[6] McLellan and Ames, _Public School Arithmetic_ [1900]. (6) _Rare and unimportant words._--The bonds between rare or unimportant words and their meanings should not be formed for the mere sake of verbal variety in the problems of the textbook. A pupil should not be expected to solve a problem that he cannot read. He should not be expected in grades 2 and 3, or even in grade 4, to read words that he has rarely or never seen before. He should not be given elaborate drill in reading during the time devoted to the treatment of quantitative facts and relations. All this is so obvious that it may seem needless to relate. It is not. With many textbooks it is now necessary to give definite drill in reading the words in the printed problems intended for grades 2, 3, and 4, or to replace them by oral statements, or to leave the pupils in confusion concerning what the problems are that they are to solve. Many good teachers make a regular reading-lesson out of every page of problems before having them solved. There should be no such necessity. To define _rare_ and _unimportant_ concretely, I will say that for pupils up to the middle of grade 3, such words as the following are rare and unimportant (though each of them occurs in the very first fifty pages of some well-known beginner's book in arithmetic). absentees account Adele admitted Agnes agreed Albany Allen allowed alternate Andrew Arkansas arrived assembly automobile baking powder balance barley beggar Bertie Bessie bin Boston bouquet bronze buckwheat Byron camphor Carl Carrie Cecil Charlotte charity Chicago cinnamon Clara clothespins collect comma committee concert confectioner cranberries crane currants dairyman Daniel David dealer debt delivered Denver department deposited dictation discharged discover discovery dish-water drug due Edgar Eddie Edwin election electric Ella Emily enrolled entertainment envelope Esther Ethel exceeds explanation expression generally gentlemen Gilbert Grace grading Graham grammar Harold hatchet Heralds hesitation Horace Mann impossible income indicated inmost inserts installments instantly insurance Iowa Jack Jennie Johnny Joseph journey Julia Katherine lettuce-plant library Lottie Lula margin Martha Matthew Maud meadow mentally mercury mineral Missouri molasses Morton movements muslin Nellie nieces Oakland observing obtained offered office onions opposite original package packet palm Patrick Paul payments peep Peter perch phaeton photograph piano pigeons Pilgrims preserving proprietor purchased Rachel Ralph rapidity rather readily receipts register remanded respectively Robert Roger Ruth rye Samuel San Francisco seldom sheared