indeed, it is in the east itself: but why is the sun * not rather deified towards the poles than towards the equator?

15. Electricity acts upon life-upon vegetation. We do not well know, as yet, what influence it has upon the lot of man. Scientific men have recently made on this subject some great discoveries, which time will develope.

16. The state of the air has an influence on the habits of animals, on the existence of man, and on that of nations.

17. Man is nourished by vegetable and animal substances; the quantity and the quality of the one and the other exercise an influence on the well-being of a people.

18. Plants and animals, and all physical objects, have an influence on the lot of man; because they afford him nourishment-because they strike his attention, &c., &c.

19. The length of the day and the brightness of the heavenly luminaries exercise an influence upon the character of man. What ought that effect to be where the night lasts a fortnight, a month, &c.? 20. Sight is one of the most influential senses in deciding the lot of man.

21. The forms of plants, of animals, the site, the aspect of a country, the views which it offers, have much influence upon the character of a population and upon historical events.

22. Hearing has an influence on the lot of men-on that of a people. It contributes something to their moral character, &c.

23. The opportunity of wandering upon the globe has a great influence upon the lot of man-an influence little known.

24. The earth turns upon its axis; and, as it is round, the points which are near the pole turn less quickly than the points nearer to the equator. Has this fact any influence on vegetation, on the state of the air, &c., and, consequently, on man?

25. The relative position of a country, of a province, of any locality whatsoever, its distance from the pole, the seas, the lofty mountains, are circumstances which have much influence on the character and on the quota of population.

(To be continued.)

SPECIMENS OF PARSING AND PARAPHRASING.

No. V.

[Our correspondent, who supplies the subjoined specimen, makes the following introductory allusion to strictures which appeared in the March number of the Journal, p. 100 :-" While we may admit the soundness of the observations made by J. Y. on the general inferiority of a paraphrase, as compared with the original, it should be observed that his strictures do not bear upon the chief object contemplated by the practice of paraphrasing, which is, not to produce something equal, much less superior, to the original, but to supply a species of literary exercise, well fitted to promote in the student a command of language,

* Was it not in times of yore?-ED.

and to evidence and cultivate his power of comprehension. The microscope may not be so ingenious in its construction as the object whose minute details it enables us to examine; but the utility of the instrument is not thereby disparaged. See Hunter's Parsing Exercises, p. 27."-ED.]

In examining the following passage, from Milton's "Paradise Lost," B. III. L. 344, it is presumed that the context has been referred to.

"No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but, all
The multitude of angels, with a shout
Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heaven rung
With jubilee, and loud hosannas filled
The eternal regions."

QUESTIONS.

(a) Arrange the words of the above passage in simpler grammatical

order.

(b) Parse the words no and sooner. Show the descriptive propriety of the poet's employment of these words.

(c) Explain the verb's precedence of its nominative in the expression, "had the Almighty."

(d) What is here grammatically peculiar in the use of the word but? (e) What is peculiar in the position of the before multitude? (f) Parse the word multiude.

(g) Parse the word as, following loud; and show between what antecedent and consequent the next word, from, expresses relation. (h) Show the descriptive propriety of Milton's employment of the words jubilee and hosannas.

() Write a paraphrase of the passage.

ANSWERS.

(a) No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but, all the multitude of angels uttering joy, with a shout loud as from numbers without number, sweet as from blest voices, Heaven rung with jubilee, and loud hosannas filled the eternal regions.

(b) No and sooner are originally adjectives, forming part of the preposition phrase at no sooner time; but they may be parsed as an adverbial expression, modifying ceased.

The descriptive propriety of these words consists in their suggesting the eagerness of angelic compliance with the Divine will.

(c) "The nominative may follow its verb, when some expression, which would naturally come after the verb, is, for distinction or emphasis, put before."-Hunter's Text Book of Grammar, p. 92. The direct order is, "The Almighty had no sooner," &c.

(d) Modern usage requires than after a comparative. We should not say no sooner but.

(e)

"One of the articles a, an, the, when placed with another adjective before a noun, is generally the first word in the expression.The adjectives all and both take precedence of the definite article." -Hunter's Gram. p. 103.

(ƒ) Multitude is a noun, here occurring as a nominative absolute, connected with the participle uttering.*

(g) As, a conjunction, having nearly the signification of because. The shout being loud, as being (or proceeding) from numbers. The preposition from expresses relation between being and numbers. (h) The jubilee was the ceremonial of rejoicing with which the Hebrews celebrated the close of the seventh sabbatical year, at which period there was a general redemption of persons and of property. The Almighty's declaration of his plan of redeeming love is appropriately conceived as having been welcomed by the angels with jubilee exultation.

Hosanna is a Hebrew expression, signifying Save, we beseech thee, and very suitably expresses the eager desire of the angels for the accomplishment of the great scheme of human salvation.

(i) Such rapture in the hearts of the angels had been excited by the Almighty's words, that when the Divine address concluded by calling upon them to adore the Son of God, instantaneously, the whole multitude of heavenly spirits giving vent to their joy in a shout, loud as proceeding from a countless throng, yet thrilling with the sweetness natural to the voices of the blessed, Heaven rung with exulting strains, and from every part of the eternal regions loud hosannas resounded.

THE NATIONAL SCHOOLMASTERS' MUTUAL INSURANCE AND PROVIDENT SOCIETY.

It will be seen, by an advertisement on the cover of this Journal, that His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury has generously consented to take the chair at a meeting of Church Schoolmasters, to be held at St. Martin's National School, Trafalgar Square, on Friday, May 11, at 12 o'clock, for the purpose of forming an Association for Mutual Insurance. We trust that the Primate will be dutifully welcomed on this occasion by every Church Schoolmaster in and near London. The boys of every School should have a whole holiday on that auspicious day for the teacher; and to this end arrangements should instantly be made by the masters with their respective clergymen and committees. The Lord Archbishop of York, the Lord Bishops of London and Winchester have also consented to be present and to take part in the proceedings. The kindly interest felt by these distinguished prelates in the welfare of the Church's elementary teachers ought surely to awaken in the breasts of the latter the liveliest gratitude.

* Harrison, in his recent work on the English Language, appears to misapprehend this construction, and to be misled by Bentley and Monboddo; see p. 133. Dr. Major's edition of the First Six Books of Par. Lost gives a correct explanation.

DEAN COMBER'S ANALYSIS, OR DIVISION, OF THE DAILY CONFESSION.*

THIS Pious Confession is so methodically composed, that it naturally falls into these four parts:-1. The Introduction. 2. The Confession, properly so called. 3. A deprecation of evil. 4. A petition for good.

1. The Introduction, in which is showed,

2. The Confession itself,

4. The Petition for Good,

3. The Deprecation of the Evil,

Almighty and most merciful Father,

1. To whom it is made,
2. By whom it is made, by us, [We

that we have sinned

1. In general,

how we have sinned

2. In particular,

1. Of the Cause, improving much the devices and

3. In a Conclusion from both,

1. What we would be delivered from, and

2. The reasons annexed to every one.

3. An Agreement

in sins of com-
mission,

1. From the guilt of sin,
with the reason because we are

2. From the punishment of it {

desires of our own
hearts;

We have offended
against thy holy laws;
We have left undone
those things which we
ought to have done;
And we have done those
things which we ought
not to have done;
And there is no health
in us:

But thou, O Lord, have

miserable offenders: Spare thou them, O God,

general
2. The manner of giving them, [ declared

to enforce the De- 3. The persons to whom they}

precation.

are given,

unto mankind

4. The person by whom they in Christ Jesu our are given,

See the Letter in our last Number, entitled" Lessons on the Book of Common Prayer."-ED.

Notices of Books.

THE HISTORY OF SCOTLAND.

FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS.

BY THE REV. T. THOMSON, F. S. A. SCOT.

12mo. pp. 408. (Edinburgh: Clark.)

A VERY complete and well-written compilation, but warmly Presbyteriau in its principles and tendency.

THE SECOND READING BOOK. BY W. MACLEOD.

(London: J. W. Parker.)

In a recent number of the Journal we noticed with approbation Mr. Macleod's First Reading Book. A sequel to that valuable primer is now before us, and presents features of similar utility. The Second Reading Book is, like the First, characterized by intelligent and expedient method. The lessons, which are chiefly in monosyllabic Saxon, are very skilfully graduated with regard to difficulty of pronunciation, and by their adaptation to the purposes of intellectual questioning are likely to strengthen the child's remembrance of the sounds. The great facility with which people learn to speak their native tongue is owing to the fact that the verbal sign and the thing signified come to them concurrently; whereas in afterwards learning a foreign language they miss the advantage of being necessitated to think in that language. Accordingly, in teaching children to read their native tongue, it must be of great service to impart to their memories sense along with sound; for which purpose Mr. Macleod's Second Book is well designed. Both the material and the plan of this little work are, in our judgment, such as will greatly facilitate the formation of good reading classes in our elementary schools.

THE FIRST POETICAL READING BOOK. BY W. MACLEOD.
(London: J. W. Parker.)

THE interest taken by persons in early life, as by the world's earlier inhabitants, in the language of poetry, is quite proverbial; and Mr. Macleod has wisely availed himself of children's love of poetry, in using it as a medium for the acquirement of the art of reading. The First Poetical Reading Book is a judicious selection, well calculated to inspire children with the desire, and encourage them in the effort, of learning to read. The introductory descriptions and accompanying notes, explanatory of things alluded to in many of the poems, must greatly enhance the interest with which the poems themselves will be perused. We have no doubt that the improvement, both in reading and in intelligence, which will result from the adoption of this little work in elementary schools, will amply vindicate the propriety of its publication.