./ A GUIDE TO FORMING AND CONDUCTING LYCEUMS, DEBATING SOCIETIES, &c, WITH OUTLINES OF DISCUSSIONS AND ESSAYS, AND AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING AN EPITQME OF RHETORIC ^ LOGIC, &c. By CHARLES MORLEY, Author of " Geographical Key," " Common School Grammar," " Guide to CompoBitioa,."."4.nalytic Arithmetic," &c. NEW.YXfRK: A. E. WRIGHT, 112 FU L T O N-S T R E E T. 1841. \A Entered, according to;'Act of Congress, in tlie year 1841 , by A. E. WRIGHT, In the Clerk's Office of the Dietrict Court of the United States for the Southtm District ot New- York. H. rXTDWIO, PBINTBS, 72 Vesey-at., N. Y. PREFACE. TO YOUNG MEN. Dear Friends — We live in an age of invention, enter- prise and improvement ; ihe watch-word \^ Onward; let it be yours, and inscribed on the tablet of your hearts. Onward^ not in the path of mad ambition; spurn the laurels steeped in tears and the crow^n dyed in blood ; but ONWARD to a nobler crown, encircled with gems that will brighten through all time and during the ceaseless roll of eternity. Such a boon is within your reach : It can be obtained by the right improvement of your minds ; and one of the best means for accomplishing so desirable an object is, the formation of Lyceums and Debating Societies, which might be formed m every town and village in the Union, and the object of this manual is to guide you in forming and conducting such societies, several of which are now in successful operation in various parts of our country. Franklin and Sherman rose from obscurity to a lofty eminence ; with proper efforts you may become their equal in usefulness. 4 PREFACE. The Lyceum and Debating Society are among the best means for the improvement of talents and the disci- pline of the mind. It was in a Debating Society that Brougham first displayed his superior talents and un- rivalled eloquence, and Henry Clay commenced his bril- liant career in a village Debating Club. If the marble is rough, the Debating School vi^ill polish it and bring to light its inherent beauty. It is the refiner's fire ;^ it burnishes and purifies the fine gold, brings order out of confusion, light out of darkness, and beauty out of de- formity : yea, it transforms pebbles into diamonds. CM. DIRECTIONS FOR FORMING SOCIETIES. You who wish the advantages of a Lyceum or Debating Society in your village or town either for your own or others' benefit, call on your neighbours, propose the subject, state the objects of such a so- ciety, and obtain as many as you can to co-operate with you in this noble work. Appoint a meeting to organize a society — either state to the audience the importance of such an institution or prevail on a clergyman, or some other influential individual, to do it — appoint a committee to draft a constitution, or have one already prepared. Be not discouraged, if but few attend the meet- ing or co-operate with you. The most efficient literary society of the world had its origin with two individuals, who by accident met at a hotel in Lon- don, and in conversation on the deplorable igno- rance of the great mass of the people. One pro- posed to the other the formation of a society, that would have a direct influence in the difl'usion of useful knowledge, to which the other heartily as- sented. They made arrangements, and advertised a meeting for the purpose of organizing a society ; but no one attended with them ; one appointed the other president and he in turn his associate secre- tary — they discussed and passed resolutions, which 1* 6 DIRECTIONS FOR FORMING SOCIETIES. were published in the papers, with the statement, that they were passed at a respectable meeting called for the purpose of forming 'a society for the diffusion of useful knowledge, and that another meeting would be held at such a time, which was attended by a large audience of the wealthy and influential, not only of London, but from many parts of the British empire ; and since that time the so- ciety has with constant increasing energy been scattering light, knowledge and innumerable bless- ings over the civilized world. Several of our na- tional benevolent societies had an equally small be- ginning. The ocean is composed of drops. CONSTITUTION FOR A LYCEUM. PREAMBLE. We, the undersigned, believe with the wise man, that " Wisdom is the principal thing ; that she is more precious than rubies ; and that all things that can be desired are not worthy to be compared with her ; " and in order to store our minds with it, and for mutual improvement, as well as the diffusion of useful knowledge, we form ourselves into a So- ciety for these noble purposes ; and agree to be governed by the following Constitution and By-laws. CONSTITUTION. Art. 1st. The name of this Society shall be the Art. 2d. Its Officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and an Executive Committee of . . . . and all the Officers shall perform their respective duties as is customary. Art. 3d. The President, at the request of any five members, may call special meetings of the Society. Art. 4th. Any gentleman of good moral char- acter may become a member of this Society by 8 BY-LAWS. signing the constitution and paying an initiatory fee of Art. 5th. The stated meetings shall be held on . . . and the exercises shall be either a lecture, essays read, or a discussion on some subject calcu- lated to promote the general objects of the Society, avoiding whatever is of a sectarian or party nature. Art. 6th. The annual meeting of the Society for the election of Officers, &c., shall be held on . . . BY-LAWS. 1st. At the time appointed for the meeting, the Chairman shall call the members to order, and the Secretary shall proceed to call the roll, then read the minutes of the last meeting, and after being ac- cepted by the Society, state the order of exerv- cises, &c. 2d. Absentees and those tardy shall be fined . . . unless they render an excuse satisfactory to the Society. 3d. Any member for improper conduct may be expelled from the Society, by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, at any regular meeting of the Society. 4th. At each regular meeting, there shall be a subject for discussion selected for the next. Any member may propose a question for debate, and the Society shall decide by vote on the selection. 5th. Each speaker in debate shall be limited to REMARKS. 9 . . . minutes and speak but . . . unless by permis- sion of the Society. 6th. At the close of each debate, the Chairman shall decide on the merits of the discussion, and then the Society by vote on the merits of the question. 7th. The exercises of the regular meetings shall be public. 8th, The order of exercises shall be, 1. Lec- ture, or discussion. 2. Reading of essays or decla- mation. 3. Proposing questions for future discussion and any other miscellaneous business. 4. Propos- ing or admitting new members. 9th. This Constitution and By-laws shall not be altered or amended, unless at a regular meeting of the Society by a vote of two-thirds of the mem- bers present. REMARKS. A library attached to your society would be very beneficial ; a tax on each member of six or twelve cents per month would furnish the means for a good and constantly increasing one. You might also have a cabinet of minerals and geological specimens — each member making donations according to his desire and ability ; and by exchanging duplicates with other societies and individuals, (as our country is rich in mineral wealth,) you could make a valu- able collection. It would be well to go occasionally on a short tour in mineral sections and make collections. 10 NOTE . Sea shells and botanical specimens would be valu- able additions. You might thus collect a variety of nature's beautiful productions and behold in them vivid demonstrations of the wisdom ay^d goodness of the Creator. Your society might become auxiliary to the National Lyceum. NOTE. ELEMENTS OF PRACTICAL SCIENCE GEOLOGY. There exists in the northern part of Ohio a chartered Companv which aims to connect thrifty enterprise and an enlightened prose- cution of Productive Industry in various departments with the cheap and advantageous dissemination of Useful Knowledge. The idea is certainly a good one, and will yet lead to noble results. This Company have a small but thriving village, twelve miles south- west of Cleveland, entitled Berea, or Lyceum Village, where a combination of ample water-power, with choice land and inex- haustible quarries of superior buildi' g-stone, excellent also for grind stones, &c. were deemed to offer extraordinary inducements for location. The Seminary there established is founded on what we believe to be the true basis of Academic Instruction — a blending of Manual Labour with Study. Each pupil, male or female, devotes six hours per day to bo(»ks, and so much as his or her parents may think proper of the remaining six hours to labour, of which the product is credited in payment of his or her tuition, board, &c. Each pupil may study more and work less than six hours, but is required to be usefully employed twelve houis of each day in one way or the other. This arrangement cannot be too highly commended or too generally adopted. But the great superiority of the system followed in this as in other Manual Labour Seminaries is found in the practical char- acter of the Education there obtained. Boys are taught not merely NOT 15. 11 to think, but to act — not merely to speak and write correctly, but to fill a station in life creditably and to earn an honest livelihood. There is one serious objection to thorough Universal Education of the usual stamp — namely, that it unfits men, or at least renders them averse, to obtain their bread by the sweat of th^^ir brows. The youth who has spent years in acquiring Latin and Greek feels degraded, or at least displaced, by a resort to ihe hoe and the scythe for a living. This shows error in the common modes of Education. All men ought to be better educated than one out of fifty now is ; but all men cannot be Doctors, Lawyers, Ministers or Merchants ; the Professions are crowded already ; and we want a system of cheap and practical Education which shall make better Farmers, Mechanics, Miners, Manufacturers, Artists, &c. &c. than the mass of the present. To this end Village Lyceums and Manual Labour Schools are destined essentially to contribute. The Beiea Seminary, we learn from documents before us, aims directly at the inculcation of Practical Knowledge in regard to every department of Physical Science. Geology is especially attended to, and the pupils are taught to make the acquisition of knowledge with regard to the Earth's elements and structure a daily pleasure — a source of increasing interest and gratification. The formation of Scientific Cabinets, consisting of Geological, Mineralogical or Botanical Specimens, is inculcated by piecept and example ; and teachers educated at the Seminary are qualified to diffuse the knowledge and the taste among their scholars. We have before us a collection of Geological Specimens made by the pupils of this Seminary — one of a number recently distri- buted among the Editors of this City — showing the different varie- ties of rock common in this country. They are very neatly put up and labelled ; and, as there are hundreds of intelligent persons who can hardly distribute half a dozen kinds of rock into their ap- propriate classes, we publish the following brief accompanying de- scription, as matter of general and profitable interest : Geography and Geology are sister sciences as both describe the earth. The one tells where mountains and other portions of the earth are ; the other tells what they are. The one describes the situations, and the other the ingredients or materials, with the or- der of their arrangement. The one cannot be fully understood without assistance from the other. 12 NOTE. Among all the sciences, no one is raore simple or easily under- stood, or better culculated to employ, entertam, and instruct chil- dren ; and few, if any, more useful to farmers, mechanics and others, than some ofthe first elements of" Practical Geology." No science probably displays in a more striking and wonderful manner the power, wisdom, and goodness, of the great Creator of the Universe. A large portion of the twenty-five specimens here described can be found in every part of the world ; all, and many more, may be obtained, with trifling expense and trouble, as a part of a " Fam- ily Cabinet" for each of the two millions of families in theAmeri- can Republic. They are particularly convenient and useful for the members of families, lyceums, and schools, to send to those of other countries or continents, as an aid from those who know to those who do not know the elements which compose our globe. Quartz is the most common and abundant ingredient in moun- tains, rocks, and soils ; is the natural deposit of gold and other metals ; the necessary and principal ingredient in the manufacture of glass ; and, under different forms and colours, is known by the names of jasper, cornelian, chalcedony, agate, amethyst, topaz, opal, and other gems. The different kinds of quartz found in abundance, are called milk quartz, smoky quartz, blue, red and yellow quartz, according to their various colours. Quartz, in all its varieties, is hard, and scratches most other min- erals, and, of course, can not be scratched by them. Gun flint, and the common, smooth, hard pebbles found in nearly every part ofthe globe, are varieties of this common, abundant and use- ful mineral. It is the only mineral which is found everywhere. No. 1. Milk quartz is nearly pure, or free from iron and other substances, which give colour to mineral, also to animal and vege- table substances. No. 2. Smoky quartz, which is coloured by iron, is of various shades, and sometimes transparent. No. 3. Red or jaspery quartz has a larger portion of iron than any other variety. Jasper is a gem, and is beautifully polished. No. 4. Felspar is intimately and extensively combined with quartz in the formation of mountains, soils, &c., and is essential in the manufactory of porcelain or china ware. It is scratched by quartz, and breaks more in the form of platen or small tables. It NOTE. 13 is commonly reddish, and sometimes flesh-coloured ; also nearly white. When reduced to a powder, it is more like clay, and less like sand than quartz when pulverized. No. 5. Mica, frequently called isinglass, is combined with quartz and felspar in the formation of nearly all the high mountains upon our globe. In some parts of Russia and other countries, it is used for windows in place of glass. No. 6. Hornblend is less hard, but more tough and difficult to break than quartz or felspar. It contains a large portion of iron, is of a dark green or black colour, and enters largely into rocks, ledges and mountains in variou* parts of the globe. No. 7. Granular lime is much used for marble, and is abundant in many parts of the world. No. 8. Compact lime is of finer texture, and more recent forma- tion, than granular, and does not receive as fine a polish. One variety, found in Germany, is used for lithographic printing. No. 9. Green serpentine is an abundant rock, and sometimes a good material for the walls of houses. No. 10. Yellow serpentine is interspersed with the green, but not as common nor as good for buildings. Precious serpentine, which is frequently yellowish red, receives a beautiful polish, and is hence used for ornaments of various kinds. Serpentine can be cut with a knife. Serpentine is the common rock at Hoboken, and is found in long ranges in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, &c. Serpentine ridges are the deposits of chrome ore. No. II. Compact gypsum is a common variety of this rock, which is ground and used by farmers for manure. When very compact, fine and translucent, it is called alabaster, which is much wrought for ornaments. No. 12. Selenite, or crystalized gypsum, breaks in thin plates or leaves, and is frequently as transparent as glass. Gypsum can be scratched by the finger nail. No. 13. Talc is sometimes called French chalk. It has a greasy or soapy feel, and commonly a light colour, and is softer than gypsum. No. 14. Coarse granite is composed of quartz, felspar, and mica, the last frequently in plates sufficiently large for windows. No. 16. Fine granite is a common, vaJuable material for the 2 14 NOTE. walls of houses. The ingredients are like those of the coarse, ex- cept finer. No. 16. Gneiss is a slaty granite. From the position of the mica in gneiss, it is split with ease into large slabs, fit for floors, side-walks, bridges, &c. Nos. 17 and 18. Mica slate resembles gneiss, but contains no felspar, being composed of quartz and mica. The surface is fre- quently undulating, as in No. 18. Beautiful crystal? of garnet and staurotide are sometimes deposited in mica slate in great niimbers. Nos. 19 and 20. Sienite has the same ingredients as granite, ex- cept that hornblend takes the place of mica. The most noted quarries of this rock are in Quincy, Mass., which furnished the ' material for the Bunker Hill Monument, and for houses in great numbers and value in nearly every sea-port in the country. No. 21. Greenstone is composed of hornblend and felspar inti- mately combined, and constitutes rocks, ledges and mountains in various parts of the world. It is green or black, not easily broken, but much used for buildings. Nos. 22 and 23. Sandstone, composed of cemented grains of sand, is much used for buildings, and is the only material fitted for grindstones. No. 22 is fron" quarries in the Lyceum Village, Ohio, which furnish the best grit for grindstones known in America, and a valuable article for whetstones, buildings, tombstones, and various other uses. No. 24. Puddings! one, or conglomerate, is composed of ce- mented pebbles of various sizes and qualities, and is frequently found with sandstone. In many places it is a common and abund- ant, if not the only rock. When the pebbles are not rounded, having short corners, it is called breccia, like the pillars in the capitol at Washington, D. C. No. 25. Soapstone is composed of talc and quartz, and is ex- tensively used. It can readily be used into slabs with a common saw, hewed with an axe, turned in a lathe, smoothed with a plane, and thus vp-rought into almost any form which its uses require. From small beginnings, like the few specimens here described, thousands and tens of thousands of large and valuable cabinets have grown, and numerous thorough mineralogists and accom- plished naturalists have arisen ; while those who commence with large and expensive collections, seldom acquire any considerable knowledge of the subjects to which they relate. And among the T O J. A D I E S . 15 many thousands who have attended full and able courses of lec- tures on Geology and Mineralogy, few, if any^ can distinguish one mineral from another, who have formed cabmets for themselves; while children, in great numbers in all parts of the country, by the aid of a few specimens, and two or three excursions to collect them, are as familiar with all the common rocks and most of the useful minerals, as with the articles of table furniture. A teacher once said to his boys, that all who had their lessons at a time mentioned, might go with him on a geological excursion. He afterwards re- marked, that several of his boys, for the first time in their lives, got their lessons, and at the time specified. Many thousand similar cases might be named. These facts, and thousands of others of similar character, afford sufficient proof, that — whether the practical sciences, the "useful branches," as some are disposed to call them, such as reading, writ- ing and arithmetic, or the preservation of morals are concerned — cotlec'ing, arranging, studying, and describing specimens of geolo- gy and other departments of natural history, are among the most useful exercises which teachers and parents can provide for their children. TO LADIES. You, too, can and ought to form societies for mutual improvement ; you might meet on a stated day and read essays and discuss subjects that you feel interested in ; or one might read extracts from some interesting book, and then make the subject read a topic of conversation and remark. Appoint a committee on news, v^^hose duty shall be to collect in a condensed form, the most important news to read at the next meeting; another committee on books, to examine the various publications of the day, and report what ones are valuable andwhj', and what are worthless or immoral in their tendency, 16 TOLADIES. SO that such books might be shunned like a pesti- lence ; a third on health, and report what customs are injurious to the health of the community and the means of remedy ; a fourth on morals, and report what females can do to improve the morals of so- ciety ; a fifth on charity, to seek out and report who and what are objects of charity and in what manner they can be best relieved ; a sixth on edu- cation, to consider and report on the defects and means of remedy of the present system of female education ; a seventh on the fashions, and report on the advantages and disadvantages of the various fashions, and state whether any improvement might be made, in reference to promoting health and economy, and take into consideration, whether it is in accordance with our Republican Institutions to follow exclusively the fashions of France and Eng- land ; an eighth on composition, to examine essays, &;c. and point out defects and suggest subjects for essays, debates, &;c.; a ninth, on the biography of distinguished females, and at each meeting read extracts from the same. We might enlarge the field to almost any extent. Each meeting might be highly interesting and be- neficial to yourselves, while you are preparing for extensive usefulness, and to become angels of peace and happiness to multitudes of the human race. Your influence is doubtless equal if not superior to that of the other sex. You hold in your hands the destinies of the world. It is in your power to ren- TOLADIES. 17 der this wide earth one scene of desolation and death — one great pandemonium of wretchedness and wo ; or to encircle it with blessings and mould it into a paradise of love and happiness — a glorious type of heaven. Methinks I hear you resolve, we will give all our influence to make the globe an Eden of bliss. As I look down the stream of time, I behold women with an angelic countenance, like the bright king of day, sending forth brilliant rays of light, and scattering innumerable blessings far and near. I behold her in the cottage of distress, a minister- ing angel ; in the house of mourning, a comforter ; wherever wretchedness, misery, or vice abound, there she is dispelling the dark clouds of ignorance, wo and wickedness. A renovated world with one voice and one heart express with beaming joy their gratitude to her. Onward then to your noble work, trustinor to the grace of God, by which you can overcome all diffi- ties, vanquish every foe, do all necessary things, and be the instruments of bringing millions of the sons and daughters of Adam to wear crowns of immortal bliss. A young lady in Philadelphia, a few years since, felt an ardent desire to do good ; among other means to accomplish this object she instructed a class of little girls in a Sabbath School ; she called one day at a house where lived a little girl about ten years of age and after stating to her the advantages of Sab- 2 * 18 TOLADIES. bath Schools, asked her if she wished to attend ; she rephed in the affirmative, and asked permission of her father ; he being an infidel refused to grant it ; " she entreated with tears, and, to gratify her, (she being his only cliild was much beloved by him,) he granted her request. The little girl became deeply interested in her lessons, and at length in- quired of her faithful teacher the way to be prepared for heaven. She become pious. Two years after the family removed into a new settlement in Pennsyl- vania, where there was no church, school, or any pious individual, but her heart burned with a de- sire to do good : she collected a number of little girls and instructed them in a Sabbath School ; a revival soon commenced, and spread through the village ; soon a church was erected, several young men pre- pared for the ministry and embarked to a heathen land — there to proclaim the glad tidings of a Sa- viour to a lost world. Multitudes have been, and other multitudes will be prepared for heaven through the instrumentality of that Sabbath School teacher. Here is an exam- ple, of how much good one female can do. Her language was, " May 1 so live that the world may be better by my living in it." Let it be yours. DISCUSSIONS. IS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT RIGHT ? AFFIRMATIVE. Capital punishment is the highest penalty for the commission of crime, which in most of the States of our Union is death. 1st. The safety of the community may he en- dangered by 'permitting the murderer to live. Among the numerous facts on this head, we will cite only two. A ^ew years since, a murderer in Mexico was sentenced to die on the wheel ; both of his legs and one arm were cut off and he was supposed to be dead. His mangled body was given to the physicians, they took it to the dissecting room and there they discovered signs of life, and, moved with pity, they used the means to resuscitate him with success. They placed him by the side of the public high-way that he might be supported by the charity of travellers. After being there for some time, a wealthy gentleman was passing, of whom the beggar solicited alms — (his remaining hand being concealed under his back ;) he held to him a gobi coin — the solicitor requested him to put it in his pocket, stating that he had lost both of his hands : while stooping to fulfil his request, the donor started back at the sudden appearance of a hand 20 DISCUSSIONS. with a dirk in it; he took the villain into his car- riage and carried him to the nearest public house, and examined him, and found in his pocket besides the dirk a whistle, which at once suggested the idea that he was associated with a band of robbers. A number of armed men were collected, and going near the place where the beggar had lain, con- cealed themselves, while one biowed the whistle, when immediately several men emerged from a cave with cutlasses, pistols, &c. ; they fired and killed them all, and then proceeded to the cavern, and there found a large quantity of gold and silver, and a variety of articles, and in another part a trap- door, and in the cellar the remains of from 25 to 30 bodies, most of whom are supposed to have been killed by the one handed beggar. Robert Kid, the notorious pirate, stated, that after he had committed the first murder, he was horror- struck— his remorse of conscience was almost in- suflTerable, but it wore away by degrees, and at length he killed another, then, he says, " My re- morse of conscience was great, but not so much as after killing the other man; at length I killed a third, I now had much remorse of conscience, but still less, and so on until I felt no more remorse of conscience in killing a man than in slaying an ox.'* Note. Here, my young friends, in this last case, you see the awful danger of begirining to uo wrong. Oh! rstream, is tossed here and there by every little breeze and wave, while the huge log ploughs its course majestically along, undisturbed by the rag- ing winds or foaming billows. The former repre- sents the undecided, the latter the decided man. By it Demosthenes, although he had a stam- mering tongue, feeble voice, and weak constitution, became the unrivalled orator of the world. By it Columbus braved ridicule and numerous difficulties, until he opened a new world to the astonished gaze of the old. With the motto, " Decision and perseverance overcomes all difficulties,'' Napoleon vanquished armies and conquered nations. With the same, Franklin, from a poor apprentice boy became the first philosopher of his time ; and Roger Sherman rose from the shoemaker's bench to a seat in the halls of congress ; Wm. L. Marcy and Martin Van Buren from poor obscure boys, the one to be governor of New-York, and the other to the highest office in the gift of the nation. 62 OUTLINES OF ESSAY Sr HABIT. Illustration. — It is as supple as the tender sapling, and as plastic as the heated wax, when forming ; but when formed, is like the sturdy oak, unmoved by the raging hurricane, or the flinty rock that braves the mountain surges unimpressed. Good habits are golden streams, that bless in their course, while they are living fountains of bliss to their possessor ; bad ones are rivers of lava blighting* and destroying on every side, while they are stag- nant lakes of death to their owner. Let your motto ever be, " Whatever is right, I will pursue ; whatever is wrong, I will reject." Note. — A lady of New- York has contracted the habit of count- ing the panes of glass in a house, the moment she casts her eyes upon the window. She has repeatedly assured her friends, that it is impossible to cure herself of the habir, and that the sense of weariness and pain, from associating the number of panes with the idea of a house or window, is a hundred times worse than the la- bour of superintending the concerns of a family. An attorney had contracted such a habit of numbering his steps, and thinking how many paces distance were certain places, that he found it extremely difficult to meditate on any other subject. HAPPINESS. Illustration. — It is a second Eden, in which grows the tree of life, by its side stands a cherub, whose countenance beams with benevolence and delight, while he invites all of earth's sons and daughters to eat and live forever ; all press on to obtain the boon, but numerous enemies to their ► peace, tempt a large portion of the multitude from OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. 58 the only road into numerous by-paths, that lead to misery, wo and death. Fame, wealth, power, rank, pleasure and mere rounds of excitement, are shadows, and perish with the hour that gave them birth. GENIUS. Illustration. — Charles Bell, in his introduc- tory address to his first course of lectures in Edin- burgh, in his allusion to that distinguished physiolo- gist and surgeon, Mr. John Hunter, says of him, he has been called a man of genius, but he was dis- posed to take a different view of his character from that, which is commonly expressed by that term. The great and leading feature in his character was, that he was steadily and eagerly devoted to his ob- ject, and that no change of external circumstances had the pov^rer, for one moment, of turning him aside from it. Was he in his study or in his dis- secting-room, or mingling with men in the common occupations of life ; was he at sea, shut up in a crowded transport ; or was he in the field of battle, with bullets flying, and men dropping around him, one great object was steadily and habitually before him, and he never lost sight of an opportunity of seizing upon every thing, that could in any way be made to bear upon it. Newton stated of himself, that his superiority to common minds, was not an endowment of nature, but acquired by mental dis- cipline, 5* 64 OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. SURPRISE. Illustration. — General Putnam was once way- laid by a party of the enemy, and they formed across the road that he was travelUng ; he rode carelessly and leisurely towards them, but when within about two rods of their line, he drew his sword, and brandishing it, while, with his thundering voice he exclaimed, Give way, ye rebels ! and in an instant they wheeled to the right and left, so that he rode through, and escaped. A curious incident occurred a few years since at Union College. Several lovers of fun had formed a mock-society to make sport, at the expense of some new student ; they succeeded for a time to their heart's content. At length they fixed on a new subject ; preparations were made for a meeting, a delegation was sent to wait on the new candidate, he mistrusted their object, but kept his thoughts to himself, and proceeded to the scene of action ; the members were masqued ; mongi*el latin was the language of the fraternity. The first order of exercises were declamation from each mem- ber, and our hero performed his part with a good grace. Next each one gave an extemporaneous speech, in which were mingled words belonging to no human language. The new member managed to have his turn for a speech come last, when he thus addressed the assemblage ; " Hon. President and members of this most noble Society, I am very much obliged to you for the high honour that you have condescended to bestow OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. 55 • on me in admitting me to your august body. I have travelled much, and your beautiful hog-latin speeches remind me of similar sounds that I have often heard from the numerous gentry that inhabit ponds, and the association of ideas brings me to imagine that I am at a party of bull-frogs." All were taken by surprise : some swore, some gnashed their teeth at the disappointment ; others shook their sides with laughter ; and during the confu- sion occasioned by this sudden change of the scene, our hero passed out unobserved, and went to his room quite satisfied with his adventure. This de- feat destroyed all their sport of this kind. EDUCATION. Illustration. — It is the philosopher's stone, at whose magic touch pebbles are transformed into diamonds, deserts into gardens, darkness into light, and the tiger fury and madness of the savage into the mildness of the lamb. Compare the civilized with barbarous nations, and our country with what it was 300 years ago. PROCRASTINATION. Illustration. — There was a lofty mountain, at the base of which stood a flourishing village, and on its summit was a huge rock, which a rill that flowed under it was gradually undermining its foundation. The inhabitants were repeatedly re. minded of their danger. A little labour would 56 OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. have rendered it firm in its lofty seat. Some re- solved to do the necessary labour when they should have leisure ; others said there is no danger at present, and laughed at those who felt any fears on the subject. One night when all were wrapped in slumber, the rock rolled down with such violence as to destroy the whole village, and buried all of its inhabitants beneath its ruins, and not one survived to tell the sad tale. LOVE AND HATRED. Illustration. — The one is a sweet smiling an- gel of heaven, the other a black demon of hell ; one holds in his hands silken cords that unite hearts in friendship pure to each other, which at length draw them to heaven, the fountain-head of love and bliss ; the other conceals his chains of slavery un- til he has his victims in his power, he then shackles them, and with his hellish taunts drags them down to the regions of despair. TIME. Illustration. — A man is confined in prison, he has access to water only by means of a small tube through the wall of his cell ; by turning the stopper the reservoir is concealed from his view, so that the quantity of water is unknown to him. At his entrance he is told that he must die the very moment the last drop of water is gone. Shortly he unthinkingly turns the stopper and lets the wa- OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. 57 ter spirt about for amusement ; but at length, sud- den 'reflection brings him to consider what he is doing, and he exclaims to himself, "Alas ! what a fool I am thus to waste this water, for the last drop seals my doom in death. I am ignorant of the quantity — there may be hundreds of hogsheads, and there may not be a gallon ; I will henceforth use only what necessity compels me to do.'' The prison is this world, and Time is the water. We know not how much remains to us. May we then rightly improve it. Note. — Aristotle was continually engaged in study ; he ate lit- tle and slept less. He soon surpassed all his fellow-students. He visited ihe principal cities of Greece, seeking the acquaintance of all those from whom he could obtain information. His inquiries extended to the most trifling subjects, and he committed to writing the particulars which he obtained, lest he should forget any useful circumstances. When Alexander the Great attained his four- teenth year, his ftither, Philip, placed him under Aristotle's tui- tion. The preceptor instructed his pupil in the sciences in which he himself excelled. Alexander therefore observed, that if he owed his life to his father Philip, it was Aristotle who had taught him to make a gcod use of it. Cicero, whose genius placed him on an equality with Caesar, who was continual'y entrusted with the business of the state and of private individuals, found, amid troubles and storms, amid the occupation and vicissitudes of life, leisure sufficient to acquire a thorough knowledge of all the doc- trines of the philosophic sects of Greece. Durinj; a career of such prodigious activity he composed numerous works of different kinds, on almost all the subjects interesting to man, subjects on which it is manifest that he had meditated profoundly. Charlemagne, in his prodigious aciivity, found resources unknown to ordinary minds. He contrived means at once to conquer his enemies, to polish his subjects, to advance and patronise literature and the sciences,^ to re-establish the navy, and to perform, in a few years, what would seem to require several centuries. DO OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. KINDNESS. Illustration. — Proverbs xxv. 21,22. "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink ; for by so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." A Roman army had besieged a city of Greece for several months, and was on the point of aban- doning it, when the schoolmaster of the city, who daily marched the children under his care without the walls, one day led them to the Roman camp, and delivered them up to the Roman general, tell- ing him that with them he delivered up the city also, for their parents and friends cannot survive the loss of their children, and they will surrender the city shortly. The Roman general looked at this traitor with disgust and indignation, while he thus addressed him, " Thou base wretch ! I despise thy treachery. I will not take the city by base means : thou shalt be justly punished for thy con- duct." He then caused his hands to be tied behind him, he then put scourges into the children's hands with directions to whip him back to the city. In the meantime, the city was filled with mourn- ing and despair. Fathers were lamenting, mo- thers were running about the streets with frantic rage, plucking out the hair of their heads, loud wailings of sadness and grief resounded from every quarter ; when lo, a herald on the walls proclaim- ed the joyful tidings that the children were return- ing ; then they rushed to behold the glad sight. OUTLINES OF ESSATS. 59 And when they saw them driving before them their perfidious preceptor, joy and admiration filled their breasts, and they exclaimed, " our enemies are more generous and kind than our friends, we will no longer resist against such kind enemies," and they gave up the keys of the city to the Roman general, who returned them with presents, saying he wish- ed to take no advantage of an enemy, and marched away his army. When I was attending a school at Hartford, there were two young men members of the school. One was amiable and distinguished for his mild and kind disposition ; the other possessed opposite qualities, and delighted in teasing, insulting and abusing him. The young man endured all his abuse with patience and meekness ; and one day, having purchased some oranges, he gave one of the best to his persecutor, when in an instant his face was crimsoned with shame and mortification. After that he was never known to treat this young man or any other of his school-fellows unkindly. " A morning in Newgate, — I had long wished an opportunity to witness the eflfects of Mrs. Fry's be- nevolent exertions. The female prisoners, to the number of forty or fifty, were cleanly and decently dressed. Mrs. Fry read from the Bible the story of Mary Magdalene, with remarks, in so gentle and encouraging a manner, that it was impossible not to be moved by the quiet pathos of her discourse. Her auditors listened with the most serious and 60 OUTLINES OF ESSAYS. earnest attention, and many were melted to tears. Mrs. Fry recounted some of the obstacles against which she has had to contend. It seems, however, that there is scarcely any disposition so depraved that may not be touched by kindness. The patient and persevering efforts of Mrs. Fry have succeed- ed in softening and reclaiming the mo?t hardened, whom severity would probably have rendered more callous ^and desperate. There is a shame of ap». pearing ungrateful which operates strongly even in> the most vicious breasts. Mrs. Fry said, that when, as it sometimes will happen, a prisoner after her discharge finds her way back to the goal for some fresh offence, the delinquent is more afraid of meeting her kindness than of facing the reproof of the Bench." " There lies more peril, lady, in thine eye, Than twenty of their swords." The heart of the guilty resists and defies reproach^ but melts before the accents of kindness ; it softens even a savage's heart, and subdues the fierce rage of the wild beasts of the forest. Note. — The Rev. Rowland Hill was onee waylaid by a robber, who, with a pistol in hand, demanded his money. Mr. Hill gazed at him with a mild and benevolent look, and kindly remonstrated ■with him to abandon such a dreadful course, which must soon end in ruin. Tears started from the robber's eyes, while he fell upon his knees and begged his pardon. Mr. Hill took him home and made him his coachman, and he became a reformed and good OUTLINJSS OF ESSAYS. 61 man, and after having been twenty years in Mr. Hill's family, died a peaceful and happy death. One evening as Mr. HiU was returning home from a lecture, two prostitutes overtook him, and took hold of his arms and asked him if he would go with them ; he replied that he was but a short dis- tance from home, and preferred that they should go with him ; they consented. When they had entered his house, he hinted to Mrs. Hill the character of his visiters, took his Bible, read, and then prayed feivently, especially for these females. They were treated kindly. In the morning they were invited to breakfast with the family, and after family worship, Mr. Hill addressed them in a gen- tle and tender manner on the danger, degradation and consequen- ces of vice. They were m'elted into tears — they expressed their desire to reform. Mr. Hill put them under the care of good fami- lies, and they manifested the sincerity of their repentance by living consistent and virtuous lives, respected by all who knew them. PROSPERITY AND ADVERSITY. Illustration. — The one is a great ocean, whose waters seem smooth and unruffled, but be- neath its bosom are concealed numerous rocks, quick-sands, and horrid whirlpools : Adversity is a chart that points out those numerous dangers, and holds up a great moral light-house that shows a haven of safety and rest. POWER OF MUSIC. Illustration. — Sultan Amurath, a prince no- torious for his cruelty, laid siege to Bagdad ; and, on taking it, gave orders for putting thirty thou- sand Persians to death, notwithstanding they had submitted, and laid down their arms. Among them was a musician, like the musician in Homer, 6 62 SUBJECTS AND. REFERENdES. he took up a kind of psaltry, that had six strings on each side, and accompanied it with his voice. He sung the capture of Bagdad and the triumph of Amurath. The pathetic tones and exulting sounds which he drew from the insturrent, joined to the alternate plaintiveness and boldness of the strains, rendered the prince unable to restrain his tears and pity, and repented of his cruelty. Ho directed his officers to liberate all his prisoners. SUBJECTS AND REFERENCES. Describe the progress of making pins, watches, of tanning leather, of printing, book-binding, and the various other mechanical trades, and their uses. [Reference, read Haran's Panorama of Trades. Describe the head, vertebral column, spinal marrow, ribs, cavities of the chest and abdomen, pelvis and limbs of man ; the process of digestion, circulation of the blood, &c. [Reference, Smel- lie's Philosophy of Natural History. Describe the structure of birds, fishes, and in- sects. [Reference, same as above. Respiration, instinct, transformation of animals, their habitations, hostilities, artifices, society, do- cility, &;c. [Reference, as above. Describe the lever, and wheel, and axle, and ilfBJECTS AND REFERENCES, 63 their use, the common and air-pumps, the syphon, telescope and microscope, magic lantern, the ca- mera obscura, safety lamps, prism, &c. [Reference, Natural Philosophy. What are the component parts of water, of air, of fire ? What would be the result if they should be changed in the least ? What is the use of this law — that heat expands and cold contracts? What would be the result if the freezing of ice was not an exception to this law ? What is the pro- cess of rendering barren land fertile ? What in- gredients will make soap, ink, beer ? Describe electricity, galvanism, and their use. [Reference, Chemistry. Describe the various minerals and their loca- tions, especially of the United States ; the most noted earthquakes that have happened ; also, the eruptions of volcanos ; the coral reefs, and how they are formed. [Reference, Mather's Elements of Geology. Describe the manner of estimating the credibil- ity of testimony, the moral probability of miracles, association, abstraction, imagination, reason, its use in the investigation of truth. Cause and ef- fect, qualities and acquirements that constitute a well-regulated nind. [Reference, Abercrombie on the Intelleclual Powers. Describe the best methods of improving the mind. [Reference, Watts on the Mind, and Bun- den's Mental Discipline, 64 SUBJECTS AND REFERENCES, Are our ideas innate ? [Reference, Locke's Es- say on the Human Understanding, (affirmative,) and Stern's New System of Mental Philosophy, published in the May and June numbers of the Knickerbocker for 1840, (negative.) Why is it that the pressure of liquids depends upon their altitude ? [Reference, Nat. Philosophy, How many and what are the kinds of govern- ments and religion in the world ? What nations are civilized, what ones savage and barbarous, and how are the females treated in each ? what are the prevailing manners and customs ? [Reference, Geography. Whose conduct was the most detestible, that of Henry VHI., or of Mary, queen of England? [Re- ference, History of England. Was the last war with England right? [Re- ference, Niles' Register, for 1809, '10, '11, '12, '13, and 1814. Were the Texians, in their late rebellion with Mexico, justifiable ? [Reference, History of Tex- as, and Grundy's pamphlet on the War of Texas. Is slavery right ? [Reference, the Bible. Is war right ? [Reference, Bible. Which invention is the most important to man, that of the mariner's compass, or that of the art of printing? A new world was opened by the one, and a new sun by the other. Describe the birds of America and their habits. r SUBJECTS AND REFERENCES. 65 [Reference, Audubon's Birds of America — Natural History. Describe the various quadrupeds, insects, and fishes of the globe. [Reference, Nat. History. Describe the various flowers and plants of Amer- ica. [Reference, Botany. Is Phrenology true ? [Reference, Grimes' and Comb's Phrenology, (affirmative.) Dr. Sewal's Lectures, (negative.) Do males possess talents superior to females ? [Reference, Homer, Milton, Newton, (affirmative.) Semiramis, Aspasia, Hannah More, H. F. Gould, Miss Sedgwick, &c., (negative.) Would the accession of Texas to the United States be an advantage to our nation ? [Reference, Alexander, Greece, Rome, Spain, Russia, Great Britain. Is the intellect of the European superior to that of the African ? [Reference, hosts of distinguished men, present condition of the two races, (aff.) Hannibal, Esop was a slave, Queen of Sheba, Boli- var, President of Hayti, Rev. T. Wright, of New- York, (neg.) What is requisite for the right formation of character? [Reference, Kirk's Sermon on this subject, and Bible. What is the use of Animal Magnetism ? [Re- ference, Debuy's Practical Instruction of Animal Magnetism. 6* 66 ADDITIONAL LIST ADDITIONAL LIST OF SUBJECTS. Adversity, Alarm. Affectation. Affection. Agreement. Ardent Spirits. Anger. Alexander. Archimedes. Beauty. Benevolence. Biography. Bravery. Bragging. Care. Carelessness. Calumny. Candour. Charity. Choice of companions. Chemistry. Consistency. Contentment. Courage. Cruelty. Curiosity. Controversy. Delays. Dihgence, Disease. Dissipation. Disobedience. Early piety. Education. Envy. Evening. Extravagance, Fashion, Faith, Falsehood. Forgiveness. Fortune. Friendship, Genius. Geology. Geography, Geometry. Habit. Happiness, History. Honesty. Hope. OF SUBJECTS. 67 Humility. Hypocrisy. Immorality. Immortality. Indolence. Industry. Ingratitude. Jealousy. Joy. Kindness. Learning. Love. Luxury, Madness. Marriage. Modesty. Money. Morning. Music. Negligence. Necessity. Order. Seasons. Self-government. System. Vice. Virtue. Use of domestic ani- mals. Wild animals. Birds. Insects. Reptiles, Trees. Plants. Minerals. Fire. Water. Air. Steam, Sun and moon. Stars. Our senses. The ocean. Pride. Which has caused the most evil, Intemperance, or War, Pestilence, and Famine combined? Is ambition a vice ? Is tea or coffee necessary 1 Is tobacco necessary ? Is it right to wear mourning apparel ? 08 jlDDITIONALLIST ^ Which is most useful, fire or water ? Which is the strongest element ? Which is the strongest passion, love or anger ? Who was the greatest monster, Nero or Cataline? Who has done the most injury, Mahomet or Constantino ? Have the crusades been the cause of more evil than good 1 Would it be right for the United States to go to war with England, if the North-East Boundary- can be settled in no other way ? Was England justifiable in her late warlike proceedings against China ? Is the war waged against the Seminoles of Flo- rida just ? Is the present militia system of the United States a good one 1 Is it right to imprison for debt ? Can the immortality of the soul be proved from the light of nature ? Which excite the most curiosity, the works of nature or of art 7 Who was the greatest tyrant, Dyonisius or the bloody Mary ? Ought lotteries to be abolished ? Ought there to be a general bankrupt law for the benefit of insolvent debtors ? Ought the license system to be abolished ? Who is entitled to the most honour, Columbus or WashingtoB 1 0FSUBJB0T8. 69 Are banks beneficial ? Are monopolies consistent with our republican institutions ? Ought there to be duties on imported goods to encourage domestic manufacture ? Ought there to be any restriction to emigration 1 Is the botanic system of medicine a good one? Are rail -roads and canals a benefit to the coun- try? Has the invention of gunpowder been beneficial to the world ? Have steam-boats been the cause of more good than hurt ? Is pride a mark of talent ? Ought females to be allowed to vote ? Is corporeal punishment necessary in schools, or in the army and navy ? Are gold and silver mines upon the whole bene- ficial to a nation ? Who is the most useful member of society, the farmer or mechanic, the merchant or sailor ? Does civilization increase happiness? Ought circumstantial evidence to be admitted in criminal cases ? Ought a witness to be questioned as to his reli- gious belief? What were the causes of the fall of the ancient empires ? Which is the most important acquisition, wealth or knowledge ? TO ADDinONALT, I8T What advantages has a republic over a mon- archy ?* Can there be any true virtue without piety ? Remabk. The introduction of a subject should be brief and vivid. Arguments may consist of the following : exanvple, testimony, cause and effects, analogy^ BOOKS OF REFERENCE. Watts on the Mind» Mason on Self-Knowledge. Whaley's and Dr. Campbell's Rhetoric. Morley's Practical Gaide to Composition. Alison on Taste. * Venetian Police. — An anecdote is related which serves to show the despotic nature of the Venetian government in a strong light. An English gentleman one day entered into conversation with a Neapolitan, at one of the taverns of the city, and the dis- course happening to turn on the Venetian government, the Neapo- litan :ireatly condemned, while the Englishman as warmly com- mended, some of its institutions. In the middle of the night the Englishman was aroused by a loud knocking at the door of his hotel, and presently after the officers of justice entered his apartment, and commanded him to rise. As soon as he was dressed, a handkerchief was bound over his eyes, and he was put on board a gondola. After being rowed for some time, he was landed and led through long passages, until he reached a large hall, where his eyes were unbound, and he was desired to notice what he saw. The Neapo- litan was suspended from a beam by the neck. Shocked at the sight, he inquired its meaning, and was inform- ed that he was thus punished for the free animadversions he had made on the Venetian government ; and that, although the Eng- lishman had refuted his arguments, the republic was displeased with him for entering on such a topic, as it needed no advocates, and commanded him to quit its territories in tw»nty-four hours ob saai of daath. O F SUB JE C TS. 71 Kaime'g Elements of Criticism. Dick's Works. Wayland's Moral Science. Dymond on the Prin- ciples of Morality. Dr. Comstock's Natural Phi- losophy. Turner's Chemistry. Chapel's Agricul- tural Chemistry. Mi ton. Young. Pollock. Addi- son's Spectator. The Cold Water Man, publish- ed by the New-York Temperance Society. Dodd's Index Perum. Haw's Lectures to Young Men, Sprague's Lectures to Youth. Pike's Persuasives to Early Piety, Do. Guide to Young Disciples. Abercrombie's Mental and Moral Philosophy, and on the Christian Character, and Culture, and Dis- cipline of the Mind. Butler's Analogy, and, above all, the Bible. APPENDIX. EPITOME OF RHETORIC. Figurative Language. — A figure of speech is a departure from simplicity. They are divided into two classes ; viz. : figures of w^ords, and figures of thought. The former are Teopes, the latter Met- aphors. Trope means to turn. As " to the upright there ariseth light in darkness ; " light is turned from its original meaning, to signify joy or prosperity, and darkness adversity. Metaphor means a transfer. A metaphor is a figure, in which the words are used in their origi- nal signification ; but the idea which it conveys, is transferred from the subject, to which it properly belongs, to some other which it resembles ; thus we speak of a distinguished statesman : " He is the pillar of the state.'' An Allegory is the representation of one thing by another. Parables, fables, and riddles, are alle- gories. A Hyperbole is an exaggeration; thus, "as quick as lightning." 7 74 APPENUIX. Personification is the attributing of life to in» animate objects ; as, " the angry ocean,'' " raging storm." Apostrophe is an address to an absent person, as if present, or to an inanimate object, as if living ; as, "O my son Absalom," &c., "Listen, ye mountains, to my song." A Simile is a resemblance between two objects, expressed in form ; as, " A troubled conscience is like the ocean, when ruffled by a storm." Antithesis is the opposite of comparison ; or it is one idea opposite to another ; as, " Vice is de- testable, but virtue is amiable.'' Climax is the regular ascent of a subject, to the highest degree : as, " Man is noble in reason, in- finite in faculties, in form and motion expressive and admirable, in action like an angel, in appre- hension like a God ! " STYLE. Perspicuity, or Clearness, is the first requisite of style. Unintelligble language fails of its pur- pose. 1. Prefer words of Saxon origin. 2. Avoid vulgarisms, superfluities, and technical terms. Energy is next in importance. 1. Choice of words. Prefer specific to general expressions. The impression produced on the mind by a simple or singular term, is like a distinct view taken in by the eye. The more general the terms, the fainter APPENDIX. 75 is the picture ; the more particular or specific, the brighter. Illustrations. — Specific — "Consider the lilies, how they grow ; they toil not, they spin not, and yet I say unto you, that ^Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which to-day is in the field, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you ? " General. — " Consider the flowers, how they grad- ually increase in size ; they perform no labour, and yet I declare unto you, that not any king is, in his splendid attire, equal to them. If then God in his providence doth so adorn the vegetable productions, which continue but a little time on the land, and are afterwards put into the fire, how much more will he provide clothing for you?" How spiritless is the same sentiment rendered by these small variations ! " Thence up lie flew, and on the tree of life Sat like a cormorant. Milton. If for cormorant he had said, bird of prey ^ which would have equally suited both the meaning and the measure, the image would still have been good, but weaker than it is by this generalization. 2. Metaphor is more energetic in most kinds of composition, to Comparison. Illustration. — Metaphor — " Cromwell tram,' pled on the laws." Comparison. — " Cromwell treated the laws with 76 APPENDIX. the same contempt as man does, who tramples any thing under his feet." Note. — Comparison is one powerful means of heightening any emotion, if we represent the present case as stronger than the one it is compared with. If comparisons are raised to a climax, the effect is much stronger than the mere presentation of the most striking object at once. The traveller who ascends the Alps, or other stupendous mountains, forms a very inadequate notion of the vastness of the greater ones, till he ascends some of the less elevat- ed, (which yet are huge mountains,) and thence views the others towering above him. And the mind, no less than the eye, cannot so well take in and do justice to any vast object at a single glance, as by several successive approaches and comparisons , as in Ci- cero's oration against Verres : " It is an outrage to bir.d a Roman citizen ; to scourge him, an atrocious crime ; to put him to death, is almost parricide ; but to crucify him — what shall I call it ? " Also, in his oration for Milo — "An assassin was placed in the Fo- rum, and in the very porch of the Senate-house, with a design to murder the man on whose life depended the safety ofnhe state, and at so critical a juncture of the republic, that if he had fallen, not this city alone, but all nations must have fallen with him." 3. Number. — The more briefly a sentiment is ex- pressed the greater is the energy. Illustration. — The smaller the spot upon which the rays of the sun are collected into a focus, com- pared with the surface of the glass, the greater is the splendour ; so in exhibiting our sentiments by speech, the narrower the compass of words, wherein the thoughts are comprised, the more energetic is the expression. The sentiment, by a multiplicity of words, is like David in Saul's armour, encumbered and oppressed. A paraphrase is generally like the torpedo, that has the quality of numbing every thing it touches. By its influence, the most vivid sentiments become APPENDIX. 77 lifeless, the most sublime are flattened, the most fervid chilled, the most vigorous enervated. In the very best compositions of this kind, that can be expected, the Gospel may be compared to a rich wine of a high flavour, diluted in such a quantity of water, as renders it extremely vapid. This would be the case, if the paraphrase took no tincture from the opinion of the writer, but exhibited faithfully. Most of the paraphrases on the Gospel may be compared to such wine, so adulterated with a liquor of opposite quality, that little of its original relish and properties, can be discovered. Accordingly in one paraphrase, Jesus Christ is delineated a bi- goted Papist ; in another, a flaming Protestant ; in one he is made to argue with all the sophistry of the Jesuit ; in a second he disclaims with all the fanaticism of the Jansenist ; in a third we trace the metaphysical ratiocinations of Arminius ; in a fourth the bold conclusions of Gomarus ; and in each we hear the lano-uage of a man, who has thor- oughly imbibed the system of one or other of our Christian Rabbis. How different is his own glorious character and dialect, from them all ! His language is not, like that of all dogmatists, the language of a bastard philosophy, that has corrupted religion, and in less or more tinged all the parties, into which Christendom is divided. His language is not so much of the head, as of the heart. His dis- courses abound in sentiments, rather than opinions. In a concise style, take care that it be not crotcded. 78 APPENDIX. It should be suggestive, that is, without mentioning every particular, but such as shall put the reader's mind into the same train of thought as the writer's, and suggest to him more than is actually expressed. Such a style may be compared to a good map, which marks distinctly the great outlines, setting down the principal rivers, towns, mountains, &c. leaving the imagination to supply the villages, hillocks, and streamlets ; which, if they were all inserted in their due proportion, would crowd the map, though after all they could not be discerned without a microscope. 4. Arrangement is very important to energy. Illustration. — " Great is Diana of the Ephe- sians," is far superior to the French translation, " Diana of the Ephesians is a great Goddess, or Beausolxe's," " the great Diana of the Ephesians," or Saci's, *' live great Diana of the Ephesians." " Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," is much more energetic than " he that cometh in the name of the Lord, is blessed." Also, " Fallen, fallen, is Babylon, that great city," than " Babylon is fallen, fallen." And, " silver and gold have I nowe," than, " silver and gold are not in my possession." " Not every one, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven," vary but the position of the negative in the sen- tence, and say, " Every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven," and you will flatten the expression ex- APPENDIX. 79 ceedingly. We have some admirable examples of the power of this circumstance from Shakspeare. In the conference of Malcolm with Macduff, after the former had asserted that he himself was so wicked, that even Macbeth compared with him, would appear innocent as a lamb, Macduff replies with some warmth : Not in the legions Of horrid hell, can come a devil more damn'd In ills to top Macbeth. The arrangement in this sentence is well adapted to the speaker's purpose, but if you dispose the words in the usual manner, and say, " A more damned devil in the legions of horrid hell, cannot come to top Macbeth in ills," we shall scarcely be persuaded that the thoughts are the same. Purity in the English language implies, that the words be English, their construction in the Eng- lish idiom, and the words and phrases expressed with precision. Violations of purity. — Firsts Barbarism is in- curred in three different ways, by the use of obsolete words, new words, and by the use of good words, new modelled. Examples of obsolete words : hight, cleped, unearth, erst, whilom, behest, fantasy, tribulation, erewhile, whereas, peradventure, selfsame, anon, &;c. New words. — There is some excuse for borrow- ing the assistance of neighbours, when it is really wanted, but there is certainly a meanness in choos- 80 APPENDIX. ing to be indebted to others, for what we can easily be suppHed with out of our own stock. Are not pleasure and sally as expressive as volupty and sorties ? Wherein is the expression last resort, inferior to dernier resort, liberal arts to beaux arts, and polite literature to belle lettres 1 Use of good words, new modelled — That is, new formations from primitives in present use ; as in- cumberment, portic, martyrized, eucharisity, connexi- ty, Jictious, instead of encumberance, portico, mar- tyred, eucharist, connexion, fictitious. Second, — Solecism, or an offence against syntax ; as, " Each of the sexes," says Addison, " should keep within its particular bounds, and content themselves to exult within their respective districts.'' Themselves and their cannot grammatically refer to each, singular. Besides the trespass here is the more glaring, that these pronouns are coupled with its, referring to the same noun. Impropriety. — Barbarism is an offence against etymology, solecism against syntax, and improprie- ty against lexicography. Human and humane are sometimes confounded, though the only authorized sense of the former is belonging to man, of the lat- ter, hind and compassionate. Humanly is improperly put for humanely, in these lines of Pope : Tho' learn'd, well-bred ; and tho' well-bred, sincere • Modestly bold, and hiimanly severe. APPENDIX. 81 By an error of the same kind, ceremonious and ceremonial are sometimes used promiscuously, Tiiey come from the same noun ceremony^ which signifies both a religious rite and form of civility. The epithet expressive of the first signification is ceremonial, of the second ceremonious. Everlasting is sometimes used to denote time without beginning, when its only proper meaning is without end ; hence instead of the expression, '*From everlasting to everlasting thou art God," it should be, " From eternity to eternity thou art God," Improper phrases. — Swift remarks, '' I had like to have gotten one or two broken heads." How many heads had he ? So the pure limpid stream, when foul with stains Of rushing torrents and descending rains. — Addison. How with propriety or truth can we say, a stream is pure limpid, when it is foul with stains 7 Tautology. — The dawn is overcast ; — the morning lours ; And heavily in clouds brings on the day. — Addison. Here the same thought is expressed thrice in differ- ent words. Superfluity. — " They returned hack again to the same city, from whence they came forth,^^ in- stead of, " They returned to the city, whence they came." The five words, hach, again, same, from and forth, are mere expletives, and incumbrances. Unity is very important ; i. e., a connection of the several parts with some leading design of the 82 APPENDIX. sentence. There should be but one proposition ex- pressed ; if it consists of parts, they must be so in- timately connected as to make the impression of but one object on the mind ; for this purpose, take