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a schoolmaster in the north of Ireland, which contains an account of what he calls his play-school; the regulations of which are so excellent, that every scholar must have been made insensibly to teach himself, while he all the time considered himself as assisting the master in teaching others. All were thus at the same time actively engaged; but so regulated, as to produce not the least confusion or disturbance."[1]
- ↑ At the period Mr Gourlay delivered this harangue, the improvements made by Mr Joseph Lancaster, in the method of instruction, were unknown. Had Mr Lancaster's book then been published, it would doubtless have been referred to, as containing the best digested plan that the ingenuity of man has hitherto been able to invent, for facilitating and perfecting the work of instruction. The author is far from intending to detract from the praise so justly due to Mr Lancaster, by observing how far he had, in some of his most important improvements, been anticipated by the schoolmaster of Belfast. David Manson's extraordinary talents were exerted in too limited a sphere to attract attention. He consequently escaped the attacks of bigotry and envy; but the obscuri-
