epithet too little, than with an epithet too much; and
they should compare the child's description with the objects actually
described, and not with the poems of Thomson or Gray, or Milton or
Shakespeare. If we excite our pupils to copy from the writings of
others, they never can have any originality of thought. To show
parents what sort of simple descriptions they may reasonably expect
from children, we venture to produce the following extempore
description of a summer's evening, given by three children of
different ages.

July 12th, 1796. Mr. ---- was walking out with his family, and he
asked his children to describe the evening just as it appeared to
them. "There were three bards in Ossian's poems," said he, "who were
sent out to see what sort of a night it was; they all gave different
descriptions upon their return; you have never any of you read Ossian,
but you can give us some description of this evening; try."

B---- (a girl of 14.) "The clouds in the west are bright with the
light of the sun which has just set; a thick mist is seen in the east,
and the smoke which had been _heaped up_ in the day-time, is now
spread, and mixes with the mist all round us; the noises are heard
more plainly (though there are but few) than in the day-time; and
those which are at a distance, sound almost as near as those which are
close to us; there is a red mist round the moon."

C---- (a girl of eleven years old.) "The western clouds are pink with
the light of the sun which has just set. The moon shines red through
the mist. The smoke and mist make it look dark at a distance; but the
few objects near us appear plainer. If it was not for the light of
the moon, they would not be seen; but the moon is exceedingly bright;
it shines upon the house and the windows. Every thing sounds busy at a
distance; but what is near us is still."

S---- (a boy between nine and ten years old). "The sun has set behind
the hill, and the western clouds are tinged with light. The mist mixes
with the smoke, which rises from the heaps of weeds which some poor
man is burning to earn bread for his family. The moon through the mist
peeps her head, and sometimes she _goes back_, retires into her bower
of clouds. The few noises that are heard, are heard very plain--very
plainly."

We should observe, that the children who attempted these little
descriptions, had not been habituated to the _poetic trade_; these
were the only descriptions of an evening which t