THE YOUNG GENTLEMAN AND LADY's MONITOR, AND ENGLISH TEACHER'S ASSISTANT: BEING A COLLECTION OF SELECT PIECES FROM OUR BEST MODERN WRITERS: Calculated to eradicate vulgar Prejudices and Rusticity of Particularly adapted for the Ufe of our eminent Schools and Acad- DIVIDED INTO Small Portions for the Ease of Reading in Classes. · BY J. HAMILTON MOORE, AS the defign of Learning is to render perfons agreeable companion's to themfelves, and useful members of fociety; to fupport folitude with pleasure, and to pass through promiscuous temptations with prudence; 'tis prefumed this compilation will not be unacceptable; being compofed of pieces felected from the most celebrated moral writers in the English language, equally calculated to promote the principle of religion, and to render youth vigilant in difcharging the focial and relative duties in the feveral flations of life; by inftilling into their minds fuch maxims of virtue and good breeding, as tend to eradicate local prejudices and rufticity of manners ; and at the fame time, babituate them to an elegant manner of expreffing themselves either in Writing or Speaking. And as the firft impreffion made on the minds of youth is the most lafting, great care fould be taken to furnish them with fuch feeds of reafon and philofopby, as may rectify and fweeten every part of their future lives; by marking out a proper behavior both with respect to themselves and others, and exbibiting every virtue to their view which claims their attention, and every vice which they ought to avoid. Inflead of this, we generally fee youth fuffered to read romances, which imprefs on their minds fuch notions of Fairies, Goblins, c. that exift only in the imagination, and being frongly imbibed, take much time to eradicate, and very often baffle all the power of philofophy. If books abounding with moral inftructions, conveyed in a proper manner, were given in their fead, the frequent reading of them would implant in their minds fuch ideas and fentiments, as would enable them to guard against these prejudices fo frequently met with amongst the ignorant. Nor is it poffible that any person can speak or write with elegance and prepriety, who has not been taught to read well, and in fush books where the fentiments are juft and the language pure. An infipid flatness and languor is almost the universal fault in reading ; often uttering their words fe faint and feeble, that they appear neither to feel or understand what they read, nor have any defire it should be underflood or felt by others. In order to acquire a forcible manner of pronouncing words, let the pupils inure themselves, while reading, to draw in as much air as their lungs can contain with ease, and to expel it with vehemence in uttering those founds which require an emphatical pronunciation, and to read aloud with all the exertion they can command; let all the confonant founds be expressed with a full impulse of the breath, and a forcible action of the organs employed in forming them; and all the vowel founds have a full and bold utterance. Thefe reafons, and to inspire youth with noble sentiments, juß expreffion, to eafe the teacher, and to render a book cheap and convenient for fchools, as well as private perfons who have neither time nor opportunity to perufe the works of thofe celebrated authors from whence this collection is made, was the cause of the following compilation. And as fpeeches in both houses of parliament, pleadings at the bar, infirustions in the pulpit, and commercial correspondence, are delivered and carried on in the English language: the clothing our thoughts with proper expressions, and conveying our ideas, either in writing or speaking, agreeably, cannot fail of making an impreffion upon the bearer or reader. For, a man's know edge is of little ufe to the world, when he is not able to convey it properly to others, which is the cafe of many who are endowed with excellent parts, but are uber efraid or afbamed of writing, or speaking in public, being confcious of their own deficiency of expreffing themselves in proper terms, In order to remedy thefe defels, and to cafe the teacher, I would advife, that feveral young gentlemen read in a clafs, each a fentence in this book, (it being divided into small portions for that purpose) as often as convenient : and let him who reads beft be advanced to the bead, or have some pecuniary reward; and every inferior one according to his merit: this will create emulation among them, and facilitate their improvement much more than threats or corrections, which flupifies and intimidates them, and often ends in contempt of their teachers, and learning in general. This will draw forth thofe latent abilities, which otherwife might lie dormant for ever, It may not be improper for the teacher, or fome good reader, to read a fen tence or two firft, that the learners may gain the proper emphasis, and read without that monotony so painful to a good ear: for they will improve more by imitating a good reader, than any rules that can be laid down to them. When they come to read gracefully, let them ftand up in the school and read aloud, in order to take off that bafefulness generally attending those who are called upon either to read or Speak in public. The next thing I would recommend, is the English Grammar, (the best I know of is Buchanan's syntax) the knowledge of which is abfolutely neceffary, as it is the folid foundation upon which all other science refs. After they Lave run over the rules of fyntax, the teacher may dictate to them one or more fentences in falfe English, which they may correct by their grammar rules, and alfo find out the various fignifications of each word in the dictionary; by which means they will foon acquire a copious vocabulary, and become acquainted not with words only, but with things themselves. Let them get those fentences by beart to speak extempore; which will, in fome measure, be delivering their own compofitions, and may be repeated as often as convenient. This will foon give the young gentlemen an idea of the force, elegance, and beauty of the Englife Language. The next thing I would gladly recommend, is that of letter-writing, a branch of education, which feems to me of the utmost utility, and in which mafi of our youth are deficient at their leaving School; being fuffered to form their orun ftyle by chance, or imitate the first wretched model that falls in their way, bfore they know what is faulty, or can relife the beauties of a juft fimplicity. For their improvement in this particular, the teacher may cause every young gentleman to have a flate or paper before him, on Saturdays, and then dictate a letter to them, either of his own compofition, or taken out of feme book, and turn it into falfe English, to exercise them in the grammar rules, if he thinks proper, which they foould all write down, and then correct and tranferibe it fairly in their books. After the young gentlemen have been accustomed to this fome time, a supposed correfpondence may be fixt between every two of them, and write to one another under the infpection of the teacher, who may correct and how their faults when he fees occafion; by fuch a method he will foon find them improve in epiftolary writing. The fame may be observed with regard to young ladies, who are very often deficient, not only in orthography, but every other part of grammar. If fomething fimilar to this method be pursued, it will foon reflect honor on the teacher, give the highest fatisfaction to judicious parents, and entail upon the fcholar a pleafing and lasting advantage. THE EDITOR THE YOUNG GENTLEMAN AND LADY's MONITOR. Pursuit of Knowledge recommended to Youth. AM very much concerned when I see young gentlemen of fortune and quality so wholly set upon pleasure and diversions, that they neglect all those improvements in wisdom and knowledge which may make them easy to themselves and useful to the world. The greatest part of our British youth lose their figure, and grow out of fashion, by that time they are five and twenty. 2. As soon as the natural gaiety and amiableness of the young man wears off, they have nothing left to recommend them, but lie by the rest of their lives, among the lumber and refuse of the species. It sometimes happens, indeed, that for want of apply. ing themselves in due time to the pursuits of knowledge, they take up a book in their declining years, and grow very hopeful scholars by that time they are threescore. I must therefore earnestly press my readers who are in the flower of their youth, to labor at those accomplishments which may set off their persons when their bloom is gone, and to lay in timely provisions for manhood and old age. In short, I would advise the youth of fifteen to be dressing up every day the man of fifty; or to consider how to make himself venerable at threescore. |