McGuffey's Eclectic Primer, Revised Edition (free audio book)

LibriVox ^

[ProgressingAmerica]

William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) was an American professor and college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and most widely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary.

[ProgressingAmerica]

Just curious. What do you all think about this?

[daniel1212]

Just curious. What do you all think about this?

I never read it, nor an expert on the issue, but sounds interesting. I would say that though not all the Founders were certainly actual regenerated Christians, and the US was not constituted to be a theocracy, yet precepts and principals do not come out of nowhere, and it was Christianity that this nation's precepts and principals flowed from, over anything else. And it certainly implicitly relied on Biblical religion in order to enable the republic that could be kept.

►CAUSE AND EFFECTS: THE BIBLE AND EDUCATION

►History: Education in the United States (off site)

►LINCOLN'S PROCLAMATION of a NATIONAL FAST DAY

►SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (conservative analysis, off site)

►STATISTICAL CORRELATIONS (chart comparing many aspects of 50 states)

► HARVARD LAWS OF 1642

► MASS GENERAL LAWS (PDF here: file of ancient laws against sexual crimes, now changed)

►HISTORICAL QUOTES IN CONTRAST (PDF here)

[ProgressingAmerica]

Thank you for relaying your thoughts. Books like this (which are uncommon, unfortunately) seem like they ought to be prime targets for home school families.

The U.S. Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and especially and in particular the ideas of Natural Law and that our Liberty does -NOT- come from government; Liberty comes from God.

Prime reasons to home school. It’s .T.H.E. reason to home school.

The government schools are experts at teaching youth to hate America. We see it every day go see the ICE riots for more evidence or the firey but peaceful BLM riots recently. Home school is the only shot we have at teaching youth to love America.

[dadfly]

bookmark.

[ProgressingAmerica]

Ok, so update. It has been accepted and McGuffeys will become audio books for all seven as a compiled “McGuffey Readers” series.

One thing to note is that several of the later books in the series are not simple reading items to teach phonics and the alphabet, but contain poetry and also a series of short works by important authors including Blackstone, Edgar Allen Poe, Patrick Henry, and Shakespeare.

As such McGuffey’s Readers are a high value education item to have as audio; having it as text only is clearly a deficient situation. Especially since taken together it looks like there might be 1500 pages or more of material, so its a lot.

It is good that we can resolve this problem. Somebody WILL want this.

[daniel1212]

As such McGuffey’s Readers are a high value education item to have as audio; having it as text only is clearly a deficient situation. Especially since taken together it looks like there might be 1500 pages or more of material, so its a lot.

I am not a homeschooler (except for myself!) but audio can a blessing. I have collected thousands of edifying sermons and testimonies, and being a boomer, and with society going digital, we always had FM radios. And so I placed about 14,00 of them on a USB powered SSD, and use a free audio player like JetAudio basic to random play the whole "disk," and plug in a USB powered FM transmitter into the audio port, and set it to broadcast at a empty spot on FM band (88.7 here). Thus in every room we want we can hear edifying messages and testimonies.

I was also able to get a portable FM radio so I can hear it while outside in the garden and working on bikes on the sidewalk, where customers (though all labor is free in this Christian ministry, but I ask them to cover cost for part, which I pray and seek to get the lowest price for, and all items i linked to above, which I bought, are under $20 ), thanks and glory be to God.

I know smartphones can do playlists, but mine are from my own collection. I am listening to this powerful sermon right now (though on my end it is from my FM radio).

I am going to share this post with others on my apologetics ping list as they may be interested.

[Elsie]

It may help someone whose first language isn’t English.

I sometimes watch a Spanish telenovela and captioning at the same time.

https://www.spanish.academy/blog/10-best-spanish-telenovelas-on-netflix-to-binge-watch-right-now/

[Elsie]

How are you going to learn to read if you don’t see the text.

Captions?

[Elsie]

Grok is pretty much giving me books
that are still within copyright,
so it’s generally not helpful.

[Elsie]

What possible damage could ensue?

Worst case?

They still can't read but are able to rattle off the entire series verbatum.

[Elsie]

...the difficulty level in the 6th grade math books.

Take the test.

ACTUAL 1912 EXAM — SALINA, KANSAS (FULL TEXT)

(This is the real historical document — public domain.)

---

GRAMMAR

1. Define noun, verb, adjective, adverb.

2. What are the principal parts of a verb?

3. Define:

   • sentence

   • paragraph

   • letter

4. Write a composition of about 150 words and show your letter‑writing form.

5. Name the parts of speech.

6. Define case; illustrate each case.

7. Define and diagram: “The boy who won the prize is my cousin.”

ARITHMETIC

1. Name and define the fundamental rules of arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50¢ per bushel?

4. Find cost of 6720 lbs. of coal at $6 per ton.

5. Find interest on $512.60 for 8 months at 7%.

6. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 in. wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per thousand feet?

U.S. HISTORY

1. Name the causes of the Civil War.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America.

3. Relate the principal events of the War of 1812.

4. Who were the Pilgrims?

5. Name the 13 original colonies.

6. Who was the first President of the United States?

GEOGRAPHY

1. Name the continents and oceans.

2. What is climate?

3. Describe the movements of the earth.

4. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

5. Name the countries bordering the Atlantic.

6. Describe the Mississippi River system.

CIVICS

1. Name the three branches of government.

2. Define:

   • naturalization

   • suffrage

   • citizenship

3. How is the President elected?

4. What are the duties of the governor?

5. What is the Constitution?

ORTHOGRAPHY (SPELLING)

Spell and use in a sentence: parallel, privilege, separate, arithmetic, government, accommodate, recommend, necessary, occurred, embarrass

READING

Explain the meaning of:

• “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

• “A stitch in time saves nine.”

• “Honesty is the best policy.”

[Elsie]

THE 2026 DEADPAN 6TH‑GRADE EXAM

Administered by Mr. Buster Keaton, who has not blinked since 1917.

---

ARITHMETIC
A community garden harvests 12 dozen eggs. Divide them equally among neighbors. Do not ask why the neighbors never help with the garden.
A train travels 28 miles in 45 minutes. Calculate the distance it would travel if it didn’t break down.
Reduce 84/126. Try not to sigh audibly.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Write a sentence with a predicate adjective. Keep it neutral. Mr. Keaton will not react either way.
Correct this sentence: “Me and him seen the dog.” Mr. Keaton will stare at you until you fix it.
Explain its vs. it’s. Pretend English makes sense.

GEOGRAPHY
Name the five Great Lakes. Spell them correctly.
Define the Prime Meridian. Describe the Prime Meridian without implying it’s better than the others.
Identify a region you have never visited. Provide one factual detail. No imagination.

HISTORY
Name one major event in U.S. history. Provide one overlooked perspective. Keep both factual.
Explain the Louisiana Purchase in fewer than 40 words.
Describe the Pilgrims. Avoid myth, costume references, or dramatization.

CIVICS
Name the three branches of government.
Explain “taxation without representation.”
Define citizenship without mentioning paperwork or bumper stickers.

SCIENCE
Explain the difference between weather and climate.
Describe one renewable energy source. Provide one limitation. No advocacy.

PENMANSHIP
Write in your best handwriting:
“Curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking help communities thrive.”
Mr. Keaton will evaluate legibility. He will not comment.

 

Mr. Keaton will grade this by holding your paper up to the light and squinting slightly, which is the closest he comes to praise.

BONUS

Explain why asking good questions is more important than having the answer.

[daniel1212]

A community garden harvests 12 dozen eggs. Divide them equally among neighbors.

with no number of neighbors given, then with 144 eggs, there can be no one set number. If 12 neighbors, they each rec'd one dozen.

A train travels 28 miles in 45 minutes. Calculate the distance it would travel if it didn’t break down.

Likewise, there can be more than one right answer. Of course, I am not good at math aside from what I can do in my brain, so i asked AI "A train travels 28 miles in 45 minutes. Calculate how many mph it goes." It answered,

**37.33 mph** (exactly **112/3 mph**).

**Calculation**:

- Speed = distance ÷ time
- 28 miles ÷ (45 ÷ 60) hours = 28 ÷ 0.75 = **37.33 mph**
- Or: 28 miles × (60 ÷ 45) = 28 × (4/3) = **112/3** mph.

Which left me confused, and I asked,

u mean at 112.3 mph it travels 28 miles in 45 minutes, averaging 37.33 mph?

It answered,

Yes, exactly:

Average speed = 37.33 mph (or precisely 112/3 mph).
At that constant speed, it covers 28 miles in exactly 45 minutes.

37.33 mph × 0.75 hr = 28 miles ✓
Or 112/3 × 3/4 = 112/4 = 28 miles ✓

While left me confused, as I did not realize 112/3 mph did not mean 112.3 mph

[ProgressingAmerica]

I would be interested to know of works of Christian Apologetics published prior to 1930 (now public domain) that you would recommend, from your book collection.

[daniel1212]

I would be interested to know of works of Christian Apologetics published prior to 1930 (now public domain) that you would recommend, from your book collection.

If commentaries are to be included, then the free E-sword program has many to choose from. Install and look under Downloads. Some that I have:

Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, and others, with introduction by R. A. Torrey. Published in 1834; public domain.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., (1715-1832)

WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas Robertson

Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament Johann (C.F.) Keil (1807-1888) & Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Dr. John Gill (1690-1771)

A Devotional Commentary by F. B. Meyer, B.A.

And from perplexity.ai

Knowing your conservative evangelical audience (Bible‑inerrant, literalist, anti‑modernist), here are top pre‑1930 public domain apologetics classics—still freely available as PDFs/ePubs. These emphasize Scripture authority, miracles, fulfilled prophecy, and rational defense against liberalism/atheism.ntslibrary+2

Core Recommendations (Evangelical Favorites)

Title & Author	Year	Why It Fits	Free Download
Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Josh McDowell excerpts, but core from older works like Greenleaf's Testimony of the Evangelists, 1846)	Pre‑1870	Legal/historical case for Gospels as eyewitness testimony. Gold for literalists.	archive.org[ntslibrary]
The Fundamentals (4 vols, R.A. Torrey et al.)	1910–1915	Cornerstone anti‑modernist essays (inerrancy, miracles, creation). The conservative manifesto.	archive.org full set[ntslibrary]
Many Infallible Proofs (Henry M. Morris roots in older like Biblical Inspiration by Robert P. Dick, 1885)	Pre‑1920	Evidences for Scripture, prophecy, archaeology.	NTSLibrary [ntslibrary]
Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity (William Paley, updated by Thomas Cooper, 1870s ed.)	1794/1870	Design argument, miracles, resurrection. Timeless rational defense.	Gutenberg[gutenberg]
The Bible and Modern Criticism (F.W. Robertson, but better Is the Bible Infallible? by Robert Mackey, 1885)	Pre‑1900	Vs. higher criticism; verbal inspiration.	archive.org[ntslibrary]

Best Free Sources (All PD Pre‑1930)

• Internet Archive: Search "apologetics [author]" (e.g., Torrey, Hodge). Borrow/print.[archive]

• NTSLibrary: 100+ apologetics PDFs (Hodge, Shedd, Warfield pre‑1920).[ntslibrary]

• Project Gutenberg: Paley, Butler (Analogy of Religion, 1736).[gutenberg]

• CCEL (Christian Classics): Chalmers, McCheyne defenses.[olddeadguys]

Standouts for your crowd:

• B.B. Warfield (Inspiration & Authority, pre‑1920 essays)—Princeton inerrancy powerhouse.

• A.A. Hodge (Outlines of Theology, 1860)—Systematic, anti‑liberal.

These resonate with fundamentalists (e.g., The Fundamentals directly shaped post‑1925 evangelicalism). Download, print cheap PDFs for your blog/archive!

Need specific PDFs or topical lists (resurrection, prophecy)?

[ProgressingAmerica]

"Need specific PDFs or topical lists (resurrection, prophecy)?"

Nope. Much to my delight, a large percentage of these already exist:

https://librivox.org/author/12529

https://librivox.org/author/15499

https://librivox.org/author/14776

The funny thing is your AI results returned Josh McDowell, whose first book was first published in 1972. LOL. No matter. I'll take this one and put it in my future list though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_of_the_Evangelists

[daniel1212]

The funny thing is your AI results returned Josh McDowell, whose first book was first published in 1972.

Yes, but as the list said, "excerpts, but core from older works like Greenleaf's Testimony of the Evangelists, 1846)."

But conservative modern works can surpass those of the past due to having access to more material, incldg. archaeological research. One apologist who has engaged many atheista produced a helpful series on charges that the Biblical stories were "borrowed" from other sources and are therefore fictional. http://www.tektonics.org/copycathub.php

[ProgressingAmerica]

Sure, I can see where the newer has some superior aspects, however I will say, the devaluation of the classics, the devaluation of the proven, and the devaluation of the original sources is in/of itself a problem. These problems should not be ignored. They should be addressed.

The thing about the newer is that I can't make any of those into a free open source audio book or do anything else with them. I'm completely locked out. With the newer books, I simply have to wait for "someone else", and if "someone else" declines to have additional media, well,

It sucks to be me now doesn't it?

I'm not waiting for other people. I'm not waiting for "someone else". I'm going to fix this problem.

It is a problem. That is affirmative. "Someone else" has proven, at least to me, to be unreliable. So "someone else" should just move aside in my opinion.

All of us have been relying on unreliable "someone elses" for far too long.

[daniel1212]

The thing about the newer is that I can't make any of those into a free open source audio book or do anything else with them. I'm completely locked out.

I hear you. I do not believe that any true believer should criminalize the copying of their material, nor charge for it, or at least not asking beyond the approx cost of such,