PREFACE THE purpose of this text-book is not only to present interesting and instructive accounts of our American history and of our political institutions, but also to introduce the students of evening schools to some of the fundamental principles of our social and business conditions. The maturity of such students in years and in experience necessitates a presentation of American affairs decidedly different from that in ordinary day-school text-books. An experience of many years in several cities in teaching this important subject in evening classes has led me to prepare a text that is somewhat unlike any other both in its nature and in the range of its topics. I have intended to deal with matters that the eveningschool student desires and needs to know. The especial value of American history and civil government in evening schools is due to two facts: that many of the students are foreign-born or children of the foreign-born, anxious to know the story of our country; and that some of them are already voters, while all of the boys will soon be voters, who ought to know at least as much as these pages contain. Of these students, very few have attended day school long enough to reach courses in American history. I have known many cases where foreigners entered city evening schools within a day or two of their arrival. The manuscript has been read critically by several friends who by experience and education were peculiarly fitted to judge it in both plan and details. W. E. C. |