The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-11-20

VI SooSIatAy anu uleCOry COuCn DuC uglCty inc |
Japanese Empire, though it is now reckoned
among the foremost nations of the earth. This
book has been written to give children correct
IDEA OF the Japanese Empire, and Of the impulses
which led to its wonderful progress in the past
quarter OF century. 1t describes in the enter
tanning form of stories. ne principal events in
japanese history OF the past, the steps which led
the reforms and progress of the present, the
eculiarsfeatures nd conditions Of the present
government etc. 1925. r. r.s...~
Brief Latin Grammar. BY W. o. NJ oney, A.
M, Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, Tenn.
Cloth' limo. 2s2 pages. Price, Is cents. Amori-
can Book Company, New York, Cincinnati and
Chicago. The best educational thought of the
present Gay strongly favors shorter Latin gram
mars than have benin use hitherto in Americaa
schools. The present work is written by pract-
ctlcal high school teacher with ull knowledge C.
the needs Of secondary students: and every de-
tall in its arrangement and manner of statement
indicates the hand OF one intimately acquainted
Trough long experience with high school met
'ods and limitations. It is an entirely new treat
Ment Of the subject, based upon the resut Ut the
most modern re search.
practical couyse with the Spanish language
by H. NJ. Monsanto A. M. and Louis Languellier
L. L. D. 1913 pages, Price 81 rs. American Book
Co., New York, Cincinnati and Chicago. In pre-
pairing this work it has been the aim Of the auth
ors while excluding nothing of practical value
which has already been placed before the public,
to combine with the best features of the most ap
proved methods tho results Of their own expert
ence, While endea:oring TO render this work a
valuable assistant in the classroom, they have
oprbkok ~
poses Of private instruction, and in so doing have
availed themselves to great extent of the admir-
able plan presented in Woodbury's Practi cal
Course with the German Language, According
ly The lessons are arranged in the following order
1. The subject of the lesson,
2. Examples, accompar led by their nearest
English equivalents, and made to illustrate the
grammatical and idiomatic principals which are
involved in the Lessons.
3. Spanish exercises. The sentences in Span
sh require only the application Of the instructions
contained in the Lesson, or in the preceding ones
for their translationcinto English.
5'Englsh exercises. The analogos sentences in
English are presented in immediate connection
with the preceding ones in Spanish, The prin-
ciples applied in the Spanish Exercises are thus
made most convenient and effective auxiliary in
the still more advanced and difficult work of
translating, English into Spanish.
6. Grammatical and idcmatic principals. This
division may be employed by means of the refer
ence either in connection with the preceding
instructions. or, when not thus required
may be applied both as test of the
pupils previous deductions, and at the same time
as an appropriate and impressive review.
The Conversation Method for Speaking, Read
ing and Writing French by Edmond Gast,ueau
"A. NJ. American Box Company New York
Cincinnati, Chicago. How many people otter
years OF study in ordinary text books discover on
going abroad or meeting foreigners in this country
that they can neither speak nor understand
word of the language studied. This proves III Il
there 10 something radically wrong in the methods
used. Children and adults of ordinary capacjtv
when thrown among foreigners, acquire in a few
weeks practical ability 10 express themself and
to understand others. Yet these same children
and adults, when taught by prevailing methods,
will spend years Of arduous labor in the study of
language, only to find. in the vast majority OF
cases, that they are unable to say the simplest
things or TO understand the Simplest questions in
1t. The rea:ol for this is that they have not fol-
lowed the way Of nature. The cd methods at
tempt too much. They attempt to familiarize the
pupil with an immense stock Of useless words, a
vocabulary far larger than the greatest writer's
could or would have used in the ordinary walks Of
life. The number OF words necessary for the ex-
preston Of our general thoughts is placed bv
philologiss at less than 1000, and of these there
are from 200 to 200 words in every language son q
Of which occur in every colloquial sentence. In
tue case Of a child surrounded by those who con-
stantly speak to before it, the ear is incessapt
ly struck with the sounds, not Of single words.
but OF complete sentences. Some Of these finally
impress themselves on the memory and according
to need or impulse the child attempts to use Que
or the other: At first 1t is in crippled sort Of
way. but the perfect form is aimed at So with
greater perfection with each effort, at last the
difficult idiom is used with ease and accuracy.
In this manner collection of sentences is gather
cd. Thus do we insensibly yet quickly find our
selves masters Of spoken tongue This is the
plan Of the Conversation Methol' which is de.
etined to works revolution in the teaching OF the
French language.