Guide to the Kindergarten and Intermediate Class; and Moral Culture of Infancy.

ard upon seven years old, if they have entered the Kindergarten at three. For it properly belongs to the second stage of education, after the Kindergarte

hical method, which will make the acquisition a real cultivation of mind, instead of the distraction it now is to those wh

we shall proceed to show: for if we pronounce the vowel-characters as in the Italian language, and the letters c and g hard, it is a fact that the largest number of syllables in English will be found strictly phonographic. It was on this hint, given by a great philologist, that the "First Nursery Reading Book" was w

id, "What does the cat say?" The answer was immediately ready,-"mieaou." Now this sound g

?" I answered myself,-shutting my lips, and sounding m. They al

d joining them on top by a horizontal; and I made the letter myself, a

g, "Now we must write i,-and that is one little short perp

; "and this e is made by a curve and straight line,"-at the

g; and over the egg we will make a dot, and that is a snake's head; and this is the body," I continued, as I mad

and making the o, th

e u not yu, but like u in Peru; an

nd I wrote the letters. I also would write it, letter by letter; and they would sound first, m, then the syllable mi, then mie, then miea, then mieao, then mieaou. W

ng their lips together, and sounding without opening them; for I wanted the power of the character and not

ng it myself on my own lips. And I told them to write the letter p by making a straight perpendicular line, twice as long as the lines that made m; and then, at the upper righ

p; and then, if you sound a little, you will make b; and when you write b, you can make a perpendicular line as you did to make p, but instead of putting an u

ite the vowels, dictating by the sounds I had g

a perpendicular line and cross it, and then make the top of the line bend over a little; that is the letter f" (I gave the power, not name, ef). "Now put your lip as before and breath

to write ma, pa, ba, fa, va, always keeping the Italian sounds of the vowel; also,

in printing it; the teeth put together, the articulation t is made without putting any voice to it. The teeth put together, and a hissing sound make

y dictating di, de, da, do, du; ti, te, ta, to,

do not give it the name of aitch. They can write ha, hi, he, ho, and hu; and then make the sound k, and show them how it is written: so

tter by two short perpendiculars, joined on top by a horizontal line; the tongue sound l and the rolling r are also easily sounded and wr

as the advantage of being a little more scientific, and exercising the classifying insti

Horace Mann, in a lecture on the alphabet, has with great humor and perspicacity shown this; and he recommended that children should be taught to read by words purely. But when some years afterwards his attention was drawn to the phonic method,

onic method by not having one definite sound for each letter. As I have taught on my plan successfully for fifteen years, I am prepared to defend it at all points, from the ground of

vowel heard in the words irk, err, work, and urge, they used indifferently all four characters; for truly one would do as well as another. But if they had put a dot into the middle of the o, and added it to the alphabet, it would have been better than either. Also, if for the vowel sound of pun, they had put a dot under the u; and for the vowel sound of man, they had put a dot under

eas of the sounds and the letters; and hence the long uncertainty of the

t we have to accept the evil, and remedy as best we may the disadvantage it is to young minds

ese Roman sounds were the most frequent, even in the English language. I did so on a few pages of Sir Walter Scott's novels, and found that the letter i sounded as in ink 240 times, to one that it sounded as in bind; and though the proportion was not quite so great with any other

g-book;-while most of the syllables of the rest of the words in the language yielded on analysis the same sounds. It immediately occurred to me to begin to teach children to read

ack-board certain words, letter by letter, until he had learned the whole alphabet, both to k

pronunciation of Latin, for which our alphabet is a perfe

the vowels (v

ed ?h as in i

n ell, (not

n arm, (not

h as

ruin, (not

the lips and sounding m, opening them and shutting the palate to sound n, holding the tongue still to sound l, shaking it to sound r, (ěl, ěm, ěn, ěr;) the tooth letters ěd, ět, ěss, ězz-and the throat letters ěc, ěk, eq,[G] eg, and a breathing from the throat for h.

ed), ?h, ěj, ěk, ěl, ěm, ěn, ?h, ěp, ěq, ěr, ěss, ět, ?h (oo) ěv, w (breathed)

ethod of beginning with a class,-that of giving the soun

et. For the convenience of teachers who may not have either my "First Nursery Reading-Book," or Mrs. Mann's "Primer of Reading and Drawing" on hand, I will give here some sentences that

l; bells ring and cars go; cars go very quickly; hens sit; hens eggs; eggs in lark's nest; eggs in linnet's nest; larks sing tralala, tralala; fill mamma's basket full of roses, anemones, pinks, tulips, crocuses; Lizzy is dizzy, very dizzy; Helen is rosy red; Alexis sent his mamma a jar full of jelly; Barbara kisses Cora; Dora is spinning yarn; Flora

a pleasant variety, for the children to write columns of words, with only one letter differing; thus, old, cold, fold, gold, hold, sold, told, wold; ell,

es of words in sentences; and long before the children have written it half through, they c

some criticisms which ha

hildren are interested in separate words; especially if they are to write them as w

the words. There are, perhaps, half a dozen inadvertenci

when soft like z. But I think this will never lead to any practical e

en it is not accented. Also that in such words as deject, reject, &c

k at all. Let them have a lesson fifteen minutes long in wh

, and after some other employments have interve

to give them the book, and let them find the words. Showing

, after the teacher, on their blackboards; and afterwards write out of the printed books upon the slate. I have hitherto had more time, in proportion, given to the reading than my own judgment quite approves; because pa

ut his brother of five years old had been taught to read upon the black-board in his presence. A child of seven years old learnt to read and write print beautifully, in three months, in lessons of ten minutes, given only when she asked for them. And in those cases there was not the additional advantage of a class. Several children in my own Kindergarten, in my first season, when I never gave half an hour in the day to reading, not only mastered my first

in the old sounds of the letters and the anomalous words, before I am ready for them. There is no objection to the children's having the First Nursery-Book

t this was to be a great difficulty. In the first instance, after I had brought my little pupil to the point that he could print correc

baby,

lay-ape bahb

sleep." He was surprised, and

eep, creep." He did so, at once, and then he took great pleasure in getting a paper and lead-pencil, and writing the whole column, which, of course, he never forgot. I proceeded in the same manner, till he had not only written all the song, but all the analogues of each word,-and it was wonderful how soon he could read. The scientific habit of mind which was attained by classing the words as he learned them,

the nucleus of a group of words of the same kind, to be written upon the black-board and slates as above. But I think it is a good plan, before giving a book, to call their attention to the initial sounds of thin, then, shin, chin, and ask them what letter stands for these. Of course th

f, chant, larch, march, parch, starch, chest, chess, chin, chick, chill, chit, chink, chintz, rich, chirrup, inch, pinch, clinch, flinch, winch, finch, filch, milch, clinch, trench, bench, wrench, quench, shin, ship, sharp, shark, shed, shell, shelf, shaft, shorn, shred, shrift, shrimp, shrill, flesh, mesh, fresh, dish, fish, wish, harsh, marsh, sheriff, shiver, relish,

nsideration of one of the extra cons

o sounds are slid together; and then let them write on their slates, in different columns, boil, coil, foil, soil, toil, moil, spoil, coin, join, g

h, roundabout, bounty, county, amount, abound, scoundrel, discount, expound, about, &c.; and in another, how, cow, bow, mow, now, vow, owl, scowl, brow, prow, howl, gown, brown, crown, drown, cowl, fowl, crowd, clown, frown, vowel, towel, trowel, prowess. Call attention to the proper diphthong, which

thy, cry, try, fry, wry, fly, ply, asylum, dynasty, petrify,

id, mutual, funeral, singular, bitumen, acumen, nutriment; and secondly with ew, as few, chew, pew, new, mew, mewl, eschew, sine

not two sounds. It is one of the extra vowels of the English language, wr

vowels, beginning with this sound heard short in n

ond, blond, won, fop, drop, crop, lop, mop, pop, sop, top, chop, shop, stop, swop, prop, ox, box, fox, pox, moth, loth, froth, broth, lot, cot, dot, got, hot, jot, not, pot, rot, sot, tot, wot, grot, clot, shot, spot, boss, cross, dross, floss, loss, moss, toss, gloss, cost, frost, lost, tost, bond, fond, pond, pomp, romp. Then show that it is written sometimes with an a, as in all, fall, call, hall, gall, tall, wall, small, stall, ball, thrall, squall, squash, squad, squat, quart,

, lad, mad, pad, sad, shad, bag, cag, fag, gag, hag, lag, nag, rag, crag, shag, sag, tag, wag, mall, shall, am, dam, flam, ham, sham, jam, an, ban, can, fan, clan, man, pan, ran, band, hand, land, stand, s

null, scull, gum, hum, drum, glum, plum, mum, rum, sum, bun, dun, gun, pun, run, sun, tun, stun, shun, up, cup, sup, bump, crump, dumps, gump, hump, jump, lump, mumps, pump, rump, us, buss, fuss, muss, rush, crush, gush, hush, mush, tush, bust, dust, gust, just, lust, must, rust, crust, but, cut, gut, hut, jut, nut, rut, tut, bunk, funk, sunk, drunk, trunk, hunt, punt,

rt, vermin, perhaps, perplex, persist, expert, divert, superb, sterling, verdict, pervert, ferment, fervent, servant, perfect, serpent, partner, sever, several, inter, internal, fraternal, paternal, maternal, external, infernal, interdict, intermix, infer; and generally the final er, as silver, toper, &c. Thirdly, this vowel is written wit

estrictive, instinctive, descriptive, explosive, corrosive, delusive, exclusive, inclusive, preclusive, intensive, palliative, narrative, relative, privative, lucrative, intuitive, infinitive, explicative, figurative, imitative, indicative, superlative, diminutive, retrospective, barnacle, spectacle, miracle, pinnacle, article, particle, ventricle, edible, credible, flexible, audible, enoble, ignoble, sensible, senile, juvenile, feminine, eglantine, multiple, dissemble, assemble, quadrille, clandestine, int

while, style, dime, time, mime, chime, rime, prime, crime, dine, fine, thine, line, nine, mine, pine, spine, shine, wine, swine, twine, vine, kine, chine, pipe, wipe, ripe, gripe, snipe, tripe, stripe, type, vie, dire, fire, hire, mire, shire

icken, quicken, thicken, stricken, broken, spoken, token, swollen, stolen, open, kitten, mitten, smitten, bitten, given, m

apologue, epilogue, intrigue, fatigue, synagogue, demagogue, pedagogue, decalo

paroquet, exchequer, palanquin, guarantee, gauntlet, saunter, guilt, guitar, built, build, biscuit, four, pour, court, gourd, mould, b

ifer, surfeit, forfeit, counterfeit, Madeira, and y in

n, mown, growth, owner, toward, below, lower, disown, arrow, barrow, farrow, harrow, marrow, fallow, gallows, hallow, shallow, sallow,

ak, soak, cloak, coach, poach, roach, broach, goad, load, coal, foal, goal, shoal, oaf, loaf, foam, loam, roam, lo

nced in Saxon times,) in knit, knee, knell, kneel, kna

sh, reign, deign, sign, consign, assign, design, c

m, as phlegm,

n schism a

ualm, calf, half, talk, balk, stalk, chalk, walk, folks, s

d sh, as in pshaw, p

ebt, doubt, subtle, in

omb, womb, numb, thumb, crumb, dumb, plumb, comb

column, solemn, autu

re t in st

sarily used after

moisten, thistle, whistle, bristle, castle, nestle, pestle, gristle, jost

, ascetic, excrescence, corpuscle, acquiesce, coalesce, rescission, abscission, putrescence, ascendency, susceptible, irascible, viscidity, eviscerate, lascivious, resuscitate, scimitar, scintillate, phosph

or; also, after r, rhomboid, rheum, rhyme, myrrh, ghost, aghast, catarrh, rh

ath, wreathe, wrong, wretch, wright, wrist, wriggle, w

letter for different sounds. Thus s does not always sound s-but sometimes sounds like z. (If a

daisy, reside, desire, noisy, bosom, visage, closet, resign, music, prison, reason, pansy, tansy, disown, preside, pleasant, peasant, prosaic, present, presence, Tuesday, measles, cosmos, pleasure, measure, treasure, leisure, disclosure, enclosure, composure, kerseymere, r

ochee, archives, scholar, schooner, monarch, hierarch, chronicle, chrysalis, technical, mechanic, patriarch, pentateuch, bacchanal, saccharine, chamomile, euchari

, sphere, sphinx, graphic, phalanx, phantom, orphan, dolphin, camphor, pamphlet, sulphur, zephyr, hyphe

ate, precede, implicit, explicit, decimal, precipice, specify, specimen, abbacy, imbecile, indocile, solicit, felicity, atrocity, ferocity, rapacity, tenacity, veracity, vivacity, voracity, audacity, precocity, simplicity, lubricity, rusticity, municipal

ger, danger, stranger, religion, badger, budget, gibbet, giblets, allegiance, plagiarism, gibe, (sometimes and better jibe;) all words ending in ge, as bilge, huge, barge, large, and all ending in dge, as wedge, ledge,

racious, and perhaps some others; also, in words ending with al, as official, judicial, provincial, commercial, artificial, beneficial; and in sociable, associate, appreciable and appreciate, enunciate, dissociate, excruciate, depreciate, emaciate, denunciate, renunciate, prescient, omniscient; 4thly, with ce, in cetaceous, filaceous, herbaceous, caduceous, cretaceous, testaceous, crustaceous, argillaceous, gallinaceous; 5thly, with ti, in factious, fractious, captious, vexatious, facetious, licentious, factitious, propitious, flagitious, nutritious, expeditious, superstitious, adventitious; vit

tch, stitch, flitch, stretch, sketch, etch, fetch, wretch, notch, botch

superfluous d, as b

fluous k is

sounds, having no special characters for them in the alphabet, which was phonography for the L

g, as in fête,-we find it written in f

, say, ray, dray, bray, gray, fray, play, pray, arr

, avail, entail, assail, fain, gain, lain, main, pain, rain, vain, wain, train, grain, brain, stain, sprain, swain, drain, dainty, portrait, saint, faint, paint, quai

k, steak

y, convey,

cottage, bake, cake, lake, make, quake, rake, take, sake, brake, flake, bale, dale, gale, hale, male, pale, sale, tale, whale, vale, bane, cane, fane, lane, mane, pane, sane, wane, vane, bathe, lathe, swathe, cave, gave, lave, nave, pave, rave, drave, grave, shave, stave, crave, ate, bate, fate, date, gate, hate, late, mate, pate, rate, sate, crate, p

rine, we have sometimes e, sometimes

r, lever, metre, zenith, extreme, supreme, impede, serene, convene, gangrene, austere, cohere, adhere, reve

, cheek, beef, reef, keep, sweep, weep, deep, peep, sleep, beech, speech, leech, spleen, compeer, between, beseech, discreet, steeple, vaneer, career, tureen, moreen, careen, redeem, agreed, settee, razee, degree, agree,

meal, peal, seal, steal, veal, zeal, bean, dean, lean, mean, wean, yean; heap, cheap, leap, reap; ear, fear, hear, blear, clear, smear, near, spear, rear, drear, year, beard, east, beast, feast, least, yeast, eat, beat, feat, heat, meat, neat, peat, seat, wheat, bleat, cheat, treat, heath, s

ief, field, shield, wield, yield, fiend, priest, belief, sieve, grieve, belief, achieve, retrieve, relieve, aggrieve, ca

ok, cook, hook, look, nook, rook, took, cool, drool, fool, stool, wool, spool, boom, broom, doom, bloom, groom, loom, gloom, room, boon, spoon, coon, swoon, loon, shalloon, moon, picaroon, noon, soon, poltroon, cocoon, platoon, festoon, monso

group, youth, wound, souvenir, surtout, cartouche, co

the important work is making the groups of exceptional words upon their slates, at my dictation. Sometimes these can be written on the blackboard, and copie

, ee

, see,

erested in this exercise; and the effect of it is, to make them know the precise spelling of the words. Wh

groups; but enough for the purpose,-they can be f

ily it is remembered, because the spe

el and consonants. Then I ask them to write bough; and then though, and dough; then trough, which they will write troth; then laugh, draught, tough, which they will write with f for the gh. In reviewing the lesson the next day, all these words can be written in their manuscript books, with a lead-pencil. The book, which is the best one to follow Mother Goose, and perhaps might precede it, is Mrs. Mann's "

t. The mother of the Wesleys always taught her

t have the appropriate emotion, and without the emotion he cannot read with expression. In hurrying children on to read faster than they can understand and feel, permanent bad habits are acquired, a

ies and accents. Children are all naturally histrionic and will be amused in doing this. The vowel sounds educate emotions in those who utter them, and awaken them in those who hear. When pronounced with feeling, they come from the chest and ab

eaches a child to read, that the thorough attainment of the art here proposed, requires time. But w

d the vowel sounds of ark, ebb, ill, old, and rue, with the characters a, e, i, o, u, respectively. See for the proof

t of print, Mr. E. Steiger is about to print their substance together with the forego