Copyright, 1926, by PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PROPRS., PHILADELPHIA P-10-27 8-13-42 GS 8-10-472 FOREWORD To meet the need of systematic training in citizenship, to help our junior citizens lead better that community life which they must lead anyway, a new grouping of school study and activity has been evolved under the somewhat misleading title of "community civics." This recent arrival in our school curriculum marks a welcome departure from the traditional "civil government," for its goal is doing and not simply knowing. It maintains that information is valuable in matters that pertain to civic affairs only in so far as it incites to active good citizenship. Knowing, feeling, doing— this is an old-time trinity that is often lost sight of in actual school teaching and administration. OUR COMMUNITY LIFE addresses itself particularly to this end. Hence the suggestions for committee and class activities, and the reference lists for readings, reports, and class discussions. These lists are made somewhat extensive so that every school may find itself possessed of several of the books named. Moreover, certain books are used repeatedly so that they shall become old friends to the boys and girls. Any school can soon equip itself with these few books. Once they are in use, they will be regarded as an irreducible minimum. OUR COMMUNITY LIFE is essentially a book for junior high-school grades, whatever the school organization that may be in effect. The authors believe that it will help the pupils to develop their civic consciousness, just as texts in general science and general mathematics are helping them to explore in those fields of human interest. Moreover, at a time when the "gang spirit" is beginning to exert so powerful an influence, the school owes it to these young citizens to help them lead the group life intelligently, actively, efficiently. And the best way to learn to do a thing is to do it, under careful direction and guidance and with the way plainly charted in advance. It is with the hope that this textbook will prove an acceptable chart and compass that it is sent out to find its friends among the teachers of the social studies. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Miss Alice M. Westcott, Teacher of Vocational Civics in the Hatch Junior High School, Camden, New Jersey, read the manuscript and made many valuable suggestions as to content. She, among other teachers, used the manuscript in her classes. Mr. A. O. Roorbach, Teacher of the Social Studies in the Technical High School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Mr. William G. Kimmel, of the University of Chicago High School, read the manuscript and made helpful comments. Mr. Roorbach also furnished much of the activity and reading reference material. Miss Margaret McDowall has given painstaking care to the manuscript and the proof. |