17 FEBRUARY 1877, Page 24

Latin without Tears. By the Author of "Peep of Day."

(Hatchard.) —This book is based on tho principle, undoubtedly sound in the case of young learners, of teaching little by little. 'One word a day" is the alternative title, and though the sentences seem more than usually silly, we have no fault to find with the way in which the plan is carried oat, except this, which, after all, is important,—that the young people may learn, indeed, without tears, but will learn bad Latin. Even the short phrases in the first part are often doubtful. "Rex regebat," instead of

regnabat ;" aces our erat," instead of " aurea;" " suadeo," used for "to persuade ;" " eis ambulabant," " eis cantabant, " "paellas eis casti- gabant," translated by the sentences "they walked with them," "they sang with them,"" they chastised the girls with them," where there certainly seems a confusioa between the instrumental ablative and tho construction with "cam," are but a few instances out of many.. But perhaps the most striking instance of what we mean is the selection of a piece out of the Vulgate for a longer exercise. Can any words describe the horror of a schoolmaster who finds a young mind nourished on such Latin as this ?—" Non cognoverunt discipuli quia Jesus est. Dixit ergo eis Jesus, ' Pueri, namquid pulmentarium habetis ?' Responderunt ei, 'Non ?' "