FRlil'ACE. Xi 



^(1 and their rational powers sooner developed by more 

 attention to sensible objects. Dr. Hosack of New- York, 

 in a letter to Mr. Eaton, published in the Manual of 

 Botany/ 5 makes the following observation on this sub- 

 ject "In early life, before our external senses are com- 

 pletely evolved ; when we are, in truth, endeavouring to 

 bring them into exercise and usej it has always appear 

 ed to me a very absurd practice in our schools, to occu- 

 py children with studies of an abstract nature, and 

 which require faculties to comprehend them, that are 

 not yet unfolded." 



The power of methodizing and analyzing a subject 

 so important in ail mental operations, is no doubt bet- 

 ter acquired by studying natural history, than by any 

 other means. 



The vegetable kingdom, as arranged by Linnaeus, is 

 a very perfect model of method. The divisions and 

 subdivisions in the system arc founded on marks so 

 simple and obvious, that a child will acquire an exact 

 and practical knowledge of it. 



When he has thus acquired a knowledge of system 

 and a power of analysis by attending to sensible ob- 

 jects, he is enabled to carry it into abstract operations, 

 in which sensible objects arc not concerned. 



In the analysis of the vegetable kingdom according to the Lin- 



nxan system, we pass from generals to particulars, thus : it is first 



into classes 9 classes are divided into orders, orders into 



