A First Spanish Reader — Inside the Classic

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Authors: Roessler, Erwin W. (Erwin William), 1880-1926, Remy, Alfred, 1870-1937 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Spanish language -- Readers; Spanish language -- Textbooks for foreign speakers -- English Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 41,944

Reading time 183 min

Text sections 7

The source record for A First Spanish Reader — Inside the Classic measures this digital text at 41,944 words, 3 hr 3 min estimated reading time, and 7 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 7.0 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Spanish language -- Readers,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #15353

A 1906 Spanish textbook for beginners, using only the present tense in early lessons, with question-and-answer drills, adapted literary selections, and a pedagogical method emphasizing oral repetition and blackboard work.

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Edition quality

File: pg15353

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Produced by John Hagerson, Kevin Handy, Renald Levesque and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

A FIRST SPANISH READER

_WITH QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY_

BY ERWIN W. ROESSLER, PH.D. =CHAIRMAN OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT HIGH SCHOOL OF COMMERCE, NEW YORK, N.Y.=

AND ALFRED REMY, A.M. HIGH SCHOOL OF COMMERCE, NEW YORK, N.Y.

_Pen Drawings by CLARENCE ROWS_ AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO

This Reader is the outgrowth of a desire for a textbook that combines simplicity with variety. To make it available for use almost at the very beginning of the Spanish course only the present tense has been employed in the first twenty-three selections and difficult constructions have been consistently avoided.

With one or two exceptions, many changes have been made in the selections taken from Spanish authors in order to adapt them to the needs of the beginner. The greater part of the reading material, however, is either original or adapted from other languages. The questions are intended to aid the pupil in the preparation of his lessons. Teachers may alter or amplify these questions as they see fit.

Suggestions as to the method of treating the text may seem impertinent to some. The authors however merely wish to suggest a method which they have successfully employed:

I. Regular preparation of the advance lesson should be made as follows:

_a_. Reading of the text by the teacher, a sentence at a time. Each sentence to be translated by a pupil after the new words have been explained by the teacher, in Spanish if possible.

_b_. A second reading by the teacher, followed by chorus reading of the class.

II. At home the pupil should read the text aloud several times and copy the text once or twice, then study it carefully.

III. In the recitation, translation should be reduced to a minimum, thus allowing a maximum of time for conversation based upon the text. There should also be considerable blackboard work consisting of the questions and answers that were given orally. Repetition of answers by the entire class as well as chorus reading are also profitable. After the reading selection has been thoroughly mastered, oral and written résumés should be given by the pupils.

The authors wish to thank the firm of A. P. Schmidt of Boston for permission to reprint the songs _Bolero_ and _Me gustan Todas_. They are especially indebted to Dr. Manuel Barranco for many valuable suggestions and for assistance in proof reading.

ERWIN W. ROESSLEE ALFRED REMY

1. La Escuela 2. El Discípulo 3. La Sala de Clase. (I) 4. La Sala de Clase. (II) 5. El Discípulo en la Escuela 6. Una Lección de Español 7. Una Lección de Geografía 8. La Familia 9. Las Monedas de los Estados Unidos 10. Las Monedas de España 11. El Año y los Meses 12. Los Días de la Semana 13. La Casa 14. Proverbios. (I) 15. El Invierno 16. La Primavera 17. El Verano 18. El Otoño 19. El Cuerpo Humano 26. Méjico 21. Frases de Cortesía 22. Los Recreos 23. Una Visita 24. El Teatro 25. Los Órganos del Cuerpo Humano 26. El Brasil 27. Los Pobres Sastres 28. Tres Palabras 29. Anuncio del Estreno de una Ópera 30. Un Portero Exacto 31. Una Pierna 32. ¿Qué dice David? 33. El Canal de Suez 34. Dura Suerte 35. El Muchacho Inteligente 36. El Criado Erudito 37. Concepto Falso 38. Chile 39. Los Cuatro Hermanos 40. Adivinanzas. (I) 41. Argentina 42. El Barbero de la Coruña 43. El Perro del Ventrílocuo 44. El Canal de Panamá 45. Proverbios. (II) 46. El Competidor 47. El Estudiante de Salamanca 48. Adivinanzas. (II) 49. Cuba 50. El Tonto 51. El Peral 52. El Estudiante Juicioso 53. Proverbios. (III) 54. El Espejo de Matsuyama 55. Los Zapatos de Tamburí 56. La Portería del Cielo

57. Refranes en Verso 58. El Papagayo, el Tordo y la Marica (_Iriarte_) 59. La Abeja y los Zánganos (_Iriarte_) 60. Los Huevos (_Iriarte_) 61. La Rana y la Gallina (_Iriarte_) 62. El Asno y su Amo (_Iriarte_) 63. La Víbora y la Sanguijuela (_Iriarte_)

64. Me gustan Todas (_Spanish Folksong_) 65. Bolero (_Spanish Folksong_) 66. Himno Nacional de España. _Manuel Fenollosa_ 67. Himno Nacional de Méjico. _Jaime Nuñó_ 68. Himno Nacional de Guatemala. _Rafael Alvarez_

Voy a la escuela. Voy a la escuela el lunes, el martes, el miércoles, el jueves y el viernes. El sábado y el domingo no voy a la escuela. El sábado y el domingo estoy en casa. Soy un discípulo y estoy en la escuela. El discípulo aprende. Aprendo la aritmética, a leer y a escribir. Vd. aprende el español. Todos nosotros aprendemos diligentemente. Algunos discípulos no son diligentes. Algunos son perezosos. El maestro elogia a los discípulos diligentes y a los discípulos obedientes. Él no elogia a los alumnos perezosos.

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This reader, designed for near-beginning Spanish students, restricts itself to the present tense for the first twenty-three selections, a deliberate structural choice that shapes the entire early learning experience. The authors, both from New York's High School of Commerce, explicitly state their aim to combine simplicity with variety, adapting material from Spanish authors and other languages to suit the beginner's needs. The book's method is laid out in unusual detail: teachers read sentences aloud, students translate, then chorus reading follows; homework involves reading aloud, copying the text, and careful study; class time minimizes translation in favor of conversation based on the text, with blackboard work and oral résumés. This systematic approach reveals a strong pedagogical conviction about active, repetitive engagement with the language.

A Tense Constraint and Its Consequences

The decision to employ only the present tense in the first twenty-three selections is a notable formal constraint. It means that early readings—covering school, family, coins, seasons, and geography—describe states, routines, and general truths rather than past events or future plans. For instance, lesson 20 on Mexico likely uses present-tense descriptions of the country's features. This limitation forces the learner to master present-tense verb forms and vocabulary before encountering other tenses, but it also restricts narrative possibilities: stories cannot recount past actions. The later selections, such as "Los Pobres Sastres" and "Tres Palabras," presumably introduce other tenses, but the excerpts do not confirm this. The reader thus offers a carefully scaffolded progression, though the full extent of tense expansion is not visible in the supplied material.

Question-and-Answer as the Core Structure

The book's dominant pedagogical device is the question-and-answer format. Each lesson is followed by a series of questions in Spanish, designed to aid pupil preparation. The questions are often factual and direct: "¿Hay muchos teatros en esta ciudad?" or "¿Qué extensión tiene el Brasil?" They also include comprehension checks on adapted fables, such as the parable of the body's organs in lesson 25, where questions trace the narrative step by step: "¿Contra quiénes se rebelaron los obreros romanos?" and "¿Comprendían la parábola los romanos?" This method encourages active recall and oral practice, but it also means the text itself is often a springboard for oral drill rather than a self-contained literary experience. The teacher is expected to amplify or alter questions, making the book a flexible tool rather than a fixed script.

Adapted Sources and Original Material

The preface acknowledges that most selections are either original or adapted from other languages, with only a few taken from Spanish authors and modified for beginners. This mix suggests a pragmatic approach: the authors prioritize pedagogical utility over literary authenticity. For example, the fable of the body's organs (lesson 25) is a classical allegory, here framed as a Roman story about plebeians and patricians, adapted to teach vocabulary and moral reasoning. Similarly, "Tres Palabras" appears to be a folk tale about a laborer who bets on repeating three words, a narrative that likely reinforces vocabulary for speaking and listening. The inclusion of songs like "Bolero" and "Me gustan Todas" (with permission from A. P. Schmidt of Boston) adds a cultural dimension. The reader thus weaves together original exercises, adapted classics, and contemporary songs, all subordinated to the goal of language acquisition.

Readers approaching this textbook should note its dual identity: it is both a language primer and a historical artifact of early 20th-century pedagogy. The emphasis on oral repetition, blackboard work, and teacher-led drill reflects the grammar-translation method's evolution toward the direct method. The book's structure rewards systematic study: each lesson builds vocabulary and grammar through tightly controlled contexts. For modern readers, it offers a window into how Spanish was taught in American schools over a century ago, with its own assumptions about learning, culture, and the role of literature in language education.

I remember how gently that old textbook led me into Spanish, one present-tense question at a time, as if language were just a conversation waiting to happen. It made me think of An Introductorie for to Lerne to Read, To Pronounce, and to Speke French Trewly — Background and Themes, that same patient, four-century-old hand reaching toward a beginner’s ear. Some things don’t change. The longing to speak, to be understood, is a quiet constant.