Transcriber's Note: Text which was marked as italic in the original text is surrounded by _ in this edition, bold text by =, superscripted text is preceded by ^. A note on the other changes to the book can be found at the end of this document. _Paidology_ _The Science of the Child_ THE HISTORICAL CHILD BY OSCAR CHRISMAN, A.M., Ph.D. _Professor of Paidology and Psychology in the Ohio University_ BOSTON RICHARD G. BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY RICHARD G. BADGER _All Rights Reserved_ Made in the United States of America The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. TO MY WIFE PREFACE In the _Pedagogical Seminary_ for December, 1893, in an article on "The Hearing of Children," the last paragraph, page 438, occurred for the first time in print the word _paidology_.[1] In _The Forum_ for February, 1894, page 728, the first article explanatory of paidology appeared. A more complete outlining of the subject was as a doctor's dissertation at the University of Jena, Germany, 1896. In the first edition of the Standard Dictionary was included the word paidology, wherein it was defined as "The scientific study of the child." Paidology originated in my mind at a very unexpected moment one day in April, 1893. This book is the first of a series that it is my purpose to write upon child life. The others will follow from time to time upon the different phases of child being. This book and the others it is hoped may appear are the outcome of several years of study and of teaching the subject to young men and women, which has proved to me that people are eager to know about children in the past as well as in the present. He who wishes to acquaint himself with children and child nature must have a knowledge of child life as it existed among the various nations of the world. The child as found in Ancient Mexico and Ancient Peru is given place here because the life and doings of these peoples have always been attractive reading to me, and also it is well to consider child life in these nations who reached such a high stage of existence among the lower forms of human society and so far removed from the civilizations of Asia and Europe. It is hoped there is value in this work to the student of child nature and that young people may find it interesting and profitable.