ir 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 institution."

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 assumes, 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]