The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-14


% 10 report the of the keepers of all such houses
who shall refuse to close them. -
""O CHARLES ALERT,
President of the Board of Common Council.
VIM IT, DOVE,
President of the Board of Aldermen.
Auproyed November II, 1858 T.
App''''' JAMES G. BERREr, Mayor.
COLUMBIAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS.
An adourped meeting of the Columbian Association OF
Teachers was held at the Smithsonian Institution yeser
day forenoon Professor l.. C. LOOMS in the chair
A communication received from Professor o H.
r; rendering to each of the teachers of the Associa
ton n COPY Of his work Normal Arithmetic, which
h.. inst been published [This work contains a vast
amount of useful information and from the systematic
arrangement of its several parts appears well calculated
,,swcr the object designed 1t is the result of twenty
wears Of experience by the author mathematical in
tor and his aim Is to teach the student to think for
himself instead Of being always dependent upon rules
The porreiye nature the exercises is such to slim
ue the mental powers and lead the pupil on from the
first ruiimens of arithmetic to the most difficult prob
lens.
On motion by Professor q Richards the thanks of the
Association were unanimously rendered to Prof LOOMS
for this book.
The regular order of business then called up, being
the subject of reading MIR. ST. John Thomson express
ed his views upon this subject at considerable length
He believed that good reading could not be subjected
to specific rules like those laid down by Professor
Vaudeville and others and in proportion as teach
ers attempted to reduce it to system, and to make
an ANALYSIS of tho method Of reading, they would
fail Some authors say that we should read IN
a natural manner and hence il was a
natural fool his natural style of reading would be stupid
and foolish This would make very changeabe stand
vtvle of two me
be exactly alike He criticised the recitation of pas
SAGE from Campbell by Prof Mcleod, at previous meet
iny as being more like defamation than reading-as
being too dramatic aud style fitted for the draw
Ing room or the school room What seemed to him to
be the great requisite in good reading to give the
passage in impressive and it was necessary
that the mind of the scholar should be cultivated SO that
he might obtain full conception OF the sense OF the
author. Reading translation of the idea OF an
author and good translation could not he made by
mere attention to emphasis tone, any of those specific
rules that were laid down to make good readers He
rred to the pulpit aording numerous specimens of
deficiency in effective reading and narrated the anecdote
of Garrick who was asked by clergyman how it was
that he could rcce fiction the stage to
audience to laughter tears while the preacher could
not secure the interest and attention of his congregation
to the noblest and most important truths why re-
.
believed it to true whereas you read truth asf you
believed it to be fiction. Mr.. T. said that after ten
years examination he had been able to find other mode
Ly which pupils could be made to read WE'LL except by
careful study of the text and analysis of it, so to
obtain thorough conception not only of the language,
but of the spirit and intention of the author. He
planned of Hlard series of Readers that they only give
the sounds Of the letters without giving any directions
with regard to Tone emphasis, infection, &C. In com
cluson he recited several passages from Pakers Rhe-
toca Reader which he understood to regard the
best of that class of works
Prof Mcleod agreed with Mr.. Thomson in his idea
that the recitation from Campbell was in dramatic
STYLE but such style appropriate for such
'mct, There style OF simply correct reading for
narrative and description; there higher style OF
rhetorical reading in the Reader by Porter of Ando-
Ve where the passages require vocal coorng en-
hass energy Of delivery, and attention to the scnti-
eht and then there the still higher kind Of orato-
required for poetry and the drama He thought the
art clocuon embraced not only distinct articulation
correct and proper emphasis suitable intonation, but also
c power of expression He would admit that the books
on eocuon to which reference had been made contained
very little except extracts looking to the general enlarge.
nent Of the mind but, after the mind cultivated, it
W." necessary that the voice should be properly trained
aud he maintained that DR. Rush. system of the philoso
ny OF the voice contained principles which, If reduced to
aetce, would afford the teacher of eocuton all the
es of which he stands in need to enable his pupil to
ead we'll
froi u Richards thought It not strange that Mr.,
honlson should have found difficulties in teaching elo-
0n Tor he who disards all rules must feel the want OF
em But he had apparently not matured his thoughts
N this matter, and the extracts which he had read
O'ea that there was necessity for rules for why did
emphasize particular words unless he had some
w And rules were founded upon these yeiy reasons
nese various systems had been brought in conse-
nee OF feeling TINT there necessity for rules.
esor Vaudeville Pounds his system upon that of Dr.
s and his rules differ very little from those of Dr
and all the authors who have written on eocution
y Their theories on natural principles. welltraincd
a educated mind and cultivated taste essential tc
Ake good reader but Ihnt Is not all Some OF the hns