The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

290 LETTERS, TRACTS, ^C.perfon ;he muft be a man of tafle and imaginationIt is not difficult to find one wlio can drudge and labour,and by the help of grammars and diftionariescan hammer out the conftru6lion, and heavily tellhis fcholars the meaning of an author ; thefe are commoditiesnot rare to be found, but fuch a one is farfrom anfwering to the idea we have of a teacher ofthe fuperior claffics : He fhould be a man of fenfeand genius, of fpirit and vivacity, who feels the author'sfenfe, who imagines himfeif in the place of the^poet, and is warm with his fire ; who difcerns, whofees and feels the beauty of the hiftorian's defcription.In fhort, one who feels the very fentiments ofthe hiftorian or poet, and transfufes them into theminds and hearts of his pupils. We would have himat the fame time to have difcretion enough to pafs^over feveral parts of Ovid, Horace, and Catullus,which, were they taught in a fpirited manner, mightbe dangerous to young people. A dull phlegmaticteacher m.ay feem to have fome advantage in this refpe£l:: He can read over the whole of Horace, andnot mifs a line from beginning to end, without afmile : He can explain and comment upon the moftlicentious paflage without feeling himfeif, and withoutexciting in his fcholars any diforderly emotionbut then he feels as little and makes as little impreffionwith refped^ to any the mofb beautiful pidlure orftriking defcription :In reading the pafiages of a tragedyor epic poem, which fliake the human frame,and fill the throbbing breaft with the alternate emc«tions of admiration, terror, pity, and diftrefs, his-heart is quite unmoved, infenfible, and callous. Sucha one can never teach to advantage, nor excite admirationof ancient learning in the minds of youth ;They weary, and think it is doing penance to hearhimȦ teacher of fpirit and tafle fires his pupils withthe love of claiTical learning ; And though it is di-