Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-08-02

Defective Instruction in Read.
iHG

/ The census enumerators found in the
common schools, two years ago, close
upon ten million pupils. In the high
schools there may have been a million
more. Let it he granted as no fault OF
the schools-as school officers tell US
| the lower half of this vast number are
too young or have been too little at
school to have learned to read more
than a hundred or two of the simplest
English words How about the upper
| half? How many of them know, or
| are likely ever to know, how to read
that is, to read to good purpose ?
AS rough estimate, based upon not
little practical knowledge of the in
struction given in our schools and its
results, we should say not one-half, in
Guiding college graduates as well as
the graduates of lower schools. In
truth, it is the exception when stu
dent learns how to read in school. AS
rule, the schools do not teach reading
in any strict sense Of the term, even
when they spend much time in formal
ly drilling their pupils to call off with
more or less of elocutionary effect the
words of printed exercise. We have
known those who might win prizes for
that sort of display, who yet had but
the vaguest idea of the essentials of the
art of reading. Indeed, their notion
of reading is much like that of the
young man who protested that he could
not see why some people called Euclid
"hard reading" He had read whole
book at sitting, and without the
slightest difficulty. That reading i'm
piled understanding, bad never occur
red to him.
The crowning defect of the instruc-
tion in reading given in our schools
could not be more forcibly illustrated
To recognize the words at sight, is the
grand object; and when this has been
accomplished it is taken for granted
tLat there is no more to be done. The
usual matter of the reading exercises
makes this delusion easier At best
the selections are purely literary, en-
ploying a literary vocabulary, and
allowing wide range of vague com
prehensions to pass for understanding.
When one has been taught to read in
this way (and the majority are) essays,
10 read matter requiring clearness and
precision of thought, or an exact un-
derstanding of facts or principles, he
is all at sea He thinks he knows
how to read but he does not. He
may be able to call off the words with
the utmost readiness: but there is no
real reading, for there is nc full and
clear understanding, The unschooled
mechanic, who was ploddingly read
for specific information upon subjects
he was wanted to master, seeking for
knowledge he needed to use, may
mispronounce half the words, and yet
be the better reader, for he will not be
contented with empty sounds. To
him reading is a means to amend, not
an end in itself
We have sometimes thought that if
our common schools should aim first Of
all and all the time simply to teach
pupils TO read, the public benefit
would be greater than is obtained un.
now prevails. Such teaching would
be useful so far as II went, and it
would 90 further for all practical pur-
poses, educational or otherwise, than
the delusive smattering of many things
which the majority Of pupils now get;
for it would necessitate a systematic
building up ofa comprehensive vocab-
ulary every word Of which would have
to be effectively taught and variously
illustrated until its meaning should be
as fully pretended as the pupils
age and capacity might make possible,
and also constant practice in the
recognition Of known truths and in the
acquisition of exact knowledge in and
from print.
If all school children were thus
taught to read, death blow would be
struck to the production Of what forms
the bulk of the popular literature Of
the present time, for its market would
be spoiled; at the same time the level
| Of popular intelligence would be materi-
ally raised, and something like revo-
luton wrought in Social, Industrial and
political affairs by oxactcr habits of
popular thinking and speaking. Half
| the mistakes, Misunderstanding and
conflicts which spoil the peace of socie-
+ ty arise from the Inability Of most peo-
pie to give or follow exact directions,
written or spoken. Strictly speaking,
the average reader does not know how
I to. read.
I Answer this.