reasonable questions. The teacher has his opportunity in supplying such
important facts as the students fail to find.

Until the student may reasonably be expected to know the books of the
library having to do with his subject, the teacher in giving out an
advance lesson should mention by author and title the books most helpful
in the preparation of assigned questions; otherwise the student in a
perfectly sincere effort to do the work assigned may spend an hour in
search of the proper book.

It may be urged that this search is a valuable experience, but it is
obviously too costly. As the year advances and the pupil learns more and
more about the uses of books and methods of investigation increasingly
less specific instruction as to sources should be given by the teacher.
Early in the year, with four lessons to prepare daily, the pupil cannot
afford an hour simply to search for a book. He needs that hour for
preparation of other work, and if by some fortunate conjunction of
circumstances his other work is not sufficiently exacting to require it,
he cannot hope to appear in history class with a well-prepared lesson
if an hour of his time has been spent in simply looking for a book.

It is frequently worth while to spend a few minutes of the recitation in
characterizing the epoch in which the events of the lesson take place or
in listening to a brief character sketch of the men contributing to
these events. Care should of course be taken that biography does not
usurp the place of history, but it materially adds to the interest of
the recitation if the kings, generals, and statesmen cease to be merely
historical characters and become human beings.