Latin Book Two [antikvár]

PREFACE Latin Book Two is a companion volume to Latin Book One, which has been widely welcomed as bringing a new spirit and purpose into first-year Latin. The enthusiastic reception of Book One indicates that emphasis on the social values of Latin is an important need of today. To meet this need, the second book recognizes, as does the first, that pupils should gain from the study of Latin not only an acquaintance with a great language and literature, but also an understanding of a civilization to which we owe important elements in our culture. Not only does the Latin reading material of Book Two contribute to the social values of the course, but thirteen cultural essays in English help to bring out the social values of the classical studies. These deal with such topics as Roman engineering accomplishments, the civilization of the Gauls, the influence of Rome on present-day thought. An aspect of the cultural inheritance which is often neglected in the Latin course—our inheritance from the Greeks through the Romans—is adequately treated by means of discussion and pictures. All the illustrations in the book —about one hundred seventy-five in number—have been selected to bring Roman life closer to the student. They are made meaningful by descriptive titles that show vividly likenesses and differences between the ancient world and our world today. Not only are these illustrations of generous size, but twenty-eight of them are in full color. The Latin reading is presented in such a way that the pupil is enabled to profit by the social values. It is of graded difficulty, beginning with an interesting, functional review of first-year work, in the form of ten easy stories, with correlated grammar review. This review is flexible, so that a class can devote to forgotten constructions whatever time is necessary and pass rapidly over other points. After the review material, comes the story "Ulysses." Because of the rapid action of the narrative and the many dramatic illustrations, this story is well adapted to arouse the student's interest. The vocabulary and constructions in this tale are mainly those of the first year, but easy second-year forms are introduced. In connection with the reading, new grammatical material is taught, not as lessons, but as a functional part of the study, each construction being taken up and developed where it is met. Book Two continues the plan of Book One by furnishing for every new grammatical principle full explanations built on the pupil's knowledge. Each new point is made clear by examples in both English and Latin. "Hercules" and "The Argonauts" follow, with progressively more difficult constructions and 3