The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-02-14

of which he recognizes in the spoken
word, is to hiim an unfathomable mystery:
He sees no connection between the
word and the letters composing it. In
short, he derives no benefit whatever
from the ceremony Of hearing OF repeat.
ing after some one the names Of. the
letters Of a word preparatory to pro-
inouncing:it. ss..l.. & /: Y
Some one may be ready ssto3 object:to
the following BY asking: !" How it hap;
pens that the child learns the word at
all; the method Just referred 70 being the
one very frequently employed9 Surely
iyou do not mean to declare that words
are nsysrz learned in thiss gay.gaY You
forget Fiat tsaeSefs are act1ally suecssd:
ing il teaching their pupils to read by
this: same alp6abstie lmtslho G which you
are treating ss9 lgRtlga go Sspch I
would reply that the beginner, does not
obtain a knowledge of the pronunciation
of the words he is required to learn il
the manner just described. Strange as
sc may appear to one acquainted only
with the alphabetic method, I have no
'hesitancy in declaring that every. word
the young pupil learns is recognized and
distinguished from others by sight; he
has acquired the ability to do this by
observing the general outlines Of different
words. The act Of naming the several
sounds Of which the word is composed
these names, as stated above, not being
signifcantEof the powers of the letters-.
has 1otaidea him la the least to arrive
/ at the desired result. It is my firm con.
viction that words are distinguished as
letters, in the process Of learning the
alphabet, are distinguished-by their
forms. It is even true that words are
more easily distinguished than letters.
About the same difference in form or
2 <. / i
neral outline, exists among the words
as among the letters. But the former
possess this very important, advantage
| they represent ideas, and within the le.
;gitimate range Of child's early lessons,
Eidess With which be is familiar. While,
on the other hand, letters ataud for
sounds with which he is not familiar,
and which, when learned, his judgment
will not enable him to apply ins,''igprt':
in the construction of words. Let it moi
be Thought strange or unnatural, there
fore, that words can be learned by sight
aid distinguished by their forms. M,
itice, too, how the perceptive faculties
and the Judgment are called into exercise
BY the word method. Show child q
picture representing 8. cat and another
representing q dog. He will readily
recognize them by their resemblance to
the animals they portray. He will leasily
distinguish the one from the other. He
He has seen the living dog and cat and
the mental pictures, the ideas dwell in
his mind. Present the words scat" and
i"dog" in connection with the pictures OF
by some means impress him with the
fact these words, iu their printed forms
represent the names Of those animals
and they will afterward recall to his
mind the previously acquired ideas. just
as the pictures themselves migbtdo. He
readily. distinguishes the spoken words
addressed to the ear, because thei1
sounds are different. Why may he not
distinguish their printed forms addressed
to the eye just as readily, there being as
much difference between their forms ias
between their sounds7 This is much much
more zen natural and rational way Of teach
ing the young pupil than The h 4 tedious
and mystifying one that requires him tt
derive the words from unknown soundl
represented by aenseless pames, Thi
memory q w is not unduly burdened, ba
performs only its natural Legitimate
Office, while all tbe other faculties are
equally aroused aud brought inte health
full activity,