stant when it was first brought into view, or when to understand it, was absolutely essential to the comprehending of that which followed-making it at the same time the duty of each individual, to reduce the principle to practice, while the explanation was fresh in his recollection, and not to cease the exercise for a single moment, till theory and practice were quite familiar; nor then, but to pass through the same routine with the next essential point, and so on to the end.

Upon this plan the theory and writing are made to contribute very essentially to the confirmation, each of the other; and improvement, if not checked by untoward circumstances, would continue in an increased ratio, indicated by the gradual expansion of the opening faculties, aided and assisted by the stock of knowledge and experience previously acquired. And if the same, or a similar method were adopted in teaching other branches of useful knowledge, it is believed, that the sphere of human intellect, like the spreading undulations produced by the agitation of an unruffled water, would be constantly enlarged, by the developement and expansion of various faculties, till the whole circle of the arts and sciences should be fully explored, and yield up their respective treasures, to swell and enrich the present almost unfathomable ocean of mind.

For sufficient reasons, these results have never been fully realized. First. Because very few appear to have reflected soundly upon the subject, and of that few, a very small number have turned their attention to teaching. Second. There are but few whose circumstances, even if favoured at times with the best instruction,

would admit of their enjoying to the full extent, the benefits of such a system, owing to the ignorance, prejudice, and habits, of those by whom surrounded, during the remainder of their time.

The most then that can be anticipated at present, is, a very humble and gradual approximation to this ne plus ultra, at which I have hastily glanced. Begging to be excused for this digression, I will return to the subject, and suppose myself surrounded by a class of 50 individuals, all ignorant of short-hand, with the exception of the little information which they may have acquired in the course of thirty minutes, from my personal explanation of the Stenographic tree, and a general outline of my theory.

Before proceeding to dictate to the class at large, for the purpose of their writing, I usually enjoin it on every member, to give the most rigid attention, and to abide by my instruction to the very letter. This is absolutely necessary, that all may proceed as one individual, without confusion or waste of time. It must be at the same time well understood by all, that the negligence or caprice of individuals, will not be permitted to encroach upon the rights and privileges of the many-if a word or letter be lost to an individual, no matter by what means, let him not charge it upon others, by interrupting the teacher, or the class, of which he is but the 50th part; rather let him suffer the loss, and redouble his energies to make it up in future. This may appear trivial, but the amount of time wasted in schools, by dozens and hundreds looking, and listening, to that which appertains to particular individuals only, and not

themselves is inconceivable, and the error deserves, correction. If this injunction be strictly adhered to, 50, or 500 persons may be taught, as easily as one.

My method is this; each individual with pen in hand, is requested to open the Stenographic system, at plate 2, facing the 10th page. A single stenographic letter is then pointed out, either upon a chart, a black board, or the wall; and the class are reminded of its relative place in the diagram, the limb to which it belongs in the tree, the manner of making it, and the class in which it will be found in plate 2, then open, before all the members of the class. They cast their eyes at once to the figure, and there learn its true size and proportions, which they are to imitate, as nearly as possible. Suppose the letter s. When all are prepared, the word is given-write s; and the whole class commence writing the Stenographic character across their paper, from left to right, as fast as they can, till their attention is called to another, though during the time, some may have written it but 10 times, while others have written it 50.

The same preliminary explanation is given, and the same course pursued with regard to every letter of the alphabet; thus giving to every individual a full opportunity to exert his best energies of body and mind, to render the whole familiar in the least time possible. During this exercise of thirty minutes, notwithstanding the time necessarily appropriated to explanations, and in turning the eye from the chart, or black board, to the alphabet in the book, and then to the paper, the twenty characters of the alphabet, will, on an average,

have been written by all the members of the class, from twenty to thirty times each. And many instances have been known, of individuals having, in this short time, completely learned the alphabet, so as to make any character at pleasure, without referring to the book; this must have resulted in a great degree, from the circumstance of their having received at first, correct mathematical ideas of the relation in which the several characters stand, as it regards the line and circle, diagram, tree, &c.

It may here be worth the remark, that a blind man, having a just conception of the circle and its parts, though totally ignorant of the short-hand characters, might, by verbal explanation, be made to comprehend distinctly, in his own mind, the true formation of every mark used in this system. But if he had never seen the common running-hand alphabet, all the words of the English language could never give him a just conception of a capital S, B, D, R, or any other letter in the twenty-six, any more than he could be furnished with just conceptions of the rainbow, having never seen it. There are then, certain data, or landmarks in this system, which go far in aiding the mind and memory, to acquire and retain the theory and practice; for there is not a letter in the system, which a child cannot make tolerably correct, on his first attempt; though in common writing, he may make a thousand trials upon the letter s, without approaching very nearly to the copy which he strives to imitate. This is, because the formation of the character is complex, and cannot be clearly defined by language, geometry or any

other means, nor correctly formed with the pen, without considerable practice.

Here, at the end of the first hour, for the double purpose of giving relief to the class, and at the same time, to improve each moment as it flies, a brief summary of the rules for spelling, writing, and so forth, is very appropriate, viz: That all words are to be spelled according to their sound; that the words seen on plate 2, are represented in short-hand, by the Stenographic letters at their left; that all other words are spelled in the short way, and written with the letters of the shorthand alphabet joined to each other; omitting all vowels in the middle of words, and representing by a dot, if necessary, those which are distinctly sounded at the beginning and end of words; that all the consonants of a word are joined together without lifting the pen; that words are never joined, but should stand near each other, in regular order from left to right, &c. &c.

An easy sentence is then pronounced, like the following: "O give thanks unto the Lord;"—and the whole class proceed to write each word, at the same time, precisely as directed, but without repeating, till further orders. Thus-write O; they all make a dot. Write give; they all make the Stenographic g. Write thanks; they all make th, and continue their pens on the paper for further instruction, which is given, as follows; add n, add k, add s. They then lift the pen, having completed the word thanks, in one connected figure, Write thee; they make th. Write Lord; they make 1, and the sentence is complete, as seen in the first two lines of plate 6.

thus Write unto; they make t.