Here is the opening lessons from a book on Civics from the early 20th century. Before delving into civics, the book begins, in its introduction, with personal self-government as the foundation for family, school, community, and larger civil government. This section stresses building willpower, self-control, good habits, and moral character as essential to individual happiness and a stable society.

Here is the full transcribed text from these three pages:

"The Government of Self

The most important government in the world is the government of self. If a person cannot govern himself he is not fit to govern others. The boy who cannot control his temper, or his appetite, or his tongue, will never make a good ruler, whether in the home, or in the school, or in the state. Self-government means the p…