An Elementary Textbook BY WILLIAM BACKUS GUITTEAU, PH.D. Author of Government and Politics in the United States B JAN 5-1918 LIBRARY B. Na A COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY WILLIAM BACKUS GUITTEAU ALL RIGHTS RESERVED First Printing, April, 1913 Revised and Reprinted, June, 1913 Revised and Reprinted, November, 1913. TO THE TEACHERS IN OUR SCHOOLS ON WHOM CHIEFLY DEVOLVES THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF PREPARING FOR CITIZENSHIP THE YOUTH OF OUR LAND SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS At the close of each chapter in the text, the teacher will find questions and topics for further study and investigation. The more simple investigations only should be undertaken in classes composed of the younger pupils. Care should be exercised, also, in selecting only questions of especial interest to the particular community; for example, rural schools will naturally omit many questions pertaining to urban conditions, and vice versa. As a rule, it will be best to assign one question to each pupil, or to a group of pupils, to be reported on at a future date. The teacher should suggest sources of information for pupils to make use of in their investigations. Often the parents, or older brothers and sisters, can give the necessary help; or, again, it may be advisable to consult local officials for information concerning their work. Members of the class should be encouraged to visit township, county, and municipal offices; and local officials should be invited to come before the class and describe the business of their departments. Added interest may be secured by organizing the class into a town meeting, or as a city council, State legislature, or branch of Congress. A bulletin board in the classroom for newspaper clippings pertaining to governmental affairs will prove interesting and helpful. |