Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-11-05

| fnlIlurIiN WIFI ihS l''hNAl..' - -.
cision, propriety, unity ana harmony
10 have some idea of the formation and
history OF his language, and 10 have
learned how to use dictionary. This
Knowledge has been acquired, not by
menlorlzing abstract rules and defini-
tions. but by practice In both oral and
written exercises since the day of his
first entering school; also by having
his attention directed, while studying
his reader or other books, tothe expires
sion. the style, the punctuation the con
struction, the words, their derivation,
! formation, meaning and synonyms.
| In the first high school year | would
| continue the same plan, only search
| ing deeper toward the beginning and
principles, requiring closer analysis Of
| sentences and words, demanding grace
as well rs correctness in style. To ac-
quire the latter it is necessary to study
| the mo lels of literature; therefore,
about the second high school year, we
would begin to study selected passages
closely, searching for the meaning,
which will show the utility, nay, the
necessity, for analysis. Analysis and
diagraming are twin sisters, such aids
to one another that neither teacher
nor pupil will ever wish to separate
them. Having found the meaning,
we are ready to analyze the beauty or
other characteristic Of the passage; to
try the effect of our own alterations,
and thus more fally to discover the
deeper principles OF rhetoric and criti-
cisn.
From selected passages we pass to
the study Of authors which will in
clude much history as supplement,
and mental and moral philosophy too,
though not necessarily in text books.
The imagination at this time is ut its
full vigor; the ambition is alive; our
study delightful. 1t will only take
the list of references given by the
teacher to lead the pupil to books
where his questions concerning gram
mar, bellies lettres, logic and literature
may be answered Accompanying
these lessons there must be constant
exercise in every department of com
position and oratory even to the high
est styles. During the last
year, the knowledge gained
should be summarized and elias
silied in an outline, the
growth and formation of the
pupils own mind wherein the
noble subject of language is presented
in various branches with their tech
nicalities, definitions, principles and
Corclations.l
In studying authors, our American
writers should come in for first and
full share, stately Bryant, ever ready
20 cool the passions and refine the sem
sibilities; certainly tuneful, soulful,
homeful, but wordy Longfellow; Wash
ington Irving, with his exquisite sim
! plicity and humor; and elegant, weird,
thoughtful Hawthorne, but such u
host begins TO crowd before us, that we
must shut them all out for this time
without word of recognition; and
dear, beloved Old.Word friends, too,
must be coldly ignored.
HOW TO TEACH SPELLING.
Mrs. Walden was also called upon To
discuss the subject ofspelling without
Il spelling book. This was explained
as being done by having written exer-
cises every day, pupils being required
TO write journals which caused them
TO use the most common words. Daily
exercises of twenty words each were
taken fora spelling lesson. These are
the most common words. she be-
lieved for the harder words they should
have a dictionary at hand. She he'd Il
spelling match once II month, and this
afforded all the oral exercise needed.
sUPERINTENDENT's REMARKS.
Superintendent Hogg said he had
long since determined that since the
decimal fraction was part of our dec
imal notation, it should be taught in
connection with and AT the same time
with the whole numbers. That our
decimal notation, in which dollars
represent units or whole numbers,
dimes tenths, cents hundredths and
| mills thousundths. That he had watch
ed the history, the practical tendency
of the age, and that while the
engineers chain was one hundred
feet, the inches Were not used us the
fractional parts, but tenths of foot or
hundredths of foot. So with the
leveling rod. The whole divisions
were feet, the fractional parts were
tenths, hundredths ana even thou
sandths of Il foot. He did not desire to
force conclusions, or arbitrarily to
prescribe methods. He had gained
this much, viz: He had gotten the
teachers to think about the matter, to
compare the two kinds of fractions.
anu lliul lhtN iuu UOllt SO, according
to their own expressions, favorably.
The obstacles to progress were we h ad
! been taught, we had learned different
~, we had not Investigated for our
selves at all. An example he would
mention in point. 1t was thought
impracticable for old teachers to learn
and teach calisthenics to their classes,
but it had been proven that this posi-
ton was not true, that all the teachers
in the schools were now exercis ing
their pupils in free gymnas-
ties or calisthencs He
said further that they should
teach drawing, the simpler free-hund,
not mathematical or industrial draw
Ing, to all the pupils. We musi cdu-
cate the man in his entirety, toe cad
ing, spelling, comparing and whiting
exercising the mind, vocal music the
lungs, and calisthenics the muscles,
while drawing would exercise the
hand. We wished our schools TO
equal not only those of Texas, but of
the whole country.
Misses Burnham, Haywood and
Dial We're appointed committee TO
| agree uDOn "A uniform sucnnssion of