rs. It is
well to read as much as practicable in class, and to have some sketch
of the outside reading given in class.

Geography must also go hand in hand with history, a point now well
understood. But its importance can hardly be exaggerated and its
practice is of the utmost value. One _must_ use maps to study and read
intelligently.

In American History pursue a similar course, as for example:

At the period of discovery and early settlement, read Irving's
"Columbus," Simms' "Vasconselos" (De Soto's Expedition), and
"Yemassee," John Smith's Life and Writings, Longfellow's "Hiawatha"
and "Miles Standish," Kennedy's "Rob of the Bowl," Strachey's Works,
Mrs. Preston's "Colonial Ballads," &c.

In Revolutionary times, the Revolutionary novels of Simms and Cooper,
Kennedy's "Horse-Shoe Robinson;" the great statesmen of the day, as
Jefferson, Adams, Patrick Henry, Hamilton, Washington; Cooke's
"Fairfax" in which Washington appears as a youthful surveyor, and
"Virginia Comedians" in which Patrick Henry appears, Thackeray's
"Virginians;" and others.

Each teacher will make his own list as his time and command of books
allow. And each State or section of our great country will devote more
time to its own special history and literature; this is right, for
knowledge like charity begins at home, and gradually widens until it
embraces the circle of the universe.

In collecting material for classes in American History to read in
accordance with this plan, it was found easy to get cheap editions of
Irving, Longfellow, Cooper, and other writers of the northern States,
but almost impossible to get those of the southern, in cheap or even
expensive editions. And the present volume has been prepared to supply
in part this deficiency. To fit it to the plan suggested, the dates of
the writers and the period and character of their works have been
indicated, and some selections from them given for reading,--too
little, it is feared, to be of much service, and yet enough to
stimulate to further interest and study.

The materials have been found so abundant, even so much more abundant
than I suspected when undertaking the work, that it has been a hard
task to make a selection from the rich masses of interesting writing.
I fear that the work is too fragmentary and contains too many writers
to make a lasting impression in a historical point of view.

If, however, it leads to a sympathetic study of Southern life and
literature, and esp