cent English Politics, Professor Dennis had a quantity of very interesting English election posters which he had collected on his visit to England during the last parliamentary election. These posters covered in a very graphic way, all the issues of the campaign. He made these posters the text for his talk which was exceedingly interesting and valuable. Frofessor Gillette spoke of fearlessness in teaching the truth and denounced the recent effort to hamper academic freedom of the university. He believed in teaching high school pupils present-day problems, such as the new insurgent movement and its leaders. THE NEW ENGLAND MEETING. The annual meeting of the New England History Teachers' Association was held in Boston at Simmons College on Saturday, October 29th, 1910. The subject for discussion in the morning was the "Teaching of Economics in Secondary Schools," and the association was fortunate in having present to open the discussion Professor F. W. Taussig, of Harvard University. Professor Taussig considered first the question of expediency. The instinctive feeling of most college professors is against the advisability of teaching economies to pupils of the secondary schools. For that matter, however, it has generally been the same with most of the new subjects which have found their way into the secondary schools, such as chemistry, physics, and modern history. College professors generally prefer to have the material fresh and uninstructed in their subjects. Professor Taussig's own feeling, however, for a long time has been that economics is a desirable subject for introduction, and that it should find a place in the secondary schools. It has already been introduced in many schools west of the Alleghenies. The subject is a very helpful one, as it opens the eyes of pupils to the importance of many public problems. It is better, however, for the pupil who is going to college to wait until his college course before taking up the subject. In spite of some curious results at Harvard entrance examinations, Professor Taussig still believes in keeping economics on the list. He next considered the difficulties of the subject, which are great. The reasoning required is found difficult and authorities differ on some very important subjects. Still, the amount of difference has been exaggerated. There is a large amount of accepted truth which can be satisfactorily taught. Another difficulty in teaching the subject is the lack of satisfactory textbooks. Most secondary school text-books are college books condensed. There should be a new, fresh and special treatment of the subject for High School pupils. One unsatisfactory feature of most text-books is the order of treatment of the topics. They generally begin with some abstract considerations, together with something of the method of treatment of economics. As a matter of fact, the subject should begin in a very concrete way such as considering the topic of money. In teaching the subject to High School pupils, the teacher should select topics and not try to cover the whole subject. The topics should include those of every day experience, and deal also with some familiar fallacies, such as the question of the benefits derived by large expenditures of the rich for automobiles, balls and entertainments of that sort. Finally, Professor Taussig urged that the new subject should not be given to new and inexperienced teachers. Only teachers specially trained in economics beyond the ordinary college course should be put in charge. In his concluding remarks, following the general discussion, Professor Taussig said that over fifty per cent. of those who offer economics for admission to Harvard have failed in that subject. A problem which the college authorities would have to meet is the question of what shall be done with the students who pass the subject for admission, and yet wish to take the college introductory course and receive full credit for it. The discussion of Professor Taussig's paper was opened by Doctor John Haynes, of the Dorchester High School, who emphasized the point that a pupil should know the fundamental principles of the subjects discussed by Congress as well as the methods of legislation. Doctor Haynes also described his use of newspaper clippings in his class in economies. The discussion was continued by Mr. Tirrell, of the High School of Commerce, Boston. As the aim of his school is to fit boys for business, a knowledge of economic principles is indispensable. The work actually begins in the second year of the course under the name of Commercial Geography. In the third year the History of Commerce is studied, and in the fourth year the general principles of economics, together with the economic history of the United States. In this latter year a textbook on economic theory is used. Professor S. M. Kingsbury, of Simmons College, spoke of an experiment in the Bos ton Trade School for Girls, in giving them some insight into the history of their occupation. The class began with a study of the conditions under which New England was settled, then took up the development of shipping, the growth of the factory system, based first upon water power and then its development to the present time in the use of electrical power; then a brief study of factory laws was made. The result of this brief course was to broaden the outlook of the girls by enabling them to see just what part they took in the great industrial world. Miss Blanche E. Hazard, of the High School of Practical Arts, Boston, brought out the point that economics should be taught all along the line in connection with history; beginning with the early cave dweller, and continuing on down to the present highly organized industrial world. The guests of the association at luncheon were Professor Frederic J. Turner, of Harvard University, and President Frank W. Hamilton, of Tufts College. Professor Turner spoke of the importance of selecting the three or four most essential lines of development, and emphasizing those to the exclusion of much that is now taught in American history. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Professor Susan M. Kingsbury, of Simmons College; vicepresident, Mr. A. C. Boyden, of the Bridgewater Normal School; secretary and treasurer, Mr. Walter H. Cushing, of the Framingham High School. Additional members of the council, Miss Margaret McGill, of the Newton High School; Miss Harriet E. Tuell, of the Somerville English High School; Professor W. S. Ferguson, of Harvard University, and Mr. S. P. R. Chadwick, of Phillips Exeter Academy. The association is taking steps to become incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts. About thirty new members were admitted, and an active campaign is under way to add two hundred members before the spring meeting. Resolutions were adopted on the death of Mr. Wilson R. Butler, who had done a large part of the work in preparing the "Outline in Civil Government." THE AMERICAN HISTORY LEAFLETS COLONIAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL Edited by PROFS. HART and CHANNING, of Harvard University. PRICE, 10 CENTS A COPY Used extensively everywhere. Thirty-six numbers already issued. These are copies of the original documents that have become famous in our Colonial and Constitutional History. CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED. PARKER P. SIMMONS, Publisher: 3 East 14th St., New York City You will favor advertisers and publishers by mentioning this magazine in answering advertisements. Book Reviews KAYE'S READINGS. A book upon civil government, for the use of students in the last year of highschool work, should be written with two purposes in view: first, the furnishing of information concerning governmental machinery, which cannot successfully be treated in the lower grades; second, the creation in the student of a healthy attitude of interest and criticism toward things political. The latest book of this character is Dr. Kaye's "Readings in Civil Government." This is a work of over five hundred pages, containing illustrative material for collateral reading in high-school classes in government. The divisions of the subject parallel the chapter headings in Dr. Forman's "Advanced Civics," but the work can readily be used with any other high-school textbook. There are twenty-two chapters grouped under the three headings of "The Spirit of American Government," "The Form of American Government," and "The Functions of Government." The first group of subjects treats of the general principles of government, the formation of the Federal constitution, development of the constitution, relations between State and Federal governments, citizenship, and political rights and duties. The second group treats of the several forms of government in this country, including, under the term form. the organization of political parties. The third group includes readings upon individual freedom and law, taxation, finance. currency and banking, regulation of commerce, and elections. The readings are taken from standard texts upon political science, from popular and technical magazines, and very rarely -from public political documents. The extracts represent uniformly the cleanest and sanest of recent views. If called upon to describe them in a single word, the reviewer would use the term "progressive." A pupil who studies them carefully will leave the course with a keenness of judgment upon matters political; he will realize that government in America is not a fetish requiring sacred reverence for established forms, but that it is in a state of change; and that much of what is should not be, while much that is not should be brought into being. Does the work conform to the ideal stated in the first paragraph above? Not fully; it presents too much opinion and too little fact; and not always are both sides of a debatable question presented, as upon the subject of negro suffrage in the South. The book is not a source-book; it gives few practical illustrations of the workings of government. In no sense does it take the place, even in high-school classes, of the books of readings edited by Prof. Reinsch and by Prof. Beard. But, probably, the book was not intended to take such a place. Its real mission is to stimulate the high-school pupil to an intelligent discussion of current political problems; to give him the best thought upon these topics; and to place him in a position to make an independent judgment when he (or she) becomes not only a citizen, but also a voter and a public official. [Readings in Civil Government. By Percy Lewis Kaye, Ph.D.. pp. xvi. 535. The Century Co. Price, $1.20, net.] SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS FOR THIRD AND FOURTH GRADES. OTIS'S COLONIAL STORIES. An excellent series of supplementary readers is to be found in the six small volumes by James Otis, entitled respectively "Richard of Jamestown." Mary of Plymouth," "Ruth of Boston," "Calvert of Maryland," Peter of New Amsterdam," and "Stephen of Philadelphia." (American Book Company; each, 35 cents). The purpose of the author is to familiarize the pupil with the life of the colonists, not by descriptive history, nor by pure fiction; but by giving a sketch of a child's life. Each story is written in the first person, the boy or girl of colonial times recounting for later boys and girls how he came to America, how he and his family lived here. their household ways and comforts, and their relation to nature about them and to the Indians. There is very little plot in the ordinary sense of the term; the interest of the story is kept up by a series of descriptions of what the colonial children did for themselves or saw acted about them. The child of nine years of age will find much of interest in these books. As there is little conversation, and no attempt at continuous history, the author has opportunity to describe in detail many features of colonial life. which cannot be touched upon in an ordinary textbook, or which are lost for the child in the excitement of the plot in more stirring stories. Many features of Indian life are here told: the methods of making canoes; the gathering of shells for wampum; the planting and grinding of corn; and their relations to the whites. More valuable are the glimpses of the life of the colonists themselves; for, by reading these books, a child can picture the home-life of the colonists; he can see the mode of dress, the arrangement of their living rooms, the working of the farm, the hunting of game, the apprenticeship system, and through the eyes of a colonial boy he sees some of the great men of the day. The style is easy, and sometimes even quaint in its simplicity. The historic facts cited are unusually well selected; and in some cases there is only a change to a simplified language from the words of the original historical sources. The illustrations are in keeping with the narrative; they are usually simple line drawings, showing the modes of dress, the utensils, and the out-door life of the times. The volumes are bound in decorated cloth, and average about 160 pages each. McKinley Historical Note-Books These note-books consist of the McKinley Outline Maps combined with blank leaves to constitute an historical note-book of 104 pages; the back of each map and every other sheet being left blank for class notes or comment upon the maps. Many teachers have required their scholars to paste or bind McKinley Outline Maps in their note-books; the new arrangement furnishes the maps already printed in the book, at a price about the same as that asked for a note-book of blank leaves. FOUR BOOKS IN THE SERIES: For American His tory, for English History, for Ancient History, and for European History. Price: 22 cents (net) each The note-books are made from a clean, strong, and heavy LEDGER WRITING paper, well suited to the use of ink or colors. Size about 8 x 11 inches. Samples cheerfully furnished upon request to MCKINLEY PUBLISHING COMPANY PHILADELPHIA An Ideal Course in Civil Government FOR HIGH SCHOOLS Forman's Advanced Civics Kaye's Readings in Civil Government 12mo, 535 pp., $1.20 net HE publication of Dr. Kaye's Readings in Civil Government will be welcomed by all teachers of the subject. The Tselections have been carefully made, with special care to include only such material as would be suitable for secondary students. For this reason documents have been almost entirely excluded. The purpose of the book is to place within the reach of teacher and student selections which will serve as the basis for class-room discussion of important questions in government. and so to arouse on the part of the student of civil government a greater interest in the independent reading and study of current civic and political topics. Although the book is intended primarily as a supplement to Forman's Advanced Civics, the selections are each preceded by an introductory remark, so that they can be read separately and used profitably with other texts. Forman's Advanced Civics has become a standard text-book in the subject. It is adapted to and is used in both the small towns and the large cities of nearly every state in the union. The book has been kept up-to-date by frequent revisions. The publishers recommend the combined use of these text-books, and feel sure that such a course will give the best results obtainable. Teachers and others interested are requested to write for further information. THE CENTURY CO. UNION SQUARE NEW YORK CITY A PAGE FROM THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT POLK. See page 115. Published monthly, except July and August, by McKinley Publishing Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Copyright, 1911, McKinley Publishing Co. Entered as second-class matter, October 26, 1909, at the Post-office at Philadelphia, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1879. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS NUMBER These volumes correspond to subdivisions recommended by the Committee of Seven, and already adopted by many schools. Each volume is designed for one year's work, Each of the writers is a trained historical scholar, familiar through direct personal relations with the conditions and needs of the secondary schools. The effort is to deal only with the things which are typical and characteristic; to avoid names and details which have small significance, in order to deal more justly with the forces which have really directed and governed mankind. No pains are spared by maps and pictures to furnish a significant and thorough body of illustration, which makes the narrative distinct, memorable and clear. You will favor advertisers and publishers by mentioning this magazine in answering advertisements. CHICAGO The History Teacher's Magazine Managing Editor, ALBERT E. MCKINLEY, PH.D. PROF. Arthur C. HOWLAND, University of Pennsylvania. History and Civics in Secondary Schools: ARTHUR M. WOLFSON, Ph.D., DeWitt Clinton High School, New York. DANIEL C. KNOWLTON, Ph.D., Barringer High School, Newark, N. J. WILLIAM FAIRLEY, Ph.D., Commercial High School, Brooklyn, N. Y. C. B. NEWTON, Lawrenceville School, New Jersey. ALBERT H. SANFORD, State Normal School, La Cross, Wis. Current History: JOHN HAYNES, Ph.D., Dorchester High School, Boston. Reports from the Historical Field: WALTER H. CUSHING, Secretary New England History Teachers' Association, South Framingham, Mass. History in the Grades: ARMAND J. GERSON, Ph.D., Robert Morris Public School, Philadelphia. SARAH A. DYNES. State Normal School, Trenton, N. J. LIDA LEE TALL, Supervisor of Grammar Grades, Balto., Md. Answers to Inquiries: CHARLES A. COULOMB, Ph.D. CORRESPONDING EDITORS. H. W. EDWARDS, High School, Oakland, Cal. JAMES F. WILLARD, University of Colorado, Boulder, Col. |