ss between,
And hound sagacious on the tainted green."

"_Of Smell._" A girl of ten years old (C----) was asked if she could
tell what substantive the word "_of_" relates to; she readily
answered, "_modes_." C----had learned a general idea of grammar in
conversation, in the manner which we have described. It is asserted
from experience, that this method of instructing children in grammar
by conversation, is not only practicable, but perfectly easy, and that
the minds of children are adapted to this species of knowledge. During
life, we learn with eagerness whatever is congenial with our present
pursuits, and the acquisition of language is one of the most earnest
occupations of childhood. After distinct and ready knowledge of the
verb and nominative case has been acquired, the pupil should be taught
to distinguish the object of an action, or, in other words, the
objective or accusative case. He should be exercised in this, as in
the former lessons, repeatedly, until it becomes perfectly familiar;
and he should be encouraged to converse about these lessons, and to
make his own observations concerning grammar, without fear of the
preceptor's peremptory frown, or positive reference to "_his rules_."
A child of five years old, was asked what the word "_Here!_" meant; he
answered, "It means to give a thing."

"When I call a person, as, John! John! it seems to me," said a boy of
nine years old (S----) "it seems to me, that the vocative case is both
the verb and its accusative case." A boy who had ever been checked by
his tutor for making his own observations upon the mysterious subject
of grammar, would never have dared to have thought, or to have uttered
a new thought, so freely.--Forcing children to learn any art or
science by rote, without permitting the exercise of the understanding,
must materially injure their powers both of reasoning and of
invention. We acknowledge that Wilkins and Tooke have shown masters
how to teach grammar a little better than it was formerly taught.
Fortunately for the rising generation, all the words under the
denomination of adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, which were
absolute nonsense to us, may be easily explained to them, and the
commencement of instruction need no longer lay the foundation of
implicit acquiescence in nonsense. We refer to Mr. Horne Tooke's "Epea
Pteroenta," forbearing to dilate upon the principles of his work, lest
we should appear in the invidious light of aut