Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE ; Why is it, there exists such a propensity, and especially with females, for reading Novels? And, why such an aversion, it may be said, such a consequent aversion, for reading History? Is this an evil inseparable from human nature ? Is man naturally the subject of an intellectual as well as of a moral depravity ? Should the great extent of the evil be thought to warrant such a conclusion, it is confidently believed that man doei not inherit this species of degradation. But if the mental perversion under consideration is an exotic in our nature, whence is it derived, and what corrective can be applied ?—An inquiry is thus suggested, which, if successfully answered, cannot be deemed unimportant. The reading books for school?, so far as the observation of the Author has extended, consist principally of extracts of th. moral. didactic, and declamatory kind. It is admitted, that from the last, boys and young men are furnished with suitable exercises for declamation ; but extracts from public discourses suitable for declamation, are not sufficiently sentimental for reading lessons; or, if in any considerable degree sentimental, they are generally on subjects not interesting to young persons. And this last remark is applicable to those parts of our school reading books which consist of moral and didactic pieces. It is indeed true, the minds of young persons should be impressed with virtuous sentiments as soon as possible ; but it is apprehended, the first impressions of the kind must rather be made incidentally, than by a regular attention to moral essays and dissertations. The discussion of ethical subjects is too abtruse and metaphysical for minds not invigorated by study and long habits of reflection. Besides, the most effectual method of impressing the minds of young p...