A New Second Latin Book

Excerpt from A New Second Latin Book

The present volume is a revision of the Miller and Beeson Second Latin Book, which was published in the year 1900. In the Preface to the original edition the following statement of purpose and point of view was made:

"The right of Caesar to occupy an important place in the early years of the Latin program of secondary schools has not been successfully challenged. His Commentaries will continue to enjoy the prestige which the traditions of centuries have assigned them. And rightly; for no Latin writer has surpassed this literary soldier in the composition of vigorous and luminous prose, which so admirably fits his work to be a medium for the presentation of the form and structure of the Latin language to the young student.

"But the right of Caesar to occupy not alone the center of the stage but the whole stage as well, in the second year of Latin study, has been justly and successfully challenged. During the last few years a very general call has been heard for an easier, better graded, richer second year program in Latin than the study of Caesar alone affords. Not only have secondary teachers urged this change, but college professors and administrative officers have generally approved the plan, and accepted this more varied program in lieu of their long established requirements in Caesar.

"The Second Latin Book which is herewith presented to the public, is intended to meet this need. It makes no professions of originality - so far as the plan is concerned of presenting selections from other authors supplementary to Caesar. Its reason for existence lies in the consistent working out of this plan: in the attempt to make the work of this most critical period in the study of Latin so attractive that the student will be drawn on by a real pleasure in the work itself; so well-graded, that he will never find it hopelessly beyond his powers; so varied, that he will never lose interest through the monotony of his task."

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