1856 for the "Encyclopædia Britannica," and retained in the present edition of that standard work. In this "Life," written when his style was matured and when his resources were in all their fulness, we have Macaulay at his very best. The tone is moderate, the language is chaste, and though there is little appreciation of Johnson's inner character, the external husk of the man is delineated in a masterly way.

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS AND

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STUDENTS

MACAULAY'S Life of Johnson" is a sketch of the central literary figure of the eighteenth century, by one of the most accomplished literary artists of the nineteenth; both its subject-matter and its form, therefore, demand the careful attention of the student of English literature. Persons of disciplined mind and trained judgment may study both at once, but young students, with whom all reading is more or less difficult, cannot well attend to more than one thing at a time. If they are required to spend their little store of mental energy on unfamiliar words, historical and literary allusions, and still to follow the progress of the author's thought, observe his plan, and note the details of his diction, they are almost sure to do nothing well, and, even worse than that, to grow weary of literary study -a sorry outcome of a course of training the object of which is to foster love for good reading. That all things may be done well, it seems best to do one thing at a time; the notes in this volume have therefore been separated into two groups: Explanatory Notes, for use in the student's first reading, and a Critical Note, for use in later readings. The following suggestions are offered to those who may have no better plan of their own.

I. The first step in the study of such a piece of writing as Macaulay's "Life of Samuel Johnson," is to make the acquaintance of the author. This can most satisfactorily be done from one or more of the biographies of Macaulay

mentioned below, and teachers who have time and opportunity will do well to require as supplementary reading either Trevelyan's "Life and Letters," or Mr. Morrison's brief "Life."

When this is not practicable, at least as much of Macaulay's life and work as is contained in the Introduction to the present volume should be mastered by the student before he takes up the "Life of Johnson.' At least one recitation period may well be used in an examination, oral or written, on the chief points in Macaulay's life, and the general merits and faults which his writing may be expected to disclose.

II. When the student has made the acquaintance of Macaulay, he is ready to begin the "Life of Johnson." Here, obviously, the first thing to do is to read the text so as to understand it; for clear understanding must come before critical appreciation. During this first reading, immature students should not be bothered with literary criticism beyond what their own taste or judgment may suggest to them. They should be left alone with Macaulay's style, just as Agassiz used to leave his pupils alone with the bit of nature which they were studying, and for much the same reason; namely, that their own critical faculties may have room for development. In order that their time may not be dissipated, and they themselves wearied and disheartened by laborious and often fruitless searches after the meaning of allusions and names the relative importance of which they do not know, a certain amount of assistance in following Macaulay's numerous references to history and literature is given in the Explanatory Notes. Macaulay wrote primarily, not for school-boys, but for readers of mature culture; and the average student in secondary schools, even after he has received the help of the Explanatory Notes, which treat only of historical and literary allusions, will find enough of difficulty remaining to occupy his time, train his own thinking faculties,

and make him familiar with the use of dictionaries and other books of reference.

This reading of the text with a view to grasping its subject-matter should be done out of class, at a rate, according to circumstances, of from four to ten pages a lesson. During the recitation period the teacher should assure himself, by examinations, oral or written, or both, that the reading has been carefully done. One good plan is to require a brief impromptu composition exercise on some subject taken from the lesson but not announced beforehand, and to follow this with a rapid fire of oral questions, not necessarily exhaustive, on the meaning of words, the persons or places mentioned in the text, and the subject-matter. That this oral questioning may be rapid, it is convenient for the teacher to underscore in red or blue in his own book the subjects which he wishes to select as tests of the pupils' work. This questioning, of course, must not be confined to the subjects treated in the notes. For instance, on page 1 of the "Life of Johnson," such questions as these might be asked: Mention some of the most eminent English writers of the eighteenth century. Give an

Name

account of Johnson's father. Where is Lichfield? the Midland counties. What is an oracle? The meaning here of the word clergy? Meaning of churchman? Meaning of municipal? Explain the sovereigns in possession. Meaning of Jacobite ? Where and when was Johnson born? Mention his peculiarities as a child. Meaning of morbid, propensity, the royal touch? Explain the old common name for scrofula. The following are suitable topics for short written exercises: Johnson's Father; Johnson's Peculiarities as a Child; The King's Evil. Written examinations should be frequent.

After the teacher has thus quickly tested the pupil's work-and tests need not be long or exhaustive in order to be thorough—what remains of the recitation period may

be occupied with any interesting matter bearing on the general subject. Pictures may be shown, stories of Johnson may be told, reports of special investigations heard. Without any reference to published criticisms, the pupils should be encouraged to form and express opinions of their own about either Johnson's character or Macaulay's style. Whether their opinions are right or wrong matters little; the important thing is that they learn to notice, to compare, and to think for themselves. If it be necessary

to correct some grave error in opinion, it should be done with great gentleness, so as not to frighten timid thinkers. If some pupils are over-forward in making up their minds, it will perhaps be enough to remind them that their present opinions cannot be regarded as final. To this part of the recitation belongs, also, the important work described in IV.

III. After the student has carefully read the text so as to master its subject-matter and to form some independent opinion of the author's style, he is ready to take up the critical study of the work, and to rectify, if need be, his first impressions. To assist in this study of form and structure, a brief Critical Note, containing a few general hints as to method, has been added to this volume. It is by no means advisable that preparatory school pupils should make anything like an elaborate study of anyone's style. Something, however, may be accomplished in leading the student to imitate the finer qualities of Macaulay's style, and to know what it is that he is doing, and how he does it. Attention should be fixed on diction, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and the arrangement of the whole composition. No books will be needed for this work, except a good treatise on rhetoric, though the teacher may be glad to consult Minto's "English Prose Writers" and Brewster's "Studies in Structure and Style."

IV. Some teachers and students may be obliged by