(_a_) To create and foster a liking for historical study. It is
impossible, in the public school life of a child, which is usually ended
at the age of twelve to fourteen years, to accomplish all that has been
indicated above concerning the aims of history teaching. The most that
can be done is to lay the foundation and give the pupil a desire to
continue his reading after his school days are over. Serious blame rests
on the teacher whose methods of teaching history, instead of attracting
the child to the subject, give him a distaste for it. If history is made
real and living to children, it is usually not difficult to have them
like it. (For suggestions, see p. 34.)

(_b_) To acquaint the pupils with some of the important historical
persons. We wish to take advantage of the fact that "the primitive form
of attention which is captured at once by objects that strike the senses
is giving place in some degree to appreciative attention, which is
yielded to things that connect themselves with what we already know, and
which implies ability to adopt the reflective attitude towards a
proposed problem."[A] Now children are more interested in people than in
institutions or events; and, if we can give them a knowledge of some of
the striking incidents in the lives of important characters in history,
we may expect them to be more interested in the study of history at a
later period, because they will frequently meet with these familiar
names. The emphasis at this stage is therefore on biography.

[Footnote A: Raymont: _Principles of Education_]

(_c_) To help the development of the "historical sense." The "historical
sense" includes the notion of time, the notion of a social unit and,
according to some, the notion of cause and effect. The notion of time
implies the power "to represent the past as if it were present"--that