PUBLIC LIBRARY 61045B ASTOR, LENOX AND R 100 L Diftrict of Maffachufetts Diftritt, ro WIT: BE E IT REMEMBERED that on the twenty feventh day of September, in the twenty eighth year of the Independence of the United States of America, DANIEL ADAMS of the faid District, hath depofited in this office the Title of a Book, the right whereof he claims as Author in the words following, to wit: The Understanding Reader, or knowledge before Oratory. Being a new Selection of Leffons, fuited to the understandings and the capacities of Youth, and defigned for their improvement, I. In Reading. II. In the Definition of words. III. In Spelling, particularly, compound and derivative words. In a method wholly different from any thing of the kind ever before publifhed. By DANIEL ADAMS, м. в. Author of the Scholar's Arithmetic, Thorough Scholar, &c. IN Conformity to the A&t of the CONGRESS of the United States, intitled "An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by fecuring the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of fuch Copies, during the times therein mentioned.” A true Copy of Record Attefl, N. GOODALT, CL. N. GOODALE, Clerk of the Dif tria of Maffachusetts Difriq. Tween a Learned Reader and an Understanding Reader, HERE is, in my opinion, as much difference be * as there is between a Learned Pig, which tells you the exact hour and minute of the day, and Pope Gregory,t XIII. who afcertained the exact number of hours and minutes in a Solar year. The Pig knows nothing of time, nor of thofe meafures [hours and minutes] by which we reckon its progreffion; as little do many of our schoolboys, who pals for good readers, know or underfland of thofe fubjects, which they read. Let it for a moment be made a fubject of our inquiry, What are the objects to which our attention should be directed in karning Children to read? In reply to this queftion fome one, perhaps, will anfwer and fay, a juft pronunciation of the English Language is and ought to be the great object of our attention in this important branch of education." And that if to this we add cadence, emphafis, together with fuitalle modulations of the voice, we fhall then have included every thing neceffary to be comprehended in learning children to read. This reply of our refpondent is fo much in conformity to common practice, that, perhaps any further confideration of the fubject will be thought altogether unneceffary. What then? Is the art of 'Reading, as it refpects youth, to be confidered fimply as an exercise of the faculties of fpeech? Do you, who are parents, with for nothing more than that you children fhould acquire an eafy volu bility of their tongues while their heads are left uncultivated as the bells in your Churches? Of what ufe, I would afk, is the faculty of fpeech, together with the finest modulations of the voice, without Underfanding? Wouldit not therefore be proper, to add to what is ufually understood by learning children to read, the learning of them to understand? Is no regard to be had to the definition of words to the fenfe of the Writer? to the exercifes of re. flection? to the fixing of the attention and to the cultiva. It is well known that the Learned Pig, when requested, will bring and lay down at the feet of his Mafter, the figures for any hour and miaute of the day. + The Reformer of the Julian Calender, afterwards called the Grezo-· rian Calender, I NEWSTYLE. tion of the memory? Certainly these are important confiderations and worthy of our most ferious regard. There is no improvement of the mind in reading, but by an attention to these things. Surely then there cannot be a plainer dictate of common fenfe, than that children fhould be taught them while young; that at an early age they be led into inquiries after the meaning of words, the fenfe of the writer, not only generally, as it refpects the subject of which he treats, but alfo particularly, in every phrafe and fentence; and, at a feafon of life while the mind is most fufceptible of impreffions, that they be formed to habits of all thefe various modes of attention, which may grow with their age, and increase with their years. A Judge then how far adapted to thefe purpofes are the generality of thofe Selections for reading, most common in our Schools. Extracts from the Grecian and Roman Orators, from Orations, the Poets, detached pieces of hif tory, together with difquifitions on many of the finer operations of the mind, are the fubje&ts with which, in a great meafure, they are filled. Previous to reading thefe fubjects with any tolerable degree of understanding or advantage, it is neceflary a perfon fhould be poffeffed of a large fund of civil hiftory; that he fhould have an extenfive acquaintance with mankind, with geography, with the different nations that inhabit this globe, their cuftoms and manners; and in order to comprehend the force of thofe allufions to other things, with which thefe fpecies of compofition abound, he must have an acquaintance with Nature, and the various objects of Nature and Art things which children have not feen, nor their cars heard, nor havethey entered into their minds to conceive. Then it is that "Our boys," to ufe the words of Franklin, "often read, as Parrots Speak, knowing little or nothing of the meaning." The confequence is, their books to them become a tafk; they contract a diflike to reading; and deriving neither fatisfaction nor information from their books, they fall into habits of careleffuefs and inattention, which perhaps they may never have the fortitude to overcome thro life. Another article not fufficiently attended to in our Schools, is that of Spelling. No perfon can become a carret fpeller by the Spelling-Book alone, even fhould he commit to memory the whole contents of its pages. De rivative words, fuch as denied, happier, &c. of which we have many in our language, as alfo many compound words, are almost wholly excluded from the Spelling-Book. The primitive word, in the formation of the derivative or compound word, oftentimes either doubles, drops, or exchanges certain letters in the primitive word, for others in the derivative or compound word, fo that the rules* for fpelling these words ought to be particularly attended to and practifed upon in all places where the Learner is put to read. Now if these objects are thought worthy of regard-if the definition of words, attention to the fenfe in reading, exercises of reflection, and the spelling correctly of all words, are objects to engage the attention of youth, then it is prefumed the prefent undertaking will not be thought untimely or improper. "Sure To answer these several intentions, and to accommodate this book to the convenience of both Mafter and Scholar, The UNDERSTANDING READER prefents in the margin of each page, a column of words in italic characters, fingled out from the leffon. Those words with a period after them are particularly defigned for being fpelt-those with a note of interrogation, for being defined. Let the Student be taught, while ftudying his leffon, ever to have his Diationary within reach of him. By the help of this Guide" let him establish, in his own mind, juft fentiments of the force and meaning of thofe words, fet apart for being defined. After having read his leffon, let him be called upon to define these words, and if the Teacher please, to fpell them, together with the other words fet apart for that purpofe. The Mafter, however, will make fuch deviations from thefe intentions, as the years and understanding of his pupil, under all circumitances, may feem to require. The advantages to be derived from accuft ming youth to give definitions of words, are more than fimply that of becoming acquainted with the meaning of them. 1. Their minds will be excited to inquiry. In this way they will arrive to an understanding of many ideas of the Writer, which otherwife would have been wholly loft to them. * Sce" Thorough Scholar," page 35. A 2. It will enlange their acquaintance with language,not only by a knowledge of thofe particular words which they would define, but alfo by bringing many new words to their view. 3. It will help them to a readiness and facility of expreffing their ideas. There is nothing in which frequent ufe and practice do more for a man, than in this one thing. If a man has never been accustomed to exprefs himself on any fubject or thing, he will be much put to it and appear exceedingly awkward at firft, however well he may understand the fubject on which he would speak. It will infpire them with a confidence in themfelves, and their own underflandings, which will go further and be of more ufe to them on any public or private occafion, than whole months, or even years, declamation on the stage. In this Selection a ftrict regard has been paid to the choice of pieces. Nothing has been admitted but what was thought to be fuited to the capacity of the Scholar. Extracts from Natural History are not unfrequent-a fubject exceedingly well adapted to the minds of youth: morality, amusing and inftructing effays, ftories, defcriptive poetry and pleafing anecdotes make up its contents. It would be highly proper and exceedingly ufeful, that the Scholar, after reading his leffon, fhould be queftioned, by his Mafter, on the fubjects of it. As examples of what it would be proper fhould be done at all times, will be found at the conclufion of fome of the pieces, QUESTIONS calling up to view the principal ideas and events which have been related. Mafters, 1 think, would do well to purfue the fame plan with their pupils in all their leffons. In this way they would readily form them to that moft neceffary habit of READING WITH ATTENTION. Having faid what was neceffary to the illuftration of thofe views, which excited to the prefent undertaking, the performance is now fubmitted to the candor and difcern ment of an enlightened Public-happy if it fhall be found upon examination and by experience, to hold forth any improvements by which the understanding and the facul ties of youth may be more effectually called forth into DANIEL ADAMS. operation. I cominler, Sept. 29, 1803. |