EADING is the art of comprehending, or of comprehending and expressing with the speaking tones of the voice, and in the language of the author, the thought, imagery, and feeling contained in written or printed composition.

On the basis of the organs employed, and the purpose involved, reading may be divided into two kinds, viz: 1. Silent reading; or, that in which the mind only is employed, and in which the reader's purpose is to acquire knowledge. 2. Oral reading; or, that in which the mind and vocal organs are both employed, and in which the reader's purpose is to impart knowledge. Reading may also be divided into two kinds on the basis of subject-matter, viz: 1. Thought reading; or, that which is addressed to the understanding and judgment. 2. Emotional reading; or, that which is addressed to the sensibilities through the imagination.

A proper estimate of the relative value of these different kinds of reading is important, as that will govern the teacher's efforts and determine the results of his work.

School reading is not an end in itself, but a means. The end to be realized should be determined by the pupil's needs as an individual and as a member of society.

A pleasing and effective expression of thought and feeling by means of the speaking tones of the voice, stirs "men's blood” and commands their admiration. Homer, after exciting our admiration for his hero, Ulysses, by stating his various qualities, greatly enhances the effect, when he adds, by way of climax,— "But when he speaks, what elocution flows!

Soft as the fleeces of descending snows,
The copious accents fall with easy art;
Melting they fall, and sink into the heart."

Such elocution is an element of good oral reading; an accomplishment which is the crowning grace of a liberal education and one of special value to the lawyer, minister, professional reader and others who have occasion to exercise the powers of oratory in public. It is also of great value to the teacher, as a means of inspiring in his pupils a love for good literature, of impressing upon them the fact that "books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a progeny of life in them to be as active as that soul whose progeny they are." But to read well orally is to think well, imagine well, feel well, and express well. The first three are the most essential elements, as they are the necessary condition to the fourth. "It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright." Without the first three, the fourth element of oral reading would be "the sounding brass and the tinkling cymbal, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." No one can demonstrate a problem in mathematics which he does not understand. No more can one express the content of a piece of discourse which he does not comprehend. It is the nature of thought to manifest itself. An accurate knowledge of the thought to be expressed will lead to correct emphasis, and a strong intellectual expression; a vivid mental picture of the imagery contained in discourse will inspire the feeling the author intended; and this, in turn, will suggest the elements of expression which are the natural signs of such feeling. For,-

"He who in earnest studies o'er his part,

Will find true nature cling about his heart."

Not only this. A cultivated mind, and a harsh, disagreeable voice, are seldom found in the possession of the same person.

Pleasing tones usually accompany refined sensibilities, even where no effort has been made to render the voice pleasant. It is the nature of thought to manifest itself. It can not be repressed or hidden. Not only does it develop itself according to the laws of its own nature, that is, as thought; but like the sprouting seed, it shows itself above the soil in which it springs. It manifests itself in every movement of the body. The voice, so intimately connected with the soul, is its special and inevitable expression. It is a law of nature that development must proceed from within outward; and oral reading is no exception.

The lawyer, the minister, the professional reader, the teacher, and others who have occasion to employ special skill in vocał expression need special cultivation in that direction. But of the children in the common schools comparatively few will ever become lawyers, ministers, professional readers or teachers. Covering the native ignorance of that few with a thin veneering of elocution would not make them eloquent. If such an irrational procedure could produce such a result, it would still be wrong for the teacher to make that the end,of his reading work at the expense of the vast majority to whom other results would be far more valuable.

motto.

"The greatest good to the greatest number" should be his The greatest number of the children attending the common schools will occupy humble places in life. And to these, an accurate knowledge of a large vocabulary of words, the habit of using them correctly, and of consulting the dictionary for the spelling, meaning and pronunciation of all new and doubtful words which they may meet with; skill in seeing the thoughtrelations in what they read, and the habit this will lead to of organizing their knowledge, from whatever source derived; a vivid imagination, and the power to reproduce in their own minds the beautiful imagery of the poet; to be at home with the great authors to whom it is given to rear the beautiful fabric of social life, to develop the powers, to regulate the passions, and to ascertain the privileges of man; to have in their humble walks the companionship of these true interpreters of life and of duty, and to be instructed, cheered and strength

ened by their soul-lifting thoughts-these ends, which the reading work may secure, are manifestly of greater value to the pupils as individuals, and to the society of which they are to form a part, than the power to produce the most popular sound of which the vocal organs are capable.

Ability to express thought and feeling in a way that will influence the thoughts and feelings of others, encourages the pupil and gives him increased power in thinking. In this way skill in oral reading may be made a means of securing skill in silent reading; and it should be valued chiefly to the extent that it contributes to that end.

The pupil may be permitted, in the earlier stages of his work, to regard silent reading as the means, and oral reading as the end. But the teacher, who stands above the pupil; who sees the boy both as the boy and as "father of the man," should regard silent reading as the end, and oral reading as one of the several means of securing that end. While the truth of this theory is too well founded to admit of successful contradiction, the very prevalent practice is to disregard silent reading altogether, and to require the pupil to say words, "mind his stops," and imitate the tones of his teacher.

The injurious effects of such mechanical and parrot-like work can hardly be estimated. The absolute waste of the pupil's time, great as it is, is one of the least of the injurious results attending it. It forms in the pupil a habit of regarding words and punctuation marks, and of disregarding the weightier things they are intended to express-a habit which stands in the way of his learning any lesson from the printed page; his voice, divorced from intellect and soul, becomes mechanical and expressionless; it tends to deaden the powers of his mind and to produce in him the feeling that "books are absolutely dead things." Rather than this, better abolish all reading above the primary grade, and make the pupil's skill in comprehending the printed page, and in the use of language, dependent upon those studies whose admitted purpose is the acquisition of positive knowledge.

Schools there are, no doubt, in which reading is well taught. But facts derived from various sources, and especially from the