The hundred dialogues, new and original

Front matter

m

THE

NEW AND ORIofNAL;

Preface

The scarcity of scenes, suitable for School Dialogues, in our stand* ard Dramatic writers, and the almost entire neglect of this department by literary men, would imply that there is a difficulty in the subject, and this, the author hopes, will secure to him an unusual measure of indulgence, should this attempt not prove to be all that is desired.

Grateful for the favor which has been shown to his -former efforts, the author regrets that he has reason to complain of so many compilers of school books, who, without the ceremony *of a request, or the poor remuneration of an acknowledgment, have appropriated to themselves a large number of his original dialogues, — a trespass that will not again be excused.

[ The position long ago assumed by the author, that the use of Familiar Dialogues is the best means of introducing a natural style of reading, has been confirmed by thirty years' experience, and he believes, that, in no other way can the teacher so effectually banish that stiff and sometimes ridiculous mannerism which prevails in too many schools.

It is a pleasant circumstance, that, as this book is intended to be a supplement to other works, it will not be necessary to displace any other to make room for this. It was the intention of the author to print just a hundred dialogues, and hence the title adopted ; but it was found necessary to modify the original design, not, however, by reducing the number, but by greatly increasing it. All the pieces in the book are original, and all but seven are now published for the first

IV

time in any school book ; and even these seven will, it is hoped, b© found improved by the revision they have undergone.

In arranging the Dialogues, no classification of subjects has been attempted, and no order of arrangement, except that most of the more juvenile pieces are at the beginning, and the few pieces that have been published in the author's former works, are at the end of the volume. The Index gives the order of the pieces as they stand in the book, and, perhaps, a perfect classification, were such a thing possible, would not better facilitate the finding of any particular piece.

It is believed that the book, as a whole, has a moral and reformatory bearing that will commend it to teachers and parents, and it will be the author's great reward, if, while providing for the rational and innocent amusement of the young, he shall haply succeed in purifying and elevating the minds of those whom he may have amused.

WM. B. FOWLE.