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AMERICAN CITIZEN

A READER FOR FOREIGNERS

BY

FRANCES SANKSTONE MINTZ

"

AVON AVENUE DAY SCHOOL AND 18TH AVENUE EVENING SCHOOL
OF NEWARK, N.J.

UNIV. OF

New York

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

1909

All rights reserved

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PREFACE

To find suitable reading matter for adult foreign pupils in evening schools has always been difficult. The ordinary first and second readers used in day schools, which are mostly intended for children, contain as a rule little material of a kind to interest older persons. Either the ideas themselves are juvenile or the vocabulary not the most suitable to the needs of grown-up pupils.

The purpose of the author has been to prepare a series of reading lessons suitable for adult learners and which should have patriotism as their keynote. Love of country is an almost universal sentiment, and one that appeals strongly to the class of pupils who make up the attendance in our evening schools for foreigners.

To base a series of lessons, as some have attempted, upon occupations, for instance,

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would be pedagogically sound provided all pupils were equally interested in other occupations than their own, which is not the case.

To introduce, also, as soon as practicable, vocabularies variant to some extent from the words commonly used in daily experience is believed to be of advantage; for thereby the feeling of growth and mastery of language is developed. Such feeling will incite to the independent reading of books. The difficulty, heretofore, has been to find an emotional basis, universal in its appeal and sufficiently strong to command the interest of adult pupils of all ages and nationalities. The appeal of patriotism furnishes the true emotional basis.

The author has had an exceptional opportunity as a teacher of foreign adult classes in the city of Newark, New Jersey, to test thoroughly the material contained in this reader. It will be found in practice best fitted for those who have had a few weeks of instruction in reading by means of the oral and blackboard method in general use.

ADDISON B. POLAND.

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