Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-04-09

very useful, and special drill on elocution
invaluable. Any person who has had u far
start in the common school can by taking
common newspaper, and dictionary not
90 large as to render it inconyenient, and
whenever he comes across a word, the
meaning Of which Is obscure, or the pro-
nunc iation not clsar, refer to il, and find
Just how it is pronounced, and just what it
means, | say that by so doing he can rapid
" pick up the pronunciation and definition
of many words, whereas If he does not, look
this up the perusal of page on which are
printed many strange words does more harm
than good. | do not know that l need give
any more reasons for entertaining the opin-
ions do as this order seems to be seii-evi-
lent for next to the natural language which
10 expressed by sighs. groans, laughter and
gesture, the child wishes to further inti-
mate his desires, fears and emotions, by
what is termed artificial language. Before
II attempts this, however, it must be prompt
cd by natural instincts which is infused in
to the very nature Of tho child, for If it
we're not for this special endowment OF
providence, persons would not now have any
kind of such thing a. the power of
speech. But having this sense 1t Is but
natural that We should early desire to give
vent to il and this ths child easily effects
BY observing what arbitrary sounds it's
parent uses to express the same thought it
entertains. Thus we naturally learn the
meaning Of a word first, its pronunciation
second, and its spelling last. There are
persons why are not able to write their swn
name, and yet hsve been shrewd enough to
smass . fortune, and attain worldly honors,
and surely this was not owing to kno~l-
edge OF the orthography Of words, but it
WAS in the part owing to pronunciation and
meaning of words which rendered business
trsnsac tions possible. We live in an sge
in which the English language has been
brought almost to perfection, say almost
for l believe that there will yet be a revi.-
ing and recssting of it, in at least some mi
nor points and We hardly ever stop to think
what the result would be il the fastcr-edu-
cstion Of a child were so much neglected as
that of the common schools is in some in
stances. Now, while il is possible to get
through the world with knowledge Of the
words used every day, We often wish to
know something ofthe technical terms used
and many of these not being called into use
very frequently 90 that We may learn them
by constant reiteration, we must learn their
written definition or We had better drop it
~ once, AS anything short of a knowledge
Of the meaning of words, though ne had
spent much time in the study of their pro-
nuucistion and spelling, is all but useless.
NotIlong ago citizen of Michigan
avenue had . small house 10 rent, and
he got q paint brush sud shingIs and
hung out sign reading: 'To Wrsnt
Every body who passed by had q smile
at the ortbcgraphy, but it was three or
four days before the owner ventured to !
ask of butcher "Say What on earth |
makes every body grin q, .ne sign Z"
why it's tue spelling that gets EN-"
1t was explained that the "wIent" was
not exactly in accordance with Web
ster's latest, and the speller went away
"W ell, if they are 80 par
ticular about i, can change it." And
be did. Within two hours there was a
new sign reading '.Two Let" Detroit
Free Press.
Merchant George Wilson is now in
Philadelpbis buying 4 stock Of new
goods for bus store IN Patterson. Give
Tim a call.