The Infant System Part 20

The great mystery of grammar results, in my opinion, from not making the children acquainted with the things of which the words used are the signs, and moreover, from the use of a number of hard words, which the children repeat without understanding. For instance, in the cla.s.sification of words, or the parts of speech, as they are called, nouns, substantives, and adjectives, convey, as terms, no idea to the minds of children; and, in spite of the definitions by which their import is explained, remain to them as unintelligible as the language of magical incantation. That the children can easily comprehend the difference between words which express the names of things, and those which express their qualities, and between words which express actions, and those which express the nature of those actions, is undeniable; and this is just what should be taught in an infant school. In the first place, let the children be accustomed to repeat the names of things, not of any certain number of things set down on a lesson card, or in a book, but of any thing, and every thing, in the school-room, play-ground, &c.: next let them be exercised in telling something relating to those things-their qualities; as for instance, the school-room is large, clean, &c.,-the children are quiet, good, attentive, &c.-the pictures are pretty: the play-ground is pleasant, &c. Having accustomed the children, in this manner, first to give you the names of things, and then to observe and repeat something respecting them-you have gained two ends; you have, first, taught the children to be observant and discriminative; and, secondly, you have taught them to distinguish two distinct cla.s.ses of words, or names and qualities; and you may now, if you please, give them terms by which to distinguish these respective cla.s.ses, viz. substantives and adjectives. They will no longer be mysterious words, "signifying nothing," but recognized signs, by which the children will understand and express definite ideas. The next thing you have to teach them is, the distinction betwixt singular and plural, and, if you think proper, masculine and feminine; but before you talk to the children about plural number and masculine gender, &c., let them be made acquainted with the realities of which these hard-sounding words are the signs.

Having made the cla.s.sification of words clear and comprehensible, you next proceed to the second grand cla.s.s of words, the verbs, and their adjuncts, the adverbs. With these you will proceed as with the former; let action be distinguished by words;-the children walk, play, read, eat, run; master laughs, frowns, speaks, sings; and so on; letting the children find their own examples; then comes the demand from the master for words expressing the manner of action. How do the children walk?-slowly, quickly, orderly. How do they read, eat run! How does the master laugh, speak, sing? The children now find you ADVERBS, and it will be quite time enough to give them terms for the cla.s.sification they thus intuitively make, when they have a clear idea of what they are doing. When this end is attained, your children have some ideas of grammar, and those clear ones. There is no occasion to stop here. Proceed, but slowly, and in the same method. The tenses of the verbs, and the subdivision into active, pa.s.sive, and neuter, will require the greatest care and attention which the teacher can use, to simplify them sufficiently for the children's comprehension; as it will likewise enable them to understand the nature and office of the other cla.s.ses of words. As, however, it is not my intention to write a grammar here, but merely to throw out a few hints on the subject, I shall leave the further development of the plan to the ingenuity of those who may think fit to adopt its principles, as above laid down.

English Grammar doth us teach, That it hath nine parts of speech;- Article, adjective, and noun, Verb, conjunction, and p.r.o.noun, With preposition, and adverb, And interjection, as I've heard.

The letters are just twenty-six, These form all words when rightly mix'd.

The vowels are a, e, o, i, With u, and sometimes w and y.

Without the little vowels' aid, No word or syllable is made; But consonants the rest we call, And so of these we've mention'd all.

Three little words we often see, Are articles,-a, an, and the.

A noun's the name of any thing- As school, or garden, hoop, or swing.

Adjectives tell the kind of noun- As great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

Instead of nouns the p.r.o.nouns stand, John's head, his face, my arm, your hand.

Verbs tell of something being done- To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run.

How things are done the adverbs tell- As slowly, quickly, ill, or well.

Conjunctions join the nouns together- As men and children, wind or weather.

A preposition stands before A noun, as in or through a door.

The interjection shows surprise- As, oh! how pretty, ah! how wise.

The whole are called nine parts of speech, Which, reading, writing, speaking teach.

THE ARTICLES.

Three little words we hear and see In frequent use, a, an, and the; These words so useful, though so small, Are those which articles we call.

The first two, a and an, we use When speaking of one thing alone; For instance, we might wish to say An oak, a man, a dog, a bone.

The speaks of either one or more,- The cow, the cows, the pig, the pigs, The plum, the plums (you like a score), The pear, the pears, the fig, the figs.

An oak, a man; means any oak, Or any man of all mankind; A dog, a bone, means any dog, Or any bone a dog may find.

This article we only use Whenever it may be our wish To speak of some determined thing, As thus;-the bird, the ox, the fish.

By which we mean not any bird, That flying in the air may be, Or any ox amongst the herd, Or any fish in stream or sea.

But some one certain bird or ox, Or fish (let it be which it may) Of which we're speaking, or of which We something mean to write or say.

Remember these things when you see The little words, a, an, and the.

These words so useful, though so small Are those which articles we call.

Nothing can be more absurd than to compel young children to commit to memory mere abstract rules expressed in difficult and technical language. Such requires a painful effort of the mind, and one calculated to give a disgust against learning. Grammar was formed on language and not language by grammar, and from this it necessarily follows, that children should acquire a considerable store of words from a knowledge of reading and of things, before their minds are taxed by abstract rules. To be thoroughly understood they require words to be compared with words, and one word to be compared with another; and how can this be done without the memory being amply supplied with them previously. Such simple instruction as this chapter directs may easily be given; but to attempt much more would be like endeavouring to build an elegant and ornamental structure before you had collected materials to build with.

CHAPTER XX.

THE ELLIPTICAL PLAN OF TEACHING.

Method Explained-Its success.

"He tried each art."-Goldsmith.

All persons acquainted with children are aware of the torpor of some minds, and of the occasional apathy of others, and to this it is necessary to provide some counteraction. This is done effectually by what is called the elliptical plan, according to which, words are omitted in a narrative or poem repeated by the teacher, for the purpose of being supplied by the children.

These exercises are very agreeable to the children, and by them some features of the mental character become conspicuous. Children are usually sensible of their need of instruction, but if they can make it appear that any of their statements are original, their delight is especially manifest. There seems, too, a dislike at first, to take any trouble to arrive at the truth; careless children will therefore guess several times; but an observant teacher will at once perceive that there is no effort of the understanding, point it out to the child, and thus prevent its recurrence.

Dr. Gilchrist observes, in a letter sent to me, "You have now the whole method before you, and I shall boldly stake all my hard-earned fame, as a practical orientalist, on the salutary consequences that will spring from the adoption of short elliptical tales at your interesting inst.i.tution."

My usual practice with respect to the elliptical method of teaching, is, to deliver some appropriate, simple, extemporaneous tale, leaving out but few words at first, and those such as must obviously strike the children; as they get used to the plan, I make the omissions more frequent, and of words less obvious. The following specimens will render the whole plain to the understandings of my readers.

A gardener's youngest[a] -- was walking among the fruit[b] -- of his father's[c] --, he saw a little[d] -- fly up and sit on one of the[e]-- of the trees; the[f] -- lifted a stone, and was going to[g]-- it at the poor[h]-- which seemed to[i]-- most sweetly thus:

My[k] -- is[l] -- of moss and hair, The[m] -- are[n]-- and sheltered there; When[o]-- soon shall my young[p] -- fly Far from the[q]-- school[r]-- eye."

The[s]-- eldest[t]-- who understood the[u]-- of birds came up at that moment, and[v]-- out, throw down the[w] --, you hard-hearted[x] -- and don't[y] -- the innocent[z] -- in the middle of his song; are you not[aa]-- with his swelling red-breast, his beautiful sharp eye, and above all with the[bb] -- of his notes, and the familiar[cc] -- he a.s.sumes, even in the[dd] -- of a[ee]-- like you? Ask your youngest[ff] -- here if she remembers the[gg]-- which her good[hh] -- read to her yesterday of a very[ii]-- boy, who was very[kk]-- to a harmless green[ll] -- which he caught[mm] -- for hunger, among the[nn]-- in the[oo] -- of winter.

[Footnote a: Son]

[Footnote b: trees]

[Footnote c: garden]

[Footnote d: bird]

[Footnote e: branches]

[Footnote f: boy]

[Footnote g: throw]

[Footnote h: bird]

[Footnote i: sing]

[Footnote k: nest]

[Footnote l: built]

[Footnote m: eggs]

[Footnote n: laid]

[Footnote o: hatched]

[Footnote p: ones]

[Footnote q: roaming]

[Footnote r: boy's]

[Footnote s: gardener's]

[Footnote t: son]

[Footnote u: notes]

[Footnote v: called]

[Footnote w: stone]