"H. has learned to read cow, hen, pen, sun, in Less. 2. I have covered the article the, prefixed to each word, to be shown tomorrow.

"I have made a beginning in teaching him to spell with the tickets. I first myself arranged the letters so as to form the word man. He could not read it, the letters on the tickets being much larger than the largest in the Primer. I directed him to step back and look at it, and see if he could read it then. When he got about half across the room, he says, 'It looks like man; is it?' I found it necessary to diminish the angle of vision in the same manner with two or three other words, before he could read them readily at a near view. I then put the three letters promiscuously before him, and asked him to place them so as to make the word man. This he very readily did. I then did the same with the words cat, hat, and dog, and taught him to call this spelling. I then put on four letters, from which he was to select three to form a word. I then increased the number to five, then to six, and then to seven; and I believe I tried him with eight and nine. - I fear I have been pushing him a little too fast today. He has committed a great many errors in spelling. He sometimes selects the wrong letter, where two letters are similar; sometimes puts a letter the wrong end up; and sometimes arranges them in a wrong order. Nor do I wonder; for it requires no small degree of discrimination to attend to all these three things, especially when the letters are thrown before him in all possible situations, and sometimes the other side up. He has learned to read thirteen words in four days, besides the syllables ab, ob, and ol, and he can read most of these words in types of three different sizes. And I find, to my astonishment, that in these words and syllables are nineteen different letters of the alphabet."

"Aug. 5. I taught H. the word the, which was omitted yesterday. Having ascertained that he remembered ob, ab, and ol, I removed the two vowels, placed the a again by the b, and as soon as he had said ab, moved the a to the left of the l, and said, 'That is al.' I then let him tell ab and al alternately. To diversify the exercise still more, and save the trouble of removing some letters out of sight at every change, I now placed the vowels, at the left hand side of the slate, (I think it was a slate that I used,) and the consonants opposite to them on the right hand. I then moved the letters, one at a time, so as to make him read in the following manner: (moving the o) ob, ol; (moving the a) ab, al; (moving the b) ob, ab; (moving the l) ol, al: (then forming each lower combination before the one above it) ol, ob; al, ab; ab, ob; al, ol; ob, al; ab, ol. "In spelling, I have exercised H. today in this manner: I have placed in a row, the right end up, the letters a, c, d, g, h, m, n, o, r, and t. This order is alphabetical, as far as the letters allow. I then call on him to spell man, cat, hat, dog, hog, and rat, taking the words sometimes promiscuously, and sometimes according to analogy, and returning the letters to their place as soon as he has spelled a word. I consider this exercise highly useful; but he is yet far from being perfect in it. He can spell ob and ab, ol and al without any hesitation."

Aug. 6. H. having, without error, gone through the exercise on the slate with the four combinations already learned, I placed an r under the 1; then, moving the o, let him tell ob and ol, and when the o came to the r, said to him, "ox." I then moved the letters so as to make him read as follows: ol, ox; ob, ex; ob, ol, ox; ab, ob, ox; ol, al, ox. I taught him or early in the morning. After breakfast, finding he remembered it, I showed him the picture of a for and the corresponding word, taking pains to explain the difference between a for and an ox. But I soon found that I had erred. He had never seen a fox; and in consequence of the similarity of sound, the two words became confounded in his mind.

When he read, instead of saying the fox, he would say the ox, and sometimes the nox, from my having said an or in explaining the subject. I tried an hour or two, at intervals, to get him right; but became discouraged. He even, once or twice, said nor instead of or, in reading his tickets. One resource remained. My gum-arabic and blank paper were not yet gone; and the fox, both word and picture, were put out of his sight, not to be seen or heard of again at present. I am mortified that my skill in the philosophy of the mind had not enabled me to foresee what a stumbling block I was placing before him. I find that I have become a learner today."

"Aug. 7. Having reviewed as before with his tickets, I introduced the combination ax as follows: ob, ab; ol, al; ox, ‘ax.' He then read thus: al, ax; ab, ax; ab, al, ax; ox, ax; ob, ol, ax. -H. has to day learned to read or find the words in columns, on the last page of Less. 2; the word fox of course excepted. This exercise is the same in kind that he had on the 3d inst. When I asked him to find cow, he first showed me the one in capitals, and then the other."

"Aug. 8. I placed a g under the o, taught him og, and exercised him as before. It has been a source of great pleasure to H., to be indulged in having the book, when his hands were clean, and looking at all the pictures, and reading to himself what he has learned. He has sat on his cricket half an hour at a time, thus silently and delightfully employed; and even then would obey with reluctance the call to lay aside his book. As he was thus sitting the other day, he says, 'Pa, I have found pin.' I asked him to show it to me. He brought me the book, and showed me the word at the close of Less. 6. And I found, on trial, that he could read, in the columns annexed to Lessons 6 and 7, such words as he had learned in a larger type. Yesterday, he brought me the word hay, in Less. 9, and asked me if it was boy. I told him no. Pointing at the last letter of the word, he says, 'That looks like boy.' I afterwards found, that he thought any word was cow, that had a win it. Probably, spelling with the tickets is the best method of correcting such an impression. And I am almost driven to the conclusion, that I must deprive him of the pleasure of having the book to look at by himself. In addition to the erroneous impressions just mentioned, it must tend to confuse his mind and render indistinct his ideas of the words he has learned, to see so many other words, which he has not learned, and which bear various degrees of resemblance to those which he has learned. * * *

"Since writing the above, I have made H. a little book of white paper, on the leaves of which I have put ob, al, &c, a top, the sun, and in a word, the greater part of what he has learned. He was much grieved, this forenoon, at not being permitted to have the Primer to look at; but since he has had his new book, of domestic manufacture, he has appeared to forget the other, and to be as happy as ever."

"Aug. 9. The combination ag was introduced to H. in the same manner in which the combination ar had previously been.

"Aug. 10. I placed the letter p between band : and as soon as H. had told o, I moved the o to the left of the p, and said, op.' I placed the p next to the b for the purpose of comparison, the two letters being similar, both in sound and in form. H. then read thus: ob, op; ol, op; ol, ob, op; ol, op, ob; ox, ob, op; og, op, ob; &c.

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Aug. 11. H. has learned ap. He has also begun to learn the capital letters. Placing the proper tickets before him, I say to him, 'Spell or with small letters.' Then, 'Spell or with a capital.' He can spell sun, cat, boy, and pin in the same manner.

"Aug. 12. H. has learned to read on with his tickets, (n being placed under g,) and to spell the with a capital. I this morning put the sentences, 'He can run' and 'I can hop into his album, and he has learned them both perfectly. Thus he has, in one day, learned six new words.

"Aug. 13. H. has learned to read an with his tickets; and has learned to read, in Less. 6, the sentences, 'A man has two feet He has two hands - The cat has four legs.' This makes seven new words for today. In teaching him to read sentences, my method is as follows: I first say the sentence to him, in such a manner as to be sure that he perceives its meaning. I then say to him, for instance, 'Now you may read He can run, in the book. That is He can run ;'-moving my pointer along the line, all other words on the page being covered. This word is He; that is can; and that is run; -pointing at each word. • Now you can read it. Point at each word as I did.' When he has done so, I say, 'Now read it fast.' The design of teaching to read fast, is, to make the sentence sound naturally, like conversation, the auxiliary can being passed over slightly. Then, pointing at each word in order, What is that?''He.' 'What is that?" 'Can.' 'What is that?' 'Run.' Then, giving him the pointer, 'Show me He....Show me can....Show me run.' Then I do the same, taking the words backwards. And after teaching him the next line in a similar manner, I proceed to ask the words in the two lines promiscuously. I also cover everything on the page except a single word, and tell him to read it.

"Today, after teaching him the first line, I slipped down the covering so as to show him the next line. Then, pointing at has in the first line, I said, 'What is that?'' Has.'-' Now show me has in this line,'moving my pointer along the second line. Then, having done the same with the word two, I told him the next word hand, showing him my hands as I announced the word. - It is important that the sentences should be read to the child perfectly in the tone and manner of conversation, and that he should practise reading in that manner, except when directed to read each word separately. I introduced the first line to him in this manner: How many feet has a man?'-'Two feet.' 'Yes, so it says in the book. Hear me read this line: A man has two feet;' — reading moderately, and moving my pointer along the line. I find that he can read most of the words which he has learned, wherever he sees them in the book; but I have not let him have the book to himself since his album was made."

[NOTE. We shall insert the remainder of Mr Parkhurst's account of his interesting and important experiment as early as possible. In the meantime we cannot but express the hope which we have so often repeated, that instructors and educators generally, who have made experiments of similar importance, will avail themselves of the facilities which this journal affords of presenting them to the public. — ED.]

INTELLIGENCE.

REPORTS OF SCHOOL VISITORS.

EVERY year increases the number of published reports on the condition of common schools, even in Connecticut, where so much apathy has been well known to prevail: and although their actual condition is by no means such as would be desirable, yet the very fact of the appearance of the reports is gratifying; and may be regarded both as a cause and an an effect of an increasing attention to these important institutions. We have before us the Reports, for 1832, of the Committees of the School Societies of Norwalk, and Abington, Conn.

In NORWALK, Considerable effort during the past year has been made to see that the schools were faithfully visited and scrupulously examined. The Committee passed a resolve at the commencement of the year, to visit each of the nine districts of which the Society is composed in due season, and to spend at least half a day in a school at each visit. This measure, of itself, augurs improvement. They also resolved to keep a journal of their proceedings (an excellent measure), and note therein the state of the schools character and qualifications of teachers branches of study number and kinds of books - location and arrangement of houses--number of schools, &c. These duties appear to have been faithfully and perseveringly performed; and their report, as published in the Norwalk Gazette, is full of interest. We have room only for a few of the more important items.

The visitors found the School houses, with the exception of two or three (in nine,) commodious and comfortable, and the deficiency of books not as great as was anticipated. Some of the teachers were well qualified, and a majority were above mediocrity; yet there were those who were not, and whose schools exhibited a corresponding want of discipline and improvement. It is indeed stated that in general there was a want of experience and tact in teachers of a proper degree of interest in parents of even a tolerable uniformity of books- and of punctuality and regularity in the attendance of the scholars.

The whole number of children in the society between the ages of 4 and 16, was 1055. Of these, only 588 (a little more than half) were entered on the school lists, but the general average attendance was only 386! But to account, in part, for this surprising disparity between the whole number in the district and the average attendance, the report mentions two private schools containing together 65 children; that the season was unusually severe; and that Hooping Cough, Influenza, &c, prevailed. Still these could not wholly account for the difference. Other and deeper causes must be assigned for an effect which is visible nearly all over New England.

Of the 588 pupils on the lists, and who of course attend school more or less, and need books when they do attend, all or nearly all would need spelling books, and we should think 500 of them would need some kind of a reading book. Yet there were found only 99 Spelling Books, or one to six pupils; and only 172 Spelling Books, Dictionaries, and Definers; or less than one book to three pupils. Of Reading books there were only 331 including about 100 Histories, &c, which probably were not used as readers. The whole number of pupils in Writing was 212; the number of Arithmetics 146; Geographies 93; Grammars only 24! And yet in several of these branches about twenty different authors were used!

The wages of the teachers varied from $14 to $27 a month. The report has much to say of the importance of procuring a workman, as a teacher, let the expense be what it may.

It appears that two or three of their school houses are deplorably deficient. One is so small that the scholars, 75 on the list, "can hardly be stowed, and leave room for the stove and teacher's desk." Another appears to be situated in the sand, almost in the midst of a public road. In all but one the seats for the small children were without backs. Of this the report justly complains, and it is observed that if parents would but look in upon them, and see them sitting for three hours at a time, doubled up and listless, or moving their feet about on the floor from fatigue and uneasiness, and thus unavoidably exposing themselves to the rebuke and raps of the teacher, the common feelings of humanity would impel them to a general turn out for their relief. We were struck with the correspondence of the facts, on this point, mentioned in the Report, with those which are set forth in Mr Alcott's Essay on School Houses, published under the direction of the American Institute.

The Report of the School Visitors of ABINGTON is less complete than the former, though quite interesting. The teachers are represented as faithful and the state of the "schools in the society gradually improving;" but the visitors complain that reading is much neglected, and that the pupils are very irregular in attendance. "Of the whole number of scholars instructed in this Society, one half attended school half of the time, and the remainder in less proportion of time to one tenth!!! Six scholars in one district attended every day." Fourteen, between the ages of 4 and 16 attend no school at all. Of those who attend, about half write, one fourth study Geography and Grammar, and one third Arithmetic. The schools are generally kept up from six to seven and a half months in the year. The wages of the male teachers averaged about $13 a month. One instructress received $4 a month.

TEACHERS' AND SCHOOL VISITORS' CONVENTION.

A public meeting of Teachers and Visitors of Common Schools was held at Brooklyn, Conn. on the 1st. of Nov. last. We notice this with the more pleasure from the fact that the Visitors met with the Teachers. This, though not very common, is as it should be. We are happy to know that the cause of Primary Education has so many warm advocates in Windham County.

As the result of the above meeting an appeal to the "Parents and Guardians of Children in the County of Windham," has been published in the Christian Monitor and Adviser. It embraces many important facts and valuable suggestions, which should be read and pondered by every "parent and guardian of children" in the community. We should be glad to make several extracts from the "Address" did our space permit; but we have only room for these passing remarks.

The same evils which are noticed in the "reports" which are made the basis of the preceding article, appear to be common in Windham County. Incompetent teachers, parental neglect and parsimony, defective schoolhouses, and want of proper ventilation, are some of them. It also appears that in one School Society during the last winter "only half the pupils attended school about half the time, and the rest in less proportions, even to one tenth!" In a note to the Address, the Committee who framed it state that they "know of but two School Societies in the County which require of their Board of Visitors an annual Report." This is striking, but to us not surprising, for ten years ago we do not believe there were two School Societies in that state who required it. On this subject, facts like the foregoing, speak for themselves.