Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-19
CITY AND DISTRICT.
sXLLARs.E SPELLING AND OTHER
NAEEsiRS.
An 1ncis:ye Word Eve About Our
Public schools.
To the Editor Of The EvgsI.e sr,R

To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR
was Interested in the complaint of parent
against the way in which our children are
taught TO spell in the public schools and in what
''Jenyev had to say in its favor. Undoubtedly
II there were nothing TO be said in its favor 1t
would not have come into use II is easier to
find fault than 10 teach. and few things are
wholly bad or wholly good. What are the az
gregate benefits and dement's OF both ways
and bow does the account stand when balanced?
That's the question. j was never teacher
and therefor care nothing about theOries-or
rather i try to Judge them 10y my own ex-
perience. and dismiss them if they do not agree
with it, Results are what We want | have
two girls. and having always been taxed to s,If-
port these schools hoped that they might give
my Children the TudimeDts Of an education
More than that do not wish them to receive at
public hands ! have taken one Of them OUT of
school .Or several reasOns-one OF which is
thai her attendance Means the destruc-
ZION OF her health Though able to
spend money for German. music etc
the public has tpen unable to keen her
warm IN school. Whenever the weather was
really cold she has siiiyeTed in her seat because
There was not heat enou%h to supply the whole
barn 1T onetIme. | cared nothing for the way
IN which she was taught to spell. so long as it
served the purpose and stood the test Of actual
use Brit when caused her TO read to me at
home i got enough OF the school way. I was
astOnished to hear her stumble over the pro-
nunciation Of words which she would have
spoken correctly if she had learned to spell as
Noah Webster taught. IL she had heard the
word spoken and rcmemberedit-if she already
knew it-sEe would. of course. utter it prop
friy at once IF il happened to be a stranger to
her. the school spelling went for Eaueht. She
got no aid from it. The only true tcst-tfat of
accurate pronunciation in general reading
satisfied Ee that the school way Is the wrong
way. and that the right way for child to mas
ter words j. to master them by syables. If the
child knows the word. that ends it. Then no
method Is wanted. But children do not know
words till they learn them. To learn them
they want the best key they can get
And that. if sometimes imperfect, is
the know ledge of syllables I'm irving to
make my child read well rctaught her TO spell
by sylahies- Iut it was rather exasperatinu
after tcine taxed to have her mistaurht An
other eXaSreTatlng thing to me-whatever the
Frlgs may say-iS compelling the children to use
a broad "a everywhere. ] am uncultured
enough to still think that Grass Is not graws. |
am old tO@y enough to believe that the public
schools better let tia. vowel alone The a5pl-
cation of its different sounds cannot be changed
by the schOOlmaSters- The children will 90
right along, when outside the SchOOhOuSeS in
f:lch Use OF il as they are accustomed to- We
should be sorry, no DOUBT. that We are not Eng
fish. But We are not English and not sorry.
The people out side the sch0oh0uScs will take
care OF that vowel They have not Yet given
sufficient authority for what the teachers are
trying to enforce When We come to say in our
COMMON speech that grass is graWs it will not be
necessary 10 teach it in the schools. Until We
do. it will be useless. The one boss shay was
entirely logical. and was built on
perfect system. but it went to smash
ali the same. Grammarians and pela-
gOgueS have their uses like other
Necessary evils. hat it is the exception rather
tran the rule To find one who can Use the Eng
fish language with force or beauty When given
full sway. they become the worst enemies of
such tongue as ours Much as | have against
the public school system hope it is not re-
sronslble for th, last sentence OF ''Jenycys let
ter. But | fear it is. We may require little
more from tie public teacher tnan cur fathers
DID, hut we do not want much more from him.
Public schools That serve their purpose We're
never SO much needed now. That which is
useful IN them vas never So important as now.
Yet cannot help thinking tina. they have become
one Of those svstemiZed humbugs which the
American people must soon tackle and bring
back to first principles. "