Nevada County picayune., 1886-03-03

Reading is a fine art, and even ill the prompt, busy public school of today, with 80 many important branches clamOring for attention, and so little time in which to be- stow it. we have no right to quite ignore the fact. Really successful reading demands attention to two things-thoughtS and expressions, but in vastly different degrees.
 We should begin to tram the at tention and understanding as they apply to the matter read, before beginning to train the voice; and only begin this training first, but consistently keep in mind through the whole course of instruction that voluntary attention and quick comprehension of what IS read IS often all the chief aim in the study. We often overlook this fact. and though we recognize the necessity of the child's eomprehending what he reads, we are apt to regard It as subsidiary to the proper rendering of the piece with the voice.
 I can remember having said to children, "You must learn what that piece means now, for l want you to read 1t nicely and you will n3t-know how to read 1t unless you understand it.o l am sorry l ever went about it in that way, for it cannot fail to give the child the impression that he must under stand what he reads only because it helps him in reading aloud.
 The pupil will do most of his reading silently in after years, and the end we should strive for IS to keep him from finding out that It is possible to read thing and leave it alone without understand ling it. Of course, in nearly every case, if one is in the habit of grasp ing every thought as he readS, his expression will iii a great degree take care of itself, and he will be a comparatively good reader, with out ever ha, ing made a conscious effort in that direction alone.
 But I must insist that the advice given by some very able and efti- cient workers to "briug out the thought in Reading and waste no time on the expression' IS an opin- ion either erroneous in itself or carelessly expressed, and therefore apt to mislead.
 True the former idea is para mount, but although the eXpres- sion 10 some extent grows out Of the thought, 1t is certainly neces- savy to any degree oI good reading Whatever is necessary demands attention. and while, so far as it is brought ont by the thought, the expression, may be called a aspccies of "unconscious culture" on the part of the pupil, yet the teacher must constantly be keenly alive to the aim. A little physical and vo. cal drill, little elocutionary train ing, can be interspersed through the lessons very effectively if per sisted in, and a .iudiciouS teacher even in the busiest and most prac. tical of public schools can give these little drills daily without in- terfering with the development of the 6Ought and without infringing on the time devoted to other branches. Some very sImpl" plans for cultiyating both attention and expression l find quite effective, and a few of them 1 will mention.
 On entering new school and taking charge of class in Third, Fourth or Fifth Reader, a good way to test and strengthen the thinking power of the class is to obtain perfect quiet and then have the entire class read silently to themselves the first paragraph ot some interesting lesson, chosen at the moment. When sufficient time has been given them in which to read it, let them close their books and call one pupil to state the sub stance of what he has read allow ing the rest to crlticise, which they will do very freely. This may be done with several paragraphs and occasionally perhaps whole les son may be proftsoly recited in this way.
 Sometimes it is good plan 10 read over an advance lesson to the class and question them on 1t be-