ΑΝ ABRIDGMENT OF LECTURES ON RHETORICK, BY HUGH BLAIR, D. D. GREATLY IMPROVED BY THE ADDITION, TO APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS. BY REV. J. L. BLAKE, A. M. STEREOTYPED BY DAVID HILLS...BOSTON. Concord: PUBLISHED BY JACOB B. MOORE, NEW HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT, TO WIT : BE t remembered, That on the sixth day of January, A. D. 1825, and in the forty-ninth year of the Independence of the United States of America, JAČOB B. MOORE, of the said District, has deposited in this office, the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, viz: "An Abridgment of Lectures on Rhetorick, by Hugh Blair, D. D. Greatly improved by the Addition to each Page, of appropriate questions. By Rev. J. L. Blake, A. M. Principal of a Literary Seminary, in Boston, Ms." In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the times therein men. tioned and also to an Act, entitled "An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the times therein mentioned and extending the benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving and Etching Historical and other Prints." WILLIAM CLAGGET, Clerk of the District of New-Hampshire. A true Copy, of record, Attest, WILLIAM CLAGGET, Clerk. ADVERTISEMENT. THE ABRIDGMENT of BLAIR'S LECTURES ON RHETORICK, is too generally known and approved to require commendation; and the only object of this advertisement is to make a few observations on the peculiarities in this edition of that work. It will be seen, that the questions are placed at the bottom of the several pages from which answers are to be given. This ar-rangement is adopted to avoid the great inconvenience of continually turning from one part of the book to another, which would be necessary, were the questions all placed at the end the volume. It was also adopted, to assist the learner in finding the answers required. Without some help of the kind, the young scholar, especially, might frequently be much perplexed in finding them; but, although necessary to afford a degree of assistance in directing the attention of the pupil to the proper answer for each question, great caution should still be exercised, in guarding against all opportunity for the indulgence of a disposition to indolence. Were particular references introduced into the body of the work, corresponding to the numbers of the questions, and pointing out the several answers to be given, it is evident, on a moment's reflection, that a scholar, if disposed, might collect and repeat all those answers, without even having read one half of the book. It is easy to discover, with what little profit a scholar would, in this manner, study rhetorick; for the parts generally of the book that would thus remain without being read, contain the illustrations of the portions committed to memory; and, consequently, the latter, although committed to memory, could not be well understood, without an examination of the former. The principal object, in annexing Questions to the Text of elementary School Books, is to alleviate the labour of teachers, and to present to scholars, in a perceptible form, the tasks to which they are appointed. The labour of proposing questions, at the time of recitation, is by no means small to the teacher; and without Questions accompanying the Text, to which the attention can be directed, when learning the lesson, there is no inconsiderable difficulty, with young persons especially, in ascertaining the extent of what is required of them. But while teachers and scholars may be generally aided, in their respective duties, by the use of printed questions, it is recommended to the former, at the time of recitation, to propose such other questions as may seem pertinent; and to the latter, not to be satisfied in becoming able simply to answer those here given. |