The Pensacola journal., 1909-12-19
Molino. Nov. 26th, 19Os

Prof. James NJ. Tate, Roberts, Fla
Dear Sir: II is claimed by some
educators that the spoilers and readers
OF today viii not compare favoraoly
with tIV average speller and reader OF
fifty years ago. Recognizing you as
connecting link between the two Pc
riods, / would be pleased for you 70
give US publicly your views on TINS
subject in extenso."
If the above allegation be true, Wny
so?
What remedies would you suggest
towards correcting this evil?
Your answer will be gratefully ac-
cepted by all interested in the eouca-
ton of the present generation
Yours fraternally,
/. E. ALLEN.
The above is explanatory IN ltser'
and will furnish the cause OF this COM
munication.
"In Favor Of Plaintiff"
In complying with Prof. Aliens re-
quest, shall try to give my views in
extenso," but do not wish to be con-
stFued as giving them "ex cathedra-
AS an individuals a connecting
link" between the times when the
child commenced with the alphabet
and was taught that these letters were
the essential elements with which he
was to master his mother tongue, and
the modern methods now in vogue
must with sorrow and reluctance give
nv evidence in favor Of the plaintiff.
With sorrow, because, with all the
modern improvements, such as COM
Portable school houses, school furnt-
ture, mathematical instruments, geo
graphic charts and maps, We have not
made a corresponding progress. With
reluctance, because l am aware that
my position win serve as an excuse for
the hypercTitic to ridicule anyone who
has the temerity to say that the pres
ent methods of teaching are now supe-
rior to those when our fathers and
grandfathers were barefoOted school
boys. 1 am a witness on the stand.
The question is pTOpounded, do you
believe from the standpoint of an ex-
tensiVe experience that the spoilers
and readers of today are inferior to
those of fifty years ago?" My answer
is, 81 do"
Query 2-"Why is this SOP"
An answer is: No pupil can read
we'll who is a bad speller." This is a
seIf-evident truth, and needs no proof.
II only remains for me to explain why
there are so many poor spoilers in our
schools, and the same reasons will ac-
count for a corresponding number OF
Door readers. In the days of our
grandfathers there was a book, edited
by one Noah Webster. and owing to
its exeeIlency as well as to its cheap
ness 10c.) it was in the hands of
every pupil. The frontispiece consist
ed of the picture of Athena leading a
s1t1s1 IN to the temple of wis
dom on the top of a hill The first
mage contained the alphabet, and the
pupiI was kept here until he had
the names of the letters and
could distinguish them apart. These
letters were fosmed into syllables,
such as ca (ka), c-e (see), CT Csigh),
CO (ko), etc
Increasing the SyIIabIes.
The child thus unconsciously learned
the correct sound of letter when thus
syllables were increased
until words of two syllables prepared
the child for three. Now, under this
regime, the pupil was drilled to spell
and pronounce every syllable and to
give the proper accent. He was not
permitted to spell ''by heart until he
had spelled through half the book
Heart lessons were then assigned.
After he had proven that he could
spell correctly, lessons in reading Were
given him, and he recognized the fact
that he was a reader, already
This period varied in ratio to the