Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-03-05
Mfiseellaneous. g
What Depths Of Nonsense we Wade
through.

1t is appalling to think what depths
OF nonsense we have waded through
during the last decade of educational
revival IN this country. We are not vet
recovered from all our educationa erup.
uohs' ouf 1t Is consoling TO think. that
we are convalescent. We had calisthen-
les once; we had it bad. knowing now
that those forced physical exercises are
injurious, as the action of any organ
under improper circumstances is injuri-
Gus, we wonder how people could have
/ Dcenso insane as TO put children through
spiritle>s routine of aimless motions.
We have been foolish in our dav: we
have ha 1 on the gloves; we have gone
| through the FOLLY OF fencing. But we are
| proud 10 say that we never led room
ful of children in physical exercises: we
hcvr made ourselves ridiculous before
our pupils by sparring at space, or strik-
Ing i.nmensity below the belt The
best medical authorities state that the
physical exercises OF our schools are not
only useless for health. but positively
injurious to it. 1t is gradually dawning
upon people that exercise, to be benefi-
cial, must be exuberant, spontaneous,
voluntary, self-suggested. SO much for
physical exercises.
The second species of folly which we
have outgrown is phonics, or .tonicks,
as the science is more appropriately de-
si9nated. 1t was the plan some time
ago to indicate the pronunciation OF
words by means Of alphabetical equiva.
lents and arbitrary marks whose appear
ance were enough to brighten tho Danes.
For example, the word exactly accord
ing to the phonetic fools, would appear
as eggzdkttee. Other words would ap-
pear in masks still more grotesque, bat
the resources of our printing mo use are
not sufficient to represent them. Suffice
1t to say that the frightfu! appearance of
fOnick fOllies in the English language,
which the written work of our pupils
presented, put so many Of them into
spasms and convulsiOns, and brought on
the rickets in 80 many cases, that The ex-
pertinent was given up as a philosophical
but injudiciOus undertaking. But the
written phOnetics was jnnOcuous COM
pared with the oral phonics which our
teachers were compelled to indulge in
by the command Of the reigning powers.
With explosive utterances Of Oh! ah!
90! atc! 0to! avo,o! eeavou! eeavor.
dtcugh! the teachers made themselves so |
conspicuous on the streets that th,y |
were arrested on every corner by a
druggists clerk, who gallantly offered |
them seidlitz powder to settle their |
We do not now phonick SO |
much IS we phonicked phormerly. The
truth is that phOnic analysis, as an aid
to pronunciation, is simply q waste of
time.
II We wish to teach child certain
sound, the best plan is to make him re
peat number of words in which that
sound is an essential element. Ifa child |
says DIS instead OF this, lot him be order
ed to say those, these, them, that, there.
then, thy, beneath, bequedth, etc., till he
catches the proper sound. A child is
in acquiring All elegant pronun-
citation by the explosive efforts OF phonic
Analyisis. If this be doubted, let any
one try the analysis Of the word earth.
and note into what absurtlities the ex-
pertinent will lead. PhOnics is good to
strengthen the abdominal muscle and
hats all it's good for. In the matter of
P1onics, pray let US have peace
Chicago teacher.