1889.] 317 



five hours per diem, ten hours a week may be taken as an outside estimate 

 for learning to read and spell in the first class ; while in the second, read- 

 ing may occupy five hours, and dictation two and a half hours weekly, 

 but the latter only during the first half of the school year. This will give 

 945 hours, instead of 2320, and indicates that an Italian child of about nine 

 years of age will read and spell at least as correctly as most English chil- 

 dren when they leave school at thirteen, tho the Italian child was two 

 years later in beginning his lessons. 



" The spelling of the German language is incomparably better than our 

 own, yet many mute letters are eraplo5-ed, and several sounds are capable 

 of being represented in more ways than one. I have obtained informa- 

 tion from educational authorities in various parts of Prussia, Saxony, 

 "Wirtemberg, Baden and Hamburg, and that with regard to all classes of 

 society. The German child seems usually to begin his schooling everj'^- 

 where at six years of age ; and the general testimony is that he learns in 

 two years, if not in a shorter time, to read distinctly and correctly books 

 "which are not above his comprehension." 



After giving some details, he continues: "It appears, therefore, that 

 the irregularities of German spelling, trifling as they are when compared 

 with ours, greatly prolong the time required ; yet a German child of ten 

 is about on a par, as to spelling and reading, with our fifth standard chil- 

 dren, and is thus saved about two years' time, tho he commenced to learn 

 later. 



"The Dutch, Danish and Swedish languages are spelt better than our 

 own, tho their orthografy is by no means perfect. The information 

 which I have received from these countries does not give definit numerical 

 data, but it shows that reading, at least, is acquired more quickly than 

 with us. As to Sweden, I am assured, on the authority of Mr. Ekman, 

 the school board inspector of the Upsala district, that ' the children in 

 the Swedish board schools as a rule are able to read fluently and to write 

 correctly at the age of nine to ten years.' 



"When, however, we turn to France, we find a language which is 

 spelt much more systematically than our own, but has peculiarities which 

 render its orthografy almost as difficult. Consequently a very large 

 amount of time has to be expended, as with us, in dictation and tran- 

 scription. * * * In reply to inquiries as to the comparative time a 

 child ignorant of letters, but understanding English and Italian equally 

 ■well, would take to learn how to read and write each language correctly, 

 the principal estimated that the English language would require about 

 twice the time of the Italian. 



"From inquiries which I have made respecting the Anglo-German 

 schools'in London, the general result seems to be that the children ac- 

 quire as great a proficiency in reading and writing German in eigiiteen 

 months as they do English in two years. These schools are six in num- 

 ber, and some are in very poor, and some in respectable neighborhoods. 

 My own visits, however, to some of these schools convinced me that not- 



