River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-12-18
Learn to Spell.


DR.. Cyrus Northrup, president OF
the University of Minnesota, read
a paper on "The Progress of Educa-
ton in the United States in Fifty
Years" at a recent anniversary
meeting of the Minnesota State
Historical Society. In this paper
he said of spelling: Among the
graduates of the high schools, col
leges and universities of our coun-
try, there are many more poor
spoilers than there were in the rural
common schools fifty years ago.
The reason for the decline of &C
curacy in spelling in our schools is
apparent. Fifty years ago there
were few branches taught in the
public schools. Reading, 'rlting,
'rithmetic-the three r's"-and
spelling, and to this last special
attention was given, much time de-
voted. Now, added to these, are a
dozen others that require the pupil S
attention. Then schools were IN
session at least six hours day for
five and one-ha1f days in the week
with frequent evening schools with
contests in spelling. The child had
practice for an hour and half each
day in each study. Now he has
few minutes for the study of one of
a dozen subjects each day with a
sudden lump from one to another
between the intervals of lectures
and readings and recitals of stories
by the teacher.
The spelling of English words IS
difficult to learn in consequence of
it's silent, superfuous letters. Ac-
curacy in spelling, proficiency, is
attained only by study, application,
reiteration, much practice. The
spelling of words is learned by
main strength, the taking up and
mastering of each individual word,
and the fixing of it in the mind as a
distinct and individual thing. With
the multiplicity of studies in the
schools the pupils have not the
time TO devote to spelling that is re-
quired to make them accurate in
this.
A child can do little in the way Of
study until he has learned TO read
to be able to tell the words in a
book at sight and get the thought
from the printed statement. Until
he has mastered the first, second
and perhaps the third reader, he is
capable of doing little in other
branches than reading and spelling,
except to learn the elements of
arithmetic-numbers. Here, then,
the most of the child's time can be
devoted to drill in reading and
spelling spelling combined with
the reading. Here words should
be individualized-t should be
made plain to the child in their
literal constitution. He should be
made to see the word so compre
hensively that he can readily repro
duce it on his slate and know it is
the same word with every letter in
it's proper place. Let him be sure
that the work is right from sight as
we'll as by pronouncing the letters
in it's composition.
In the average first reader there
are about 1000 separate words,
probably. In the second reader,
perhaps a little more than double
that number. In the third reader
all these words are repeated-so
giving practice on them-with many
new ones added. The repetition of
words in these several readers helps
to fix them in the mind. There is
no reason why, with the time the
child has while in these readers,
that he should not know all the
words in these readers; know their
meaning and how to spell them.
In the meantime other words, judi
cious1y selected with regard to their
general use, should be given for a
daily lesson. There would be1nore
good spoilers if the teachers in the
primary grades would devote more
time 10 this important branch and
less to telling the children stories
of Jack and the Bean Stalk.