Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-03

and made the fortune of the one-time ragged
boy. His instructor had the reputation of
being one of the best grammarians and elo-
cutionists in the United States, so his
daughter came naturally by her talents
As little girl she displayed no particu.
lar precocity. An extreme generosity and
guilelessness, from which she has not al
together recovered, led her to loan her first
silk dress A marvellous creation of pale
dirty little beggar girl who had "big blue
eyes, fuzzy golden hair and had never been
dressed up in her life" The dress with the
little beggar girl in it disappeared down an
alley and has not been seen since. As she
has been missing 81 years there is no proba-
bility that she ever will be. The first time
the future inventor was sent to school she
was so frightened and wept so loudly and
long that she was dispatched home in dis
grace with an elder sister.
Early Attracted Longfellow's Attention.
A year later she was again sent to school,
this time to her father and she remained
under his instruction until her education
was completed. The family soon after this
father was principal of the town academy
About this time she developed a knack at
writing verses and was encouraged to per-
severe by no less poet than Henry Wads-
worth Longfellow. Over 80 years ago she
was . regular contributor to The DISPATCH
and published two volumes of her verses
When 16 or II years old she went to Ken.
lucky and spent several years with relatives
there. she met her first hug
band in Kentucky, Mr.. Taylor,
and after her marriage to him removed to
Fort Madison, Iowa, where she continued
her work of teaching for many years More
han hn fie6o
with the existing methods of teaching read
ing and began experimenting with her own
pupils After many disappointments she
hit upon what seemed to her the most
rational way of developing the talent of
reading from the elementary sounds. She
found that with her system the pupil be-
came independent of the teacher in . few
months and able to conduct his investiga-
tions for himself. She called the new way
the Synthetic Method.
Her Great Experiment in Chicago.
After perfecting it. she wished to 60 to
Chicago or some place where it might be
further tested. Her friends tried to dissuade
her; they said she was too old, she was now
about 30. She wrote to friend in Chicago
for ad vice. The friend invited her, to come
promising six pupils to begin with. The
offer was accepted, and without influence
and but one friend in the great city, Mrs.
Pollard went to Chicago.
When she arrived, the friends six pupils
and the dining room seemed the best she
could do. Someone however told her that
in Chicago one must have licence to teach
q private school and in search of informa-
tion, Mrs. Pollard endeavored to look up .
Squire Waller, recommended as knowing
all the kinks in school law. Hunting up
his address she was sent to the home of Miss
L. l. Waller, his niece, who had fashion,
able school for children. Miss Waller was
with the way reading was taught
In her school, and when she discovered
what the visitor wanted, asked to see q
model lesson. She believed in the system,
and although she had no vacancy in the
school invited Mrs Pollard to be-
come one of Its teachers That
was eight years ago Parents Of
the pupils at first .grumbled. They
SAID their children could not spell, they
could not read, they could not do anything
but make unearthly noises Before : year
was up, however, they were delighted, for
instead of being able to read q few easy
words from charts and primers the children
were reading everywhere and everything,
chasing and mailing a new word with as
much ardor and delight as an entomologist
does rare bug.
Began to Teach the TeacherA
The next year Mrs Pollard gave up pri-
mary work and began the training of teach
era Only one woman responded to the first |
She was the principal of a |
school in Des Moines, Iowa After her re- |
turn to Des Moines there came call to |
train IL of her teachers; then the school |
board wanted all the teachers of the town |
trained. The method rapidly spread |
throughout the West and along the Pacific |
coast.
Within year the method has taken
strong hold in some of the Boston, Phila-
lelphia.. Pittsburg and other Eastern
,chools. Mrs. A. M. Spallen, principal Of
,ne of the largest Philadelphia schools, was
,ne Of its first and warmest frienda
1t is largely to the influence of Edward
Everett Hale that the success of the system
q Boston may be attributed. When in
that city friend advised Mira Pollard to call
on Dr. Hale. Now, one of Mra Pollard's
great ambitions had been to hear Edward
Everett Halls. but she never suspected the |