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James Pellans, Esq. F. R.S. Cd. Janus Villens.

London, Fisher, Son & Co Feb. 1, 1829.

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Memoir of

JAMES PILLANS, ESQ. F. R. S. E., &c. &c. Professor of Humanity in the University of Edinburgh.

(With a Portrait.)

Ir was recently asserted by some "mettle some Oxonian," in the columns of a venerable contemporary, that Scotland had produced no classical scholars of eminence, saving and excepting George Buchanan. It is not to be expected that we shall set ourselves seriously to refute an assertion so groundless and illiberal. Probably the writer had never heard of the admirable Latin verse of a Barclay, a Jonston, or a Reade; or of the more modern names of Moor, Young, Adams, Hunter, Carson, and, though last, not least, the eminent individual whose portrait accompanies our present number.

The actual state of classical literature in Scotland, appears to be excessively underrated in our country. Every report to its discredit meets with ready belief, and is extensively propagated. If, however, one consideration were taken into account-the almost total absence of all adequate encouragement in the shape of fat fellow. ships, scholarships, endowments, preferments, and the hoc genus omne of an Oxford and Cambridge establishment-it will afford matter for wonder, that so much ardour in the pursuit of classical literature is displayed in Scotland, as is to be found at the present moment.

Even at the leading Scottish university, though it can boast of professors celebrated in every department of literature and philosophy, with the exception of one or two inconsiderable bursaries for proficients in the Gaelic language, and a small, very small sum allowed by the city for distribution among one or two of the literary classes, there is nothing whatever in the shape of solid remuneration for talents and acquirements the most splendid and meritorious. Why is this? it will be asked. Truly we are at a loss to answer. Are there no opulent Mecænases in Scotland, who would take a pride in elevating the Edinburgh university

122.-VOL. XI.

[1829.

to a footing with her splendid sisters of Oxford and Cambridge? Cannot government contrive to apportion a pittance for this purpose? Notwithstanding, however, all these disadvantages, it is with sincere pleasure we announce the fact, that the cause of classical literature in Scotland has received a new spring and impulse, which is to be attributed to the spirited and successful exertions of several eminent scholars now alive-more especially to those of the present professor of humanity in the university of Edinburgh, Mr. Pillans, whose system of teaching, as we shall presently shew, has done more towards the promotion of thorough, accurate, and extensive scholarship, than is generally acknowledged.

This gentleman was born in Edinburgh, on April 11, 1778. The rudiments of his classical education were received at the High School, under the tuition of the celebrated Dr. Adam. In this large establishment there is a higher station for those of the scholars who are more advanced in classical studies, and afford higher promise of improvement, than the rest, called the Rector's class-which is taught by the rector himself. To this, Mr. Pillans soon made his way, and, when there, distinguished himself no less by his talents than by his industry. Several of his class-fellows have since arrived at high eminence: two of whom were no less celebrated persons than the present Henry Brougham, and the late lamented and highly gifted Francis Horner. With the latter, parti cularly, Mr. Pillans was on terms of the closest intimacy, and generally sat by him through the year, as well as at the public examination in 1793; at which this gifted trio, we believe, very honourably distinguished themselves.

At the usual age, Mr. Pillans entered the university of Edinburgh, bringing with him the reputation of an excellent classical scholar, and passed with eclat through the regular routine of literary and philo. sophical classes. It is said, that at one time it was his intention to have devoted his services to the church; and he, accordingly, attended-if we are not mis

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informed the divinity hall for one session, but was prevented continuing a second, by engagements as domestic tutor; in which capacity he resided for some time in Ayrshire, and several years afterwards in London and Eton.

About the close of the year 1809, Dr. Adam died; and, at the suggestion of his old friend and schoolfellow, Mr. Francis Horner, Mr. Pillans was induced to offer himself a candidate for the vacant rectorship of the High School. After some competition, he was declared the successful candidate, and entered on the important duties of his office early in the year 1810. He soon observed, that, even under the able auspices of his illustrious predecessors, the system of teaching, hitherto adopted in ihat establishment, would admit of large improvements. About this time, the monitorial system of Bell and Lancaster was attracting public notice; and, after a careful consideration, Mr. Pillans became convinced that its principle might be most advantageously extended to classical education. He accordingly resolved to try the experiment in the High School; and in so doing was the first who ever applied the monitorial system to the purposes of wassical education; and Dr. Russel, the clarned head-master of the Charter House, leas the first scholar in England who followed his example. As this is an interesting era in the annals of teaching, we have taken no small pains to obtain some information on the subject, as well in its general plan, as its more minute details: and we hope the few sketches we may give of this admirable system, will be useful to such of our readers as are connected with education, and are not previously acquainted with the method of Mr. Pillans.

On entering his office at the High School, "scarcely a week has passed," says Mr. Pillans, in a letter addressed some years ago to the secretary of the British and Foreign School Society, "without suggesting some improvements in my arrangements, all tending to one point-that of stimulating, and applying to purpose, the various faculties of 200 boys, differing widely both in acquirement and capacity; to insure attention, by excitements at once strong and honourable; and to exclude that languor and listlessness, arising partly from want of motion, and partly from the physical misery of being so long in a sitting posture, which most of us may remember to have been the great source of the unhappiness we experienced at school."

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The branches of knowledge taught at Mr. Pillan's class, were, Latin, Greek, and Geography, principally ancient. The Latin class, consisting of about 200 boys, met at nine o'clock every morning; and was occupied in reading and parsing, accurately, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Livy, &c., and in committing to memory Adam's Grammar, and Roman antiquities. These were the lessons prescribed, without any assistance, the day before. The class formed, immediately after prayers, into twenty divisions, under their respective monitors; and the Cicero and Horaceor whatever was the regular lesson-were construed by the nine boys of each division: the monitor's duty in each, being"1. to take care that every boy shall construe a portion of the new lesson; 2. to see that his division understand the syntax and construction of the passage; 3. to take care that the right meaning be always given to the passage, in all its parts; 4. to mark on a slip of paper those who fail in saying." This, it will be seen, was an admirable plan for securing a thorough acquaintance with his lesson, on the part of every boy. The monitor's was certainly an arduous task; but, in addition to this, he was required to be every instant on the qui vive; since each of the boys of his division was instructed to note any false quantity, false translation, or error of any kind, and reserve it for subsequent appeal to the rector. If they could make good their point, they took the place of those who had failed to detect the error, and the monitor himself lost his place.

"This system," says Mr. Pillans, in the able letter from which we have before had occasion to quote, "binds both monitor and pupil to careful preparation at home: the former, from fear of detection and exposure by a boy far below him in the class

-the latter, both by the infallible certainty of his being called on to say the lesson, and reported, if he fail-and by the honourable desire of rising in the class, and proving that he knew the lesson better than the monitor. A further advantage of this liberty of appeal is, that it generally brings forward into discussion the difficult passages; and they being settled beforehand, a more perfect understanding of the lesson is secured, and the necessity of frequent repetition avoided." This was the method of reading the Latin classics introduced by Mr. Pillans-a method to which many living excellent scholars attri bute the broad foundation of their future labours.

With regard to the Greek class, it is

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to be remarked, that the study of that language was an innovation of Dr. Adam, Mr. Pillans' predecessor, and violently opposed by no less a man than the great Robertson, the historian, on the ground that the school, by its foundation, was entirely for reading Latin. This will account for the unreasonably short time allowed to that department of study, in the days of Mr. Adam-namely, three hours a week. Mr. Pillans, however, aware of the great value of Greek literature in a classical education, found means to assemble the Greek class an hour every day, except Saturday. The business of this class, gone through with much the same system and accuracy as that of the Latin, consisted of Dr. Moor's Greek Grammar, Dalzel's Analecta Minora, and Xenophon. In order, however, as far as was in his power, to remedy the inconvenience resulting from devoting so short a time to Greek, Mr. Pillans devised a plan which has been attended with eminent success, and which deserves to be extensively known-"a voluntary exercise to the higher boys, to read and shew every second Monday, what are called private studies; that is, if a boy, after preparing all his regular school-lessons thoroughly, finds he has still some leisure time, he employs it in reading Homer without a translation, making out what he can,-and what he cannot, marking as difficulties to be resolved. On the day appointed, he mentions the number of lines he is ready to be examined on, and states his difficulties for solution, which is given either by the master, or by some of his fellows who have conquered them. In this way, and with no other stimulus, but having the number of lines read by each, publicly announced, and obtaining an hour's play there are boys in this class who are in the habit of shewing up from 900 to 1200 lines within the fortnight" and this, let it be remembered, in addition to all their other engagements.

Nor was Mr. Pillans satisfied with thus re-organizing the system of classical instruction at the High School. He soon directed his attention to the geographical department; and so efficiently, that ever since the period of his superintendence at the High School, it has retained a higher character for geographical knowledge, than any other establishment in Scotland. This eminence is to be unquestionably attributed to the skilful and scientific method which

We believe this exercise was also extended to the Latin readings,

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he adopted. We cannot give our readers a better idea of his system, than by recurring once more to the letter addressed by him to the British and Foreign School Society. In a few words he developes the principles of a system of geographical teaching, which deserves to be more generally known.

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"Ancient and modern geography are united. A sketch or outline of each country is drawn by the master on a black board, with white chalk: the mountains are represented in green, and the rivers in blue. In this state the board is first presented to the pupils, and the master, with a rod, explains the physical features of the country, and points out and names the leading ranges of mountains, with the rivers that fall from them. The board, as yet presenting so little detail, the eye, and the mind through the eye, readily takes in and retains the information. At this stage, also, the length, breadth, longitude, latitude, and boundaries, are fixed. The next lesson presents the towns [drawn thus chalk, which are to be found on the rivers already learned, descending from the source to the mouth. These towns are demonstrated by the master in the same way, care being taken to mention, at the same time, some striking facts respecting the situation, inhabitants, history, and neighbourhood of each, which may be associated with its name and position on the board. Having thus made out a sort of skeleton or framework of the country, by presenting in strik ing relief, without those details which confound the eye in maps, the great physical features; the next object is to mark out in dotted lines the artificial divisions: and when these are well fixed, the remaining towns of importance, whose position is not indicated by rivers, are referred to the province or shire, and associated again with those already known. The situations of great battles are pointed out by a cross in red chalk. The object being to make a strong impression on the eye, and to set the imagination and conception to work→→→ the chalks being of different colours, is a circumstance not to be despised. When the board-draught is thus completed, maps are directed to be so constructed, as to be, as nearly as possible, copies of it: that is, all the positions, &c. accurately laid down, but no names given. The drawer of the map must be quite au fait in having every place in his own sketch: and if it be thought deserving of that honour, it is to be mounted on thick pasteboard, and hung up in view of his school-fellows."

We have conversed with some gentle

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