ignorant of the theory of Caloric, and of all the technical vocabulary of Chemistry. In short, of the two premises requisite for the conclusion contended for, the one about which there can be no possible doubt, is dwelt on and elaborately proved; and the other, which is very disputable, is tacitly assumed. That the systems of Logic, Rhetoric, Grammar, Mu sic, Mechanics, &c., must have been preceded by the prac tice of speaking, singing, &c., which no one ever did or can doubt, is earnestly insisted on; but that every system of which this can be said must consequently be mere useless trifling, which is at least a paradox, is quietly taken for granted; or、 at least, is supposed to be sufficiently established, by repeating, in substance, the poet's remark, that

.... all a Rhetorician's rules

But teach him how to name his tools:"

and by observing that, for the most difficult points of all, natural genius and experience must do every thing, and Systems of Art nothing.

likewise his utter ignorance of them. He ridicules the Laputans for having their bread cut into "Cycloids;" which he conceived to be the name of a solid figure; and he (Newton's contemporary) indicates his conviction that the Aristotelian System of Astronomy was on a level with all others, and that various systems would always be successively coming into fashion and going out again, like modes of dress.

Now, the case is altered, as far as regards mathematical pursuits; which are respected even by those not versed in them: but those other sciences above referred to, though studied by a very considerable and daily increasing number, are still sneered at, as was formerly the case with Mathematics, - by many of those who have not studied them (including some mathematicians), and who know no more of the subject than Swift did of Cycloids.

To this latter remark it might have been added, that in no department can Systems of Art equalize men of different degrees of original ability and of experience; or teach us to accomplish all that is aimed at. No System of Agriculture can create Land; nor can the Art Military teach us to produce, like Cadmus, armed soldiers out of the Earth; though Land, and Soldiers, are as essential to the practice of these Arts, as the well-known preliminary admonition in the Cookery-book, "first take your carp," is to the culinary art. Nor can all the books that ever were written bring to a level with a man of military genius and experience, a person of ordinary ability who has never seen service.

As for the remark about "naming one's tools," which— with fair allowance for poetical exaggeration may be admitted to be near the truth, it should be remembered, that if an inference be thence drawn of the uselessness of being thus provided with names, we must admit, by parity of reasoning, that it would be no inconvenience to a carpenter, or any other mechanic, to have no names for the several operations of sawing, planing, boring, &c., in which he is habitually engaged, or for the tools with which he performs them; and in like manner, that it would also be no loss to be without names or without precise, appropriate, and brief names for the various articles of dress and furniture that we use,- for the limbs and other bodily organs, and the plants, animals, and other objects around us ;-in short, that it would be little or no evil to have a Language as imperfect as Chinese, or no Language at all.

The simple truth is, TECHNICAL TERMS are

a PART OF LANGUAGE. Now any portion of

Technical terms.

one's Language that relates to employments and situations foreign from our own, there is little need to be acquainted

with. Nautical terms, e. g. it is little loss to a landman to be ignorant of; though, to a sailor, they are as needful as any part of Language is to any one. And again, a deficiency in the proper Language of some one department, even though one we are not wholly unconcerned in, is not felt as a very heavy inconvenience. But if it were absolutely no disadvantage at all, then, it is plain the same might be said of a still further deficiency of a like character; and ultimately we should arrive at the absurdity above noticed, the uselessness of Language altogether.

Real use of
Language.

-

But though this is an absurdity which all would perceive, though none would deny the importance of Language, the full extent and real character of that importance is far from being universally understood. There are still (as is remarked in the Logic, Introd. § 5.) many, though I believe not near so many as a few years back, who, if questioned on the sub ject, would answer that the use of Language is to communicate our thoughts to each other; and that it is peculiar to Man the truth being that that use of Language is not peculiar to Man, though enjoyed by him in a much higher degree than by the Brutes; while that which does distinguish Man from Brute, is another, and quite distinct, use of Language, viz. as an instrument of thought, a system of GeneralSigns, without which the Reasoning process could not be conducted. The full importance, consequently, of Language, and of precise technical Language, of having accurate and well-defined" names for one's tools," can never be duly appreciated by those who still cling to the theory of " Ideas; " those imaginary objects of thought in the mind, of which "Common-terms" are merely the names, and by means of which we are supposed to be able to do what I am convinced

is impossible; to carry on a train of Reasoning without the use of Language, or of any General-Signs whatever.

But each, in proportion as he the more fully embraces the doctrine of Nominalism, and consequently understands the real character of Language, will become the better qualified to estimate the importance of an accurate system of nomenclature.

Exercises in
Composition.

5. The chief reason probably for the existing prejudice against technical systems of composition, is to be found in the cramped, meagre, and feeble character of most of such essays, &c., as are avowedly composed according to the rules of any such system. It should be remembered, however, in the first place, that these are almost invariably the productions of learners; it being usual for those who have attained proficiency, either to write without thinking of any rules, or to be desirous, (as has been said,) and, by their increased expertness, able, to conceal their employment of art. Now it is not fair to judge of the value of any system of rules,those of a drawing master for instance, - from the first awkward sketches of tyros in the art.

Still less would it be fair to judge of one system from the ill success of another, whose rules were framed, (as is the case with those ordinarily laid down for the use of students in Composition) on narrow, unphilosophical, and erroneous principles.

But the circumstance which has mainly tended to produce the complaint alluded to, is, that in this case the reverse take splace of the plan pursued in the learning of other arts;

Choice of subjects for the composition of exercises.

in which it is usual to begin, for the sake of practice, with what is easiest: here, on the contrary, the tyro

has usually a harder task assigned him, and one in which he is less likely to succeed, than he will meet with in the actual business of life. For it is undeniable that it is much the most difficult to find either propositions to maintain, or arguments to prove them to know, in short, what to say, or how to say it-on any subject on which one has hardly any information, and no interest; about which he knows little, and cares still less.

Now the subjects usually proposed for School or College exercises are (to the learners themselves) precisely of this description. And hence it commonly happens, that an exercise composed with diligent care by a young student, though it will have cost him far more pains than a real letter written by him to his friends, on subjects that interest him, will be very greatly inferior to it. On the real occasions of after life (I mean, when the object proposed is, not to fill up a sheet, a book, or an hour, but to communicate his thoughts, to convince, or persuade,) on these real occasions, for which such exercises were designed to prepare him, he will find that he writes both better, and with more facility, than on the artificial occasion, as it may be called, of composing a Declamation; that he has been attempting to learn the easier, by practising the harder.

Ill effects often resulting from exercises.

But what is worse, it will often happen that such exercises will have formed a habit of stringing together empty commonplaces, and vapid declamations, of multiplying words and spreading out the matter thin,- of composing in a stiff, artificial, and frigid manner: and that this habit will more or less cling through life to one who has been thus trained, and will infect all his future compositions.

So strongly, it should seem, was Milton impressed with a