Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/449

Text-Books 439 A statement of fact, adequate for pupils who have devoted some time to a topic, is not sufficient for pupils in the elementary schools. They must be told ivhy in the text, for outside help either from books or teachers cannot be presumed. No word of explanation is attempted relative to the influence of the conduct of Maryland in refusing at first to adopt the Articles of Confederation. Such a paragraph as the one on the Constitutional Convention (p. 167) would signify more to a pupil if, in place of the declarations : " Washington afterwards became the first and Madison the fourth President of the United States; . . . Hamilton, as the first secretary of the treasury, established our system of finance", there were some attempt made to state just what these men actually stood for in the Convention. Some reason also should be assigned for calling the Hartford Convention (p. 215). and for locating the new capital on the Potomac River (p. 197). The Genet episode ought not to be wholly omitted. While these and other sins of omission might be overlooked, there can be no forgiveness for misleading statements and errors. Columbus, we are told, discovered the Orinoco River on his fourth voyage instead of the third (p. 14). Shall we ever learn that the statement of Mr. Gladstone relative to the making of the Constitution (p. 168) cannot be used without some modification ? The " Era of Good Feeling " ap- pears in spotless garments notwithstanding the fact that the sources indicate that they were a bit soiled (p. 217). It is misleading to assert that Calhoun, Jackson, and Crawford " held to the doctrine of state rights " (p. 225). The language used is simple and direct. The maps and other illus- trative material are not different from those to be found in a number of texts, and in some instances are poorly executed. Appendix A con- tains ten pages of well-selected and well-classified books for supple- mentary work. The text-book written by Mr. Redway is very attractive and sugges- tive. The author has not hesitated to cut loose from established forms. New titles are given the chapters, and old topics are placed in new groups. Suitable recognition is given the European background to our history. It was to be expected that the author, because of his interest in physical and commercial geography, would make industrial history the leading feature of his text-book. Indeed, the " Foreword or Two " sets forth the view that "political history may be broadly summed up as a quantitative expression of temperature, rainfall, and surface features ", that the development of commerce, manufactures, etc., " and not the eloquence of statesmen in legislative halls, have made the political fabric of the nation what it is to-day ". Mr. Redway is to be congratulated on the development of this thesis. There is no disappointment in the reading of his excellent chapters on the economic evolution of the country.