the words into their hands in the first instance. He should take the printed copy himself and read or recite it aloud in measured sentences, as a teacher instructs infants; the pupils repeating the words in sing-song fashion after him. When he has repeated the piece with sufficient frequency to fix the sounds correctly in the ears of his pupils, he can then place the printed copy in their hands and let them learn it off, but he should revise their pronunciation until it is perfect. He need not, at first, stop to explain or analyse the matter of the piece.
Writing.
Like reading, writing is taught from the earliest stage. No better exercise can be found for writing than to copy the written lesson, which lesson should be written carefully and neatly. There is no objection to pupils at any stage procuring and using headline copy books.
Spelling.
A knowledge of spelling is obtained from the exercises supplied. Spelling is best learned from the written word and not by the ear. Irish spelling is so simple and scientific that it will be rapidly learned. The teacher may assist by pointing out certain general principles, but this should not be done too soon. Pie will point out the division of the vowels into broad and slender and their influence on the sounds of the consonants, and enunciate the principle caol le caol, etc. He can also point out that certain puzzling combinations such as uġaḋ represent a simple sound and represent that sound invariably.
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