Are Children Idiots?

New primers and readers are coming off the presses nowadays—of varying merit. Some weeks ago, in this page, I mentioned the promising series of grade-school readers being prepared by Professor Arther S. Trace Jr., to be published by the Open Court people. Now I am informed of some other sound primary textbooks published by Henry Regnery Company: a phonics primer got up in cooperation with the 3 R Schools of California, to be followed by a speller and an arithmetic. Also the Regnery firm, in cooperation with the Academy of Basic Education, is bringing out a first-grade reading book, a grammar, a speller, and a composition manual.

All to the good. But the long-dominant imbecile-reader is putting up a fight for survival. In Detroit, recently, there was issued a series of “pre-primers” (first-grade readers) designed for use in the “Great Cities” program. These new primers are entitled Play with Jimmy, Laugh with Larry, and Fun with David. “Run, run. Run and get the ball. See the ball, Larry. Larry can get the ball.” So runs the text of these works, obviously calculated to stir the higher imagination of the rising generation.

RK

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Russell Kirk

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New primers and readers are coming off the presses nowadays—of varying merit. Some weeks ago, in this page, I mentioned the promising series of grade-school readers being prepared by Professor Arther S. Trace Jr., to be published by the Open Court people. Now I am informed of some other sound primary textbooks published by Henry Regnery Company: a phonics primer got up in cooperation with the 3 R Schools of California, to be followed by a speller and an arithmetic. Also the Regnery firm, in cooperation with the Academy of Basic Education, is bringing out a first-grade reading book, a grammar, a speller, and a composition manual.

All to the good. But the long-dominant imbecile-reader is putting up a fight for survival. In Detroit, recently, there was issued a series of “pre-primers” (first-grade readers) designed for use in the “Great Cities” program. These new primers are entitled Play with Jimmy, Laugh with Larry, and Fun with David. “Run, run. Run and get the ball. See the ball, Larry. Larry can get the ball.” So runs the text of these works, obviously calculated to stir the higher imagination of the rising generation.