SOME PRESS OPINIONS

EDUCATIOXAL NEWS.— "The first of thèse small books is an illustrated Eeader, a granimar, and an exercise book, giving oral lessons of an interesting nature, sufflcient grammar to give some formality to the work, and a copions sélection of drill exercises. We do net know any first year's course more thorough and teachable tlian this one.

"The second littlebookgives some admirable lessons based onphonetics, covering the ground of the first ten lessons in the former work. Considering the acknowledged value of the phoueticmethod of studj-ing a foreign language, this should be a valuable aid to the te<tcher, who should make up his niind to master the spécial alphabet — that of the Association Phonétique Internationale — used throughout the lessons."

ACADEMY. — " We hâve advocated in thèse columns for several years the use in teaching F^ench of the phonetic script, preferably that of the Association Phonétique Internationale, because it is an invaluablo 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 carefuUy kept out of sight. If English people were to read through a newspaper 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 leamt must be learnt in the language itself. This does not mean, of course, that English should uever be spoken, it only means that eacli pupil should hâve as inuch conversational practice as possible each lesson. The above primer satisfies ail thèse conditions, and we hope that those teachers who stlll stand aloof from the reform raethod will give it a trial."

SCOTSMAX. — "The object of this little volume is to supply materials for the teaching of French to beginners, in accordaiice 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 MODEEN LANGUAGE QUARTERLY.— "The number of teachers of French working on new method Unes is at présent comparatively small in England ; many more will doubtless be induced to adopt such methods by the attractive French Course which Mr. Siepmann has just published. . . . We are glad to see that a real French wall-pictm-e has been designed for use with 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 of the 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 follows the child to the library where he does his home-work, the street, the market, at home again for a meal, the jardin public and the country ; his little people are delightful in their freshness and their naturalness. . . . Running through the course are some thirty to forty delightful drawings by 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 hini and to make the dry rules of grammar seem pleasant. The exercises which are found at the end of the book are in every way excellent."

SIEPMANN'S PKIMAEY FEENCH COUESE

PRESS OVimO'NS—Continued.

FREEMÂN'S JOURNAL.—" Spécial attention may be called to the 'Primary French Course,' by Mr. Siepmann, of Clifton Collège, iiow published by Messrs. Macmillan. The âim of the book is to meet in the initial stages of learning the double requiremeut of a sy.stem which sliall at once teach French as a living and spoken language, and also attbrd the training in accuiate thinking and a strict grammatical study. The book assumes that explanatiou of grammatical points will be given in English ; 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 lassons consisting of reading, conversation, recitation, grammar, and exercise, and the teacher is instructed to give a preliminary oral lesson to teach the meaningsof the new words that occur in the reading. It thus foUows closely on the lines of the reform method. Mr. Siepmann, however, has corne to the inévitable conclusion that the mother-tongue must be used to some estent in teaching beginners, and his grammar is written in English. The readings are pleasantly -n-ritten by M. Pellissier and the conversations are in the language of everyday life, and upon subjects appropriate for school children. The illustrations by Mr. H. M. Brock are full of life and animation, and lend themselves readUy to conversation practice."

ASSISTANT MASTERS' CIRCi'LAR.—" 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 tlian 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 volumes above mentioned, after commenting on the dissatisfaction with the teaching of modem languages which has heretofore existed, and the reasons for it, he 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. With this view the reader, grammar, and exercises given are interdependent, and as their merits hâve been put to a searching practical test at Clifton Collège, teachers of French in schools may be said to be taking them with a warranty. il. Siepmann, we note, hopes to continue the course of which this is the tirst" part, and ' to produce satisfactory results, not only in the use of the spoken language, but also in making modem languages in our schools instruments of a mental training and culture conjparable with that imparted by a complète course of classical training.' "With 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 sounds. The symbols of the Association Phonétique Internationale hâve been adopted, and the séparation of the two volumes has 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 CHRONICLE.—" While retaining ail that has proved sound and practical in the principles of the ' Neuere Richtung '— viz. (1) That a carefully graduated Reader should form the nucleus of modem language teaching ; (2) that grammar should be reduced to essentials, and (3) that the spoken language should reeeive due attention— a stand is made (1) against the haphazard way of teaching grammar which is unsatisfactory in more ways than one ; (2) against the idea of avoiding the mother-tongue as being a hindranceto tlielearner inacquiringaforeign language ; (3) against the introduction of irregular forms before the pupil has mastered 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."

JOriiNALOF EDUCATION.— "The swing of the pendulum has brought us back from the radical reformers who would entirely banish the mother-tongue to a viu vudia which makes French the staple of the lesson, but allows free use of English for explanation and grammar teaching. A lesson, according to Mr. Siepmann, consists of reading, conversation, grannnar, and exercise, with a preliminary oral lesson to teach the nieaning of new words which occur in the reading."

SIEPMANN'S FRENCH SERIES.

Edited by OTTO SIEPMANN, Head of the Modem Language Department at

Clifton Collage, and EUGÈNE PELLISSIER, Professeur Agrégé au Lycée

du Havre, formerly Assistant Master at Clifton Collège, and Lecturer

in French at the University Collège, Bristol.

Note. — TJiose marked * are ready; tkosf marked t are in the Press;

and rhc others are in prej'aration.

ELEMENTARY

t BIART.— Monsieur Pinson. Edited by Otto Siepmann, Clifton Collège.

' PIERRE CŒUR.— L'Âme de Beethoven. Edited by de V. Payhn-Payne, Kensington Coaching Collège. 2S.

* DAUDET.— La Tour des Maures. Edited by A. H. Wall, iMarlborough

Collège. 2S.

t DESNOYERS.— Jean-Paul Choppart. Edited by L. VON Glehn, Marchant Taylors' School.

* DUMAS.— Napoléon. Edited by W. W. Vaughan, Clifton Collège. 2s.

t GENNEVRA Y.— Marchand d'Allumettes. Edited by Miss Alice A. James,

Queen's Collège, Barbados.

' LAMY.- Voyage du Novice Jean-PauL Edited by D. Devaux, St. Paul's

School. 2s.

* LADRIE.— Une Année de Collège à Paris. Edited by F. Ware, Examiner

to the Civil Service Commissioners, late of Bradford Grammar School, and