Morning journal and courier., 1886-11-01
Spelling i'm our Public schools.

ly, the young mind, bafHed IN Its start, Will
feel the evil effect in all its subsequent
studies. 1t is a fundamental among the
studies. It is the one legitimate way to the
knowledge Of language which is, in these
days, the indispensable medium of all sue
cessful education. It introduces in the one
natural way, through the forms of words,
to their substance, their use and significance.
To read well one must know how to spell
well. The art of spelling or, in other words,
the doctrine of orthoepy and orthography, is
at the root and life of grammar and rhetoric,
of good writing composition or of good
reading. The knowledge of words is the
condition of success in the gathering of
knowledge of books. The truth cannot be
too much emphasized that the training in
spelling is the indispensable foundation of
all successful education.
The study of spelling, rightly conducted, is,
further, the best disciplinary study to be
found in all the circle of studies. grand
peculiaritY and distinction which it possesses
above all others is this: That its lessons are
veritable object lessons. ALI the great ad-
vantages that can be derived from object
gree and of an excellence beyond any other
system by object lessons conceivable. Words
as sounded and as written are the objects in
this study. The spelling book, and it should
be stated just here that textbook in spell
ing is more indispensable than in any other
study, the spelling-book is at once to this
study both textbook and cabinet of speci-
mems. The peculiar benefits from teaching
in object-lessons are that they train the learn
er in all the elemental processes of
thought and knowledge. The learner thus is
called in every lesson to exact observation,
to accurate discrimination, to careful COM
parison and classification, to searching in
duction and coordination, to rational en-
deavor for worthy end or result. These are
the necessary constituents of all true intel
lectual strength. To train each and all of
these intellectual functions in their respective
characteristics and in their due order and re
lation is the proper comprehensive work of
all intellectual training. No method of
educating and training in these great dis
tinctive processes of thought that is compar-
able to that furnished in suitable spelling
lessons can be conceived.
But it may be thought the task of teaching
how to spell the words of the English
tongue is utterly hopeless. Such vast will
derness of Irregularities without law or reason.
This is the thought, however, only of Ignor-
ance, inconsiderateness of inexperience. Good
spoilers, scholars who could spell, speaking
in substantial truth and accuracy any well
domiciled word in the language, were not
uncommon products of our common schools
all around us half century or more ago. The
wilderness of trees in an uncleared forest or
the wilderness of flowers and leaves in the
cleared field, seem as formidable for any sys-
tematic study to the ignorant. But the
scientific botamist has brought the study of
all the trees of the forest and all the flowers
of the field down to the capacity of the child.
The English vocabulary is made up of words,
all of which, with fewer "sports" or instances
of wild caprice or of blind chance than
sfsports" or misgrowths in nature, have come
into the language under well ascertained laws
and principles. Under those laws, the laws
of orthoepy, of orthography, of derivation, of
age and ancestry, of use and application, and
the like-these words can all be reduced to a
comparatively few classes that may be fully
represented in a few specimens, just as
half dozen specimens of each class of plants
serve to convey a satisfactory knowledge of
all There is nothing formidable nere. All
depends on the method and the means.
I have said that in my judgment a text book
is more Indispensable in this than in any
other branch of study. Prompted by little
professional curiosity have procured through
the agency OIL d Irleuu copy O1 Gue heW
text book about the introduction of which
into our schools, involving, it is understood,
the displacement of other spoilers, some stir
was made during my absence in the summer
am utterly ignorant of the particular rea-
sons for introducing it and of the
use to be made of it, as [ am entirely ignor-
ant of the opinion entertained about it by
any other person. It is, I find, book of
some 16O pages, and would, if used regularly
and exclusively, probably fill out the time
allotted to spelling in our schools for year
It processes to be selection of words "for
spelling, dictation and language lessons"
taken from ''the vocabularies of First, Sec
ond, Third and Fourth and Fifth readers"
The selections are graded, that is, SO far as
a division into two parts, with three sections
in the first part, the first section embracing
words from the First reader, the second from
the Second reader, the third from the Third,
the second part embracing words from the
Fourth and Fifth readers. do not see why
this is not an entirely worthy object or why
teachers may not find it convenient for their
use. The compilation is not certainly mere
uuackery, of which, as 1 am sorry to say, too
much appears in our educational literature.
There is no pretense OF learning or
science and none appears In the
book There is mere collection OF
words-between five and six thousand in
number-without plan or order or system of
pradation mentioned and the introduction
of a few exercises after groups of words dis
tributed in a quite unsystemat1c way in
reference to grammatical use or application
to objects. The book may be conveniently
and by the skilled teacher in incidental
way, used with little fear of harm, except as
it may be accepted as a satisfactory text
book in spelling that is to meet all the uses
of such a text book and SO displace the use of
a proper spelling book. The book makes
no claim to he such book; it certainly is
not such a book. 1 can hardly imagine
greater calamity to our schools than would De
the exclusive use of such a book for all
the instruction in this branch of study.
Here are five or six thousand words
collected at virtual haphazard from few
reading books and presented without any
order or system founded on the character of
word as to orthoepy, orthography, deriva-
ton, linguistic history, or even literary
usage, all which are to be crowded down as
SO much dead weight on the unaided memory
of the beginning learner. 1t is an intoler
able drudgery to commit to memory such
mass of unassociated words thrown together
without plan or order, and as useless and
needless as it is cruel. Such lifeless, me-
chanical work is fitted only to paralyze the
instinct of knowledge. 1t certainly can
never lead to any skill or proficiency in spell
ing. The words must for the most part soon
be forgotten, for such a procedure excludes
all the legitimate helps to memory as also
well nigh all rational incentives to study.
It would be monstrous perversion
of the legitimate and, in its way and
degree, worthy design of the book
to treat it as undertaking 20 teach the art of
spelling. This is a rational art; it involves
science, skill, method, system. The pupils
in our schools may be trained in the art in
rational way with comparative ease and with
assurance of success, and be spared the par
alyzing drudgery of committing to memory
the five or six thousand words contained in
this collection. Within the limits of this
number, under the guidance of a familiar
knowledge of the divers principles which
have determined the forms of words in our
language, a selection of words can be made
which ,judiciously grouped into classes under
the determining principles, shall for all the
great purposes of the study, fully represent
the language, teaching, by few specimens in
each several class, the entire vocabulary
Graduation and progressive methods
will come in easily and naturally,
SO that the learner will not only have the
help of association, that Indispensable cup
porter of memory, and also learn the multi