Principles to be Observed in Elementary Books

John E.B. Mayor (1825-1910), First Greek Reader, 3rd rev. ed. (London: Macmillan and Co., 1873), pp. vi-vii: The principles to be observed in elementary books seem to be such as these: I. Keep the master in view, as much as the pupils; let each sentence be either new to him, or suggestive of some heroic act, some noble character, some masterpiece of letters or of art, some pregnant law of language; let common sayings be traced to their source; many a story, supposed of recent importation from the backwoods, is hoary with the dignity of 2000 years, and proves once more, that 'there is nothing new under the sun.' In short, let each line, like the oratory of Perikles, 'leave its sting' in the hearers; at least let it convey some information not wholly trivial. II. Let each sentence be a whole, intelligible in itself; proverbs, words of the wise, anecdotes which clothe the skeletons of history with flesh and blood, linking contemporaries indissolubly in the memory; choice flowers from the…