Fv ENTss oK" IIIs LIFE. 153 culture, in the interests of readers and authors alike, I think we ought gradually to use our standard of fitness. And to prevent disappointment and discontent, we should let authors know what we want and in what particulars we have raised our standard of fitness, and we should revise the existing list so as to retain only those books that come up to the new standard. Our aim should be to place in the hands of the student text-books, the reading of which will give full and free play to his mental faculties without overtashing thon, and will at the same time enable him to acquire a general knowledge of useful subjects. 6. In view of the difficulty attending the task of selecting text-books, and to facilitate the carrying out of the above-mentioned purpose, I have thought it proper to formulator the following general propositions, not as rigid and unalterable rules, but only as rough guides which shall be subject to such future modification as may be found necessary. 1. (a) A text-book should in point of si; o be as short as possible consistently with clearness and reasonable completoncss. (b) If the book is one of Reading Lossons in prose or poetry, either composed by the author himself or compiled from other authors, it should not be longer than what students for whom it is intended can go through in the course of one year, reading at a moderate rate, and having time allowed for revision.
