Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1853-06-23

who had been accustomed. 10 letter-wri- |
ting. or 10 the frequent use OF the pen IN
any other way. had the best practical
knowledge of Orthography, spelling on
states and the black board was tried. and
with success. In every good school. this
method has superseded the oral method,
with those pupils who can write.
Now. is this improved method OF spell
ing empirical. or could its superiority. in
practical results. have been predicted be-
fore trial? We think the latter. What
is the object in learning 10 spell? Why
is it desirl BILE to know Of what letters
and in what order, word is composedF
That when we have occasion to lUrite. we
may know letters TO employ. OF course.
if each letter in word represented par
,icular sound the sound of the word
would suggest the letters composing 1t;
but This is not the case with our language.
and it is of that. as it is, we are now
speaking. While | am writing. which
sense, the eye or the ear. shall be the
Judge as to the proper letters in word?
The former. certainly. Il, as the pen
glides over the page. the eye can detec' in-
stantly when letleris misplaced or omit
ted. or superfuous one introduced, 1t is
all we need. And if the eye cannot do
this, and we must lay down the pen and
pronounce audibly all the letters i'll due
order, before we can be satisfied with the
accuracy of our manuscript. written COM
position can not but be an intolearable
drudgery.
1t has sometimes been said that spell
ing lessons are always harmed by the eye.
whatever may be the methods of reciting
them; that the accuracy of the know ledge
acquired does not depend upon the mode
of recitation. This may be true, and yet
the recitation tests the knowledge, and
one mode is better than another. II II Is
surer test. The oral method OF spell
| ing is not true test, for what seemed 10
be accurate knowledge by that method.
| is fodnd. by the written method. TO be
quite imperfect. This latter, therefore,
reveals to the pupil his ignorance. end
/ he is thereby ena bled to correct his mis-
takes. The eye, therefore, which is 20
/ be the judge of his knowledge of orthos-
rapny after his school days are over.
should be made the judge in school.
But we believe not only that the VII
ting method is better test of the knowl-
edge acquired than the oral method, but
that il ids directly in the acquisition OF
the knowledge; that where the oral meth
cd is practiced exclusively, the ear is
employed in learning the lesson as vel!
as in reciting it. In some schools. ID
great deal of time is devoted to spelling.
The pupil hears scores OF columns put
out and spelled each day. and by conun-
ued repetition, the order OF letters be-
comes familiar TO his ear. A blind child
could hardly fail to become good oral
speller in such scnOol. And what IS
learned from the book does not necessa
rily reach the mind directly through she
eye: i, may take Circui,ouS route by
the ear. The pupil. instead of connect
ing the letters and words as risibte things
prOnounces them 10 himself. and Thu:
connects them as audible things. So &C
customed has he become TO This oral spell
ing. that in learning his lesson, he spells
each word audibly to himself. if not tt
others. How frequently do children, tht
older as well as the younger. complain o
the difficulty of committing to memory
without moving the lips. The mimi has
become accustomed TO the ear, as th(
great inlet of knowledge. and, as il were
refuses to receive directly from the eye
Thus the ear is cultivated at the exnens'
of the eye-the ear can detect inaccura
! rrp if.h he "a
together. When the pupil attempts t.
put his knowledge of orthography il
practice. he finds himself continual,
laundering, or rather Others detect IN
bluuders, for he himself will hardly know
it unless told. The method. then, o
spelling by writing. seems 10 be founded
on reason. Taking into account the u.s.
to be made of this species OF knowledge
it is the natural mode; while oral spell
ing is unnatural and artificial. We So
that the writing method not only doe
make better spoilers. as a matter OF fact
. but that. from the very nature of the case
it must do il. There is an adaptation
of the means 10 the end. which can no
be fouud III the oral method.
The change in method in this case con
sisis merely in using the eye instead o
!, the ear. as he channe. of communicating
knowledge to the mind. One might sup
{ pose that il could make no difference hoi
the mind acquired the knowledge. Blu
we have seen that it does make vas
difference in the matter of orthograp ply
r The employment of the ear to the neglec
of the eve has ,auSpd Al euOrmauS WAS
of time. Spelling has been the grea
thing in many of our district schools: ye
every Examiner will bear witness, tina
+ whatever else the great body of teache r
know, they do not know how TO spell.
We think il is manifest from this dis
custom of modes. that great imporianc
should be attached TO the inquiry, no,