Education Association, the American Historical Association, the
National Municipal League, the American Political Science Association,
which are working steadily to make the study of civics an essential
feature of every part of the educational system. Their prime purposes
are summarised as follows:

(1) To awaken a knowledge of the fact that the citizen is in a
social environment whose laws bind him for his own good;

(2) To acquaint the citizen with the forms of organisation and
methods of administration of government in its several
departments[2].

They claim that this can best be done by means of bringing the young
citizen into direct contact with the significant facts of the life of
his own local community and of the national community. To indicate
this more clearly they have applied to the study the name of
"Community Civics."

The argument that a sense of unreality may arise as a result of the
apparent completeness of knowledge gained in the school is met by the
close contact maintained all the time with the community outside.

There is unanimity of opinion that civics shall be taught from the
elementary school onwards:

"We believe," runs the report of the Committee of Eight of the
American Historical Association, "that elementary civics should
permeate the entire school life of the child. In the early grades
the most effective features of this instruction will be directly