Twenty-second London edition printed 1876.The author is not credited on the title page. C. Mayo signs the preface of the original edition, in which he credits his sister for “the execution of the details” resulting in “the Exercises, now for the first time presented to the public.” A preface signed by Elizabeth Mayo was added to the fourteenth edition (1855). According to her preface:
The first series exercises the perceptive faculties, arresting attention on qualities discoverable by the senses and furnishing a vocabulary to clothe the ideas. The second and third series exercise the perceptive powers in recalling the impressions made upon them by external objects when they are removed from observation. The fourth series exercises children in tracing resemblances and differences, in drawing comparisons and recognising analogies, thereby cultivating the power of arranging and classifying. In the fifth series reason and judgment are brought into activity by tracing the connection between cause and effect, between use and adaptation, and the power of expression is cultivated.
Some changes and additions have been made to the objects in the lessons. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text
1876 printing of the 1876 copyrighted text. The author is credited with a Doctor of Laws of English degree and as the author of other texts on composition and grammar. A collection of lessons that teaches the art of expression through oral and written inductive exercises rather than the old method of grammar teaching that relies on verbal parsing. Object-lessons are a substantial part of the text, and pictorial illustrations have been crafted to aid in the object-treatment of subjects. Ninety lessons appear in the text, covering subjects such as sentences, capital, periods; sentences expressing questions; letters and their sounds--syllables; use of possessive forms; comparatives and superlatives; the use of adverbs; analysis of sentences; punctuation; violations of unity; letter writing; exercise in criticising; oral discussion of subjects; and exercises in narration. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.
1876 printing of the 1876 copyrighted text. A revised edition of the "popular" 1871 text. Preface explains it strives to teach children to use language, and is meant for nine, ten, and eleven-year-olds. The work is divided into two parts: part one for the year when students read the Third Book in a series of readers, part two for the succeeding year. Students are meant to write in response to the book's questions, the teacher is meant to correct these answers, and students are then to revise them. Illustrations are used to teach children through observation and to teach them facts of natural history. Part one is organized into chapters covering punctuation, words classed by use, errors, descriptions, comparisons, , objects, pictures, and genres (poetry, prose, letters, receipts, advertisements). Questions and sample teacher-students conversations are used throughout. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.