The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-03
WEBSIER'S BLUE-BACK A BACK
NUMBER.

There is glamour about the old
has caused them to idealize Webster s
Blue Back Spelling Book, giving it
all the credit for the old time schools.
whereas the chief credit is due to the
discipline maintained by the old-timc
teacher. There has been a prevalent
idea that the old Blue Back was sort
of fetish and that it is a sin to learn to
spell out of any other book. The old
time virtues are to be found in the
men and women teachers who were
behind the book and not in the Blue
Back itself
Recently Mr.. Archibald Johnson,
editor of Charity and Children, wrote
a poem in prose on THE Blue Back,
advocating, if we mistake not, that the
Blue Back Speller be put back in our
public schools. 1t is gratifying to
see that a veteran teacher of ability
has come forward to demolish the
modern god-the Blue Back-and to
take up the cudgels for the present
day educators who have discarded the
Blue Back. The champion of Pro-
gress versus the Blue Back is Rev. j.
M. White, of Apex, Wake county.
whose experience and knowledge fit
him to become the foe of the retro
grade movement of going back to a
speller that owes it's chief claim to
veneration to the faithful drilling OF
faithful teachers. All honor to Mr..
White! Here is his article, taken from
Charity and Children:
perhaps it is dangerous to take
issue with you, (you are so often
righO, but l was in the war and got
used to butting up against big propo-
sitions. l utterly dissent from your
notions about 'Webster's Blue Back.
l have taught school forty years
taught all grades. from a-b-c's to ad-
vanced classes in college. / have used
various spellers-the old Blue Back
among them. Today, | would about
as soon take the cutter and scooter
-plows that our fathers used in
farming, as the old Blue Back'-youI
pet-in a school. No, brother, rightly
it is back number.
Besides the few fables and in
Structive pictures in the back of the
book, there is. to me, very little to
commend it. In my judgment the best
spelling book | have ever seen IS
'Swnton's Word Book For begin
ners a good primer in the hands of a
capable teacher answers we'll. Indeed
no book can make a good speller with
out a capable teacher. Did it ever oc,
cur to you that the excellent spelling
of Blue Backers' does not come from
any virtue in the book, but from the
methods of long ago? When your pet
was in use-say fifty years since-a
boy went to school with just that one
book-and from morning till night
for weeks, months land sometimes
years, he had no other book. He was
there drilled-ding-do nged-and whip
ped if he didn't learn his lesson. A
boy of any parts in that time and un-
der those conditions would learn
SansCrit or any other mess. He just
had to do it, and nothing else to do
The new methods nload boy down
with books-all sorts of books-as
soon as he starts to school. little
spelling and reading at sight and he
graduates out of spelling and reading
into the ologies.' Besides, now, if the
boy does not get his desson well, the
teacher must see the parent, and ar
range things peaccablv or it is war
and burst up / am very conscious
that times don't be now like they
use-to-was.'
Another word: In all my school
life no class ever graduated out OF
spelling. Without the Blue Back
am very sure that scores and hundreds
have become expert spoilers of com
mon and uncommon words. myself
have learned much about the princi-
pies of spelling since / babe goOd-by
to 'WebSter'S Blue Back and I pity
the boy or girl that has to get it as
did No more .Rlun- Rack for me-