may now change objects and repeat the exercise. As they gain confidence and freedom of expression, two or more children take hold of the same object, when one of them will give expression to the thought. This changes the subject. Then one holds the object and another tells him what he has. In like manner we proceed until relations have been formed calling for the use of all the common pronouns, together with the names of as many objects as we find it convenient to use. The degree of intelligence of the class will determine the length of time to be devoted to this exercise. It may take a few days or a few weeks to give the children sufficient readiness in perceiving relations, and expressing the exact thoughts. No effort is made to teach new things, but only to make the children familiarly conscious of the simple forms of speech they already have, and to strongly fix the habit of proceeding from the conscious thought to its expression.

Our reasons for using these forms of expression are, First, the relations are easily made concrete, and they appeal to that kind of selfishness characteristic of children, which is so observable in their plays. Indeed, they come to regard the exercise as a kind of play, and enter into it with much spirit.

Second Step.-The teacher will next come before her class, and with nothing in her hand tell them that she has something; as, "I have a knife." She will then call upon a child to tell her what she has. The child answering, "You have a knife." Teacher-"How do you know I have a knife?" Child-"You told us you had." The teacher will then show the knife to confirm the statement. In the first stage the thoughts are formed directly from the objects and their relations. Now, the thoughts are formed by the use of language, the child going from the language to the thought expressed, the concrete relation being formed in obedience to the impulse given. Two or three lessons of this kind are usually sufficient, the object being accomplished when the child readily responds to the conditions expressed.

Third Step.-The third step introduces the class to the graphic expression. The teacher in a clear, bold hand writes what she has before said, “I have a knife." Of course, no child has the slightest idea of what is expressed. The teacher, calling a child to her, puts the object into his hand, when he will instantly respond, looking at the writing, "I have a knife." Another sentence is now written, and another child made to enunciate it in like manner. The process is continued until a number of sentences are on the board, the children still holding the objects in their hands. Each one is now called upon to select and read his own particular sentence, which he will usually do, remembering its location and having the object still in hand to form the thought. Mistakes will occur, but they are readily corrected by the teacher, who has only to keep thoughts and expressions properly associated. The child, depending upon the object for expression, gives only secondary attention to the words upon the board, and, of course, but slight impression is at first made. The play, as the children are apt to call it, is now made a little more complicated by the children exchanging objects, and then each selecting the appropriate sentence to express his thought. This quickens the attention and deepens the impression; still, no direct effort is made to impress the sentence upon the memory. The

thought formed by the object is still the first object of attention, and his oral expression has all the naturalness of conversation. All the forms of expression used in the preliminary lessons are repeated in writing, and the exercises continued a greater or less length of time, depending upon the intelligence of the class.

It is now the critical period, not with the class, but with the teacher. She is not satisfied with the apparent results of her efforts. She can not see when the children will be able to read directly from the board, without first having the thought suggested. But wait a little. Have faith, and you shall receive your reward. By an inevitable law of mind, each repetition deepens the impression, until some day, as you write, you shall find a little hand stretched out toward you in eager entreaty for permission to speak. Grant the request, and the child will excitedly find the object himself, and make the sentence true, as the children themselves have taught us to express it. Of course the sentence has been read, and it is only a matter of form to give it oral expression.

The Rubicon is now passed. The children have, by this indirect method, quite similar if not identical with that by which they at first learned to talk, acquired a graphic vocabulary sufficient to express many simple thoughts, without once having the elements of this vocabulary exalted into primary objects of attention. The graphic words are a direct medium, and may be used in the expression of any thought coming within the experience of the child, or that he can "make true," with the full assurance that they perform their legitimate office as language to the child.

FIRST ANALYSIS.-Words.-Very soon an important discovery is made. As the teacher writes, the children will be found to recognize the separate words as they leave the crayon. Sentences, that have heretofore been to them wholes, are discovered to be made up of parts, each one common to many of the sentences they are accustomed to use. As this is a discovery of their own, made incidentally, while contemplating sentences as wholes, in their office of expressing thoughts of which they are primarily conscious, there is little danger of their being exalted into primary objects of attention, and thus reversing the order that has studiously been observed from the first. They, however, now use these elements as steps to reach the thoughts expressed by new combinations, but not stopping upon them, nor expressing them until the thought is complete and clearly defined. We have had numerous instances of mistakes being made by the teacher in writing, either repeating a word or using a wrong one, of leaving out letters or putting them in where they did not belong, when it is found the entire class will refuse to read, being as completely befogged as if entirely unacquainted with the elements of the sentence. But if the mistake is an obvious one, the children, if allowed to do so, will correct it themselves, when they will proceed to read without hesitation.

New words may now be added to their vocabulary, by using them in their appropriate relations, taking care that the new element is discovered by its necessity in expressing the new thought. Thus we continue until we have a good supply of names of objects, nearly all of the personal pronouns, the names

of the members of the class and the teacher, a good list of verbs, of adjectives, of adverbs, and other parts of speech, so that the children are able to give graphic expression to quite a range of thought. Slates and pencils being in the hands of the children from the first, they soon write quite legibly, which they do of their own choice, rather than by requirement. Having seen only the writing of their teacher, which is free and connected, they imitate her in these particulars, and write whole words without removing the pencil from the slate.

SECOND ANALYSIS.-Letters.-Very soon a second discovery is made, which is, that words themselves are made up of parts. They learn to distinguish the different letters, and if the teacher will talk of them as if the names were familiar, they will soon know them by name, and be able to use them in the formation of words.

Thus it will be seen that we begin where other methods end, and end where others begin. The child attains to the words by the analysis of the sentence, and to the letters by the analysis of words. We add words to the vocabulary, and in this respect it may be called a word method. But we only add the words in their proper relations, so that still the sentence is the basis of our work.

First. Perfect naturalness of expression without drill, or repetition. Our teachers never read for the imitation of the children, and the children seldom emphasize a wrong word or give a wrong inflection.

Second. The habit is formed of looking first, and always, for the complete and consistent thought. It is not reading to them, except as this end is attained.

Third. The exact thought requiring exact expression, they acquire a knowledge of the use of words and a power of criticism I have never before seen equaled by children of the same age.

Fourth. They attain a remarkable accuracy in spelling, a misspelled word being no word to them, and only serving to confuse.

Fifth. Perfect clearness of thought, the line dividing the known and the unknown in their minds being so well defined that a new thought, a new idea, or a new word, is at once noticed, and has to be cleared up before proceeding. Sixth. The transition from the written to the printer's characters is made without a perceptible break, provided it be not attempted too early. We generally commence with the book some time during the second term; but no harm is done by delaying until the third. (We have three terms in our school year.)

Seventh. The use of the language becomes easy and pleasant, so that writing and composition are recreation, in stead of drudgery.

The indirect results are important, but it is not necessary to name them here. CONCLUSION.-In conclusion, I would remark, that we find the same principles applicable in advanced classes; and that in just about the ratio we are

able to apply them do we attain to good results in these classes. Not only do we apply them in reading, but in the other branches; for intelligent reading is the key mainly used in unlocking their mysteries.

I have purposely omitted the mention of many points upon which questions would most naturally arise. The limits of this paper would necessarily exclude their consideration. But I trust enough has been said to call attention to this subject, so that more rational methods may be pursued, and the pathway of both teacher and pupil made more inviting.

Mr. FARNHAM's paper was followed by one by Dr. LEIGH, of New York, on

ELEMENTARY READING.

THE PHONETIC METHOD WITH PRONOUNCING ORTHOGRAPHY IN ITS RELATIONS TO OTHER METHODS.

Phonetic teaching with a pronouncing orthography is no new thing. The Germans, whose orthography is substantially phonetic, have long used this method and proved its great value.

At the beginning of the last century, WEIGEL advocated and used it, and through the century, many of the ablest teachers in Germany practiced and improved it. It was so far perfected in 1808, by OLIVIER, that HEINRICH STEPHANI was able, soon after that date, to introduce it into general use. Since then, for about half a century, under the name of the Lautiren, or sounding, method, it has held the first place in the schools of that country.

The a, b, c, method, however, has still been retained to a limited extent for its appropriate use. Lautiren and buchstabiren-sounding and spelling words --are combined in harmony. Learning to read and write also go hand in hand. Some thirty years ago, the object and word methods were brought by VOGEL into their proper place in teaching to read - beginning with the object and the idea, then going on to the spoken word, then to the written word, and then, from the word to the sounds of which it is composed, and the letters which denote them. This is the principle of the famous "Fish-buch," so generally used.

Beginning with the picture and the idea of a fish, the pupil first hears the spoken word "fisch," and then sees the printed word associated with it. He then learns the sound of i, and the letter i, which stands for it, then isch, then sch, then fi, then f; and so he learns these three sounds, and their signs, or letters, from this object and its name. He then goes on to Rad, Buch, Bett,-wheel, book, bed, and some forty familiar objects and their names, till he has learned all the sounds, and their signs, and the art of combining them. He learns, at the same time, the script words and letters and the art of writing them. His subsequent progress is rapid and intelligent, as indeed it has been from the beginning. He find in himself the power of learning the spoken from the printed word. He does not depend upon his teacher to tell him. Knowing the signs and their sounds, he himself forms the spoken word from its elements correctly and promptly, and finds himself master of the situation. He goes on through twenty pages more of the Fish-buch (equal to fifty pages of one of our

These two pages are taken from "THE GOSPEL according to SAINT JOHN edited in Pronouncing Orthography by Edwin Leigh."

PRONOUNCING ORTHOGRAPHY,

THIS print was first published in a pamphlet with this title.* For ail practical purposes it will explain itself. Those who wish to know more about it, or about the methods and helps to learn and teach it, will please address EDWIN LEIGH, New York City.

A special form of a letter is used for each sound of it. The hair-line letters are silent. The pronunciation is according to our standard dictionaries, Webster and Worcester.

The 8 pairs of vowels, the diphthongs, and the semi-vowels (w y) areeel it, ale ell, air at, art ask; urn up, or on, old folks, fool foot, ice oil our sue, use, we ye.

e i, a e, a a, ɑ ɑ; u u, eo, 00, e 0. ioi ou u, u. Wy.

The aspirates, liquids, nasals, and the 8 pairs of consonants arehen when. lark. mining, veil if, the thin, is us, usual she, be up, do to, jet chin, go cat.

hwh. Ir. mng. vf, th th, ss, ssh, bp, dt, jch, g c.

To preserve the spelling, some duplicate forms are used. Notice their correspondence with the above forms for the same sounds.

police been women busy, they any bury, there, dove, all was beau sew, rude crew put. 2. v, a a, a w,

i ei uu, a e e,

my boy now blew, ewe. quit one union. you ow w, H'. w div.

ice waltz, azure sure action ocean chaise, hiccough, iced, gem, kite quit lough exist or. CZ,

k

q g, xx.

The old capitals are used like their small letters; the forms of the new ones generally correspond with the small letters for the same sounds. A few variations were found necessary, or desirable, but none of them are so great as some in the common alphabet; they are

When the accent does not fall on the first syllable it is marked (').

* Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by EDWIN LEIGH, in the Clerk's office of the U. 8. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Pat. May 19, 1868.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by EDWIN LEIGH, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.