THE FIRST ENGLISH READER. EDITED BY THE REV. GORHAM D. ABBOTT, TAYLOR & WALTON, 28, UPPER GOWER STREET. MDCCCXLVIII. PREFACE. THE primary object of this book is to aid children in learning to read. The lessons are simple and progressive, and if the teacher rightly appreciates the work in which he is engaged, he will find that these lessons are designed to convey such moral instruction as children should receive to make them truly wise and good. The teacher should first read the lesson, in a suitable tone of voice, with proper accent and pauses, and then require the pupil to read in the same This process will make learning to read far easier than to require the child first to read, and then to correct the errors he has made. manner. After the lesson can be read by the scholar with fluency and precision, he should be required to spell each word without the aid of the book, and define it by using more simple words of his own. In a few of the early lessons of this book, a number of words have been added in a table, but the teacher will readily select the words most important for the child to spell and define. It is hoped that the moral sentiments of these lessons will be followed up by suitable instructions of the teacher, that the heart as well as the understanding may be reached and improved by the exercises of the school. This little volume has not been prepared for the school-room only, but its pages have been written for the entertainment and instruction of children at home. The stories that illustrate and enforce the Ten Commandments, and other narratives here arranged, will be pleasant reading for the nursery and fireside; and it is hoped that while the youth who use this book are learning to read, they will also learn to fear God and keep His commandments. |