ABSTRACT
Not much more than twenty years ago, history course in many schools and colleges ran from a.d. 1066 to 1837. Little effort was made to trace the origins of the society and political situation revealed to William the Conqueror when he invaded England; and as little effort was made to explain social and political conditions in the present day to the young adventurers who were to explore an England of the future. The Civics Committee members began by setting aside the possibility of approaching the subject through some one class-book. They did so partly because they had found no book quite to their mind but chiefly because they wished to follow the bent of the class of thirteen-year-old girls who were to take the experimental course. It is undeniable that ‘civics’ teaching has not always a good name in educational circles. The teacher of civics is sometimes considered a crank; the pupils are sometimes pitied for learning anything so dull.
