THE EUROPEAN ANARCHY. By G. Lowes Dickinson. Cloth, 144 pages. Price $1.00. The Macmillan Company, Publishers. A small book of nineteen short chapters, but unquestionably one of the most searching and scholarly books written on the European War. A powerful analysis of the conditions that led to the war, and a most cogent plea for a League to Enforce Peace. Probably the most impartial book yet written on the present war. J. M. G. LISTENING LESSONS IN MUSIC. By Agnes Moore Fryberger, Assistant Supervisor of Public School Music, Minneapolis, Minn. With an Introduction by Osbourne McConathy, Director of Public School and Community Music, Professor of Methods and Theoretical Music, Northwestern University. 276 pages. Price $1.25. Silver, Burdett & Co. If the phonograph in the schools is employed for entertainment or for marching and gymnastic exercises, then it may be questioned if its value is commensurate with its cost and use. But if it is used to cultivate a fine sense of music, for its appreciation, understanding and esthetic qualities, then it becomes one of the most valuable adjuncts in the training of the sensibilities of the pupil. By reason of a lack of a systematic course of study, the subject of music appreciation has largely resulted in little more than mere entertainment, involving no intelligent listening. To correct this lack and to place at the disposal of every teacher an abundance of material for each grade with practical suggestions for its presentation, this book has been prepared. It shows how, in connection with the phonograph, to develop a "listening habit," and, through concentration and later discrimination, to lead the child to become a lover and an intelligent critic of music. Every lesson in the book has been used in the author's own school work, and so vividly is each portrayed that the reader has a definite impression of actually being in the classroom while the lesson is in progress. The material is classified according to the three psychological stages of child development the Sensory, the Associative, and the Adolescent Period. Under each period, and this according to grades, there is a full discussion of the kinds of compositions to be used, psychology upon which such compositions are graded, and method of presenting each selection. Suggestions are given for correlating music appreciation and the language lesson, geopraphy, history, etc., and concerning the choice of records and system of recording lessons. In fine, the author has omitted nothing that will aid the grade teacher in developing and fixing the listening habit. Every teacher possessing a phonograph must have this book. M. T. P. LECTURAS FACILES. CON EJERCICIOS. By Lawrence A. Wilkins, Head of the Department of Spanish, DeWitt Clinton High School, New York City, and Max A. Luria, Instructor in Spanish, DeWitt Clinton High School, New York City. 276 pages. Illustrated. Price $1.00. Silver, Burdett & Co. "Easy Readings," as the title indicates, is intended to provide students, directly they have mastered the essentials of Spanish, with reading material which shall be expressed in simple, everyday idiomatic Spanish, interesting in content and genuinely Spanish in character, and emphasized by exercises and drills conducive to the "direct method" of teaching. The authors express the wish that the book be used in the second half-year in high schools or after the first quarter year in college work. The editors have wisely rejected selections from classic Spanish novelists and short story writers, as such writings can be understood and appreciated only after considerable training in the fundamentals of Spanish; neither do they provide the student with a working vocabulary of the more common and practical terms. What have been given are simple fables and folk tales, descriptive articles upon South American countries, easy poems, and exercises planned with a view to using the Spanish language exclusively during the lesson period. The type used is large and clear, much heavy-faced type is used and nearly fifty full-page half tones enrich the book. The times are ripe for the book; the book exactly meets the needs of the times. M. T. P. THE PRINCIPLES OF PLANT CULTURE. A text for beginners in Agriculture and Horticulture. By the late E. S. Goff, Revised by J. G. Moore and L. R. Jones of the University of Wisconsin. The Macmillan Company. The Rural Text Book series to which this volume belongs, is well known throughout the educational world. This book itself passes into the eighth edition with the present printing. This fact,-together with the reputation of the author and the revisers and the editor of the series, makes a sufficient guarantee of its practicability and value. It is intended especially for those who have had little or no instruction in botany. It is undoubtedly the best text-book on the subject now in use in schools and colleges of agriculture. F. H. P. AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. By Carl Russell Fish, Professor of History in the University of Wisconsin. Second Edition, Revised. Henry Holt and Company. This volume is not only a splendid manual for the classroom,-it should find wide acceptance in business and newspaper offices and in the libraries both public and private that make any pretense to keeping abreast of the times. Just now American diplomacy is a "hot" topic. It is very important that the public should be seriously trained to intelligent and correct thinking upon national topics. There should be unity in public opinion on important policies and the President and his advisors should be able to count upon a practically unanimous or at least very pronounced support in the positions taken. This volume will greatly aid the reader in forming correct opinions upon such subjects as Neutrality, the Monroe Doctrine, Expansion, Imperialism, Arbitration and countless other topics. F. H. P. FORTHCOMING BOOKS. Ashley: The New Civics. A textbook in citizenship whose point of view is social and whose problems are those of the home, the neighborhood, and the nation. The major divisions of the text are: The Citizen and Society; Government and the Citizen; Some Public Activities. Ely and Wicker: Elementary Principles of Economics. A revision of this popular text which introduces developments in the field of economic and social legislation. Herrick History of Commerce and Industry. A world history in which the influence of commercial enterprise and industrial development are given especial prominence. The text is excellently made for class use and numerous well-chosen references are provided for outside reading. Leavitt and Brown: Elementary Social Science. A text for immature students which in very direct style discusses such social, economic and civic problems as citizens of the next generation will need to solve. Towne: Social Problems. A vigorous presentation of many modern problems, written for high school pupils in a sane and constructive fashion. THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 64-66 Fifth Avenue, NEW YORK CITY SAN FRANCISCO BOSTON DALLAS ATLANTA Devoted to the Science, Art, Philosophy and Literature VOL. XXXVII. of Education FEBRUARY, 1917 The Future of the Public Schools PROFESSOR J. B. JOHNSTON, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, W No. 6 HEN public schools were first established in this country, the youth who were to be prepared for the pulpit and the bar were living on farms or in villages where almost every boy and girl was engaged in home industries. To these youths the opportunity for book-learning opened the way to something beyond the vocations of their parents. A great change has come about in the social and economic conditions without a corresponding change in the schools. Manufacturing has been transferred from the home and small local shop to the factory. To bring the raw materials to the factory and the finished products to the consumer, a large part of our population is now engaged in transportation and in buying and selling. Cities and towns have grown up about factories and commercial centers, and these include a large and ever-increasing portion of our population. In these new conditions the middleman often does not even see the goods which he buys and sells; the truckman, the freight handler, the railway employee never handle goods but only containers; the families of the lawyer, banker, real estate dealer, insurance agent, minister, physician, dentist, teacher, and so on, have only an indirect relation to economic processes. In all these cases there is no home industry, and the boy or girl may never come into contact with any productive work. Only in agriculture-and the sweatshops |