nnovating rivals and assailants.

Dr. Herman had written a great many learned works against every
pre-existing method of instruction; that which had made the greatest
noise was upon the infamous fiction of Spelling-Books: "A more lying,
roundabout, puzzle-headed delusion than that by which we Confuse the
clear instincts of truth in our accursed systems of spelling, was never
concocted by the father of falsehood." Such was the exordium of this
famous treatise. For instance, take the monosyllable Cat. What a brazen
forehead you must have when you say to an infant, c, a, t,--spell Cat:
that is, three sounds, forming a totally opposite compound,--opposite in
every detail, opposite in the whole,--compose a poor little monosyllable
which, if you would but say the simple truth, the child will learn to
spell merely by looking at it! How can three sounds, which run thus to
the ear, see-eh-tee, compose the sound cat? Don't they rather compose
the sound see-eh-te, or ceaty? How can a system of education flourish
that begins by so monstrous a falsehood, which the sense of hearing
suffices to contradict? No wonder that the horn-book is the despair of
mothers! From this instance the reader will perceive that Dr. Herman,
in his theory of education, began at the beginning,--he took the
bull fairly by the horns. As for the rest, upon a broad principle of
eclecticism, he had combined together every new patent invention for
youthful idea-shooting. He had taken his trigger from Hofwyl; he had
bought his wadding from Hamilton; he had got his copper-caps from Bell
and Lancaster. The youthful idea,--he had rammed it tight! he had rammed
it loose! he had rammed it with pictorial illustrations! he had rammed
it with the monitorial system! he had rammed it in every conceivable
way, and with every imaginable ramrod! but I have mournful doubts
whether he shot the youthful idea an inch farther than it did under the
old mechanism of flint and steel! Nevertheless, as Dr. Herman really
did teach a great many things too much neglected at schools; as,
besides Latin and Greek, he taught a vast variety in that vague
infinite nowadays called "useful knowledge;" as he engaged lecturers
on chemistry, engineering, and natural history; as arithmetic and the
elements of physical science were enforced with zeal and care; as
all sorts of gymnastics were intermingled with the sports of the
playground,--so the youthful idea, if it did not go farther, spread its
sho