-not seeming to talk, save when one to-morrow old kirkyard, and the graves of the dead therein are as the waves of the sea. In a place apart lies the wooden bier, with handspokes, on which they carry the cold men and women hither; and by its side, a sight indeed to dim the eyes, is another smaller bier, smaller and lighter, used for little children. Well, there is not such a long way between parents and offspring; in all probability before they get over to the old here are children too, silly in the fishing ground the herring have disap-worldly matters, loving, sensitive, credpeared. ulous of strange tales. They are coming hither, faster and faster; bier after bier, shadow after shadow. It is the Saxon's day now, the day of progress, the day of civilization, the day of shops; but high as may be your respect for the commercial glory of the nation, stand for a moment in imagination among these graves, and join me in a prayer for the poor Celts, whom they are carrying, here and in a thousand other kirkyards, to the rest that is without knowledge, and the sleep that is without dream. Yet they can work, too, and with a will, when they are fairly set on to work. They can't speculate, they can't search for profit; the shrewd man outwits them at every turn. They keep poor but keeping poor, they keep good. Their worst fault is their dreaminess; but surely, as there is light in heaven, if there be blame here, God is to blame here, who gave them dreamy souls! For our part, keep us from the man who could be born in Canna, live on and on with that ocean murmur around him, and elude dreaminess and a melancholy like theirs! 66 DOLLS. From The Spectator. "Bah! "eries a good soul from a city, "they are lazy, like the Irish, like Jamaica niggers; they are behind the age- let them die!" You are quite right, my good WE have sometimes wondered that more soul, and if it will be any comfort to you has not been written about Dolls, who are to hear it, they, and such as they, are dy-surely very important members of the faming fast. They can't keep up with you; you are too clever, too great. You, we have no doubt, could live at Canna, and establish a manufactory for getting the sea turned into salt for export. You wouldn't dream, not you! Ere long these poor Highlanders will die out, and with them will die out gentleness, hospitality, charity, and a few other lazy habits of the race. ily. For they are nothing less than the children of the children, of the mothers of the future, who rehearse with them the delights and cares of after years. There is no play, not even the business-like plays of manhood, that is more serious. To careless older persons, even to some children, it seems a peculiarly senseless amusement; it really is a miniature life, earnest and In a pensive mood, with a prayer on our even anxious to a degree which is sometimes lips for the future of a noble race destined alarming. "There never," writes a friend, to perish, we wander across the island till" was a more sobered, care-crazed mother we come to the little graveyard where the people of Canna go to sleep. It is a desolate spot, with a distant view of the Western Ocean. A rude stone wall, with a clumsy gate, surrounds a small square, so wild, so like the stone-covered hillside all round, that we should not guess its use without being guided by the fine stone mausoleum in the midst. That is the last home of the Lairds of Canna and their kin; it is quite modern and respectable. Around, covered knee-deep with grass, are the graves of the islanders, with no other memorial stones than simple pieces of rock, large and small, brought from the sea-shore and placed as footstones and headstones. Rugged as water tossing in the wind is the than I, from a mere baby-child up to the lamentably advanced age of sixteen." The relation between such girls and their dolls, girls to whom they are not playthings but children, is worth study, full as it is of psychological and moral interest, and affording sure tests and prognostics of character. Few things are more curious than to see how the little creatures, sometimes before they are able to articulate, pitch upon some object which is to satisfy the maternal instinct in them. The strangest object it often is. Like savages when they worship, they are content with the rudest imitation of the human figure. One young lady of our acquaintance, then not two years old, set her affections on a stone seltzer-water bottle, which she wrapped in flannel, and staggered about with, to the alarm of her mother, who was in constant fear for the little one's toes. Another has adopted a hot-water can, on which she bestows a passionate affection, and with which she holds endless dialogue. These objects, of course, are exchanged, as time goes on, for others which better satisfy newly developed tastes and feelings. A girl of six will generally not be satisfied except her baby bears some resemblance to her mother's. Helped by this concession to reality, the imagination knows no bound in its inventions. But it is checked, on the other hand, by too studied an imitation of life. The splendid, elaborately dressed creature of wax is never really loved. Its tameness chills the fancy. It is imposed upon the affections, not created by them. And too large a doll is seldom much liked.. Of course there are exceptions; but a small doll, not too handis generally the favourite. With these darlings about them, some girls, like actors, who are said to look upon the world as a show and upon the stage as a world, live a life which is more real to them than is their daily existence. some, a sad night closed a day of penitence. After being punished, I could conceive no consolation equal to taking my child to bed with me. When I drew her shivering from her miserable hiding-place, I would burst into tears and cover her with kisses. When we were alone in the garden we held endless dialogues. I scolded her a little, but I never punished her. To send her early to bed, to feed her with dry bread, or, worse still, to strike her little tender body, seemed to me too cruel; it would have been punishment to myself to do it. When I was in trouble I never told her of it, but I could think of none but the saddest tales with which to warn her, as how a little girl had been lost who had wandered out into the woods, far, far away. At night search was made with lanterns, and shouts were heard; but the disobedient child was lost forever." Her love was not lessened, but it was troubled by the uncouth appearance of her child, which she was continually endeavouring to improve. But she found in it at least one consolation. Disturbed about her own looks, which did not promise well, she could compare herself with her dolly. "Here I was certainly Madame Michelet, in her charming book the handsomer of the two; and, although I the Story of my Childhood, which was loved her, I was not sorry to be prettier lately noticed in this journal, has some in-than my daughter. Many mothers are teresting chapters about her dolls. Every-equally to blame." For her other experithing in her circumstances favoured the de-ences with her first child, and for the story velopment of the taste, or, to speak more of the handsomer Margarido, a young lady correctly, the passion. An imaginative who had the advantage of being born in a child, thrown much upon herself, neglected fashionable shop, and who in course of time by her mother, who bestowed all the affec-engrossed the young mother's affections, tion she had to spare for her daughters upon the reader must be referred to Madame an elder sister, she was driven and found it Michelet's book, with which, indeed, he will easy to create a world of love for herself.be glad for many reasons to have made Her first doll she had to make. Wood was acquaintance. too hard. Clay was too cold. Linen and bran were the materials chosen. "I was like the savages," she says, "who desire a little god to worship. It must have a head with eyes, and with ears to listen; and it must have a breast to hold its heart. All the rest is less important, and remains undefined." How she worked on this model; how she breathed on what she made in the hope that it might live, remembering how the breath of God had given life to Adam; what a troubled, anxious life she and her daughter led, but what endless joy and solace she found in her society, she tells with wonderful grace and truthfulness. "I was obliged to hide her in a dark corner of a shed, where the waggons and carriages were kept. It was winter-time, and our meetings were precarious and rare. There were some occasions when I had an absolute need to have her near me, as when 66 There is nothing remarkable in these experiences beyond the grace and skill with which the writer has given expression to them. They may be matched in households without end; our own limited inquiries have given us an embarrassing choice of materials. Of these phenomena the first and chief cause is obviously the motherinstinct. Hence the satisfaction of the very young child, whose faculties of observation and comparison are as yet feeble, with the rudest effigies of the human form, and hence the partiality,—a touching suggestion of a familiar fact in real life, -on the part of older children for the weakest and leastfavoured of the doll family. Sometimes other feelings, the sense of beauty, for instance, in an unusually early development, comes into conflict with this instinct. So it is with one young lady of our acquaintance. She, being then two years old, had placed ness. 66 hood a passion for books at least equal to her passion for dolls. "I once cried myself nearly ill because my brothers had to perform a surgical operation on my doll. its winking machine would not go, and to her dolls in a row, and among them one, dragged the dolls shoeless on the ground, Miss Betsy by name, of preternatural ugli- in the hope I might but once before I died She was seen, as she held a spoon with have to darn baby's' socks." How genuine food to the mouths of each of her family in and thorough the illusion was in this case turn, to administer a slap on the face to her may be judged from a little trait which ill-favoured daughter. A short time, how- every mother will appreciate. "I never ever, wrought a marvellous change. About woke in the night without getting up to a year after this event she had placed her turn my dolls in their beds.' But even so little family, after their Saturday wash, to lively an imagination as this did not disdain warm before the fire. One who had a deli- assistance from without. There was a siscate india-rubber constitution_shrivelled be- ter very clever at imitating sounds. fore the blaze. Returning to them, she When, at my own request, she would imicaught sight of the horrible face of her once tate for me a sick or sullering fretting baby, comely child. With a shrick of grief and I declare I felt my heart ache, and felt aged terror, she ran to her mother, crying, and worn with care as I lulled my Freddy' "Take it; don't let me see it again; oh, or Selina' on my lap." We cannot remy poor Mary!" But in the midst of her frain from giving one more extract from the agony she remembered the others, and letter of our friend, who, we ought, permastering her horror of their possible con-haps, to tell our readers has had from babydition, ran off to their rescue, and happily found them unhurt. The injured Mary was sent to the hospital and cured; that is, a fac-simile was with infinite difficulty procured. Happily it had a little scar on its neck, which passed as the remains of hospital blindness or permanent leer and hopetal treatment and cure. Another epoch in the child's moral growth was marked by a catastrophe which happened to a later favourite. "Katie had her cheek torn open by the mischievous fingers of a baby brother. Too old now to be imposed upon by offers of hospital cure, the child wept inconsolably for days. Alarmned at the violence of her grief, her mother attempted consolation. She should have a new doll, the image of that which she had lost. With a reproachful glance, the child said, still weeping bitterly, "Oh, it will never be my own, own Katie!" 66 And," writes the mother, "I felt positively ashamed of myself at having suggested such a thing; I saw that Katie was dead to the child, and that I had wronged the child as much as if, instead of burying some woman's dead child and weeping with her over it, I had offered to buy or borrow another baby in its place." An observer of course asks, how can an affection so passionate contrive to maintain itself, in spite of the utter passivity of the objects on which it is bestowed? Doubtless this is the crux. Where the imagination of the child is less active it is overpowered by the difficulty. In the genuine lover of dolls it is vigorous enough entirely to overcome it." I was never désillusionnée," writes the friend whom we have quoted before, because my dolls did not eat. 66 I had a wash of my doll's clothes every week, and thanked Heaven that they did get really dirty. If they would only have worn out as well, everything would have been perfect. I rubbed the tiny socks very hard and less squint were threatened. I would not fact of a dog once taking so desperate a fancy | ter. But that is precisely the strongest to a large wax doll, that she abandoned her proof of our need. The imitative faculty, puppies, and they were nearly starved to as exercised in the learning of one's own death, because, in spite of all beatings and chasings, she would take every opportunity of stealing up to the room where her favourite was, and lying down to sleep by its side. I hope this won't degrade my love of dolls in your eyes; but I feel a little uneasy about it." From The London Review. English" shows how much garbage may be picked from streams which have hitherto been regarded as comparatively pure. Taking the edition of Lindley Murray's Grammar (1816), which received the author's latest touches, and which is described on the title-page as "corrected," Mr. Moon proves, by the selection of numerous examples of bad English, that even that edition stands itself in need of extensive correction. tongue, is too apt to be content with whatever is first presented for imitation, however imperfect it may be as a vehicle of thought or feeling. Happily, a change is coming slowly over the spirit of our grammatical dreams. With the spread of Liberal ideas, the desire for a purer English is being also more widely diffused; and there has gone forth a deeply-uttered demand that every British child shall not only be taught the greatest of living languages, but shall be taught it in its utmost purity. Men like A PROFESSED grammarian is not necessa- Mr. Moon, in acting as literary police, or rily a good writer, any more than a pro- as grammatical scavengers, exercise a usefessed moralist is necessarily a good man. ful function in helping to keep undefiled the A man who is the one may possibly be the pure well of English; and in the little volother as well; but, as the two are not iden-ume before us the critic of "The Dean's tical, they are not inseparable. There is the same difference between them that there is between knowing and doing. Having already, in his book on "The Dean's English," proved the truth of this position, Mr. Washington Moon has again thrown a flood of light upon the same subject, in exposing the "bad English " of no less a grammarian than Lindley Murray, besides exhibiting for the edification of students the vicious grammar of two American writers on the Eng-As a literary phenomenon, the mere fact of lish language. Will Mr. Moon take it as false grammar is so common that it has an offence if we confess that in reading his ceased to be remarkable. But it certainly present volume we had feelings which might is remarkable when it is found in a book have been produced by seeing a strong man which professes to teach the art of speaking slaughtering flies with a razor? Of course, and writing the English language correctly. such feelings are slightly foolish, for as flies That Tom, Dick, and Harry should mangle are a nuisance, worthy only of abolition, their mother tongue, is a thing to be exthe minutest blunders in grammar are equal-pected from gentlemen who are above gramly offensive, and deserve no quarter from mar; but it is impossible for fathers and any lover of a pure style. We therefore mothers to be satisfied when they find the accept Mr. Moon's criticisms, microscopical national grammarian following the example though they sometimes seem to be, as a new of Harry, Dick, and Tom. Yet Lindley series of lessons on the grammatical minutiæ of the Queen's English. Presuming that a man's native language is, of all others, of most importance to him, we may fairly conclude that, to an Englishman, the study of English is more imperative than the study of any other language, living or dead. Hitherto, however, it has almost appeared as if the mere fact of English being the language of the British isles, warranted the deliberate neglect of it as a daily study. We have too long imagined that, because we are born muttering what is nothing but a nebulous imitation of English, we have, therefore, no need of the schoolmas* The Bad English of Lindley Murray and Other Writers on the English Language. A Series of Criticisms. By G. Washington Moon, F.R.S.L., author of "The Dean's English." London: Hatchard & Co. Murray offends against the correct use of every part of speech, as a few examples will show. For instance, when two nominatives, different in number, occur in a sentence, it is not allowable to suppress one of the corresponding verbs; because, in that case, a piece of false grammar would be the result. Thus, when Lindley Murray says, "Many sentences are miserably mangled, and the force of the emphasis totally lost,” he clearly leads us to believe that the second verb is the same in number as the first, which would make the sentence read "Many sentences are miserably mangled, and the force of the emphasis [are] totally lost; whereas, the latter part of the sentence should have been, "and the force of the emphasis is totally lost." In part of another sentence, he expressly employs a wrong 66 verb when he says, "Yet their general which are therefore the most proper to be scope and tendency, having never been committed to memory, are printed with a clearly apprehended, is [are] not remem- larger type." Besides the "and which" bered at all." Although Murray is per- error, this sentence contains another misfectly acquainted with the law which de- take in the fact that the relative adverb termines the position of an adverb in a sen- "therefore" has no antecedent_grammatitence, yet in practice he violates it repeat- cally connected with it. Mr. Moon thus edly. Thus, "A term which only implies amends the sentence, "The rules, defithe idea of persons," is corrected by Mr. nitions, and observations which are the more Moon into "A term which implies the idea important, and which are therefore the most of persons only." Some readers may think proper to be committed to memory, are that such a correction is more finical than printed in larger type." A worse instance valuable; but as it is an improvement, it is than the foregoing of the "and which a distinct gain, however slight. The ad- error occurs in Murray's Grammar, and is, verb "both" is misplaced by Murray in of course, thoroughly exposed by Mr. Moon, this sentence: "The perfect tense and the who shows also that the famous English imperfect tense both denote a thing that is grammarian frequently misuses even the past." Of course, as the adverb was meant articles. "The importance of obtaining, to apply, not to the verb "denote," but to in early life, a clear, distinct, and accurate the perfect and imperfect tenses, the sen- knowledge," is equal to saying "a clear, [a] tence should have been, "Both the perfect distinct, and [a] accurate knowledge." He tense and the imperfect tense denote a thing speaks also of an oration or discourse," that is past." Again, Murray says, "We which is just saying an oration or [an] shall consider each of these three objects in discourse." In another sentence, Murray versification, both with respect to the feet says, "It is difficult, in some cases, to disand the pauses ; " and Mr. Moon, correct- tinguish between an interrogative and exing him, puts the sentence thus- "We clamatory sentence," of which Mr. Moon shall consider each of these three objects in gives the following emendation," It is versification, with respect both to the feet difficult to discriminate between an interroand to the pauses." Such errors occur fre- gatory and an exclamatory sentence," addquently in Murray's Grammar. Superlative ing in explanation, that "we distinguish adverbs, such as totally," supremely," one thing from another, but we discriminate "absolutely," and "universally," are often between two or more things." Again, the misused in being qualified by words imply-grammarian speaks of "explaining the dising comparison, such as So, more," or tinction between the powers of sense and "most." But there are no degrees of su- imagination,” upon which Mr. Moon makes perlativeness; so that if we say regarding the comment, We make a distinction, anything, that it is more universal or so to- but it is a difference which we explain." So tally, our expression, as Mr. Moon remarks, much for Lindley Murray. To say now "amounts to the absurdity of saying that that he is not the man we took him for bea whole may be either less or more than it- fore reading these criticisms, would hardly self! Yet Lindley Murray, in spite of be correct, for we have never believed in his own knowledge, speaks of certain ob- his infallibility as a grammarian. He has jects as being so totally unknown." With many merits, no doubt, but intuitive preother grammarians, Murray lays down the cision as a writer of English is not one of rule that Pronouns must always agree them; and therefore it is that, as Mr. Moon with their antecedents, and the nouns for remarks, almost every kind of fault in which they stand, in gender and number;" composition may be found in Lindley Muryet in speaking about the separation of a ray's own writings," though the critic adds subject into paragraphs, he unhesitatingly that "he is not more incorrect in his lanviolates his own rule when he says, "and guage than ninety-nine men out of every each of these, when of great length, will hundred. He knew what was right; but again require subdivision at their most dis- his practice was strongly at variance with tinctive parts." The "and which" error, precepts." that is, employing the words " and which" in a sentence that does not contain, in the previous part of it, the word “ which," either expressed or understood, is one often committed by young writers. But Lindley Murray himself falls into the mistake in the following sentence: "The more important rules, definitions, and observations, and 66 99 66 9966 his 66 The second and third parts of Mr. Moon's volume consist of criticisms contributed to the New York Round Table, the former series on the "Essays" of the Hon. George P. Marsh, and the latter on Edward S. Gould's " "Good English." Mr. Marsh's Essays, which were published, under the title of "Notes on the New Edition of |