Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-01-23
Recitation and Composition in
Public Schools.

proper place III tho regular routine
of school work, | viii endeavor to
show is somewhat erroneous. What
is reading but repeating the words
of othersP The nearer they are
repeated as the writer would him
self have spoken them, if present
the more effective and forciblc is
the reading. Would it not be we'll
for teachers to have this in mind
more than they do? To read with
out n book, or rccite, would not be
out of place If done every day and
in every grade. To frequently COM
init to memory bits of poetry, or
noble thoughts in prose, would be
laying up store for use through
all the future life. To leave recita-
tion to be taken up to show off on
the last day of the term to interest
visitors, is not the aim and object
of elocution, the principles ofwhich
should enter into all recitations, in
order to train the voice, and mind,
and heart, to appreciate what is
beautiful in Language.
Who could expect pupils to read
or rccite with force and accuracy
that have practiced the exercise, but
once during the term, or compose
with ease without having formed
the habit, 1t should be beneath
the dignity of any manly youth TO
desire TO recitc what is low and
slangy when there is SO much that
is sharp and witty, and funny too,
that has not that objection. How
easy it is in listening to recitation
to know if tho pupil understands
the subject, and has imbued his or
her mind with it. Is il u compar-
atively worthless thing to appro-
pirate to ourselves, as it were, by
committing to memory, the choicest
thoughts of the great ones Of earth 7
| think not, but believe the more
these thoughts are pondered, the
more enlarged and educated will
our minds become.
AS to composition, NJ soon, and
often before II child can write n leg
ible hand, it wishes to express its
thoughts on paper. and this should
be encouraged through all the
grades, 1t is the effort of the mind
to move independently, and every
effort strengthens it if directed by
a teacher in sympathy with the
modest attempts OF his pupils.
How much easier would the study
of grammar become, if the child
should at each lesson write II short
composition and have it Analysed
and corrected and the rules Of
grammar applied TO it, instead Of
the arbitrary method Of declcnsions
anti conjugations that to the young
le.rncr have little or no meaning
unless applied TO his own language.
Then instead Of being required in
a written examination to give all
the various rules for the use Of cap
ital letters, we should have con-
ncctcd composition with those rules
applied To learn the rules Of
grammar without using them, is
like learning the use of II needle
AND then practDing o. n patch for
years, without eyer forming the
useful and beautiful garments that
we al need. We should not hear
Of pupils hating grammar 80 much
and generally see them marked
lower III grammar than any other
study. By the time they were
ready t. graduate it would be as
easy for them 70 express their
thoughts on paper as 10 talk. They
would do it naturally, too, and not
depend for subjects Or expression
on something they had read. The
simplest composition that is the
outcome Of the mind OF the writer
is Of more value TO that mind than
any essay the result Of reading. |
do not mean by this that essays are
useless, but they snould not take
the place Of original composition.
They shonld rather be considered