“We see the material universe in motion; but matter is inert; and, so far as we know, nothing can move it but mind:  therefore God is a spirit.  We do not mean that his nature is the same as that of our soul; for it is infinitely more excellent.  But we mean, that he possesses intelligence and active power in supreme perfection; and, as these qualities do not belong to matter, which is neither active nor intelligent, we must refer them to that which is not matter, but mind.”—­Beattie’s Moral Science, p. 210.

“Men are generally permitted to publish books, and contradict others, and even themselves, as they please, with as little danger of being confuted, as of being understood.”—­Boyle.

“Common reports, if ridiculous rather than dangerous, are best refuted by neglect.”—­Kames’s Thinking, p. 76.  “No man is so foolish, but that he may give good counsel at a time; no man so wise, but he may err, if he take no counsel but his own.”—­Ib., p. 97.

   “Young heads are giddy, and young hearts are warm,
    And make mistakes for manhood to reform.”—­Cowper.

LESSON III.—­PARSING.

“The Nouns denote substances, and those either natural, artificial, or abstract.  They moreover denote things either general, or special, or particular.  The Pronouns, their substitutes, are either prepositive, or subjunctive.”—­Harris’s Hermes, p. 85.

“In a thought, generally speaking, there is at least one capital object considered as acting or as suffering.  This object is expressed by a substantive noun:  its action is expressed by an active verb; and the thing affected by the action is expressed by an other substantive noun:  its suffering, or passive state, is expressed by a passive verb; and the thing that acts upon it, by a substantive noun.  Beside these, which are the capital parts of a sentence, or period, there are generally underparts; each of the substantives, as well as the verb, may be qualified:  time, place, purpose, motive, means, instrument, and a thousand other circumstances, may be necessary to complete the thought.”—­Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 34.

   “Yet those whom pride and dullness join to blind,
    To narrow cares and narrow space confined,
    Though with big titles each his fellow greets,
    Are but to wits, as scavengers to streets.”—­Mallet.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

ERRORS RESPECTING CONJUNCTIONS.

“A Verb is so called from the Latin verbum, or word.”—­Bucke’s Classical Gram., p. 56.

[FORMULE.—­Not proper, because the conjunction or, connecting verbum and word, supposes the latter to be Latin.  But, according to Observation 7th, on the Classes of Conjunctions, “The import of connectives, copulative or disjunctive, must be carefully observed, lest we write or speak them improperly.”  In this instance, or should be changed to a; thus, “A Verb is so called from the Latin verbum, a word” that is, “which means, a word.”]