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ELEMENTS OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
A Text-Book for Use in Public Schools, High Schools and Normal Schools
and a Manual of Reference for Teachers
by
ALEX. L. PETERMAN
Late Principal and Professor of Civil Government in the Normal School
of the Kentucky State College, and Member of the Kentucky State Senate
New York Cincinnati Chicago
American Book Company
Revised to 1916.
DEDICATION.
To the thousands of devoted Teachers in every part of the land, who are
training the boys and girls of to-day to a true conception of American
citizenship, and to a deeper love for our whole country, this little
book is dedicated by a Brother in the work.
PREFACE.
This text-book begins "at home." The starting-point is the family, the
first form of government with which the child comes in contact. As his
acquaintance with rightful authority increases, the school, the civil
district, the township, the county, the State, and the United States
are taken up in their order.
The book is especially intended for use in the public schools. The
plan is the simplest yet devised, and is, therefore, well adapted to
public school purposes. It has been used by the author for many years,
in public schools, normal schools, and teachers' institutes. It
carefully and logically follows the much praised and much neglected
synthetic method. All students of the science of teaching agree that
beginners in the study of government should commence with the known,
and gradually proceed to the unknown. Yet it is believed this is the
first textbook that closely follows this method of treating the subject.
The constant aim has been to present the subject in a simple and
attractive way, in accordance with sound principles of teaching--that
children may grow into such a knowledge of their government that the
welfare of the country may "come home to the business and bosoms" of
the people.
The recent increase of interest among the people upon the subject of
government is a hopeful sign. It will lead to a better knowledge of
our political institutions, and hence give us better citizens. Good
citizenship is impossible unless the people understand the government
under which they live.
It is certainly strange that every State in the Union maintains a
system of public schools for the purpose of training citizens, and that
the course of study in so many States omits civil government, the
science of citizenship.
The author's special thanks are due Hon. Joseph Desha Pickett, Ph.D.,
Superintendent of Public Instruction of Kentucky, for the suggestion
which led to the preparation of the work and for excellent thoughts
upon the plan. The author also desires to confess his obligation to
President James K. Patterson, Ph.D., and Professor R. N. Roark, A.M.,
of the Kentucky State College, Lexington, for valuable suggestions as
to the method of treatment and the scope of the book.
The author has derived much assistance from the many admirable works
upon the same subject, now before the country. But he has not
hesitated to adopt a treatment different from theirs when it has been
deemed advisable. He submits his work to a discriminating public, with
the hope that he has not labored in vain in a field in which so many
have wrought.
ALEX. L. PETERMAN.
A FEW WORDS TO TEACHERS.
1. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY.--Every school should teach, and every child
should study, the principles of our government, in order:
1. That by knowing his country better he may learn to love it more.
The first duty of the school is to teach its pupils to love "God, home,
and native land."
2. That the child may learn that there is such a thing as just
authority; that obedience to it is right and manly; that we must learn
to govern by first learning to obey.
3. That he may know his rights as a citizen, and, "knowing, dare
maintain;" that he may also know his _duties_ as a citizen, and,
knowing, may perform them intelligently and honestly.
4. That he may understand the sacredness of the right of suffrage, and
aid in securing honest elections and honest discharge of official
duties.
5. That he may better understand the history of his country, for the
history of the United States is largely the history of our political
institutions.
2. ORAL INSTRUCTION.--There is no child in your school too young to
learn something of geography, of history, and of civil government.
These three subjects are so closely related that it is easier and
better to teach them together. All pupils not prepared for the
text-book should, at least on alternate days, be instructed by the
teacher in a series of familiar talks, beginning with "The Family," and
proceeding slowly to "The School," "The Civil District or Township,"
"The County," "The State," and "The United States." In this system of
oral instruction, which is the best possible preparation for the formal
study of civil government, the plan and outlines of this book may be
used by the teacher with both profit and pleasure.
3. PROPER AGE FOR STUDY OF THE TEXT-BOOK.--The plan and the style of
this book are so simple that the subject will be readily understood by
pupils reading in the "Fourth Reader." Even in our ungraded country
schools the average pupil of twelve years is well prepared to begin the
study of the text-book in civil government. It is a serious mistake to
postpone this much neglected subject until a later age. Let it be
introduced early, that the child's knowledge of his government may
"grow with his growth, and strengthen with his strength."
4. TWO PARTS.--It will be observed that the book is divided into two
parts: the former treating the subject concretely, the latter treating
it abstractly.
Beginners should deal with things, not theories; hence, the abstract
treatment of civil government is deferred until the pupil's mind is
able to grasp it.
For the same reason, definitions in the first part of the book are few
and simple, the design of the author being to illustrate rather than to
define; to lead the child to see, rather than to burden his mind with
fine-spun statements that serve only to confuse. In an elaborate work
for advanced students the method of treatment would, of course, be
quite different.
5. TOPICAL METHOD.--The subject of each paragraph is printed in
bold-faced type, thus specially adapting the book to the topical method
of recitation. This feature also serves as a guide to the pupil in the
preparation of his lesson.
6. SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.--In deference to the best professional
thought, the author has omitted all questions upon the text, knowing
that every live teacher prefers to frame his own questions. The space
usually allotted to questions upon the text is devoted to suggestive
questions, intended to lead the pupil to think and to investigate for
himself.
The author sincerely hopes that the teacher will not permit the pupil
to memorize the language of the book, but encourage him to express the
thought in his own words.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE FAMILY.
Introductory; Definition; Purposes; Members; Rights; Duties; Officers;
Powers; Duties; Responsibility; Suggestive Questions