JOHNSTON'S (ALEXANDER) HISTORIES.
History of the United States. For Schools. With an introductory History of the Discovery and English Colonization of North America. With Maps, Plans, Illustrations, and Questions. By Alexander Johnston, Professor in Princeton College, author of a " History of American Politics," etc., etc. 12mo. 473 pp. Teachers' price, $1.00; by mail, $1.15. Allowance for old book, 30 cents.
"A history of the Nation, with an introductory sketch of discovery and colonization, and not, as so many text-books are, a history of the colonial period, with an appendix on national development."
In his preface the author says: — "There are already in existence books in abundance which tell stories in the manner attractive to pupils at the most imaginative period of life ; and the pupil's mind, if properly directed by the teacher, will turn to them naturally and derive more satisfaction and instruction from them than can be gained from any school history of usable compass. It hardly seems wise for a school history to force itself into a hopeless competition in a field which has already been so fully pre-empted. History is a task and a method of mental discipline ; our school histories attempt to (illegible text) one attempts to relieve grammar or (illegible text) story telling. The reason generally advanced for the transfer of the stirring stories of The past out of the reading book or general reading into the school his- tories is that they stimulate the minds of pupils to an emulation of the great deeds which are narrated. In isolated cases the reason may b (illegible text) valid ; there may have been cases in which the mind of the pupil (illegible text) been thus stimulated with useful effect. But the mass of pupils (illegible text) no opportunity to exhibit any such result ; their need is to lea— (illegible text) the history of the past how best to perform the simple ana (illegible text) duties of good citizenship. " The design of this book then, is to group those events which (illegible text) likely to shed light on the responsibilities of the citizen to (illegible text) or future, and to give the student the light in connection with the event. In this process the effort has been made with caution and with a studied simplicity of language, to interest the pupil in the wonderful development of the United States and the difficult economic problems which have grown out of it. And in every place where it has seemed pos- sible, the attention of the pupil has been directed to the peculiar circum- tances and limitations of the time under consideration, and to the idea of growth to be attained by a comparison with the present. For much the same reasons, other topics, not essential to the main subject, such as the tribal institutions of the Aborigines, and the Spanish conquests of Mexico and Peru, have been left untouched. And, in narrating the wars of the United States, while the effort has been made to give the pupil a definite idea of the purposes, plans, and results of campaigns, it has not seemed best to cumber the narration with a catalogue of engagements and commanders, whose very names are only a spring of
confusion to the mind of the pupil"
