The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-12-30

heard in Germany was in Dresden, conducted by ;
man Of very high qualifications. It vas . lesson In
teaching the alphabet. Young ladies and young gem
tlemen are very apt TO think. swhat . drulgery
this is! Only think. that. with my qualifications. I
should be content to teach the begearly elements .
What a position Oh that l could be in n sphere
filter for my capacities % That is a great and fun
damental mistake which leads any teacher to utter
such words. There is no lesson erer taught in any
school 50 important as the alphabet. Teaching our
Grabbed English language is the hardest thing in the
world. Our language is the hardest one to read.
from the fact that there Is not the most remote con-
nection between the words used and the sounds ex-
pected. There cannot be a higher Office than that
of giving the very elements of instruction.
What was very striking. in connection with the
school at Dresden. was, that the teacher had a class
of about forty boys, all nearly Of the same age, and
| none Of them less than seven years old. coming for
the FIRST time to learn the alphabet. Those sensible
people who wish to make as much as possible OF their
scholars do nos allow their children to be taught the
alphabet before they are seven years Old The admi-
rable teacher of these boys began by drawing n fish,
and asking the boys to tell what it was. Some said 1t
was a fish, some that it was a picture of a fish; but
some that it had no color, and therefore was not q
picture, but something the teacher drew. So they
arrived, after a series of questions, at the conclusion
that il was a drduiRg of a fish; not a picture, be-
cause that would have color; and not a fish. because
that would have life. Then all the class were called
on to say, together, That is a draUing of a fish. As
that would form q good sentence, they were required
to repeat it till they could utter it as well as possible,
RiNIug every u SDuuuC ChTly 1uCu uC WOoru
ask each one to read the sentence. Then from a set
of large blocks he selected the letters to spell the word
fish. and having shown them to the class, he asked
them to select the letters to spell it,, then to go to
their seats and draw the letters on their States Some
would succeed well, and some would fail entirely; but
to those that failed there was no reproof, though to
those that succeeded words of encouragement were
given.
In about ten minutes he called on the boys again,
and inquired, 8 What is n fish ? and put several
questions to lead them to think abort a fish, and
would converse with them about the facts in its nat
ural history; and at each conclusion he would make
them express their conclusions as well as their organs
could utter it. That was the striking thing,-the
lesson in making sentences, in speaking good Ger
man, and in pronouncing correctly.
The first thing to be noticed here is the fact that n
gentleman of the highest intelligence, possessed of all
knowledge, a beautiful knowledge of natural history,
did MT think himself degraded in the least degree by
teaching the alphabet. Another thing to be noticed
was that those things which, in the old fashioned
schools, were considered unsuitable, they were en-
couraged 10 do,-thtt is, To make pictures. Another
thing that was noticeable wis the thoroughness with
which the ltngu iges were taught in the gvIunisha-
The muster would have forty boys of just the same
age and the same attainments. The little which the
teacher attempted t. teach at one time WAS ii striking
feature of the Instruction. Asiugle short sentence of
three We rds was gi, en-; but in regard to them he led
them to observe everything, and reviewed everything
they hrd become familiar with, and they were kept
familiar with il by continual repetition After they
had learne "A single sentence, they were To use that
in making other sentences. The degree of thorough
ness with which this instruction was given almost
transcends belief.