THE ART OF READING,

HOW IT IS, AND MAY BE, TAUGHT.-NO. V.

Having explained at some length my manner of teaching Reading by the Word Method, I will now state some of the measures adopted to secure a permanent interest and real improvement in the art of spelling, which, as before hinted, was not attended to until we began the Second Reader. The first object was already attained by the previous training-they were thirsting for the privilege of commencing the exercise. Webb's Second Reader, which we used, had, as I believe do nearly all books of that grade, columns of words, for spelling, over each reading lesson, so that my illustrations will apply to any of them. Now, for the first time in the progress of a class, have they really use for a knowledge of the names of the letters,-now spelling can be made a pleasing exercise, and writing can be taught incidentally, as it were, and yet effectually.

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When my class came up with joyful faces and the new book," I resolved not to confuse them by teaching too many things at a time. So at the first lesson they were trained to pronounce the words distinctly, without spelling, as they had been accustomed to do in the reading lessons of the First Reader; -each pupil pronouncing one only in turn, so that by going round rapidly, no one had time to "lose the place." Many of the words were perfectly familiar already,-some they would pronounce correctly from their resemblance to these they knew, and others had to be pronounced once for them. If it took the ten minutes allotted to a recitation, to get the lesson correctly pronounced, or two lessons even, this was done before we did anything else. Then they were allowed to "ead the spelling lesson" once in the old way, calling the letters, and then "spelling" proceeded. Books were laid down, one was open before me, while, chalk in hand, I stood at the black-board. They in turn were required to spell, giving the letters distinctly and rather slowly, while I wrote-not printed this time-in a bold, full hand, just as they spelled, errors and all,--not join

ing the letters, so that they might learn the script characters more easily. If an error in spelling appeared before their eyes on the board, and a pause in the teacher's movements signified that all was not right, some little hand was sure to rise, and some pouting lip to explain what was wrong. It took very few such lessons to enable them to write out, in legible though unjoined script, all their lessons upon their slates. A slight hint in addition set them to criticizing my writing, and when, sometimes purposely, I would make one I better than the other, where the letter occurred double, or committed any other evident inaccuracy, several hands would come up, and the error would almost always be correctly specified. Such a course, in our humble opinion, rapidly led knowledge of what good, plain penmanship is, and soon enabled them to read it as easily as print.

them to a

They were always questioned on the meaning of words when I was not sure they understood them. The difference between hear and here, &c., was set before them. I told them that h before ear told what the ear did; and if this very simple suggestion were heeded, we should not see in the letters of those who ought to know better, here for hear, and herde for heard. One rule was adopted and lived up to with us,-to let the class proceed no further when they encountered a word which no one of them could spell, for if the teacher never begins to "tell," they will never expect to be told how to spell words only to forget them the next minute. Once I dismissed them at the sixth word of the lesson, only saying, I am sorry you have "got" no further. But even this implied censure caused such sad looks, that I was constrained to add, I do not mean to find fault, I know you will spell well next time. The moment their seats were reached, books were eagerly opened to see that word, and the next time the lesson was a good one. If they spelled the first column in any lesson correctly, but missed in the second, then the next lesson commenced with the second,—or with the column in which was the unlearned word.

"But did you not have them read all this time?"

No:

one thing at a time," and that well done, was our motto; whether it took three lessons, or twice three, to cause every column to be spelled down without a blunder, we did it before anything else was attempted. Then the exercise was changed to reading;—but where were the difficulties? Every word which was found in the reading lesson had been pronounced without spelling, and also spelled and written, both by teacher and pupil;—the reading was now so easy and pleasant that there was room for practical attention to the prominent pauses and inflections of the voice, guided, of course, not by rules, but by the teacher's example. The same general rule was applied to the reading as to the spelling exercise;-no paragraph was passed over till it was read without a verbal blunder. Pupils perseveringly and patiently trained in this way, soon learn to take delight in "going alone ”—reading without incessant, or any, help from others. Am I wrong in placing so high a value on the principle involved in this?

When the first lesson has thus been "finished," the second in the book is begun by a similar pronouncing exercise-the only thing done in one recitation; then the spelling and the reading, as the class are able to do it,-time out of mind. This changing affords variety sufficient to prevent any from becoming tired or discouraged by monotony in school. The class, whose training I have partially sketched as an illustration of my ideas, were often so impatient for the hour and minute of recitation to arrive, as almost to annoy me. We may have advanced slowly as regards space passed over in the book, but I think those who examined them at the end of a few months, were satisfied that their time had not been spent in vain. They had acquired habits of careful accuracy in reading and spelling, a love for book and school had been established, and a beginning made at learning to write a plain, legible hand. It would not take long now to learn to join the letters and make capitals, and that, too, with greater ease and freedom, from the circumstance of learning by the use of slate and pencil instead of pen and ink. Very soon they would learn to read ordinary writing, and to spell correctly on paper,

which we know is more difficult for many than to spell orally; and, besides, it seems to me that those thus early accustomed to write words, will not be so likely to be terrified at the thought of composition writing, as many boys and girls are. A few weeks since I received a verbatim et literatim copy of a composition upon The Stars, written by one of that loved class, who recently died at the age of eight and a half years. It is not, indeed, fully up to the rules of rhetoric, or positively free from orthographical errors, yet it compares favorably with the productions of many older misses at higher schools. It was written without assistance, and expresses the innocent wonderings of a thoughtful child, as to "what kind of people live in the stars," -for, the writer says, "people say the stars are great worlds, bigger than ours." I was tempted to enclose it as a supplement to my article, but it would not please the older sister of the sweet little author, who transmitted it as a sacred memento of the departed.

Guided by such principles as we have hinted at, especially this, no blunders passed over, even if a lesson were to end at the second line,—the teacher being willing to work, we think children can be led to do all that is well for them to do, without any urging to "mind their book," and without chastisement. I offered no prize to my class, though I used to give them extra recesses for quiet behavior, telling them that I might forget to call them in, and that, when they had had a good play, they must come in, all together, to avoid disturbance; and seldom did I fail to see the row of heads filing in in due time.

To teach the more advanced mind may be more interesting, but the heart can scarcely become so enlisted as with the primary grade of pupils. One other little item concerning the various means of interesting them in the use of letters, I will mention. It was to write some word of two letters, as in, or at, on the board -say the latter. Then write the letter b before it, near, but not joining, and say, What is it now? Bat, of course. Write a c below the b, (but not re-write the at,) and say, What now? Cat, they will say, though the first letter does not really

stand with the rest of the word. Then h, m, p, r, s, v, &c., were placed in a perpendicular row, and as each one of these letters was pointed to, they would give the word which it would form with the at at the top. But I will desist; every wideawake teacher can invent his own methods, by way of variety, and better than those specified, at least for the inventor.

With classes of older pupils, it is often necessary to study means of creating an interest, especially where they have been disgusted by former mechanical and lifeless modes of teaching. No one seems to think it a very dignified occupation to learn to spell, nor any great merit to do it correctly; and yet, how quickly do we charge ignorance upon him who errs in this. It also seems more difficult to rouse larger pupils from a state of indifference to their standing in this branch, than to start young pupils rightly; therefore, we lay great stress upon the latter, though the means of succeeding in the former might well employ the thoughts and the pens of teachers of large experience in this age of progress. But, as I have trespassed so largely upon your pages, it is time that these articles be brought to a close.

C. M. B.

VOX POPULI, Vox DEI.-This proverb expresses an essential truth. Roman wisdom, nor human wisdom, could reach higher. The voice of the people, when rightly interpreted, is the voice of God. True, individual men will steal and commit robbery, but have not all nations and all ages witnessed, by prohibitions and penalties, against theft and robbery? Individual men do indeed spend their lives in hoarding up earthly treasure, but does not the united voice of mankind cry out-fool! to every such man? And so it is through all the catalogue of crime and folly. No truer word was ever uttered than that old Roman proverb.

C.

THERE are 4,000,000 students and 150,000 teachers in the public schools of the United States. There is one student for ev

ery five free persons.