one a young lady from Massachusetts—made any serious attempt at a correct translation of the short lesson for the day. The teacher was evidently much embarrassed by the presence of the visitor, and at a loss as to what should be done with his pupils or their lesson. After considerable floundering he seemed to gather his classical learning for a supreme effort. This resulted in his propounding with due solemnity the following question: "Is the change from the stem math to the stem manth a phonetic or a dynamic change?" The class stared, but remained silent; the teacher looked even more embarrassed than before; the Eastern professor broke into a cold sweat through fear that the question might be referred to him—for he could not have answered it. The same question was asked a second time with deliberateness appropriate to so grave an inquiry; the result was unchanged. Then, after another long pause, this episode terminated with a solemn asseveration from the teacher: "It is uncertain." And so the hour dragged on. In all probability, no member of this class had been so trained as to recognize infallibly the simplest grammatical construction, or to translate at sight the simplest passages with a fair degree of accuracy.
Finally: we have no right to flatter ourselves that there is anything peculiar in the quality of the American boy which will enable him to dispense
