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The credo upon which this book is constructed runs somewhat as follows:
Things exist written in the Latin language that are worth reading today.
Latin should be so taught as to develop power to read those things in Latin.
One learns to read by reading.
Material for reading in the early stages should be easy and repetitious, and should introduce new vocabulary in self-evident situations.
The acquisition of the language itself is a sufficiently large task for the beginner. He should not be called upon to deal with situations outside his own experience or to acquire knowledge through the new medium; neither should his problem be complicated by the necessity of learning a formidable grammatical nomenclature or a science of grammar that the Romans themselves managed to do without until its introduction by Dionysius Thrax, who was born 166 b.c.
Omission of formal grammar need not result in inaccurate or incorrect Latin. A tendency to inexactness can be corrected by much oral reading of Latin and by writing in Latin.
This translation of this credo into a beginner’s book is characterized by certain definite features:
Vocabulary—Vocabulary has been chosen on the principle that words most frequently used in Latin literature should appear early and should be repeated often. Lodge’s Vocabulary of High School Latin (Columbia University: Teachers College, 1912) has been used to determine frequency. Words have been divided into seven classes:
Class I.—Words appearing 1,000 times or more in the passages usually read in high schools. These words are all introduced early and repeated frequently.
Class II.—Words occurring 500-999 times. These words appear early and often.
Class III.—Words occurring 100-499 times. In this group nē is omitted because the subjunctive does not appear in these chapters.
Class IV.—Words occurring 50-99 times. This group is largely used.
Class V.—Words occurring 25-49 times. 106 words from this list appear.
Class VI.—Words occurring 5-24 times. 173 of these words are used.
Class VII.—Words not on Lodge’s list of 2,000 words. 73 of these are used, largely in the first lessons to get familiar situations.
A total of 554 words is used in the forty chapters. After the first lessons, each word is introduced in a setting that makes possible its interpretation by reading alone. Every word is repeated in three successive chapters and frequently in later chapters.
That the expression “interpretation by reading alone” may not be misunderstood, by way of illustration the following advertisement in English is added, with blanks in place of words that have been omitted: “Go to York for example. See it in the afternoon of an English summer with the —————————— glow of the —————————— sun tinting the Minster towers with unimagined ——————————. Walk through the quaint old —————————— and along the encircling ——————————.” Anyone who can read English at that level can supply the first four blanks without even pausing. Anyone who can read English and knows York can supply the last. An unfamiliar word can be interpreted as easily as the blank.
For the convenience of the teacher, the basic vocabulary of each chapter is appended at the end of the book and is divided into the classes mentioned above.
Omissions.—The omission of paradigms and other grammatical material is intentional. Form and usage are learned from repetitious reading, dictation, and imitation.
The omission of rules of pronunciation is intentional. Pronunciation is learned by imitation and practice. The omission of classical flavor is intentional. This may be supplied by reading such a book as Julia by Reed (Macmillan & Co.) as supplementary material after the pupil is reading with some ease, perhaps after chapter x. The exact point depends on the class.
Procedure.—This material, which is thoroughly tried material, is used by the author for second or third readings, following the lessons of A New Latin Primer, lessons of the same sort covering the same ground. It was developed for initial reading, however, and may very well be used for the first reading with no preceding approach. Also, it can be used easily with Scott-Horn, First Latin Lessons (Scott, Foresman & Co.), the original text of which also was developed in the University High School.
In conclusion, the author wishes to express her gratitude to all who have assisted in making this volume possible, especially to Professor H. W. Prescott, chairman of the Department of Latin, the University of Chicago; to Professor H. J. Barton, professor emeritus of Latin, the University of Illinois; and to Miss Katherine Carver, of the Illinois State Normal University, who read the manuscript in its inchoate form and offered helpful suggestions; to all those in administrative positions in and over the University High School, who have made possible the experimentation on material; to my colleague, Miss Marjorie J. Fay, who has repeatedly tried out in her classes this material; to the University of Chicago Press and to Professor G. J. Laing, editor of the Press, whose assistance and encouragement have been most generous.
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