SOME PRESS OPINIONS

EDUCATION AL NElVS.—"The first of thèse small books is an illustrated Reader, a grainmar, and an exercise book, givin^; oral lessons of an interesting nature, sufficieiit grammar to give some formality to the work, and a copious sélection of drill exercises. We do net know any first year's course more thorough and teachable than this one.

' ' The second little book gi ves some admirable lessons based on phonetics, covering the ground of the first ten lessons in the former work. Considering the acknowledged value of the phoneticmethod of studying a foreign language, this should be a valuable aid to the teacher, who should make up his mind to master the spécial alphabet — that of the Association Phonétique Internationale — used throughout the lesson.s."

ACADEMY. — " We hâve advocated in thèse columns for several years tha use in teaching French of the phonetic script, preferably that of the Association Phonétique Internationale, because it is an in valuable aid to correct pronunciation. Also, since it is better that a child should learn one thing at a time, the words in his first Reader in any language should be spelt phonetically and the ordinary spelling should be carefully kept out of sight. If English people were to read through a nevvspaper in phonetic symbols, they would learn with surprise how many words they habitually mispronounce. Again, when a Reader is illustrated the pictures should be pictures and not symbols, nor should they do violence to a child's expérience by crowding together a quite impossible séries of forms merely for their symbolic value. And finally, the language learnt must be learnt in the language itself. This does not mean, of course, that English should uever be spoken, it only nieans that each pupil should hâve as niuch conversational practice as possible each lesson. The above primer satisfies ail thèse conditions, and we hope that those teachers who still stand aloof from the roform method will give it a trial."

SCOTSMAN. — "The object of this little volume is to supply materials for the teaching of French to beginners, in accordance with a method, of which the characteristic feature is that it places the spoken language in the foreground, without, however, neglecting the graduai and systematic study of grammar. It contains a reader, a grammar, and an exercise book."

THE MODERN LANGUAGE QUARTERLY.— ''The number of teachers of French vvorking on new method lines is at présent comparatively small in fîngland ; many more will doubtless be induced to adopt snch methods by the attractive French Course which Mr. Siepmann has just published. . . We are glad to see that a real French wall-picture has bnen designed for use ^vith this book. . . . An interesting feature of the course is that the work prepared for the First Term is published separately in the alphabet of the Association Phonétique Internationale, and Mr. Siepmann strongly urges its use. We entirely agrée with him that teachers would not regret it. . . . One ofthe most absorbing questions for the teacher is that of the best vocabulary to give to the beginner. Mr. Siepmann begins in the class-room and foUows the child to the library where he does his home-work, the Street, the market, at home again for a meal, the jardin publique and the country ; his little people are delightful in their freshness and their naturalness. . . . Running through the course are some thirty to forty delightful drawingsby Mr. H. M. Brock, in which he has caught the little French boy and girl in ail their charm. By the help of thèse the teacher will be able to add to the store of questions suggested to him and to make the dry rules of grammar seem pleasant. The exercises which are found at the end ofthe book are in every way excellent."

SIEPMANN'S PRIMAKY FEENCH COURSE

PRESS OPINIONS— CoTi^iwwei,

FREEMÂN'S JOURX A L.—" SpecM attention may be called to the 'Primary French Course,' by Mr. Siepraanu, of Clifton Collège, now published by Messrs. Macinillan. The aiiri of tho book is to meet iu the initial stages of learning the double requiremeut of a System which shall at once teach French as a living and spokeu language, and also atTord the training in accurate thinking and a strict gramm.atical study. The book assumes that explanation of grammatical points will be given in Engli-sh ; but it supplies a method of forcing the pupils to shape thoughts and phrases in French."

GUARDIAN. — " Mr. Otto Siepmann's ' Primary French Course ' contains lessons consisting of reading, conversation, recitation, grammar, and exercise, and the teacher is instructed to give a preliminary oral lesson to teach the meanings of the new words that occur in the reading. It thus follows closely on the lines of the reform method. Mr. Siepmann, however, lias corne to the inévitable conclusion that the mother-tongue niust be nsed to some extent in teaching beginners, and his grammar is written in English. The readings are pleasantly written by M. Pellissier and the conversations are in the language of everyday life, and upon subjects appropriais for school children. The illustrations by Mr. H. M. Brock are fuU of life and animation, and lend themselves readily to conversation practice."

ASSISTANT MASTERS' CIRCULAR.—"This useful liltle volume follows the modem System of oral teaching in French from pictures, but a modification is made in allowing the use of English for explaining grammatical points. We are glad to see that more attention is paid to grammar than is usually the case in oral teaching. The phonetic transcription followed is that of the Association Phonétique Internationale. An admirable séries of illustrations, on which the lessons are based, is included."

BOOKSELLER. — " M. Otto Siepmann's high réputation as a text-book writer is too well known to require more than an allusion hère. In a full and suggestive préface to the second of the volume.s above mentioned, afler commeuting on the dissatisfaction with the teaching of modem languages which lias heretofoie existed, and the reasons for it, lie states that his main object is to supply materials for the teaching of French by a method which places the spoken language in the foreground without neglecting the graduai and systematic study of grammar. AVith tins view the reader, grammar, and e.\ercises given are interdepeudeiit, and as their merits hâve been put to a searcliing ]iractiral test at Clifton Collège, teachers of French in schools may be said to be taking theni with a warrauty. M. Siepmann, we note, hopes to continue the course ol which this is the first part, and ' to produce satisfactory rosults, not only in the use of the spoken language, but also in niaking modem languages in our schools instruments of a mental training and culture comparable witli that imparted by a complète course of classical training.' AVith a view of ensuring a good pronunciation, the ' First Term ' course contains a phonetic version of the first ten lessons of the larger book, preceded by a short chapter on French soiinds. The symbols of the Association Phonétique Internationale hâve been adojited, and the séparation o( the two volumes lias for reason the author's opinion that it is advisable not to let pupils see the ordinary spelling till they hâve learned to pronounce. Mr. H. AI. Brock illustrâtes both books in his usual admirable style."

CLIFTON CIIRONICLE.—" While retaining ail that has proved soundand practical in the principles of the 'Xeuere Richtung' — viz. (1) That a carefuUy graduated Reader should form the nucleus of modem language teaching ; (2) tiiat grammar should be reduced to essentials, and (3) that the spoken language should receive due attention — a stand is made (1) against the haphazard way of teaching grammar which is unsati.sfactory in more ways than one ; (2) against the idea of avoiding the mother-tongue as being a hindranceto theleariier inacquiringaforeign language; (3) asainst the introduction of irregular forms before the pupil has mastPred the regular ones, and (4) against the propagation of purely conversational methods which neglect mental training and lead to intellectual looseness and inaccuracy of the worst kind."

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION.— '"The swing of the pienduluni has brought us back fiom the radical reformers who would entirely banish the mother-tongue to a via média which makes French the staple of the lesson, but allows free use ot English for explanation and grammar teaching. A lesson, according to Mr. Siepmann, consists of reading, conversation, grammar, and exercise, with a preliminary oral lesson to teach the nieaning of new words which occur in tha reading."