| Share page |
|
vi |
Introductory Note |
||
|
own collection of school-books has been largely gathered by exploring the nooks and corners of the old bookshops from New England to South Carolina ; but many things I could not get, and I have been greatly aided in compiling this volume by the collections of various individuals and institutions. I am especially grateful to the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester, the Essex Institute of Salem, the Deerfield Museum, the Connecticut Historical Society, and to Mr. Albert C. Bates of Hartford, and Mr. George A. Plimpton of New York. I also am much indebted to the Henry Barnard Collection, now at Hartford, but probably soon to be sold and transferred elsewhere — a collection which includes the American publications used in our schools from the beginnings down to 1850 more completely than any other in existence.
My readers will doubtless notice that I have dwelt on the educational history of Massachusetts rather than on that of any of its neighbors. This I have done because it seems to me to possess unrivalled interest. Massachusetts has always been a pioneer in educational experiments, and where it has led the way the sister states have followed. Its experience has been a constant aid to them, and the attention it has given to education has always been far above the average for the whole country.
CLIFTON JOHNSON. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Hadley, Massachusetts. |
|||