Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1822 edition. Excerpt: ... chapter xii. books. The first books which are now usually put into the hands of a child, are Mrs. Barbauld's Lessons; they are by far the best books of the kind that have ever appeared; those only who know the difficulty, and the importance of such compositions in eduiki&fti, can sincerely rejoice, that the admirable talents of such a writer have been employed in such a work. We shall not apologize fOr offering a few remarks on some passages in these little books, because we atfe'convinced that we shall not offend. Lessons for children from three to four years old should, we think, have been lessons for children from four to five years old; few read, or ought to read, before that age. "Charles shall have a pretty new lesson." In this sentence the words pretty and new are associated, but tbey represent ideas which ought to be kept separate in the mind of a child. The love of novelty is cherished in the minds of children by the common expressions that we use to engage them to do what we desire. "You shall have a new "whip, a new hat," are improper modes of expression to a child. We have seen a boy who had literally twenty new whips in one year; and we were present when his father, to comfort him when he was in pain, went out to buy him a new whip, though he had two or three scattered about the room. The description, in the first part of Mrs. Barbaulds Lessons, of the naughty boy who tormented the robin, and who was afterwards supposed to be eaten by bears, is more objectionable than any in the book: the idea of killing is in itself very complex; and, if explained, serves only to excite terror; and how can a child be made to comprehend why a cat should catch mice, and not kill birds? or why should this species of honesty be expected...