Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-16
NO. ID.
miscellaneous.
WHAT DEPTHS OF NONSENSE WE WADE
THROUGH.

1t Is appalling te think what depths of
nonsense we have waded through DUR
ing the last decade of educational re-
vlval in this country. We are not yet re-
covered from all our educational erup-
tons, but it is consoling to think that we
are convalescent. We had calisthenics
once; we had it bad. knowing that
those forced physical exercises are injuri-
Gus, as the action of any organ under i'm
proper circumstances is injurious, we won
der how people could have been so insane
as to put children through spiritess rou-
tine OF amless motions We have been
foolish in our day; We have had on the
gloves; we have gone through the folly
OF fencing. But We are proud to say that
we never led roomful of children in ply
sical exercises; we never made ourselves
ridiculous before our pupils by sparring at
space, or striking immensity below the
belt. Ih e best medical authorities state
that the physical exercises of our schools
are not only useless for health, but posi-
lively injurious to it. 1t is gradually
dawning upon people that exercise, to be
beneficial, must be exuberant, spontane-
Gus, voluntary, self-suggested. So much
for physical exercises.
The second species of folly which we
have outgrown is phonics. or fonicks, as
the science is more appropriately desig-
mated. 1t was the plan some time ago to
indicate the pronunciation of words bv
means OF alphabetical equivalents and ar
oitrary marks whose appearance were
enough to frighten the Danes. For ex-
ample, the word exactly according to the
phonetic fools, would appear as
eqgSzdkttee. Other words would an
pear In masks still more grotesque, but
the resources of our printing-house are
not suihclent to represent them. Suffice
1t to say that the frightful appearance of
fonick folies 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 SO many cases, that the ex-
pertinent was given up as philosophical
but inJudicous undertaking. But the
written phonetics was innocuous 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 dh
90 dU! oW! ac0t0 eeWow eeduou-
dwngh! the teachers made themselves 80
conspicuous on the streets that they were
arrested on every corner by druggists
clerk, who gallantly offered them a seid-
lltz powder to settle their stomach. We
do not now phonicks so much as we pho
nlcked phormery. The truth is that
phonic analysis, as an aid to pronunca-
lion is simply waste of time.
ii we wish to teach q child q certain
sound. the best plan is to make him re-
peat number of words in which that
sound is an essential element. If child
says dis instead OF this, let him be ordered
to say those, these, them, that there, then,
my, beneath, 6equeath, etc., till he catches
the proper sound. II child is hindered in
acquiring an elegant pronunciation by the
explosive efforts of phonic analysis. If
this be doubted. let any one try the analy-
Sis OF the word earth. and note into what
absurdties the experiment will lead
fhonlcs is good to strengthen the abdomi-
nal muscle, and that's all it's good for.
In the matter of phonics. pray let US have
peace. e.-C Chicago Teacher. ..aa