Govei-nment of Boys^ ^cP 169 



its early stages, more natural inflections may be substituted. 

 The pupil should now be taught to relieve his difficulty of 

 utterance in conversation by forcible gestures, and by pro- 

 nouncing his words with a cadence, marching also, or beat- 

 ing time, when he finds the impediment cannot be sur- 

 mounted otherwise. 



This plan of proceeding we have never found to fail, when 

 a fair allowance of time has been afforded for the experi- 

 ment ; at least so far as giving the scholar the power of cor- 

 recting utterance may be called success : but strange as it 

 may appear, it is, frequently much more easy to induce 

 the capacity for speaking without stammering than the 

 inclination. The reconciling power of habit extends even 

 to this malady, and instances are by no means rare of per- 

 sons who, after becoming able to speak fluently with very 

 slight self-command, have slid again into their former track, 

 apparently from not feeling the importance of the acquisi- 

 tion which they had made. 



" It is, therefore, very important that a stammerer should 

 be put under discipline at an early age, before his habits 

 became fixed, and while it is possible to keep him under 

 superintendance, until the evil be quite eradicated. Ex- 

 cept the moral habits of children, none demand a greater 

 watchfulness than those of their speech. Practice in speak- 

 ing is so constant, that habits, either for better or worse, 

 are soon formed. A little care by the parent would pre- 

 vent much labour and loss of time to his children in after 

 life. Amongst the most baneful of all affectations is that of 

 speaking to children with their imperfect enunciation ; we 

 are examples to them, and we cannot be surprised that they 

 should rest satisfied with imperfection, when ti)ey find us 

 aping it ourselves." 



Chapter 6th is on Penmanship. 



Chapter 7th is on Voluntary Labour. This Chapter 

 contains the methods by which the boys are stimulated to 

 voluntary exertion. 



Chapter 8th is a Comparison of Public and Private Edu- 

 cation. The author has entered the lists with the advo- 

 cates for private education and fights his battle with great 

 ardour. 



Tlie Appendix contains some curious papers: 1st, a 

 Gase of appeal from the Magistrate to the Committee a- 



VoL. VII.— No. 1. 22 



