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364 Old-time Schools and School-books
death, in 1817, went about attired in a cocked hat and small clothes, white vest and stock, and black silk stockings. In summer he wore shoes with silver buckles, and in winter white-topped boots.
Next to his reading-books, Bingham's most famous publication was " The Young Lady s Accidence: or a fhort and eafy Introduction to Englifh Grammar. Defigned principally for the ufe of young Learners, more efpecially thofe of the FAIR SEX, though proper for either." The title-page also contained this couplet: —
Delightful tafk ! to rear the tender thought, To teach the young idea how to fhoot. —
The date of the first edition was 1799. The book treats the subject with admirable simplicity and clearness, the type is good, and the little volume is a very pleasing contrast to the dull, crowded pages of nearly all the other grammars of the time. A hundred thousand copies are said to have been sold. It was the first English grammar used in the Boston schools, and was one of. the earliest grammars ever prepared by an American author, its only predecessor of importance being Part II of Webster's Grammatical Institute. Both these books gave place to the grammar by Lindley Murray, which in its numerous abridgments was used for several decades almost to the exclusion of every other work dealing with the subject. Murray was born in Pennsylvania in 1745, and as a young man acquired considerable reputation and wealth as a lawyer in New York City. But in 1784 he went to England to reside, and it |
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