better to teach them together. All pupils not prepared for the
text-book should, at least on alternate days, be instructed by the
teacher in a series of familiar talks, beginning with "The Family," and
proceeding slowly to "The School," "The Civil District or Township,"
"The County," "The State," and "The United States." In this system of
oral instruction, which is the best possible preparation for the formal
study of civil government, the plan and outlines of this book may be
used by the teacher with both profit and pleasure.

3. PROPER AGE FOR STUDY OF THE TEXT-BOOK.--The plan and the style of
this book are so simple that the subject will be readily understood by
pupils reading in the "Fourth Reader." Even in our ungraded country
schools the average pupil of twelve years is well prepared to begin the
study of the text-book in civil government. It is a serious mistake to
postpone this much neglected subject until a later age. Let it be
introduced early, that the child's knowledge of his government may
"grow with his growth, and strengthen with his strength."

4. TWO PARTS.--It will be observed that the book is divided into two
parts: the former treating the subject concretely, the latter treating
it abstractly.

Beginners should deal with things, not theories; hence, the abstract
treatment of civil government is deferred until the pupil's mind is
able to grasp it.

For the same reason, definitions in the first part of the book are few
and simple, the design of the author being to illustrate rather than to
define; to lead the child to see, rather than to burden his mind with
fine-spun statements that serve only to confuse. In an elaborate work