LANGUAGE.

AS we are desirous of pointing out in what respects parents may assist in the education of their children previous to their being sent to school, we must remind them that it is at home that a child learns to speak; and that there is, perhaps, nothing which helps more towards his after instruction than the power of speaking well. There are sometimes very strange notions on this subject amongst fathers and mothers. They think, as long as they themselves can understand a child when it begins to talk, that it is sufficient. They are rather pleased than otherwise that the baby should have its own names for the things it wants, and the parent learns to use these words for the accommodation of the child. Instead of being helped forward in its progress to plain speaking, it is allowed for several years to express itself in a strange sort of gibberish, which is only laughed at and admired by the rest of the family. The mother will tell with a sort of satisfaction that little Susan can never use the letter S, or the letter W; and no effort is made by her to conquer the difficulty. She does not foresee, as most probably will be the case, that this will be a sort of stumbling-block in little Susan's way when she goes to school, and that she will pass for a sort of dunce, perhaps, for a year or two, in consequence of her inability to read as well as other children of her age. When she stands up in her class and begins to read her portion of the lesson, she is told by the rest of the children that they cannot understand a word that she reads; and the patience of her teacher is sorely tried, in vain attempts to get a few words distinctly uttered. And when Susan leaves school at last to enter upon her occupation in life—say that of teacher—it is ten to one that her imperfect utterance does not stand in her way in getting a place; for mothers, who are well educated, like that their children should be with those who speak well, and in the first interview with Susan, the imperfection in her speech is discovered. The same, perhaps, with Willy, her brother, who finds himself rejected several times by persons to whom he offers himself to fill some situation for which he is perfectly well qualified, only that the gentlemen think he must be but a rough sort of lad from the countrified way in which he answers the questions put to him. Clearness and correctness of speech have also another advantage in securing correctness and clearness of thoughts. A child who is made to put the right word to everything and to pronounce it properly—to use the right expression in describing what he sees, or in telling what he has done—knows and understands better than one who makes up words or expressions for himself; and a mother or father can, if they be not very bad speakers themselves, early accustom their children to choose the right names for things instead of the wrong in their talk. We all know that in many counties of England, the people living there have words peculiar to themselves for many things, different from the way in which they are called in London, or in the great towns; at the same time that they know quite well what are the right names and words used by the well educated. From early habit they like to use these words, which perhaps remind them of their own childhood or their home in early life; but it would be as well to remember that to their children it would be an advantage to use the more correct words and expressions, and therefore worth their while to make an effort to employ them. It is also of great importance that the pronunciation, or way of sounding words, should be correct. In these counties, for instance, it is the habit of the people not to sound the letter H at the beginning of a word; and though this may seem a very trifling matter, it may on many occasions in life go greatly against a young person, should he or she talk of a orse or a ouse, instead of a horse or a house. The persons so speaking may have learned to read very correctly, and write well, and be possessed of a good stock of useful knowledge, and yet with a very large class of persons they would, from such a slip of the tongue, be set down as ignorant and ill educated—perhaps even be suspected of a rudeness and vulgarity in thought and feeling which they were far from being guilty of. To secure their children against such a disadvantage, it would be worth while for any parent who knows how to spell, to take care that this important letter h is sounded in all words which it begins, there being only two or three words in the English in which it is the custom not to pronounce it, such as hour, heir, honor, &c., which are soon learned to be exceptions to the general rule. This habit, it is true, is peculiar to England; but it shows how carefully proper habits should be nurtured in childhood.

There is a still more important point for parents to observe in the language used by their children, and this is the avoidance of all profane, vulgar, or indecent words. And in this respect the parent is most particularly the teacher of his child. A father who uses an oath in the presence of his innocent child, teaches that child to make use of that expression some day in his turn. A mother who takes the great name of God in vain, not only sets her child the example of so doing, but takes away from its young mind some portion of the reverence which it has hitherto felt towards the Great Being whom it is taught to call its "Father in Heaven." Too much is it the custom, in the most trivial events of everyday life, to utter that Name which should never be pronounced but with reverence and love. It is called upon in moments of anger and impatience, when the remembrance of His care and love should lead us to leave the little as well as the great events of life trustfully in his hands, knowing as we do that all is ordered and ruled for our good.

DIRECTIONS FOR TAKING LEAF IMPRESSIONS.

HOLD oiled paper in the smoke of a lamp, or of pitch, until it becomes coated with the smoke; to this paper apply the leaf of which you wish an impression, having previously warmed it between your hands, that it may be pliable. Place the lower surface of the leaf upon the blackened surface of the oil-paper, that the numerous veins, which are so prominent on this side, may receive from the paper a portion of the smoke. Lay a paper over the leaf, and then press it gently upon the smoked paper with the fingers, or with a small roller (covered with woollen cloth, or some like soft material), so that every part of the leaf may come in contact with the sooted oil-paper. A coating of the smoke will adhere to the leaf. Then remove the leaf carefully, and place the blackened surface on a sheet of white paper, not ruled, or in a book prepared for the purpose, covering the leaf with a clean slip of paper, and pressing upon it with the fingers, or roller, as before. Thus may be obtained the impression of a leaf, showing the perfect outlines, together with an accurate exhibition of the veins which extend in every direction through it, more correctly than the finest drawing. And this process is so simple, and the materials so easily obtained, that any person, with a little practice to enable him to apply the right quantity of smoke to the oil-paper, and give the leaf a proper pressure, can prepare beautiful leaf impressions, such as a naturalist would be proud to possess.

There is another, and we think a better method of taking leaf impressions than the preceding one. The only difference in the process consists in the use of printing-ink instead of smoked oil-paper.

LEAF PRINTING.—After warming the leaf between the hands, apply printing-ink, by means of a small leather ball containing cotton, or some soft substance, or with the end of the finger. The leather ball (and the finger when used for that purpose), after the ink is applied to it, should be pressed several times upon a piece of leather, or some smooth surface, before each application to the leaf, that the ink may be smoothly and evenly applied.

After the under surface of the leaf has been sufficiently inked, apply it to the paper, where you wish the impression; and, after covering it with a slip of paper, use the hand or roller to press upon it, as described in the former process.