The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26
LOST ART OF SPELLING.
Little Time Left for Teaching 1t in Il
Maze of Fads.

a ! aaos
New Orleans Picayune: In this com
mercial age, when the ancient classi
languages are being eliminated fror
the courses Of study in colleges an,
universities, and poetry is being ban
ished from a place among the fine art
Of which 1t was once the head an
soul. and every energy and faculty o
the human being are being devoted t.
the acquisition of material wealth, I
is not strange that the art Of spellinl
correctly is being shamefully neglecte,
in the schools.
1t Is a fact that great numbers, If no
the greatest numbers. of graduate
that are sent out of the highest educa
tional institutions in the country ar
grossly deficient in ability to spell Or
binary words in the everyday use o
u language.
The apparent reason for this is tina
correct spelling is not necessary t
financial n industrial business sue
cess. A man can become a millionaire
and be utterly illiterate, but to knoy
how to read and write Is very import
ant to him. but he need not by an,
means be a correct speller. He ca,
express himself intelligibly on ordinar.
subjects with. a very Door knowledg
or use of photography.
The real reason, however. for sucl
SCliel Oil htlcCllNCleSS III SpGlllIlS l
that so little attention is paid to thi
one essential art in the lower schools
In early times Walkers Dictionary wa
the highest authority in photography
and in the primary and gramma
schools OF that day the children stoo,
up in rows and spelled aloud in com
position, the successful spoilers go
ing up head" or at least taking posi-
ton above all whom they had defeat
ed.
After that came a period when Noal
Webster became the standard in tn
United States. and his ancient blue
back book of the most used words ha,
to be fixed in the minds Of the children
The pupils who had got the beginning
of an education In such schools unde
such discipline all became good spell
ers, and IL any Of them went to TIL
colleges. such as they were in thos
days, they became not only spoilers
but etymologists and s%yntaXers also
or in a word they were grammarian
according to old Lindley Murray.
Today in the primary and gramma
schools SO many neW-fangled subject
are taught that the children have n,
time for spelling. and that is one rea
son why there is so little good readinI
except by professionals. Persons VIII,
spell poorly skim owe what they rea'
without giving to each letter In eacl
word it's proper value, and they do no
understand what is so read with suff1
| cient clearneSs or accuracy to be abb
to recite it intelligently aloud. To b
| able to read we'll is a fine accomplish
ment, and is absolutely necessary I
one would be an orator or an elfectiv
public speaker.
1t is greatly to be regretted that g
few university graduates are. able t
| spell correctly, or to read properly, bu
unless they are proposing to becom
actors or orators, probably they vii
not feel the need Of such accomplish
ments. What is wanted in education 1
knowledge that car be sold for CAST
Every other sort is of comparativel
little use in the estimation Of the Off
cial educators.