We notice, by the way, in Mr. Dobell's catalogue that _The London Mercury, or Moderate Intelligencer_, from December 24th to 27th, 1688, may be purchased for 5_s._ It is to be hoped that the intelligence of its namesake of to-day will prove more than moderate. A. L. H. CORRESPONDENCE THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH (_To the Editor of_ THE LONDON MERCURY) SIR,--All schoolmasters and schoolmistresses will be grateful to you for your services to a great cause in allowing Mr. J. C. Stobart to talk at length on the teaching of English, but I was surprised to find myself selected as his scapegoat and "guillotined in distinguished company" (that of the old _régime_). My colleagues will be amused at that. Unfortunately Mr. Stobart is not a very skilful executioner. He tries to show that in my _English Course_ I have followed the traditional methods in "thoroughly normal chapters." And yet he does allow that I am "trying to shake off a yoke which is not entirely congenial" to me. It is more than ten years since I shook off the yoke which he describes as uncongenial. "The traditional method," he says, "begins with the copybook and proceeds by way of dictation and formal exercises to its goal in the essay." I do _not_ advocate the use of the copybook for the simple reason that copybooks insist on the Vere Foster type of handwriting, while I require from my pupils an artistic caligraphy which is opposed in every particular to the uniform ugliness of the old Board School and present Army Council standard.