ON THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGES. 85 



few are able to speak pure Latin under the present 

 system of tuition, though engaged with it, for several 

 hours daily, during the whole, or nearly the whole, 

 of their educational course ! 



Some years ago I put to the test Montaigne's 

 method, or one somewhat analogous to it, of acquir- 

 ing the Latin language. Those young gentlemen 

 whose studies were directed with a view to a mer- 

 cantile profession or to a civil appointment, or with 

 a view to enter the army or navy, were placed 

 under the tuition of a Latin master, who required 

 of them no preparatory task-work before they 

 assembled in their respective classes, but proceeded 

 at once to the work of translation the master being 

 to them the Dictionary and Grammar. The business 

 of the class consisted at the outset of a very simple 

 exercise the master translating a sentence of an 

 elementary work in Latin, and the young gentlemen 

 rehearsing it. When the class had acquired a con- 

 siderable vocabulary of Latin words, these elemen- 

 tary exercises were discontinued. The young 

 gentlemen now proceeded to the work of translation 

 themselves, the master guiding them when necessary 

 in the construction of sentences, and still being to 

 them the Dictionary and Grammar. The result, 

 after three years' practice, was so very striking and 



