Having found his way to the word, he must now learn to read what the
dictionary has to tell him about it. His attention is called to
syllabification as well as to diacritical marks. (Those found at the
foot of the page will furnish the key to pronunciation.)
He finds that his dictionary is a means of learning not only the
pronunciation of words, but their meaning and spelling. Later, as soon
as the parts of speech are known, he should learn the various uses of
words--their grammatical uses, derivation, etc., and come to regard the
dictionary as one of his commonest tools, as necessary as other books of
reference.
But here the teacher's task is not done. Provided with the key to the
mastery of symbols, her pupils may still fail to use this key to unlock
the vast literary treasures in store for them. They must be taught _what
to read_, as well as _how to read_. They must be introduced to the
school library and if possible to the public library. Dr. Elliot has
said: "The uplifting of the democratic masses depends upon the
implanting at school of the taste for good reading."
Moreover that teacher does her pupils the most important and lasting
service who develops in them not only _an appreciation of good
literature_, but _the habit of reading it_.
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