PREFACE.
The selections for theFourth Progressive Readerhave been made with great care, and, if the judgment of some of our most accomplished teachers may be trusted, with becoming discrimination.
Lessons have been selected that are interesting to the young, and that convey, each, an instructive moral in such a way as to impress itself deeply on the mind of the pupil. They have also been selected and arranged with a view to affording the best possible exercises in reading.
New selections have been made from several distinguished writers. Those from Archbishop Spalding, Father Lacordaire, Doctor Newman, Miss Hoffman, and Brother Philippe, are in every respect excellent.
Short biographical sketches have been appended of the different authors from whose works selections, have been made. In making those selections care has been taken to furnish examples of the various styles of composition, and in doing this whatever could be foundmost interesting and instructive was sought for; whilst every thing dull, frivolous, or at all tinctured with erroneous views or principles has been rigidly excluded.
The Lessons are a grade higher than those of theThird Reader, but nothing supposed to be above the capacity or intelligence of children who have read through the preceding books of the Series has been introduced.
The instructions on articulation, emphasis, and inflection, will be found to be moderately full and very clear and intelligible.