CIVICS

THE COMMUNITY

AND

THE CITIZEN

FRIEND WM. RICHARDSON, SUPT. STATE PRINTING.

MATZ

COPYRIGHT, 1910,

By THF STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

COPYRIGHT, 1907,

By D. C. HEATH & CO.

173093
C

In the compilation of this work, certain matter from "The Community
and the Citizen," by Arthur William Dunn, has been used. All such
matter is protected by the copyright entry noted above.

PREFACE

THE justification and aim of the present book may be stated in the following words from Professor Dewey's "Ethical Principles Underlying Education": "The social work of the school is often limited to training for citizenship, and citizenship is then interpreted in a narrow sense as meaning capacity to vote intelligently, a disposition to obey laws, etc. The child is to be not only a voter and a subject of law; he is also to be a member of a family. . . . He is to be a worker, engaged in some occupation which will be of use to society and which will maintain his own independence and self-respect. He is to be a member of some particular neighborhood and community, and must contribute to the decencies and graces of civilization wherever he is. . . . To suppose. . . that a good citizen is anything more than a thoroughly efficient and serviceable member of society . . . is a cramped superstition which it is hoped may soon disappear from educational discussion. . . . Training for citizenship is formal and nominal unless it develops the power of observation, analysis, and inference with respect to what makes up a social situation and the agencies through which it is modified."

The book is a departure from the traditional methods of presenting the subject of civics to young people. It has not been customary to differentiate between civics and civil government. The writer believes that such a differentiation may be made, and that, moreover, anything like a scientific analysis of the machinery and powers of government can profitably be undertaken not earlier than the last years of the high school, and then it may best be presented in close association with the work in American history. On the other hand, he believes that many elementary ideas regarding community life, the meaning of citizenship, the relations between the citizen and the community, and the services performed for the citizen by the government, not only can, but should, be presented to the pupil at an earlier period in his education.

The function of the public school is to produce a good type of citizenship. There is no other sanction for the existence of the public school.