,,the ,,reading ,,of ,,complete         
,,english ,,classics    ,,in ,,the      
,,common ,,school       ,,special       
,,method    ,,in ,,the    ,,reading ,,of
 ,,complete   ,,english ,,classics      
,,in ,,the ,,grades ,,of ,,the          
,,common ,,school    ,,by    ,,charles  
,mc,m,u,r,r,y1 ,,ph4,d4    ,new ,york   
,,the ,,macmillan ,,company   ,,london3 
,,macmillan  ,,co41 ,,ltd4   #aijc      
,all rights reserved       ,,copyright1 
#aijc1   ,,by ,,the ,,macmillan         
,,company4    ,set up and electrotyped  
,october1 #aijb4    ,norwood ,press     
,j4 ,s4 ,cushing  ,co4--,berwick  ,smith
   ,norwood ,mass4 ,u4,s4,a4            
,,contents     ,,chapter ,i             
,,page   ,,educational ,,value ,,of     
,,literature                            
#a    ,,chapter ,,ii    ,,the ,,use ,,of
 ,,masterpieces ,,as ,,wholes           
#da    ,,chapter ,,iii    ,,literary    
,,materials ,,for ,,the ,,five ,,upper  
,,grades              #fg    ,,chapter  
,,iv    ,,class-,,room ,,method ,,in    

,,reading                               
#ajb    ,,chapter ,v    ,,method        
,,further ,,discussed ,,and             
,,illustrated                 #ace      
,,chapter ,,vi    ,,the ,,value ,,of    
,,classics ,,to ,,the ,,teacher         
#agf    ,,chapter ,,vii    ,,list ,,of  
,,books                                 
#bje     ,,special ,,method ,,of        
,,classics     ,,chapter ,i             
,,educational ,,value ,,of ,,literature 
,the gradual introduction of the choicer
 products of literature into the grades 
of the common school has been going on  
for several years4 ,bringing the school 
children face to face with the thoughts 
of the masters has had often a thrilling
 effect1 and the feeling has spread     
among teachers that a new door has been 
opened into what ,ruskin calls ,the     
,king's ,gardens4 ,as we stand at this  
open portal to the ,elysian ,fields of  
literature1 there may fall upon us      
something of the beauty1 something even 
of the solemn stillness1 of the arched  

cathedral with its golden windows4 ,but 
how inadequate is the ,gothic cathedral1
 or the ,greek temple1 to symbolize the 
temple of literature4  ,within less than
 a score of years there has been such   
reading of varied literary masterpieces 
by children as to bring us face to face 
with a problem of prime significance in 
education1 the place and importance of  
literature in the education of ,american
 children4  ,millions of children are   
introduced yearly to bookland1 and it is
 a matter of greater importance than    
what ,congress does1 what provision is  
made for these oncoming millions in the 
sunlit fields and forest glades of      
literature1 where the boys and girls    
walk in happy companionship with the    
wisest and wittiest of our race4 ,we    
have now had enough experience with     
these treasures of culture to get a real
 foretaste of the feast prepared for the
 growing youth4 ,we know that their     
appetites are keen and their digestive  
powers strong4 ,it is incumbent upon    

educators to get a comprehensive survey 
of this land and to estimate its        
resources4 ,other fields of study1 like 
natural science1 geography1 music1 etc41
 are undergoing the same scrutiny as to 
their educative value4 ,literature1     
certainly a peer in the hierarchy of    
great studies1 if not supreme in value  
above others1 is one of the most        
difficult to estimate4 ,tangible proofs 
of the vital culture-force of good      
literature upon growing minds can be    
given in many individual cases4 ,but to 
what degree it has general or universal 
fitness to awaken1 strengthen1 and      
refine all minds1 is in dispute4  ,it   
seems clear1 at least1 that only those  
who show taste and enthusiasm for a     
choice piece of literature can teach it 
with success4 ,this requirement of      
appreciation and enjoyment of the study 
is more imperative in literature1       
because its appeal is not merely to the 
intellect and the reason1 as in other   
studies1 but especially to the emotions 

and higher aesthetic judgments1 to moral
 and religious sentiment in ideal       
representation4  ,it has been often     
observed that discussions of the        
superior educative value of literature  
before bodies of teachers1 while        
entertaining and delightful1 fall far   
short of lasting results because of the 
teachers' narrow experience with        
literature4 ,in the case of many        
teachers1 the primitive alphabet of     
literary appreciation is lacking1 and   
the most enthusiastic appeals to the    
charm and exaltation of such studies    
fall harmless4 ,yet literature in the   
schools is hopeless without teachers who
 have felt at home in this delightsome  
land1 this most real world of ideal     
strength and beauty4  ,the discussion of
 the subject for teachers is beset1     
therefore1 with peculiar and seemingly  
insurmountable difficulties4 ,the       
strength1 charm1 and refinement of      
literature are known only to those who  
have read the masters with delight1     

while even people of cultured taste     
listen doubtfully to the praise of      
authors they have never read4 ,to one   
enamoured of the music of ,tennyson's   
songs1 the very suggestion of ,in       
,memoriam awakens enthusiasm4 ,to one   
who has not read ,tennyson and his like1
 silence on the subject is golden4 ,to  
those not much travelled in the fields  
of literature1 there is danger of       
speaking in an unknown tongue1 while    
they1 of all others1 need a plain and   
convincing word4 ,to speak this plain   
and convincing word to those who may    
have acquired but little relish for     
literature1 and that little only in the 
fragmentary selections of the school    
readers1 is a high and difficult aim4   
,but teachers are willing to learn1 and 
to discover new sources of enthusiasm in
 their profession4 ,it is probable1     
also1 that the original capacity to     
enjoy great literature is much more     
common than is often supposed1 and that 
the great average of teachers is quite  

capable of receiving this powerful      
stimulus4 ,the fact is1 our common      
schools have done so little1 till of    
late1 to cultivate this fine taste1 that
 we have faint reason to expect it in   
our teachers4  ,overwhelmed as we are   
with the folly of indulging in the      
praise of literature before many whose  
ears have been but poorly attuned to the
 sweet melody or majestic rhythm of the 
masters1 we still make bold to grapple  
with this argument4 ,there is surely no 
subject to which the teachers need more 
to open their eyes and ears and better  
nature1 so as to take in the enrichment 
it affords4 ,there is encouragement in  
the fact that many teachers fully       
appreciate the worth of these writers1  
and have succeeded in making their works
 beautiful and educative to the         
children4 ,very many other teachers are 
capable of the full refreshing enjoyment
 of classic works1 when their attention 
and labor are properly expended upon    
them4 ,the colleges1 universities1 high 

schools1 and normal schools have largely
 abandoned the dull epitomizing of      
literature1 the talk about authors1 for 
the study of the works themselves of the
 masters4 ,the consequence is1 that the 
study of literature in ,english is      
becoming an enthusiasm1 and teachers of 
this type are multiplying4  ,the deeper 
causes for this widespread lack of      
literary appreciation among the people1 
and even among teachers and scholars1 is
 found partly in the practical1         
scientific1 and utilitarian spirit of   
the age1 and partly in the corresponding
 unliterary courses of study which have 
prevailed everywhere in our common      
schools4 ,the absence of literary       
standards and taste among teachers is   
due largely to the failure of the       
schools themselves1 hitherto1 to        
cultivate this sort of proficiency4     
,those very qualities which give to     
literature its supreme excellence1 its  
poetic beauty1 its artistic finish and  
idealism1 are among the highest fruits  

of culture1 and are far more difficult  
of attainment than mere knowledge4 ,it  
is no small thing to introduce the      
rarest and finest culture of the world  
into the common school1 and thus        
propagate1 in the broadest democratic   
fashion1 that which is the peculiar1    
superior refinement of the choicest     
spirits of the world4 ,if progress in   
this direction is slow1 we may remember 
that the best ideals are slow of        
attainment4  ,there is also an          
intangible quality in all first-class   
literature1 which is not capable of     
exact description or demonstration4     
,george ,willis ,cooke1 in ,poets and   
,problems 7pp4 #ca-cb71 says3--  ,poetry
 enters into those higher regions of    
human experience concerning which no    
definite account can be given2 where all
 words fail2 about which all we know is 
to be obtained by hints1 symbols1 poetic
 figures1 and imagings4 ,poetry is truer
 and more helpful than prose1 because it
 penetrates those regions of feeling1   

beauty1 and spiritual reality1 where    
definitions have no place or            
justification4 ,there would be no poetry
 if life were limited to what we can    
understand2 nor would there be any      
religion4 ,indeed1 the joy1 the beauty1 
and the promise of life would all be    
gone if there were nothing which reaches
 beyond our powers of definition4 ,the  
mystery of existence makes the grandeur 
and worth of man's nature1 as it makes  
for him his poetry and his religion4    
,poetry suggests1 hints1 images forth1  
what is too wonderful1 too transcendent1
 too near primal reality1 too full of   
life1 beauty1 and joy1 for explanation  
or comprehension4 ,it embodies man's    
longing after the ,eternal ,one1        
expresses his sense of the deep mystery 
of ,being1 voices his soul sorrow1      
illumines his path with hope and objects
 of beauty4 ,man's aspiration1 his sense
 of imperfection1 his yearning for a    
sustaining truth and reality1 as the    
life within and over all things1 find   

expression in poetry2 because it offers 
the fittest medium of interpretation for
 these higher movements of soul4        
,whenever the soul feels deeply1 or is  
stirred by a great thought1 the poetic  
form of utterance at once becomes the   
most natural and desirable for its      
loving and faithful interpretation4     
,this intangible excellence of superior 
literature1 which defies all exact      
measurement by the yardstick1 puzzles   
the practical man and the scientist4    
,there is no way of getting at it with  
their tools and measurements4 ,they are 
very apt to give it up in disgust and   
dismiss it with some uncomplimentary    
name4 ,but ,shakespeare's mild reign    
continues1 and old ,homer sings his     
deathless song to those who wish to     
hear4  ,teachers need both the exact    
methods of science and the spiritual    
life of the poets1 and we may well spend
 some pains in finding out the          
life-giving properties of good          
literature4  ,lowell1 in his ,books and 

,libraries1 says3--  ,to wash down the  
drier morsels that every library must   
necessarily offer at its board1 let     
there be plenty of imaginative          
literature1 and let its range be not too
 narrow to stretch from ,dante to the   
elder ,dumas4 ,the world of the         
imagination is not the world of         
abstraction and nonentity1 as some      
conceive1 but a world formed out of     
chaos by a sense of the beauty that is  
in man and the earth on which he dwells4
 ,it is the realm of ,might-be1 our     
haven of refuge from the shortcomings   
and disillusions of life4 ,it is1 to    
quote ,spenser1 who knew it well1--     
',the world's sweet inn from care and   
wearisome turmoil4' ,do we believe1     
then1 that ,god gave us in mockery this 
splendid faculty of sympathy with things
 that are a joy forever8 ,for my part1  
,i believe that the love and study of   
works of imagination is of practical    
utility in a country so profoundly      
material 7or1 as we like to call it1    

practical7 in its leading tendencies as 
ours4 ,the hunger after purely          
intellectual delights1 the content with 
ideal possessions1 cannot but be good   
for us in maintaining a wholesome       
balance of the character and of the     
faculties4 ,i for one shall never be    
persuaded that ,shakespeare left a less 
useful legacy to his countrymen than    
,watt4 ,we hold all the deepest1 all the
 highest1 satisfactions of life as      
tenants of imagination4 ,nature will    
keep up the supply of what are called   
hard-headed people without our help1    
and1 if it come to that1 there are other
 as good uses for heads as at the end of
 battering-rams4  ,but have you ever    
rightly considered what the mere ability
 to read means8 ,that it is the key     
which admits us to the whole world of   
thought and fancy and imagination8 to   
the company of saint and sage1 of the   
wisest and wittiest at their wisest and 
wittiest moments8 ,that it enables us to
 see with the keenest eyes1 hear with   

the finest ears1 and listen to the      
sweetest voices of all time8 ,more than 
that1 it annihilates time and space for 
us2 it revives for us without a miracle 
the ,age of ,wonder1 endowing us with   
the shoes of swiftness and the cap of   
darkness1 so that we walk invisible like
 fern-seed1 and witness unharmed the    
plague at ,athens or ,florence or       
,london2 accompany ,caesar on his       
marches1 or look in on ,catiline in     
council with his fellow-conspirators1 or
 ,guy ,fawkes in the cellar of ,st4     
,stephen's4 ,we often hear of people who
 will descend to any servility1 submit  
to any insult1 for the sake of getting  
themselves or their children into what  
is euphemistically called good society4 
,did it ever occur to them that there is
 a select society of all the centuries  
to which they and theirs can be admitted
 for the asking1 a society1 too1 which  
will not involve them in ruinous        
expense1 and still more ruinous waste of
 time and health and faculties8  ,the   

riches of scholarship1 the benignities  
of literature1 defy fortune and outlive 
calamity4 ,they are beyond the reach of 
thief or moth or rust4 ,as they cannot  
be inherited1 so they cannot be         
alienated4 ,but they may be shared1 they
 may be distributed4  ,this notion of   
the select companionship of books finds 
also happy expression in ,ruskin's      
,sesame and ,lilies3--  ,we may intrude 
ten minutes' talk on a cabinet minister1
 answered probably with words worse than
 silence1 being deceptive2 or snatch1   
once or twice in our lives1 the         
privilege of throwing a bouquet in the  
path of a princess1 or arresting the    
kind glance of a queen4 ,and yet these  
momentary chances we covet2 and spend   
our years1 and passions1 and powers in  
pursuit of little more than these2      
while1 meantime1 there is a society     
continually open to us1 of people who   
will talk to us as long as we like1     
whatever our rank or occupation2--talk  
to us in the best words they can choose1

 and with thanks if we listen to them4  
,and this society1 because it is so     
numerous and so gentle1--and can be kept
 waiting round us all day long1 not to  
grant audience1 but to gain it2 kings   
and statesmen lingering patiently in    
those plainly furnished and narrow      
anterooms1 our bookcase shelves1--we    
make no account of that                 
company1--perhaps never listen to a word
 they would say1 all day long6  ,this   
court of the past differs from all      
living aristocracy in this3 it is open  
to labor and to merit1 but to nothing   
else4 ,no wealth will bribe1 no name    
overawe1 no artifice deceive1 the       
guardian of those ,elysian gates4 ,in   
the deep sense1 no vile or vulgar person
 ever enters there4 ,at the portieres of
 that silent ,faubourg ,st4-,germain1   
there is but brief question1 ',do you   
deserve to enter8' ',pass4 ,do you ask  
to be the companions of nobles8 ,make   
yourself noble1 and you shall be4 ,do   
you long for the conversation of the    

wise8 ,learn to understand it1 and you  
shall hear it4 ,but on other terms8--no4
 ,if you will not rise to us1 we cannot 
stoop to you4 ,the living lord may      
assume courtesy1 the living philosopher 
explain his thought to you with         
considerable pain2 but here we neither  
feign nor interpret2 you must rise to   
the level of our thoughts if you would  
be gladdened by them1 and share our     
feelings1 if you would recognize our    
presence4'  ,wordsworth says3--         
,books1 we know1   ,are a substantial   
world1 both pure and good2   ,round     
these1 with tendrils strong as flesh and
 blood1   ,our pastime and our happiness
 will grow4  ,carlyle says3--  ,we learn
 to read1 in various languages1 in      
various sciences2 we learn the alphabet 
and letters of all manner of ,books4    
,but the place where we are to get      
knowledge1 even theoretic knowledge1 is 
the ,books themselves6 ,it depends on   
what we read1 after all manner of       
,professors have done their best for us4

 ,the true ,university of these days is 
a ,collection of ,books4  ,were we      
willing to accept the testimony of great
 writers and thinkers1 we should but too
 quickly acknowledge the supreme value  
of books4 ,james ,baldwin1 in the first 
chapter of his ,book ,lover1 has        
collected more than a score of like     
utterances of great writers ,in ,praise 
of ,books4 ,such testimony may at least 
suggest to some of us who have drunk but
 sparingly of the refreshing springs of 
literature1 that there are better things
 in store for us4  ,we will first       
inquire into those vital elements of    
strength which are peculiar to          
literature4  ,one of the elements that  
goes into the make-up of a masterpiece  
of literature is its underlying1        
permanent truth4 ,whether written to-day
 or in earlier centuries1 it must       
contain lasting qualities that do not   
fade away or bleach out or decay4 ,time 
and weather do not stain or destroy its 
merit4 ,some classics1 as ,gray's       

,elegy1 or ,thanatopsis1 are like cut   
diamonds4 ,the quality that gives them  
force and brilliancy is inherent1 and   
the form in which they appear has been  
wrought out by an artist4 ,the          
fundamental value of a classic is the   
deep1 significant truth which1 like the 
grain in fine woods1 is wrought into its
 very structure4 ,the artist who moulds 
a masterpiece like ,enoch ,arden or ,the
 ,scarlet ,letter is not a writer of    
temporary fame4 ,the truth to which he  
feels impelled to give expression is    
strong1 natural1 human truth1 which has 
no beginning and no end4 ,it is true    
forever4 ,schiller's ,william ,tell1    
though idealized1 is a human hero with  
the hearty thoughts of a real man4      
,shylock is a ,jew of flesh and blood1  
who will laugh if he is tickled1 and    
break into anger if he is thwarted4 ,the
 true poet builds upon eternal          
foundations4 ,the bookmaker or rhymer is
 satisfied with empty or fleeting       
thoughts and with a passing notoriety4  

,new books are often caught up and      
blazoned as classics which a few years  
reveal as patchwork and tinsel4 ,time is
 a sure test4 ,showy tinsel rusts and   
dulls its lustre1 while simple poetic   
truth shines with growing brightness4   
,schlegel1 in his ,dramatic ,art and    
,literature1 thus contrasts the false   
and the true 7pp4 #ah-ai73--  ,poetry1  
taken in its widest acceptation1 as the 
power of creating what is beautiful1 and
 representing it to the eye or the ear1 
is a universal gift of ,heaven1 being   
shared to a certain extent even by those
 whom we call barbarians and savages4   
,internal excellence is alone decisive1 
and where this exists we must not allow 
ourselves to be repelled by the external
 appearance4 ,everything must be traced 
up to the root of human nature3 if it   
has sprung from thence1 it has an       
undoubted worth of its own2 but if1     
without possessing a living germ1 it is 
merely externally attached thereto1 it  
will never thrive nor acquire a proper  

growth4 ,many productions which appear  
at first sight dazzling phenomena in the
 province of the fine arts1 and which as
 a whole have been honored with the     
appellation of works of a golden age1   
resemble the mimic gardens of children3 
impatient to witness the work of their  
hands1 they break off here and there    
branches and flowers1 and plant them in 
the earth2 everything at first assumes a
 noble appearance3 the childish gardener
 struts proudly up and down among his   
showy beds1 till the rootless plants    
begin to droop1 and hang their withered 
leaves and blossoms1 and nothing soon   
remains but the bare twigs1 while the   
dark forest1 on which no art or care was
 ever bestowed1 and which towered up    
toward heaven long before human         
remembrance1 bears every blast unshaken1
 and fills the solitary beholder with   
religious awe4  ,in his ,poets and      
,problems1 ,george ,willis ,cooke fitly 
portrays the poet's function 7pp4 #db1  
#cb1 and #dd73--  ,the poet must be     

either a teacher or an artist2 or1 what 
is better1 he may be both in one4       
,therefore1 he can never stop at form or
 at what delights and charms merely4 ,he
 must go on to the expression of        
something of deep and real abidingness  
of thought and beauty4 ,this comes at   
last to be the real thing for which he  
works1 which he seeks to bring into     
expression with such power and grandeur 
in it as he can produce1 and which he   
wills to send forth for the sake of this
 higher impression on the world4  ,man  
has within him a need for the food which
 does not perish2 he always is finding  
anew that he cannot live by bread alone4
 ,his mind will crave truth1 his heart  
love1 somewhat to satisfy the inward    
needs of life4 ,a heavenly homesickness 
will draw him away from the material to 
those aesthetic and spiritual realities 
which are at the source of the truest   
poetry4 ,whenever these wants find fit  
interpretation1 the poet and the poetic 
method of expression appear and give to 

them outward forms of beauty4           
,consequently the poet is    ',one in   
whom persuasion and belief   ,have      
ripened into faith1 and faith become    
,a passionate intuition4'  ,the true    
poet is the man of his time who is most 
alive1 who feels1 sees1 and knows the   
most4 ,in the measure of his life he is 
the greatest man of his age and country4
 ,his eye sees farther and more clearly2
 his heart beats more warmly and with a 
more universal sympathy2 his thought    
runs deeper and with a swifter current1 
than is the case with other men4 ,he is 
the oracle and guide1 the inspirer and  
the friend1 of those to whom he sings4  
,he creates life under the ribs of dead 
tradition2 he illumines the present with
 heart flames of beaconing truth1 and he
 makes the future seem like home joys   
far off1 but drawing ever nigher4 ,the  
poet is the world's lover4  ,emerson    
found the ,greeks standing as close to  
nature and truth as himself 7,essay on  
,history73--  ,the costly charm of the  

ancient tragedy1 and indeed of all old  
literature1 is1 that the persons speak  
simply1--speak as persons who have great
 good sense without knowing it1 before  
yet the reflective habit has become the 
predominant habit of the mind4 ,our     
admiration of the antique is not        
admiration of the old1 but of the       
natural4 ,the ,greeks are not           
reflective1 but perfect in their senses 
and in their health1 with the finest    
physical organization in the world4     
,adults acted with the simplicity and   
grace of children4  ,in his ,defence of 
,poetry ,shelley says3--  ,poetry thus  
makes immortal all that is best and most
 beautiful in the world2 it arrests the 
vanishing apparitions which haunt the   
interlunations of life1 and1 veiling    
them or in language or in form1 sends   
them forth among mankind1 bearing sweet 
news of kindred joy to those with whom  
their sisters abide--abide1 because     
there is no portal of expression from   
the caverns of the spirit which they    

inhabit into the universe of things4    
,poetry redeems from decay the          
visitations of the divinity in man4     
,carlyle1 in his ,heroes and            
,hero-worship1 portrays the deeper art  
and insight of the poet thus3--  ,for my
 own part1 ,i find considerable meaning 
in the old vulgar distinction of ,poetry
 being metrical1 having music in it1    
being a ,song4 ,truly1 if pressed to    
give a definition1 one might say this as
 soon as anything else3 ,if your        
delineation be authentically musical1   
musical not in word only1 but in heart  
and substance1 in all the thoughts and  
utterances of it1 in the whole          
conception of it1 then it will be       
poetical2 if not1 not4 ,musical3 how    
much lies in that6 ,a musical thought is
 one spoken by a mind that has          
penetrated into the inmost heart of the 
thing2 detected the inmost mystery of   
it1 namely the melody that lies hidden  
in it2 the inward harmony of coherence  
which is its soul1 whereby it exists1   

and has a right to be1 here in this     
world4 ,all inmost things1 we may say1  
are melodious2 naturally utter          
themselves in ,song4 ,the meaning of    
,song goes deep4 ,who is there that1 in 
logical words1 can express the effect   
music has upon us8 ,a kind of           
inarticulate unfathomable speech1 which 
leads us to the edge of the ,infinite1  
and lets us for moments gaze into that6 
,nay all speech1 even the commonest     
speech1 has something of song in it3 not
 a parish in the world but has its      
parish-accent2--the rhythm or tune to   
which the people there sing what they   
have to say6 ,accent is a kind of       
chanting2 all men have accent of their  
own1--though they only notice that of   
others4 ,observe1 too1 how all          
passionate language does of itself      
become musical1--with a finer music than
 the mere accent2 the speech of a man   
even in zealous anger becomes a chant1 a
 song4 ,all deep things are ,song4 ,it  
seems somehow the very central essence  

of us1 ,song2 as if all the rest were   
but wrappages and hulls4 ,the primal    
element of us2 of us1 and of all things4
 ,the ,greeks fabled of                 
,sphere-,harmonies3 it was the feeling  
they had of the inner structure of      
,nature2 that the soul of all her voices
 and utterances was perfect music4      
,poetry1 therefore1 we will call musical
 ,thought4 ,the ,poet is he who thinks  
in that manner4 ,at bottom1 it turns    
still on power of intellect2 it is a    
man's sincerity and depth of vision that
 makes him a ,poet4 ,see deep enough1   
and you see musically2 the heart of     
,nature being everywhere music1 if you  
can only reach it4  ,or indeed we may   
say again1 it is in what ,i called      
,portrait-painting1 delineating of men  
and things1 especially of men1 that     
,shakespeare is great4 ,all the         
greatness of the man comes out          
decisively here4 ,it is unexampled1 ,i  
think1 that calm creative perspicacity  
of ,shakespeare4 ,the thing he looks at 

reveals not this or that face of it1 but
 its inmost heart1 and generic secret3  
it dissolves itself as in light before  
him1 so that he discerns the perfect    
structure of it4 ,creative1 we said3    
poetic creation1 what is this1 too1 but 
seeing the thing sufficiently8 ,the word
 that will describe the thing1 follows  
of itself from such clear intense sight 
of the thing4 ,and is not ,shakespeare's
 morality1 his valor1 candor1 tolerance1
 truthfulness2 his whole victorious     
strength and greatness1 which can       
triumph over such obstructions1 visible 
there too8 ,great as the world6 ,no     
twisted1 poor convex-concave mirror1    
reflecting all objects with its own     
convexities and concavities2 a perfectly
 level mirror1--that is to say withal1  
if we will understand it1 a man justly  
related to all things and men1 a good   
man4 ,it is truly a lordly spectacle how
 this great soul takes in all kinds of  
men and objects1 a ,falstaff1 an        
,othello1 a ,juliet1 a ,coriolanus2 sets

 them all forth to us in their round    
completeness2 loving1 just1 the equal   
brother of all4 ',novum ,organum1' and  
all the intellect you will find in      
,bacon1 is of a quite secondary order2  
earthy1 material1 poor in comparison    
with this4 ,among modern men1 one finds1
 in strictness1 almost nothing of the   
same rank4 ,goethe alone1 since the days
 of ,shakespeare1 reminds me of it4 ,of 
him1 too1 you say that he saw the       
object2 you may say what he himself says
 of ,shakespeare1 ',his characters are  
like watches with dial-plates of        
transparent crystal2 they show you the  
hour like others1 and the inward        
mechanism also is all visible4'  ,dante1
 for depth of sincerity1 is like an     
antique ,prophet1 too2 his words1 like  
theirs1 come from his very heart4 ,one  
need not wonder if it were predicted    
that his ,poem might be the most        
enduring thing our ,europe has yet made2
 for nothing so endures as a truly      
spoken word4 ,all cathedrals1           

pontificalities1 brass and stone1 and   
outer arrangement never so lasting1 are 
brief in comparison to an unfathomable  
heart-song like this3 one feels as if it
 might survive1 still of importance to  
men1 when these had all sunk into new   
irrecognizable combinations1 and had    
ceased individually to be4 ,europe has  
made much2 great cities1 great empires1 
encyclopaedias1 creeds1 bodies of       
opinion and practice3 but it has made   
little of the class of ,dante's         
,thought4 ,homer yet is1 veritably      
present face to face with every open    
soul of us2 and ,greece1 where is it8   
,desolate for thousands of years2 away1 
vanished2 a bewildered heap of stones   
and rubbish1 the life and existence of  
it all gone4 ,like a dream2 like the    
dust of ,king ,agamemnon6 ,greece was2  
,greece1 except in the words it spoke1  
is not4  ,j4 ,c4 ,shairp1 in his ,on    
,poetic ,interpretation of ,nature 7p4  
#ai71 says3--  ,the real nature and     
intrinsic truth of ,poetry will be made 

more apparent1 if we may turn aside for 
a moment to reflect on the essence of   
that state of mind which we call poetic1
 the genesis of that creation which we  
call ,poetry4 ,whenever any object of   
sense1 or spectacle of the outer world1 
any truth of reason1 or event of past   
history1 any fact of human experience1  
any moral or spiritual reality2         
whenever1 in short1 any fact or object  
which the sense1 or the intellect1 or   
the soul1 or the spirit of man can      
apprehend1 comes home to one so as to   
touch him to the quick1 to pierce him   
with a more than usual vividness and    
sense of reality1 then is awakened that 
stirring of the imagination1 that glow  
of emotion1 in which ,poetry is born4   
,there is no truth cognizable by man    
which may not shape itself into ,poetry4
  ,the passages just quoted are but     
examples of many that might be cited    
expressing the strength and scope of the
 poetic spirit1 its truth-revealing     
quality1 its penetrating yet            

comprehensive grasp of the realities4   
,shelley says1 ,a poem is the very image
 of life expressed in its eternal truth2
 and ,wordsworth that poetry is the     
breath and finer spirit of all          
knowledge4 ,these utterances will hardly
 be deemed poetical extravagancies to   
one who has read such things as the     
,ninetieth ,psalm1 ,king ,lear1 or ,the 
,deserted ,village1 or ,elaine4  ,there 
is no form of inspiring truth which does
 not find expression in literature1 but 
it is preeminently a revelation of human
 life and experience1 a proclamation    
from the housetops of the supreme beauty
 and excellence of truth and virtue4    
,this brings us close to the question of
 moral education1 and the elements in   
literature that contribute to this end4 
,literary critics are quick to take     
alarm at the propensity of the          
schoolmaster and the moralist to make   
literature the vehicle of moral         
training4 ,to saddle the poets with a   
moral purpose would be like changing    

,pegasus into a plough-horse4 ,but the  
moral quality in the best literature is 
not something saddled on1 it is rather  
like the frame and muscle which give    
strength to the body1 or1 to use a more 
fitting figure1 it is the very pulse and
 heart-beat of the highest idealism4    
,the proneness toward moralizing1 toward
 formal didacticism1 can be best of all 
corrected by the use of choice          
literature4 ,the best literature is free
 from moral pedantry1 but full of moral 
suggestion and stimulus4 ,edmund        
,clarence ,stedman says1 in his ,nature 
and ,elements of ,poetry 7p4 #baf73--   
,the highest wisdom--that of            
ethics--seems closely affiliated with   
poetic truth4 ,a prosaic moral is       
injurious to virtue1 by making it       
repulsive4 ,the moment goodness becomes 
tedious and unideal in a work of art1 it
 is not real goodness2 the would-be     
artist1 though a very saint1 has        
mistaken his form of expression4 ,on the
 other hand1 extreme beauty and power in

 a poem or picture always carry a moral1
 they are inseparable from a certain    
ethical standard2 while vice suggests a 
depravity4444 ,an obtrusive moral in    
poetic form is a fraud on its face1 and 
outlawed of art4 ,but that all great    
poetry is essentially ethical is plain  
from any consideration of ,homer1       
,dante1 and the best dramatists and     
lyrists1 old and new4  ,in literature1  
as in life1 those persons make the      
strongest moral impression who have the 
least express discussion of morals4     
,their actions speak1 and the moral     
qualities appear1 not in didactic       
formality and isolation1 but in their   
life setting4 ,this is seen in the great
 dramas1 novels1 and epic poems4  ,these
 masterpieces are of strong and lasting 
value to the schools because they bring 
out human conduct and character in a    
rich variety of forms corresponding to  
life4 ,against the background of scenery
 created by the poet1 men and women and 
children march along to their varied    

performances4 ,theseus1 ,ulysses1       
,crusoe1 ,aladdin1 ,alfred1 ,horatius1  
,cinderella1 ,portia1 ,evangeline1--they
 speak and act before us with all the   
realism and fidelity to human instincts 
peculiar to the poet's art4 ,these men  
and women1 who are set in action before 
us1 stir up all our dormant             
thought-energy4 ,we observe and judge   
their motives and approve or condemn    
their actions4 ,we are stirred to       
sympathy or pity or anger4 ,such an     
intense study of motives and conduct1 as
 offered in literature1 is like a fresh 
spring from which well up strengthening 
waters4 ,the warmth and energy with     
which judgments are passed upon the     
deeds of children and adults is the     
original source of moral ideas4         
,literature is especially rich in       
opportunities to register these         
convictions4 ,it is not the bare        
knowledge of right and wrong developed1 
but the deep springs of feeling and     
emotion are opened1 which gush up into  

volitions and acts4  ,just as we form   
opinions of people from their individual
 acts1 and draw inferences as to their  
character and motives1 so the overt act 
of ,brutus or of ,miles ,standish stands
 out so clear against the background of 
passing events that an unerring judgment
 falls upon the doer4 ,a single act1    
seen in its relations1 always calls     
forth such a sentence of good or ill4   
,whether it be a gentle deed of mercy1  
or the hammer-stroke that fells a giant 
or routs an army1 as with ,charles      
,martel or ,alfred1 the sense of right  
or wrong is the deep underflow that     
gives meaning to all events and stamps  
character4  ,there is1 however1 a deeper
 and more intense moral teaching in     
literature than that which flows from   
the right or wrong of individual acts4  
,the whole life and evolution of        
character in a person1 if graphically   
drawn1 reveal the principles of conduct 
and their fruitage4 ,character is a     
growth4 ,deeds are only the outward     

signs of the direction in which the soul
 is moving4 ,a dramatist like           
,shakespeare1 or a novelist like ,george
 ,eliot1 gives us a biographical        
development4 ,deeds are done which leave
 their traces4 ,tendencies are formed   
which grow into habits1 and thus a      
character ripens steadily toward its    
reward4 ,we become conscious that       
certain deeper principles control       
thought and action1 whether good or bad4
 ,there is a rule of law1 a sort of     
fatalism1 in human life4 ,the mills of  
the gods grind slow1 but they grind     
exceeding small4 ,it is the function of 
the dramatist or novelist to reveal     
these working principles in conduct4    
,when the principle adopted by the actor
 is a good one1 it works out well-being 
in spite of misfortunes2 when evil1 the 
furies are on the track of the          
evil-doer4 ,men do not gather grapes of 
thorns or figs of thistles4 ,as we move 
on from step to step in a life-history1 
the sympathy deepens4 ,the fatal        

influence of a false step1 followed up1 
is keenly felt by the reader2 the upward
 tendency of a right act inspires and   
lifts into freedom4 ,but whether we love
 or hate or pity1 the character moves on
 in the course which his deeds mark out4
 ,when finally he is overwhelmed in     
shame and defeat1 we see the early      
tendencies and later forces which have  
led to this result4 ,if ethical triumph 
is achieved1 we recognize the reward of 
generous1 unselfish impulses followed   
out4  ,as the interest in such a        
life-history deepens1 the lessons it    
evolves come out with convincing and    
overwhelming power4 ,the effect of a    
great novel or drama is more intense and
 lasting than any sermon4 ,the elements 
of thought and feeling have been        
accumulating energy and momentum through
 all the scenes1 and when contracted    
into a single current at the close they 
sweep forward with the strength of a    
river4 ,a masterpiece works at the      
foundations of our sympathies and moral 

judgments4 ,to bring ourselves under the
 spell of a great author and to allow   
him1 hour after hour and perhaps for    
days in succession1 to sway our feelings
 and rule far up among the sources of   
our moral judgments1 is to give him     
great opportunity to stamp our character
 with his convictions4 ,we seldom spend 
so many hours in close companionship    
with a living friend as with some master
 of the art of character-delineation4   
,children are susceptible to this strong
 influence4 ,many of them take easily to
 books1 and many others need but wise   
direction to bring them under the touch 
of their formative influence4 ,a book   
sometimes produces a more lasting effect
 upon the character and conduct of a    
child than a close companion4 ,nor is   
this true only in the case of           
book-lovers4 ,it is probable that the   
great majority of children may feel the 
wholesome effect of such books if wisely
 used at the right time4 ,to select a   
few of the best books as companions to a

 child1 and teach him to love their     
companionship1 is one of the most       
hopeful things in education4 ,the boy or
 girl who reads some of our choice      
epics1 stories1 novels1 dramas1 and     
biographies1 allowing the mind to ponder
 upon the problems of conduct involved1 
will receive many deep and permanent    
moral lessons4 ,the realism with which  
the artist clothes his characters only  
strengthens the effect and makes them   
lasting food for thought in the coming  
years4 ,even in early childhood we are  
able to detect what is noble and        
debasing in conduct as thus graphically 
and naturally revealed1 and a child     
forms an unerring judgment along moral  
lines4 ,the best influence that         
literature has to bestow1 therefore1 may
 produce its effect early in tender     
years1 where impressions are deep and   
permanent4 ,there are many other        
elements of lasting culture-value in the
 study of literature1 but first of all  
the deep and permanent truths taught by 

the classics are those of human life and
 conduct4  ,george ,willis ,cooke gives 
clear and simple expression to the      
ethical force in poetry 7,poets and     
,problems1 p4 #df73--  ,true poetry is  
for instruction as much as for pleasure1
 though it inculcate no formal lessons4 
,right moral teaching is by example far 
more than by precept2 and the real poet 
teaches through the higher purpose he   
arouses1 by the stimulus he gives1 and  
by the purer motive he awakens4 ,he     
gives no precept to recite1 no homilies 
to con over1 no rules for formal        
repetition2 but he gives the spirit of  
life and the impulse of true activity4  
,an infallible test of the great poet is
 that he inspires us with a sense of the
 richness and grandeur of life4  ,rooted
 in the genuine realism of social life1 
moral ideas are still more strongly     
energized by feeling and even by        
passion4 ,it is doubtful if moral ideas 
have any roots that do not reach down   
into deep and genuine feeling4  ,ruskin1

 in ,sesame and ,lilies1 speaks to the  
point4  ,having then faithfully listened
 to the great teachers1 that you may    
enter into their ,thoughts1 you have yet
 this higher advance to make1--you have 
to enter into their ,hearts4 ,as you go 
to them first for clear sight1 so you   
must stay with them that you may share  
at last their just and mighty ,passion4 
,passion1 or sensation4 ,i am not afraid
 of the word2 still less of the thing4  
,you have heard many outcries against   
sensation lately2 but1 ,i can tell you1 
it is not less sensation we want1 but   
more4 ,the ennobling difference between 
one man and another--between one animal 
and another--is precisely in this1 that 
one feels more than another4 ,if we were
 sponges1 perhaps sensation might not be
 easily got for us2 if we were          
earthworms1 liable at every instant to  
be cut in two by the spade1 perhaps too 
much sensation might not be good for us4
 ,but1 being human creatures1 it is good
 for us2 nay1 we are only human in so   

far as we are sensitive1 and our honor  
is precisely in proportion to our       
passion4  ,you know ,i said of that     
great and pure society of the dead1 that
 it would allow 'no vain or vulgar      
person to enter there4' ,what do you    
think ,i meant by a 'vulgar' person8    
,what do you yourselves mean by         
'vulgarity'8 ,you will find it a        
fruitful subject of thought2 but1       
briefly1 the essence of all vulgarity   
lies in want of sensation4 ,simple and  
innocent vulgarity is merely an         
untrained and undeveloped bluntness of  
body and mind2 but in true inbred       
vulgarity1 there is a deathful          
callousness1 which1 in extremity1       
becomes capable of every sort of bestial
 habit and crime1 without fear1 without 
pleasure1 without horror1 and without   
pity4 ,it is in the blunt hand and the  
dead heart1 in the diseased habit1 in   
the hardened conscience1 that men become
 vulgar2 they are forever vulgar1       
precisely in proportion as they are     

incapable of sympathy1--of quick        
understanding1--of all that1 in deep    
insistence on the common1 but most      
accurate term1 may be called the 'tact' 
or touch-faculty of body and soul2 that 
tact which the ,mimosa has in trees1    
which the pure woman has above all      
creatures1--fineness and fulness of     
sensation1 beyond reason1--the guide and
 sanctifier of reason itself4 ,reason   
can but determine what is true3 it is   
the ,god-given passion of humanity which
 alone can recognize what ,god has made 
good4  ,we come then to the great       
concourse of the ,dead1 not merely to   
know from them what is ,true1 but       
chiefly to feel with them1 what is      
,righteous4 ,now to feel with them we   
must be like them2 and none of us can   
become that without pains4 ,as the true 
knowledge is disciplined and tested     
knowledge1--not the first thought that  
comes1--so the true passion is          
disciplined and tested passion1--not the
 first passion that comes4  ,when we add

 to this deep feeling and sympathy the  
versatile poetic imagination which      
freely constructs all phases of social  
life and conduct1 we have that union of 
the great powers of the mind and heart  
which give such concentrated ethical    
energy to the best literature4          
,shelley1 in his ,defence of ,poetry    
7pp4 #ac-ad1 #bj71 says3--  ,the whole  
objection1 however1 of the immorality of
 poetry rests upon a misconception of   
the manner in which poetry acts to      
produce the moral improvement of man4   
,ethical science arranges the elements  
which poetry has created1 and propounds 
schemes and proposes examples of civil  
and domestic life2 nor is it for want of
 admirable doctrines that men hate1 and 
despise1 and censure1 and deceive1 and  
subjugate one another4 ,but poetry acts 
in another and diviner manner4 ,it      
awakens and enlarges the mind itself by 
rendering it the receptacle of a        
thousand unapprehended combinations of  
thought4 ,poetry lifts the veil from the

 hidden beauty of the world1 and makes  
familiar objects be as if they were not 
familiar2 it reproduces all that it     
represents1 and the impersonations      
clothed in its ,elysian light stand     
thenceforward in the minds of those who 
have once contemplated them1 as         
memorials of that gentle and exalted    
content which extends itself over all   
thoughts and actions with which it      
coexists4 ,the great secret of morals is
 love2 or a going out of our own nature1
 and an identification of ourselves with
 the beautiful which exists in thought1 
action1 or person1 not our own4 ,a man1 
to be greatly good1 must imagine        
intensely and comprehensively2 he must  
put himself in the place of another and 
of many others2 the pains and pleasures 
of his species must become his own4 ,the
 great instrument of moral good is the  
imagination2 and poetry administers to  
the effect by acting upon the cause4    
,the drama being that form under which a
 greater number of modes of expression  

of poetry are susceptible of being      
combined than any other1 the connection 
of poetry and social good is more       
observable in the drama than in whatever
 other form4 ,and it is indisputable    
that the highest perfection of human    
society has ever corresponded with the  
highest dramatic excellence2 and that   
the corruption or the extinction of the 
drama in a nation where it has once     
flourished1 is a mark of corruption of  
manners1 and an extinction of the       
energies which sustain the soul of      
social life4  ,the inseparable union of 
the intellectual1 moral1 and imaginative
 elements is well expressed by ,shairp  
in his ,on ,poetic ,interpretation of   
,nature 7pp4 #bc-bd73--  ,imagination in
 its essence seems to be1 from the      
first1 intellect and feeling blended and
 interpenetrating each other4 ,thus it  
would seem that purely intellectual acts
 belong to the surface and outside of   
our nature1--as you pass onward to the  
depths1 the more vital places of the    

soul1 the intellectual1 the emotional1  
and the moral elements are all equally  
at work1--and this in virtue of their   
greater reality1 their more essential   
truth1 their nearer contact with the    
centre of things4 ,to this region belong
 all acts of high imagination--the      
region intermediate between pure        
understanding and moral affection1      
partaking of both elements1 looking     
equally both ways4  ,besides the moral  
element or fundamental truth involved1  
every classic masterpiece is infused    
therefore with an element of            
imagination4 ,whether in prose or verse1
 the artist reveals himself in the      
creative touch4 ,the rich coloring and  
imagery of his own mind give a tint to  
every object4 ,the literary artist is   
never lacking in a certain1 perhaps     
indefinable1 charm4 ,he possesses a     
magic wand that transforms into beauty  
every commonplace object that is met4   
,we observe this in ,irving1 ,hawthorne1
 ,warner1 as well as in still greater   

literary masters4 ,our poets1 novelists1
 and essayists must all dip their pens  
in this magic ink4 ,even ,webster and   
,burke1 ,lincoln and ,sumner1 must rise 
to the region of fancy if they give     
their thought sufficient strength of    
wing to carry it into the coming years4 
,the themes upon which they discoursed  
kindled the imagination and caused them 
to break forth into figures of speech   
and poetic license4 ,the creative fancy 
is that which gives beauty1             
picturesqueness1 and charm to all the   
work of poet or novelist4 ,this element 
of fancy diffuses itself as a living    
glow through every classic product that 
was made to endure4 ,in the masters of  
style the rhythmic flow and energy of   
language are enlivened by poetic        
imagery4 ,figures of speech in          
architectural simplicity and chasteness 
stand out to symbolize thought4 ,that   
keenness and originality which          
astonishes us in master thinkers is due 
to the magic vigor and picturesqueness  

of their images4 ,underneath and        
permeating all this wealth of ideas is  
the versatile and original mind which   
sees everything in the glow of its own  
poetic temperament1 kindling the        
susceptible reader to like inspiration4 
,among literary masters this creative   
power shows itself in an infinite       
variety of forms1 pours itself through a
 hundred divergent channels1 and links  
itself so closely with the individuality
 of the writer as to merge imperceptibly
 into his character and style4 ,but as  
we cannot secure wholesome bread without
 yeast1 so we shall fail of a classic   
without imagination4  ,stedman says3 ,if
 anything great has been achieved       
without exercise of the imagination1 ,i 
do not know it4 ,i am referring to      
striking productions and achievements1  
not to acts of virtue4 ,nevertheless1 at
 the last analysis1 it might be found   
that imagination has impelled even the  
saints and martyrs of humanity4         
,imagination is the creative origin of  

what is fine1 not in art and song alone1
 but also in all forms of action--in    
campaigns1 civil triumphs1 material     
conquest4 ,i have mentioned its         
indispensability to the scientists4 ,he 
says further3 ,yet if there is one gift 
which sets ,shakespeare at a distance   
even from those who approach him on one 
or another side1 it is that of his      
imagination4 ,as he is the chief of     
poets1 we infer that the faculty in     
which he is supereminent must be the    
greatest of poetic endowments4 ,yes3 in 
his wonderland1 as elsewhere1           
imagination is king4  ,not only is it   
true that the vitality of poets and     
prose writers1 the conceptive power of  
scientists1 inventors1 and business     
organizers1 depend upon the fertility   
and strength of the imagination1 but    
throughout the broader reaches of common
 humanity this power is everywhere      
present--constructive and creative4 ,max
 ,mueller has shown that the root words 
of language are imbedded in metaphor1   

that ,language is fossil poetry4 ,again1
 the mythologies of the different races1
 grand and stately1 or fair and lovely1 
are the immediate product of the folk   
mind4  ,it has been said that ,the man  
of culture is preeminently a man of     
imagination4 ,but the kind of mental    
alertness1 freedom1 and joy which is    
suggested by the term culture may spring
 up in the heart of every boy and girl  
endowed with a modicum of human nature4 
,hamilton ,wright ,mabie1 in his ,books 
and ,culture 7pp4 #adh-adi71 says3--    
,the development of the imagination1    
upon the power of which both absorption 
of knowledge and creative capacity      
depend1 is1 therefore1 a matter of      
supreme importance4 ,to this necessity  
educators will some day open their eyes1
 and educational systems will some day  
conform2 meantime1 it must be done      
mainly by individual work4 ,knowledge1  
discipline1 and technical training of   
the best sort are accessible on every   
hand2 but the development of the faculty

 which unites all these in the highest  
form of activity must be secured mainly 
by personal effort4 ,the richest and    
most accessible material for this       
highest education is furnished by art2  
and the form of art within reach of     
every civilized man1 at all times1 in   
all places1 is the book4 ,to these      
masterpieces1 which have been called the
 books of life1 all men may turn with   
the assurance that as the supreme       
achievements of the imagination they    
have the power of awakening1            
stimulating1 and enriching it in the    
highest degree4  ,besides the strong    
thread of truth and the work of the     
swift-glancing shuttle of imagination1  
the woven fabric of the literary master 
must show a beauteous pattern or form4  
,the melody and music of poetry spring  
from a rhythmic form4 ,apparently stiff 
and formal1 it is yet the consensus of  
critics that only through this channel  
can the soul of truth and beauty escape 
from the poet1 and manifest itself to   

others4 ,says ,george ,willis ,cooke1   
,the poet worships at the triple shrine 
of beauty1 love1 and truth2 and his     
mission is to teach men that all other  
objects and places of veneration are but
 faint imitations of this one form of   
faith4 ,but the spirit of this worship  
can best embody itself in the poetic    
form4  ,schlegel1 in his ,dramatic ,art 
and ,literature 7p4 #cdj71 says3--  ,the
 works of genius cannot therefore be    
permitted to be without form2 but of    
this there is no danger4444 ,some       
critics 444 interpret it form merely in 
a mechanical1 and not in an organical   
sense4444 ,organical form1 again1 is    
innate2 it unfolds itself from within1  
and acquires its determination          
contemporaneously with the perfect      
development of the germ4 ,we everywhere 
discover such forms in nature throughout
 the whole range of living powers1 from 
the crystallization of salts and        
minerals to plants and flowers1 and from
 these again to the human body4 ,in the 

fine arts1 as well as in the domain of  
nature1--the supreme artist1--all       
genuine forms are organical1 that is1   
determined by the quality of the work4  
,in a word1 the form is nothing but a   
significant exterior1 the speaking      
physiognomy of each thing1 which1 as    
long as it is not disfigured by any     
destructive accident1 gives a true      
evidence of its hidden essence4  ,some  
products1 like the ,paradise ,lost1     
,thanatopsis1 and ,hamlet1 show such a  
perfect fitness of form to thought that 
every effort to change or modify is     
profanation4 ,the classic form and      
thought go together4 ,as far as         
possible1 therefore1 it is desirable to 
leave these creations in their native   
strength1 and not to mar the work of    
masters4 ,the poet has moulded his      
thought and feeling into these forms and
 transfused them with his own imagery   
and individuality4 ,the power of the    
writer is in his peculiar mingling of   
the poetic elements4 ,our ,english and  

,american classics1 therefore1 should be
 read in their original form as far as  
possible4  ,a fixed form is not always  
necessary4 ,we need many of the stories 
and epics that were written in other    
languages4 ,fortunately some of the     
works of the old poets are capable of   
taking on a new dress4 ,the story of    
,ulysses has been told in verse and     
prose1 in translation1 paraphrase1 and  
simple narrative for children4 ,much1   
indeed of the old beauty and original   
strength of the poem is lost in all     
these renderings2 but the central truths
 which give the poetic work its         
persistent value are still retained4    
,such a poem is like a person2 the      
underlying thought1 though dressed up by
 different persons with varying taste   
and skill1 is yet the same2 the same    
heart beats beneath the kingly robes and
 the peasant's frock4 ,robinson ,crusoe 
has had many renderings1 but remains the
 same old story in spite of variations4 
,the ,bible has been translated into all

 modern tongues1 but it is a classic in 
each4 ,the ,germans claim they have as  
good a ,shakespeare as we4  ,but many of
 the best masterpieces were originally  
written in other languages1 and to be of
 use to us the ancient form of thought  
must be broken4 ,the spirit of the old  
masters must be poured into new moulds4 
,in educating our children we need the  
stories of ,bellerophon1 ,perseus1      
,hercules1 ,rustum1 ,tell1 ,siegfried1  
,virginius1 ,roland1 ,wallace1 ,king    
,arthur4 ,happily some of the best      
modern writers have come to our help4   
,walter ,scott1 ,macaulay1 ,dickens1    
,kingsley1 ,hawthorne1 ,irving1 and     
,arnold have gathered up the old wine   
and poured it into new bottles4 ,they   
have told the old stories in simple     
,anglo-,saxon for the boys and girls of 
our homes and schools4 ,nor are these   
renderings of the old masters lacking in
 that element of fancy and vigor of     
expression which distinguishes fertile  
writers4 ,they have entered freely and  

fondly into the old spirit1 and have    
allowed it to pour itself copiously     
through these modern channels4 ,it takes
 a poet1 in fact1 to modernize an       
ancient story4 ,there are1 indeed1 many 
renderings of the old stories which are 
not ideal1 which1 however1 we sometimes 
use for lack of anything better4  ,from 
the preceding discussion we may conclude
 that a choice piece of literature must 
embody a lasting truth1 reveal the      
permeating glow of an artist's          
imagination1 and find expression in some
 form of beauty4 ,but these elements are
 so mingled and interlaced1 so          
organically grown into one living plant1
 that even the critics have given up the
 effort to dissect and isolate them4    
,there are other strength-conferring    
qualities in good literature which will 
be discussed more fully in those        
chapters which deal with the particular 
literary materials selected for use in  
the schools4  ,among the topics to be   
treated in connection with materials    

which illustrate them1 are the          
following3 the strong handling of       
essential historical ideas in           
literature2 the best novel and drama1 as
 sources and means of culture2 religious
 ideals as embodied in the choicest     
forms of literature2 the powerful       
patriotic and social influence of the   
best writers2 the educative quality of  
the humorous phases of literature2 the  
great writers as models of skill and    
enthusiasm in teaching4  ,in the        
foregoing pages the significance of     
literature among great studies has been 
but briefly and inadequately suggested  
by these few quotations and comments4   
,it would be easy to multiply similar   
testimony from the most competent       
judges4 ,but enough has been said to    
remind teachers of this rich treasure   
house of educative materials4 ,those    
teachers who wish to probe deeper into  
this subject will find that it has been 
handled in a masterly way by some of the
 great essayists and critics4 ,we will  

suggest the following for more elaborate
 study3--  ,ruskin's ,sesame and        
,lilies4 ,the power and charm of        
,ruskin's writing appears in full       
measure in these essays4  ,carlyle's    
,heroes and ,hero ,worship1 especially  
the chapters on ,the ,hero as ,poet1 and
 ,the ,hero as ,man of ,letters4        
,shelley's ,defence of ,poetry 7edited  
by ,cook1 and published by ,ginn  ,co47 
is a literary masterpiece of rare beauty
 and charm4  ,emerson's ,essay on       
,history4  ,george ,willis ,cooke1      
,poets and ,problems 7,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co474 ,the first chapter1   
,the ,poet as ,teacher1 is very         
suggestive1 while the chapters on       
,tennyson1 ,ruskin1 and ,browning are   
fine introductions for those who will   
study the authors themselves4  ,the     
,book ,lover1 ,james ,baldwin 7,mc,clurg
  ,co474  ,charles ,kingsley's ,literary
 and ,general ,essays 7,macmillan       
,co474 ,chapter on ,english ,literature1
 and others4  ,scudder's ,literature in 

,schools 7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co474  
,excellent for teachers4  ,j4 ,c4       
,shairp1 ,on ,poetic ,interpretation of 
,nature 7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co474   
,matthew ,arnold's ,sweetness and       
,light4  ,lowell's ,books and ,libraries
 7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co474  ,edmund 
,clarence ,stedman's ,the ,nature and   
,elements of ,poetry 7,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co474  ,it is not implied   
that even the essays of critics on the  
merits of literature can take the place 
of a study of the works of the best     
writers4     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the ,,use
 ,,of ,,masterpieces ,,as ,,wholes      
,with the increasing tendency to        
consider the literary quality and       
fitness of the reading matter used in   
our schools1 longer poems and stories1  
like ,snow ,bound1 ,rip ,van ,winkle1   
,hiawatha1 ,aladdin1 ,the ,courtship of 
,miles ,standish1 ,the ,great ,stone    
,face1 and even ,lady of the ,lake and  
,julius ,caesar1 are read and studied as
 complete wholes4 ,many of the books now

 used as readers are not collections of 
short selections and extracts1 as       
formerly1 but editions of single poems1 
or kindred groups1 like ,sohrab and     
,rustum1 or the ,arabian ,nights1 or    
,gulliver's ,travels1 or a collection of
 a few complete stories or poems of a   
single author1 as ,hawthorne's ,stories 
of the ,white ,hills1 or ,lowell's      
,vision of ,sir ,launfal1 and other     
poems4 ,even the regular series of      
readers are often made up largely of    
longer poems and prose masterpieces4    
,the significance of this change is the 
deeper regard which is being paid to    
good literature as a strong agency of   
true culture4 ,the real thought and the 
whole thought of the best authors is    
sought for1 presupposing1 of course1    
that they are within the range of the   
children's comprehension4 ,the reading  
books of a generation ago contained     
oftentimes just as choice literary      
materials as now2 but the chief purpose 
of its selection was to give varied     

exercise in oral reading1 not to        
cultivate a taste for good literature by
 furnishing complete poetic and prose   
specimens for full and enthusiastic     
study4 ,the teachers who lay stress on  
elocutionary skill are not quite        
satisfied with this drift toward        
literary study as such4 ,it remains to  
be seen how both aims1 good oral        
rendering and superior literary         
training1 can be secured at the same    
time4  ,at the close of the last chapter
 of this volume we give a carefully     
selected series of the literary         
materials adapted to the different      
grades4 ,this body of selections1 taken 
from a wide range of literature1 will   
constitute a basis for our whole        
treatise4 ,having made plain by our     
previous discussion what we understand  
by the quality of literary masterpieces1
 we will next consider why these poems  
and stories should be read and studied  
as complete wholes1 not by fragments or 
by extracts1 but as whole works of      

literary art4  #a4 ,a stronger interest 
is developed by the study1 for several  
weeks1 of a longer complete masterpiece4
 ,the interest grows as we move into    
such a story or poem as ,sohrab and     
,rustum4 ,a longer and closer           
acquaintance with the characters        
represented produces a stronger personal
 sympathy1 as in the case of ,cordelia  
in ,king ,lear1 or of ,silas ,marner4   
,the time usually spent in school upon  
some classic fragment or selection is   
barely sufficient to start up an        
interest4 ,it does not bring us past the
 threshold of a work of art4 ,we drop it
 just at the point where the momentum of
 interest begins to show itself4 ,think 
of the full story of ,aladdin or ,crusoe
 or ,ulysses4 ,take an extract from     
,lady of the ,lake1 ,rip ,van ,winkle1  
,evangeline4 ,the usual three or four   
pages given in the reader1 even if taken
 from the first part1 would scarcely    
suffice to bring the children into the  
movement of the story2 but oftentimes   

the fragment is extracted from the body 
of the play without preliminary or      
sequence4 ,in reading a novel1 story1 or
 poem1 we do not begin to feel strongly 
this interest till two or three chapters
 are passed4 ,then it begins to deepen1 
the plot thickens1 and a desire springs 
up to follow out the fortune of the     
characters4 ,we become interested in the
 persons1 and our thoughts are busy with
 them in the midst of other employments 
or in leisure moments4 ,the personality 
of the hero takes hold of us as that of 
an intimate friend4 ,such an interest1  
gradually awakened and deepened as we   
move into the comprehension of a work of
 art1 is the open sesame to all the     
riches of an author's storehouse of     
thought4  ,this kind of interest        
presupposes in the children the ability 
to appreciate and enjoy the thought1 and
 even the style1 of the author4         
,interest in this sense is a fundamental
 test of the suitableness of the story  
or poem to lay hold of the inner life of

 the children4 ,in many cases there will
 be difficulties at the outset in       
awakening this genuine form of interest1
 but if the selection is appropriate1   
the preparation and skill of the teacher
 will be equal to its accomplishment4   
,as we get deeper into the study of     
masterpieces1 we shall discover that    
there are stronger and deepening sources
 of a genuine interest4 ,even the       
difficulties and problems which are     
supposed to dampen interest will be     
found1 with proper study1 to be the     
source of a stronger appreciation and   
enthusiasm4 ,the refining and           
strengthening of these interests in     
literature leads on steadily to the     
final goal of study1 a cultivated taste 
and habit of using the best books4  #b4 
,a complete work of a master writer is a
 unit of thought4 ,it is almost as      
complete a whole as a living organism4  
,its parts1 like the branches of a tree1
 have no vitality except in             
communication with the living trunk4 ,in

 the ,vision of ,sir ,launfal1 there is 
a single thought1 like a golden thread1 
running through the poem1 which gives   
unity and perfection to it4 ,the        
separate parts of the poem have very    
great intrinsic beauty and charm1 but   
their deeper and more vital relation is 
to this central thought4 ,the story of  
,the ,great ,stone ,face is the grouping
 of a series of interesting episodes    
along the path of a single developing   
motive in the life of ,ernest4 ,a great 
writer would scarcely waste his time in 
trying to produce a work of art without 
a controlling motive1 collecting his    
thought1 as it were1 around a vacuum4   
,this hub-thought must become the centre
 of all intelligent study4 ,the effort  
to unravel the motive of the author is  
the deeper stimulus of thoughtful work  
by both teacher and pupils4  ,in other  
studies1 like geography1 history1 and   
natural science1 we are gradually       
picking out the important units of      
study1 the centres of thought and       

interest1 the types4 ,this effort to    
escape from the wilderness of jumbled   
and fractional details into the sunlit  
region of controlling ideas1 is a       
substantial sign of progress in the     
teacher's work4 ,in literature these    
units have been already wrought out into
 perfect wholes by first-class thinkers4
  ,in the greatest of all studies1 the  
works of the literary masters1 we have  
the surest models of inspiring thought1 
organized and focussed upon essential   
topics4 ,teachers1 in some cases1 are so
 little accustomed to lift their heads  
above the tall grass and weeds around   
them1 that they are overtaken by        
surprise and bewilderment when called   
upon to take broad and liberal surveys  
of the topography of school studies4    
,it is fortunate that we have1 within   
the fenced boundaries of the commonly   
recognized school course1 these shining 
specimens of organized1 and1 what we    
might call1 intelligent thought4  ,we   
can set the children at work digging for

 the root-thoughts of those who are the 
masters of strong thinking4 ,this       
digging process is not wholly out of    
place with children4 ,their abundant    
energy can be turned to digging if there
 is anything worth digging for4 ,ruskin1
 in ,sesame and ,lilies1 says3--  ,and  
it is just the same with men's best     
wisdom4 ,when you come to a good book1  
you must ask yourself3 ',am ,i inclined 
to work as an ,australian miner would8  
,are my pickaxes and shovels in good    
order1 and am ,i in good trim myself1 my
 sleeves well up to the elbow1 and my   
breath good1 and my temper8' ,and1      
keeping the figure a little longer1 even
 at cost of tiresomeness1 for it is a   
thoroughly useful one1 the metal you are
 in search of1 being the author's mind  
or meaning1 his words are as the rock   
which you have to crush and smelt in    
order to get at it4 ,and your pickaxes  
are your own care1 wit and learning2    
your smelting furnace is your own       
thoughtful soul4 ,do not hope to get at 

any good author's meaning without those 
tools and that fire2 often you will need
 sharpest1 finest chiselling1 and       
patientest fusing1 before you can gather
 one grain of the metal4  ,it is not the
 dreamy1 hammock-soothing1 vacation     
idling with pleasant stories that we are
 now considering4 ,this happy lotus-land
 has also its fitting season1 in the    
sultry heats of summer1 when tired      
people put their minds out to grass4    
,any study will grow dull and sleepy    
that lacks energy4  ,teachers who shrink
 back with anxiety lest works such as   
,irving's ,sketch ,book1 ,evangeline1   
,merchant of ,venice1 and ,marmion1 are 
too hard for children in sixth1 seventh1
 and eighth grades1 should consider for 
a moment what classical preparatory     
schools for centuries have required of  
boys from ten to twelve years of age1   
the study of ,caesar1 ,eutropius1 and   
,virgil1 of ,herodotus and ,xenophon1 in
 unknown languages extremely difficult  
to master4 ,yet it has been claimed for 

ages1 by the best scholars1 that this   
was the true strength-producing         
discipline for boys4 ,it would hardly be
 extravagant to say that the            
masterpieces of literature now used1 in 
our intermediate and grammar grades1 are
 not a quarter so difficult and four    
times as appropriate and interesting as 
the ,latin and ,greek authors just      
cited4 ,it seems obvious that we are    
summoned to a more energetic study and  
treatment of our masterpieces4  ,this   
struggle to get at the deeper           
undercurrent of thought in an author is 
the true stimulus and discipline of such
 studies4  ,a great author approaches   
his deeper thought step by step4 ,he has
 many side-lights1 variety of episode   
and preliminary4 ,he provides for the   
proper scenery and setting for his      
thought4 ,he does not bring us at once1 
point blank1 upon his hero or upon the  
hero's fate4 ,there is great variety of 
inference and suggestion in the         
preparation and grouping of the artist's

 work4 ,as in climbing some mountain    
peak1 we wind through canon1 along      
rugged hillsides and spurs1 only now and
 then catching a glimpse of the towering
 object of our climb1 reaching1 after   
many a devious and toilsome march1 the  
rugged backbone of the giant2 so the    
poet carries us along many a winding    
road1 through byways and thickets1 over 
hill and plain1 before he brings us into
 full view of the main object of search4
 ,but after awhile we do stand face to  
face with a real character1 and are     
conscious of the framework upon which it
 is built4 ,king ,saul has run his      
course and is about to reap the reward  
of his doings1 to lie down in the bed   
which he has prepared4 ,we see the      
author's deeper plan1 and realize that  
his characters act along the line of the
 silent but invincible laws of social   
life and conduct4 ,these deep           
significant truths of human experience  
do not lie upon the surface4 ,if we are 
really to get a deep insight into human 

character1 as portrayed by the masters1 
we must not be in haste4 ,we should be  
willing to follow our guide patiently   
and await results4  ,a complete         
masterpiece1 studied as a whole1 reveals
 the author's power4 ,it gives some     
adequate perception of his style and    
compass4 ,a play1 a poem1 a novel1 a    
biography1 is a unit4 ,no single part   
can give a satisfactory idea of the     
whole4 ,a single scene from ,crusoe or  
from the ,merchant of ,venice does not  
give us the author's meaning4 ,an       
extract from one of ,burke's speeches   
supplies no adequate notion of his      
statesmanlike grasp of thought4 ,to get 
some impression of what ,daniel ,webster
 was we must read a whole speech4 ,a    
literary product is like a masterpiece  
of architecture4 ,the whole must stand  
out in the due proportion of its parts  
to reveal the master's thought4    ,walk
 about ,zion1 and go round about her3   
,tell the towers thereof4   ,mark ye    
well her bulwarks1 consider her palaces2

   ,that ye may tell it to the          
generations following4  ,to have read   
through with care and thoughtful        
appreciation a single literary          
masterpiece and to have felt the full   
measure of a master's power1 is a rare  
and lasting stroke of culture4 ,as      
children move up through the grades they
 may receive the strong and abiding     
impress of the masters of style4 ,let it
 come to them in its undiminished       
strength4 ,to feel the powerful tonic   
effect of the best stories and poems    
suited to their age will give them such 
an appreciation of what is genuine and  
good in literature1 that frivolous and  
trashy reading is measured at its true  
value4  ,the fragments and extracts with
 which our higher readers are filled are
 not without power and influence upon   
culture4 ,they have given many children 
their first taste of the beauty and     
strength of literature4 ,but it is a    
great mistake to tear these gems of     
thought from their setting in literature

 and life1 and to jam them into the     
close and crowded quarters of a         
text-book4 ,why satisfy ourselves with  
crumbs and fragments when a full rich   
feast may be had for the asking8  ,in   
some cases it is said that the reading  
of fragments of large poems or plays has
 excited curiosity and led to the       
reading of the larger wholes4 ,this is  
doubtless true1 but in the greater      
number of cases we are inclined to think
 the habit of being satisfied with      
fragments has checked the formation of  
any appreciation of literary wholes4    
,this tendency to be satisfied with     
piecemeal performances illustrates      
painfully the shallowness and           
incoherency of much of our educational  
work4 ,if teachers cannot think beyond a
 broken page of ,shakespeare1 why should
 children burden themselves with the    
labor of thought8 ,charles ,kingsley1 in
 his essay on ,english literature1      
says3--  ,but ,i must plead for whole   
works4 ',extracts' and ',select         

,beauties' are about as practical as the
 worthy in the old story1 who1 wishing  
to sell his house1 brought one of the   
bricks to market as a specimen4 ,it is  
equally unfair on the author and on the 
pupil2 for it is impossible to show the 
merits or demerits of a work of art1    
even to explain the truth or falsehood  
of any particular passage1 except by    
viewing the book as an organic whole4   
,what would the authors themselves say  
upon seeing their work thus mutilated8  
,there is even a touch of the farcical  
in the effort to read naturally and     
forcibly and discuss intelligently a    
fragment like ,antony's speech over     
,caesar4  #c4 ,the moral effect of a    
complete masterpiece is deeper and more 
permanent4 ,not only do we see a person 
acting in more situations1 revealing    
thus his motives and hidden springs of  
action1 but the thread of his thought   
and life is unravelled in a steady      
sequence4 ,later acts are seen as the   
result of former tendencies4 ,the silent

 reign of moral law in human actions is 
discovered4 ,slowly but surely conduct  
works out its own reward along the line 
of these deeper principles of action4   
,even in the books read in the early    
grades these profound lessons of life   
come out clear and strong4 ,robinson    
,crusoe1 ,theseus1 ,siegfried1          
,hiawatha1 ,beauty and the ,beast1      
,jason1 ,king ,arthur1 and ,ulysses are 
not holiday guests4 ,they are face to   
face with the serious problems of life4 
,each person is seen in the present     
make-up and tendency of his character4  
,when the eventual wind-up comes1 be it 
a collapse or an ascension1 we see how  
surely and fatally such results spring  
from such motives and tendencies4       
,washington is found to be the first in 
the hearts of his countrymen2 ,arnold is
 execrated2 ,king ,lear moves on blindly
 to the reward which his own folly has  
prearranged2 ,macbeth entangles himself 
in a network of fatal errors2 ,adam     
,bede emerges from the bitter ordeal of 

disappointment with his manly qualities 
subdued but stronger4 ,give the novelist
 or poet time and opportunity1 and he is
 the true interpreter of conduct and    
destiny4 ,he reveals in real and yet    
ideal characters the working out in life
 of the fundamental principles of moral 
action4  #d4 ,a classic work is often a 
picture of an age1 a panoramic survey of
 an historical epoch4 ,scott's ,marmion 
is such a graphic and dramatic portrayal
 of feudalism in ,scotland4 ,the castle 
with its lord1 attendants1 and          
household1 the steep frowning walls and 
turrets1 the moat1 drawbridge1 and      
dungeon1 the chapel1 halls1 and         
feastings1 the knight clad in armor1 on 
horseback with squire and troop1--these 
are the details of the first picture4   
,the cloister and nuns1 with their      
sequestered habits and dress1 their     
devotion and masses1 supply the other   
characteristic picture of that age1 with
 ,rome in the background4 ,the court    
scene and ball in ,king ,james's palace1

 before the day of ,flodden1 the view of
 ,scotland's army from the mountain     
side1 with the motley hordes from       
highland and lowland and neighboring    
isles1 and lastly1 the battle of        
,flodden itself1 where wisdom is weighed
 and valor put to the final test1--all  
these are but the parts of a            
well-adjusted picture of life in feudal 
times on the ,scottish border4 ,there is
 incidental to the narrative much vivid 
description of ,scotch scenery and      
geography1 of mountain or valley1 of    
frowning castle or rocky coast1 much of 
,scotch tradition1 custom1 superstition1
 and clannishness4 ,the scenes in       
cloister and dungeon and on the         
battle-field are more intensely real    
than historical narratives can be4      
,while not strict history1 this is truer
 than history because it brings us      
closer to the spirit of that time4      
,marmion and ,douglas stand out more    
clear and lifelike than the men of      
history4  ,although feudalism underwent 

constant changes and modifications in   
every country of ,europe1 it is still   
true that ,marmion is a type of feudal  
conditions1 not only in ,scotland1 but  
in other parts of ,europe1 and a full   
perception of ,scott's poem will make   
one at home in any part of ,european    
history during feudal times4 ,as a      
historical picture of life1 it is a key 
to the spirit and animating ideas that  
swayed the ,western nations during      
several centuries4 ,it is fiction1 not  
history1 in the usual sense1 and yet it 
gives a more real and vivid             
consciousness of the forces at work in  
that age than history proper4  ,while   
the plot of the story covers a narrow   
field1 only a few days of time and a    
small area of country1 its roots go deep
 into the whole social1 religious1 and  
political fabric of that time4 ,it      
touches real history at a critical point
 in the relations between ,england and  
,scotland4 ,it is stirred also by the   
spirit of the ,scotch bard and of       

minstrelsy4 ,it shows what a hold ,rome 
had in those days1 even in the highlands
 of ,scotland4 ,it is full of ,scotch   
scenery and geography4 ,it rings with   
the clarion of war and of battle4 ,it   
reveals the contempt in which letters   
were held even by the most powerful     
nobles4 ,oxen are described as drawing  
cannon upon the field of ,flodden1 and  
in time these guns broke down the walls 
of feudalism4 ,as a historical picture  
,marmion is many-sided1 and the roots of
 the story reach out through the whole  
fabric of society1 showing how all the  
parts cohere4 ,such a piece of          
historical literature may serve as a    
centre around which to gather much and  
varied information through other school 
and home readings4 ,children may find   
time to read ,ivanhoe1 ,the ,crusades1  
,roland1 ,don ,quixote1 ,the ,golden    
,legend1 ,macbeth1 ,goetz von           
,berlichingen1 etc4 ,they will have a   
nucleus upon which to gather many       
related facts and ideas4 ,it should also

 be brought into proper connection with 
the regular lessons in history and      
geography4 ,history reveals itself to   
the poet in these wonderfully vivid and 
lifelike types4 ,in many of these       
historical poems1 as ,william ,tell1    
,evangeline1 ,crusoe1 ,the ,nibelung    
,song1 ,miles ,standish1 the ,odyssey1  
,sohrab and ,rustum1 some hero stands in
 the centre of the narrative1 and can be
 understood as a representative figure  
of his times only as the whole series of
 events in his life is unrolled4  ,where
 the study of larger literary wholes has
 been taken up in good faith1 it has    
brought a rich blessing of intelligent  
enthusiasm4 ,even in primary schools1   
where literary wholes like ,hiawatha1   
,robinson ,crusoe1 and the ,golden      
,touch are handled with a view to       
exploit their whole content1 there has  
been a remarkable enrichment of the     
whole life of the children4 ,such a     
treatment has gone so deep into the     
problems and struggling conditions of   

life delineated1 that the children have 
become occupied with the tent-making1   
boat-building1 spinning1 and various    
constructions incident to the           
development of the story4  #e4 ,if it is
 true1 as clearly expressed by strong   
thinkers in the most various fields of  
deeper investigation1 that many of the  
chief literary products that have come  
down to us from former ages are the only
 means by which we can be brought into  
vital touch and sympathy with the spirit
 and motives then ruling among men2 if  
it is equally true that children will   
not grow up to the proper appreciation  
and interpretation of our present life1 
except as they have experienced1 in     
thought and interest at least1 the chief
 struggles and motives of our           
fathers1--we may find in these historic 
and literary materials the deep and     
living springs of true education for    
children4  ,the thought of the educative
 power of this ancestral literature has 
been forcibly expressed by many eminent 

writers4  ,scudder1 in ,literature in   
,school1 says3--  ,there is the element 
of continuity4 ,in the ,roman household 
there stood the cinerary urns which held
 the ashes of the ancestors of the      
family4 ,do you think the young ever    
forgot the unbroken line of descent by  
which they climbed to the heroic        
founders of the state8 ,in the ,jewish  
family the child was taught to think and
 speak of the ,god of ,abraham1 and of  
,isaac1 and of ,jacob4 ,in that great   
succession he heard a voice which told  
him his nation was not of a day4 ,it is 
the business of the old to transmit to  
the young the great traditions of the   
past of the country2 to feed anew the   
undying flame of patriotism4  ,it is    
this concentration in poetry and the    
more lofty prose which gives to literary
 art its preciousness as a symbol of    
human endeavor1 and renders it the one  
essential and most serviceable means for
 keeping alive the smouldering coals of 
patriotism4 ,it is the torch passed from

 one hand to another1 signaling hope and
 warning2 and the one place above all   
others where its light should be kindled
 is where the young meet together1 in   
those ,american temples which the people
 have built in every town and village in
 the country4  ,mabie1 in ,books and    
,culture 7pp4 #hh1 #hi-aac71 says3--    
,now1 it is upon this imperishable food 
which the past has stored up through the
 genius of great artists that later     
generations feed and nourish themselves4
 ,it is through intimate contact with   
these fundamental conceptions1 worked   
out with such infinite pain and         
patience1 that the individual experience
 is broadened to include the experience 
of the race4  ,the student of           
literature1 therefore1 finds in its     
noblest works not only the ultimate     
results of race experience and the      
characteristic quality of race genius1  
but the highest activity of the greatest
 minds in their happiest and most       
expansive moments4 ,in this commingling 

of the best that is in the race and the 
best that is in the individual1 lies the
 mystery of that double revelation which
 makes every work of art a disclosure1  
not only of the nature of the man behind
 it1 but of all men behind him4 ,in this
 commingling1 too1 is preserved the most
 precious deposit of what the race has  
been and done1 and of what the man has  
seen1 felt1 and known4 ,in the nature of
 things no educational material can be  
richer1 none so fundamentally expansive 
and illuminative4  ,emerson1 in his     
,essay on ,history1 says3--  ,the       
advancing man discovers how deep a      
property he has in literature1--in all  
fable as well as in all history4 ,he    
finds that the poet was no odd fellow   
who described strange and impossible    
situations1 but that universal man wrote
 by his pen a confession true for one   
and true for all4 ,his own secret       
biography he finds in lines wonderfully 
intelligible to him1 dotted down before 
he was born4 ,one after another he comes

 up in his private adventures with every
 fable of ,a,esop1 of ,homer1 of ,hafiz1
 of ,ariosto1 of ,chaucer1 of ,scott1   
and verifies them with his own head and 
hands4  ,the beautiful fables of the    
,greeks1 being proper creations of the  
imagination and not of the fancy1 are   
universal verities4 ,what a range of    
meanings and what perpetual pertinence  
has the story of ,prometheus6 ,besides  
its primary value as the first chapter  
of the history of ,europe 7the mythology
 thinly veiling authentic facts1 the    
invention of the mechanic arts and the  
migration of colonies71 it gives the    
history of religion with some closeness 
to the faith of later ages4  ,thus in   
all ways does the soul concentrate and  
reproduce its treasures for each pupil4 
,he1 too1 shall pass through the whole  
cycle of experience4 ,he shall collect  
into a focus the rays of nature4        
,history no longer shall be a dull book4
 ,it shall walk incarnate in every just 
and wise man4 ,you shall not tell me by 

languages and titles a catalogue of the 
volumes you have read4 ,you shall make  
me feel what periods you have lived4 ,a 
man shall be the ,temple of ,fame4 ,he  
shall walk1 as the poets have described 
that goddess1 in a robe painted all over
 with wonderful events and experiences2 
his own form and features by their      
exalted intelligence shall be that      
variegated vest4 ,i shall find in him   
the ,foreworld2 in his childhood the    
,age of ,gold2 the ,apples of           
,knowledge2 the ,argonautic ,expedition2
 the calling of ,abraham2 the building  
of the ,temple2 the ,advent of ,christ2 
,dark ,ages2 the ,revival of ,letters2  
the ,reformation2 the discovery of new  
lands2 the opening of new sciences1 and 
new regions in man4  #f4 ,it is not     
intended to limit the reading of the    
schools to the longer classics1 such as 
,snow-,bound1 ,the ,vision of ,sir      
,launfal1 and ,webster's ,bunker ,hill  
speech1 etc4 ,there are also many       
shorter poems and stories1 ballads1 and 

myths1 that are equally good and stand  
out as strong1 complete expressions of  
thought such as ,tennyson's ,brook1     
,longfellow's ,village ,blacksmith1     
,whittier's ,barefoot ,boy1 and many    
others4 ,these shorter pieces should be 
interspersed among the longer1 and      
freely used to give greater variety and 
zest to reading exercises4 ,many of the 
finest literary products of the language
 are found in these shorter poems and   
stories4 ,they also should be studied   
for the beauty and unity of thought     
contained in each4  #g4 ,but the        
sustained power gained from the full and
 rich study of longer classics is the   
best fruitage of the reading work4      
,every term of school should lead the   
children into the full appreciation of  
one or more of these masterly works4    
,the value of such study is well        
expressed by ,scudder in his ,literature
 in ,schools 7pp4 #ed-ef73--  ,the real 
point of practical reform1 however1 is  
not in the preference of ,american      

authors to ,english1 but in the careful 
concentration of the minds of boys and  
girls upon standard ,american           
literature1 in opposition to a          
dissipation over a desultory and        
mechanical acquaintance with scraps from
 a variety of sources1 good1 bad1 and   
indifferent4 ,in my paper on ',nursery  
,classics in ,school1' ,i argued that   
there is a true economy in substituting 
the great books of that portion of the  
world's literature which represents the 
childhood of the world's mind for the   
thin1 quickly forgotten1 feeble         
imaginations of insignificant           
bookmakers4 ,there is an equally noble  
economy in engaging the child's mind1   
when it is passing out of an immature   
state into one of rational1 intelligent 
appropriation of literature1 upon such  
carefully chosen classic work as shall  
invigorate and deepen it4 ,there is     
plenty of vagrancy in reading2 the      
public libraries and cheap papers are   
abundantly able to satisfy the truant3  

but it ought to be recognized once for  
all that the schools are to train the   
mind into appreciation of literature1   
not to amuse it with idle diversion2 to 
this end1 the simplest and most direct  
method is to place before boys and girls
 for their regular task in reading1 not 
scraps from this and that author1 duly  
paragraphed and numbered1 but a wisely  
selected series of works by men whom    
their country honors1 and who have made 
their country worth living in4  ,the    
continuous reading of a classic is in   
itself a liberal education2 the         
fragmentary reading of commonplace      
lessons in minor morals1 such as make up
 much of our reading-books1 is a pitiful
 waste of growing mental powers4 ,even  
were our reading-books composed of      
choice selections from the highest      
literature1 they would still miss the   
very great advantage which follows upon 
the steady growth of acquaintance with a
 sustained piece of literary art4 ,i do 
not insist1 of course1 that             

',evangeline' should be read at one     
session of the school1 though it would  
be exceedingly helpful in training the  
powers of the mind if1 after this poem  
had been read day by day for a few      
weeks1 it were to be taken up first in  
its separate thirds1 and then in an     
entire reading4 ,what ,i claim is that  
the boy or girl who has read            
',evangeline' through steadily has      
acquired a certain power in             
appropriating literature which is not to
 be had by reading a collection of minor
 poems1--the power of long-sustained    
attention and interest4  #h4 ,the study 
of literary wholes1 whether longer or   
shorter1 in the common school is based  
upon the notion that the full1 rich     
thought of the author is the absorbing  
purpose of our effort4 ,literature is a 
reservoir of mental refinement and      
riches1 for the gaining of which we can 
afford to sacrifice many things and make
 many even good things subordinate4 ,the
 words of the wise man in recommending  

wisdom to the sons of men are not       
inappropriate3 ,hear2 for ,i will speak 
of excellent things and the opening of  
my lips shall be right things1 and      
wickedness is an abomination to my lips4
 ,receive my instruction and not silver2
 and knowledge rather than choice gold4 
,for wisdom is better than rubies2 and  
all the things that may be desired are  
not to be compared to it4  ,to get at   
the wisdom of the best thinkers of the  
world1 so far as it is accessible to    
children1 is the straightforward aim of 
such study4 ,the teachers of reading1 if
 they but realized it1 are the guardians
 of a temple more beautiful than the    
,parthenon in the days of ,pericles1    
more impressive than the sacred towers  
and porticos at ,jerusalem2 they are the
 custodians of a treasure far more rich 
and lasting than that in any palace of a
 king4 ,such comparisons1 indeed1 are   
almost belittling to the dignity of our 
subject4 ,how noble and vast is the     
temple of literature6 ,what single mind 

can grasp its proportions or the        
boundless beauty of its decorations8    
,moreover1 it is a living temple1 ever  
springing up afresh1 in all its pristine
 strength and beauty1 whereever minds   
are found reverent1 studious1 and       
thoughtful4  #i4 ,the old proverb       
suggests that we beware of the man of   
one book1 and is significant of a strong
 practical truth4 ,our modern life      
demands a somewhat broader basis of     
operations than one book can furnish4   
,but a few of the great books1 well     
mastered1 give the main elements of     
strength4  ,mabie has a short chapter on
 the ,books of ,life which include the  
original1 creative1 first-hand books in 
all literatures1 and constitute in the  
last analysis a comparatively small     
group1 with which any student can       
thoroughly familiarize himself4 ,the    
literary impulse of the race has        
expressed itself in a great variety of  
works of varying charm and power1 but   
the books which are fountain-heads of   

vitality1 ideas1 and beauty are few in  
number4  ,the effect upon the teacher of
 the study of a few of the ,books of    
,life is deserving of emphasis4 ,first1 
by limiting the choice to a few things1 
teachers are able1 without burdening    
themselves1 to penetrate into the deeper
 thought and meaning of standard works  
which are good specimens and criteria of
 all superior literature4 ,teachers are 
enabled thus to become1 in a limited    
way1 real students of literature4 ,it   
has been observed1 not seldom1 that     
teachers of usual capacity1 when turned 
into a single rich field like that of   
,hiawatha or the ,merchant of ,venice or
 ,the ,lays of ,ancient ,rome or the    
,lady of the ,lake1 receive an awakening
 which means much for their general     
culture and teaching power4 ,the        
scattering of the attention over        
miscellaneous selections and fragments  
can hardly produce this awakening4      
,certain difficulties are incident to   
the reading of longer works as wholes   

which it is well to recognize4  #a4     
,there is no such nice grading of verbal
 and language difficulties as has been  
wrought out in some of the standard     
readers4 ,on this point ,scudder says   
7p4 #da of ,literature in ,schools73--  
,the drawback to the use of these       
nursery classics in the schoolroom      
undoubtedly has been in the absence of  
versions which are intelligible to      
children of the proper age1 reading by  
themselves4 ,the makers of the graded   
reading-books have expended all their   
ingenuity in grading the ascent4 ,they  
have been so concerned about the gradual
 enlargement of their vocabularies that 
they have paid slight attention to the  
ideas which the words were intended to  
convey4 ,but just this gradation may be 
secured through the use of these        
stories1 and it only needs that they    
should be written out in a form as      
simple1 especially as regards the order 
of words1 as that which obtains in the  
reading-books of equivalent grade4  ,but

 in the longer classics for more        
advanced grades there can be no such    
adaptation1 and the author's form should
 be retained4 ,the authors of ,rip ,van 
,winkle or ,snow-,bound or ,horatius at 
the ,bridge were not trying to phrase   
their thought to meet the needs of      
children1 but wrote as the spirit moved 
them4 ,the greater vigor and intensity  
of the author's style will make up1     
however1 in large part1 for this defect 
in easy grading4 ,children are not so   
much afraid of big or new words1 if     
there is attractiveness and power of    
thought4 ,the larger richness and       
variety of language in a fruitful author
 is a positive advantage as compared    
with the leanness and dulness of many a 
smoothly graded reading lesson4  #b4 ,it
 is claimed that there is1 in some      
masterpieces1 like ,evangeline or one of
 ,webster's speeches1 a monotony and    
tiresome sameness which grows burdensome
 to pupils ere the conclusion is        
reached4 ,at least there is much less   

variety in style and thought than in an 
equal number of pages in the usual      
reader4  ,in some cases there is good   
ground for this criticism4 ,it may be a 
defect in the writer's style1 or in not 
finding a suitable selection for the    
class4 ,in some cases it is due to lack 
of power in the teacher to bring the    
children properly into close contact    
with the author's thought4  ,but dulness
 and apathy are often found in reading  
short selections as well as in longer   
ones4 ,generally speaking1 longer pieces
 are apt to kindle a deeper and stronger
 interest4 ,many of the longer          
selections have also great variety of   
rhetorical style4 ,dickens's ,christmas 
,carol is employed in one of the drill  
books in reading to illustrate all      
phases of voice and tone4  #c4 ,it is   
not an unusual experience to find that a
 longer story or poem seems too hard for
 a class1 and it may be impossible to   
interest them because of verbal or      
thought difficulties4 ,but the teacher  

should not give up the struggle at once4
 ,often1 in a new author1 difficulties  
that seem at first insurmountable give  
way before vigorous effort1 and a lively
 interest is awakened4 ,this has been   
noticed in ,macaulay's ,lays of ,ancient
 ,rome1 in ,irving's ,rip ,van ,winkle1 
in ,scott's ,lady of the ,lake1 also in 
,webster's ,speech in reply to ,hayne4  
,the teacher should not depend wholly   
upon the author's making himself        
intelligible and interesting to the     
children4 ,his own enthusiasm1 clear    
grasp of thought1 suggestive assignment 
of lesson1 and skill in comment and     
question should awaken insight and      
attention4 ,it is advisable at times to 
pass by specially difficult passages1 or
 leave them for later special study4    
#d4 ,in some schools it is not possible 
to secure books containing the complete 
classics4 ,but even the regular readers 
often contain complete poems and        
stories1 and several of the large       
companies are publishing many of the    

complete masterpieces in good print and 
binding1 no more expensive than the     
regular readers4  #e4 ,the greatest     
difficulty1 after all1 is the lack of   
experience of many teachers with the    
longer classics4 ,in many cases their   
inability to select what would suit     
their classes is a hindrance4 ,but the  
experience of many teachers with these  
materials is rapidly settling the       
question as to the place and importance 
of the leading masterpieces as well as  
of many shorter selections4             
,,chapter ,,iii  ,,literary ,,materials 
,,for ,,the ,,five ,,upper ,,grades     
,there is great abundance and variety of
 choice reading matter suitable for the 
grades from the fourth to the eighth    
inclusive4 ,the best sets of            
reading-books have drawn from this rich 
material1 but no series of readers can  
compass adequately the field4 ,some of  
the longer classical stories and poems  
have been incorporated into readers1 but
 a single set of readers cannot be made 

large enough to contain a quarter of the
 valuable reading matter which should be
 furnished in these grades4 ,the large  
publishing houses now supply1 at        
moderate expense1 in small and          
convenient book form1 a great variety of
 the very best complete masterpieces4   
,in order to show more clearly the      
richness and variety of this material1  
we will discuss briefly the principal   
kinds of reading matter which are       
distributed through these five grades4  
,we assume that during the first three  
years of school life children have      
learned how to read1 having mastered the
 forms and symbols of printed language4 
,at the beginning of the fourth grade1  
therefore1 they are prepared to read    
some of those choice literary products  
which constitute a part of the permanent
 literature of the world4 ,after having 
collected and arranged these products1  
we find that they fall into several     
distinctly marked classes4  #a4 ,the    
,myths4  ,these include such stories as 

,hawthorne's ,wonder ,book and          
,tanglewood ,tales1 ,peabody's ,old     
,greek ,folk ,stories1 ,kingsley's      
,greek ,heroes1 ,the ,story of ,ulysses1
 ,bryant's translation of the ,iliad and
 ,odyssey1 ,pope's ,homer1 and many     
other prose and poetic renderings of the
 ,greek myths4  ,another group of myths 
include ,mabie's ,norse ,stories1       
,heroes of ,asgard1 ,siegfried1 ,myths  
of ,northern ,lands1 ,skinner's         
,readings in ,folk ,lore1 and many forms
 of the ,norse myths4 ,the story of     
,hiawatha belongs also to this group1   
while some of the earlier ,english and  
,roman myths belong to the same class4  
,the choicest of these mythical stories 
are distributed as reading matter       
through the fourth and fifth grades4    
,they constitute a large share of the   
most famous literature of the great     
civilized nations4 ,it is worth while to
 name over the virtues of these stories 
and poems4  ,they have sprung directly  
out of the people's life1 they are race 

products1 worked over from age to age by
 poetic spirits1 and finally gathered   
into enduring form by a ,homer1 ,virgil1
 or ,spenser4 ,the best of our later    
poets and prose masters have employed   
their finest skill in rendering them    
into simple and poetic ,english1 as     
,bryant1 ,kingsley1 ,longfellow1 ,pope1 
,hawthorne1 ,palmer1 ,tennyson1 ,church1
 and many more4  ,they are the best     
descriptions we have of the customs1    
ideas1 and dress1 the homes1 habits1 and
 motives1 of the ancestral races4 ,many 
other sources1 as temples1 ruins1 tombs1
 coins1 etc41 help to explain this early
 history2 but this literature calls it  
again into life and puts meaning into   
all other sources of knowledge4  ,the   
influence which this early literature   
has had upon later historical growth of 
the great races is overwhelming1 and is 
plain to the eyes of even unscholarly   
persons4 ,the root from which the       
marvellous tree of ,greek civilization  
grew is seen in ,homer's poems4  ,in    

these myths we find those commanding    
characters which typify the strength and
 virtues of the race1 as ,achilles1     
,ulysses1 ,siegfried1 ,penelope1 ,thor1 
,apollo1 ,theseus1 ,hiawatha1 ,orpheus1 
,diana1 ,vulcan1 ,prometheus1 and the   
,muses4  ,a close acquaintance with     
these creative ideas of the early world 
is necessary to an understanding of all 
subsequent life and literature4 ,and it 
is not merely the names of ,greek       
divinities and definitions of their     
character and qualities which put       
meaning into the numberless allusions of
 modern writers4 ,one reason why many   
modern thinkers smile at the triteness  
and childishness of ,greek fable is1    
that they have not caught the spirit and
 meaning of the ,greek story4 ,the great
 masters of thought1 like ,goethe1      
,shakespeare1 ,emerson1 ,tennyson1 and  
,bryant1 have seen deeper4  ,it is1     
moreover1 in childhood1 during the early
 school years especially1 that we may   
best appreciate and enjoy these poetic  

creations of an early world4 ,it is     
hardly to be expected that people whose 
youth has been clamped into the mould of
 commonplace and sensuous facts1 and    
whose later years have been crusted over
 with modern materialism and            
commercialism1 should listen with any   
patience to ,orpheus and the ,muses1 or 
even to the wood notes of ,pan4  ,we    
hardly need to dwell upon the idea that 
the old heroic myths are the delight of 
boys and girls1 and that this sympathy  
for the myth is the foundation of its   
educative power4 ,nor is it the purpose 
of the school to warp the minds of      
children into this one channel of       
growth4 ,the historical and scientific  
studies run parallel with the myth1 and 
give strength for realities4  ,it is not
 difficult to see that music1 the drama1
 and the fine arts spring from these old
 myths as from their chief source4 ,they
 furnish motive to many of the greatest 
works of dramatist1 composer1 painter1  
and sculptor1 in all the ages since4    

,a,eschylus and the ,greek dramatists1  
,goethe and ,wagner1 ,fenelon and       
,shakespeare1 drew abundantly from these
 sources4  ,a few of the striking       
characters of this great age of heroic  
myths should be treated with such       
fulness as to stand out clearly to the  
children and appeal to the heart as well
 as to the head4 ,ulysses and ,siegfried
 stand in the centre of two of the chief
 stories1 and exemplify great qualities 
of character1 strength1 wisdom1 and     
nobleness of mind4  ,in the third grade 
the children have had an oral           
introduction to some of the old stories1
 and have had a spirited entrance to    
,mythland4 ,this oral treatment of the  
stories is a fitting and necessary      
prelude to the reading work of the      
fourth and fifth grades4 ,it is more    
fully discussed1 together with the art  
of the story-teller1 in ,the ,special   
,method in ,primary ,reading and ,story4
  ,closely related to the myths1 and    
kindred in spirit1 are such choice      

reading materials as ,the ,arabian      
,nights1 ,king of the ,golden ,river1   
,stockton's ,fanciful ,tales1 ,the ,pied
 ,piper1 and a number of shorter poems  
and stories found in the collections    
recommended for fourth and fifth grades4
 ,some of ,hawthorne's and ,irving's    
stories belong also to this group4  #b4 
,ballads and ,traditional ,stories4  ,a 
somewhat distinct group of the best     
reading for fourth and fifth grades is  
found in the historical ballads and     
national legends from the early history 
of ,england1 ,germany1 ,italy1 and      
,france4 ,they include such selections  
as ,sir ,patrick ,spens1 ,the ,ballads  
of ,robin ,hood1 ,horatius1             
,bannock-burn1 ,the ,heart of the       
,bruce1 ,the ,story of ,regulus1 of     
,cincinnatus1 ,alfred the ,harper1 and  
many more4 ,in the list of books        
recommended for children's reading are  
several ballad books1 ,macaulay's ,lays 
of ,ancient ,rome1 ,the ,book of ,golden
 ,deeds1 ,tales from ,english ,history1 

and several others1 with great variety  
of poem and story4 ,many of these       
selections are short and spirited and   
well suited to awaken the strongest     
enthusiasm of children4 ,they are       
sometimes in dialogue form1 both in     
prose and verse1 have strong dramatic   
action1 and are thus helpful in variety 
and force of expression4 ,there is also 
much early history and national spirit  
involved4 ,the old historical ballads   
and traditions have great educative     
value4 ,they are simple1 crude1 and     
powerful1 and awaken the spirit to      
receive the message of heroism4 ,in her 
introduction to the ,ballad ,book1      
,katharine ,lee ,bates says1 ,for these 
primitive folk-songs1 which have done so
 much to educate the poetic sense in the
 fine peasantry of ,scotland--that      
peasantry which has produced an         
,ayreshire ,ploughman and an ,ettric    
,shepherd--are assuredly1    ',thanks to
 the human heart by which it lives1'    
among the best educators that can be    

brought into our schoolrooms4  ,the     
,lays of ,ancient ,rome1 the ,ballads1  
and the ,tales from ,english ,history   
belong to the heroic series4 ,though far
 separated in time and place1 they      
breathe the same spirit of personal     
energy1 self-sacrifice1 and love of     
country4 ,they reveal manly resistance  
to cruelty and tyranny4 ,we may begin   
this series with a term's work upon     
,macaulay's ,lays and a few other choice
 stories in prose and verse4 ,thereafter
 we may insert other ballads1 where     
needed1 in connection with history1 and 
in amplification of longer stories or   
masterpieces like ,scott's ,tales of a  
,grandfather1 and ,marmion4 ,in the     
fifth grade1 children are of an age when
 these stories of heroism in olden days 
strike a responsive chord4 ,they delight
 in such tales1 memorize them1 and enter
 into the full energy of their spirited 
reproduction4 ,the main purpose at first
 is to appreciate their thought as an   
expression of history1 tradition1 and   

national life4 ,a complete and absorbing
 study of a single series of these      
ballads1 as of ,macaulay's1 supplies    
also an excellent standard of comparison
 for other more or less similar episodes
 in the history of ,switzerland1        
,greece1 ,england1 and ,america4  ,these
 historical legends merge almost        
imperceptibly into the historical tales 
of early ,english1 ,roman1 and ,french  
or ,german history4 ,the patriarchal    
stories of the ,old ,testament furnish  
the finest of early history stories and 
should be included in these materials4  
,the ,old ,stories of the ,east1 and    
,old ,testament ,stories in ,scripture  
,language are among the best4  #c4      
,stories of ,chivalry4  ,tales of       
chivalry1 beginning with ,arthur and his
 ,round ,table ,knights1 ,roland and    
,oliver1 and other mediaeval tales1 have
 a great attraction for poets and       
children4 ,such books are included in   
our lists as ,the ,court of ,king       
,arthur1 the ,story of ,roland1 ,tales  

of ,chivalry1 ,the ,boys' ,king ,arthur1
 the ,age of ,chivalry1 and ,the ,coming
 of ,arthur and ,passing of ,arthur4    
,there are also many shorter poems      
touching this spirit of chivalry in the 
,ballad literature4 ,the character and  
spirit of ,king ,arthur as revealed in  
the matchless music of ,tennyson should 
find its way to the hearts of children  
before they leave the school4 ,like ,sir
 ,galahad1 he could say1    ,my strength
 is as the strength of ten   ,because my
 heart is pure4  #d4 ,historical        
,stories and ,poems4  ,in the fifth and 
sixth grades children should begin to   
read some of the best biographical and  
historical stories of ,america and of   
,european countries4 ,of these we have  
excellent materials from many lands and 
periods of time1 such as ,higginson's   
,american ,explorers1 ,morris's         
,historical ,tales 7both ,american and  
,english71 ,stories of ,american ,life  
and ,adventure1 ,stories of ,our        
,country1 ,pioneer ,history ,stories1   

,ten ,boys on the ,road from ,long ,ago1
 ,the ,story of the ,english1 ,stories  
from ,herodotus1 ,pilgrims and          
,puritans1 ,hawthorne's ,biographical   
,stories1 ,stories from ,american ,life1
 and others4  ,in the oral history      
lessons given on alternate days in      
fourth grade 7see special method in     
history7 we have made a spirited        
entrance to ,american history through   
the pioneer stories of the ,mississippi 
,valley4 ,these should precede and pave 
the way for classic readings in         
,american history4 ,in the fifth grade1 
the stories of ,columbus and of the     
chief navigators1 also the narratives of
 the ,atlantic coast pioneers1 are told4
 ,the regular history work of the sixth 
grade should be a study of the growth of
 the leading colonies during the        
colonial period and the ,french and     
,indian ,wars4  ,in the fifth grade we  
may begin to read some of the hero      
narratives of our own pioneer epoch as  
rendered by the best writers2 for       

instance1 ,higginson's ,american        
,explorers1 ,pilgrims and ,puritans1    
,stories of ,our ,country1 and          
,grandfather's ,chair4 ,they are        
lifelike and spirited1 and introduce us 
to the realism of our early history in  
its rugged exposure and trials1 while   
they bring out those stern but high     
ideals of life which the ,puritan and   
the ,cavalier1 the navigator1 the       
pioneer hunter1 and explorer illustrate4
 ,higginson's collection of letters and 
reports of the early explorers1 with    
their quaint language and eye-witness   
descriptions1 is strikingly vivid in its
 portraiture of early scenes upon our   
shores4 ,hawthorne1 in ,grandfather's   
,chair1 has moulded the hardy biography 
of ,new ,england leaders into literary  
form4  #e4 ,great ,biographies4  ,in    
addition to the shorter biographical    
stories just mentioned1 as children     
advance into the sixth1 seventh1 and    
eighth grades1 they should make a close 
acquaintance with a few of the great    

biographies4 ,there is an abundance of  
excellent ,american biographies1 but we 
should limit ourselves to those most    
important and best suited to influence  
the character of young people4 ,it is   
necessary also to use those which have  
been written in a style easily          
comprehended by the children4 ,some of  
the best are as follows3 ,scudder's     
,life of ,washington1 ,franklin's       
,autobiography1 ,hosmer's ,life of      
,samuel ,adams1 and the lives of ,john  
,quincy ,adams1 ,daniel ,webster1 and   
,lincoln in the ,statesman ,series4     
,there are two fairly good books of     
,lincoln's early life for children4     
,there are also many shorter biographies
 included in the books recommended for  
regular or collateral reading4  ,in     
style and content the story of ,franklin
 is one of the best for children4 ,the  
,autobiography of ,franklin has many    
graphic touches from ,american life4    
,his intense practical personality1 his 
many-sidedness and public spirit1 make  

up a character that will long instruct  
and open out in many directions the     
minds of the young4 ,his clear sense and
 wisdom in small affairs as in great1   
and the pleasing style of his narrative1
 are sufficiently characteristic to have
 a strong personal impression4 ,it will 
hardly be necessary to take the whole of
 the ,autobiography1 but the more       
attractive parts1 leaving the rest to   
the private reading of children4 ,poor  
,richard's ,almanac intensifies the     
notion of ,franklin's practical and     
everyday wisdom1 and at the same time   
introduces the children to a form of    
literature that1 in colonial days1 under
 ,franklin's patronage1 had a wide      
acceptance and lasting influence in     
,america4  ,plutarch's ,lives furnish a 
series of great biographies which       
grammar school children should become   
well acquainted with4 ,the lives of     
,american writers and poets should be   
brought to the attention of children in 
conjunction with their productions4 ,the

 ,children's ,stories of ,american      
,literature and the introductory        
chapters of many of the masterpieces    
furnish this interesting and stimulating
 material4 ,it should not be neglected  
by pupils and teachers4 ,for older      
pupils and for teachers several of      
,macaulay's ,essays are valuable1 and   
the style is strikingly interesting4    
,for example1 the essays on ,samuel     
,johnson1 ,lord ,chatham1 ,milton1      
,addison1 and ,frederick the ,great4    
,motley's ,essay on ,peter the ,great   
and ,carlyle's ,essay on ,burns are of  
similar interest and value4 ,the        
,schoenberg ,cotta ,family is valuable  
in the upper grammar grades4 ,most of   
this kind of reading must be outside    
reference work if it is done at all4    
,teachers should1 first of all1 enrich  
their own experience by these readings1 
occasionally bring a book to the class  
from which selections may be read1 and1 
secondly1 encourage the more            
enthusiastic and capable children to    

this wider field of reading4  #f4       
,historical ,poems and ,pictures of     
,american ,life4  ,some of the best     
,american poems and prose masterpieces  
are fine descriptions of ,american life 
and manners1 in different parts of the  
country and at various times4 ,such are3
 ,courtship of ,miles ,standish1 ,tales 
of the ,white ,hills1 ,snow-,bound1 ,rip
 ,van ,winkle1 and ,sleepy ,hollow4 ,the
 ,gentle ,boy1 ,mabel ,martin1 ,giles   
,corey1 ,evangeline1 ,uncle ,tom's      
,cabin1 and some of the great           
biographies1 like those of ,samuel      
,adams1 ,franklin1 ,washington1 and     
,lincoln1 are also fine descriptions of 
home life in ,america4 ,the same may be 
said of some of the masterpieces of     
,english and ,european literature1 for  
example1 ,ivanhoe1 ,roger de ,coverley1 
,the ,christmas ,carol1 ,vicar of       
,wakefield1 ,william ,tell1 ,silas      
,marner1 ,the ,cotter's ,saturday       
,night1 and ,schoenberg ,cotta ,family4 
,the culture value of these pictures of 

home and domestic life for young people 
is surpassingly great4 ,gradually their 
views are broadened1 and they may be    
imbued with those social1 home-bred     
qualities and virtues so fundamental in 
human life4  ,irving's stories and      
,longfellow's ,miles ,standish give a   
still more pronounced and pleasing      
literary cast to two of the             
characteristic forms of life in our     
colonial history1 the ,puritan and the  
,dutch ,patroon4 ,if the children have  
reached this point1 where they can read 
and enjoy the ,sketch-,book1 it will be 
worth much as a description of life     
along the ,hudson1 and will develop     
taste and appreciation for literary     
excellence4 ,even the fanciful and      
ridiculous elements conduce to mental   
health and soundness1 by showing up in  
pleasing satire the weaknesses and      
foibles of well-meaning people4         
,snow-,bound1 ,songs of ,labor1 and     
,among the ,hills1 while not historical 
in the usual sense1 are still plainly   

,american1 and may well be associated   
with other poetic delineations of       
,american life4 ,snow-,bound is a       
picture of ,new ,england life1 with its 
pleasing and deep-rooted memories4 ,its 
family spirit and idealization of common
 objects and joys make it a classic     
which reaches the hearts of boys and    
girls4 ,among the ,hills is also a      
picture of home life in ,new ,england   
mountains1 a contrast of the mean and   
low in home environment to the beauty of
 thrift and taste and unselfish home    
joys4 ,the ,songs of ,labor are         
descriptive of the toils and spirit of  
our varied employments in ,new ,england 
and of that larger ,new ,england which  
the migrating ,yankees have established 
between the oceans4  ,evangeline is     
another literary pearl that enshrines in
 sad and mournful measures a story of   
colonial days1 and teaches several great
 lessons1 as of the harshness and       
injustice of war1 of fair-mindedness and
 sympathy for those of alien speech and 

country1 of patience and gentleness and 
loyalty to high ideals in a character   
familiar and sacred to all4  #g4 ,the   
,poetry of ,nature in the ,masterpieces 
of ,literature4  ,both in poetic and in 
prose form there is great variety and   
depth of nature worship in good         
literature4 ,there are few1 if any1 of  
the great poets who have not been       
enthusiastic and sympathetic observers  
of nature1--nature lovers1 we may call  
them4 ,we can hardly mention the names  
of ,emerson1 ,bryant1 and ,wordsworth1  
without thinking of their loving        
companionship with nature1 their flight 
to the woods and fields4 ,but the same  
is true of ,lowell1 ,whittier1          
,hawthorne1 ,whitman1 and all the rest4 
,when we add to these1 those companions 
of nature1 such as ,thoreau1 ,leander   
,keyser1 ,olive ,thorn ,miller1         
,burroughs1 ,warner1 and others of like 
spirit1 we may be surprised at the      
number of our leading writers who have  
found their chief delight in dwelling   

close to the heart of nature4  ,an      
examination of the books recommended for
 children's study and delight will      
reveal a large number of the most       
graceful1 inspiriting products of human 
thought1 which are nature poems1 nature 
hymns1 odes to skylark1 the dandelion1  
the mountain daisy1 communings with the 
myriad moods and forms of the natural   
world4 ,such books as ,nature ,pictures 
by ,american ,poets1 ,golden ,treasury  
of ,songs and ,lyrics1 ,poetry of the   
,seasons1 the ,open ,sesame books1 and  
others1 show an infinite variety of     
poetic inspiration from nature4 ,adding 
to these ,burroughs's ,birds and ,bees1 
,wake ,robin1 ,squirrels and other      
,fur-bearers2 ,thoreau's ,succession of 
,forest ,trees2 ,higginson's ,outdoor   
,papers2 ,keyser's ,news from the       
,birds1 ,in ,bird ,land1 and ,birddom2  
,torrey's ,footpath ,way1 and ,birds in 
the ,bush2 ,long's ,wilderness ,ways1   
and ,ways of ,wood ,folk2 the ,plant    
,world of ,vincent1 the ,natural        

,history of ,selborne1 and others of    
like quality1--and we have an abundance 
of the most friendly and enticing       
invitations to nature study4 ,these     
materials are suited1 by proper         
arrangement1 to all the grades from the 
fourth up4 ,under good teachers such    
books can do no other than awaken and   
encourage the happiest kind of          
observation and sympathy for nature4 ,it
 is the kind of appreciation of birds   
and trees1 insects and clouds1 which at 
once trains to close and discriminating 
perception1 and to the cultivation of   
aesthetic sense in color1 form1 and     
sound4  ,the love of nature cannot be   
better instilled than by following these
 poets4  ,while the study of literature 
as it images nature cannot take the     
place of pure science1 it is the most   
powerful ally that the scientist can    
call in4 ,the poets can do as much to   
idealize science study1 to wake the dull
 eye1 and quicken the languid interest  
in nature1 as scientists themselves4    

,away1 then1 with this presumed         
antagonism between literature and       
science6 ,neither is complete without   
the other4 ,neither can stand on its own
 feet4 ,but together1 in mutual support1
 they cannot be tripped up4 ,the facts1 
the laws1 the utilities1 adaptations1   
and wonders in nature are not so        
marvellous but the poet's eye will      
pierce beneath and above them1 will give
 them a deeper interpretation1 and      
clothe them in a garment of beauty and  
praise4 ,there is nothing beautiful or  
grand or praiseworthy that the poet's   
eye will not detect it1 and the poet's  
art reveal it in living and lasting     
forms4 ,let the scientist delve and the 
poet sing4 ,the messages between them   
should be only those of cheer4  ,it is  
in this myriad-voiced world of fields   
and brooks1 of mountain1 lake1 and      
river1 of storm and cloud and of the    
changing seasons1 that poets find the   
images1 suggestions1 and analogies which
 interpret and illustrate the spiritual 

life of man4 ,the more rigid study of   
science in laboratory and class-room is 
necessary to the student1 but it would  
be a narrow and pedantic teacher who    
would not welcome the poetic temper and 
enthusiasm in nature study4  ,the       
teachers of reading have1 therefore1 the
 best of all opportunities for          
cultivating this many-sided sympathy for
 and insight into nature1 and at the    
same time to train the children to      
correlate these nature poems with their 
science studies4 ,observers like        
,thoreau and ,burroughs give us the     
greatest inducement for getting out into
 the woods4 ,they open our eyes to the  
beauties and our hearts to the truth of 
nature's teachings4 ,these are the      
gardens of delight where science and    
poetry walk hand in hand and speak face 
to face4 ,it would not be difficult to  
show that many of the greatest          
scientists were poets1 and that some of 
the chiefest poets have been foremost in
 scientific study4  #h4 ,the ,sentiment 

of ,patriotism in ,literature4  ,the    
powerful national spirit finds          
expression in many forms of literature1 
in hymns1 in war song1 in oration1 in   
essay1 in pioneer narrative1 in stories 
of battle1 in novel1 in flag song1 in   
ballad1 and in biography4  ,we have     
already noted the great significance of 
,american history stories in fourth and 
fifth grades4 ,it is from the early     
pioneer epoch and the colonial history  
that we derive much of our best         
educative history4 ,the heroism of these
 old days has been commemorated in story
 and poem by our best writers4  ,as we  
approach the ,revolutionary crisis a new
 body of choice literary products1 aglow
 with the fire of patriotism and        
independence1 is found stored up for the
 joy and stimulus of our growing young  
,americans3 ,paul ,revere's ,ride1      
,grandmother's ,story of ,bunker ,hill1 
,washington's letters1 ,a ,ballad of the
 ,boston ,tea ,party1 ,ode for          
,washington's ,birthday1 ,lexington     

7,holmes71 ,the ,song of ,marion's ,men1
 ,the ,green ,mountain ,boys1 ,webster's
 speeches at ,bunker ,hill and on ,adams
 and ,jefferson1 ,old ,ticonderoga      
7,hawthorne71 ,burke's speech on the    
,american ,war1 ,washington's ,farewell 
to the ,army1 ,the ,declaration of      
,independence1 ,under the ,old ,elm1 and
 descriptions of some of the great      
scenes of the war by our best           
historians4  ,it is to be desired that  
children in the seventh grade may have  
opportunity in regular history lessons  
to study in detail a few of the central 
topics of the ,revolutionary epoch4     
,this will put them in touch with the   
spirit and surroundings of the          
,americans4  ,in the reading lessons of 
the same grade we may well afford to    
discover and feel what our best patriots
 and men of letters have said and felt  
in view of the struggle for freedom4    
,the noblest expressions of sentiment   
upon great men and their achievements   
are contagious with the young4          

,patriotism can find no better soil in  
which to strike its deepest roots than  
the noble outbursts of our orators and  
poets and patriotic statesmen4 ,the     
cumulative effect of these varied but   
kindred materials is greater than when  
scattered and disconnected4 ,they       
mutually support each other1 and when   
they are brought into close dependence  
upon parallel historical studies1 we may
 well say that the children are drinking
 from the deep and pure sources of true 
,americanism4  ,parallel to whatever    
history we attempt to teach in the      
eighth grade should run a selection of  
the best literary products that our     
,american authors can furnish1 and here 
again we are rich in resources4 ,the    
thought and life of our people find     
their high-water mark in the poet's     
clarion note and the statesman's        
impassioned appeal4 ,no others have     
perceived the destiny of our young      
republic as our cherished poets1        
,longfellow1 ,whittier1 ,bryant1        

,holmes1 and ,emerson4 ,they have stood 
upon the mountain tops1 looking far and 
wide through the clear atmosphere1 while
 the great army of the people has been  
tenting in the valleys below4 ,these    
wakeful priests and prophets have caught
 the bright tints of the morning while  
the people were still asleep1 and have  
witnessed the suffused glory of the     
sunset clouds when the weary masses     
below had already forgotten the day's   
toil4 ,one thing at least1 and that the 
greatest1 can be done for our children  
before they finish the common school    
course4 ,they may rise into this pure   
atmosphere of poet1 patriot1 sage1 and  
prophet4 ,they may hear these deathless 
strains and feel the thrill of these    
clarion notes4 ,let their ears be once  
attuned to the strength and harmony of  
this music1 and it will not cease to    
echo in their deeper life4 ,the future  
patriots will be at hand1 and the coming
 years will see them rising to the great
 duties that inevitably await them4 ,we 

have a body of noble1 patriotic material
 which is capable of producing this     
effect if handled by skilful teachers3  
the ,ordinance of #aghg1 ,the           
,federalist1 ,numbers #a and #b1        
,washington's ,inaugurals and the       
,farewell ,address1 ,everett's ,oration 
on ,washington1 ,o ,mother of ,mighty   
,race 7,bryant72 ,our ,country's ,call  
7,bryant72 ,abraham ,lincoln 7,bryant72 
,lincoln's ,inaugurals and ,gettysburg  
,speech1 ,army ,hymn and ,the ,flower of
 ,liberty 7,holmes71 ,webster's ,second 
,speech on ,foot's ,resolution1 ,the    
,emancipation ,proclamation1 ,the       
,fortune of the ,republic 7,emerson71   
etc41 ,antiquity of ,freedom 7,bryant72 
,centennial ,hymn 7,whittier72 ,the     
,building of the ,ship 7,longfellow72   
,the ,poor ,voter on ,election ,day     
7,whittier74  ,why not gather together  
these sources of power1 of unselfish    
patriotism1 of self-sacrifice1 of noble 
and inspiring impulse8 ,let this        
fruit-bringing seed be sown deep in the 

minds and hearts of the receptive young4
 ,what has inspired the best of men to  
high thinking and living can touch them4
  ,it is not by reading and declaiming a
 few miscellaneous fragments of         
patriotic gush1 not by waving flags and 
banners and following processions1 that 
the deeper sentiments of patriotism and 
humanity are to be touched1 but by      
gathering and concentrating these       
fuller1 richer sources of spiritual     
power and conscious national destiny4   
,the schoolroom is by far the best place
 to consolidate these purifying and     
conserving sentiments4 ,by gathering    
into a rising series and focussing in   
the higher grades the various forms1 in 
prose and verse1 in which the genius of 
our country has found its strongest     
expression2 by associating these ringing
 sentiments with the epochs and crises  
of our history1 with the valorous deeds 
of patriots upon the field and of       
statesmen in the senate1 with the life  
and longings of home-nurtured poets and 

sages1--we shall plant seed whose       
fruitage will not disappoint the lovers 
of the fatherland4  ,mr4 ,horace ,e4    
,scudder1 in his two essays on          
,literature and ,american ,classics in  
the ,common ,school1 has portrayed with 
convincing clearness the spiritual power
 and high-toned ,americanism which      
breathe from those literary monuments   
which have been quarried from our own   
hillsides and chiselled by ,american    
hands4 ,we recommend to every teacher   
the reading in full of these essays1    
from which we quote at much length3--   
,fifty years ago there were living in   
,america six men of mark1 of whom the   
youngest was then nineteen years of age1
 the oldest forty-four4 ,three of the   
six are in their graves and three still 
breathe the kindly air4 ,since this was 
written1 in #ahhh1 the last of the six  
has passed away4 ,one only of the six   
has held high place in the national     
councils1 and it is not by that         
distinction that he is known and loved4 

,they have not been in battle2 they have
 had no armies at their command2 they   
have not amassed great fortunes1 nor    
have great industries waited on their   
movements4 ,those pageants of           
circumstances which kindle the          
imagination have been remote from their 
names4 ,they were born on ,american     
soil2 they have breathed ,american air2 
they were nurtured on ,american ideas4  
,they are ,americans of ,americans4     
,they are as truly the issue of our     
national life as are the common schools 
in which we glory4 ,during the fifty    
years in which our common school system 
has been growing up to maturity these   
six have lived and sung2 and ,i dare say
 that the lives and songs of ,bryant1   
,emerson1 ,longfellow1 ,whittier1       
,holmes1 and ,lowell have an            
imperishable value1 regarded as         
exponents of national life1 not for a   
moment to be outweighed in the balance  
by the most elaborate system of common  
schools which the wit of man may devise4

 ,the nation may command armies and     
schools to rise from the soil1 but it   
cannot call into life a poet4 ,yet when 
the poet comes and we hear his voice in 
the upper air1 then we know the nation  
he owns is worthy of the name4 ,do men  
gather grapes of thorns or figs of      
thistles8 ,even so1 pure poetry springs 
from no rank soil of national life4  ,i 
am not arguing for the critical study of
 our great authors1 in the higher grades
 of our schools4 ,they are not the best 
subjects for critical scholarship2      
criticism demands greater remoteness1   
greater foreignness of nature4          
,moreover1 critical study is not the    
surest method of securing the full      
measure of spiritual light1 though it   
yields abundant gain in the refinement  
of the intellectual nature and in the   
quickening of the perceptive faculties4 
,i am arguing for the free1 generous use
 of these authors in the principal years
 of school life4 ,it is then that their 
power is most profoundly needed1 and    

will be most strongly felt4 ,we need to 
put our children in their impressionable
 years into instant and close connection
 with the highest manifestation of our  
national life4 ,away with the bottle and
 the tube6 ,give them a lusty draft at  
the mother's full breast6  ,nor do ,i   
fear that such a course will breed a    
narrow and parochial ,americanism4 ,on  
the contrary1 it would destroy a vulgar 
pride in country1 help the young to see 
humanity from the heights on which the  
masters of song have dwelt1 and open the
 mind to the more hospitable            
entertainment of the best literature of 
every clime and age4 ,i am convinced    
that there is no surer way to introduce 
the best ,english literature into our   
schools than to give the place of honor 
to ,american literature4 ,in the order  
of nature a youth must be a citizen of  
his own country before he can become    
naturalized in the world4 ,we recognize 
this in our geography and history2 we   
may wisely recognize it also in our     

reading4  ,the place1 then1 of          
literature in our common school         
education is in spiritualizing life1    
letting light into the mind1 inspiring  
and feeding the higher forces of human  
nature4  ,it is the business of the old 
to transmit to the young the great      
traditions of the past of the country1  
to feed anew the undying flame of       
patriotism4 ,there is the element of    
destiny4 ,no nation lives upon its past2
 it is already dead when it says1 ',let 
us eat and drink to-day2 for to-morrow  
we die4' ,but what that destiny is to be
 may be read in the ideals which the    
young are forming2 and those ideals1    
again1 it is the business of the old to 
guide4 ,they cannot form them2 the young
 must form them for themselves2 but     
whether these ideals shall be large or  
petty1 honorable or mean1 will depend   
upon the sustenance on which they are   
fed4  ,now in a democracy1 more signally
 than under any other form of national  
organization1 it is vitally necessary   

that there should be an unceasing1      
unimpeded circulation of the spiritual  
life of the people4 ,the sacrifice of   
the men and women who have made and     
preserved ,america1 from the days of    
,virginia and ,new ,england to this     
hour1 has been ascending from the earth 
in a never-ending cloud2 they have      
fallen again in strains of music1 in    
sculpture1 in painting1 in memorial     
hall1 in tale1 in oration1 in poem1 in  
consecration of life2 and the spirit    
which ascended is the same as that which
 descended4 ,in literature above all is 
this spirit enshrined4 ,you have but to 
throw open the shrine1 and the spirit   
comes with its outspread blessings upon 
millions of waiting souls4 ,entering    
them1 it reissues in countless shapes1  
and thus is the life of the nation in   
its highest form kept ever in motion1   
and without motion is no life4  ,the    
deposit of nationality is in laws1      
institutions1 art1 character1 and       
religion2 but laws1 institutions1       

character1 and religion are expressed   
through art and mainly through the art  
of letters4 ,it is literature1          
therefore1 that holds in precipitation  
the genius of the country2 and the      
higher the form of literature1 the more 
consummate the expression of that spirit
 which does not so much seek a          
materialization as it shapes itself     
inevitably in fitting form4 ,long may we
 read and ponder the life of            
,washington1 yet at last fall back      
content upon those graphic lines of     
,lowell in ',under the ,old ,elm1' which
 cause the figure of the great ,american
 to outline itself upon the imagination 
with large and strong portraiture4 ,the 
spirit of the orations of ,webster and  
,benton1 the whole history of the young 
giant poised in conscious strength      
before his triumphant struggle1 one may 
catch in a breath in those glowing lines
 which end ',the ,building of the       
,ship4' ,the deep passion of the war for
 the ,union may be overlooked in some   

formal study of battles and campaigns1  
but rises pure1 strong1 and flaming in  
the immortal ',gettysburg ,speech4'     
,precisely thus the sentiment of        
patriotism must be kept fresh and living
 in the hearts of the young through     
quick and immediate contact with the    
sources of that sentiment2 and the most 
helpful means are those spiritual       
deposits of patriotism which we find in 
noble poetry and lofty prose1 as        
communicated by men who have lived      
patriotic lives and been fed with coals 
from the altar4  ,it is from the men and
 women bred on ,american soil that the  
fittest words come for the spiritual    
enrichment of ,american youth4 ,i       
believe heartily in the advantage of    
enlarging one's horizon by taking in    
other climes and other ages1 but first  
let us make sure of that great expansive
 power which lies close at hand4 ,i am  
sure there never was a time or country  
where national education1 under the     
guidance of national art and thought1   

was so possible as in ,america to-day4  
,the body of wholesome1 strong ,american
 literature is large enough to make it  
possible to keep boys and girls upon it 
from the time when they begin to        
recognize the element of authorship     
until they leave the school1 and it is  
varied and flexible enough to give      
employment to the mind in all its stages
 of development4 ,moreover1 this        
literature is interesting1 and is allied
 with interesting concerns2 half the    
hard places are overcome by the willing 
mind1 and the boy who stumbles over some
 jejune lesson in his reading-book will 
run over a bit of genuine prose from    
,irving which the schoolbook maker1 with
 his calipers1 pronounces too hard4  ,we
 have gone quite far enough in the      
mechanical development of the common    
school system4 ,what we most need is the
 breath of life1 and reading offers the 
noblest means for receiving and         
imparting this breath of life4 ,the     
spiritual element in education in our   

common schools will be found to lie in  
reserve in literature1 and1 as ,i       
believe1 most effectively in ,american  
literature4  ,think for a moment of that
 great1 silent1 resistless power for    
good which might at this moment be      
lifting the youth of the country1 were  
the hours for reading in school expended
 upon the undying1 life-giving books6   
,think of the substantial growth of a   
generous ,americanism1 were the boys and
 girls to be fed from the fresh springs 
of ,american literature6 ,it would be no
 narrow provincialism into which they   
would emerge4 ,the windows in           
,longfellow's mind looked to the east1  
and the children who have entered into  
possession of his wealth travel far4    
,bryant's flight carries one through    
upper air1 over broad champaigns4 ,the  
lover of ,emerson has learned to get a  
remote vision4 ,the companion of        
,thoreau finds ,concord become suddenly 
the centre of a very wide horizon4      
,irving has annexed ,spain to ,america4 

,hawthorne has nationalized the gods of 
,greece and given an atmosphere to ,new 
,england4 ,whittier has translated the  
,hebrew ,scriptures into the ,american  
dialect4 ,lowell gives the ,american boy
 an academy without cutting down a stick
 of timber in the grove1 or disturbing  
the birds4 ,holmes supplies that hickory
 which makes one careless of the        
crackling of thorns4 ,franklin makes the
 ,america of a past generation a part of
 the great world before treaties had    
bound the floating states into formal   
connection with venerable nations4 ,what
 is all this but saying that the rich   
inheritance we have is no local ten-acre
 lot1 but a part of the undivided estate
 of humanity4 ,universality1            
,cosmopolitanism1--these are fine words1
 but no man ever secured the freedom of 
the ,universe who did not first pay     
taxes and vote in his own               
village4--,literature in ,school        
7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co474  #i4 ,the 
series of ,american classics is nowise  

confined to the ideas of local or       
national patriotism1 but above and      
beyond that deep and powerful sentiment 
which magnifies the opportunity and     
manifest destiny of our nation1 it      
grasps at the ideal form and content of 
those ,christian virtues which now and  
evermore carry healing and comfort to   
the toiling millions4 ,our poets1 as    
they have pondered on the past and      
looked into the future1 were not able to
 be content with less than the best4 ,as
 the vision of the coming years unrolled
 itself before them they looked upon it 
with joy mingled with solicitude4 ,in   
the mighty conflicts now upon us only   
those of generous and saintly purpose   
and of pure hearts can prevail4         
,brief is the time1 ,i know1   ,the     
warfare scarce begun2   ,yet all may win
 the triumphs thou hast won4   ,still   
flows the fount whose waters            
strengthened thee1   ,the victors' names
 are yet too few to fill   ,heaven's    
mighty roll2 the glorious armory   ,that

 ministered to thee is open             
still4--,,bryant4  ,to reveal this      
,christian armory1 the defences of the  
soul against the assaults of evil1 has  
been the highest inspiration of our     
poets4 ,what depth and beauty and       
impersonation of ,christian virtues do  
we find in ,snow-,bound1 ,among the     
,hills1 ,evangeline1 ,the ,conqueror's  
,grave1 ,to a ,waterfowl1 ,the ,groves  
were ,god's ,first ,temples1 ,the       
,living ,temple1 ,the ,sun ,day ,hymn1  
,the ,chambered ,nautilus1 ,vision of   
,sir ,launfal1 ,the ,great ,stone ,face4
  ,the ,bible is not generally          
admissible as a schoolbook1 but the     
spirit of ,christianity1 clad in the    
forms of strength and grace1 is immanent
 in the works of our poets4 ,so         
universal1 so human1 so fit to the needs
 and destinies of men1 are the truths of
 the great evangel1 that the prophets   
and seers of our race drift evermore    
into the sheltering haven they supply4  
,to drink in these potent truths through

 poetry and song1 to see them enshrined 
in the imagery and fervor of the sacred 
masterpieces of our literature1 is more 
than culture1 more than morality2 it is 
the portal and sanctuary of religious   
thought1 and children may enter it4     
#aj4 ,the higher products of literature 
contain an energy that quickens         
spiritual life in morals1 in art1 and in
 religion4 ,to many people1 whose lives 
are submerged in commercial pursuits or 
in the great struggle to develop and    
utilize the material resources of the   
world1 these spiritual forces seem vague
 and shadowy1 if not mythical4 ,but     
there are plenty of heroic souls in the 
realm of letters1 such as ,emerson1     
,scudder1 ,ruskin1 ,arnold1 and         
,carlyle1 who are not disposed to let   
men settle down in lazy satisfaction    
with material good1 nor to be blinded   
even by the splendor of modern          
achievements in engineering1 in         
medicine1 and in the application of     
electricity4 ,we must at least reach a  

point of view high enough to perceive   
the relations of these natural riches to
 the higher nature and destiny of man4  
,scudder says1 ,it is to literature that
 we must look for the substantial       
protection of the growing mind against  
an ignoble1 material conception of life1
 and for the inspiring power which shall
 lift the nature into its rightful      
fellowship with whatsoever is noble1    
true1 lovely1 and of good report4       
,shelley1 in like spirit1 says3 ,the    
cultivation of poetry is never more to  
be desired than at periods when1 from an
 excess of the selfish and calculating  
principle1 the accumulation of the      
materials of external life exceed the   
quantity of the power of assimilating   
them to the internal laws of human      
nature4 ,the body has then become too   
unwieldy for that which animates it4    
,matthew ,arnold1 in ,sweetness and     
,light1 while discussing the function of
 that truer culture and perfection which
 consists in becoming something rather  

than in having something1 remarks3--    
,and this function is particularly      
important in our modern world1 of which 
the whole civilization is1 to a much    
greater degree than the civilization of 
,greece and ,rome1 mechanical and       
external1 and tends constantly to become
 more so4 ,but above all in our own     
country has culture a weighty part to   
perform because here that mechanical    
character1 which civilization tends to  
take everywhere1 is shown in the most   
eminent degree4 ,indeed1 nearly all the 
characters of perfection1 as culture    
teaches us to fix them1 meet in this    
country with some powerful tendency     
which thwarts them and sets them at     
defiance4 ,the idea of perfection as an 
inward condition of the mind and spirit 
is at variance with the mechanical and  
material civilization in esteem with us1
 and nowhere1 as ,i have said1 so much  
in esteem as with us4  #aa4 ,judged by  
these higher standards our writers and  
literary leaders were not simply        

,americans4 ,they were also ,europeans4 
,the ,puritan brought his religion with 
him1 the ,cavalier acquired his         
gentlemanly instincts in the old home1  
not in the untrodden forests of the ,new
 ,world4 ,much of what we call ,american
 is the wine of the ,old ,world poured  
into the bearskins and buckskins of the 
,west1 with a flavor of the freedom of  
our ,western wilds4 ,though born and    
bred on ,american soil and to the last  
exemplars of the ,american spirit1 our  
literary leaders have derived their     
ideas and inspiration from the          
literature1 tradition1 and history of   
the ,old ,world4 ,it will be no small   
part of our purpose1 therefore1 to open 
up to the children of our common schools
 the best entrance to the history and   
literature of ,europe4 ,our own writers 
and poets have done this for us in a    
variety of instances3 ,hawthorne's      
rendering of the ,greek myths1 ,bryant's
 translation of the ,iliad and ,odyssey1
 a good half of ,irving's ,sketch-,book1

 ,lowell's ,vision of ,sir ,launfal1    
,aladdin1 and ,prometheus1 ,irving's    
,alhambra1 ,longfellow's ,golden        
,legend1 ,sandalphon1 ,taylor's ,boys of
 ,other ,countries4 ,nearly the whole of
 our literature1 even when dealing      
ostensibly with ,american topics1 is    
suffused with the spirit and imagery of 
the ,old ,world traditions4 ,there is   
also a large collection of prose        
versions of ,european traditions1 which1
 while not classic1 are still lively    
renderings of old stories and well      
suited to the collateral reading of     
children4 ,such are ,gods and ,heroes1  
,tales from ,english ,history1 ,tales   
from ,spenser1 ,heroes of ,asgard1      
,story of the ,iliad and ,odyssey4  ,the
 transition from our own poets who have 
handled ,european themes to ,english    
writers who have done the same1 is easy 
and natural2 ,macaulay's ,lays of       
,ancient ,rome1 ,scott's ,tales of a    
,grandfather1 ,the ,stories of          
,waverley1 the ,christmas ,carol1       

,kingsley's ,greek ,heroes and ,water   
,babies1 ,ruskin's ,king of the ,golden 
,river1 ,lady of the ,lake1 ,marmion1   
,roger de ,coverley ,papers1 ,merchant  
of ,venice1 ,arabian ,nights1 ,peasant  
and ,prince1 ,bunyan's ,pilgrim's       
,progress1 ,gulliver's ,travels1 and    
others have become by inheritance and   
birthright as much a part of the        
,american child's culture as the more   
distinctive products of our own writers4
 ,no line can be drawn between those    
writings which are ,american and those  
which sprung from the soil of ,england  
and ,europe4 ,so intimate and vital is  
the connection between our present and  
our past1 between our children and their
 cousins across the water4  ,these      
,american and ,european literary        
products lie side by side in the school 
course1 though the predominating spirit 
through the middle and higher grades up 
to the eighth should be ,american4 ,we  
have noticed that in the earlier grades 
most of our classic reading matter comes

 from ,europe1 the nursery rhymes1 the  
folk-lore1 fables1 and myths1 because   
the childhood of our culture periods was
 in ,europe4 ,but into the fourth grade1
 and from there on1 beginning with the  
pioneers on sea and land1 our ,american 
history and literature enters as a      
powerful agent of culture4 ,it brings us
 into quick and vital contact1 not      
simply with the outward facts1 but with 
the inmost spirit1 of our national life 
and struggle toward development4 ,this  
gives the ,american impulse free and    
full expansion1 and fortunate are we1   
beyond expression1 that pure and lofty  
poets stand at the threshold to usher   
the children into this realm1 founded   
deep in the realism of our past history 
and rising grandly into the idealism of 
our desires and hopes4 ,as we advance   
into the sixth1 seventh1 and eighth     
grades the literature of ,europe begins 
again to increase in quantity and       
influence1 and to share equally with    
,american authors the attention of the  

children4  ,the ,americanism of our     
poets and prose writers1 as previously  
shown1 has also another side to it1     
which is one sign of the breadth and    
many-sidedness of literature as a study 
for the young4 ,north ,america is a land
 rich in variety of natural scenery and 
resource4 ,nature has decked the ,new   
,world with a lavish hand1 forest and   
mountain1 lake and river1 prairie and   
desert1 the summer land of flowers and  
the home of ,new ,england winters4 ,the 
masterpieces of our poets are full of   
the scenery1 vegetation1 sunsets1       
mountains1 and prairies of the ,western 
empire4 ,the flowers1 the birds1 the    
wild beasts1 the pathless forests1 the  
limitless stretches of plain1 have      
mirrored themselves in the songs of our 
poets1 and have rendered them dearer to 
us because seen and realized in this    
idealism4 ,unconsciously perhaps the    
feeling of patriotism is largely based  
upon this knowledge of the rich and     
varied beauty and bounty of our native  

land4    ,i love thy rocks and rills1   
,thy woods and templed hills1   ,my     
heart with rapture thrills1     ,like   
that above4  ,as along the shores of our
 ,northern lakes the clear and quiet    
waters reflect the green banks1 the     
rolling1 forest-crowned hills1 the rocky
 bluffs1 the floating clouds1 and       
overarching blue1 so in the homespun1   
classic verse and prose of our own      
writers are imaged the myriad charms of 
our native land4 ,bryant especially is  
the poet of forest and glade1 ,the      
,forest ,hymn1 ,the ,death of the       
,flowers1 ,the ,return of the ,birds1 ,a
 ,summer ,ramble1 ,the ,fringed         
,gentian1 ,the ,hunter of the ,prairies1
 ,the ,white-footed ,deer1 ,to a        
,waterfowl1 ,thanatopsis1 and many      
others4 ,longfellow's ,hiawatha1        
,evangeline2 ,whittier's ,barefoot ,boy1
 ,songs of ,labor1 ,among the ,hills1   
and ,snow-,bound2 ,hawthorne's ,tales of
 the ,white ,hills2 ,holmes's ,spring2  
,lowell's ,indian ,summer ,reverie1 ,the

 ,oak1 and many more4  ,the literature  
selected for these grades has a wide    
scope4 ,it is instinct with the best    
,americanism4 ,it draws from ,europe at 
every breath1 while enjoying the freedom
 of the ,west4 ,social1 political1 and  
home life and virtue are portrayed in   
great variety of dress4 ,nature also and
 natural science reveal the myriad forms
 of beauty and utility4     ,,chapter   
,,iv  ,,class-,,room ,,method ,,in      
,,reading   #a4 ,the ,doorway4  ,there  
is a strong comfort in the idea that in 
the preparation of a masterpiece for a  
reading class the teacher may be dealing
 with a unity of thought in a variety of
 relations that makes the study a       
comprehensive culture-product both to   
herself and to the children4 ,to become 
a student of ,hiawatha as a whole1 and  
in its relations to ,indian life and    
tradition1 early aboriginal history1 and
 ,longfellow's connection with the same1
 is to throw a deep glance into history 
and anthropology1 and to recognize      

literature as the permanent form of     
expressing their spirit4 ,there are a   
good many side-lights that a teacher    
needs to get from history and other     
literature1 and from the author's life1 
in order to see a literary masterpiece  
in its true setting4 ,it is the part of 
the poet to make his work intensely real
 and ideal1 the two elements that appeal
 with trenchant force to children4 ,the 
teacher needs not only to see the       
graphic pictures drawn by the artist1   
but to gather about these central points
 of view other collateral1 explanatory  
facts that give a deeper setting to the 
picture4 ,fortunately1 such study as    
this is not burdensome4 ,there is a     
joyousness and sparkle to it that can   
relieve many an hour of tedium4         
,literature in its best forms is        
recreation1 and brings an infusion of   
spiritual energy4 ,we should not allow  
ourselves to confuse it with those more 
humdrum forms of school employment1 like
 spelling1 figuring1 reading in the     

formal sense1 grammar1 writing1 etc4    
,literature is the spiritual side of    
school effort1 the uplands of thought1  
where gushing springs well from the     
roots and shade of overarching trees4   
,there is jollity and music1 beauty and 
grandeur1 the freshness of cool breezes 
and of mountain scenery1 in such        
profusion as to satisfy the exuberance  
of youthful spirit1 and to infuse new   
energy into old and tired natures4 ,if  
the teacher can only get out of the     
narrow streets of the town and from     
between the dead walls of the           
schoolroom1 up among the meadows and    
groves and brooks1 in company with      
,bryant or ,longfellow or ,whittier1 if 
she can only take a draught of these    
spirit-waters before walking into the   
schoolroom1 her thought and conduct will
 be tempered into a fit instrument of   
culture4  ,the teacher's preparation is 
not only in the intellectual grasp of   
the thought1 but in the sympathy1       
feeling1 and pleasure germane to a      

classic4 ,the aesthetic and emotional   
elements1 the charm of poetry1 and the  
sparkle of wit and glint of literary    
elegance and aptness are what give      
relish and delight to true literary     
products4 ,literature appeals to the    
whole nature and not to the intellect   
alone4 ,it is not superficial and       
formal1 but deep and spiritual4 ,the    
teacher who reads a classic like        
,marmion1 thoughtfully dwelling upon the
 historic pictures1 calling to mind     
other of ,scott's stories and the       
earlier struggle between ,scotland and  
,england1 is drinking at the fresh      
fountains and sources of some of the    
best parts of ,european history4 ,the   
clear and rock-rimmed lakes of          
,scotland1 her rugged mountains and     
ruined castle walls1 are not more       
delightful to the traveller than the    
pictures of life and history that appear
 in ,tales of a ,grandfather1 ,rob ,roy1
 ,marmion1 and ,lady of the ,lake4 ,to  
paint these stirring panoramic views of 

,scotch adventure and prowess upon the  
imagination of the young is to          
invigorate their thought with the real  
sentiment of patriotism1 and with       
appreciation for manly struggle1        
endurance1 and spirit4 ,the vivid       
insight it gives into feudal society in 
church and court and castle1 on         
battle-field and in dining hall1 among  
the rude peasantry and the unlettered   
nobility1 is found more lifelike and    
lasting than the usual results of       
historical study4  ,the moment we take a
 longer masterpiece and examine it as a 
representative piece of human life1 or  
as a typical portraiture of a historical
 epoch1 it becomes the converging point 
for much lively and suggestive          
knowledge1 deep and strong social       
interests1 and convincing               
personification of moral impulses4  ,the
 best preparation1 therefore1 a teacher 
can make for a class is a spiritual and 
spirited one4 ,at first the linguistic1 
formal1 verbal mastery of literature1   

its critical examination1 even its      
elocution1 should remain in the         
background both for teacher and         
children4 ,let the direct impress of the
 thought1 motive1 and emotion of the    
characters be unimpeded2 give the author
 a chance to speak direct to the hearts 
of the children1 and the avenue toward  
the desired results in formal reading   
will be left wide open4  ,we would not  
deny that a certain labor is required of
 the teacher in such preparation4 ,but1 
in the main1 it is a refreshing kind of 
labor4 ,if it brings a feeling of       
weariness1 it is the kind that conduces 
to sound and healthy sleep4 ,it invokes 
a feeling of inward power and of        
accumulated rich resource that helps us 
to meet with confidence the emergencies 
and opportunities of instruction4  #b4  
,in the assignment of the lesson the    
teacher has a chance to give the        
children a glimpse of the pleasure that 
awaits them1 and to catch a little of   
the enthusiasm which her own study has  

awakened4 ,this should be done briefly  
and by significant suggestion4 ,in first
 introducing a longer work1 it will pay 
to occupy more than is usual in         
recitations in opening up the new       
subject2 if it is historical1 in        
locating the time1 circumstances1 and   
geographical setting4 ,the chief aim of 
the assignment should be to awaken      
curiosity and interest which may be     
strong enough to lead to a full and     
appreciative study of the lesson4 ,a    
second aim of the assignment is to pave 
the way to an easier mastery of verbal  
difficulties that arise1 such as new and
 difficult words1 obscure or involved   
passages4 ,the first aim is a           
substantial and fruitful one4 ,it       
approaches the whole reading lesson from
 the side of interest and spirit4 ,it   
seeks to plant direct incentives and    
suggestions deep enough in the mind to  
start effort4 ,the assignment should    
take it for granted that natural        
interest and absorption in the thought  

will lead directly to that kind of      
vigorous effort and mastery that will   
secure natural and expressive oral      
reading4 ,look well to the deeper       
springs of thought and action1 and the  
formal reading will open just the avenue
 needed to realize good expression4     
,skill1 originality1 and teaching art   
are much needed in the assignment4 ,it  
is not how much the teacher says1 but   
the suggestiveness of it1 the problems  
raised1 the questions whose answers lie 
in the examination of the lesson4 ,the  
reference to previous readings which    
bear resemblance to this selection2 the 
inquiry into children's experiences1    
sets them to thinking4  ,sometimes it   
pays to spend five or ten minutes in    
attacking the difficult words and       
meanings of the lesson assigned4 ,let   
the class read on and discover words or 
phrases that puzzle them4 ,let difficult
 forms be put on the board and          
syllabicated if necessary4 ,a brief     
study of synonymous words and phrases   

may be in place4  ,it is a mistake to   
decline all helpful and suggestive study
 of the next lesson in class1 on the    
ground that it invalidates the          
self-activity of children4              
,self-activity is1 indeed1 the chief aim
 of a good assignment4 ,it is designed  
to stimulate the children to energetic  
and well-directed effort4 ,self-activity
 is not encouraged by requiring children
 to struggle with obstacles they have   
not the ability to surmount4            
,pronouncing new words and searching for
 dictionary meanings is often made a    
mechanical labor which is irksome and   
largely fruitless1 because the wrong    
pronunciations are learned and the      
definitions do not fit4 ,before children
 are required to use the dictionary in  
pronouncing and defining words1 they    
need careful exercises in how to use and
 to interpret the dictionary4  ,the     
teacher needs to make a study of the art
 of assigning lessons4 ,clearness and   
simplicity1 so as to give no ground for 

misunderstandings1 are the result of    
thoughtful preparation on the teacher's 
part4 ,there is always danger of giving 
too much or too little1 of carelessness 
and unsteady requirements1 overburdening
 the children one day1 and even         
forgetting the next day to assign a     
definite task4 ,the forethought and     
precision with which a teacher assigns  
her lessons is one of the best tests of 
her prudence and success in teaching4   
,it is necessary also to be on one's    
guard against hasty assignments4 ,even  
when proper care has been taken in      
planning the next lesson1 the time slips
 by with urgent work1 and the signal for
 dismissal comes before time has been   
taken for any clear assignment4  ,if the
 teacher knows just what references will
 throw added light upon the lesson1 what
 books and pages will be directly       
helpful1 if he can appoint different    
pupils to look up particular references 
and sometimes even go to the library    
with them and search for the references1

 in grades from the fifth through the   
eighth1 the result may be very helpful4 
,in the class recitation it is necessary
 to gather up the fruits of this        
reference work with as little waste of  
time as possible1 recognizing that it is
 purely collateral to the main purpose4 
,pictures and maps are useful oftentimes
 as references4 ,as children advance in 
the grades1 they are capable of greater 
independence and judgment in the use of 
such materials4 ,general1 loose1 and    
indefinite references are a sign of     
ignorance1 carelessness1 and lack of    
preparation on the teacher's part4 ,they
 are discouraging and unprofitable to   
children4 ,but we desire to see children
 broadening their views1 extending their
 knowledge of books and of how to use   
them4 ,the amount of good literature    
that can be well treated and read in the
 class is small1 but much suggestive    
outside home and vacation reading may be
 encouraged1 that will open a still     
wider and richer area of personal study4

  #c4 ,in spite of all the precautions  
of the teacher1 in spite of lively      
interest and intelligent study by the   
children1 there will be many haltings   
and blunders1 many inaccuracies in the  
use of eye and voice4 ,these faults     
spring partly from habit and previous   
home influences4 ,the worst faults are  
often those of which a child is         
unconscious1 so habitual have they      
become4 ,if we are to meet these        
difficulties wisely1 we must start and  
keep up a strong momentum in the class4 
,there should be a steady and strong    
current of effort in which all share4   
,this depends1 as has been often said1  
upon the power of the selection to      
awaken the thought and feeling of the   
children4 ,it depends equally upon the  
pervasive spirit and energy of the      
teacher4 ,if we try to analyze this     
complex phenomenon1 we may find that1 so
 far as the children are concerned1 two 
elements are present1 natural and       
spontaneous absorption in the ideas and 

sensibilities awakened by the author1   
and the bracing conviction that         
sustained effort is expected and        
required by the teacher4 ,children1 to  
read well1 must be free2 they must feel 
the force of ideas and of the emotions  
and convictions awakened by them4 ,they 
must also be conscious of that kind of  
authority and control which insists upon
 serious and sustained effort4 ,freedom 
to exercise their own powers and        
obedience to a controlling influence are
 needful4 ,if the teacher can secure    
this right movement and ferment in a    
class1 she will be able to correct the  
errors and change bad habits into the   
desired form of expression4 ,the        
correction of errors1 in the main1      
should be quiet1 incidental1 suggestive1
 not disturbing the child's thought and 
effort1 not destroying the momentum of  
his sentiment and feeling4 ,let him move
 on firmly and vigorously2 only direct  
his movement here and there1 modify his 
tone by easy suggestions and pertinent  

questions1 and encourage him as far as  
possible in his own effort to appreciate
 and express the author's idea4  ,in    
reading lessons there are certain purely
 formal exercises that are very helpful4
 ,the single and concert pronunciation  
of difficult or unusual words that come 
up in old and new lessons1 the vocal    
exercises in syllabication and in vowel 
and consonant drill1 are examples4 ,they
 should be quick and vigorous1 and      
preliminary to their application in     
lessons4  #d4 ,the teacher is only a    
guide and interpreter4 ,with plenty of  
reserve power1 he should only draw upon 
it occasionally4 ,his chief business is 
not to show the children how to read by 
example1 nor to be always explaining and
 amplifying the thought of the author4  
,his aim should be to best call the     
minds of the children into strong action
 through the stimulation of the author's
 thought1 and to go a step farther and  
reproduce and mould this thought into   
oral expression4  ,in order to call out 

the best efforts of children1 a teacher 
needs to study well the art of          
questioning4 ,the range of possibilities
 in questioning is very wide4 ,if a     
rational1 sensible question is regarded 
as the central or zero point1 there are 
many degrees below it in the art of     
questioning and many degrees above it4  
,below it is a whole host of            
half-rational or useless questions which
 would better be left unborn3 ,what does
 this word mean8 ,why didn't you study  
your lesson8 ,why weren't you paying    
attention8 ,what is the definition of   
also8 ,how many mistakes did ,mary make8
  ,much time is sometimes wasted in     
trying to answer aimless or trivial     
questions3 ,peter1 what does this       
strange word mean1 or how do you        
pronounce it8 ,ethel may try it4 ,who   
thinks he can pronounce it better8      
,johnny1 try it4 ,perhaps somebody knows
 how it ought to be4 ,sarah1 can't you  
pronounce it8 ,finally1 after various   
efforts1 the teacher passes on to       

something else without even making clear
 the true pronunciation or meaning4     
,this is worse than killing time4 ,it is
 befuddling the children4 ,a question   
should aim clearly at some important    
idea1 and should bring out a definite   
result4 ,the children should have time  
to think1 but not to guess and dawdle1  
and then be left groping in the dark4   
,the chief aim of questions is to arouse
 vigor and variety of thought as a means
 of better appreciation and expression4 
,children read poorly because they do   
not see the meaning or do not feel the  
force of the sentiment4 ,they give wrong
 emphasis and intonation4 ,a good       
question is like a flash of lightning   
which suddenly reveals our              
standing-ground and surroundings1 and   
gives the child a chance to strike out  
again for himself4 ,his intelligence    
lights up1 he sees the point1 and       
responds with a significant rendering of
 the thought4 ,but the teacher must be a
 thinker to ask simple and pertinent    

questions4 ,he can't go at it in a loose
 and lumbering fashion4 ,lively and     
sympathetic and appreciative of the     
child's moods and feelings must he be1  
as well as clear and definite in his own
 perception of the author's meaning4    
,questioning for meaning is equivalent  
to that for securing expression1 and    
thus two birds are hit with one stone4  
,a pointed question energizes thought   
along a definite line1 and leads to a   
more intense and vivid perception of the
 meaning4 ,this is just the             
vantage-ground we desire in order to    
secure good expression4 ,we wish        
children not to imitate1 but first to   
see and feel1 and then to express in    
becoming wise the thought as they see it
 and feel it4 ,this makes reading a     
genuine performance1 not a parrot-like  
formalism4  #e4 ,trying to awaken the   
mental energy and action of a class as  
they move on through a masterpiece1     
requires constant watchfulness to keep  
alive their sense-perceptions and       

memories1 and to touch their            
imaginations into constructive effort at
 every turn in the road4 ,through the   
direct action of the senses the children
 have accumulated much variety of       
sense-materials1 of country and town1 of
 hill1 valley1 river1 lake1 fields1     
buildings1 industries1 roads1 homes1    
gardens1 seasons4 ,out of this vast and 
varied quarry they are able to gather   
materials with which to construct any   
landscape or situation you may desire4  
,give the children abundance of         
opportunity to use these collected      
riches1 and to construct1 each in his   
own way1 the scenes and pictures that   
the poet's art so vividly suggests4     
,many of the questions we ask of        
children are designed simply to recall  
and reawaken images which lie dormant in
 their minds1 or1 on the other hand1 to 
find out whether they can combine their 
old sense-perceptions so skilfully and  
vividly as to realize the present       
situation4 ,keen and apt questions will 

reach down into the depth of a child's  
life experiences and bring up concrete  
images which the fancy then modifies and
 adjusts to the present need4 ,the      
teacher may often suggest something in  
his own observations to kindle like     
memories in theirs4 ,or1 if the subject 
seems unfamiliar1 he may bring on a     
picture from book or magazine4          
,sometimes a sketch or diagram on the   
board may give sense-precision and      
definiteness to the object discussed1   
even though it be rudely drawn4 ,this   
constant appeal to what is real and     
tangible and experimental1 not only     
locates things definitely in time and   
space1 makes clear and plain what was   
hazy or meaningless1 awakens interest by
 connecting the story or description    
with former experiences1 but it sets in 
action the creative imagination which   
shapes and builds up new and pleasing   
structures1 combining old and new4 ,this
 kind of mental elaboration1 which      
reaches back into the senses and forward

 into the imagination1 is what gives    
mobility and adjustability to our mental
 resources4 ,it is not stiff and rigid  
and refractory knowledge that we need4  
,ideas may retain their truth and       
strength1 their inward quality1 and     
still submit to infinite variations and 
adjustments4 ,water is one of the most  
serviceable of all nature's compounds1  
because it has such mobility of form1   
such capacity to dissolve and take into 
solution other substances1 or of being  
absorbed and even lost sight of in other
 bodies4 ,the ideas we have gathered and
 stored up from all sources are our     
building materials2 the imagination is  
the architect who conceives the plan and
 directs the use of different materials 
in the growth of the new structures4    
,the teacher's chief function in reading
 classes is1 on the one hand1 to see    
that children revive and utilize their  
sense-knowledge1 and on the other1 to   
wake the sleeping giant and set him to  
work to build the beauteous structures  

for which the materials have been       
prepared4 ,but for this1 teachers could 
be dispensed with4 ,as ,socrates said1  
they are only helpers2 they stand by1   
not to perform the work1 but to gently  
guide1 to stimulate1 and now and then to
 lend a helping hand over a bad place4  
,explanations1 therefore1 on the        
teacher's part1 should be clear and     
brief1 purely tributary to the main     
effort4 ,in younger classes1 when the   
children have1 as yet1 little ability to
 use references1 the teacher may add    
much1 especially if it be concrete1     
graphic1 picturesque1 and bearing       
directly upon the subject4 ,but as      
children grow more self-reliant they can
 look up facts and references1 and bring
 more material themselves to the        
elucidation of the lesson4 ,but even in 
adult classes the rich experience of a  
trained and wise teacher1 whose         
illustrations are apt and graphic and   
criticisms incisive1 is an intense      
pleasure and stimulus to students4  #f4 

,the major part of time and effort in   
reading classes should be given to the  
reading proper1 and not to oral         
discussions1 explanations1 and          
collateral information and references4  
,it is possible to have interesting     
discussions and much use of reference   
books1 and still make small progress in 
expressive reading4 ,the main thing     
should not be lost sight of4 ,we should 
learn to march steadily forward through 
lively and energetic thought toward     
expressive reading4 ,there is no other  
right approach to good reading except   
through a lively grasp of the thought1  
sentiment1 and style of the author4 ,but
 the side-lights that come from         
collateral reading and reference are of 
great significance4 ,they are something 
like the scenery on the stage4 ,they    
make the effect more intense and real4  
,they supply a background of environment
 and association which give the ideas   
more local significance and a stronger  
basis in the whole complex of ideas4    

,the reading or oral rendering is the   
final test of understanding and         
appreciation of the lesson4 ,the        
recitation should focus in this applied 
art4 ,all questioning and discussion    
that do not eventuate in expressive     
reading fall short of their proper      
result4 ,reading is a school exercise in
 which the principles discussed can be  
immediately applied1 and this is        
scarcely true in studies like history1  
science1 and mathematics4 ,there are    
many hindrances in the way of this      
fruitful result2 the teacher is tempted 
to talk and explain too much1           
interesting questions and controversies 
spring up1 trivial matters receive too  
much consideration1 much time is spent  
in the oral reproduction of the thought2
 often the time slips by with a minimum 
of effective reading4  ,the questions1  
discussions1 collateral references1 and 
explanations should be brought into     
immediate connection with the children's
 reading1 so that the special thought   

may produce its effect upon expression4 
,this test of effectiveness is a good   
one to apply to explanations1           
definitions1 and questions4 ,unless they
 produce a pronounced effect upon the   
reading1 they are largely superfluous4  
,in view of this the teacher will learn 
to be sparing of words1 laconic and     
definite in statement1 pointed and clear
 in questioning1 and energetic in       
pushing forward4 ,while interest in the 
thought-content is the impelling motive 
in good reading exercises1 lively and   
natural expression is likewise the      
proper fruit and outcome of such a      
motive carried to its proper end4  #g4  
,in order to keep up the right interest 
and movement1 it is necessary to give   
considerable variety to the work4 ,a    
teacher's good sense and tact should be 
like a thermometer which registers the  
mental temperature of the class4 ,if    
kept too long at a single line of       
effort1 its monotony induces            
carelessness and inattention2 while a   

total change to some other order of     
exercise would awake their interest and 
zeal4 ,variety is needed also within the
 compass of a single recitation1 because
 there are several preliminaries and    
varieties of preparatory drill which    
conduce to good rendering of any        
selection4 ,such are vocal exercises in 
consonants and vowels2 pronunciation and
 syllabication of new or difficult      
words2 physical exercises to put the    
body and nervous system into proper     
tone2 the assignment of the next lesson1
 requiring a peculiar effort and manner 
of treatment2 the report and discussion 
of references2 concert drills2 the study
 of meanings--synonyms and derivations2 
illustrations and information by the    
teacher2 introduction of other          
illustrative matter1 as pictures1       
drawings1 maps1 and diagrams4 ,variety  
can be given to each lesson in many ways
 according to the ingenuity of the      
teacher4 ,if we are reading a number of 
short selections1 they themselves       

furnish different varieties and types of
 prose and verse4 ,the dramatist or     
novelist provides for such variety by   
introducing a series of diverse scenes1 
all leading forward to a common end4    
#h4 ,parallel to the requirement of     
variety is the equally important demand 
that children should learn to do one    
thing at a time and learn to do it well4
 ,this may appear contradictory to the  
former requirement1 but the skill and   
tact of the teacher is what should solve
 this seeming contradiction4 ,it is a   
fact that we try to do too many things  
in each reading lesson4 ,we fail to     
pound on one nail long enough to drive  
it in4 ,reading lessons often resemble a
 child pounding nails into a board4 ,he 
strikes one nail a blow or two1 then    
another1 and so on until a dozen or more
 are in all stages of incompleteness4   
,we too often allow the recitation hour 
to end with a number of such incomplete 
efforts4 ,good reading is not like      
moving a house1 when it is all carried  

along in one piece4 ,we reach better    
results if we concentrate attention and 
effort during a recitation along the    
line of a narrow aim4 ,at least this    
seems true of the more formal1          
mechanical side of reading4 ,it is      
better to try to break up bad habits1   
one at a time1 rather than to make a    
general1 indefinite onslaught upon all  
together4 ,suppose1 for example1 that   
the teacher suggests as an aim of the   
lesson conversational reading1 or that  
which sounds like pupils talking to each
 other4 ,many dialogue selections admit 
of such an aim as this4 ,if this aim is 
set up at the beginning of the lesson1  
the children's minds will be rendered   
acute in this direction2 they will be on
 the alert for this kind of game4 ,each 
child who reads is scrutinized by       
teacher and pupils to see how near he   
comes to the ideal4 ,a conscious effort 
begins to dominate the class to reach   
this specific goal4 ,children may close 
their eyes and listen to see if the     

reading has the right sound4 ,a girl or 
boy goes into an adjoining entry or     
dressing room and listens to see if     
those in the class are reading or       
talking4 ,the enthusiasm and class      
spirit awakened are very helpful4 ,not  
that a whole recitation should be given 
up to that sort of thing1 but it is the 
characteristic effort of the lesson4    
,when the children practise the next    
lesson at home they will have this point
 in mind4  ,for several days this sort  
of specific1 definite aim at a narrow   
result may be followed up in the class  
till the children begin to acquire power
 in this direction4 ,what was1 at first1
 painfully conscious effort begins to   
assume the form of habit1 and when this 
result is achieved1 we may drop this aim
 as a leading one in the recitation1 and
 turn our attention to some different   
line of effort4 ,distinct pronunciation 
of sounds is one of the things that we  
are always aiming at1 in a general way1 
and never getting4 ,why not set this up 

in a series of recitations as a definite
 aim1 and resort to a series of devices 
to lay bare the kind of faults the      
children are habitually guilty of8 ,give
 them a chance to correct these faults1 
and awake the class spirit in this      
direction4 ,it will not be difficult to 
convince them that they are not         
pronouncing their final consonants1 like
 d1 t1 l1 m1 r1 and k4 ,keep the        
attention for a lesson to this kind of  
error till there is recognizable        
improvement4 ,then notice the short     
vowel sounds in the unaccented          
syllables1 and give them search-light   
attention4 ,notice later the syllables  
that children commonly slur over4 ,mark 
these fugitives1 and see if they        
continue so invisible and inaudible4    
,they are like ,jack the ,giant ,killer1
 when he put on his cloak of            
invisibility1 or like ,perseus under    
similar circumstances4 ,see if we can   
find these fellows who seem to          
masquerade and dodge about behind their 

companions4 ,then some of the long      
vowels and diphthongs will require      
investigation4 ,they are not all so     
open-faced and above board as they might
 be4 ,when children have such a simple  
and distinct aim in view1 they are ready
 to work with a vim and to exert        
themselves in a conscious effort at     
improvement4 ,keep this aim foremost in 
the recitation1 although other          
requirements of good reading are not    
wholly neglected4  ,after a definite    
line of effort has been strongly        
developed as one of the above described1
 it is possible thereafter to keep it in
 mind with slight attention4 ,but if no 
special drill has ever been devoted to  
it for a given length of time1 it has   
not been brought so distinctly to mind  
as to produce a lasting impression and  
to lay the basis for habit4 ,besides the
 two aims1 clear articulation and       
conversational tones1 there are others  
that may be labored at similarly4       
,appreciation of the thought as         

expressed by the reading is a rich field
 for critical study of a piece1 and as a
 basis for observing and judging the    
children's reading4 ,this idea is well  
implied by such questions as follow3 ,is
 that what the passage means8 ,have you 
given expression to the author's meaning
 by emphasis on this word8 ,does your   
rendering of this passage make good     
sense8 ,compare it with what precedes4  
,how did the man feel when he said this8
 ,what do we know of his character that 
would lead us to expect such words from 
him8 ,this line of questions has a wide 
and varied range4 ,the chief thing is to
 scrutinize the thought in all the light
 attainable1 and appeal to the child's  
own judgment as to the suitableness of  
the tone and emphasis to the thought4   
,does it sound right8 ,is that what the 
passage means8  ,each characteristic    
form of prose or verse has a peculiar   
style and force of expression that calls
 for a corresponding oral rendering4    
,there is the serious and massive1      

though simple1 diction of ,webster's    
speeches1 with its smooth and rounded   
periods1 calling for slow and steady and
 energetic reading4 ,we should notice   
this characteristic of an author1 and   
grow into sympathy with his feeling1    
language1 and mental movement4 ,in      
,macaulay's ,lays of ,ancient ,rome1 the
 ring of martial music is in the words1 
and it swells out into rapid and rousing
 speech which should correspond to the  
thought4 ,in ,evangeline the flow of    
language is placid and gentle and       
rhythmical1 and in consonance with the  
gentle faith and hope of ,evangeline4   
,every true literary product has its own
 character1 which the genius of the     
author has impressed upon its language  
and moulded into its structure1 and     
which calls for a rendering fit and     
appropriate4 ,before completing a       
selection1 we should detect this essence
 and quality and bring our reading to   
reveal it4 ,the places should be pointed
 out where it comes into prominence4    

,when completing such a work of art     
there should be given opportunity to    
bring all the varied elements and       
special aims discovered and worked out  
during its reading to a focus4  ,in the 
final review and rereading of a complete
 poem or prose selection the points of  
excellence in reading which have been   
the special aims of effort in the       
studies of the piece should be kept     
sharply in mind and pushed to a full    
expression4 ,the realization of these   
various aims may be set before the class
 as the distinct object of their closing
 work on a masterpiece4 ,the failure to 
hold vigorously to this final           
achievement is a clear sign of          
intellectual and moral lassitude4       
,reading1 as noticed before1 is one of  
the few studies in which the final      
application of theory to practice can be
 effected1 and children may realize that
 things are learned for the sake of     
using them1 and not simply against some 
future contingency4 ,this implies1      

however1 much resource and skill on the 
teacher's part in awakening the         
children4 ,the impulses and aims which  
arouse the children to strenuous effort 
should spring from within1 and should be
 expressions of their own self-activity 
and volition4 ,there is much need of the
 enthusiasm and will-energy that        
overcome drudgery4 ,children should be  
taught to be dissatisfied with anything 
less than real accomplishment4  ,the    
children will naturally memorize certain
 passages which strike their fancy4     
,other passages have been suggested by  
the teacher for different pupils to     
memorize4 ,in one of the closing lessons
 let the children recite these parts    
before the class4 ,if the teacher has   
succeeded in calling out the live       
interest of the class during the        
previous study1 such a lesson will be a 
joy to both pupils and teacher4 ,one or 
two of the children may also volunteer  
or be appointed to make an oral         
statement of the argument1 which will   

give freedom to natural and effective   
speech4 ,such a round-up of the reading 
lessons at the end of a series of       
interesting studies is a rich experience
 to the whole class4  ,besides the      
important special aims thus far         
suggested1 which should each stand out  
clear for a series of lessons until its 
value is realized and worked over into  
habit1 there are other subordinate aims 
that deserve particular and individual  
consideration1 and may now and then     
become the dominant purpose of a lesson4
 ,such are the correction of singsong   
reading1 the use of the dictionary1 the 
study of synonyms and antitheses1 the   
comparisons and figures of speech1      
exercises in sight reading of unfamiliar
 selections1 quotations from selections 
and masterpieces already read1 study of 
the lives and works of authors4         
,reading is a many-sided study1 and to  
approach its difficulties with success  
we must take them up one at a time1     
conquering them in detail4 ,good        

housekeepers and cooks are accustomed to
 lay out a series of dinners in which   
the chief article of diet is varied from
 day to day as follows3 chicken pie with
 oysters1 veal potpie1 stewed fish1     
broiled beefsteak1 venison roast1 bean  
soup with ham1 roast mutton1 baked fish1
 broiled quail1 roast beef1 baked       
chicken with parsnips1 etc4 ,such a     
series of dinners gives a healthy       
variety and relish4 ,it is better for   
most people than the bill of fare at a  
large hotel1 where there is so much     
variety and sameness each day4 ,when we 
try each day to do everything in a      
reading lesson1 we grasp more than our  
hands can hold1 and most of it falls to 
the ground4 ,children are pleased and   
encouraged by actual progress in        
surmounting difficulties when they are  
presented one at a time1 and opportunity
 is given for complete mastery4 ,the    
children should labor consciously and   
vigorously at one line of effort1 be it 
distinctness or rhythm or emphasis or   

conversational tone1 till decided       
improvement and progress are attained1  
and the ease of right habit begins to   
show itself4 ,then we can turn to some  
new field1 securing and holding the     
vantage-ground of our foregoing effort  
by occasional reminders4  #i4 ,one of   
the best tests applied to a reading     
class is their degree of class          
attention4 ,the steadiness and          
responsiveness with which the whole     
class follow the work is a fair measure 
of successful teaching4 ,to have but one
 child read at a time while the others  
wait their turn or scatter their        
thoughts1 is very bad4 ,it is a good    
sign of a teacher's skill and efficiency
 to see every child in energetic pursuit
 of the reading4 ,it conduces to the    
best progress in that study and is the  
genesis of right mental habit4          
,attention is a sine qua non to good    
teaching1 and yet it is a result rather 
than a cause4 ,it is a ripe fruit rather
 than the spring promise of it4 ,the    

provisions which lead up to steady      
attention are deserving of a teacher's  
study and patient scrutiny4 ,she may    
command attention for a moment by sheer 
force of will and personality1 but it   
must have something to feed upon the    
next moment and the next1 or it will be 
wandering in distant fields4 ,so great  
and indispensable is the value of       
attention1 that some teachers try to    
secure it at too heavy a cost4 ,they    
command1 threaten1 punish4 ,they resort 
to severity and cruelty4 ,but the more  
formidable the teacher becomes1 the more
 difficult for a child to do his duty4  
,here1 again1 we can best afford to go  
back to the sources from which attention
 naturally springs1 interesting subject 
of thought1 vivid and concrete          
perceptions1 lively and suggestive      
appeal to the imagination1 the sphere of
 noble thought and emotion1 variety and 
movement in mental effort1 a mutual     
sympathy and harmony between teacher and
 pupil4  ,it is indeed well for the     

teacher to gauge his work by the kind   
and intensity of attention he can       
secure4 ,if the class has dropped into  
slothful and habitual carelessness and  
inattention1 he will have to give them a
 few severe jolts2 he must drop         
questions where they are least expected4
 ,he must be very alert to detect a     
listless child and wake him into action4
 ,the vigor1 personal will1 and keen    
watchfulness of the teacher must be a   
constant resource4 ,on the other hand1  
let him look well to the thought1 the   
feeling1 and capacity of the children1  
and give them matter which is equal to  
their merits4  ,it is not unusual to    
find the teacher's eye following the    
text closely instead of watching the    
class4 ,but the teacher's eye should be 
moving alertly among the children4 ,in  
case he has studied the lesson          
carefully1 the teacher can detect almost
 every mistake without the book4 ,in    
fact1 even if one has not recently read 
a selection1 he can usually detect a    

verbal error by the break or incoherency
 of the thought4 ,moreover1 the teacher 
can better judge the expressiveness of  
the reading by listening to it than by  
following the text with his eye4        
,depending wholly upon the ear1 any     
defect of utterance or ineptness of     
expression is quickly detected4 ,even   
the children at times should be asked to
 close their books and to listen closely
 to the reading4 ,this emphasizes the   
notion that good reading is the oral    
expression of thought1 so that those who
 listen can understand and enjoy it4    
,the treadmill style of reading1 which  
repeats and repeats1 doing the same     
things day by day1 going through the    
like round of mechanical motions1 should
 give way to a rational1 spirited1      
variegated method which arouses interest
 and variety of thought1 and moves ever 
toward a conscious goal4  #aj4 ,in      
studying the masterpieces of great      
writers1 a question arises how to treat 
the moral situations involved in the    

stories4 ,in their revolt against       
excessive moralizing with children1 some
 critics object to any direct teaching  
of moral ideas in connection with       
literature1 being opposed to explicit   
discussions of moral notions4  ,all will
 admit that literature1 dealing as it   
does with human life1 is surcharged with
 practical morality1 with social        
conduct4 ,it is also the motive of great
 writers1 while dealing honestly with   
human nature1 to idealize and beautify  
their representations of men4 ,nor is it
 their purpose to make unworthy         
characters pleasing and attractive      
models4  ,it is expected1 of course1    
that children will get clear notions and
 opinions of such persons as ,miles     
,standish and ,john ,alden1 of          
,whittier's father and mother and others
 in the fireside circle of ,snow-,bound1
 of ,antonio and ,shylock in the        
,merchant of ,venice1 of ,cinderella and
 her sisters in the story1 of ,wallace  
and ,bruce in ,scott's ,tales1 of ,gluck

 and his brothers in ,ruskin's story1 of
 ,scrooge in the ,christmas ,carol1 of  
,evangeline1 ,enoch ,arden1 etc4  ,but  
boys and girls are not infallible judges
 of character4 ,they are apt to form    
erroneous or one-sided judgments from   
lack of insight into the author's       
meaning1 or from carelessness4 ,there is
 the same possibility of error in       
forming moral judgments as in forming   
judgments in other phases of an author's
 thought4  ,it is the province of the   
teacher to stimulate the children to    
think1 and1 by his superior experience  
and judgment1 to guide them into correct
 thinking4 ,it is not the function of   
the teacher to impose his ready-made    
judgments upon children1 either in      
morals or in anything else4 ,but it is  
his concern1 by questions1 suggestions1 
and criticisms1 to aid in clarifying the
 thought1 to put the children upon the  
right track4 ,there is no reason why a  
teacher should abdicate his place of    
instructor because he chances to come   

before moral problems4 ,literature is   
full of moral situations1 moral         
problems1 and moral evolutions in       
character1 and even of moral ideals4 ,is
 the teacher to stand dumb before these 
things as if he had lost his wits8 ,or  
is he to consider it the greatest       
opportunity of his life to prudently    
guide young people to the correct       
perception of what is beautiful and true
 in human life8 ,why1 indeed1 should he 
suppress his own enthusiasm for these   
ideals8 ,why should not his personality 
be free to express itself in matters of 
moral concern1 as well as in            
intellectual and aesthetic judgments8   
,so long as the teacher throws the      
pupils back upon their own self-activity
 and thinking power1 there need be no   
danger of moral pedantry or of moral    
dyspepsia4  ,it seems to me1 therefore1 
that the teacher should use freedom and 
boldness in discussing with the children
 candidly and thoughtfully the          
characters presented in good literature4

 ,let the situations be made clear so   
that correct judgments of single acts   
can be formed4 ,let the weaknesses and  
virtues of the persons be noted4 ,let   
motives be studied and characteristic   
tendencies traced out4 ,in this way     
children may gradually increase their   
insight and enlarge the range of their  
knowledge of social life4 ,if these     
things are not legitimate1 why should   
such materials be presented to children 
at all8 ,we need not make premature     
moralists of children1 or teach them to 
pass easy or flippant moral judgments   
upon others4 ,but we wish their interest
 in these characters to be deep and     
genuine1 their eyes wide open to the    
truths of life1 and their intuitive     
moral judgments to ripen in a healthy   
and hearty social environment4 ,to this 
end the teacher will need to use all his
 skill in questioning1 in suggestion1 in
 frank and candid discussion4 ,in short1
 he needs just those qualities which a  
first-class teacher needs in any field  

of study4  ,we have gotten out of the   
mode of tacking a moral to a story4     
,ostensibly moral stories1 overweighted 
with a moral purpose1 do not please us4 
,we wish novelists and dramatists to    
give us the truth of life1 and leave us 
to pass judgment upon the characters4   
,our best literature presents great     
variety of scenes and characterizations 
in their natural setting in life4 ,they 
specially cultivate moral judgment and  
insight4 ,one of the ultimate standards 
which we apply to all novels and dramas 
is that of their fundamental moral      
truth4 ,schlegel1 in his ,dramatic ,art 
and ,literature1 in his criticisms of   
great writers1 discusses again and again
 the moral import of the characters1 and
 even the moral purpose of ,shakespeare 
and the dramatists4 ,in fact1 these     
moral considerations lie deep and       
fundamental in judging the great works  
of literary art4 ,the masterpieces we   
use in the schools bear the same        
relation to the children that the more  

difficult works bear to adults4  ,the   
clear discussion of the moral element in
 literature seems1 therefore1 natural   
and legitimate1 while its neglect and   
obscuration would be a fatal defect4    
#aa4 ,there are two kinds of reading    
which should be cultivated in reading   
lessons1 although they seem to fall a   
little apart from the main highway of   
effort4 ,they are1 first1 sight reading 
of supplementary matter for the purpose 
of cultivating a quick and accurate     
grasp of new thought and forms4 ,when we
 leave school1 one of the values of     
reading will be the power it gives to   
interpret quickly and grasp firmly the  
ideas as they present themselves in the 
magazines1 papers1 and books we read4   
,good efforts in school reading will    
lead forward gradually to that readiness
 of thought and fluency of perception   
which will give freedom and mastery of  
new reading matter4 ,to develop this    
ability and to regulate it into habit1  
we must give children a chance to read  

quite a little at sight4 ,we need       
supplementary readers in sets which can 
be put into the hands of children for   
this purpose4 ,the same books will      
answer for several classes1 and may be  
passed from room to room of similar     
grade4  ,the reading matter we select   
for this purpose may be classic1 and of 
the best quality1 just as well as to be 
limited to information and geographical 
readers which are much inferior4 ,there 
are first-class books of literary merit1
 which are entirely serviceable for this
 purpose and much richer in culture4    
,they continue the line of study in     
classic literature1 and give ground for 
suggestive comparisons and reviews which
 should not be neglected4 ,there is a   
strong tendency in our time to put      
inferior reading matter1 in the form of 
information readers1 science primers1   
short history stories1 geographical     
readers1 newspapers1 and specially      
prepared topics on current events1 into 
reading classes4 ,these things may do   

well enough in their proper place in    
geography1 history1 natural science1 or 
general lessons1 but they should appear 
scarcely at all in reading lessons4     
,preserve the reading hour for that     
which is choicest in our prose and      
verse1 mainly in the form of shorter or 
longer masterpieces of literature4      
,secondly1 many books should be brought 
to the attention of the children which  
they may read outside of school4 ,the   
regular reading exercises should give   
the children a lively and attractive    
introduction to some of the best        
authors1 and a taste for the strength   
and beauty of their productions4 ,but   
the field of literature is so wide and  
varied that many things can only be     
suggested1 which will remain for the    
future leisure and choice of readers4   
,children might1 however1 be made       
acquainted with some of the best books  
suited to their age for which there is  
not school time4 ,many of the best      
books1 like ,ivanhoe1 ,quentin ,durward1

 ,captains ,courageous1 ,swiss ,family  
,robinson1 and ,nicholas ,nickleby1     
cannot be read in school4 ,they should  
be in the school library1 and the       
teacher should often refer to them and  
to others suggested by the regular      
reading1 which give deeper and wider    
views into life4  #ab4 ,in the use of   
the symbols and language forms of       
reading1 the children should be led on  
to freedom and self-activity4 ,how to   
get the mastery of these forms in the   
early reading work is discussed in the  
,special ,method in ,primary ,reading   
and ,story4  ,in the fourth and fifth   
years of school1 children should learn  
to use the dictionary4 ,it is a great   
means of self-help when they have       
learned to interpret the dictionary     
easily4 ,but special lessons are        
necessary to teach children3 first1 how 
to find words in the dictionary2 second1
 how to interpret the diacritical       
markings so as to get a correct         
pronunciation2 and third1 how to        

discriminate among definitions4 ,adults 
and even teachers are often deficient in
 these particulars1 and children will   
not form habits of using the dictionary 
with quick and easy confidence without  
continuous1 attentive care on the       
teacher's part4 ,the best outcome of    
such training is the conscious power of 
the child to help himself1 and there is 
nothing in school work more deserving of
 encouragement4  ,the system of         
diacritical markings used in the        
dictionary should be put on the         
blackboard1 varied illustrations of the 
markings given1 and the application of  
these markings to new words in the      
dictionary discovered4 ,lack of success 
in this work is chiefly due to a failure
 to pursue this plan steadily till ease 
and mastery are gained and habits       
formed4  ,in the later grades these     
habits of self-help should be kept up   
and extended further to the study of    
synonyms1 root words and their kindred1 
homonyms1 prefixes and suffixes1 and the

 derived meanings of words4             
,,chapter ,v  ,,method ,,further        
,,discussed ,,and ,,illustrated4        
,,summary   ,in the following chapter   
some phases of method not fully treated 
before will be discussed and            
illustrated4  #a4 ,the proposal to treat
 literary masterpieces as units of      
thought implies a searching study and   
sifting out of the essential idea in    
each poem or selection4 ,in some1 both  
of the longer and shorter pieces1 it is 
not difficult to detect the motive4 ,in 
,bryant's ,ode to a ,waterfowl1 it is   
even suggested as a sort of moral at the
 close4 ,likewise in the ,pied ,piper of
 ,hamelin1 and in ,burns's ,tam         
,o',shanter4 ,in ,glaucis and ,philemon1
 as well as in ,the ,golden ,touch1 even
 a child can quickly discern the        
controlling idea of the myth4 ,but in   
many of our choicest literary products  
it requires deliberate thought to       
discover the poet's deeper meaning1     
especially that idea which binds all the

 parts together and gives unity to the  
whole4 ,in ,lowell's address ,to the    
,dandelion1 we may find in each stanza  
the gleam of the golden thread which    
unifies the whole4 ,the first lines     
suggest it3--    ,dear common flower1   
that grow'st beside the way1   ,fringing
 the dusty road with harmless gold4     
,and again in the second stanza3--      
',tis the ,spring's largess which she   
scatters now   ,to rich and poor alike1 
with lavish hand4  ,in the succeeding   
stanzas he calls to mind how the        
dandelion suggests the riches of the    
tropics1 the full promise of summer1 the
 pure joys of childhood1 the common     
loving courtesies of life1 the rich love
 and prodigality of nature1 and the     
divinity in every human heart4  ,when by
 reflection we bind all these thoughts  
together1 and find that they focus in   
the idea that the best riches abound and
 even burst forth out of common things  
and from the hearts of common men and   
women1 we realize that the poet has     

brought us to the point of discovering a
 deep and practical truth1 which1 put to
 work in the world1 would bring rhythm  
and harmony into human life4  ,but such 
a deep impression is not made by a      
superficial or fragmental study of the  
poem4  ,a somewhat similar result may be
 wrought out by the study of ,lowell's  
poem1 ,an ,incident in a ,railroad ,car1
 and the idea is well expressed in the  
verse3--    ,never did poesy appear     
,so full of heaven to me as when   ,i   
saw how it would pierce through pride   
and fear   ,to lives of coarsest men4   
,the study of a poem or other           
masterpiece in this way1 to get at its  
inner life and continuity1 reveals to us
 an interesting process of mental       
elaboration and comparative thought4    
,such self-active reflection is the     
subsoiling of the mind4  ,to set        
children to work upon problems of this  
sort1 to put them in the way of thinking
 and feeling for themselves1 and that   
too even in the longer classics like    

,evangeline1 ,enoch ,arden1 ,silas      
,marner1 etc41 is to bring such studies 
into the realm of great                 
culture-producing agencies4  ,many minor
 questions of method will be solved by  
having these centres of thought1 these  
problems for thinkers4 ,teachers are    
bothered to know what sort of questions 
to ask4 ,it would be safe to say1 those 
questions which move in the direction of
 the main truth1 toward the solution of 
the chief problem4 ,but let the         
questions be shrewd1 not revealing too  
much1 stimulating to thoughtfulness and 
heading off errors4 ,to what extent     
shall geographical1 historical1 or      
biographical facts be gathered for the  
enrichment and clarifying of the poem8  
,those materials which throw necessary  
light on the essential ideas1 omitting  
what is irrelevant and secondary4  ,a   
careful study of the life of ,alexander1
 by ,plutarch1 will bring to light1 more
 than anything else1 his magnanimity4   
,the thing that so much distinguished   

him from other men was his large1       
liberal temper1 displayed on many       
various occasions4 ,it reminds the      
mature student of that remarkable       
utterance of ,burke1 ,great affairs and 
little minds go ill together4 ,the      
large-minded statesmanship with which   
,burke discusses conciliation with the  
colonies is of like quality with this   
magnanimous spirit of ,alexander4  ,one 
who reads receptively ,emerson's ,the   
,fortune of the ,republic will open his 
eyes on two opposite but closely related
 ideas1 the serious faults1--the low    
political tone1 the materialism1 the    
spread-eagle strut and slovenly         
mediocrity of much in ,american         
life1--and over against this the        
splendid promise1 manliness1 and intense
 idealism of our national life4 ,to work
 out this conception in the brains of   
young people and let it kindle their    
hearts with some true glow of           
patriotism1 is the highest form of      
teaching4 ,such instruction would       

convert every schoolhouse into a true   
temple of freedom and patriotism4  ,but 
in order to reach these results both    
teachers and pupils must put their minds
 to the stretch of earnest work4 ,in the
 introduction to the above-named essay  
of ,emerson1 in the ,riverside          
,literature ,series1 occurs the         
following interesting and suggestive    
passage3 ,yet many of his most notable  
addresses were given before audiences of
 young men and women1 and out of the    
great body of his writings it is not    
difficult to find many passages which go
 straight to the intelligence of boys   
and girls in school4 ,the plan of this  
series forbids the use of extracts1 or  
many numbers might be filled with       
striking and appropriate passages from  
,emerson's writings2 but there are      
certain essays and addresses which1     
though they may contain some knotty     
sentences1 are in the main so           
interesting to boys and girls who have  
begun to think1 they are so inspiring   

and yield so much to any one who will   
take a little trouble to use his mind1  
that it is obviously desirable to bring 
them in convenient form to the attention
 of schools4 ,some of the best things in
 literature we can get only by digging  
for them2 and there is great            
satisfaction in reading again and again 
masterpieces like the essays in this    
collection1 with a fresh pleasure in    
each reading as new ideas spring up in  
the mind of the attentive reader4  ,it  
will be a day rich in promise and       
fruitful of great things when the       
general body of our teachers take hold  
of our great ,american classics in this 
determined spirit1 treating them as     
wholes and grasping firmly the essential
 fundamental ideas4  #b4 ,it is in the  
thought-analysis of a reading lesson    
that a teacher's wit and wisdom are     
brought to the severest test4 ,the words
 of ,shakespeare may be applied to the  
teacher3--    ,a prince most prudent1 of
 an excellent   ,and unmatched wit and  

judgment4  ,there is much danger of     
wasting time in formal questions1       
questions striking no spark of interest1
 questions on familiar words that really
 need no elucidation1 vague and         
unpremeditated questions that make no   
forward step4 ,simple1 far-reaching     
questions1 which touch the pupils'      
deeper thoughtfulness in preparing the  
lesson and stimulate his self-active    
effort1 are needed4 ,if the teacher has 
become keenly interested1 he will ask   
more telling questions4 ,if he has      
probed into the author's secret1--the   
thing which he has been hinting at and  
only gives occasional glimpses of to    
whet your curiosity1--he will discover  
that thought-getting is almost a        
tantalizing process with great writers4 
,the teacher must spur and almost       
tantalize the children with a similar   
shrewdness of question4                 
,problem-raising questions1 involving   
thoughtful retrospect and shrewd        
anticipation1 questions which cannot be 

answered offhand but lead on to a deeper
 study1 are at a premium4 ,ruskin       
says3--  ,and1 therefore1 first of all1 
,i tell you earnestly and               
authoritatively 7,i know ,i am right in 
this71 you must get into the habit of   
looking intensely at words and assuring 
yourself of their meaning1 syllable by  
syllable1--nay1 letter by letter4 ,again
 he says1 of a well-educated gentleman1 
that above all he is learned in the     
peerage of words2 knows the words of    
true descent and ancient blood at a     
glance from words of modern canaille4   
,in order to make his thought           
unmistakable1 ,i quote at length a      
passage from ,ruskin's ,sesame and      
,lilies3--  ,and now1 merely for        
example's sake1 ,i will1 with your      
permission1 read a few lines of a true  
book with you1 carefully2 and see what  
will come out of them4 ,i will take a   
book perfectly known to you all2 no     
,english words are more familiar to us1 
yet nothing perhaps has been less read  

with sincerity4 ,i will take these few  
following lines of ',lycidas'3--        
',last came1 and last did go1   ,the    
pilot of the ,galilean lake2   ,two     
massy keys he bore of metals twain1     
7,the golden opes1 the iron shuts       
amain71   ,he shook his mitred locks1   
and stern bespake1   ,how well could ,i 
have spar'd for thee1 young swain1      
,enow of such as for their bellies' sake
   ,creep and intrude1 and climb into   
the fold3   ,of other care they little  
reckoning make1   ,than how to scramble 
at the shearers' feast1   ,and shove    
away the worthy bidden guest2   ,blind  
mouths6 that scarce themselves know how 
to hold   ,a sheep-hook1 or have learn'd
 aught else1 the least   ,that to the   
faithful herdsman's art belongs6   ,what
 recks it them8 ,what need they8 ,they  
are sped2   ,and when they list1 their  
lean and flashy songs   ,grate on their 
scrannel pipes of wretched straw2   ,the
 hungry sheep look up1 and are not fed1 
,but1 swoln with wind1 and the rank mist

 they draw1   ,rot inwardly1 and foul   
contagion spread2   ,besides what the   
grim wolf with privy paw   ,daily       
devours apace1 and nothing said4'  ,let 
us think over this passage1 and examine 
its words4  ,first1 is it not singular  
to find ,milton assigning to ,st4       
,peter1 not only his full episcopal     
function1 but the very types of it which
 ,protestants usually refuse most       
passionately8 ,his 'mitred' locks6      
,milton was no ,bishop-lover2 how comes 
,st4 ,peter to be 'mitred'8 ',two massy 
keys he bore4' ,is this1 then1 the power
 of the keys claimed by the ,bishops of 
,rome1 and is it acknowledged here by   
,milton only in a poetical license1 for 
the sake of its picturesqueness2 that he
 may get the gleam of the golden keys to
 help his effect8 ,do not think it4     
,great men do not play stage tricks with
 doctrines of life and death3 only      
little men do that4 ,milton means what  
he says2 and means it with his might1   
too1--is going to put the whole strength

 of his spirit presently into the saying
 of it4 ,for though not a lover of false
 bishops1 he was a lover of true ones2  
and the lake-pilot is here1 in his      
thoughts1 the type and head of true     
episcopal power4 ,for ,milton reads that
 text1 ',i will give unto thee the keys 
of the kingdom of ,heaven1' quite       
honestly4 ,puritan though he be1 he     
would not blot it out of the book       
because there have been bad bishops2    
nay1 in order to understand him1 we must
 understand that verse first2 it will   
not do to eye it askance1 or whisper it 
under our breath1 as if it were a weapon
 of an adverse sect4 ,it is a solemn1   
universal assertion1 deeply to be kept  
in mind by all sects4 ,but perhaps we   
shall be better able to reason on it if 
we go on a little farther1 and come back
 to it4 ,for clearly1 this marked       
insistence on the power of the true     
episcopate is to make us feel more      
weightily what is to be charged against 
the false claimants of episcopate2 or   

generally1 against false claimants of   
power and rank in the body of the       
clergy2 they who1 'for their bellies'   
sake1 creep1 and intrude1 and climb into
 the fold4'  ,do not think ,milton uses 
those three words to fill up his verse1 
as a loose writer would4 ,he needs all  
the three2 specially those three1 and no
 more than those--'creep1' and          
'intrude1' and 'climb'2 no other words  
would or could serve the turn1 and no   
more could be added4 ,for they          
exhaustively comprehend the three       
classes1 correspondent to the three     
characters1 of men who dishonestly seek 
ecclesiastical power4 ,first1 those who 
'creep' into the fold2 who do not care  
for office1 nor name1 but for secret    
influence1 and do all things occultly   
and cunningly1 consenting to any        
servility of office or conduct1 so only 
that they may intimately discern1 and   
unawares direct the minds of men4 ,then 
those who 'intrude' 7thrust1 that is7   
themselves into the fold1 who by natural

 insolence of heart1 and stout eloquence
 of tongue1 and fearlessly perseverant  
self-assertion1 obtain hearing and      
authority with the common crowd4        
,lastly1 those who 'climb1' who by labor
 and learning1 both stout and sound1 but
 selfishly exerted in the cause of their
 own ambition1 gain high dignities and  
authorities1 and become 'lords over the 
heritage1' though not 'ensamples to the 
flock4'  ,now go on3--    ',of other    
care they little reckoning make1   ,than
 how to scramble at the shearers' feast4
   ,blind mouths--'  ,i pause again1 for
 this is a strange expression2 a broken 
metaphor1 one might think1 careless and 
unscholarly4  ,not so3 its very audacity
 and pithiness are intended to make us  
look close at the phrase and remember   
it4 ,those two monosyllables express the
 precisely accurate contraries of right 
character1 in the two great offices of  
the ,church--those of bishop and pastor4
  ,a ,bishop means a person who sees4   
,a ,pastor means one who feeds4  ,the   

most unbishoply character a man can have
 is therefore to be ,blind4  ,the most  
unpastoral is1 instead of feeding1 to   
want to be fed1--to be a ,mouth4  ,take 
the two reverses together1 and you have 
'blind mouths4' ,we may advisably follow
 out this idea a little4 ,nearly all the
 evils in the ,church have arisen from  
bishops desiring power more than light4 
,they want authority1 not outlook4      
,whereas their real office is not to    
rule2 though it may be vigorously to    
exhort and rebuke2 it is the king's     
office to rule2 the bishop's office is  
to oversee the flock2 to number it1     
sheep by sheep2 to be ready always to   
give full account of it4 ,now it is     
clear he cannot give account of the     
souls1 if he has not so much as numbered
 the bodies of his flock4 ,the first    
thing1 therefore1 that a bishop has to  
do is at least to put himself in a      
position in which1 at any moment1 he can
 obtain the history from childhood of   
every living soul in his diocese1 and of

 its present state4 ,down in that back  
street1 ,bill1 and ,nancy1 knocking each
 other's teeth out6--,does the bishop   
know all about it8 ,has he his eye upon 
them8 ,has he had his eye upon them8    
,can he circumstantially explain to us  
how ,bill got into the habit of beating 
,nancy about the head8 ,if he cannot1 he
 is no bishop1 though he had a mitre as 
high as ,salisbury steeple2 he is no    
bishop1--he has sought to be at the helm
 instead of the masthead2 he has no     
sight of things4 ',nay1' you say1 it is 
not his duty to look after ,bill in the 
back street4 ,what6 the fat sheep that  
have full fleeces--you think it is only 
those he should look after1 while 7go   
back to your ,milton7 'the hungry sheep 
look up1 and are not fed1 besides what  
the grim wolf with privy paw' 7bishops  
knowing nothing about it7 'daily devours
 apace1 and nothing said'8  ',but that's
 not our idea of a bishop4' ,perhaps    
not2 but it was ,st4 ,paul's2 and it was
 ,milton's4 ,they may be right1 or we   

may be2 but we must not think we are    
reading either one or the other by      
putting our meaning into their words4   
,i go on4    ',but1 swolln with wind1   
and the rank mist they draw4'  ,this is 
to meet the vulgar answer that 'if the  
poor are not looked after in their      
bodies1 they are in their souls2 they   
have spiritual food4'  ,and ,milton     
says1 ',they have no such thing as      
spiritual food2 they are only swolln    
with wind4' ,at first you may think that
 is a coarse type1 and an obscure one4  
,but1 again1 it is a quite literally    
accurate one4 ,take up your ,latin and  
,greek dictionaries1 and find out the   
meaning of ',spirit4' ,it is only a     
contraction of the ,latin word 'breath1'
 and an indistinct translation of the   
,greek word for 'wind4' ,the same word  
is used in writing4 ',the wind bloweth  
where it listeth2' and ',so is every one
 that is born of the ,spirit1' born of  
the breath1 that is1 for it means the   
breath of ,god1 in soul and body4 ,we   

have the true sense of it in our words  
'inspiration' and 'expire4' ,now1 there 
are two kinds of breath with which the  
flock may be filled2 ,god's breath and  
man's4 ,the breath of ,god is health and
 life and peace to them1 as the air of  
heaven is to the flocks on the hills2   
but man's breath--the word he calls     
spiritual--is disease and contagion to  
them1 as the fog of the fen4 ,they rot  
inwardly with it2 they are puffed up by 
it1 as a body by the vapors of its own  
decomposition4 ,this is literally true  
of all false religious teaching2 the    
first and last and fatalest sign of it  
is that 'puffing up4'  ,lastly1 let us  
return to the lines respecting the power
 of the keys1 for now we can understand 
them4 ,note the difference between      
,milton and ,dante in their             
interpretation of this power2 for once  
the latter is weaker in thought2 he     
supposes both the keys to be of the gate
 of heaven2 one is of gold1 the other of
 silver2 they are given by ,st4 ,peter  

to the sentinel angel1 and it is not    
easy to determine the meaning either of 
the substances of the three steps of the
 gate or of the two keys4 ,but ,milton  
makes one1 of gold1 the key of heaven2  
the other1 of iron1 the key of the      
prison1 in which the wicked teachers are
 to be bound who 'have taken away the   
key of knowledge1 yet entered not in    
themselves4'  ,we have seen that the    
duties of bishop and pastor are to see  
and feed1 and1 of all who do so1 it is  
said1 ',he that watereth1 shall be      
watered also himself4' ,but the reverse 
is truth also4 ,he that watereth not1   
shall be withered himself1 and he that  
seeth not1 shall himself be shut out of 
sight1--shut into the perpetual prison  
house4 ,and that prison opens here as   
well as hereafter2 he who is to be bound
 in heaven must first be bound on earth4
 ,that command to the strong angels1 of 
which the rock-apostle is the image1    
',take him1 and bind him hand and foot1 
and cast him out1' issues1 in its       

measure1 against the teacher for every  
help withheld1 and for every truth      
refused1 and for every falsehood        
enforced2 so that he is more strictly   
fettered the more he fetters1 and       
further outcast as he more and more     
misleads1 till at last the bars of the  
iron cage close upon him1 and as 'the   
golden opes1 the iron shuts amain4'  ,we
 have got something out of the lines1 ,i
 think1 and much more is yet to be found
 in them2 but we have done enough by way
 of example of the kind of word-by-word 
examination of your author which is     
rightly called 'reading1' watching every
 accent and expression1 and putting     
ourselves always in the author's place1 
annihilating our own personality1 and   
seeking to enter into his1 so as to be  
able assuredly to say1 ',thus ,milton   
thought1' not ',thus ,i thought1 in     
misreading ,milton4'  #c4 ,in reading   
successive poems and prose selections   
from different authors1 strong          
resemblances in thought or language are 

frequently detected4 ,it is a           
thought-provoking process to bring such 
similar passages to a definite          
comparison4 ,even where the same topic  
is treated differently by two authors1  
the different or contrasted points of   
view are suggestive4 ,calling such      
familiar passages to mind is in itself a
 good practice1 and it is well to       
cultivate this mode of turning previous 
knowledge into use4  ,to illustrate this
 point1 let us call to mind some        
familiar passages1 touching the winter  
snow-storm and the fireside comforts1   
from ,whittier1 ,emerson1 and ,lowell4  
,whittier's description of a snow-storm 
in ,snow-,bound is well known3--        
,unwarmed by any sunset light   ,the    
gray day darkened into night1   ,a night
 made hoary with the swarm   ,and       
whirl-dance of the blinding storm1   ,as
 zigzag wavering to and fro   ,crossed  
and recrossed the winged snow3   ,and   
ere the early bedtime came   ,the white 
drift piled the window-frame1   ,and    

through the glass the clothes-line posts
   ,looked in like tall and sheeted     
ghosts4    ,so all night long the storm 
roared on3   ,the morning broke without 
a sun2   ,in tiny spherule traced with  
lines   ,of ,nature's geometric signs1  
,in starry flake and pellicle   ,all day
 the hoary meteor fell2   ,and1 when the
 second morning shone1   ,we looked upon
 a world unknown1   ,on nothing we could
 call our own4   ,around the glistening 
wonder bent   ,the blue walls of the    
firmament1   ,no cloud above1 no earth  
below1--   ,a universe of sky and snow6 
,the old familiar sights of ours   ,took
 marvellous shapes2 strange domes and   
towers   ,rose up where sty or corn-crib
 stood1   ,or garden-wall1 or belt of   
wood2   ,a smooth white mound the       
brush-pile showed1   ,a fenceless drift 
what once was road2   ,the bridle-post  
an old man sat   ,with loose-flung coat 
and high cocked hat2   ,the well-curb   
had a ,chinese roof2   ,and even the    
long sweep1 high aloof1   ,in its slant 

splendor1 seemed to tell   ,of ,pisa's  
leaning miracle4  ,again the fireside   
joy is expressed3--    ,shut in from all
 the world without1   ,we sat the       
clean-winged hearth about1   ,content to
 let the north-wind roar   ,in baffled  
rage at pane and door1   ,while the red 
logs before us beat   ,the frost-line   
back with tropic heat2   ,and ever1 when
 a louder blast   ,shook beam and rafter
 as it passed1   ,the merrier up its    
roaring draught   ,the great throat of  
the chimney laughed1   ,the house-dog on
 his paws outspread   ,laid to the fire 
his drowsy head1   ,the cat's dark      
silhouette on the wall   ,a couchant    
tiger's seemed to fall2   ,and1 for the 
winter fireside meet1   ,between the    
andirons' straddling feet1   ,the mug of
 cider simmered slow1   ,the apples     
sputtered in a row1   ,and1 close at    
hand1 the basket stood   ,with nuts from
 brown ,october's wood4    ,what matter 
how the night behaved8   ,what matter   
how the north-wind raved8   ,blow high1 

blow low1 not all its snow   ,could     
quench our hearth-fire's ruddy glow4    
,if these passages and others in        
,snow-,bound are familiar to the        
children in previous study1 the reading 
of ,emerson's ,the ,snow-,storm1 might  
set them to recalling a whole series of 
pictures from ,whittier3--    ,announced
 by all the trumpets of the sky1        
,arrives the snow1 and1 driving o'er the
 fields1   ,seems nowhere to alight3 the
 whited air   ,hides hills and woods1   
the river1 and the heaven1   ,and veils 
the farmhouse at the garden's end4      
,the sled and traveller stopped1 the    
courier's feet   ,delayed1 all friends  
shut out1 the housemates sit   ,around  
the radiant fireplace1 enclosed   ,in a 
tumultuous privacy of storm4    ,come   
see the north wind's masonry4   ,out of 
an unseen quarry evermore1   ,furnished 
with tile1 the fierce artificer         
,curves his white bastions with         
projected roof   ,round every windward  
stake1 or tree1 or door4   ,speeding1   

the myriad-handed1 his wild work   ,so  
fanciful1 so savage1 nought cares he    
,for number or proportion4 ,mockingly1  
,on coop or kennel he hangs ,parian     
wreaths2   ,a swan-like form invests the
 hidden thorn2   ,fills up the farmer's 
lane from wall to wall1   ,maugre the   
farmer's sighs2 and at the gate   ,a    
tapering turret overtops the work4      
,and when his hours are numbered1 and   
the world   ,is all his own1 retiring1  
as he were not1   ,leaves1 when the sun 
appears1 astonished ,art   ,to mimic in 
slow structures1 stone by stone1        
,built in an age1 the mad wind's        
night-work1   ,the frolic architecture  
of the snow4  ,the architecture of the  
snow can be compared point by point in  
both authors1 in the objects about the  
farmhouse1 while the picture of the snug
 comforts of the fireplace is in both4  
,of a somewhat different1 yet closely   
related1 character is the description in
 the ,prelude to ,part ,second1 in the  
,vision of ,sir ,launfal3--    ,down    

swept the chill wind from the mountain  
peak1     ,from the snow five thousand  
summers old2   ,on open wold and        
hill-top bleak     ,it had gathered all 
the cold1   ,and whirled it like sleet  
on the wanderer's cheek2   ,it carried a
 shiver everywhere   ,from the unleafed 
boughs and pastures bare2   ,the little 
brook heard it and built a roof         
',neath which he could house him1       
winter-proof2   ,all night by the white 
stars' frosty gleams   ,he groined his  
arches and matched his beams2   ,slender
 and clear were his crystal spars   ,as 
the lashes of light that trim the stars2
   ,he sculptured every summer delight  
,in his halls and chambers out of sight2
   ,sometimes his tinkling waters slipt 
,down through a frost-leaved            
forest-crypt1   ,long1 sparkling aisles 
of steel-stemmed trees   ,bending to    
counterfeit a breeze2   ,sometimes the  
roof no fretwork knew   ,but silvery    
mosses that downward grew2   ,sometimes 
it was carved in sharp relief   ,with   

quaint arabesques of ice-fern leaf2     
,sometimes it was simply smooth and     
clear   ,for the gladness of heaven to  
shine through1 and here   ,he had caught
 the nodding bulrush-tops   ,and hung   
them thickly with diamond drops1        
,which crystalled the beams of moon and 
sun1   ,and made a star of every one3   
,no mortal builder's most rare device   
,could match this winter-palace of ice2 
',twas as if every image that mirrored  
lay   ,in his depths serene through the 
summer day1   ,each flitting shadow of  
earth and sky1     ,lest the happy model
 should be lost1   ,had been mimicked in
 fairy masonry     ,by the elfin        
builders of the frost4    ,within the   
hall are the song and laughter1     ,the
 cheeks of ,christmas glow red and      
jolly1   ,and sprouting is every corbel 
and rafter     ,with the lightsome green
 of ivy and holly2   ,through the deep  
gulf of the chimney wide   ,wallows the 
,yule-log's roaring tide2   ,the broad  
flame-pennons droop and flap     ,and   

belly and tug as a flag in the wind2    
,like a locust shrills the imprisoned   
sap1     ,hunted to death in its        
galleries blind2   ,and swift little    
troops of silent sparks1     ,now       
pausing1 now scattering away as in fear1
   ,go threading the soot-forest's      
tangled darks     ,like herds of        
startled deer4  ,the elfin builders of  
the frost have raised even more delicate
 structures than the snow4 ,the         
descriptive power of the poets in       
picturing nature's handiwork cannot be  
better seen than in these passages4 ,it 
is hardly worth while to suggest the    
points of resemblance which children    
will quickly detect in these passages1  
as the comparison of--    ,through the  
deep gulf of the chimney wide   ,wallows
 the ,yule-log's roaring tide1  with    
this1--    ,the merrier up its roaring  
draught4   ,the great throat of the     
chimney laughed4  ,such passages1       
suggesting like thoughts in earlier     
studies1 are very frequent and spring up

 in unexpected quarters4  ,for example1 
,emerson1 in ,waldeinsamkeit1 says3--   
,i do not count the hours ,i spend      
,in wandering by the sea2   ,the forest 
is my loyal friend1     ,like ,god it   
useth me4  ,again1 in the ,apology1 he  
says3--    ,think me not unkind and rude
     ,that ,i walk alone in grove and   
glen2   ,i go to the god of the wood    
,to fetch his word to men4  ,and        
,lowell1 in ,the ,bobolink3--    ,as    
long1 long years ago ,i wandered1   ,i  
seem to wander even yet4   ,the hours   
the idle schoolboy squandered1   ,the   
man would die ere he'd forget4   ,o     
hours that frosty eld deemed wasted1    
,nodding his gray head toward my books1 
,i dearer prize the lore ,i tasted      
,with you1 among the trees and brooks1  
,than all that ,i have gained since then
   ,from learned books or study-withered
 men4  ,and ,whittier says3--    ,our   
uncle1 innocent of books1   ,was rich in
 lore of fields and brooks1   ,the      
ancient teachers never dumb   ,of       

,nature's unhoused lyceum4  ,it would   
not be difficult to recall other        
passages from ,bryant1 ,shakespeare1    
,byron1 and many others1 expressing this
 love of solitude in woods or on the    
seashore1 and the wisdom to be gained   
from such communion with nature4 ,this  
active retrospect to gather up kindred  
thoughts out of previous studies and    
mingle them with the newer influx of    
radiant ideas from master minds is a    
fruitful mode of assimilating and       
compounding knowledge4 ,it may be       
advisable at times for the teacher to   
bring together a few additional passages
 from still wider sources1 expressive of
 a thought kindred to that worked out in
 the class4 ,such study leads to a      
self-reliant1 enthusiastic companionship
 with the thoughts of great men1 and is 
most profitable4  #d4 ,there is a       
pronounced value in dramatic            
representation of literary selections4  
,the impersonating of characters gives  
an intensity and realism to the thought 

that cannot be effected in any other    
way4 ,in some cases it is possible to   
provide a stage and some degree of      
costuming1 to lend more complete        
realization of the scenes4  ,in favor of
 such dramatic efforts it may be said   
that children1 even in the earlier      
grades1 are naturally dramatic1 and     
enjoy greatly both seeing and           
participating in them4 ,it gives scope  
to their natural tendency toward action1
 rather than repose1 and proper verbal  
expression is more easily secured in    
conjunction with action than without it4
 ,in this connection it may be said that
 acting lends greater freedom and       
spontaneity to the reading4  ,schlegel1 
in his description of dramatic art1     
says3--  ,even in a lively oral         
narration1 it is not unusual to         
introduce persons in conversation with  
each other1 and to give a corresponding 
variety to the tone and the expression4 
,but the gaps1 which these conversations
 leave in the story1 the narrator fills 

up in his own name with a description of
 the accompanying circumstances1 and    
other particulars4 ,the dramatic poet   
must renounce all such expedients2 but  
for this he is richly recompensed in the
 following invention4 ,he requires each 
of the characters in his story to be    
personated by a living individual2 that 
this individual should1 in sex1 age1 and
 figure1 meet as near as may be the     
prevalent conceptions of his fictitious 
original1 nay1 assume his entire        
personality2 that every speech should be
 delivered in a suitable tone of voice1 
and accompanied by appropriate action   
and gesture2 and that those external    
circumstances should be added which are 
necessary to give the hearers a clear   
idea of what is going forward4          
,moreover1 these representatives of the 
creatures of his imagination must appear
 in the costume belonging to their      
assumed rank1 and to their age and      
country2 partly for the sake of greater 
resemblance1 and partly because1 even in

 dress1 there is something              
characteristic4 ,lastly1 he must see    
them placed in a locality which1 in some
 degree1 resembles that where1 according
 to his fable1 the action took place1   
because this also contributes to the    
resemblance3 he places them1 i4e41 on a 
scene4 ,all this brings us to the idea  
of the theatre4 ,it is evident that the 
very form of dramatic poetry1 that is1  
the exhibition of an action by dialogue 
without the aid of narrative1 implies   
the theatre as its necessary complement4
  ,the invention of dramatic art1 and of
 the theatre1 seems a very obvious and  
natural one4 ,man has a great           
disposition to mimicry2 when he enters  
vividly into the situation1 sentiments1 
and passions of others1 he involuntarily
 puts on a resemblance to them in his   
gestures4 ,children are perpetually     
going out of themselves2 it is one of   
their chief amusements to represent     
those grown people whom they have had an
 opportunity of observing1 or whatever  

strikes their fancy2 and with the happy 
pliancy of their imagination1 they can  
exhibit all the characteristics of any  
dignity they may choose to assume1 be it
 that of a father1 a schoolmaster1 or a 
king4  ,in his book1 ,imagination and   
,dramatic ,instinct1 ,s4 ,s4 ,curry     
says3--  ,since dramatic instinct is so 
important1 the question naturally arises
 respecting the use of dialogues for its
 education4 ,there are those who think  
that all histrionic art is useless2 that
 it is even deleterious to character to 
assume a part4  ,the best answer to this
 is the study of the little child4 ,the 
very first means a child adopts to get  
out of itself1 or to realize the great  
world about it1 is by dramatic action   
and instinct4 ,no child was ever born   
with any mind at all1 that had not some 
of this instinct2 and the more promising
 the child1 the more is it dramatic and 
imaginative4 ,dramatic instinct is      
universal4 ,it is the secret of all     
success2 it is the instinct by which man

 sees things from different points of   
view1 by which he realizes the ideal in 
character in contrast to that which is  
not ideal4  ,professor ,monroe was once 
asked by a clergyman for private        
lessons4 ,he told him that was          
impossible4 ',well1' said the minister1 
'what can ,i do then8' ',go home and    
read ,shakespeare dramatically4' ,why   
was such advice given8 ,because the     
struggle to read ,shakespeare would get 
the minister out of himself4 ,the       
struggle to realize how men of different
 types of character would speak certain 
things would make him conscious whether 
he1 himself1 spoke naturally4 ,he would1
 in short1 become aware of his          
mannerisms1 of his narrow gamut of      
emotions1 his sameness of point of view2
 he would be brought into direct contact
 with the process of his own mind in    
thinking4  ,the supreme value of a vivid
 and versatile imagination in giving    
full and rich development to the whole  
mind is now a vital part of our         

confession of faith4 ,the question is   
how to cultivate such a resourceful     
imagination4 ,the literature of the     
creative imagination is felt to be the  
chief means1 and the dramatic instinct  
toward interpreting1 assimilating and   
expressing human thought and feeling    
opens the avenue of growth4  ,dr4 ,curry
 says3--  ,dramatic instinct should be  
trained because it is a part of the     
imagination1 because it gives us        
practical steps toward the development  
of the imagination1 because it is the   
means of securing discipline and power  
over feeling4 ,dramatic instinct should 
be trained because it is the insight of 
one mind into another4 ,the man who has 
killed his dramatic instinct has become 
unsympathetic1 and can never appreciate 
any one's point of view but his own4    
,dramatic instinct endows us with broad 
conceptions of the idiosyncrasies1      
beliefs1 and convictions of men4 ,it    
trains us to unconscious reasoning1 to a
 deep insight into the motives of man4  

,it is universally felt that one's power
 to 'other himself' is the measure of   
the greatness of his personality4 ,all  
sympathy1 all union of ourselves with   
the ideals and struggles of our race1   
are traceable to imagination and        
dramatic instinct4  ,he further         
emphasizes the idea that dramatic       
instinct has two elements--imagination  
and sympathy4 ,imagination affords      
insight into character2 sympathy enables
 us to identify ourselves with it4      
,together they form the chief elements  
of altruism4 ,they redeem the mind from 
narrowness and selfishness2 they enable 
the individual to appreciate the point  
of view1 the feelings1 motives1 and     
characters of his fellow-men2 they open 
his eyes to read the various languages  
of human art2 they enable him to commune
 with his kind on a higher plane than   
that of commonplace facts2 they lift him
 into communion with the art and spirit 
of every age and nation4 ,without their 
development man is excluded from the    

highest enjoyment1 the highest communion
 with his kind1 and from the highest    
success in every walk of life4          
,dramatization is the only means by     
which we can bring the reading work of  
the school to its full and natural      
expression4 ,the action involved in it  
predisposes the mind to full and natural
 utterance4 ,the fulfilment of all the  
dramatic conditions lends an impetus and
 genuineness to every word that is      
spoken4 ,it has been often observed that
 boys and girls whose reading is        
somewhat expressionless become direct   
and forcible when taking a part in a    
dialogue or dramatic action4 ,it would  
be almost farcical not to put force and 
meaning into the words when all the     
other elements of action and realism are
 present4  ,educational progress is     
everywhere exerting a distinct pressure 
at those points where greater realism1  
deeper absorption in actualities1 is    
possible4 ,this is the significance of  
outdoor excursions1 of experiments1     

laboratories1 and object work in nature 
study4 ,in geography and history it is  
the purpose of pictures1 vivid          
descriptions1 biographical stories1 and 
the accounts of eye-witnesses and real  
travellers1 etc4  ,in literature we     
possess1 embodied in striking concrete  
personalities1 many of the most forcible
 ideas that men have conceived and dealt
 with in the history of the world4 ,it  
is very desirable that children should  
become themselves the vehicles for the  
expression of these ideas4 ,the school  
is the place where children should      
become the embodiment of ideas4 ,it     
would be a grand and not impractical    
scheme of education to propose to make  
the school a place where each child1 in 
a well-chosen succession1 should be     
allowed to impersonate and become the   
embodiment of the constructive ideas of 
our civilization4  ,we reason much      
concerning the educative value of       
carpentry1 of the various forms of      
manual skill in wood and iron1 of       

weaving1 gardening1 and cooking1 of the 
work of shoemaker1 basket-maker1 and    
potter1 and of the educative value of   
these constructive activities2 for the  
purposes of universal education1 is it  
not of equal importance that children   
become skilled in the histrionic art1 in
 the apt interpretation and expression  
of good manners1 in that deeper social  
insight and versatile tact which are the
 constructive elements in conduct8 ,or1 
putting it in a more obvious form1 is it
 any more important for a person to know
 how to construct a bookcase or even a  
steam-engine1 than to shape his speech  
or conduct skilfully in meeting a board 
of education or a business manager4  ,it
 is not the purpose of the school to    
educate players or public readers1 any  
more than to train carpenters or        
machinists4 ,but the reading exercises  
in school should culminate in the       
ability to sympathetically interpret a  
considerable variety of human life and  
character as presented in our best      

literature4 ,modern educators1 however1 
are not satisfied1 in any important     
study1 with theoretical knowledge       
derived from books4 ,they demand that   
knowledge shall pass over into some sort
 of practice and use4 ,reading passes   
naturally and without a break from the  
interpretation of life to its embodiment
 in conduct4 ,in this important respect 
it is the most practical of all studies4
 ,its subject matter1 derived from      
literature1 consists largely of an      
interesting variety of typical and      
artistically beautiful character        
delineations from the hands of the      
supreme master of this art4 ,dramatic   
representation is the last and          
indispensable step in the art of        
reading2 and the interest that naturally
 attaches to it1 from early childhood up
 through all the stages of growth1      
removes one chief obstacle to its       
introduction4  ,keeping in mind that    
wisdom1 skill1 and versatility in       
conduct are the natural and appropriate 

outcome of successful dramatic          
representation1 it is not at all        
extravagant to say that the average     
child will have far more use for this   
result1 both now and in all the         
vicissitudes of later life1 than for    
skill in carpentry1 or ironwork1 or     
weaving1 etc4  ,nor have we any         
disposition to detract from the value   
usually attributed to manual training in
 its various forms by its advocates4    
,it is not uncommon for teachers        
generally to employ the dialogue form   
when the selection admits of it1 and to 
assign the parts to different children4 
,our purpose1 however1 in the fuller    
discussion and emphasis of the dramatic 
element is to suggest a more liberal    
employment of dramatic selections1 and  
to provide for a much fuller dramatic   
representation1 using simple1           
inexpensive costumes and stage          
surroundings where possible4  ,when we  
examine in detail the number of dramatic
 selections in a set of readers1 or     

among the masterpieces sometimes read in
 the classes below the high school1 we  
shall find a number of purely dramatic  
works4 ,the ,merchant of ,venice and    
,julius ,caesar are well adapted to     
seventh and eighth grades1 and there are
 many selections in which the dialogue  
is an important feature1 as in ,the     
,cricket on the ,hearth1 ,king of the   
,golden ,river1 ,tanglewood ,tales1     
,lady of the ,lake1 ,marmion1 ,pilgrim's
 ,progress1 ,grandfather's ,chair1 and  
many others4  ,the ,courtship of ,miles 
,standish has been published in a form  
specially adapted for school exhibitions
 by ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4          
,longfellow's ,giles ,corey of the      
,salem ,farms1 in the ,riverside        
,series1 is a drama well suited to sixth
 grade4 ,the story of ,william ,tell1   
derived from ,schiller's drama1 is      
adapted to sixth and possibly to fifth  
grade4  ,some of the ballads are cast in
 the form of the dialogue1 and can be   
easily treated so in the school1 as     

,proud ,lady ,margaret1 ,robin ,hood and
 the ,widow's ,sons1 ,king ,john and the
 ,abbot of ,canterbury1 and many others4
 ,the ,robin ,hood stories are full of  
dialogue and could be easily dramatized1
 and so with ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 and  
others4  ,an examination of our         
literature from this point of view will 
discover a strong dramatic element in a 
large portion of it1 and the cultivation
 of this spirit will qualify the        
children for a better appreciation of   
many of the great works4  #e4 ,treatment
 of the ,odyssey4  ,the ,odyssey is     
probably as well known as any           
masterpiece in the world's literature4  
,for the sake of illustration1          
therefore1 we will enter upon a brief   
discussion of the mode of handling it as
 a unit in the school4  ,there are      
abundant sources in ,english from which 
the teacher can get an adequate         
knowledge of this great poem without    
using the original ,greek4 ,a few of the
 leading books which the teacher may    

consult are as follows3 ,the ,story of  
,ulysses 7,cook74 ,a very simple1       
abbreviated narrative of ,ulysses'      
wanderings1 sometimes used as a reading 
book in fourth or fifth grade4 7,public 
,school ,publishing ,co47--,lamb's      
,adventures of ,ulysses4 ,a pleasing    
prose rendering of the chief incidents  
of the story1 more difficult than the   
preceding4 ,sometimes used as a reader4 
7,ginn  ,co47--,church's ,stories of the
 ,old ,world1 in which ,the ,adventures 
of ,ulysses forms a chapter4 ,a good    
short treatment of the story in simple  
language4 7,ginn  ,co47--,ulysses among 
the ,phaeacians1 consisting of          
selections from five books of the       
,odyssey as translated into verse by    
,bryant4 ,this seems well adapted for   
use as a reading-book in fourth or fifth
 grade1 and will be discussed more fully
 as such4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin1         
,co47--,the ,odyssey of ,homer by       
,palmer1 is an excellent prose-poetic   
rendering of the whole poem1 and is of  

great service to the teacher4           
7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co47--,another  
excellent prose translation1 by ,butcher
 and ,lang1 has been much used4 7,the   
,macmillan ,co47--,bryant's ,homer's    
',odyssey1' a complete poetic rendering 
of the whole twenty-four books of the   
poem1 is probably the best basis for    
school reference and study of the       
poem4--,national ,epics1 by ,rabb1 has a
 good narrative and introduction for the
 ,odyssey1 and a list of critical       
references4 7,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg          
,co47--,art and ,humanity in ,homer1 by 
,lawton1 has an interesting discussion  
of the ,odyssey4 ,other famous          
translations of the whole ,odyssey were 
made by ,alexander ,pope1 ,william      
,cowper1 ,george ,chapman1 and others4  
,it is not unusual in schools for       
teachers to give children of the third  
or fourth grade an oral introduction to 
the whole story in a series of lessons4 
,this requires skill in presenting and  
discussing the episodes1 and should be  

attended by good oral reproductions by  
the children4 ,such oral work should be 
done in distinct lessons apart from the 
regular reading4 ,later1 in fourth or   
fifth grade1 the story is sometimes read
 in class from one of the simple prose  
narratives of ,miss ,cook1 or ,lamb1 or 
,church4 ,in the fifth or sixth grade1  
,ulysses among the ,phaeacians forms an 
interesting reading-book1 with which to 
acquaint the children more fully with   
the poetic beauty and descriptive detail
 of the original1 so far as it can be   
secured in ,english4 ,in connection with
 such reading it may be interesting to  
choose from ,bryant's complete          
translation other selected parts of the 
story1 and encourage the children to    
read them1 if books from the library or 
homes can be provided4  ,we may dwell   
for a moment upon those qualities of    
,homer's story which have commanded the 
admiration of the great poets in        
different ages and countries4 ,the      
peculiar poetic charm and power of the  

original ,greek are probably            
untranslatable1 although several eminent
 poets have attempted it4 ,but we have  
at least both prose and verse renderings
 of it that are beautiful and poetic4   
,some of the critics have said that the 
whole poem is a perfect unit in         
thought1--much more so than the         
,iliad1--centring in the person of      
,ulysses4 ,his wanderings and his final 
return constitute the thread of the     
narrative4 ,in the main it is a story of
 peace1 with descriptions of cities1    
islands1 palaces1 strange lands1 and    
peaceful arts and manners4 ,after their 
return from ,troy we meet ,nestor and   
,menelaus1 dwelling happily in their    
palaces and surrounded with home        
comforts4 ,ulysses1 himself1 the great  
sufferer1 is tossed about the world1 or 
held captive on sea-girt1 far-away      
islands4 ,he passes through a series of 
wonderful adventures1 keeping his       
alertness and balance of mind so        
completely that his name has become a   

synonym in all lands for shrewdness and 
far-seeing wisdom4 ,and it is not only a
 wise perception1 but a self-control in 
the midst of old and new temptations    
which is most remarkable4 ,this         
over-mastering shrewdness or calculation
 even overdoes itself and becomes       
amusing1 when he tries1 for example1 to 
deceive his guardian goddess as to who  
he is4 ,the descriptions of women and of
 domestic life are famous and           
delightful4 ,the constancy of ,penelope1
 her industry and shrewdness in         
outwitting the suitors1 have given her a
 supreme place among the women of story4
 ,the descriptions of peaceful manners  
and customs1 of public games1 of        
feasting and music1 of palace halls and 
ornament1 are among the great literary  
pictures of the world4  ,the particular 
adventures through which ,ulysses passed
 with ,circe1 with the ,sirens1 with    
,polyphemus1 with ,eolus1 with the      
lotus-eaters1 and others1 are plainly   
suggestive of the dangers which threaten

 the thoughtless minded1 those who      
plunge headlong into danger without     
forethought4 ,ulysses does not give way 
to folly or passion1 is bold and skilful
 in danger1 and persevering to the last 
extreme4  ,in the treatment of the      
,odyssey1 the teacher will need a       
general knowledge of ,greek mythology1  
which can be easily derived from ,greek 
,gods1 ,heroes1 and ,men 7,scott1       
,foresman1  ,co471 and from several     
other of the reference books4 ,some     
study of ,greek architecture1 sculpture1
 and modes of life will be instructive  
and helpful1 as given in ,smith's       
,history of ,greece and other histories4
 ,pictures of ,greek temples and ruins1 
sculpture1 and palaces will be pleasing 
and attractive to children4 7,see       
,luebke's ,history of ,art1 ,vol4 ,i1   
,dodd1 ,mead1  ,co47 ,some of the       
children's books also contain good      
pictures4  ,a good map1 indicating the  
supposed wanderings of ,ulysses in the  
,mediterranean1 is given in several of  

the books1 e4g4 in ,palmer's ,odyssey1  
and fixes many of the most interesting  
events of the story4 ,the teacher should
 not overlook the geography of the story
 and its relation to this and later     
studies in history1 literature1 and     
geography4  ,in using ,ulysses among the
 ,phaeacians as a reader in fourth or   
fifth grade1 the first unit of study is 
the voyage of ,ulysses on his raft1 from
 the time of leaving ,calypso till he is
 wrecked by the storm and driven upon   
the island of ,scheria1 the home of the 
,phaeacians4 ,we will suggest a few     
points in the treatment4 ,the supposed  
places and the route of the voyage can  
be traced on the map4 ,let the teacher  
sketch it on the board in assigning the 
lesson4 ,suggest that the children      
locate in the sky the stars and         
constellations by which ,ulysses is to  
direct his course4 ,the story of the    
construction of the raft on which       
,ulysses is to make this journey1 just  
preceding this part of the story1 could 

be read to the class by the teacher1 as 
it is not contained in these extracts4  
,in length of time how does this voyage 
compare with a voyage across the        
,atlantic to-day8 ,why is it said1 in   
line #cbi1 that the ,great ,bear alone  
dips not into the waters of the deep8   
,from previous studies1 the children may
 be able to tell of ,ulysses' stay upon 
the island with ,calypso4 ,what may the 
children know of ,neptune8 ,why is he   
angered with ,ulysses8 ,a picture of    
,neptune with the trident is in place4  
,explain the expression while from above
 the night fell suddenly4 ,was ,ulysses 
justified in saying1 ,now must ,i die a 
miserable death8 ,in spite of the       
desperate storm1 in what ways does      
,ulysses struggle to save his life8 ,how
 do the gods assist him8 ,in what way   
does this experience of ,ulysses remind 
us of ,robinson ,crusoe's shipwreck and 
escape8  ,with how many men had ,ulysses
 started on his way to ,troy8 ,now he   
alone escapes after great suffering and 

hopeless buffetings4 ,in what way during
 this voyage and shipwreck did ,ulysses 
display his accustomed shrewdness and   
foresight8 ,after landing1 what dangers 
did he still fear8  ,the nearly three   
hundred lines of ,book ,v1 which give   
this account of ,ulysses' voyage and    
shipwreck1 will require several lessons1
 and the above questions are but a few  
of those raised in its reading and      
discussion4 ,when ,neptune1 ,ulysses1 or
 ,ino speak1 let the speaker be         
impersonated so as to give greater force
 and reality4 ,in the next book 7,,vi71 
there is more of dialogue and better    
opportunity for variety of manner and   
voice4  ,it would be tedious to enter   
into further detail suggesting          
questions4 ,but we may believe that a   
spirited treatment of this part of the  
story of ,ulysses in reading lessons1   
including his stay and treatment among  
the ,phaeacians1 will give the children 
much appreciation of the beauty and     
power of this old story4 ,by means of   

occasional readings of other selected   
parts of the ,odyssey1 from ,bryant or  
,palmer1 some of the most striking      
pictures in the story of his wanderings 
can be presented4 ,even the children may
 find time for some of this additional1 
outside reading4 ,in any event the story
 of ,ulysses1 as a piece of great       
literature1 can thus be brought home to 
the understandings and hearts of        
children1 and will constitute           
henceforward a part of that rich        
furniture of the mind which we call     
culture4   ,,summary ,,of ,,significant 
,,points ,,in ,,reading  #a4 ,the       
teacher's effort is first directed to a 
vivid interpretation of the author's    
thought and feeling1 and later to an    
expressive rendering of the thought4    
#b4 ,every exertion should be made to   
lead the children to an absorbed and    
interested attention in the selections4 
#c4 ,the author's leading motive in the 
whole selection should be firmly grasped
 by the teacher4 ,by centring all       

discussion toward this motive1          
unnecessary digressions will be avoided4
  #d4 ,the teacher will hardly teach    
well unless he has saturated himself    
with the spirit of the selection1 and   
enjoys it4 ,to this end he needs not    
only to study the selection1 but also   
the historical1 geographical1           
biographical1 and other side-lights4    
#e4 ,the teacher needs great freedom and
 versatility in the use of his          
materials4 ,warmth1 animation1 and      
freedom of manner are necessary4  #f4   
,children often do not know how to study
 a reading lesson4 ,in the assignment   
and in the way of handling the lesson   
they should be taught how to get at it1 
how to understand and enjoy it4  #g4 ,in
 the assignment of the lesson the       
thought of the piece should be opened up
 in an interesting way1 and such        
difficulties as children are not likely 
to grapple with and master for          
themselves pointed out and approached4  
,difficult words need to be pronounced  

and hard passages explained4  #h4 ,the  
assignment should be unmistakably clear 
and definite1 so as to insure a good    
seat study4  #i4 ,the seat study should 
be chiefly on parts already discussed in
 class4  #aj4 ,during the recitation    
proper1 strong class attention by all   
the members of the class is a first     
necessity4 ,much knowledge1 alertness1  
and skill are necessary to secure this4 
,one must keep all the members of the   
class in the eye constantly1 and        
distribute the questions and work among 
them promptly and judiciously1 so as to 
secure concentrated effort4  #aa4 ,the  
teacher can often judge a recitation    
better without looking at the book while
 the class is reading4  #ab4 ,skill in  
questioning is very useful in reading   
lessons4    7a7 ,questions to arouse the
 thought should appeal to the experience
         of children4    7b7 ,questions 
to bring out the meaning of words or    
passages1 or         to expose errors or
 to develop thought1 should be clear and

         specific1 not long and         
ambiguous4  #ac4 ,let the teacher be    
satisfied with reasonable answers1 and  
not insist on the precise verbal form   
present to his own mind4  #ad4 ,the     
teacher needs to awaken strongly the    
imagination in picturing scenes1 in     
interpreting poetic images and figures1 
and in impersonating characters4 ,the   
picture-forming power is stimulated by  
apt questions1 by suggestion of the     
teacher1 by interpretation1 by appeal to
 experience1 by dramatic action4  #ae4  
,the use of the dialogue and dramatic   
representation is among the best means  
of awakening interest and producing     
freedom and self-forgetfulness4  #af4   
,the pupil should give his own          
interpretation1 subject to correction1  
and interpret parts in relation to the  
whole4  #ag4 ,without too much loss of  
time children should learn to help      
themselves in overcoming difficulties in
 solving problems4  #ah4 ,sometimes it  
is well for children to come prepared to

 ask definite questions on parts they do
 not understand4  #ai4 ,the tendency to 
more independent and mature thinking is 
encouraged by comparing similar ideas1  
figures of speech1 and language in      
different poems and from different      
authors4  #bj4 ,there should be much    
effective reading and not much mere oral
 reproduction4 ,the paraphrase may be   
used at times to give the pupil a larger
 view of the content of the piece4  #ba4
 ,let the pupil reading feel responsible
 for giving to the class the content of 
the printed page4 ,often it is best to  
face the class4  #bb4 ,the teacher      
should occasionally read a passage in   
the best style for the pupils1 not for  
direct imitation1 but to suggest the    
higher ideals and spirit of good        
reading4 ,a high standard is thus set   
up4  #bc4 ,children should be encouraged
 to learn by heart the passages they    
like4 ,in the midst of the recitation it
 is well occasionally to memorize a     
passage4  #bd4 ,the teacher must drill  

himself in clear-cut enunciation of     
short vowels1 final consonants1 and pure
 vowel sounds4 ,cultivate also a quick  
ear for accurate enunciation in the     
pupils and for pleasing tones4 ,frequent
 drill exercise1 singly and in concert1 
is necessary4  #be4 ,use ingenuity by   
indirect methods to overcome nasality1  
stuttering1 nervously rapid reading1    
slovenly and careless expression1       
monotone1 and singsong4  #bf4 ,by means 
of physical training1 deep breathing1   
vigorous thought work1 encourage to     
self-reliant manner and good physical   
position4  #bg4 ,give variety to each   
lesson2 avoid monotony and humdrum4     
#bh4 ,each lesson should emphasize a    
particular aim1 determined by the nature
 of the selection or by the previous bad
 habits and faults of the children in   
reading4 ,it is impossible to give      
proper emphasis to all things in each   
lesson1 and indefiniteness and monotony 
are the result4     ,,chapter ,,vi      
,,the ,,value ,,of ,,classics ,,to ,,the

 ,,teacher   ,in discussing the value   
and fruitfulness of this field of study 
to children1 it is impossible to forbear
 the suggestion of its scope and        
significance for teachers4 ,if the      
masters of song and expression are able 
to work so strongly upon the immature   
minds of children1 how much deeper the  
influence upon the mature and thoughtful
 minds of teachable teachers6 ,they     
above all others should have            
dispositions receptive of the best      
educational influences4 ,the duties and 
experiences of their daily work         
predispose them toward an earnest and   
teachable spirit4 ,in very many cases1  
therefore1 their minds are wide open to 
the reception of the best4 ,and how deep
 and wide and many-sided is this        
enfranchisement of the soul through     
literature6  ,it is a gateway to        
history2 not1 however1 that castaway    
shell which our text-books1 in the form 
of a dull recital of facts1 call        
history2 but its heart and soul1 the    

living1 breathing men and women1 the    
source and incentive of great movements 
and struggles toward the light4         
,literature does not make the study of  
history superfluous1 but it puts a      
purpose into history which lies deeper  
than the facts1 it sifts out the wheat  
from the chaff1 casts aside the         
superficial and accidental1 and gets    
down into the deep current of events    
where living causes are at work4  ,the  
,courtship of ,miles ,standish1 for     
example1 is deeper and stronger than    
history because it idealizes the stern  
and rigid qualities of the ,puritan1    
while ,john ,alden and ,priscilla touch 
a deeper universal sympathy1 and body   
forth in forms of beauty that pulsing   
human love which antedates the ,puritan 
and underlies all forms of religion and 
society4  ,illustrative cases have been 
given in sufficient abundance to show   
that literature1 among other things1 has
 a strong political side4 ,it grasps    
with a master hand those questions which

 involve true patriotism4 ,it exalts    
them into ideals1 and fires the hearts  
of the people to devotion and sacrifice 
for their fulfilment4  ,burke's ,oration
 on the ,american ,war is1 to one who   
has studied ,american history1 an       
astonishing confirmation of how         
righteous and far-sighted were the      
principles for which ,samuel ,adams and 
the other patriots struggled at the     
opening of the ,revolution4 ,webster's  
speech at ,bunker ,hill is a graphic and
 fervent retrospect on the past of a    
great struggle1 and a prophetic view of 
the swelling tide of individual1 social1
 and national well-being4  ,if the      
teacher is to interpret history to      
school children1 he must learn to grasp 
what is essential and vital2 he must be 
able to discriminate between those      
events which are trivial and those of   
lasting concern4 ,the study of our best 
,american literature will reveal to him 
this distinction1 and make him a keen   
and comprehensive critic of political   

affairs4  ,barnett1 in his ,common      
,sense in ,education and ,teaching 7p4  
#agj71 says3--  ,in the second place1   
literature provides us with historical  
landmarks4 ,we cannot be said to        
understand the general 'history' of a   
particular time unless we know something
 of the thought that stirred its most   
subtle thinkers1 and interpreted and    
made articulate the spirit of the times 
in which they lived4 ,the most notable  
facts in the history of the times of    
,edward ,,iii1 of ,elizabeth1 and of    
,victoria are that ,chaucer and         
,shakespeare and ,tennyson and their    
contemporaries lived and wrote4         
,political history1 social history1     
economic history1 even ecclesiastical   
history1 are all reflected1 illustrated1
 and interpreted by what we find in the 
great works of contemporary literature4 
,charles ,kingsley1 in his ,literary and
 ,general ,essays 7p4 #bdi71 holds a    
like opinion3--  ,i said that the ages  
of history were analogous to the ages of

 man1 and that each age of literature   
was the truest picture of the history of
 its day1 and for this very reason      
,english literature is the best1 perhaps
 the only1 teacher of ,english history1 
to women especially4 ,for it seems to me
 that it is principally by the help of  
such an extended literary course that we
 can cultivate a just and enlarged taste
 which will connect education with the  
deepest feelings of the heart4          
,literature is also a mirror that       
reflects many sides of social life and  
usage4 ,there is no part of a teacher's 
education that is so vital to his       
practical success as social culture4    
,john ,locke's ,thoughts on ,education  
are1 in the main1 an inquiry into the   
methods and means by which an ,english  
gentleman can be formed4 ,the aim of the
 tutor who has this difficult task is   
not chiefly to give learning1 to fill   
the mind with information1 to develop   
mentality1 but to train the practical   
judgment in harmony with gentlemanly    

conduct4 ,the tutor1 himself a scholar1 
is to know the world1 its ins and outs1 
its varieties of social distinction and 
usage1 its snares and pitfalls1 its wise
 men and fools4 ,the child is to learn  
to look the world in the face and       
understand it1 to know himself and to be
 master of himself and of his conduct1  
to appreciate other people in their     
moods and characters1 and to adapt      
himself prudently and with tact to the  
practical needs4 ,the gentleman whom    
,locke sets up as his ideal is not a    
fashion-plate figure1 not a drawing-room
 gallant1 but a clear-headed man who    
understands other people and himself1   
and has been led by insensible degrees  
to so shape his habitual conduct as most
 wisely to answer his needs in the real 
world4 ,emerson1 with all his lofty     
idealism and unconventionalism1 has an  
ideal of education nearly akin to that  
of ,locke4 ,this social ideal of ,locke 
and ,emerson is one that ,american      
teachers can well afford to ponder4 ,as 

a nation1 we have been accustomed to    
think that a certain amount of roughness
 and boorishness was necessary as a veil
 to cover the strongest manly qualities4
 ,smoothness and tact and polish1       
however successful they may be in real  
life1 are1 theoretically at least1 at a 
discount4 ,the ,adamses1 ,jefferson1    
,jackson1 ,lincoln1 ,thoreau1 were men  
who did violence in a good many ways to 
social usages1 and we may admire their  
faults overmuch4  ,to the teacher who   
stands in the presence of thirty or     
fifty distinct species of incipient men 
and women1 social insight and culture1  
the ability to appreciate each in his   
individual traits1 his strength or      
weakness1 are a prime essential to good 
educative work4  ,now1 there are two    
avenues through which social culture is 
attainable1--contact with men and women 
in the social environment which envelops
 us all1 and literature4 ,literature is1
 first of all1 a hundred-sided          
revelation of human conduct as springing

 from motive4 ,irving1 ,hawthorne1      
,longfellow1 ,holmes1 and ,lowell are   
revealers of humanity4 ,still more so   
are ,dickens and ,eliot and ,shakespeare
 and ,goethe4 ,to study these authors is
 not simply to enjoy the graphic power  
of an artist1 but to look into the lives
 of so many varieties of men and women4 
,they lay bare the heart and its inward 
promptings4 ,our appreciation for many  
forms of life under widely differing    
conditions is awakened4 ,we come in     
touch with those typical varieties of   
men and women whom we shall daily meet  
if we will but notice4 ,it broadens     
one's perceptions and sympathies1 it    
reveals the many-sidedness of human     
life4 ,it suggests to a teacher that the
 forty varieties of humanity in her     
schoolroom are not after one pattern1   
nor to be manipulated according to a    
single device4  ,the social life that   
surrounds each one of us is small and   
limited4 ,our intimate companionships   
are few1 and we can see deeply into the 

inner life of but a small portion even  
of those about us4 ,the deeper life of  
thought and feeling is largely covered  
up with conventionalities and           
externalities4 ,but in the works of the 
best novelists1 dramatists1 and poets1  
we may look abroad into the whole world 
of time and place1 upon an infinite     
variety of social conditions1 and we are
 permitted to see directly into the     
inner thought and motive1 the very soul 
of the actors4 ,yet fidelity to human   
nature and real life is claimed to be   
the peculiar merit of these great       
writers4 ,by the common consent of      
critics1 ,shakespeare is the prince of  
character delineators4 ,schlegel says of
 him3--  ,shakespeare's knowledge of    
mankind has become proverbial2 in this  
his superiority is so great that he has 
justly been called the master of the    
human heart4 ,a readiness to remark the 
mind's fainter and involuntary          
utterances1 and the power to express    
with certainty the meaning of these     

signs1 as determined by experience and  
reflection1 constitute 'the observer of 
men4'  ,after all1 a man acts so because
 he is so4 ,and what each man is1 that  
,shakespeare reveals to us most         
immediately2 he demands and obtains our 
belief1 even for what is singular and   
deviates from the ordinary course of    
nature4 ,never perhaps was there so     
comprehensive a talent for              
characterization as ,shakespeare4 ,it   
not only grasps every diversity of rank1
 age1 and sex1 down to the lispings of  
infancy2 not only do the king and the   
beggar1 the hero and the pickpocket1 the
 sage and the idiot1 speak and act with 
equal truthfulness2 not only does he    
transport himself to distant ages and   
foreign nations1 and portray with the   
greatest accuracy 7a few apparent       
violations of costume excepted7 the     
spirit of the ancient ,romans1 of the   
,french in the wars with the ,english1  
of the ,english themselves during a     
great part of their history1 of the     

,southern ,europeans 7in the serious    
part of many comedies71 the cultivated  
society of the day1 and the rude        
barbarism of a ,norman foretime2 his    
human characters have not only such     
depth and individuality that they do not
 admit of being classed under common    
names1 and are inexhaustible even in    
conception1--no1 this ,prometheus not   
merely forms men1 he opens the gates of 
the magical world of spirits4  ,what is 
true of ,shakespeare in a preeminent    
degree is true to a marked extent of all
 the great novelists and poets4  ,the   
teacher needs to possess great          
versatility and tact in social          
situations4 ,a quick insight1 social    
ease1 freedom1 and self-possession are  
of the first importance to him4 ,the    
power of sympathy1 of appreciation for  
others' feelings and difficulties1 is   
wholly dependent upon such social       
cultivation4 ,otherwise the teacher will
 be rude1 even uncouth and boorish in   
manner1 producing friction and ill-will 

where tact and gentleness would bring   
sympathy and confidence4 ,many people   
absorb this refinement of thought and   
manner from the social circles with     
which they mingle1 and it is1 of course1
 a smiling fortune that has placed a    
teacher's early life in a happy and     
cultured atmosphere1 where the social   
sympathies and graces are absorbed      
almost unconsciously4 ,but even where   
the earlier conditions have been less   
favorable1 the opportunity for rapid    
social development and culture is most  
promising4 ,the numberless cases in our 
country in which young people1 by the   
strength of their energetic purpose and 
desire for improvement1 have raised     
themselves not only to superior         
knowledge and scholarship1 but also to  
that far greater refinement of social   
life and manner which we call true      
culture1--the numberless instances of   
this sort are a surprising indication of
 the power of education4 ,literature has
 been a potent agent in this direction4 

,it emancipates1 it sets free1 the      
spirit of man4 ,it lifts him above what 
is sordid and material1 and gives him   
those true standards of worth with which
 to measure all things4 ,it contains    
within itself the refining elements1 the
 aesthetic and ethical ideals1 and1 best
 of all1 it portrays human life in all  
its thought1 feeling1 and passion with  
such intensity and realistic fidelity   
that its teaching power is unparalleled4
  ,this potentiality of the better      
literature to produce such noble results
 in the higher range of culture is      
dependent upon conditions4 ,no one will 
understand literature who does not study
 and understand ordinary life as it     
surrounds him2 who does not constantly  
draw upon his own experience in         
interpreting the characters portrayed in
 books4 ,no stupid or unobservant person
 will be made wise through books1 be    
they never so choice4 ,even the student 
who works laboriously at his text-books1
 but has no eye nor care for the people 

or doings about him1 is getting only the
 mechanical side of education1 and is   
losing the better part4 ,he who will    
draw riches out of books must put his   
intellect and sympathy1 his whole       
enthusiastic better self1 into them4    
,the indwelling virtue of great books is
 that they demand this intense          
awakening1 this complete absorption of  
the whole self4 ,the mind of a child and
 of a man or woman has to stretch itself
 to the utmost limit to take in the     
message of a great writer4 ,one feels   
the old barriers giving way and the mind
 expanding to the conception of larger  
things4 ,speaking of the ancient drama  
at ,athens1 ,shelley says1 ,the         
imagination is enlarged by a sympathy   
with pains and passions so mighty that  
they distend in their conception the    
capacity of that by which they are      
conceived4  ,those who have received    
into the inner self the expansive energy
 of noble thought and social culture1   
are the better qualified1 from the rich 

variety of the inner life1 to act       
effectively upon the complex conditions 
and forces of the outer world4 ,the     
teacher whose inner life is teeming with
 these rich sympathies and potent ideals
 will react with greater prudence and   
tact upon the kaleidoscopic conditions  
of a school4  ,practical social life and
 literature are not distinct modes of   
culture4 ,they are one1 they interact   
upon each other in scores of ways4 ,give
 a teacher social opportunities1 give   
him the best of our literature1 let     
these two work their full influence upon
 him1--then1 if he cannot become a      
teacher1 it is a hopeless case4 ,let him
 go to the shop1 to the farm1 to the    
legislature2 there is no place for him  
in the schoolroom4  ,literature is also 
a sharp and caustic critic of his own   
follies or foibles1 to one who can      
reflect4 ,it has a multitude of         
surprises by which we are able1 as      
,burns wished1--    ,to see oursels as  
ithers see us4  ,even the schoolmaster  

finds an occasional apt description of  
himself in literature which it is often 
interesting and entertaining for him to 
ponder4 ,one of the most familiar is    
that of ,goldsmith in ,the ,deserted    
,village3--    ,beside yon straggling   
fence that skirts the way   ,with       
blossomed furze unprofitably gay1       
,there1 in his noisy mansion1 skill'd to
 rule1   ,the village master taught his 
little school4   ,a man severe he was1  
and stern to view2   ,i knew him well1  
and every truant knew3   ,well had the  
boding tremblers learn'd to trace   ,the
 day's disasters in his morning face2   
,full well they laugh'd1 with           
counterfeited glee1   ,at all his jokes1
 for many a joke had he2   ,full well   
the busy whisper1 circling round1       
,convey'd the dismal tidings when he    
frown'd4   ,yet he was kind1 or1 if     
severe in aught1   ,the love he bore to 
learning was in fault4   ,the village   
all declar'd how much he knew2   ',twas 
certain he could write1 and cipher too2 

,lands he could measure1 terms and tides
 presage1   ,and even the story ran that
 he could gauge2   ,in arguing1 too1 the
 parson own'd his skill1   ,for even    
though vanquish'd he could argue still2 
,while words of learned length and      
thundering sound   ,amaz'd the gazing   
rustics ranged around2   ,and still they
 gaz'd1 and still the wonder grew       
,that one small head could carry all he 
knew4  ,a like entertainment and        
suggestion of what the schoolmaster may 
be1 as seen by others1 are furnished by 
,irving's ,ichabod ,crane4 ,william     
,shenstone's description of the         
schoolmistress and the school near two  
hundred years ago in his native village1
 is very diverting4 ,charles ,dickens's 
description of schools and schoolmasters
 is important in the history of         
,england1 and1 like his portrayals of   
child life generally1 of deep           
pedagogical worth to teachers4  ,in his 
book1 ,the ,schoolmaster in ,literature1
 ,mr4 ,skinner has done a real service  

to the teaching world in bringing       
together1 into a convenient compilation 
from many sources1 the literature       
bearing directly upon the schoolmaster4 
,even the comic representations and     
caricatures are valuable in calling     
attention to common foibles and         
mannerisms1 to say nothing of the more  
serious faults of teachers4  ,it is in  
literature1 also1 and in those lives and
 scenes from history which literary     
artists have worked up1 that the teacher
 can best develop his own moral ideals  
and strengthen the groundwork of his own
 moral character4 ,the stream will not  
rise above its source1 and a teacher's  
moral influence in a school will not    
reach above the inspirations from high  
sources which he himself has felt4      
,those teachers who have devoted        
themselves solely to the mastery of the 
texts they teach1 who have read little  
from our best writers1 are drawing upon 
a slender capital of moral resource4    
,not even if home influences have laid a

 sound basis of moral habits are these  
sufficient reserves for the exigencies  
of teaching4 ,the moral nature of the   
teacher needs constant stimulus to      
upward growing1 and the children need   
examples1 ideal illustrations1 life and 
blood impersonations of the virtues2 and
 literature is the chief and only safe  
reservoir from which to draw them4  ,we 
have already discussed the moral value  
of the right books for children4 ,the   
lessons of the great works are so       
profound in this respect that they offer
 a still wider range of study to the    
teacher4 ,even the foremost thinkers and
 philosophers have found therein an     
inexhaustible source of truth and       
wisdom4  ,in the ,foreword to his ,great
 ,books as ,life ,teachers1 ,newell     
,dwight ,hillis says1 ,for some reason  
our generation has closed its text-books
 on ethics and morals1 and opened the   
great poems1 essays1 and novels4 ,this  
is a remarkable statement and is the    
key-note to a silent but sweeping change

 in education4 ,he adds1 ,doubtless for 
thoughtful persons this fact argues1 not
 a decline of interest in the           
fundamental principles of right living1 
but a desire to study these principles  
as they are made flesh and embodied in  
living persons4 ,again1 ,it seems       
important to remember that the great    
novelists are consciously or            
unconsciously teachers of morals1 while 
the most fascinating essays and poems   
are essentially books of aspiration and 
spiritual culture4  ,it is suggestive to
 note that this fundamental text is     
worked out in his book by chapters on   
,ruskin's ,seven ,lamps of              
,architecture1 ,george ,eliot's ,romola1
 ,hawthorne's ,scarlet ,letter1 ,victor 
,hugo's ,les ,miserables1 ,tennyson's   
,idylls of the ,king1 and ,browning's   
,saul4 ,this suggests a fruitful line of
 studies for every teacher4  ,among     
modern essayists1 ,emerson1 ,carlyle1   
,ruskin1 and ,matthew ,arnold stand     
preeminent1 and they are already well   

established among the mightiest teachers
 of our age1 and it may be1 of many to  
come4 ,sure it is that teachers could   
not do better than put themselves within
 earshot of these resonant voices4      
,their heart-strings will vibrate and   
their intellects will be stretched to a 
full tension1 not simply by the music1  
but by the truth which surges up and    
bursts into utterance4 ,it is scarcely a
 figure of speech to say that the       
lightning flashes across their pages4   
,the stinging rebuke of wrong1 the noble
 ideals of righteousness1 place them    
among the prophets whose tongues have   
been touched with fire from the altar4  
,besides the historical1 social1 and    
moral tuition for teachers in           
literature1 there are several other     
important culture effects in it4 ,the   
deepest religious incentives are        
touched1 nature in her myriad phases is 
observed with the eye of the poet and   
scientist1 and the aesthetic side of    
poetry and rhythmic prose1 its charm and

 graces of style1 its music and         
eloquence1 work their influence upon the
 reader4 ,literature is a harp of many  
strings1 and happy is that teacher who  
has learned to detect its tones and     
overtones1 who has listened with        
pleasure to its varied raptures1 and has
 felt that expansion of soul which it   
produces4  ,literature1 in the sense in 
which we have been using it1 has been   
called the literature of power1 the     
literature of the spirit4 ,that is1 it  
has generative1 spiritual life4 ,it is  
not simple knowledge1 it is knowledge   
energized1 charged with potency4 ,it is 
knowledge into which the poet has       
breathed the breath of life4 ,the       
difference between bare knowledge and   
the literature of power is like the     
difference between a perfect statue in  
stone and a living1 pulsing1 human form4
  ,one of the virtues of literature1    
therefore1 is the mental stimulus1 the  
joy1 the awakening1 the intensity of    
thought it spontaneously calls forth4   

,textbooks are usually a bore1 but      
literature is a natural resource even in
 hours of weariness4 ,who would dream of
 enlivening leisure hours or vacation   
rest with text-books of grammar1 or     
arithmetic1 or history1 or science8 ,but
 the poet soothes with music1 solemn or 
gay1 according to our choice4 ,if we go 
to the woods or lakes to escape our     
friends1 we take one of the masters of  
song with us4 ,after a day of toil and  
weariness1 we can turn to ,evangeline1  
or ,lady of the ,lake1 or the ,vision of
 ,sir ,launfal1 and soon we are         
listening to--    ,the murmuring pines  
and the hemlocks1  or the echo of the   
hunter's horn1--    ,the deep-mouthed   
bloodhound's heavy bay   ,resounded up  
the rocky way1   ,and faint1 from       
farther distance borne1   ,were heard   
the clanging hoof and horn4  ,at a time 
when we are not fit for the irksome and 
perfunctory preparation of text-book    
lessons1 we are still capable of        
receiving abundant entertainment or     

hearty inspiration from ,warner's ,how  
,i killed a ,bear1 or ,tennyson's ,enoch
 ,arden1 or ,sleepy ,hollow4 ,literature
 is recreation in its double sense4 ,it 
gives rest and relief1 and it builds up4
  ,teachers should shake themselves free
 from the conviction that severe        
disciplinary studies are the best part  
of education4 ,they have their          
well-merited place4 ,but there are      
higher spiritual fountains from which to
 draw4 ,read the lives of ,scott1       
,macaulay1 ,irving1 ,hawthorne1 and     
,emerson1 and discover that the things  
we do with the greatest inward          
spontaneity and pleasure and ease are   
often the best4  ,literature1 both in   
prose and verse1 is what the teacher    
needs1 because our best authors are our 
best teachers in their method of        
handling their subjects4 ,they know how 
to find access to the reader's mind by  
making their ideas attractive1          
interesting1 and beautiful4 ,they seem  
to know how to sharpen the edge of truth

 to render it more keen and incisive4   
,they drive truth deeper1 so that it    
remains embedded in the life and        
thought4 ,let a poet clothe an idea with
 strength and wing it with fancy1 and it
 will find its way straight to the      
heart4 ,first of all1 nearly all our    
classic writers1 especially those we use
 in the grades1 handle their subjects   
from the concrete1 graphic1 picturesque 
side4 ,they not only illustrate         
abundantly from nature and real things  
in life2 they nearly always             
individualize and personify their ideas4
 ,virtue to a poet is nothing unless it 
is impersonated4 ,a true poet is never  
abstract or dry or formal in his        
treatment of a subject4 ,it is natural  
for a literary artist1 whether in verse 
or prose1 to create pictures1 to put all
 his ideas into life forms and bring    
them close to the real ones in nature4  
,homer's idea of wisdom is ,minerva1 war
 is ,mars1 strength is ,ajax1 skill and 
prudence are ,ulysses1 faithfulness is  

,penelope4 ,dickens does not talk about 
schoolmasters in general1 but of        
,squeers4 ,shakespeare's idea of        
jealousy is not a definition1 not a     
formula1 but ,othello4 ,those books     
which have enthralled the world1 like   
,robinson ,crusoe1 ,pilgrim's ,progress1
 ,gulliver's ,travels1 ,arabian ,nights1
 ,evangeline1 ,ivanhoe1 ,merchant of    
,venice1--they deal with no form of     
classified or generalized knowledge2    
they give us no definitions1 they are   
scenes from real life4 ,they stand among
 realities1 and their roots are down in 
the soil of things4 ,they are persons   
hemmed in by the close environment of   
facts4  ,this realism1 this objectifying
 of thought1 this living form of        
knowledge1 is characteristic of all     
great writers in prose or verse4 ,the   
novelist1 the romancer1 the poet1 the   
orator1 and even the essayist1 will     
always put the breath of reality into   
his work by an infusion of concreteness1
 of graphic personification4 ,the poet's

 fancy1 building out of the abundant    
materials of sense-experience1 is what  
gives color and warmth to all his       
thoughts4 ,strong writers make incessant
 use of figures of speech4 ,their       
thought must clothe itself with the     
whole panoply of imagery and graphic    
representation in order to be efficient 
in the warfare for truth4  ,what a      
lesson for the teacher6 ,what models    
upon which to develop his style of      
thinking6 ,if the teaching profession   
and its work could be weighed in the    
balance1 the scale would fall on the    
side of the abstract with a heavy thud4 
,not that object lessons will save us4  
,they only parody the truth4 ,for the   
object lesson as a separate thing we    
have no use at all4 ,but to ground every
 idea and every study in realism1 to    
pass up steadily through real objects   
and experience to a perception of truths
 which have wide application1 to        
science--this is the true philosophy of 
teaching4  ,the classic writers lead us 

even one grand step beyond realism4 ,the
 fancy builds better than the cold      
reason4 ,it adorns and ennobles thought 
till it becomes full-fledged for the    
flight toward the ideal4  ,as the poet1 
standing by the sea-shore1 ponders the  
life that has been in the now empty     
shell washed up from the deep1 his fancy
 discovers in the shell a resemblance to
 human life and destiny1 and he cries3--
    ,build thee more stately mansions1  
,o my soul1   ,as the swift seasons     
roll6   ,leave thy low-vaulted past6    
,let each new temple1 nobler than the   
last1   ,shut thee from heaven with a   
dome more vast1   ,till thou at length  
art free1   ,leaving thine outgrown     
shell by life's unresting sea6  ,is it  
possible that one could fall under the  
sway of the poets and artists1          
appropriate their images and fruitful   
style of thought1 be wrought upon by    
their fancies1 and still remain dull and
 lifeless and prosaic in the class-room8
 ,no wonder that true literature has    

been called the literature of power1 as 
distinguished from the literature of    
knowledge 7supplementary readers1 pure  
science1 information books1 etc474 ,the 
lives and works of our best writers     
contain an expansive spiritual energy1  
which1 working into the mind of a       
teacher1 breaks the shell of mechanism  
and formality4 ,the artist gives bright 
tints and colors to ideas which would   
otherwise be faded and bleached4  ,the  
study of the best literature adapted to 
children in each age is a fruitful form 
of psychology and child study4 ,the     
series of books selected for the        
different grades is supposed to be      
adapted to the children at each period4 
,the books which suit the temper and    
taste of children in primary grades are 
peculiar in quality1 and fit those      
pupils better than older ones4 ,in      
intermediate classes the boyhood spirit1
 which delights in myth1 physical deeds 
of prowess1 etc41 shows itself1 and many
 of the stories1 ballads1 and longer    

poems breathe this spirit4 ,in grammar  
grades the expanding1 maturing minds of 
children leap forward to the            
appreciation of more complex and        
extended forms of literature which deal 
with some of the great problems of life 
more seriously1 as ,snow-,bound1        
,evangeline1 ,roger de ,coverley1       
,merchant of ,venice1 etc4  ,any poem or
 story which is suited to pupils of the 
common school may generally be used in  
several grades4 ,hawthorne's ,wonder    
,book1 for instance1 may be used        
anywhere from the third to the eighth   
grade by a skilful teacher4 ,but for us 
the important question is1 to what age  
of children is it best adapted8 ,where  
does its style of thought best fit the  
temper of the children8 ,the eighth     
grade may read it and get pleasure and  
good from it1 but it does not come up to
 the full measure of their needs4       
,children of the third grade cannot     
master it with sufficient ease1 but in  
the latter part of the fourth or first  

part of the fifth grade it seems to     
exactly suit the wants1 that is1 the    
spiritual wants1 of the children4 ,it   
will vary1 of course1 in different      
schools and classes4 ,now1 it is a      
problem for our serious consideration to
 determine what stories to use and just 
where each belongs1 within reasonable   
limits4 ,let us inquire where the best  
culture effect can be realized from each
 book used1 where it is calculated to   
work its best and strongest influence4  
,to accomplish this result it is        
necessary to study equally the temper of
 the children and the quality of the    
books1 to seek the proper food for the  
growing mind at its different stages4   
,this is not chiefly a matter of        
simplicity or complexity of language4   
,our readers are largely graded by the  
difficulty of language4 ,but literature 
should be distributed through the school
 grades according to its power to arouse
 thought and interest4 ,language will   
have to be regarded1 but as secondary4  

,look first to the thought material     
which is to engage children's minds1 and
 then force the language into subservice
 to that end4 ,the final test to        
determine the place of a selection in   
the school course must be the experiment
 of the class-room4 ,we may exercise our
 best judgment beforehand1 and later    
find that a classic belongs one or two  
grades higher or lower than we thought4 
,we really need some comprehensive      
principle upon which to make the        
selection of materials as adapted to the
 nature 7psychology7 of children4 ,the  
theory of the culture epochs of race    
history as parallel to child development
 offers at least a suggestion4 ,a few of
 the great periods of history seem to   
correspond fairly well to certain epochs
 of child growth4 ,the age of folk-lore 
and the fairy tale is often called the  
childhood of the race2 the predominance 
of the imagination and of the childlike 
interpretation of things in nature      
reminds us strikingly of the fancies of 

children4 ,we find also that the        
literary remains of this epoch in the   
world's history1 the fairy tales1 are   
the peculiar delight of children from   
four to six4 ,in like manner the heroic 
age and its literary products seem to   
fascinate the children of nine to eleven
 years4 ,in connection with this theory 
it is observed that the greatest poets  
of the world in different countries are 
those who have given poetic form and    
expression to the typical ideas and     
characters of certain epochs of history4
 ,so ,homer1 ,virgil1 ,dante1 ,milton1  
,scott4 ,the best literature is1 much of
 it1 the precipitate of the thought and 
life of historical epochs in race       
development4 ,experiment has shown that 
much of this literature is peculiarly   
adapted to exert strong culture         
influence upon children4 ,emerson1 in   
his ,essay on ,history1 says3 ,what is  
the foundation of that interest all men 
feel in ,greek history1 letters1 art1   
and poetry1 in all its periods1 from the

 ,heroic or ,homeric age down to the    
domestic life of the ,athenians and     
,spartans1 four or five centuries later8
 ,what but this1 that every man passes  
personally through a ,grecian period8   
,and again3 ,the student interprets the 
age of chivalry by his own age of       
chivalry1 and the days of maritime      
adventure and circumnavigation by quite 
parallel miniature experiences of his   
own4 ,to the sacred history of the      
world1 he has the same key4 ,when the   
voice of a prophet out of the deeps of  
antiquity merely echoes to him a        
sentiment of his infancy1 a prayer of   
his youth1 he then pierces to the truth 
through all the confusion of tradition  
and the caricature of institutions4 ,the
 literary heritage of the chief culture 
epochs is destined therefore to enter as
 a powerful agent in the education of   
children in our schools1 and the place  
of a piece of literature in history     
suggests at least its place in child    
culture4  ,the study of these literary  

masterpieces1 the choicest of the world1
 while it offers a broad perspective of 
history1 also enters deep into the      
psychology of children and their periods
 of growth and change4 ,what a study for
 the teacher6  ,suppose now that a wise 
selection of the best products for      
school use had been made4 ,the books for
 each grade would respond not only to   
the ability but to the characteristic   
temper and mental status of children at 
that age4 ,the books would arouse the   
full compass of the children's mental   
power1 their emotional as well as       
intellectual capacities1 their sympathy1
 interest1 and feeling4 ,the teacher who
 is about to undertake the training of  
these children may not know much about  
children of that age4 ,how can she best 
put herself into an attitude by which   
she can meet and understand the children
 on their own ground8 ,not simply their 
intellectual ability and standing1 but1 
better still1 their impulses and        
sympathies1 their motives and hearts8   

,most people1 as they reach maturity and
 advance in years1 have a tendency to   
grow away from their childhood4 ,their  
purposes have changed from those of     
childhood to those of mature life4 ,they
 are no longer interested in the things 
that interest children4 ,such things    
seem trivial and even incomprehensible  
to them4  ,now the person who is        
preparing to be a teacher should grow   
back into his childhood4 ,without losing
 the dignity or purpose of mature life1 
he should allow the memories and        
sympathies of childhood to revive4 ,the 
insight which comes from companionship  
and sympathy with children he needs in  
order to guide them with tact and       
wisdom4  ,the literature which belongs  
to any age of childhood is perhaps the  
best key to the spirit and disposition  
of that period4 ,the fact that it is of 
permanent worth makes it a fit          
instrument with which the teacher may   
reawaken the dormant experiences and    
memories of that period in his own life4

 ,the teacher who finds it impossible to
 reawaken his interest in the literature
 that goes home to the hearts of        
children has prima facie evidence that  
he is not qualified to stimulate and    
guide their mental movements4 ,the human
 element in letters is the source of its
 deep and lasting power2 the human      
element in children is the centre of    
their educative life1 and he who        
disregards this and thinks only of      
intellectual exercises is a poor        
machine4 ,the literature which children 
appreciate and love is the key to their 
soul life4 ,it has power to stimulate   
teacher and pupil alike1 and is         
therefore a common ground where they may
 both stand and look into each other's  
faces with sympathy4  ,this is not so   
much the statement of a theory as a     
direct inference from many observations4
 ,it has been observed repeatedly1 in   
different schools under many teachers1  
that the ,lady of the ,lake1 ,vision of 
,sir ,launfal1 ,sleepy ,hollow1 or      

,merchant of ,venice have had an        
astonishing power to bring teacher and  
children into near and cherished        
companionship4 ,it is not possible to   
express the profound lessons of life    
that children get from the poets4 ,in   
the prelude to ,whittier's ,among the   
,hills1 what a picture is drawn of the  
coarse1 hard lot of parents and children
 in an ungarnished home1 so pinched and 
bare and comfortless1 while the poem    
itself1 a view of that home among the   
hills which thrift and taste and love   
have made1--    ,invites the eye to see 
and heart to feel   ,the beauty and the 
joy within their reach2   ,home and home
 loves and the beatitudes   ,of nature  
free to all4  ,to study such poetry in  
its effect upon children is a monopoly  
of the rich educational opportunity     
which falls naturally into the hands of 
teachers4 ,psychology1 as derived from  
text-books1 is apt to be cold and       
formal2 that which springs from the     
contact of young minds with the         

fountains of song lives and breathes4   
,if a teacher desires to fit herself for
 primary instruction1 she can do nothing
 so well calculated to bring herself en 
rapport with little children as to read 
the nursery rhymes1 the fairy tales1    
fables1 and early myths4 ,they bring her
 along a charming road into the realm of
 childlike fancies and sympathies1 which
 were almost faded from her memory4 ,the
 same door is opened through            
well-selected literature to the hearts  
of children in intermediate and grammar 
grades4  ,the sense of humor is         
cultivated in literature better than    
elsewhere4 ,in fact1 no other study     
contains much material of humorous      
quality4 ,a quick sense of it is deemed 
by many of the best judges an           
indispensable quality in teachers4 ,not 
that a teacher needs to be a diverting  
story-teller or entertainer1 if only he 
has an indulgent patience and kindly    
sympathy for those who enjoy telling    
stories4 ,there is a certain hearty1    

wholesome social spirit in the enjoyment
 of humor which diffuses itself like    
sunlight through a school4 ,it contains 
an element of kindliness1 humanity1 and 
good fellowship which lubricates all the
 machinery and takes away unnecessary   
stiffness and gravity in conduct4 ,best 
of all it is a sort of mental           
balance-wheel for the teacher1 which    
enables him to see the ludicrous phases 
of his own behavior1 should he be       
inclined to run to foolish extremes in  
various directions4 ,much of our best   
literature abounds in humorous elements4
 ,lowell1 ,holmes1 ,shakespeare1 and    
,irving are spontaneously rich in this  
quality of ore1 and it is just as well  
perhaps to cultivate our appreciation in
 these richer veins as in shallow and   
unproductive ones elsewhere4  ,schlegel 
says of ,shakespeare1 his comic talent  
is equally wonderful with that he has   
shown in the pathetic and tragic2 it    
stands at an equal elevation and        
possesses equal extent and              

profundity4444 ,not only has he         
delineated many kinds of folly1 but even
 of sheer stupidity he has contrived to 
give a most diverting and entertaining  
picture4  ,the inability to appreciate  
the ludicrous and farcical1 and         
especially of witty conceits1 is felt to
 be a mark of dulness and heaviness1 and
 in dealing with children and young     
people a versatile perception of the    
humorous is very helpful4 ,many of the  
pupils possess this quality of humor in 
a marked degree1 and the teacher should 
at least have sufficient insight to     
appreciate this peculiar bent of mind   
and turn of wit4  ,a brief retrospect   
will make plain the profitableness of   
classics to the teacher4 ,they show a   
deep perspective into the spirit and    
inner workings of history4 ,the social  
life and insight developed by the study 
of literature give tact and judgment to 
understand and respect the many-sided   
individualities found in every school4  
,the teacher's own moral and aesthetic  

and religious ideals are constantly     
lifted and strengthened by the study of 
classics4 ,such reading is a recreation 
and relief even in hours of weariness   
and solitude4 ,it is an expansive       
spiritual power rather than a burden4   
,literary artists are also a standing   
illustration of the graphic1 spirited   
manner of handling subjects4 ,finally1  
this rich and varied realm of classic   
thought and expression is the doorway by
 which we enter again into the moods and
 impulses and fancies of childhood4 ,we 
thus revive our own youth and fit       
ourselves for a quick and appreciative  
perception of children's needs4 ,it is  
the best kind of child study4         99
       99       99       99       99  ,a
 few of the books which are suggestive1 
and illustrate the value of literature  
for teachers1 and in some cases even lay
 out lines of profitable and stimulative
 reading1 are as follows3--      ,newell
 ,dwight ,hillis4 ,great ,books and     
,life ,teachers4 7,fleming ,h4          

,revell ,co47      ,george ,willis      
,cooke4 ,poets and ,problems4           
7,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co47      ,the  
,schoolmaster in ,literature4 7,the     
,american ,book ,co47                   
,representative ,essays4 7,g4 ,p4       
,putnam's ,sons47      ,hamilton ,wright
 ,mabie4 ,books and ,culture4 7,dodd1   
,mead1  ,co47      ,james ,baldwin4 ,the
 ,book ,lover4 7,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg  ,co47
      ,the ,schoolmaster in ,comedy and 
,satire4 7,the ,american ,book ,co47    
,emerson's ,essays4      ,schlegel's    
,dramatic ,art and ,literature4 7,bohn's
 ,libraries47      ,ruskin's ,sesame and
 ,lilies1 and ,seven ,lamps of          
,architecture4      ,thomas ,wentworth  
,higginson1 ,book and ,heart4 7,harper  
,brothers47      ,carlyle's ,heroes and 
,hero-,worship4      ,counsel upon the  
,reading of ,books4 ,van ,dyke4         
7,houghton1 ,mifflin1      ,co47        
,literary and ,general ,essays4 ,charles
 ,kingsley4 7,macmillan  ,co47          
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,list ,,of ,,books    

,the following list of books1 arranged  
according to grades1 is designed to     
supply the children of the five grades1 
from the fourth to the eighth inclusive1
 with excellent reading matter in the   
form of complete masterpieces of        
,american and ,english literature4 ,it  
includes1 besides the books for regular 
reading lessons1 a large list of        
collateral and closely related works for
 the children and also for teachers4    
,the books of these lists contain a rich
 and varied fund of finest culture      
material1 first of all for the teacher1 
and1 through her spirit and enthusiasm1 
for the children4  ,besides the general 
discussions of these books in the       
preceding chapters1 a few additional    
explanations are necessary to make plain
 the grounds upon which this particular 
selection and arrangement of books is   
based4 ,the whole purpose of the        
preceding chapters is to throw light    
upon this list1 and to qualify the      
teacher for an intelligent and efficient

 use of these books as school readers4  
#a4 ,the books apportioned to each grade
 or year are divided into three series4 
,the first series is carefully selected 
to serve as regular reading-books for   
that grade4 ,almost without exception   
they are complete works1 or collections 
of complete poems1 stories1 etc4 ,many  
of them are very familiar and have been 
much used in the schools4 ,the number of
 books for each grade is large1 so as to
 have room for choice and adaptation to 
each class4  ,the second series consists
 of closely related collateral readings 
derived from a much wider range of books
 in literature1 history1 and science4   
,many of these books of the second list 
are not so strictly masterpieces of     
literature1 but of a secondary rank as  
prose renderings of the great poems1    
myths1 and stories of other languages1  
also ,american and ,european history    
stories4 ,these materials are well      
adapted for the reference studies and   
home readings of children4 ,they all    

deal with interesting and worthy        
subjects of thought in a superior style4
 ,many of these books1 however1 are     
great and permanent works of literature4
 ,they are materials1 also1 which the   
teacher should be familiar with4 ,they  
should be constantly referred to and    
discussed in connection with the first  
series4 ,it is quite probable that some 
teachers will prefer books of the second
 series for regular reading in the place
 of some suggested in the first series4 
,the third series consists of books for 
teachers1 including great works of      
literature1 history1 and science1 which 
will enrich the teacher's knowledge and 
contribute to a broader enthusiasm and  
culture4 ,the writings of some of the   
great essayists1 as ,ruskin1 ,carlyle1  
,emerson1 ,kingsley1 ,motley1 ,lowell1  
,huxley1 ,macaulay1 and others1 are     
peculiarly fit to broaden the teacher's 
horizon and ennoble his purpose4 ,some  
of the best poems and novels suitable   
for advanced study are mentioned4 ,there

 are also books which deal in a         
comprehensive and critical1 but         
sympathetic1 way with important literary
 topics1 as the myths and great epics1  
the age of chivalry1 and the lives of   
the most eminent writers4 ,some of the  
best works of biography and history are 
also suggested for teachers1 and a      
number of the best professional and     
pedagogical books for teachers1 dealing 
with literature1 reading1 and child     
study4  #b4 ,this list of books is of   
course tentative4 ,there are other      
literary works as good1 perhaps1 but not
 a few difficulties stand in the way of 
the best selection4 ,a few of the best  
materials are scattered in books not    
available for school purposes4 ,some of 
the finest of our longer classics have  
not been tested much in school use4     
,there is1 however1 an abundance of     
choice ,english works1 complete1 well   
printed and bound1 in cheap1 schoolbook 
form4 ,the chief difficulty1 after all1 
is in selecting and arranging the best  

of an abundant and varied collection of 
excellent literature4 ,this inspiring   
problem lies but partly solved at the   
threshold of every teacher's work4 ,it  
requires extensive knowledge of         
literature and experience in its use in 
classes4 ,a masterpiece may be read in  
several grades1 and teachers will differ
 in judging its true place4 ,schools and
 classes differ also in their capacity  
and previous preparation for classic    
readings1 so that no course of reading  
will fit all schools1 or1 perhaps1 any  
two schools4 ,many principals will      
prefer to use the books one or two      
grades lower1 or higher1 than here      
indicated4 ,every teacher should use    
such a list according to his best       
individual judgment as based upon the   
needs of his school4 ,this list was     
discussed and partly made out in        
conference with a number of experienced 
superintendents1 and much variety of    
opinion was expressed as to the best    
grade for the use of a number of the    

selections4  #c4 ,the books chosen for  
each grade are designed to be a suitable
 combination of prose and poetry1 of    
short and long selections from history1 
science1 and letters4 ,variety in       
subject-matter and style is required in 
each grade1 although certain strong     
individual characteristics are expected 
to appear in the literature of each     
year's work4 ,many of the shorter poems 
fit in well with longer masterpieces in 
prose and verse4 ,some of the epics1    
myths1 and historical episodes are told 
in both prose and verse4 ,the children  
may well meet and study them in both    
forms4 ,if from four to six larger      
masterpieces could be read each year1   
and these could bring out the style and 
quality of so many authors1 if a number 
of suitable shorter pieces could be read
 and related to the former1 the         
many-sided influence of literature would
 prove each year effective4 ,literature 
is the broadest of all subjects1 both as
 a basis of culture and for the         

unification of the varied studies4 ,it  
touches every phase of experience and   
knowledge along its higher levels1 and  
overlooks the whole field of life from  
the standpoint of the seer and poet4    
,the classic readings should aim at the 
completeness1 variety1 and elevation of 
thought which literature alone can give4
 ,every year's literature should open   
the gates to meadow and woodland1 to    
park and fruitful fields1 into rich and 
shaded valleys1 and up to free and sunny
 hilltops and mountains4  #d4 ,the list 
of books for each year includes two or  
three books of miscellaneous collections
 of classics in prose and verse4 ,many  
of the selections are short and some    
fragmentary4 ,such are the three volumes
 of ,open ,sesame1 the ,golden ,treasury
 of ,songs and ,lyrics1 ,children's     
,treasury of ,english ,song1 and ,book  
of ,golden ,deeds4 ,in each of the books
 named is found a variety of material   
suited perhaps to two or three grades4  
,in most of the books just named it is  

not intended in our plan that all the   
selections should be read through in    
succession4 ,it will be better for the  
teacher to select from those collections
 such choice poems1 stories1 etc41 as   
will enrich and supplement the longer   
classics1 and give that added variety so
 needful4 ,many of the finest poems in  
our language are short1 and should not  
be omitted from our school course4 ,they
 should be read and some of them        
memorized by the children4 ,it would be 
well if the teacher had in each grade   
one or two sets of such books of choice 
miscellaneous materials from which to   
select occasional reading4 ,the regular 
readers used by the children would      
consist of the longer masterpieces1     
which would be supplemented by the      
shorter selections4 ,in this way greater
 unity and variety might be achieved    
within the limits of each grade4  #e4   
,information books and supplementary    
readers in history1 geography1 and      
natural science have been excluded1 in  

the main1 from our lists4 ,the test of  
literary excellence has been applied to 
most of the books chosen4 ,de ,quincey's
 distinction between the literature of  
knowledge and that of power is our line 
of demarkation4 ,it seems to us probable
 that the future will call for a still  
more stringent adherence to this        
principle of selection4 ,information    
readers are good and necessary in their 
place in geography1 history1 and natural
 science2 but they are not good enough  
to take the place of classics in reading
 lessons4 ,the only exceptions to the   
rule of classics are the prose          
renderings of the old classics1 as the  
,story of the ,odyssey1 and the         
biographical stories from history4 ,both
 these have so much of interest and     
stimulus for the young that they seem to
 harmonize with our plan4 ,but criticism
 may yet expose their inadequacy4  ,it  
is our plan1 in brief1 to limit the     
reading work mainly to the choice       
masterpieces of the best authors1 and to

 render these studies as fruitful as    
possible in spiritual power4 ,if        
supplementary readings are used at all1 
let them be those which will strengthen 
the influence of the classics4  ,it has 
been our plan to collect in the ,special
 ,method ,books devoted to geography1   
history1 and natural science1 a full    
list of the supplementary readers and   
information books in those subjects4    
#f4 ,in our list1 however1 is included  
quite a number of classic renderings of 
science and nature topics4 ,such are    
,wake ,robin1 ,birds and ,bees1 ,a      
,hunting of the ,deer1 etc41 ,sharp     
,eyes etc41 ,succession of ,forest      
,trees1 ,up and ,down the ,brooks1      
,water ,babies1 ,the ,foot-path ,way1   
,madam ,how and ,lady ,why1 ,wilderness 
,ways1 ,in ,bird ,land1 and many others4
  ,these books1 however1 belong to the  
literature of power4 ,they look at      
nature through the eyes of poet and     
artist and enthusiast4 ,they are not    
cold1 matter-of-fact delineations4 ,they

 unfold the aesthetic and human side of 
nature1 the divinity of flower and tree4
 ,these books are the communings of the 
soul with nature1 and are closely       
related in spirit to the poems of nature
 in ,bryant1 ,wordsworth1 ,tennyson1 and
 other poets4 ,there has been a chasm   
between them and our text-books in      
science which needs bridging over4 ,now 
that science is beginning to be taught  
objectively1 experimentally1 and        
inductively1 there will be much less of 
a hiatus at this stage1 because there is
 so much that is powerfully stimulating 
in nature study4  #g4 ,some books are   
named twice in the lists1 first as books
 of reference1 or in the teacher's      
lists1 and in a later grade for the use 
of children in regular reading4 ,we have
 been especially careful in selecting   
appropriate books in the first list for 
each grade adapted to the age of the    
children4 ,these books for regular      
reading must be used by every child1 so 
that they should be fitted to the       

average ability4 ,the reference books   
for collateral reading in the second    
series of each grade may be more        
difficult in some cases1 as they will be
 used1 in part1 only by the stronger    
pupils4  ,there are certain groups of   
kindred books1 like the ,greek myths1   
that are distributed through three or   
more grades4 ,it is not expected that   
any child will use all of these books1  
as several of them may deal with the    
same story1 like the ,iliad or ,odyssey4
 ,it seemed best to include all the     
important renderings of these stories1  
and leave the teacher to choose among   
them for his class4  #h4 ,to give more  
specific aid to teachers1 most of the   
books are briefly described1 and some   
notion of their special worth and       
fitness indicated4 ,it is hoped that    
these short descriptions will be of     
considerable help to young teachers in  
making selections for their classes4    
#i4 ,many of the best and most commonly 
used books are published by several     

companies4 ,in such cases the names of  
the different publishers are indicated  
in connection with each book4  #aj4 ,by 
an examination of these lists the       
teacher of any grade will discover that1
 in order to teach well1 she must be    
acquainted with the books used in one or
 two grades1 both above and below her   
own4 ,all the chief groups of books in  
literature run through three or four    
grades1 and the teacher in any grade    
needs to get a comprehensive view of the
 important groups of books used in her  
classes4 ,in addition to this1 the books
 recommended for teachers give a still  
more definite and comprehensive grasp of
 large classes of literary material4    
,the books recommended for teachers     
could be indefinitely extended1 but it  
is hoped that enough are mentioned to   
give definiteness to their wider        
studies1 and to serve as an introduction
 to some of the larger fields of        
literature1 science1 and history4  #aa4 
,there are certain peculiar difficulties

 connected with the reading of longer   
classics which are much less frequently 
met with in the usual school readers4   
,these difficulties are of such a real  
and serious kind that many teachers are 
apt to be discouraged before success is 
attained4 ,complete classics like       
,webster's speeches1 ,julius ,caesar1   
,snow-,bound1 ,marmion1 and ,evangeline 
have been regarded as too long and      
difficult for school purposes4 ,we have 
found1 however1 that the greater length1
 if rightly utilized1 only intensifies  
the effect of a masterpiece4 ,the chief 
objection is the greater language       
difficulty 7hard and unusual words1     
proper names1 etc47 of the longer       
classics4 ,this is a real obstacle and  
must be fairly met4 ,it is impossible to
 grade down the language and thought of 
a great writer4 ,it is necessary to     
bring the class up to his level rather  
than bring him down to theirs4 ,this    
requires time and skill and perseverance
 on the teacher's part1 and labor and   

thought in the children4 ,it may require
 a week or a month to get a class well  
under way in ,lady of the ,lake1 ,king  
of the ,golden ,river1 or the           
,sketch-,book4 ,but when well done it is
 a conquest of no mean importance4 ,the 
language1 style1 and characteristics of 
the author are strange and difficult4   
,the scales must drop from children's   
eyes before they will appreciate ,ruskin
 or ,tennyson or ,emerson4 ,the wings of
 fancy1 the aesthetic sense1 do not     
unfold in a single day4 ,but if these   
initial difficulties can be overcome1 we
 shall emerge soon into the sunlight of 
interest and success4 ,it takes a degree
 of faith in good things and patience   
under difficulties to attain success in 
classic readings4 ,even when the teacher
 thinks he is doing fairly well1 the    
parents sometimes say the work is too   
hard and the verbal difficulties too    
great4 ,generally1 however1 parents are 
satisfied when children work hard and   
are interested4  ,again1 children whose 

reading in the lower grades has been of 
the information order lack the          
imaginative power that is essential to  
the grasp and enjoyment of any          
masterpiece4 ,the sleeping or dulled    
fancy must be awakened4 ,the power to   
image things1 so natural to the poet1   
must be aroused and exercised4 ,the lack
 of training in vivid and poetic thought
 in early years is sure to make itself  
felt in deficient and languid thought   
and feeling in the higher grades4 ,but  
we cannot afford to give up the         
struggle4 ,we may be forced to begin    
lower down in the series of books1 but  
anything less than a classic is not fit 
for the children4  #ab4 ,the leading    
publishing houses are now competing     
vigorously in bringing out the best     
complete classics in cheap1 durable1    
well-printed form for school use4 ,in   
our list the names of the publishers are
 given4 ,most of the companies can be   
addressed in ,boston1 ,chicago1 ,new    
,york1 or ,san ,francisco4 ,most of the 

books bound in boards or cloth range in 
price from twenty-five to fifty cents4  
,the pamphlet editions are from ten to  
fifteen cents4 ,the larger books of     
miscellaneous collections and some of   
the science classics range from         
seventy-five cents to a dollar and a    
quarter4 ,a few of the books are priced 
as high as two dollars4  #ac4 ,before   
final publication1 the following lists  
of books have been submitted to the     
criticism of a number of able           
superintendents and to the leading      
publishing houses4 ,in consequence      
considerable changes and additions have 
been made4 ,the chief criticism offered 
was that the books1 in a number of      
cases1 are too difficult for the grades 
indicated4 ,to meet this objection a few
 changes were made1 while in several    
cases books are described as suitable   
for two or three grades4  ,for the sake 
of quick and easy reference in finding  
any book1 an alphabetical list of the   
titles of all the books is given at the 

close1 and the page indicated where each
 book may be found in the descriptive   
list4   ,,fourth ,,grade  #a4 ,,books   
,,for ,,regular ,,reading ,,lessons     
,hawthorne's ,wonder ,book4 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1  ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co4        ,has been very  
extensively used in fourth and fifth    
grades1       and even in sixth4 ,a book
 of standard excellence4    ,kingsley's 
,greek ,heroes4 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the       
,macmillan ,co4        ,much used4      
,excellent4 ,covers much the same ground
 as the       ,wonder ,book and is      
preferred by some to it4    ,stories    
from the ,arabian ,nights4 ,houghton1   
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,excellent4 ,it  
contains some of the most familiar      
stories1       as ,aladdin1 in simple   
form4    ,whittier's ,child ,life in    
,poetry and ,prose4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,an excellent selection of
 poems and stories of child life by     
,whittier4 ,it has many simple poems and
 stories1 as ,barefoot       ,boy1 ,john

 ,gilpin1 etc4 ,also for fifth grade4   
,fanciful ,tales 7,stockton74           
,scribner's ,sons4        ,very pleasing
 and well-told stories for children4 ,it
 has not       been extensively used for
 reading as yet4    ,book of ,tales4    
,american ,book ,co4        ,a good     
collection of old fairy tales1 stories1 
and poems4 ,it       has been           
extensively used4    ,old ,testament    
,stories in ,scripture ,language4       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1    ,co4 ,abraham1  
,joseph1 ,moses1 and others4        ,the
 patriarchal stories in familiar ,bible 
language4 ,it may       be a little     
difficult for the first part of the     
year4    ,round the ,year in ,myth and  
,song 7,holbrook74 ,american ,book ,co4 
,a fine collection of nature poems for  
occasional use throughout       the     
year4    ,bird-,world                   
7,stickney-,hoffman74 ,ginn  ,co4       
,an interesting collection of bird      
stories and descriptions4       ,simple4
 ,a good book to encourage observation  

of birds4    ,nature in ,verse          
7,lovejoy74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4    
,an excellent collection of nature poems
 arranged by the       seasons4    ,book
 of ,legends 7,scudder74 ,houghton1     
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,andersen's ,fairy   
,tales4 ,first and ,second ,series4     
,ginn  ,co4    ,grimm's ,household      
,tales4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4      
,four ,great ,americans 7,baldwin74     
,werner ,school ,book ,co4    ,hans     
,andersen ,tales4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4  
,squirrels and ,other ,fur-,bearers     
7,burroughs74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
        ,very entertaining1 but somewhat
 difficult in language4 ,use            
toward the end of the year1 and in fifth
 grade4    ,peabody's ,old ,greek ,folk 
,stories4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    
,simple and well written4 ,it           
supplements the ,wonder ,book4    ,king 
,arthur and his ,court 7,greene74 ,ginn 
,co4        ,a recent book4 ,simple in  
style and pleasing to children4    ,the 
,howells ,story ,book4 ,scribner's      

,sons4   #b4 ,,supplementary ,,and      
,,reference ,,books    ,stories of ,our 
,country 7,johonnot74 ,american ,book   
,co4        ,good ,american stories for 
children to read at home or school4     
,tales from the ,faerie ,queene4 ,the   
,macmillan ,co4        ,for reference   
and library4    ,bimbi 7,de la ,ramee74 
,ginn  ,co4        ,the ,nuernberg      
,stove and other good stories4 ,good for
 home       reading and for school work4
    ,the ,nuernberg ,stove4 ,maynard1   
,merrill1  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1   
,co4    ,gods and ,heroes 7,francillon74
 ,ginn  ,co4        ,suitable to late   
fourth and fifth grades for collateral  
reading4       ,simple in style4        
,waste ,not1 ,want ,not 7,edgeworth74   
,ginn  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath1  ,co42     
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,practical stories for children1        
illustrating foresight1       economy1  
etc4    ,a ,ballad ,book 7,bates74      
,sibley  ,ducker4        ,a good        
collection of the older1 simpler        

ballads4 ,these ballads       should be 
distributed through the year4 ,good for 
supplementary       reading1 also for   
drill in reading4    ,the ,story of     
,ulysses 7,cook74 ,public ,school       
,publishing ,co4        ,an excellent   
rendering1 sometimes used as a reader4  
,friends and ,helpers 7,eddy74 ,ginn    
,co4        ,stories of animals and     
birds4 ,instructive4    ,hans ,andersen 
,stories4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    
,tommy-,anne and the ,three ,hearts     
7,wright74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4         
,first ,book of ,birds 7,miller74       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,very 
simple and interesting descriptions and 
accounts of       common birds4 ,will   
help to interest the children in nature4
    ,the ,little ,lame ,prince4         
,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4      
,heath  ,co4        ,a story for home   
reading4    ,the ,dog of ,flanders4     
,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 ,houghton1   
,mifflin1    ,co42 ,educational         
,publishing ,co4        ,an excellent   

story for children to read at home or in
 school4       ,pathetic4    ,old       
,stories of the ,east 7,baldwin74       
,american ,book ,co4        ,a pleasing 
treatment of the old ,bible stories1 not
 in ,bible       language4 ,well        
written4    ,fairy ,tales in ,prose and 
,verse 7,rolfe74 ,american ,book ,co4   
,a choice collection of stories and     
poems4    ,heroes of ,asgard4 ,the      
,macmillan ,co4        ,a good simple   
treatment of the ,norse myths4 ,suitable
 for       supplementary and sight      
reading4    ,tales of ,troy 7,de        
,garmo74 ,public ,school ,publishing    
,co4        ,a simple narrative of the  
,trojan war4 ,supplementary4    ,our    
,feathered ,friends 7,grinnell74 ,d4 ,c4
 ,heath  ,co4        ,instructive book  
on birds4    ,alice's ,adventures in    
,wonderland 7,carroll74 ,the ,macmillan 
,co42   ,educational ,publishing ,co4   
,very suitable for home and family      
reading4 ,younger children       enjoy  
it much4 ,entertaining4    ,jackanapes1 

,the ,brownies 7,mrs4 ,ewing74          
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,through  
the ,looking ,glass 7,carroll74 ,the    
,macmillan ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co4    ,the ,merry         
,adventures of ,robin ,hood 7,pyle74    
,scribner's ,sons4        ,an expensive 
book 7about three dollars74 ,excellent  
stories       to read to children4 ,full
 of humor and adventure4 ,finely        
illustrated4 ,a good book for school and
 home library4    ,open ,sesame1 ,vol4  
,i and ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,ginn  ,co4        ,a
 fine collection of the best poems of   
nature1 heroism1       ,christmas time1 
etc4 ,ballads and stories4  ,they are   
adapted to children in several grades1  
and should be used       for reading1   
memory work1 and for recitation4        
,stories of the ,old ,world 7,church74  
,ginn  ,co4        ,good reading matter 
for fourth and fifth grades4            
,interesting       for supplementary    
reading4    ,stories of ,american ,life 
and ,adventure 7,eggleston74 ,american  

,book ,co4    ,black ,beauty4           
,educational ,publishing ,co42          
,university ,pub4 ,co4    ,children's   
,treasury of ,english ,song4 ,the       
,macmillan ,co4        ,a collection of 
poems for occasional use4    ,little    
,lord ,fauntleroy4 ,scribner's ,sons4   
,a famous story for home reading4 ,a    
book for libraries4    ,heroes of the   
,middle ,west 7,catherwood74 ,ginn  ,co4
        ,stories for later fourth and   
fifth grades4 ,a good book for          
supplementary reading4 ,also for sixth  
grade4    ,old ,norse ,stories          
7,bradish74 ,american ,book ,co4        
,stories for reference reading and sight
 reading4    ,stories from ,plato       
7,burt74 ,ginn  ,co4        ,simple     
myths and stories for home reading4     
,the ,eugene ,field ,book4 ,scribner's  
,sons4        ,pleasing and entertaining
 for younger children4 ,prose and       
verse1 humorous and pathetic4           
,stories from ,old ,germany 7,pratt74   
,educational ,publishing ,co4        ,a 

simple1 interesting rendering of the    
story of ,siegfried4    ,secrets of the 
,woods4 ,ginn  ,co4    ,norse ,stories  
7,mabie74 ,dodd1 ,mead1  ,co4        ,an
 excellent rendering of the ,norse      
stories4 ,simple4    ,fifty ,famous     
,stories ,retold 7,baldwin74 ,american  
,book ,co4        ,simple and well told4
    ,pioneers of the ,revolution4       
,public ,school ,publishing ,co4        
,a simple narrative of pioneer life and 
conflict in the       ,south-west during
 the ,revolution4   #c4 ,,teachers'     
,,books    ,story of the ,iliad         
7,church74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4         
,a reference book for outside reading4  
,emerson's ,essays4 ,second ,series4    
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,essays on the poet1 manners1 character1
 etc4 ,inspiring       reading for the  
teacher4    ,myths of the ,northern     
,lands 7,guerber74 ,american ,book ,co4 
,readings in ,folklore 7,skinner74      
,american ,book ,co4        ,good       
general introduction to the folklore of 

modern ,european       countries4       
,history and ,literature 7,rice74 ,a4   
,flanagan4        ,a discussion of books
 and materials for teachers4    ,being a
 ,boy 7,warner74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1   
,co4    ,david ,copperfield 7,charles   
,dickens74    ,talks to ,teachers       
7,james74    ,sesame and ,lilies        
7,ruskin74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42  
,the ,macmillan   ,co4    ,tales of a   
,traveler 7,irving74 ,american ,book    
,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1    ,co4       
,poetry for ,children 7,eliot74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a    
good collection for miscellaneous uses  
in the school4    ,california and       
,oregon ,trail 7,parkman74 ,hurst  ,co42
 ,little1 ,brown1    ,co4               
,interesting descriptions of ,indian and
 ,western life4    ,story of the        
,odyssey 7,church74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4
        ,good for reference and general 
reading4    ,literature in ,schools     
7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,a series of three excellent papers on  

the use and value of       literature in
 schools4 ,especially valuable for      
teachers4    ,children's ,stories of    
,american ,literature 7,wright74        
,scribner's4        ,short biographies  
of ,american writers in two small       
volumes4    ,the ,age of ,fable         
7,bulfinch74 ,lee  ,shepard4        ,one
 of the best general treatises on       
mythology4    ,national ,epics 7,rabb74 
,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg4        ,a good       
introduction and extracts from the great
 epic poems       of all nations4    ,in
 ,bird ,land 7,keyser74 ,a4 ,c4         
,mc,clurg4        ,delightful reading   
and suggestive to teachers4    ,the     
,ways of ,wood ,folk 7,long74 ,ginn     
,co4        ,very pleasing stories of   
animal life for children and teachers4  
,nature ,pictures by ,american ,poets   
7,marble74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4    ,la  
,salle and the ,discovery of the ,great 
,west 7,parkman74 ,little1 ,brown1      
,co4        ,very interesting account of
 the exploration of the ,great          

,lakes and the ,mississippi ,river4     
,the ,discovery of ,america1 two volumes
 7,fiske74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1    ,co4 
,valuable account of ,columbus and other
 explorers4    ,the ,beginnings of ,new 
,england 7,fiske74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 
,co4        ,excellent4    ,the         
,story-,teller's ,art 7,dye74 ,ginn     
,co4        ,a book designed for high   
school teachers1 but good also       for
 teachers in the grades4    ,the        
,winning of the ,west 7,roosevelt74     
,putnam4    ,leonard and ,gertrude      
7,pestalozzi74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4     
,jean ,mitchell's ,school4 ,public      
,school ,publishing ,co4    ,the ,pilot 
7,cooper74 ,american ,book ,co42        
,university ,pub4 ,co4   ,,fifth ,,grade
  #a4 ,,books ,,for ,,regular ,,reading 
,,lessons    ,hiawatha4 ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42  
,educational   ,publishing ,co42        
,university ,pub4 ,co4        ,well     
suited for reading4 ,used in several    
grades4    ,lays of ,ancient ,rome      

7,macaulay74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 
,houghton1   ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the      
,macmillan ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co42   ,american ,book ,co4
        ,the four ballad poems4 ,good   
school reading for children4            
,names somewhat hard at first4 ,very    
stimulating and heroic4       ,used also
 in sixth grade4    ,king of the ,golden
 ,river 7,ruskin74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the    
,macmillan ,co42   ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 
,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co42 ,maynard1   
,merrill1  ,co4        ,much used4      
,excellent story and reading4           
,tanglewood ,tales 7,hawthorne74        
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,companion book to the ,wonder ,book4   
,excellent matter for reading4    ,water
 ,babies 7,kingsley74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the 
,macmillan ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1   
,co4        ,interesting story4 ,good   
also for home reading4 ,better1         
perhaps1 for sixth grade4    ,ulysses   
among the ,phaeacians 7,bryant74        

,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,simple and easy4 ,poetic in its        
rendering4 ,better for sixth       grade
 in some classes4    ,tales from        
,english ,history 7prose and verse74    
,american ,book ,company4               
,stories and ballads of the leading     
periods of ,english history       from  
the best authors4 ,illustrated4         
,gulliver's ,travels4 ,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the      
,macmillan ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co4        ,somewhat       
difficult in spots4 ,very interesting to
 boys and       girls4 ,for some classes
 use in sixth grade4    ,adventures of  
,ulysses 7,lamb74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4  
,heath  ,co4        ,well told1 giving  
complete outline of the whole story4    
,heroic ,ballads4 ,ginn  ,co4           
,scotch and ,english and many later and 
,american ballads4    ,the ,pied ,piper 
and ,other ,poems 7,browning74          
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,also 
other poems and ballads of ,browning4   

,tales from ,scottish ,history 7,rolfe74
 ,american ,book ,co4    ,some ,merry   
,adventures of ,robin ,hood 7,pyle74    
,scribner's ,sons4 ,shorter   ,school   
,edition4        ,humorous and          
entertaining4    ,little ,daffydowndilly
 and ,biographical ,stories             
7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1   ,mifflin1    
,co4 ,the latter for sixth grade4       
,stories of ,american ,life and         
,adventure 7,eggleston74 ,american ,book
 ,co4    ,the ,ways of ,wood ,folk      
7,long74 ,ginn  ,co4        ,an         
excellent nature book for children1     
entertaining1       instructive1 and    
well written4    ,gulliver's ,voyage to 
,lilliput 7,swift74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 
,co4    ,squirrels and ,other           
,fur-,bearers 7,burroughs74 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,the ,children's     
,hour 7,longfellow74 ,houghton1         
,mifflin1  ,co4   #b4 ,,supplementary   
,,and ,,reference ,,books    ,arabian   
,nights 7,hale74 ,ginn  ,co4            
,many of the best stories of the        

collection1 including a number       of 
the less familiar ones4 ,also for       
regular reading4    ,ten ,boys on the   
,road from ,long ,ago4 ,ginn  ,co4      
,a book interesting and much used4 ,good
 for reading in fourth1       fifth1 and
 sixth grades4 ,also for sight reading4 
,robinson ,crusoe4 ,ginn  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 
,heath  ,co42 ,american ,book ,co42     
,university ,publishing ,co4            
,much reduced and simplified from the   
original4 ,a complete       and more    
difficult edition is published by       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1        ,co4    ,the
 ,odyssey of ,homer 7,palmer74          
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a    
complete prose translation of the entire
 ,odyssey4 ,probably       the best4    
,good for fifth and sixth grades4       
,bryant's ,odyssey4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,a simple1 poetic         
rendering of the whole ,odyssey4 ,a good
       teacher's book4 ,use parts in    
class4    ,bryant's ,iliad4 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,complete poetic 

translation4 ,one of the best4          
,heroes of the ,middle ,west            
7,catherwood74 ,ginn  ,co4        ,good 
stories of the early ,french explorers  
of the ,great       ,lakes and the      
,mississippi ,valley4 ,somewhat         
difficult4    ,pope's ,iliad4 ,the      
,macmillan ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,american 
,book ,co42   ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co42 
,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4        ,a famous   
rendering of the old ,greek story4      
,still better       for sixth grade4    
,a ,story of the ,golden ,age           
7,baldwin74 ,scribner's ,sons4          
,secrets of the ,woods 7,long74 ,ginn   
,co4    ,old ,greek ,story 7,baldwin74  
,american ,book ,co4    ,arabian ,nights
 7,clarke74 ,american ,book ,co4        
,colonial ,children 7,hart74 ,the       
,macmillan ,co4        ,simple and      
well-chosen source material4 ,excellent4
    ,krag and ,johnny ,bear 7,seton74   
,scribner's ,sons4    ,poems of         
,american ,patriotism 7,matthews74      
,scribner's ,sons4    ,ballads and      

,lyrics4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4     
,stories from ,herodotus4 ,maynard1     
,merrill  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co4    
,simple and interesting stories4 ,good  
also for sixth grade4    ,jason's       
,quest4 ,sibley  ,ducker4        ,the   
story of ,jason told in full4           
,interesting and well written4    ,book 
of ,golden ,deeds4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 
,a fine collection of historical and    
famous stories4 ,for sixth       grade  
also4    ,historical ,tales1 ,american  
7,morris74 ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott4         
,one of the best collections of         
,american stories4    ,greek ,gods1     
,heroes1 and ,men4 ,scott1 ,foresman1   
,co4        ,a collection of ,greek     
stories1 both mythical and historical4  
,the ,story of the ,english 7,guerber74 
,american ,book ,co4        ,a complete 
series of ,english history stories      
arranged       chronologically1 good for
 fifth and sixth grades4    ,tales of   
,chivalry 7,rolfe74 ,american ,book ,co4
        ,good stories from ,scott1      

mostly from ,ivanhoe4 ,also the         
early life of ,scott4 ,good for fifth   
and sixth grades4    ,boy's ,king       
,arthur 7,lanier74 ,scribner's ,sons4   
,a very interesting story for boys and  
girls4 ,a good library       book       
7#b4jj74    ,the ,story of ,siegfried   
7,baldwin74 ,scribner's ,sons4        ,a
 full and attractive story of           
,siegfried's adventures4 ,a good        
library book 7#b4jj74    ,pioneer       
,history ,stories 7,mc,murry74 ,three   
volumes4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4   ,also   
for sixth year4        ,early pioneer   
stories of the ,eastern states1 of the  
,mississippi       ,valley1 and of the  
,rocky ,mountains4    ,open ,sesame4    
,part ,,ii4 ,ginn  ,co4        ,a good  
collection of poems arranged in         
important classes4    ,the ,story of the
 ,greeks 7,guerber74 ,american ,book    
,co4        ,leading stories of ,greek  
myth and history4 ,for fifth and        
sixth grades4    ,the ,story of ,troy4  
,american ,book ,co4        ,a short    

narrative of the ,trojan ,war4    ,story
 of the ,odyssey 7,church74 ,the        
,macmillan ,co4        ,library book for
 general reading4 ,simple4    ,the      
,story of ,roland 7,baldwin74           
,scribner's ,sons4        ,large book   
for library4 ,good4    ,the ,hoosier    
,school ,boy 7,eggleston74 ,scribner's  
,sons4    ,american ,explorers          
7,higginson74 ,lee  ,shepard4           
,excellent descriptions of early        
explorations4 ,good source              
material for pupils and teachers4 ,also 
for sixth grade4    ,the ,children's    
,life of ,abraham ,lincoln 7,putnam74   
,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg4 ,also   for sixth and
 seventh grades4    ,four ,american     
,naval ,heroes 7,beebe74 ,werner ,school
 ,book ,company4 ,sixth   grade also4   
,a simple narrative of great naval      
conflicts4    ,lobo1 ,rag1 and ,vixen   
7,seton74 ,scribner's ,sons4   #c4      
,,teachers' ,,books    ,beginnings of   
,new ,england and ,discovery of         
,america1 two   volumes 7,fiske74       

,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,good 
library books for teacher4    ,sesame   
and ,lilies 7,ruskin74 ,the ,macmillan  
,co4        ,a very stimulating and     
suggestive book for teachers4    ,the   
,golden ,age 7,kenneth and ,grahame74   
,john ,lane4    ,moral ,instruction of  
,children 7,adler74 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 
,childhood in ,literature and ,art      
7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,an instructive book for teachers4      
,readings in ,folk ,lore 7,skinner74    
,american ,book ,co4        ,valuable   
source book4    ,wilderness ,ways       
7,long74 ,ginn  ,co4                    
,entertaining to both teachers and      
pupils4    ,the ,story of ,our          
,continent 7,shaler74 ,ginn  ,co4       
,an interesting geological history of   
,north ,america4    ,historical ,tales1 
,english 7,morris74 ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott4
        ,excellent materials for        
reference work4    ,westward ,ho6       
7,kingsley74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42      
,university ,publishing ,co4        ,a  

good story of the time of ,elizabeth1   
,drake1 and ,raleigh4    ,samuel de     
,champlain 7,sedgwick74 ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a short and     
interesting biography4 ,other books of  
the       same ,riverside ,biographical 
,series are1 ,william ,penn1            
,lewis and ,clark1 ,george ,rogers      
,clark1 and ,paul ,jones4    ,history   
and ,literature 7,rice74 ,flanagan4     
,a brief pedagogical treatment of the   
whole subject of       literature and   
history for the elementary school4      
,ivanhoe 7,scott74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 
,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,the        
,macmillan ,co4    ,the ,deerslayer     
7,cooper74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4         
,house of ,seven ,gables 7,hawthorne74  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,drake and
 his ,yeomen 7,barnes74 ,the ,macmillan 
,co4    ,hard ,times 7,charles          
,dickens74        ,mechanical methods in
 education described4    ,wake ,robin   
7,burroughs74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4

        ,a book of pleasing nature      
observation and study4    ,pioneers of  
,france in the ,new ,world1 and ,la     
,salle and the ,discovery   of the      
,great ,west 7,parkman74 ,little1       
,brown1  ,co4        ,excellent and     
interesting historical material for the 
teacher4    ,the ,men ,who ,made the    
,nation 7,sparks74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 
,interesting biographical material4     
,the ,age of ,chivalry 7,bulfinch74 ,lee
  ,shepard4        ,an important        
treatise on this subject4 ,library book4
    ,the ,foot-path ,way 7,torrey74     
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,attractive and inspiring nature study4 
,birddom 7,keyser74 ,lothrop  ,co4      
,excellent style and treatment of bird  
life4    ,news from the ,birds          
7,keyser74 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4          
,very pleasing studies and stimulating  
to teachers4    ,greek ,life and ,story 
7,church74 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons4     
,a good series of pictures from the     
chief episodes of ,greek       history4 

,counsel upon the ,reading of ,books    
7,van ,dyke74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co4 ,excellent4    ,the ,odyssey       
7,butcher and ,lang74 ,the ,macmillan   
,co4   ,,sixth ,,grade  #a4 ,,books     
,,for ,,regular ,,reading ,,lessons     
,the ,sketch-,book 7,irving74 ,ginn     
,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,maynard1   
,merrill1  ,co42 ,macmillan ,co42       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,educational
   ,pub4 ,co42 ,university ,pub4 ,co4   
,rip ,van ,winkle and other ,american   
essays4 ,one of the best       books for
 sixth grade4 ,used also in fifth and   
seventh grades4    ,the ,courtship of   
,miles ,standish 7,longfellow74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,excellent in many ways for sixth-grade 
children4 ,a dramatized       edition is
 also published4 ,used sometimes in     
seventh grade4    ,the ,christmas ,carol
 7,dickens74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42
 ,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co42           
,educational ,publishing ,co4           
,excellent as literature and for variety

 of style in class work4       ,used    
also in seventh grade4    ,hunting of   
the ,deer 7,warner74 ,houghton1         
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,including also  
,how ,i ,killed a ,bear1 and other      
admirable stories1       in which the   
humor and sentiment are fine4 ,used also
 in seventh       grade4    ,snow-,bound
 and ,songs of ,labor 7,whittier74      
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,one  
of the best ,american poems for         
children4 ,used also       in seventh   
and eighth grades4    ,coming of ,arthur
 and ,passing of ,arthur4 ,houghton1    
,mifflin1  ,co42   ,maynard1 ,merrill1  
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co4        ,in   
the fine1 poetic style of ,tennyson1 but
 simple4 ,suited       also for seventh 
grade4    ,the ,gentle ,boy and ,other  
,tales 7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1         
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a pathetic story
 of the ,quaker persecutions in ,new    
,england4    ,tales of the ,white ,hills
 and ,sketches 7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 
,mifflin1    ,co4        ,the ,great    

,stone ,face in this series is one of   
the choicest       stories for children 
in ,english4    ,plutarch's ,alexander  
the ,great4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,a good biography for children and      
serves well as an introduction       to 
,plutarch4    ,grandfather's ,chair     
7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
        ,the best stories we have of    
early and colonial ,new ,england        
history4 ,good also for seventh grade4  
,children's ,hour1 ,paul ,revere1 and   
other papers 7,longfellow74 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,this contains   
also the ,birds of ,killingworth1 and   
other       of ,longfellow's best short 
poems4    ,birds and ,bees1 ,sharp      
,eyes1 and other papers 7,burroughs74   
,houghton1   ,mifflin1  ,co4 ,also for  
seventh grade4        ,these are among  
the best of ,burroughs's books for      
children4       ,classic in style and   
choice in matter4    ,hawthorne's       
,biographical ,stories4 ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,seven ,american     

,classics 7,swinton74 ,american ,book   
,co4        ,a good collection of       
,american classics suited to this grade4
    ,three ,outdoor ,papers             
7,higginson74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
        ,interesting studies of nature  
in choice style4    ,giles ,corey       
7,longfellow74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1     
,co4        ,a drama of the ,salem      
witchcraft1 with directions for its     
representation on the stage4    ,the    
,building of the ,ship1 ,the ,masque of 
,pandora1 and other poems               
7,longfellow74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1     
,co4        ,excellent4 ,the ,masque of 
,pandora could be rendered in           
dramatic form by children4 ,also for    
seventh grade4    ,mabel ,martin and    
other poems 7,whittier74 ,houghton1     
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a choice        
collection of poems from ,whittier4 ,a  
good picture       of ,new ,england     
life4 ,used also in seventh and eighth  
grades4    ,baby ,bell1 ,the ,little    
,violinist1 and other prose and verse   

7,aldrich74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,very choice poems and stories4    ,open
 ,sesame1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 and ,vol4 ,,iii4  
,ginn  ,co4        ,poems and ballads4  
,a collection well arranged for various 
school use1 for reading1 recitation1 and
 memorizing4   #b4 ,,supplementary ,,and
 ,,reference ,,books    ,ten ,great     
,events in ,history 7,johonnot74 ,d4    
,appleton  ,co4        ,good collateral 
reading in this grade4    ,lanier's     
,froissart4 ,scribner's ,sons4        ,a
 fine story for library 7#b4jj74        
,child's ,history of ,england           
7,dickens74 ,hurst  ,co42 ,houghton1    
,mifflin1    ,co42 ,american ,book ,co4 
,a book much used4 ,should be in a      
school library4    ,tales from          
,shakespeare 7,lamb74 ,american ,book   
,co42 ,macmillan ,co42   ,educational   
,publishing ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co42 
,houghton1 ,mifflin1    ,co4            
,designed as an introduction to the     
plays of ,shakespeare4       ,language  
and style superior4 ,used also in       

seventh grade4    ,pilgrim's ,progress  
7,bunyan74 ,macmillan ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42
 ,houghton1   ,mifflin1  ,co42          
,university ,publishing ,co4        ,the
 famous old story which all children    
should read4 ,a       book for the      
library and the home4    ,story of      
,caesar 7,clarke74 ,american ,book ,co4 
,heroes and ,patriots of the ,revolution
 7,hart74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4    ,swiss
 ,family ,robinson4 ,ginn  ,co42        
,educational ,publishing ,co4    ,a     
library book for children4 ,university  
,publishing ,co4    ,stories from ,old  
,english ,poetry 7,richardson74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,an   
excellent series of stories from        
,chaucer and others4    ,historical     
,tales1 ,english 7,morris74 ,j4 ,b4     
,lippincott4        ,a good collection  
of ,english history stories4            
,selections from ,irving4 ,sibley       
,ducker4        ,a variety of           
interesting selections from ,irving's   
works4    ,the ,conquest of ,mexico     

7,prescott74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4  
,the story of ,cortes and his adventures
 told by a master4    ,william ,tell    
7,mc,murry74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4   
,the drama of ,schiller's ,wilhelm      
,tell1 translated into simple           
,english4 ,adapted for representation4  
,source ,book of ,american ,history     
7,hart74 ,macmillan ,co4        ,the    
parts bearing on the colonial history4  
,original sources1       letters1 etc4  
,story of a ,bad ,boy 7,aldrich74       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a    
good narrative of boy life1 humorous and
 entertaining4    ,lay of the ,last     
,minstrel 7,scott74 ,the ,macmillan     
,co42 ,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co42 ,ginn
  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4      
,one of the best descriptions of the old
 minstrelsy4 ,suitable       for sixth  
and seventh grades4    ,choice ,english 
,lyrics 7,baldwin74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  
,co4        ,a great variety of choice  
poems1 ballads1 lyrics1 and             
sonnets4    ,poetry of the ,seasons     

7,lovejoy74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4    
,a choice collection of nature poems4   
,wilderness ,ways 7,long74 ,ginn  ,co4  
,an interesting study of wild animals1  
birds1 etc4    ,famous ,allegories      
7,baldwin74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4    
,a good selection for reference reading 
and for teachers4    ,rab and ,his      
,friends 7,brown74 ,educational         
,publishing ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath        
,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        
,interesting stories of dogs for        
children4    ,story of ,oliver ,twist   
7,dickens74 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4         
,suitable for introducing children to   
,dickens4    ,undine 7,fouque74 ,ginn   
,co4    ,nine ,worlds 7,litchfield74    
,ginn  ,co4    ,hans ,brinker1 or the   
,silver ,skates 7,mary ,mapes ,dodge74  
,century ,co4    ,don ,quixote 7,de la  
,mancha74 ,scribner's ,sons2 ,ginn  ,co4
    ,tales of a ,traveller 7,irving74   
,american ,book ,co42 ,maynard1         
,merrill1    ,co4        ,various       
interesting stories of adventure4       

,pilgrims and ,puritans 7,moore74 ,ginn 
,co4        ,one of the best books on   
the early history of ,plymouth and      
,boston4 ,very simple and well told4    
,stories from ,waverley 7,gassiot74 ,the
 ,macmillan ,co4        ,for reference  
reading4 ,stories from ,scott4          
,golden ,treasury of ,songs and ,lyrics 
7,palgrave74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4       
,a collection of the best songs and     
lyrical poems4    ,the ,rose and the    
,ring 7,thackeray74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4
    ,knickerbocker ,stories4 ,university
 ,publishing ,co4    ,boys of '#gf      
7,coffin74 ,harper ,brothers4        ,a 
realistic account of ,revolutionary     
scenes4    ,stories of ,bird ,life      
7,pearson74 ,b4 ,f4 ,johnson ,publishing
 ,co4        ,simple descriptions by a  
close observer of birds4    ,our        
,country in ,prose and ,verse4 ,american
 ,book ,co4        ,excellent collection
 for children's use4    ,stories of     
,animal ,life 7,holden74 ,american ,book
 ,co4    ,stories from ,english ,history

 7,church74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4        
,in two volumes4 ,the second part is    
especially suited to       sixth grade4 
,parts also of ,part ,one4              
,children's ,stories of ,american       
,literature 7,wright74 #affj-ahfj4      
,scribner's ,sons4        ,short        
biographies of the chief ,american      
writers4    ,golden ,arrow 7,hall74     
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4   #c4        
,,teachers' ,,books    ,peter the ,great
 7,motley74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4   
,a very interesting essay for teachers  
and for older pupils4    ,frederick the 
,great 7,macaulay74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 
,co4        ,for teachers only4         
,interesting in style and content4      
,life ,histories of ,american ,insects  
7,weed74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4        ,an
 interesting scientific treatment4      
,vicar of ,wakefield 7,goldsmith74 ,ginn
  ,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,d4 ,c4   
,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 ,the        
,university ,publishing ,co4    ,the    

,talisman 7,scott74 ,american ,book     
,co42 ,ginn  ,co4    ,introduction to   
,literature 7,lewis74 ,the ,macmillan   
,co4        ,good selections4    ,source
 ,book of ,english ,history 7,kendall74 
,the ,macmillan ,co4        ,good       
selections for sixth1 seventh1 and      
eighth grades4    ,twice ,told ,tales   
7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
    ,old ,virginia and ,her ,neighbors1 
two volumes 7,fiske74 ,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,the ,dutch and      
,quaker ,colonies in ,america1 two      
volumes 7,fiske74   ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,these four volumes are   
excellent for the treatment of colonial 
history4    ,an ,introduction to        
,ruskin4 ,sibley  ,ducker4              
,extracts from ,ruskin's principal      
writings4    ,essay on ,milton          
7,macaulay74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 
,american ,book   ,co42 ,the ,macmillan 
,co4        ,a good example of          
,macaulay's style4    ,history of       
,england 7,macaulay74 ,maynard1         

,merrill1  ,co4        ,a brief history 
of ,england from the earliest times to  
#affj4    ,the ,iliad 7,bryant74        
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,books and
 ,libraries 7,lowell74 ,houghton1       
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a valuable and  
interesting essay on libraries and      
books4       ,also other essays4    ,the
 ,red ,cross ,story ,book 7,lang74      
,longmans  ,co4    ,montcalm and ,wolfe 
7,parkman74 ,little1 ,brown1  ,co4      
,washington ,irving 7,warner74          
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,of   
the ,american ,men of ,letters ,series4 
,conspiracy of ,pontiac 7,parkman74     
,little1 ,brown1  ,co4    ,the ,fortune 
of the ,republic 7,emerson74 ,houghton1 
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,nature ,pictures by 
,american ,poets 7,marble74 ,the        
,macmillan ,co4        ,a choice        
collection of nature poems4    ,poetic  
,interpretation of ,nature 7,shairp74   
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,an   
interesting treatise on the sources of  
poetry in nature4    ,westward ,ho6     

7,kingsley74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 ,the 
,university ,publishing   ,co4        ,a
 story of the time of ,elizabeth4       
,the ,schoolmaster in ,literature4      
,american ,book ,co4    ,also its       
companion book1 ,the ,schoolmaster in   
,comedy and ,satire4   ,american ,book  
,co4    ,scarlet ,letter 7,hawthorne74  
,last of the ,mohicans 7,cooper74 ,d4   
,c4 ,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  
,co42 ,macmillan ,co42 ,university ,pub4
 ,co4    ,henry ,esmond 7,thackeray74   
,houghton1 ,mifflin2 ,macmillan4        
,nicholas ,nickleby 7,charles ,dickens74
   ,,seventh ,,grade  #a4 ,,books ,,for 
,,regular ,,reading ,,lessons           
,evangeline 7,longfellow74 ,houghton1   
,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42  
,the ,university ,publishing ,co4       
,this has been much used in seventh and 
eighth grades4    ,sella1 ,thanatopsis1 
and ,other ,poems 7,bryant74 ,houghton1 
,mifflin1    ,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  
,co4        ,some of ,bryant's best     
poetic productions4 ,or eighth grade4   

,sohrab and ,rustum 7,arnold74 ,american
 ,book ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1       
,co42 ,maynard  ,merrill2 ,werner       
,school ,book ,co42 ,educational        
,publishing   ,co4        ,style simple 
but highly poetic4 ,used also in eighth 
grade4    ,cricket on the ,hearth       
7,dickens74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 
,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co4    ,enoch   
,arden and the ,lotus ,eaters           
7,tennyson74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the        
,macmillan ,co42 ,university ,publishing
 ,co4        ,used in seventh and eighth
 grades and high schools4    ,merchant  
of ,venice 7,shakespeare74 ,american    
,book ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the           
,macmillan ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co42  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,maynard    
,merrill2 ,educational ,publishing ,co42
 ,university ,publishing ,co4           
,the best of ,shakespeare's for this    
grade4 ,parts of it are       often     
dramatized and presented4 ,much liked by
 the children4    ,tales of a           

,grandfather 7,scott74 ,ginn  ,co42     
,educational ,publishing   ,co42        
,university ,publishing ,co4            
,stories of ,wallace1 ,bruce1 ,douglas1 
and other ,scotch heroes4       ,should 
be read only in parts in class4 ,library
 book4    ,poems of ,emerson4 ,houghton1
 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,historical and 
nature poems1 with a good introduction4 
,a       small but important collection 
of poems for older children4    ,the    
,cotter's ,saturday ,night 7,burns74    
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42   ,maynard1 
,merrill1  ,co4        ,contains also   
,tam ,o',shanter and other poems of     
,burns's best4    ,bunker ,hill1 ,adams1
 and ,jefferson 7,webster74 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1  ,co42   ,american ,book ,co42
 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4              
,historical1 patriotic1 and simple in   
style4 ,the best of ,webster's          
speeches for seventh and eighth grades4 
,poor ,richard's ,almanac 7,franklin74  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,this 
contains also interesting papers and    

letters by ,franklin4       ,the        
proverbs of ,franklin are well deserving
 the study of       children4           
,scudder's ,life of ,washington4        
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,best 
life of ,washington for grammar grades4 
,source ,book of ,american ,history     
7,hart74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4           
,excellent reading selections for sixth1
 seventh1 and eighth       grades4      
,grandmother's ,story and ,other ,poems 
7,holmes74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4   
,some of ,holmes's best patriotic and   
humorous poems4    ,the ,plant ,world   
7,vincent74 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4         
,a superior collection of extracts from 
great scientific writers4       ,one of 
the best science readers for upper      
grades4    ,poetry of the ,seasons      
7,lovejoy74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4    
,good collection for reading and various
 uses4    ,william ,tell 7,mc,murry74   
,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4                
,suitable for seventh-grade reading4 ,a 
drama4    ,golden ,treasury of ,best    

,songs and ,lyrical ,poems 7,palgrave74 
,the   ,macmillan ,co4   #b4            
,,supplementary ,,and ,,reference       
,,books    ,rules of ,conduct           
7,washington74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1     
,co4        ,containing also his        
letters1 farewell address1 and other    
important papers4    ,shakespeare's     
,tragedies 7,lamb74 ,american ,book     
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co4              
,companion book to the ,comedies4       
,natural ,history of ,selborne 7,white74
 ,ginn  ,co4        ,a famous old book1 
interesting both in style and content4  
,one of the first books of real nature  
study4    ,letters 7,chesterfield74     
,ginn  ,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4  
,the   ,macmillan ,co4                  
,entertaining and unique4 ,valuable for 
reading extracts to       the school4   
,plutarch's ,lives4 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the   
,macmillan ,co42 ,educational           
,publishing ,co4        ,a book that all
 grammar school children should be      
encouraged       to read4    ,the ,two  

,great ,retreats 7,grote-,segur74 ,ginn 
,co4        ,retreat of the ten thousand
 ,greeks1 and ,napoleon's retreat       
from ,russia4    ,the ,alhambra         
7,irving74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,maynard1       
,merrill1  ,co4 ,the   ,macmillan ,co4  
,most attractive descriptions and       
legends connected with       the        
,alhambra4    ,peter ,schlemihl         
7,chamisso74 ,ginn  ,co4    ,picciola   
7,saintine74 ,ginn  ,co4    ,hatim ,tai 
7from the ,persian74 ,ginn  ,co4        
,life of ,nelson 7,southey74 ,ginn      
,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,the        
,macmillan   ,co4    ,camps and         
,firesides of the ,revolution 7,hart74  
,the ,macmillan ,co4        ,interesting
 source material4    ,the ,crofton ,boys
 7,martineau74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4     
,orations on ,washington and ,landing of
 the ,pilgrims 7,webster74 ,american    
,book ,co4        ,a few children may be
 encouraged to read these great         
speeches1       among the best in our   
history4 ,somewhat difficult4    ,silas 

,marner 7,eliot74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 
,sibley  ,ducker2 ,american   ,book     
,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co42
 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42            
,educational ,publishing ,co4        ,a 
good introduction for children to       
,george ,eliot's writings4       ,used  
in eighth grade and high school4        
,vicar of ,wakefield 7,goldsmith74 ,ginn
  ,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,d4 ,c4   
,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 ,maynard1   
,merrill1  ,co42 ,univ4 ,pub4 ,co4      
,one of the great books1 permeated with 
,goldsmith's fine       style and humor4
    ,two ,years ,before the ,mast       
7,dana74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4     
,a book of real power for boys and      
girls4    ,a ,bunch of ,herbs           
7,burroughs74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
        ,good nature study for pupils   
and teachers4 ,also for regular         
reading4    ,samuel ,adams 7,morse74    
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,one  
of the best of ,american biographies4   

,one of the best       descriptions of  
scenes in ,boston just preceding the    
,revolution4    ,tom ,brown's ,school   
,days 7,hughes74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42  
,houghton1   ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,ginn     
,co42 ,educational ,publishing ,co4     
,a story for boys4 ,vigorous and true to
 life4    ,last of the ,mohicans        
7,cooper74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42        
,maynard1 ,merrill1    ,co42 ,d4 ,c4    
,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co42 ,university   ,publishing ,co4    
,a good book with which to introduce    
young people to       ,cooper's famous  
stories4    ,franklin's ,autobiography4 
,ginn  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42
   ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 ,american 
,book ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 ,the  
,educational ,publishing ,co4        ,a 
book that all young people should read4 
,valuable in       many ways4    ,uncle 
,tom's ,cabin 7,stowe74 ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a library book  
for home reading4    ,from ,colony to   
,commonwealth 7,moore74 ,ginn  ,co4     

,simple account of the early events of  
the ,revolution about       ,boston4    
,stories from the ,classic ,literature  
of ,many ,nations 7,palmer74   ,the     
,macmillan ,co4    ,the ,gold ,bug and  
,other ,tales 7,poe74 ,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,american ,war       
,ballads and ,lyrics 7,eggleston74 ,g4  
,p4 ,putnam's ,sons4    ,the ,siege of  
,leyden 7,motley74 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4 
,twelve ,naval ,captains4 ,scribner's   
,sons4        ,short biographies of     
naval heroes4    ,open ,sesame1 ,volume 
,,iii4 ,ginn  ,co4        ,a collection 
for various uses1 prose and verse4      
,patriotism1       sentiment1 humor1 and
 nature4    ,birddom 7,keyser74 ,d4     
,lothrop  ,co4        ,good for regular 
reading4 ,written in the fine style of a
       true lover of nature4    ,town   
,geology 7,kingsley74 ,the ,macmillan   
,co4        ,an interesting book for    
those predisposed to science4           
,children's ,stories of ,american       
,literature 7#ahfj-ahif7 7,wright74     

,scribner's ,sons4        ,short        
biographies of recent ,american writers4
    ,prince and ,pauper 7,clemens74     
,harper  ,bros4   #c4 ,,teachers'       
,,books    ,education and the ,larger   
,life 7,henderson74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,a book of great value to 
teachers for thoughtful study4          
,critical ,period of ,american ,history 
7,fiske74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    
,a very superior and interesting book of
 the period just after       the        
,revolution4    ,the ,beginnings of ,new
 ,england 7,fiske74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,valuable for sixth and   
seventh grade teachers4    ,birds in the
 ,bush 7,torrey74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  
,co4        ,entertaining nature study  
by a master4    ,nestlings in ,forest   
and ,marsh 7,wheelock74  ,a4 ,c4        
,mc,clurg4        ,a suggestive book for
 teachers and older pupils4    ,madam   
,how and ,lady ,why 7,kingsley74 ,the   
,macmillan ,co4        ,interesting     
style and content4    ,brave ,little    

,holland 7,griffis74 ,houghton1         
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a historical    
study of the ,dutch in ,holland and in  
this       country4    ,familiar        
,flowers of ,field and ,garden          
7,matthews74 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4        
,an easy study of common plants and     
flowers according to       the seasons4 
,guy ,mannering 7,scott74 ,ginn  ,co4   
,autocrat of the ,breakfast ,table      
7,holmes74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4   
,tale of ,two ,cities 7,dickens74 ,ginn 
,co42 ,american ,book ,co4    ,life of  
,pestalozzi 7de ,guimps74 ,d4 ,appleton 
,co4    ,first ,bunker ,hill ,oration   
7,webster74 ,d4 ,c ,heath  ,co4    ,mill
 on the ,floss 7,george ,eliot74        
,hugh ,wynne1 ,free ,quaker 7,mitchell74
 ,century ,co4    ,the ,fortune of the  
,republic 7,emerson74 ,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,very stimulating
 to teachers4    ,masterpieces of       
,american ,literature 7,scudder74       
,houghton1 ,mifflin1    ,co4        ,one
 of the best collections of classical   

masterpieces4    ,life of ,samuel       
,johnson 7,macaulay74 ,maynard1         
,merrill1  ,co42 ,houghton1   ,mifflin1 
,co4        ,very fine1 in ,macaulay's  
superior style4    ,modern ,painters    
7,ruskin74 ,various publishers4         
,for teachers1 a good study in ,ruskin4 
,essay on ,burns 7,carlyle74 ,maynard1  
,merrill1  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4     
,heath  ,co42 ,educational ,publishing  
,co4        ,an interesting subject and 
an able treatment4    ,readings from the
 ,spectator4 ,educational ,publishing   
,co42 ,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co4       
,roger de ,coverley and other selected  
parts of essays from       ,addison4    
,six ,centuries of ,english ,poetry     
7,baldwin74 ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co4    
,valuable for reference and occasional  
study4    ,fiske's ,washington and ,his 
,country 7,irving74 ,ginn  ,co4         
,good life of ,washington and history of
 the ,revolution4    ,the ,war of       
,independence 7,fiske74 ,houghton1      

,mifflin1  ,co4    ,poetic              
,interpretation of ,nature 7,shairp74   
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,mere     
,literature 7,woodrow ,wilson74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,an   
interesting series of essays for        
teachers4    ,the ,life of ,alexander   
,hamilton 7,lodge74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4    ,the ,study and ,teaching of  
,english 7,chubb74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 
,burke's ,speech on ,conciliation with  
,america4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co42         
,american ,book ,co42 ,the ,macmillan   
,co4   ,,eighth ,,grade  #a4 ,,books    
,,for ,,regular ,,reading ,,lessons     
,vision of ,sir ,launfal 7,lowell74     
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the        
,macmillan ,co4        ,one of the best 
poems in ,english for school use4       
,julius ,caesar 7,shakespeare74         
,american ,book ,co42 ,the ,macmillan   
,co42   ,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co42 ,d4   
,c4 ,heath  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  
,co42   ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 ,the 
,educational ,publishing ,co42          

,university   ,publishing ,co4          
,well suited for eighth grade study and 
presentation4 ,used       also in high  
schools4    ,tales of a ,wayside ,inn   
7,longfellow74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1     
,co4    ,bunker ,hill1 ,adams1 and      
,jefferson 7,webster74 ,houghton1       
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,roger de ,coverley  
7,addison74 ,the ,macmillan ,co42       
,american ,book ,co42   ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co42 ,the ,educational      
,publishing ,co42 ,silver1   ,burdett1  
,co42 ,sibley  ,ducker2 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  
,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1    ,co4       
,an excellent study for children in     
eighth grade4 ,also used       in high  
schools4    ,in ,bird ,land 7,keyser74  
,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg  ,co4        ,a book  
adapted to awaken the children to a     
sympathetic       observation of birds4 
,lady of the ,lake 7,scott74 ,maynard1  
,merrill1  ,co42 ,american ,book ,co42  
,ginn  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42
 ,the ,macmillan ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath   
,co42 ,the ,educational ,publishing     

,co42 ,university ,publishing ,co4      
,an attractive study4 ,somewhat         
difficult4    ,marmion 7,scott74 ,ginn  
,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 ,the   
,macmillan   ,co42 ,the ,educational    
,publishing ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  
,co42   ,american ,book ,co4        ,a  
great historical picture1 full of       
interest4    ,the ,great ,debate        
7,hayne-,webster74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1 
,co42 ,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co4       
,a fine study of forensic debate4       
,incidentally a deeper                  
appreciation of history4 ,somewhat      
difficult for eighth       grade4    ,a 
,bunch of ,herbs 7,burroughs74          
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a    
very suggestive study of common plants1 
trees1 weather1 etc4    ,burke on       
,conciliation4 ,sibley  ,ducker2 ,ginn  
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42   ,silver1  
,burdett1  ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1   
,co42 ,american ,book ,co42   ,d4 ,c4   
,heath  ,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4 
,used also in high school4        ,a    

great study both as literature and as   
history4 ,one of the       best studies 
in ,american history before the         
,revolution4    ,the ,gettysburg ,speech
 7,lincoln74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4 
,the inaugurals1 an essay by ,lowell on 
,lincoln and other       papers4    ,the
 ,deserted ,village1 and ,the ,traveller
 7,goldsmith74 ,the ,macmillan   ,co42  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,maynard1   
,merrill1  ,co4        ,the best of     
,goldsmith's poems4 ,also shorter poems4
    ,franklin's ,autobiography4 ,the    
,macmillan ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,houghton1
   ,mifflin1  ,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 
,co42 ,american ,book ,co42 ,the        
,educational ,publishing ,co4           
,partly for class use and partly for    
reference reading4    ,plutarch's       
,lives4 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the ,educational  
,publishing ,co42 ,the   ,macmillan ,co4
        ,a few for class reading4       
,others for reference4    ,translation  
of ,homer's ,odyssey 7,palmer74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,abraham  

,lincoln 7,schurz74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4    ,two ,great ,retreats         
7,grote-,segur74 ,ginn  ,co4            
,good sight reading1 and for reference4 
,peter the ,great 7,motley74 ,maynard1  
,merrill1  ,co4        ,a very          
interesting essay in superior style4    
,the ,succession of ,forest ,trees1     
,wild ,apples1 and ,sounds 7,thoreau74  
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a    
very attractive nature study4   #b4     
,,supplementary ,,and ,,reference       
,,books    ,ruskin's ,selections4 ,ginn 
,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co4              
,longer selections from ,ruskin4        
,excellent also for regular             
reading4    ,my ,hunt after the         
,captain1 etc4 7,holmes74 ,houghton1    
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a very          
entertaining description of scenes      
during war times4    ,don ,quixote      
7,cervantes74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the         
,macmillan ,co42 ,scribner's   ,sons4   
,a book that children should be         
encouraged to read4 ,its satire         

and humor they should learn to          
appreciate4    ,ivanhoe 7,scott74 ,the  
,macmillan ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,american 
,book ,co42   ,houghton1 ,mifflin1      
,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath  ,co4        ,the  
best introduction to ,scott's novels1 in
 connection with       school studies4  
,the ,abbot 7,scott74 ,ginn  ,co42      
,american ,book ,co4        ,one of     
,scott's best stories4    ,yesterdays   
with ,authors 7,james ,t4 ,fields74     
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,rob ,roy1
 and ,quentin ,durward 7,scott74 ,ginn  
,co42 ,american ,book ,co4        ,good 
library books4    ,the ,house of ,seven 
,gables 7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1        
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a ,new ,england 
story in ,hawthorne's style4 ,a good    
home       study for children and       
teachers4    ,the ,boy's ,browning4     
,dana1 ,estes1  ,co4        ,a good     
collection of the simpler poems adapted 
to younger       readers4    ,tale of   
,two ,cities 7,dickens74 ,ginn  ,co42   
,american ,book ,co4    ,jean ,valjean  

7from ,les ,miserables74 ,ginn  ,co42   
,educational   ,publishing ,co4    ,the 
,talisman 7,scott74 ,american ,book     
,co42 ,ginn  ,co4    ,treasure ,island  
7,stevenson74 ,scribner's ,sons4        
,life of ,washington 7,statesmen        
,series74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    
,life of ,nelson 7,southey74 ,the       
,macmillan ,co42 ,ginn  ,co42 ,american 
,book   ,co4    ,the ,foot-path ,way    
7,torrey74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4   
,one of the best books for cultivating  
an appreciation for       nature4    ,in
 ,bird ,land 7,keyser74 ,a4 ,c4         
,mc,clurg  ,co4        ,a very          
interesting bird study4    ,the ,old    
,manse1 and ,a ,few ,mosses             
7,hawthorne74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4
        ,a pleasing account of the old  
house and its associations4    ,news    
from the ,birds 7,keyser74 ,d4 ,appleton
  ,co4        ,excellent study and      
observation4    ,peasant and ,prince    
7,martineau74 ,ginn  ,co42 ,univ4 ,pub4 
,co4        ,an interesting narrative of

 ,french life just before the           
,revolution4    ,a ,book of ,famous     
,verse 7,repplier74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1
  ,co4        ,a superior collection of 
poems4    ,nature ,pictures by ,american
 ,poets 7,marble74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 
,choice poems descriptive of nature4    
,seven ,british ,classics4 ,american    
,book ,co4        ,a good collection of 
,english masterpieces4 ,adapted also    
for regular reading in seventh and      
eighth grades4    ,star ,land 7,ball74  
,ginn  ,co4        ,a very interesting  
and well-written introduction to        
astronomy4    ,life of ,john ,quincy    
,adams 7,morse74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1   
,co4        ,the ,statesmen ,series4    
,poems of ,american ,patriotism         
7,matthews74 ,scribner's ,sons4   #c4   
,,teachers' ,,books    ,culture and     
,anarchy 7,arnold74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1 
,co4        ,it illustrates well        
,arnold's thought and style4    ,elaine 
7,tennyson74 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co42 
,the ,macmillan ,co4        ,a beautiful

 poem1 simple and musical1 from the     
,idylls of the       ,king4    ,great   
,words of ,great ,americans 7,putnam74  
,papers and addresses of ,washington and
 ,lincoln4    ,literature in ,schools   
7,scudder74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,a stimulating book for teachers of all 
grades4    ,the ,princess 7,tennyson74  
,ginn  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan ,co42      
,maynard1   ,merrill1  ,co42 ,american  
,book ,co4    ,biblical ,masterpieces   
7,moulton74 ,the ,macmillan ,co4    ,the
 ,book ,lover 7,baldwin74 ,a4 ,c4       
,mc,clurg  ,co4        ,a discussion of 
books and reading with lists of books   
and       suggestions4    ,the ,story of
 the ,birds 7,baskett74 ,d4 ,appleton   
,co4        ,one of the superior books  
of nature study4    ,frail ,children of 
the ,air 7,scudder74 ,houghton1         
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a scientific but
 simple treatise on butterflies4        
,books and ,culture 7,mabie74 ,dodd1    
,mead1  ,co4        ,an attractive and  
valuable book on literature for         

teachers4    ,science ,sketches         
7,jordan74 ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg  ,co4      
,a very attractive style in the         
treatment of scientific topics4         
,birds through an ,opera ,glass         
7,merriam74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4  
,good outdoor study4    ,up and ,down   
the ,brooks 7,bramford74 ,houghton1     
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,a study of      
insect life in the streams4    ,essays1 
first series 7,emerson74 ,houghton1     
,mifflin1  ,co4        ,essays on       
history1 self-reliance1 compensation1   
and others4       ,teachers should study
 ,emerson's essays4    ,heroes and      
,hero-,worship 7,carlyle74 ,a4 ,c4      
,mc,clurg  ,co42 ,the ,macmillan   ,co4 
,a great book and a good specimen of    
,carlyle's style and       thought4     
,introductory ,lessons in ,english      
7,mc,neil and ,lynch74 ,american ,book  
,co4        ,a series of masterpieces   
with questions and discussions as       
to treatment in high schools4    ,how to
 ,teach ,reading 7,clark74 ,scott1      

,forsman1  ,co4        ,a pedagogical   
treatment of reading4    ,counsel upon  
the ,reading of ,books 7,van ,dyke74    
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,strong essays on books and reading from
 different points       of view by      
strong writers4    ,romola 7,george     
,eliot74 ,various publishers4           
,one of the great novels4 ,valuable in  
many ways4    ,macbeth 7,shakespeare74  
,silver1 ,burdett1  ,co42 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath
  ,co42   ,the ,macmillan ,co42         
,american ,book ,co42 ,the ,educational 
,publishing ,co42   ,university         
,publishing ,co4        ,this and other 
great plays of ,shakespeare should be   
read       by teachers4    ,life of     
,hamilton 7,statesmen ,series74         
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    ,emerson's
 ,self-,reliance4 ,maynard1 ,merrill1   
,co4    ,life of ,webster 7,lodge71 also
 ,john ,quincy ,adams 7,morse74         
,houghton1   ,mifflin1  ,co4            
,from the ,statesmen ,series4 ,excellent
 reading for the teacher4    ,literary  

,study of the ,bible 7,moulton74 ,d4 ,c4
 ,heath  ,co4        ,a valuable        
introduction to the literary            
appreciation of the       ,bible4       
,the ,marble ,faun 7,hawthorne74        
,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4              
,plutarch's ,lives4 ,ginn  ,co42 ,the   
,macmillan ,co42 ,the ,educational      
,publishing ,co4    ,locke's ,thoughts  
on ,education4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4     
,spencer's ,education4 ,d4 ,appleton    
,co4    ,daniel ,deronda 7,george       
,eliot74    ,dombey and ,son 7,charles  
,dickens74    ,the ,autobiography of    
,john ,stuart ,mill4    ,the            
,schoolmaster in ,comedy and ,satire    
7,skinner74 ,the ,american ,book ,co4   
,emerson's ,american ,scholar4 ,american
 ,book ,co42 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1       
,co42 ,maynard1 ,merrill1  ,co4    ,the 
,judgment of ,socrates4 ,houghton1      
,mifflin1  ,co4    ,poets and ,problems 
7,cooke74 ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4    
,introduction to ,tennyson1 ,ruskin1 and
 ,browning4    ,a ,century of ,science  

and other ,essays 7,fiske74 ,houghton1  
,mifflin1    ,co4    ,american ,writers 
of ,to-day 7,vedder74 ,silver1 ,burdett1
  ,co4    ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson        
7,holmes74 ,american ,men of ,letters   
,series4   ,houghton1 ,mifflin1  ,co4   
,,alphabetical ,,list ,,of ,,titles     
,abbot1 ,the1 #bdb    ,abraham ,lincoln1
 #bdb    ,adams1 ,bunker ,hill1 and     
,jefferson1 #bce1 #bdj    ,adams1 ,life 
of ,john ,quincy1 #bdd    ,adams1       
,samuel1 #bcg    ,adventures of         
,ulysses1 #bbc    ,age of ,chivalry1    
#bbg    ,age of ,fable1 #bba            
,alexander the ,great1 #bbi             
,alhambra1 #bcf    ,alice's ,adventures 
in ,wonderland1 #bai    ,american       
,explorers1 #bbf    ,american ,scholar1 
#bdf    ,american ,war ,ballads and     
,lyrics1 #bch    ,american ,writers of  
,to-day1 #bdf    ,andersen's ,fairy     
,tales1 #bag    ,arabian ,nights        
7,clarke71 #bbd    ,arabian ,nights     
7,hale71 #bbd    ,arabian ,nights1      
,stories from the1 #baf                 

,autobiography 7,franklin71 #bcg1 #bda  
,autobiography of ,john ,stuart ,mill1  
#bdf    ,autocrat of the ,breakfast     
,table1 #bci     ,baby ,bell1 the       
,little ,violinist1 and other prose and 
verse1 #bbi    ,ballad ,book1 #bah      
,ballads and ,lyrics1 #bbe              
,beginnings of ,new ,england1 #bbb1 #bch
    ,beginnings of ,new ,england1 and   
,discovery of ,america1 #bbf    ,being a
 ,boy1 #bbj    ,biblical ,masterpieces1 
#bdd    ,bimbi1 #bah    ,biographical   
,stories 7,hawthorne71 #bbc1 #bbi       
,birddom1 #bbg1 #bch    ,birds and      
,bees1 ,sharp ,eyes1 and other papers1  
#bbi    ,birds in the ,bush1 #bch       
,birds through an ,opera ,glass1 #bdd   
,bird-,world1 #bag    ,black ,beauty1   
#bai    ,book ,lover1 #bdd    ,book of  
,famous ,verse1 #bdc    ,book of ,golden
 ,deeds1 #bbe    ,book of ,legends1 #bag
    ,book of ,tales1 #bag    ,books and 
,culture1 #bdd    ,books and ,libraries1
 #bcc    ,boy's ,browning1 #bdc         
,boy's ,king ,arthur1 #bbe    ,boys of  

'#gf1 #bcb    ,brave ,little ,holland1  
#bci    ,brownies1 ,the1 #bai           
,browning1 ,boy's1 #bdc    ,browning1   
,introduction to ,tennyson1 ,ruskin1    
and1 #bdf    ,building of the ,ship1    
#bbi    ,bunch of ,herbs1 #bcg1 #bda    
,bunker ,hill1 ,adams1 and ,jefferson1  
#bce1 #bdj    ,burke on ,conciliation1  
#bda    ,burke's ,speech on             
,conciliation with ,america1 #bdj       
,burns1 ,essay on1 #bci     ,caesar1    
,story of1 #bcj    ,california and      
,oregon ,trail1 #bba    ,camps and      
,firesides of the ,revolution1 #bcf     
,century of ,science1 and other essays1 
#bdf    ,champlain1 ,samuel de1 #bbg    
,chesterfield1 ,letters of1 #bcf        
,childhood in ,literature and ,art1 #bbf
    ,child ,life in ,poetry and ,prose1 
#baf    ,children's ,hour1 #bbc1 #bbi   
,children's ,hour1 ,paul ,revere1 and   
other papers1 #bbi    ,children's ,life 
of ,abraham ,lincoln1 #bbf              
,children's ,stories of ,american       
,literature1 #bba    ,children's        

,stories of ,american ,literature1      
#affj-ahfj1 #bcb    ,children's ,stories
 of ,american ,literature1 #ahfj-ahif1  
#bch    ,children's ,treasury of        
,english ,song1 #bai    ,child's        
,history of ,england1 #bcj    ,choice   
,english ,lyrics1 #bca    ,christmas    
,carol1 #bbh    ,colonial ,children1    
#bbd    ,coming of ,arthur and ,passing 
of ,arthur1 #bbh    ,conquest of        
,mexico1 #bcj    ,conspiracy of         
,pontiac1 #bcc    ,cotter's ,saturday   
,night1 #bce    ,counsel upon the       
,reading of ,books1 #bbg1 #bde          
,courtship of ,miles ,standish1 #bbh    
,cricket on the ,hearth1 #bcd           
,critical ,period of ,american ,history1
 #bch    ,crofton ,boys1 #bcf           
,culture and ,anarchy1 #bdd     ,daniel 
,deronda1 #bdf    ,david ,copperfield1  
#bba    ,deerslayer1 #bbg    ,deserted  
,village1 and the ,traveller1 #bda      
,discovery of ,america1 #bba            
,discovery of ,america1 ,beginnings of  
,new ,england1 and1 #bbf    ,dog of     

,flanders1 #bah    ,dombey and ,son1    
#bdf    ,don ,quixote1 #bca1 #bdb       
,drake and his ,yeomen1 #bbg    ,dutch  
and ,quaker ,colonies in ,america1 #bcc 
,education1 #bdf    ,education and the  
,larger ,life1 #bch    ,elaine1 #bdd    
,emerson1 ,poems of1 #bcd    ,emerson1  
,ralph ,waldo1 #bdf    ,emerson's       
,essays1 #bbj    ,emerson's ,essays1    
,first ,series1 #bde    ,enoch ,arden   
and the ,lotus ,eaters1 #bcd    ,essay  
on ,burns1 #bci    ,essay on ,milton1   
#bcc    ,essays 7,emerson71 #bbj        
,essays 7,emerson71 ,first ,series1 #bde
    ,eugene ,field ,book1 #bbj          
,evangeline1 #bcd     ,faerie ,queen1   
,tales from the1 #bah    ,fairy ,tales  
7,andersen71 #bag    ,fairy ,tales in   
,prose and ,verse1 #bai    ,familiar    
,flowers of ,field and ,garden1 #bci    
,famous ,allegories1 #bca    ,fanciful  
,tales1 #baf    ,fifty ,famous ,stories 
,retold1 #bbj    ,first ,book of ,birds1
 #bah    ,first ,bunker ,hill ,oration1 
#bci    ,foot-path ,way1 #bbg1 #bdc     

,fortune of the ,republic1 #bcc1 #bci   
,four ,american ,naval ,heroes1 #bbf    
,four ,great ,americans1 #bag    ,frail 
,children of the ,air1 #bdd             
,franklin's ,autobiography1 #bcg1 #bda  
,frederick the ,great1 #bcb    ,friends 
and ,helpers1 #bah    ,froissart1 #bcj  
,from ,colony to ,commonwealth1 #bcg    
,gentle ,boy1 and other tales1 #bbh     
,gettysburg ,speech1 #bda    ,giles     
,corey1 #bbi    ,gods and ,heroes1 #bah 
,gold ,bug1 and other tales1 #bcg       
,golden ,age1 #bbf    ,golden ,arrow1   
#bcb    ,golden ,treasury of ,best      
,songs and ,lyrical ,poems1 #bce        
,golden ,treasury of ,songs and ,lyrics1
 #bca    ,grandfather's ,chair1 #bbi    
,grandmother's ,story1 and other poems1 
#bce    ,great ,debate                  
7,hayne-,webster71 #bda    ,great ,words
 of ,great ,americans1 #bdd    ,greek   
,gods1 ,heroes1 and ,men1 #bbe    ,greek
 ,heroes1 #baf    ,greek ,life and      
,story1 #bbg    ,grimm's ,household     
,tales1 #bag    ,gulliver's ,travels1   

#bbc    ,gulliver's ,voyage to          
,lilliput1 #bbc    ,guy ,mannering1 #bci
     ,hamilton1 ,life of1 #bde          
,hamilton1 ,life of ,alexander1 #bdj    
,hans ,andersen ,stories1 #bah    ,hans 
,andersen ,tales1 #bag    ,hans         
,brinker1 or the ,silver ,skates1 #bca  
,hard ,times1 #bbg    ,hatim ,tai1 #bcf 
,henry ,esmond1 #bcc    ,heroes and     
,hero ,worship1 #bde    ,heroes and     
,patriots of the ,revolution1 #bcj      
,heroes of ,asgard1 #bai    ,heroes of  
the ,middle ,west1 #bbj1 #bbd    ,heroic
 ,ballads1 #bbc    ,hiawatha1 #bbb      
,historical ,tales1 ,american1 #bbe     
,historical ,tales1 ,english1 #bbf1 #bcj
    ,history and ,literature1 #bbj1 #bbg
    ,history of ,england1 #bcc          
,hoosier ,school ,boy1 #bbf             
,household ,tales 7,grimm71 #bag        
,house of ,seven ,gables1 #bbg1 #bdc    
,how to ,teach ,reading1 #bde    ,hugh  
,wynne1 ,free ,quaker1 #bci    ,hunting 
of the ,deer1 #bbh     ,iliad 7,bryant71
 #bbd1 #bcc    ,iliad 7,pope71 #bbd     

,in ,bird ,land1 #bba1 #bda1 #bdc       
,introduction to ,literature1 #bcb      
,introduction to ,ruskin1 #bcc          
,introduction to ,tennyson1 ,ruskin1 and
 ,browning1 #bdf    ,introductory       
,lessons in ,english1 #bde    ,irving1  
,selections from1 #bcj    ,ivanhoe1     
#bbg1 #bdb     ,jackanapes1 #bai        
,jason's ,quest1 #bbe    ,jean          
,mitchell's ,school1 #bbb    ,jean      
,valjean1 #bdc    ,jefferson1 ,bunker   
,hill1 ,adams and1 #bce1 #bdj           
,johnson1 ,life of ,samuel1 #bci        
,judgment of ,socrates1 #bdf    ,julius 
,caesar1 #bdj     ,king ,arthur and his 
,court1 #bag    ,king of the ,golden    
,river1 #bbb    ,krag and ,johnny ,bear1
 #bbd     ,lady of the ,lake1 #bda      
,landing of the ,pilgrims1 ,orations on 
,washington and1 #bcf    ,la ,salle and 
the ,discovery of the ,great ,west1 #bba
    ,last of the ,mohicans1 #bcc1 #bcg  
,lay of the ,last ,minstrel1 #bca       
,lays of ,ancient ,rome1 #bbb           
,leonard and ,gertrude1 #bbb    ,letters

 7,chesterfield71 #bcf    ,life         
,histories of ,american ,insects1 #bcb  
,life of ,alexander ,hamilton1 #bdj     
,life of ,hamilton1 #bde    ,life of    
,john ,quincy ,adams1 #bdd    ,life of  
,nelson1 #bcf1 #bdc    ,life of         
,pestalozzi1 #bci    ,life of ,samuel   
,johnson1 #bci    ,life of ,washington1 
#bce1 #bdc    ,life of ,webster1 #bde   
,lincoln1 ,abraham1 #bdb    ,lincoln1   
,children's ,life of ,abraham1 #bbf     
,literary ,study of the ,bible1 #bde    
,literature in ,schools1 #bba1 #bdd     
,little ,daffydowndilly and             
,biographical ,stories1 #bbc    ,little 
,lame ,prince1 #bah    ,little ,lord    
,fauntleroy1 #bbj    ,little ,violinist1
 #bbi    ,lobo1 ,rag1 and ,vixen1 #bbf  
,lotus ,eaters1 ,enoch ,arden and the1  
#bcd     ,mabel ,martin1 and other      
poems1 #bbi    ,macbeth1 #bde    ,madam 
,how and ,lady ,why1 #bch    ,marble    
,faun1 #bde    ,marmion1 #bda           
,masterpieces of ,american ,literature1 
#bci    ,men who made the ,nation1 #bbg 

,merchant of ,venice1 #bcd    ,mere     
,literature1 #bdj    ,merry ,adventures 
of ,robin ,hood1 #bai1 #bbc    ,mill on 
the ,floss1 #bci    ,milton1 ,essay on1 
#bcc    ,modern ,painters1 #bci         
,montcalm and ,wolfe1 #bcc    ,moral    
,instruction of ,children1 #bbf    ,my  
,hunt after the ,captain1 #bdb    ,myths
 of the ,northern ,lands1 #bbj          
,national ,epics1 #bba    ,natural      
,history of ,selborne1 #bcf    ,nature  
in ,verse1 #bag    ,nature ,pictures by 
,american ,poets1 #bba1 #bcc1 #bdc      
,nelson1 ,life of1 #bcf1 #bdc           
,nestlings in ,forest and ,marsh1 #bch  
,news from the ,birds1 #bbg1 #bdc       
,nicholas ,nickleby1 #bcc    ,nine      
,worlds1 #bca    ,norse ,stories1 #bbj  
,nuernberg ,stove1 #bah     ,odyssey    
7,bryant71 #bbd    ,odyssey 7,butcher   
and ,lang71 #bbg    ,odyssey 7,church71 
#bbe    ,odyssey of ,homer 7,palmer71   
#bbd    ,odyssey1 ,translation of       
,homer's 7,palmer71 #bdb    ,old ,greek 
,folk ,stories1 #bag    ,old ,greek     

,story1 #bbd    ,old ,manse1 and a ,few 
,mosses1 #bdc    ,old ,norse ,stories1  
#bbj    ,old ,stories of the ,east1 #bah
    ,old ,testament ,stories in         
,scripture ,language1 #bag    ,old      
,virginia and her ,neighbors1 #bcb      
,oliver ,twist1 ,story of1 #bca    ,open
 ,sesame1 #bai1 #bbe1 #bbi1 #bch        
,orations on ,washington and ,landing of
 the ,pilgrims1 #bcf    ,our ,country in
 ,prose and ,verse1 #bcb    ,our        
,feathered ,friends1 #bai     ,paul     
,revere1 #bbi    ,peasant and ,prince1  
#bdc    ,pestalozzi1 ,life of1 #bci     
,peter ,schlemihl1 #bcf    ,peter the   
,great1 #bcb1 #bdb    ,picciola1 #bcf   
,pied ,piper1 and other poems1 #bbc     
,pilgrims and ,puritans1 #bca           
,pilgrim's ,progress1 #bcj    ,pilot1   
#bbb    ,pioneer ,history ,stories1 #bbe
    ,pioneers of ,france in the ,new    
,world1 and ,la ,salle and the          
,discovery   of the ,great ,west1 #bbg  
,pioneers of the ,revolution1 #bbj      
,plant ,world1 #bce    ,plutarch's      

,lives1 #bcf1 #bdb1 #bde    ,poems of   
,american ,patriotism1 #bbd1 #bdd       
,poems of ,emerson1 #bcd    ,poetic     
,interpretation of ,nature1 #bcc1 #bdj  
,poetry for ,children1 #bba    ,poetry  
of the ,seasons1 #bca1 #bce    ,poets   
and ,problems1 #bdf    ,poor ,richard's 
,almanac1 #bce    ,prince and ,pauper1  
#bch    ,princess1 #bdd     ,quentin    
,durward1 #bdb     ,rab and his         
,friends1 #bca    ,ralph ,waldo         
,emerson1 #bdf    ,readings from the    
,spectator1 #bci    ,readings in        
,folklore1 #bbj1 #bbf    ,red ,cross    
,story ,book1 #bcc    ,rob ,roy1 and    
,quentin ,durward1 #bdb    ,robinson    
,crusoe1 #bbd    ,roger de ,coverley1   
#bdj    ,romola1 #bde    ,rose and the  
,ring1 #bca    ,round the ,year in ,myth
 and ,song1 #bag    ,rules of ,conduct1 
#bce    ,ruskin1 ,introduction to1 #bcc 
,ruskin1 ,introduction to ,tennyson1    
,browning1 and1 #bdf    ,ruskin         
7,selections71 #bdb     ,samuel ,adams1 
#bcg    ,samuel de ,champlain1 #bbg     

,samuel ,johnson1 ,life of1 #bci        
,scarlet ,letter1 #bcc    ,schoolmaster 
in ,comedy and ,satire1 #bdf            
,schoolmaster in ,literature1 #bcc      
,science ,sketches1 #bdd    ,secrets of 
the ,woods1 #bbj1 #bbd    ,selections   
7,ruskin71 #bdb    ,selections from     
,irving1 #bcj    ,self-reliance1 #bde   
,sella1 ,thanatopsis1 and other poems1  
#bcd    ,sesame and ,lilies1 #bba1 #bbf 
,seven ,american ,classics1 #bbi        
,seven ,british ,classics1 #bdc         
,shakespeare's ,tragedies1 #bce         
,sharp ,eyes1 ,birds and ,bees1 and     
other papers1 #bbi    ,siege of ,leyden1
 #bch    ,silas ,marner1 #bcf    ,six   
,centuries of ,english ,poetry1 #bci    
,sketch ,book1 #bbh    ,snow-,bound1 and
 ,songs of ,labor1 #bbh    ,sohrab and  
,rustum1 #bcd    ,some ,merry           
,adventures of ,robin ,hood1 #bbc       
,songs of ,labor1 ,snow-,bound and1 #bbh
    ,sounds1 ,succession of ,forest     
,trees1 ,wild ,apples1 and1 #bdb        
,source ,book of ,american ,history1    

#bcj1 #bce    ,source ,book of ,english 
,history1 #bcb    ,spectator1 ,readings 
from the1 #bci    ,squirrels and ,other 
,fur-bearers1 #bag1 #bbc    ,star ,land1
 #bdd    ,stories from ,english         
,history1 #bcb    ,stories from         
,herodotus1 #bbe    ,stories from ,old  
,english ,poetry1 #bcj    ,stories from 
,old ,german1 #bbj    ,stories from     
,plato1 #bbj    ,stories from the       
,arabian ,nights1 #baf    ,stories from 
the ,classic ,literature of ,many       
,nations1 #bcg    ,stories from         
,waverley1 #bca    ,stories1 ,hans      
,andersen1 #bah    ,stories of ,american
 ,life and ,adventure1 #bai1 #bbc       
,stories of ,animal ,life1 #bcb         
,stories of ,bird ,life1 #bcb           
,stories of ,our ,country1 #bag         
,stories of the ,old ,world1 #bai       
,story of a ,bad ,boy1 #bca    ,story of
 ,caesar1 #bcj    ,story of ,oliver     
,twist1 #bca    ,story of ,our          
,continent1 #bbf    ,story of ,roland1  
#bbf    ,story of ,siegfried1 #bbe      

,story of the ,birds1 #bdd    ,story of 
the ,english1 #bbe    ,story of the     
,golden ,age1 #bbd    ,story of the     
,greeks1 #bbe    ,story of the ,iliad1  
#bbj    ,story of the ,odyssey          
7,church71 #bba1 #bbe    ,story of      
,troy1 #bbe    ,story of ,ulysses1 #bah 
,story-teller's ,art1 #bbb    ,study and
 ,teaching of ,english1 #bdj            
,succession of ,forest ,trees1 ,wild    
,apples1 and ,sounds1 #bdb    ,swiss    
,family ,robinson1 #bcj     ,tale of    
,two ,cities1 #bci1 #bdc    ,tales from 
,english ,history1 #bbc    ,tales from  
,scottish ,history1 #bbc    ,tales from 
,shakespeare1 #bcj    ,tales from the   
,faerie ,queen1 #bah    ,tales1 ,hans   
,andersen1 #bag    ,tales of a          
,grandfather1 #bcd    ,tales of a       
,traveler1 #bba1 #bca    ,tales of a    
,wayside ,inn1 #bdj    ,tales of        
,chivalry1 #bbe    ,tales of the ,white 
,hills1 and ,sketches1 #bbh    ,tales of
 ,troy1 #bai    ,talisman1 #bcb1 #bdc   
,talks to ,teachers1 #bba    ,tanglewood

 ,tales1 #bbb    ,ten ,boys on the ,road
 from ,long ,ago1 #bbd    ,ten ,great   
,events in ,history1 #bcj    ,tennyson1 
,introduction to1 ,ruskin1 and          
,browning1 #bdf    ,thanatopsis1 ,sella1
 and other poems1 #bcd    ,thoughts on  
,education1 #bde    ,three ,outdoor     
,papers1 #bbi    ,through the ,looking  
,glass1 #bai    ,tom ,brown's ,school   
,days1 #bcg    ,tommy-,anne and the     
,three ,hearts1 #bah    ,town ,geology1 
#bch    ,translation of ,homer's        
,odyssey 7,palmer71 #bdb    ,traveller1 
,deserted ,village and the1 #bda        
,treasure ,island1 #bdc    ,twelve      
,naval ,captains1 #bch    ,twice ,told  
,tales1 #bcb    ,two ,great ,retreats1  
#bcf1 #bdb    ,two ,years before the    
,mast1 #bcg     ,ulysses among the      
,phaeacians1 #bbc    ,ulysses1 ,story   
of1 #bah    ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 #bcg  
,undine1 #bca    ,up and down the       
,brooks1 #bdd     ,vicar of ,wakefield1 
#bcb1 #bcg    ,vision of ,sir ,launfal1 
#bdj     ,wake ,robin1 #bbg    ,war of  

,independence1 #bdj    ,washington and  
his ,country1 #bdj    ,washington1 and  
,landing of the ,pilgrims1 ,orations on1
 #bcf    ,washington ,irving1 #bcc      
,washington1 ,life of1 #bce1 #bdc       
,waste ,not1 ,want ,not1 #bah    ,water 
,babies1 #bbb    ,waverley1 ,stories    
from1 #bca    ,ways of ,wood ,folk1     
#bba1 #bbc    ,webster1 ,life of1 #bde  
,westward ,ho61 #bbf1 #bcc    ,wild     
,apples1 ,succession of ,forest ,trees1 
and ,sounds1 #bdb    ,wilderness ,ways1 
#bbf1 #bca    ,william ,tell1 #bcj1 #bce
    ,winning of the ,west1 #bbb         
,wonder ,book1 #baf     ,yesterdays with
 ,authors1 #bdb          99       99    
99       99       99     ,tarr and      
,mc,murry's ,geographies   ,,comments   
,north ,plainfield1 ,n4,j4    ,i think  
it the best ,geography that ,i have     
seen4                                   
--,h4 ,j4 ,,wightman1 ,superintendent4  
,boston1 ,mass4    ,i have been teaching
 the subject in the ,boston ,normal     
,school   for over twenty years1 and    

,book ,i is the book ,i have been       
looking   for for the last ten years4   
,it comes nearer to what ,i have been   
working for than anything in the        
geography line that ,i have yet   seen4 
,i congratulate you on the good work4   
--,,miss ,l4 ,t4 ,,moses1 ,normal       
,school4    ,detroit1 ,mich4    ,i am   
much pleased with it and have had       
enthusiastic praise   for it from all   
the teachers to whom ,i have shown it4  
,it seems to   me to be scientific1     
artistic1 and convenient to a marked    
degree4   ,the maps are a perfect joy to
 any teacher who has been using   the   
complicated affairs given in most books 
of the kind4                            
--,,agnes ,,mcrae4    ,de ,kalb1 ,ill4  
,i have just finished examining the     
first book of ,tarr and   ,mc,murry's   
,geographies4 ,i have read the book with
 care from cover to   cover4 ,to say    
that ,i am pleased with it is expressing
 it mildly4   ,it seems to me just what 
a geography should be4 ,it is correctly 

conceived and admirably executed4 ,the  
subject is approached from   the right  
direction and is developed in the right 
proportions4   ,and those maps--how     
could they be any better8 ,surely       
authors and   publishers have achieved a
 triumph in text-book making4 ,i shall  
watch with interest for the appearance  
of the other two volumes4               
--,professor ,,edward ,c4 ,,page1       
,northern ,illinois ,state ,normal      
,school4    ,asbury ,park1 ,n4,j4    ,i 
do not hesitate at all to say that ,i   
think the ,tarr and   ,mc,murry's       
,geography the best in the market4      
--,f4 ,s4 ,,shepard1 ,superintendent of 
,schools4    ,ithaca1 ,n4,y4    ,i am   
immensely pleased with ,tarr and        
,mc,murry's ,geography4                 
--,,charles ,,de ,,garmo1 ,professor of 
,pedagogy1 ,cornell ,university4        
,tarr and ,mc,murry's ,geographies  ,a  
,,new ,,series ,,of ,,geographies ,,in  
,,three ,,or ,,five ,,volumes  ,size of 
,books #ea_/b x #ga_/b inches4          

,half-,leather    ,by ,,ralph ,s4       
,,tarr1 ,b4,s41 ,f4,g4,s4,a4   ,,cornell
 ,,university    ,,and    ,,frank ,m4   
,mc,m,u,r,r,y1 ,ph4,d4   ,,teachers     
,,college1 ,,columbia ,,university      
,,two ,,book ,,series    ,introductory  
,geography                              
#fj cents   ,complete ,geography        
#a4jj   ,,the ,,three ,,book ,,series   
,,first ,,book 7#dth and #eth ,years7   
,home ,geography and the ,earth     as a
 ,whole                                 
#fj cents   ,,second ,,book 7#fth ,year7
 ,north ,america                        
#ge cents   ,,third ,,book 7#gth year7  
,europe and ,other ,continents          
#ge cents   ,,the ,,five ,,book ,,series
    ,,first ,,part 7#dth year7 ,home    
,geography                          #dj 
cents   ,,second ,,part 7#eth year7 ,the
 ,earth as a ,whole                     
#dj cents   ,,third ,,part 7#fth year7  
,north ,america                         
#ge cents   ,,fourth ,,part 7#gth year7 
,europe1 ,south ,america1 ,etc4         

#ej cents   ,,fifth ,,part 7#hth year7  
,asia and ,africa1 with ,review of      
,north ,america                         
#dj cents  ,to meet the requirements of 
some courses of study1 the section from 
the ,third ,book1 treating of ,south    
,america1 is bound up with the ,second  
,book1 thus bringing ,north ,america and
 ,south ,america together in one volume4
  ,the following ,supplementary ,volumes
 have also been prepared1 and may be had
 separately or bound together with the  
,third ,book of the ,three ,book        
,series1 or the ,fifth ,part of the     
,five ,book ,series3   ,,supplementary  
,,volumes    ,new ,york ,state          
#cj cents   ,the ,new ,england ,states  
#cj cents   ,utah                       
#dj cents   ,california                 
,now ready   ,kansas                    
#cj cents   ,ohio                       
#cj cents   ,virginia                   
#cj cents   ,pennsylvania               
,now ready   ,new ,jersey        ,in    
preparation4  ,when ordering1 be careful

 to specify the ,book or ,part and the  
,series desired1 and whether with or    
without the ,state ,supplement4         
,,published ,,by   ,,the ,,macmillan    
,,company   #ff ,,fifth ,,avenue1 ,,new 
,,york   ,,chicago      ,,boston        
,,san ,,francisco      ,,atlanta