PRESS OPINIONS

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.— '' Mr. Siepmann says in his préface that ' the présent volume is an attempt to apply the principles of the Neuere Richtung to the teaching of German in public schools, as far as this is feasible under existing circumstances.' The attempt is successful, and we hâve hère a book which, in the hands of a compétent teacher, will prove a most satisfactory introduction to German.

" We recommend this book very warmly, as being, indeed, the first attempt to introduce in our public schools some of the more important results arrived at by the German reformers in modem language teaching."

SCHOOL BOARD CHRONICLE.—" Mr. Siepmann's Primer has qualities which lead us to commend it with emphasis to the attention of class teachers of German. Without rushing to any extrême, the author has produced what we think will commend itself to experienced and open-minded teachers as a ver)' practical and attractive modification of methods that are becoming antiquated, and one uniting in a very large degree the force of imitation, with those of reasoning and of memory.

" Quite of a pièce with the careful and practical character of the whole, are the interesting and useful explanations of the préface, which may be regarded as addressed primarily to teachers, but also to practical educationists at large. Not less for the purposes of Evening Continuation Schools and the Higher Standards of Elementary Schools, than for the Public Schools which the author had especially in mind, is such a work of practical interest at the présent time."

EDUCATION. — "Mr. Siepmann's German Primer deserves more than a passing notice. It is a deliberate attempt to introduce into English schools, as far as possible, the principles of the Neuere Richtung, which hâve on the Continent revolutionized the teaching of modem languages. Type, arrangement, and références are ail good and accurate. We hâve tested them in several ways. This is the only complète book on the new System that we hâve seen, and we hope its publication will do much to make the early study of the German language more thorough."

THE MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHERS" GUIDE.— " Every page of this book shows unmistakably that it is the work of a singularly able practical teacher. It is the only book for public school use which consistently carries out the principles of the New Method. It will undoubtedly achieve very great success."

A PUBLIC SCHOOL GERMAN PRIMER

By Otto Siepmann.

PRESS OFmiONS.—Coniïnued.

THE MODERN LANGUAGE QUARTERLY.—"lt contains a reader, grammar, and writer, the exercises in the reader and writer being in duplicate, so that boys who are not moved up to a higher form need not necessarily be taken over familiar ground again. The System of the book is satisfactory, and a careful examination of it leads us to believe that pupils should be able to attain a sound knowledge of the éléments of German within a year or so, if the teacher foUows out the instructions of Mr. Siepmann. Reading, writing, speaking form part of each lesson, and every extract for translation or retranslation is illustrative of some part of the grammar of the language.

The extracts for translation into English are carefully graduated, and lead up to some pièces from standard authors, such as Lessing and Heine. The grammar is complète in itself Beginners wiîl dérive their grammatical training from it, and it is, therefore, important that in method and arrangement it should reach a high standard of excellence. We may say at once that we should find it hard to instance another outline of German Grammar of equal merit.

We recommend the book to the attention of Teachers of Modem Languages, who hâve not yet become acquainted with it."

EDUCATIONAL NEWS. — "The assistant master at Clifton Collège has not only formed a satisfactory Lehrplan, but has made it possible to carry out his plan practically and livingly. The vocabulary is not a mère lexicon of words and their synonyms. The words are annotated where requisite with historical, geographical, as well as linguistic explanations. This single, useful, and wiselyarranged book contains ail that is required for an average school year. "

SCHOOL GUARDIAN.— ''T\it system suggested in theabove volume is eminently practical. The book is clear and well arranged, and any teacher who foUows Mr. Siepmann's advice should expérience no difficulty in giving his pupils a thoroughly sound and practical knowledge of German."

SCHOOLMASTER. — " Mr. Siepmann's book is a useful com bination of Reader, Grammar and Exercises. The Reading Lessons begin with very simple sentences and by careful graduation arrive at fairly difficult passages in prose and verse."

GLASGOW HERALD.— "■ The system is undoubtedly a good one, it has been carefully worked out, and ought to produce good results."

MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., LONDON

A PUBLIC SCHOOL GERMAN PRIMER

By Otto Siepmann.

PRESS OFlNlOiaS.—Conmiued.

OXFORD MAGAZINE. — "The appearance of this book marks an epoch in the study of modem languages in England. It represents ihe first serions attempt to introduce into this country, in a form likely to be acceptable, the principles of the Marburg School, whose influence on the Continent has been so far-reaching. The authcr"s aim is ' to treat the language as a living thing and at the same timc draw from it some mental discipline and gênerai outline, to impart ease in pronunciation and speech without degrading instruction to lassons in small talk and conversation.' The Primer is divided into three parts — Reader, Grammar, and Exercises — and thèse divisions stand in close interdependence with a coïncident vocabulary. Practice précèdes abstract rules. On a passage of the Reader are based conversation, grammar, and exercises, and endless variation suggests itself to a compétent teacher. We fear, however, that the Englishman who ' hears a German lesson ' and deems that to be instruction in the German tongue, will curse Vietor, Bréal, Siepmann, and ail their works.

" We hâve hère a rational method. The adoption of this system would speedily effect an incredible change in the attainments of the Rritish schoolboy, and aid in the solution of the problem which is constantly forced upon our attention, viz., how to induce the young hopeful to learn something of and in a foreign language.

" We hope that a second year's Course will soon be published. "

EDUCATIONAL J^£V/£fV.—" As ïegsivàs the grammar we heartily agrée with Mr. Siepmann's statement that most German Courses are overcrowded with rules ; he himself has avoided the mistake, though dealing fully with essentials.

" The Primer seems highly practical, and is carefully worked out."'

SATURDAY RE VJEW.—'' "Sir. Otto Siepmann has skilfully combined a scientific and educational grammar (not mère référence tables) with a German 'Reader.' To this ' Reader ' are appended English exercises, to be used chiefly for the reproduction of German sentences which hâve previously been read in the ' Reader ' — a highly commendable method, because a boy's mind is thus saturated with the form of German sentences before he is set to translate English sentences into German. Another point in Mr. Siepmann's method strikes us as worthy of imitation — namely, hisoral drill. At the end of every passage in the ' Reader ' he prints a set of German questions to be answered in the full German sentences which can be constructed from the passage just studied. This is the way to loosen the tongue, form the ear, make the language live, and lead boys as much as possible into the habit of thinking in German. Moreover, the constant répétition of sentences is better than the learning of unapplied grammar."

A THEN^UM.— "'Sir. Siepmann's Public School German Primer is an excellent book. The Reader is rightly made the chief feature of the work ; the Grammar is intended to explain the passages

A PUBLIC SCHOOL GERMAN PRIMER

By Otto Siepmann.

PRESS OPINIONS.— Cw//«?/^a'.

included in the Reader ; and the Exercises are designed to afford practice in the knowledge acquired in the Grammar. The System is Sound and has been carefully carried out."

GUARDIAN. — " This Primer consists of three parts — Reader, Grammar, and Exercises — ail of which are interdependent. Thus, the Reader aims at evolving the elementary points of accidence and rules of syntax, the Grammar collects and systématises the ' phenomena ' of accidence and syntax so evolved, whilst the Exercises apply what has been learnt in the Reader and in the Grammar. This part of the work seems to us admirably carried out, and the pièces selected for the Reader are particularly well chosen for their purpose. Mr. Siepmann lays great stress upon reading aloud and pronunciation, and has prefaced the book with quite an elaborate séries of examples of letters and sounds, with directions how they should and also how they should not be pronounced. This chapter should be of great use to an English teacher of German."

Z)^/ZF Ci^y^CiV/CZ^.— "Englishmen before Coleridge and Carlyle bothered their heads but very little with the language of Lessing and Goethe ; but now they are endeavouring to make up for their past indifférence to this language, which is taught in most of our schools. The Germans themselves are great hands as well at the learning as at the teaching of longues, and this Grammar of Mr. Siepmann aims at enabling his pupils to do more than ' bandy light prattle deftly at a railway station or a dinner-table.' His ' Reader,' which forms the nucleus of the book, ' is intended to form an introduction to the German language for boys or girls of about fourteen,' and aims at gradually evolving the more elementary points of accidence which are indispensable even to beginners. The Grammar ' collects and systématises the phenomena of accidence and syntax so evolved.' "

SECONDARY EDUCATION.— ''Thtxo^ are various points ahout this book which seem likely to be useful in the hands of a good teacher. It is a simple thing to write an eas)' Grammar, one that shall be popular with careless and lazy pupils. It is far more difficult to write a text-book that shall be properly graduated, and présent a requisite amount of résistance to the pupil as he proceeds with his studies. The work before us is scarcely intended for very young pupils, but it would be useful to those who begin to study about the âge of thirteen or so. "

UNIVERSITY CORRESPONDENT.— ''Th.\s seems to be a very clear and careful grammar well adapted for use in schools. The first part, or ' reader,' is well selected and graduated. The arrangement of the grammatical sections is good. Besides the exercises there are easy pièces of conlinuous prose for translation into German."

MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., LONDON.