THE HEADS OF THE DELEGATIONS FROM THE VARIOUS NATIONS AT THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE IN 1921-22 Left to right: Garrett, Secretary of the Conference; Karnebeck, Holland; Sze, China; Balfour, Great Britain; Hughes. United States; Briand, France; Schanzer, Italy; de Cartier, Belgium; Tokugawa, Japan; d'Alt, Portugal. BACKGROUND BY CHARLES A. BEARD AND WILLIAM C. BAGLEY New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1922 All rights reserved PREFACE THIS Volume completes a series of books for the grade schools. The companion works are A First Book in American History and The History of the American People. Although each volume is independent in itself, a unity of purpose knits them into one organic whole. We have kept always before us the problem. of giving our boys and girls the best possible civic and cultural equipment, and have endeavored to contribute something to the solution of that problem. On this point we need not add anything to what we have said in the prefaces to the companion volumes. As to this particular work, the argument for the form and subject matter is to be found in the first chapter. We have placed it there because we believe that the pupils should know why they are called upon to take up any line of historical study. The importance of European history for the understanding of America has long been recognized by our colleges and high schools. The increase in the number of courses and books on that subject bears witness to the fact. Nevertheless, few attempts have yet been made to carry the idea into our grade schools. It is true that we have several books bearing some such title |