,,special ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading ,,and ,,oral ,,work ,,with ,,stories ,,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry1 ,,ph4,d4 ,,director ,,of ,,practice ,,department1 ,,northern ,,illinois ,,state ,,normal ,,school1 ,,de ,,kalb1 ,,illinois ,new ,york ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company ,,london3 ,,macmillan ,,co41 ,,ltd4 #aije ,all rights reserved ,,copyright1 #aijc4 ,,by ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company4 ,set up and electrotyped ,july1 #aijc2 reprinted ,april1 #aije4 ,,preface ,this book attempts the discussion of two very important problems in primary education4 ,first1 the oral work in the handling of stories1 and second1 the introduction to the art of reading in the earliest school work4 ,the very close relation between the oral work in stories and the exercises in reading in the first three years in school is quite fully explained4 ,the oral work in story-telling has gained a great importance in recent years1 but has not received much discussion from writers of books on method4 ,following this ,special ,method in ,primary ,reading1 a second volume1 called the ,special ,method in the ,reading of ,complete ,english ,classics in the ,grades of the ,common ,school1 completes the discussion of reading and literature in the intermediate and grammar grades4 ,both of the books of ,special ,method are an application of the ideas discussed in ,the ,principles of ,general ,method and ,the ,method of the ,recitation4 ,still other volumes of ,special ,method in ,geography1 ,history1 and ,natural ,science furnish the outlines of the courses of study in these subjects1 and also a full discussion of the value of the material selected and of the method of treatment4 ,at the close of each chapter and at the end of the book a somewhat complete graded list of books1 for the use of both pupils and teachers1 is given4 ,the same plan is followed in all the books of this series1 so that teachers may be able to supply themselves with the best helps with as little trouble as possible4 ,,charles ,a4 ,mc,m,u,r,r,y4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,page ,,the ,,reason ,,for ,,oral ,,work ,,in ,,stories #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,basis ,,of ,,skill ,,in ,,oral ,,work #af ,,chapter ,,iii ,,first ,,grade ,,stories #dg ,,chapter ,,iv ,,second ,,grade ,,stories #ge ,,chapter ,v ,,third ,,grade ,,stories #ajc ,,chapter ,,vi ,,primary ,,reading ,,through ,,incidental ,,exercises ,,and ,,games #acg ,,chapter ,,vii ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading #agc ,,chapter ,,viii ,,list ,,of ,,books ,,for ,,primary ,,grades #aij ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,reason ,,for ,,oral ,,work ,,in ,,stories ,the telling and reading of stories to children in early years1 before they have mastered the art of reading1 is of such importance as to awaken the serious thought of parents and teachers4 ,to older people it is a source of constant surprise--the attentive interest which children bestow upon stories4 ,almost any kind of a story will command their wide-awake thought4 ,but the tale which they can fully understand and enjoy has a unique power to concentrate their mental energy4 ,there is an undivided1 unalloyed absorption of mind in good stories which augurs well for all phases of later effort4 ,to get children into this habit of undivided mental energy1 of singleness of purpose in study1 is most promising4 ,in primary grades1 the fluttering1 scatter-brained truancy of thought is the chronic obstacle to success in study4 ,the telling or reading of stories to children naturally begins at home1 before the little ones are old enough for school4 ,the mother and father1 the aunts and uncles1 and any older person who delights in children1 find true comfort and entertainment in rehearsing the famous stories to children4 ,the ,mother ,goose1 the fables1 the fairy tales1 the ,arabian ,nights1 ,eugene ,field's and ,stevenson's poems of child life1 the ,bible stories1 the myths1 and some of the old ballads have untold treasures for children4 ,if one has a voice for singing the old melodies1 the charm of music intensifies the effect4 ,little ones quickly memorize what delights them1 and not seldom1 after two or three readings1 children of three and four years will be heard repeating whole poems or large parts of them4 ,the repetition of the songs and stories till they become thoroughly familiar gives them their full educative effect4 ,they become a part of the permanent furniture of the mind4 ,if the things which the children learn in early years have been well selected from the real treasures of the past 7of which there is a goodly store71 the seeds of true culture have been deeply sown in their affections4 ,the opportunities of the home for good story-telling are almost boundless4 ,parents who perceive its worth and are willing to take time for it1 find in this early period greater opportunity to mould the lives of children and put them into sympathetic touch with things of beauty and value than at any other time4 ,at this age children are well-nigh wholly at the mercy of their elders4 ,they will take what we give them and take it at its full worth or worthlessness4 ,they absorb these things as the tender plant absorbs rain and sunshine4 ,the kindergarten has naturally found in the story one of its chief means of effectiveness4 ,stories1 songs1 and occupations are its staples4 ,dealing with this same period of early childhood1 before the more taxing work of the school begins1 it finds that the children's minds move with that same freedom and spontaneity in these stories with which their bodies and physical energies disport themselves in games and occupations4 ,it is fortunate for childhood that we have such wholesome and healthful material1 which is fitted to give a child's mental action a well-rounded completeness4 ,his will1 his sensibility1 and his knowing faculty1 all in one harmonious whole1 are brought into full action4 ,in short1 not a fragment but the whole child is focussed and concentrated upon one absorbing object of thought4 ,the value of the oral treatment of stories is found in the greater clearness and interest with which they can be presented orally4 ,there is a keener realism1 a closer approximation to experimental facts1 to the situations1 the hardships1 to the sorrows and triumphs of persons4 ,the feelings and impulses of the actors in the story are felt more sharply4 ,the reality of the surrounding conditions and difficulties is presented so that a child transports himself by the power of sympathy and imagination into the scenes described4 ,there is no way by which this result can be accomplished in early years except by the oral presentation of stories4 ,until the children have learned to read and have acquired sufficient mastery of the art of reading so that it is easy and fluent1 there is no way by which they can get at good stories for themselves4 ,average children require about three years to acquire this mastery of the reading art4 ,not many children read stories from books1 with enjoyment and appreciation1 till they are nine or ten years old2 but from the age of four to ten they are capable of receiving an infinite amount of instruction and mental stimulus from hearing good stories4 ,in fact1 many of the best stories ever produced in the history of the world can be thoroughly enjoyed by children before they have learned to read4 ,this is true of ,grimm's and ,andersen's stories1 of the myths of ,hiawatha and ,norseland1 and of the early ,greeks1 of the ,bible stories1 the ,arabian ,nights1 ,robin ,hood1 besides many other stories1 poems1 ballads1 and biographies which are among the best things in our literature4 ,in these early years the minds of children may be enriched with a furnishment of ideas of much value for all their future use1 a sort of capital well invested1 which will bring rich returns4 ,minds early fertilized with this variety of thought material become more flexible1 productive1 and acquisitive4 ,for many years1 and even centuries1 it was supposed that early education could furnish children with little except the forms and instruments of knowledge1 the tools of acquisition1 such as ability to read1 spell1 and write1 and to use simple numbers4 ,but the susceptibility of younger children to the powerful culture influence of story1 poem1 and nature study1 was overlooked4 ,we now have good reason to believe that there is no period when the educative and refining influences of good literature in the form of poems and story can be made so effective as in this early period from four to ten years4 ,that period which has been long almost wholly devoted to the dry formalities and mechanics of knowledge1 to the dull and oftentimes benumbing drills of alphabets1 spelling1 and arithmetical tables1 is found to be capable of a fruitful study of stories1 fables1 and myths1 and an indefinite extension of ideas and experiences in nature observation4 ,but the approach to these sunny fields of varied and vivid experience is not through books1 except as the teacher's mind has assimilated their materials and prepared them for lively presentation4 ,the oral speech through which the stories are given to children is completely familiar to them1 so that they1 unencumbered by the forms of language1 can give their undivided thought to the story4 ,oral speech is1 therefore1 the natural channel through which stories should come in early years4 ,the book is at first wholly foreign to them1 and it takes them three years or more of greater or less painful effort to get such easy mastery of printed forms as to gain ready access to thought in books4 ,a book1 when first put into the hands of a child1 is a complete obstruction to thought4 ,the oral story1 on the contrary1 is a perfectly transparent medium of thought4 ,a child can see the meaning of a story through oral speech as one sees a landscape through a clear window-pane4 ,if a child1 therefore1 up to the age of ten1 is to get many and delightsome views into the fruitful fields of story-land1 this miniature world of all realities1 this repository of race ideas1 it must be through oral speech which he has already acquired in the years of babyhood4 ,it is an interesting blunder of teachers1 and one that shows their unreflecting acceptance of traditional customs1 to assume that the all-absorbing problem of primary instruction is the acquisition of a new book language 7the learning to read71 and to ignore that rich mother tongue1 already abundantly familiar1 as an avenue of acquisition and culture4 ,but we are now well convinced that the ability to read is an instrument of culture1 not culture itself1 and primarily the great object of education is to inoculate the children with the ideas of our civilization4 ,the forms of expression are also of great value1 but they are secondary and incidental as compared with the world of ideas4 ,there is an intimate connection between learning to read and the oral treatment of stories in primary schools which is very interesting and suggestive to the teacher4 ,routine teachers may think it a waste of time to stop for the oral presentation of stories4 ,but the more thoughtful and sympathetic teacher will think it better to stimulate the child's mind than to cram his memory4 ,the young mind fertilized by ideas is quicker to learn the printed forms than a mind barren of thought4 ,yet this proposition needs to be seen and illustrated in many forms4 ,children should doubtless make much progress in learning to read in the first year of school4 ,but coincident with these exercises in primary reading1 and1 as a general thing1 preliminary to them1 is a lively and interested acquaintance with the best stories4 ,it is a fine piece of educative work to cultivate in children1 at the beginning of school life1 a real appreciation and enjoyment of a few good stories4 ,these stories1 thus rendered familiar1 and others of similar tone and quality1 may serve well as a part of the reading lessons4 ,it is hardly possible to cultivate this literary taste in the reading books alone1 unrelieved by oral work4 ,the primers and first readers1 when examined1 will give ample proof of this statement4 ,in spite of the utmost effort of skilled primary teachers to make attractive books for primary children1 our primers and first readers show unmistakable signs of their formal and mechanical character4 ,they are essentially drill books4 ,it seems well1 therefore1 to have in primary schools two kinds of work in connection with story and reading1 the oral work in story-telling1 reproduction1 expression1 etc41 and the drill exercises in learning to read4 ,the former will keep up a wide-awake interest in the best thought materials suitable for children1 the latter will gradually acquaint them with the necessary forms of written and printed language4 ,moreover1 the interest aroused in the stories is constantly transferring itself to the reading lessons and giving greater spirit and vitality even to the primary efforts at learning to read4 ,in discussing the method of primary reading we shall have occasion to mention the varied devices of games1 activities1 drawings1 dramatic action1 blackboard exercises1 and picture work1 by which an alert primary teacher puts life and motive into early reading work1 but fully as important as all these things put together is the growing insight and appreciation for good stories4 ,when a child makes the discovery1 as ,hugh ,miller said1 that learning to read is learning to get stories out of books he has struck the chord that should vibrate through all his future life4 ,the real motive for reading is to get something worth the effort of reading4 ,even if it takes longer to accomplish the result in this way1 the result when accomplished is in all respects more valuable4 ,but it is probable that children will learn to read fully as soon who spend a good share of their time in oral story work4 ,in discussing the literary materials used in the first four grades1 we suggest the following grading of certain large groups of literary matter1 and the relation of oral work to the reading in each subsequent grade is clearly marked4 ,,oral ,,work4 ,,reading4 #ast ,grade4 ,games1 ,mother ,goose4 ,lessons based on ,games1 etc4 ,fables1 ,fairy ,tales4 ,board ,exercises4 ,nature ,myths1 ,child ,poems4 ,primers1 ,first ,readers4 ,simple ,myths1 ,stories1 etc4 #b;d ,grade4 ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,fables1 ,fairy ,tales4 ,hiawatha4 ,myths and ,poems4 ,seven ,little ,sisters4 ,second ,readers4 ,hiawatha ,primer4 #c;d ,grade4 ,greek and ,norse ,myths4 ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,ballads and ,legendary ,andersen's ,grimm's ,tales4 ,stories4 ,child's ,garden of ,verses4 ,ulysses1 ,jason1 ,siegfried4 ,third ,readers4 ,old ,testament ,stories4 #dth ,grade4 ,american ,pioneer ,history ,greek and ,norse ,myths4 ,stories4 ,historical ,ballads4 ,early ,biographical ,stories ,ulysses1 ,arabian ,nights4 of ,europe1 as ,alfred1 ,hiawatha1 ,wonder ,book4 ,solon1 ,arminius1 etc4 ,this close dependence of reading proper1 in earlier years1 upon the oral treatment of stories as a preliminary1 is based fundamentally upon the idea that suitable and interesting thought matter is the true basis of progress in reading1 and that the strengthening of the taste for good books is a much greater thing than the mere acquisition of the art of reading4 ,the motive with which children read or try to learn to read is1 after all1 of the greatest consequence4 ,the old notion that children must first learn to read and then find1 through the mastery of this art1 the entrance to literature is exactly reversed4 ,first awaken a desire for things worth reading1 and then incorporate these and similar stories into the regular reading exercises as far as possible4 ,in accordance with this plan1 children1 by the time they are nine or ten years old1 will become heartily acquainted with three or four of the great classes of literature1 the fables1 fairy tales1 myths1 and such world stories as ,crusoe1 ,aladdin1 ,hiawatha1 and ,ulysses4 ,moreover1 the oral treatment will bring these persons and actions closer to their thought and experience than the later reading alone could do4 ,in fact1 if children have reached their tenth year without enjoying those great forms of literature that are appropriate to childhood1 there is small prospect that they will ever acquire a taste for them4 ,they have passed beyond the age where a liking for such literature is most easily and naturally cultivated4 ,they move on to other things4 ,they have passed through one great stage of education and have emerged with a meagre and barren outfit4 ,the importance of oral work as a lively means of entrance to studies is seen also in other branches besides literature4 ,in geography and history the first year or two of introductory study is planned for the best schools in the form of oral narrative and discussion4 ,home geography in the third or fourth year1 and history stories in the fourth and fifth years of school1 are best presented without a text book by the teacher4 ,although the children have already overcome1 to some extent1 the difficulty of reading1 so great is the power of oral presentation and discussion to vivify and realize geographical and historical scenes that the book is discarded at first for the oral treatment4 ,in natural science also1 from the first year on the teacher must employ an oral method of treatment4 ,the use of books is not only impossible1 but even after the children have learned to read1 it would defeat the main purpose of instruction to make books the chief means of study4 ,the ability to observe and discern things1 to use their own senses in discriminating and comparing objects1 in experiments and investigations1 is the fundamental purpose4 ,in language lessons1 again1 it is much better to use a book only as a guide and to handle the lessons orally1 collecting examples and stories from other studies as the basis for language discussions4 ,it is apparent from this brief survey that an oral method is appropriate to the early treatment of all the common school studies1 that it gives greater vivacity1 intensity1 simplicity1 and clearness to all such introductory studies4 ,the importance of story-telling and the initiation of children into the delightful fields of literature through the teacher rather than through the book are found to harmonize with a mode of treatment common to all the studies in early years4 ,in this connection it is interesting to observe that the early literature of the ,european nations was developed and communicated to the people by word of mouth4 ,the ,homeric songs were chanted or sung at the courts of princes4 ,at ,athens1 in her palmy days1 the great dramatists and poets either recited their productions to the people or had them presented to thousands of citizens in the open-air theatres4 ,even historians like ,thucidides read or recited their great histories before the assembled people4 ,in the early history of ,england1 ,scotland1 and other countries1 the minstrels sang their ballads and epic poems in the baronial halls and thus developed the early forms of music and poetry4 ,shakespeare wrote his dramas for the theatre1 and he seems to have paid no attention at all to their appearance in book form1 never revising them or putting them into shape for the press4 ,this practice of all the early races of putting their great literature before the people by song1 dramatic action1 and word of mouth is very suggestive to the teacher4 ,the power and effectiveness of this mode of presentation1 not only in early times but even in the highly civilized cities of ,london and ,athens1 is unmistakable proof of the educative value of such modes of teaching4 ,this is only another indication of the kinship of child life with race life1 which has been emphasized by many great thinkers4 ,the oral method offers a better avenue for all vigorous modes of expression than the reading book4 ,it can be observed that the general tendency of the book is toward a formal1 expressionless style in young readers4 ,go into a class where the teacher is handling a story orally and you will see her falling naturally into all forms of vivid narrative and presentation1 gesture1 facial expression1 versatile intonation1 blackboard sketching and picture work1 the impersonation of characters in dialogue1 dramatic action1 and general liveliness of manner4 ,the children naturally take up these same activities and modes of uttering themselves4 ,even without the suggestion of teachers1 little children express themselves in such actions1 attitudes1 and impersonations4 ,this may be often observed in little boys and girls of kindergarten age1 when telling their experiences to older persons1 or when playing among themselves4 ,the freedom1 activity1 and vivacity of children is1 indeed1 in strong contrast to the apathetic1 expressionless1 monotonous style of many grown people1 including teachers4 ,but the oral treatment of stories has a tendency to work out into modes of activity even more effective than those just described4 ,in recent years1 since so much oral work has been done in elementary schools1 children have been encouraged also to express themselves freely in blackboard drawings and in pencil work at their desks by way of illustrating the stories told4 ,moreover1 in paper cutting1 to represent persons and scenes1 in clay modelling1 to mould objects presented1 and in constructive and building efforts1 in making forts1 tents1 houses1 tools1 dress1 and in showing up modes of life1 the children have found free scope for their physical and mental activities4 ,these have not only led to greater clearness and vividness in their mental conceptions1 but have opened out new fields of self-activity and inventiveness4 ,so long as work in reading and literature was confined to the book exercises1 nearly all these modes of expression were little employed and even tabooed4 ,finally1 the free use of oral narrative in the literature of early years1 in story-telling and its attendant modes of expression1 opens up to primary teachers a rare opportunity of becoming genuine educators4 ,there was a time1 and it still continues with many primary teachers1 when teaching children to read was a matter of pure routine1 of formal verbal drills and repetitions1 as tiresome to the teacher1 if possible1 as to the little ones4 ,but now that literature1 with its treasures of thought and feeling1 of culture and refinement1 has become the staple of the primary school1 teachers have a wide and rich field of inspiring study4 ,the mastery and use of much of the preferred literature which has dropped down to us out of the past is the peculiar function of the primary teacher4 ,contact with great minds1 like those of ,kingsley1 ,ruskin1 ,andersen1 the ,grimm brothers1 ,stevenson1 ,dickens1 ,hawthorne1 ,de ,foe1 ,browning1 ,a,esop1 ,homer1 and the unknown authors of many of the best ballads1 epics1 and stories1 is enough to give the primary teacher a sense of the dignity of her work4 ,on the other hand1 the opportunity to give to children the free and versatile development of their active powers is an equal encouragement4 ,teachers who have taken up with zeal this great problem of introducing children to their full birthright1 the choice literature of the world suited to their years1 and of linking this story work with primary reading so as to give it vitality1--such teachers have found school life assuming new and unwonted charms2 the great problems of the educator have become theirs2 the broadened opportunity for the acquisition of varied skill and professional efficiency has given a strong ambitious tone to their work4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,basis ,,of ,,skill ,,in ,,oral ,,work ,accepting the statement that skill in oral presentation of a story is a prime demand in early education1 the important question for teachers is how to cultivate their resources in this phase of teaching1 how to become good story-tellers4 ,it may be remarked that1 for the great majority of people1 story-telling is not a gift but an acquisition4 ,there are1 of course1 occasional geniuses1 but they may be left out of consideration4 ,they are not often found in the schoolroom any more than in other walks of life4 ,what we need is a practical1 sensible development of a power which we all possess in varying degrees4 ,nor is it the fluent1 volatile1 verbose talker who makes a good oral teacher1 but rather one who can see and think clearly3 one who knows how to combine his ideas and experiences into clear and connected series of thought4 ,we may proceed1 therefore1 to a discussion of the needs and resources of a good story-teller4 #a4 ,without much precaution it may be stated that he should have a rich experience in all the essential realities of human life4 ,this covers a large field of common things and refers rather to contact with life than to mere book knowledge4 ,yet it is the depth1 heartiness1 and variety of knowledge rather than the source from which it springs that concerns us4 ,books often give us just this deep penetrating experience1 as soon as we learn how to select and use them4 ,we need to know human life directly and in all sorts of acts1 habits1 feelings1 motives1 and conditions1--something as ,shakespeare knew it1 only within the compass of our narrower possibilities4 ,likewise the physical world with its visible and invisible forces and objects besetting us on every side4 ,these things must impress themselves upon us vividly in detail as well as in the bulk4 ,the hand that has been calloused by skill-producing labor1 the back that aches with burdens bravely borne1 the brain that has sweat with strong effort1 are expressions of this kind of knowledge of the world4 ,clear-grained perceptions are acquired from many sources3 from travel1 labor1 books1 reflection1 sickness1 observation4 ,i go to-day into a small shop where heavy oak beer-kegs are made1 and watch the man working this refractory material into water-tight kegs that will stand hard usage at the hands of hard drinkers for twenty years4 ,if my mind has been at work as ,i watch this man for an hour1 with his heavy rough staves made by hand1 his tools and machines1 his skill and strong muscular action1 the amount and profit of his labor1 that man's work has gone deep into my whole being4 ,i can almost live his life in an hour's time1 and feel its contact with the acute problems of our modern industrial life4 ,that is a kind of knowledge and experience worth fully as much as a sermon in ,trinity ,church or a ,university lecture4 ,the teacher needs a great store of these concrete facts and illustrations4 ,without them he is a carpenter without tools or boards4 ,he needs to know industries1 occupations1 good novels1 typical life scenes1 sunsets1 sorrows1 joys1 inventions1 poets1 farmers--all such common1 tangible things4 ,even from fools and blackguards he can get experiences that will last him a lifetime if they only strike in and do not flare off into nothingness4 ,social experience in all sorts of human natures1 disposition1 and environing circumstance is immediately valuable to the teacher4 ,close acquaintance with children1 with their early feelings and experiences1 with their timidity or boldness1 with their whims or conceits1 their dislikes and preferences1 their enthusiasms and interests1 with their peculiar home and neighborhood experiences and surroundings1 with their games and entertainments1 with the books and papers they read1 with their dolls and playthings1 their vacations and outings1 with their pets and playhouses1 with their tools and mechanical contrivances--all these and other like realities of child life put the teacher on a footing of possible appreciation and sympathy with children4 ,these are the materials and facts which a good teacher knows how to work up in oral recitations4 ,of course the kindly1 sympathetic social mood which is not fretted by others' frailties and perversities1 but1 like ,irving or ,addison1 exhibits a liberal charity or humorous affection for all things human1 is a fortunate possession or acquisition for the teacher4 #b4 ,it may be said also1 without fear of violent contradiction1 that a teacher needs to be a master of the story he is about to tell4 ,it may be well to spread out to view the important things necessary to such a mastery4 ,the reading over of the story till its facts and episodes have become familiar and can be reproduced in easy narrative is at least a minimum requirement4 ,even this moderate demand is much more serious than the old text-book routine in history or reading1 where the teacher1 with one eye on the book1 the other on the class1 and his finger at the place1 managed to get the questions before the class in a fixed order4 ,let us look a little beneath the surface of the story4 ,what is its central idea1 the author's aim or motive in producing it8 ,not a little effort and reflection may be necessary to get at the bottom of this question4 ,some of the most famous stories1 like ,aladdin1 ,gulliver's ,travels1 and the ,city ,musicians1 may be so wild and wayward as to elude or blunt the point of this question4 ,the story may have a hard shell1 but the sharp teeth of reflection will get at the sweet kernel within1 else the story is not worth while4 ,in some of the stories1 like ,baucis and ,philemon1 ,the ,great ,stone ,face1 ,the ,pied ,piper of ,hamelin1 ,the ,discontented ,pine ,tree1 and ,hiawatha's ,fasting1 the main truth is easily reflected from the story and caught up even by the children4 ,this need for getting at the heart of the story is clearly seen in all the subsequent work4 ,it is the exercise of such a critical judgment which qualifies the teacher to discriminate between good and poor stories4 ,in the treatment of the story the essential topics are laid out upon the basis of this controlling idea or motive4 ,the leading aims and carefully worded questions point toward this central truth4 ,the side lights and attendant episodes are arranged with reference to it like the scenes in a drama4 ,the effort to get at the central truth and the related ideas is a sifting-out process1 a mode of assimilating and mastering the story more thorough-going than the mere memorizing of the facts and words for the purpose of narration4 ,the thought-getting self-activity and common-sense logic which are involved in this mode of assimilating a story are good for both pupils and teacher4 ,the mastery of a story needed by an oral teacher implies abundance of resource in illustrative device and explanation4 ,when children fail to grasp an idea1 it is necessary to fall back upon some familiar object or experience not mentioned in the book4 ,emergencies arise which tax the teacher's ingenuity to the utmost4 ,even the children will raise queries that baffle his wit4 ,in preparing a story for the classroom it is necessary to see it from many sides1 to foresee these problems and difficulties4 ,oftentimes the collateral knowledge derived from history or geography or from similar episodes in other stories will suggest the solution4 ,it is a favorite maxim of college teachers and of those who deal mostly with adults or older pupils1 that if a person knows a thing he can teach it4 ,leaving out of account the numerous cases of those who are well posted in their subjects1 but cannot teach1 it is well to note the scope1 variety1 and thoroughness of knowledge necessary to a good teacher to handle it skilfully with younger children4 ,besides the thorough knowledge of the subject which scholars have demanded1 it requires an equally clear knowledge of the mental resources of children1 the language which they can understand1 the things which attract their interest and attention1 and the ways of holding the attention of a group of children of different capacities1 temper1 and disposition4 ,any dogmatic professor who thinks he can teach the story of ,cinderella or ,andersen's ,five ,peas in the ,pod1 because he has a full knowledge of the facts of the story1 should make trial of his skill upon a class of twenty children in the first grade4 ,we suggest1 however1 that he do it quietly1 without inviting in his friends to witness his triumph4 ,no1 the mastery of the subject needed for an effective handling of it in oral work is different and is greater than they have yet dreamed of who think that mere objective knowledge is all that is needed by a teacher4 ,the application of knowledge to life is generally difficult1 more taxing by far than the mere acquisition of facts and principles4 ,but the use of one's knowledge in the work of instructing young children1 in getting them to acquire and assimilate it1 is perhaps the most difficult of all forms of the application of knowledge4 ,it is difficult because it is so complex4 ,to think clearly and accurately on some topic for one's single self is not easy1 but to get twenty children of varying capacities and weaknesses1 with their stumbling1 acquisitive1 flaring minds1 to keep step along one clear line of thought is a piece of daring enterprise4 ,the mastery of the story1 therefore1 for successful oral work1 must be detailed1 comprehensive1 many-sided1 and adapted to the fluttering thoughts of childhood4 #c4 ,the chief instrument through which the teacher communicates the story is oral speech1 and this he needs to wield with discriminating skill and power4 ,preachers and lecturers1 when called upon to talk to children1 nearly always talk over their heads1 using language not appropriate and comprehensible to children4 ,those accustomed to deal with little folks are quickly sensitive to this amateur awkwardness4 ,young teachers just out of the higher schools make the same blunder4 ,they are also inclined to think that fluency and verbosity are a sign of power4 ,but such false tinsel makes no impression upon children except confusion of thought4 ,children require simple1 direct words1 clearly defined in thought and grounded upon common experience and conviction4 ,facts and realities should stand behind the words of a teacher4 ,what he seeks to marshal before children is people and things4 ,words should serve as photographs of objects2 instantaneous views of experiences4 ,in some social and diplomatic circles words are said to conceal thought1 but this kind of verbal diplomacy has no place in schools4 ,it is an interesting question how far the language and style of the authors should be preserved by the narrator4 ,it would be an error to forbid the exact use of the author's words and an equal error to require it4 ,it seems reasonable to say that the teacher should become absorbed in the author's style and mode of presenting the story4 ,this will lead to a close approximation to the author's words1 without any slavish imitation4 ,in the midst of oral presentation and discussion it would be impossible to hold strictly to the original4 ,the teacher's own language and conception of the story will press in to simplify and clarify the meaning4 ,no one holds strictly to a literary style in telling a story4 ,conversational ideas and original momentary impulses of thought demand their own forms of utterance4 ,and yet it is well to appropriate the style and expression of the writer so as to accustom the children to the best forms4 ,a few very apt and forcible sentences will be found in any good author which the teacher will naturally employ4 ,but the teacher must have freedom4 ,when he has once thoroughly appropriated the story he must give vent to his own spontaneity and power4 ,later1 when the children come to read these stories1 they will enjoy them in their full literary form4 #d4 ,the power of clear and interesting presentation of a story is one of the chief professional acquisitions of a good primary teacher4 ,it involves many things besides language1 including liveliness of manner1 gesture1 facial expression1 action1 dramatic impersonation1 skill in blackboard illustration1 good humor and tact in working with children1 a strong imagination1 and a real appreciation for the literature adapted to children4 ,perhaps the fundamental need is simplicity and clearness of thought and language combined with a pleasing and attractive manner4 ,vague and incomprehensible thoughts and ideas are all out of place4 ,the teacher should be strict with himself in this matter1 and while reading and mastering the story1 should use compulsion upon himself to arrive at an unmistakable clearness of thought4 ,the objects1 buildings1 palaces1 woods1 caves1 animals1 persons1 and places should be sharply imaged by the imagination2 the feelings and passions of the actors should be keenly realized4 ,often a vague and uncertain conception needs to be scanned1 the passage reread1 and the notion framed into clearness4 ,in describing the palace of the sleeping beauty1 begirt with woods1 the sentinels standing statuelike at the portal1 the lords and ladies at their employments1 the teacher should think out the entrance way1 hall1 rooms1 and persons of the palace so clearly that his thought and language will not stumble over uncertainties4 ,transparent clearness and directness of thought are the result of effort and circumspection4 ,they are well worth the pains required to gain them4 ,a teacher who thinks clearly will generate clear habits of thought in children4 ,the power of interesting narrative and description is not easily explained4 ,it is a thing not readily analyzed into its elements4 ,perhaps the best way to find out what it is may be discovered by reading the great story-tellers1 such as ,macaulay1 ,irving1 ,kingsley1 ,de ,foe1 ,hawthorne1 ,homer1 ,plutarch1 ,scott1 and ,dickens4 ,novelists like ,george ,eliot1 ,victor ,hugo1 ,cooper1 ,scott1 and ,dickens1 possess this secret also1 and even some of the historians1 as ,herodotus1 ,fiske1 ,green1 ,parkman1 ,motley1 and others4 ,it is not so important that a teacher should give a cold analysis of their qualities as that he should fall insensibly into the vivid and realistic style of the best story-tellers4 ,one who has read ,pyle's ,robin ,hood stories until they are familiar will1 to a considerable extent1 appropriate his fertile and happy ,old-,english style1 the sturdy ,english spirit of bold ,robin1 his playful humor1 and his apt utterance of homely truths4 ,there are certain qualities that stand out prominently in the good story-tellers4 ,they are simple and concrete in their descriptions1 they deal very little in general1 vague statements or abstractions1 they hold closely to the persons of the story in the midst of interesting surroundings1 they are profuse in the use of distinct figures of speech1 appealing to the fancy or imagination4 ,they often have a humorous vein which gives infinite enjoyment and spreads a happy charity throughout the world4 ,the art of graphic illustration on the blackboard is in almost constant demand in oral work4 ,even rude and untechnical sketches by teachers who have no acquired skill in artistic drawing are of the greatest value in giving a quick and accurate perception of places1 buildings1 persons1 and surrounding conditions of a story or action4 ,the map of ,crusoe's island1 the drawings to represent his tent1 cave1 boat1 country residence1 fortifications1 dress1 utensils1 and battles are natural and simple modes of realizing clearly his labors and adventures4 ,they save much verbal description and circumlocution4 ,the teacher needs to acquire absolute boldness and freedom in using such illustrative devices4 ,the children will1 of course1 catch this spirit1 as they are by nature inclined to use drawing as a mode of expression4 ,a similar freedom in the teacher is necessary in the use of bodily action1 gesture1 and facial expression in story-telling4 ,the teacher needs to become natural1 childlike1 and mobile in these things2 for children are naturally much given to such demonstrations in the expression of their thought4 ,little girls of three and four years in the home1 when free from self-consciousness1 are marvellously and delightfully expressive by means of eyes1 gestures1 hands1 and arms and whole bodily attitudes4 ,why should not this naive expressiveness be gently fostered in the school8 ,indeed it is1 and in many schools the little ones are as happy and whole-souled and spontaneous in their modes of expression as we have suggested4 ,dramatization1 if cultivated1 extends a teacher's gamut of expressiveness4 ,our inability or slowness to respond to this suggestion is a sign of a certain narrowness or cramp in our culture and training4 ,in ,normal schools where young teachers are trained in the art of reading1 the dramatic instinct should be strongly developed4 ,the power to other one's self in dramatic action1 to assume and impersonate a variety of characters1 is a real expression and enlargement of the personality4 ,it demands sympathy and feeling as well as intellectual insight4 ,the study and reading of the great dramatists1 the seeing of good plays1 amateur efforts in this direction1 the frequent oral reading of ,shakespeare1 ,dickens1 and other dramatists and novelists will cultivate and enlarge the teacher's power in this worthy and wholesome art4 ,the use of good pictures is also an important means of adding to the beauty and clearness of stories4 ,the pictures of ,indian life in ,hiawatha1 the illustrated editions of ,robinson ,crusoe1 the copies of ancient works of art in some editions of the ,greek myths1 ,howard ,pyle's illustrated ,robin ,hood1 and other books of this character add greatly to the vividness of ideas4 ,such pictures should be handled with care1 not distributed promiscuously among the children while the lesson is going on4 ,the teacher needs to study a picture1 and discuss it intelligently with the children1 asking questions which bring out its representative qualities4 ,it is evident the skilful oral presentation of a story calls out no small degree of clear knowledge1 force of language1 illustrative device1 dramatic instinct1 and a freedom and versatility of action both mental and physical4 #e4 ,a clear outline of leading points in a story is a source of strength to the teacher and the basis later of good reproductive work by the children4 ,the short stories in the first grade hardly need a formal outline1 and even in second grade the sequence of ideas in a story is often so simple and easy that outlines of leading topics may not be needed4 ,but in third and fourth grade it is well in the preliminary study and mastery of a story to divide it up into clearly marked segments1 with a distinctive title for each division4 ,it is difficult to get teachers to do this kind of close logical work1 and still more difficult to have them remember it in the midst of oral presentation and discussion4 ,if the main points of the story as thus outlined are placed upon the blackboard as the narrative advances1 it keeps in mind a clear survey of the whole and serves as the best basis for the children's reproduction of the story4 ,it compels both teacher and pupils to keep to a close logical connection of ideas and a sifting out of the story to get at the main points4 ,without these well-constructed outlines the memory of the story is apt to fall into uncertainty and confusion1 and the children's reproduction becomes fragmentary and disorderly4 ,experience shows that teachers are prone to be loose and careless in bringing their stories into such a well-ordered series of distinct topics4 ,it is really a sign of a thoughtful1 logical1 and judicious mastery of a subject to have thrown it thus into its prominent points of narration4 ,oral work often fails of effectiveness and thoroughness1 because of these careless habits of teachers4 ,such an outline1 when put into the children's regular note-books1 serves as the best basis for later surveys and reviews4 #f4 ,the oral narration and presentation of stories has a curious way of being turned into development lessons1 in which the teacher deals in questions and problematic situations and the children work out many of the facts and incidents of the story by a series of guesses and inferences4 ,these are well known as development lessons1 and they are capable of exhibiting the highest forms of excellence in teaching or the most drivelling waste of time4 ,the subject is a hard one to handle1 but it needs a clear and simple elucidation as much as any problem in the teaching profession4 ,generally speaking it is better for young teachers not to launch out recklessly upon the full tide of development instruction4 ,it is better to learn the handling of the craft on quieter waters4 ,development work needs to be well charted4 ,the varying winds and currents1 storms and calms1 need to be studied and experienced before one may become a good ship's master4 ,let young teachers first acquire power in clear1 simple1 direct narration and description1 using apt and forcible language and holding to a clear-cut line of thought4 ,this is no slight task1 and when once mastered and fixed in habit becomes the foundation of a wider freedom and skill in development exercises4 ,the works of the great story-tellers furnish excellent models of this sort of skill1 and teachers may follow closely in the lines struck out by ,scott or ,hawthorne in narrating a story4 ,a book story cannot do otherwise than simply narrate2 it cannot develop1 set problems and questions and have children to find solutions and answers4 ,it must tell the facts and answer the questions4 ,but in oral narration there is room not only for all the skill of the story-writer1 but also the added force of voice1 personality1 lively manner1 gesture1 action1 and close adaptation to the immediate needs of children and subject4 ,this is enough to command the undivided effort of the young teacher at first1 without entering the stormy waters and shifting currents of pure development work4 ,yet the spirited teacher will not go far in narrating a story without a tendency to ask questions to intensify the children's thought1 or to quicken the discussion of interesting points4 ,even if the teachers or parents are but reading a good story from a book1 it is most natural1 at times1 to ask questions about the meaning of certain new words1 or geographical locations1 or probabilities in the working out of the story4 ,these are the simple beginnings of development work1 and produce greater thoughtfulness1 keener perceptions of the facts1 and a better absorption of the story into a child's previous knowledge4 ,a sharp limitation of development work is also found in the circumstance that a large share of the facts in a story cannot by any sort of ingenuity be developed4 ,they form the necessary basis for later development questions4 ,even many of the facts which might be developed by a skilful teacher are better told directly1 because of the difficulty and time-devouring nature of the process4 ,there may be a few central problems in every story1 which1 after the necessary facts and conditions have been plainly told1 can be thoroughly sifted out by questions1 answers1 and discussions4 ,but to work out all the little details of a story by question and surmise1 to get the crude1 unbaked opinions of all the members of a class upon every episode and fact in a story1 is a pitiful caricature of good instruction4 ,the purpose of good development work is to get children to go deeper into the meaning of a story1 to realize its situations more keenly1 and to acquire habits of thoughtfulness1 self-reliant judgment1 and inventiveness in solving difficulties4 ,these results1 and they are among the chiefest set for the educator1 cannot be accomplished by mere narration and description4 ,their superior excellence and worth are the prize of that superior skill which first-class development work demands4 ,with these preliminary remarks1 criticisms1 and limitations in mind1 we may inquire what are the essentials of good development work in oral lessons4 7#a7 ,determine what parts of a story are capable of development2 what facts must be clearly present to the mind before questions can be put and inferences derived4 ,in a problem in arithmetic we first state the known facts1 the conditions upon which a solution can be based1 and then put a question whose answer is to be gained by a proper conjunction and inference from these facts4 ,the same thing is true in reasoning upon the facts in a story4 7#b7 ,in placing a topic before children it is always advisable to touch up the knowledge already possessed by the children1 or any parts of their previous experience which have strong interpretative ideas for the new lesson4 ,at this point apt questions which probe quickly into their previous knowledge and experience are at a premium4 ,the teacher needs to have considered beforehand in what particulars the children's home surroundings and peculiar circumstances may furnish the desired knowledge4 ,the form of the questions may also receive close attention4 ,for these words must provoke definite thought4 ,they should have hooks on them which quickly drag experience into light4 7#c7 ,in order to give direction to the children's thoughts on the story's line of progress1 interesting aims should be set up4 ,these aims1 without anticipating precise results1 must guide the children towards the desired ends and turning-points in the story4 ,the mind should be kept in suspense as to the outcome1 and the thoughts should centre and play about these clearly projected aims4 ,such aims1 floating constantly in the van1 are the objective points1 towards which the energy of thought is directed4 ,every good story-teller keeps such aims expressly or tacitly in view4 ,novelists and dramatists hinge the interest of readers or spectators upon this curiosity which is kept acutely sensitive about results4 ,such an aim should be simple and concrete1 not vague or abstract1 or general4 ,it may be put in the form of a question or statement or suggestion4 ,it will be a good share of the teacher's work in the preparation of the lesson to pick out and word these aims which centre upon the leading topics of the lesson4 ,for it is not enough to have an aim at the beginning of a story1 every chapter or separate part of the story should have its aim4 ,for aims are what stimulate effort and keep up an attentive interest4 7#d7 ,self-activity and thoughtfulness in working out problems find their best opportunity in development work4 ,the book1 in narrating a story1 cannot set problems1 or1 if it does1 it forthwith assumes the task of solving them4 ,but in the oral development of a story the essential facts and conditions may be clearly presented and the solution of the difficulties1 as in arithmetic1 left largely to the ingenuity and reasoning power of the children4 ,in the story of ,hiawatha's boat-building the problem may be set to the children as to what materials he will use in the construction of the canoe1 how the parts were put together1 and how he might decorate it4 ,not that the children will give the whole solution1 but they can contribute much to it4 ,in ,robinson ,crusoe many such problems arise4 ,how shall he conceal his cave and house from possible enemies8 ,where can he store his powder to keep it from the lightning and from dampness8 ,in fact1 nearly every step in ,crusoe's interesting career is such a problem or difficulty to battle with4 ,in ,kingsley's ,greek ,heroes and other renderings of the ,greek myths1 the heroes are young men who have shrewdness1 courage1 and strength to overcome difficulties4 ,to put these difficulties before children in such a way that they by their own thinking may anticipate1 in part at least1 the proper solutions1 is one of the chief merits of development work4 ,the story of ,ulysses is a series of shrewd contrivances to master difficulties or to avoid misfortunes1 so that his name has become a synonym for shrewdness4 ,the story itself1 therefore1 furnishes prime opportunities to develop resourcefulness4 ,how shall he escape from the enraged ,polyphemos in the cave8 ,his invention of the wooden horse before ,troy2 his escape from the sirens2 his battle with the suitors and others4 ,the story of ,aladdin has such interesting inventions1 and even the fairy tales and fables have many turns of shrewdness and device where the children's wits may be stimulated4 ,the turning-points and centres of interest in all such stories are the true wrestling-grounds of thought4 ,to put them point-blank before children in continuous narrative1 without question or discussion1 is not the way to produce thoughtfulness and inventive power4 ,merely reading or telling stories to children without comment is entertaining1 but not educative in the better sense4 ,children will have plenty of chances at home and in the school library to read and hear stories1 but it is the business of the school to teach them how to think as they read1 to produce a habit of foreseeing1 reviewing1 comparing1 and judging4 ,the serious defect of much of young people's reading1 from ten years on1 is its superficial1 transitory character4 ,it lacks depth1 strength1 and permanency4 ,it is not many stories that can be orally treated in this thorough-going way1 but enough to give the right idea1 and to cultivate habit and taste for more thoughtful study4 ,for skilled teachers1 therefore1 development lessons1 within certain limits1 constitute a most important phase of oral instruction4 ,it has been sometimes assumed that a child acquires greater self-reliance and a stronger exercise in self-activity by learning his lesson by himself from a book4 ,this is probably true in much of the arithmetic1 where he works out the solution of problems unaided2 but in history and literature the book work is chiefly memory work1 and oftentimes becomes of such parrot-like character as to be almost destitute of higher educative qualities4 ,it is advisable1 therefore1 to strengthen the educative value of story work by giving it1 through oral instruction1 this problem-solving character1 this thought-stimulating1 self-reliant attitude of mind4 #g4 ,when the teacher has shown his best skill in presenting and discussing a section of a story1 it then devolves upon the children to show their knowledge and grasp of the subject by reproducing it4 ,the task of getting this well done requires1 perhaps1 as much skill and force of character as all previous work of oral instruction4 ,obstacles are met with at once4 ,it is dull work to go back over the same thing again1 and the children soon get tired of it4 ,they want something new and more exciting1 and press for the rest of the story4 ,many children are at first deficient in power of attention and in language1 so that their efforts at reproduction are clumsy and poor4 ,the interest is weak1 the attention of the children scattering1 and the class is apt to go to pieces under the strain of such dull work4 ,this is an emergency where a teacher needs both skill and force of character4 7,what a comfort it is to a writer to have such a platitude as this to fall back upon1 when he gets a teacher into a place where nothing but his own devices can save him47 ,there are1 however1 some hopeful considerations which may encourage a teacher whose feet are not already too deep in the bog of discouragement4 ,children enjoy the retelling of good stories with which they are familiar4 ,they will do it at home1 even if they are not very proficient at it in school4 ,in every class there are some talkative children who are always willing to make an effort4 ,again1 it is not always difficult to interest boys and girls in doing a thing that requires skill and power1 such as memory1 attentiveness1 and mastery of correct language4 ,the force of the teacher's influence and authority is worth something in setting up high standards of proficiency4 ,indeed1 children respect a teacher who makes rigorous demands upon them4 ,the retelling of stories is1 after all1 no harder nor duller than the reciting of a lesson learned out of a book4 ,on the other hand1 the whole effectiveness of oral work depends upon the success of these oral reproductions4 ,if children know that the teacher is in earnest they will be more attentive1 so as to be able to fulfil the requirement4 ,such a reproduction reveals at once a child's correct or incorrect grasp of the subject1 and in either case the teacher knows what to do next4 ,errors and misconceptions can be corrected and such explanations or additional facts given as will clarify the subject4 ,in such reproductions it is praiseworthy to help the children as little as possible1 to throw them back upon their own power as much as possible4 ,if the teacher constantly relieves them with suggestive questions1 they lean more and more upon her direction and lose all self-reliant power of continuous narrative4 ,no1 let the teacher keep a prudent silence1 let her seal her lips1 if necessary1 in order to teach boys and girls to stand on their own power of thought4 ,under this sort of discipline1 kindly but rigorous1 children will gradually acquire confidence in manner1 variety and choice of language1 in short1 the ability to grasp clearly1 hold firmly1 and express accurately the ideas which are presented to them4 ,the whole purpose of this sort of instruction is not so much to see how skilfully a teacher can present a lesson 7though that is a fine art7 as to determine how well a boy or girl can master or express knowledge1 can learn to think and speak for himself4 #h4 ,some teachers despair of treating stories orally in large classes of primary children4 ,the task of holding together such wriggling varieties of mental force and mental inertia is great4 ,some children are quick and excitable1 others are unresponsive and dull4 ,some are timid and sensitive1 others bold and demonstrative4 ,some are talkative and irrepressible1 others silent or listless4 ,it is interesting to consider the function and value of a good child's story to fit in to such varying needs and personalities4 ,if the purpose of the primary school is simply to keep children busy at some kind of orderly work1 there are other tamer employments than stories4 ,but if the idea is to put children's minds and bodies into healthy1 vigorous action1 it would be difficult to find a more suitable instrument than a fitting story4 ,but a good primary teacher knows better than to establish brusque and fixed standards of uniform success for all children4 ,it will take much time and patience to get anything like good oral responses from some children4 ,like budding flowers some unfold their leaves and petals much quicker at the touch of sunshine than others4 ,but the sun does not stop shining because all do not come out at once4 ,the crudest efforts of little children must be received with kindness and encouragement4 ,the power of reproducing thought and language is very slowly acquired by many children4 ,they are timidly self-conscious1 distrustful of their own powers1 and have not learned to throw themselves with confidence upon the good-will of their teachers4 ,it may take months with some children to overcome these obstacles1 and to bring them to a confident use of their powers1 but it is the highest delight of a teacher to reach this result4 ,some children1 on the other hand1 are so talkative and impulsive that they will monopolize the time of the class to no good purpose4 ,their enthusiasm requires tempering and their soberer thought strengthening4 ,another difficulty lies in the necessary effort to get correct ,english1 to gradually mould the language of children into correct forms4 ,the perverse habits of children1 the influence of home and playground1 the inveterate preference for slang and crude1 crass expressions1 and their sensitive pride against unusual refinements of speech1 make the cultivation of good ,english an uphill task4 ,but roads must be laid out through this wilderness of hills and valleys1 stumps and brush4 ,and these roads must be gradually worked down into smooth highways of travel4 ,it is pioneer toil1 requiring the steady use of axe and mattock and spade4 ,there is no kind of school training where good ,english can be cultivated to better advantage1 where the power of correct1 independent1 well-articulated speech can be so well strengthened as in oral story4 ,it is in the close contact of this work that the teacher is dealing directly with the original stock of experiences1 ideas1 and words of every child1 and with these as instruments of acquisition1 helping him to get a spirited introduction to the world of ideas in books and literature4 ,it is here that we can get a glimpse of that vast work which the elementary schools of the country are doing in the way of ,americanizing the children of various nationalities and in giving them not only a common language1 but a common body of ideas rooted in the earliest experiences of childhood and already laying hold of many of the richest treasures of ,american history and of the world's literature4 #i4 ,as children advance from the first year into the second and third years the character of the oral story-telling gradually changes4 ,children should acquire more power of attention1 greater command of language and ability to grasp and hold at one telling a larger section of a story4 ,the stories themselves become more complex1 the questions and problems set by the teacher more difficult4 ,the necessity for sharp1 logical outlines of leading topics increases as one advances in the grades4 ,older children can be held more rigidly to common standards of excellence in thought and language4 ,in this1 however1 the teacher should always remember that children differ greatly in their natural powers of expression1 and that a forcing process will not be so successful as a stimulating and encouraging attitude in the teacher4 #aj4 ,the good oral treatment of most stories leads the children to much activity in material constructions4 ,where the minds of children are brought to a healthy activity their bodies and physical energies are pretty sure to be called into play to work out the suggested lines of thought4 ,robinson ,crusoe invariably leads the children to a multitude of building and making enterprises1 such as moulding vessels in clay1 constructing the barricade around his tent and cave1 the making of chairs and tables1 etc4 ,we have already noticed the readiness of children to make blackboard or other drawings of interesting objects in a story1 or to cut them out with scissors from paper4 ,this effort to experience the realities of life more directly by making objects of common utility and necessity is a characteristic and powerful tendency of childhood4 ,it is commonly seen in children about the house1 when1 for example1 they must have wagons1 wheelbarrows1 tools1 or a set of garden implements with which to imitate the employments of their elders4 ,parkman and others often speak of the constant practice of little ,indian boys with bow and arrows4 ,our purpose here is not to discuss this matter at length1 but simply to notice its prominent place in connection with the oral lesson in story4 ,the intense interest awakened in stories leads quickly to these efforts at construction4 ,what shall the teacher do with this powerful tendency of children to carry over these ideas into the field of practical constructive labor8 ,to the thinker this tendency is perhaps the surest proof of the value of the story4 ,it does not stop with words nor ideas4 ,it pushes far into the region of voluntary1 physical1 and mental labor and application of knowledge4 ,the teacher who will make good use of this enterprising constructive desire of children must know definitely about tools1 boards1 shops1 various industries1 and technical trades1 the special materials1 inventions1 and devices of artisans in the common occupations1 such as farming1 gardening1 blacksmithing1 the carpenter shop1 the baker1 the quarry1 the brick kiln1 etc4 ,it will not be strange if many teachers recoil1 at first glance1 from this leap into industrial life4 ,it suggests that the schoolhouse must become a big machine shop1 agricultural station1 etc4 ,the trouble is1 of course1 that teachers do not feel themselves qualified in these things4 ,they know almost as little as the children about such matters1 and have much less inclination to know more4 ,but our modern education is taking a decided turn in this direction1 and with good reason4 ,the close acquaintance of our teachers with the common occupations of life1 with their materials1 tools1 machines1 constructions1 and skill would supply them with a rich collection of practical1 concrete1 illustrative knowledge of the greatest use in instructing children4 ,it is impossible to mention anything which would be of more service to them in the details of instruction4 ,the advantages to the children of such teaching1 re-enforced by this concrete detail of common life1 are so numerous and important as to deserve a special effort4 ,the benefit to teachers would quickly more than recompense them for the labor involved4 ,by occasional visits of observation in shops1 fields1 stores1 and factories1 by assisting children in their constructive efforts1 the teacher will acquire knowledge1 strength1 and confidence for such work4 ,the unfamiliarity of teachers with these everyday industrial matters1 and their feeling of helplessness as regards things not in the usual routine of school1 are the real hindrances to be overcome4 ,there are other subjects in the school course1 like home geography and the early lessons in nature study1 which deal more directly than stories with these practical forms of industrial life and constructive activity4 ,they will also demand and cultivate an increasing knowledge of this practical phase of life and education4 ,the lessons in oral story-telling stand thus closely linked with progressive experimental knowledge in other studies4 ,a brief retrospect and summary of the requirements necessary as a basis of good oral treatment of stories will impress us with the skill and resourcefulness needed by the teacher4 #a4 ,first-hand experience with the realities of life4 #b4 ,intimate knowledge and sympathy with child life4 #c4 ,the many-sided mastery of the story for teaching purposes4 #d4 ,skill in the use of simple1 apt1 and forcible language4 #e4 ,power of narrative and description1 together with various forms of graphic illustration1 dramatic action1 etc4 #f4 ,clear and simple outline of leading topics4 #g4 ,acquired power in the use of development methods1 including question1 problem1 discussion1 aims1 and the training of children to self-activity and thoughtfulness4 #h4 ,the successful oral reproduction of stories by the children4 #i4 ,tact in the handling of large classes1 with children of differing temperament and capacity1 and the encouragement of timid children4 #aj4 ,changing character of oral work in advancing grades4 #aa4 ,the need of insight and ability to supervise constructive activities4 ,these things include a wide range of clear knowledge and confident skill and resource4 ,teachers need first of all to cultivate resourcefulness in the use of their own knowledge and experience1 and to add to both of these as rapidly as circumstances permit4 ,the mere reading of stories to children by the teacher1 at odd times1 on ,friday afternoons or on special occasions1 is also of much value as a means of interesting children in a wide range of good books4 ,it is a source of entertainment and culture1 which1 when judiciously and skilfully employed1 adds much to the educative power of the school4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,first ,,grade ,,stories ,,fairy ,,tales ,young children1 as we all know1 are delighted with stories1 and in the first grade they are still in this story-loving period4 ,a good story is the best medium through which to convey ideas and also to approach the difficulties of learning to read4 ,such a story1 ,wilmann says1 is a pedagogical treasure4 ,by many thinkers and primary teachers the fairy stories have been adopted as best suited to the wants of the little folk just emerging from the home4 ,a series of fairy tales was selected by ,ziller1 one of the leading ,herbartians1 as a centre for the school work of the first year4 ,these stories have long held a large place in the home culture of children1 especially of the more cultivated class4 ,now it is claimed that what is good for the few whose parents may be cultured and sympathetic1 may be good enough for the children of the common people and of the poor4 ,moreover1 stories that have made the fireside more joyous and blessed may perchance bring vivacity and happiness into schoolrooms4 ,the home and the school are coming closer together4 ,it is even said that well-trained1 sympathetic primary teachers may better tell and impress these stories than overworked mothers and busy fathers4 ,if these literary treasures are left for the homes to discover and use1 the majority of children will know little or nothing of them4 ,many schools in this country have been using them in the first grade in recent years with a pleasing effect4 ,but what virtue lies concealed in these fairy myths for the children of our practical and sensible age8 ,why should we draw from fountains whose sources are back in the prehistoric and even barbarous past8 ,to many people it appears as a curious anachronism to nourish little children in the first decade of this new century upon food that was prepared in the tents of wandering tribes in early ,european history4 ,what are the merits of these stories for children just entering upon scholastic pursuits8 ,they are known to be generally attractive to children of this age1 but many sober-minded people distrust them4 ,are they really meat and drink for the little ones8 ,and not only so1 but the choicest meat and drink1 the best food upon which to nourish their unfolding minds8 ,fairy tales are charged with misleading children by falsifying the truth of things4 ,and1 indeed1 they pay little heed to certain natural laws that practical people of good sense always respect4 ,a child1 however1 is not so humdrum practical as these serious truth-lovers4 ,a little girl talks to her doll as if it had real ears4 ,she and her little brother make teacups and saucers out of acorns with no apparent compunctions of conscience4 ,they follow ,cinderella to the ball in a pumpkin chariot1 transformed by magic wand1 with even greater interest than we read of a presidential ball4 ,a child may turn the common laws of physical nature inside out and not be a whit the worse for it4 ,its imagination can people a pea-pod with little heroes aching for a chance in the big world1 or it can put tender personality into the trunk and branches of the little pine tree in the forest4 ,there are no space limits that a child's fancy will not spring over in a twinkling4 ,it can ride from star to star on a broomstick1 or glide over peaceful waters in a fairy boat drawn by graceful swans4 ,without suggestion from mother or teacher1 children put life and personality into their playthings4 ,their spontaneous delights are in this playful exercise of the fancy1 in masquerading under the guise of a soldier1 bear1 horse1 or bird4 ,the fairy tale is the poetry of children's inner impulse and feeling2 their sparkling eyes and absorbed interest show how fitting is the contact between these childlike creations of the poet and their own budding thoughts4 ,in discussing the qualities requisite in a fairy story to make it a pedagogical treasure1 ,wilmann says3#a ,when it is laid down as a first and indispensable requirement that a story be genuinely childlike1 the demand sounds less rigorous than it really is4 ,it is easier to feel than to describe the qualities which lend to a story the true childlike spirit4 ,it is not simplicity alone4 ,a simple story that can be understood by a child is not on that account childlike4 ,the simplicity must be the ingenuousness of the child4 ,close to this lies the abyss of silliness into which so many children's stories tumble4 ,a simple story may be manufactured1 but the quality of true simplicity will not be breathed into it unless one can draw from the deeper springs of poetic invention4 ,it is not enough that the externals of the story1 such as situation and action1 have this character1 but the sensibilities and motives of the actors must be ingenuous and childlike2 they should reflect the child's own feeling1 wish1 and effort4 ,but it is not necessary on this account that the persons of the story be children4 ,indeed the king1 prince1 and princess1 if they only speak and act like children1 are much nearer the child's comprehension than any of the children paraded in a manufactured story1 designed for the 'industrious youth4' ,for just as real poetry so the real child's story lies beyond reality in the field of fancy4 ,with all its plainness of thought and action1 the genuine child's story knows how to take hold of the child's fancy and set its wings in motion4 ,and what a meaning has fancy for the soul of the child as compared with that of the adult4 ,for us the activity of fancy only sketches arabesques1 as it were1 around the sharply defined pictures of reality4 ,the child thinks and lives in such arabesques1 and it is only gradually that increasing experience writes among these arabesques the firmer outlines of things4 ,the child's thoughts float about playfully and unsteadily1 but the fairy tale is even lighter winged than they4 ,it overtakes these fleeting summer birds and wafts them together without brushing the dust from their wings4 #a ,wilmann1 ,paedagogische ,vortraege4 ,but fostering the activity of fancy in children is a means1 not an end4 ,it is necessary to enter the field of fancy because the way to the child's heart leads through the fancy4 ,the effect upon the heart of the child is the second mark and proof of the genuine child's story4 ,we are not advocates of the so-called moral stories which are so short-winded as to stop frequently and rest upon some moral commonplace4 ,platitudes and moral maxims are not designed to develop a moral taste in the minds of young children1 for they appeal to the understanding and will of the pupil and presuppose what must be first built up and established4 ,true moral training is rather calculated to awaken in the child judgments of right and wrong1 of good and evil 7on simple illustrative examples74 ,not the impression left by a moralizing discourse is the germ of a love of the good and right1 but rather the child's judgment springing from its own conviction4 ',that was good4' ',what a mean thing6' ,those narratives have a moral force which introduce persons and acts that are simple and transparent enough to let the moral light shine through1 that possess sufficient life to lend warmth and vigor to moral judgments4 ,no attempt to cover up or pass over what is bad1 nor to paint it in extravagant colors4 ,for the bad develops the judgment no less than the good4 ,it remains only to have a care that a child's interest inclines toward the good1 the just1 and the right4 ,wilmann summarizes the essentials of a good story1 and then discusses the fairy tales as follows3-- ,there are then five requirements to be made of a real child's story3 ,let it be truly childlike1 that is1 both simple and full of fancy2 let it form morals in the sense that it introduces persons and matters which1 while simple and lively1 call out a moral judgment of approval or disapproval2 let it be instructive and lead to thoughtful discussions of society and nature2 let it be of permanent value1 inviting perpetually to a reperusal2 let it be a connected whole1 so as to work a deeper influence and become the source of a many-sided interest4 ,the child's story which1 on the basis of the aforenamed principles1 can be made the starting-point for all others1 is ,grimm's fairy tale of folk lore4 ,we are now called upon to show that the folk-lore fairy tale answers to the foregoing requirements1 and in this we shall see many a ray of light cast back upon these requirements themselves4 ,is the ,german fairy tale childlike8 full of simplicity as well as of fancy8 ,a deeply poetic saying of ,jacob ,grimm may teach us the answer4 ',there runs through these poetic fairy tales the same deep vein of purity by reason of which children seem to us so wonderful and blessed4 ,they have1 as it were1 the same pale-blue1 clear1 and lustrous eyes which can grow no more although the other members are still delicate and weak and unserviceable to the uses of earth4' ,klaiber quotes this passage in his ',das ,maerchen und die ,kindliche ,phantasie1' and says with truth and beauty1 ',yes2 when we look into the trusting eyes of a child1 in which none of the world's deceit is to be read as yet1 when we see how these eyes brighten and gleam at a beautiful fairy tale1 as if they were looking out into a great1 wide1 beautiful wonder-world1 then we feel something of the deep connection of the fairy story with the childish soul4' ,we will bring forward one more passage from a little treatise1 showing depth and warmth of feeling1 which stealthily takes away from the doubters their scruples about the justification of the fairy tale4 ',it is strange how well the fairy tale and the child's soul mutually understand each other4 ,it is as if they had been together from the very beginning and had grown up together4 ,as a rule the child only deals with that part of real life which concerns itself and children of its age4 ,whatever lies beyond this is distant1 strange1 unintelligible4 ,under the leading of the fairy tale1 however1 it permits itself to be borne over hill and valley1 over land and sea1 through sun and moon and stars1 even to the end of the world1 and everything is so near1 so familiar1 so close to its reach1 as if they had been everywhere before1 just as if obscure pictures within had all at once become wonderfully distinct4 ,and the fairies all1 and the king's sons1 and the other distinguished personages1 whom it learns to know through the fairy tale1--they are as natural and intelligible as if the child had moved its life long in the highest circles1 and had had princes and princesses for its daily playmates4 ,in a word1 the world of the fairy tale is the child's world1 for it is the world of fancy4' ,for this reason children live and move in fairyland1 whether the story be told by the mother or by the teacher in the primary school4 ,what attention as the story proceeds6 ,what anxiousness when any danger threatens the hero1 be he king's son or a wheat-straw6 ,what grief1 even to tears1 when a wrong is practised upon some innocent creature6 ,and far from it that the joy in the fairy tale decrease when it is told or discussed over again4 ,then comes the pleasure of representation--bringing the story upon the stage4 ,though a child has but to represent a flower in the meadow1 the little face is transfigured with the highest joy4 ,but the childish joy of fairy tales passes away2 not so the inner experiences which it has brought with it4 ,i am not affirming too much when ,i say that he who1 as a child1 has never listened with joy to the murmuring and rustling of the fresh fountain of fairyland1 will have no ear and no understanding for many a deep stream of ,german poetry4 ,it is1 after all1 the modest fountain of fairy song which1 flowing and uniting with the now noisy1 now soft and gently flowing1 current of folk song1 and with the deep and earnest stream of tradition1 which has poured such a refreshing current over ,german poetry1 out of which our most excellent ,uhland has drawn so many a heart-strengthening draught4 ,the spirit of the people finds expression in fairy tale as in tradition and song1 and if we were only working to lift and strengthen the national impulse1 a moral-educative instruction would have to turn again and again to these creations of the people4 ,what was asserted as a general truth in regard to classical products1 that they are a bond between large and small1 old and young1 is true of national stories and songs more than of anything else4 ,they are at once a bond between the different classes1 a national treasure1 which belongs alike to rich and poor1 high and low4 ,the common school then has the least right of all to put the fairy tale aside1 now that few women versed in fairy lore1 such as those to whom ,grimm listened1 are left4 ,but does the fairy tale come of noble blood8 ,does it possess what we called in the case of classics an old title of nobility8 ,if we keep to this figure of speech1 we shall find that the fairy tale is not only noble1 but a very royal child among stories4 ,it has ruled from olden times1 far and wide1 over many a land4 ,hundreds of years gone1 ,grimm's fairy stories lived in the people's heart1 and not in ,germany alone4 ,if our little ones listen intently to ,aschenputtel1 ,french children delighted in ,cindrillon1 the ,italian in ,cenerentola1 the ,polish in ,kopcinszic4 ,the fact that mediaeval story-books contain ,grimm's tales is not remarkable1 when we reflect that traits and characteristics of the fairy tale reach back beyond the ,christian period2 that ,frau ,holle is ,hulda1 or ,frigg1 the heathen goddess2 that ',wishing-cap1' ',little ,lame-leg1' and ',table ,cover ,thyself1' etc41 are made up out of the attributes of ,german gods4 ,finally1 such things as ',the ,sleeping ,beauty1' which is the earth in winter sleep1 that the prince of summer wakes with kisses in springtime1 point back to the period of primitive ,indo-,german myth4 ,but in addition to the requirement of classical nobility1 has the fairy story also the moral tone which we required of the genuine child's story8 ,does the fairy story make for morals8 ,to be sure it introduces to an ideal realm of simple moral relations4 ,the good and bad are sharply separated4 ,the wrong holds for a time its supremacy1 but the final victory is with the good4 ,and with what vigor the judgment of good and evil1 of right and wrong1 is produced4 ,we meet touching pictures1 especially of good-will1 of faithfulness1 characteristic and full of life4 ,think only of the typical interchange of words between ,lenchen and ,fundevogel4 ,said ,lenchen1 ',leave me not and ,i will never leave thee4' ,said ,fundevogel1 ',now and nevermore4' ,we are reminded of the ,bible words of the faithful ,ruth1 ',whither thou goest ,i will go2 where thou lodgest ,i will lodge2 where thou diest ,i will die and there will ,i be buried4' ,important for the life of children is the rigor with which the fairy tale punishes disobedience and falsehood4 ,think of the suggestive legendary story of the child which was visited again and again with misfortune because of its obstinacy1 till its final confession of guilt brings full pardon4 ,it is everywhere a ,christian thread which runs through so many fairy stories4 ,it is love for the rejected1 oppressed1 and abandoned4 ,whatever is loaded with burdens and troubles receives the palm1 and the first becomes the last4 ,the fairy story fulfils the first three requirements for a true child's story4 ,it is childlike1 of lasting value1 and fosters moral ideas4 ,as to unity it will suffice for children of six years 7for this is1 in our opinion1 the age at which it exerts its moral force7 that the stories be told in the same spirit1 although they do not form one connected narrative4 ,if a good selection of fairy tales according to their inner connection is made1 so that frequent references and connections can be found1 the requirement of unity will be satisfied4 ,the fairy tale seems to satisfy least of all the demand that the true child's story must be instructive1 and serve as a starting-point for interesting practical discussion4 ,the fairy story seems too airy and dreamy for this1 and it might appear pedantry to load it with instruction4 ,but one will not be guilty of this mistake if one simply follows up the ideas which the story suggests4 ,when the story of a chicken1 a fox1 or a swan is told it is fully in harmony with the childish thought to inquire into the habits of these animals4 ,when the king is mentioned it is natural to say that we have a king1 to ask where he lives1 etc4 ,just because the fairy tale sinks deep and holds a firm and undivided attention1 it is possible to direct the suggested thoughts hither or thither without losing the pleasure they create4 ,if one keeps this aim in mind1 instructive material is abundant4 ,the fairy tale introduces various employments and callings1 from the king to the farmer1 tailor1 and shoemaker4 ,many passages in life1 such as betrothal1 marriage1 and burial1 are presented4 ,labors in the house1 yard1 and field1 and numerous animals1 plants1 and inanimate things are touched upon4 ,for the observation of animals and for the relation between them and children1 it is fortunate that the fairy tale presents them as talking and feeling4 ,thereby the interest in real animals is increased and heartlessness banished4 ,how could a child put to the torture an animal which is an old friend in fairy story8 ,i need only suggest in this place how the fairy story furnishes material for exercises in oral language1 for the division of words into syllables and letters1 and how the beginnings of writing1 drawing1 number1 and manual exercises may be drawn from the same source4 ,from the suggestions just made the following conclusions at least may be reasonably drawn4 ,a sufficient counterpoise to the fantastical nature of the fairy tale can be given in a manner simple and childlike1 if the objects and relations involved in the narratives are brought clearly before the senses and discussed so that instruction about common objects and home surroundings is begun4 ,in speaking of ,shakespeare's early training in literature1 ,charles ,kingsley says3-- ,i said there was a literary art before ,shakespeare--an art more simple1 more childlike1 more girlish1 as it were1 and therefore all the more adapted for young minds1 but also an art most vigorous and pure in point of style3 thoroughly fitted to give its readers the first elements of taste1 which must lie at the root of even the most complex aesthetics4 ,the old fairy superstition1 the old legends and ballads1 the old chronicles of feudal war and chivalry1 the earlier moralities and mysteries and tragicomic attempts--these were the roots of his poetic tree--they must be the roots of any literary education which can teach us to appreciate him4 ,these fed ,shakespeare's youth2 why should they not feed our children's8 ,why indeed8 ,that inborn delight of the young in all that is marvellous and fantastic--has that a merely evil root8 ,no surely6 ,it is a most pure part of their spiritual nature2 a part of 'the heaven which lies about us in our infancy'2 angel-wings with which the free child leaps the prison-walls of sense and custom1 and the drudgery of earthly life4 ,felix ,adler says3#b ,but how shall we handle these ,maerchen and what method shall we employ in putting them to account for our special purpose8 ,i have a few thoughts on this subject1 which ,i shall venture to submit in the form of counsels4 #b ,moral ,instruction of ,children4 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,my first counsel is3 ,tell the story2 do not give it to the child to read4 ,there is an obvious practical reason for this4 ,children are able to benefit by hearing fairy tales before they can read4 ,but that is not the only reason4 ,it is the childhood of the race1 as we have seen1 that speaks in the fairy story of the child of to-day4 ,it is the voice of an ancient far-off past that echoes from the lips of the storyteller4 ,the words 'once upon a time' open up a vague retrospect into the past1 and the child gets its first indistinct notions of history in this way4 ,the stories embody the tradition of the childhood of mankind4 ,they have on this account an authority all their own1 not1 indeed1 that of literal truth1 but one derived from their being types of certain feelings and longings which belong to childhood as such4 ,the child1 as it listens to the ,maerchen1 looks up with wide-opened eyes to the face of the person who tells the story1 and thrills responsive as the touch of the earlier life of the race thus falls upon its own4 ,such an effect1 of course1 cannot be produced by cold type4 ,tradition is a living thing and should use the living voice for its vehicle4 ,my second counsel is also of a practical nature1 and ,i make bold to say quite essential to the successful use of the stories4 ,do not take the moral plum out of the fairy-tale pudding1 but let the child enjoy it as a whole4 ,do not make the story taper toward a single point1 the moral point4 ,you will squeeze all the juice out of it if you try4 ,do not subordinate the purely fanciful and naturalistic elements of the story1 such as the love of mystery1 the passion for roving1 the sense of fellowship with the animal world1 in order to fix attention solely on the moral element4 ,on the contrary1 you will gain the best moral effect by proceeding in exactly the opposite way4 ,treat the moral element as an incident1 emphasize it indeed1 but incidentally4 ,pluck it as a wayside flower4 ,how often does it happen that1 having set out on a journey with a distinct object in mind1 something occurs on the way which we had not foreseen1 but which in the end leaves the deepest impression on the mind4444 ,the value of the fairy tales is that they stimulate the imagination2 that they reflect the unbroken communion of human life with the life universal1 as in beasts1 fishes1 trees1 flowers1 and stars2 and that incidentally1 but all the more powerfully on that account1 they quicken the moral sentiments4 ,let us avail ourselves freely of the treasures which are thus placed at our disposal4 ,let us welcome das ,maerchen into our primary course of moral training1 that with its gentle bands1 woven of 'morning mist and morning glory1' it may help to lead our children into bright realms of the ideal4 ,a selection of fairy stories suited to our first grade will differ from a similar selection for foreign schools4 ,there has been a disposition among ,american teachers for several years to appropriate the best of these stories for use in the primary schools4 ,in different parts of the country skilful primary teachers have been experimenting successfully with these materials4 ,there are many schools in which both teachers and pupils have taken great delight in them4 ,the effort has been made more particularly with first grade children1 the aim of teachers being to lead captive the spontaneous interest of children from their first entrance upon school tasks4 ,some of the stories used at the first may seem light and farcical1 but experiments with children are a better test than the preconceived notions of adults who may have forgotten their early childhood4 ,the story of the ,four ,musicians1 for example1 is a favorite with the children4 ,at the risk of repetition1 and to emphasize some points of special importance1 we will review briefly the method of oral treatment and the use of the stories in early primary reading4 ,the children have no knowledge of reading or perhaps of letters4 ,the story is told with spirit by the teacher1 no book being used in the class4 ,question and interchange of thought between pupil and teacher will become more frequent and suggestive as the teacher becomes more skilled and sympathetic in her treatment of the story4 ,in the early months of school life the aim is to gain the attention and cooeperation of children by furnishing abundant food for thought4 ,children are required or at least encouraged to narrate the story or a part of it in the class4 ,they tell it at school and probably at home1 till they become more and more absorbed in it4 ,even the backward or timid child gradually acquires courage and enjoys narrating the adventures of the peas in the pod or those of the animals in the ,four ,musicians4 ,the teacher should acquire a vivid and picturesque style of narrating1 persistently weaving into the story1 by query and suggestion1 the previous home experiences of the children4 ,they are only too ready to bring out these treasures at the call of the teacher4 ,often it is necessary to check their enthusiasm4 ,there is a need not simply for narrative power1 but for quick insight and judgment1 so as to bring their thoughts into close relation to the incidents4 ,nowhere in all the schools is there such a call for close and motherly sympathy4 ,the gentle compulsion of kindness is required to inspire the timid ones with confidence4 ,for some of them are slow to open their delicate thought and sensibility1 even to the sunny atmosphere of a pleasant school4 ,a certain amount of drill in reproduction is necessary1 but fortunately the stories have something that bears repetition with a growing interest4 ,added to this is the desire for perfect mastery1 and thus the stories become more dear with familiarity4 ,incidentally1 there should be emphasis of the instructive information gathered concerning animals and plants that are actors in the scenes4 ,the commonest things of the house1 field1 and garden acquire a new and lasting interest4 ,sometimes the teacher makes provision in advance of the story for a deeper interest in the plants and animals that are to appear4 ,in natural science lessons she may take occasion to examine the pea blossom1 or the animals of the barnyard1 or the squirrel or birds in their cages4 ,when1 a few days later1 the story touches one of these animals1 there is a quick response from the children4 ,this relation between history and natural science strengthens both4 ,many an opportunity should be given for the pupils to express a warm sympathy for gentle acts of kindness or unselfishness4 ,the happiness that even a simple flower may bring to a home is a contagious example4 ,kindly treatment of the old and feeble1 and sympathy for the innocent and helpless1 spring into the child's own thought4 ,the fancy1 sympathy1 and interest awakened by a good fairy tale make it a vehicle by which1 consciously and unconsciously1 many advantages are borne home to pupils4 ,among other things1 it opens the door to the reading lesson2 that is1 to the beginning efforts in mastering and using the symbols of written language4 ,the same story which all have learned to tell1 they are now about to learn to read from the board4 ,one or two sentences are taken directly from the lips of the pupils as they recall the story1 and the work of mastering symbols is begun at once with zest4 ,first is the clear statement of some vivid thought by a child1 then a quick association of this thought with its written symbols on the board4 ,there is no readier way of bringing thought and form into firm connection1 that is1 of learning to read4 ,keep the child's fresh mental judgment and the written form clearly before his mind till the two are wedded4 ,let the thought run back and forth between them till they are one4 ,after fixing two or three sentences on the board1 attention is directed more closely to the single words1 and a rapid drill upon those in the sentence is followed by a discovery and naming of them in miscellaneous order4 ,afterward new sentences are formed by the teacher out of the same words1 written on the board1 and read by the children4 ,they express different1 and perhaps opposite forms of thought1 and should exercise the child's sense and judgment as well as his memory of words4 ,an energetic1 lively1 and successful drill of this kind upon sentences drawn from stories has been so often witnessed1 that its excellence is no longer a matter of question4 ,these exercises are a form of mental activity in which children delight if the teacher's manner is vigorous and pleasant4 ,when the mastery of new word-forms as wholes is fairly complete1 the analysis may go a step farther4 ,some new word in the lesson may be taken and separated into its phonic elements1 as the word hill1 and new words formed by dropping a letter and prefixing letters or syllables1 as ill1 till1 until1 mill1 rill1 etc4 ,the power to construct new words out of old materials should be cultivated all along the process of learning to read4 ,still other school activities of children stand in close relation to the fairy tales4 ,they are encouraged to draw the objects and incidents in which the story abounds4 ,though rude and uncouth1 the drawings still often surprise us with their truth and suggestiveness4 ,the sketches reveal the content of a child's mind as almost nothing else--his misconceptions1 his vague or clearly defined notions4 ,they also furnish his mental and physical activities an employment exactly suited to his needs and wishes4 ,the power to use good ,english and to express himself clearly and fittingly is cultivated from the very first4 ,while this merit is purely incidental1 it is none the less valuable4 ,the persistence with which bad and uncouth words and phrases are employed by children in our common school1 both in oral work and in composition1 admonishes us to begin early to eradicate these faults4 ,it seems often as if intermediate and grammar grades were more faulty and wretched in their use of ,english than primary grades4 ,but there can be no doubt that early and persistent practice in the best forms of expression1 especially in connection with interesting and appropriate thought matter1 will greatly aid correctness1 fluency1 and confidence in speech4 ,there is also a convincing pedagogical reason why children in the first primary should be held to the best models of spoken language4 ,they enter the school better furnished with oral speech than with a knowledge of any school study4 ,their home experiences have wrought into close association and unity1 word and thing4 ,so intimate and living is the relation between word and thought or object1 that a child really does not distinguish between them4 ,this is the treasure with which he enters school1 and it should not be wrapped up in a napkin4 ,it should be unrolled at once and put to service4 ,oral speech is the capital with which a child enters the business of education2 let him employ it4 ,a retrospect upon the various forms of school activity which spring1 in practical work1 from the use of a good fairy story1 reveals how many-sided and inspiriting are its influences4 ,starting out with a rich content of thought peculiarly germane to childish interests1 it calls for a full employment of the language resources already possessed by the children4 ,in the effort to picture out1 with pencil or chalk1 his conceptions of the story1 a child exercises his fanciful and creative wit1 as well as the muscles of arms and eyes4 ,a good story always finds its setting in the midst of nature or society1 and touches up with a simple1 homely1 but poetic charm the commonest verities of human experience4 ,the appeal to the sensibility and moral judgment of pupils is direct and spontaneous1 because of the interests and sympathies that are inherent in persons1 and touch directly the childish fancy4 ,and1 lastly1 the irrepressible traditional demand that children shall learn to read1 is fairly and honestly met and satisfied4 ,it is not claimed that fairy tales involve the sum total of primary instruction1 but they are an illustration of how rich will be the fruitage of our educational effort if we consider first the highest needs and interests of children1 and allow the formal arts to drop into their proper subordination4 ,the best is good enough for children1 and when we select the best1 the wide-reaching connections which are established between studies carry us a long step toward the now much-bruited correlation and concentration of studies4 ,,books ,,of ,,materials ,,for ,,teachers ,classic ,stories for the ,little ,ones4 ,public ,school ,publishing ,co41 ,bloomington1 ,ill4 ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales 7,wiltse74 ,ginn ,co4 ,german ,fairy ,tales 7,grimm74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,grimm's ,german ,household ,tales4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,stories from ,hans ,andersen4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,andersen's ,fairy ,tales1 two volumes4 ,part ,i and ,part ,,ii4 ,ginn ,co4 ,fairy ,stories and ,fables4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,fables and ,folk ,stories 7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,rhymes and ,jingles 7,dodge74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,fairy ,stories for ,children 7,baldwin74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,songs and ,stories4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,fairy ,life4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,six ,nursery ,classics 7,o',shea74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales4 ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,a ,book of ,nursery ,rhymes 7,welch74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,verse and ,prose for ,beginners in ,reading4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,heart of ,oak1 ,no4 ,i4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,heart of ,oak1 ,no4 ,,ii4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,the ,eugene ,field ,book4 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,moral ,education of ,children 7,adler74 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,chapter ,,vi4 on ,fairy ,tales4 ,literature in ,schools 7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,chapter on ,nursery ,classics4 ,,the ,,fables ,no group of stories has a more assured place in the literature for children than the ,a,esop's ,fables4 ,some of the commonest have been expanded into little stories which are presented orally to children in the first school year1 as ,the ,lion and the ,mouse1 ,the ,ants and the ,grasshoppers1 ,the ,dog and his ,shadow1 and others4 ,they are so simple and direct that they are used alongside the fairy tales for the earliest instruction of children4 ,as soon as children have acquired the rudiments of reading the ,a,esop's ,fables are commonly used in the second and third school year as a reading book1 and all the early reading books are partly made up from this material4 ,if we inquire into the qualities of these stories which have given them such a universal acceptance1 we shall find that they contain in a simple1 transparent form a good share of the world's wisdom4 ,more recent researches indicate that they originated in ,india1 and reached ,europe through ,persia and ,arabia1 being ascribed to ,a,esop4 ,this indicates that like most early literature of lasting worth1 they are products of the folk-mind rather than of a single writer1 and it is the opinion of ,adler that they express the ripened wisdom of the people under the forms of ,oriental despotism4 ,the sad and hopeless submission to a stronger power expressed by some of the fables1 it is claimed1 unfits them for use in our freer life to-day4 ,there are certain points in which their attractiveness to children is clearly manifest4 ,the actors in the stories are usually animals1 and the ready interest and sympathy of children for talking animals are at once appealed to4 ,in all the early myths and fairy tales1 human life seems to merge into that of the animals1 as in ,hiawatha1 and the fables likewise are a marked expression of this childlike tendency4 ,adler says3 ,the question may be asked why fables are so popular with boys4 ,i should say because schoolboy society reproduces in miniature1 to a certain extent1 the social conditions which are reflected in the fables4 ,among unregenerate schoolboys there often exists a kind of despotism1 not the less degrading because petty4 ,the strong are pitted against the weak--witness the fagging system in ,english schools--and their mutual antagonism produces in both the characteristic vices which we have noted above4 ,a literature which clearly pictures these relations so that they can be seen objectively by the children may be of the greatest social service in education4 ,adler says further3 ,the psychological study of schoolboy society has been only begun1 but even what lies on the surface will1 ,i think1 bear out this remark4 ,now it has become one of the commonplaces of educational literature that the individual of to-day must pass through the same stages of evolution as the human race as a whole4 ,but it should not be forgotten that the advance of civilization depends on two conditions3 first1 that the course of evolution be accelerated1 that the time allowed to the successive stages be shortened2 and1 secondly1 that the unworthy and degrading elements which entered into the process of evolution in the past1 and at the time were inseparable from it1 be now eliminated4 ,thus the fairy tales which correspond to the myth-making epoch in human history must be purged of the dross of superstition which still adheres to them1 and the fables which correspond to the age of primitive despotisms must be cleansed of the immoral elements they still embody4#c #c ,adler1 ,moral ,instruction of ,children1 pp4 #hh-hi4 ,the peculiar form of moral teaching in the ,fables suits them especially to children4 ,a single trait of conduct1 like greediness or selfishness1 is sharply outlined in the story and its results made plain4 ,we have seen nothing finer in teaching than the building up of these little stories in conversational lessons--first to illustrate some mental or moral trait2 then to detach the idea from its story picture1 and find illustrations for it in some other act or incident4 ,and nothing can be more gratifying as a result1 than1 through the transparency of childish hearts1 to watch the growth of right conduct from the impulses derived from the teaching2 and so laying the foundations of future rightness of character4#d #d ,introduction to ,stickney's ,a,esop's ,fables4 ,ginn ,co4 ,the moral ideas inculcated by the fables are usually of a practical1 worldly-wisdom sort1 not high ideals of moral quality1 not virtue for its own sake1 but varied examples of the results of rashness and folly4 ,this is1 perhaps1 one reason why they are so well suited to the immature moral judgments of children4 ,adler says3 ,often when a child has committed some fault1 it is useful to refer by name to the fable that fits it4 ,as1 when a boy has made room in his seat for another1 and the other crowds him out1 the mere mention of the fable of the porcupine is a telling rebuke2 or the fable of the hawk and the pigeons may be called to mind when a boy has been guilty of mean excuses4 ,on the same principle that angry children are sometimes taken before a mirror to show them how ugly they look1 the fable is a kind of mirror for the vices of the young4 ,again3 ,the peculiar value of the fables is that they are instantaneous photographs which reproduce1 as it were1 in a single flash of light1 some one aspect of human nature1 and which1 excluding everything else1 permit the attention to be entirely fixed on that one4 ,but the value of the fable reaches far beyond childhood4 ,the frequency with which it is cited in nearly all the forms of literature1 and its aptness to express the real meaning of many episodes in real life1 in politics and social events1 in peace and war1 show the universality of the truth it embodies4 ,a story which engraves a truth1 as it were with a diamond point1 upon a child's mind1 a truth which will swiftly interpret many events in his later life1 deserves to take a high place among educative influences4 ,,fables ,,and ,,nature ,,myths ,scudder's ,fables and ,folk ,stories4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,a,esop's ,fables 7,stickney74 ,ginn ,co4 ,book of ,legends 7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,stories for ,children 7,lane74 ,the ,american ,book ,co4 ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verses 7,stevenson74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,a,esop's ,fables4 ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,the ,book of ,nature ,myths 7,holbrook74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children 7,adler71 ,chapters ,,vii and ,,viii4 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,second ,,grade ,,stories ,,robinson ,,crusoe ,in selecting suitable literature for children of the second grade1 we follow in the steps of a number of distinguished writers and teachers and choose an ,english classic--,robinson ,crusoe4 ,rousseau gave this book his unqualified approval1 and said that it would be the first1 and1 for a time1 the only book that ,emile should read4 ,the ,herbartians have been using it a number of years1 while many ,american teachers have employed it for oral work in second grade1 in a short school edition4 ,in one sense1 the book needs no introduction1 as it has found its way into every nook and corner of the world4 ,originally a story for adults1 it has reached all1 and illustrated ,christmas editions1 designed even for children from three years and upward1 are abundant4 ,to the youth of all lands1 it has been1 to say the least1 a source of delight1 but it has been regarded as a book for the family and home4 ,what would happen should the schoolmaster lay his hand on this treasure and desecrate it to school purposes6 ,we desire to test this classic work on the side of its pedagogical value and its adaptation to the uses of regular instruction4 ,if it is really unrivalled as a piece of children's literature1 perhaps it has also no equal for school purposes4 ,in making the transition from the fairy tale to ,robinson ,crusoe1 an interesting difference or contrast may be noticed4 ,wilmann says3#e ',crusoe' is at once simple1 and plain1 and fanciful2 to be sure1 in the latter case1 entirely different from the fairy tale4 ,in the fairy story the fancy seldom pushes rudely against the boundaries of the real world4 ,but otherwise in ',crusoe4' ,here it is the practical fancy that is aroused1 if this expression appear not contradictory4 ,what is ,crusoe to do now8 ,how can he help himself8 ,what means can he invent8 ,many of the proposals of the children will have to be rejected4 ,the inexorable 'not possible' shoves a bolt before the door4 ,the imagination is compelled to limit itself to the task of combining and adjusting real things4 ,the compulsion of things conditions the progress of the story4 ',thoughts dwell together easily1 but things jostle each other roughly in space4' #e ,wilmann1 ,paedagogische ,vortraege4 ,there are other striking differences between ,crusoe and the folk-lore stories1 but in this contrast we are now chiefly concerned4 ,after reaching the island1 he is checked and limited at every step by the physical laws imposed by nature4 ,struggle and fret as he may against these limits1 he becomes at last a philosopher1 and quietly takes up the struggle for existence under those inexorable conditions4 ,the child of seven or eight is vaguely acquainted with many of the simple employments of the household and of the neighborhood4 ,crusoe also had a vague memory of how people in society in different trades and occupations supply the necessaries and comforts of life4 ,even the fairy stories give many hints of this kind of knowledge1 but ,robinson ,crusoe is face to face with the sour facts4 ,he is cut off from help and left to his own resources4 ,the interest in the story is in seeing how he will shift for himself and exercise his wits to insure plenty and comfort4 ,with few tools and on a barbarous coast1 he undertakes what men in society1 by mutual exchange and by division of labor1 have much difficulty in performing4 ,crusoe becomes a carpenter1 a baker and cook1 a hunter1 a potter1 a fisher1 a farmer1 a tailor1 a boatman1 a stock-raiser1 a basket-maker1 a shoemaker1 a tanner1 a fruit-grower1 a mason1 a physician4 ,and not only so1 but he grapples with the difficulties of each trade or occupation in a bungling manner because of inexperience and lack of skill and exact knowledge4 ,he is an experimenter and tester along many lines4 ,the entire absence of helpers centres the whole interest of this varied struggle in one person4 ,it is to be remembered that ,crusoe is no genius1 but the ordinary boy or man4 ,he has abundant variety of needs such as a child reared under civilized conditions has learned to feel4 ,the whole range of activities1 usually distributed to various classes and persons in society1 rests now upon his single shoulders4 ,if he were an expert in all directions1 the task would be easier1 but he has only vague knowledge and scarcely any skill4 ,the child1 therefore1 who reads this story1 by reason of the slow1 toilsome1 and bungling processes of ,crusoe in meeting his needs1 becomes aware how difficult and laborious are the efforts by which the simple1 common needs of all children are supplied4 ,a reference to the different trades and callings that ,crusoe assumes will show us that he is not dealing with rare and unusual events1 but with the common1 simple employments that lie at the basis of society in all parts of the world4 ,the carpenter1 the baker1 the farmer1 the shoemaker1 etc41 are at work in every village in every land4 ,doubtless this is one reason why the story acquires such a hold in the most diverse countries4 ,the ,arab or the ,chinese boy1 the ,german or ,american child1 finds the story touching the ordinary facts of his own surroundings4 ,though the story finds its setting in a far-away1 lonely island in tropical seas1 ,crusoe is daily trying to create the objects and conditions of his old home in ,england4 ,but these are the same objects that surround every child2 and therefore1 in reading ,robinson ,crusoe1 the pupil is making an exhaustive and interesting study of his own home4 ,the presence of a tropical vegetation and of a strange climate does not seriously impair this fact4 ,the skill of a great literary artist appears in his power to create a situation almost devoid of common comforts and blessings and then in setting his hero to work to create them by single-handed effort4 ,it will hardly be questioned that the study of the home and home neighborhood by children is one of the large and prominent problems in education4 ,out of their social1 economic1 and physical environment children get the most important lessons of life4 ,not only does the home furnish a varied fund of information that enables them to interpret books1 and people1 and institutions1 as they sooner or later go out into the world1 but all the facts gathered by experience and reading in distant fields must flow back again to give deeper meaning to the labors and duties which surround each citizen in his own home4 ,but society with its commerce1 education1 and industries1 is an exceedingly complex affair4 ,the child knows not where to begin to unravel this endless machinery of forms and institutions4 ,in a sense he must get away from or disentangle himself from his surroundings in order to understand them4 ,there are no complex conditions surrounding ,crusoe1 and he takes up the labors of the common trades in a simple and primitive manner4 ,physical and mental effort are demanded at every step1 from ,crusoe and from the children4 ,many of his efforts involve repeated failure1 as in making pottery1 in building a boat1 while some things that he undertakes with painful toil never attain success4 ,the lesson of toil and hardship connected with the simple industries is one of great moment to children4 ,our whole social fabric is based on these toils1 and it is one of the best results of a sound education to realize the place and importance of hard work4 ,it scarcely needs to be pointed out that ,crusoe typifies a long period of man's early history1 the age when men were learning the rudiments of civilization by taking up the toils of the blacksmith1 the agriculturist1 the builder1 the domesticator of animals and plants4 ,men emerged from barbarism as they slowly and painfully gained the mastery over the resources of nature4 ,crusoe is a sort of universal man1 embodying in his single effort that upward movement of men which has steadily carried them to the higher levels of progress4 ,it has been said with some truth that ,robinson ,crusoe is a philosophy of history4 ,but we scarcely need such a high-sounding name4 ,to the child he is a very concrete1 individual man1 with very simple and interesting duties4 ,in a second point the author of ,robinson ,crusoe shows himself a literary master4 ,there is an intense and naive realism in his story4 ,even if one were so disposed1 it would require a strong effort to break loose from the feeling that we are in the presence of real experiences4 ,there is a quiet but irresistible assumption of unvarnished and even disagreeable fact in the narrative4 ,but it is useless to describe the style of a book so familiar4 ,its power over youthful fancy and feeling has been too often experienced to be doubted4 ,the vivid interest which the book awakens is certain to carry home whatever lessons it may teach with added force4 ,so great is this influence that boys sometimes imitate the efforts of ,crusoe by making caves1 building ovens1 and assuming a style of dress and living that approximates ,crusoe's state4 ,this supplies to teachers a hint of some value4 ,the story of ,crusoe should lead to excursions into the home neighborhood for the purpose of a closer examination of the trades and occupations there represented4 ,an imitation of his labors may also be encouraged4 ,the effort to mould and bake vessels from potter's clay1 the platting of baskets from willow withes1 the use of tools in making boxes or tables may be attempted far enough to discover how lacking in practical ability the children are4 ,this will certainly teach them greater respect for manual skill4 ,from the previous discussion it might appear that we regard the story of ,crusoe as technological and industrial rather than moral4 ,but it would be a mistake to suppose that a book is not moral because it is not perpetually dispensing moral platitudes4 ,most men's lives are mainly industrial4 ,the display of moral qualities is only occasional and incidental4 ,the development of moral character is coincident with the labors and experiences of life and springs out of them1 being manifested by the spirit with which one acts toward his fellow-men4 ,but ,crusoe was alone on his island1 and there might seem to be no opportunity to be moral in relation to others4 ,society1 to be sure1 was conspicuous by its absence4 ,but the intense longing with which he thought of the home and companionships lost is perhaps the strongest sentiment in the book4 ,his loneliness brings out most vividly his true relation to home and friends4 ,his early life1 till the shipwreck1 was that of a wayward and reckless youth1 disobedient to parents and seemingly without moral scruples4 ,even during the first months upon the island there appears little moral change or betterment4 ,but slowly the bitter experiences of his lonely life sober him4 ,he finds a ,bible1 and a fit of sickness reveals the distresses that may lie before him4 ,when once the change has set in1 it is rapid and thorough4 ,he becomes devout1 he longs to return to his parents and atone for his faults4 ,a complete reformation of his moral disposition is effected4 ,if one will take the pains to read the original ,robinson ,crusoe he will find it surprisingly serious and moral in its tone4 ,he devotes much time to soliloquizing on the distresses of his condition and upon the causes which have brought him to misery4 ,he diagnoses his case with an amount of detail that must be tedious to children4 ,the fact that these parts of the book often leave little direct impression upon children is proof that they are chiefly engaged with the adventure and physical embarrassments of ,crusoe4 ,for the present it is sufficient to observe that the story is deeply and intensely moral both in its spirit and in the changes described in ,crusoe4 ,we are next led to inquire whether the industrial and moral lessons contained in this story are likely to be extracted from it by a boy or girl who reads it alone1 without the aid of a teacher4 ,most young readers of ,crusoe are carried along by the interesting adventure4 ,it is a very surprising and entertaining story4 ,but children even less than adults are inclined to go deeper than the surface and draw up hidden treasures4 ,de ,foe's work is a piece of classic literature4 ,but few people are inclined to get at the deeper meaning and spirit of a classical masterpiece unless they go through it in companionship with a teacher who is gifted to disclose its better meaning4 ,this is true of any classical product we might mention4 ,it should be the peculiar function of the school to cultivate a taste1 and an appreciative taste1 for the best literature2 not by leaving it to the haphazard home reading of pupils1 but by selecting the best things adapted to the minds of children and then employing true teaching skill to bring these treasures close to the hearts and sympathies of children4 ,many young people do not read ,robinson ,crusoe at all2 many others do not appreciate its better phases4 ,the school will much improve its work by taking for its own this best of children's stories1 and by extending and deepening the children's appreciation of a classic4 ,the story of ,robinson ,crusoe is made by the ,herbartians the nucleus for the concentration of studies in the second year4 ,this importance is given to it on account of its strong moral tone and because of its universal typical character in man's development4 ,without attempting a solution of the problem of concentration at this juncture1 we should at least observe the relations of this story to the other studies4 ,wilmann says3 ,the everywhere and nowhere of the fairy tale gives place to the first geographical limitations4 ,the continents1 the chief countries of ,europe1 come up1 besides a series of geographical concepts such as island1 coast1 bay1 river1 hill1 mountain1 sea1 etc4 ,the difference in climate is surprising4 ,crusoe fears the winter and prepares for it1 but his fear is needless1 for no winter reaches his island4 ,we have already observed its instructive treatment of the common occupations which prepare for later geographical study1 as well as for natural science4 ,many plants and animals are brought to notice which would furnish a good beginning for natural science lessons4 ,it is advisable1 however1 to study rather those home animals and plants which correspond best to the tropical products or animals in the lessons4 ,tropical fruits1 the parrot1 and the goat we often meet at home1 but in addition1 the sheep1 the ox1 the mocking-bird1 the woodpecker1 our native fruits and grains1 and the fish1 turtles1 and minerals of the home1 may well be suggested and studied in science lessons parallel with the life of ,crusoe4 ,following upon the oral treatment and discussion of ,robinson ,crusoe the children are easily led to like efforts at construction1 as1 for instance1 the making of a raft1 the building of the cave and stockade1 the making of chairs and tables1 the moulding of jars and kettles out of clay1 the weaving of baskets1 the preparation and cooking of foods1 the planting of grains1 the construction of an oven or house1 boat building1 and other labors of ,crusoe in providing for his wants4 ,it is quite customary now in second grade to set the children to work in these efforts to solve ,crusoe's problems1 so that they1 by working with actual materials1 may realize more fully the difficulties and trials to which he was subjected4 ,in close connection with these constructive efforts are the drawings of the scenes of the story1 such as the shipwreck1 the stockade1 the boat1 the map of the island1 and some of the later events of the story4 ,a still further means of giving reality to the events is to dramatize some of the scenes between ,friday and ,crusoe1 and to dress and equip these and other persons in the story in fitting manner4 ,the children gladly enter into such dramatic action4 ,these various forms of drawing1 action1 and constructive work are in close connection with the home studies of industries and occupations1--farming1 gardening1 carpenter and blacksmith shops1 weaving1 cooking1 bakeries1 and excursions to shops--which follow the ,crusoe story in the study of home geography in the third grade4 ,although the story should be given and discussed orally1 the children should also read it later as a part of the regular reading exercise of the course4 ,instead of suffering from this repetition1 their interest will only be increased4 ,classical products usually gain by repetition4 ,the facts are brought out more clearly and the deeper meaning is perceived4 ,to have the oral treatment of a story precede its reading by some weeks or months produces an excellent effect upon the style of the reading4 ,the thought being familiar1 and the interest strong1 the expression will be vigorous and natural4 ,children take a pride in reading a story which they at first must receive orally for lack of reading power4 ,the same advantageous drill in the use of good ,english accrues to the ,crusoe story that was observed in the fairy tales4 ,there is abundant opportunity for oral narrative and description4 ,the use of the pencil and chalk in graphic representation should be encouraged both in teacher and in pupils4 ,thus the eye becomes more accurate in observation and the hand more free and facile in tracing the outlines of the interesting forms studied4 ,the use of tools and materials in construction gives ideas an anchorage1 not only in the brain1 but even in the nerves and muscles4 ,in thus glancing over the field we discover the same many-sided and intimate relation with other school studies1 as in the previous grade4 ,in fact1 ,crusoe is the first extended classical masterpiece which is presented to the children as a whole4 ,such parts of the story as are of most pedagogical value should be simplified and woven together into a continuous narrative4 ,that part of the story which precedes the shipwreck may be reduced to a few paragraphs which bring out clearly his early home surroundings1 his disobedience and the desertion of his parents1 and the voyage which led to his lonely life upon the island4 ,the period embraced in his companionless labors and experiences constitutes the important part for school uses4 ,a few of the more important episodes following the capture of ,friday and his return home may be briefly told4 ,we deem it a long step forward to get some of our great classical masterpieces firmly embedded in the early years of our school course4 ,it will contribute almost as much to the culture and stimulation of teachers as of pupils4 ,the method of handling this narrative before the class will be similar to that of the fairy tales4 ,a simple and vivid recital of the facts1 with frequent questions and discussions1 so as to draw the story closer to the child's own thought and experience1 should be made by the teacher4 ,much skill in illustrative device1 in graphic description1 in diagram or drawing1 in the appeal to the sense experiences of the pupils1 is in demand4 ,the excursion to places of interest in the neighborhood suggested by the story begins to be an important factor of the school exercises4 ,as children grow older they acquire skill and confidence in oral narrative1 and should be held to greater independence in oral reproductions4 ,one of the best school editions of ,robinson ,crusoe is published by ,ginn ,co4 ,a simple edition for second grade is published by the ,public ,school ,publishing ,co4 ,the teacher should be supplied with one of the larger1 fuller editions of ,robinson ,crusoe1 like that of ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co41 in the ,riverside ,literature ,series4 ,it furnishes a much fuller detail of knowledge for the teacher's use4 ,it will also be of great advantage for classroom use to possess an illustrated edition like that of ,george ,routledge ,sons4 ,the full treatment of this story1 first in simple1 oral narrative1 later by its use as a reading book1 and later still by the child reading the complete edition for himself in private1 illustrates the intensive concentration of thought and constructive activity upon a great piece of literature as opposed to a loose and superficial treatment4 ,such a piece of work should remain for life a source of deeper thought1 feeling1 and experience4 ,,other ,,editions ,life and ,adventures of ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,lee and ,shepard4 ,robinson ,crusoe for ,youngest ,readers4 ,educational ,pub4 ,co4 ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,de ,foe's ,robinson ,crusoe 7,hale74 ,ginn ,co4 ,de ,foe's ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,,hiawatha ,the story of ,hiawatha has been much used for oral treatment in primary grades1 and as a basis for exercises in learning to read4 ,later the complete poem has been much read in third1 fourth1 or fifth grade as a piece of choice literature4 ,a story which is growing so rapidly in favor with primary teachers may explain our effort to determine its educational value4 ,that the story begins with the early childhood of ,hiawatha and describes his home and early training at the feet of ,nokomis1 is at least one point in its favor4 ,by the shores of ,gitche ,gumee1 ,by the shining ,big-,sea-,water1 ,stood the wigwam of ,nokomis1 ,daughter of the ,moon1 ,nokomis4 ,dark behind it rose the forest1 ,rose the black and gloomy pine-trees1 ,rose the firs with cones upon them2 ,bright before it beat the water1 ,beat the clear and sunny water1 ,beat the shining ,big-,sea-,water4 ,there the wrinkled1 old ,nokomis ,nursed the little ,hiawatha1 ,rocked him in his linden cradle1 ,bedded soft in moss and rushes1 ,safely bound with reindeer sinews4 ,the traditions and stories he learned from the lips of ,nokomis will remind children of their own home life1 while his companionship with birds and animals will touch them in a sympathetic place4 ,then the little ,hiawatha ,learned of every bird its language1 ,learned their names and all their secrets1 ,how they built their nests in ,summer1 ,where they hid themselves in ,winter1 ,talked with them whene'er he met them1 ,called them ,hiawatha's ,chickens4 ,the games and exercises of his youth will remind them of their own sports and introduce them to ,indian life4 ,this home of ,hiawatha1 and the description of his childhood1 are a happy introduction to the simple surroundings of ,indian life on the shores of the northern sea4 ,primitive ,indian modes of life1 traditions and myths1 appeal naturally to children1 and the whole story has this setting of early simplicity which adapts it in many ways to child study4 ,the ,indian nature myths1 which in themselves are attractive1 are here woven into a connected series by their relation to ,hiawatha in the training of his childhood and in the exploits of his manhood4 ,the number of pure fairy tales scattered through the story adapts it especially for young children1 while the descriptions of home customs1 feasts1 weddings1 merrymaking1 and games1 show the happier side of their life4 ,ye who love a nation's legends1 ,love the ballads of a people1 ,that like voices from afar off ,call to us to pause and listen1 ,speak in tones so plain and childlike1 ,scarcely can the ear distinguish ,whether they are sung or spoken2-- ,listen to this ,indian ,legend1 ,to this song of ,hiawatha6 ,ye whose hearts are fresh and simple1 ,who have faith in ,god and ,nature1 ,who believe1 that in all ages ,every human heart is human1 ,that in even savage bosoms ,there are longings1 yearnings1 strivings ,for the good they comprehend not1 ,that the feeble hands and helpless1 ,groping blindly in the darkness1 ,touch ,god's right hand in that darkness1 ,and are lifted up and strengthened2-- ,listen to this simple story1 ,to this ,song of ,hiawatha6 ,the description of husking time is such a pleasing scene1 while the picture writing of the ,indians1 their totems and rude drawings1 are in harmony with their traditions and religion4 ,on the border of the forest1 ,underneath the fragrant pine-trees1 ,sat the old men and the warriors ,smoking in the pleasant shadow4 ,in uninterrupted silence ,looked they at the gamesome labor ,of the young men and the women2 ,listened to their noisy talking1 ,to their laughter and their singing1 ,heard them chattering like the magpies1 ,heard them laughing like the blue jays1 ,heard them singing like the robins4 ,and whene'er some lucky maiden ,found a red ear in the husking1 ,found a maize-ear red as blood is1 ,nushka6 cried they all together1 ,nushka6 you shall have a sweetheart1 ,you shall have a handsome husband6 ,ugh6 the old men all responded ,from their seats beneath the pine-trees4 ,and the ,jossakeeds1 the ,prophets1 ,the ,wabenos1 the ,magicians1 ,and the ,medicine-men1 the ,medas1 ,painted upon bark and deer-skin ,figures for the songs they chanted1 ,for each song a separate symbol1 ,figures mystical and awful1 ,figures strange and brightly colored2 ,and each figure had its meaning1 ,each some magic song suggested4 ,one of the most striking features of this story is its setting in nature4 ,more than any other piece of literature now used in the school1 it is redolent of fields and forest4 ,should you ask me1 whence these stories1 ,whence these legends and traditions1 ,with the odors of the forest1 ,with the dew and damp of meadows1 ,with the curling smoke of wigwams1 ,with the rushing of great rivers1 ,with their frequent repetitions1 ,and their wild reverberations1 ,as of thunder in the mountains8 ,i should answer1 ,i should tell you1 ,from the forests and the prairies1 ,from the great lakes of the ,northland1 ,from the land of the ,ojibways1 ,from the land of the ,dacotahs1 ,from the mountains1 moors1 and fenlands1 ,where the heron1 the ,shuh-shuh-gah1 ,feeds among the reeds and rushes4 ,should you ask where ,nawadaha ,found these songs1 so wild and wayward1 ,found these legends and traditions1 ,i should answer1 ,i should tell you1 ,in the birds'-nests of the forest1 ,in the lodges of the beaver1 ,in the hoof-prints of the bison1 ,in the eyry of the eagle6 ,all the wild-fowl sang them to him1 ,in the moorlands and the fenlands1 ,in the melancholy marshes2 ,chetowaik1 the plover1 sang them1 ,mahng1 the loon1 the wild-goose1 ,wawa1 ,the blue heron1 the ,shuh-shuh-gah1 ,and the grouse1 the ,mushkodasa6 ,this description of primitive man is as complete an absorption into his natural surroundings as is possible4 ,his food and clothing1 his tents and boats1 his weapons and war gear1 are drawn directly from nature's first supplies1 and man1 in this case1 seems almost a part of nature1 so completely are his thoughts and activities determined and colored by his environment4 ,like the animals1 in their protective coloring1 he becomes an undistinguishable part of his surroundings4 ,his nature myths and superstitions are but phases and expressions of the contact of his crude mind with forces and objects in nature4 ,in this respect there are many interesting suggestions of similar interpretations among the ,norse and ,greek mythologies4 ,the close and friendly contact of ,hiawatha with trees and animals1 his companionship with the squirrel1 the woodpecker1 and the beaver1 his talking acquaintance with trees of the forest1 with the fishes in the ,big-,sea-,water1 and with the masters of the winds1 the storm1 and the thunder1 make him an interesting guide for the children among the realms of nature4 ,ye who love the haunts of nature1 ,love the sunshine of the meadow1 ,love the shadow of the forest1 ,love the wind among the branches1 ,and the rain-shower and the snow-storm1 ,and the rushing of great rivers ,through their palisades of pine-trees1 ,and the thunder in the mountains1 ,whose innumerable echoes ,flap like eagles in their eyries2-- ,listen to these wild traditions1 ,to this ,song of ,hiawatha6 ,a happy1 sympathetic love for the sights and sounds in nature is a fortunate beginning of nature lore4 ,the imaginative interpretations are common to all the early races and in full harmony with the temper of childhood4 ,even from the standpoint of nature study1 this early poetic joy in nature descriptions is profitable4 ,the matter-of-fact1 analytic study of natural science in succeeding years need not begrudge the children this happiness1 this interpretative play of the imagination1 this music of field and forest4 ,in early childhood1 nature and poetry are one1 and as ,lowell says1 ,let us not go about to make life duller than it is4 ,the simplicity and beauty of the language and figure of speech make many parts of this poem especially appropriate for children4 ,young and beautiful was ,wabun2 ,he it was who brought the morning1 ,he it was whose silver arrows ,chased the dark o'er hill and valley2 ,he it was whose cheeks were painted ,with the brightest streaks of crimson1 ,and whose voice awoke the village1 ,called the deer1 and called the hunter4 ,he meanwhile sat weary waiting ,for the coming of ,mondamin1 ,till the shadows1 pointing eastward1 ,lengthened over field and forest1 ,till the sun dropped from the heaven1 ,floating on the waters westward1 ,as a red leaf in the ,autumn ,falls and floats upon the water1 ,falls and sinks into its bosom4 ,and the pleasant water-courses1 ,you could trace them through the valley1 ,by the rushing in the ,spring-time1 ,by the alders in the ,summer4 ,by the white fog in the ,autumn1 ,by the black line in the ,winter4 ,the simple music and rhythm of the poetic form is so delightful to children that they absorb whole passages into their memory without conscious effort4 ,the mere re-reading of parts of the poem to little children under six years will often produce this happy result4 ,a little girl of three years picked up1 among others1 this passage3-- ,dark behind it rose the forest1 ,rose the black and gloomy pine-trees1 ,rose the firs with cones upon them2 ,bright before it beat the water1 ,beat the clear and sunny water1 ,beat the shining ,big-,sea-,water4 ,the repetitions of the same or similar passages1 so common throughout the poem1 is a successful appeal to children's favor4 ,it gives the story a sort of ,mother ,goose flavor which is delightful4 ,while the story centres in ,hiawatha1 it has a variety of interesting personalities1 giving expression to the striking features of this primitive society4 ,hiawatha's loved ones1 ,minnehaha and old ,nokomis1 stand first1 and his chosen friends are next4 ,two good friends had ,hiawatha1 ,singled out from all the others1 ,bound to him in closest union1 ,and to whom he gave the right hand ,of his heart in joy and sorrow2 ,chibiabos1 the musician1 ,and the very strong man1 ,kwasind4 ,and these two1 as ,i have told you1 ,were the friends of ,hiawatha1 ,chibiabos1 the musician1 ,and the very strong man1 ,kwasind4 ,long they lived in peace together1 ,spake with naked hearts together1 ,pondering much and much contriving ,how the tribes of men might prosper4 ,in connection with these persons is a most pleasing series of adventures1 bringing to notice those heroic qualities which children love to witness4 ,the very strong man1 ,kwasind1 is a fitting companion in their thoughts to ,samson and ,hercules2 and ,chibiabos1 ,he the best of all musicians1 ,he the sweetest of all singers1 has had many a prototype since the days of ,orpheus4 ,pau-,puk-,keewis1 with his dancing and tricks1 will also prove a curious character1 something like ,proteus of old4 ,you shall hear how ,pau-,puk-,keewis ,he1 the handsome ,yenadizze1 ,whom the people called the ,storm ,fool1 ,vexed the village with disturbance2 ,you shall hear of all his mischief1 ,and his flight from ,hiawatha1 ,and his wondrous transmigrations1 ,and the end of his adventures4 ,the character of ,hiawatha1 as of the benefactor1 of one devoted1 with high purpose1 to the welfare of his people1 may be regarded as the deeper motive of the author4 ,it is the thought of ideal good in ,hiawatha which gives tone and meaning to the whole poem4 ,you shall hear how ,hiawatha ,prayed and fasted in the forest1 ,not for greater skill in hunting1 ,not for greater craft in fishing1 ,not for triumphs in the battle1 ,and renown among the warriors1 ,but for profit of the people1 ,for advantage of the nations4 ,the views of geography and history at the beginning and close of the poem not only give a broad scope to the story1 but have an interesting bearing upon the study of geography and history in those years of school which immediately follow4 ,the narrative reaches from the ,vale of ,tawasentha in ,new ,york1 across the great lakes and shining ,big-,sea-,water to ,minnehaha and the ,upper ,mississippi1 and even to the prairies and the distant ,rocky ,mountains beyond4 ,in the summoning of the tribes at the ,great ,pipe ,stone ,quarry there is a broad survey of the ,indian tribes of the ,united ,states4 ,from the vale of ,tawasentha1 ,from the ,valley of ,wyoming1 ,from the groves of ,tuscaloosa1 ,from the far-off ,rocky ,mountains1 ,from the ,northern lakes and rivers ,all the tribes beheld the signal1 ,saw the distant smoke ascending1 ,the ,pukwana of the ,peace-,pipe4 ,down the rivers1 o'er the prairies1 ,came the warriors of the nations4 ,a map of ,north ,america is necessary for showing the meaning of this description to the children4 ,in the last part the coming of the white man and the prophecy of his spreading over the land1 and the dwindling of the native tribes to the westward1 are given4 ,iagoo's description of the white men1 their ships and appearance1 to his people on the return from his travels1 will greatly please the children4 ,he had seen1 he said1 a water ,bigger than the ,big-,sea-,water1 ,broader than the ,gitche ,gumee1 ,bitter so that none could drink it6 ,at each other looked the warriors1 ,looked the women at each other1 ,smiled1 and said1 ,it cannot be so6 ,kaw6 they said1 ,it cannot be so2 ,o'er it1 said he1 o'er this water ,came a great canoe with pinions1 ,a canoe with wings came flying1 ,bigger than a grove of pine-trees1 ,taller than the tallest tree-tops6 ,and the old men and the women ,looked and tittered at each other2 ,kaw6 they said1 we don't believe it6 ,the story of ,hiawatha has been used sufficiently in primary grades to show how many are its suggestions for drawing and constructive work4 ,little children take delight in drawing the ,indian tents1 bows and arrows1 pine forests1 ,indian warriors and dress1 the canoe1 the tomahawk1 the birds and animals4 ,the cutting of these forms in paper they have fully enjoyed4 ,pictures of ,indian life1 collections of arrow-heads1 the peace-pipes1 articles of dress1 cooking utensils1 wampum1 stone hatchets1 red pipe-stone ornaments1 or a visit to any collection of ,indian relics are desirable as a part of this instruction4 ,the museums in cities and expositions are rich in these materials1 and in many private collections are just the desired objects of study4 ,it is well known that children love to construct tents1 dress in ,indian style1 and imitate the mode of life1 the hunting1 dancing1 and sports of ,indians4 ,teachers have taken advantage of this instinct to allow them to construct an ,indian village on a small scale1 and assume the dress and action of ,hiawatha and his friends1 and even to dramatize parts of the story4 ,it is only certain selected parts of the ,hiawatha that lend themselves best to the oral treatment with children1 and that1 at first1 not in the poetic form4 ,in fact1 the oral treatment of a story in beautiful poetic form demands a peculiar method4 ,for example1 in treating the childhood of ,hiawatha as he dwelt with old ,nokomis in the tent beside the sea1 the main facts of this episode1 or a part of it1 may be talked over by means of description1 partly also by development1 question1 and answer1 and when these things are clear1 let this passage of the poem be read to the children4 ,the preliminary treatment and discussion will put the children in possession of the ideas and pictures by which they can better appreciate and assimilate the poem4 ,this mode of introducing children to a poem or literary masterpiece is not uncommon with children in later years1 at least in the middle grades4 ,it has been customary to use nearly the whole poem in fourth or fifth school year for regular reading1 and it is well suited to this purpose4 ,its use in primary grades for such oral treatment as we have described will not interfere with its employment as reading matter later on1 but rather increase its value for that purpose4 ,the method of handling such a poem as reading has been discussed in the ,special ,method in the ,reading of ,complete ,english ,classics4 ,a number of books have been written by practical teachers on the use of ,hiawatha in primary grades3-- ,the ,hiawatha ,primer4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,hints on the ,study of ,hiawatha 7,alice ,m4 ,krackowizer74 ,a4 ,flanagan1 publisher4 ,the best edition of the ,hiawatha is ,longfellow's ,song of ,hiawatha1 which is well illustrated4 ,published by ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,other editions are ,the ,song of ,hiawatha4 ,the ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,longfellow's ,hiawatha4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,song of ,hiawatha4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,,chapter ,v ,,third ,,grade ,,stories ,,the ,,mythical ,,stories ,in the third grade we wish to bring a number of the mythical stories vividly before the children4 ,the classical myths which belong to the literature of ,europe are the fund from which to select the best4 ,not all1 but only a few of the simple and appropriate stories can be chosen4 ,only two recitation periods a week are usually set apart for the oral treatment of these old myths4 ,but later in the progress of the reading lessons other similar stories should be treated4 ,the few recitation periods used for oral work are rather designed to introduce children to the spirit of this literature1 to get them into the appreciative mind4 ,this body of ancient myths comes down to us1 sifted out of the early literature of the active-minded ,greeks4 ,they have found their way as a simple and charming poetry into the national literature of all the ,european countries4 ,is this the material suited to nine- and ten-year-old children8 ,it will not be questioned that these myths belong to the best literary products of ,europe1 but are they suited to children8 ,it is evident that some of our best literary judges have deemed them appropriate4 ,hawthorne has put them into a form designed especially for the young folk4 ,charles ,kingsley wrote of the ,greek myths for his children3 ,now ,i love these old ,hellens heartily1 and they seem to me like brothers1 though they have all been dead and gone many a hundred years4 ,they are come to tell you some of their old fairy tales1 which they loved when they were young like you4 ,for nations begin at first by being children like you1 though they are made up of grown men4 ,they are children at first like you--men and women with children's hearts2 frank1 and affectionate1 and full of trust1 and teachable1 loving to see and learn all the wonders around them2 and greedy also1 too often1 and passionate and silly1 as children are4 ,not a few other authors of less note have tried to turn the classical myths of the old ,greek poets into simple ,english for the entertainment and instruction of children4 ,scarcely any of these stories that have not appeared in various children's books in recent years4 ,taken as a whole1 they are a storehouse of children's literature4 ,the philosopher1 ,herbart1 looked upon poems of ,homer as giving ideal expression to the boyhood of the race1 and the story of ,ulysses was regarded by him as the boy's book1--the ,greek ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,for the child of nine years he thought it the most suitable story4 ,kingsley says in his ,introduction3 ,now you must not think of the ,greeks in this book as learned men1 living in great cities1 such as they were afterwards1 when they wrought all their beautiful works1 but as country people1 living on farms and in walled villages1 in a simple1 hard-working way2 so that the greatest kings and heroes cooked their own meals and thought it no shame1 and made their own ships and weapons1 and fed and harnessed their own horses4 ,so that a man was honored among them1 not because he happened to be rich1 but according to his skill and his strength and courage and the number of things he could do4 ,for they were but grown-up children1 though they were right noble children too1 and it was with them as it is now at school1 the strongest and cleverest boy1 though he be poor1 leads all the rest4 ,in the introduction to the ,wonder ,book we find the following3 ,hawthorne took a vital interest in child life4 ,he was accustomed to observe his own children very closely4 ,there are private manuscripts extant which present exact records of what his young son and elder daughter said or did from hour to hour1 the father seating himself in their playroom and patiently noting all that passed4 ,to this habit of watchful and sympathetic scrutiny we may attribute in part the remarkable felicity1 the fortunate ease of adaptation to the immature understanding1 and the skilful appeal to the fresh imaginations which characterize his stories for the young4 ,hawthorne himself says3 ,the author has long been of the opinion that many of the classical myths were capable of being rendered into very capital reading for children4444 ,no epoch of time can claim a copyright on these immortal fables4 ,they seem never to have been made1 and so long as man exists they can never perish2 but by their indestructibility itself they are legitimate subjects1 for every age to clothe with its own garniture of manners and sentiment1 and to imbue with its own morality4444 ,the author has not always thought it necessary to write downward in order to meet the comprehension of children4 ,he has generally suffered the theme to soar1 whenever such was its tendency4 ,children possess an unestimated sensibility to whatever is deep or high in imagination or feeling so long as it is simple likewise4 ,it is only the artificial and the complex that bewilder them4 ,a brief analysis of the qualities which render these myths so attractive will help us to see their value in the education of children4 ,the astonishing brightness of fanciful episode and of pure and clear-cut imagery has an indestructible charm for children4 ,they can soar into and above the clouds on the shining wings of ,pegasus4 ,with ,eolus they shut up the contrary winds in an ox-hide1 and later let them out to plague the much-suffering ,ulysses4 ,they watch with astonishment as ,jason yokes the fire-breathing oxen and strews the field with uprooted stumps and stones as he prepares the soil for the seed of dragon's teeth4 ,each child becomes a poet as he recreates the sparkling brightness of these simple pictures4 ,and when a child has once suffered his fancy to soar to these mountain heights and ocean depths1 it will no longer be possible to make his life entirely dull and prosaic4 ,he has caught glimpses of a bright world that will linger unfading in the uplands of his memory4 ,and while they are so deep and lofty they are still1 as ,hawthorne says1 very simple4 ,some of the most classic of the old stories are indeed too long for third grade children2 too many persons and too much complexity1 as in the ,tales of ,troy4 ,but on the other hand1 many of the most beautiful of the old myths are as plain and simple to a child as a floating summer cloud4 ,high in the sky they may be or deep in the reflection of some lake or spring1 but clear and plain to the thought of a little child4 ,these stories in their naive simplicity reflect the wonder and surprise with which a person first beholds grand and touching scenery1 whether it be the oppressive grandeur of some beetling mountain crag1 or the placid quiet of a moonlit stream4 ,the stories selected for this grade should be the simplest and best3 ,the ,golden ,touch1 ,perseus1 ,the ,chimaera1 of ,hawthorne1 the episodes of the ,golden ,fleece1 with others similar4 ,in one form or another they introduce us to the company of heroes1 or1 at least1 of great and simple characters4 ,deeds of enterprise and manliness or of unselfishness and generosity are the climax of the story4 ,to meet danger and hardship or ridicule for the sake of a high purpose is their underlying thought4 ,perseus and ,jason and ,ulysses are all ambitious to prove their title to superior shrewdness and courage and self-control4 ,when we get fairly into the mythical age1 we find ourselves among the heroes1 among those striving for mastery and leadership in great undertakings4 ,physical prowess and manly spirit are its chief virtues4 ,and can there be any question that there is a time in the lives of children when these ideas fill the horizon of their thought8 ,samson and ,david and ,hercules1 ,bellerophon and ,jason1 are a child's natural thoughts or1 at least1 they fit the frame of his mind so exactly that one may say the picture and the frame were made for each other4 ,the history of most countries contains such an age of heroes4 ,tell in ,switzerland1 ,siegfried in ,germany1 ,bruce in ,scotland1 ,romulus and ,horatius at ,rome1 ,alfred in ,england1 are all national heroes of the mythical age1 whose deeds are heroic and of public good4 ,the ,greek stories are only a more classic edition of this historical epoch1 and should lead up to a study of these later products of ,european literature4 ,several forms of moral excellence are objectively realized or personified in these stories4 ,as the wise ,centaur1 after teaching ,jason to be skilful and brave1 sent him out into the world1 he said3 ,well1 go1 my son2 the throne belongs to thy father and the gods love justice4 ,but remember1 wherever thou dost wander1 to observe these three things3 ,relieve the distressed4 ,respect the aged4 ,be true to thy word4#f #f ,jason's ,quest 7,lowell71 p4 #ee4 ,and many events in ,jason's life illustrate the wisdom of these words4 ,the miraculous pitcher is one whose fountain of refreshing milk bubbled always because of a gentle deed of hospitality to strangers4 ,king ,midas1 on the other hand1 experiences in most graphic form the punishment which ought to follow miserly greed1 while his humble penitence brought back his daughter and the homely comforts of life4 ,bellerophon is filled with a desire to perform a noble deed that will relieve the distress of a whole people4 ,after the exercise of much patience and self-control he succeeds in his generous enterprise4 ,many a lesson of worldly wisdom and homely virtue is brought out in the story of ,ulysses' varied and adventuresome career4 ,these myths bring children into lively contact with ,european history and geography1 as well as with its modes of life and thought4 ,the early history of ,europe is in all cases shrouded in mist and legend4 ,but even from this historically impenetrable past has sprung a literature that has exercised a profound influence upon the life and growth of the people4 ,not that children are conscious of the significance of these ideas1 but being placed in an atmosphere which is full of them1 their deeper meaning gradually unfolds itself4 ,the early myths afford an interesting approach for children to the history and geography of important countries4 ,those countries they must1 sooner or later1 make the acquaintance of both geographically and historically1 and could anything be designed to take stronger hold upon their imagination and memory than these charming myths1 which were the poetry and religion of the people once living there8 ,it is a very simple and primitive state of culture1 whose ships1 arms1 agriculture1 and domestic life are given us in clear and pleasing pictures4 ,our own country is largely lacking in a mythical age4 ,our culture sprang1 more than half-grown1 from the midst of ,europe's choicest nations1 and out of institutions that had been centuries in forming4 ,the myths of ,europe are therefore as truly ours as they are the treasure of ,englishmen1 of ,germans1 or of ,greeks4 ,again1 our own literature1 as well as that of ,european states1 is full of the spirit and suggestion of the mythical age4 ,our poets and writers have drawn much of their imagery from this old storehouse of thought1 and a child will better understand the works of the present through this contact with mythical ages4 ,in method of treatment with school classes1 these stories will admit of a variation from the plan used with ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,one unaccustomed to the reading of such stories would be at a loss for a method of treatment with children4 ,there is a charm and literary art in the presentation that may make the teacher feel unqualified to present them4 ,the children are not yet sufficiently masters of the printed symbols of speech to read for themselves4 ,shall the teacher simply read the stories to children8 ,we would suggest first of all1 that the teacher1 who would expect to make use of these materials1 steep himself fully in literature of this class1 and bring his mind into familiar acquaintance and sympathy with its characters4 ,in interpreting classical authors to pupils1 we are justified in requiring of the teacher intimate knowledge and appreciative sympathy with his author4 ,certainly no one will teach these stories well whose fancy was never touched into airy flights--who cannot become a child again and partake of his pleasures4 ,no condescension is needed1 but ascension to a free and ready flight of fancy4 ,by learning to drink at these ancient fountains of song and poetry1 the teacher might learn to tell a fairy story for himself4 ,but doubtless it will be well to mingle oral narrative and description on the part of the teacher with the fit reading of choice parts so as to better preserve the classic beauty and suggestion of the author4 ,children are quite old enough now to appreciate beauty of language and expressive1 happy turns of speech4 ,in the midst of question1 suggestion1 and discussion between pupil and teacher1 the story should be carried forward1 never forgetting to stop at suitable intervals and get such a reproduction of the story as the little children are capable of4 ,and indeed they are capable of much in this direction1 for their thoughts are more nimble1 and their power of expression more apt1 oftentimes1 than the teacher's own4 ,we would not favor a simple reading of these stories for the entertainment of pupils4 ,it should take more the form of a school exercise1 requiring not only interest and attention1 but vigorous effort to grasp and reproduce the thought4 ,the result should be a much livelier and deeper insight into the story than would be secured by a simple reading for amusement or variety4 ,they should prepare also for an appreciative reading of other myths in the following grades4 ,after all1 in two or three recitation periods a week1 extending through a year1 it cannot be expected that children will make the acquaintance of all the literature that could be properly called the myth of the heroic age in different countries4 ,all that we may expect is to enter this paradise of children1 to pluck a few of its choicest flowers1 and get such a breath of their fragrance that there will be a child's desire to return again and again4 ,the school also should provide in the succeeding year for an abundance of reading of myths4 ,the same old stories which they first learned to enjoy in oral recitations should be read in books1 and still others should be utilized in the regular reading classes of the fourth and fifth grades4 ,in this way the myths of other countries may be brought in1 the story of ,tell1 of ,siegfried1 of ,alfred1 and of others4 ,in summarizing the advantages of a systematic attempt to get this simple classic lore into our schools1 we recall the interest and mental activity which it arouses1 its power to please and satisfy the creative fancy in children1 its fundamental feeling and instincts1 the virtues of bravery1 manliness1 and unselfishness1 and all this in a form that still further increases its culture effect upon teacher and pupil4 ,it should never be forgotten that teacher and pupil alike are here imbibing lessons and inspirations that draw them into closer sympathy because the subject is worthy of both old and young4 ,in addition to the earlier ,greek myths we may mention the following subjects as suitable for oral treatment3 ,the story of ,ulysses has been much used in schools with oral presentation1 and is one of the best tales for this purpose in all literature4 ,a somewhat full discussion of the value of this story for schools is found in the ,special ,method in ,reading of ,complete ,english ,classics4 ,the ,norse mythology has also received much attention from teachers who have used the oral mode of treatment4 ,several of the best books of ,norse mythology are mentioned in the appended list4 ,also the great story of ,siegfried4 ,some of the old traditional stories in the early history of ,rome1 of ,france1 ,germany1 and ,england1 have been used for oral narration and reading to children4 ,the ,seven ,little ,sisters and its companion book ,each and ,all1 and the ,ten ,boys on the ,road from ,long ,ago to ,now1 by ,jane ,andrews1 published by ,ginn ,co41 have been employed extensively for oral and reading work in the third and fourth years of school4 ,the ,seven ,little ,sisters is valuable in connection with the beginnings of geography4 ,,books ,,for ,,third ,,year ,,of ,,school ,the ,wonder ,book of ,nathaniel ,hawthorne4 ,the following stories are especially recommended3 ,the ,gorgon's ,head1 ,the ,golden ,touch1 ,the ,miraculous ,pitcher1 and ,the ,chimaera4 ,one should preserve as much as possible of the spirit and language of the author4 ,perhaps in classes with children the other stories will be found equally attractive3 ,the ,paradise of ,children and the ,three ,golden ,apples4 ,published by ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co41 ,boston4 ,kingsley's ,greek ,heroes4 ,the stories of ,perseus1 the ,argonauts1 and ,theseus1 especially adapted to children4 ,it may be advisable for the teacher to abbreviate the stories1 leaving out unimportant parts1 but giving the best portions in the fullest detail4 ,published by ,ginn ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,story of the ,iliad and ,story of the ,odyssey 7,church74 ,simple and interesting narrative of the ,homeric stories4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,jason's ,quest 7,lowell74 ,the story of the ,argonauts with many other ,greek myths woven into the narrative4 ,this book is a store of excellent material4 ,the teacher should select from it those parts specially suited to the grade4 ,published by ,sibley ,ducker1 ,chicago4 ,adventures of ,ulysses 7,lamb74 ,a small book from which the chief episodes of ,ulysses' career can be obtained4 ,published by ,ginn ,co41 ,boston4 ,the ,story of ,siegfried 7,baldwin74 ,published by ,scribner's ,sons4 ,peabody's ,old ,greek ,folk ,stories4 ,simple and well written4 ,a supplement to the ,wonder ,book4 ,published by ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,tales of ,troy 7,de ,garmo74 ,the story of the siege of ,troy and of the great events of ,homer's ,iliad4 ,this story1 on account of its complexity1 we deem better adapted to the fourth grade4 ,published by the ,public ,school ,publishing ,co41 ,bloomington1 ,ill4 ,stories of the ,old ,world 7,church74 ,stories of the ,argo1 of ,thebes1 of ,troy1 of ,ulysses1 and of ,a,eneas4 ,stories are simply and well told4 ,it is a book of #cej pages1 and would serve well as a supplementary reader in fourth grade4 ,published by ,ginn ,co4 ,gods and ,heroes 7,francillon74 ,a successful effort to cover the whole field of ,greek mythology in the story form4 ,ginn ,co4 ,the ,tanglewood ,tales 7,nathaniel ,hawthorne74 ,a continuation of the ,wonder ,book4 ,heroes of ,asgard4 ,stories of ,norse mythology2 simple and attractive4 ,macmillan ,co4 ,the ,story of ,ulysses 7,agnes ,s4 ,cook74 ,an account of the adventures of ,ulysses1 told in connected narrative1 in language easily comprehended by children in the third and fourth grades4 ,public ,school ,publishing ,co41 ,bloomington1 ,ill4 ,old ,norse ,stories 7,bradish74 ,stories for reference and sight reading4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,norse ,stories 7,mabie74 ,an excellent rendering of the old stories4 ,dodd1 ,mead1 ,co4 ,myths of ,northern ,lands 7,guerber74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,the ,age of ,fable 7,bulfinch74 ,lee and ,shepard4 ,readings in ,folk ,lore 7,skinner74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,national ,epics 7,rabb74 ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg ,co4 ,classic ,myths 7,gayley74 ,ginn ,co4 ,bryant's ,odyssey4 ,complete poetic translation4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,bryant's ,iliad4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,butcher and ,lang's prose translation of the ,odyssey4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,the ,odyssey of ,homer 7,palmer74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,a prose translation4 ,myths and ,myth ,makers 7,fiske74 ,moral ,instruction of ,children 7,felix ,adler74 ,chapter ,x4 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,,the ,,bible ,,stories ,the stories of early ,bible history have been much used in all ,european lands1 and in ,america1 for the instruction of children4 ,among ,jews and ,christians everywhere1 and even among ,mohammedans1 these stories have been extensively used4 ,they include the simple accounts of the patriarchs1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 ,joseph and his brethren1 ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,samson1 ,samuel1 and ,david4 ,it may be seen at a glance that no more famous stories than these could be selected from the history of any country in the world4 ,they stand preeminent as graphic descriptions of the modes of life which prevailed in the early period of civilized races4 ,the old patriarchs lived in what is usually called the pastoral age1 when men dwelt in tents and moved about from place to place with their flocks in search of pasture4 ,the patriarch at the head of the family1 and even of a whole tribe1 is the father1 ruler1 priest1 and judge for the little community over which he presides4 ,in his person there is a simple union of all the important powers of the later ,hebrew state4 ,the dignity and authority which centre in the person of ,abraham1 together with a marked gravity and strength of character1 lend a distinct grandeur to his personality1 so that he has been recognized in all ages as one of the great figures in the history of the world2 the foremost of the old patriarchs1--the father of the faithful4 ,a similar respect and dignity attaches to all these old ,bible characters1 and in the case of ,moses1 rises to a supreme height1 while in ,david the warrior1 statesman1 and poet are united in one of the most pronounced and pleasing characters in the world's history4 ,these old stories are also unparalleled in the simplicity and transparent clearness with which the life of the pastoral age is depicted4 ,human nature comes out in a series of pictures most striking and individual1 and yet unmistakably true to life and reality4 ,and yet while this life was so small in its compass1 it is almost wholly free from narrowness and provincialism4 ,the universal qualities of human nature1 common to men in all ages and countries1 stand out with a clearness which even little children can grasp4 ,the story of ,joseph and his brethren is probably the finest story that was ever written for children from eight to ten years of age4 ,the characters involved in this family history are striking and impressive1 and the strength of the family virtues and affections has never been set forth with greater simplicity and power4 ,the heroic qualities which appear in the old ,bible stories1 especially in ,moses1 ,samson1 and ,david1 would bear a favorable comparison with the men of the heroic age in all countries4 ,strength of character combined with faith in high ideals1 pursued with unwavering resolution1 is a peculiar merit of these narratives4 ,the heroes of the ,hebrew race should be compared1 later on1 with the most renowned heroes of ,england1 ,scotland1 ,germany1 and ,greece1 and even of ,america1 for they have common qualities which have like merit as educative materials for the young4 ,this early literature of the ,bible stories will be found to contain a large part of the universal thought of the world1 that is1 of the masterly ideas which1 because of their superior truth and excellence1 have gradually worked their way as controlling principles into the life of all modern nations4 ,it need hardly be said that these stories have a peculiar charm and attractiveness for children4 ,the simplicity of a patriarchal age1 the strong interest in persons of heroic quality1 the descriptions of early childhood1 the heroic deeds of bold and high-spirited youth1--these things command the unfaltering interest of children1 and at the same time give their lives a touch of moral strength and idealism which is of the highest promise4 ,the oral treatment of these stories in the third or fourth year of school is the only mode of bringing them before the children in their full power1 and they are well adapted to easy oral narrative and discussion4 ,the language is the genuine1 simple1 powerful old ,english1 and the teacher should become thoroughly saturated with these simple words and modes of thought4 ,the dramatic element is also not lacking in many parts1 and can be well executed in the classroom4 ,many opportunities will be furnished to the children for drawing pictures illustrating the stories4 ,many of the most famous masterpieces of painting and sculpture represent the persons and scenes of these tales4 ,the great heroes of ,christian art have exhausted their skill in these representations1 which are now being furnished to the schools by the large publishing houses4 ,even the costumes and modes of life are thus brought home to the children in the most realistic yet artistic way4 ,an acquaintance with such early stories of ,hebrew history is an introduction to some of the finest literature of the ,english language4 ,first1 that dealing with the ,hebrew scriptures themselves1 as the books of ,moses1 the psalms of ,david1 and second1 a number of the great poems of ,english masters1 as the ,burial of ,moses and ,milton's ,samson ,agonistes4 ,in short1 we may say that these stories are the key to a large part of our best ,english thought4 ,adler1 in his ,moral ,instruction of ,children1 says3 ,the narrative of the ,bible is fairly saturated with the moral spirit2 the moral issues are everywhere in the forefront4 ,duty1 guilt1 and its punishment1 the conflict of conscience with inclination1 are the leading themes4 ,the ,hebrew people seem to have been endowed with what may be called 'a moral genius1' and especially did they emphasize the filial and fraternal duties to an extent hardly equalled elsewhere4 ,now it is precisely these duties that must be impressed upon young children1 and hence the biblical stories present us with the very material we require4 ,they cannot1 in this respect1 be replaced2 there is no other literature in the world that offers what is equal to them in value for the particular object we now have in view4 ,if we could only contemplate the patriarchal stories as a part of the great literature of the world1 on account of its typical yet realistic portraiture of men and women1 we might use this material as we use the very best derived from other sources4 ,mr4 ,adler remarks that this typical quality in ,homer's portraiture has been one secret of its universal impressiveness4 ,the ,homeric outlines are in each case brilliantly distinct1 while they leave to the reader a certain liberty of private conception1 and he can fill them in to satisfy his own ideal4 ,we may add that this is just as true of the ,bible as of ,homer4 ,the biblical narrative1 too1 depicts a few essential traits of human nature1 and refrains from multiplying minor traits which might interfere with the main effect4 ,the ,bible1 too1 draws its figures in outline1 and leaves every age free to fill them in so as to satisfy its own ideal4 ,moreover1 their use is not a matter of experiment4 ,for hundreds of years they have held the first place in the best homes and schools of ,germany1 ,england1 and ,america1 and their educative influence has been profoundly felt in all ,christian nations4 ,we have several editions of the stories adapted from the ,bible for school use4 ,in the ,bible itself they are not found in the simple1 connected form that makes them available for school use4 ,one of the best editions for school is that published by ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co41 called1 ,old ,testament ,stories in ,scriptural ,language4 ,a free and somewhat original rendering of the stories is given by ,baldwin in his ,old ,stories of the ,east1 published by the ,american ,book ,co4 ,both of these books have been extensively used in the schools of this country4 ,the oral treatment of the ,bible stories in the schools has not been common in this country1 but it has all the merits described by us in the chapter on oral instruction4 ,in fourth and fifth grades these books may serve well for exercises in reading4 ,in a great many schools of this country they can be used and are used without giving offence to anybody1 and where this is true1 they well deserve recognition in our school course because of their superior presentation of some of the great universal ideas of our civilization4 ,,books ,,for ,,teachers ,,of ,,bible ,,literature ,the ,modern ,reader's ,bible1 twenty-one volumes 7,richard ,moulton74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,children's ,series4 ,old ,testament and ,new ,testament ,stories4 ,in two volumes4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,stories from the ,bible 7,church74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,story of the ,chosen ,people 7,guerber74 ,the ,american ,book ,co4 ,the ,literary ,study of the ,bible 7,moulton74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,,stories ,,of ,,robin ,,hood ,in the latter part of third grade or beginning of fourth1 the stories of ,robin ,hood are likely to prove exhilarating to children4 ,these stories of the bold1 manly1 good-natured outlaw1 with his band of trusty men in ,sherwood ,forest1 have been famous throughout ,england these five hundred years1 and the stories themselves1 and the ballads accompanying them1 are a genuine part of the treasures of the older ,english literature4 ,they have been worked by ,howard ,pyle into the stout1 hearty ,english style which is so appropriate to the rendering of the deeds of this sturdy ,english yeoman and his band4 ,their careless life and woodland sports under the ,greenwood ,tree1 and their merry adventures and shooting matches1 have been the delight of many a generation of ,english children4 ,but even their woodland sports were a severe and rugged training in hardy endurance and manly spirit4 ,pyle says well in his preface3 ,for honest purposes manfully followed and hard knocks courageously endured must always interest the wholesome boy2 while nature is so closely akin to man in the golden days of his green youth that tales of the ,greenwood1 where the leaves rustle and the birds sing1 and all the air is full of sweet savors of growing things1 must ever have a potent charm for the fresh imagination of childhood4 ,one phase of this training1 as manifested in the stories1 is not only the ability to take hard knocks and keep a stiff upper lip1 as the old saying goes1 but to master chagrin and anger and endure fun and gibes at one's own expense2 indeed1 even with aching bones and buzzing ears1 to join in the merriment over one's own discomfiture4 ,this is an unusual accompaniment of even good stories1 which makes them truly wholesome4 ,the fun of the stories also is of a light and rollicking sort which children should have a chance to thoroughly enjoy4 ,in fact it is excellent material upon which to cultivate their early sense of the comic and humorous4 ,the literature used in early school years has1 unfortunately1 too little of the sportive and laughable1 and the ,robin ,hood adventures will help in no small degree to remedy this defect4 ,it is interesting to note1 also1 that brute strength is not at a premium1 but skill and quick-wittedness4 ,not the least attractive and forcible part of ,robin ,hood's character is the shrewd-witted versatility and boldness with which he plays any part which circumstances require him to assume4 ,his foes are circumvented by his shrewdness and keen wit even as much as by his unfailing skill in archery or dexterous strength in personal contest4 ,robin ,hood's relation to the ,british government was known as that of the outlaw1 although the visit of ,king ,richard to him in ,sherwood ,forest and his service under that prince and others gave him a certain legal status4 ,he has always been regarded as a popular hero representing the rights of the common people4 ,after describing ,robin ,hood's first adventure with the foresters and his outlawry1 ,howard ,pyle says3 ,but ,robin ,hood lay hidden in ,sherwood ,forest for one year1 and in that time there gathered around him many others like himself1 outlawed for this cause and for that4 ,so1 in all that year1 five score or more good1 stout yeomen joined themselves to him1 and chose him to be their leader and chief4 ,then they vowed that even as they themselves had been despoiled they would despoil their oppressors1 whether baron1 abbot1 knight1 or squire1 and that from each they would take that which had been wrung from the poor by unjust taxes1 or land rents1 or in wrongful fines2 but to the poor folk they would give a helping hand in need and trouble1 and would return to them that which had been unjustly taken from them4 ,besides this1 they swore never to harm a child1 nor to wrong a woman1 be she maid1 wife1 or widow2 so that1 after a while1 when the people began to find that no harm was meant to them1 but that money or food came in time of want to many a poor family1 they came to praise ,robin and his merry men1 and to tell many tales of him and of his doings in ,sherwood ,forest1 for they felt him to be one of themselves4 ,when we consider the stories which tradition has handed down relative to the exploits of ,robin ,hood1 the ,old-,english ballads which celebrate them in song1 the stories of ,king ,richard's visit to him in ,sherwood1 and ,robin's visit to the court of ,eleanor and ,king ,henry at ,london town1 to share in the great shooting-match1 and the story of ,locksley in ,scott's ,ivanhoe--we might almost say that ,robin ,hood would bear favorable comparison with any ,englishman of his time4 ,at any rate it would be difficult to find among the kings and great lords of that age one who had so much regard for justice and fair dealing among men1 to say nothing of his kindness to the poor and needy4 ,he stands distinctly for those rights of the common people which were constantly violated by the powerful and influential in that half-barbarous age of feudalism4 ,it is from this instinct for popular rights that the body of ,english liberties has gradually developed1 and it is not strange that ,robin ,hood has always been regarded as a hero among a people who have preserved this instinct for liberty and justice4 ,the foresters of ,robin ,hood's band were lovers of forest and glade2 the song of the bird and fragrance of wild flowers were sweet to them4 ,in ,pyle's introductory chapter is this description of their retreat under the ,greenwood4 ,so turning their backs upon the stream1 they plunged into the forest once more1 through which they traced their steps till they reached the spot where they dwelt in the depths of the woodland4 ,there had they built huts of bark and branches of trees1 and made couches of sweet rushes spread over with skins of fallow deer4 ,here stood a great oak tree with branches spreading broadly around1 beneath which was a seat of green moss where ,robin ,hood was wont to sit at feast and at merrymaking1 with his stout men about him4 ,here they found the rest of the band1 some of whom had come in with a brace of fat does4 ,then they built great fires1 and after the feast was ready they all sat down1 but ,robin ,hood placed ,little ,john at his right hand1 for he was henceforth to be the second in the band4 ,little ,john's bout with the tanner of ,blyth is introduced thus3-- ,one fine day1 not long after ,little ,john had left abiding with the ,sheriff and had come back to the merry ,greenwood1 ,robin ,hood and a few chosen fellows of his band lay upon the soft sward beneath the ,greenwood ,tree where they dwelt4 ,the day was warm and sultry1 so that whilst most of the band were scattered through the forest upon this mission and upon that1 these few stout fellows lay lazily beneath the shade of the tree1 in the soft afternoon1 passing jests among themselves and telling merry stories1 with laughter and mirth4 ,all the air was laden with the bitter fragrance of the ,may1 and all the bosky shades of the woodlands beyond rang with the sweet song of birds1--the throstle-cock1 the cuckoo1 and the wood-pigeon1--and with the song of birds mingled the cool sound of the gurgling brook that leaped out of the forest shades1 and ran fretting amid its rough gray stones across the sunlit open glade before the trysting-tree4 ,this delight in the beauty and music of all nature about them is a sort of atmosphere which gives tone to all the stories of this group4 ,the language in which the stories are narrated is rich in the quaint and vigorous phrases of ,old ,english1 reminding one of the times of ,shakespeare and before4 ,one could hardly give the children a better introduction to the riches of our mother tongue4 ,the description of ,english customs1 the popular festivities1 the booths of the market town1 the parade of feudal lords and retainers1 the constraints placed upon hunting by kings and lords1 and the hardships of the poor are touched upon in significant ways4 ,the stories give an insight into the ,english character1 their love of rude sports1 their ballad literature1 and their respect for honesty and courage and shrewdness4 ,the ballads associated with the ,robin ,hood legends are often beautiful and striking expressions of the ,english spirit1 and have a special charm for children4 ,they should be read in connection with the later reading of the stories in the third and fourth school years4 ,the bearing of these tales upon early feudal history and the general literature of that age is of importance4 ,this is well illustrated in ,ivanhoe in the use by ,richard of ,robin ,hood and his archers in the attack upon ,torquilstone1 and in various exploits of the men of the ,greenwood when brought in contact with knights on horseback4 ,there is also a kinship in these narratives with some of the best stories and novels of early ,english history1 as ,scott's ,tales of a ,grandfather1 ,kingsley's ,hereward the ,wake1 ,jane ,andrew's ,gilbert the ,page1 and a number of ,scott's novels4 ,in the oral treatment of the stories in the third or fourth school year1 the teacher will find her powers of presentation taxed in a peculiar way4 ,the quaint language and humorous tone1 the occasional witty conceits1 will need to be appreciated and enjoyed1 and the mode of presentation suited to the thought4 ,let the teacher first of all thoroughly enjoy the stories and in rendering them to children in the classroom lose herself in the tone and spirit of the account4 ,it requires great freedom and flexibility of body and mind to do this well1 but that is what a teacher most of all needs4 ,the humorous part1 especially1 will require a certain unbending of the stiff manners of a teacher1 but no harm is done in this4 ,the large volume of ,robin ,hood stories by ,pyle should be in the hands of the teacher1 if possible1 although it is an expensive book4 ,it is much fuller in the special details of the stories needed by the teacher1 though the smaller book is far better adapted as a reading book for schools4 ,to illustrate the place which the ,robin ,hood legends hold in ,english history and literature1 the following selections1 quoted from ,tennyson's ,the ,foresters and one of the old ballads1 are given4 ,they are taken from ,english ,history told by ,english ,poets1 published by ,the ,macmillan ,company1 where the passage from ,the ,foresters is given at greater length4 ,,king ,,richard ,,in ,,sherwood ,,forest ,,lord ,,tennyson 7,from ,the ,foresters7 ,robin ,hood and ,maid ,marian1 ,friar ,tuck and ,george-a-,green1 ,will ,scarlet1 ,midge the ,miller's ,son1 ,little ,john1 and the rest are legendary characters loved and sung from the fourteenth century to modern times4 ,the charm of these light-hearted highwaymen was felt by ,shakespeare himself3 ,they say he is already in the forest of ,arden1 and a many merry men with him3 and there they live like the old ,robin ,hood of ,england2 they say many young gentlemen flock to him every day1 and fleet the time carelessly1 as they did in the golden world4--7,as ,you ,like ,it1 ,i1 ,i47 ,tennyson adopts the tradition that the generous outlaws dwelt in ,sherwood ,forest in ,cumberlandshire1 and that their leader1 ,robin ,hood1 was the banished ,earl of ,huntingdon4 ,the plot of the ,the ,foresters turns upon the sudden return of ,richard from his ,austrian captivity and the consequent collapse of the intrigues conducted by his crafty and cruel brother ,john4 ,robin ,hood4 ,am ,i worse or better8 ,i am outlaw'd4 ,i am none the worse for that ,i held for ,richard and ,i hated ,john4 ,i am a thief1 ay1 and a king of thieves4 ,ay6 but we rob the robber1 wrong the wronger1 ,and what we wring from them we give the poor4 ,i am none the worse for that1 and all the better ,for this free forest-life1 for while ,i sat ,among my thralls in my baronial hall ,the groining hid the heavens2 but since ,i breathed1 ,a houseless head beneath the sun and stars1 ,the soul of the woods hath stricken thro' my blood1 ,the love of freedom1 the desire of ,god1 ,the hope of larger life hereafter1 more ,tenfold than under roof4 ,true1 were ,i taken ,they would prick out my sight4 ,a price is set ,on this poor head2 but ,i believe there lives ,no man who truly loves and truly rules ,his following1 but can keep his followers true4 ,i am one with mine4 ,traitors are rarely bred ,save under traitor kings4 ,our vice-king ,john1 ,true king of vice--true play on words--our ,john1 ,by his ,norman arrogance and dissoluteness1 ,hath made me king of all the discontent ,of ,england up thro' all the forest land ,north to the ,tyne3 being outlaw'd in a land ,where law lies dead1 we make ourselves the law4 ,king ,richard 7to ,robin74 ,my good friend ,robin1 ,earl of ,huntingdon1 ,for ,earl thou art again1 hast thou no fetters ,for those of thine own band who would betray thee8 ,robin4 ,i have2 but these were never worn as yet1 ,i never found one traitor in my band4 99 99 99 99 99 ,our forest games are ended1 our free life1 ,and we must hence to the ,king's court4 ,i trust ,we shall return to the wood4 ,meanwhile1 farewell ,old friends1 old patriarch oaks4 ,a thousand winters ,will strip you bare as death1 a thousand summers ,robe you life-green again4 ,you seem1 as it were1 ,immortal1 and we mortal4 ,how few ,junes ,will heat our pulses quicker6 ,how few frosts ,will chill the hearts that beat for ,robin ,hood6 ,marian4 ,and yet ,i think these oaks at dawn and even1 ,or in the balmy breathings of the night1 ,will whisper evermore of ,robin ,hood4 ,we leave but happy memories to the forest4 ,we dealt in the wild justice of the woods4 ,all those poor serfs whom we have served will bless us1 ,all those pale mouths which we have fed will praise us-- ,all widows we have holpen pray for us1 ,our ,lady's blessed shrines throughout the land ,be all the richer for us4 ,you1 good friar1 ,you ,much1 you ,scarlet1 you dear ,little ,john1 ,your names will cling like ivy to the wood4 ,and here perhaps a hundred years away ,some hunter in day-dreams or half asleep ,will hear our arrows whizzing overhead1 ,and catch the winding of a phantom horn4 ,robin4 ,and surely these old oaks will murmur thee ,marian along with ,robin4 ,i am most happy-- ,art thou not mine8--and happy that our ,king ,is here again1 never ,i trust to roam ,so far again1 but dwell among his own4 ,strike up a stave1 my masters1 all is well4 ,,how ,,robin ,,hood ,,rescued ,,the ,,widow',s ,,three ,,sons ,robin ,hood and his followers were bandits and outlaws1 but the people loved them because they defied the hateful forest laws and made light of the sheriff4 ,the king's officers were responsible for the maintenance of order1 but in these lawless times they often used their power for their own advantage1 imposing heavy fines and penalties on the poor1 and extorting bribes from the rich4 ,the following is one of the oldest and rudest of the many ,robin ,hood ballads3-- ,there are twelve months in all the year1 ,as ,i hear many say1 ,but the merriest month in all the year ,is the merry month of ,may4 ,now ,robin ,hood is to ,nottingham gone1 ,with a link a down and a day1 ,and there he met a silly#g old woman1 ,was weeping on the way4 ,what news8 what news1 thou silly old woman8 ,what news hast thou for me8 ,said she1 ,there's my three sons in ,nottingham town ,to-day condemned to die4 ,o1 have they parishes burnt8 he said1 ,or have they ministers slain8 ,or have they robbed any virgin8 ,or other men's wives have ta'en8 ,they have no parishes burnt1 good sir1 ,nor yet have ministers slain1 ,nor have they robbed any virgin1 ,nor other men's wives have ta'en4 ,o1 what have they done8 said ,robin ,hood1 ,i pray thee tell to me4 ,it's for slaying of the king's fallow-deer1 ,bearing their long bows with thee4 ,dost thou not mind1 old woman1 he said1 ,how thou madest me sup and dine8 ,by the truth of my body1 quoth bold ,robin ,hood1 ,you could not tell it in better time4 ,now ,robin ,hood is to ,nottingham gone1 ,with a link a down and a day1 ,and there he met with a silly old palmer1 ,was walking along the highway4 ,what news8 what news1 thou silly old man8 ,what news1 ,i do thee pray8 ,said he1 ,three squires in ,nottingham town ,are condemned to die this day4 ,come change thy apparel with me1 old man1 ,come change thy apparel for mine2 ,here is forty shillings in good silver1 ,go drink it in beer or wine4 ,now ,robin ,hood is to ,nottingham gone1 ,with a link a down and a down4 ,and there he met with the proud sheriff1 ,was walking along the town4 ,o ,christ you save1 ,o sheriff6 he said2 ,o ,christ you save and see2 ,and what will you give to a silly old man ,to-day will your hangman be8 ,some suits1 some suits1 the sheriff he said1 ,some suits ,i'll give to thee2 ,some suits1 some suits1 and pence thirteen1 ,to-day's a hangman's fee4 ,then ,robin he turns him round about1 ,and jumps from stock to stone3 ,by the truth of my body1 the sheriff he said1 ,that's well jumpt1 thou nimble old man4 ,i was ne'er a hangman in all my life1 ,nor yet intends to trade2 ,but curst be he1 said bold ,robin1 ,that first a hangman was made6 ,i've a bag for meal1 and a bag for malt1 ,and a bag for barley and corn2 ,a bag for bread1 and a bag for beef1 ,and a bag for my little small horn4 ,i have a horn in my pocket1 ,i got it from ,robin ,hood1 ,and still when ,i set it to my mouth1 ,for thee it blows little good4 ,o1 wind thy horn1 thou proud fellow1 ,of thee ,i have no doubt4 ,i wish that thou give such a blast1 ,till both thy eyes fall out4 ,the first loud blast that he did blow1 ,he blew both loud and shrill2 ,a hundred and fifty of ,robin ,hood's men ,came riding over the hill4 ,the next loud blast that he did give1 ,he blew both loud and amain4 ,and quickly sixty of ,robin ,hood's men ,came shining over the plain4 ,o1 who are these1 the sheriff he said1 ,come tripping over the lea8 ,they're my attendants1 brave ,robin did say2 ,they'll pay a visit to thee4 ,they took the gallows from the slack1 ,they set it in the glen4 ,they hanged the proud sheriff on that1 ,released their own three men4 #g simple ,,robin ,,hood ,,books ,the ,merry ,adventures of ,robin ,hood 7,howard ,pyle74 ,finely illustrated1 #c4jj4 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,some ,adventures of ,robin ,hood 7,pyle74 ,small school edition1 illustrated2 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,tennyson's ,the ,foresters4 ,the ,robin ,hood ballads are found in many of the ballad books4 ,ivanhoe contains several scenes from the life of ,robin ,hood 7,locksley74 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,primary ,,reading ,,through ,,incidental ,,exercises ,,and ,,games ,,based ,,on ,,school ,,movements1 ,,studies1 ,,and ,,games ,before entering upon the discussion of the usual methods of introducing children to the art of reading we will give a treatment of the incidental opportunities offered by the other studies1 by school movements and games in primary classes1 for introducing children to the written and printed forms4 ,it is assumed that the more closely the written or printed words and sentences are related to the children's activities1 or the more dependent these activities are made upon a knowledge of the word-forms1 the quicker and more natural will be their mastery4 ,to put it briefly1 the teacher abstains from the use of oral speech to a considerable extent and substitutes the written forms of the words on the blackboard in giving directions1 in games1 and in treating topics in literature and science4 ,the following chapter is taken wholly from the lessons given by ,mrs4 ,lida ,b4 ,mc,murry in the first grade4 ,many other similar lessons were worked out1 but these are probably sufficient to fully illustrate the plan4 ,the teacher's aim in the beginning reading is to lead the child to look to the lesson1 either word or sentence or paragraph1 to find what it has to say to him--to present the lesson in such a way that the child shall quicken into life in its presence--shall reach forward to grasp this much-desired thing4 ,the attention of the child is centred on the thought2 he grasps the symbols because he must reach1 through them1 the thought4 ,much of the early reading can be taught in a purely incidental way--in the general exercises of the school and in the literature and nature-study recitations4 ,,reading ,,taught ,,incidentally 7a7 ,in the ,general ,management of the ,school4 ,the directions which are at first given to children orally1 e4g41 rise1 turn1 pass1 sit1 skip1 fly1 march1 run1 walk1 pass to the front1 pass to the back1 are later written upon the board4 ,when the children seem to have become familiar with the written direction1 the order in which the directions are given is sometimes changed1 as a test1 e4g41 the following directions are usually given in this order--turn1 rise1 pass4 ,instead of writing turn first1 the teacher writes pass4 ,if the children understand1 they will rise at once and pass without waiting to turn4 ,the names of the children1 instead of being spoken1 are often written2 in this way the children become familiar with the names of all the children in the school4 ,the teacher1 writing ,clarence upon the board1 says1 ,i would like this boy to erase the boards to-night4 ,the first time it is written the teacher speaks the name as she writes it4 ,it may be necessary to do this several times4 ,the teacher does not look at ,clarence as she writes his name4 ,if he does not recognize his name after it has appeared repeatedly1 his eyesight may well be tested4 ,if heedlessness is the cause of the failure1 another name is written at the board1 and ,clarence loses the opportunity to do the service4 ,no drill should be given on these names4 ,the repetition incident to the frequent calling upon the child is all that is necessary to fix the name4 ,the names of the songs and of the poems which the children are memorizing are written upon the board as needed4 ,the teacher says1 ,we will sing this song this morning4 ,if the children do not recognize its title as the teacher points to it1 she gives it4 ,after a while the children will recognize the names of all the songs and the poems which are in use in the room4 ,the children become familiar with the written form of the smaller numbers in this way--the number of absent children is reported at each session and written on the board4 ,on ,friday the teacher records upon the board some facts of the week1 or of the month1 which the children learned from their weather charts--viz41 the number of sunny and the number of cloudy days4 ,the number of children in each row is ascertained and written at the board that the monitors may know how many pairs of scissors1 pieces of clay1 or pencils to select4 ,the poems1 after being partially committed to memory1 are written upon the board2 when the pupils falter1 reference is made to the line in question as it appears upon the board4 ,the teacher sometimes writes her morning greeting or evening farewell at the board--thus3 ,good morning1 children1 or1 ,good-by for to-day4 ,the children read silently and respond with1 ,good morning1 ,miss ,eades1 or1 ,good night1 ,miss ,farr4 ,often she communicates facts of interest at the board4 ,if the pupils are unable to interpret what she has written1 she reads for them1 e4g41 the teacher writes1 ,we have vacation to-morrow4 ,quite likely some child1 unable to read at all1 will say1 ,we have something1 but ,i can't tell what it is4 7,these same words will occur again1 when needed to express a thought1 and it is a waste of energy to drill upon them47 ,when the children have interpreted the above sentence at the board1 the teacher writes1 ,do you know why8 ,the children read the question silently and give the answer audibly1 and say1 ,it is ,decoration ,day4 ,we too often allow children to treat a question in their reading as if its end were reached in the asking4 ,to lead the children to form a habit of answering questions asked in writing or in print1 such questions as the following are1 from time to time1 written at the board3 ,did you see the rainbow last night8 ,what color was it8 ,did you see any birds on ,saturday8 ,what ones8 ,have you been to the woods8 ,what did you find there8 7b7 ,in ,connection with the ,literature4 ,the name of the story which the teacher is about to tell is placed upon the board4 ,at the first writing the teacher tells the pupils what it is1 if necessary1 e4g41 the teacher says1 ,we shall have a story about ',the ,three ,bears1' pointing to the title upon the board4 ,the next day she says1 ,i would like you to tell me all you can about this story--writing its name upon the board4 ,in the final reproduction of the story the teacher assigns topics1 e4g43 ,chauncey may tell me about this 7writing at the board73 ,silver-,hair going to the woods4 ,eva may tell about this3 ,silver-,hair going into the kitchen4 ,jennie may tell about this3 ,silver-,hair going into the sitting room4 ,willie may tell about this3 ,silver-,hair going upstairs4 ,should the child go beyond the limited topic1 the teacher points to the board and asks about what he was to tell4 ,at the close of each story that can be dramatized1 the teacher assigns at the board the part which each is to take1 thus3 ,after the story of ,the ,old ,woman and the ,pig is learned1 the teacher writes in a column each child's name opposite the animal or thing which he is to represent1 in this way4 ,agnes--the old woman4 ,glenn--the pig4 ,sadie--the dog1 etc4 7c7 ,in ,connection with the ,nature ,study4 ,in the spring the children are looking for the return of the birds1 the first spring blossoms1 and the opening of the tree buds4 ,the teacher often makes her own discoveries known through writing1 upon the board1 e4g41 ,i saw a robin this morning1 or ,i found a blue violet yesterday1 or ,i saw some elm blossoms last night4 ,the class1 by the aid of the teacher1 make a bird1 a flower1 and a tree-bud calendar1 on which are recorded the name and date of the first seen of each4 ,these names are put on the calendars in the presence of the children1 and they frequently name their treasures o'er4 ,the mode of travelling is written beside the name of each familiar bird as the children make the discoveries1 thus3-- hops4 walks4 ,robin runs4 ,crow flies4 flies4 ,questions arise during the recitation which the children will answer later from observation4 ,that the children may not forget them they are placed high up on the board where they can be preserved4 ,frequent reference is made to them to see if the pupils are prepared to answer them4 ,when a question is answered it is erased1 making room for another4 ,,the ,,reading ,,recitation ,for the early reading1 ,games1 ,literature1 and ,nature ,study may form the basis4 99 99 99 99 99 7,i7 ,games as a ,basis for the ,reading4 ,the child enters school from a life of play4 ,it is our purpose1 so far as possible1 to make use of this natural bent of the child to insure interest in his reading1 as well as to give him the free exercise1 which he needs1 of his muscles4 ,it may be urged as an argument against the use of the games1 that they are too noisy and attract the attention of the children who are busy at their seats4 ,often it would be a good thing for these children to watch the younger ones at their games4 ,it would rest them and put them into closer sympathy with the little ones4 ,in a short time they will not care so much to watch them4 ,the little children should be thoughtful of the older ones and move about as quietly as is possible4 ,the following are some of the games which we have used in our primary school4 ,they are given in the way of suggestion only4 ,they are played at first by following spoken directions4 ,when the children are perfectly familiar with the oral direction1 the written direction is gradually substituted4 ,the children do not stay long enough on one game to become tired of it4 ,two or three or even more are played at a single recitation4 ,it is not the plan to drill the pupils upon the written directions1 but by frequent repetitions to familiarize them with them4 ,the games are most suitable for the very earliest reading lessons4 ,the plan for teaching one of them1 the first one given here1 will be written out quite fully4 ,the others will be given with less detail4 ,,the ,,ring ,,game ,material4--,six celluloid rings1 red1 white1 blue1 yellow1 green1 and black4 ,surcingle rings can be painted the colors desired4 ,directions4--,take the red ring1 ,jennie4 ,take the blue ring1 ,eva4 ,take the yellow ring1 ,wallace4 ,take the green ring1 ,chauncey4 ,take the black ring1 ,gregory4 ,take the white ring1 ,lloyd4 ,when the children are ready to hide the rings this direction is given to the remainder of the class3-- ,close your eyes4 ,this to the pupils who hold the rings3-- ,hide the rings4 ,when the children have all the rings hid they announce it by lightly clapping their hands1 upon which the children open their eyes4 ,directions are then given to those who did not hide rings1 for finding the rings1 e4g43-- ,find the red ring4 ,find the blue ring1 etc4 ,no notice is taken of any ring but the one called for4 ,a limited time is given for the finding of each4 ,at the close of that time1 if the ring is not discovered1 the one who hid it gets it4 ,when the written directions are first used the whole sentence need not be put upon the board1 e4g41 the teacher need write only--the red ring4 ,she says to the child1 find this--pointing to the board2 or red1 alone1 may be written1 in which case the teacher points to the word1 saying1 ,you may find this ring4 ,there is considerable rivalry to see who will find the most rings4 ,when the children seem to know the written directions perfectly1 a test is made of their ability1 actually1 to read them2 thus1 instead of writing1 ,take the red ring1 the teacher writes1 ,find the red ring4 ,she writes ,hide the rings1 before she writes1 ,close your eyes4 ,if the children recognize what is written they will set the teacher right4 ,,ball ,,and ,,cord ,material4--,small1 soft rubber balls with short rubber cords attached4 ,the cords have a loop for the finger4 ,ball in right hand4 ,toss up4 ,hold4 ,toss down4 ,hold4 ,toss to the right4 ,hold4 ,toss to the left4 ,hold4 ,ball in left hand4 ,toss up1 etc4 ,in this and succeeding games it is left to the discretion of the teacher as to when the written directions shall be introduced4 ,,ball ,,game ,material4--,a soft rubber ball4 ,form a circle4 ,take the ball1 ,roy4 ,toss the ball4 ,roll the ball4 ,bounce the ball4 ,throw the ball4 ,give the ball to ,sadie4 ,in this game one of the children takes the ball to the circle4 ,each1 as the ball is tossed to him1 tosses it to another4 ,at the direction of the teacher the game of tossing the ball is changed to one of rolling the ball1 the pupils squatting on the floor2 this in turn is changed later as the directions indicate4 ,care must be taken that all children are treated alike in this game4 ,the children themselves will look out for this if properly directed at the outset of the game4 ,,hunting ,,the ,,violet ,material4--,violets scattered about the room4 ,find a blue violet1 ,glenn4 ,find a violet bud1 ,edith4 ,find a yellow violet1 ,lloyd4 ,find a violet leaf1 ,sadie4 ,find a white violet1 ,jennie4 ,find a purple violet1 ,rudolph4 ,sing to the violets4 ,children sing softly3-- ,oh1 violets1 pretty violets1 ,i pray you tell to me ,why are you the first flowers ,that bloom upon the lea8 etc4 ,a ,,tree ,,game--7,,spring ,,or ,,fall7 ,material4--,leaves of the different trees with which the children are familiar4 ,glenn may be a maple tree4 ,choose your leaf4 ,wallace may be an elm tree4 ,choose your leaf4 ,chauncey may be a birch tree4 ,choose your leaf1 etc4 ,make a little forest4 ,toss in the wind4 7,the leaves are pinned upon the children as each chooses his leaf1 and they dance lightly about as if tossed by the wind47 ,,caring ,,for ,,the ,,animals ,material4--,wooden or paper animals4 ,a portion of the table is marked off by a chalk line for the farmyard4 ,drive in a pig1 ,willie4 ,lead in a horse1 ,gregory4 ,drive in a sheep1 ,sadie4 ,lead in a cow1 ,roy1 etc4 ,they are driven in at night1 then driven out in the morning4 ,sometimes they are hurried in because of the approach of a storm4 ,,doll ,,play--7,,general7 ,material4--,penny dolls or larger ones4 ,take a doll4 ,rock the baby4 ,pat the baby4 ,sing the baby to sleep4 ,put the baby to bed4 ,take up the baby4 ,wash its face4 ,comb its hair4 ,feed it bread and milk4 ,take it for a walk4 ,at the direction1 ,sing the baby to sleep1 the children sing very softly3-- ,rock-a-bye ,baby1--or some other lullaby4 ,the bed is the chair on which the child is sitting4 ,all stand and turn about together to put the babies to bed4 ,they go through the movements only of washing the face and hands and combing the hair1 and of feeding bread and milk4 ,they perform these acts in unison4 ,,the ,,rainbow ,,fairies--7,,spring7 ,material4--,large bows of tissue paper with streamers1 of the various colors mentioned4 ,eva may be a yellow fairy4 ,roy may be a blue fairy4 ,edith may be a green fairy4 ,louise may be a red fairy4 ,lloyd may be an orange fairy4 ,sadie may be a violet fairy4 ,the others may be trees4 ,join hands1 fairies4 ,dance about the trees4 ,as the first direction is given ,eva steps to the table and takes a yellow bow which is pinned to her left shoulder3 the others follow as called upon4 ,,the ,,leaves ,material4--,a leaf of one of several colors pinned on each child4 ,the wind calls3-- ,come yellow leaf4 ,come red leaf4 ,come green leaves1 etc4 ,dance in the wind4 ,at the last direction the children fly over a small area1 hither and thither2 some one way1 some another1 passing and repassing one another1 simulating the leaves in a storm4 ,a ,,flock ,,of ,,birds ,all the children are little birds4 ,fly to the fields4 ,pick up seeds4 ,take a drink4 ,bathe in the creek4 ,preen your feathers4 ,fly home4 ,perch on a twig4 ,sing4 ,they sing3-- ,we are little birdies1 ,happy we1 happy we4 ,we are little birdies ,singing in a tree4 ,,hunting ,,birds ,material4--,colored pictures of birds common to the locality in which the game is used4 ,find a robin1 ,rudolph4 ,find a bluebird1 ,gregory1 etc4 ,the child indicated finds the picture of the bird called for and places it on the blackboard ledge which serves as a picture gallery4 ,,hunting ,,leaves is a game similar to the above4 ,,movement ,,game ,frederick may be a pony4 ,louise may be a kitty1 etc4 7,of the other children--one may be a boy2 another1 a bird2 another1 a horse2 another1 a fish2 another1 a girl1 etc47 ,trot1 pony4 ,run1 dog4 ,skip1 boy1 etc4 ,they perform singly1 and also in a body4 ,,making ,,garden ,material4--,trays or box-covers of sand1 and a toy set of garden tools for each pupil4 ,take the spade4 ,spade the earth4 ,take the hoe4 ,hoe the ground4 ,take the rake4 ,smooth the ground4 ,make holes 7or rows74 ,plant corn 7or sow the seed74 ,cover the seed4 ,water the garden4 ,,the ,,farmer',s ,,pets ,for this game the children are all seated in chairs except one for whom no chair is provided4 ,each child seated takes the name of some animal on the farm1 e4g41 a dog1 cat1 horse1 chicken1 duck1 or cow4 ,the one standing is the farm-hand and says1 e4g41 ,my master wants his dog4 ,the dog must jump up and turn around4 ,if he fails to do so1 he steps to one side taking his chair with him4 ,if when he is again called upon he answers correctly1 he resumes his seat in the circle4 ,occasionally the farm-hand says1 ,my master wants all of his pets4 ,when all rise and change seats quietly4 ,the farm-hand tries to get a seat1 leaving another child to be the farm-hand4 ,in changing seats they change names as a single name belongs to each chair4 99 99 99 99 99 7,,ii7 ,literature as a ,basis for the ,reading4 ,the stories in the form indicated below are given after the children have become thoroughly familiar with them through oral presentation1 after1 too1 the children have gained some facility in reading1 through the use of the games1 and the directions1 etc41 used in the general management of the school4 ,before the board work is presented the children dramatize the story which they are to read4 ,they look to the board to find out what to say that they may impersonate the character in the story4 ,each mimics in tone and action the one whose part he takes4 ,as no two mimic in the same way there is no lack of variety and interest4 ,if the children are thoughtful they will know every time into whose mouth to put each sentence4 ,they need to be alert1 however4 ,the names of the speakers1 given in the margin1 are for the benefit of the readers of this article4 ,they are not put on the board4 ,the children do not need them4 ,,the ,,old ,,woman ,,and ,,the ,,pig ,i ,the old woman4 ,i was sweeping my house4 ,i found this dime4 ,what shall ,i buy8 ,i know2 ,i will buy a pig4 ,where is my sunbonnet8 ,where is my cane8 ,here ,i go4 ,tramp6 tramp6 tramp6 ,,ii4 ,old woman4 ,tap1 tap1 tap6 ,the farmer4 ,come in4 ,good morning1 old woman4 ,old woman4 ,good morning1 sir4 ,i want to buy a pig4 ,farmer4 ,all right2 ,i have some4 ,will you look at them8 ,here they are4 ,old woman4 ,i like this one4 ,i will take it4 ,good morning4 ,farmer4 ,good morning4 ,,iii ,old woman4 ,go on1 pig4 ,that fence is low1 ,you can jump over4 ,pig4 ,grunt6 grunt6 ,old woman4 ,what shall ,i do8 ,i must have help4 ,i will go back4 ,,iv ,old woman4 ,dog1 dog1 bite pig4 ,dog4 ,no1 no4 7,shaking his head47 ,v ,old woman4 ,stick1 stick1 whip dog4 ,stick4 ,no1 no4 7,shaking head as before47 ,,vi-,,xii4 ,similar to two above4 ,,xiii ,old woman4 ,cat1 cat1 kill rat4 ,cat4 ,i will if you will give me some milk4 ,old woman4 ,i will go to the cow4 ,,xiv ,old woman4 ,cow1 cow1 give me some milk4 ,cow4 ,i will if you will give me some hay4 ,old woman4 ,all right4 ,tramp6 tramp6 tramp6 ,here is the hay1 cow4 ,cow4 ,chew1 chew1 chew1 chew4 ,now you may have some milk4 ,old woman4 ,thank you1 cow4 ,,xv ,old woman4 ,come1 kitty1 kitty1 kitty4 ,here is some milk for you4 ,cat4 ,lap1 lap1 lap1 lap4 ,old woman4 ,now catch the rat4 ,cat4 ,patter1 patter1 patter4 7,given softly--it is the cat running after the rat47 ,,the ,,three ,,bears ,i ,the papa bear4 ,that soup is hot4 ,it must cool4 ,we will take a walk4 ,,ii ,silver-,hair4 ,tap6 tap6 tap6 ,no one at home4 ,i will go in4 ,what is that on the table8 ,it is three bowls of soup4 ,i am hungry4 7,tasting of the soup in the big bowl47 ,that is too hot4 7,tasting of soup in middle-sized bowl47 ,that is too cold4 7,tasting of soup in little bowl47 ,that is just right4 ,it is good4 ,i will eat a little4 ,,iii ,i am tired4 ,here are three chairs4 ,that is too high4 ,that is too wide4 ,this is just right4 ,i will rest here4 ,oh1 it broke6 ,,iv ,i am sleepy4 ,i will go upstairs4 ,here are three beds4 ,that is too hard4 ,that is too soft4 ,this is just right4 ,i will sleep here4 ,v ,papa bear4 ,,somebody ,,has ,,been ,,tasting ,,my ,,soup4 ,mamma bear4 ,somebody has been tasting my soup4 ,baby bear4 ,somebody has been tasting my soup4 ,it is all gone4 ,,vi ,papa bear4 ,,somebody ,,has ,,been ,,sitting ,,in ,,my ,,chair4 ,mamma bear4 ,somebody has been sitting in my chair4 ,baby bear4 ,somebody has been sitting in my chair4 ,it is all broken4 ,,vii ,papa bear4 ,,somebody ,,has ,,been ,,lying ,,on ,,my ,,bed4 ,mamma bear4 ,somebody has been lying on my bed4 ,baby bear4 ,somebody has been lying on my bed4 ,why1 here she is6 ,silver-,hair4 ,oh1 my6 ,i will jump4 ,now ,i will run4 ,,the ,,fir ,,tree ,i ,i am a little fir tree4 ,i want to be tall4 ,i hate rabbits4 ,they jump over me4 ,,ii ,i am three years old4 ,the rabbit cannot jump over me now4 ,it runs around me4 ,i wish ,i were taller4 ,i hate to be so little4 ,,iii ,now ,i am six years old4 ,here come the woodchoppers4 ,they will take me away4 ,here ,i go4 ,thump6 thump6 thump6 ,,iv ,what a fine house4 ,how beautiful this moss is4 ,what are these people going to give me8 ,i am so happy6 ,v ,here are the children4 ,how they like me6 ,see them dance about me4 ,everybody looks at me4 ,do not take away my beautiful dress4 ,do not put out the lights4 ,,vi ,here come the servants4 ,they will give me my beautiful dress4 ,oh1 oh1 oh6 ,don't put me up there4 ,it is dark4 ,i want to be planted4 ,,vii ,i wish ,i were at home4 ,i want to see the rabbit4 ,it may jump over me4 ,i will not care4 ,i want to see the other trees4 ,the rats come4 ,i do not like rats4 ,,viii ,out again6 ,i like the air4 ,now ,i shall be planted4 ,i am glad to see the flowers4 ,i am glad to hear the birds4 ,now ,i shall live4 ,,ix ,that boy called me ugly4 ,he took my beautiful star4 ,i wish ,i were in the woods4 ,i shall never be happy again4 ,pop6 pop6 pop6 pop6 ,,the ,,street ,,musicians ,i ,the donkey4 ,i am very old4 ,i am very weak4 ,i can work no more4 ,my master will not keep me4 ,i will run away4 ,i will go to the city4 ,i can make music4 ,i will join a band4 ,trot6 trot6 trot6 ,,ii ,what is that in the road8 ,it is an old dog4 ,what is the matter8 ,dog4 ,i am very old4 ,i am very weak4 ,i cannot hunt4 ,my master will not keep me4 ,how can ,i live8 ,donkey4 ,come with me4 ,you can play the bass drum4 ,join a band4 ,dog4 ,good6 good6 good6 ,i will go4 ,dog and donkey4 ,trot6 trot6 trot6 ,,iii ,donkey4 ,what is that in the road8 ,it is an old cat4 ,what is the matter1 old whiskers8 ,cat4 ,i am very old4 ,i am very weak4 ,i cannot catch mice4 ,my mistress will not keep me4 ,how can ,i live8 ,donkey4 ,come with us4 ,you can sing4 ,join a band4 ,cat4 ,good6 good6 good6 ,i will go4 ,all three4 ,trot6 trot6 trot6 ,,iv ,donkey4 ,what is that on the gate8 ,it is a rooster4 ,what is the matter8 ,rooster4 ,the cook will kill me4 ,donkey4 ,come with us4 ,you can sing4 ,join a band4 ,rooster4 ,good6 good6 good6 ,i will go4 ,all four4 ,trot6 trot6 trot6 ,,the ,,unhappy ,,pine ,,tree ,i ,i am a little pine tree4 ,i do not like to be a pine tree4 ,my leaves are needles4 ,needles are not pretty4 ,i wish ,i had gold leaves4 ,,ii ,in the morning4 ,why do the trees look at me8 ,what has happened8 ,gold leaves6 ,gold leaves6 ,just what ,i wanted6 ,good6 good6 good6 ,,iii ,to the robber4 ,do not take my leaves4 ,i want them4 ,they are beautiful4 ,give them back4 ,no leaves6 ,no leaves6 ,i wish ,i had glass leaves4 ,,iv ,in the morning4 ,oh1 how beautiful6 ,glass leaves6 ,glass leaves6 ,no robber will take them4 ,i can keep them4 ,i am so happy6 ,v ,cloud1 do not come4 ,wind1 do not blow4 ,keep still1 keep still4 ,a leaf is broken4 ,another6 ,another6 ,all gone6 ,all gone6 ,no beautiful leaves4 ,i wish ,i had bright green leaves4 ,,vi ,in the morning4 ,oh1 my pretty green leaves6 ,no one will steal them4 ,nothing will break them4 ,i shall not need to keep still4 ,i will dance4 ,dance6 dance6 dance6 ,,vii ,goat1 do not come here4 ,these are my leaves4 ,i want them4 ,they are pretty4 ,oh1 oh1 oh6 ,all my pretty leaves are gone4 ,what shall ,i do8 ,i wish ,i had my needles4 ,,viii ,oh1 mother1 mother1 see6 ,i have my old leaves4 ,i like them4 ,they are best of all4 ,no one will steal them4 ,nothing will break them4 ,nothing will eat them4 ,i can keep them4 ,my dear old leaves6 99 99 99 99 99 7,,iii7 ,nature ,study as a ,basis for the ,reading4 ,the subjects in which the pupils are most interested are made the basis for the reading lessons4 ,sometimes there is a guessing game like the following3 ,the teacher1 holding a flower in her closed hand1 writes3-- ,guess what ,i have4 ,it is a flower4 ,it is white4 ,it has a yellow centre4 7,the children answer--a daisy47 ,or-- ,guess what ,i have4 ,it is a leaf4 ,it is yellow4 ,it is long4 ,it is narrow4 7,the children answer--the willow47 ,after the pupils have made a careful study of a few birds or flowers1 the reading lesson describes one of these1 and the pupils are expected to name it from the description4 ,if a child gives the wrong name1 one of those who know better points out the line or lines barring out this object1 and reads to the one making the mistake as proof of his error4 ,i live in the woods4 ,i am not a bird4 ,i am not a flower4 ,i am not a tree4 ,i run up trees4 ,i eat nuts4 ,i have a bushy tail4 ,what is my name8 7,squirrel47 ,i am a little bird4 ,my back is brown4 ,my breast is white4 ,my bill is curved4 ,i go up a tree trunk4 ,i fly to another tree4 ,i like insects4 ,what is my name8 7,the brown creeper47 ,this is a big bird4 ,it is blue4 ,it has black bands on its tail and wings4 ,it has a crest4 ,its bill is black4 ,it scolds4 ,what is its name8 7,the blue jay47 ,the children sometimes play a game like the following3 ,all but one personify red-headed woodpeckers4 ,the one questions from the board4 ,if a red-headed woodpecker fails to answer the question put to him1 he takes the place of the interlocutor4 ,it is an honor to be able to answer all the questions put3-- ,what color is your head8 ,what color is your throat8 ,what color is your breast8 ,what colors on your wings8 ,what color is your bill8 ,what do you do8 ,where do you make your nest8 ,to a set of questions like the following1 the children give the answers1 after reading the questions silently3-- ,what bird did you first see this spring8 ,what have you seen a robin do8 ,what flower did you see first8 ,what yellow flowers have you seen this spring8 ,what white flowers8 ,what blue flowers8 ,what bird builds a nest in a tree trunk8 ,what bird builds a nest on the ground8 ,,the ,,baby ,,robin ,i saw two robins on the ground4 ,one was a mamma robin4 ,the other was a baby robin4 ,the baby robin was as big as its mother4 ,its breast was spotted4 ,its mother gave it an earthworm4 ,at first it dropped it1 but its mother picked it up and gave it to her baby again4 ,this time it got a better hold4 ,by several gulps it swallowed the worm4 ,the mother looked proud of her baby4 7,this is the teacher's experience which she tells the children from the board4 ,sometimes she writes the observations which one of the children have made47 ,as no two teachers will have the same material for ,nature ,study1 the reading material will not be multiplied here4 ,gradually1 as the pupils can stand it1 the sentences are lengthened a little as necessary1 and massed into paragraphs4 ,the use of the ,mother ,goose ,rhymes as a means of enlivening the first year reading lessons is also treated as follows by ,mrs4 ,lida ,mc,murry4 7,taken from ,school and ,home ,education for ,october1 #aijb47 ,many of the children on entering school are well versed in ,nursery ,rhymes4 ,they enjoy repeating them4 ,other children may not know them so well1 but soon learn them from their classmates4 ,teachers and pupils may have a happy time together with ,mother ,goose1 and at the same time the pupils are learning to read without realizing that what they are doing is something that they are not accustomed to4 ,i will suggest a few ways in which these rhymes may be made the basis for reading lessons3-- ,take this rhyme-- #a4 ,dance1 ,thumbkin1 dance1 ,dance1 ye merrymen1 every one2 ,for ,thumbkin he can dance alone1 ,thumbkin he can dance alone4 ,the second1 third1 fourth1 and fifth stanzas are like the first1 only ,foreman1 ,longman1 ,ringman1 and ,littleman are in turn substituted for ,thumbkin4 ,the children first learn to act out each stanza as they recite it together4 ,the thumb is held up and moved about as if dancing1 as the first line is given4 ,all the fingers dance as the second line is recited4 ,the thumb dances alone as the third and fourth lines are repeated4 ,the teacher then repeats the stanza alone1 and the children's fingers accompany her4 ,later1 when the children have learned to act out the story well1 as the teacher repeats it1 the teacher writes the first line at the board1 and1 pointing to it1 asks the children to do what the board directs4 ,they cannot tell what it is1 so the teacher says1 ,the board is talking to ,thumbkin1 writing the name on the board as she says it4 ,what do you think it wants ,thumbkin to do8 pointing to ,dance in the line on the board4 ,the next line is written on the board4 ,the children quite likely will guess rightly what it says1 because of its setting4 ,if not1 the teacher will help them as at first4 ,in the same way they connect the third and fourth lines with the oral expression of the same1 and act them out accordingly4 ,that the children respond readily to the directions as written is no proof1 at first1 that they know even most of the words in the lines4 ,the teacher's test is a part of the play4 ,to-day1 instead of writing the first line1 she writes the second4 ,many get caught4 ,they will be more alert another time4 ,as they can never tell which line will appear first1 they learn to discriminate by giving closer attention to the form of the words4 ,sometimes the teacher writes the six names--,thumbkin1 ,foreman1 etc41 and ,merrymen1 on the board4 ,she points to the name or names of the one1 or ones1 that should dance4 ,the children do not like to make mistakes in responding with the fingers4 ,sometimes the teacher points to a name on the board1 as ,foreman1 and writes dance alone1 or dance every one4 ,the alert children see that the latter does not apply4 ,the words are not drilled upon4 ,the game1 with variations sometimes1 is played quite frequently1 but never so long at a time that the children weary of it4 ,three or four plays or games are given at a single recitation4 ,the interests of the children are studied1 and rhymes which they do not enjoy as reading material are dropped1 and others substituted4 ,the rhymes should often be repeated1 just as they occur in ,mother ,goose1 that the children may not forget them4 #b4 ,eye winker4 ,tom tinker4 ,mouth eater4 ,chin chopper4 ,chin chopper4 ,the children point to the parts of the face as they are named4 ,they first learn to give the rhyme with its accompanying motion orally1 then they respond to it as written on the board 7,tom tinker is the other eye74 ,when they do this readily the directions are written out of their order4 ,this tests the children's ability to distinguish one form from another4 ,no child likes to give the wrong motion in response to a direction1 e4g41 point to his mouth when ,eye winker is called for4 #c4 ,the children1 we will suppose1 know a number of rhymes1 as1 e4g41 ,a diller1 a dollar1 a ten o'clock scholar4 ,a little boy went into a barn4 ,baa1 baa1 black sheep4 ,rain1 rain1 go away1 etc4 ,the teacher writes the first line of one of these rhymes on the board and asks a child to give the rhyme4 ,he cannot at first4 ,later he will learn to recognize it2 so with all the rhymes he knows4 ,when he can give any rhyme called for in response to the first line as written at the board1 another line 7not the first7 is written1 and the child asked to give the rhyme of which it is a part4 #d4 ,is ,john ,smith within8 ,yes1 that he is4 ,can he set a shoe8 ,ay1 marry1 two4 ,here a nail and there a nail1 ,tick1 tack1 too4 ,after the children have learned the above rhyme1 acting it out1 by imitating the voices of the two speakers1 and by driving the nails1 the two questions are asked at the board1 and the children respond orally4 ,sometimes the second question1 slightly altered1 is asked first1 e4g41 ,can ,john ,smith set a shoe8 ,sometimes ,who is within8 appears on the board4 #e4 ,old ,mother ,hubbard4 ,there are many stanzas to this poem1 a few of which the teacher will wish to omit1 as those referring to the visits to the ale-house and the tavern4 ,the pupils become perfectly familiar with the jingle1 so they can with ease give it orally1 then the teacher writes the first line of a stanza at the board and pointing to it asks a pupil to give the remainder of the stanza4 ,the mistake is ludicrous if the wrong lines follow the first1 and the pupils wish to avoid such a mistake4 #f4 ,there were two birds sat on a stone1 ,fa1 la1 la1 la1 lal1 de4 ,one flew away and then there was one1 ,fa1 la1 la1 la1 lal1 de4 ,the other flew after and then there was none1 ,fa1 la1 la1 la1 lal1 de4 ,and so the poor stone was left all alone1 ,fa1 la1 la1 la1 lal1 de4 ,the children act out this rhyme at first as they say it1 later1 silently1 as they see what is called for at the board4 ,any number may be substituted for two in the first line1 but when they come to the third line the number substituted for one should be such that only one will remain1 e4g41 ,there were eight birds sat on a stone1 ,seven flew away1 etc4 ,the children are sometimes caught by the wrong number being told to fly4 ,the children should not fly until they are sure that it is all right4 #g4 ,what are your eyes for8 ,what are your ears for8 ,what is your nose for8 ,what is your tongue for8 ,what is your mouth for8 ,what is your hand for8 ,what are your fingers for8 ,what are your teeth for8 ,what is your brain for8 ,what is your heart for8 ,these questions are read silently by the children1 then answered orally in complete sentences1 one child only answering at one time4 ,the answers are so absurd when wrong that each child is careful to know what is asked4 ,these are only a few of the ways in which ,mother ,goose may be used as reading material4 ,each teacher will think out for herself ways in which these rhymes may be profitably and happily employed4 ,,mrs4 ,,lida ,,mcmurry4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading ,the problem of primary reading is one of the most complex and difficult in the whole range of school instruction4 ,a large proportion of the finest skill and sympathy of teachers has been expended in efforts to find the appropriate and natural method of teaching children to read4 ,all sorts of methods and devices have been employed1 from the most formal and mechanical to the most spirited and realistic4 ,the first requisite to good reading is something worth reading1 something valuable and interesting to the children1 and adapted to their minds4 ,we must take it for granted in this discussion that the best literature and the best stories have been selected1 and what the teacher has to do is1 first1 to appreciate these masterpieces for herself1 and second1 to bring the children in the reading lessons to appreciate and enjoy them4 ,in the primary grades we are not so richly supplied with available materials from good literature as in intermediate and grammar grades4 ,this is due not to difficulty in thought1 but to the unfamiliar written and printed forms4 ,the great problem in primary reading is to master these strange forms as quickly as possible1 and find entrance to the story-land of books4 ,for several years1 however1 primary teachers have been selecting and adapting the best stories1 and some of the leading publishers have brought out in choice school-book form books which are well adapted to the reading of primary grades4 ,we should like to assume one other advantage4 ,if the children have been treated orally to ,robinson ,crusoe in the second grade1 they will appreciate and read the story much better in the third grade4 ,if some of ,grimm's stories are told in first grade1 they can be read with ease in the second grade4 ,the teacher's oral presentation of the stories is the right way to bring them close to the life and interest of children4 ,in the first grade1 as shown in the chapter on oral lessons1 it is the only way1 because the children cannot yet read4 ,but even if they could read1 the oral treatment is much better4 ,the oral presentation is more lively1 natural1 and realistic4 ,the teacher can adapt the story and the language to the immediate needs of the class as no author can4 ,she can question1 or suggest lines of thought1 or call up ideas from the children's experience4 ,the oral manner is the true way to let the children delve into the rich culture-content of stories and to awaken a taste for their beauty and truth4 ,we could well wish that before children read mythical stories in fourth grade1 they had been stirred up to enjoy them by oral narration and discussion in the preceding year4 ,in the same way1 if the reading bears on interesting science topics previously studied1 it will be a distinct advantage to the reading lesson4 ,children like to read about things that have previously excited their interest1 whether in story or science4 ,the difficulties of formal reading will also be partly overcome by familiarity with the harder names and words4 ,our conclusion is that reading lessons1 alone1 cannot provide all the conditions favorable to good reading4 ,some of these can be well supplied by other studies or by preliminary lessons which pave the way for the reading proper4 ,this matter has been so fully discussed in the earlier chapters on oral work that it requires no further treatment here4 ,,folk-,,lore ,,stories ,,as ,,reading ,,exercises ,,for ,,first ,,grade ,let it be supposed that a class of first-grade children has learned to tell a certain story orally4 ,it has interested them and stirred up their thought4 ,let them next learn to read the same story in a very simple form4 ,this will lead to a series of elementary reading lessons in connection with the story1 and the aim should be strictly that of mastering the early difficulties of reading4 ,the teacher recalls the story1 and asks for a statement from its beginning4 ,if the sentence furnished by the child is simple and suitable1 the teacher writes it on the blackboard in plain large script4 ,each child reads it through and points out the words4 ,let there be a lively drill upon the sentence till the picture of each word becomes clear and distinct4 ,during the first lesson1 two or three short sentences can be handled with success4 ,as new words are learned1 they should be mixed up on the board with those learned before1 and a quick and varied drill on the words in sentences or in columns be employed to establish the forms in memory4#h ,speed1 variety in device1 and watchfulness to keep all busy and attentive are necessary to secure good results4 #h ,first-class primary teachers claim that drills are unnecessary if the teacher is skilful in recombining the old words in new sentences4 ,after a few lessons one or two of the simpler words may be taken for phonetic analysis4 ,the simple sounds are associated with the letters that represent them4 ,these familiar letters are later met and identified in new words1 and1 as soon as a number of sounds with their symbols have been learned1 new words can be constructed and pronounced from these known elements4 ,the self-activity of the children in recognizing the elementary sounds1 already met1 in new words as fast as they come up1 is one of the chief merits of this early study of words4 ,they thus early learn the power of self-help and of confident reliance upon themselves in acquiring and using knowledge4 ,the chief difficulty is in telling which sound to use1 as a letter often has several sounds 7as a1 e1 s1 c1 etc474 ,but the children are capable of testing the known sounds of a letter upon a new word1 and in most cases1 of deciding which to use4 ,the thoughtless habit of pronouncing every new word for a child1 without effort on his part1 checks and spoils his interest and self-activity4 ,it does not seem necessary to use an extensive system of diacritical markings to guide him in these efforts to discriminate sounds4 ,it is better to use the marks as little as possible and learn to interpret words as they usually appear in print4 ,experience has shown decisively that a lively and vigorous self-activity is manifested by such early efforts in learning to read4 ,it is one of the most encouraging signs in education to see little children in their first efforts to master the formal art of reading1 showing this spirited self-reliant energy4 ,in the same way1 they recognize old words in sentences and new or changed combinations of old forms1 and begin to read new sentences which combine old words in new relations4 ,in short1 the sentence1 word1 and phonic methods are all used in fitting alternation1 while originality and variety of device are necessary in the best exercise of teaching power4 ,the processes of learning to read by such board-script work are partly analytic and partly synthetic4 ,children begin with sentences1 analyze them into words1 and some of the words into their simple sounds4 ,but when these sounds begin to grow familiar1 they are identified again in other words1 thus combining them into new forms4 ,in the same way1 words once learned by the analytic study of sentences are recognized again in new sentences1 and thus interpreted in new relations4 ,the short sentences1 derived from a familiar story1 when ranged together supply a brief1 simple outline of the story4 ,if now this series of sentences be written on the board or printed on slips of paper1 the whole story may be reviewed by the class from day to day till the word and sentence forms are well mastered4 ,for making these printed slips1 some teachers use a small printing-press1 or a typewriter4 ,eventually several stories may be collected and sewed together1 so as to form a little reading-book which is the result of the constructive work of teacher and pupils4 ,the reading lessons just described are entirely separate from the oral treatment and reproduction of the stories2 yet the thought and interest awakened in the oral work are helpful in keeping up a lively effort in the reading class4 ,the thought material in a good story is itself a mental stimulus1 and produces a wakefulness which is favorable to imprinting the forms as well as the content of thought4 ,expression1 also1 that is1 natural and vivid rendering of the thought1 is always aimed at in reading1 and springs spontaneously from interesting thought studies4 ,many teachers use the materials furnished by oral lessons in natural science as a similar introduction to reading in first grade4 ,the science lessons furnish good thought matter for simple sentences1 and there is good reason why1 in learning to read1 children should use sentences drawn both from literature and from natural science4 ,,reading ,,in ,,the ,,second ,,grade ,the oral lessons in good stories1 and the later board-use of these materials in learning the elements of formal reading1 are an excellent preparation for the fuller and more extended reading of similar matter in the second and third grades4 ,when the oral work of the first grade has thus kindled the fancy of a child upon these charming pictures1 and the later board-work has acquainted him with letter and word symbols which express such thought1 the reading of the same and other stories of like character 7a year later7 will follow as an easy and natural sequence4 ,as a preliminary to all good reading exercises1 there should be rich and fruitful thought adapted to the age of children4 ,the realm of classic folk-lore contains abundant thought material peculiar in its fitness to awaken the interest and fancy of children in the first two grades4 ,to bring these choice stories close to the hearts of children should be the aim of much of the work in both these grades4 ,such an aim1 skilfully carried out1 not only conduces to the joy of children in first grade1 but infuses the reading lessons of second grade with thought and culture of the best quality4 ,interest and vigor of thought are certain to help right expression and reading4 ,reading1 like every other study1 should be based upon realities4 ,when there is real thought and feeling in the children1 a correct expression of them is more easily secured than by formal demands or by intimidation4 ,the stories to be read in second or third grade may be fuller and longer than the brief outline sentences used for board-work in the first grade4 ,besides1 these tales1 being classic and of permanent value1 do not lose their charm by repetition4 ,,method ,by oral reading1 we mean the giving of the thought obtained from a printed page to others through the medium of the voice4 ,there is first the training of the eye in taking in a number of words at a glance--a mechanical process2 then the interpretation of these groups of words--a mental process2 next the making known of the ideas thus obtained to others1 by means of the voice--also a mechanical process4 ,the children need special help in each step4 ,we are apt to overdo one at the expense of the others4 #a4 ,eye-training is the foundation of all good reading4 ,various devices are resorted to in obtaining it4 ,we will suggest a few1 not new at all1 but useful4 7a7 ,a strip of cardboard1 on which is a clause or sentence1 is held before the class1 for a moment only1 and then removed4 ,the length of the task is increased as the eye becomes trained to this kind of work4 7b7 ,the children open their books at a signal from the teacher1 glance through a line1 or part of one1 indicated by the teacher1 close book at once and give the line4 7c7 ,the teacher places on the board clauses or sentences bearing on the lesson1 and covers with a map4 ,the map is rolled up to show one of these1 which is almost immediately erased4 ,the children are then asked to give it4 ,the map is then rolled up higher1 exposing another1 which also is speedily erased--and so on until all have been given to the children and erased4 #b4 ,the child needs not only to be able to recognize groups of words1 but he must be able to get thought from them4 ,the following are some devices to that end3-- 7a7 ,suggestive pictures can be made use of to advantage all through the primary grades4 ,if the child reads part of the story in the picture1 and finds it interesting1 he will want to read from the printed page the part not given in the picture4 7b7 ,where there is no picture--or even where there is one--an aim may be useful to arouse interest in the thought1 i4e4 a thoughtful question may be put by the teacher1 which the children can answer only by reading the story2 e4g4 in the supplementary reader1 ,easy ,steps for ,little ,feet1 is found the story of ,the ,pin and ,needle4 ,there is no picture4 ,the teacher says1 as the class are seated3 ,now we have a story about a big quarrel between a pin and a needle over the question1 ',which one is the better fellow8' ,of what could the needle boast8 ,of what the pin8 ,let us see which won4 7c7 ,let all the pupils look through one or more paragraphs1 reading silently1 to get the thought1 before any one is called upon to read aloud4 ,if a child comes to a word that he does not know1 during the silent reading1 the teacher helps him to get it--from the context if possible--if not1 by the sounds of the letters which compose it4 ,as each child finishes the task assigned1 he raises his eyes from the book1 showing by this act that he is ready to tell what he has just read4 ,the thought may be given by the child in his own language to assure the teacher that he has it4 ,usually1 however1 in the lower grades1 this is unnecessary1 the language of the book being nearly as simple as his own4 ,the advantage of having all the pupils kept busy1 instead of one alone who might be called upon to read the paragraph1 is evident4 ,every child reads silently all of the lesson4 ,time would not permit that this be done orally1 were it advisable to do so4 ,when the child gets up to read1 he is not likely to stumble1 for he has both the thought and the expression for it1 at the start4 ,while aiming to have the children comprehend the thought1 the teacher should not forget1 on the other hand1 that this is the reading hour1 and not the time for much oral instruction and reproduction4 ,there are other recitations in which the child is trained to free oral expression of thought1 as in science and literature4 ,such offhand oral expression of his own ideas is not the primary aim of the reading lesson4 ,its purpose is to lend life to the recitation4 #c4 ,steps #a and #b deal with preparation for the reading4 ,up to this time1 no oral reading has been done4 ,now we are ready to begin4 ,children will generally express the thought with the proper emphasis if they not only see its meaning but also feel it4 ,suppose the children are interested in the thought of the piece1 they still fail1 sometimes1 to give the proper emphasis4 ,how can the teacher1 by questioning1 get them to realize the more important part of the thought8 7a7 ,the teacher has gone deeper into the meaning than have the children4 ,her questions should be such as to make real to the children the more emphatic part of the thought2 e4g4 in the ,riverside ,primer we have1 ,poor ,bun1 good dog1 did you think ,i meant to hit you8 ,john reads1 ,do you think ,i meant to hit you8 ,the teacher says1 ,i will be ,bun1 ,john4 ,what is it that you do not want ,bun to think8 7,that ,i meant to hit him47 ,but you did mean to hit something4 ,what was it you did not mean to hit8 ,tell ,bun4 7,i did not mean to hit you47 ,now ask him if he thought that you did4 7,did you think ,i meant to hit you87 7b7 ,when the story is in the form of a dialogue1 the children may personate the characters in the story4 ,thus1 getting into the real spirit of the piece1 their emphasis will naturally fall where it properly belongs4 7c7 ,sometimes the teacher will find it necessary to show the child how to read a passage properly1 by reading it himself4 ,it is seldom best to do this--certainly not if the correct expression can be reached through questioning4 ,many a teacher makes a practice of giving the proper emphasis to the child1 he copying it from her voice4 ,frequently1 children taught in this way can read one piece after another in their readers with excellent expression1 but1 when questioned1 show that their minds are a blank as to the meaning of what they are reading4 ,in working for expression1 a great many teachers waste the time and energy of the pupils by indefinite directions4 ,the emphasis is not correctly placed1 so the teacher says1 ,i do not like that2 try it again1 ,may4 ,now1 ,may has no idea in what particular she has failed1 so she gives it again1 very likely as she gave it before1 or she may put the emphasis on some other word1 hoping by so doing to please the teacher4 ,why1 no1 ,may1 you surely can do better than that1 says the teacher4 ,so ,may makes another fruitless attempt1 when the teacher1 disgusted1 calls on another pupil to show her how to read4 ,may has gained no clearer insight into the thought than she started out with1 no power to grapple more successfully with a similar difficulty another time1 and has lost1 partly at least1 her interest in the piece4 ,she has been bothered and discouraged1 and the class wearied4 ,sometimes when the expression is otherwise good1 the children pitch their voices too high or too low4 ,natural tones must be insisted upon4 ,a good aid to the children in this respect is the habitual example of quiet1 clear tones in the teacher4 ,another fault of otherwise good reading is a failure to enunciate distinctly4 ,children are inclined to slight many sounds1 especially at the end of the words1 and the teacher is apt to think3 ,that doesn't make so very much difference1 since they are only children4 ,when they are older they will see that their pronunciation is babyish1 and adopt a correct form4 ,this is unsound reasoning4 ,every time the child says las for last he is establishing more firmly a habit1 to overcome which will give him much difficulty4 ,in the pronunciation of words as well as in the reading of a sentence1 much time is wasted through failure to point out the exact word1 and the syllable in the word1 in which the mistake has been made4 ,the child cannot improve unless he knows in what particular there is room for improvement4 ,children in primary grades should be supplied with a good variety of primers1 readers1 and simple story books4 ,in the course of their work they should read through a number of first1 second1 and third readers4 ,much of this reading should be simple and easy1 so that they can move rapidly through a book1 and gain confidence and satisfaction from it4 ,in each grade there should be several sets of readers1 which can be turned to as the occasion may demand4 ,it is much better to read a new reader1 involving in the main the same vocabulary1 than to reread an old book4 ,this use of several books in each grade adds to the interest and reduces to a minimum the mere drills1 which are to be avoided as much as possible4 ,,summary #a4 ,let children read under the impulse of strong and interesting thought4 7a7 ,the previous oral treatment of the stories now used as reading lessons will help this thought impulse4 7b7 ,an aim concretely stated1 and touching an interesting thought in the lesson1 will give impetus to the work4 7c7 ,let children pass judgment on the truth1 worth1 or beauty of what they read4 7d7 ,clear mental pictures of people1 actions1 places1 etc41 conduce to vigor of thought4 ,to this end the teacher should use good pictures1 make sketches1 and give descriptions or explanations4 ,children should also be allowed to sketch freely at the board4 #b4 ,children should be encouraged constantly to help themselves in interpreting new words and sentences in reading4 7a7 ,by looking through the new sentence and making it out1 if possible1 for themselves before any one reads it aloud4 7b7 ,by analyzing a new word into its sounds1 and then combining them to get its pronunciation4 7c7 ,by interpreting a new word from its context1 or by the first sound or syllable4 7d7 ,by using the new powers of the letters as fast as they are learned in interpreting new words4 7e7 ,by trying the different sounds of a letter to a new word to see which seems to fit best4 7f7 ,by recognizing familiar words in new sentences with a different context4 7g7 ,see that every child reads the sentences in the new lesson for himself4 #c4 ,there should be a gradual introduction to the elementary sounds 7powers of the letters74 ,the first words analyzed should be simple and phonetic in spelling1 as dog1 hen1 cat1 etc4 ,new sounds of letters are taught as the children need them in studying out new words4 ,very little attention needs to be given to learning the names of the letters4 ,there need be little use of diacritical markings in early reading4 #d4 ,many of the new words will occur in connection with the picture at the head of the lesson4 ,place these on the board as they come up4 ,if the teacher will weave these words into her conversation1 they will give the children little future trouble4 #e4 ,all the different phases of the phonic1 word1 and sentence method should be woven together by a skilful teacher4 #f4 ,the close attention of all the members of the class1 so that each reads through the whole lesson1 should be an ever-present aim of the teacher4 #g4 ,children should be trained to grasp several words at a glance3-- 7a7 ,by quick writing and erasure of words and sentences at the board4 7b7 ,by exposing for an instant sentences covered by a screen4 7c7 ,by the use of phrases or short sentences on cardboard4 7d7 ,by questions for group thought4 ,these tests should increase in difficulty with growing skill4 #h4 ,spend but little time in the oral reproduction of stories4 ,practice in good reading and interpretation is the main thing4 #i4 ,children1 from the first1 should be encouraged to articulate distinctly in oral reading4 ,let the teacher begin at home4 #aj4 ,let the teacher cultivate a pleasing tone of voice1 not loud or harsh4 ,this will help the children to the same4 #aa4 ,vigorous and forcible expression is secured3-- 7a7 ,by having interesting stories4 7b7 ,by apt questions to bring out the emphatic thought4 7c7 ,by dramatizing the scenes of the story4 7d7 ,by occasional examples of lively reading by the teacher4 7e7 ,by definiteness in questioning4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,list ,,of ,,books ,,for ,,primary ,,grades ,in selecting reading books for primary grades the purpose is to find those which will give the readiest mastery of the printed forms of speech4 ,for this purpose books need to be well graded and interesting4 ,primary teachers have expended their utmost skill upon such simple1 attractive1 and interesting books for children4 ,pictorial illustration has added to the clearness and beauty of the books1 so that1 with the rivalry of many large publishing houses1 we now have a great variety of good primary books to select from4 ,the earliest and simplest of these are the primers1 which1 followed by the first readers1 give the most necessary drills upon the forms of easy words and sentences4 ,great care has been taken to give an easy regular grading so as to let a child help himself as much as possible4 ,but as soon as children1 by blackboard exercises and by means of primers1 have gained a mastery of the simpler words and the powers of the letters1 the ,mother ,goose rhymes1 the fables and fairy tales 7already familiar to the children in oral work7 are introduced into their reading books in the simplest possible forms4 ,the use of interesting rhymes and stories in this early reading is the only means of giving it a lively content and of thus securing interest and concentration of thought4 ,good primary teachers have been able in this way to relieve the reading lessons of their tedium1 and1 what is equally good1 have strengthened the interest of the children in the best literature of childhood4 ,besides the choicest fables and fairy tales1 many of the simpler nature myths and even such longer poems and stories as ,hiawatha1 ,robinson ,crusoe1 and ,ulysses have been used with happy results as reading books in the first three years4 ,there are also certain collections of children's poems1 such as ,stevenson's ,child's ,garden of ,verses1 ,field's ,love-songs of ,childhood1 ,sherman's ,little ,folk ,lyrics1 ,old ,ballads in ,prose1 ,the ,listening ,child1 and others1 which may suggest the beauty and variety of choice literary materials which are now easily within the reach of teachers and children in primary schools4 ,there is no longer any doubt that little folk in primary classes may reap the full benefit of a close acquaintance with these favorite songs1 stories1 and poems1 and that in the highest educative sense the effect is admirable4 ,in the following list the books for each grade are arranged into three groups3-- ,first4 ,a series of choicest books and those extensively used and well adapted for the grade as regular reading exercises4 ,second4 ,a supplementary list of similar quality and excellence1 but somewhat more difficult4 ,they may1 in some cases1 serve as substitutes for those given in the first group4 ,third4 ,a collection of books for teachers1 partly similar in character to those mentioned in the two previous groups and partly of a much wider1 professional range in literature1 history1 and nature4 ,some books of child-study1 psychology1 and pedagogy are also included4 ,the problems of the primary teacher are no longer limited to the small drills and exercises in spelling and reading1 but comprehend many of the most interesting and far-reaching questions of education4 ,it is well1 therefore1 for the primary teacher to become acquainted not only with the great works of literature but with the best professional books in education4 ,,list ,,of ,,choice ,,reading ,,matter ,,for ,,the ,,grades ,,first ,,grade--,,first ,,series ,cyr's ,primer4 ,ginn ,co4 ,cyr's ,first ,reader4 ,ginn ,co4 ,riverside ,primer and ,first ,reader4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,nature ,stories for ,young ,readers 7,plants71 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,hiawatha ,primer4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,stepping ,stones to ,literature1 ,book ,i4 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,child ,life ,primer4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,taylor's ,first ,reader4 ,werner ,school ,book ,co4 ,arnold's ,primer4 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,the ,thought ,reader4 ,ginn ,co4 ,sunbonnet ,babies4 ,rand1 ,mc,nally1 ,co4 ,nature's ,by-ways4 ,the ,morse ,co4 ,graded ,classics1 ,no4 ,i4 ,b4 ,f4 ,johnson ,pub4 ,co4 ,graded ,literature1 ,no4 ,i4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,first ,reader 7,hodskins74 ,ginn ,co4 ,baldwin's ,primer 7,kirk74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,,first ,,grade--,,second ,,series ,six ,nursery ,classics 7,o',shea74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,verse and ,prose for ,beginners in ,reading4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,stories for ,children4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,rhymes and ,fables4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,the ,finch ,first ,reader4 ,ginn ,co4 ,baldwin's ,first ,reader4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,heart of ,oak1 ,no4 #a4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,choice ,literature1 ,book ,i 7,williams74 ,butler1 ,sheldon1 ,co4 ,child ,life1 ,first ,book4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,fables and ,rhymes for ,beginners4 ,ginn ,co4 ,,first ,,grade--,,for ,,teachers--,,third ,,series ,a ,book of ,nursery ,rhymes 7,mother ,goose74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,the ,adventures of a ,brownie4 ,harper ,bros4 ,kindergarten ,stories and ,morning ,talks 7,wiltse74 ,ginn ,co4 ,talks for ,kindergarten and ,primary ,schools 7,wiltse74 ,ginn ,co4 ,hall's ,how to ,teach ,reading4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,place of the ,story in ,early ,education 7,wiltse74 ,ginn ,co4 ,methods of ,teaching ,reading 7,branson74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,lowell's ,books and ,libraries4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,ruskin's ,books and ,reading4 ,in ,sesame and ,lilies4 ,lectures to ,kindergartners 7,peabody74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,mother ,goose 7,denslow74 ,mc,clure1 ,phillips1 ,co4 ,boston ,collection of ,kindergarten ,stories4 ,j4 ,l4 ,hammett ,co4 ,the ,study of ,children and their ,school ,training 7,warner74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,the ,story ,hour 7,kate ,douglas ,wiggin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,trumpet and ,drum 7,eugene ,field74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verses 7,robert ,louis ,stevenson74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,treetops and ,meadows4 ,the ,public ,school ,publishing ,co41 ,bloomington1 ,ill4 ,songs from the ,nest 7,emily ,huntington ,miller74 ,kindergarten ,literature ,co4 ,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children 7,felix ,adler74 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,children's ,rights 7,kate ,douglas ,wiggin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,the ,story of ,patsy 7,wiggin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,first ,book of ,birds 7,miller74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,,second ,,grade--,,first ,,series ,nature ,stories for ,young ,readers 7continued74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,easy ,steps for ,little ,feet4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,classic ,stories for ,little ,ones4 ,public ,school ,publishing ,co41 ,bloomington1 ,ill4 ,verse and ,prose for ,beginners4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,cyr's ,second ,reader4 ,ginn ,co4 ,stepping ,stones to ,literature1 ,book ,,ii4 ,pets and ,companions 7,stickney74 ,ginn ,co4 ,child ,life1 ,second ,book4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,nature ,myths and ,stories for ,little ,ones 7,cooke74 ,a4 ,flanagan ,co4 ,the preceding books are for second and third grades4 ,around the ,world1 ,book ,i4 ,the ,morse ,co4 ,graded ,classics1 ,no4 ,,ii4 ,b4 ,f4 ,johnson ,publishing ,co4 ,graded ,literature1 ,no4 ,,ii4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,a ,book of ,nursery ,rhymes 7,welsh74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,book of ,nature ,myths 7,holbrook74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,,second ,,grade--,,second ,,series ,heart of ,oak1 ,no4 ,,ii4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,german ,fairy ,tales 7,grimm74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,fables and ,folk ,lore 7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,nature ,stories for ,young ,readers--,animals4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,danish ,fairy ,tales 7,andersen74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,baldwin's ,second ,reader4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,choice ,literature1 ,book ,,ii 7,williams74 ,butler1 ,sheldon1 ,co4 ,fairy ,tale and ,fable 7,thompson74 ,the ,morse ,co4 ,fairy ,stories and ,fables 7,baldwin74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,plant ,babies and ,their ,cradles4 ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,a,esop's ,fables4 ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,story ,reader4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,open ,sesame1 ,part ,i4 ,ginn ,co4 ,the above are excellent selections for second1 third1 and fourth grades4 ,songs and ,stories4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,love ,songs of ,childhood 7,field74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,,second ,,grade--,,for ,,teachers ,poetry for ,children 7,eliot74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,the ,story ,hour 7,wiggin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,story of ,hiawatha4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,round the ,year in ,myth and ,song 7,holbrook74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,old ,ballads in ,prose 7,tappan74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,st4 ,nicholas ,christmas ,book4 ,century ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,asgard ,stories 7,foster-,cummings74 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,fairy ,tale ,plays and ,how to ,act ,them 7,mrs4 ,bell74 ,longmans1 ,green1 ,co4 ,little ,folk ,lyrics 7,sherman74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,readings in ,folk ,lore 7,skinner74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,nature ,pictures by ,american ,poets4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,squirrels and ,other ,fur-bearers 7,burroughs74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,seven ,great ,american ,poets 7,hart74 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,early ,training of ,children 7,malleson74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,comenius's ,the ,school of ,infancy4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,kruesi's ,life of ,pestalozzi4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,development of the ,child 7,oppenheim74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,the ,study of ,child ,nature 7,elizabeth ,harrison74 ,published by ,chicago ,kindergarten ,college4 ,listening ,child 7,thatcher74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,history and ,literature 7,rice74 ,a4 ,flanagan ,co4 ,,third ,,grade--,,first ,,series ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,public ,school ,publishing ,co4 ,golden ,book of ,choice ,reading4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,a,esop's ,fables 7,stickney74 ,ginn ,co4 ,andersen's ,fairy ,tales1 ,part ,i4 ,ginn ,co4 ,seven ,little ,sisters4 ,ginn ,co4 ,heart of ,oak1 ,no4 ,,ii4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,fairy ,stories and ,fables4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,child ,life1 ,third ,reader4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,grimm's ,german ,household ,tales4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,fables 7published as leaflets74 ,c4 ,m4 ,parker1 ,taylorville1 ,ill4 ,around the ,world1 ,book ,,ii4 ,the ,morse ,co4 ,graded ,classics1 ,no4 ,,iii4 ,b4 ,f4 ,johnson ,publishing ,co4 ,graded ,literature1 ,no4 ,,iii4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales4 ,educational ,publishing ,co4 ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales 7,wiltse74 ,ginn ,co4 ,nature ,myths and ,stories for ,little ,ones 7,cooke74 ,a4 ,flanagan ,co4 ,fairy ,tales in ,verse and ,prose 7,rolfe74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,,third ,,grade--,,second ,,series ,arabian ,nights4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin4 ,co4 ,hans ,andersen's ,stories4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,fairy ,tales in ,verse and ,prose 7,rolfe74 ,harper ,bros4 ,stories ,mother ,nature ,told ,her ,children4 ,ginn ,co4 ,andersen's ,fairy ,tales1 ,part ,,ii4 ,ginn ,co4 ,open ,sesame1 ,part ,i4 ,ginn ,co4 ,judd's ,classic ,myths4 ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales1 ,part ,,ii4 ,ginn ,co4 ,the ,eugene ,field ,book 7,burt74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verses4 ,rand1 ,mc,nally1 ,co4 ,little ,lame ,prince 7,craik74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,prose and ,verse for ,children 7,pyle74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,book of ,tales4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,,third ,,grade--,,for ,,teachers ,stories from the ,history of ,rome4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,friends and ,helpers 7,eddy74 ,ginn ,co4 ,little ,lucy's ,wonderful ,globe 7,yonge74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,arabian ,nights1 ,aladdin1 etc4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,bird's ,christmas ,carol 7,wiggin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,uncle ,remus 7,harris74 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,fifty ,famous ,stories ,retold 7,baldwin74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,four ,great ,americans 7,baldwin74 ,werner ,school ,book ,co4 ,stories of ,great ,americans for ,little ,americans 7,eggleston74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,the ,story of ,lincoln 7,cavens74 ,public ,school ,publishing ,co4 ,among the ,farmyard ,people 7,pierson74 ,e4 ,p4 ,dutton ,co4 ,the ,howells ,story ,book 7,burt74 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,the ,jungle ,book 7,kipling74 ,century ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,old ,norse ,stories 7,bradish74 ,american ,book ,co4 ,little ,brothers of the ,air 7,miller74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,hans ,brinker 7,mary ,mapes ,dodge74 ,century ,co4 ,black ,beauty4 ,university ,publishing ,co4 ,tanglewood ,tales 7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,wonder ,book 7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,the ,story of the ,wagner ,opera4 ,scribner's ,sons4 ,thoughts on ,education 7,locke74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,the ,education of ,man 7,froebel74 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,childhood in ,literature and ,art 7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 ,co4 ,waymarks for ,teachers 7,arnold74 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,hailman's ,history of ,pedagogy4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,,series ,,of ,,select ,,readers ,,for ,,the ,,grades ,child ,life4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 ,around the ,world4 ,the ,morse ,co4 ,baldwin's ,readers4 ,american ,book ,co4 ,graded ,classics4 ,b4 ,f4 ,johnson ,publishing ,co4 ,graded ,literature4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 ,co4 ,stepping ,stones to ,literature4 ,silver1 ,burdett1 ,co4 ,lights to ,literature4 ,rand1 ,mc,nally1 ,co4 ,the ,heart of ,oak ,series4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 ,choice ,literature4 ,butler1 ,sheldon1 ,co4 ,,methods ,,in ,,elementary ,,education ,a ,series of ,educational ,books in ,two ,groups covering the ,general ,principles of ,method and ,its ,special ,applications to the ,common ,school ,,by ,,charles ,a4 ,mc,m,u,r,r,y1 ,ph4,d4 ,northern ,illinois ,state ,normal ,school1 ,de,kalb1 ,illinois ,,with ,f4 ,m4 ,mc,m,u,r,r,y ,,as ,,joint ,,author ,,for ,,method ,,of ,,recitation ,i4 ,,books ,,of ,,general ,,method ,,in ,,education ,the three books in this group deal with the fundamental1 comprehensive principles of ,education for the school as a whole1 and include both instruction and management4 ,,ii4 ,,books ,,of ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,common ,,school ,,studies4 ,each school study is treated in a separate book1 and the selection and arrangement of material1 and the method of instruction appropriate to that study throughout its course1 are fully discussed4 ,illustrative lessons and extensive lists of books of special value as helps to teachers and schools are included4 ,,general ,,method ,,in ,,education ,,the ,,elements ,,of ,,general ,,method ,,based ,,on ,,the ,,ideas ,,of ,,herbart ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,new edition1 revised and enlarged4 ,cloth4 #abmo4 #cca pp4 #ij cents net1 postage #aj cents ,this volume discusses fully the controlling principles of our progressive modern education1 such as ,the ,aim of ,education2 ,the ,materials and ,sources of ,moral ,training2 ,the ,relative ,value of ,studies in the ,school ,course2 ,the ,nature and ,value of ,interest as a ,vital ,element in ,instruction2 ,the ,correlation of ,studies2 ,inductive and ,deductive ,processes as ,fundamental to ,all ,thinking2 ,apperception1 its ,close and ,constant ,application to the ,process of ,learning2 ,the ,will1 its ,training and ,function and its ,close ,relation to ,other ,forms of ,mental ,action4 ,the book closes with an account of ,herbart and his disciples in ,germany1 and a summary of their pronounced ideas and influence upon education4 ,,the ,,method ,,of ,,the ,,recitation ,new edition1 revised and enlarged ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry and ,,frank ,m4 ,,mcmurry ,cloth4 #abmo4 #cci pp4 #ij cents net1 postage #aj cents ,this book1 as a whole1 is designed to simplify1 organize1 and illustrate the chief principles of class-room method in elementary schools4 ,a few important fundamental principles are carefully worked out as a basis4 ,the essential steps1 in the acquisition of knowledge in all studies1 are worked out and applied to different branches4 ,the developing method of instruction so much used in the oral treatment of lessons is worked out1 and the method of careful and suitable questioning discussed4 ,two chapters are given1 consisting of ,illustrative ,lessons selected from the different studies and worked out in full1 as examples of a right method4 ,in these examples1 and also in the discussions1 the application of the principles of apperception1 interest1 induction1 and deduction to class-room work are shown4 ,the peculiar application of these various principles to different studies is carefully discussed4 ,,school ,,and ,,class ,,management--,in ,preparation ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,common ,,school ,,studies ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,the ,,reading ,,of ,,complete ,,english ,,classics ,,in ,,the ,,common ,,schools ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,cloth4 #abmo4 #bed pp4 #ge cents1 postage #i cents ,this discusses in a comprehensive way the regular reading lessons1 the choice of stories1 poems1 and longer masterpieces1 adapted to the needs of the various grades from the fourth to the eighth school year inclusive2 the value for school use of the best literature1 including complete masterpieces1 both long and short2 method in reading2 and principles of class-room work4 ,a descriptive list of more than four hundred books forms the last chapter4 ,the list has been carefully made1 and is designed to assist teachers and superintendents in selecting suitable reading material for the successive grades4 ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,primary ,,reading ,,and ,,oral ,,work ,,in ,,story ,,telling ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,cloth4 #abmo4 #ge cents net1 postage #h cents ,the relation of oral story work to early exercises in primary reading is explained at length4 ,a full discussion of oral methods in primary grades and a detailed account of primary exercises in reading are given4 ,the use of games for incidental reading is also fully discussed and illustrated4 ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,history ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,,new ,,edition ,,in ,,preparation ,this book contains a course of study in history with a full discussion of methods of treating topics4 ,the value1 selection1 and arrangement of historical materials for each grade are discussed1 and illustrative lessons given4 ,the relation of history to geography1 literature1 and other studies is treated1 and lists of books suitable for each year are supplied4 ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,geography ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,,new ,,edition ,,in ,,preparation ,the entire course of study is laid out after a careful selection of topics4 ,methods of class instruction are fully discussed1 and illustrations are given of geographical topics treated in detail4 ,the close relation of geography to other studies is shown1 and the best lists of books supplied4 ,,special ,,method ,,in ,,natural ,,science ,by ,,charles ,a4 ,,mcmurry ,,new ,,edition ,,in ,,preparation ,the history of science teaching in elementary schools is given4 ,the basis for selecting the topics for a course of study1 and the method of class instruction suitable to object study1 experimentation1 etc41 are fully discussed4 ,the book contains1 also1 a carefully selected list of the best books for the use of teachers and pupils4 ,a ,,course ,,of ,,study ,,for ,,the ,,eight ,,grades ,,of ,,the ,,common ,,school ,,in ,,preparation ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company #ff ,,fifth ,,avenue1 ,,new ,,york ,,boston ,,chicago #ajj ,boylston ,st4 #cgh-chh ,wabash ,ave4 ,,atlanta ,,san ,,francisco ,empire ,build'g #cai-cbe ,sansome ,st4