can I write down any fact or anecdote exemplifying its 

 truth ? something that I have read ? heard ? known ? 



6. If true ; can I, by blending together reasoning and fact, produce 

 an essay illustrative of its truth ? 



The great difficulty with youxg writers is to find materials. 

 In consequence, historical subjects are most suited to them. 

 But in historical subjects, mere copying is easy, and hence it is 

 apt to be substituted for original composition. It is, then, dan- 

 gerous to entrust boys with mere historical subjects. As, 

 however, I write for young men and young women, I shall 

 supply historical subjects ; and, in order that the source of 

 information may be accessible to all my scholar?, I shall take 

 some of these subjects, at least at the first, from the Bible. 

 And narrative being the easiest form of composition, I shall 

 begin with supplying you with subjects for short narratives. 

 Here, then, is your first 



HISTORICAL THEME. 



God m-sde the world. 



Now this is the method you are to observe. Bead carefully, 

 and as often as necessary, the account given in the commence- 

 ment of the book Genesis of the creation of the universe. 

 When you have impressed the record on your mind, close the 

 Bible, and, taking slate and pencil, write down as much as 

 possible in your own words, and in simple sentences, the sub- 

 stance of the account. Look over what you have written and 

 correct it. Having corrected it according to the best of your 

 own judgment, compare it with the original. Compare it first 

 in relation to the facts ; if in respect to the facts your report is 

 not correct, make it correct. Compare it next in regard to the 

 spelling, and correct your spelling by the spelling of the Bible. 

 Again compare it as to the words. You have one word, the 

 Bible has another. If your word is positively inaccurate, strike 

 it out, and put in its place the scriptural word. But a deviation 

 in word on your part is desirable rather than not, for it shows 

 that you have comprehended the meaning of the passage, and 

 that you possess, instead of a mere slavish imitation, a power of 

 reproduction which may in time enable you to write truly 

 original compositions. If, therefore, your word is only some- 

 what less appropriate than the word in the sacred page, let it 

 stand ; but at the same time ask yourself, and endeavour to 

 ascertain, why your word is less suitable. Should you, as you 

 can hardly fail to do, at least as your mind grows and your 

 taste improves, meet in the Scriptures with forms of expression 

 which seem to you specially happy or specially forcible, tran- 

 scribe them into a little note-book, kept in the pocket, ever at 

 hand to receive memoranda, or things deserving to be remembered, 

 things requiring explanation, things illustrative of important 

 truth, etc. ; and having transcribed them, look at them from 

 time to time until you have made them permanently your own. 



There is what may be called domestic history, out of which you 

 may draw a constant supply of useful and interesting materials. 

 By domestic history I mean the occurrences and events of your 

 own home, even in their humblest details. Here you may find 

 themes enough. Take as a 



DOMESTIC THEME. 



Sfy own history during a day. 



Write down on your slate every minute particular, such aa 

 the time you rose, the meals you took, where you took them, 

 the times at which you left the house, where you went to, what 

 you did, whom you met, with whom you conversed, what was 

 said, etc., until the day's duties and pleasures are closed and 

 you retire to your bed. Do not commit the folly of thinking 

 such a subject unworthy of your notice. You are learning to 

 inform yourself, and can begin well only by beginning with that 

 with which you are familiar. If you are poetically inclined, you 

 may narrate 



A morning wall:. 



But begin with prose ; let rhyme alone for a while ; it is 

 very easy to tag together similar sounds. It is good sense 

 and good feeling expressed in correct English that I want to lead 

 you to, and for so important a purpose practice in prose is 

 indispensable. 



But whatever your theme is, be very rigid with yourself ; pass 

 no error ; correct all mistakes ; be as particular as if you were 

 writing for the press. And having, according to the best of 

 your ability, made your exercise correct, copy it out into an 

 essay-book a book kept exclusively to receive your attempts at 

 composition ; copy it into the book as neatly and as well in 

 every respect as you can. The attention to neatness, which I 

 recommend, is closely connected with the attainment of accuracy. 

 You will find benefit as well as pleasure in looking back on yom 



