The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-10-23

Linen, emo, 2SS pages. Illustrated. Price 60
cents. American Book Company New York
Cincinnati and Chicago. Recognizing that child
rem are more easily interested in the sayings and
doings Of people than in the bare facts Of dynastic
and military history, the author has skillfulIy
grouped around the famous characters Of classical
history the great events with which their names
will forever stand connected.
Curtsss Semi-Vertical Copy Books, A new
system Of Freehan1 Writing. ByC c. Curtlss
late principal of the Curtiss Commercial College,
of Minneapolis and ST.. Paul. Six books. Price
per dozen,- 96 cents. American Book Comp
any, New York. Cincinnati, and Chicago
These new copy-books will certainly commend
themselves to the great body Of teachers who have
been seeking " golden mean " between the YER
:"al and common systems of writing
Stories from the Arabian Nights selected and
edited by III. Clarke. Linen, limo. 27l pages
illustrated. Price, 60 cents. American Book
Company, New York, Cine l1nati and Chicago
What has long been needed-a selection of the
most interesting and instructive of these stories
carefully made and edited by a competent authori
ty,-is furnished in this book. The best of the
stories from the Arabian Nights are here retold
with such skill as to preserve all their originaI
charm and attractveness while adapting them in
form and expression for school use or for home
reading. The book itself is we'll printed, attract
1vely bound, and illustrated.
The Atlantic Monthly for September resents
table OF contents which is striking combination
OF important literary, scientific, and sociological
discussion. The opening article is by Theodore
Roosevelt upon Municipal Administration: the
New York Police Force. Henry Childs Merwin
contributes paper on The American Notion OF
, Equality He makes well-dlrected effort to
determine to what extent the American ideal OF
equality has been realized. He shows the essen>
tlal differences in American life between the aris-
toc1atic and the democratic ideals, and gives
MANY fresh illustrations Of latterday social ten
denotes. ..,".'
fragment. OF Roman Satire. Selected and NJ
ranged by Elmer T. Merrill Cloth. 12no. IT'S
pages. Price Is cents American Book Company.
New York. Cincinnati and Chicago This work
consists ofexamples Of fragments of Roman Sa-
tire of special interest and classic teachers and
scholars. The selections are from Ennius, Luz
clius Varro, PctroHius, Seneca, and Apuleius,
authors less known and read than Horace, Pers,uk
and Juvenal IN his interesting field Of study simp
y because their writings not easily accessible
Die Journalisten. A comedy in Four Acts BY
Gustav Freytag. Edited:for school use, by j
Norton johnson, Ph. D. Boards. 12mo, III pages
Price, Is cents American Book Company, New
York, Cincinnati and Chicago. The famous play
OF Freytag's is regarded by the Germans as the
est representative Of their nineteenth century
comedy Its humor and character drawing arc
admirable. The mastery of the German language
displayed in it shows the true literary artist while
its colloquial character particularly lapts it for
use by classes studying German
The Conversation Method for Speaking. Road
ing and Writing Preach by Edmond Gastuc,u
A. NJ: American Book COMPANY, New York
cincinnati. Chicago. How MANY peop]e oft.,
years OF study in ordinary text books discover m
gong abroad or meeting foreigners in this coun,r,
tnat they can neither speak nor understand :,
word OF the language studied. This proves III =,
there ls something radically wrong in the metbod.
uced' Children and adults Of ordinary canac;,v
When thrown among foreigners ACQUIRE in fov
weeks practical ability to express themsef and
10 understand others. Yet these same chi,dron
and adults, when taught by prevailing methods
Will spend years Of arduous labor in The s,udv ,f .
language, only to find in the vast majority y,
cases, that they are unable to say the simnles,
things or to understand the sjmplest onestiors i,
II. The reason for this is that they have not fol.
lowed the way of nature. The cd method, at
tempt too much. They attempt to familiarize the
pupil with an immense stock Of useless words. y
vocabulary far larger than the greatest writer's
could or would have used in the ordinary walks ~
life The number of words necessary for the ex-
preston OF our general thoughts is placed nv
phiologists at less than 1000, and of these there
are from 200 to 700 words in every language sort
OF which occur in every colloquial sentence. In
tue case of child surrounded by those who CON-.
stantly speak to or before it, the ear is incessant
ly struck with the sounds not of single vo-ds |
put OF complete sentences. Some of these fnal,v
impress themselves on the memory and ACCORDING |
to need or impulse the child attempts to use me
or the other At first it is in a crippled sort q,
way. but the perfect form is aimed at. Sc with |
greater perfection with each effort at last the |
difficult idiom is used with ease and accuracy |
In this manner a collection of sentences is gather
ed. Thus do we insensibly yet quickly find onr
selves masters OF spoken tongue This is the
plan OF the Conversation Method which ia do
stned to work a revolution in the teaching of the
French language.