December 24, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



615 



can be given, or what superiority of ideas be em- 

 bodied in such phrases as, " Here is the finger. 

 Do you see the finger, madame ? Yes, you seethe 

 finger, and I see the finger. Do you see the finger, 

 monsieur?" etc. The whole vocabulary of simple 

 words and their combinations, as given in ' Cau- 

 series avec mes Eleves ' or ' Piaudereien," it may be 

 asserted without partiality, and as the result of care- 

 ful computation, could be learned by a moderately 

 energetic pupil in about one-half the time it would 

 require him to read through these books. In other 

 words, had the same amount of time and labor 

 been bestowed upon a system with grammar and 

 dictionary at its back, the direct results would 

 have been as great again, and the utility of the 

 acquired knowledge for its effect upon the future 

 would, in ^cordance with what has been said, 

 have been many times as great. 



The natural system is not only not the ideal nor 

 the best way of language-teaching, as its apostles 

 desire us to believe ; it is not even a good way, if 

 the results it furnishes are considered with regard 

 to the time spent in their acquisition. It is not 

 meant that the system is throughout bad. Its 

 great fallacy is, that it rejects as worthless the 

 generalizations of grammars, preferring, instead 

 of starting out on the journey with a well-filled 

 wallet, to depend wholly upon what can be gained 

 along a not always productive way. Its redeem- 

 ing feature is, that it makes conversation, even if 

 often trivial, such an important factor in instruc- 

 tion. Grammar is not a universal panacea for all 

 linguistic ills, and surely no teacher of a modern 

 language, in these times of pedagogical enlighten- 

 ment, disputes for a moment the unmistakable 

 advantage of abundant exercise in conversing and 

 using the language taught, or of living as much 

 as possible in its atmosphere. In learning a for- 

 eign language, one of the greatest difficulties to 

 overcome is the tendency to translate bodily, word 

 for word, idioms and all, from your own language 

 into the new. Conversation here is clearly the 

 only substantial corrective ; for it would require a 

 peculiarly observant mind to get these shades of 

 usage from literature, even of the most conversa- 

 tional nature. The grammar of such speech as is 

 here supposed might be faultless, but every sen- 

 tence none the less unintelligible. 



If the neglect of grammar at the outset is the 

 hopelessly weak side of the natural method so 

 called, and its practical use of conversation is its 

 strong one, a combination of grammar — of the 

 use of a text-book of grammar — with conversa- 

 tion in the language taught, would result in a 

 method of study in every way more admirable 

 and worthy of adoption. Other points, to be sure, ^ 

 in the elaboration of such a method, would also 



necessarily receive attention. The natural system 

 promises too much return for the outlay made by 

 the pupil ; and just here may be sought the secret 

 of its temporary popularity. It is, however, not 

 real enough and not systematic enough. Learn- 

 ing a language is an affair of memory. To know 

 it, one must remember the vocabulary and its 

 correct combinations. It is a mistake to suppose 

 that a person can imbibe knowledge without con- 

 scientious and continuous exertion, A roj'al road 

 leading to the domain of language would be a 

 good thing, but it has not yet been discovered. If 

 instead of the natural method could be put a ra- 

 tional method embodying the principles already 

 hinted at, results better, more real, and more last- 

 ing would indubitably be gained. Such a naethod 

 would have a text-book of grammar as its corner- 

 stone ; it would not constitute it the whole fabric, 

 for then its very purpose would be defeated. It 

 would have extracts, furnished at the outset with 

 a special vocabulary which would be learned, and 

 later on it would inculcate a use of the dictionary. 

 It would, above all, use the language taught at 

 every possible opportunity, and make its practical 

 acquisition the one end in view. Lastly, it would 

 take wherever it find them all pedagogical meth- 

 ods of undoubted value, and incorporate them in 

 its instruction. The grammar and dictionary are 

 effete in modem language instruction if they are 

 taught for themselves alone. Regard them as 

 they should be regarded, as auxiliaries, and em- 

 ploy them in that way, and a rational method 

 will give results that the natural method cannot 

 hope to approach, either in breadth or in reality 

 of actual knowledge. 



"The castle which conservatism is set to de- 

 fend," writes Emerson, "is the actual state of 

 things, good and bad. The project of innovation 

 is the best possible state of things." It is not, 

 however, to be inferred from this that conserva- 

 tism is always to be decried, or that all innovation 

 is necessarily good. Wm. H. Cabpenter. 



OVR GOVERNMENT. 



Professor Macy's book is on the face of it a 

 text-book. It is therefore to be judged by its 

 adaptability to the purposes of the classroom. In 

 a hundred and ninety-one pages, the author under- 

 takes to answer three questions about our govern- 

 jnent, — how it grew, what it does, and how it 

 does it. That an answer to each of these questions 

 is essential to a satisfactory exposition of our gov- 

 ernmental system, cannot be doubted ; nor is it 

 less certain that the diflSculty of condensing the 

 necessary matter within the limits of a convenient 



Our government : how it grew, ivhat it does, and how it 

 does it. By Jesse Macy. Boston, Ginn, 1886. 



