ture, on the other. Each youth ought, in addition, to get 

 specific training in whatever business or profession he intends 

 to engage in ; as a farmer, in agriculture ; a doctor, in Chemis- 

 try and Physiology : and so on. With reference to what Dr. 

 Sheldon had said about distasteful subjects, he (Mr. O'Neill) 

 would endeavour to make them as attractive as possible, 

 knowing that attractive subjects are more easily learnt. He 

 hoped Mr. Brown would give them his Essay in a permanent 

 form. 



REPLY BY THE ESSAYIST. 



Some at all events of the foregoing criticisms would not per- 

 haps have been requisite, if there had been time to read the whole 

 paper before the Society. On account of its length portions were 

 unavoidably omitted. In preparing it for the press a few small 

 additions and some re-arrangements have been thought appro- 

 priate. These do not, however, alter the gist of the matter, ex- 

 cept in relation to the study of language where I feared I might 

 seem to advocate that study as sufficient for an almost complete 

 early mental training ; a view which I do not hold. I propose 

 to include here, along with the essence of my remarks at the 

 meeting, a more complete reply to these criticisms as well 

 as to others that I have received from friends at a later period. 



While acknowledging the very kind and friendly way in 

 which Professor Letts has expressed himself, I should like to 

 convince him and several of the other speakers that my views 

 are not quite Utopian, a word which I find defined as " an ideal 

 perfection, fanciful, impracticable." Most of that part of the 

 essay relating to the early training of children is drawn from 

 experience of actual children, my own* and those of others. 



*It is difficult to refer to personal matters without a seeming egotism. It may be 

 remembered, however, that one can learn from the failures as well as the successes. In 

 so far as the training applied to these children has been successful, and for its 

 execution, it is right that 1 gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to the lady who 

 has charge of them. I have besides to express my obligation to Miss L. Kertland for 

 much kind help in preparing and revising the paper, and to my friend, Mr. H. C. 

 Montgomery, for his careful correction of the proofs. 



