5) We speak only German in our German classes.
I wish to repeat here what I have said on many other occasions, that the progress made of late years in teaching of languages is due to a great extent to the powerful impulse given by Prof. Gottlieb Heness, through his valuable observations upon linguistic study, and more especially through his ingenious and admirable rule of teaching a language in its own words, that is: German in German and French in French, and further by showing us clearly how to apply the rules of teaching languages as given principally by Pestalozzi and Diesterweg.
Now a few words about "Studien und Plaudereien" (im Vaterland), second series.
This book will serve a double purpose:—it will be used by the teacher as a basis and guide for instruction, as well as a reader for his students of the second grade, "Studien und Plaudereien," first series, having been used for the first grade.
The present new orthography has been adopted according to "Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis für deutsche Rechtschreibung zum Gebrauche in den preussischen Schulen. Herausgegeben im Auftrage des Königlichen Ministeriums der geistlichen, Unterrichts- und Medizinal-Angelegenheiten."
A list of those substantives which have not been divided in the text, will be found on pages 379 and 380.
The few rules of grammar in the third section I have given in the present form, because they have served me best so arranged. Every teacher may, however, vary them according to his own pleasure and will be right in doing so.
The few rules of elocution in the eighth section which I have selected to be printed, may and should be enlarged orally by the teacher.
The notes will not be found necessary for pupils having teachers, who surely will give them full and exact explanations and derivations of words they do not understand. The plan of this book permits me to give only in the shortest possible way the meaning of some of the new words used in this particular connection. Those students, however, who desire to have the full value of the new words, I refer to Sander's Wörterbuch.—To those who use this book as a means of instruction without a teacher, I recommend also, as I do to my own pupils, any good German grammar they can obtain.
SIGMON M. STERN.