INTRODUCTORY. 



To Teachers. — Mechanical and unintelligent reading 

 is the great reproach of our schools at the present time. 

 In the process of instruction, whenever the attention is al-_ 

 most exclusively directed to words, such reading inevitably 

 results. The cause of the evil at once suggests the remedy : 

 make thought the primary object of attention, and regard 

 words as important only as containing the thought. When 

 the subject is intelligible and interesting, it takes full pos- 

 session of the mind, compelling the proper delivery. Pro- 

 ductive effort on the part of teachers will therefore be di- 

 rected to the end that the pupils clearly understand what 

 they read. 



When pernicious habits are once formed, the task of the 

 teacher is a difficult one. He must not only teach the 

 right way, but he must eradicate the false notions, and 

 correct the consequent false practice. Of one thing, how- 

 ever, he may be sure : one factor indispensable to his suc- 

 cess is the use of reading matter which will interest the 

 pupils and thereby arouse mental activity. The greater the 

 interest, the more quickly will the best results be obtained. 



The tones of reading usually should be those of com- 

 mon conversation. The general law in regard to reading 

 is that it should be like speech under similar circumstance*,. 

 When the pupil reads a sentence which he has used in ex- 



