r^ THE FIRST ROUND LADDER OF EDUCATION. Time overthrows the delnsious of opinion^ but confirms the decisions of nature. BY JAMES BilOWN, n: AUTHOR OF "THE EXEGESIS OP THE TRUE WAT OF ANALTZmO WORDS AM) CON- STRUCTIOXS OP DIFFICULT SOIUTIOX," "A NEW SYSTEM OF EXGUSH GRAMMAfi m THREE BOOKS," " THE SECOND ROUND IN THE LADDER OF EDUCATION," AND " THE APPEAL FROM THE OLD THEORT OP ENOUS" GRAMMAR XO THE TRUE CONSTBUCirTE GENIUS OP THE ENGUSfl -ANGUAQB." PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY JOHN T. LANGE, 24 8. SECOND ST. 1849. d THE FIRST ROUND ra THE LADDER OF EDUCATION. Time overthrows the delusions of opinion, but confirms the decisions of nature." BY JAMES BEOWN, THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW SYSTEM OF ENGLISH 'oRAMMAR, IN THREE BOOKS, THE SECOND ROUND IN THE LADDER OF EDUCATION AND THE APPEAL FROM THE OLD THEORY OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR, TO THE TRUE CONSTRUCTIVE GENIUS OP THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. PHILADELPHIA : PUBLISHED BY JOHN T. LANGE, No. 24, S. SECOND ST. 1849. ^ ^.^-^l Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by JAMES BROWN, in the office of the Clerk of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Stereotyped by R. P. MOGRIDGE. /. Ashmead, Printer> INTRODUCTION. Although I have neither been an instructor of a school, nor a Professor in any Literary institution, I have given considerable attention to the methods, and principles of several books, used both in common schools, and Acade- mies. And I regret that I cannot speak of these works in terms of praise. It is not my intention to give a cata- logue of these books. The following paragraphs, taken from " The Pictorial Primer, designed as a First Book for Children in Families, and Schools, ^^ will serve as a fair specim-en of the merits of all these productions. " Well, Frederic, what did you see at the fair to- day? Do you not think you had better have been at home ivith your mother, and sister Caroline ?''' What did you see to-day, is no better than, what did you see next week ? And " had have been, is neither better nor worse than the rest of the Pictorial Primer which is almost a/«c similie of the numerous books that are decent in nothing but mechanical execution. " This bird is an owl ; he has large eyes, and can see in the night. ^^ Here is a clear intimation, that no creature except an owl, can see in the jiight I Nor is this all, for it is here strongly implied, that the owl's capacity to see in the night, is derived from the size of its eyes ! ! A substitute : — " This is an owl ; and, although he has good eyes, he cannot see except in the night. ^^ But as an owl cannot see in a bright moonlight night, the idea in relation to the time, is not expressed by the (3) IV INTRODUCTION. word, night. An owl can see in the dark, but not in the light. Hence the following change may be made in the sentence, without producing any serious blemish : This is an owl ; and, although he has good eyes, he can not see except in the dark. ^^ Here is an idle hoy, who does not like his book.^^ Here it is intimated, that this idle boy is very singular, because he does not love his book ! ! The idea conveyed, is that idle boys, in general, like their books, but that this idle boy is rendered eccentric from his dislike to his book ! Having given a specimen of the manner in which these compilers think, and write, I will now give a sample of the way in which they attempt to teach. To teach the child the names of the different letters, these philosophers place the letter which begins the name of the creature, with the picture of the being. Hence the letter, c, is placed with the picture of a cat — and the let- ter, d, with that of a dog. If the child infers any thing from this association, it is that the word, cat, is the name of this character, c — and that the word, dog, is the name of this character, d ! This contrivance, then, makes a wrong impression upon the mind of the child, and, consequently, retards his pro- gress. The name of the creature is, cat — but the name of the letter is, se. The name of the being is, dog — but the name of the letter is, de .' ! Can a mere child discover any analogy between the word, cat, and the word, se? INTRODUCTION. V And can he discover any similarity between the word, dog, and the word, de ? That the placing of an eye with the letter, (i), would aid the child in learning the alphabetical name of this letter, is not doubted. The name of this organ of sight, is the very name of this letter. But is the name of this creature the name of the letter, c? And is the name of this creature the name of this character, d? No, no ! Wherever the name of the creature with which the letter is associated, is the very name of the letter itself, the child derives much aid from the association. A bee placed with this charac- ter, (b) would aid the child in learning the special alpha- betic name of this letter. An eye placed with this cha- racter, (i) would assist the child in learning the particular name of this letter, t. Indeed, the eye becomes the de- nominator, the namer, of the letter which is upon it. Vi INTRODUCTION. That this plan may be understood, it seems important to define, and name a few of its parts. THE ALPHASCOPE. The JlJphascope is a chart made up in the main, of such emblems as will enable one to impart a knowledge of the names, and sounds, of letters, and considerable skill in Syllable Reading, in 2. few Lessons. PARTS OF THE ALPHASCOPE. 1. A Letter Namer, A Letter Namer is an object which communicates either all, or the^rs^ part of its own name to the letter which is on it. 2. The Letter JSo'inascope, The No-mascope is the part of the Alphascope, which gives the child, a view of the names of the letters in the English alphabet, by means of twenty-six Letter Namers. [Onomaj name, and skopeo, to view.] 3. A Letter Sounder. Ji Letter Sounder is an emblem placed with a letter to give its sound, or sounds, 4. The Letter Pho-nescope. The Phonescope is the large circular part of the Alpha- scope, composed of thirty-eight letter sounders, designed to give a full view of the thirty-eight elementary sounds uttered in human speech. [Phone, a sound, and skopeo, to view.] 5. The Letter Puzzle. The Letter Puzzle is the smaller oval part of the Al- phascope, in which the twenty-six letters are so placed INTRODUCTION. VU that a child cannot find any certain one without close attention to, and a correct impression of, its particular form. 6. The Letter Maze. The Letter Maze is the part of the Alphascope, which is made up of a set oi false letter namers, placed around the PHo-NE-scoPE without order. The Letter Maze im- poses upon the child, the necessity of telHng the letters, not by the object on which they are found, but by their true distinctive forms. [This part of the Alphascope re- sembles the common pictorial primers ; and, without the other sections of the Alphascope, it would be of serious injury.] DIVISION OF LETTER NAMERS. Letter Namers are Precise, and Plus. 1. A Precise Letter Namer, Is an object which gives the exact name of the letter on it ; as, an eye, a bee, an efF, zea.* 2. A Plus Letter Navier, Is an object which gives more than the simple name of the letter on it ; as, a ce-dar, an em-her goose, a ge'ranium, an es-trich, a wi-ver, an o-celof. [These parts are plus matter : dar, bergoose, ranium, trich, ver, celot.] This theory is peculiar — it has nothing which resem- bles the common primers. Instead of employing objects which do not impart, or give, the true alphabetical names * An eff is a kind of lizard — zea, pronounced ze, is common corn, maize, or Indian wheat— an es-trich is an os-trich— a wiver is an imaginary creature, and in works on heraldry, its name is spelled wyvern. I have adopted the orthography which Dr. Webster has given. VUI INTRODUCTION. to the letters with which they are associated, it employs those which actually give the child the exact names of the letters with which they are placed. To aid the child in learning the name of the letter, c, the makers of the com- mon primers, employ an eye ! This they do because the word, eye begins with an e ! The eye is not a denomi- nator in relation to the e. This organ, in relation to the e, is a won-denominator. If the word, eye^ was* the name of the letter, e, the eye itself would be a good, a clear, denominator of the letter, c. In this theory, the e-mew is employed as the denominator of e. True, the name of e, is not emew. Although the word, emew, is not the name of e, the first syllable of this word, is the name of this letter. Hence an emew is a clear denominator of e. In the word, e-mew, we do find the name of e ; but in the word dog we do not find the name of d. Nor do we find in the word, eye, the name of c / In Elton's Pictorial A. B. .C, published in New York in 1847, 1 find an apple and an arch employed to lead the child to the true alphabetical name of the letter, a ! But as both of these things are non-denominators, they are well calculated to lead him from this name. Was the name of this letter, op, or pie, this fruit would be a clear index to the name of this letter. So, if the name of this letter was arch, the arch would be a clear denominator of a. That these objects exert an influence in directing the child to call the letter, a, by some name, is obvious. And, as they cannot lead him to the right name of this letter, they must lead him to a wrong one. Nor is this all, for while the picture of the ap-ple, leads the child to call a, apple, that of the arch directs him to call this letter, * Not, if the word, eye, were. INTRODUCTION. I'X arch! ! ! Nor indeed, is it the whole, — for the same page on which the child is told by virtue of these two pictures, that a is called apple, and arch ; he is informed by four other pictures, that this same a is called adze, arrow, an- chor, and axe ! And upon the sarne page on which the poor child is made to call a by all these names, he is taught by the means of five other pictures, to call the letter, b, boy, booh, baby, barrel, and bud ! On the very next page I find the letter, c, first called, cage; next, cat ; next, can- non ; next, comb ; next, cow ! ! I ! ! This is certainly milk for the tender mind. Upon the same pictorial plan, the author of this primer calls d, dice, desk, drum, dog, drawers, door, and duck. Here, by virtue of these pic- ' tures, the child is taught that the letter, d, has these seven words for its alphabetical name. Why should the atten- tion of the child be called to these seven gross misno- mers ? Why, to enable him to learn that the name of this letter is de. In what way is the bewildered child taught to call e by its true name ? Why, by being informed, through five heterogeneous objects, that the name of e, is eye, egg, eagle, ear, and eel 1 1 All this to learn that e is e / ! ! The letter,/, comes next. Should one judge by the num- ber of names which is given to this letter, to enable the child to call it ef, he must presume that the true method of teaching the mere child simplicity and truth, is by con- fusion, and contradiction ! The letter,/, is first called fork, secondly, /s/i, thirdly, ^ag-, fourthly, /wnne/, fifthly, flute, sixthly, feat her, seventhly, fly, and eighthly, fan // If the name of this letter is not fork, why is the fork em- ployed ? Why is the child's attention called to the funnel, if the name of this letter is not funnel? What, put X INTRODUCTION. Samuel Jones upon the door to show that Stephen John* son occupies the house ! ? Under the title of Mr. Elton's Primer, is the following: ^^Embellished with Two Hundred and Thirty EU' gravings, or. Illustrated Nouns." Now, it is obvious that if all his engravings are as illustrative as those which give eight grossly wrong names to the letter, /, his entire collection must be invaluable !! The cause of this grand confusion vfhich. is techni- cally denominated pictorial teaching, is to be found in the fact that primer makers, numerous, learned, and wise, as they are, do not see any difference between the sound, and the name of a letter. In the word, feather, we find the sound, though not the name of/. The sou7id off is heard in uttering the mere commencement of this word ; but the name of / (ef) is not heard in any part of this word ! The Sounds of the Letters, Among the numerous defects which are obv'ous in all works designed for the abcedarian, is the want of the means for teaching the thirty-eight elementary sounds in speech. There are three considerations which render it highly important that the child should learn something of these elementary sounds, at the inceptive stage of his study : First — these sounds are the basis of speech. Secondly — they are represented by the letters. Thirdly — even a partial knowledge of them, renders the child much aid in his attempt to pronounce both sylla- bles, and words. Every Primer which has fallen under my notice, con- INTRODUCTION. Xl izins a full demonstration that its maker is not acquainted with the means that is necessary to enable children to learn what he wishes to teach them. The objects put into every Primer which I have seen, to expedite the learning of the twenty-six letters, are all non-denomina- tors. And, in relation to the elementary sounds, no maker of a Primer (except myself) has ever even mentioned them ! Hence, hitherto, children have had no aid what- ever in the process of Syllable Reading, But, it may be replied that an ability to name each letter, renders consi- derable aid in Syllable Reading, To name the letters in a syllable is not Syllable Readings but mere Letter Read- ing, Syllable Reading is the joining of the elementary sounds, in utterance, of which the letters in the syllable, 'are the representatives. It may be said, that the child ac- quires some of these sounds in learning the names of the letters. True, but as no two of the elementary sounds which the child learns in learning the names of the mere letters, can be joined, can be put together, in a syllable ut- terance, the child's acquaintance with these sounds affords him no aid in uttering a syllable of two, or more letters. The vocal name of one letter, is a distinct vowel sound which cannot be joined to the vocal name of another letter. For instance, — the names of a, and b will not fall into the same vocal syllable— for the vocal name of a is a whole vocal syllable. Nor is this all, for the vocal name of b is a whole vocal syllable. Hence, unless two distinct vocal syllables can be formed into one, the vocal names of a, and h can never be uttered in one syllable. Can the child, then, read the following syllables : ba, ab. Can the child join, in utterance, the sound of b with that Xii INTRODUCTION. of a ? The child does not know the sound of h! True, he may know the sound of the name of b — be ! But as the sound of the name of b, cannot be joined with the sound of the name of «, how can the child's knowledge of these two sounds, aid him in Syllable Reading? Be- fore the child can read syllables^ he must learn some sounds which can be joined in one syllable. In general, the name of a letter is very different from the sound of it. The name of this letter (b) is be ; but the sound of this character, is that which is heard in the mere commencement of the word, bat. (That sound which is made before the lips are separated.) The name of this character (t) is te; but the sound of this letter, is that which is heard in the mere beginning of the word, top. To make Syllable Reading a work of ease, and expe- dition, the child must have the aid which can be derived from nothing but a familiar acquaintance with the different sounds of the letters. That a knowledge of the mere nam,es of the letters, is no preparation for Syllable Read' ing, is obvious from the great difficulty with which every child meets in pronouncing syllables. This difficulty re- sults from an ignorance of the sounds of the letters in the syllable. The child who is put to Syllable Reading as soon as he has learned the names of the letters, attempts to pronounce each syllable according to the sounds in the names of the letters in the syllable. Hence he would en- deavor to throw the word, top, into three syllables, and pronounce it, te-o-pe ; and the word, bat, into three sylla- bles, and pronounce it, be-a-te. He would do this because these are the only sounds which he can associate with those letters. But, as these sounds cannot he joined, the INTRODUCTION. XUI child must be drilled painfully, drilled for months, before he can pronounce bat, and top. When the child, how- ever, has the sounds of which the letters in the syllable, are the representatives, he will endeavor to utter these sounds instead of the names of the letters, which will not only relieve Aim, but the teacher, of the severe drudgery that an attempt to learn Syllable Beading with- out a knowledge of the elementary sounds, entails upon both pupil, and instructor. To enable the child to learn the thirty-eight elementary sounds with ease and rapidity, I employ thirty-eight letter sounders. In general, the mere beginning of the name of a letter sounder is the sound required. For instance — that the child may clearly understand the four elementary sounds represented by «, he is required to utter the mere commencement of the name of each of the following letter sounders : 1. The letter, a, represents the sound which merely begins the word, acorn. («-corn.) 2. This letter represents, too, the sound which merely begins the word, arm. (a-rm.) 3. This character represents, likewise, the sound which merely begins the word, awl. (a-wl.) 4. This letter represents, also, the sound which merely begins the word, axe, (a-xe.) XIV INTRODUCTION. As the method here pursued to teach the elementary sounds as represented by the twenty-six letters, is similar, inform, to that employed by the numerous primer-makers to enable the child to learn the letters in our alphabet with despatch, it may be said, that I have , adopted a method which I have condemned. I have condemned this plan as a method for teaching the 7iames of the letters. The 7iames of the letters, and the sounds which the letters represent, are so different, that the same means can not be used in teaching both. For instance, the word, be, is the name of this letter, (6.) But does this letter represent the sounds which constitute the word, be 9 The sound which b represents, is formed by pressing the lips together so closely that no air can escape. In bat, we have the sound of 6, but not the sound of the name of 6— (ie.) I condemn this plan as a method for teaching the names of the letters, because we do not find the names of the letters in the names of the objects employed. But I approve of this plan as a method for teaching the elementary sounds, because we do find the different sounds represented by letters, in the names of these objects. DEFINITIONS AND DIRECTIONS. For the use of those who may teach children, the names, and the sounds of the letters, and the art of Syllable Reading by means of The Alphascope, a chart connected with "The First Round in the Ladder of Education." By James Brown, Author of " The New System of English Grammar" in Three Books, and of " The Appeal from the Old Theory of English Grammar to the True Constructive Principles of the English Language" THE ALPHASCOPE. The Alphascope is a chart made up in the main, of such emblems as will enable one to impart a knowledge of the names^ and sounds, of letters, and considerable skill in Syllable Reading, in ^few Lessons. PARTS OF THE ALPHASCOPE. 1. A Letter Namer-, 'A Letter Namer is an object which" communicates either all, or the Jirst part of its own name to the letter which is on it. 2. The Letter No-mascope, The No-mascope is the part of the Alphascope, which gives the child, a view of the names of the letters in the English alphabet, by means of twenty-six Letter Namers. \Onoma, name, and skopeo, to view.] 3. A Letter Sounder. A Letter Sounder is an emblem placed with a letter to give its sound, or sounds. 4. The Letter Pho-nescope. The Phonescope is the large circular part of the Alpha- scope, composed of thirty-eight letter sounders, designed to give a full view of the thirty-eight elementary sounds uttered in human speech. [Phone, a sound, and skopeo^ to view.] 5. The Letter Puzzle. The Letter Puzzle is the smaller oval part of the Al- phascope, in which the twenty-six letters are so placed (1) 2 DIRECTIONS. that a child cannot find any certain one without close attention to, and a correct impression of, its particular form. 6. The Letter Maze. The Letter Maze is the part of the Alphascope, which is made up of a set oi false letter namers, placed around the Pho-nescope without order. The Letter Maze im- poses upon the child, the necessity of telling the letters, not by the object on which they are found, but by their true distinctive forms. [This part of the Alphascope re- sembles the common pictorial primers ; and, without the other sections of the Alphascope, it would be of serious injury.] 7. The Sy7iphonesco2)e. The Synphonescope is a view of the manner in which the thirty-eight elementary sounds of the language, are put together in the formation of syllables, which is pro- duced by placing a Letter Sounder of one letter with a Letter Sounder of another. \^Syn, together, or with, phone, a sound, and skopeo, to view.] DIVISION OF LETTER NAMERS. Letter Namers are Precise, and Plus. 1. A Precise Letter Namer, Is an object which gives the exact name of the letter on it ; as, an eye, a bee, an eff, zea.* 2. A Plus Letter Namer, Is an object which gives more than the simple name of the letter on it ; as, a ce-dar, an em-bergoose, a ge'ranium, an es-trich, a wi-ver, an o-celot. [These parts are plus matter : dar, bergoose, ranium, trich, ver, celot.] * An efF is a kind of lizard — zea, pronounced ze, is common corn, maize, or Indian wheat — aa es-trich is an os-trich — awiver is an imaginary creature, and in works on heraldry, its name is spelled wyvern. I have adopted the orthography which Dr. Webster has given. DIRECTIONS. 3 8. The Syllahlescope, The Syllablescope is a view of the process of giving the connected sounds of combined letters. DIRECTIONS. CHAPTER i: 1. Give each child in the class the hand nomascope. Teach every child the names of the nine precise Letter namers, through the means of the hand nomascope. [The acquisition of these names will give the child the exact names of the nine letters which are on the nine precise Letter namers.] 2. As soon as the child can give the names of the nine precise Letter namers, he should be required to find the nine corresponding Letter namers on the Chart noma- scope. [This exercise will oblige the child to compare one object with another, which will have a tendency to strengthen the mind.] The following may suggest the mode which I would recommend teachers to pursue : My child, can you point out the bee which is on the hand no- mascope ? [Why do you not say bee as soon as you point to the bee?] After the child shall have been thoroughly drilled in this simple, but important exercise of compari- son, recall the subject of the bee — llpp show him that there is one be upon another bee — make him comprehend that he has two bees before him, — that one has wings, and legs, but that the other has neither wings, nor legs. Impress upon his mind that the bee which has neither wings, nor legs, is on the bee which has both ivings, and legs. Remind him that one is a honey bee, but that the other is a letter be. Upon this, ask him which is the honey bee, and which is the letter be. Require the child to search for 4 DIRECTIONS. the riding be on the phonescope. As soon as he shall have found the letter be on the Phonescope, and called it by its proper name, require him to find the same letter in the Letter Puzzle, and again to call it by its true alpha- betical name. You may now take up separately, the remaining eight letters, which are on the precise Letter namers. — In doing this, however, you should treat of each letter much in the same way in which you have treated of the 6. Proceed as follows: My child, do you know the name %pfxr^^^ of this creature ? This creature is i^.id^,^^L-y^ a lizard, or an eff. I wish you to examine him with great care. And I should be much pleased if you would remember that his name is eff. And I should be very glad to call your attention to this black mark which is on him. Here it is — do you see it ? But stop — perhaps you have forgotten the name of this creature ! His name, my child, is eff. You must recollect his name, for his name will give you the name of this black letter which is on him. Remember now that here is one ef upon another effj One is a lizard eff; but the other, a letter eff Remember that as one be is on the other bee, so one ef is on the other eff. Which eff has legs ? Which efT has a head ? Which is the lizard eff? Which is the letter ef ? Can you find this lizard eff on the chart nomascope ? Do you see the letter ef on him there ? Can you now find this letter ef on the Phonescope ? Now, can you find this ef in the Letter Puzzle? My child, can you find this letter ef in the Letter maze ? [Here is the Letter maze — it is made up of the false Letter namers which are placed around the Pho- nescope.] Is the ef on a bird, a fox, an ox, a camel, a dog, or a rabbit ? My child, do you not see /upon this bird which DIRECTIONS. Sits on the branch of a tree ? [Here it is.] If this letter was named after the creature on which the letter is put, what would be the name of the letter? [Would its name not be bird? But, where does this letter get the name of ef? From the lizard eff on which it is placed. The lizard eff, then, is a true namer of this letter, (point- ing to the f on the phonescope,) while the bird is a false namer. Can you show me the riding b on the phonescope ? Can you show me the ridden bee on the nomascope? Can you now show me the riding f on the phonescope ? And where is the ridden eff? My child, I shall now call your attention to a frame- work somewhat curious in its struc- , ture. The main parts of this cu- rious, though simple frame-work, are two upright square pillars. [These columns are the pillars to which I allude. Upon the tops of the pillars are two black lines, cor- responding in appearance to two lines on which the columns stand.] . Do you see these lines ? [Here they are.] Do you see the line which extends from one pillar to it is.] Perhaps you would like to learn the name of this cu- rious piece of mechanism. Its name is aytch ! Can you remember the name of this thing ? Indeed, have you not already forgotten its name ? Have you forgotten the word, aytch, so soon ? My child, have you observed the plain figure upon the left-hand pillar of this aytch? [Here it is.] It resem- bles a chair. Pay particular attention to the form of this little figure. It seems to be constructed of two parts only, which appear to be connected by means of a small curved line. [Here it is.] The name of this little character too is aytch. There is one be upon another bee — one ef upon another eff — and one aytch upon another aytch!! Show aytch the other ? [Here DIRECTIONS. me the two bees — the two effs — and the two aytches. Of the two bees, which is the larger ? Which is the larger eft*? Which is the larger aytch? Show me the riding aytch — show me the ridden aytch. Now, my child, see if you can find either of these aytches on the phonescope Is this aytch in the Letter puzzle ? Is it in the Lettei maze ? [Continue to drill in this way till all of the class be come familiar with the name of b, of/, and of h."] My child, what is this thing under the aytch? Is it not an eye? Do you see the letter which is on this eye ? [Here it is.] This letter is an eye, too. Hence, here is an instance in which one i is in another eye! One be upon another bee— one ef upon another eff — one aytch upon another aytch — and one eye in another eye. 'I Can you find the riding b on the in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter eye phonescope, maze? Can you find the riding f on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze ? Can you find the riding h on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze ? Can you find the riding i on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze ? [Do not leave the i till all of the class become familiar with its name.] Do you see this bird perched upon a branch of a tree, directly under the 'two eyes? This bird is Si jay. This jay is sometimes called the blue i'dy. Do you see the letter on this jay ? [Here it is.] It has a dot above it. [Here is the dot.] Do you observe that there is a similar dot connected with the riding i? [Here it is.] DIRECTIONS. This letter in the eye is called eye — and this letter on the jay is called jay. And, as the bird is called a blue jay, I presume the letter on the bird may be called the black, dotted jay ! There is, then, a black dotted eye, and a black dotted jay ! The black ]ay is on the blue jay. Hence this branch supports two jays — the blue jay, and the black jay. [Go on with these jays.] THE CUE. The next object to which I will direct your attention, is the little roll of hair around ' which there appears to be a string near the end. This roll of hair is called a cue. The cue is here em- ployed as an index, a pointer to the exact name of the letter which is attached to this cue. Do you see this hair cue ? And do you see the letter cue which is on the hair cue ? How many cues CUC hang from this man's head ? Which ^ is the hair cue — which is the letter cue ? Is there a string around either of these cues ? Are these cues before, or behind the man ? Have you ever seen a head with two cues? Show me the hair cue — now show me the letter cue. Can you find the hair cue on the phonescope? If you can not find the hair cue on the phonescope, see if you can find the letter cue on this part of the alphascope. My child, I fear that you have not given close attention to the shape of the letter cue. Examine the long wide part which falls below this round part. Observe that this long part is on the right-hand side of the other part. Look for this cue upon the phonescope, again. If you can find 8 DIRECTIONS. it upon the phonescope, look it up in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze. One be on another bee — one ef on another eff — one aytch upon another aytch — one i in another eye — one jay upon another jay — and one q tied to another cue! ! Where is one be on another bee — one ef on another eff — one aytch on another aytch — one i in another eye — one j on another jay — and one q tied to another cue ? THE EWE. [2/w] My child, do you see this animal which seems covered with white wool 1 This creature is a ew;e, pronounced yu. She has a curious black mark on her right side. Do you see this mark ? Now, my child, this mark, and this animal, have the same name. Among sheep, this creature is called ewe^ [yu) — and among let- ewp ^^^^' ^^^ mark is called u. So, then, here is one u on another ewe. One is a white ewe — the other is a black u. Which is the black u — and which is the white ewe ? Have these two ewes the same form ? Has the black u legs ? Has the white ewe legs ? Which u is the smaller ? Which ewe is covered with a fleece of wool ? Show me the woolly, the fleecy^ ewe. — Show me the Hack u which has no wool. Is one u upon the other ewe ? Be upon bee, f upon eff, h upon aytch, i in an eye, jay upon Jcri/, q upon cue, and u upon ewe ! ! Find the black u upon the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze. DIRECTIONS. THE DOUBLE-EWE. My child, I think that you will give undivided atlentien t© the next Letter namer — it is a most curious thing. [Here it is,] This Letter namer is the ewe doubled ! And upon this doubled ewe, there is a black mark which is called the double u. [The name and ybrm of this let- ter originated in this way — The Romans used our Y for their capital U — and to make a double w, they doubled their capital yu, (V) which is our V, — Hence the double u has appearance of two vs joined, or one v doubled — W. Remain with the w till the child can find it with ease on the phonescopej in the puzzle, and in the maze,] double-ewe the THE ZEA. My child, this is an ear of zea, (pronounced ze.) Zea is Indian corn. The black mark on this ear of zea, is the last letter in the English alphabet. There are two zes here — the corn zea, and the letter z, [Many teachers call this letter zed — but this is wrong — this letter is now generally called ze.] Here, then, you have one z upon another zea. Can you distinguish the corn zea from the letter z ? Can you find the corn zea on the phonescope, in the letter puzzle, zea GO ERECTIONS. or in the letter maze ? If yoii cannot lind the Indian zea on the phonescope, nor in either of the other parts of the alphascope, see if you can find the letter z on the phone- scope, in the puzzle, and in the maze. REMARKS. That the child may improve his habit of attention, be- come familiar with the names of these nine letters, and be made able to acquire the names of the remaining letters with ease and expedition, he should be drilled in finding the vocal names of the nine letters to which he has already given considerable attention. That the teacher may have a convenient means of exercising the child in this way, I have given a series of words which contain the names of these nine letters. These words are called alphalogues, and the parts which are the names of any of these nine letters, are denominated alphanomes. [^Al- phalogue is made from alpha, a letter, and logos, a word ; and alphanome, from alpha, a letter, and onoma, a name.] 1. An Alphalogue, Is a word which contains the name of some letter, or letters in the alphabet ; as rfe-throne, e-mew, eff, zea, cue, double-ewe, ewe, (yu.) 2. An Alphatiome, Is the entire word, or that part of the entire word, which is the vocal name of some letter in the alphabet ; as, bee, jay, eye; em-bergoose, ce-dar, wi-Yer. [I do not say that it is necessary for the child to give any attention to these definitions and distinctions. If after trial the teacher finds that the child can comprehend them with ease, he should learn them without delay.] Each of the following alphalogues contains one alpha- nome; and while the teacher utters these alphalogues, (which he should do with great syllabical distinctness,) DIRECTIONS. 11 he should require the children to reiterate the alphanomes, and to point out the particular letter of which each alpha- nome is the name. To produce a spirit of emulation, it would be well to have merit places in the class. This would allow each child to occupy the place in relation to the head of the class, to which his merits in the exercise, entitle him. [Proceed as follows :] Now, my children, I wish you to give me undivided attention. I want you to hear distinctly each part of every word which I may utter in the highly interesting exercise into which we are about to enter. When I utter the word, e?/e-servant, I wish you to tell me what particu- lar letter is named in this word : 1. Teacher — e?/e-servant. 2. Children — i, [Require them to find i in all the Jetter parts on the alphascope.] 3. Teacher — Honey-6ee. 4. Children — b. [Find the b on the phonescope, in the puzzle, in the maze, and in the nomascope.] 5. Teacher — Blue-Jay. 6. Children— J. [Find as before.] 7. Teacher— ^-fort, 8. Children—/. [Find as before.] 9. Teacher— Cw-bic. 10. Children— gr. [Where is q ?] 11. Teacher — 2?e-have. 12. Children— 6. [Where is b ?] EXERCISES. Alphalogues, J^-fectual. j&i^;e-lamb. Jay-hixA. Ja-zoh. Alphalogues, J?e-speak. ^i/e-salve. Aytch-\ik.e, Be-yondi. Alphalogues, Be-iore. Double-e?^;c, Ze-nith* ^w-phonious. * Zenith is an alphalogue— but ze is an alphanome. 12 DIRECTIONS. Mphalogues, Alphalogues. Alphalogues, /fl-pan. Indian-ze«. /-dentical. /-vory. Double-ewe. %-ry. ^2^;e-sheep. VJ\iiie-ewe, /-bex. behold. Cw-pidity. i-tinerant. /-talian. 7-dea. Cw-taneous. £^-nitarian Cw-riosity. ^w-pathy. Eye-ioQi\i. %e.lid. ^M-diometer. Aytch. Ja-der. ^-fectual. Aytch-iorm, Ze-ro. ^w-rope. Cw-rate. Cw-riality. Z^i/c-winkers. Eye-sore, Eye-\eX. Yew-Xxee, Blue-eye. J«-dish. Cw-rious. Ze-lotical. Ja-nus. Jia-cobus. /ay-bird. /-vy. JE^ye-string. Ef-iOTt. Ew-ry. JBe-witch. CHAPTER 11. The letters of the plus Letter namers. The following principles should be well understood by the teacher at least : Principle I. When the Letter namer is precise, the child should acquire the name of the letter by learning, that of the Letter namer. Principle IL When the Letter namer is plus, the child should learn the name of the letter by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the art of throwing the word into two dis- tinct parts, and considering the Jirst part as the name of the letter. Proceed as follows : DIRECTIONS. 13 THE ACORN. a-corn My child, I shall now call your attention to the fruit of the oak. [Here it is.] Can you give me its name ? My child, the name of this fruit is a-corn. This name comprises two parts, namely a, and corn, a-corn. As the a part begins the name, a is called the first part — and as corn is the next part, it oc- cupies the second place in the formation of this name — hence corn is called the second part. My child, / will give the first part of this name, if you will give the second part of it. 1. Teacher — a. 2. Child— com. 3. Teacher — a, '' 4. Child — corn. Now, my child, if you will give me the first part of a-corn, 1 will give you the second part of it. Child— a. Teacher — corn. Child—a. Teacher — corn. Child— «. Teacher — corn. My child, can you give me both parts of this word 1 Child — a-corn. Now, give me the first part only. Child — a. My child, do you see the acorn? Is it not on your hand nomascope? Child — Here it is — immediately after the zea. Do you see the black mark which is just below the dark covering of this fruit ? [Here is the mark to which I allude.] Child — I see it — Indeed I have seen it almost con- 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. u DIRECTIONS. stantly from the time you first called my attention to this fruit. Well, my child, I wish you to examine this mark with great care. Will you do it ? Perhaps you have already done so. [Child — I have.] Do you not think that this black mark is the very image of \he first part of the very name of the fruit on which the mark is found ? The word, a-corn, is the name of the fruit — and a is not only the first part of the nan^ie, but a is the entire name of the black mark on the fruit. My child, remember that the name of this fruit has a first part, and a second part, a short part, and a long part, that a is the first, or short part, and corn the second, or long part, and that one of these two parts is the name of the letter which you see on the fruit. The two parts are a, and corn. Hence the name of this letter must be a, or corn. My child, do you see the letter which is on the acorn ? Here it is — look at it. Now, is a the name of this letter — or is corn the name of it ? Child — This letter's name is a — not corn. My child, find the a on the phonescope — in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze. THE CEDAR. ce-dar The next plus Letter namer to which I shall call your attention is the ce-dar, the tree, which falls di- recdy below the a-corn. In the centre of this ce-dar, there is a letter — and, under this ce-dar^ stands the name of this letter. The name of this tree is ce-dar — and, like the word, a-corn, it has two distinct parts — the first or short part is the DIRECTIONS. 15 name of the letter which is on the tree — hence, as I utter the two parts of the word cedar, separately, you will be able to tell the name of the letter which is on the cedar. Remember, that the first, or short part of the name of this tree, is the name of the letter. I will now give you the two parts. Ce-dar. My child, here is the letter C, Now. is Ce the name of this letter ; or is dar the name of this letter ? Ce, dar. Child — Ce is the letter's name ; because the ce is the first part of the name of the tree. The name of the tree is ce-dar. And, if either part of this name is the name of the letter on the tree, it must be ce, for dar is not the name of any thing. Find c on the phonescope, in the Letter Puzzle, and in the Letter Maze. THE DECANTER. My child, do you see this decanter ? Do you see the letter which is on it ? Now, one part of the name of this object, is the name of the letter on it. I shall give you the name in two distinct parts, and leave you to say which one of the two parts, is the name of this letter. Here is the letter d — and I will now give you the two parts of the name of the object on which this letter is placed. De. Canter. Is de the name of this letter; or is canter de-Canter the name of it ? [Remember that the first part is the name of the letter on the object.] Find the d on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze. 16 DIRECTIONS. THE EMEW. Children, do you see this bird ? I mean this one — the one which seems to have a covering of wool instead of one of feathers. The name of the letter which you see on the right side of this curious fowl, is the first, and the short part of the name of the bird, itself. If I give you the bird's name in two distinct parts, will you tell me which part is the name of this letter ? e-niew g ^^^ Now, is e, the name of this letter, or is mew the name of it ? Do you not see that the first part of this name, is the very image of the letter which is on the bird ? Com- pare the first part of e-mew with the letter on this bird ; and then find the e on the phonescope, in the Letter puz- zle, and in the Letter-maze. THE GE-RANIUM My child, will you now give some attention to this bush in whose cen- tre stands a curious black figure. Here is the shrub to which I al- lude. The name of this shrub, has two distinct parts, both of which, I shall soon utter. And I wish you to give particular attention to these two parts as the first one is the name of the curious letter in the centre of the bush itself. I am about to give you the two parts of the e-ranmm DIRECTIONS. 17 name of this shrub ; and do pay close attention to both parts : ge. ranium. Now, is ge, or is raniurn the name of this curious letter ? Which is. the first part of the entire name ? The entire name is ge-ranium. And, if you can tell X\ie first part from the second, you can tell the name of the curiously formed letter in the geranium itself, ge, ranium. [Find the g on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze.] My child, you may know which of the two parts of any one of the words that are under the Letter namers, is the name of the letter by the inferiority in the length of one part, and by the superiority in the length of the other part. Upon this principle you can decide which part of any word that is under any one of the plus Let- ter namers, is the name of the letter which is on the namer. Now, turn your eyes to the word which is under the ge-ranium. Here it is. This word is divided by this little mark, called a hyphen, into a first part, and a se- cond part, or into a short part, and a long part. If, then, you can tell which part is the short one, and which is the long one, you can tell which part is the name of the let- ter that is on the shrub itself. True, you can not read this part, [point to ge ;] but you can see that this is the short part — hence you know that this part is the name of the letter which you see on this bush. [Now turn the attention of the child to the word, a-corn, and require him to tell which is the short par^ of this word — and which part is the name of the letter on the a-corn. Go from the a-corn to the ce-dar, from the ce-dar to the de-canter, from the de-canter to the e-mew, from the e-mew to the ge-ranium, and from the ge-ranium to the ka-tydid, from the ka-tydid, to the eUephant, and so on, to the wiver.] [Let me here say that the course of instruction must be most thorough, or the progress of the child will be very slow indeed. No mode should be left untried, which seems well calculated to impress the names of the letters upon the minds of the children.] 2* l^ DIRECTIONS. THE KA-TYDID. Children, here is a very singular crenture. Do you see this letter which is on him ? The name of this letter is the short part of the name of the creature himself. This name is under the creature, where it is divided into two parts ka,-tvdi(i ^y ^^^^ black mark, the hyphen. ^ Tell me which part is the name of this letter. You can not name the part, but you can point to it. The language of this creature is not less singular than the structure of him : he utters but one word ; and that one is his own name ! This name is under him ; and did I think that you would endeavour to remember it, I would give it to you : ha-tydid, ka-tydid. Now, the short part of this word is the name of this letter — here is the letter. Do you not know which part of this word is the short one ? Can you not measure the length of sound by means of your ear as well as you can measure the length of space by means of your eye ? If you can decide by means of your eye, that this part [ka'] is the short part in type, in letters, you can determine by means of your ear^ that hay is the short part in sound, in voice. The name of this letter, then, is ka. But I wish you to compare this k with the ka-tydid himself, in structure. I believe that, if you institute a just compari- son between the k and the katy-did, you will find the two to have much the same construction. Observe the several acute, or sharp angles, or corners, in this k. . Do you not see that the ka-tydid himself has angles of the same kind? [Find the k on the Phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze.] DIRECTIONS 19 THE ELEPHANT. el-ephant Children, will you examine the word under the elephant, and tell me which part is the name of the long letter on this huge beast. The short part of the word, is the name of this letter. Hence this letter is el. Do you hear this name ? Look at this /: it is very long — indeed, it is as much longer than common let- ters as the proboscis of the elephant is longer than the trunks of the other creatures which have this singular part. But, although the / resembles the proboscis of the ele- phant in length, it does not resemble the proboscis of this creature, in /orm. The 1 is straight; but the proboscis is crooked: it turns up at the end somewhat like the letter j. Find the / on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze. THE PE-WET Do you see the bird on which there is an 1 with an oval, a circu- lav part at the top ? Here it is. This bird is called pe-wet. Hence it has the letter, p on one of its wings. One part of the p is the / which you see on the elephant. The other part of the p is like the c which is on the ce-dar. pe-wet 20 DIRECTIONS. Find the p on the phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze, [Now, direct the attention of the children to the follow- ing letters, b, d, /?, q, which are on the alphaseope in both large, and small type.] Do you see these four large letters — here they are- have you all found them ? Do you not see that these four letters are all similar, all very much alike ? Would you be glad to know why these four letters are so much alike ? These letters are so much alike, because they are all made, formed, of the / and c. Will you now look at the / which you will find on the phonescope by the lion; and will you examine the c which you will find on the phonescope near the cap. Examine the /, and the c with great care. Have you fixed the form of the / in your mind? Have you all examined the c well ? If so, I presume that you can tell me which part of this letter (c?) is the c. Here is the letter, — this large d. Can you point out the c part of this letter ? Can any of you show me the / part of the d? Does the / part of the d run itp, or down? Is the / part of the d on the right-hand side of the c part, or is the I part on the left-hand side of the c part ? Does each of you know his right hand from his left one ? Make them well acquainted with the right, and the left side. Is the / in d, on the right, or the left side of the c part ? Does the / extend above, or below the c part of the dP Of what two letters is the d made ? [Here is the q.] Can you find the / part of the q 9 Can you find the c part of q9 Is the / on the right, or left of the c part ? Does the I in q run down, or up ? Of what two letters is q made ? Can you find the c on its Letter namer ? [The Letter namers are in the No- mascope.] Can you find c on the phonescope, in the Letter puz- zle, and in the Letter maze ? Upon what thing is c in the Letter maze ? DIRECTIONS. 21 Children, I wish you to give close attention to the exact difference between the form of rf, and that of q. In bodi letters you see that the / parts stand on the right-hand side of the round part, the c part. But, then, while the / part of the c?, runs up, that of the q runs down. Do you see this difference, my children ? Between what two let- ters, John ? Can any one of you tell between what two letters this point of difference is found ? [The point of difference, is that which results from an upward direction in the / part of the dj and a downward direction in the / part of the q.^ 1. What is the namer of q? Can you find q on the Phonescope, in the Letter puzzle, and in the Letter maze ? 2. What is the namer of d ? Find d on the Phonescope, in tne Letter j9wzz/e, and in the Letter maze 1 An Exercise to impress the names of a, c, rf, e, g, k, I u, and p, upon the minds of the children. Mphalogues, Alphalogues. Alphalogues. .5-corn. ^e-ranium. A^e-dan. EUer. el-c-gant. c-lasticity. e-Usion. ze-nith. 6e-hold. i-vory. ^.fect. Jay-bird. CM-taneous. 2:e-lotical. cfe-ter. Aa-tydid. c?e-tain. (/e-throne. c-late. c-lance. «e-date. cw-pidity. blue-eye. double-ewe. eye-tooth. ct/-rious. /«-cobus. /a-nus cc-dar. cZ-ephant. c-ject. c-rase. c-lation. e/.egy. 6-liphate. ja-dery ew-phonious. cy-ry. ew-diometer. 22 Mlphalogues, Ja-coh. c-mew. jDg-culiar. el-how, i-dentical. Ja-pan. DIRECTIONS. Alplialogues. cw-phonious. pe-wet. c/-e-ment. aytch-iorm, yew-tiee. Asia, Alphalogues, CM^e-lamb. /)e-dantic. c-lastic. 6e-yond, z-vy, i-ris. THE EM-BERGOOSE. em-bergoose upon this fowl, there is a letter whose name is found m the first part of the word, em-bergoose. [Make the child familiar with the letter, and with its name, in the way which I have pursued with the other letters.] THE AR-MADILLO ar-madillo As the first part of the word, ar-madillo, is the name of the letter on this creature, the presumption is that you can tell the name of this letter at once. DIRECTIONS. 23 THE EN-SIGN. en-sign Upon this flag, is a letter whose name is the first part of the word, cw-sign, which is the appropriate name of the flag. [Go on in the usual way.] THE 0-CELOT. 0-celot This cat, or rather tiger, looking creature, is adorned with the letter which is found in the first part of his name. The name entire, is o-celot : hence the first part of it, is the very image of the letter which you see on the creature himself. 24 DIRECTIONS. THE ES-TRIOH. es-trich The letter which you see upon this curious bird, is named in the Jirst part of the bird's own name — hence I presume that you know the letter's name to be es. Es- trich. [An C5-trich is an os-trich.] THE TE-TOTUM. te-totum This play thing with which boys in general, are very familiar, generally has four letters on it — but in this in- stance, it has but one : and, as the name of this one is found in the Jirst part of the word, ^c-totum, you know that its name is te. DIRECTIONS. 25 THE VE-LOCIPEDE, ve-locipede Upon this vehicle there are three wheels, and one letter. And the name of the letter is the first part of the name of the vehicle itself — hence the name of the letter which seems to be riding out, must be the ve. — [ Fc-locipede,] THE WI-VER. wi-ver As this fellow gives a better description of himself than I can give of him, I shall leave him to speak for himself. But the letter on him has a name — and, as the name of it, is the first part of the creature's own name, it must be wi, [VTi-ver.] riRECTIONS, THE EX-PRESS. ex-press The name of the letter is ihejirst part of the functional name of the man himself. Hence it must be ex. [1. The teacher should now take up c, and jo, upon which he should lecture much in the same way in which he has lectured upon d, and q. 2. Next, upon the c, /, and o, 3. Upon V, w, and y. 4. Upon w, w, m, and b, 5. i, /, J, and /.] ^n Exercise in Alphanomes. Alphanomes, Alphanomes, Alphanomes, A-corn. Cc-dar. Eff. Eye. .^-pe. You. ^e-numb. ^s-trich. J^/-e-ment. ^a-gle. ^-fem-i-nate. ^e-fore. Pea-hen. ^r-row. ^r-ch. ^m-met. ^-dacity. Ge-nius. In-vi-o-late. ^-lapse. /-ron. /-ronical. ^/.fect. w5r-rogant. Bee, Ce-dar. /^e-canter. E-mevf, Eff. Ge-ranium. DIRECTIONS. V Alphanomes, Alphanomes. Alphanomes Jiytch, Eye. Jay. JTa-ty-did. ^/-c-phant. £m-prise. ^?i.sign. O-ce-lot. Pe-wet. Que. [cu.] .^r-madillo. Es-trich. Tle-totum. Ewe. [yu] Fc-locipede. Double-ewe, Ex-Tpresa. Wi-ver. Zea. [ze.] E-\enU .^-cre. Ip-e-cac-w-an-ha. I-onic. ^-vowedly IT Po-em. /-ris. i;-jac-w-late. 7-o.lite. ^m-brace. iE-lope. ^e-hind. Sea-gnlL A-mer-i'Ca, Double-ewe. Are. [ar] E-\ixir. El-e-mental, J5;.ventful. ^.vouched. ^r-rest. £m-balm. ^e-mangle. ^r-tichoke. w^-vulsion. j3r-range. w5-rion. iJ-clipse. Ge-neva. ^r-cher. E-\ix-a-iion. ^m-bergoose. .^r-o -matic. Em-hilter. .^r-rive. ^n-velop. De-range. Ar-not J?a;-quisitive. ^s-sential. Eph-od. Ex-^OYt. ^n-tune. Ex-os-sz-^ed. De-\a.y. Wi-yer. TVy'0-mmg» Ef-iovt. En-trust. De-lay. Ce-dar. J see. The sea. El-how. J57m-power. ^-bove. iJm-a-native. jDe-throne. El'O-cu-tion. ^-lone. JE;.lude. Pea-pod. O-me-ga. Tfy-ei\i. ^m-phatic. /}e-canter. Em-^yreum. De-ihrone, i;a;-per-i-ment. E-miU Cw-taneous. j;;.o-quent. Pea-patch. O-pake. it 88 1 DIRECTIONS. Alphanomes, Alphanomes. Alphanomes Pe-ans. JJe-mure. El-o-cu-tion. ^m-bitter. £-mew. 0-ce-lot. j&-motion. ^o^-ertion. E-mit. JJm-panel. Ef-hce. Ex-ipire, O-ration. i>e-tention. Pe-dom-e-ter. ^n-tertain. iJe-pose. Pe-cw-liar. ^n-rich. De-lay. JEn-viron. Z?e-ride. ^-nunciation. ^n-velop. £/.nited. T'e-nacious. Double-ewe. Pe-dom-e-ter. /)e-prive. ^-nunci-a-tion J5Jn-vassal. TFi-ver. jTc-nacious. C/"-ni-corn. I-hex. Ge-ranium. Te-de-Vim. Wi-iy. Ex-ist Be-ing. To be. 7>.tram-c-ter. Pe-ter. You. Ewe. Jay. Ge-ni, ^m-people. /)c-pose. ^m-i-gration. 0-rion. 0-verwise. Ze-bra. .^r-tic-w-latioD Zea, [ze.] Double-ewe. Fe-racious. ^a?-pression. W' ■ T'e-totum. Ef.fOTt. iSea-horse. .^r-madillo. E-mcw, 0-possum. Eye-sight, Aytch. P/-e-phant. jE^s-tablish. En-sign. Cw-ticle. 0-ce-lot. Fe-locipede. iJs-sence. ^w-tychian. ^M-ropean. ^-rians. P-tesians. Ar-i-o-so. Vi-ra-go. Vis-a-vis, [ar-e-o-so.] [rc-ra-go.] [ve-za-ve.] 29 CHAPTER III. I. The Sounds of Speech, The sounds of speech, are the various voices y or ele- mentary noises which are heard in speaking words. The vocal word, bat^ is made up of. three elementary voices, or noises; and these elementary noises are the sounds of this vocal word. The printed word, bat, is made up of three alphabetical characters, or marks ; and these marks are the letters of this printed word. [Here is the printed word, 6a^.] 1. The first elementary mark in this printed word, is b, [Here is 6;] 2. The second elementary mark in this printed word, is a. [Here is «.] 3. The third elementary mark in this printed word is t, [Here is t.~] [The word, elements, means the parts which make up a whole thing. Thus the threads in cloth, are the ele- ments, or the elementary parts of the cloth.] My child, having shown you the elementary parts of the printed word, bat, I will now undertake to show you the elementary parts of the vocal word, bat. [Vocal, voice, noise, spoken, not written, not formed of letters.] The spoken word, bat-, is made up of three elementary voices, or noises; and these elementary noises are the elementary sounds of this vocal word. What word ? [bat.~\ 1. ^he first voice, or noise in the vocal word, bat, is the elementary sound which is heard in the mere beginning of this voice word. [That sound which is heard before the lips are separated.] [The child should be drilled on this sound.] 2. The second sound in the vocal word, bat, is that voice, or noise, which is heard in the mere beginning ot the vocal word, axe. [Here explain the sound, and drill the child upon it.] 3. The third sound in the vocal word, bat, is the voice, or noise, which merely begins the vocal word, top. [Here illustrate, and drill.] 3* 30 DIRECTIONS. II. Letters. Letters are the elements of printed words, and the mc- dium through which we see vocal ones : or, — Letters are the alphabetical marks which, in the forma- tion of printed words, take the place of the elementary- sounds in vocal ones. III. The Sounds of Letters, The sounds of letters are the elementary noises, or voices in vocal words, whose places are taken by letters in printed ones : or, — The sounds of letters are the thirty-eight elementary- voices in vocal words, to which the letters in printed ones, direct the mind through the medium of the eye. 1. The letter, b, in the printed word, bat, directs the mind to the first sound in the vocal word, bat. 2. The letter, a, in the printed word, bat, directs the mind to the second elementary- sound in the vocal word, bat. 3. The letter, t, in the printed word, bat, directs the mind to the third element in the vocal word, bat. Some letters direct the mind to more sounds than others. The letter, b, directs the mind to one sound only — but a directs the mind to four sounds. The four sounds to which a directs the mind, are said to be the sounds of a. That the child may clearly understand these four sounds of a, he should be required to utter the mere beginning of the name of each of the following Let- ter Sounders. 1. The letter, a, represents the sound which merely begins the word, acorn, (a-corn.) 2. This letter represents, too, the sound which merely begins the word, arm. (a-rm.) DIRECTIONS. 31 3. This character represents, likewise, the sound which merely begins the word, awl. (a-wl.) 4. This letter represents, also, the sound which merely begins the word, axe. (a-xe.) To enable the child to learn the thirty-eight elementary sounds, of which the twenty-six letters are an index, I have constructed that part of the Alphascope, which is de- nominated the Phonescope. The Phonescope is made up of thirty-eight Letter Sounders^ by which the thirty-eight elementary sounds of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, may be clearly illustrated by the teacher, and easily learned by the child. Each radius of the Phonescope has one of the twenty- six letters of the alphabet ; and each letter has as many Letter Sounders as the letter itself has sounds. The letter, 6, has but one Letter Sounder, — hence it is known that this letter has but one sound. The letter, a, has four Letter Sounders ; from which it is seen that a hsLsfour sounds. How to ascertain the sound, or the sounds, of a particu- lar letter : In general, the sound, or the sounds, of any particular letter, may be ascertained by uttering the mere beginning of the na7ne of the Letter Sounder, or the Letter Sounders, with whic^ the letter is placed. For example, — The sound of b may be ascertained by uttering the mere be- ginning of the word, bat. The names of the thirty -eight Letter Sounders, In uttering the mere beginning of one of these names, the child will give the sound, or one of the sounds of the letter over the line. a. a-corn. [The alphabetical name of a is a* s first sound which is heard in a-corn, ape, &c.] a. a-rm. [Give, not the namCy but a sound of a.] {ah.) 32 DIRECTIONS. a. c-wl. [Give, not the name, but a sound of a.] {aw») a. a-xe. [Give, not the alphabetical name, but a sound of a.] b. b-2.t. [Do not give the alphabetical name of b ; give the sound of 6.] c. C-ap. [Give, not the name, but a sound of c] c. c-ircle. [Give, not the name, but a sound of c] (^. (£-og. [Give, not the name, but the sound of d.] c. e-mew. [Give the alphabetical name of e, for here, its simple name is its long, or first sound.] e. c-lephant. [Give, not the name, but the second sound of e.] /• /-ork. [Give, not the name, but the sound of f.] g- g-un. [Give, not the name, but a sound of g.] ^• g-iraffe. [Give, not the name, but a sound of g.] h, A-at. [Give, not the name, but the sound of h.] I. eye. [Here give the alphabetical name of i, for this name is the first, or long sound of i.] i. t-ndian. [Do not give here the alphabetical name of t — give the second, or short sound of i.] J- j-ug. [Do not give the name ofj, but the sound of j.] DIRECTIONS. 33 ' h A:-ey. [Give, not the name^ but the sound of A:.] /. - /-ion. [Give, not the name of /, but the sound of it.] m. m-ortar. [Give, not the name, but the sound of m.] n. w-et. [Give, not the name, but the sound of w.] 0. o-celot. [Here, the sound of o, is the name of o.] 0. t-o-mb. [Give, not the name, but a sown^/ of o.] 0. o-rgan. [Give a sound, not the name of o.] 0. , o-x, [Give a sound, not the name of o.] ;>-en. [Give, not the name, but the sound of jo.] f -uail. [Give, not the alphabetical name of q, but the sound of §'.] r. r-abbit. [Give not the alphabetical name of r, but the sownc/ of r.] 5. 5-tove. [Give, not the alphabetical name of 5, but a sound of 5.] s. wise. [Give, not the alphabetical name of s, but a sound of 5.] ^op. [Give, not the name, but the sound of tj] u. ewe, [Here, the sound of w, is its alphabetical name.] u. «-m. [Give, not the name of w, but a «ownrf of it.] 34 DIRECTIONS. » iptiss, [Give, not the name, but a sound of w.] V. v-ane, [Give, not the name, but the sound of v.] w. w-2ig-on. [Give, not the name, but the sound of w,"] X. iox. [Give, not the name, but the sound of x which is heard in the last part of iox.'] y- y-oke, [Give, not the name, but a sound of y.] y- wU\er, [Here, the sound of y, is the alphabetical name of 3/.] z z-ebra. [Give, not the name, but the sound of z.] [Page 118, First Round in the Ladder of Education.] Important Matitr. Make the child understand that the phrase, " To sound a letter, ^^ means to give its sound, or sounds. 1. How many sounds has a? 2. How do you know? 3. How many sounds has bl 4. How do you know that b has but on6 sound? 5. How do you sound b 6. Can you sound a? Give me the Jirst part of a-corn. Give me the first part of arm. Give me the first part of awl. Give me the first part of axe. Give the first part of bat. Give the first part of cap. Give the first part of circle. Sound a in acorn — in arm — in awl — in axe, Sound b in bat, Sound c in cap — Sound c in circle. DIRECTIONS. 35 How many sounds has d? Give the first part of dog. Sound d. Give the first part of e-mew — Give the first part of eh- phant. Sound e in emew — Sound e in elephant. Give the first part of fork. How many sounds has/? By what do you know that f has but one sound Sound f. Sound a. What is the first Letter Sounder of a? What is the last Letter Sounder of a? Sound a. What is the Letter Sounder of b? What is the first Letter Sounder of c? How many Letter Sounders has c? How many Letter Sounders has c? What is the Letter Sounder of f ? Give the first part of fork. Sound /. ' [Go through with ail the letters in this way, by means of the Fhonescope.] CHAPTER IV. 1. Syllable Sounders. 2. The Synphonescope. 1. A Syllable Sounder is two, or more Letter Sounders, put together, to show the formation of sounds into Syllables. 2. The Synphonescope is a series of Syllable Sounders, which gives a view of the manner in which two, or more of the elementary sounds in speech, are put together in the formation of syllables. [Syn, together, or with; phone, a sound, and skopeo, to view.] [The Syllable Sounders on the Alphascope, are imme- diately above the Nomascope. In the book, the Syllable Sounders commence under page 32. In the book, the first Syllable Sounder is composed of the Letter Sounder of b, and of the first Letter Sounder of «.] [On the Alphascope, the first Syllable Sounder is made up of a dog, and an eye — the first, the Letter Sounder of d, \\\Q second, the Letter Sounder of i, long.] 36 DIRECTIONS. REMARKS; Nothing which can be put upon paper, can render the child 3iny direct aid in understanding the Syllable Sounders, Indeed, the Syllable Sounders are intended to aid the teacher in driUing the child on the part of Syllable Read' ing which is generally denominated the " putting of the letters togetherj*^ [It is not, however, the putting of the Letters, but the sounds of them, together.] 1 The sounds of the letters, are learned by means of the Letter Sounders on the Fhonescope. 2. The combinations of these sounds, are learned by the means of Syllable Sounders which are formed by combining two, or more Letter Sounders together. CHAPTER V. The Syllablescope. The Syllablescope is a view of the process of Syllable Reading. The Syllable scope is constructed by connecting suitable Syllable Sounder with each Syllable of letters. Syllables oi letters : Syllable Sounders U The process in Syllable Reading. First, — the child should speak the letters 6, a. Se condly, — he should utter the vocal syllable of these letters, which is represented by the Syllable Sounder placed after the letters. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS THE PnnMB! 021 772 270 6 <