JOURNEYS THROUGH BOOKLAND IN ITS RELATION TO THE SCHOOL--(Continued)
_Geography and History_
The connection between geography and history on the one hand and
literature on the other is most intimate. In the first place nearly all
our knowledge of history must come through reading, and while we learn
our geography most accurately through travel and observation, but a
small part of our information comes through those channels. We read
incessantly of our own country and others, we fill our minds with
visions of plants, animals and the peoples of foreign lands from the
facts we gather from the papers, magazines and books. If most of our
facts come through reading it is no less true that most of our real
interest in geography and history comes not from the facts of our
text-books but from the literature we have read, the literature that
clothed those facts and made them real and living. Ask yourselves what
gave you your first real interest in the history of Scotland and see if
your answer is not, "The novels of Scott." Again, where did you get your
first adequate ideas of chivalry and the feudal system if it was not
from _Ivanhoe_ or some similar piece of literature? What makes the
Crimean War a household word in the homes of two continents if it is not
the deeds of Florence Nightingale and Tennyson's _Charge of the Light
Brigade_? Who can tell most of the Battle of Waterloo, he who has read
the facts of history or he who has read Byron's thrilling poem and the
description by Victor Hugo? Who knows the English home as it was? He who
reads Goldsmith's _Deserted Village_.
[Illustration: OLIVER GOLDSMITH
MATTHEW ARNOLD
JOHN RUSKIN
THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY
JOHN BUNYAN
THOMAS DE QUINCEY
CHARLES LAMB]
It is in furnishing those literary masterpieces that give life to
geography and inspiration to history that _Journeys Through Bookland_
gives the best of assistance to boys and girls in their school work.
Some of its selections will give facts and many of them, but the facts
form the smaller part of the contribution. History is valuable only as
it enables us to understand the present, thrills us with the
accomplishments of the past and teaches us how to live and act in the
future. No man is so wrapped up in business that he does not heed the
charm of noble deeds and fails to be moved by glorious achievement. Some
histories are literature in themselves and have the inspiring quality we
crave, but most of them are too dry and scientific to afford much
interest to the child. So the greater part of our selections are not
from the books that are called real history but from those which appeal
to the imagination and stir the soul. Geographical teaching is likewise
indirect in _Journeys_ but it is none the less helpful and inspiring. To
prove the truth of these statements we have only to present what the
books contain and show how the selections may be used.
It does not seem wise to separate the two subjects too widely, for they
are closely related and intimately interwoven in almost all reading.
There are, it is true, some masterpieces that may be considered purely
geographical and others that are as entirely historical, but these will
be easily identified. Yet for ease and readiness in locating them we
append a list of nearly one hundred selections and classify them in a
simple manner:
1. Largely geographical.
_a._ Juvenile poems with geographical allusions, or based on
geographical facts:
(1) _The Suns Travels_, Volume I, page 68.
(2) _Singing_, I, 83.
(3) _Foreign Lands_, I, 130.
(4) _At the Seaside_, I, 129.
(5) _Old Gaelic Lullaby_, I, 203.
(6) _Where Go the Boats?_ I, 256.
(7) _Foreign Children_, I, 351.
(8) _Keepsake Mill_, I, 349.
(9) _Windy Nights_, II, 123.
(10) _Picture Books in Winter_, II, 87.
(11) _The Child's World_, II, 66.
_b._ Stories and poems that describe places or people in Europe
and some of their customs and modes of life:
(1) _The Tree_, Volume I, page 301.
(2) _The Snow Maiden_, I, 257.
(3) _The Snow Queen_, II, 124.
(4) _The Skeleton in Armor_, V, 327.
(5) _Rab and His Friends_, VI, 99.
(6) _The Governor and the Notary_, VII, 20.
(7) _Don Quixote_, VII, 431.
(8) _The Alhambra_, VIII, 153.
(9) _Ascent of the Jungfrau_, IX, 1.
(10) _The Cotters Saturday Night_, VIII, 319.
_c._ Fanciful legends with geographical interests:
(1) _Why the Sea Is Salt_, Volume II, page 484.
(2) _Origin of the Opal_, II, 480.
_d._ A Story from Japan.
(1) _The Mirror of Matsuyana_, Volume II, page 36.
_e._ A story of longitude:
(1) _Three Sundays in a Week_, Volume VI, page 453.
_f._ Plants or plant life:
(1) _The Potato_, Volume II, page 467.
(2) _Trees and Ants That Help Each Other_, VII, 306.
(3) _A Bed of Nettles_, VIII, 209.
_g._ Animal life:
(1) _Salmon Fishing_, VII, 285.
(2) _Winter Animals_, VII, 293.
(3) _Trees and Ants That Help Each Other_, VII, 306.
(4) _Owls_, IX, 229.
(5) _Elephant Hunting_, VI, 385.
(6) _Some Clever Monkeys_, VI, 402,
(7) _The Buffalo_, VII, 96.
(8) _A Gorilla Hunt_, VII, 247.
(9) _Brute Neighbors_, VII, 260.
(10) _The Pond in Winter_, VII, 280.
_h._ Natural phenomena:
(1) _The Cloud_, Volume VII, page 257.
2. Indians and their habits. The selections are either historical or
geographical or both.
_a._ _The Arickara Indians._ (A description of the habits
and customs of one of the western tribes.) Volume IV, page
472.
_b._ _Reminiscences of a Pioneer._ (This contains a few
interesting anecdotes of Indians and many incidents of pioneer
life.) Volume V, page 340.
_c._ _Black Hawk Tragedy._ (A very interesting biographical
and historical sketch.) Volume VII, page 58.
_d._ _An Exciting Canoe Race._ (A story of the New York Indians
at an early day.) Volume VII, page 79.
_e._ _David Crockett in the Creek War._ (An interesting account
of southern Indians and their wars.) Volume VIII, page 37.
3. Biography. The selections in this group consist of anecdotal
sketches, brief biographies, extracts from longer works, and a few
poems.
_a._ Authors of the United States and of foreign countries:
(1) _Robert Louis Stevenson_, Volume I, page 128.
(2) _Eugene Field_, I, 242.
(3) _Hans Christian Andersen_, II, 81.
(4) _Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_, IV, 62.
(5) _Alice and Phoebe Cary_, IV, 116.
(6) _Nathaniel Hawthorne_, IV, 180.
(7) _Sir Walter Scott_, VI, 26.
(8) _John Greenleaf Whittier_, VII, 381.
(9) _William Cullen Bryant_, VII, 391.
(10) _Oliver Wendell Holmes_, VII, 398.
(11) _James Russell Lowell_, VII, 411.
(12) _Washington Irving_, VIII, 216.
(13) _Charles and Mary Lamb_, VIII, 328.
_b._ Biblical Characters:
(1) _The Story of Joseph_, Volume I, page 456.
(2) _The Story of Esther_, II, 448.
(3) _David_, IV, 274.
(4) _Ruth_, VI, 143.
_c._ The author of many fables:
(1) _Aesop_, Volume II, page 1.
_d._ English history:
(1) _Alfred the Great_, Volume IV, 260.
(2) _Queen Victoria_, VII, 152.
(3) _Florence Nightingale_, IX, 13.
_e._ American history:
(1) _George Rogers Clark_, Volume VI, page 422.
(2) _David Crockett in the Creek War_, VIII, 37.
(3) _Père Marquette_, VIII, 121.
(4) _Abraham Lincoln_, IX, 324.
_f._ Roman history:
(1) _Julius Cæsar_, Volume IX, page 126.
4. Myths from several sources:
_a._ Grecian and Roman:
(1) _Atalanta's Race_, Volume I, page 386.
(2) _Baucis and Philemon_, I, 431.
(3) _The Golden Touch_, II, 43.
(4) _The Chimera_, II, 173.
(5) _The Story of Phaethon_, II, 206.
(6) _The Queen of the Underworld_, II, 468.
(7) _Cupid and Psyche_, III, 365.
_b._ Northern Europe:
(1) _How the Wolf was Bound_, II, 91.
(2) _The Death of Balder_, II, 99.
(3) _The Punishment of Loki_, II, 111.
(4) _Beowulf and Grendel_, III, 350.
_c._ Miscellaneous:
(1) _Stories of the Creation_, Volume IV, page 159.
5. Legendary heroes. The following selections give vivid ideas of the
great national heroes whose reputed deeds have been an inspiration
to hosts of children in many lands:
_a._ Scandinavian:
(1) _Frithiof the Bold_, Volume III, page 394.
_b._ German:
(1) _The Story of Siegfried_, Volume III, page 410.
_c._ English:
(1) _Robin Hood_, Volume III, page 436.
(2) _King Arthur_, V, 113.
(3) _Balin and Balan_, V, 130.
(4) _Geraint and Enid_, V, 148.
(5) _The Holy Grail_, V, 207.
(6) _Dissensions at King Arthur's Court_, V, 232.
(7) _The Passing of Arthur_, V, 237.
_d._ French:
(1) _Roland at Roncesvalles_, Volume III, page 460.
_e._ Spanish:
(1) _The Cid_, Volume IV, page 9.
_f._ Greek:
(1) _The Death of Hector_, Volume IV, page 364.
(2) _Ulysses_, IV, 398.
_g._ Roman:
(1) _Horatius_, Volume VI, page 1.
6. Historical tales, poems, and selections of different kinds and
varying degrees of difficulty:
_a._ Northern Europe:
(1) _Holger Danske_, Volume II, page 377.
(2) _Make Way for Liberty_, VII, 172.
(3) _Marco Bozzaris_, VIII, 90.
_b._ France and Napoleon:
(1) _Incident of the French Camp_, Volume IV, page 174.
(2) _Battle of Ivry_, VIII, 76.
(3) _Hervé Riel_, VIII, 168.
(4) _The Battle of Waterloo_, VIII, 176.
(5) _The Battle of Cressy_, IX, 161.
_c._ Classic lands:
(1) _The Wooden Horse_, Volume IV, page 383.
(2) _The Battle of Thermopylae_, VIII, 81.
(3) _The Death of Caesar_, IX, 126.
(4) _The Death of Caesar_, IX, 143.
(5) _Julius Caesar_, IX, 155.
_d._ British Isles:
(1) _Chevy Chase_, Volume IV, page 312.
(2) _The Ballad of Agincourt_, V, 95.
(3) _Some Children's Books of the Past_, V, 101.
(4) _The Rise of Robert Bruce_, V, 278.
(5) _Bruce and the Spider_, V, 314.
(6) _The Heart of Bruce_, V, 316.
(7) _The Tournament_, VI, 38.
(8) _Bannockburn_, VII, 15.
(9) _The Charge of the Light Brigade_, VII, 147.
(10) _The Recessional_, VII, 164.
(11) _The Battle of Trafalgar_, VIII, 284.
(12) _Casabianca_, VIII, 313.
(13) _The Impeachment of Warren Hastings_, IX, 32.
(14) _The Battle of Cressy_, IX, 161.
(15) _The Battle of Hastings_, IX, 330.
_e._ United States:
(1) _The Pine Tree Shillings_, Volume IV, page 192.
(2) _The Sunken Treasure_, IV, 199.
(3) _The Hutchinson Mob_, IV, 208.
(4) _The Boston Massacre_, IV, 217.
(5) _The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in New England_, IV, 197.
(6) _Sheridan's Ride_, IV, 223.
(7) _Henry Hudson's Fourth Voyage_, V, 254.
(8) _Reminiscences of a Pioneer_, V, 340.
(9) _Braddock's Defeat_, V, 379.
(10) _The American Flag_, V, 396.
(11) _Stonewall Jackson's Way_, V, 400.
(12) _The Capture of Vincennes_, VI, 428.
(13) _The Old Continentals_, VII, 175.
(14) _America_, VIII, 60.
(15) _The Fall of the Alamo_, VIII, 141.
(16) _The Knickerbocker History of New York_, VIII, 224.
(17) _The Battle of Saratoga_, IX, 176.
(18) _The Gettysburg Address_, IX, 321.
_f._ America, outside of the United States:
(1) _The Buccaneers_, Volume V, page 359.
(2) _Captain Morgan at Maracaibo_, V, 365.
(3) _Ringrose and His Buccaneers_, VIII, 1.
(4) _The Retreat of Cortez_, VIII, 63.
The object of teaching geography and history is not solely that children
may acquire a collection of facts. Too often the lessons in these
branches consist merely in memorizing text books, in learning long
descriptions, in the study of meaningless maps and in the listing of
political and military events in chronological order. The value of such
work is comparatively small, and the studies cannot be considered
profitable. If, however, children are taught to know and understand
people, their habits and modes of life; if they learn geographical facts
in their relation to humanity, to study events in the relation of cause
to effect, to seek for truth and the meaning of things, then nothing is
more productive of good than the teaching of geography and history.
If we accept as true the foregoing statements, then methods of teaching
the subjects become clear as we think of them. It is evident that early
lessons should be designed to create interest:
(1) In the world of things immediately around us; in the land and what
grows and lives upon it; in the water, its relation to the land, its
motions, and the life that it contains; in the air, its phenomena and
its denizens; in human beings, their feelings and all their activities.
(2) In the great earth as a whole and its parts; in foreign animals and
plants; in humanity in other lands.
It appears that so broad an outline as the one just given can never be
filled in, that the study of geography and history, the study of the
world and its peoples, can never be completed. If such is the case, it
follows that the teacher who creates the most vital interest in the
subject, who leaves with her pupils the most ardent desire to study and
know, has been of greatest service to them.
Now, the great interests of life have their inception in early years
when the mind is active, curiosity strong, and instruction accepted
without question. Then should be created that abiding interest which
will make good students of geography and history, good citizens, good
men and women. If too many formal lessons are given them, and pupils are
set to work at dreary tasks and are asked to memorize dry facts, it is
probable that they will never become good students. How, then, shall an
abiding interest be created?
The entrance to the field of geography is through nature study, which is
discussed elsewhere under that title. For the first two years of a
child's school life he will hear nothing of geography, and even in the
third year there will be little formal reference to it, but all the time
he is quietly mastering facts and developing interests that are
geographical in their character.
When systematic lessons begin, there should be presented only real facts
and genuine things, that bear some close and direct relation to
ourselves and that should be matters of personal observation, as far as
possible. Day and night in summer and winter, the seasons, the weather,
wind, rain, snow, sleet, foods, clothing, the occupations of the
neighborhood, the brooks and bodies of water about the school, hills,
valleys, plains, plants and animals of the locality, each in turn
serves its purpose. We cannot here show how these various subjects
should be treated, but to illustrate the use of literature in elementary
geography lessons we will present an outline on a single subject. New
possibilities will be seen in every direction if frequent use of the
list given above is made in finding suitable selections.
If we choose the wind as the subject of our model lesson, we may be sure
to cover several recitations that will lead us into reading, nature
study and language (oral and written). It is a subject that encourages
wide correlation. The outline might be the following:
1. _Purpose of the Lesson._ To teach the following facts:
_a._ That air occupies space.
_b._ That wind is air in motion and has force.
_c._ The directions and names of winds.
_d._ The uses of winds.
2. _Experiments and Observation._
_a._ _Take an empty bottle and thrust it squarely, mouth down, into
water._ Does the water rise in the bottle? (Only a little way.)
Why? (It can't get in. There is air in the bottle.)
_b._ _Raise the bottle slowly and tip it slightly so that a part of
the mouth is above the water, then push it horizontally into
the water._ Does the water go into the bottle now? (Yes.) Why?
(Because there is no air there to keep it out.) How do you
know? (I saw the air coming out in bubbles.) Why didn't the air
come out when we pushed the bottle down the first time? (The
water was too heavy; it held the air in.)
_c._ _Hold your hand close in front of your mouth and blow._ Can you
feel anything? (Yes; the air strikes my hand.) When you are out
in the wind can you feel it? (Yes; it pushes against me.) Can
it push hard? (Yes; sometimes it pushes over trees and houses.)
What is the wind? (It is air moving.)
_d._ Is the wind blowing today? Did it blow yesterday? From what
direction is it (was it) blowing? How do you know? (I saw trees
bending away from it. I felt it pushing from that side. It came
in at that window. The vane on the church steeple pointed that
way.)
_e._ When a wind comes from the South, what do we call it? (South
wind.) When a wind blows from the North what do we call it?
(North wind.) What wind brings cold weather? (North.) What wind
brings warm weather? (South.) What wind brings long spells of
rainy weather? (East.) What wind brings showers and
thunderstorms? (South and West.) What winds prevail in summer?
(South and West.) What winds prevail in winter? (North.)
_f._ What work have you seen the wind do? (Turn windmills; sail
boats.) Have you seen it do any work for us here? (Yes; it
drives the clouds that bring us rain. It drives away stormy
clouds.) Can't you think of something else? (It scatters seeds
of plants. It shakes nuts from trees. It helps melt snow and
ice. It keeps the air clean and pure.)
3. _Literature._
_a._ As an introduction to the lesson or in preparation, give the
first two stanzas of that beautiful poem by W. B. Rands, _The
Child's World_ (Volume II, page 66).
_b._ In considering the strength of the wind, there is a fine
opportunity to introduce the fable _The Wind and the Sun_
(Volume I, page 95).
_c._ Robert Louis Stevenson's verses, _Windy Nights_ (Volume II,
page 123), are entertaining and give an opportunity for nice
explanation.
_d._ In the same light as the preceding selection may be regarded
the imaginative verses by the same author, _The Wind_ (Volume
I, page 440).
_e._ In _The King of the Golden River_ (Volume II) is a humorous
personification of the southwest wind. It is strikingly true of
the nature of that wind. The description begins on page 408,
and a second appearance of the wind is chronicled on page 415.
_f._ Finest of all the selections for this topic is Tennyson's
exquisite lullaby, _Sweet and Low_ (Volume VI, page 122). This
is well worth memorizing.
If we wish a model for a history lesson, the following will answer:
One of the interesting characters in history is King Alfred of England,
and in the sketch of him (Volume IV, page 260) are facts enough for
several elementary lessons in history. The outline for teaching might be
as follows:
1. _Preparation._
_a._ Read the article above referred to, and such other material
concerning Alfred as can be found.
_b._ Select two incidents for story telling and prepare them for
recital. (See articles on _Story Telling_ in this Volume.)
2. _Presentation._
_a._ Tell the first story (page 260). It might be given in this
form:
"More than a thousand years ago, Alfred, the youngest of the four sons
of the king, was born. He was a fine lad and the favorite of his
parents, but when he was twelve years of age he had not yet learned to
read. This is not so strange, when we stop to think that it was long
before people knew anything about printing, and every letter in every
book had to be slowly made with a pen.
"This made books very expensive and rare, so that only a few people
could own even one. Still, you have no idea how beautiful some of those
books were. They were written on thin, fine-grained leather called
parchment, and were beautifully decorated in colors. The capital letters
which began paragraphs, and sometimes all the capital letters, were made
large, in fanciful shapes, and all around them were painted flowers,
birds, human beings, or pretty designs, so that each letter was a
beautiful picture in itself. Then in the margins, above the titles, at
every place where there was no writing were still other delicate
designs. Some of those wonderful old books are still in existence, and
people go long distances to see them. They are more valuable now than
ever, and most of them are safely guarded in museums.
"One day Alfred's mother was reading to her children, from one of those
beautiful books, some fine poems which the Saxons had written. The boys
all became very much interested in the rich little paintings that
decorated it. The mother pointed out its beauties and told the boys how
carefully the artists had worked and how long it had taken them to do
it.
"'Did you ever see its equal?' she asked.
"'No,' replied the oldest boy, 'I have not seen anything like it. I wish
I had one like it.'
"'Boys,' said the mother, 'this is one of the greatest treasures I have,
and I would not like to part with it. Yet I love my boys better than the
book, and I want them to learn to read. So this is what I will gladly
do: I will give this book to the first of you who comes to me and shows
that he can read it understandingly.'
"'It is my book, for I can read some already,' said the oldest.
"'But I can work harder than you, and I will learn faster,' said the
second.
"'I learn more easily than any of you,' the third boy added. 'I feel
sure I shall win the book.'
"Alfred said nothing, but as soon as his mother had ceased to read he
hurried away, found a wise man to teach him and began immediately to
work with great diligence. It was not long before he began to read for
himself, and before his brothers had made much progress Alfred went to
his mother.
"'I think I can read the book,' he said.
"'I do not think you have had time to learn. You are hurrying too much.
You should study more,' his mother replied.
"'But, mother, please let me try,' pleaded Alfred.
"The mother yielded and Alfred brought the big book to her and laid it
on her knee. Then he opened it at the beginning and with very few
mistakes read poem after poem. His mother was more than satisfied, and
when Alfred left the room he was hugging the elegant book and carrying
it to his part of the castle.
"This was only the beginning, for Alfred became the greatest scholar and
the wisest king the Saxons ever had. He made just laws, he ruled kindly,
he founded schools, and he tried in every way to make his subjects
better, wiser and happier. Do you not think it all began in his love for
the beautiful look?"
3. _Recitation._
Ask questions and make the children see in the story:
_a._ (The Introduction.) The first general facts about Alfred.
_b._ (The Body of the Narrative.) The story of how Alfred learned
to read.
_c._ (The Conclusion.) Alfred wins the prize and becomes a great ruler.
Then ask them to tell the story in their own words.
Finally ask them to write the story for a composition.
4. _Additional Information._ Find out what other things about Alfred are
already known to the class. Then tell the story of Alfred and the cakes
(page 261); of his battles with the Danes under Guthrum (page 262); of
his war with the Danes under Hastings (page 263); of his work for his
people (page 264); and of his plans and inventions (page 265).
5. _Supplementary Readings._ If the lessons on Alfred have been well
conducted, interest will have been created in a variety of subjects
relating to early English history. The Saxons, their mode of life,
armor, weapons, manner of warfare, laws and customs; the Danes and their
characteristics; the rulers who followed Alfred; the formation of the
English nation, are topics that readily suggest themselves.
* * * * *
More or less closely connected with these lines of thought are the
following selections in _Journeys Through Bookland_. Interest may be
deflected in any direction. If the selections are too hard for the class
to read, tell the stories in simplified form:
1. _The Legends of King Arthur_ (Volume V, beginning on page 113).
2. _The Attack on the Castle_ (Volume IV, page 322).
3. _The Battle of Hastings_ (Volume IX, page 330).
4. _Beowulf and Grendel_ (Volume III, page 350).
5. _Chevy Chase_ (Volume IV, page 312).
6. _Frithiof the Bold_ (Volume III, page 394).
7. The myths of the Northland, viz.: _How the Wolf Was Bound_ (Volume
II, page 91); _The Death of Balder_ (Volume II, page 99); _The
Punishment of Loki_ (Volume II, page 111); and part of _Stories of
the Creation_ (Volume IV, page 159).
8. _A Norse Lullaby_ (Volume I, page 246).
9. _The Tournament_ (Volume VI, page 38).
10. _The Skeleton in Armor_ (Volume V, page 327).
It will be noticed that while this outline is given for use with young
children, it easily may be adapted to the use of older ones and may lead
into a wide course in historical reading.
The textbook in history is necessarily brief and really little more than
an outline of events. In many instances the book gives too much space to
battles, sieges and military movements and too little to the conditions
of life, to manners, customs and causes and effects of events. Yet the
textbook is a valuable guide and enables anyone to present the subject
logically and to systematize what is learned, if nothing more.
What a wide range of subjects is covered in the study of history! What
abundance of material for study is required! Dates must be learned and
events arranged chronologically; maps must be studied, fixed in mind and
made of real value by a comprehension of the things they are supposed to
represent; military events must be understood in relation to the causes
that lead to them and the results that follow. Some few battles or
campaigns must be made vivid enough to give an idea of the expense, the
labor, the suffering and the horrors involved in war; government,
educational and religious institutions, religious and social customs and
financial methods must be studied; industries and amusements, the lives
of the people, food and food supplies, the production of clothing and
building material must be examined; in fact, each one of the multiform
interests of humanity may be a fair topic for study at some time in the
history class.
Methods of instruction must be as varied as the subject-matter.
Sometimes drill is necessary to fix facts; again it is necessary to
encourage the observation and study of persons, things and events about
us; a third time, wide research and extensive reading are demanded;
again, the feelings must be aroused, sentiment and enthusiasm
encouraged, patriotism taught.
There is material for many of these exercises in _Journeys Through
Bookland_.
As a type of study for the military campaign, we might take Burgoyne's
campaign in the Revolution. From the textbook we may learn certain facts
and encourage the pupils to group them as follows:
_Burgoyne's Campaign._
1. Conditions prior thereto:
_a._ The British occupied only New York and Newport.
_b._ They understood the natural highway that existed along Lake
Champlain and the Hudson River from the Saint Lawrence River to
New York.
_c._ They resolved to establish a line of military posts along this
highway.
2. Plan of Campaign:
_a._ General Burgoyne was sent to Canada with 4,000 British regulars
and 3,000 Hessians.
_b._ Canadians and Indians to the number of 1,000 joined the troops
under Burgoyne.
_c._ St. Leger was sent to Oswego to descend the Mohawk, capture
Fort Stanwix and join Burgoyne.
_d._ Burgoyne was to go through Richelieu River and Lake Champlain
by boats; thence march to New York by land.
3. American Troops in Opposition:
_a._ General St. Clair with 3,000 men at Ticonderoga.
_b._ General Schuyler with about 3,000 men on the Hudson.
4. Burgoyne's Advance:
_a._ The trip to Ticonderoga made and the Americans dislodged from
the fort.
_b._ The skirmish at Hubbardton was successful, but the Americans
were not captured, and the delay to Burgoyne enabled St. Clair
to join Schuyler.
_c._ The march to the Hudson was full of difficulties and
discouragements:
(1) Obstructed roads; destroyed bridges.
(2) Inadequate supplies.
(3) Deserting Indians.
(4) Leaving a third of his troops at Ticonderoga.
_d._ The Expedition against Bennington:
(1) Colonel Baum sent to take supplies from the Americans there.
(2) Met General Stark with a force outnumbering him two or three
to one.
(3) Rain delayed battle, and British entrenched.
(4) Baum surrounded; his force captured or killed, including a
relief party under Riedesel.
_e._ St. Leger's Campaign.
(1) Unsuccessful battle at Oriskany.
(2) St. Leger retreated and disappeared from the region after a
flight induced by a ruse invented by Benedict Arnold.
5. Burgoyne's Surrender.
_a._ He attempted to cut his way through the lines of the American
troops which surrounded him.
_b._ Crossed the Hudson and met the Americans at Bemis Heights;
defeated.
_c._ Defeated at Freeman's Farm.
_d._ Surrendered October 17, 1777.
6. Effects of the Surrender.
_a._ Gave the Americans many arms and munitions of war.
_b._ Gave the Americans greater confidence in themselves and their
cause.
_c._ Caused great discouragement to the British, both at home and in
the colonies.
_d._ Established the prestige of the American cause in Europe.
_e._ Secured the assistance of France.
_f._ Probably was the most influential single campaign in the war
and largely instrumental in enabling the colonists to win.
The preceding outline is the framework for the study of one military
campaign. In a school it would be the basis for topical recitations, but
in itself it has neither interest nor vitality. The main points should
be memorized so that facts learned subsequently may be logically
arranged. When the general outline is mastered, teachers and pupils
begin to fill in details from all available sources and create in the
minds of the pupils vivid pictures of the scenes, a thorough
understanding of the course of events, and a lively realization of the
effect of this remarkable episode of a great war. At home it may be used
in a similar manner.
To further assist in this instance and to furnish a type or model for
succeeding studies, we will traverse the outline again, showing what may
be done with it and how literature may lend its aid to the study of
history. In _Journeys Through Bookland_ we have a long extract from _The
Battle of Saratoga_ by Creasy (Volume IX, page 176). This will be the
source of much of our information, and there are explanatory footnotes
of considerable value. We reproduce here only the indices of the
original outline:
1. _a_, _b_ and _c_. A good outline map of the colonies is necessary. It
must show the location of bodies of water, natural thoroughfares, cities
and forts. The map should be made for the purpose and contain no details
beyond those necessary for an understanding of this campaign. A second
map showing a strip of country from the Saint Lawrence to New York and
wide enough to include all the operations of the armies should contain
more detail and be used frequently as the study proceeds. It may be
well for each child to draw this region in outline and fill in the
details as his study proceeds. Read page 177, Volume IX.
2. _a_, _b_, _c_ and _d_. Read pages 180-182, Volume IX.
3. _a_ and _b_. Pages 182-183, Volume IX.
4. _a_ and _b_. Pages 181-182, Volume IX. The quotation from Burke,
Volume IX, pages 183 and 184, and the following paragraph are
interesting accounts of the feeling in England and America over the
apparent successes of Burgoyne.
_c._ The causes of the increased efficiency of the Americans and the
bitterness with which the British were regarded by the colonists is
explained on pages 184 and 185 of Volume IX.
Something of the nature of the Indian allies may be gained from the
story, _An Exciting Canoe Race_ (Volume VII, page 79).
A stirring poem, to be read in this connection, is _The Old
Continentals_ (Volume VII, page 175).
5. _a_, _b_, _c_ and _d_. The final days of the campaign and the
surrender are described on pages 193-200, Volume IX. In using this,
bring out the following points not made in the original outline:
The near approach of Clinton and the message from him. What must
Burgoyne have felt when he received the message! Put human interest into
the tale.
The character of Burgoyne, Gates and Arnold, as shown by their acts.
The Germans (Hessians) in the campaign.
The burial of General Frazer.
The condition of the British troops when they surrendered.
The terms of surrender.
Gates's message to Congress.
6. _a_, _b_, _c_, _d_ and _e_. See, in this connection, pages 198 and
199 of Volume IX.
_The Soldier's Dream_ (Volume VII, page 170) is a good poem to read for
the purpose of exciting sympathy for the soldiers.
_The Picket Guard_ (Volume VII, page 177) is useful in a similar way,
though written in connection with another war.
_The American Flag_ (Volume V, page 396) may be used here. Did the
American soldiers carry the flag of the United States at the time of the
battle of Saratoga? If not, what flag was borne? Did the "United
Colonies" have a flag?
By consulting the tabulated list of selections useful in history classes
you may find other things of interest. Care should be taken, however,
not to cloud the main purpose of the lessons by the introduction of too
much literary matter.
* * * * *
Before leaving the subject of history and geography we urge upon those
who wish to work with children, a careful perusal of the sections
entitled _Close Reading_ in this volume.