The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1858-12-11

seen anywhere, or at any time, a school
in 50 good condition. and especially a
school in which there was so7fnli, clear,
and manly and correct an enunciation.
In the Grammar and High Schools the
children are also instructed in phonetic
Shorthand, often called phonography.-
This has been done for about three years,
aud some of the pupils are already earning
wages as Photographic amanuenses.
To those who are not acquainted with
phonetic type, it may be interesting to
know something of the mode Of instruc-
ton. Primers are used containing a new
alphabet. Twenty-three of our common
letters are used, and twenty new ones add
ed to take the place of tn, Oh, sh, the in
all, &c. The child is not taught at first
to callany letter by name, but only to re-
cognize its sound, and to utter its sound.
Thus, on the teacher pointing to S, the
child Kisses; on the teacher pointing to
IL, the child huns with his lips closed !;
on pointing to t, the child makes whis-
pered explosion with the end of his
tongue on the inside of his upper front
teeth. By this means the child can actu-
ally spell out for itself, without difficulty,
any word printed in phOnotype, aud soon
learns to read his primer. He is then put
into reader printed in phonotype, and
when he can read it fluently, is put into a
reading book in common type. A few
hours reading teaches him the new dress
of familiar words, and he is then taught to
spell.
He thus learns both phonotype and
common type in less time than he could
learn common type alone, although not in
so much less time as was at first hoped
He is taught to spell, but as long as he is
in school he is also taught to analyze the
words. For instance, class stands up to
spell, and the teacher gives out the word
a" though" All the class simultaneously
make, first, asinging noise with the tip of
the tongue between the teeth secondly,
say oh (; thirdly say though. Then, the
first scholar says "tea, aitch, owe, you,
gee, aitch /; though" That is, the class
together analyze the word into the two
simple sounds of which it is composed,
and one scholar then names the six letters
by which we strangely represent those
sounds. The teacher gives the word
"three." The class simultaneously blow
with the tongue between the teeth, sing
over the curled-up tip of the tongue, say
e, and then say "three." Then the second
scholar says "tea, aich, are, double e,
three" This is enough to show what is
meant by Analysing and spelling. FIRE.
quently, also, in all grades of the schools,
the scholars are drilled by calling on them
to pronounce all the forty three letters
successfully, from a large chart which is
hung in every school-room.
This mode of instruction seems to be
more in favor at the West than at the
East, and company has just got fairly
into operation at Cincinnati, which pro-
poses topublish a complete series ofSchool
Books, all printed in phonetic type. But
we.believe that in no case has the expert
ment of tuition been tried for SO long a
time as at Waltham, and the results there
show that the experiment is worthy of a
very careful and long continued trial every
where. We wish abundant success to our
friends in Syracuse, in our State of New
York, who have just supplied the public
schools of that city with Prerequisite charts
and books. These may be obtained by
addressing Benn Pitman, or Longley
Brothers, Cincinnati, ohio.-NetO Kaz
7fYune.