Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-12-25
Essay ON ocutiOn, Delivered before
the Teachers Institute, of Walnut
Township, I'm Argos, on the 9th Of
December, by j. L. Atkinson.

December, by j. L. Atkinson.
In the practice of eiocution. Teachers
should observe the rule that no reading
lesson is to be left till the pupils under
stand the meaning of every word contain
ed in it, ant are able 10 express the mean
ing in their own language. When detini-
tions are given by the author in connec-
ton with the lesson, the pupils should
be required to give other definitions of
their own, or modify those of the author,
so as to satisfy the teacher that the real
meaning is comprehendcd. 1t is highly
important that pupils should not only
understand the meaning OF words when
taken by themselves, but that they should
also understand their meaning and use,
in connection with other words. For
this purpose, they should often be requir
ed after giving the definition of word to
embody il in short sentence; and even
this exercise falls short of the highest
end of intellectual reading. Pupils should
often be called on to explain the import of
phrases and sentences, and even of whole
paragraphs. From the moment that a
child knows the power of the letters, and
readily associates with the written form
and the pronunciation which it repre-
sents, his attention slould be directed to
the ideas, his progress in reading should
be regulated by his intellectual progress.
The power of reading different words,
should not anticipate his power OF under
Standing them. The habit, early acouir
cd OF olassociating the ideas with their writ
ten signs, will secure his acquisition of
the art of reading, and make it delight
full occupation.
Explanations and illustrations should
be added by the Teacher; but ever bear in
mind that an explanation drawn from the
scholar is of far more value to him than
the same explanation furnished by others.
While examples are constantly occurring
in which pupils do not read with the un
derstanding, there is also an opposite
fault that is equllly to be summed Some
teachers may suppose that the principal
object ofa school exercise in reading, is
to understand the meaning of the piece
read. This is mistake. The pricipal is,
to read a piece so as to erprees that mean
ing, then, as means to enable the pupil
to execute the reading successfully. This
being the case, it is obviously a great
fault to spend half or three fourths the
time allotted to reading lesson, in dis
cussing the meaning OF words and the
general sense Of tine passages read.
While class is engaged in reading, it
should receive the undivided attention of
the teacher. If the teacher is necessarily
called away, let the exercises be suspend
ed. 1t is far better 70 omit the lesson al
together than t.. leave the pupils to read
by themselves.
The voice of the teacher should be fire.
quently heard in every reading exercise
as an example for the scholars to initiate
IL ID ny lLiltdtlOu tudt CuiluiCu lSdiA W
talk, and their skill and accuracy in read
ing will depend manly upon the charac-
ter of the models which are brought be-
fore them. A child may make a dozen
trials in reading a sentence, and not only
fail every time, but read it worse and
worse, if he does not hear it read correct
ly by the teacher, or by some member Of
the class. The use of capitals and italics,
marks of punctuation, quotation points,
and all other marks employed in reading
lessons should be learned as fast as exam
Piles present themselves. Teachers should
be particularly on their guard against
ado pting unsatisfactory modes of teach
ing this important branch, and allowing
them to be confirmed into habit. In
conducting classes over the same ground
from term to term, and from year to year,
some teachers doubtless loose their inter-
est in the exercise, and fall unconsciously
below their own previous standard. A
good method must be secured by effort,
and retained by effort, and effort relaxed
invariably leads to retrogression.