The Project Gutenberg EBook of Famous Men of the Middle Ages, by
John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland

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Title: Famous Men of the Middle Ages

Author: John H. Haaren
A. B. Poland

Posting Date: March 10, 2010 [EBook #3725]
Release Date: February, 2003

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FAMOUS MEN OF THE MIDDLE AGES ***

Original version produced by Brett Fishburne
and Jenny Francisco. Corrected and updated version, and
illustrated HTML version, prepared by Robert J. Hall.

Typed by Brett Fishburne (william.fishburne@verizon.net) Proofed
by Jenny Francisco (seattle717@yahoo.com)

FAMOUS MEN OF THE MIDDLE AGES

By

John H. Haaren, LL.D.

District Superintendent of Schools

The City of New York

and

A. B. Poland, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Newark N. J.

PREFACE

The study of history, like the study of a landscape, should begin
with the most conspicuous features. Not until these have been fixed
in memory will the lesser features fall into their appropriate
places and assume their right proportions.

The famous men of ancient and modern times are the mountain peaks
of history. It is logical then that the study of history should
begin with the biographies of these men.

Not only is it logical; it is also pedagogical. Experience has
proven that in order to attract and hold the child's attention
each conspicuous feature of history presented to him should have
an individual for its center. The child identifies himself with
the personage presented. It is not Romulus or Hercules or Caesar or
Alexander that the child has in mind when he reads, but himself,
acting under similar conditions.

Prominent educators, appreciating these truths, have long recognized
the value of biography as a preparation for the study of history
and have given it an important place in their scheme of studies.

The former practice in many elementary schools of beginning the
detailed study of American history without any previous knowledge
of general history limited the pupil's range of vision, restricted
his sympathies, and left him without material for comparisons.
Moreover, it