obligations in his gradually widening life experiences, so that he may be fired with noble citizenship. The fifth and sixth grades stimulate love of country by teaching its heroic beginnings, its composite structure, and the great principles on which it is founded. The seventh grade emphasizes the relations of the United States with the rest of the world and points out that interest in one's country must involve interest in these relations. The eighth grade introduces a somewhat new conception of citizenship, and deals with the larger social group, the world. Here, the purpose is to show that civilization progresses only by the mutual assistance of all nations, each making its peculiar contribution. The course leads to an appreciation of all these efforts, explains the various agencies which have helped to make the world a family of nations, and develops the thought that good will is the fundamental principle in the promotion of international harmony- the necessary condition for the highest development of the world. The subject for the year is treated under ten headings, and the aim has been to show to the teacher, by very brief statements, the ideas to be developed. All this should be taken merely as suggestion, however, for the field is rich in illustration of the forces making for the federation of the world into one great political family. THE BALLAD OF EAST AND WEST 1 RUDYARD KIPLING Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat; 1 From The Seven Seas. D. Appleton & Co. But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth! SEPTEMBER: NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS SONG OF PEACE 1 M. K. SCHERMERHORN Children of one Father Each one doth He call; Be ye not divided, All one family; One in mind and spirit And in charity. Wealth and pow'r shall perish, Nations rise and wane; Steadfast will remain; Practically all human problems are the same for all the world. Though the Frenchman, German, and Briton may vary in the details of their lives, just as life in your household is different from life in mine, they are 1 By permission of the author. not really much more different than are we of the same nation. The longing for a home was universal among the peoples in all parts of the world, and thus huts, tents, and houses were used. The early peoples had many pleasures. They sang and played musical instruments, the flute and harp having been used wherever man lived. Dancing was universal. Simple games or playthings sprang up in response to the universal desire for play. It is wonderful to know that these games were the same among all the early peoples. "Cat's-cradle," for example, which is now played by the children of the whole world, has amused children and grown folks as far back as history goes, and was old when the first records of it were made. We could go on through numerous games and show that they have been used by the children of many lands, who invented them to express their desires for play and without any knowledge of what the others were doing. There were and are so many nations and tribes playing games like "London Bridge is Falling Down" that it would take a book to tell about them all. Most of these games had their origin in the manners and customs and religious beliefs of peoples, and they have continued to be played by the children of all nations, because children, even of different nationalities, are so much alike. The story of Cinderella and her glass slipper was first told in Egypt and has delighted the children of all countries for thousands of years. Why, if people are so much alike, are there races and nationalities? Conditions under which people live have varied their habits, customs, and physical characteristics. In England, we find a most remarkable illustration of the influence of environment. The climate gave vigor to the people; and the mixture of the races that had come in earlier days made a nation of men with great mental and physical power. The mineral wealth was sought after by many nations and did much to make the subsequent development of England possible. Because of the insular condition, this store of wealth was protected without great difficulty; and yet the islands were easily visited for purposes of friendly commerce, and the stores of wealth were distributed over the world to the profit of the people of the islands. A commerce was readily developed, and, largely upon the basis of this, England became what she is to-day, the great naval power of the world, and the possessor of colonies in every part of the earth. It never can be told how important an event it was in the development of nations, when, in some prehistoric time, the sea first passed through the English Channel, and separated the British Isles from the mainland. With land connection, the history of Europe and the world might have been quite different. When we look at the maps of Europe and America, two differences of a most striking nature attract our attention: the one is the extreme irregularity of the European coast line; the other the great number of nations in that land. The latter fact depends upon several causes. The very irregularity of the coast and the great diversity of the topography have made possible the development of distinct nations. As the race was progressing, mountain barriers, and even rivers, served as boundary lines between separate tribes, and some of these are preserved to this day. We find Switzerland completely inclosed between other nations, because no ancient tribes could drive these people from their mountain fortress. To appreciate the importance of these influences, one needs but examine a physical map of Europe, and notice how the mountains and the seas almost universally serve as boundaries, and how upon every peninsula there is one, or more, independent nation. This is not so in America, partly because the conditions are not so diverse, but chiefly because the settlement of America was made by races which had already developed. In America, the invigorating climate, the necessity of work, and the great natural resources developed a race which has become renowned for its vigor and energy. It is the difference of environment, then, that has developed different national characteristics. And this very difference, the scientists tell us, has mingled different peoples into one nation. Suggestions for study For an illustration of the diversification that took place in the work of primitive man, read "The Story of Ung," by Rudyard Kipling, in The Seven Seas. D. Appleton & Co. The meaning of the American flag is richly set forth by William I. Hull in his chapter on the "American Flag," in The New Peace Movement, World Peace Foundation, Boston. See also Encyclopædia Britannica-"Flags"; Andrew Macgeorge, Flags, their History and Uses. Blackie & Son. Let each member of the class bring a picture and give an account of the history and meaning of some one national flag. This will give an insight into the patriotic ideals of the nations. Let the pupils trace the influence of environment on dif |