their pupils to commit with facility to memory, what they had thus previously been taught to understand, they found that their children grew fonder of literature, the more they were enabled to comprehend perfectly what they read; and they were convinced that their pupil's understandings, their powers of judgement and taste, were by the same means and in a high proportion encreased. A farther extension of this plan, of which only a small small specimen was originally hazarded, is now with increased confidence presented to the public. No pains have been spared to render the following illustrations of popular poems and of passages from popular poets, suitable not only to the capacities of children, but to the main purpose of enlarging

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their understanding, and forming their taste for literature.

The poems and passages selected for explanation have been chosen chiefly from "Enfield's Speaker,"

because we are informed that this is an established school-book, and we see in private families that it is in every body's hands. Pope's description of "The Man of Ross" is the first passage taken for explanation; there are no lines perhaps which are more frequently given to children to learn by rote; because it is generally thought that they are very easy to be understood; yet, upon appealing to two girls of eight and ten years old, who for their age were not deficient in knowledge, we found to our surprise, that they did not thoroughly com

prehend this apparently easy passage. -The very first line

"But all our praises why should Lords engross?" was not understood for want of a clear idea of the meaning of the word engross. From similar causes several other lines were unintelligible, and the construction of interrogatory and exclamatory sentences were but imperfectly comprehended. It is possible that other children of the same age may not in this particular instance, find the same, or find any difficulties, but we are inclined to believe that upon a fair examination it would be found, that among the hundreds of lines of poetry which young people generally have learned by rote, not one half of the number is perfectly, or even imperfectly understood by the fluent little reciters. We beseech pa

rents and preceptors to make one experiment at least, on any lines quoted in the following book. They will thus be enabled to satisfy themselves of the utility or inutility of our explanations. If, in making this trial, it should happen that any parent or preceptor should feel provoked or mortified by his pupil's not understanding what it was supposed he clearly com-. prehended, let the preceptor call to mind some of the passages of poetry which he learned by rote in his childhood, let him recollect his own childish mistakes and misapprehensions, let him question his rational self, being now grown to years of discretion, how long it was before he came to the perfect possession of the sense of the poet.

The fact is, that we are all of us apt

to be caught by lines that sound agreeably. The easy flow, the harmonious cadence of verse, please the ear and captivate the judgement both in youth and age. Swift was so well aware of this propensity, that he wrote, as is well known, a sonnet, which from the beginning to the end, is absolute nonsense, but which from the mellifluous sound of the words, the musical effect of the measure, and the rhythm, passed on the fine lady and fine gentleman of that day as genuine poetry and sense, worthy of a person of quality. Since the time of Swift knowledge and literature, and the taste for poetry especially, have increased so rapidly, that it may be deemed impossible for any one of common education now to be imposed upon by so palpable a coun