The Portland daily press., 1894-11-24

| essence of reading consists in vocal ac-
| tion. But what is trne. of silent reading?
| Only one person is concerned in it. His
mental action may be called apprehen-
! sion. 1t is picking the thought out of
| its verbal husk." Emerson says that
there is creative reading as well rs Gre
| alive writing"
| In ali oral reading at least two persons
are concerned. 1t is essential to keep
the mind intent on the listener The
| teacher who leaves the pupil. to read to
blank Wallis defeating the essence OF
| oral reading. Reading implies reading
| to somebody. Oral reading includes
| impression AS well as apprehension. He
should say that oral reading may be ST.
| lent reading if the reader shows no con-
| seriousness of the hearer. There Is much
vocal reading that is really silent in our
schools. The primary teachers aim to
secure early, complete and pleasureaole
| co mmand of the art Of reading. After
the primary year children ought to be
reading to learn, mot continually learn
ing to read in the Fifth and Sixth Read
ers as was the custom when he was a
boy. The grammar teacher should Sc
cure the habit of reading for the profit
of it.
In regard to methods of conducting
reading exercises in school he said that
SO out of 100 teachers would use the ex-
preston "Im going to hear the fourth
class in reading" The other four might
say "I'ms going to teach the fourth class
in reading"
Threin lies the difference. The posi-
| ton of the hcarer as we'll as the reader
should De reduced to matter OF correct
| habit, Otherwise the reading is inter-
| fered with.
MIR. Aldrich dwelt at length upon the
necessity of vocal exercises for securing
| audible reading and for cultivating the
picturing power to secure feeling in the
| reading. He "dldn't mean elocution. but
reading like human being" Laughter
| and applause).
After the recess Mr.. H. v. Shaylor
teacher of writing in the Portland
schools spoke in his usual interesting
way of the value of good writing and
| illustrated it with his usual skill He
| declared that it is not true that some
people can never learn to write and that
it is matter of genius. Genius for
writing is only great patience and prac-
tice. Legibility is of course the great
requisite. but attention to form is not the
only thing. There is ano5her element,
and that is speed. Good writing must
net only be legible but available for bus
iuess purposes; that is rapid and for
year or two he had been trying to COM
bine both of these great essentials in
the teaching of pupils.
In the early grades of the, primary
school the teaching should begin with
movement as well as form. He demon
| strated on the black board the necessity
for free movement of the arm and de-
tailed the necessary position, etc.
His address was an illustrated lecture
i that most of our readers {and writers
too) are familiar with and have profted
| by.
Mrs. George F. French of Portland,
|
strucuion Tor the W. C.T.U. read paper
! upon that subject. She said that she
had attended the conventions recently in
four different counties and was always
glad to say something in regard the sub
iect in which she is SO much interest
| ed. She read the law in regard to tenn
perance teaching in schools. She said
that there is now call for more and
better moral training in our schools.
| Children can and should be taught the
| laws of health Physiology should not
be confined to the High School. Only
| five per cent of the scholars of the coun-
| try reach the High school. For temper
| ance teaching the teacher must hrst
learn the art of right living and the
structure of the body and the effect of
alcohol upon it. The temperance lessons
should relate to health and usefulness.
| 1t is not study in moral philosophy
but study in physical science. The
study of semitic temperance should be-
| gin with the fourth year of school life
and last till the High hool. The law
| of habit might be called the law of fate
as it holds. the key to happiness or mis-
ery. The teacher can direct the nature
| of this abit in. early youth.
Teach the physiological reasons for
temperance and purity before contrary
| habits have been formed. Urge each
child to enact prohi bitory. law for. him
self. Why should the simple Claws of
health be shrouded in mystery? They
should be taught by the same methods
| that reveal to young minds any simple
science She spoke at some length of
the cigarette habit and the duty Of teach
ers to combat it,
"Fads in Teaching" was the subject of
very pertinent paper by Mr.. FEC.
Robbins, superintendent of Westbrook
and Deering schools.
He said that the teacher starts out
with established ideas of methods of
teaching and finds that somebody else
thinks and says that UGH ideas are all