 | Colonial Children |  |
Preface
IN the conviction that the freshest and most direct writings are those which most appeal to children of every age, this volume and its three companions have been prepared. The books are made up of sources, but not of sources in the garb of three centuries ago, unfamiliar to modern children. The language and spelling have been freely altered, while the thought has been preserved. Much has been omitted, but it; has not been the intention to add any statement not expressed in the original. If children are interested in this book, it will be because their ancestors were interesting, and not because a modern mind has invented a story for them. History has been taken in its large sense, as a record of the life of the people, and hence many descriptions of manners and customs have been included. While long narratives in general had to be avoided, the lack of verse is due simply to the fact that colonial poetry is in general too rugged or too stupid for children, and cannot be modernized. In later volumes verse will appear more freely.
ALBERT BUSHNELL HART
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,
December 19, 1900.
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