mTKODUCTIO:^' TO THE HOME EEADING 

 BOOK SEKIES BY THE EDITOR 



The new education takes two important direc- 

 tions — one of these is toward original observation, 

 requiring the pupil to test and verify what is taught 

 him at school by his own experiments. The infor- 

 mation that he learns from books or hears from his 

 teacher's lips must be assimilated by incorporating it 

 with his own experience. 



The other direction pointed out by the new edu- 

 cation is systematic home reading. It forms a part of 

 school extension of all kinds. The so-called " Univer- 

 sity Extension " that originated at Cambridge and Ox- 

 ford has as its chief feature the aid of home reading by 

 lectures and round-table discussions, led or conducted 

 by experts who also lay out the course of reading. 

 The Chautauquan movement in this country prescribes 

 a series of excellent books and furnishes for a goodly 

 number of its readers annual courses of lectures. The 

 teachers' reading circles that exist in many States pre- 

 scribe the books to be read, and publish some analysis, 

 commentary, or catechism to aid the members. 



Home reading, it seems, furnishes the essential 

 basis of this great movement to extend education 



vii 



