Book Description

Excerpt from The Fifth Reader Perhaps the most important book that falls into the hands of a child is his School Reader. Its manifold themes tend to open various channels of thought; its style of expression impresses itself upon the pupils mind, and has an influence to mould his forms of speech and writing; the compositions themselves are stored in his memory to recur a thousand times in after life, - the more dear for being associated with the cherished scenes of childhood; and, most of all, the sentiments inculcated become inevitably a part of his moral consciousness. His rules of life, his springs of action in times which test his integrity or try his virtue, are in very many instances traceable to the seed which took root in his heart from the lessons in his School Reader. But these or any other desirable ends to be derived from such a book imply, of course, that its selections shall be of the right stamp. Not alone must they inculcate wholesome truths, but they must do this in a genial, attractive way. We must interest the pupil in order to benefit him. A pitiful martyrdom is endured by teachers and scholars where weary hours are spent in endeavoring to make children comprehend abstractions fit only for the mind of a Bacon, or to urge them through intricacies of style which might bewilder a Johnson. If "wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness," as we surely believe, that cannot be the wisest course which proves irksome and repulsive. With these convictions, the endeavor has been made to compile a book which should, first of all, be pure and ennobling in its moral influence; and next, one which should be both profitable and enjoyable. An elaborate theoretical treatise, with set rules for reading, might have been included in the Introduction, but long experience and observation have convinced the compiler that such things are of little practical value in the school-room, and are generally unused by the most successful teachers. No number of abstract definitions, no amount of mere theory, ever changed a poor reader to a good one. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.