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

294 LETTERS, TRACTS, iffc.and accurate knowledge of Greek and Latin: Wiiilethey applied to the ftudy of it, they v/ould be taughtnot words but things, not ftyle only but to fee andfeel the moft noble fentiments, and to exprcfs themfelveswith elegance and force.It isreally aftonifliing that the (ludy of the nationallanguage has been fo much ijeglecled, and that acourfe of education, proper for men of bufinefs, entirelyin Englifh, has never been fet on foot. If wewere not accuftomed to fee the thing every day practifed,it would appear abfurd to the lall degree, thatchildren, who are to be put to bufinefs as foon as theirage permits, fhould fpend live or fix years in learningdead languages *, languages, which it is forefeen theywill immediately forget when they go from fchool,and which, though they could be remembered, cannever be of any ufe to them. If that time were employedin conveying ideas into their minds, as theyare capaj^le to receive them, and in teaching them theEnglilli language, they would have more knowledge,and they would acquire a great facility of writing andfpeaking what they know. If they were firft taughtto pronounce juflly, and were then fet to ccmpofelittle things, and to imitate^ the ftyle of Mr. Addifon,Dr. Swift, and fome others, the letters of men ofbufinefs would appear to much more advantage thanfome of them do at prefent. There would not be fofrequent complaints that people do not write to theirfriends at a diftance *, the' real caufe of which oftentimesis, diat they have neither a competent ftock ofideas, nor a fufficient command of language. Towrite a letter of news, of friend fliip, of thanks, orcongratulation, is above their capacity, or is at beft atedious and diincult tafiv. If chiidren~were properlyinftru^led in their mother-tongue, they would not,when they became men, faulter and hefitate in fpeech,but would exprefs their meaning with eafe and beauty.The tafte which has been raifed at Edinburgh by