Method Explained—Its success.

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"He tried each art."—Goldsmith.

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All persons acquainted with children are aware of the torpor of some minds, and of the occasional apathy of others, and to this it is necessary to provide some counteraction. This is done effectually by what is called the elliptical plan, according to which, words are omitted in a narrative or poem repeated by the teacher, for the purpose of being supplied by the children.

These exercises are very agreeable to the children, and by them some features of the mental character become conspicuous. Children are usually sensible of their need of instruction, but if they can make it appear that any of their 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]

[Footnote l: built]

[Footnote m: eggs]

[Footnote n: laid]

[Footnote o: hatched]

[Footnote p: ones]

[Footnote q: roaming]

[Footnote r: boy's]

[Footnote s: gardener's]

[Footnote t: son]

[Footnote u: notes]

[Footnote v: called]

[Footnote w: stone]

[Footnote x: rogue or boy]

[Footnote y: disturb or hurt]

[Footnote z: bird]

[Footnote aa: pleased or delighted]

[Footnote bb: sweetness or melody]

[Footnote cc: air]

[Footnote dd: presence]

[Footnote ee: naughty boy]

[Footnote ff: sister]

[Footnote gg: story]

[Footnote hh: mother, aunt &c.]

[Footnote ii: naughty or good]

[Footnote kk: cruel or kind]

[Footnote ll: finch or linnet]

[Footnote mm: perishing or dying]

[Footnote nn: snow]

[Footnote oo: depth or middle.]

The following little verses upon the same principle have been found to answer extremely well, by putting one child in the rostrum, and desiring him purposely to leave out those words that are marked, the other children will fill them up as he goes.

I must pray
Both —— and day.

Before —— eat
I must entreat,
That —— would bless
To me —— meat.

I must not play
On God's own day,
But I must hear
His word with fear.

It is a sin
To steal a pin
Much more to steal
A greater thing.

I must work,
And I must pray,
That God will feed
Me day by day.

All honest labour,
God will bless;
Let me not live
In idleness.

I will not be
Or rude or wild,
I must not be
A naughty child.

I will not speak
Of others ill,
But ever bear
To all good-will.

I'd rather die
Than tell a lie,
Lest I be lost
Eternally.

I'll —— my bread
From —— to door,
Rather —— steal
My neighbour's store.

I must not kill
A little fly;
It is an act
Of cruelty.

I must not lie,
I must not feign,
I must not take
God's name in vain.

Nor may my tongue
Say what is wrong;
I will not sin
A world to win,

In my Bible
I am to read,
And trust in God
In all my need.

For Christ alone
My soul can save,
And raise my body
From the grave.

Oh! blessed Saviour,
Take my heart
And let not me
From thee depart.

Lord, grant that I
In faith may die,
And live with thee
Above the sky.

CREATION.

God made the —— that looks so blue,
God made the —— so green,
God made the —— that smell so sweet,
In —— colours seen.

God made the —— that shines so bright,
And gladdens all I see;
It comes to give us —— and light,
How —— should we be!

God made the —— bird to fly,
How —— has she sung;
And though she —— so very high,
She won't —— her young.

God made the —— to give nice milk,
The horse for —— to use;
I'll treat them —— for his sake,
Nor dare his gifts abuse.

God made the —— for my drink,
God made the —— to swim,
God made the —— to bear nice fruit,
Which does my —— so nicely suit;
O how should I —— him!

"O Lord, how manifest are thy works; in wisdom hast thou made them all!"—Psalm civ. 24.

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I subjoin, as an exercise for teachers themselves, the following hymn, as one calculated to induce reflections on the scenes of nature, and direct the mind to that Being who is the Source of all excellence!

1
Hast —— beheld —— glorious
Through all —— skies his circuit run,
At rising morn, —— closing day,
And when he beam'd his noontide

2
Say, didst —— e'er attentive
The evening cloud, —— morning dew?
Or, after ——, the watery bow
Rise in the —— a beauteous ——?

3
When darkness had o'erspread the ——
Hast thou e'er seen the —— arise,
And with a mild and placid ——
Shed lustre o'er the face of night?

4
Hast —— e'er wander'd o'er the plain,
And view'd the fields and waving ——,
The flowery mead, —— leafy grove,
Where all —— harmony —— love.

5
Hast thou e'er trod the sandy ——
And —— the restless —— roar,
When roused by some tremendous ——
It's billows rose —— dreadful form?

Hast thou beheld the —— stream
Thro' nights dark gloom, —— sudden gleam,
While the bellowing thunder's ——
Roll'd rattling —— the heaven's profound?

7
Hast thou e'er —— the cutting gale,
The sleeting shower, —— the biting hail;
Beheld —— snow o'erspread the
The water bound —— icy chains?

8
Hast thou the various beings ——
That sport —— the valley green,
That —— warble on the spray,
Or wanton in the sunny ——?

9
That shoot along —— briny deep,
Or —— ground their dwellings keep;
That thro' the —— forest range,
Or frightful wilds —— deserts strange?

10
Hast —— the wondrous scenes survey'd
That all around thee —— display'd?
And hast —— never raised thine
To Him —— bade these scenes arise?

11
'Twas GOD who form'd the concave ——
And all the glorious orbs —— high;
—— gave the various beings birth,
That people all the spacious ——.

12
'Tis —— that bids the tempests
And rolls the —— thro' —— skies:
His voice the elements ——
Thro' all the —— extends His sway.

13
His goodness —— His creatures share,
But MAN is HIS peculiar ——.
Then, while they all proclaim —— praise,
Let —— his —— the loudest ——.

The elliptical plan has been found to be most successful, and has been applied with equal success in schools for older children, and also children of another grade. Messrs. Chambers, I believe, are the only persons, as far as I know, who have the honesty to acknowledge the source from whence this plan was taken.