Books recommended.

The list of objects might be greatly extended, but it will not be necessary. Take one at a time, and have its qualities, uses, color, shape, origin, etc. carefully considered. Each question asked will be suggestive of another, so that after you have fairly commenced you will find no difficulty, and I am sure you will be satisfied that such lessons will both please and benefit your pupils. As very useful aids in lessons of this kind, I will name two small works: "The Treasury of Knowledge," by Chambers, and an excellent work entitled "Common Things," by Worthington Hooker, M. D. The two books will cost but little, and will be worth much.

Your sincere friend,

C.

ན

LETTER XI.

READING.

MY DEAR FRIEND:

Of all the branches you will be called to teach, none will be more important than that of reading. It lies at the very foundation of all learning, and all must know something of this as a key to other branches. All who enter the school-room,- from the little ones, just beginning to lisp the letters of the alphabet, up to those who are about to close their school days, all will require training in this department. How small the number of those who can be properly called accomplished readers, and how large the number who read quite indifferently or very poorly! One who can read a piece with ease and right effect will always be listened to with interest and delight, while one who reads in a hesitating, lifeless, meaningless style, will have no power over his hearers, and may even become a subject of ridicule.

As a general thing, it must be admitted that reading has not been well taught in our schools. It has received formal attention and frequent inattention.

The Old Plan.

This remark may be more properly true of schools as they were a score of years ago, than of those of the present day; and yet it is, to a certain extent, true of our schools as a whole, even now. I well recollect when it was customary for teachers to hear every member of their schools read four times a day, - twice in the forenoon, and twice in the afternoon. This was the established law, and seemingly as unalterably fixed as that of the Medes and Persians. In imagination I can see the school-dame of my boyhood days, as she called her several pupils and classes. First came the little alphabetarians, one by one, to whom, in regular order, the whole twentysix letters were administered at a dose, just four times daily; the teacher pointing at the letter and pronouncing it, and the pupil repeating it after her, -the only variation consisting in an occasional snap upon the ear for inattention. For days, and weeks, and months, perhaps for years, was this operation continued before the letters were fairly understood. Then came the little boys and girls in b-a, ba, b-e, be, b-i, bi, b-o, bo, b-u, bu, etc., up through baker and cider, until the oldest had received their turn. If the performance was attended to just four times daily, the requirements of parents and committees were met, and all was considered right. But so far as real benefit was concerned, it would have been just as well if the pupils had been called upon to whistle just four times a day, — twice in the forenoon, and twice in the afternoon. Really it would have been better; for if they had, each time,

Minding the Stops. - Anecdote.

whistled wrong, it would have done no harm. But to be required to go through the form of reading, as it was done, without any true regard to emphasis, inflection, punctuation, or sense, was only making a bad matter worse at every repetition that was made, as bad habits were only confirmed thereby. The prominent requirement seemed to be to read rapidly, -and this was essential, in order that the regular "round" might be accomplished. The whole exercise was a formal, unmeaning affair; and the result a monotonous, blundering, unmeaning style of reading. We were, it is true, commanded to "mind our. stops," but it was only in an arbitrary way, which admitted of no modification on account of the sense. At a comma we were to stop long enough to count one; at a semicolon long enough to count two, etc. The following anecdote illustrates in an amusing manner the absurdity of the old rule for "minding the stops."

"A country schoolmaster, who found it rather difficult to make his pupils observe the difference in reading between a comma and a full-point, adopted a plan of his own, which, he flattered himself, would make them proficients in the art of punctuation ; thus, in reading, when they came to a comma, they were to say tick, and read on to a semicolon, and say tick, tick, to a colon, and say tick, tick, tick, and when a full-point, tick, tick, tick, tick. Now, it so happened that the worthy Dominie received notice that the parish minister was to pay a visit of examination to his school; and, as he was desirous