JULY— SEPT. 1857.] The Study of Living La7igmges, 
tinct and shallow impressions of thera, because such things are 
always forgotten and have to be learnt over again. This is the 
grand reason why such enormous time is wasted in this study. 
A man attempts so much at once that every thing is partially 
learnt and forgotten probably at least a hundred times over. He 
begins with a book containing hundreds, more likely thousands of 
words and long sentences*involving innumerable rules of grammar, 
and before he gets to the end of it has learnt in a sort of way and 
forgotten every word in it and every expression over and over 
again, and has probably in the end thoroughly apprehended and 
acquired a famiUar knowledge of not one twentieth part of the 
words he has met «vith. He perhaps makes lists of the words 
that he me&ts with and learns many hundreds by heart at once, 
but he has no useful knowledge of one in twenty of them. No 
word is effectually known till it is so thoroughly familiar, that it is 
ready in his mouth at any moment, without the slightest effort of 
memory, and till it can be used in a considerable variety of ex- 
pressions ; in fact, till it is just to the student like one of the 
words of his native tongue, and so wrought into his mind that it 
cannot be forgotten again. It may however often appear that 
time would be gained by adopting some plan which would endan- 
ger the soundness of the foundation, and in this case such a plan 
must be rejected. 
The third great principle is ; To have such a syitem as shall en- 
courage people, both to commence upon and go through with the 
study of Native languages. It is of exceeding importance to en- 
courage all persons, whatever their situations or occupations are, 
when remaining for any time however short or uncertain in such 
countries, to make themselves acquainted, as far as possible, with 
the language of the people. Numbers at present never attempt it, 
solely because the usual mode of study cuts them off from all hope 
of ever attaining to the smallest useful knowledge of it, without 
such an expenditure of time and labour as they are afraid to en- 
counter or their circumstances absolutely prevent. A system which 
shall afford some useful results to every one who enters upon it, 
and those in some degree proportioned to the time and labour ex- 
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