Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1855-01-18

For the Banner
EDUCATION And PHOHETlCS.
By DANIEL HULL
NO. Nv.

NJ. ~.
Statistics of 1880 snow us that :hs
number OF adults in our own State who
could NOT read nor write was no less
than 35. 600. In Fountain county. Ind,
there are 157 adults who can neither
read nor write, it being one in nine OF
The whole population of adults. The
number Of grown persons IN the State o.
Georgia who cannot read or write is al.
600. and the number of children whose
parentsare unable to send them TO school
is upwards of IS. 900. The official re
turns OF Virginia shows the number Of
adults who can neither read nor write.
to be no less than Eighty thousand! Al
lowing two thirds Of The whole white
population to be women and children.
AMI there is 10 less than enc fourth Of
the Voters of Virginia rAo can neither
read nor rrite.. The number Of persons
over twenty years of age in ,he whole
Mississippi valley who are unable TO read
i. more shan a million and holt.
Here. reader. yeu have sad picture.
But IT is still worse when We contemplate
the increase of ignorance. In 1850 the
number of grown persons in Va. who
could not read exces ded those Of 1910 by
tventg thousand. flow often have our
Ears been panied with the worAS..'I can't
read" Ii the proposition under discus
sion proves true, there can be great
many more become readers. AMI when
once readers they will be perfect readers.
The following from the .Phonogrs phic
Journal" Of 1916. is quoted in support of
my proposition:
Mr.. McGowan writes that he had
commenced The Instruction of Phonotopy
TO class Of adults numbering thirty five
persons. He met them three times
week. instracting them on each occasion
about one hour and a"quarter. The re-
suit stated IN his own words was that.
in three weeks from the date Of the first
meeting. after nine lessons occupying al
;,gether. certainly not more than twelve
hours, eleven from among the pupils
we're reading the Lords Sermon on the
Aount."
The following circular was issued III
F-ston BY the trustees on the occasion
3 an experiment made by the Phoneti.
.&ns Ia that city:
"BosToN, June 90. 1851.
Fifty children Of from two and a half
=, seven years Of age, have been taught
a. : private Phoaetic school by Miss
ma L. Lo,hrop in the Warren Street
APPEL. The first class is composed OF
T,v I've cAi,;-sr. who commenced the
sta.,v Of ,Le phoaeiic sr stem in Septem
- Lass. siuce vaich time they have been
sent o. tassverags. three months each.
: consequence sf sickness. When in
s-h.ol. tsseT Rave received about two
hrs Instruction daily in reading sua
.sss ansI,zs sion of words; the remainder
10 ne tine being devoted to ether exer
e7s-s. AID a the rest of the school. In
S.otembar Two OF three o. the children
e. sv words; but the majority and those
Tho are now the best scholars could not
zen read at oil and did not even know
.aeir letters. Three Of the children from
thr-e aud half 10 four and half years
of age, who ean now read fuentiy, are
German ch,.s.te.l and could not utter q
word of English when our school COM
lnenced Their paren. cannot even how
speak English. They, therefore. still
converse with ne children in German,
aid can necessarily give them 10 insIruc.
rson in their studies. Nor can the chill
5ten generally oktsinins,rucIion At home
$ all the ps-ents are ignorant OF Phonet
s."
The editor eft the Buston Olive Branch
.nade visi; 10 this school. and says OF
- children presented ior. examinatior
svo wee Gsrman. Jews. 'snd that thres
laonass ego .,ey ''knev nothing eff the
Es.iisA language" that they can now