Government of Boys ^ ^c.'* 167 



and the hopes of the offender crushed, by the voice of the 

 foreman, pronouncing, in a shrill but steady tone, the awful 

 word — Guilty ! 



"One exception there has been, and but one ; and then it 

 was the opinion of the attending teacher, that the jury did 

 not understand the case. The boys who composed it hap- 

 pened to be very young, because the number present besng 

 unusually small, the elder scholars were all engaged in the 

 various offices of the court." 



Chapter 4th is " On the best method of acquiring Lan- 

 guages." 



The author's plan is to put the pupil to construe without 

 much anxiety about the grammar. He also would employ 

 him in committing to memory and performing the dramas 

 of the language to be acquired. He defends the use of 

 translations. He objects to urging students to converse 

 with each other in a language which they are acquiring, lest 

 they should form bad habits of speech. 



Chapter 5th is on Elocution. 



" The practice of elocution," sayai the author, " is inti- 

 mately connected with the cure of impediments in the 

 speech. Slight defects of utterance, as lisping, muttering, 

 and the elision or substitution of certain sounds, yield toil 

 almost immediately. Stammering is a more obstinate ene- 

 my, and is not subdued without much time and labour. 



" It has, we think, been clearly proved by Mr. Thelwall, 

 that the disobedience of the organs to the will of the speaker 

 (which is the proximate cause of stammering,) proceeds 

 from his neglect of the laws of rhythmus, — in other words, 

 from his not speaking with due attention to measure or time. 

 Be this, however, as it may, we have found in practice that 

 cultivating the ear, with regard to the perception of time in 

 speech, is an excellent means of restoring to the pupil a due 

 control over his organs. But the mere perception of time and 

 rhythmus is not enough, because the exercise of the facul- 

 ty may be thwarted ; and it will be thwarted by every thing, 

 which disturbs the mind, and irritates the temper of the pu- 

 pil- Health, employment, and order, will be, therefore, 

 found to be very important auxiliaries in working the cure ; 

 and here we think we have some advantages. 



" Frequent opportunities for exercise in the open air with 

 companious of his own age, — a system which regulates hrs 



