The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-20
Is IT A DEFECT?
The high School Has No Teachers
of Elocution-AWful Con.
sequences.

To the Editor of the Jerscu Citu NeUs:-
Now that the recent High School Com
mencement is still fresh in the minds OF
those interested in public education, IL is
u fitting time to call attention 10 a defect
which exists not only in the High School
curriculum. but in the entire course OF
study throughout the schools. This IS the
failure TO provide instruction in the
| snoken language. Not in "elocption,"
falsely so called. but in euuhclatio3,
pronunciation and the principles of voice
culture.
Every other study in the excuse is to
some extent for discipline, without a d.
rect practical result. Two years after
graduation not one out of ten could fa's
a fourth grade examination in gee gtaphy;
peJple have been known to get along
comfortably without either ALGEBRA or
geometry, both of which are COMPULSORY
IN the High School, or eve whoa IL
dnstrial drawing, though no one de'1es
its practical benefits, but every man,
woman IL child III the United States
spends the grea'er part OF every day In
t ,~lking-the question is, whether ne or
she is TO IalN English or the clipped,
vowelless dialec; that nine-tenths OF the
American people Substitute for 1t.
The High School, commencement is sun-
IpSSu ~ obON foEAi" F"&S WV -
hes lone for it's pupils In four ye r.. They
have be4n given instruction in tome
tweaty different subjects from histoFy To
trison9metry zen days befor' Conf
mencement they undergo u System Of
eoat hui iu the delivery Of thu ESSAYS,
having hid ab o u G y 10 ia Meg IN me
- .nciples OF e.ocutiun. ihen the5 go On
tn stage aud comuete for a medal offered
The he t sps aker-in saott, the nne branch
watch is exh bited at the comm .%nceuient
is tn one Iran h iii which tn y mad abso-
Tut ly no iust .loa.
This deficiency Is not the fault of the
teacher, hlre ,dy oyes-barienrd with
their dutie-. Children come 10 the prim-
ary schools from homes whore in many
cases the English lapgaa2e i; not SPOKEN.
aud are part unu.er the charge OF
teachers whose time is already
mLra than occupied with the writ
ten language. Every Other city OF
Jersey Guys size employs a Supervisor ia
readiug aloud aud correct speaking. This
supervisor gives instruction in the train
ing schools and condUC S classes among
teachers. att.r the mauner of the In
structor of dGawing, beside teaching in the
High School. In five years there would
be Il thoroughly equipped corps OF teach
ers iu%structing every class IN the city,
aud Il corresponding Improvement III the
ianguag. of pupils. fortunately, The
"elocu ION teacher" OF twenty years ago
is almost extinct, and graduates of the
College of Ogatory and similar institu-
tons give their inc to instruct Oh IN
fluent, distiuce enunciation and correct
pronunciation, aud let old fashioned
'~'stugv'' methods severely alone. When
the day comes, as educators in the ciiy
declare Will soon be the case, it Is hoped
that at the graduating exercises of the
highest classes in the city there will not
he mispronunciations of eight common
English words, as must be said of the
Class of 1892. ELoCUTIoNIsT.
Jersey City. June 20, 1892.