Chapter XIII on the “Feudal System.” Good maps may be found in such

atlases as Freeman, Putzger, and Dow, which should be in the hands of every live teacher.

College Entrance Questions.

The following questions are selected from some of the recent examinations:

State as definitely as possible what you conceive to be the place of Charlemagne in European history.

What did the Holy Roman Empire include? How was it governed?

Trace the connection between the break-up of the Empire of Charlemagne and the beginnings of (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy.

What connection was there between the break-up of the Carolingian Empire and the rise of feudalism?

Some Suggestions on Feudalism.

A good vantage point from which to approach the subject is to look upon feudalism as the result of the need of protection in an age of disorder and confusion; then to follow this idea with an explanation of its relation to the holding of land. When these elementary facts have been made reasonably clear, they will serve as an excellent basis for what must necessarily follow, namely, an explanation of how the various factors involved each played its part in building up an organization which though called a system is very often extremely puzzling for its very lack of the same. The “feudal grant” has now been made clear and the entering wedge has been driven for an understanding of vassalage. It is now easy to explain immunity and to pass from this to the practice of subinfeudation, and the mutual responsibilities involved in the feudal relation. The diagram on page 115 of Robinson’s “Western Europe” will serve to give the student an excellent notion of the complexity of the feudal relation.

Syllabi.

Finally it is suggested that before taking up the medieval period with the class the teacher make a careful study of every available analysis, _e. g._, the Syllabus of the New England History Teachers’ Association, or the Syllabus of the Regents of the State of New York (which contains the same outline), or the History Syllabus of the State of New Jersey (in press) or the numerous outlines of college lecture courses which have appeared in printed form from time to time as Richardson, “Syllabus of Continental European History,” and Shepherd, “Syllabus of the Epochs of History.”

FOOTNOTES:

[2] Jaeger, Oskar, “Teaching of History,” translated by H. J. Chaytor. Oxford and London, 1908.

[3] Report of the Fall Meeting of The New England History Teachers’ Association, 1904, published by the Association in 1905.

English History in the Secondary School

C. B. NEWTON, Editor.

I. Through the Norman Conquest[4]

I have just finished reading “A Centurion of the Thirtieth,” “On the Great Wall,” and “The Winged Hats”--all from Kipling’s “Puck of Pook’s Hill” and I now feel in the proper frame of mind to begin the year’s work in English History. By the proper frame of mind I mean that what I know, and what I would fain have my class know, is illuminated and enlivened by a sense of reality without which my teaching and their learning would be as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. The fundamental importance of beginning with this “proper frame of mind” is the first matter which I wish to emphasize, the starting point of the many matters which we may profitably consider together in our monthly discussions. For ponder the magnitude of the task before us, as we return from our vacation in this very modern world of ours to our very modern pupils. How shall we be true interpreters of the life of an early day, so remote, so utterly removed, so unreal, unless we can by some magic touch invest it all with reality? It is a solemn thing, fellow workmen in this noble field of English history, to think how many thousands of us shall endeavor, during the next few weeks, to impart some knowledge, some realizing sense of prehistoric man’s dwelling in the so different Albion which was the mother of England; of Celt and Roman and Saxon and Dane; of imperial Cæsar landing on the unknown barbarous coast of Britain; of Druids and of monks; and so on through those long, mysterious thousand years which bring us to a somewhat clearer day (though still remote enough for every exercise of the imagination!), when the great Duke became the last conqueror of the little island. A solemn thing, I say, for if we fail to illumine this mass of material with any ray of the imagination, if we merely cram facts and theories into the miserable minds of our victims until they are stuffed with names and dates, then are we become blind leaders of the blind of whom it may be said, as I once heard it said of a professor in one of our great colleges, “Think of the hundreds for whom he has _ruined_ history.”

So I believe, in all seriousness, it shall profit us more to take down our Kipling or to cull out some of the very human episodes from our Green, or from Dr. Warren’s little book of selections, and to saturate our minds therein--insulating them, as it were, from the quick currents of the present--than to refresh our memories laboriously and conscientiously from sources and authorities until we are merely primed with facts. Need I say that this is no slur nor sneer at authorities and sources? Of course we have not neglected these--we must not, and we shall not, neglect them. My emphasis is simply on what _is_, too often neglected; my plea is for setting free the imagination, for letting the “magic” work which will help us to clothe the dry bones of fact with the flesh of _life_! We have all been taught to be conscientious and faithful and painstaking; that is the modern historian’s creed. But all conscience and no imagination make a mighty dull teacher! Let us never forget that.

Sincerity and Frankness Indispensable.

If the imagination needs all the arousing and vivifying it can get in dealing with the early Britons and Romans of whom we receive vivid impressions in “Puck of Pook’s Hill,” how much more must it cry for help in beginning, as most text-books of English history do, with primitive man! I must confess I dread those opening lessons which deal with the origins of things. “Paleolithic, neolithic, metal age”--how glibly the names may be reeled off, but what do we really know about them, and who are we to try to penetrate the seclusion of those unfathomed ages! I confess my imagination gropes blindly here, and I must simply admit that I am baffled, that here I can summon up very little sense of reality. This should be made clear enough to the class--both that our sources of knowledge are limited, and that the “backward and abysm” of time baffles the staunchest traveler to the far past. Our pupils will value our sincerity from the outset if we make it plain that there is no humbug about us, that we are not pretending to a knowledge which their quick intelligence tells them must in the nature of things be very limited. Don’t let us be too “cock sure” about anything--still less about prehistoric times. For be sure the youthful mind, if it is worth anything, asks itself how “they” know so much when by our own admission there are no written records. You will permanently undermine confidence if you make a false start here. So it appears to me that all the period before the Romans came should be clothed in a haze of mystery, a few looming facts in the gloom, but nothing too clear cut or definite. So, too, throughout the course, let us be frank in acknowledging the many uncertainties which beset us, so setting an invaluable example of sincerity, and unconsciously inducing a spirit of honesty in the attitude of our pupils toward history.

As to Dates and Discipline.

With the landing of Julius Cæsar the fog begins to lift, and certain clear headlands of knowledge appear. This may be brought out very sharply by reading to the class, or getting the class to read to you, an extract or two from “De Bello Gallico,” say Chapter 8 of Book V, or a chapter from the end of Book IV. This brings home to the class the “barbarianness” of the Britons in contrast with civilized Rome, and incidentally gives the average pupil a new and almost startling view of “Cæsar”! This done, the next task is to prevent the class from unanimously jumping at the conclusion that Cæsar began the Roman conquest. The only thing to do is to hammer in the four conquests or invasions with their dates as landmarks, and to try heroically to get straight the difference between Celt and Roman and Teuton. No imagination here, but the sterner side of the year’s work--the _absolute definite learning by rote of the essential dates and facts_ which must in no wise be slurred or passed by. I do not believe history to be a “disciplinary study,” but there is plenty of discipline in it, as there is in all substantial work, and the boy or girl who has, perhaps, had only some smatterings of elementary history before, might as well realize in the beginning that entering this large field of English history means, not only large opportunities for the imagination and for abounding intellectual interest, but means also real work for the memory and for the understanding. How to bring this about against the inertia, inaccuracy, and inefficiency of the class? There is no royal road--patience, reiteration, insistence on accuracy, and finally, where necessary, the rod, or whatever substitute our American delicacy along punitive lines allows, are the only methods open to us. A good means of reiteration in the matter of dates is to have one pupil put a set of dates on the board each day--for example, the dates of the invasions (marking the approximate dates with a plus or minus sign), and of such landmarks as the Landing of Augustine, the Treaty of Wedmore, etc., may well be put on the board every day while the class is studying the period before the Normans. The same thing may well be done during each dynasty, keeping the dates of that dynasty before the class without spending much time on them. The recitation of the class should not, of course, be halted while the dates are being written; a glance will serve to correct them when they are done.

Concerning Maps and Note Books.

A word in regard to map work and note books. The correlation of geography with history is, of course, indispensable. In certain places throughout our subject, which I shall point out from time to time, it is necessary that the geography of England and of Europe should be clearly in mind. During this early period these notable points are (1) the probable geographical conditions before “the channel” was cut; (2) the divisions of Great Britain and Ireland at the time of Roman occupation, showing the great walls and the Roman roads; (3) the Saxon period--the homes of the Saxons, and the Heptarchy; (4) the Danelaw and Alfred’s kingdom; (5) locations of battles and other points of historical interest (such as the “holy isle” of St. Columba, Wedmore, etc.) through 1066. I know no better way to make these five or more topics clear than by outline maps. In using outline maps, neatness and clearness are the two points to emphasize. Unless your text-book has good maps your pupils should get Gardiner’s “School Atlas of English History” (Longmans, Green & Co.).

As to note books, I believe they are very helpful in teaching English history; but do not overdo their use. If we insist on their being very elaborate we make a fetish of them. They have two very simple uses--(a) to emphasize important matters in each lesson; (b) to contain any points outside the text-book which the teacher gives the class. Also their by-products of concentration and accuracy and practice for college work are by no means to be despised. At the beginning, when a pupil is possibly taking notes for the first time, we must be very patient, speaking slowly and practically dictating the things to be “put down.” As a rule I would not put facts on the board to be copied. That is too easy. A class must learn to take notes from the voice, and gradually to catch matters worth setting down without special direction.

Reference Books.

Two very useful books to which constant reference will be made during the coming months are Beard’s “Introduction to the English Historians” (MacMillan), and Cheyney’s “Readings in English History” (Ginn & Co.). Both of these volumes give well-selected quotations from many sources inaccessible to many of us, and with one or both of them in our possession we shall be tolerably well equipped for the year’s work. Then there are two old “standards” which most of us possess or may easily get at. First of all, in my opinion, is Green’s “Short History of the English People” (Harper’s one volume edition); and second, Gardiner’s “Student’s History of England” (Longmans, Green & Co.) is not only a good one-volume history, but is particularly rich in pictures of value and interest.

In explaining the missionary efforts of the Irish church, the fascinating career of St. Patrick should not be neglected. See “Ireland” in the “Stories of the Nations,” series, by Lawless, Chapter IV.

Anglo-Saxon government is an important subject. Gardiner has a good brief explanation of terms, pp. 29-33, and 72-75 of the “Students’ History.” Beard and Cheyney may be read quickly and with helpful results on this subject.

Alfred the Great, the noblest figure, shall we not say in all English history--certainly in this period, should be sympathetically studied. Of course Green paints him vividly, pp. 48-52, but if possible get Walter Besant’s “Story of King Alfred,” in the “Library of Useful Stories” (D. Appleton & Co.).

The colossus of the tenth century was Dunstan. Some text-books slight him. See Green, pp. 55-58 for his remarkable many sidedness.

Of course Freeman’s “Norman Conquest” is full of meat on this period before the Normans, as well as on the Normans themselves. A judicious use of the index will make these volumes of Freeman very useful if you have time for the search. The rise of Normandy and the wonderful career of Duke William should of course be made sunlight clear.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] Subsequent topics: II. The Development of the English Nation; to Edward I. III. Advance and Retrogression; the Hundred Years’ War. IV. Various Phases of the 14th and 15th Centuries. V. The Tudors and the Renaissance. VI. The Great Parliamentary Struggle. VII. Restoration and Reaction; Many Beginnings. VIII. The Eighteenth Century. IX. The Napoleonic Era; Pre-Victorian Reforms. X. The Victorian Era.

MISSOURI SOCIETY OF TEACHERS OF HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT.

This society was organized out of the Department of History of the Missouri State Teachers’ Association at the Christmas meeting of that body in 1908. It is also affiliated with the State Historical Society, and a number of its members belong to the North Central History Teachers’ Association. The object of the society is to promote and improve the study and teaching of history in the State of Missouri through semi-annual meetings, with papers and discussions, of history teachers, investigations into the condition of history in the State schools, and the publication in the “Missouri Historical Review,” in which space is officially reserved for the society, of papers on the study and teaching of history, reports of meetings, and notes and news of interest to history teachers.

The society has held three successful meetings since its organization, the most recent being the spring meeting of 1909, held May 1, at the State University. At this meeting valuable papers were read by Professor E. M. Violette, of the State Normal School at Kirksville, on “Setting the Problem,” and by Professor C. A. Ellwood, of the Department of Sociology of the University of Missouri, on “How History Can be Taught from a Sociological Point of View.” The meetings ended by the election of the following officers: President, Mr. H. R. Tucker, McKinley High School, St. Louis; vice-president, Mr. J. L. Shouse, Westport High School, Kansas City; secretary-treasurer, Professor Eugene Fair, Normal School, Kirksville, and editor, Professor N. M. Trenholme, University of Missouri, Columbia. The next meeting of the society will be held at Christmas time in St. Louis in connection with the State Teachers’ Association meeting.

THE MEETING OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION AT ST. LOUIS, JUNE 17-19.

The semi-annual meeting of this organization was held in the rooms of the Missouri Historical Society at St. Louis, June 17-19.

The general subject of discussion was the historical importance of the physiography and ethnology of the Mississippi Valley, and the papers, presented by well-known middle western scholars, served to bring out the great importance of physical and racial factors in American development. This association is affiliated with the American Historical Association in an unofficial way, and is doing excellent work for the history of the region in which it is specially interested. The secretary-treasurer is Clarence S. Paine, of Lincoln, Neb.

* * * * *

Alive to the Student’s Need

For stirring, gripping work in American history look to Professor Mace. He comes to the task with every sense alert for the student’s help, and with every means in hand to give the truest and most intelligent conception of history. The impression he makes is unforgettable.

In

Mace’s Primary History Stories of Heroism

the author takes our great men in every line of life by periods--men who fought for the good against the bad; he shows them living, throbbing with power, _doing_. He cuts them into the child’s memory. And when the student comes to the later grades, he knows his people, chooses his leaders, and follows them.

In

Mace’s School History of the United States

the treatment of periods broadens, and the men the child now knows live their big stirring lives through the family, social and industrial development, through the religious, educational and governmental progress. They thrill and move the child, steady his thought and build up his respect for the greatness gone before--they teach him to know his own responsibility in the affairs of the world to-day.

Illustrated with pen-drawings that mean something

Rand McNally & Company

CHICAGO NEW YORK

* * * * *

History in the Grades

ARMAND J. GERSON, Editor.

The “Type Lesson” in History.

Whatever may be said as to the evil effects of the present overcrowding of the elementary school curriculum, this condition has brought about at least one lasting benefit in that it has led through sheer stress of need to the invention of numerous pedagogic devices for the saving of time. As subject after subject has been added to the work required to be covered in the grades, stern necessity has developed in the grade teacher a wonderful faculty of class-room economy. While it is true that many of the time-saving devices which have thus found their way into our public schools have been unquestionably harmful, there are some among them which have proved themselves efficacious and which may be said to have constituted a permanent advance in educational practice. Among this class we must include the “type lesson” idea.

The idea of the type lesson is based upon the principle that since the increasing complexity of the modern elementary curriculum precludes the possibility of teaching with proper thoroughness all the details of the various subjects laid down in our courses of study, it behooves the teacher to select a few typical phases of his subject, teach these thoroughly, and use them as the basis for the rest of the work. Instead of a superficial survey of the entire field, which at best can leave but a hazy resultant in the child’s mind, let the teacher lead the pupil to evolve a certain number of consistent and intensive “type-ideas” to serve as the nuclei of the year’s instruction. To express this pedagogic principle in terms of psychology, this method will develop in the child’s mind certain fundamental concepts to which all later reading and instruction will naturally relate and in the light of which he may interpret all subsequent mental experiences.

In recent years the type lesson idea has found its chief exponents in the field of geography. Possibly the overwhelming mass of detail of which elementary geography is composed and the apparent separateness of the facts which constitute its subject matter have led educators to seek for their “short cuts” in this subject first. Be the reason for this activity what it may, teachers of geography have evolved an effective type lesson system for the teaching of their subject. The geographer has asked, “Why burden the minds of our young pupils with description of ALL the great rivers of the world, of ALL the great mountain systems, of ALL the great cities? Why not carefully select one or two typical rivers, two or three typical cities? In these we can interest the children without any difficulty. Moreover we can then require and expect a definite amount of definite information to be retained. For the rest, let us teach our pupils to read widely, let us cultivate a broad geographical interest, and trust to the seeds we have planted so carefully to yield in the course of time a plenteous harvest.” And the geographer’s forecast has not been far amiss.

Why should not the teacher of history apply the same mode of thinking? At first glance it is evident that the subject matter of history lends itself most admirably to the type lesson method of development. The average grade teacher is frankly dissatisfied with his results in history. In spite of his best efforts to string historical facts along the chain of cause and effect, in spite of his most carefully prepared topical outlines, the teacher of history in the grades is too often obliged at the end of his year’s work to acknowledge that his efforts to make the facts of history a real part of the child’s mental content have been largely futile. Let us see to what extent the type lesson might simplify the problem.

Let the teacher of a particular grade make a selection of a series of type lessons which shall constitute the core of the year’s work in history. Ten or a dozen such lesson units can be carefully planned in such a way that the rest of the work may be grouped about them. These type lessons are to be used throughout as bases for comparisons, relations and generalizations; in other words, they will constitute the framework of the history instruction for the year.

To take a specific instance, the teacher of a certain grade finds by reference to the course of study that his pupils are supposed to cover in more or less detail the period of American history from 1492 to 1763. This period falls naturally into three divisions: (1) the period of exploration, (2) the period of colonization, (3) the period of intercolonial wars. In teaching the period of exploration the various explorers naturally group themselves according to nationalities. One or two type lessons should suffice for each group.

Columbus might be chosen as the typical Spanish explorer. In that case his explorations should be taught with considerable detail, bringing out particularly those phases of his life and work which form the basis for the teaching of other Spaniards who took an active part in opening up the New World. This type lesson should furnish the pupils with definite notions of Spanish life, Spanish policies, Spanish motives, Spanish methods of navigation, etc. With this basis the subsequent Spanish explorations could be gone over very rapidly, the matter of results alone being emphasized.

Similarly the teacher might give a type lesson on Sir Francis Drake to form the basis for the English explorations of the sixteenth century. Marquette might be selected to represent the French missionary activity.

For the period of colonization one typical colony in each of the three groups could easily be selected. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts at once suggest themselves. For the period of the intercolonial wars a typical battle or two might be taught intensively and realistically. Maps, pictures, literary descriptions will all help to vivify the picture so that the resulting concept may form a type or pattern for the comprehension of all other battles to which reference may subsequently be made.

The instance just cited will indicate the way in which the teacher of history in any particular grade may make a choice of topics for type lessons. More important, however, than the choosing of the topics will be the actual planning of the lessons so that they may be type lessons indeed. This department of the HISTORY TEACHER’S MAGAZINE will from time to time publish illustrative type lessons in history which it is hoped may be found of practical value. While the method is not put forward as something entirely novel, nor as by any means a panacea for all the troubles of the history teacher, it is our earnest hope that the lessons to be outlined in subsequent issues may contain some suggestions which teachers of history in the grades may find applicable in their daily work.

* * * * *

A LIBRARY OF History and Exploration Invaluable for Every School.

The Trail Makers

Prof. JOHN BACH McMASTER, Consulting Editor. Each Volume Small 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. With Introductions, Illustrations and Maps. 17 volumes. Each $1.00 net.

=The Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca=, and his companions from Florida to the Pacific, 1528-1536.

Translated by Fanny Bandelier. Edited with an Introduction by Ad. F. Bandelier.

=Narratives of the Career of Hernando De Soto in the Conquest of Florida=, 1539-1542, as told by a gentleman of Elvas, by Luys Hernandez De Biedma and by Rodrigo Ranjel.

Edited with an Introduction by Professor Edward Gaylord Bourne, of Yale University. In two volumes.

=The Journey of Coronado, 1540-42.= From the City of Mexico to the Buffalo Plains of Kansas and Nebraska.

Translated and Edited with an Introduction by George Parker Winship.

=Voyages and Explorations of Samuel de Champlain, narrated by himself.=

Translated by Annie Nettleton Bourne. Edited with an Introduction by Edward Gaylord Bourne, Professor of History in Yale University. In two vols.

=The Journeys of La Salle and His Companions, 1678-1687. As related by himself and his followers.=

Edited with an Introduction by Prof. I. J. Cox, of the University of Cincinnati. In two volumes.

=Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793.= By Alexander Mackenzie.

In two volumes.

=History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark.= With an account of the Louisiana Purchase, by Prof. John Bach McMaster, and an Introduction Identifying the Route.

In three volumes.

=History of Five Indian Nations of Canada which are Dependent upon the Province of New York.=

By Cadwallader Colden, Surveyor-General of the Colony of New York. In two volumes.

=A Journal of Voyage and Travels in the Interior of North America.=

By Daniel Williams Harmon, a partner in the Northwest Company (beginning in 1800).

=The Wild Northland.=

By Gen. Sir Wm. Francis Butler, K. C. B.

Descriptive Circular on Application to the Publishers

A. S. BARNES & CO.

11-15 East 24th Street, New York

* * * * *

Stories of Heroism

PROFESSOR MACE’S NEW BOOK REVIEW BY CHARLES A. COULOMB.

In spite of repeated attempts at producing a history suitable for class-room work in the fourth or fifth grades of the elementary school, the teaching public still awaits a satisfactory book. Children cannot be interested in a mere chronological narrative, nor are they capable of forming sound judgments from groups of facts. Since the days of “Peter Parley,” therefore, the most satisfactory histories of the United States for children have been biographical. In the present work Professor Mace has so far followed tradition. But in the endeavor to secure more continuity of narrative than would otherwise be possible, the stories have been gathered together in groups of two or three or more. Each man in the group appears in his proper historical perspective instead of being partially eclipsed by the fame of some great personage whose biography is used to cover a long period of time or several historical movements. The author has selected his stories from those in which he finds a certain element of heroism, the term being broad enough, however, to cover the lives of Penn and Samuel F. B. Morse, as well as those of Drake and John Paul Jones.

The heroism of some of our great men is shown by overcoming great obstacles just as that of others is indicated by fighting the enemies of their country. So we find William Penn and James Oglethorpe associated with Hudson, the explorer, and Stuyvesant, the fighting Dutch governor of New Amsterdam, in the chapter about “The Men Who Planted Colonies for Many Kinds of People.”

Out of the three hundred and ninety-six pages in the book, two hundred and twenty-nine are devoted to our history prior to 1789, leaving but one hundred and sixty-seven to our history under the Constitution. The division seems to give a disproportionate amount of space to our Colonial and Revolutionary history. This is justified to some extent by the plan of the author. There is no question as to the romance to be found in the voyages of Polo and Drake, and in the life of Captain Smith. At the same time there are other equally dramatic features of our later history that might have been included, and so have given a better distribution of space. More room is given to Washington’s activities before the Revolution than to the rest of his life, which did not, it is true, cover so many years, but is certainly of more importance. With the exception of the statement that Grant was twice elected president, and the story of Edison and his inventions, the history of our country from 1865 to the battle of Manila Bay contains nothing worth recording, so far as this book is concerned. Out of the sixty-six names we do not find one jurist; one feels that Chief Justice Marshall’s name is certainly not sixty-seventh in our history.

The attempt to fix the facts of each chapter by a list of questions for study is to be commended, as is the unusually satisfactory index. Professor Mace has, besides, done what few scholars succeed in doing. He has written his book in such simple, clear English that the pupils for whom it is intended will have little difficulty in understanding it.

Most of the pictures have been selected for their dramatic value, but many portraits and pictures of places and things of historic interest are included in the book. On the whole, the book is a step forward, and the inequalities in it are no greater than those of other books that have otherwise less to commend them. In classes where the course of study in history does not extend beyond the Revolution, the book should have a wide use.

[A Primary History: Stories of Heroism. By William H. Mace, Professor of History in Syracuse University. Cloth, 8vo. xxv+ 396 pp. Rand, McNally & Co. Chicago, New York.]

* * * * *

Translations and Reprints

FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCES OF EUROPEAN HISTORY

“An invaluable series of Sources, still in course of publication.”--Report of the Committee of New England Teachers’ Association, p. 63.

This series contains translations from the original sources of European history from Roman times to the reorganization of Europe by the Congress of Vienna in the nineteenth century. Complete, the set is in six volumes, but the separate numbers can be had in pamphlet form at from fifteen to twenty-five cents.

The value of original source material to aid the pupil in obtaining a vivid sense of the life and manners of past ages is felt by all history teachers. But it cannot be emphasized too much.

How much more realistic and impressive than the cut-and-dried statement on the Crusades of the average text-book, are actual accounts by contemporaries and Crusaders themselves, as, for example, the statement by Fulcher of Chartres of the start:

“One saw an infinite multitude speaking different languages and come from divers countries.” ... “Oh, how great was the grief ... when husband left the wife so dear to him, his children also....”

Or the letter by Count Stephen from before the walls of Antioch, March 29, 1098:

“These which I write you are only a few things, dearest, of the many which we have done, and because I am not able to tell you, dearest, what is in my mind, I charge you to do right, to carefully watch over your land, to do your duty as you ought to your children and your vassals. You will certainly see just as soon as I can possibly return to you. Farewell.”

The Crusaders thus appear as real men and women to the pupil. Or let him read the text of the Act of Supremacy: “An act concernyinge the kynges Highness to be supreme head of the Churche of Englande and to have auctoryte to reforme and redresse all errours, heresyes and abuses in the same,” and he cannot but feel that he has gotten back to the source upon which the statements of the text-book are based.

It is this kind of material in convenient form that Translations and Reprints contain. The pamphlet form commends them especially for classroom use. In the bound form the six volumes are very well adapted for reference work in the school library.

Besides these extracts from the original sources, there are published by the Department of History of the University of Pennsylvania the “Source Book of the Renaissance,” by Professor Merrick Whitcomb, “Documents on Federal Relations,” by Professor H. V. Ames, and various Syllabuses, those of special interest to teachers being Munro and Sellery’s Syllabus of the History of the Middle Ages, 1909, and Ames’s Syllabus of American Colonial History, revised edition, 1908.

Published by Department of History University of Pennsylvania PHILADELPHIA

* * * * *

A Source-Book of American History

Ten years ago had a high school teacher received a copy of such a work as Professor MacDonald’s “Documentary Source-Book of American History” he would have read it with wonder that so many really significant historical documents could be bound together between the covers of one small volume. To-day, thanks to the efforts of Professor MacDonald himself, of Professor Hart, and of many others, we are well supplied with source-books for several periods of American history. Consequently, the latest volume of Professor MacDonald has been accepted as a matter of course; and frequently reviewers have contented themselves with saying that it contained some of the materials already printed in the author’s earlier volumes--“Select Charters,” “Select Documents,” and “Select Statutes.” Such passing notice fails to do the new work justice, and it is the purpose of this short review to tell the reader the classes of material which are contained within the six hundred pages of the Documentary Source-Book.

The extracts contained in the volume consist, in the main, of constitutional or statutory documents, and in this respect differ from the material which has been printed by Professor Hart in his “Source-Readers,” and his “History by Contemporaries,” where the emphasis is placed upon narratives, descriptions, and personal contemporary opinions.

Colonial and Revolutionary Documents.

Out of 187 documents, 32 are devoted to the colonial period down to 1764; about 22 deal with the revolutionary period from 1765 to 1789; and the remaining 133 numbers are concerned with the national period. For the colonial period, there are charters of eleven of the thirteen colonies; there are documents illustrative of popular government, such as the Mayflower Compact, the ordinance establishing representative government in Virginia, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and of New Haven. The relation of the colonies to England is shown by the Navigation Acts, the Molasses Act, the Sugar Act, and the royal proclamation of 1763. The relation to other countries is shown by extracts from the treaty of Utrecht and the treaty of Paris in 1763. No person who is teaching the colonial period even to elementary students should be without the fresh contact with the documents which these extracts make possible.

On the Revolutionary epoch, Professor MacDonald gives us the Stamp Act, the Intolerable Acts, the Massachusetts Circular Letter of 1768, the resolves of the Stamp Act Congress, the Association and resolves of the Continental Congress, the principal acts of Parliament for the prosecution of the American war, and, of course, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Ordinance of 1787, and the Constitution.

The National Period.

The declarations of war and treaties of peace are given in all cases; and there is a complete documentary history of territorial acquisitions, for extracts are given from all treaties agreeing to the cession of territory to the United States, with the single exception of the treaty with England and Germany respecting the Samoan Islands. National problems which have entered into politics are fully illustrated. It is satisfying to find here in convenient form the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the counter-blast of the Republicans, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. The Missouri Compromise documents number seven, and are prefaced by an excellent introduction which gives the congressional history of the compromise measures. A similar treatment is given the six documents on the Compromise of 1850. The Civil War period furnishes twenty-three documents including secession ordinances, the Confederate States Constitution, military affairs, finance, and other matters. The difficult subject of reconstruction, with its ramifications in the impeachment of the President and the care of the freedmen, receives thirty-three extracts.

Valuable Introductions.

This short statement gives an idea of the scope of the book and the nature of the extracts. In addition to the documents themselves, another feature gives great value to the book. Many, almost all, of the documents are prefaced by short introductions which give the historical setting of the extracts. In the case of the United States statutes the account of congressional action is very valuable, and in many cases furnishes a succinct narrative of the movement culminating in the act under consideration. Abundant references to secondary works and primary sources are to be found in these introductory remarks.

Thus the book contains a large amount of pedagogical material; sources, bibliography, and analytical introductions combining to add to its usefulness. Such a work will protect the teacher and the scholar, whether in elementary school, in high school, or in college, from loose thinking and careless statements about the facts of American history. There need be few errors in class if such a work is on the teacher’s desk, or, better still, in the student’s hand. And, incidentally, many of our newspapers would profit by the addition of the Source-Book to their libraries. To teachers, journalists, and statesmen, who have not easy access to the Statutes at Large, the collections of treaties, and the congressional documents, or, who, having such access, desire the material in convenient desk form, this book will prove invaluable.

[Documentary Source-Book of American History. 1606-1898. By William MacDonald. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1908, pp. xii-616. Price, $1.75.]

Cheyney’s Readings in English History

REVIEWED BY PROFESSOR N. M. TRENHOLME, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI.

The movement towards utilizing the remarkably rich and continuous source literature of English history in the secondary and higher teaching of the subject is well illustrated in the appearance of this full and interesting collection of source readings. Leaving aside the early and rather advanced collections of documentary sources by Stubbs, Prothero, Gardiner and other English historians, we have had during the last decade a succession of source-books for English history. No book, however, has brought together and organized for purposes of study and instruction so large an amount of diverse material as is to be found in Professor Cheyney’s “Readings in English History.” Although but recently published, it is becoming most popular and is proving invaluable to the earnest and enthusiastic teacher in search of profitable collateral reading.

The volume is a substantial one of nearly eight hundred pages, and is divided into chapters to correspond with the author’s “Short History of England,” which the “Readings” is primarily intended to illustrate. Right here, however, it should be said that the “Readings” can be used advantageously with any standard text-book of English history and that teachers who do not use Professor Cheyney’s text-book will find the “Readings” almost as valuable for illustrative purposes and collateral reference as those who do. The “Readings” can stand on its own merits as a book in every way. Each general chapter is divided into excellent topical divisions, while the extracts used are numbered consecutively throughout, showing a total of four hundred and fifty-seven selections, beginning with Julius Cæsar’s description of Britain and ending with an editorial from the “New York Times” on the significance of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Could anything be more comprehensive?

In regard to the special contents of the volume, space will permit of only a very brief survey and mention. The selections to illustrate the geography of England, prehistoric and Celtic Britain, and Roman Britain have been admirably made and furnish enough collateral reading for any high school class studying this early period. Classical and early English sources have been skilfully drawn on and interestingly presented. For Anglo-Saxon England the great literary and historical writings such as Tacitus’ “Germania,” Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History,” the “Beowulf,” the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,” Asser’s “Life of Alfred,” and various collections of Anglo-Saxon laws and documents, have been freely used and furnish a scholarly and yet not too advanced a background for the ordinary narrative history. In selecting and organizing his material for Norman and Plantagenet England Professor Cheyney has likewise shown remarkable judgment and discrimination. It is in the modern part, however, that his skilful editorial work is seen to fullest advantage and the variety and breadth of selection is really remarkable. The light thrown on the great Puritan movement of the seventeenth century and on the struggle between the Stuarts and their parliaments is so interesting and valuable that no American teacher of English history can afford to ignore or overlook Chapter XIV on “The Personal Monarchy of the Early Stuarts.” Equally, if not more, important are the extracts contained in the three last chapters illustrating the foundation of the British Empire of to-day, the period of revolution in industry and in politics and government, and the growth of real democracy and social equality through the great reforms of the nineteenth century. All forms of public and private record have been drawn on for illustration, and it will be a poor teacher who cannot make more vital and interesting any lesson in modern English history by the aid of these illuminating and interesting selections. If any criticism is to be made of the contents of the “Readings,” it is of the sort that is sometimes made after too elaborate and substantial a dinner--that we have been perhaps a little over-supplied with rich and savory intellectual food by the efforts and industry of Professor Cheyney.

How Teachers Can Best Use the “Readings.”

Teachers of English history in high schools and colleges can make most effective use of the “Readings” by having a copy in the hands of each pupil and requiring regular study of assignments in conjunction with the text-book. In this way the “Readings” will furnish a library of valuable illustrative material supplementary to the text-book and will meet the problem of outside reading. The extracts have been so selected and arranged that those for any given topic are not excessive in number or length. If for any reason, however, it is not possible or advisable to have each pupil own a copy of the book, a good plan would be to have available in the school reference library a considerable number of duplicate copies, which members of the class can study and consult. The teacher will, of course, be thoroughly conversant with the material in the “Readings” and can introduce it as a part of the recitation or discussion. An interesting and important extract read aloud in class is frequently of great value in giving life and meaning to the subject matter. The least desirable way for any teacher to use the “Readings” is that of restricting it to personal use alone, as many teachers are prone to do in connection with source-books and other reference works. In order to fulfil its proper function in education a book should reach both teachers and students and be the basis for discussion in the class room. A well-trained and efficient teacher is always anxious that the members of the class shall have every opportunity for reading and study outside of the text-book. We would, therefore, urge on all teachers of English history the great desirability of introducing into general class use this new and exceedingly valuable collection of source readings.

[“Readings in English History Drawn from the Original Sources,” intended to illustrate “A Short History of England,” by Edward Potts Cheyney, Boston, New York, etc.: Ginn & Co. Pp. xxxvi, 781. $1.60.]

Reports from the Historical Field

WALTER H. CUSHING, Editor.

Associations of History Teachers.

An important result of the increased interest in history teaching produced by the publication of the report of the Committee of Seven was the formation of associations of history teachers. In addition to various local and State groups, three associations, comprising history teachers of different sections of the country, are doing much to raise the standard of teaching in this subject: The North Central History Teachers’ Association, the Association of History Teachers of the Middle States, and the New England History Teachers’ Association. Besides these, there is the Nebraska Association, a branch of the State Teachers’ Association, probably the oldest of the history teachers’ organizations; the Mississippi Association of History Teachers, organized last year as an auxiliary of the Mississippi Historical Society; and the Missouri Society of Teachers of History and Government. In California there is under way a movement to create an association of history teachers, particularly of those engaged in primary and secondary work, and some definite results are expected this fall. In Washington it is proposed to establish a history teachers’ section of the Washington State Teachers’ Association at its next annual session. The Nebraska association, to focus its work more closely, is planning a separate and independent meeting for two days in April.

Of strictly local associations the Boston History Council may be taken as an example. This Council is made up of the heads of departments in the various high schools of Boston, and discusses such questions as changes in text-books, courses of study, fundamental aims and methods. During the past year the question of introducing English history in the first year of the high school has been discussed.

Work of the Associations.

Membership in these associations is almost indispensable to the best work. Not only are the live questions of the classroom discussed, but reports of greater length are presented by special or regular committees; while not the least valuable benefit is that derived from personal association with other workers in the field. The social side of the meeting as found in informal receptions and luncheons is, however, capable of much greater development, especially to the end of reaching the new member.

The three sectional associations have effected an interchange of publications whereby a member of one association receives without additional expense the reports of the other two. Many of the articles and discussions of these associations are of more than local or temporary value. Space does not permit publication of a complete list, but mention should be made of a few: Middle States, 1907, “The Study of History,” Prof. W. M. Sloane; “Methods of Stimulating and Testing the Work of History Students in College,” Prof. Eleanor L. Lord; 1908, “History and Geography,” Rt. Hon. James Bryce; “Correlation of History with Other Subjects,” Sarah C. Brooks and others; North Central Association, 1907, “Influence of the Foreign Population on the Teaching of History and Civics,” Jane Addams and others; “Teaching of American History in Schools and Colleges,” Prof. Edward Channing; “Causes of Immigration During the Period 1830-1850,” Dr. W. V. Pooley; “An Illustration of Research Methods in the Study of English History,” Prof. N. M. Trenholme; 1908, “Results to be Obtained in the College Study of American History,” Prof. W. M. West; “History and Its Neighbors,” Prof. G. L. Burr; “Geography and American History,” Mr. W. H. Campbell and Mr. H. R. Tucker. New England Association, 1907, “The Fall of Rome,” Prof. J. H. Robinson; 1908, “Geography and History,” Prof. G. L. Burr; “Are Modifications in the Report of the Committee of Seven Desirable?” Blanche E. Hazard, chairman.

These associations meet annually in the spring, except the New England, which also meets in October. Information regarding membership, publications, and other details may be obtained from the secretaries: Mr. G. H. Gaston, Wendell Phillips High School, Chicago, Ill. (North Central); Professor Henry Johnson, Columbia University, New York City (Middle States); Mr. W. H. Cushing, South Framingham, Mass. (New England); Mr. H. M. Ivy, Jr., Flora, Miss. (Miss. Association); Professor C. N. Anderson, Kearney, Neb. (President, Nebraska Association).

Recent Meetings.

The eleventh annual meeting of the North Central History Teachers’ Association was held at the Reynolds Club, Chicago, on Friday and Saturday, April 2 And 3, 1909. The Friday afternoon session was opened by Professor Samuel B. Harding, of Indiana University, who read a paper on “Some Concrete Problems in the Teaching of Medieval and Modern History.” The discussion was opened by Professor George C. Sellery, of the University of Wisconsin. In the evening a paper on “The Study of the Present as an Aid in the Interpretation of the Past” was read by Professor Edward A. Ross, of the University of Wisconsin, and discussed by Dean A. W. Small, of the University of Chicago; Professor Paul Shorey, of the University of Chicago, and Dean E. B. Greene, of the University of Illinois. The session of Saturday was devoted to the annual business meeting and to the presentation of the report on the Annual Bibliography and the Report of the Committee of Eight. Professor A. C. McLaughlin, of the University of Chicago, a member of the Committee of Seven, read a paper on “What Changes Should be Made in the Report of the Committee of Seven.”

The April meeting of the New England Association was held in the rooms of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston. The subject for consideration was the “Syllabus for the Study of American Civil Government in Secondary Schools.” A special committee of the association has been at work for several years in the preparation of a syllabus, which will be discussed in the next issue of this magazine.

At the last meeting of the Nebraska History Teachers’ Association a committee was appointed to consider the question of American history in the Grammar grades, with special reference to Nebraska history.

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LEADING HISTORIES OF THE DAY

Robinson--Introduction to the History of Western Europe

By Professor James Harvey Robinson, of Columbia University. In a one volume edition and a two volume edition.

Robinson--Readings in European History

Designed to supplement the “Introduction to the History of Western Europe.” In a two volume edition and an abridged edition.

Robinson and Beard--The Development of Modern Europe

An introduction to the study of current history. By James Harvey Robinson and Charles A. Beard, Adjunct Professor of Politics in Columbia University.

_Volume I._ The Eighteenth Century: The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Period.

_Volume II._ Europe since the Congress of Vienna.

Robinson and Beard--Readings in Modern European History

A collection of extracts from sources chosen with the purpose of illustrating some of the chief phases of the development of Europe during the last two hundred years. In two volumes arranged to accompany those of “The Development of Modern Europe.”

Montgomery’s Histories

Clear, accurate, scholarly--Montgomery’s Histories to-day afford up-to-date courses in history for practically every grade. Their simple, narrative style has made them especially attractive to pupils and teachers.

_Beginner’s American History._

_An Elementary American History._ _Leading facts of American History._

_Student’s American History._

_Leading facts of English History._ _Leading Facts of French History._

Myers’s Histories

Myers’s Histories are to-day, more than ever before, the standard texts for the secondary schools of this country. They are used in more than twice as many schools as any competing books in corresponding subjects.

_Ancient History._ (Revised edition.)

_General History._ In a one volume edition and a two volume edition.

_Mediæval and Modern History._

GINN AND COMPANY have on their list of publications histories for practically every course usually taught from the primary school to the university. Correspondence with the nearest office in regard to any of our books will be given prompt attention.

Ginn and Company, Publishers

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO LONDON ATLANTA DALLAS COLUMBUS SAN FRANCISCO

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A New Book on American History

By PROF. H. W. CALDWELL Of the University of Nebraska

For a number of years we have published Professor Caldwell’s books, “Survey of American History,” “Great American Legislators” and “American Territorial Development,” which were originally issued in the form of leaflets consisting practically of lectures delivered by the author. In the making of the new book we propose to make it as nearly perfect as possible, typographically and mechanically. It has been decided to insert maps, the book being intended for advanced work in high schools and for students taking a special course in American History. It is proposed to divide the book into four chapters as follows: