This book, while adapted to older persons, has been prepared with special reference to the needs and capacities of children from ten to twelve years of age. It is commended to teachers and parents with full confidence that they will find it useful, and that the children will be both interested and profited by its perusal. CONTENTS. HEAT. CHAPTER PAGE I. FIRE, 11 II. INDIAN HOMES, 17 III. COLONIAL HOMES, 24 IV. CHIMNEYS, 31 V. FUEL, 37 VI. COAL, 44 VII. MATCHES, 51 LIGHT. I. TORCHES, 61 II. CANDLES, 67 III. WHALE OIL, 72 IV. KEROSENE, 77 V. ILLUMINATING GAS, 81 VI. ELECTRIC LIGHTING, 85 VII. LIGHTHOUSES, 90 FOOD. I. UNCULTIVATED FOODS, 99 II. CULTIVATED FOODS, 104 III. IMPLEMENTS FOR PLANTING, 111 IV. IMPLEMENTS FOR HARVESTING, 117 V. SOIL, 124 VI. A MODERN DINNER, 131 CLOTHING. I. COLONIAL CONDITIONS, 143 II. THE COTTON GIN, 148 III. COTTON, 153 IV. WOOL, 158 V. LEATHER, 164 VI. NEEDLES, 172 VII. THE STEAM ENGINE, 178 TRAVEL. I. BY LAND, 187 II. BY WATER, 194 III. STAGECOACHES, 200 IV. STEAMBOATS, 207 V. CANALS, 215 VI. RAILROADS, 223 VII. MODERN WATER TRAVEL, 229 VIII. MODERN LAND TRAVEL, 235 LETTERS. I. LANGUAGE, 247 II. THE PRINTING PRESS, 252 III. THE POSTAL SYSTEM, 258 IV. SIGNALING, 265 V. THE TELEGRAPH, 270 VI. THE ATLANTIC CABLE, 278 VII. THE TELEPHONE, 286 VIII. CONCLUSION, 292 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Frontispiece PAGE Count Rumford 9 A New England Kitchen One Hundred Years Ago 10 A Train Leaving the Station 11 A Vestal Virgin 14 Iroquois Long House 20 Indian Method of Broiling 22 Plying the Axe 25 A Colonial Fireplace 27 Hauling in a Backlog 29 Cooking in a Colonial Kitchen 30 A Franklin Stove 34 In a Coal Mine 42