638 PROCEEDIXGS OF SECTION J. 



corrected in the lecture-room by comparison with the notes of 

 others and with tlie positions laid down in his text-books and by 

 his instructors. There is need in Australia that educationists, as 

 well as students, should work towards building up a body of know- 

 ledge on various as2:)ects of education. For example, along the 

 line of anthropometry alone little has so far been done. 



The series of experiments submitted was designed to show the 

 part that repetition plays in securing the permanency of impres- 

 sion in the mind. The points elucidated were: — (1) The most 

 pi'ofitable number of repetitions to be undertaken in any one 

 attempt to master a poi-tion of prose, poetry, &c. While this num- 

 ber varied with individuals, from three to four was found to be the 

 most successful number at any one time. (2) Whether the visual 

 or aural or combination of the visual and aural were the better 

 mode of presenting the matter to be learned. The results were in 

 favour of visual presentation. A small percentage of scholars 

 proved to be ear-minded in this matter. (3) Whether it is more 

 profitable to memorize in parts or by wholes, e.g., in the case of 

 a verse of poetry to memorize line and line, or the whole as a 

 whole. The latter proved to be the better in a large percentage 

 of cases. The method by which these results were arrived at by 

 the student was explained, and the suggestion made that some 

 educational problems should be set for investigation with a view to 

 placing the results ))efore the next meeting of the Congress. 



7. STANDARD ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION. 



By L. A. Adamson, 31. A. 



That the standardization of English pronunciation is an Im- 

 perial question was the current opinion of those who discussed this 

 matter at the Imjjerial Conference of Teachers' Associations in 

 London in 1912. The importance of pronunciation has hitherto 

 been much overlooked. The schools must help to standardize 

 epeech, and the teachers must set the example themselves. Among 

 the elements of correct pronunciation are: — 



1. Iiitonation, which varies widely in different parts of the 



Empire, nasalization occurring in all new countries. 



2. Liaison, neglect of which leads to mutilation of words 



by erosion of their final syllables. 



3. Speed of Utterance, which should vary according to the 



character of the speech, though dialectic drawls 

 should be corrected. 



