Thk Teachin"; of Histohy in Schools. l>97 



learning the outlines and the chronology in this way. It should be 

 accompanied by a series of lessons and the piepaiation of an easy text- 

 book. 



How long a period should be coveied at school / More especially 

 in the early period of school instruction ? Should we do part or all 

 of English history! Should we do ino)-e than English history!* This 

 is a controversial question : I only give my own opinion. First, tlie 

 properly taught pupil will not be content until he has some sort of an 

 acquaintance with the whole stor}^ from pre-dynastic Egvpt to the 

 present day. But that is only to be completed long aftei- he has left 

 .school. I disbelieve in the teaching of universal history at school. It 

 can only be done so sketchily as to deprive it of interest for any but 

 much more mature persons than school-boys. And, further, the great 

 spaces and the long ages of time are desperately hard to imagine even 

 for the mature historian. It is only after considerable philosophical 

 reflection that it is possible to form any conception of Western ci\ili- 

 sation as a whole. Theiefoi-e I believe that we ought to confine school 

 history in its first stage to British history from Ecgberht to, say, forty 

 years ago. Some other period ought to be taught later for comparison 

 — Rome 133 b.c. to 81 a.d., or for the last three centuries B.C., or 

 Greece to the end of the fourth century. These are the traditional 

 periods for classical schools, but even for those who do not read the 

 classics they are not amiss, they are so much simpler than France from 

 Louis XIII to 1848, or any other modern period as interesting. 



Between the ages of ten and fourteen, then, let us suggest outlines, 

 dates and principal events of British history from 800-1870. Between 

 fourteen and seventeen another period (perhaps of ancient history) 

 could be tauglit in the same way, and the English history should 

 receive a fresh treatment. 



The object of the later treatment of history in schools should be 

 to accustom the pupil's mind to ideas and elements which are less 

 individually pei'sonal. They are sometimes called abstract, but to 

 my mind they are more truly concrete, in that they concern wider 

 spheres of reality, than the " simple separate person." To do this the 

 period must be limited. The connecting link is perhaps to be found 

 in great wars and great families — for the war is more than the general 

 and the victory, and the great family is more than its greatest repre- 

 sentative. Beginning from these, the teacher should develop a con- 

 ception of leading tendencies and their more striking complications. 

 Take, for example, the period 1G40-1714 : it is quite big enough. 

 You have stiiking personalities whose lives might be studied first — 

 Charles I, Prince Rupert, Milton and Cromwell ; Charles II, Hvfle, 

 Shaftesbury, Danby ; James II, Monmouth, Jeffries ; William of 



* This i)aiier lias more reference to English schools than to those of South 

 Africa, of which I have had no innnediate experience. Those ac({uainted 

 with them will 1)e bettei' ahle than I am to make the necessary modifica- 

 tions.— A. R. L. 



