Various

“ The mind stumbles over the multitude of forms which this introduction of new agencies into human endeavor took, the infinite ramifications of influences set in motion by machinery. The young of to-day, satiated, glutted though they are with machinery, take an interest they could hardly be expected to feel in more remote matters in the genesis of the age on whose still advancing crest we ride: an interest, however, which is very superficial, very unconscious of the deeper significance of the industrial revolution. ”

“ It is in the air that certain objections to the field of ancient history as stated by the Committee of Seven will be met by providing a list of topics representing the desirable subjects for study in the pre-classical and early medieval periods. Why not go further and make it safe for a teacher who would subordinate the passing of an examination designed to beat the crammer, to a sound knowledge of essentials and substantial preparation in methods of historical study? ”

“ Government again became a prey instead of a service. The “barrack emperors”—“the thirty tyrants” cursed the imperial chair. The German barbarians began to press hard upon the borders of the empire. Pestilence, imported from the East, thinned the already weakened population. The army came to be almost wholly recruited, and in a large degree officered by Germans. It was almost as if Great Britain depended solely for her defense upon Hindoo troops, for lack of men and mettle among the English themselves. Then came the spasm of reform under Aurelian. ”

“ Miss Lillian Thompson, of the Englewood High School, Chicago, gave a spirited and practical talk upon “The Use of Pictures in History Instruction.” That Miss Thompson has made a study of child nature, as well as of pictures, was evident. She said, the teacher must put herself in the pupil’s attitude and must realize his poverty of ideas and mental images. She must be tactful and sympathetic in satisfying the pupil’s curiosity, and in leading him to see the essentials in pictures. Besides, the teacher must study the pictures and plan carefully the presentation of them. ”

“ The fact that the membership of the House of Lords is overwhelmingly conservative leads to what is practically a government by a single chamber when the Conservatives are in the majority in the Commons. It has been possible for Conservative ministries to put through measures, like the Education Act of 1902, which have never been submitted to the country and would probably not be approved if submitted. On the other hand when the Liberals are in power the Lords by rejecting and mutilating legislation have prevented the principal Liberal measures from becoming law. ”

“ In the first place, it teaches the student a great deal, not only about particular phases of European history, but more especially about methods of work which will stand him in good stead in all his future courses; and while it demands much of him, the requirements are all so carefully graded and the work so progressive in character that at no time is he overwhelmed by the amount suddenly thrust upon him. And another feature that deserves emphasis is the care taken to prevent each man from slighting any part of the process ”

“ The history and the results of the growth of these large combinations of labor and of capital present themselves in three more or less distinct phases: (a) the struggle of the laborer for his full share in the distribution of wealth; (b) the development of capitalistic enterprise through the large corporations; and (c) the effort of the consumer to keep from being crushed by the weight of the two contending forces. ”

“ In fact much of the history of invention is obscure, and the details are entirely too numerous to give in a school history. Nevertheless I think the teacher may improve on the accounts in most of the school books, both in the way of lucidity and of vividness. Try a careful study of pp. 505-519 of Beard’s Introduction (which will take comparatively little of a busy man’s time) , and see how lively and realistic a tale you can weave out of it—you will surprise yourself at the improvement you can make on your text-book! ”

“ Experience has convinced the instructors that any course, particularly an introductory one, which deals in specious generalizations and vague trends of development to the exclusion of a thorough drill in concrete facts will, of necessity, be a failure; and so the methods of instruction are designed, first of all, to secure an accurate knowledge of events,—to make the student master the fundamental data upon which any real comprehension of a great movement as a whole must be based. ”

“ Preparation for the duties of citizenship is less effective in the United States, said Professor Reinsch, than in other advanced countries; hence the duty of placing more emphasis upon the proper teaching of government. Local government should receive fuller treatment. There should be more concrete study of the actual operations of government and less committing to memory of the clauses of constitutions that are only vaguely comprehended. Civil government should be taught separately from history, else some of its most important topics will never be reached ”

“ In presenting the movement, it will be well for the teacher to select some thoroughly typical trade union, such as the Brotherhood of Railway Engineers, some thoroughly typical amalgamated union, such as the American Federation of Labor, for purposes of illustration. To get the class to investigate the history of these unions as far as possible, and to confine the discussion to their activities will be the teacher’s duty, else the study will result in hopeless confusion. ”

“ The Railroad Problem.
In studying the history of the large corporations, it pays in the beginning to indicate clearly the difference between (1) public service corporations, those which enjoy partial or complete monopoly under franchises granted by the government, and (2) industrial corporations, whose operations do not differ essentially from the enterprises of single individuals, except in the amount of capital which they command. ”

“ The college entrance examination seems to be a contest between the man who makes out the questions and the teacher who aims chiefly or solely to get his pupils by the examination. The teacher who desires mainly to teach history and how to study it, and to whom the examination is only an incident, is the “innocent third party.” ”

“ The secondary student will find it next to impossible to enter into the far-reaching, although somewhat Utopian, schemes of this great Italian publicist. It is enough perhaps to point out how, by organizing Young Italy, he created the necessary enthusiasm among his countrymen to make possible the work of Cavour and Garibaldi.
Neither is Cavour’s public career devoid of difficulties. The attention of the class should be confined here to his efforts to place Sardinia on a sound economic basis, and at the same time secure for her the support and friendship of the great powers of Europe. ”

“ Frequently they are not definite in their statements as to just what they wish done. One of our best northern colleges gives four lines to History; over one page to Science; over five pages to English.
Several colleges prepare their requirements with care, although few are above improvement. That is, one college will enlarge on the text-books and supplementary reading, but say nothing of the methods of work; another will do just the opposite. Among the best requirements noticed in the South are those of the University of Mississippi, the University of the South, and Tulane University. ”

“ The worst that could happen would be that an increasing number of candidates would know the essentials so well that most of them would pass good examinations. But better still would be the possibility of using the time thus gained for a thorough and intensive study of a very limited portion of the field, whereby, to some degree, a right method of historical study could be inculcated, thus securing better work in history in college. ”

“ Public service corporations may again be divided into two classes: (1) the interstate railroads, and (2) those corporations whose business is local in its nature, such as the street railroad, the water companies and the gas companies.
Attacking the problem of the interstate railroads first, the class must begin its work by studying the history of the growth of the great trunk lines, like the New York Central and the Pennsylvania, and of the transcontinental railroads, like the Union Pacific and the Northern Pacific. ”

“ And at length, when the weakness of the West made it an easy prey to their greater vigor, it was not as bands of whooping savages falling upon a peaceful white settlement that they came, but they simply took up the scepter of destiny which nerveless and unworthy hands had let fall. ”

“ There remain to us but two of these studies of the Roman world; but two short months of school in which to cover tragic centuries of European development. A stern self-restraint in the choice of topics to be treated is necessary therefore, both for the articles and for the school. The welter of detail is all but overwhelming; and the teacher must select a few salient features of these eight centuries. ”

“ It is the misfortune of the Liberals that their progressive policies at the same time encounter the three powerful interests represented by the landholders, the liquor dealers, and the Anglican Church. In Ireland the home rule question so overshadowed all others that there was no expression whatever of popular opinion on the budget, though enough is known to make it pretty certain that the majority would be against it. In England, Wales and Scotland, the popular majority of the Liberals and Laborites combined in spite of plural voting, was nearly three hundred thousand. ”

“ The obvious difficulty that the system demands too much of the instructor is met by the fact that the History Department, as well as the whole Faculty, have shown their appreciation of the results obtained by lightening the ordinary work of teaching to an extent that permits the teacher to carry this extra burden without undue effort. ”

“ The pupils have before them the story of an ever-growing nation, and step by step they follow its upbuilding from small beginnings to its present great proportions.
2 In the special prominence given to the progress of THE WESTWARD MOVEMENT
The story of the marvelous growth of the Middle West, and of the States further West, is told, it is believed, with greater fullness than in any previous school history. The student will see that the greatness of our history is due as much to the Western States as to those on the Atlantic seaboard. ”

“ The later eighteenth century teems with personalities, so that it is difficult not to crowd the canvas and to nullify all individual impression by the force of numbers. George III himself, much blackened by American semi-traditions of thought is not as uninteresting or as stupid or as objectionable as your pupil probably thought him. A just view of King George is a worthy aim to set up for at least one lesson. Lord North, too, always has an interest for Americans. ”

“ In estimating the effect of these corporations upon the economic history of the country, one should attempt to bring out the benefits which they have bestowed upon the people as well as the evils which have resulted from their operations. ”

“ The principal topics will be monarchy by divine right and the old régime in Europe, the intellectual achievements of the eighteenth century, the French Revolution with reference to political and economic changes, the work of Napoleon in reforming France and in re-shaping the map of Europe, the Industrial Revolution, the development of Italian and German unity, the third French Republic, the rise of Russia, modern social problems, and European imperialism in Africa and the Orient. ”

“ The Conservatives, under the name of Unionists, which they use to emphasize their opposition to home rule, made their campaign chiefly on the issue of “tariff reform,” which in Great Britain means the abandonment of her free trade policy. Sentiment in favor of doing this has greatly increased in recent years, and those who favor it are supplied with much greater financial resources for pushing their views than those who uphold the present policy. ”

“ Pupils concentrate attention upon a growing idea, and their work has cumulative force. This preparation gives to classes in English occasion for exercises in narration, description, argument, and the writing of letters, diaries, and ballads. This is one method of overcoming the fragmentary nature of our school work and engaging in activities that are socially and psychologically sound and beneficial.
The final topic of the program was “Supplementary Reading in History Instruction,” discussed by Professor Oscar H. Williams, of the School of Education, Indiana University. ”