and in playing ball comes only after multitudinous efforts, made possible and endurable by an abundance of enthusiasm and unyielding determination.

What is true in the sports is true in the formation of correct habits of writing. Success in writing depends upon one's ability to maintain an abundance of enthusiasm in order that consistency of effort be sustained until the habit is formed. Repetition in and of itself may amount to very little. Indeed, it may be as harmless in writing as in ethics, unless it be repetition of the right sort. A high degree of continuous interest is absolutely necessary to maintain drill for a sufficient length of time to insure the proper habit.

The effect of repetition in writing varies from zero to a high degree of success. It all depends upon the conscious effort expended in this third step in habit formation. Too frequently, practice in writing is little more than mere perfunctory routine which fixes bad habits as persistently as it establishes new ones. Much of the dead wood of learning is in the so-called lifeless drills. An appeal to the instincts must be made until a wholesome enthusiasm is established.

A frequent measurement of the quality of the handwriting in a room by means of a standard scale is wonderfully motivating. Children like to work when their progress is measured. They have little incentive when it is not. It is quite common for a grade to raise its average quality from forty per cent and forty-five per cent to sixty-five per cent and seventy per cent, in three or four months under the inspiration of frequent measurements.

The setting aside of one school day each spring to be known as handwriting day is a great impetus to writing.

The growth indicated in the improvement of the various grades should be displayed both by samples and charts. It offers an opportunity for the pupils of the school to compare the work of the several rooms and to get the inspiration such a comparison affords.

The prevention of exceptions, or fourth step in methods of handwriting, is best secured by keeping up a high degree of interest. The mechanical device of moving the unwritten line up to the copy when the preceding line is completed should aid in this particular. The constant attention of the teacher is required at this juncture to maintain a high degree of efficiency.

THE SPELLING PROBLEM ANALYZED

Influence of Reformers. Spelling, like reading, has been the victim of the intellectualizer on the one hand and the habit former on the other. There has been a steady swing of the pendulum back and forth between these two classes of spelling reformers. Judging from the literature that has been put upon the market in the past fifteen years, there is to be quite a little vibrating of the spelling needle before it comes to rest upon the zero mark.

Rice's Contribution. In the April Forum of 1897, Dr. J. M. Rice submitted his findings on spelling, which were continued in the June number of the same magazine. After culling over an extensive amount of material he arrived at the strange conclusion that "In learning to spell maturity is the leading factor, while method plays only a subordinate part." He says, "There is no direct relation between method and results." This is certainly a strong indictment, and one that should challenge the attention of teachers of method. He thinks that variation in results

depends upon, first, maturity; and second, upon the ability of the teacher. Strange as it may seem, however, as Cornman points out, he advocates a daily drill of at least fifteen minutes and recommends the teaching of rules which have wide application and few exceptions.

Cornman's Contribution. — In 1902, Dr. Oliver P. Cornman issued a monograph from the psychological laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania, on spelling efficiency. He arrived at conclusions very similar to those of Dr. Rice so far as method in teaching spelling is concerned. Referring to the value of teaching spelling, he says, "The conclusion, therefore, is forced upon us that a method of teaching spelling, the suspension of whose operation for three years is not plainly manifested in such a series of tests [as he gave], is of so little importance as to be practically negligible." His further conclusions are: "It is therefore advisable in view of the economy of time, to rely upon the incidental teaching of spelling to produce a sufficiently high average result." The conclusions of Rice and Cornman have done much to distribute responsibility for spelling to the various school subjects and to cause in many schools a discontinuance of the separate spelling lessons or drills.

Wallin's Contribution. - Nine years after Cornman made his report upon spelling another monograph on spelling came forth, and strangely enough it came from a laboratory of clinical psychology - this time from Dr. J. E. Wallace Wallin of the New Jersey state village for epileptics. Referring to Rice's and Cornman's conclusions relative to the efficiency of spelling methods, he says, "These conclusions fly directly in the face of the results of tests by other investigators - Newman, Abbott, Krantz, Charters, and

those carried on in the Milwaukee and Cleveland schools." After calling attention to the splendid results obtained in the two cities mentioned above, by systematic drill, he says, "Obviously the above facts do not warrant the assertion that method in the teaching of spelling is merely an incidental detail, nor do they lend support to the contention that modern pedagogy demands the substitution of the incidental for the drill method, as advocated by Cornman."

Application of Rules. It will be remembered that Rice advocated a few rules in the teaching of spelling. Many texts and many teachers of spelling have used rules freely in the teaching of spelling before and since that time. To test the efficiency of rules in this connection, W. A. Cook, a fellow at the University of Wisconsin, carried on a series of tests with academic students and with college freshmen. After giving the details of his findings he concluded that rules in the teaching of spelling are not effective unless in the hands of an exceptional teacher. He says, "The writer does not believe that a single rule which he tested demonstrated its efficiency, excepting, the rule that applies to words ending in 'ie' which is changed to 'y' when adding the suffix 'ing' a rule without exceptions." He continues in the following language: "It is at least evident that rules for spelling do not teach themselves; that thoroughness of digestion demands that they be given in widely separated doses, and that they must be introduced, if at all, in the elementary school during the habit-forming period. The presumption is even then against a favorable outcome except with a superior teacher."

The results of an experiment carried on in the Training School at Normal, Illinois, substantiates Cook's conclusions

so far as they refer to rules of a relatively limited application. Statements from persons considering themselves good spellers also corroborate Cook's conclusions as to the efficiency of rules.

Results of Investigation. - Two splendid results have come from all these investigations in spelling: First, the early investigations in spelling by Rice and Cornman led directly to the research work which has culminated in the objective standards that are proving of great educational value. Second, they have been directly responsible for the investigations of the spelling vocabularies of the children in the several grades, by Jones and others. Jones's investigation alone in this particular is an epoch-making piece of work.1

The old lists of words retained in the spelling archives for generations are being revised. Words which do not have vital significance to pupils are eliminated and those of which the child is in daily need are used. If the spelling revolution has accomplished nothing more than a revision of the spelling lists, it has been well worth while.

SIMPLIFIED SPELLING RECEIVED A STRONG IMPETUS

The simplified spelling movement secured a strong impetus from the spelling revolution. The ultimate effect of this movement upon spelling cannot be foretold as yet. The fact that it is firmly supported by many persons of distinction and ability indicates that many of the intricacies of words gradually but surely will be removed. This movement will not down for long. Succeeding waves will be stronger than those which preceded them

1 The Child's Own Speller, Jones.