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If London is just no-w notoriously dull , Literature for the time being must be pronounced practically deacL The Indian . Revolt lias paralyzed the publishing kouses , newspapers and letters take the place of books and periodicals , and the electric telegraph supersedes the Booksellers * Circular , the contemporary history it advertises being the only forthcoming publication we look forward to with interest , or care to study . While our Iiame literature is thus in a state of suspended animation , a spirited defence of its inherent freshness and vitality conies to tis across the water . In a recent number of the Mevue des Denx Mondes , M . Emile STontegtjt , whose able criticisms of English writers we liave of tea had occasion to notice , commences an elaborate article on Mr .
< 3 eobge Bobrow , and . his latest work , the Romany Bye , by- combating Emekson ' s dictum tliat English literature is on the decline . He shows that Eiiekson ' s statement is only very partially true , while the inference he derives . from , it is wholly false . The American contrasts contemporary English literature with contemporary American literature , to the advantage of the latter . But M . E . Moxtegut asserts that if England has produced no great original works lately , America has failed still more signally in this respect ; that if absolutely there has been some little falling off here , tTiere has been a still greater falling off in other countries ; and that relatively , therefore ., English literature maintains its pre-eminence , showing a power and originality which belong to the contemporary literature of
no other nation . In the absence of the greatest works , England produces , lie maintains , a class of secondary writers , whose vigour , truth , and originality are abundantly sufficient to maintain the reputation of her literature . Referring to these writers , he says : "' This attachment to truth and reality is now as formerly , the special characteristic of English literature ; it enables it , even hi the absence of great geniuses , ta produce remarkable works , and in the midst of general intellectual lassitude , to preserve a movement , an animation , a raciness , which is wanting in the contemporary literature of other nations . While it may be possible , therefore , as Emerson says , that England has somewhat declined , it is still the only country which produces every year a reasonable number of original and interesting books . "
M . E . Mohtkgtjt proceeds to criticize Mr . Bokrow ' s style , and gi' -es a -careful analysis of his latest work , the Romany Rje . The criticism is so favourable that it surely must satisfy even the sensitive vanity of the ' Gentleman Gipsy . ' Mr . Borrow , as ouv readers are probably aware , has a horror of the critics , and considers it his special mission to scotch if not kill the \ rhole viper brood , * as he pleasantly calls them . He is resolved , not only to catch , but to make an example of them , to ' hold them up by their tails , and show the creatures wriggling , blood and foam streaming from their broken
jaws . ' After reading the notice of the Revue des Deux Monies , the Romany Hye must in gratitude make an exception in favour of his French critic , and spare him this appalling fate . Except in its somewhat exaggerated praise of Mr . Bobroav ' s style , M . E . Montegut ' s criticism is discriminating and just . Some of Mr . BorboVs descriptions of country life are , it is true , inimitable for their vividness , humour , and truth ; but this may be freely acknowledged without asserting that he is the iirst descriptive writer in the language , superior to Dickens and Tiiackera . y , Macau . lay and Cariaxe .
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THE WALPOLE LETTERS . The Letters of Horace YValjioZa , Earl qf OvforJ . Edited by Peter Cunningham . Vol . IV . Bentloy . Tiikrk are a good many new letters in this volume—to Wurtori denyingthat either Holbein or Durer painted the ' l > ance of I > eath-, ' to Cirosvenor Bedford inclosing money for objects of clmrity , to George Grenvillo , asking a favour , to the Countess Temple , flattering her poems , and otlicrs—but none of much importance . We have to renew our objection to Mr . Cunningham ' s multiplication of superfluous notes , and the unnecessary sigua ~
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or local bodies could have a chance of success only on the condition of accepting the schools as they now are , and adapting every proposed improvement to their immediate needs ; and whatever is to be done hereafter in the same direction mast submit to the same condition , and either originate with the schools themselves , or jealously respect their interests . . "For this reason tie rules under which the examination was conducted , the subjects and the grouping of those subjects , the general character of the questions , were not determined in accordance with any theory of what , the schools ought to teach but adapted , as far as possible , to rvbat they did teach . The masters were consulted ' and their suggestions had much weight in settling all these points ? and though it waa thought advisable to step a little beyond this limit in some respects , the deviation was comparatively slight , and the bulk of the work set before the candidates to do was v « ry nearly that for which their schools had professed to prepare them . Of the result of the examination in . the second department , he reports as follows : —
Though the work in English grammar was very poor , the analysis of sentences which belongs to the same head , was ( where done at all ) generally done well ; and even when mistakes were made , the very mistakes often showed considerable intelligence . I have no doubt , m fact , that the deficiency in the English grammar is partly due to the mistaken method adopted in our text-books . In Latin , which is a highly inflected language , it is right to begin with the accidence and proceed to the syntax . In English , which is but slightly inflected , the right course is to begin with the syntax and come back to the accidence . The method of analysis follows this course , and those who hare watched the two systems will never ' doubt which is the correet one . If grammar is in future to form a part of a compulsory preliminary examination , analysis , and not parsing , should be made the test . Besides the superiority In method of beginning to teach grammar in this way , it is now proved by trial that the schools can do the one and cannot do the other .
The knowledge of history was on the whole as much as could , fairly have been expected . Such a knowledge as enables a candidate to enter into the political , or , still more , the social life of a period , belongs in reality to a later age than sixteen . I think perhaps a little improvement might be made if the masters would take more pains when teaching history to supply proper illustrations . In particular , history should never be read by a class without a map open before them , and everything which can throw light upon laws , customs , or manners , should be diligentl j' hunted up and mads available . At present rather more trouble appears to me to have been taken to ghw an accurate knowledge of dates than to make the narratives lifelike , or the succession
of events intelligible . Of the three higher subjects , the English Literature was evidently new , and if this be considered , it was not badly done . It would certainly be a most valuable addition , to the present routine in these schools if the boys were to read a play of Shakspeara or a few books of Milton with the same care and thoroughness which in the public schools is bestowed upon Homer or Sophocles . And I think the experiment of giving masters the option of giving such instruction sufficiently successful to warrant perseverance . But certainly the work done so far can only be considered a beginning and it is not yet possible to judge whether these schools can go any further than this beginning . . ; .
The liatin is ty far the best work m this department . Here the masters have all the advantages of a clear aim and an established system . Of course considerable improvement is possible , but it is rather to be sought in the better use of existing materials than in the introduction of anything new . I think Ellis , already largely used , might be used still more largely with advantage . The knowledge of Roman History and Ancient Geography was , with few exceptions , poor : I do not think it would toe wise to expect much , but there -was hardly even enough to illustrate the books which the boys had been reading . The language , and not the subject-mutter , is rightly made the chief object of study , bat the latter ought not to be entirely excluded . Of the third department he says : — The mathematical work appeared to me to be , taken altogether , more satisfactory than any of the rest , more thoroughly taught , and more entirely assimilated .
The defect here ( where the work was defective ) -was not generally a want of knowledge of the subject , but a-want of power of readily applying it . Masters too ofteu seem to fancy that the important and difficult part of a problem is the calculation ; but long after a boy has mastered this part of his work , and calculation even of the more difficult kind has become mechanical , the greater difficulty still remains to know when to calculate and what . A boy who has thoroughly mastered vulgar fractions will still be puzzled l > y an easy problem which only requires vulgar fractions for its solution . His difficulty is not to divide or subtract , or to reduce to a common denominator , but to know -which of all these he is to do , and in what order , and with what purpose . The business of the master is to practise him in the art not merely of calculating , but of finding out what , and how , and when ho is to calculate . Many of the masters see this , but not vet all of them .
We have just received a third pamphlet on Middle-Class E < Iucatio ? i , recently published by Mr . Tjiomas Dyk . e Aclasdx It contains the Rev . P . Temple ' s ¦ ' Report on the Results of the West of England Examination / which our leaders may remember took place at Exeter in June last . The movement is in itself so important , and Mr . TiSMrLE ' s statements and suggestions relating to it so instructive , that we are tempted to make a few extracts from his report for the benefit of our leaders who arc interested in the subject . We may at the outset remind them that 106 candidates from private schools in the three Western Counties presented themselves at Exeter for examination . They were divided into two classes , seniors and juniors ; those who were above , and those who were below fifteen years of age j the former numbering 34 , the latter 72 . The subjects of Examination were divided into
four depar tments , 'ReligiousKnowledge , Literature and Languages , Mathematics , and Physical Science in ita Practical application . ' Mr . Tempms reports minutely the result of the examination in each department . He begins , liovv-. cver , by a short statement of tlio general object of this first local experiment towards improving middle-class education : — the r mi , ? , n i ° ^ . P ™™* ' Has examination was to improve the education of ll ^ tt f ^}^^ ^ « i «« ne eehoob n 8 a basi ' s , aud giving them an
. what ™ i , t ' generally sneaking , laboured under the defect of either ignoring Ste ere tion of ° l n r attom P « ( 1 ° ° »»«*• Suggestions for tho In , mechinCTvor in ^? Jn * ° . 1 ge 9 f aU ^ « °° l « , or for the immediate creation of a ma-S ^ of CoS ,- M ™ W WOrIdn * Under th ° » u «» ority of the Com-ZnsVoui . f £ ' ^ - " ?\ P ™ cUcabl 0 in proportion to their completeness . Such it is tT . ! ii ? V mFaCt l Cftbl ° , CnO 9 t count » c » . » t peculiarly so in England , ^ . ere £ J « W » iL" ^ I ^ Cbar T , n 8 llCOf all 8 Ocial a " P ^ kal action never to creac 2 i £% htt ? XS £ * ^ luT \ u ' **** * P ° ~» S * department btfnirth . « 21 £ L I £ £ ? « coauttl | y wttawtad their operation * , so tt 3 to wag tl » « 0 » c « uoa of the middle closes witlriu their roach . Bat nrivato individual *
lor this reason it is of importance that pains should bo taken to give the mathematical questions the form of easy problems as much as possible . A mechanical knowledge of mathematics is of all attainments tho most unprofitable . The study , if exclusively pursued , is , under any circumstances , narrow , uuleuvened as it is by human sympathies and interests , but it compensates for its narrowness by the excellence of the discipline which it gives . If that discipline become mechanical , and . therefore valueless , there is nothing left worth having . The report concludes with a statement which is , perhaps , of all others , the most encouraging result of this Iirst experiment : —
I must not conclude these remarks without noticing two very encouraging features in this first experiment . In whatever respects the masters have not yet succeeded in doing aa much for their pupils as they would desire , they certainly had succeeded in inspiring them -with the spirit of hard work . Nothing could exceed th « hoartiuoss or the perseverance with which the candidates went through their papers . Thoy seemed , at any rate , to havo learnt the most important thing to learn—a willingness to do their best . And many , I have no doubt , will be carried successfully through hfo by that , even If they may find little use , for Avhat else thoy got at school . I mention this the more gladly , beennse musters often Jose nil credit for thia by far the moat essential part of their duty , and are judged only by producible results .
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¦» < 3 ritics are no * the legiala-tors , but the judges and police of literature . They do n . ot make ia-ws—they interpret and try to enforce them . —JEdinbv , rg 7 i Beview .
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IS ^ ggljj gEiP ^ iaMBER 1 & 1857 . ] 0 ? HE : frE&IKBB ; 907
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 19, 1857, page 907, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2210/page/19/
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