CHAPTER XIII.

SCHOOL-BOOKS.

ALMOST all systems of education that have come under our notice, consist of a list of books, or subjects to be taught, or what should be taught, not the manner how. The latter is the great and important consideration, for on this depends the difference between learning much, or very little.

Under this system, and on the principles laid down, every child receives instruction during the gallery training lessons, both in secular and in sacred subjects, from the day he enters school, and before he can read, as well as when he can read -thus trebling, at least, the ordinary term during which school children are placed under instruction—a matter of paramount importance to that class of society in particular, whose period of school attendance is so extremely limited.

Books are not used in the initiatory training school, although quite common in infant teaching schools; or in what may be termed the cramming system. The introduction of books tends uniformly to subvert the moral training, and sometimes even the physical and the intellectual training, and is decidedly injurious to the health of very young children. Let but one book be introduced, instead of lessons on boards, in this department, and then a strong temptation is at work, whereby the master may fill up the time without training the children, who will be too closely confined to their seats, and lose the healthful exercise of bodily activity out-of-doors and even in-doors. But while books, for these reasons, are ex

cluded in this department, the children nevertheless are taught the elements of reading, just as they are taught the elements of every other branch. Large printed sheets, containing spelling lessons and simple stories, are pasted on boards, and are daily in use. By the simultaneous and oral method of picturing out, the children acquire the art of reading, with delight to themselves, and without injury to their health, or diminishing the amount of other more important mental and moral exercises. Thus a child of five or six years of age, who has been two or three years in school, may read a simple story fluently, without having had a book in his hand in school. The only objection that can be urged against this is the prejudice, that books and the mere power of reading do form knowledge: but we must not sacrifice health, and knowledge, and moral training at the shrine of a foolish imagination.

Too many school-books are put into the hands of children of all ages, and too many tasks are required to be committed to memory. Our conviction is, that more than one-fourth of the lessons usually given to be learned at home ought not to be exacted, and full three times additional information ought to be communicated orally by the master in school. In no other way can an equal amount of knowledge be communicated; for under this mode the trainer adds his own stock of knowledge to that which the text-book affords. Books-bookswhat books do you use? (imagining the kind of books to be the system) is the almost universal cry of all visitors and of all correspondents.

The human voice and action, and the mental sympathy of the gallery, simplify education, impress knowledge more lastingly on the mind, and save much of the drudgery to the pupil, although the labour of the master, as a trainer, may be increased, particularly during the first few months of children. being placed under his charge.

If a few sentences in prose and verse are to be committed

to memory, the children are first exercised upon the meaning, and then they commit the words in order. The mere words committed by rote are found, to a considerable extent, a barrier to the understanding of the subject; whereas the previous understanding greatly assists the memory of words. This has been the experience of many highly intelligent teachers.

Books are eagerly sought after with question and answer, set in regular order-a most inefficient mode of intellectual teaching. School-books ought principally to be used as texts, and the greater amount of information communicated orally.

School-books, however, are necessary, and without private reading, our knowledge is apt to be desultory, and our ideas undefined; they may be said to be the rule or mathematical principles on which solid information rests.

Under the training system, we use books in school and out of school, but place comparatively less dependence on them than under other systems; for, as we have already stated, the master himself is the best book, the most natural and efficient channel of communication, and the result in all cases proves the truth of this position by its efficiency and power. Notwithstanding this, a set of books, more suited to the nature of the system than any to be met with, containing the outlines of natural, scientific, and familiar subjects in the arts and manufactures, are required. School-books, generally, are too diffuse, as simple text-books for a daily gallery lesson in school. On religious subjects, the Bible itself is undoubtedly the best text-book.

School-books, of course, ought to contain truth; and we ought to direct the children to what books they ought to read, and to give them a taste for substantial reading, and not the trash of halfpenny and penny novels, and other improper publications. A thousand opportunities of giving the mind a proper direction occur in gallery training lessons.

CHAPTER XIV.

READING-SPELLING-ELOCUTION.

READING We understand to be the art of acquiring knowledge, in the first instance, for one's-self from the letters or characters of a book or manuscript; Elocution as the art of communicating that knowledge in a proper and impressive manner to the ear of another, whether such be from a book, or manuscript, or our own ideas, viva voce.

The former is now-a-days pretty well understood. The latter, or Elocution, is not so, and demands very particular attention. Even in the teaching to read, however, there are natural or new points in the process, to which we shall advert, that render the acquisition of the art more pleasing and easy to the pupil, and therefore more efficient.

Reading is a most important acquisition, and every possible means should be adopted to render it what it ought to be, viz., a means of acquiring substantial knowledge. It is evident, however, (although little practised in schools,) that unless the pupils are trained from the very first to think and understand what they do read, and what the object of their reading is to exercise the memory of the understanding, as well as the memory of sounds,-no interest will be excited, and little progress made. What more lifeless and oppressive to the learner than the A B C? What more so than a long list of words for spelling, the meaning of not one of which has been pictured out by such familiar illustrations as the children fully comprehend?

Reading, then, popularly considered, in reality consists of two departments,-First, an understanding of the meaning of certain characters or figures, by which we may acquire knowledge for ourselves; and Second, audible reading, or what may be properly termed Elocution, by which we may communicate a just impression to the mind of the hearer of certain sounds expressed. In the latter department, reading may be practised in such a way, by its rapidity, slurring, indistinctness, or monotony, as to fail of making the impression intended by the words which are read.

We apprehend, however, that impressive reading can never be acquired without the understanding of what is read. We must understand what we read, before we can feel its force; and without feeling, there cannot be good reading. Look at the eye and manner of a man who feels what he reads, and observe how it tells on his audience, compared with the man who reads as a task, however elegantly.

Impression, however, is of the first and last importance. In the students' hall we say, In order to make an impression, we must... make an impression, just as is also said, The way to do a thing is ... just to do it. All cannot arrive at what is termed elegant reading; but by a simple process, every individual may arrive at the power of being distinct, and even impressive.

What some few individuals naturally exhibit, viz., a clear and distinct articulation and enunciation, we propose as a uniform system to be acquired. One or two simple rules may be attended to. Open the mouth well-rest on the consonants-never slur one word into another-avoid a singsong, or a monotonous tone; and if a distinct pause be made at the end of each word, so as to give a slow and distinct articulation, and that continuously for a few weeks or months together, the children will acquire the habit of reading distinctly ever afterwards. Always cause the children repeat after you three, four, or five times in succession, before you