the proper place to begin composition. Should the teacher write cat, hat, black, tame, is, on, a table, the chair, the, a, runs, etc., the child will quickly learn to form sentences. Never write the articles without the nouns. Let the children tell (read) what they have written on the slate. Allow no drawling. STOP IT.

THE FIRST READER.

When the child has learned from one hundred to one hundred and fifty words perfectly, the First Reader may be introduced. Begin the first reading lesson with a chalk-talk. Teach all new words according to the word method. After all new words (if there be any) are taught, permit the children to copy two or three sentences on their slates. Let them, then read, in a pure conversational manner, these sentences. The reader may now be used. Be sure that the child reads naturally. Halting at words should not be tolerated under any consideration. If proper care has been taken in teaching the vocabulary of one hundred and fifty words, but few new words will need to be taught, and you will be surprised that the child will read fluently the first twenty pages of the First Reader.

Before a lesson is read, have the pupils write it upon slates. Pay special attention to writing, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. You will see that the First Reader, slate and pencil are all the child needs. You can teach spelling and writing better in this manner than by making them separate studies. Some may ask, "What do you mean by saying teach the child to write?" I mean just what I say; I would begin the work with script. Let the child learn the script. When you desire to change to print write a short story on the board. Let it remain all day. Next morning print the same story and the children will read it off at once. If you prefer it, change a few words at first. Let these be words in which the script letters and print letters re

semble. These simple means will be sufficient to make the transition, yet many prefer to begin with the printed characters. With them I shall have no quarrel. Every one uses his own opinion. I do not know as one method has much advantage of the other. Question the child upon the lesson. Do not permit the child to give a thought before it gets the thought.

Emphasis and Inflection.-Pay no attention to emphasis and inflection. This may seem strange doctrine to some, but yet I think I am correct. When you hear the child make a wrong emphasis you know that it has missed the thought. Lead it to get the thought and it will use proper expression. Thought controls emphasis. Children have enviable modulation in talking. Let them see the thought and they will read it with the same charm. Do not mar their natural sweet expression by trying to teach mechanical emphasis. The mother says to the child: "Run into the room and tell papa that the knife is on the table." The child rushes into the room and says: "Papa, the knife is on the table." The mother does not pause to

teach the little fellow to emphasize knife and table. It has the thought, and it gives the sentiment as perfectly as a Forest or a Keats.

Reading is getting thought by means of printed words. The child may call the words fluently, and yet not read. The emphasis and inflection tell you whether the child has the thought.

Every reading lesson ought to be a lesson in composition. I hope to see the day when reading and composition will be taught together. One will aid the other. The child will express its own thoughts correctly. When a story has been read, ask the class to write on the slate one thing that has been said. Permit each pupil to read what has been written. Give the class a picture, and ask each one to write one thing that she sees in the picture; two things, three things, all.

The child has now learned to read the easy lessons in the First Reader. Let some of the class bring little stories from other First Readers and read to the class. No reader affords sufficient easy reading lessons.

Phonics. When the child can read the easy lessons, phonics should be introduced in order to aid the child in pronouncing new words. Henceforth, the Word Method and Phonic Method should be combined. Before this the children will have learned all the letters. When teaching the word hat, talk about h, a, and t. The child will learn the names by hearing them used. Now you must teach the sounds. I can not enlarge upon this point. If the teacher desires further instruction, I refer him to the chapter on Dictionary Work in this volume. I would not tell pupils that I was teaching phonics. That sounds too big. Col. Parker calls the exercise slow pronunciation. Let the teacher say: "We will now have an exercise in slow pronunciation (or if preferred), spelling by sounds. You listen, and tell me what I say. C-a-t. "What did I say?" Most of the pupils will say "cat." Let the teacher pronounce slowly several words and ask the children to imitate. Arrange a list of words containing similar sounds. Drill the class daily upon the elementary sounds. This exercise will serve a double purpose-a lesson in phonics, and a drill in voice cul

ture.

A MODEL LESSON.

THE HEN AND CHICKENS.

Oh, mamma; I see a hen and six little white chickens. They are under the rose-bush. May I go out and see the chickens and get me a red rose?

The art of questioning is of high value to the teacher. Let the teacher begin as follows: 1. Who are the persons talking in this lessons. (This lesson should be

preceded by a picture containing a little girl, her mother, hen and chickens and a bunch of rose bushes.) 2. What are they talking about? 3. How many chickens? 4. What color are the chickens? 5. Where are they? 6. What is the color of the roses. 7. What did the little girl want to do? 8. Of whom did she ask this question?

After a thorough questioning the child is ready to read, and it can read with the understanding. These lines will be sufficient for one lesson. Strive to make the pictures as real as possible. Draw many mental pictures. See that the child has the same expression when it talks from the book that it has when it talks from pictures and real objects.

The little girl is out at play. She sees the cat on the gate, and she runs into the house and says: "Oh, ma, I see the cat on the gate!" She has obtained the thought by seeing the objects. Now you draw the picture, and looking at it the girl repeats the same thought, "the cat is on the gate."

The next day her mother sees the cat on the gate and says to the little girl: "Go tell Willie the cat is on the gate." The little girl runs out in the back yard and says to Willie : "The cat is on the gate." She has expressed the thought three times. Each time the expression was faultless. Now, the mother writes on the slate "the cat is on the gate." The child gets the thought by written words, and she will say still in her cheerful way, "the cat is on the gate." She has obtained the thought in four ways: 1. By seeing the objects. 2. By seeing the picture. 3. By hearing the sentence spoken. 4. By seeing the sentence written. She should express the thought just as agreeably in one case as in the other, and she will unless some person attempts to drill her to read according to the rules of elocution. Let the teacher take little lessons like the following and bring out all the mental pictures. Many

teachers would be profited by going back and learning to read these easy lessons:

"Kitty has a nice pet. It can sing a sweet song. She has just fed it.

She will now put it in the cage, and hang the cage up. Then the cat can not catch it."

THE STAR.

"Mamma, I can see a pretty star. Did you ever go to a star,

mamma?

O no, I never went to a star.

If I get into the cars, and ride, ever so far, can I get to the star?

No, the cars never go to the star.

If I had wings, like a bird, I would fly to the star. What? Go so far from mamma?

O, but mamma, you would go too."

THE CHAIR.

"Do you see the chair?

What kind of chair is it?

It is an arm-chair.

Can the boy sit on the chair?

The chair has four legs and a back.

This chair has two arms.

We have some chairs like this at home.

We can sit on them when we want to rest.

You must not cut the chair with your knife.
Let the chair stand near the stove."

Question pupils upon the lessons. What has Kitty? What is she doing? Why does she keep the bird in a cage?

Occasionally write a funny little story on the board and let pupils read it. Permit children to copy their lessons. "Teach the child to do; educate the hand."