The author of what he calls the " Fenwickian System
of Edit- cation," M. L. FENWICK DR PCIEQGRT, $ Parisian (he _says), in spite of his hybrid name, has sent us several of his works On his plan of learning French,—viz., the. Scholar's Treasure, his Pari- sian Secretary, a Phrase-book, and sit Development of his System. Every teacher of languages now-a-days _pretends to a system; which is so far good, that it shows some activity on the subject of instruction. People: are beginning to learn that the usual mode of teaching languages is simply, A variety of pocket-picking, in which the peculiarity is, that the sufferer himself holds his pocket open that it may be picked. Quacks are not alWays the greatest Pgrk- - pockets. Your regular practitioner, who. coolly hturibugs you for a- series of years without any pretension, is . often jbe -greater rague.-itt the_ two._ We.e.OnAsIO, ?Owiekiani St11 - mere piece of quackery; and yet We have ,10 ,:- dodbt WICK, or Poitotirr, by whichever name he loves to be called, would teach French more expeditiously than most of the profes- sors of the old or humdrum school ; and that simply because he is alive, and has the credit of a plan to maintain. The Fenwickian System is neither more nor less than a practical suggestion, that, instead of construing French into English, the pupil ought to construe English into French ; a.precept resting on the plain rule, that you must practise that which you intend to perform—if it be the wish of the learner to speak French, he ought to be in the habit of making sentences in French. The old plan of getting off numerous pages of grammar, and then writing exercises, is a slow and inefficient method of proceeding. M. poloaus:T's plan is un- doubtedly 'far better than the old pocket-picking system—it may do very well for getting up French conversation enough for ordi- nary practical purposes ; but with a view of learning the language thoroughly; it is infinitely inferior to the general method of JACO- TOT. M. FENWICK DE PORQUET speaks of JACOTOT in a way which proves himself to be a very impudent fellow. It is evident . he knows no more of JACOTOT'S plan than he does of the lunar language ; but, having, the egregious vanity to suppose that JACO- TOT is his rival quack, he thus runs down the man in Whose pre- sence he is not worthy to stand.
"I will riot enter into the 'merits or demerits of Monsieur Jacotot's system, the new Parisian lecturer on education,"—
[He is not a Parisian -lecturer, nor a lecturer anywhere.] . —" who, like another Malioinet, promises his followers that they shall have nothing to do,"—
[JacoroT,' on the contrary, makes the pupil do every thing: in his system-the master is simply an examiner.] —" but every thing shall be done forithem,—they shall not learn, but be taught. I must conclude, like seVeral of his refutatora, amongst whom is the head of the university of -France, that if that be the fact, we shall hear of a great deficigncy in the revenue on stamps in that kingdom, owing to the law there on apprenticeship having become totally useless,"—
[This is the Feriwickian system of being witty.] —"since, an hour.or two spent.twice Or three times 'a week in attending to the lecture or conversation of' a master carpenter, shoemaker, or smith, will enable the candidate for a mastership to make a joint, a gate,. a chest of drawers, a pair of shoes for man or horse, without ever having
handled a tool!". .
.
[Jacoror's system applies to carpentering -and shoemaking as, well as' language-learning: but so far-from teaching by lecture, the pupil makes-the slide himself, in order to learn how it is made. He labours at a model till he succeeds. Is not the impudence of some men marvellous? -Here is a fellow abusing another through two pages withoutimovving syllable about him, and reckoning for escape on the rest of thegovotld being equally ignorant.] . • " How 'ithsuirl elDightWetiothises- to idle apprentices .ar:',;:iti-efeSsLI boys ! '1430 .1 ay tlitit &lift/Allman-Aunt work for several years at his ' trade before he can be-pr011nienir [It is no matter what such a man.says, but it is curious to see a man who is so eager-to sellbiS razors that he cuts his own throat. JIM. PORQUET had-not been so eager to run down a great pro- moter of education, we might: have -supposed he was actuated by some higher motive-than thatof selling his shoal of pretty-backed
books.] ' . .
We perceive that M. Festwicit DE PORQUET is determined to make some money by-his System. He has published, or is about to publish, no fewer than fourteen different works on its practical illustration, the collective price of which amounts to pretty near two guineas and a half. We could undertake to write the SPEC- TATOR'S Infallible System of Learning Frene,h, with all the practi- cal materials for learning it so as to be able to speak and write it with the fluency of itatattye, in a little book which should not sell for more than three and sixpence. We have, however, no 'inten- tion of riva.11ing M. Falswics DE PORQUET.
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