Lectures on Language

Lectures on Language

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lectures on Language, by William S.
Balch This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Lectures on Language As Particularly Connected with English
Grammar.
Author: William S. Balch
Release Date: January 24, 2006 [EBook #17594]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LECTURES
ON LANGUAGE ***

Produced by Barbara Tozier, Amy Cunningham, Bill Tozier and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

In this book, as well as using _ to indicate the italic font, the = symbol
has been used to show text printed in smaller capital letters in the
original printed version. Please see the HTML version for a more
accurate reproduction.
Bracketed words, such as [the?], were present in the original text. They
were not added by the transcriber.
Obvious printing errors were repaired; these changes are listed at the
end of the text. In ambiguous cases, the text has been left as it appears
in the original book. In particular, many mismatched quotation marks
have not been changed.

LECTURES ON LANGUAGE,
AS PARTICULARLY CONNECTED WITH
ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF TEACHERS AND ADVANCED
LEARNERS.
BY WM. S. BALCH.
Silence is better than unmeaning words.--Pythagoras.
PROVIDENCE: B. CRANSTON & CO. 1838.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1838,
BY B. CRANSTON & CO.
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Rhode-Island.

PROVIDENCE, Feb. 24, 1838.

TO WM. S. BALCH,
SIR--The undersigned, in behalf of the Young People's Institute, hasten
to present to you the following Resolutions, together with their personal
thanks, for the Lectures you have delivered before them, on the
Philosophy of Language. The uncommon degree of interest, pleasure
and profit, with which you have been listened to, is conclusive
evidence, that whoever possesses taste and talents to comprehend and
appreciate the philosophy of language, which you have so successfully
cultivated, cannot fail to attain a powerful influence over the minds of
his audience. The Committee respectfully request you to favor them
with a copy of your Lectures for the Press.
Very respectfully, Your most obedient servants, C. T. JAMES, E. F.
MILLER, H. L. WEBSTER.
* * * * *
Resolved, That we have been highly entertained and greatly instructed
by the Lectures of our President, on the subject of Language; that we
consider the principles he has advocated, immutably true, exceedingly
important, and capable of an easy adoption in the study of that
important branch of human knowledge.
Resolved, That we have long regretted the want of a system to explain
the grammar of our vernacular tongue, on plain, rational, and consistent
principles, in accordance with philosophy and truth, and in a way to be
understood and practised by children and adults.
Resolved, That in our opinion, the manifold attempts which have been
made, though doubtless undertaken with the purest intentions, to
simplify and make easy existing systems, have failed entirely of their
object, and tended only to perplex, rather than enlighten learners.
Resolved, That in our belief, the publication of these Lectures would
meet the wants of the community, and throw a flood of light upon this
hitherto dark, and intricate, and yet exceedingly interesting department
of a common education, and thus prove of immense service to the

present and future generations.
Resolved, That Messrs. Charles T. James, Edward F. Miller, and Henry
L. Webster, be a Committee to wait on Rev. William S. Balch, and
request the publication of his very interesting Course of Lectures before
this Institute.
* * * * *
PROVIDENCE, Feb. 25, 1838.
MESSRS. C. T. JAMES, E. F. MILLER, AND H. L. WEBSTER:
GENTLEMEN--Your letter, together with the Resolutions
accompanying it, was duly and gratefully received. It gives me no
ordinary degree of pleasure to know that so deep an interest has been,
and still is, felt by the members of our Institute, as well as the public
generally, on this important subject; for it is one which concerns the
happiness and welfare of our whole community; but especially the
rising generation.
The only recommendation of these Lectures is the subject of which
they treat. They were written in the space of a few weeks, and in the
midst of an accumulation of engagements which almost forbade the
attempt. But presuming you will make all due allowances for whatever
errors you may discover in the style of composition, and regard the
matter more than the manner, I consent to their publication, hoping
they will be of some service in the great cause of human improvement.