to criticism; we think it
an excellent exercise for the judgment, and we have ourselves been so
well corrected, and so kindly assisted by the observations of young
critics, that we cannot doubt their capacity. This book has been read
to a jury of young critics, who gave their utmost attention to it for
about half an hour at a sitting, and many amendments have been made
from their suggestions. In the chapter on obstinacy, for instance,
when we were asserting, that children sometimes forget their old bad
habits, and do not consider these as a part of themselves, there was
this allusion.

"As the snake, when he casts his skin, leaves the slough behind him,
and winds on his way in new and beautiful colours."

The moment this sentence was read, it was objected to by the audience.
Mr. ---- objected to the word slough, as an ill sounding, disagreeable
word, and which conveyed at first to the eye the idea of a wet boggy
place; such as the slough of Despond. At last S----, who had been
pondering over the affair in silence, exclaimed, "But I think there's
another fault in the allusion; do not snakes cast their skins every
year? Then these _new and beautiful colours_, which are the good
habits, must be thrown aside and forgotten the next time; but that
should not be."

This criticism appeared conclusive even to the author, and the
sentence was immediately expunged.

When young people have acquired a command of language, we must be
careful lest their fluency and their ready use of synonymous
expressions should lessen the accuracy of their reasoning, Mr. Horne
Tooke has ably shown the connection between the study of language and
the art of reasoning. It is not necessary to make our pupils profound
grammarians, or etymologists, but attention to the origin,
abbreviations, and various meanings of words, will assist them not
only to speak, but to think and argue with precision. This is not a
study of abstract speculation, but of practical, daily utility; half
the disputes, and much of the misery of the world, originate and
perpetuate themselves by the inaccurate use of words. One party uses a
word in _this_ sense, the opposite party uses the same word in another
sense; all their reasonings appear absurd to each other; and, instead
of explaining them, they quarrel. This is not the case merely in
_philosophical_ disputes between authors, but it happens continually
in the busy, active scenes of life. Even whilst we were writing this