THE

LINCOLN READERS

Third Reader

Fourth Reader

Fifth Reader

Sixth Reader

Book Seven

Book Eight

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COPYRIGHT, 1925
BY LAUREL BOOK COMPANY
All Rights Reserved

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following publishers
for permission to use selections from their copyrighted material:
The Nature Study Review; Everygirl's Magazine; American
Red Cross; Houghton, Mifflin Company; Silver, Burdett
Company; F. A. Owen Publishing Company; The Southern
Publishing Company; Cleveland Museum of Natural History;
Collier's, The National Weekly; Boys' Life, The Boy Scouts'
Magazine; The Boston Cooking School Magazine Company;
The Mentor; The Sprague Publishing Company; David C.
Cook Company; The Century Company; The American Boy;
Charities Publication Committee; and to The Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C. for various
selections from "Lessons In Community and National Life."

Special acknowledgment and thanks are due Professor S. A.
Leonard of the University of Wisconsin and J. A. Harley of the
Laurel Book Company for helpful criticisms, and to various
teachers who have kindly tried out and tested the material.

INTRODUCTION

Local Contacts With Life. Within the memory of our grandfathers, books were few and those available were written for adults. The Bible, Pilgrims' Progress and one or two other books of a religious character constituted the entire library in many homes.

As a people, we were ignorant of the world about us. The fortunate few who had means could travel and, in this way, gain first-hand information of the land they lived in and of other lands. For the great majority of people, however, this firsthand experience was not possible and their contacts with life were largely local and provincial in character.

Multiplicity of Modern Contacts. Modern life has been accompanied by a wealth of good books, as well as much reading material that is valueless. Through the reading of well selected books, the range of one's observation and his understanding of human relationships is greatly widened. Contacts with life cease to be local. Stories of travel, geography, history, transportation, industry, invention, biography, etc., enable him to observe the world about him, to travel in imagination to lands he may never see, to acquaint himself with the experiences, struggles, traditions, and aspirations of preceding generations and of people of other lands, and to satisfy a natural human curiosity about the world he lives in, impossible of realization through direct observation and actual participation.

Requisite Habits and Skills. This is not possible, however, unless the person has acquired not only requisite fundamental habits and skills in reading, but also has been trained to use books effectively. This touches the whole problem of teaching a pupil how to study-the development of the ability to discover problems through his reading, to select data bearing upon problems under discussion, to use reference books, to evaluate data, to compare and organize data, and to arrive at valid and verifiable conclusions. He must not only comprehend what he reads, but must also interpret the thought of the author by reading between the lines.

Much of our reading is carried on as a leisure occupation. No dominant purpose or motive drives us on. We read for the genuine enjoyment given us by these vicarious experiences with

life. Nevertheless, our tastes and permanent interests are determined by our ability to read with understanding and to make use of what we read, fully as much as by our reading experiences. One cannot experience complete enjoyment in the ownership of a car unless he has learned to drive it skillfully. The Lincoln Readers Present Laboratory Materials. It is not their purpose to give complete accounts of human experience in the various fields. Illustrative material only is given. A cross section of modern life with its necessary background is presented in a series of projects acquainting the pupil with School Life of the Past, The Lands We Come From, Colonial Life, Community Life, Industrial Life, Nature and Science, Transportation, etc.

Attention is called to the fact that the pupil is presented with a wide sampling of materials of literary merit touching many fields of human experience. The fields in which his interests are aroused may be explored further by securing and reading the books listed under "Additional Readings." Several hundred worth while books are suggested under this heading. If possible, they should be available in the school library. Pupils should receive definite training in the use of these books. Page references have not been given because children should be taught to use the index and table of contents of a reference book when in search of data bearing upon a problem, or when in search of additional material relating to a subject in which they are interested.

The Lincoln Readers Provide Definite Training in the Art of Study. In the "Helps to Study" given at the close of each selection, pupils are taught how to select and organize data; questions are asked requiring them to evaluate and to judge the validity of statements made; and thought questions are asked which require them to use facts in new situations. They are asked to choose, to compare, to contrast, to summarize, to conclude. Tabulations, outlines, the interpretation of graphic material, and the naming of paragraphs and selections are featured. Briefly stated, pupils are trained to study illustrative reading material, to interpret and appreciate good literature, and they are provided with a wealth of additional selections to assist in the establishment of permanent reading interests.

Motivated, Purposeful Reading. Pupils should be trained to go to books with problems in mind. The Lincoln Readers provide this motivation by giving a setting for each selection in