,note3 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/forstory tellerst#jj;bail ,transcriber's note3 ,italicized text is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,,for ,,the ,,story ,,teller 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,books ,,by ,,carolyn ,,sherwin ,,bailey ,,daily ,,program ,,of ,,gift ,,and ,,occupation ,,work ,,for ,,the ,,children',s ,,hour ,,firelight ,,stories ,,stories ,,and ,,rhymes ,,for ,a ,,child ,,songs ,,of ,,happiness 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,for ,,the ,,story ,,teller ,story ,telling and ,stories to ,tell by ,,carolyn ,,sherwin ,,bailey ,illustration #aiac ,milton ,bradley ,company ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,new ,york ,boston ,philadelphia ,atlanta ,san ,francisco ,copyright1 #aiac1 ,by ,milton ,bradley ,company1 ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,,preface ,the new-old art of story telling is being rediscovered4 ,we are finding that the children's daily story hour in school1 in the neighborhood house1 and at home is a real force for mental and moral good in their lives4 ,we are learning that it is possible to educate children by means of stories4 ,story telling to be a developing factor in a child's life must be studied by the story teller4 ,there are good stories and there are poor stories for children4 ,the story that fits a child's needs to-day may not prove a wise choice for him to-morrow4 ,some stories teach1 some stories only give joy1 some stories inspire1 some stories just make a child laugh4 ,each of these story phases is important4 ,to discover these special types of stories1 to fit stories to the individual child or child group1 and to make over stories for perfect telling has been my aim in writing this book4 ,through telling stories to many thousands of children and lecturing to students ,i have found that story telling is a matter of psychology4 ,the pages that follow give my new theory of story telling to the teacher or parent4 ,,carolyn ,,sherwin ,,bailey4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,apperceptive ,,basis ,,of ,,story ,,telling #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,story ,,with ,a ,,sense ,,appeal #bc ,,iii4 ,,when ,,the ,,curtain ,,rises #da ,,iv4 ,,using ,,suspense ,,to ,,develop ,,concentration #eg ,v4 ,,story ,,climax #hc ,,vi4 ,,training ,a ,,child',s ,,memory ,,by ,,means ,,of ,a ,,story #aje ,,vii4 ,,the ,,instinct ,,story #abb ,,viii4 ,,the ,,dramatic ,,story #adb ,,ix4 ,,story ,,telling ,,an ,,aid ,,to ,,verbal ,,expression #aga ,x4 ,,stimulating ,,the ,,emotions ,,by ,,means ,,of ,a ,,story #aia ,,xi4 ,,imagination ,,and ,,the ,,fairy ,,story #bab ,,xii4 ,,making ,,over ,,stories #bca ,,xiii4 ,,planning ,,story ,,groups #bde ,,stories ,,for ,,telling ,,the ,,cap ,,that ,,mother ,,made1 adapted from ,swedish ,fairy ,tales #h ,,goody ,,two ,,shoes #af ,,the ,,three ,,cakes1 from ,monsieur ,berquin's ,l',ami des ,enfants #ce ,,the ,,prince',s ,,visit1 ,horace ,e4 ,scudder #eb ,,the ,,travels ,,of ,a ,,fox1 ,clifton ,johnson #fj ,,little ,,lorna ,,doone1 adapted from ,richard ,blackmore #fh ,,little ,,in-,a-,,minute #gf ,,old ,,man ,,rabbit',s ,,thanksgiving ,,dinner #ib ,,the ,,great ,,stone ,,face1 adapted from ,nathaniel ,hawthorne #ih ,,little ,,tuk1 ,hans ,christian ,andersen #aae ,,the ,,selfish ,,giant1 ,oscar ,wilde #acc ,,the ,,gingerbread ,,boy 7dramatized71 ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey #aec ,,the ,,town ,,mouse ,,and ,,the ,,country ,,mouse 7dramatized71 ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey #afc ,,the ,,woodpecker ,,who ,,was ,,selfish1 adapted from an ,indian ,folk ,tale #aha ,,the ,,little ,,rabbit ,,who ,,wanted ,,red ,,wings1 adapted from a ,southern ,folk ,tale #ahe ,,the ,,little ,,lame ,,prince1 adapted from ,miss ,mulock #bja ,,the ,,blue ,,robin1 ,mary ,wilkins ,freeman #bai ,,the ,,girl ,,who ,,trod ,,on ,,the ,,loaf1 ,hans ,christian ,andersen #bch ,,for ,,the ,,story ,,teller ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,apperceptive ,,basis ,,of ,,story ,,telling ,apperception is a formidable and sometimes confusing term for a very simple and easy-to-understand mental process4 ,i once told ,seumus ,mac,manus' deliciously humorous story of ,billy ,beg and his ,bull to a group of foreign boys and girls in one of ,new ,york's ,east ,side ,settlement ,houses4 ,the children listened with apparent appreciation1 but1 halfway along in the story1 it occurred to me to ask them if they had ever seen a bull4 ,no one answered me at first4 ,then ,pietro1 a little dusky-eyed son of ,italy1 raised a grimy hand4 8,i seen one last summer when we was on a fresh-air10 he said4 8,it's a bigger cow1 a bull is1 with the bicycle handle-bars on her head40 ,pietro's description of a bull was an example of apperception1 the method by means of which a new idea is interpreted1 classified1 8let into0 the human mind4 ,he knew the class1 cows4 ,he also knew the class1 bicycles4 ,he did not know the class1 bulls--at least vividly enough to be able to put the idea into terms of a verbal explanation and description4 ,so he did the most natural thing in the world1 the only possible mental process in fact by means of which children or adults classify the new4 ,he interpreted it in terms of the old1 explaining the unfamiliar idea1 bull1 by means of the familiar ideas1 cow and a bicycle4 ,this1 then1 is apperception4 ,it is the involuntary mental process by means of which the human mind makes its own the strange1 the new1 the unfamiliar idea by a method of fitting it into the class of familiar ideas already known4 ,apperception is a means of quick mental interpretation4 ,it is the welcoming of strangers to the mind-habitation1 strangers who come every day in the guise of unfamiliar names1 terms1 scenes1 and phrases1 and determining in which corner of the brain house they will fit most comfortably4 ,the most natural process is finally to give these new ideas an old mind corner to rest in1 or an old brain path in which to travel4 ,a child's mind at the age when he is able to concentrate upon listening to a story1 three or four years of age--kindergarten age--is not a very crowded house4 ,it is a mind-house tenanted by a few and very simple concepts which he has made his own through his previous home1 mother and play experiences4 ,he is familiar with his nursery1 his pets1 his family1 his toys1 his food1 his bed4 ,if he is a country child he knows certain flowers1 birds and farm animals1 not as classes--flower1 bird and animal--but as buttercup1 robin and sheep4 ,if he is a city child his mind has a very different tenantry1 and he thinks in terms of street1 subway1 park1 fire engine1 ambulance4 ,these to the city child are also individual ideas1 not classes4 ,he knows them as compelling1 noisy1 moving ideas which he has seen and experienced1 but they do not at all appeal to him as classes4 ,the story of 8,the ,three ,bears0 is an obviously interesting one to children upon entering school4 ,it has its basis of interest in its apperceptive quality1 and it illustrates better than almost any other story for children those qualities which bring about quick mental interpretation on the part of the listener4 ,the unusual1 strange1 hazardous characters in the story1 the three bears1 are introduced to the child in old1 comfortably familiar terms which catch his interest from the first sentence of the story4 ,it is extremely doubtful if the story of three bears set in a polar or forest environment would ever have been popular so long or made so many children happy as has the story of the historical three bears who lived in a house1 ate porridge from bowls1 sat in chairs and slept in beds4 ,nor are these the only apperceptive links between the life of the bears and that of the child4 ,there is a tiny bear in the story1 the size1 one may presuppose1 of the child who is listening to the story4 ,the to-be-classified idea1 bear1 is presented to children in this old folk tale in terms of already known ideas1 house1 porridge1 chair1 bed and tiny4 ,very few story tellers have appreciated the underlying psychologic appeal of the story of 8,the ,three ,bears10 but it illustrates a quality in stories that we must look for if we wish to make the story we select a permanency in the child's mental life4 ,the apperceptive basis of story telling consists in study on the part of the story teller to discover what is the store of ideas in the minds of the children who will listen to the story4 ,has the story too many new ideas for the child to be able to classify them in terms of his old ideas8 ,on the other hand1 has it one or two new thoughts so carefully presented through association with already familiar concepts that the child will be able to make them his own and give them a permanent place in his mind with the old ones8 ,a child's mind is an eery place for an adult to try and enter4 ,teachers1 kindergartners and story tellers are a little prone to think that a knowledge of one child's mental content gives them the power to know the mind of the child-at-large4 ,our psychologists have given us studies of child mind1 not child minds4 ,this mind hypothesis is1 perhaps1 sufficient for the general working out of systems of teaching1 but success in the delicate art of story telling means a most critical study and observation of the minds of the special group of children who will hear the story4 ,the story teller must ask herself these questions3 8,what do these children know80 8,have they any experience other than that of the home on which to bank80 8,do they come from homes of leisure or homes of industry80 8,have they had a country or a city experience80 8,have they passed from the stage of development when toys formed their play interest to the game stage in which chance and hazard interest them more deeply80 8,are they ,american children1 familiar with ,american institutions1 or are they little aliens in our land1 unfamiliar with and confused by our ways80 ,when she has satisfactorily answered these questions1 the story teller will select her story having for its theme1 atmosphere and motif an idea or group of ideas that will touch the child's mental life as she has discovered it and by means of which it will find a permanent place in his mind through its comfortable friendliness and familiarity4 ,the child who has come directly from his home and the sheltering arms of his mother or nurse should not1 at first1 be taken far afield through the lands of fairies and giants4 ,if he is told a fairy story1 it should have for its content the sweet1 homely qualities that characterize the home4 ,i am using as a good example of the apperceptive story1 8,the ,cap that ,mother ,made40 ,the child listeners are carried1 it is true1 to the palace of a ,king and are formally introduced to a ,princess1 but this is brought about through the familiar symbols of the home3 mother1 brothers1 the farmer1 and the queer little cap with its red and green stripes and blue tassel4 ,although ,anders1 the story hero1 spends a happy hour at the ,princess' ball1 he finally finds his way home again1 and the story has an apperceptive appeal which is unusual4 ,it is full of precious1 familiar concepts that establish an association in the child's mind between fairyland and home4 ,after hearing the story1 he will be very apt always to remember a palace as a very charming place to visit1 but not to stay in1 when one may go home to mother4 ,,the ,,cap ,,that ,,mother ,,made ,once upon a time there was a little boy named ,anders1 who had a new cap4 ,and a prettier cap you never have seen1 for mother herself had knit it2 and nobody could make anything quite so nice as mother did4 ,it was altogether red1 except a small part in the middle which was green1 for the red yarn had given out2 and the tassel was blue4 ,his brothers and sisters walked about squinting at him1 and their faces grew long with envy4 ,but ,anders cared nothing about that4 ,he put his hands in his pockets and went out for a walk1 for he wished everybody to see how fine he looked in his new cap4 ,the first person he met was a farmer walking along by the side of a wagon load of wood4 ,he made a bow so deep that his back came near breaking4 ,he was dumbfounded1 ,i can tell you1 when he saw it was nobody but ,anders4 8,dear me10 said he1 8if ,i did not think it was the gracious little count himself60 ,and then he invited ,anders to ride in his wagon4 ,but when one has a pretty1 red cap with a blue tassel1 one is too fine to ride in a wagon1 and ,anders walked proudly by4 ,at the turn of the road he met the tanner's son1 ,lars4 ,he was such a big boy that he wore high boots1 and carried a jack-knife4 ,he gaped and gazed at the cap1 and could not keep from fingering the blue tassel4 8,let's trade caps10 he said4 8,i will give you my jack-knife to boot40 ,now this knife was a very good one1 though half the blade was gone and the handle was a little cracked2 and ,anders knew that one is almost a man as soon as one has a jack-knife4 ,but still it did not come up to the new cap which mother had made4 8,oh1 no1 ,i'm not so stupid as all that2 no1 ,i'm not60 ,anders said4 ,and then he said good-by to ,lars with a nod2 but ,lars only made faces at him1 for he had not been to school much1 poor boy2 and1 besides1 he was very much put out because he could not cheat ,anders out of his cap which mother had made4 ,anders went along1 and he met a very old1 old woman who courtesied till her skirts looked like a balloon4 ,she called him a little gentleman1 and said that he was fine enough to go to the royal court ball4 8,yes1 why not80 thought ,anders4 8,seeing that ,i am so fine1 ,i may as well go and visit the ,king40 ,and so he did4 ,in the palace yard stood two soldiers with shining helmets1 and with muskets over their shoulders2 and when ,anders came to the gate1 both the muskets were leveled at him4 8,where may you be going80 asked one of the soldiers4 8,i am going to the court ball10 answered ,anders4 8,no1 you are not10 said the other soldier1 stepping forward4 8,nobody is allowed there without a uniform40 ,but just at this instant the princess came tripping across the yard4 ,she was dressed in white silk with bows of gold ribbon4 ,when she saw ,anders and the soldiers1 she walked over to them4 8,oh10 she said1 8he has such a very fine cap on his head1 and that will do just as well as a uniform40 ,and she took ,anders' hand and walked with him up the broad marble stairs where soldiers were posted at every third step1 and through the beautiful halls where courtiers in silk and velvet stood bowing wherever he went4 ,for no doubt they thought him a prince when they saw his fine cap4 ,at the farther end of the largest hall a table was set with golden cups and golden plates in long rows4 ,on huge silver dishes were piles of tarts and cakes1 and red wine sparkled in shining glasses4 ,the princess sat down at the head of this long table2 and she let ,anders sit in a golden chair by her side4 8,but you must not eat with your cap on your head10 she said1 putting out her hand to take it off4 8,oh1 yes1 ,i can eat just as well10 said ,anders1 holding on to his cap2 for if they should take it away from him nobody would any longer believe that he was a prince2 and1 besides1 he did not feel sure that he would get it back again4 8,well1 well1 give it to me10 said the princess1 8and ,i will give you a kiss40 ,the princess was certainly beautiful1 and ,anders would have dearly liked to be kissed by her1 but the cap which mother had made he would not give up on any condition4 ,he only shook his head4 8,well1 but see10 said the princess2 and she filled his pockets with cakes1 and put her own gold chain around his neck1 and bent down and kissed him4 ,but he only moved farther back in his chair and did not take his hands away from his head4 ,then the doors were thrown open1 and the ,king entered with a large number of gentlemen in glittering uniforms and plumed hats4 ,the ,king himself wore a purple mantle which trailed behind him1 and he had a large gold crown on his white curly hair4 ,he smiled when he saw ,anders in the gilt chair4 8,that is a very fine cap you have10 he said4 8,so it is10 replied ,anders4 8,mother knit it of her very best yarn1 and everybody wishes to get it away from me40 8,but surely you would like to change caps with me10 said the ,king1 raising his large1 heavy crown from his head4 ,anders did not answer4 ,he sat as before1 and held on to his red cap which everybody was so eager to get4 ,but when the ,king came nearer to him1 with his gold crown between his hands1 then ,anders grew frightened as never before4 ,if he did not take good care1 the ,king might cheat him out of his cap2 for a ,king can do whatever he likes4 ,with one jump ,anders was out of his chair4 ,he darted like an arrow through all the beautiful halls1 down all the marble stairs1 and across the yard4 ,he twisted himself like an eel between the outstretched arms of the courtiers1 and over the soldiers' muskets he jumped like a little rabbit4 ,he ran so fast that the princess's necklace fell off his neck1 and all the cakes jumped out of his pockets4 ,but his cap he still had4 ,he was holding on to it with both hands as he rushed into his mother's cottage4 ,his mother took him up in her lap1 and he told her all his adventures1 and how everybody wanted his cap4 ,and all his brothers and sisters stood around and listened with their mouths open4 ,but when his big brother heard that he had refused to give his cap for the ,king's golden crown1 he said that ,anders was stupid4 ,just think how much money one might get for the ,king's crown2 and ,anders could have had a still finer cap4 ,that ,anders had not thought of1 and his face grew red4 ,he put his arms around his mother's neck and asked3 8,mother1 was ,i stupid80 ,his mother hugged him close and kissed him4 8,no1 my little son10 said she4 8,if you were dressed in silver and gold from top to toe1 you could not look any nicer than in your little red cap40 ,then ,anders felt brave again4 ,he knew well enough that mother's cap was the best cap in all the world4 ,from ,swedish ,fairy ,tales4 ,this story is only an example of many others that may be selected and fitted to the mental status of the individual child or group of children who make up the story circle4 ,i had great difficulty one season in gaining and holding the attention of a group of particularly rough boys to whom ,i was telling stories in a neighborhood house4 ,to my surprise1 they listened most attentively to an adaptation of 8,the ,king of the ,golden ,river10 and clamored to have it repeated4 ,looking into the reason for their keen interest in the story1 which really took them quite far afield in its descriptions and plot1 ,i discovered that the incident of the holy water had gripped my audience4 ,the boys were ,romanists and they found a point in the story which touched their own lives1 in the visits of the brothers and ,gluck to the priest4 ,i never afterward found difficulty in holding the attention of this special group of boys4 ,i had been able to establish a bond of sympathy between the boys and the story characters4 ,touching a child's life through the medium of a story is like a friendly hand clasp4 ,an ,irish folk tale told to a group of little sons and daughters of ,erin1 one of the ,uncle ,remus tales told to a kindergarten circle of little negroes1 the story of one of our ,italian operas adapted to the understanding of ,sicilian and ,neapolitan children1 one and all mean enriching those child lives4 ,how could the ,gaelic tale fit the ,italian group1 though1 or the story of the opera make an appeal to the little negro boys and girls8 ,successful story telling means1 then1 a careful consideration of the apperceptive basis of the story1 first of all4 ,this1 reduced to very simple terms1 means studying the mental life of a child and selecting for his first stories those that have a well-defined association through their word pictures1 dialogue and plot with the child's own previous experience4 ,when the story teller makes the question of apperception the first consideration in selecting her stories1 she will find that her appeal to the children will be an active and successful one4 ,,goody ,,two ,,shoes ,,selected ,,for ,,its ,,apperceptive ,,appeal ,of course ,goody ,two ,shoes was not her real name4 ,in fact1 her father's name was ,meanwell1 and he had once been rich1 and prosperous1 and one of the most well-to-do farmers in the parish1 but he lost his money4 ,however it happened one could hardly tell1 but his farm was seized1 and he was turned out with his wife1 and ,tommy1 and little ,marjery1 with none of the necessaries of life to support them4 ,care and discontent shortened the days of ,farmer ,meanwell4 ,he was forced from his family and taken with a violent fever of which he died4 ,marjery's poor mother died soon1 too1 of a broken heart1 and ,marjery and her little brother were left alone in the wide world2 so they started off together1 hand in hand1 to seek their fortunes4 ,they were both very ragged1 and though ,tommy had two shoes1 ,marjery had but one4 ,they neither had anything to support them save what they picked from the hedges1 or got from the poor people2 and they slept every night in a barn4 ,their relations1 who were rich folk1 took no notice of them1 because they were ashamed to own such a poor little ragged girl as ,marjery and such a dirty little curly-pated boy as ,tommy4 ,but there was a very worthy clergyman named ,mr4 ,smith who lived in the parish where little ,marjery and ,tommy were born2 and having a relation come to see him who was a charitable man1 he sent for these children4 ,the gentleman ordered little ,marjery a new pair of shoes1 gave ,mr4 ,smith some money to buy them clothes1 and said he would take ,tommy and make of him a little sailor4 ,he had a new jacket and trousers made for ,tommy1 and he was soon ready to start for ,london4 ,it was hard indeed for ,tommy and ,marjery to part4 ,tommy cried1 and ,marjery cried1 and they kissed each other a hundred times4 ,at last ,tommy wiped off ,marjery's tears with the end of his jacket and bid her cry no more1 for he would come to her again when he returned from sea1 and he began his journey with the kind gentleman while ,marjery went crying to bed4 ,and the instant that ,marjery awoke the next morning1 the shoemaker came in with the new shoes for which she had been measured4 ,nothing could have helped little ,marjery bear the loss of ,tommy more than the pleasure she took in her two shoes4 ,you remember she had worn only one shoe before1 and a ragged one at that4 ,she ran out to ,mrs4 ,smith as soon as they were put on1 and stroking down her ragged apron cried out1 8,two shoes1 ,madam1 see1 two shoes60 ,and so she behaved to all the people she met1 and she obtained the name of ,goody ,two ,shoes4 ,with ,tommy gone there was not a great deal for ,goody ,two ,shoes to do1 so she made up her mind that she would learn to read4 ,now in the long ago days when this little girl lived1 one had to pay quite a sum of money to go to a dame's school and be taught how to cross stitch1 and to bow politely1 and to read4 ,only rich children could go1 but ,goody ,two ,shoes would meet the little boys and girls as they came from school1 and learn from them and then sit down and read until they returned4 ,after a while she had taught herself more than they had learned of the dame1 and she resolved to go the rounds of all the farms and teach the little children who were too poor to go to school4 ,and such a clever1 pleasant way of teaching children to read as ,goody ,two ,shoes invented6 ,with her knife she cut some wooden sets of letters with which the children were to spell and make sentences by laying them together4 ,these wooden letters she put in a basket and with the basket over her arm she became a little trotting tutoress who was known through all the countryside for her kindness and patience4 ,each morning she would start out at seven and run up to the door of a farmhouse4 ,tap1 tap1 tap6 8,who is there80 the mother of the house would ask4 8,only little ,goody ,two ,shoes10 ,marjery would answer1 8come to teach ,billy his ,a ,b ,c's40 8,oh1 little ,goody10 the mother would cry1 opening the door wide4 8,i am glad to see you4 ,billy wants you sadly1 for he has learned all his lesson40 ,little ,billy would come out and have a new spelling lesson set him with the basket of letters1 and then ,goody would go on to ,farmer ,simpson's4 8,bow1 wow1 wow60 said the dog at the door4 8,sirrah10 ,mistress ,simpson would say1 8why do you bark at ,little ,two ,shoes8 ,come in4 ,here's ,sally wants you sadly1 for she has learned all her lesson40 ,then out came the little one4 8,good morning1 ,goody10 she would say4 8,good morning1 ,sally10 ,goody ,two ,shoes would answer2 8have you learned your lesson80 8,yes1 that's what ,i have10 the little one would say1 as she took the letters and spelled pear1 and plum1 and top1 and ball1 and puss1 and cow1 and lamb1 and sheep1 and bull1 and cock1 and hen4 8,good10 said ,marjery1 and she hurried on to ,gaffer ,cook's cottage4 ,here a number of poor children were met to learn to read and they all crowded around ,marjery at once4 ,so she pulled out her letters and asked the little boy next to her what he had for dinner4 ,he answered1 bread4 8,well1 then10 said she1 8set the first letter40 ,so he pulled out a big ,b1 and soon the other letters1 and there stood the word as plain as possible4 8,and what had you1 ,polly ,comb1 for your dinner80 asked ,goody ,two ,shoes4 8,apple-pie10 answered ,polly as she spelled her word4 ,the next child had potatoes1 the next beef and turnips1 which were spelled with many other words until the lesson was done1 and ,goody set them a new task1 and went on4 ,the next place she came to was ,farmer ,thompson's1 where there were a great many little ones waiting for her4 8,oh1 little ,miss ,goody ,two ,shoes10 said one of them1 8where have you been80 8,i have been teaching10 said ,goody1 8longer than ,i intended1 and am afraid ,i am come too soon for you now40 8,no1 but indeed you are not10 replied the other1 8for ,i have got my lesson1 and so has ,sally ,dawson1 and so have we all10 and they capered about as if they were overjoyed to see her4 8,why1 then10 said she1 8you are all very good2 so let us begin our lessons40 ,she was indeed a wise and painstaking little tutoress for a long1 long time4 ,at last ,dame ,williams1 who kept the village school for little gentlemen and ladies1 became very old and infirm1 and wanted to give up teaching4 ,so the trustees sent for ,little ,two ,shoes to examine her and see if she were able to keep the school4 ,they found that little ,marjery was the best scholar and had the best heart of any one who wanted to be the teacher1 and they gave her a most favorable report4 ,so ,goody ,two ,shoes' troubles and travels were over4 ,she taught the dame school for the rest of her days1 and never lacked for shoes or anything else needful4 ,,oliver ,,goldsmith1 #agfe4 ,adapted4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,general ,,apperceptive ,,appeal ,,to ,a ,,child ,,upon ,,entering ,,school ,,the ,,house ,,that ,,jack ,,built ,mother ,goose ,,the ,,three ,,bears ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,three ,,little ,,pigs 8 8 ,,little ,,red ,,riding ,,hood 8 8 ,,the ,,goat ,,and ,,the ,,seven ,,little ,,kids 8 8 ,,the ,,little ,,red ,,hen 8 8 ,,the ,,town ,,mouse ,,and ,,the ,,country ,,mouse sop's ,fables ,,the ,,elves ,,and ,,the ,,shoemaker ,the ,brothers ,grimm ,,the ,,top ,,and ,,the ,,ball ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,how ,,the ,,home ,,was ,,built ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,gray ,,grandmother ,elizabeth ,harrison1 in ,story ,land ,,the ,,pig ,,brother ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,grandfather',s ,,penny ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,tiny ,,tim ,adapted from ,dickens1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,story ,,with ,a ,,sense ,,appeal ,the senses are the only avenues to the brain by means of which the outside world makes its way into a little child's inner consciousness4 ,a baby's brain is an almost unexplored1 untracked place1 empty save for a few instinct paths--certain motor tracts tenanted by inherited memories which lead him to cry1 to nurse1 and to perform some other reflex movements4 ,this condition of the mind does not last long1 however4 ,the baby opens his eyes and sees the sunlight dancing in a yellow patch of gold upon the wall above his bed4 ,instantly1 like a telegraphic message1 there is delivered at the baby's brain an idea1 unnamed at first but ineffaceable--color4 ,when he sees a red ball suspended by a string in front of his eager eyes1 a second message is delivered at his mind-house1 differentiating and localizing the first impression--color versus color4,the formal names1 red and yellow1 do not enter into the process at all and are indeed quite unnecessary4 ,the baby differentiates red and yellow months before he knows the color names4 ,the baby hears his mother's voice and he receives by means of another telegraphic message the percept1 sound4 ,he touches a piece of ice1 or his warm bottle1 and learns by means of this direct contact1 cold and warm4 ,his nostrils admit the pleasurable odors of his scented bath1 the dainty powder used for making his body comfortable or the bunch of roses that stands on his mother's table1 and he receives a new set of brain stimuli as he differentiates odors4 ,these are all such simple mental operations that we have rather taken them for granted1 forgetting that ,nature's method of forcing1 letting in impressions to the child's mind1 is the only way for us to give him knowledge4 ,the surest way of educating a child is through an appeal to his senses4 ,in a large degree this matter of sense training has been exemplified in hand work by the disciples of ,froebel and ,montessori1 but the sense story has been completely overlooked4 ,we have made little effort to appeal to a child's mind through the story that has sense images of sight1 touch1 sound or taste to strengthen the mind impression which it makes4 ,if we analyze the story that has interested us most in a current magazine1 we shall discover that1 somehow1 it made a direct appeal to our senses4 ,it may have had the setting of some old garden1 the description of which made us1 in imagination1 smell the clove pinks1 roses1 ,french lilacs and mignonette that grew in some garden of our childhood4 ,perhaps it was a sound story1 giving us such speaking word pictures of bird songs1 violin tones or even the human notes of voices that we almost heard the story instead of seeing it4 ,on the other hand1 the sense appeal of the story may have been that of color1 of food--any sense stimulus that routed from their brain corners our old sense impressions and set them to working again4 ,and it is almost impossible to gauge the effect upon cerebration of these stored-up sensory images4 ,that whiff of odor from a city flower cart brings suddenly to my mind an incident that ,i had not been cognizant of for years--the memory of a certain long-ago day when ,i purloined my ,grandmother's scissors and cut off two of my curls to make a wig for a hairless rag doll4 ,what is the connection between this day of badness of my childhood and a dingy city flower wagon8 ,ah1 ,i have it6 ,there was a pot of ,martha ,washington geraniums in the room where ,i sat when ,i cut my hair4 ,my small1 serge sleeve brushed the leaves as ,i held the curls triumphantly to the light and the pungent odor found a permanent place in my mind1 side by side with the other memory1 ineffaceable1 always ready to produce a recall4 ,dr4 ,van ,dyke once said that if he were able to paint a picture of ,memory1 he would picture her asleep in a bed of mint4 ,he illustrated the value of sensory stimuli in fiction4 ,one gauge of a perfectly constructed piece of fiction is its sense content4 ,does it include such writing as will make the reader see1 taste1 smell and hear8 ,so1 in stories for children we must apply the same test4 ,a child's story1 to interest1 should have a strong sense appeal4 ,many of the old1 handed-down jingles and folk tales are full of eating and drinking1 smelling delectable odors1 hearing the sounds of child life and seeing over again child scenes4 ,therein lies their world appeal and the reason for their ancient and obvious popularity4 8,the ,queen of ,hearts1 ,she made some tarts40 8,little ,tommy ,tucker1 sings for his supper2 ,what shall he eat8 ,white bread and butter40 8,ding1 dong bell1 ,pussy's in the well40 8,hark1 hark1 the dogs do bark1 ,the beggars are coming to town40 8,rockaby baby1 your cradle is green40 8,the rose is red1 ,the violet blue1 ,sugar is sweet ,and so are you40 ,one might go on indefinitely quoting lines of ,mother ,goose that tickle a child's fancy and are undying in their appeal for the sole reason that they are sensual in the broader understanding of the term4 ,they include simple1 direct references to the mental concepts that the child has gained through his senses4 ,practically all that the normal1 natural child has accomplished1 mentally1 up to the age of three or four years1 has been to note bright colors1 to handle everything he has come in contact with1--not1 as so many persons suppose1 for purposes of mischievous destruction1 but rather to touch each object and make its feeling an integral part of his ego1--to eat and drink and to use his nostrils as a dog does4 ,what more natural than that his beginnings in ,english should have for their basis a sense content that will help the child to name1 put into words his previously acquired but unnamed sense impressions8 ,miss ,emilie ,poulsson's finger plays for little children have for their basic appeal the stimulating of a child's ability to recall previously acquired sense impressions4 ,in addition1 the finger movements with which the child illustrates these rhymes give the added association of the sense of touch to strengthen and vivify the child's interest in and memory of the rhyme stories4 ,to illustrate3 8,here's a ball for baby1 ,big and soft and round4 ,here's the baby's hammer1 ,oh1 how he can pound4 ,here's the baby's music1 ,clapping1 clapping so4 ,here are baby's soldiers ,standing in a row--0 ,as the child grows beyond the age when ,mother ,goose and ,finger ,plays appeal to him1 he still finds his greatest interest in those stories which stimulate his acquired sensory images4 ,the mental operation of apperception described in the last chapter is so inclusive a process1 covering1 as it must of necessity1 memory and perception1 that it explains the appeal of the sense story to the mind of a child4 ,many of the stories quoted at the end of the chapter as being of universal interest to all children find their common points of interest in their sense pictures1 so quickly grasped and so warmly welcomed by the child mind whose sense doors are always flung wide open4 ,it is to be questioned whether or not the story of 8,the ,little ,red ,hen0 would have been awarded such immortality if its heroine had been a plain hen and not red4 ,having been dyed with the crimson pigment of the imagination1 however1 by some old-world story teller1 she has taken her cheerful1 cackling way through the streets of childhood1 an undying1 classic fowl of fiction because she is colored4 ,so it is with ,elizabeth ,harrison's wonderful allegory of 8,the ,little ,gray ,grandmother40 ,she might have been described in the story as a spirit1 a fairy1 a mythical character who influenced for good the lives of ,wilhelm1 ,beata and the others4 ,but instead of describing her invisibility--,miss ,harrison paints it1 colors her story heroine with the shades of intangible things4 ,she is a little gray grandmother and her clothes are sea fog and her veil is of smoke4 ,she is an animated part of the seashore home and is made of gray mist4 ,what could be more artistic than the sense appeal of this story8 ,why do children--all children--listen1 gaping and ecstatic1 to the account of the many and hazardous adventures of the ,gingerbread ,boy8 ,why do they beg to have the story told over again1 even after they have heard it so many times that they know it by heart4 ,its universal popularity is not due to its folklore quality4 ,neither is it due to its plot and treatment1 although these undoubtedly strengthen it4 ,its big appeal1 however1 is to the child's sense of taste4 ,the story arouses tasting images in the child's mind1 that are pleasurable and strong4 444 8,a chocolate jacket and cinnamon seeds for buttons6 ,his eyes were made of fine1 fat currants2 his mouth was made of rose-colored sugar and he had a gay little cap of orange-sugar candy0--,sara ,cone ,bryant says in describing her ,gingerbread ,man4 ,so1 from this delectable1 luscious paragraph about his make-up1 to the climax of the story when the ,gingerbread ,man is devoured by the fox1 the child hearers eat in imagination all the way4 8,why the ,chimes ,rang0 makes a different and more ethical sense appeal to the child's mind4 ,the story stimulates in the listeners a deep interest in the old chime of bells that has hung silent for so long a time in the tower4 ,one longs to hear them and waits anxiously for the miracle that will start their pealing4 ,at the story climax1 when an unselfish offering laid upon the altar works the wonder1 it is possible to listen1 in imagination1 to the bells' sweet music4 ,but why make this sense appeal to the child mind through the medium of a story1 the story teller asks8 ,there are two very real and definite uses to which the sense story may be put4 ,such sense stories as 8,the ,little ,red ,hen10 8,the ,gingerbread ,boy0 and many others of similar character may be told not only to give pleasure to the child of kindergarten age who finds delight in their sensual content1 but they have a very real value in resurrecting the dormant brain of a mentally deficient child4 ,more and more attention is being given every year to the education of the feeble-minded child1 both at home and in the public schools4 ,we are discovering that it is possible to rouse to action a child's sleeping brain by means of intensive sense training4 ,we are teaching him to smell1 taste1 see color1 discriminate forms and textiles1 to open the telegraphic circuit of his senses4 ,we are putting the world of realities into the arms of the feeble-minded child to touch1 feel1 taste1 smell1 see4 ,so we educate him1 but we must carry out the same system of sense training in his stories1 selecting for his hearing those stories that make verbal and recall his previously acquired sense impressions4 ,there is one other use to which we may put the sense story4 ,it is a means of strengthening any child's imagination4 ,the same mental operation by means of which a baby associates the idea cold with a block of ice1 helps the child to feel the cold of ,andersen's 8,little ,match ,girl40 ,in the first instance the association of cold and ice means self-preservation for the baby4 ,he wishes to avoid an unpleasant sensation1 so he does not touch the ice1 but his former experience of touching it has left an ineffaceable image in his mind4 ,in the second instance1 the image cold is recalled in the mind of the child by the story and the result is a very different mental process4 ,the child is able through the sensory stimulus of the story to feel with the little match girl1 to put himself in her place1 to understand her condition1 because it is brought to him in a familiar term--cold4 ,the story teller who makes the wisest use of the sense story sees to it that the color1 sound1 taste or odor described in the story is used as a means to an end4 ,one does not wish to stimulate sense images in a child's mind for the simple operation of 8making his thinking machine work0 in old paths4 ,what we must do is to utilize his sense impressions to strengthen new brain paths4 ,fortunately nearly all of the stories for children that have a sensory content utilize this mode of writing to strengthen the climax of the story4 ,it only remains for the story teller to select her color1 sound1 taste1 odor or touch story to meet the special needs of her children4 ,the following story is an excellent illustration of utilizing the sense of taste to point a moral3 ,,the ,,three ,,cakes ,once upon a time there was a little boy named ,henry1 who was away from his home at a boarding school4 ,he was a very special kind of boy1 forever at his book1 and he happened once to get to the very tip top of his class4 ,his mother was told of it1 and when it came morning1 she got up early and went to speak with the cook as follows3 8,cook1 you are to make a cake for ,henry1 who has been very good at school40 8,with all my heart10 said the cook1 and she made a cake4 ,it was as big as--let me see--as big as the moon4 ,it was stuffed with nuts1 and raisins1 and figs1 and candied fruit peel1 and over it all was an icing of sugar1 thick1 and smooth1 and very white4 ,and no sooner was the cake home from the baking than the cook put on her bonnet and carried it to the school4 ,when ,henry first saw it1 he jumped up and down4 ,he was not patient enough to wait for a knife1 but he fell upon the cake tooth and nail4 ,he ate and ate until school began1 and after school was over he ate again with his might and main4 ,at night he ate until bedtime1 and he put the cake under his bolster when he went to bed and he waked and waked a dozen times that he might take a bite4 ,but the next day when the dinner bell rang1 ,henry was not hungry1 and was vexed to see how heartily the other children ate4 ,his friends asked him if he would not play at cricket1 tan1 or kits4 ,ah6 ,henry could not2 so they played without him1 and ,henry could scarcely stand upon his legs4 ,he went and sat down in a corner1 and the head master sent for the apothecary to come with all his phials of physic4 ,after some days ,henry was well again1 but his mother said that she would never let him have another cake4 ,now there was another scholar in the same school1 whose name was ,francis4 ,he had written his mother a very pretty letter without one misspelled word or blot1 and so his mother1 like the mother of ,henry1 sent him a great cake4 ,francis decided that he would not be so unwise as to follow the example of ,henry1 so he took the cake1 which was so heavy that he could hardly lift it1 and he watched to see that no one was looking1 and he slipped up to his chamber and put the cake in his box under lock and key4 ,every day at play time he used to slip away from his companions1 go upstairs on tiptoe1 and cut off a tolerable slice of his cake which he would eat by himself4 ,for a whole week did he keep this up1 but alas--the cake was so exceedingly large6 ,at last the cake grew dry1 and quickly after it became moldy4 ,finally the maggots got into it1 and ,francis1 with great reluctance1 was obliged to throw it away4 ,there was a third little gentleman who went to the same school as ,henry and ,francis1 and his name was ,gratian4 ,one day his mother1 whom he loved very dearly1 sent him a cake because she also loved him4 ,no sooner had it arrived than ,gratian called his friends all about him1 and said3 8,come6 ,look at what my mother has sent me4 ,you must1 each one1 have a piece40 ,so the children all got around the cake as bees resort to a flower1 just blown1 and ,gratian divided the cake with a knife into as many pieces as he had invited boys1 with one piece over1 for himself4 ,his own piece he said he would eat the next day1 and he began playing games with the boys4 ,but a very short time had passed1 as they were playing1 when a poor man who was carrying a fiddle came into the school yard4 ,he had a very long1 gray beard1 and he was guided by a little dog who went before him1 for the old man was blind4 ,the children noticed how dexterous was the little dog in leading1 and how he shook a bell which hung underneath his collar1 as if to say3 8,do not throw down or run against my master60 ,when the two had come into the yard1 the old man sat down upon a stone1 and said3 8,my dear little gentlemen1 ,i will play you all the pretty tunes that ,i know1 if you will give me leave40 ,the children wished for nothing half so much as to hear the music1 so the old man put his violin in tune and then played over jigs and tunes that had been new in former times4 ,but ,gratian1 who was standing close to him1 noticed that while he played his jolliest airs1 a tear would often roll down his cheeks4 ,and ,gratian asked him why he wept4 8,because10 said the old man1 8,i am hungry4 ,i have not any one in the world to feed me1 or my faithful dog40 ,then ,gratian felt like crying1 too1 and he ran to fetch the cake which he had saved to eat himself4 ,he brought it out with joy1 and as he ran along he said3 8,here1 good man1 here is some cake for you40 ,then ,gratian put the cake into the old man's hands and he1 laying down his fiddle1 wiped his eyes and began to eat4 ,at every piece he put into his mouth he gave a bit to his faithful little dog1 who ate from his hand2 and ,gratian1 standing by1 had as much pleasure as if he had eaten the cake himself4 ,from the ,french of ,monsieur ,berquin's ,l',ami des ,enfants--#aghd ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,sense ,,appeal ,,to ,,the ,,child',s ,,mind ,,the ,,gingerbread ,,boy ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,johnny ,,cake ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,two ,,little ,,cooks ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,five ,minute ,stories ,,what ,,was ,,her ,,name8 ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,five ,minute ,stories ,,the ,,cooky ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,mouse ,,pie ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,mouse ,,and ,,the ,,sausage ,frances ,hodgson ,burnett1 in ,st4 ,nicholas ,,tiny ,,hare ,,and ,,the ,,echo ,anne ,schutze1 in ,little ,animal ,stories ,,why ,,the ,,sea ,,is ,,salt ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,the ,,proud ,,little ,,grain ,,of ,,wheat ,frances ,hodgson ,burnett1 in ,saint ,nicholas ,,the ,,story ,,the ,,milk ,,told ,gertrude ,hayes ,noyce1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,pied ,,piper ,,of ,,hamelin ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,old ,,pipes ,,and ,,the ,,dryad ,frank ,stockton1 in ,fanciful ,tales ,,the ,,big ,,red ,,apple ,kate ,whiting ,patch1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,christmas ,,cake ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,chapter ,,iii ,,when ,,the ,,curtain ,,rises ,a tired-out1 unenthusiastic school teacher in one of our large public schools was recently endeavoring to secure the attention of her class for a story4 ,this story hour was1 for her1 just one lap in the march of the day's routine1 a period to be finished as soon as possible1 and she began it in a stereotyped way4 8,i am going to tell you a story1 children10 she said1 8and ,i want every child in the room to sit up straight1 put his feet flat on the floor and fold his hands4 ,when everybody is ready1 ,i will begin40 ,in contrast one is reminded of another teacher1 who opened her story hour in a different way4 ,in point of fact1 she did not really open it at all in the formal understanding of the word4 ,nor did she have any specified period of the day for telling stories4 ,when her class was fatigued and needed a note of relaxation1 when they were restless and needed calming1 when they seemed to need inspiration1 she gave the signal for books and pencils to be put away and with no further introduction she took the children with her to ,story ,land for a space1 opening her story in so interesting a way that she compelled attention without asking for it4 ,the instance of the first story teller is an example of securing a child's voluntary attention4 ,the second story teller illustrated a method of securing a child's involuntary1 almost unconscious attention4 ,especially in the case of the little child who is beginning his school work1 and even up to the more mature years of childhood1 voluntary attention1 that mental operation in which the will is called upon to open the doors of the senses and let in knowledge1 is almost too much for us to ask of a child4 ,the wonderful machinery of the mind has provided another and much more economic means of knowledge acquisition4 ,certain mind stimuli will set the whole wireless system of perception1 association and memory going without any effort on the part of the story teller save that of discovering the stimuli4 ,in other words1 we must secure involuntary attention in children through studying their interests4 ,the story that opens with headlines of child interest as compelling as those of one of our yellow news sheets will hold a child's attention without his being in the least conscious of his attitude of mind toward it4 ,voluntary attention1 the mind attitude toward a story that is brought about by folded hands and straight backs1 is very likely to lapse1 to develop a will-o'-the-wisp character and finally lose itself4 ,concentrated attention can be secured in children only through the medium of appealing to child interest4 ,the successful story teller will bear in mind the fact1 in selecting stories to tell1 that the good story for children of any age1 and adults too1 for that matter1 should have one of the qualities that characterize a successful drama4 ,it must catch the attention of the audience the moment the curtain rises4 ,there must be no long explanation1 no descriptive scenes and painful dragging in of the plot4 ,children do not care a rap for the creating of atmosphere4 ,they do not care how long ago the story events happened1 or why they happened4 ,what they are eager for is a quick story appeal made the second that the story curtain rolls up4 ,each story told to children ought to be selected having in mind its beginning4 ,the story teller must ask herself another set of questions3 8,does the story interest begin with my first paragraph1 my first sentence1 my first word80 8,will the opening of my story find an apperceptive basis for attention in the minds of my children80 8,has my story a sense appeal in the first sentence80 ,any one of these qualities of story opening will help to win the sympathy of the child audience and will find a ready response in involuntary attention4 ,a class of little street boys waged continued warfare upon one of the ,new ,york ,settlement ,houses4 ,they broke the windows1 mobbed the ,settlement children and carefully evaded the police4 ,the ,settlement story teller decided1 one night1 to open the doors of the house to the gang of boys and see if it would not be possible to win them over to an interest in the work of the ,settlement and lead them to obey the laws of society through stories4 ,the boys entered the building like a besieging army4 ,they shouted1 stamped1 stampeded into the room that had been assigned them and throwing down chairs and overturning tables they proceeded to produce a scene of ,bedlam4 ,the story teller made no effort to control the boys4 ,she secured for herself a place of vantage in the center of the room4 ,when there was an instant's lull in the uproar that the boys were making1 as they took breath for more rowdyism1 she said in a low1 even tone of voice3 8,there was once a little ,indian boy who rode fifty miles on the cow-catcher of an engine40 ,then she waited and the boys waited1 too1 breathlessly eager for her next words4 ,when she saw that she had caught the interest of her audience1 she proceeded with the story in the same even1 low voice1 not so much telling the boys a story1 apparently1 but just telling a story1 every sentence of which painted a word picture and the whole being a graphic series of moving pictures unrolled on a story film before her audience4 ,she gave the story facts about the ,indian lad who had never seen a locomotive and stole a daring ride on one because he thought it was a fire-horse4 ,one by one the boys seated themselves quietly on the chairs or on the floor to listen4 ,several lay flat upon the floor1 crawling stealthily nearer to the story teller as their interest in the story deepened4 ,throughout the entire telling of the story the room was absolutely still1 and when the climax came the boys asked for another story4 ,from that evening they were the ,settlement's stanch allies4 ,it would have been impossible to secure the voluntary attention of these boys4 ,the fact that some one wanted to tell them a story would have probably inspired them to more lawlessness4 ,if the story teller had begun the story after this fashion3-- 8,fifty years ago there were few railways in the western part of our country4 ,the prairies were peopled by ,comanche tribes who were unfamiliar with the inventions of civilization1 and the first train that ran through an ,indian settlement inspired an ,indian lad to a strange deed0-- ,not a boy would have listened4 ,this form of story beginning is bad and phenomenally common in many stories for children4 ,it is an example of words1 not interest stimuli4 ,it explains a story situation instead of presenting it4 ,a story to secure the involuntary attention of children should have the quality of a crashing orchestral overture1 a thunder clap1 a pistol shot--so unexpected1 compelling1 and penetrating will it be4 8,there was once a little ,indian boy who rode fifty miles on the cow-catcher of an engine60 ,could there be a more stimulating story beginning for a group of boys than this8 ,there is an apperceptive appeal in the ,indian lad4 ,he was not a man1 not a chieftain1 but just a little lad like themselves4 ,there is an immediate sense appeal in the steam-engine image that the story beginning brings to their minds4 ,smoke1 smell1 bell ringing1 whistle blowing1 steam escaping1 and the rattle of iron wheels on iron tracks are all recalled to a boy's mind in one glorious bit of imagination whose only stimulus is the word engine4 ,then1 to clinch the apperceptive and sensory appeal of the sentence1 is the quick introduction of a new story interest--the ,indian boy did a deed that they1 in their wildest dreams1 had never considered--he rode an engine4 ,if a story1 otherwise good1 opens poorly--is too wordy1 too descriptive1 too pedantic--study the story carefully for its main interest and1 selecting just the right words to convey this overture of interest1 begin there4 ,it will be discovered that certain of the classic1 favorite tales of childhood fulfill this story test4 ,they open compellingly and carry the interest that was stimulated in the first paragraph clear through to the end4 8,there were once five and twenty tin soldiers who were all brothers1 for they had been made out of the same old tin spoon40 ,hans ,christian ,andersen used the child's instinctive love of counting his toys1 and a bit of humor that tickles a child's fancy1 when he wrote this opening paragraph of his wonderful old allegory1 8,the ,faithful ,tin ,soldier40 8,once upon a time there lived a cat and a parrot and they thought they would ask each other to dinner1 turn and turn about40 ,this folk tale of 8,the ,greedy ,cat0 opens with a strong sense appeal4 ,the children's interest aroused in the first sentence by means of the progressive dinner arrangement of the famous cat is sustained to the last word of the story4 8,he was a wee little duck with a very long tail1 so he was called ,drakestail4 ,now ,drakestail had some money of his very1 very own and the ,king asked if he might take it4 ,so ,drakestail loaned all his money to the ,king--0 ,in this old folk tale1 the gist of which is the merry adventures of a duck1 the story interest begins with the first sentence4 ,the children are introduced1 with no unnecessary preliminaries of description or explanation to the hero1 ,drakestail1 and then they are plunged into the story itself1 interesting and direct in its appeal4 8,some children were at play in their playground one day1 when a herald rode through the town1 blowing a trumpet and crying aloud3 #8,the ,king6 ,the ,king is coming6'0 ,in this story1 ,laura ,e4 ,richards' 8,coming of the ,king10 to be found in her collection of short stories1 8,the ,golden ,windows10 a strong sense appeal commands the child's involuntary attention at the beginning of the story4 ,the familiar figures1 children at play in their playground1 are introduced to the sound of a trumpet's call1 instantly attracting the attention of the child listeners4 ,once the story teller has learned story selection1 having in mind a beginning that will hold the attention of her audience from her first word1 her success will be secured4 ,it is also possible to carry this interest which has been secured for the child the instant that the curtain rolls up1 straight through to the end of the story1 because of its compelling beginning4 ,the opening paragraph of a child's story should be the theme1 tuned to the key and melody of child interest about which and on which the rest of the story plays4 ,the noteworthy dinner of the cat and the mouse forms the keynote for the rest of the classic adventures of the ,greedy ,cat4 ,the 8wee little duck0 and the avaricious old ,king whom we meet in the first paragraph are the main actors in the story drama of ,drakestail4 ,the playground of the children that we see in the first sentence of ,mrs4 ,richards' 8,the ,coming of the ,king10 is the scene of a story miracle almost unparalleled in short story writing for children4 ,cutting out unnecessary description1 avoiding any explanation as to why you are telling the story1 introducing your thunder clap1 your trumpet1 your story hero in the first sentence--this is the way to begin a story4 8,the ,prince's ,visit10 by ,horace ,scudder1 is an excellent example of sustained story interest brought about by means of a compelling story opening4 ,,the ,,prince',s ,,visit ,it was a holiday in the city1 for the ,prince was to arrive4 ,as soon as the cannon should sound1 the people might know that the ,prince had landed from the steamer1 and when they should hear the bells ring that was as much as being told that the ,prince1 dressed splendidly1 and wearing a feather in his cap1 was actually on his way up the main street of the city1 seated in a carriage drawn by four coal-black horses1 and with the soldiers and music going on before4 ,it was holiday in the workshops1 too1 and little ,job was listening for the cannon and the bells4 ,he was only a poor1 foolish little lad1 and he did nothing all day long but turn the crank that worked a great washing machine2 but when he heard the boom of the guns1 he shuffled out and made his way home4 ,ever since he had heard of the ,prince's coming1 ,job had dreamed of nothing else4 ,he bought a picture of the ,prince and pinned it up on the wall over his bed2 and when he came home at night1 tired and hungry1 he would sit down by his mother1 who mended holes in the laundry clothes1 and talk about the ,prince until he could keep his eyes open no longer2 and then his mother would kiss him and send him to bed4 ,to-day he hurried so fast that he was quite out of breath when he reached the old house where he lived4 8,the cannon went off1 mother60 he cried4 8,the ,prince is come60 8,everything is ready1 ,job10 said his mother4 8,you will find all your things in a row on the bed40 ,and ,job tumbled into his room to dress for the holiday4 ,everything was there as his mother had said2 all the old things renewed1 and all the new things pieced together that she had worked on so long1 and every stitch of which ,job had overlooked and almost directed4 8,isn't it splendid80 he said as he looked at himself in a mirror4 ,round his throat was a white satin scarf that shone in contrast to his dingy coat1 and it was pinned with an old brooch which ,job treasured as the apple of his eye4 8,if you'd only let me wear the feather1 mother10 he said4 8,you look splendidly1 ,job1 and don't need it10 said she cheerfully2 8and1 besides1 the ,prince wears one1 and what would he think if he saw you with one1 too80 8,sure enough10 said ,job1 and then he kissed her and started off4 8,i don't believe10 he said as he went up the court1 8that the ,prince would mind my wearing a feather2 but mother didn't want me to4 ,hark1 there are the bells6 ,he must have started60 ,it was a long way from ,job's house to the main street1 and he would have to hurry if he were going to see the grand procession4 ,on he shambled1 knocking against the flag-stones1 and nearly falling down at every step4 ,he was now in a cross street1 which would bring him before long to the main street1 and he even thought he heard the distant music and the cheers of the crowd4 ,but just then he stumbled upon something which tripped him4 ,he would have hurried on1 but he heard a cry1 and a groan of pain4 ,he looked back1 and he saw what he had stumbled over4 ,it was a poor beggar boy1 without home or friends1 dirty and unsightly enough1 and clad in ragged clothing1 and he was lying on the sidewalk1 too ill to move4 ,as ,job turned1 the boy looked up at him and stretched out his hands1 but he was too weak to speak4 8,he is sick60 said ,job4 8,hilloa60 but every one was intent upon the procession1 and no one heard him4 8,the ,prince is coming10 he said2 and he turned as if to run4 ,but the beggar would not away from his eyes4 8,he is sick10 said ,job again1 bending down1 8,i will take him home to mother40 8,hurrah6 ,hurrah6 ,there he is6 ,the ,prince6 ,the ,prince60 ,in the carriage drawn by four coal-black horses rode the ,prince2 and he was dressed in splendid clothes and he wore a feather in his cap4 ,job wiped the tears from his eyes as he heard the music and the cheering so far away1 but he lifted the little beggar boy in his arms--and started for home4 ,and as he passed along the street with his burden1 he heard a sound of beautiful music as if all the angels were singing together1 and he looked up into the blue sky above the chimneys and roofs of the city1 and he saw the angels with the ,prince in the midst of them moving by1 and they were all smiling on him1 poor1 simple ,job4 ,so ,job saw the ,prince pass1 too4 ,,horace ,e4 ,,scudder4 ,from 8,dream ,children40 ,used by special permission of ,houghton1 ,mifflin ,company4 ,,list ,,of ,,stories ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,story ,,interest ,,is ,,to ,,be ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,first ,,paragraph ,,the ,,faithful ,,tin ,,soldier ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,greedy ,,cat ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,how ,,drakestail ,,went ,,to ,,the ,,king ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,king ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,why ,,the ,,morning ,,glory ,,climbs ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,peter ,,rabbit ,beatrix ,potter ,,the ,,little ,,jackals ,,and ,,the ,,lion ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,little ,,half ,,chick ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,the ,,snow ,,man ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,baby ,,queen ,annie ,hamilton ,donnell1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,mr4 ,,frog ,,and ,,mr4 ,,elephant ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,three ,,billy ,,goats ,,gruff ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,bre',r ,,rabbit ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,tar ,,baby ,joel ,chandler ,harris1 in ,nights with ,uncle ,remus ,,chapter ,,iv ,,using ,,suspense ,,to ,,develop ,,concentration ,because we have discovered that a story is able to do much for a child2 make him feel comfortable and at home in a new environment because it brings to his mind so compellingly the well-known and loved surroundings of some former environment1 stimulate his senses to added activity1 and secure his involuntary attention1 we are going one step farther4 ,we will make a fresh discovery4 ,we will find a story quality that will develop sustained attention in children2 will give them the power to concentrate4 ,not only will our story open with such a clarion note of interest that it will compel involuntary attention but after this overture1 this crash of interest1 the perfect child's story will swing into a different sort of construction that will hold the attention secured by its previous yellow headlines of interest4 ,one story quality more than any other develops this sustained interest on the part of the children who are listening to it--the quality of suspense4 ,what is suspense8 ,it is so necessary a story quality that it seems to explain itself4 ,suspense means1 making the children wait for the rest of the story4 ,it means that the different scenes1 the events that go to make up the story1 are told in the order of their relative interest appeal to the child mind4 ,the child listens1 attends involuntarily as the story proceeds because he wants to know what is coming next4 ,each scene of the story is unfinished for him2 he must wait for a fulfillment of what he expects1 looks for1 longs for in the story4 ,one sentence1 one paragraph makes him curious to hear the following one4 ,the story structure is like a child's stringing of beads4 ,upon a white thread of interest the colored glass balls which go to make up the whole circlet of the story plot are strung1 as a child would pick them out1 each inadequate and incomplete without its component--one bead slipped down to make a place for the next one4 ,suspense is the story quality that stimulates curiosity and in this way develops concentrated thinking on the part of the child4 ,certain old folk stories have the quality of suspense developed to a high degree and through their accumulative1 building on character of construction compel every child's attention4 ,it is wise to look for this quality in selecting stories to tell to the very young child whose ability to attend for any length of time is undeveloped4 ,through the involuntary1 sustained interest he develops1 through listening to the story he becomes able to fix his attention upon other human affairs4 ,an old nursery tale of ,new ,england1 reported by ,clifton ,johnson1 illustrates with unusual vividness the use of suspense in sustaining a story interest that holds the attention of any child up to the last word of the story4 ,,the ,,travels ,,of ,a ,,fox ,a fox was digging behind a stump1 and he found a bumble-bee4 ,the fox put the bumble-bee in a bag and he traveled4 ,the first house he came to he went in1 and he said to the mistress of the house3 8,may ,i leave my bag here while ,i go to ,squintum's80 8,yes10 said the woman4 8,then be careful not to open the bag10 said the fox4 ,but as soon as the fox was out of sight1 the woman just took a little peep into the bag and out flew the bumble-bee1 and the rooster caught him and ate him up4 ,after a while the fox came back4 ,he took up his bag and he saw that the bumble-bee was gone1 and he said to the woman3 8,where is my bumble-bee80 ,and the woman said3 8,i just untied the bag1 and the bumble-bee flew out1 and the rooster ate him up40 8,very well10 said the fox1 8,i must have the rooster1 then40 ,so he caught the rooster and put him in his bag1 and traveled4 ,and the next house he came to he went in1 and said to the mistress of the house3 8,may ,i leave my bag here while ,i go to ,squintum's80 8,yes10 said the woman4 8,then be careful not to open the bag10 said the fox4 ,but as soon as the fox was out of sight1 the woman just took a little peep into the bag1 and the rooster flew out1 and the pig caught him and ate him up4 ,after a while the fox came back1 and he took up his bag and he saw that the rooster was not in it1 and he said to the woman3 8,where is my rooster80 ,and the woman said3 8,i just untied the bag1 and the rooster flew out1 and the pig ate him40 8,very well10 said the fox1 8,i must have the pig1 then40 ,so he caught the pig and put him in his bag1 and traveled4 ,and the next house he came to he went in1 and he said to the mistress of the house3 8,may ,i leave my bag here while ,i go to ,squintum's80 8,yes10 said the woman4 8,then be careful not to open the bag10 said the fox4 ,but as soon as the fox was out of sight1 the woman just took a little peep into the bag1 and the pig jumped out1 and the ox ate him4 ,after a while the fox came back4 ,he took up his bag and he saw that the pig was gone1 and he said to the woman3 8,where is my pig80 ,and the woman said3 8,i just untied the bag1 and the pig jumped out1 and the ox ate him40 8,very well10 said the fox1 8,i must have the ox1 then40 ,so he caught the ox and put him in his bag1 and traveled4 ,and the next house he came to he went in1 and he said to the mistress of the house3 8,may ,i leave my bag here while ,i go to ,squintum's80 8,yes10 said the woman4 8,then be careful not to open the bag10 said the fox4 ,but as soon as the fox was out of sight1 the woman just took a little peep into the bag1 and the ox got out1 and the woman's little boy chased him away off over the fields4 ,after a while the fox came back4 ,he took up his bag1 and he saw that the ox was gone1 and he said to the woman3 8,where is my ox80 ,and the woman said3 8,i just untied the string1 and the ox got out1 and my little boy chased him away off over the fields40 8,very well10 said the fox1 8,i must have the little boy1 then40 ,so he caught the little boy and he put him in his bag1 and he traveled4 ,and the next house he came to he went in1 and he said to the mistress of the house3 8,may ,i leave my bag here while ,i go to ,squintum's80 8,yes10 said the woman4 8,then be careful not to open the bag10 said the fox4 ,the woman was making cake1 and her children were around her asking for some4 8,oh1 mother1 give me a piece10 said one2 and1 8,oh1 mother1 give me a piece10 said the others4 ,and the smell of the cake came to the little boy who was weeping and crying in the bag1 and he heard the children asking for cake and he said3 8,oh1 mammy1 give me a piece40 ,then the woman opened the bag and took the little boy out1 and she put the house-dog in the bag in the little boy's place4 ,and the little boy stopped crying and had some cake with the others4 ,after a while the fox came back4 ,he took up his bag and he saw that it was tied fast1 and he put it over his back and traveled far into the deep woods4 ,then he sat down and untied the bag1 and if the little boy had been there in the bag things would have gone badly with him4 ,but the little boy was safe in the woman's house1 and when the fox untied the bag the house-dog jumped out and ate him all up4 ,an old nursery tale of ,new ,england4 ,reprinted by permission of ,clifton ,johnson4 ,the point of interest for children in this story lies in their wonder as to what is going to happen next4 ,it begins with a note of the unusual4 8,how strange for a fox to put a bumble bee in a bag10 the children say4 8,will the next sentence tell us why he did it80 ,then a number of questions present themselves to the child mind4 8,will the woman untie the bag80 8,will the person at this house do the same thing80 8,is it possible that every woman will open the bag80 ,another series of questions confronts the child4 8,what manner of beast will the fox take at this house and put in his bag80 ,and so the suspense is sustained until the children's curiosity is satisfied at the end of the story4 ,not alone has the story been a bit of mental gymnastics for the child1 it has given him added mental power in the listening4 ,above and behind the mental process of waiting to see what unusual and unexpected scene of the story drama will be presented to him next1 he has been exercising his will in concentrating upon the process of waiting4 ,his power of sustained attention has been strengthened materially and ineffaceably4 ,for the very young child1 the suspensive element in story telling must be very simple4 ,it will consist often in repetition1 the pleasureable recurrence in the story of certain sounds that the child likes and is willing to wait for--sort of half way houses on the story road they are1 where his mind wheels may stop and rest awhile--sign posts that lead the way to the end of the road4 ,sometimes this story suspense for the little folks is brought about through a jingle introduced into the story and repeated with certain changes as in the old folk tale of 8,the ,cat and the ,mouse40 ,again suspense is brought about by means of a change of intonation on the part of the story teller4 ,she adapts her voice to the needs of the story as in 8,the ,three ,bears0 to the inexpressible delight of the children4 ,this is a primitive sort of suspense quality to be found in the most elemental stories for children but it has its important place in the discipline of the child mind4 ,the little child's first attempts to attend have a butterfly quality4 ,his mind flies from one stimulus to another with no very long stop anywhere4 ,this is as it should be1 for the world of sensations in which the child is plunged as an ego is a varied1 crowded world and there is temptation offered him to sip each flower1 smell each new odor1 touch everything and see everything with which he comes in contact4 ,but a suspensive story holds him to one related set of images for a brief space and through this concentration1 however simple it may be1 he is developing the power of willed attention4 ,as children grow older1 the suspense quality for which we must look in their stories will not consist in repetition of sounds1 jingles and phrases1 but in their sequence of events leading toward some unknown climax4 ,this is a more difficult and subtle form of suspense to secure4 ,here1 the beads are strung upon their thread1 not in groups of white interspersed with occasional red ones1 but rather in the order of the rainbow in bands of color that complement and complete each other4 ,any description of this more highly developed suspensive story would be absolutely inadequate1 for the quality has to be felt by the story teller first and then felt for by her4 ,an adapted version of the story of the first meeting of ,john ,ridd and ,lorna ,doone taken from the novel1 8,lorna ,doone10 gives an illuminating exemplification of the kind of suspense that holds a child breathless1 waiting for the unknown something that is to follow4 ,the story teller should endeavor to discover and introduce some suspense1 either elemental1 as in the case of the folk tale1 or of the more elusive quality1 illustrated in this story1 into all her stories4 ,,little ,,lorna ,,doone ,almost everybody knows how pleasant and soft the fall of land is round about ,plover's ,barrows ,farm4 ,there are trees and bright green grass and orchards full of contentment1 and you can scarce espy the brook1 although you hear it everywhere4 ,but it is there1 where the valley bends and the stream goes along with it1 and pretty meadows slope their breast1 and the sun spreads on the water4 ,and nearly all the land until you come to ,nicholas ,snow's belonged to the ,ridd farm--to little ,john ,ridd's father4 ,john's mother had long been ailing and not well able to eat much4 ,now ,john chanced to remember that once at the time of the holidays he had brought his dear mother from ,tiverton a jar of pickled loaches2 and she had said that in all her life she had never tasted anything fit to be compared with them4 ,so1 one ,st4 ,valentine's ,day1 in the forenoon1 without saying a word to any one1 ,john started away to get some loaches for his mother just to make her eat a bit4 ,it was a bitter cold day1 but ,john doffed his shoes and hose and put them in a bag about his neck1 and left his little coat at home that he might walk better4 ,when he had traveled two miles or so he found a good stream flowing softly into the body of the brook4 ,the water was freezing1 and ,john's toes were aching1 and he drew up on the bank and rubbed them well with a sprout of young sting-nettle1 and having skipped about a little was inclined to eat a bit4 ,as he ate1 his spirits rose1 so he put the bag round his neck again and buckled his breeches far up from the knee1 and crossing the brook1 went stoutly up under the branches which hung so dark on the ,bagworthy ,river4 ,the day was falling fast behind the brown of the hilltops1 and the trees seemed giants ready to beat the boy4 ,and every moment as the sky was clearing up for a white frost1 the cold of the water underfoot on the fells got worse and worse1 until ,john was fit to cry with it4 ,and so1 in a sorry plight1 he came to an opening in the bushes where a great black pool lay in front1 whitened at the sides with foam froth4 ,the boy shuddered1 and drew back1 not at the pool itself1 but at the whirling manner and wisping of white threads upon it in circles1 round and round2 and the center1 black as jet4 ,he did not stop to look much for fear1 though1 but crawled along over the fork of rocks where the water had scooped the stone out1 and shunning the ledge from whence it rose like the mane of a white horse into the broad black pool1 softly he let his feet slip into the dip and rush of the torrent4 ,but ,john had reckoned without his host1 for the green waves came down like great bottles upon him1 and his legs were gone from under him in a minute4 ,he was borne up upon a rock1 and he won a footing1 but there was no choice left except to climb somehow up that hill of water or else be washed down into the pool and whirl around until it drowned him1 for there was no chance of going back by the way he had come down4 ,so ,john started carefully1 step by step1 stopping to hold on by the cliff when he found a resting place1 and pant a while4 ,but the greatest danger came when he saw no jeopardy1 but ran up a patch of black ooze weed which stuck out in a boastful manner not far from the summit4 ,here he fell1 and was like to have broken his knee cap1 but his elbow caught in a hole in the rock and so he managed to start again4 ,but the little boy was in a most dreadful fright now1 and at last the rush of water drove him back again into the middle4 ,then he made up his mind to die at last2 only it did seem such a pity after fighting so long1 to give in4 ,the light was coming upon him1 and again he fought toward it1 when suddenly he felt fresh air1 and fell into it headlong4 ,when ,john came to himself1 his hands were full of young grass and mold1 and a little girl was kneeling at his side and rubbing his forehead tenderly4 8,i am so glad10 she whispered softly1 as ,john opened his eyes and looked at her4 8,now you will try to be better1 won't you80 ,the little boy had never heard so sweet a sound as came from between her red lips while she knelt and gazed at him2 nor had he ever seen anything so beautiful as the large dark eyes1 full of pity and wonder4 ,his eyes wandered down the black shower of her hair2 and where it fell on the turf1 among it1 like an early star1 was the first primrose of the season4 8,what is your name80 she said1 8and how did you come here8 ,oh1 how your feet are bleeding6 ,i must tie them up for you4 ,and no shoes or stockings6 ,is your mother very poor1 boy80 8,no10 said ,john1 a little vexed4 8,we are rich enough to buy all this great meadow if we choose4 ,here are my shoes and stockings40 8,why1 they are quite as wet as your feet4 ,oh1 please let me manage them4 ,i will do it very softly40 8,oh1 ,i don't mind that10 said ,john1 8but how you are looking at me4 ,i never saw any one like you before4 ,my name is ,john ,ridd4 ,what is your name80 8,lorna ,doone10 she answered in a low voice as if afraid of it1 and hanging her head so he could see only her forehead and eyelashes2 8if you please1 my name is ,lorna ,doone1 and ,i thought you must have known it10 and her blushes turned to tears and her tears to long1 low sobs4 8,don't cry10 said ,john1 8whatever you do4 ,i will give you all my fish1 ,lorna1 and catch some more for my mother2 only don't be angry with me40 ,young and harmless as she was1 her name alone made guilt of her2 yet there was ,john1 a yeoman's son1 and there was she1 a little lady born4 ,though her hair had fallen down1 and some of her frock was touched with wet1 behold1 her dress was pretty enough for the queen of all the angels4 ,all from her waist to her neck was white1 plaited in close like a curtain1 and the dark soft tresses of her hair1 and the shadowy light of her eyes made it seem yet whiter4 8,john10 she said1 8why did you ever come here8 ,do you know what the robbers would do to us if they found you here with me80 8,beat us1 ,i dare say10 said ,john1 8or me at least4 ,they could never beat you40 8,no1 they would kill us both1 and bury us here by the water because you have found your way up here4 ,now please go2 oh1 please go60 8,i never saw any one like you1 ,lorna1 and ,i must come back again to-morrow1 and so must you4 ,i will bring you such lots of things--there are apples still--and ,i caught a thrush--and ,i will bring you the loveliest dog--0 8,hush60 ,a shout came down the valley1 and ,lorna's face was full of terror4 8,do you see that hole80 she cried4 ,it was a niche in the rock which skirted the meadow4 ,in the fading twilight ,john could just see it4 8,look6 ,look60 ,she could hardly speak from terror4 8,there is a way out from the top of it2 they would kill me if ,i told of it4 ,oh1 here they come2 ,i can see them60 ,the little maid turned white as the snow which hung on the rocks above her1 and she looked at the water and then at ,john4 ,she began to sob aloud1 but ,john drew her behind the bushes and close down to the water4 ,crouching in that hollow nest they saw a dozen fierce men come down on the other side of the water4 8,queen6 ,queen60 they were shouting here and there1 and now and then4 8,where is our little queen gone80 8,they always call me #8queen1' and ,i shall have to be their queen by and by10 ,lorna whispered4 8,oh1 they are crossing1 and they are sure to see us40 8,i must get down into the water10 said ,john1 8and you must go to sleep40 ,she saw in a moment how to do it1 and there was no time to lose4 8,now mind you1 never come again10 she whispered over her shoulder as she crept away1 8only ,i shall come sometimes40 ,john crept into the water and lay down with his head between two blocks of stone1 and all this time the robbers were shouting so that all the rocks round the valley rang4 ,the boy was desperate between fear and wretchedness till he caught sight of the little maid1 but he knew that for her sake he must be brave and hide himself4 ,lorna was lying beneath a rock not far away1 feigning to be fast asleep4 ,presently one of the robbers came upon her1 and he stopped and gazed awhile at her fairness and innocence4 ,then he caught her up in his arms and kissed her4 8,here our queen is6 ,here's the captain's daughter10 he shouted1 8fast asleep40 ,he set her dainty little form upon his great square shoulder1 and her narrow feet in one broad hand2 and so he marched away with the purple velvet of her skirt ruffling his long black beard1 and the silken length of her hair fetched out1 like a cloud of the wind behind her4 ,john crept into a bush for warmth1 and then1 as daylight sank beneath the forget-me-not of stars1 he knew that it was time to get away1 and he managed to crawl from the bank to the niche in the cliff that ,lorna had shown him4 ,how he climbed up1 and crossed the clearing1 and found his way home across the ,bagworthy forest was more than he could remember afterward1 because of his weariness4 ,all the supper was in1 and the men sitting at the white table with ,annie and ,lizzie near by--and all were eager to begin1 save only the mother4 ,john was of a mind to stay out in the dark by the woodstack1 being so late1 but the way his mother was looking out of the doorway got the better of him1 so he went inside and ate his supper1 and held his tongue as to where he had been all day and evening4 ,but if he had been of a mind he could have told them many things4 ,,richard ,d4 ,,blackmore4 ,adapted4 ,,little ,,in-,a-,,minute ,,illustrating ,,story ,,suspense ,,which ,,appeals ,,to ,,youngest ,,children ,the big1 yellow ,sun smiled down upon them and the ,singing ,brook hummed pretty little tunes for them to listen to4 ,they were two little boys at play with a whole1 long beautiful day ahead4 ,they looked almost exactly alike1 did these two little boys4 ,bobby wore a wide-brimmed sun hat with a blue band around it1 and ,dicky wore a wide-brimmed sun hat with a red band around it4 ,bobby wore a brown linen sailor suit with blue anchors on the collar and ,dicky wore a brown linen sailor suit with red anchors on the collar4 ,bobby had a beautiful toy ship to play with1 and ,dicky had a beautiful ship1 too4 ,as for the ships1 they looked just exactly alike4 ,each beautiful toy ship was painted white and green1 and each had a big white sail as wide and pretty as a dove's wing1 and each had a strong little rudder painted red4 ,bobby and ,dicky had made a make-believe wharf in the ,singing ,brook of sticks and stones and nice black mud4 ,there1 anchored at the wharf1 lay the two beautiful toy boats1 their white sails flapping and fat with wind4 ,when their strings were loosed from the wharf1 the ,whispering ,wind would carry the two little boats way1 way down the ,singing ,brook to another little make-believe wharf made of sticks and stones and nice black mud that ,bobby and ,dicky had made farther on4 ,so the ,sun smiled down more happily and the ,singing ,brook sang a merrier tune than the last one and ,bobby and ,dicky began to play4 8,i am going to load my boat with little green apples1 ,dicky10 said ,bobby4 8,perhaps the ,old ,chipmunk who lives at the foot of the ,pine ,tree will go aboard and unload them40 ,bobby began gathering small green apples as fast as he could and putting them on the deck of his little ship1 but ,dicky sat on the bank of the ,singing ,brook1 doing nothing and only watching4 8,when are you going to load your ship1 ,dicky80 ,bobby asked as he put in the last apples4 8,in a minute10 ,dicky answered1 but before the minute had gone1 ,bobby's ship1 its white sail flying1 had started down the ,singing ,brook to the other wharf4 ,dicky jumped up and loosed his boat from its moorings1 but it was very far behind ,bobby's all the way4 ,the two little boys hurried softly between the willow trees that stood along the edge of the ,singing ,brook4 ,as they came to the other make-believe wharf they saw the ,old ,chipmunk creep out of his house at the foot of the ,pine ,tree and go out on the wharf to wait for the little ship to come in4 ,when it came1 he unloaded all the cargo of apples and carried them over to his cellar4 ,but when ,dicky's ship came in1 so late and so empty1 the ,old ,chipmunk did nothing but smell of it4 ,then he sat on the end of the make-believe wharf in the sunshine and basked and did not even look at ,dicky's ship again4 8,i have thought of something very nice to do1 now10 said ,bobby as the two little boys carried their ships back again4 8,we will play that the flowers are children and we will give them a ride in our ships40 8,yes1 we will60 agreed ,dicky4 ,so ,bobby picked many little flower children2 clovers in pink bonnets and buttercups in wide yellow hats and daisies in gold bonnets with white strings1 and he put them all carefully aboard his ship4 ,but ,dicky only stood by in the grass and watched4 8,when are you going to fill your boat with flowers1 ,dicky80 ,bobby asked as he helped the last flower child aboard4 8,in a minute10 ,dicky answered1 but just then down the ,singing ,brook came the ,whispering ,wind4 ,it filled the little white sails and away sailed the two little ships1 the flower children aboard ,bobby's fluttering and dancing with the joy of having a boat ride4 ,the two little boys raced along the bank to watch and they saw a wonderful thing happen4 ,all the way down the ,singing ,brook1 pretty passengers joined the flower children on board ,bobby's ship4 ,a gold butterfly fluttered down to the deck with his yellow and black wings1 kissing the clovers beneath their pink bonnets4 ,a shiny black bumble bee tumbled down to the deck with his gold1 gossamer wings and began to drone summer stories to the buttercups4 ,a silver dragon fly darted down to the ship with his rainbow tinted wings to mend the white strings of the daisies' caps which had been torn by the frolicsome ,whispering ,wind4 ,when ,bobby's ship reached the other wharf it looked like an excursion boat1 but1 ah1 ,dicky's ship was quite empty4 ,there had been no flower children on board to call the butterflies1 the bumble bees and the dragon flies4 8,i know the nicest play of all1 now10 said ,bobby after he had helped the flower children from his ship and put their feet in the ,singing ,brook that they might wade there all the rest of the day and keep cool and fresh and sweet4 8,we will take our ships back1 ,dicky1 and have a race40 8,oh1 that will be nice60 ,dicky answered1 so the two little boys carried the two ships back and launched them1 side by side1 in the ,singing ,brook4 8,one--two--0 began ,bobby1 but before he said three he heard their mother's voice floating over the fields and as far as their playground4 8,bobby1 ,dicky1 come home10 their mother called4 8,come home1 boys1 dinner is ready40 8,i'm coming1 mother10 ,bobby called back1 putting his hand to his mouth to make a horn4 ,then he turned to ,dicky who still bent low over the bank of the ,singing ,brook and still held in his hand the string that was tied to the rudder of his ship4 8,in a minute10 ,dicky answered4 ,bobby ran off over the fields1 and soon he was out of sight4 ,he knew that there were fat white potatoes and yellow chicken meat and red cherry dumplings for dinner4 ,now they were hot1 but they would be cold if he did not hurry4 ,down by the ,singing ,brook ,dicky waited to launch his ship once more4 ,the ,whispering ,wind filled the sail a third time1 and away sailed the beautiful little toy ship1 so pretty with its green and white paint1 and its rudder that was painted red4 ,dicky ran along beside it1 to see how fast it sailed4 ,faster and faster sailed ,dicky's ship4 ,it did not stop when it came to the ,pine ,tree where the ,old ,chipmunk was busy in his cellar sorting out his apples4 ,it did not stop when it came to the ,wading ,pool where all the flower children stood1 keeping cool and fresh and sweet4 ,on and on sailed the little ship1 for the ,whispering ,wind was taking it a long1 long way off to the place where the ,singing ,brook loses itself in the ,river and the ,river goes on down to the ,sea4 8,come back4 ,oh1 do come back60 called ,dicky to the little ship1 but the ship only sailed the faster4 8,please come back60 cried ,dicky as his beautiful ship sailed out of sight4 ,in a minute1 the ,whispering ,wind called back4 ,but the little ship never came back4 ,so ,dicky went slowly across the field and home to dinner1 but when he reached home what do you think had happened8 ,the fat1 white potatoes1 the yellow chicken meat and the red cherry dumplings were cold4 ,,carolyn ,,sherwin ,,bailey4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,suspensive ,,quality ,,the ,,teeny ,,tiny ,,lady ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,hobyahs ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,chicken ,,little ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,boy ,,who ,,found ,,his ,,fortune ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,pink ,,rose ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,little ,,jack ,,rollaround ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,little ,,black ,,sambo ,helen ,bannerman ,,the ,,hare ,,and ,,the ,,hedgehog sop's ,fables ,,the ,,gradual ,,fairy ,alice ,brown1 in ,the ,one-,footed ,fairy ,,how ,,johnny ,,chuck ,,found ,,the ,,best ,,thing ,,in ,,the ,,world ,thornton ,burgess1 in ,old ,mother ,west ,wind ,,chapter ,v ,,story ,,climax ,we have found it helpful to liken the effect that a well-written1 well-told story has upon a child's mind to the appeal that a successful drama makes to an audience4 ,we have discovered that the opening paragraph1 the first sentence of a child's story should have the quality that characterizes the scene disclosed on the stage when the curtain rolls up--compelling interest4 ,following this curtain raising of the story1 there should be a series of pictorial scenes that carry the events that go to make up the story plot1 strung upon a slender thread of curiosity1 and giving the element of suspense to the story4 ,following out this story structure we come1 eventually1 to the end4 ,the curtain must fall at last before the eyes of the child audience and the closing of the story drama should be as mind stimulating as was its beginning4 ,this is brought about by studying carefully the story climax4 ,the climax of a story should be a complete surprise to the listener and to the characters in the story1 as well4 ,this quick note of the unexpected coming with compelling suddenness at the end of our story clinches the interest of the plot and makes the story indelible on the child's mind sheet4 ,certain well-known instances of climax as exemplified in child stories will clarify for us its surprise quality4 ,in one of the older plantation folk tales1 ,mr4 ,elephant and ,mr4 ,frog are pictured as being good friends until ,mr4 ,hare taunts them with their dissimilarity in size and says that ,mr4 ,frog has boasted of the fact that ,mr4 ,elephant is his 8riding horse40 ,then the story continues3 8,mr4 ,fox and ,mr4 ,tiger and ,mr4 ,lion all followed after ,mr4 ,hare1 crying3 #8,oho1 oho1 ,mr4 ,elephant is little ,mr4 ,frog's riding horse4' 8,then ,mr4 ,elephant turned around and he said in a very gruff voice to ,mr4 ,frog3 8#8,did you tell them1 grandson1 that ,i was your horse8' 8,and ,mr4 ,frog said in a high1 squeaky voice3-- 8#8,no1 no1 grandfather4' 8,but all the time ,mr4 ,frog was thinking of a trick to play on ,mr4 ,elephant4 8,the next day1 ,mr4 ,elephant and ,mr4 ,frog started off for a long walk4 ,mr4 ,frog had heard of a place where the swamps were deep and muddy4 ,mr4 ,elephant knew a place where the bananas grew ripe and thick4 ,and they spent a pleasant day4 ,on the way home ,mr4 ,frog hopped up close to ,mr4 ,elephant1 and he said in his high1 squeaky voice3-- 8#8,grandfather1 ,i have no strength to walk4 ,let me get up on your back4' 8#8,climb up1 my grandson1' said ,mr4 ,elephant4 8,he put his trunk down for a ladder1 and ,mr4 ,frog climbed up4 ,they had not gone very far when ,mr4 ,frog hopped up close to ,mr4 ,elephant's ear1 and he said3-- 8#8,i am going to fall1 grandfather4 ,give me some small cords from the roadside that ,i may bind your mouth1 and hold myself upon your back4' 8#8,i will1 grandson1' said ,mr4 ,elephant4 8,so ,mr4 ,elephant stripped some small cords from a birch tree by the roadside1 and handed them to ,mr4 ,frog4 ,then ,mr4 ,frog bound ,mr4 ,elephant's mouth1 and they went on a little farther4 ,it was not long1 though1 before ,mr4 ,frog spoke again to ,mr4 ,elephant4 8#8,grandfather1' he said1 #8find me a small green twig that ,i may fan the mosquitoes from your ears4' 8#8,i will1 grandson1' said ,mr4 ,elephant1 so he broke a small1 green twig from the birch tree1 and reached it up to ,mr4 ,frog2 and just then they came toward home4 8#8,see ,mr4 ,elephant1' cried ,mr4 ,hare4 8#8,see ,mr4 ,elephant1' cried ,mr4 ,tiger4 8#8,see ,mr4 ,elephant1' cried ,mr4 ,lion1 and all the others1 #8,mr4 ,elephant is ,mr4 ,frog's horse4' 8,mr4 ,elephant turned himself about1 and he saw ,mr4 ,frog on his back1 holding the reins and the whip4 8#8,why1 so ,i am1 grandson1' said ,mr4 ,elephant4 8,then ,mr4 ,frog jumped down to the ground1 and he laughed and he laughed until he nearly split his coat1 because he had played a trick on ,mr4 ,elephant40 ,this quotation serves very well to illustrate perfect story climax4 ,in the beginning of the story1 an apparently impossible situation was suggested4 ,to the child listener it seems incredible that an elephant could so far forget his dignity as to serve as the steed of a frog4 ,to the elephant himself1 as well1 this situation appears to be incompatible with his social status in the jungle4 ,as the story advances1 each scene prepares a way for the unexpected dnouement and the climax is found in the surprise to the hearers and to ,mr4 ,elephant as well when the curtain falls upon him unwittingly playing the part of 8riding horse0 to little ,mr4 ,frog4 ,hans ,christian ,andersen's inimitable allegory of 8,the ,ugly ,duckling0 owes a measure1 at least1 of its popularity to its perfect climax4 ,in the beautiful word pictures of the story we follow its hero1 the ,ugly ,duckling1 through his series of perilous and sorrowful adventures1 sympathizing with but not anticipating the outcome of them4 ,in no single one of the scenes of the story do we have a hint of the glorious ending of the hero's journeying4 ,finally comes a quick1 artistic curtain falling3 --8,then he flew toward the beautiful swans4 ,as soon as they saw him they rushed to meet him with outstretched wings4 8#8,kill me6' said the ,ugly ,duckling2 but as he bent his head1 what did he see reflected in the water8 ,it was his own image--not a dark1 gray bird1 ugly to see--but a graceful swan4 8,then the great swans swam around him and stroked his neck with their beaks for a welcome4 ,some little children came into the garden4 8#8,see1' they cried1 clapping their hands4 8#8,a new swan has come and he is more beautiful than the others6'0-- ,this story climax is perfect1 also1 because it carries the element of surprise to the story hearers and the story hero1 the ,ugly ,duckling1 as well4 ,it seems to be almost impossible to find many instances of well constructed climax in the short story for children4 ,the story teller must look for climax and in the event of not being able to find it in the story that she selects for telling1 it will be necessary for her to make over her story ending that it may be a complete surprise to her listeners1 in this way strengthening the plot greatly4 ,many stories just stop1 giving one a feeling of dissatisfaction4 ,there has been no climax to make of the whole a finished picture1 complete in its minutest detail of light and shade and forming an unerasable vignette1 on the child's mind4 ,climax knots the thread of the narrative4 ,certain child stories1 however1 stand out as illuminating instances of what climax means in deepening the mental appeal for the child1 etching the story picture1 so to speak4 ,nathaniel ,hawthorne's 8,great ,stone ,face10 forms one instance4 ,a careful reading of the story will disclose ,hawthorne's subtle use of suspense1 the art of 8making his audience wait0 for his dnouement4 ,he makes us see the fertile valley beneath the great mountain upon whose side there had been sculptured by ,nature1 the wonderful stone face4 ,we are carried1 breathlessly1 along upon the tide of the narrative through the boy ,ernest's longing to bear the image of these beautiful features1 the futile attempts of old ,gathergold1 old ,blood-and-,thunder and the others to prove their likeness to the ,great ,stone ,face until we reach our climax in ,ernest's own transformation into the great likeness unsuspected by himself or by us4 ,it seems to be the great short story writers1 only1 who have given us really illuminating instances of climax--surprise ending--in stories that will appeal to children in a stimulating way4 ,in ,hawthorne's 8,snow ,image0 the curtain falls upon a surprise situation4 ,oscar ,wilde leaves us unconsolable at his apparent ending of 8,the ,happy ,prince40 ,the little swallow is dead and the ,prince has given away his gold and jewels4 8,so they pulled down the statue of the ,happy ,prince who was no longer beautiful and so no longer useful and they melted the statue in the furnace4 8#8,what a strange thing6' said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry4 #8,this broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace4 ,we must throw it away6' 8,so they threw it on a dust-heap where the dead swallow was also lying40 ,but as we hold our breath1 the climax is flung gloriously out4 8#8,bring me the two most precious things in the ,city1' said ,god to one of ,his ,angels and the ,angel brought him the leaden heart and the dead bird4 8#8,you have rightly chosen1' said ,god1 #8for in my garden of ,paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore1 and in my city of gold the ,happy ,prince shall praise me4'0 ,in the story of ,cosette and her doll in 8,les ,misrables10 ,victor ,hugo has given us a complete story vignette with a perfectly developed climax of surprise as ,jean ,valjean gives to ,cosette1 the 8toad0 of ,madame ,thenardier's ,kitchen1 the doll about which she had dreamed4 ,laura ,richard's short stories for children abound in instances of illuminating climax--no hint of the story ending being given until the curtain falls4 ,her story of 8,the ,golden ,windows0 in which a little boy sets out upon a journey to find the windows of gold that he sees beyond the village from his own poor little home and discovers at the end of the day that his own home windows1 viewed from a distance are gold and those he has found are gray and dull1 is an example of ,mrs4 ,richards' skilled use of climax to force her story point into the child's mind4 ,the mental appeal of climax is a very real and vital one for the consideration of the story teller4 ,once we fix in our minds the two characteristics of artistic story ending1 surprise to the story characters and to the children1 and an ending that ties the knot of the narrative1 our story curtain will fall1 leaving the children a lap farther along in their mental development than they were when the curtain rose4 ,,old ,,man ,,rabbit',s ,,thanksgiving ,,dinner ,,illustrating ,,story ,,climax ,,which ,,appeals ,,to ,,youngest ,,children ,old ,man ,rabbit sat at the door of his little house eating a nice1 ripe1 juicy turnip4 ,it was a cold1 frosty day1 but ,old ,man ,rabbit was all wrapped up1 round and round and round1 with yards and yards and yards of his best red wool muffler so he didn't care if the wind whistled through his whiskers and blew his ears up straight4 ,old ,man ,rabbit had been exercising1 too1 and that was another reason why he was so nice and warm4 ,early in the morning he had started off1 lippity1 clippity down the little brown path that lay in front of his house and led to ,farmer ,dwyer's corn patch4 ,the path was all covered with shiny red leaves4 ,old ,man ,rabbit scuffled through them and he carried a great big bag over his back4 ,in the corn patch he found two or three fat1 red ears of corn that ,farmer ,dwyer had missed so he dropped them into his bag4 ,a little farther along he found some purple turnips and some yellow carrots and quite a few russet apples that ,farmer ,dwyer had arranged in little piles in the orchard4 ,old ,man ,rabbit went in the barn1 squeezing under the big front door by making himself very flat1 and he filled all the chinks in his bag with potatoes and he took a couple of eggs in his paws1 for he thought that he might want to stir up a little pudding for himself before the day was over4 ,then ,old ,man ,rabbit started off home again down the little brown path1 his mouth watering every time his bag bumped against his back and not meeting any one on the way because it was so very1 very early in the morning4 ,when he came to his little house he emptied his bag and arranged all his harvest in piles in his front room2 the corn in one pile1 and the carrots in one pile1 the turnips in another pile1 and the apples and potatoes in the last pile4 ,he beat up his eggs and stirred some flour with them and filled it full of currants to make a pudding4 ,and when he had put his pudding in a bag and set it boiling on the stove1 he went outside to sit awhile and eat a turnip1 thinking all the time what a mighty fine old rabbit he was and so clever1 too4 ,well1 while ,old ,man ,rabbit was sitting there in front of his little house1 wrapped up in his red muffler and munching the turnip1 he heard a little noise in the leaves4 ,it was ,billy ,chipmunk traveling home to the stone wall where he lived4 ,he was hurrying and blowing on his paws to keep them warm4 8,good morning1 ,billy ,chipmunk10 said ,old ,man ,rabbit4 8,why are you running so fast80 8,because ,i am cold1 and ,i am hungry10 answered ,billy ,chipmunk4 8,it's going to be a hard winter1 a very hard winter--no apples left4 ,i've been looking all the morning for an apple and ,i couldn't find one40 ,and with that1 ,billy ,chipmunk went chattering by1 his fur standing out straight in the wind4 ,no sooner had he passed than ,old ,man ,rabbit saw ,molly ,mouse creeping along through the little brown path1 her long gray tail rustling the red leaves as she went4 8,good morning1 ,molly ,mouse10 said ,old ,man ,rabbit4 8,good morning10 answered ,molly ,mouse in a wee little voice4 8,you look a little unhappy10 said ,old ,man ,rabbit1 taking another bite of his turnip4 8,i have been looking and looking for an ear of corn10 said ,molly ,mouse in a sad little chirping voice4 8,but the corn has all been harvested4 ,it's going to be a very hard winter1 a very hard winter40 ,and ,molly ,mouse trotted by out of sight4 ,pretty soon1 ,old ,man ,rabbit heard somebody else coming along by his house4 ,this time it was ,tommy ,chickadee hopping by and making a great to-do1 chattering and scolding as he came4 8,good morning1 ,tommy ,chickadee10 said ,old ,man ,rabbit4 ,but ,tommy ,chickadee was too much put out about something to remember his manners4 ,he just chirped and scolded1 because he was cold and he couldn't find a single crumb or a berry or anything at all to eat4 ,then he flew away1 his feathers puffed out with the cold until he looked like a little round ball1 and all the way he chattered and scolded more and more4 ,old ,man ,rabbit finished his turnip1 eating every single bit of it1 even to the leaves4 ,then he went in his house to poke the fire in his stove and to see how the pudding was cooking4 ,it was doing very well indeed1 bumping against the pot as it bubbled and boiled1 and smelling very fine indeed4 ,old ,man ,rabbit looked around his house at the corn and the carrots and the turnips and the apples and the potatoes and then he had an idea4 ,it was a very funny idea indeed1 different from any other idea ,old ,man ,rabbit had ever had before in all his life4 ,it made him scratch his head with his left hind foot1 and think and wonder1 but it pleased him1 too2 it was such a very funny idea4 ,first he took off his muffler and then he put on his gingham apron4 ,he took his best red table-cloth from the drawer and put it on his table and then he set the table with his gold banded china dinner set4 ,by the time he had done all this1 the pudding was boiled1 so he lifted it1 all sweet and steaming1 from the kettle and set it in the middle of the table4 ,around the pudding1 ,old ,man ,rabbit piled heaps and heaps of corn and carrots and turnips and apples and potatoes1 and then he took down his dinner bell that was all rusty because ,old ,man ,rabbit had very seldom rung it before1 and he stood in his front door and he rang it very hard1 calling in a loud voice4 8,dinner's ready6 ,come to dinner1 ,billy ,chipmunk1 and ,molly ,mouse1 and ,tommy ,chickadee60 ,they all came1 and they brought their friends with them4 ,tommy ,chickadee brought ,rusty ,robin who had a broken wing and had not been able to fly ,south for the winter4 ,billy ,chipmunk brought ,chatter-,chee1 a lame squirrel1 whom he had invited to share his hole for a few months1 and ,molly ,mouse brought a young gentleman ,field ,mouse1 who was very distinguished looking because of his long whiskers4 ,when they all tumbled into ,old ,man ,rabbit's house and saw the table with the pudding in the center they forgot their manners and began eating as fast as they could1 every one of them4 ,it kept ,old ,man ,rabbit very busy waiting on them4 ,he gave all the currants from the pudding to ,tommy ,chickadee and ,rusty ,robin4 ,he selected juicy turnips for ,molly ,mouse and her friend1 and the largest apples for ,billy ,chipmunk4 ,old ,man ,rabbit was so busy that he didn't have any time to eat a bite of dinner himself1 but he didn't mind that1 not one single bit4 ,it made him feel so warm and full inside just to see the others eating4 ,when the dinner was over and not one single crumb was left on the table1 ,tommy ,chickadee hopped up on the back of his chair and chirped4 8,three cheers for ,old ,man ,rabbit's ,thanksgiving dinner60 8,hurrah1 ,hurrah10 they all twittered and chirped and chattered4 ,and ,old ,man ,rabbit was so surprised that he didn't get over it for a week4 ,you see he had really given a ,thanksgiving dinner without knowing that it really and truly was ,thanksgiving ,day4 ,,carolyn ,,sherwin ,,bailey4 ,,the ,,great ,,stone ,,face ,you had only to lift your eyes1 and there it was plainly to be seen1 though miles away1 with the sunshine brightening all its features4 ,what was the ,great ,stone ,face8 ,it seemed as if an enormous giant had sculptured his own likeness on a mountain side4 ,there was the broad arch of the forehead1 a hundred feet in height2 the nose1 with its long bridge2 and the vast lips1 which1 if they could have spoken would have rolled in thunder from one end of the valley to the other4 ,true it was that if you came too near1 you lost the outline of the ,face and could see only a heap of ponderous rocks1 but when you retraced your steps1 the wondrous features could be seen again1 and the people who lived below it believed that their valley was so fertile because the ,great ,stone ,face looked down upon it lighting up the clouds1 and giving tenderness to the sunshine4 ,now there was a little boy named ,ernest who lived in the valley1 and his mother had told him a story that her mother had told to her2 a story so very old that even the ,indians did not know who had first told it1 unless it had been murmured by the mountain streams1 and whispered by the wind among the tree tops4 ,this was the story--that1 sometime1 a child should be born who would become the greatest and noblest person of his time1 and his face1 in manhood1 should be the exact likeness of the ,great ,stone ,face4 ,but though the people had watched and waited until they were weary1 no man greater and nobler than his neighbors had they yet beheld4 8,oh1 mother1 dear mother60 cried ,ernest4 8,i do hope ,i shall live to see him40 8,perhaps you may10 said his mother doubtfully4 ,and ,ernest never forgot the story4 ,it was always in his mind whenever he looked upon the ,great ,stone ,face4 ,he grew up in the log cottage1 and was dutiful to his mother1 and helped her with his little hands and more with his loving heart4 ,from a lad he became a quiet youth1 sunbrowned from work in the fields1 and well learned1 though he never had any teacher except that ,great ,stone ,face which smiled down upon him at night when his work was done4 ,about this time there went a rumor through the valley that the great man who was to bear a resemblance to the ,great ,stone ,face1 had appeared at last4 ,his name was ,gathergold1 and he was a very rich merchant and owned a whole fleet of ships4 ,all the countries of the world had added to his wealth4 ,the cold regions of the ,north had sent him furs2 hot ,africa had gathered the ivory tusks of her great elephants out of the forests2 the ,east had brought him spices and teas and diamonds and pearls4 ,mr4 ,gathergold had become so very rich that it would have taken him a hundred years to count his money so he decided to go back and end his days in the valley where he was born4 ,he ordered a wonderful palace of marble so dazzlingly white that it seemed as if it would melt in the sunshine4 ,when the mansion was done1 the upholsterers came with magnificent furniture1 and then a whole troop of black and white servants who said that ,mr4 ,gathergold would arrive at sunset4 8,here he comes10 cried the people who were waiting to see him4 8,here comes the great ,mr4 ,gathergold60 ,a carriage1 drawn by four horses1 dashed round the turn of the road4 ,within it sat a little old man with a skin as yellow as his own gold4 8,the very image of the ,great ,stone ,face60 shouted the people1 but ,ernest1 who had been watching1 too1 turned sadly and looked up the valley1 where1 in the gathering mist1 he could see the wonderful ,face1 and the lips seemed to say3 8,he will come6 ,fear not1 ,ernest2 the man will come40 ,the years went on1 and ,ernest was a young man1 still good1 and true1 and kind4 ,poor ,mr4 ,gathergold died and was buried1 and the oddest part of the matter was that his wealth all disappeared before he died1 leaving nothing of him but a skeleton covered with a wrinkled yellow skin2 and every one decided that he had never borne the slightest resemblance to the ,great ,stone ,face4 ,then a warworn veteran1 who had won great honors on the battlefield and was named ,old ,blood-and-,thunder decided to come back to the valley where he had been born4 ,his neighbors resolved to welcome him with a salute of cannon and a public dinner1 for they were all quite sure ,old ,blood-and-,thunder would bear the likeness of the ,great ,stone ,face4 ,on the day of his arrival ,ernest and all the others left their work and went out to meet ,old-,blood-and-,thunder4 8',tis the same face1 to a hair60 cried one man4 8,wonderfully like10 cried another4 ,then ,ernest saw him4 ,there he was1 over the shoulders of the crowd with glittering epaulets and an embroidered collar and there1 too1 through the vista of the forest appeared the ,great ,stone ,face4 8,this is not he10 thought ,ernest4 ,more years passed4 ,ernest was now an older man4 ,he still laboured for his bread1 but he had done so much for his neighbors that it seemed as if he had been talking with the angels and had gotten a portion of their wisdom unawares4 ,the people of the ,valley had found out--after a while--that ,old ,blood-and-,thunder's face had not the gentleness of the ,great ,stone ,face and now they said1 again1 that its likeness was to appear upon the broad shoulders of a great statesman4 ,old ,stony ,phiz1 he was called1 and while his friends were doing their best to make him ,president1 he set out on a visit to the valley where he had been born4 ,ernest and all the others went out to meet him4 ,a cavalcade came prancing along the road1 with a clattering of hoofs4 ,there was a band of music1 and while the people were throwing up their hats and shouting1 an open barouche came by1 drawn by four black horses4 ,inside with his massive head uncovered sat the great statesman1 ,old ,stony ,phiz1 himself4 8,confess it10 cried some one to ,ernest4 8,the ,great ,stone ,face has met its equal40 ,but ,ernest turned away disappointed4 ,the eyes and brow of the great man had none of the nobleness of the ,face on the mountain side4 ,and ,ernest grew to be an old man1 but a strange thing happened4 ,he was no longer an obscure husbandman4 ,men from the cities began coming to see him to learn from him the things that he had learned from the ,great ,stone ,face1 things not put down in books1 and he was suddenly become famous4 ,one day a great ,poet came to the ,valley and stopped at ,ernest's cottage to ask shelter for the night4 ,it was ,ernest's custom each evening to talk to the assemblage of neighbors in a small nook among the hills near his cottage4 ,to this spot he and the ,poet went at sunset4 ,all about was the pleasant foliage of many creeping plants1 while ,ernest's friends sat in the grove at his feet and in another direction could be seen the ,great ,stone ,face with heavy mists about it1 like the white leaves around the brow of ,ernest4 ,at that moment ,ernest's face1 as he began to speak1 grew wonderfully grand1 and the ,poet threw his arms aloft and shouted1 8,behold6 ,behold6 ,ernest is himself the likeness of the ,great ,stone ,face40 ,then all the people looked and saw that what the poet said was true4 ,the prophecy was fulfilled4 ,through the courtesy of ,messrs4 ,houghton1 ,mifflin ,company1 authorized publishers of ,nathaniel ,hawthorne's works4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,each ,,has ,a ,,well-,,developed ,,climax ,,mr4 ,,frog ,,and ,,mr4 ,,elephant ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,ugly ,,duckling ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,princess ,,and ,,the ,,pea ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,happy ,,prince ,oscar ,wilde ,,little ,,cosette ,victor ,hugo1 in ,les ,misrables ,,the ,,golden ,,windows ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,shut-,,up-,,posy ,annie ,trumbull ,slosson1 in ,story ,tell ,lib ,,the ,,boy ,,that ,,was ,,scared ,,of ,,dying ,annie ,trumbull ,slosson1 in ,story ,tell ,lib ,,nahum ,,prince ,edward ,everett ,hale ,,the ,,anxious ,,leaf ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 in ,norwood ,,the ,,stone ,,in ,,the ,,road ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,chapter ,,vi ,,training ,a ,,child',s ,,memory ,,by ,,means ,,of ,a ,,story ,in the first place1 what is the mental process by means of which we recall something stored in the cedar and lavender of our mind chests8 ,as you pass along a crowded city thoroughfare you are suddenly and unexpectedly confronted by an old friend4 ,she steps out of a crowd of strangers and faces you4 ,you recognize her at once as a bit of long-ago1 changed with the years a bit but still1 in a measure1 familiar4 ,you are unable though1 for an instant's space1 to recall your friend's name4 ,in that instant's pause1 however1 a mental miracle takes place illuminating for us the process by means of which the human mind brings about a recall of an idea4 ,you clasp your friend's hand4 ,you look deep into her eyes4 ,you note a similar perfume permeating her clothing that you knew in former years4 ,she speaks to you1 and you recognize the old1 familiar quality of tone in her voice4 ,then the miracle happens1 and your friend's name finds its way to your lips4 ,it is ,mrs4 ,b----4 ,you had not really forgotten ,mrs4 ,b's name4 ,it had been stored away in a cobweb-hung corner of your mind together with its mental associates2 the touch memories of her hand clasp1 the odor memory of her perfume1 the sound memory of her voice4 ,as you again experience these touch1 odor and sound stimuli1 ,mrs4 ,b's name rises in their wake like a phoenix long buried in the ashes of forgetfulness4 ,memory is a process of association of ideas4 ,not repetition of an idea1 but surrounding it with a host of witnesses gives it permanency in the mind4 ,to a greater extent than can possibly be estimated does this associative quality of memory hold in the case of children4 ,we wish to teach a kindergarten child that a certain type of flower is known as a rose4 ,we do not repeat to him over and over again1 or ask him to repeat to us1 in order to fix this fact in his mind--8,this is a rose4 ,this is a rose40 ,instead1 we ask him to smell of the flower1 note its color1 the shape of its petals1 its peculiar1 thorny stem1 its leaves4 ,we help the child to draw a picture of a rose4 ,we ask him to show us all the roses he can find as we take him to walk in the garden4 ,then1 when the child has the flower's color1 odor1 feeling1 form and garden environment as a crowd of mind witnesses to prove its individuality1 we say 8,this is a rose10 and the child is very apt to remember the flower4 ,a well-constructed child's story has the associative quality that characterizes the mental process of memorizing4 ,it has one central theme2 an act of heroism1 a nature fact1 a bit of natural history1 a note of the fantastic or the humorous and around this central theme are grouped the story associates2 the dialogue1 the description1 the sensory elements1 the surprise of the climax1 all of which fix indelibly in the mind this central theme around which the story is written4 ,every well told story means an added possibility of a recall in the child's mind and strengthens the general process of memory4 ,laura ,richards' story of 8,the ,pig ,brother0 illustrates the type of story for which the story teller should search in order to train a child's memory4 ,the theme of the story1 the idea that is to be made a fixture in the child's mind1 is that of the value of cleanliness1 and order in life4 ,the treatment of the theme is constructive1 a process of building up scenes and blocking out unessentials to strengthen and make permanent the theme in the child's mind4 8,there was once a child who was untidy10 the story begins4 ,with no wasting of time over details the child who hears the story is introduced to the theme4 ,there follows a bit of description explaining the kind of untidiness of the little story hero1 how he left his toys and boots scattered about his play-room1 spilled ink and covered his pinafore with jam4 ,then the child is confronted by the ,tidy ,angel who tells him to go out in the garden and play with his brother while she puts his nursery back into its former state of orderliness4 ,the child goes out to the garden but he is in a condition of wonder in regard to this brother whom he is to seek4 ,he meets a squirrel in the garden path1 and he asks it if it is his brother1 but the squirrel denies all relationship to the child because of his untidiness4 ,then the child meets a wren1 and asks it the same question1 which the bird also indignantly denies because of the child's untidy appearance4 ,the child then interrogates the ,tommy ,cat who scorns all thought of relationship to him1 telling him to go and look at himself in a mirror4 ,the climax of the story is found when the child meets a pig who promptly claims relationship with him and causes the child to go back to his play-room resolved to be tidy and orderly in the future4 ,the story has a memory value for children because it presents one idea with a number of related associates4 ,the story theme of the unpleasant results of being untidy is never lost sight of1 but is presented over and over again in a series of related scenes so differentiated1 however1 by their contrast as to make them permanent in the child's mind4 ,we may take these different scenes in the order in which the author presents them1 discovering that each forms a stone in the whole structure1 differing in their value but all taking form and color from one theme4 ,scene #a4 ,the child hero is banished from his play-room and his toys as a result of his own acts4 ,scene #b4 ,the child finds that he has no part in the outside world of little wild creatures1 also because of his untidy habits4 ,scene #c4 ,for the same self-inflicted reason1 he is disowned by his friends1 the birds4 ,scene #d4 ,his house friend1 the cat1 disowns him because his habits of personal cleanliness do not accord with her standards4 ,scene #e4 ,the child finds the natural consequence of his untidiness in his welcome by the despised pig which brings about his resolve to be clean and orderly1 hereafter4 ,each story scene1 as shown in this analysis is carefully planned1 having in mind a grouping of associated ideas that will strengthen and vivify the image made on the child's mind by the story theme4 ,as a result the child who has heard the story of 8,the ,pig ,brother0 has gained a store of associated ideas that will be recalled when some one asks him to pick up his toys or use care in eating4 ,he will remember that squirrels and birds are orderly in their nest making1 that his cat uses care in regard to her person1 that there is a big1 unseen force at work in the world that makes for order--whether one calls it an ,angel1 or not1 it really exists--and he remembers that a disregard of this law of order means disaster to the law breaker4 ,the child of the story escaped from the ,pig4 ,he may not be so fortunate if he breaks the law4 ,so our real child turns over and examines and sorts and weighs his mental associates of the concept untidiness1 and makes his own decision in the negative in a way that would not have been possible without the carefully associated scenes of the story4 ,this may seem an over fine analysis of one story but it will help us in judging other child stories having a regard to their memory value for the child4 ,almost1 if not more important a consideration than the writing of a drama1 is the matter of the stage 8business0 in its successful production4 ,the manager must decide which movements of his actors1 which exits and entrances1 which stage arrangement1 lighting and what scheme of costuming will strengthen the salient idea underlying the plot of the drama and make it a memory in the minds of the audience4 ,stage 8business0 is a matter of psychology4 ,it means that the stage manager1 the playwright or whoever knows the audience best is going to plan a mechanical background1 a hedge1 a wall1 of associates that will make the audience remember the play4 ,a good story should have 8business10 the necessary costuming and lighting4 ,how shall the story teller apply this memory test in her selection of stories8 ,how shall she be able to say with authority3 8,my children will not forget this story60 ,in the first place we should assure ourselves to our complete satisfaction in selecting a story that it has a theme1 a motif upon which we can build the chords of a complete melody4 ,it is doubtful if the story of 8,the ,greedy ,cat0 has a sufficient theme to make it of value as a memory story1 although it has a very real place in the child's life as a relaxing bit of nonsense4 8,the ,little ,pine ,tree ,that ,wished ,new ,leaves0 has a well defined theme--that of contentment4 ,the second question that we will ask ourselves will be1 is this story theme a worth while one for us to give the children as a permanent part of their mental lives8 ,we would hardly wish a child to remember always about the greed of the gormandizing cat4 ,we would be glad to have him hang up in his mind house a picture of content as illustrated by the little green tree that discovered his own leaves to be better than any others4 ,last1 we will ask1 is the story theme so compellingly associated with other ideas that it will become a memory for the child8 ,in the case of the story of the ,little ,pine ,tree1 this treatment is carefully adhered to4 ,never is the leaf idea lost4 ,instead1 the idea is presented in the form of gold leaves1 leaves of glass1 in fact all the strange and different leaves for which the discontented tree wished4 ,but the gold leaves are stolen by a miser2 the glass leaves are broken in a storm1 and its juicy large leaves are all eaten by a goat4 ,the climax is reached when the little tree is glad to have back its slender green needles2 and the story is fixed in a child's mind because of its associative treatment4 ,this memory training by means of story telling is a legitimate 8short cut0 in teaching4 ,the nature fact1 that difficult bit of geography1 that fine point of ethics may all be given a permanent place in the child's mind if we can find just the right story to help in fixing them4 ,the list of stories that follows at the end of this chapter was selected having in mind in the case of each story1 its associative treatment of one theme worth while as a memory for the child4 ,hans ,andersen's story of ,little ,tuk is a brilliant example of using associated ideas to set the memory gem of the plot4 ,,little ,,tuk ,now there was little ,tuk4 ,as a matter of fact his name was not ,tuk at all1 but before he could speak properly he called himself ,tuk4 ,he meant it for ,carl1 so it is just as well we should know that4 ,he had to look after his sister ,gustave who was much smaller than he was1 and then he had his lessons to do1 but these two things were rather difficult to manage at the same time4 ,the poor little boy sat with his little sister in his lap1 at the same time looking at his open geography book which he held in front of him4 ,before school time the next morning he had to know the names of all the towns by heart and everything there was to know about them4 ,at last his mother came home1 for she had been out1 and she took little ,gustave4 ,tuk ran to the window and read as hard as he could1 for it was growing dark fast1 and his mother could not afford to buy candles4 8,there's the old washerwoman from the lane10 his mother said as she looked out of the window4 8,she can hardly carry herself1 and yet she has to carry the pail from the pump4 ,run down1 little ,tuk1 and be a dear boy4 ,help the old woman60 ,tuk jumped up at once and ran to help her1 but when he got home again it was quite dark and it was useless to talk about candles4 ,he had to go to bed4 ,he had an old turn-up bed1 and he lay in it1 thinking about his geography lesson1 the ,island of ,zealand1 and all his teacher had told him about it4 ,he ought to have been learning the lesson1 but of course1 he could not do that now4 ,he put the geography book under his pillow and he lay there thinking1 and thinking--and then all at once it seemed just as if some one had kissed him on his eyes and nose and mouth1 and he fell asleep4 ,yet he was not quite asleep either4 ,it seemed to him as if the old washerwoman were looking at him with her kind eyes and saying1 8,it would be a great shame if you were not to know your lesson4 ,you helped me1 and now ,i will help you40 ,and all at once the book under his head went 8cribble1 crabble40 8,cluck1 cluck1 cluck60 ,there stood a hen from the town of ,kige4 8,i am a ,kige hen10 it said1 and then it went on to tell him how many inhabitants there were1 and about the battle which had taken place there4 8,cribble1 crabble1 bang60 something plumped down2 it was a wooden bird1 the popinjay from ,prst4 ,it told him that there were just as many inhabitants in ,prst as it had nails in its body1 and it was very proud of this4 ,now little ,tuk no longer lay in bed4 ,gallop-a-gallop he went4 ,he was sitting in front of a splendidly dressed knight with a shining helmet and a waving plume4 ,they rode through the woods to the old town of ,vordingborg1 a very large and prosperous town4 ,the castle towered above the royal city1 and lights shone through the windows4 ,there were songs and dancing within and the king was leading out the stately young court ladies to the dance4 ,morning came1 and as the sun rose1 the town sank away and the king's palace1 one tower after the other4 ,at last only a single tower remained on the hill where the castle had stood1 and the town had become tiny and very poor4 ,the schoolboys came along with their books under their arms1 and they said1 8two thousand inhabitants10 but that was not true4 ,there were not so many4 ,little ,tuk was still lying in his bed4 ,first he thought he was dreaming1 and then he thought he was not dreaming1 but there was somebody close to him4 ,it was a sailor1 a tiny little fellow1 who might have been a cadet1 and he said1 8,little ,tuk6 ,little ,tuk6 ,i greet you warmly from ,korser which is a rising town4 ,it is a flourishing town with steamers and coaches4 ,it lies close to the sea and it has good high roads and pleasure gardens4 ,it wanted to send a ship round the world but it did not do it1 although it might have4 ,and there is the most delicious scent about the town because there are beautiful rose gardens close by the gates40 ,little ,tuk saw them1 the green and red flowering branches1 and then they vanished before his eyes and changed into wooded heights sloping down to the clear waters of the fjord4 ,a stately old church towered over the fjord with its twin spires4 ,springs of water rushed down in bubbling streams1 close by them sat an old king with a golden crown round his flowing locks4 ,it was ,king ,kroar of the ,springs1 and little ,tuk was in ,roeskilde4 ,down over the slopes and past the springs walked hand in hand all ,denmark's kings and queens wearing their crowns4 ,on and on they went into the old church in time to the pealing of the bells and the rippling of the springs4 ,all at once everything vanished--where were they8 ,now an old peasant woman stood before little ,tuk4 ,she was a weeding woman and came from ,sor where the grass grows in the market place4 ,she had put her gray linen apron over her head and shoulders4 ,it was soaking wet2 there must have been rain4 8,yes1 indeed1 it has been raining10 she said4 ,then she suddenly shrank up and wagged her head4 ,it looked as if she were about to take a leap4 8,koax10 she said1 8it is wet2 it is wet2 it is dull as ditch water--in good old ,sor40 ,she had become a frog4 8,koax0 and then once more she was the old woman4 8,one must dress according to the weather10 said she4 8,it is wet1 it is wet4 ,my town is like a bottle2 you get in by the neck and you have to come out the same way again40 ,the old woman's voice sounded just like the croaking of frogs1 or the creaking of fishing boots when you walk in the swamp4 ,it was always the same sound1 so tiresome1 so tiresome that little ,tuk fell into a deep sleep1 which was the best thing for him4 ,but even in this sound sleep he had a dream1 or something of the sort4 ,his little sister1 ,gustave1 with the blue eyes and golden1 curly hair1 had all at once become a lovely grown up girl and1 without having wings1 she could fly4 ,so ,gustave and ,tuk flew together right across ,zealand1 over the green woods and deep blue waters4 8,do you hear the cock crowing1 little ,tuk8 ,the hens come flying up from ,kige town4 ,you shall have such a big1 big chicken yard4 ,you will be a rich and happy man6 ,your house shall hold up its head like the king's towers1 and be richly built up with marble statues like those in ,prst4 8,your name will spread round the world with praise like the ship which was to have sailed from ,korser2 and it will be known as far as ,roeskilde town40 ,little ,tuk seemed to hear all this in his dreams1 but he suddenly woke up4 ,it was bright daylight1 and he sprang out of bed and read his book4 ,he found that he knew all the towns in his geography book almost at once4 ,the old washerwoman put her head in at the door1 nodded to him and said-- 8,many thanks for your help of yesterday1 you dear child4 ,may you have the wish of your heart60 ,but little ,tuk hurried off to school with his book under his arm4 ,he knew that he had already the wish of his heart--he had learned his geography lesson4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,stimulus ,,to ,a ,,child',s ,,memory ,,the ,,little ,,pine ,,tree ,,that ,,wished ,,for ,,new ,,leaves ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,morning ,,glory ,,seed ,emilie ,poulsson1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,seed ,,babies' ,,blanket ,mary ,gaylord1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,about ,,angels ,laura ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,cry ,,fairy ,alice ,brown1 in ,the ,one-,footed ,fairy ,,the ,,disappointed ,,bush ,thornton ,burgess1 in ,mother ,west ,wind's ,children ,,how ,,the ,,camel ,,got ,,his ,,hump ,rudyard ,kipling1 in ,just ,so ,stories ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,instinct ,,story ,a newly hatched chicken begins its daily work of living and providing for itself by scratching the earth in a phenomenally short space of time after it has chipped its shell4 ,a baby notices a kitten and stretches out its hands to grasp in them a colored flower at almost the same period of its development as when it smiles at its mother4 ,the chicken and the baby are alike in being creatures of instinct4 ,the chicken scratches because its mother scratched for a living in the days of her chicken-hood and so did her mother and as many other hens and chickens as many previous years as one can count4 ,the baby feels himself akin with the cat and loves the flower because his ancestors lived in close comradeship with animals and nature4 ,from these and from an analysis of many other phases of instinct we may come at a working definition of the phenomenon4 ,instinct may be defined as inherited memory4 ,it may be said that a child starts out on his life journey with a certain amount of brain capital which is his gift at birth4 ,he has no knowledge of the outside world at birth4 ,color1 sound1 heat1 cold and like concepts are unknown to him and he must make them his through the medium of his senses4 ,the will to use his senses in the acquiring of useful information constitutes his brain capital1 however4 ,instinctively he claims brotherhood with the animal world1 and instinctively also he claims kinship with trees and flowers and winter and summer and birds and the gleaming earth4 ,pebbles and shells and sand and seeds interest him with a compellingness beyond our understanding until we remember that a child is the epitome of all the ages of the race which have combined to make us and our civilization4 ,the age when man bartered with pebbles1 decorated his person with shells1 lived in a cave and found his food in seeds and berries is exemplified in the little chap at play on the beach with these same nature materials4 ,this mind capital of instinct with which the child comes into the world may be divided into the instinct to express ideas in bodily movements1 instinctive interest in animals and nature1 the instinct in rhythm1 and the instinct for self-preservation 7less highly developed in children than in animals47 ,there are other and finer divisions into which the different phases and manifestations of instinct fall but for purposes of our discussion these more elastic divisions will serve4 ,the first division1 the motor instinct1 involves so much in the matter of a child's dramatizing of stories that it needs a chapter devoted wholly to a study of a child's bodily expression as stimulated by the images which he has in his mind4 ,the instinct in rhythm1 instinctive love of animals and nature1 the self-preservation and curiosity instincts may be briefly considered in order of their appearance in the child's development1 having in mind their influence upon the stories we select for a child's hearing4 ,a financier makes it his special study to discover the best uses to which he can put his capital in order to make it produce for him appreciable dividends4 ,the story teller1 using the child mind capital1 instinct1 as a basis for her selection of stories will find that there are certain instinct stories that she may select for her use1 each one of which gives back good returns to her along the measure of child interest4 ,instinctive interest in rhythmic movements and rhythmic sounds is found in the very young child4 ,he likes to be trotted1 sung to in a monotonous1 sing-song fashion2 he enjoys clapping his hands in time to some nursery jingle or ditty4 ,long after this rhythmic period of babyhood is past children like to hear stories that have the rhythmic1 repetitional quality1 or some jingle introduced that stimulates rhythm4 ,predominantly is this rhythmic quality found in ,mother ,goose and folk lore4 ,children1 even of kindergarten age1 take the greatest delight in repeating and singing over and over again such rhythmic ditties as3 8,pitty1 patty polt2 shoe the wild colt4 ,here a nail1 there a nail1 pitty1 patty polt40 8,pat-a-cake1 pat-a-cake1 baker's man ,bake me a cake as fast as you can1 ,pat it and prick it1 and mark it with ,t1 ,and put it in the oven for ,tommy and me40 8,intry1 mintry1 cutry corn1 ,apple seed and apple thorn1 ,wire1 brier1 limber1 lock4 ,three geese in a flock4 ,one flew ,east and one flew ,west1 ,and one flew over the black-bird's nest40 ,the appeal for the child in the case of all such jingles is a bodily1 instinctive one4 ,this instinctive interest in rhythm is the beginning of bodily expression4 ,the repetition of sounds1 even though they are meaningless1 makes the child feel the story4 ,it gets into his muscles1 so to speak1 if we may put a psychological fact into physiological terms4 ,nearly all of the old folk tales are characterized by this rhythmic swinging-along mode of construction4 ,we all know how children wait breathlessly1 and then fairly bubble over with ecstatic mirth as they listen to 8,the ,teeny ,tiny ,lady10 8,the ,house that ,jack ,built10 and 8,the ,kid ,who ,would ,not ,go40 ,they literally wait spellbound for such phrases as3 8,i'll huff1 and ,i'll puff and ,i'll blow your house in40 ,the ,three ,little ,pigs4 8,first she leaped and then she ran1 ,till she came to the cow and thus began40 ,the ,cat and ,the ,mouse4 8,fallen into the fire1 and so will you1 ,on1 little ,drummikin1 tum1 tum1 too40 ,the ,story of ,lambikin4 ,sheer nonsense1 we say8 ,possibly1 for the ears of adults1 but for a child it means instinct food4 ,this doggerel verse belongs to a certain stage of his development just as folk songs and war songs of quite as strange content have come down to us from primitive races2 and a very sure way of securing a child's involuntary attention to a story is to select it having in mind its rhythmic content4 ,instinctive interest in animals and nature follows the rhythm instinct4 ,this should not be construed into a statement that science and biology should be given children in the story form at an early age4 ,rather should the world about the child be presented to him on the plane of kinship1 his one-ness with it4 ,he is the little ,hiawatha1 friend of the trees1 the deer1 the birds1 and the stars4 ,through this friendly introduction to the world of ,nature1 a child will come to know it1 appreciate it1 and eventually understand it4 ,the animal and nature stories that make the strongest appeal to the child's primitive nature instinct are those which1 without mis-stating scientific facts1 still make nature of a size with1 friendly to1 companionable with the child4 ,king of animal story tellers was ,joel ,chandler ,harris4 ,his 8,nights ,with ,uncle ,remus0 is a book of instinct1 race stories4 ,bre'r ,rabbit is an immortal human who walks side by side with a child1 holding familiar intercourse with him and telling him the secrets of field and wood and stream4 ,rudyard ,kipling1 in the 8,jungle ,books0 and the 8,just ,so ,stories0 has met the instinct story needs of children by making the wild creatures of the jungle and desert vivid1 human and companionable4 ,the fables of the ,chinese1 of ,bidpai and of sop have an instinctive interest for all children because they are human documents1 an attempted explanation of the moral code1 put quaintly by primitive races into the mouths of animals4 ,nature stories that meet the instinctive interests of children are less easy for the story teller to find than are good animal stories4 ,the modern nature story that is written about some dry scientific fact is only a bare husk when a child is crying for real food4 ,it would be better to tell a child as a plain statement of a universal fact that the cold mercifully kills the plant that has served its use of reproduction of species that it may make way for another season's cycle of buds and blooms1 than to tell a story about ,jack ,frost who1 airily attired in white1 skips about the garden and puts the flowers to sleep4 ,better1 however1 than this former bald statement of the year's autumnal death that presages the awakening to new life in the spring is it to tell children the story of 8,ceres and ,persephone40 ,always1 afterward1 will the bleak winter suggest to their minds ,persephone's sojourn with ,pluto and spring will herald her return to her mother1 the flowers springing up for gladness wherever she steps4 ,the myth meets every child's instinctive interest4 ,it is a type of story that has been left us by every race and people as the explanation that primitive minds made of natural phenomenon4 ,suppose a myth isn't true4 ,was the ,jack ,frost story true2 and isn't there more real literature and imagery and inspiration in the story of ,persephone than in any modern 8,nature-faked0 story8 ,as a child stands on ,mount ,olympus in company with the gods he gets a vision of the universe that he would gain in no other way4 ,as he rides in ,phaton's chariot searching for the ,apples of ,hesperides and helps old ,atlas hold the world upon his shoulders he is learning ,nature as no text-book can teach her4 ,as he listens to the murmuring of the trees he hears the pipes of ,pan and the loving whispers of old ,baucis and ,philemon among their branches4 ,we will feed the child's instincts with the old myths if we wish to secure his lasting interest in nature4 ,a trifle more difficult for the story teller to meet is the child's instinct for self preservation4 ,in the case of the lower animals this instinct manifests itself in a perpetual warfare waged tooth and nail against its life enemies1 with a result epitomized1 always1 in the survival of the stronger animal4 ,primitive man waged a similar warfare4 ,with a peaceful civilization this condition of individual warfare has been done away with1 but the instinct to fight for his rights1 to preserve his ego1 to keep selfishly for his own certain things is a part of the child's mental heritage from his forbears4 ,the rhythm instinct1 the ,nature instinct are the gold mine in child development4 ,the self instinct1 while in a measure necessary in fitting a child for the life struggle1 should be1 to a certain extent1 inhibited4 ,this inhibition may be brought about through the medium of stories4 ,selecting just the right ethical stories to tell a child having in mind making him unselfish is a delicate matter4 ,each story should present some problem in ethics that is likely to come up in the child's life4 ,moreover1 the moral of the story should be veiled but made so obvious by the suspensive treatment and climax of the story1 that the child unconsciously makes it his own and applies the lesson to his own life4 ,the moral of unselfishness is rather the result of the story than a part of it as the children make its obvious application to their own lives4 ,the well-known folk tale of 8,the ,little ,red ,hen0 teaches a lesson of unselfishness4 ,the selfish pig1 cat and frog are deprived of their portion of the freshly baked loaf of bread because they had no share in its making4 ,kipling's story1 8,how the ,camel ,got his ,hump0 in the 8,just ,so ,stories0 has the same moral of forgetfulness of self4 ,laura ,e4 ,richards' story1 8,the ,coming of the ,king10 beautifully illustrates the type of story that inhibits the selfish instinct4 ,it draws a wonderful word picture of the children's garden made ready for the ,king and finally welcoming a beggar in ministering to whose needs1 however1 the children find joy4 ,the most classic of unselfish stories in the ,english language is ,oscar ,wilde's 8,selfish ,giant40 ,it needs no word of introduction or explanation4 ,it illuminates our dull subject of endeavoring to make children self forgetful through the stimulus of the ethical story4 ,,the ,,selfish ,,giant ,every afternoon1 as they were coming from school1 the children used to go and play in the ,giant's garden4 ,it was a large1 lovely garden1 with soft green grass4 ,here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars1 and there were twelve peach trees that in the springtime broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl1 and in the autumn bore rich fruit4 ,the birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them4 8,how happy we are here60 they cried to each other4 ,one day the ,giant came back4 ,he had been to visit his friend1 the ,cornish ogre1 and had stayed with him for seven years4 ,after the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say1 for his conversation was limited1 and he determined to return to his own castle4 ,when he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden4 8,what are you doing there80 he cried in a very gruff voice1 and the children ran away4 8,my own garden is my own garden10 said the ,giant2 8any one can understand that1 and ,i will allow nobody to play in it but myself40 ,so he built a high wall all round it1 and put up a notice-board4 ,,trespassers ,,will ,,be ,,prosecuted4 ,he was a very selfish giant4 ,the poor children had now nowhere to play4 ,they tried to play on the road1 but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones1 and they did not like it4 ,they used to wander round the high wall when their lessons were over1 and talk about the beautiful garden inside4 8,how happy we were there10 they said to each other4 ,then the spring came1 and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds4 ,only in the garden of the ,selfish ,giant it was still winter4 ,the birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children1 and the trees forgot to blossom4 ,once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass1 but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again1 and went off to sleep4 ,the only people who were pleased were the ,snow and the ,frost4 8,spring has forgotten this garden10 they cried1 8so we will live here all the year round40 ,the ,snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak1 and the ,frost painted all the trees silver4 ,then they invited the ,north ,wind to stay with them1 and he came4 ,he was wrapped in furs1 and he roared all day about the garden1 and blew the chimney-pots down4 8,this is a delightful spot10 he said1 8we must ask the ,hail on a visit40 ,so the ,hail came4 ,every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates1 and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go4 ,he was dressed in gray1 and his breath was like ice4 8,i cannot understand why the spring is so late in coming10 said the ,selfish ,giant1 as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden2 8,i hope there will be a change in the weather40 ,but the spring never came1 nor the summer4 ,the autumn gave golden fruit to every garden1 but to the ,giant's garden none4 8,he is too selfish10 she said4 ,so it was always winter there1 and the ,north ,wind1 and the ,hail1 and the ,frost1 and the ,snow danced about through the trees4 ,one morning the ,giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music4 ,it sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the ,king's musicians passing by4 ,it was really only a little linnet singing outside his window but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world4 ,then the ,hail stopped dancing over his head1 and the ,north ,wind ceased roaring1 and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement4 8,i believe the spring has come at last10 said the ,giant2 and he jumped out of bed and looked out4 ,what did he see8 ,he saw a most wonderful sight4 ,through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in1 and they were sitting in the branches of the trees4 ,in every tree that he could see there was a little child4 ,and the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms1 and were waving their arms gently above the children's heads4 ,the birds were flying about and twittering with delight1 and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing4 ,it was a lovely scene1 only in one corner it was still winter4 ,it was the farthest corner of the garden1 and in it was standing a little boy4 ,he was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree1 and he was wandering all round it1 crying bitterly4 ,the poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow1 and the ,north ,wind was blowing and roaring above it4 8,climb up6 little boy10 said the ,tree1 and it bent its branches down as low as it could2 but the boy was too tiny4 ,and the ,giant's heart melted as he looked out4 8,how selfish ,i have been60 he said2 8now ,i know why the spring would not come here4 ,i will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree1 and then ,i will knock down the wall1 and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever and ever40 ,he was really very sorry for what he had done4 ,so he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly1 and went out into the garden4 ,but when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away1 and the garden became winter again4 ,only the little boy did not run1 for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the ,giant coming4 ,and the ,giant strode up behind him and took him gently in his hand1 and put him up into the tree4 ,and the tree broke at once into blossom1 and the birds came and sang on it1 and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them around the ,giant's neck1 and kissed him4 ,and the other children1 when they saw that the ,giant was not wicked any longer1 came running back1 and with them came the spring4 8,it is your garden now1 little children10 said the ,giant1 and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall4 ,and when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock they found the ,giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen4 ,all day long they played1 and in the evening they came to the ,giant to bid him good-by4 8,but where is your little companion80 he said3 8the boy ,i put into the tree40 ,the ,giant loved him the best because he had kissed him4 8,we don't know10 answered the children2 8he has gone away40 8,you must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow10 said the ,giant4 ,but the children said that they did not know where he lived1 and had never seen him before2 and the ,giant felt very sad4 ,every afternoon1 when school was over1 the children came and played with the ,giant4 ,but the little boy whom the ,giant loved was never seen again4 ,the giant was very kind to all the children1 yet he longed for his first little friend1 and often spoke of him4 8,how ,i would like to see him60 he used to say4 ,years went over1 and the ,giant grew very old and feeble4 ,he could not play about any more1 so he sat in a huge armchair1 and watched the children at their games1 and admired his garden4 8,i have many beautiful flowers10 he said1 8but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all40 ,one winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing4 ,he did not hate the winter now1 for he knew that it was merely the spring asleep1 and that the flowers were resting4 ,suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder1 and looked and looked4 ,it certainly was a marvellous sight4 ,in the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms4 ,its branches were all golden1 and silver fruit hung down from them1 and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved4 ,downstairs ran the ,giant in great joy1 and out into the garden4 ,he hastened across the grass1 and came near to the child4 ,and when he came quite close his face grew red with anger1 and he said1 8,who hath dared to wound thee80 ,for on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails1 and the prints of two nails were on the little feet4 8,who hath dared to wound thee80 cried the ,giant2 8tell me1 that ,i may take my big sword and slay him40 8,nay60 answered the child2 8but these are the wounds of ,love40 8,who art thou80 said the ,giant1 and a strange awe fell on him1 and he knelt before the little child4 ,and the child smiled on the ,giant1 and said to him1 8,you let me play once in your garden1 to-day you shall come with me to my garden1 which is ,paradise40 ,and when the children ran in that afternoon1 they found the ,giant lying dead under the tree1 all covered with white blossoms4 ,,oscar ,,wilde4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,instinctive ,,interest ,,rhythmic ,,stories3 ,,the ,,house ,,that ,,jack ,,built ,mother ,goose ,,the ,,kid ,,that ,,would ,,not ,,go ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,lambikin ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,teeny ,,tiny ,,lady ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,epaminondas ,,and ,,his ,,auntie ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,animal ,,stories ,,and ,,myths3 ,,nights ,,with ,,uncle ,,remus ,joel ,chandler ,harris ,,the ,,jungle ,,books ,rudyard ,kipling ,,the ,,just-,,so-,,stories ,rudyard ,kipling ,,the ,,talking ,,beasts ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin and ,nora ,archibald ,smith ,,the ,,little ,,red ,,hen ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,myths ,,every ,,child ,,should ,,know ,hamilton ,mabie ,,stories ,,to ,,inhibit ,,the ,,selfish ,,instinct3 ,,the ,,little ,,red ,,hen ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,king ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,cooky ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,babouscka ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,woodpecker ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,picciola ,celia ,thaxter1 in ,stories and ,poems for ,children ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,dramatic ,,story ,in the previous chapter we analyzed certain primitive phases of mental life as manifested in the instinctive acts of children4 ,these manifestations of instinct form a basis for our story selection1 guiding us toward a final and certain goal of child interest4 ,one phase of instinct was left out of our discussion except as it was touched upon primarily in the analysis of a child's instinctive interest in rhythm4 ,this is the instinct to express through bodily movements the ideas that have found a permanent place for themselves in the mind4 ,little ,e1 three years old1 was told by her nurse the folk tale of 8,the ,old ,woman and ,her ,pig40 ,she had heard very few stories1 and this one seemed to delight her beyond words4 ,she laughed and clapped her hands over it1 and begged to have it repeated and retold even a third time4 ,she made no comment upon the text of the story1 however4 ,a week later1 she was left alone in her nursery for a short period during the morning and her mother1 busy with household duties upon the floor below1 thought that she heard ,e's voice4 ,going1 quietly1 to the door of the nursery she saw ,e standing1 dramatically1 in the center of the room1 holding a toy broom under her arm1 and shaking her finger at a small china pig that stood on the floor in front of her4 ,as she did this1 she said in the exact words of the story that had been told her3 8,piggy won't get over the stile1 and ,i shall not get home to-night40 8,what are you doing1 ,e80 her mother asked in some surprise4 ,e looked up in wonder as if she1 herself1 knew a reason for her actions but one that needed no explanation4 ,finally she spoke3 8,i'm doing a story1 mother10 she replied4 ,this incident of ,e's instinctive and almost unconscious dramatization of a story which she had heard and whose images had become fixed in her mind illustrates a very common characteristic of a child's mental life1 the instinctive impulse to vitalize the mental life by putting it into terms of expression4 ,it is true that instinctive expression as commonly defined includes in its first manifestations only certain unlearned motor responses1 those forms of expression that are ours without previous training or experience4 ,a child cries at a pain1 laughs when he is tickled1 starts in fear at a sudden and loud noise4 ,these are the primitive forms of instinctive expression1 but beyond these and through the use of certain child stories that are full of action1 compelling dialogue1 and quick movement comes a development of the dramatic instinct in childhood of wonderful value to the teacher4 ,why do we want to make use of the dramatic instinct in childhood8 ,first1 because this instinct to do1 to act1 to express is so common a part of each child's mental content upon entering school that it forms part of our previously discussed child brain capital4 ,the instinct to do a story1 to give it expression in terms of bodily movement would not be given a child unless it had some value for the educator4 ,second1 we want to utilize the dramatic instinct of childhood1 because it is a very sure way of helping a child to gain poise1 self-control1 and a complete mastery of his environment4 ,the ability to give adequate expression through speech or action to the mental life characterizes the well-developed individual as opposed to the victim of self-consciousness4 ,it means grace of body and freedom of verbal expression4 ,what qualities differentiate the dramatic child story from that story which is not as well adaptable for child acting8 ,primarily1 the story that we select for purposes of dramatization should have the quality of being visual--that is1 it should be so full of simple1 pictorial scenes1 episodes and events that it will bring to the minds of the children a definite sequence of word pictures1 stimulative to action4 ,this 8moving picture0 quality is found in the old folk tales1 the fables of sop and ,la ,fontaine4 ,here the stage setting of the stories is simple and easily pictured by the child listeners4 ,the story events find an immediate and permanent place in the child's mind and a possible outlet in action because of their apperceptive quality4 ,the story of 8,the ,little ,red ,hen0 is an interesting type of the story that lends itself to child dramatizing because of its visual quality4 ,there is a series of home scenes2 the little ,red ,hen's garden1 her house1 her kitchen1 all familiar and easily seen by children but illuminated with the interest of mystery because of the ,hen1 herself1 and her friends1 the ,cat and the ,frog4 8,the ,elves and the ,shoemaker0 is also a good story for child acting1 while among the most dramatic visual fables are 8,the ,town ,mouse and ,the ,country ,mouse10 8,the ,lion and the ,mouse10 8,the ,lark and ,her ,young ,ones0 and 8,the ,hare and the ,tortoise40 ,the second quality that the story teller should have in mind in selecting stories for child dramatizing is simplicity of dialogue4 ,the story actors should converse1 if not in childlike manner1 at least in a simple1 easy-to-understand vocabulary that will add to a child's store of words but will not tax him too much in reproduction4 ,here1 again1 we must turn to folk tales and fables for simple1 straightforward1 rich dialogue4 ,quite naturally and without apparent effort children verbalize the dialogue of 8,the ,little ,red ,hen0 after hearing the story once or twice4 8,who will build my fire80 she said4 8,not ,i60 said the ,frog4 8,not ,i60 said the ,cat4 8,then ,i will10 said the ,little ,red ,hen4 ,these and the other bits of simple dialogue that go to make up the plot of this story2 the conversation between the ,wolf and the ,pig in the story of 8,the ,three ,little ,pigs10 the ,lark and her little ones1 ,jack and the different characters in the ,beanstalk story1 the 8,lion and the ,mouse0--these are all examples of easily reproduced dialogue1 stimulating spontaneous dialogue on the part of the children4 ,one further consideration in connection with the dramatic story--spontaneity4 ,because of the popularity of so-called story dramatization among kindergartners and primary teachers1 a school of child acting in kindergartens and the grades has sprung into life4 ,stories are dramatized for children rather than by the children themselves1 and the results obtained through unnecessary costuming1 certain stage properties and memorized dialogue are of no appreciable value in the mental development of the child4 ,a child impersonates a pig gifted with human attributes1 spontaneously1 but he plays the part of a dressed-up fairy in a wooden1 unspontaneous fashion4 ,the difference between the two is just the difference between instinctive expression and prescribed action4 ,in his 8,principles of ,psychology10 ,professor ,thorndyke says3 8,given any mental state1 that movement will be made which the inborn constitution of the nervous system has connected with the mental state or part of it4 ,the baby reaches for a bright object because1 by inner organization1 that sense presentation is connected with that act4 ,for the same reason he puts an object into his mouth when he feels it within his grasp4 ,the boy puts up his arm and wards off a blow because his brain is so organized as to connect those responses with those situations4 8,given any mental state1 that movement will be made which has been connected with it or part of it most frequently1 most recently1 in the most vivid experience and with the most satisfying results40 ,this careful and concrete statement of the law governing instinctive movement gives us our cue for selecting stories for child dramatizing and our method in presenting them1 having in view--not child acting1 but spontaneous child action4 ,we will provide no costumes for our children1 set no stage1 but only give them that story which will suggest to them a recent1 frequently repeated1 vivid experience with its accompanying satisfying results in certain spontaneous movements4 ,suppose we illustrate with a possible1 voluntary dramatizing of the old and well loved folk tale of 8,the ,gingerbread ,boy40 ,the experiences suggested to children by this story and suggesting action to them are the chase and the sense stimulus of food4 ,after hearing the story a number of times until they are quite familiar with its dialogue and its characters and its sequence of episodes1 the teacher may suggest to the children that they play it4 ,a disastrous way to begin the play would be to assign the different characters in the story to different children1 showing them where to stand or asking them to try and use the exact words that the story characters did4 ,rather should the dramatizing of the story be a developing process on the part of the teacher4 ,if she has made the story permanent in the minds of the children1 their rendering of it in action will be free and their dialogue spontaneous4 8,who wants to be the ,gingerbread ,boy8 8,who would like to be the ,gingerbread ,boy's mother8 8,i see a child with very bright1 sharp eyes4 ,is he not the ,fox8 8,we will need many ,mowers and some ,threshers4 8,who is the ,pig1 and who the ,cow80 ,these or similar hints on the part of the teacher are cues for the opening of the play--all that is needed1 usually1 to start the spontaneous dramatization4 ,as naturally as if she were the story character herself1 the little old woman mother rolls and pats the ,gingerbread ,boy into shape1 puts him in an imaginary oven and then falls asleep4 ,he makes his escape1 is interviewed in turn by the ,threshers1 the ,mowers1 the ,pig and the ,cow1 makes his escape from them also1 only to be eventually captured and eaten by the ,fox4 ,as the story play goes on1 it will be discovered that the child actors are rendering with perfect diction the dialogue of the story1 enriching their vocabulary and gaining power of verbal expression4 ,it will be discovered also that their movements are illustrative of the story1 and absolutely lacking in self consciousness1 typical of an added quota of poise and self-control gained through the play4 ,certain responses are always made to certain mind situations4 ,what need is there of stage setting since a child actor sees in his mind's eye the barn full of ,mowers whose mouths are watering to eat him up8 ,why should the tired-out teacher spend long after-school hours sewing together costumes when1 at an instant's notice1 a child is able to clothe himself in the sleek red coat and valiant brush of a fox8 ,it is to be questioned if the books of so-called dramatic stories for children which may be obtained now are really educational or have for their place upon the teacher's desk a firm psychologic background4 ,most of them seem to have for their scheme of compiling child acting1 not action4 ,the child on the stage is not developing mentally4 ,rather is he a mentally starved puppet1 moved about by the wires of the stage and repeating lines in parrot-like fashion4 ,the little girl1 ,e1 quoted at the beginning is an example of mental growth through spontaneous action4 ,so the books of dramatic stories seem to have been prepared having in mind what the child should say or do1 rather than presenting such interesting story material in such interesting form that a child will speak and do without any further stimulus than that of the story itself4 ,in selecting our stories for child dramatizing we will go to original sources and choose only such stories as are so rich in homely1 apperceptive incidents1 and so marked by possibilities for simple1 interpretive dialogue as to lend themselves to instinctive action on the part of the children4 ,,the ,,gingerbread ,,boy ,,as ,,dramatized ,,by ,a ,,group ,,of ,,children ,the ,actors3 ,a ,little ,old ,woman4 ,a ,little ,old ,man4 ,some ,mowers4 ,some ,threshers4 ,a ,pig4 ,a ,fox4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy4 ,,act ,i ,place3 ,a ,kitchen4 ,time3 ,saturday ,morning4 ,the ,little ,old ,man ,sits in a corner4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman is seen1 too1 stirring cake dough and singing as she stirs3 8,sugar1 and spice1 and everything nice-- ,that's what a little girl's made of2 ,snaps1 and snails1 and puppy dogs' tails2 ,that's what a little boy's made of6 8,ah1 well-a-day1 but ,i wish ,i had a little boy for all that6 ,some one to run to the store1 and bring in the kindlings1 and drive the cows to pasture1 and feed the pig1 and get into mischief1 and be rocked to sleep in the evening40 ,she calls to the ,little ,old ,man3 8,father6 ,oh1 ,i say1 ,father6 ,fetch me the jug of molasses from the pantry4 ,i am making a gingerbread cake for your supper60 ,the ,little ,old ,man does not move1 or stir4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman calls louder3 8,fetch me the molasses jug1 ,father60 ,the ,little ,old ,woman crosses to the chimney corner1 and shakes the ,little ,old ,man1 but he is asleep and does not wake4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman holds up her hands in despair4 8,dearie me6 ,i might as well have a broom for a ,goodman as he4 ,there is nothing done in the house unless ,i attend to it myself10 she says4 ,she leaves the kitchen for a moment1 returning with the jug of molasses4 ,she pours some molasses into the bowl1 stirs again1 and finally empties the dough out upon the board1 rolling it flat with her rolling pin4 ,suddenly she stops1 rolling pin in air4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman3 8,i have it6 ,i will make me a ,gingerbread ,boy60 ,she works very fast1 talking as she shapes the ,gingerbread ,boy with her fingers4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman3 8,here is his dear little head1 with currants for eyes1 and one raisin for his nose1 and three raisins for his mouth4 ,here is his fine little jacket with a row of currants for buttons2 and here are his two fine1 fat little legs4 ,here are his arms1 and here are his shoes60 ,she lays the completed ,gingerbread ,boy in the baking pan and dances about the kitchen with it in her hands1 singing as she dances1 the ,song of the ,gingerbread ,man3 8,hickory1 dickory1 dickory1 dan2 ,heigho1 ,i sing for a ,gingerbread ,man6 ,currants for eyes1 and a round raisin nose1 ,gingerbread shoes on his gingerbread toes1 ,gingerbread jacket1 so tight and neat1 ,gingerbread smiles on his face so sweet1 ,hickory1 dickory1 dickory1 dan2 ,heigho1 ,i sing for a ,gingerbread ,man60 ,as she finishes her song1 she opens the imaginary oven door1 and1 kneeling down1 puts in the tin which holds the ,gingerbread ,boy4 ,then she shakes the ,little ,old ,man again4 ,the ,little ,old ,woman3 8,wake up1 ,i say1 ,father6 ,wake up6 ,wake up6 ,the garden's to be weeded1 and the butter's to be churned6 ,wake up1 ,i say1 and mind the oven4 ,there's a fine little ,gingerbread ,boy baking inside60 ,the ,little ,old ,man wakes very slowly1 and looking all about the kitchen says in a dazed sort of way3 8,what's that you say1 ,mother8 ,i don't see any little ,gingerbread ,boy40 ,the ,little ,old ,woman goes to the stove and points to the oven4 8,he's in here baking4 ,do you mind him while ,i'm away4 ,in twenty minutes by the clock1 do you open the oven door1 and the ,gingerbread ,boy will be baked40 ,the ,little ,old ,man3 8,yes1 yes1 ,mother4 ,do you go and weed the garden and churn4 ,i'll sit here1 and mind the oven40 ,the ,little ,old ,woman leaves the kitchen4 ,after she has gone1 the ,little ,old ,man re-lights his pipe4 ,then he gets up from his chair and peeps in the oven door4 ,the ,little ,old ,man3 8,a fine1 fat ,boy6 ,a very fine1 fat ,gingerbread ,boy6 ,how his buttons shine1 and he is swelling so much that his jacket is splitting4 ,i shall eat him for my supper60 ,he goes back to his chair1 and begins smoking1 but soon his head nods4 ,he looks up at the clock4 ,the ,little ,old ,man3 8,in twenty minutes ,i will take him out4 ,i think ,i shall have a short nap in the meantime40 ,the ,little ,old ,man falls fast asleep again1 his pipe falling to the floor4 ,as he sleeps1 the oven door opens a little as if some one had pushed it from the inside4 ,the real ,gingerbread ,boy peeps out through the crack4 ,when he sees that the ,little ,old ,man is asleep1 he steps out4 ,he begins blowing on his fingers and he puts them in his mouth as if they were burned4 ,he fans himself with the baking tin which he brings with him out of the oven1 and he hops about the kitchen on the tips of his toes4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,my1 but that oven was warm6 ,i might have been burned to a crisp before any one remembered to take me out4 ,so this is my new home60 ,he looks about in all the corners of the kitchen4 8,and this is my new father60 ,he goes over to the ,little ,old ,man1 and pulls his wig4 ,then he sits down1 cross-legged on the hearth1 and goes on talking to himself4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,i don't know whether ,i want to live in this house or not4 ,i know what little boys have to do40 ,he counts on his fingers3 8,they have to run to the store1 and bring in kindlings1 and drive the cows and feed the pigs4 ,i'd rather have a good time4 ,i think ,i will run away40 ,he jumps up1 and looks around the room1 cautiously4 8,there's nobody here to see me go4 ,hurrah6 ,hurrah6 ,here ,i go1 off by myself to see the world60 ,he runs lightly out of the kitchen4 ,,act ,,ii ,place3 ,a country road4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy is discovered1 sitting on top of the wall1 talking to himself4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,here ,i am1 out by myself1 seeing the world4 ,the world's a very pleasant place1 only ,i do wish ,i were not made of gingerbread1 and ,i do wish that everybody wasn't so hungry4 ,wherever ,i travel some one wants to eat me4 ,bless my buttons1 there comes some one now60 ,the ,mowers come slowly along with their scythes over their shoulders4 ,they sing as they walk3 8,on ,chopnose ,day the ,mowers rise1 ,as every one supposes1 ,and march upon the grass and flowers1 ,and cut off all their noses40 ,suddenly the ,mowers discover the ,gingerbread ,boy4 ,first ,mower3 8,who sits there on top of the wall80 ,second ,mower3 8,it is a little boy made of gingerbread40 ,first ,mower3 8,let us eat him60 ,second ,mower1 going up to the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,good morning1 my lad1 where do you come from1 and where are you going this fine morning80 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy hops down from the wall1 and dances away on the tips of his toes3 8,i've run away from a ,little ,old ,woman1 ,and a ,little ,old ,man4 ,i can run away from you1 ,i can6 ,run1 run1 as fast as you can1 ,you can't catch me1 ,i'm the ,gingerbread ,man60 ,he disappears1 followed by the ,mowers1 but reappears at the other end of the road1 looking frightened and out of breath4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,they didn't catch me that time1 but you never can tell what's going to happen next4 ,there comes somebody else40 ,the ,threshers are seen passing with their flails over their backs4 ,one of the ,threshers3 8,who is that by the side of the road80 ,a ,second ,thresher3 8,that is a ,gingerbread ,boy60 ,both of the ,threshers1 going up to the ,gingerbread ,boy very fiercely3 8,come with us and be eaten1 my lad60 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy dances a little way ahead of the ,threshers as he calls back to them3 8,i've run away from a ,little ,old ,woman1 ,and a ,little ,old ,man1 ,some ,mowers--and-- ,i can run away from you1 ,i can4 ,run1 run1 as fast as you can1 ,you can't catch me1 ,i'm the ,gingerbread ,man40 ,he runs away a second time1 followed by the ,threshers1 but he is seen in a moment at the end of the road4 ,he climbs up on the wall again4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,i wonder who will try and eat me next60 ,he puts his hand up to his eyes4 8,there comes some one now60 ,the ,pig enters1 grunting4 ,the ,pig3 8,one of us went to market2 and one of us stayed at home4 ,one of us had roast beef1 but ,i'm the ,pig who had none60 8,i'm hungry enough to eat green apples4 ,ahe6 ,what do ,i see8 ,a ,gingerbread ,boy60 ,he walks up to the wall1 and stands on his back feet1 but he cannot reach to the top4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy dances on top of the wall4 8,i've run away from a ,little ,old ,woman1 ,and a ,little ,old ,man1 ,some ,mowers1 some ,threshers--and-- ,i can get away from you1 ,i can4 ,jump1 jump1 as high as you can1 ,you can't catch me1 ,i'm the ,gingerbread ,man60 ,the ,pig tries to get the ,gingerbread ,boy1 but he is not able to1 and he walks away1 still grunting4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy3 8,well1 he didn't get me4 ,i believe ,i am able to take care of myself after all4 ,why1 who is that great creature1 coming down the road80 ,the ,fox enters4 ,he sees the ,gingerbread ,boy1 but he pretends that he does not4 ,he sits down and waits4 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy watches the ,fox4 ,then he speaks to him4 8,i've run away from a ,little ,old ,woman1 ,a ,little ,old ,man1 ,some ,mowers1 some ,threshers1 a ,pig--and-- ,i can run away from you1 ,i can60 the ,gingerbread ,boy says4 ,the ,fox speaks in a deep1 gruff voice1 without moving4 ,the ,fox3 8,step a little closer1 ,sonny4 ,i'm very hard of hearing40 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy jumps down from the wall1 and goes quite close to the ,fox1 speaking very loudly3 8,i've run away from a ,little ,old ,woman1 ,a ,little ,old ,man4 ,some ,mowers1 some ,threshers1 a ,pig--and-- ,i can run away from you1 ,i can60 ,the ,fox speaks again1 without moving4 ,the ,fox3 8,you will have to step closer yet1 ,sonny1 ,i'm very1 very hard of hearing40 ,the ,gingerbread ,boy goes up to the ,fox1 shouting in his ear4 ,as he does so1 the ,fox eats him up4 ,,the ,,town ,,mouse ,,and ,,the ,,country ,,mouse ,characters in the ,play3 ,a ,mouse ,who ,lives in ,town4 ,a ,mouse ,who ,lives in the ,country4 ,some other ,mice1 as many as one wishes1 who live in the same hole as the country mouse4 ,they include his ,father1 his ,mother1 and a number of ,brothers and ,sisters2 a ,cat4 ,,the ,,first ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,story ,place3 ,a mouse hole in a barn4 ,time3 ,the early evening of a day in the fall4 ,the ,father1 ,mother1 and younger mice are seen1 sitting about1 and nibbling bits of candles1 turnips1 carrots1 and other dainties4 ,the ,father1 taking a large bite of turnip1 and speaking between mouthfuls3 8,i have been a mile to the south and a mile back to-day without meeting an enemy4 ,i found a field of corn1 and a garden of turnips1 and a patch of large1 juicy cabbages4 ,for a comfortable1 fat old age1 there is no place like the country40 ,the ,mother1 running about very nimbly1 and gathering up all the candle ends3 8,you are right1 ,father4 ,the farmer's wife cleaned the candlesticks to-day1 and she threw away all these ends4 ,this evening ,i shall make a large tallow pudding60 ,one of the younger ,mice1 who jumps up1 and begins dancing very gracefully about the mouse hole on the tips of her toes3 8,everybody goes to bed so very1 very early in the country4 ,a mouse may dance until morning without being caught40 ,as she dances1 the other ,mice drop whatever they were eating1 and they sing in funny1 squeaking voices1 a tune to which her feet keep time4 ,this is their song3 8,squeak1 squeak1 skip1 skip6 ,gather your tail up1 and trip1 trip6 ,crickets and grasshoppers dance by day1 ,but night is the time for a mouse to play1 ,when the moon shines round1 like a great big cheese-- ,when only the sleepy ,sand ,man sees-- ,then--,squeak1 squeak1 skip1 skip6 ,gather your tails up1 and trip1 trip60 ,when the ,mice finish their song1 the ,father looks all about the hole4 ,then he speaks4 ,the ,father3 8,i do not see your brother4 ,where is your brother80 ,the ,mother1 peering about in all the dark corners of the mouse hole3 8,where is my son8 ,oh1 where is my son80 ,all the younger ,mice1 speaking together3 8,oh1 where is our brother80 ,as the younger ,mice speak1 the ,country ,mouse enters at the back of the mouse hole4 ,he wears a large red necktie which has green spots1 and is tied in a bow in front4 ,he seems to be very much excited4 ,all the ,mice crowd about him4 ,the ,father1 taking the ,country ,mouse by his paw and leading him to the front of the mouse hole3 8,where have you been all day1 my son80 ,the ,mother1 re-tying the ,country ,mouse's necktie3 8,you seem out of breath1 my dear60 ,all the younger ,mice1 excitedly3 8,where have you been8 ,oh1 do tell us where you have been80 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,i have had an adventure4 ,i started out early this morning for the dairy1 because ,i heard some one say that there were cheeses being made4 ,on the way to the dairy ,i met a very fine ,mouse1 passing by on his way to town4 ,he lives in the town1 and he told me all about his home40 ,all the younger ,mice1 crowding closer that they may hear what the ,country ,mouse is saying3 8,what did the ,town ,mouse tell you about his home80 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,he said that he lived in a pantry60 ,the ,father3 8,a pantry80 ,the ,mother3 8,a pantry80 ,all the younger ,mice3 8,a pantry80 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,yes1 a pantry6 ,there are pies there1 and cakes4 ,there are fat hams1 and juicy spare ribs4 ,there are puddings1 and there are cheese rinds lying about on the shelves4 ,the servants are careless1 and at night they leave the food uncovered4 ,then the ,town ,mouse comes out of the wall and sits on the pantry table1 and eats his fill4 8,no cold gardens to be searched for food4 ,no frozen fields to be dug over for roots and corn stalks40 ,the ,country ,mouse looks disdainfully about the hole4 ,then he goes on speaking4 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,the ,town ,mouse invited me to come and visit him this evening60 ,the ,younger ,mice3 8,oh60 ,the ,father1 shaking his head1 doubtfully3 8,don't go1 my boy4 ,there is a wild animal who lives in town houses4 ,she has eyes as large as saucers4 ,she wears cushions on her feet that no one may hear her when she walks4 ,she has sharp claws and sharper teeth4 ,she can see in the dark40 ,the ,mother3 8,it is the ,cat6 ,don't go to town1 my son4 ,the ,cat eats mice60 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,i am not afraid of the ,cat4 ,i am tired of this dull life in the country4 ,i want to see sights1 and taste the good things that are to be found in pantries4 ,i am going1 to-night1 to visit the ,town ,mouse60 ,the ,father1 ,mother1 and all the younger ,mice try to hold the ,country ,mouse1 but he gets away from them4 ,he runs away through the back of the mouse hole4 ,,the ,,second ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,story ,place3 ,a pantry4 ,the ,town ,mouse sits on the edge of the table1 eating1 but nervously1 and looking all about him as he nibbles4 ,under one of the shelves1 and behind the ,town ,mouse1 so that he is not able to see her1 sits the ,cat4 ,time3 ,midnight of the same evening4 ,the ,cat plays that she is asleep1 but she is really watching the ,town ,mouse4 ,suddenly she sneezes4 ,the ,town ,mouse1 dropping a large piece of cheese1 which he has been eating1 and looking around in a frightened way3 8,oh1 my ears and whiskers6 ,is that a sneeze which ,i hear80 ,he trembles and shakes violently4 ,he sees no one1 though1 so he picks up the cheese in one paw and a slice of bread in the other4 ,as he nibbles1 he talks to himself4 ,the ,town ,mouse3 8,i am tired of this life in town4 ,late suppers1 and rich food to disturb one's digestion2 traps1 traps everywhere--wooden traps1 and wire traps1 round traps1 and square traps2 traps with doors1 and traps with windows--and always a ,cat hiding in a corner4 ,she may be in the room now for all ,i know4 8,to-day ,i took a walk in the country and ,i met a little farmer mouse in a red necktie4 ,he thought he would like to live in town4 8,ough60 the ,town ,mouse shivers1 8,i wish ,i were safe in the country1 now60 ,there is a little noise at the back of the pantry1 and the ,country ,mouse enters in great glee1 looking about at all the food4 ,the ,cat sees the ,country ,mouse1 and she creeps1 softly1 a little farther under the shelf1 keeping watch of him all the time4 ,the ,town ,mouse1 jumping down from the table1 and motioning with one paw for the ,country ,mouse to make less noise3 8,oh1 why did you come8 ,it isn't safe here4 ,you should have stayed in the country40 ,the ,country ,mouse1 paying no attention to the ,town ,mouse1 but running nimbly around the table and tasting all the different things4 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,cheese1 and bread1 and cake1 and pie--and jam60 ,he puts his paw down in a jam pot1 and eats a little jam4 ,then he crosses to the ,town ,mouse and pats him on his back4 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,a thousand thanks1 my fine fellow4 ,this pantry of yours is a palace1 and you are the prince4 ,no quiet1 country life for me4 ,here will we live and eat our fill--0 ,he stops suddenly1 as the ,cat once more sneezes4 ,the ,town ,mouse1 wringing his paws1 and whispering in great fright3 8,i heard it a moment or so ago4 ,i'll wager ,i heard it2 and now ,i hear it again4 ,some one sneezed40 ,the ,country ,mouse1 glancing about1 but seeing no one3 8,who sneezed80 ,the ,town ,mouse3 8,the ,cat40 ,the ,country ,mouse3 8,where is the ,cat80 ,the ,town ,mouse3 8,the ,cat is everywhere4 ,she isn't in the room1 now1 but she may be on her way4 ,hours and hours she sits at the door of my hole so ,i can't come out in the evening4 ,then she chases me when ,i try to snatch a bite of supper1 and she follows me--follows1 wherever ,i go40 ,the ,country ,mouse1 in a frightened voice3 8,are her eyes as large as saucers8 ,does she wear cushions on her feet that no one may hear her when she walks8 ,has she sharp claws1 and sharper teeth8 ,can she see in the dark8 ,does she eat--mice80 ,the ,cat suddenly springs from her corner4 ,there is a great scamper1 in which the mice make their escape1 but the ,country ,mouse leaves his long tail in the ,cat's paws4 ,dramatic form arranged by ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,dramatic ,,qualities ,,jack ,,and ,,the ,,beanstalk ,old ,fairy ,tale ,,little ,,red ,,riding ,,hood ,old ,fairy ,tale ,,bre',r ,,rabbit ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,tar ,,baby ,joel ,chandler ,harris1 in ,nights with ,uncle ,remus ,,the ,,lark ,,and ,,her ,,young ,,ones sop's ,fables ,,the ,,lion ,,and ,,the ,,mouse sop's ,fables ,,hansel ,,and ,,gretel ,old ,fairy ,tale ,,the ,,proud ,,chicken ,chinese ,fable1 in ,the ,talking ,beasts ,,chapter ,,ix ,,story ,,telling ,,an ,,aid ,,to ,,verbal ,,expression ,nearly all children find fluent speech as readily as birds find song and flowers find perfume4 ,occasionally1 there is a 8different0 child1 though1 who through shyness1 slow motor reaction or a retarded brain development has difficulty in using words as a medium of expressing himself4 ,there is always the problem1 too1 of the foreign-born child4 ,we find him a patient1 tongue-tied little scrap of humanity clad in the garb of ,italy or ,russia or ,germany clinging to his mother's skirts when the big vessel docks and as dazed as she is at the babel of strange speech that deafens1 stuns him4 ,then we see him in school and his linguistic problem becomes more complicated4 ,he is put into a class where the ordinarily complex matters of reading1 writing1 and ciphering are made increasingly more complex because they are presented to him in a foreign language4 ,the school curriculum leaves small space in the day for teaching a child to talk4 ,tony1 discouraged1 baffled1 puzzled1 drifts farther and farther into his great silence and is dubbed a dunce1 because he doesn't know what his teacher is talking about4 ,what shall we do with ,tony who forms a big unit in our ever increasing foreign population8 ,how shall we quickest help him and every child to that ready expression through speech that means power1 efficiency1 self-control in later years8 ,there was my own1 special ,tony--a quaint little man of five in yellow breeches1 a green shirt and a fur cap1 which latter he persisted in wearing during his entire school day for fear that some one might steal it4 ,tony was1 8out of ,naples40 ,his melting brown eyes danced with delight at a bit of crimson paper1 a gold orange produced as a model for the painting lesson1 a red rose that meant a sense game4 ,but ,tony's warm1 red lips remained persistently closed4 ,days melted into weeks and then were months and still ,tony was dumb4 ,ideas he had4 ,words he had not1 although ,i had tried daily to teach him to say1 good morning1 good-by1 ball1 clay1 blocks and like words4 ,one day ,tony electrified me1 though4 ,he was always an attentive1 close listener during my story hour that ended the morning4 ,because the children were1 in the majority1 foreign1 ,i selected short1 repetitional stories for telling4 ,the children were fascinated with the quaint old folk tale of 8,the ,teeny ,tiny ,lady40 ,as ,i told it1 they had formed a habit of joining me when ,i reached a familiar phrase4 8,tell the ,teeny ,tiny ,lady10 they begged again and as ,i finished the story1 ,tony's eyes danced1 his lips parted-- 8,once upon a time there was a lady1 who lived in a house in a village10 he began in clear1 pure ,english4 ,with a little help he almost retold the story4 ,it was amazing1 but through the inspiration of the other children's enthusiastic story interest1 the many repetitions of the story and its simple1 cumulative structure ,tony had learned nearly a hundred words4 ,he talked after that1 and he told us stories4 ,the story had unloosed his tongue4 ,stories help children to verbal expression4 ,in the case of a foreign child who must be taught ,english1 or the ,american-born child who is shy and so lacking in the power of expressing himself through words1 we will use the old folk tale that repeats its words and phrasing with happy familiarity and so teaches speech4 ,it will not be necessary to make the child or group of children feel that the story is being used as a lesson in ,english4 ,just select the right story4 ,tell it over and over again1 as long as the children are interested in it--and you will find that their interest will exhaust yours4 ,and encourage the children to tell the story with you4 ,this method spells success in using the story to increase a child's vocabulary4 ,certain stories stimulate the child to repeat certain jingles or phrases with the story teller4 ,this explains their popularity and adds to their value4 ,the good old cumulative story of the 8,cat and the ,mouse0 is built around a nonsense ditty3 8,first she leaped1 and then she ran1 ',till she came to the cow and thus began40 ,after a child learns and repeats this verse he begins to add to it the sentences of the story that precede and follow it4 ,when the foreign child is able to tell the last paragraph of the story3-- 8,so the good baker gave the mouse some bread2 the mouse gave the bread to the butcher who gave him some meat2 the mouse gave the meat to the farmer who gave him an armful of hay2 the mouse gave the hay to the cow and the cow gave the mouse a saucer of milk for the cat4 ,then the cat drank the milk and gave the mouse his little long tail4 ,and they went on playing in the malt house40 --he has acquired a good working vocabulary of ,english4 ,so there are a score of similar repetitional stories that help a child to learn ready speech4 ,the ,greedy ,cat repeats the tale of his prowess3 8,i have eaten my friend the mouse4 ,i have eaten an old woman1 and a man and a donkey1 and the ,king and all his elephants4 ,what is to hinder my eating you1 too80 ,chicken ,little bewails to every one she meets3 8,the sky is falling40 ,and in answer to the query 8,how do you know80 she assures her questioner3 8,i saw it with my eyes1 ,i heard it with my ears1 and a bit of it fell upon my tail40 ,in ,maud ,lindsay's story of 8,the ,little ,gray ,pony0 there is a delightfully interpolated jingle that repeats itself and adds to itself in such fascinating fashion that children cannot resist saying with the story teller3 8,storekeeper6 ,storekeeper6 ,i've come to you2 ,my little gray pony has lost his shoe6 ,and ,i want some coal the iron to heat1 ,that the blacksmith may shoe my pony's feet40 and its answer3 8,now1 ,i have apples and candy to sell1 ,and more nice things than ,i can tell2 ,but ,i've no coal the iron to heat1 ,that the blacksmith may shoe your pony's feet40 ,ever popular ,little ,half ,chick with his happy-go-lucky1 daring journey to ,madrid compels children to tell his story as he 8hoppity kicks0 through his adventures4 ,the ,three ,pigs with their three ever interesting fates help a child to do his own story telling4 ,there is an exhaustless fund of folk lore to draw upon that has few words in its story construction1 frequent and happy repetitions of those words1 and inspiration for a child to make those words a part of his own vocabulary4 ,these bits of repeated phrasing in a story1 scraps of incorporated lyrics and jingles and built-up cumulative paragraphs are like the beads that help to make the child's necklace4 ,on them he strings the thread of the story narrative1 making it so thoroughly a part of his mental life that he is able to give it out again in the remembered words of the story4 ,long after the loved1 8huffing and puffing0 of the wolf in the story of the 8,three ,little ,pigs0 has become only a memory1 a child uses the words1 furze1 blazing1 scramble1 fortune--and a hundred other words that came to him in this happy story connection and so into his every-day conversation4 ,the older child who has passed the nursery tale and folk lore turnstile in his story road finds help to a greater power in verbal expression by means of the beautifully written story1 told in its original pure phrasing by the story teller and enriching him because of its wonderful ,english4 ,a truly well-wrought story suffers often at the hands of the story teller4 ,it isn't necessary in telling such a story to bring it down to the plane of the children's intelligence2 rather we will bring the children up to its heights of beautiful imagery and mellow phrasing4 ,in telling ,henry ,ward ,beecher's story of 8,the ,anxious ,leaf10 in 8,norwood10 the story should be memorized by the story teller4 ,no word of its vivid picturing should be lost4 ,it is a short story so this method of preparing it for telling will not be irksome4 ,a little girl six years old who had been told this story several times was out walking one fall with her mother4 ,she picked up a dead leaf1 from the ground1 and holding it tenderly in her hand1 she repeated softly3 8,then the little leaf began to want to go and it grew very beautiful in thinking about it4 8,and a little puff of wind came and tossed it like a spark of fire in the air and it fell gently down under the edge of the fence among hundreds of other leaves2 and it fell into a dream and never waked up to tell what it dreamed about--0 ,this child's vocabulary had been deeply enriched by a story4 ,in ,laura ,richards' stories we find pure ,english that will help children4 ,in ,rudyard ,kipling's 8,jungle ,stories0 and the 8,just ,so ,stories0 there is virile wording that every child needs4 ,dean ,hodges' 8,bible ,stories0 preserve for children the line phrasing of the ,hebrews as almost no other ,bible story teller has succeeded in doing4 ,hans ,christian ,andersen's best translators have kept for us his matchless word painting4 ,such stories as these teach a child purer use of ,english4 ,eugene ,field's few child stories2 8,the ,legend of ,claus10 8,the ,mouse and the ,moonbeam10 8,the ,maple ,leaf and the ,violet0 sing in their classic wording4 ,no child can hear them without having his vocabulary enriched4 ,it is quite possible to accomplish a great deal through story telling1 not only in teaching ,english to the child who is foreign born or dormant mentally1 but in giving the average child new and more colorful examples of word painting than he has heard before4 ,the steps in story telling for verbal expression in children are3 ,selection4 ,the story must be worth while telling from the point of view of its phrasing4 ,in the case of the child who really needs to be taught to talk1 short1 rhymed or cumulative tales are useful4 ,with older children we will select those beautiful examples of classic story telling that should form part of a child's mental life and so help him to express himself in pure diction4 ,presentation4 ,these stories that are selected by the story teller as being particularly adapted to ,english teaching should be most carefully prepared and presented happily1 compellingly1 and in their exact1 original form with almost no variation in subsequent telling so that they may present good models to the children4 ,repetition4 ,a story selected for its ,english value should have frequent repetitions that the children may become very familiar with it and gain the power to repeat it themselves1 or at least learn certain parts of it1 not as a task but naturally1 inspirationally4 ,,stories ,,that ,,help ,a ,,child ,,to ,,verbal ,,expression ,,the ,,woodpecker ,,who ,,was ,,selfish ,there was once a little ,lady ,woodpecker--such a trim1 tidy little ,lady ,woodpecker--who wore always a natty red bonnet1 and a white apron and who lived in a hole in a big ,pine ,tree4 ,her house was cozy and comfortable1 all lined with moss and wool1 and protected by a little brown bark door so that it was cool in the summer time and warm when the winter winds blew4 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker was a selfish bird and she never1 never asked any other birds to come and visit with her in her house in the ,pine ,tree4 ,in the next tree to the little ,lady ,woodpecker lived a ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,his nest was loosely built and untidy and it rested insecurely in a fork of a tree so that the wind blew it this way and that way4 ,this was because all sparrows are poor nest builders and it was not the ,fluffy ,sparrow's fault at all4 ,one day there was an unusually heavy storm and down from the tree blew the nest4 ,so the ,sparrow had now no home4 ,then the ,fluffy ,sparrow flew and hopped and twittered beside the little brown bark door above the little ,lady ,woodpecker and said3 8,oh1 little ,lady ,woodpecker with the red bonnet1 have pity on me and take me into your house1 for the rain falls and ,i am very1 very cold40 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker tapped with her bill on the wall of her house and answered3 8,i can't let you in to-day1 ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,i am cooking juniper berries for a batch of pies4 ,come again some other time and perhaps ,i will let you in40 ,so the ,fluffy ,sparrow hopped away and the rain made him very1 very cold4 ,the next day the ,fluffy ,sparrow flew and hopped and twittered again beside the little brown bark door of the little ,lady ,woodpecker and said3 8,oh1 little ,lady ,woodpecker with the red bonnet1 have pity on me and take me into your house1 for the cold and cruel wind blows and it ruffles my feathers40 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker tapped again with her bill on the wall of her house and answered3 8,i can't let you in to-day1 ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,i am washing the pot in which ,i cooked a batch of juniper berries for a batch of pies4 ,come again some other time and perhaps ,i will let you in40 ,so the ,fluffy ,sparrow hopped away and the cold and cruel wind ruffled his feathers4 ,the day after that the ,fluffy ,sparrow flew and hopped and twittered again beside the little brown bark door of the little ,lady ,woodpecker and said3 8,oh1 little ,lady ,woodpecker1 have pity on me and take me into your house1 for the biting frost nips my feet40 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker tapped again with her bill on the wall of her house and answered3 8,i can't let you in to-day1 ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,i am making the crust for my batch of juniper berry pies4 ,come again some other time and perhaps ,i will let you in40 ,so the ,fluffy ,sparrow hopped away and the biting frost nipped his feet4 ,but the fourth day the ,fluffy ,sparrow flew and hopped and twittered once again beside the little brown bark door of the little ,lady ,woodpecker and said3 8,oh1 little ,lady ,woodpecker with the little red bonnet1 have pity on me and take me into your house1 for the snow blinds me40 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker tapped very hard with her bill on the wall of her house and answered3 8,i can't let you in to-day1 ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,i am cleaning my floor before ,i sit down1 all by myself1 to eat my juniper berry pies40 ,so the blinding frost blinded the ,fluffy ,sparrow's eyes4 ,then the last day of all the ,fluffy ,sparrow flew and hopped and twittered beside the little brown bark door of the little ,lady ,woodpecker and he said3 8,oh1 little ,lady ,woodpecker with the little red bonnet1 please have pity on me and take me into your house1 for ,i do not like the rain and the wind and the frost and the snow40 ,but the little ,lady ,woodpecker did not answer the ,fluffy ,sparrow4 ,and the ,fluffy ,sparrow lifted one claw and poked open the little bark door and he saw that no one was inside4 ,the little ,lady ,woodpecker was away buying a key with which to lock her door while she ate her batch of juniper berry pies4 ,so the ,fluffy ,sparrow went inside the house in the tree that was so cozy and comfortable because it was lined with moss and wool4 ,there he was sheltered from the rain and the wind and the frost and the snow4 ,he ate up all the batch of juniper berry pies4 ,when the little ,lady ,woodpecker came home the ,fluffy ,sparrow was living in her house and she had to find herself a new one because she had been such a selfish bird4 ,an ,indian ,folk ,tale4 ,,the ,,little ,,rabbit ,,who ,,wanted ,,red ,,wings ,once upon a time there was a little ,white ,rabbit with two beautiful long pink ears and two bright red eyes and four soft little feet--such a pretty little ,white ,rabbit1 but he wasn't happy4 ,just think1 this little ,white ,rabbit wanted to be somebody else instead of the nice little rabbit that he was4 ,when ,mr4 ,bushy ,tail1 the gray squirrel1 went by1 the little ,white ,rabbit would say to his ,mammy3 8,oh1 ,mammy1 ,i wish ,i had a long gray tail like ,mr4 ,bushy ,tail's40 ,and when ,mr4 ,porcupine went by1 the little ,white ,rabbit would say to his ,mammy3 8,oh1 ,mammy1 ,i wish ,i had a back full of bristles like ,mr4 ,porcupine's40 ,and when ,miss ,puddle-,duck went by in her two little red rubbers1 the little ,white ,rabbit would say3 8,oh1 ,mammy1 ,i wish ,i had a pair of red rubbers like ,miss ,puddle-,duck's40 ,so he went on and on wishing until his ,mammy was clean tired out with his wishing and ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog heard him one day4 ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog is very wise indeed1 so he said to the little ,white ,rabbit3 8,why don't you-all go down to ,wishing ,pond1 and if you look in the water at yourself and turn around three times in a circle1 you-all will get your wish40 ,so the little ,white ,rabbit trotted off1 all alone by himself through the woods until he came to a little pool of green water lying in a low tree stump1 and that was the ,wishing ,pond4 ,there was a little1 little bird1 all red1 sitting on the edge of the ,wishing ,pond to get a drink1 and as soon as the little ,white ,rabbit saw him he began to wish again3 8,oh1 ,i wish ,i had a pair of little red wings60 he said4 ,just then he looked in the ,wishing ,pond and he saw his little white face4 ,then he turned around three times and something happened4 ,he began to have a queer feeling in his shoulders1 like he felt in his mouth when he was cutting his teeth4 ,it was his wings coming through4 ,so he sat all day in the woods by the ,wishing ,pond waiting for them to grow1 and1 by and by1 when it was almost sundown1 he started home to see his ,mammy and show her1 because he had a beautiful pair of long1 trailing red wings4 ,but by the time he reached home it was getting dark1 and when he went in the hole at the foot of a big tree where he lived1 his ,mammy didn't know him4 ,no1 she really and truly did not know him1 because1 you see1 she had never seen a rabbit with red wings in all her life4 ,and so the little ,white ,rabbit had to go out again1 because his ,mammy wouldn't let him get into his own bed4 ,he had to go out and look for some place to sleep all night4 ,he went and went until he came to ,mr4 ,bushy ,tail's house1 and he rapped on the door and said3 8,please1 kind ,mr4 ,bushy ,tail1 may ,i sleep in your house all night80 ,but ,mr4 ,bushy ,tail opened his door a crack and then he slammed it tight shut again4 ,you see he had never seen a rabbit with red wings in all his life4 ,so the little ,white ,rabbit went and went until he came to ,miss ,puddle-,duck's nest down by the marsh and he said3 8,please1 kind ,miss ,puddle-,duck1 may ,i sleep in your nest all night80 ,but ,miss ,puddle-,duck poked her head up out of her nest just a little way and then she shut her eyes and stretched her wings out so far that she covered her whole nest4 ,you see she had never seen a rabbit with red wings in all her life4 ,so the little ,white ,rabbit went and went until he came to ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog's hole and ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog let him sleep with him all night1 but the hole had beech nuts spread all over it4 ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog liked to sleep on them1 but they hurt the little ,white ,rabbit's feet and made him very uncomfortable before morning4 ,when it came morning1 the little ,white ,rabbit decided to try his wings and fly a little1 so he climbed up on a hill and spread his wings and sailed off1 but he landed in a low bush all full of prickles1 and his four feet got mixed up with the twigs so he couldn't get down4 8,mammy1 ,mammy1 ,mammy1 come and help me60 he called4 ,his ,mammy didn't hear him1 but ,old ,mr4 ,ground ,hog did1 and he came and helped the little ,white ,rabbit out of the prickly bush4 8,don't you-all want your red wings80 ,mr4 ,ground ,hog asked4 8,no1 no60 said the little ,white ,rabbit4 8,well10 said the ,old ,ground ,hog1 8why don't you-all go down to the ,wishing ,pond and wish them off again80 ,so the little ,white ,rabbit went down to the ,wishing ,pond and he saw his face in it4 ,then he turned around three times1 and1 sure enough1 his red wings were gone4 ,then he went home to his ,mammy1 who knew him right away and was so glad to see him and he never1 never wished to be something different from what he really was again4 ,southern ,folk ,tale4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,their ,,stimulus ,,to ,,verbal ,,expression ,,in ,,children ,,the ,,cat ,,and ,,the ,,mouse ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,gray ,,pony ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,boy ,,who ,,found ,,his ,,fortune ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,ibbity ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,cat1 ,,the ,,cock ,,and ,,the ,,fox ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin1 in ,tales of ,laughter ,,tom ,,tit ,,tot ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin1 in ,tales of ,laughter ,,the ,,little ,,pink ,,rose ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,the ,,little ,,traveler ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,tom1 ,,the ,,water ,,baby ,charles ,kingsley1 adapted in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,chapter ,x ,,stimulating ,,the ,,emotions ,,by ,,means ,,of ,a ,,story ,a group of school children recently started quarreling in the school yard during the morning recess time4 ,the storm center was two small boys who had fallen out over a game of marbles4 ,the entire class took sides2 for ,edgar and against ,edgar1 for ,lawrence and against ,lawrence and proceeded to wage individual warfare like a miniature army4 ,even the ringing of the school bell failed to stop the quarrel4 ,the children took their seats unwillingly and with sour faces carrying the feud with them into the classroom4 ,the teacher was a wise young person who believed in attacking the matter of discipline along the lines of least resistance4 ,she saw immediately that a general feeling of anger possessed the children2 no one child could be blamed4 ,so she set about creating an opposite1 general feeling as quickly as possible4 ,setting aside other work for ten minutes she announced a story4 ,instantly1 the tension was loosened4 ,by the time she had finished ,grimm's story of 8,the ,pot and the ,kettle10 in which1 as a climax1 neither is able to taunt the other with being black1 the children's anger was gone1 peace was restored1 and the children were smiling4 ,an emotional crisis had been successfully met by means of a story4 ,our emotions1 that is1 our feelings of anger1 joy1 sorrow1 hatred1 jealousy1 and love are older than we are4 ,they may almost be classed as instinctive1 for they manifest themselves so early4 ,the baby gives examples of emotional explosions in his first month4 ,these feelings have their rise in mental conditions over which we have no control2 they are not dependent upon sensory stimuli2 they are isolated1 incoherent4 ,they take hold of the personality of the subject in a hypnotic fashion1 for the period of the feeling's mastery we are anger1 love1 sorrow1 or whatever emotion enthralls us4 ,the psychologists classify and subdivide the emotions into many divisions but the story teller is most concerned with making one elastic1 wide classification of a child's emotions2 those that are concerned with bodily expression4 ,a child is happy1 he laughs2 he is sad and he cries2 he is angry1 he fights2 he is afraid1 and he gives active evidence of cowardice4 ,because1 during the time of his obsession by one of these emotions1 a child is so completely mastered by his feelings1 we discover that we can create for him by story suggestion a similar mental state4 ,the story which a child feels is going to be a force in his emotional development4 ,i came across one of my own1 old ,mother ,goose books not long ago with the leaves that held the story of the 8,babes in the ,wood0 pinned securely together4 ,it told me as nothing else could have done the emotion caused in a child's mind by this gruesome tale4 ,i was afraid when ,i read the story4 ,i felt all the terror experienced by the ,babes in the ,wood4 ,my fear emotion was so unpleasant that ,i had pinned the story out of my sight4 ,i wanted to feel some other emotion4 ,other children have similar emotions4 ,we will study stories1 then1 asking ourselves3 ,what emotion does this story stimulate8 ,by its unpleasant situations and images1 does it inspire fear in a child8 ,does it make a child happy because of its bubbling good humor8 ,does it create child sympathy1 courage1 grief1 anger1 malice1 charity1 temperance8 ,each one of these states of feeling is characterized by bodily expression and we can almost mold character1 and influence a child's future life activity by means of the stories which we tell him4 ,sometimes our sole object in this story emotion work will be to create an atmosphere of good humor and happiness in our children4 ,not by any means to be despised is the ability to make a child laugh4 ,the power to feel humor in childhood means the power to take life not too seriously in adult life and the story that simply amuses and entertains has an important place in the story hour4 ,in this class of happiness-making stories are3 8,bre'r ,rabbit and the ,little ,tar ,baby10 8,johnny ,cake10 8,epaminondos and ,his ,aunty10 8,the ,mouse and the ,sausage10 8,the ,greedy ,cat10 8,lambikin10 8,chicken ,little10 8,the ,cat and the ,mouse0 and a score more of sheer nonsense stories whose very improbability makes them tickle a child's sense of humor and gives him the opportunity to express his feelings in laughter4 ,so many more stories than we realize put children into a state of fear4 ,oldest of all our emotions1 since we share it alike with animals1 fear peculiarly takes hold of a child during the early years when he is most interested in stories4 ,the story situation that seems quite plausible to us and not in the least terrorizing1 haunts a child at night1 peers from shadowy corners at him in the daytime and makes of him1 unwittingly1 a little coward4 ,the troll with only one eye1 the giant who cracks human bones1 the witch who exercises horrible spells should all be buried in some tomb of forgetfulness4 ,stories having such themes do nothing toward creating worthwhile emotions in the child's mind4 ,while their very improbability makes them plausible for us1 they are1 on the other hand1 very real to children and should be avoided4 ,but we can make children self reliant and brave by giving them feelings of courage through listening to courage stories4 ,the child who hears the stories of 8,cedric1 the ,little ,hero of ,harlem10 8,the ,story of a ,short ,life10 8,david and ,goliath10 8,jean ,d',arc10 8,tiny ,tim10 8,jenny ,wren10 is made one with each child hero1 feels with them1 dares with them1 acts with them4 ,each emotion that will prevail over and influence human action in adult life may be appealed to in childhood through stories4 ,the child who is greedy and selfish is led into a better state of feeling when he hears the story of 8,the ,king of the ,golden ,river40 ,always greed and avarice will be associated in his mind with the tragic end of the brothers1 and the ,happy ,valley1 full of plenty1 and enjoyed by ,gluck1 will symbolize for him the reward of unselfishness4 ,the child who is proud will feel the opposite emotion1 humbleness1 when he hears ,oscar ,wilde's wonderful parable of 8,the ,star-,child40 ,as children follow the wanderings of the ,star-,child1 his beauty gone1 his mother lost to him because of his pride and1 with him1 find the successful end of the journey1 they lose their own pride of heart with their story hero4 8,and the gate of the palace opened1 and the priests and the high officers of the city ran forth to meet him1 and they abased themselves before him1 and said1 #8,thou art our lord for whom we have been waiting1 and the son of our ,king4' 8,and the ,star-,child answered them and said1 #8,i am no king's son1 but the child of a poor beggar-woman4 ,and how say ye that ,i am beautiful1 for ,i know that ,i am evil to look at4' 8,then he1 whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers1 and on whose helmet couched a lion that had wings1 held up a shield1 and cried1 #8,how saith my lord that he is not beautiful8' 8,and the ,star-,child looked1 and lo6 his face was even as it had been1 and his comeliness had come back to him1 and he saw that in his eyes which he had not seen there before4 8,and the priests and the high officers knelt down and said to him1 #8,it was prophesied of old that on this day should come he who was to rule over us4 ,therefore1 let our lord take this crown and this sceptre1 and be in his justice and mercy our ,king over us4' 8,but he said to them1 #8,i am not worthy1 for ,i have denied the mother who bare me1 nor may ,i rest till ,i have found her1 and known her forgiveness4 ,therefore1 let me go1 for ,i must wander again over the world1 and may not tarry here1 though ye bring me the crown and the sceptre4' ,and as he spake he turned his face from them towards the street that led to the gate of the city1 and lo6 amongst the crowd that pressed round the soldiers1 he saw the beggar-woman who was his mother1 and at her side stood the leper1 who had sat by the road4 8,and a cry of joy broke from his lips1 and he ran over1 and kneeling down he kissed the wounds on his mother's feet1 and wet them with his tears4 ,he bowed his head in the dust1 and sobbing1 as one whose heart might break1 he said to her3 #8,mother1 ,i denied thee in the hour of my pride4 ,accept me in the hour of my humility4 ,mother1 ,i gave thee hatred4 ,do thou give me love4 ,mother1 ,i rejected thee4 ,receive thy child now4' ,but the beggar-woman answered him not a word4 8,and he reached out his hands1 and clasped the white feet of the leper1 and said to him3 #8,thrice did ,i give thee of my mercy4 ,bid my mother speak to me once4' ,but the leper answered him not a word4 8,and he sobbed again1 and said3 #8,mother1 my suffering is greater than ,i can bear4 ,give me thy forgiveness1 and let me go back to the forest4' ,and the beggar-woman put her hand on his head1 and said to him3 #8,rise1' and the leper put his hand on his head1 and said to him #8,rise1' also4 8,and he rose up from his feet1 and looked at them1 and lo6 they were a ,king and a ,queen4 8,and the ,queen said to him1 #8,this is thy father whom thou hast succored4' 8,and the ,king said1 #8,this is thy mother whose feet thou hast washed with thy tears4' 8,and they fell on his neck and kissed him1 and brought him into the palace1 and clothed him in fair raiment1 and set the crown upon his head1 and the sceptre in his hand1 and over the city that stood by the river he ruled1 and was its lord4 ,much justice and mercy did he show to all1 and the evil ,magician he banished1 and to the ,woodcutter and his wife he sent many rich gifts1 and to their children he gave high honour4 ,nor would he suffer any to be cruel to bird or beast1 but taught love and loving-kindness and charity1 and to the poor he gave bread1 and to the naked he gave raiment1 and there was peace and plenty in the land40 ,what more effective emotional stimulus could be found than this8 ,the children whom we wish to feel pity should hear ,andersen's 8,ugly ,duckling02 ,oscar ,wilde's1 8,the ,birthday of the ,infanta02 ,daudet's1 8,the ,last ,lesson02 8,the ,house in the ,wood0 and 8,the ,star ,dollars0 by ,grimm and many other sympathy stories that only wait for our timely rendering4 ,in telling a story1 having in mind its emotional effect upon a child's mental life1 we will need to use the greatest delicacy of discrimination in order to create just the story effect which we wish4 ,we will not tell such stories so often as to cause them to lose their magic spell4 ,we will appeal to but one emotion at a time through the story medium4 ,we will make an appeal most strongly to those emotions that have bodily expression in a child's daily speech and acts4 ,we will remember that a child is so quick to smiles1 so quick to tears that the pleasanter feelings should be the aim of our telling of emotion stories rather than the unpleasant ones4 ,some of us may class ,miss ,mulock's story of 8,the ,little ,lame ,prince0 as just a purely imaginative one2 others of us are appealed to by its dramatic qualities4 ,but1 after all1 the story has survived the test of years because of its big emotional appeal4 ,it stands for pity1 sympathy1 courage1 nearly all the emotions which we wish to strengthen in children4 ,,the ,,little ,,lame ,,prince ,yes1 he was the most beautiful ,prince that ever was born4 ,everybody was exceedingly proud of him1 especially his father and mother1 the ,king and ,queen of ,nomansland4 ,the only person who did not love the ,prince was the ,king's brother1 who would have been king one day if the royal baby had not come4 ,of course a little ,prince must be christened4 ,the day came at last1 as lovely as the ,prince himself1 and they carried the baby1 magnificent in his christening robe1 to the bedside of the ,queen1 his mother4 ,she admired him very much4 ,she kissed and blessed him1 and then she gave him up with a gentle smile1 and turned peacefully over in her bed1 saying nothing more to anybody4 ,it was a wonderful christening procession3 dukes and duchesses1 princes and princesses1 heralds1 and ladies in waiting were in line4 ,every one was so busy shouting out the little ,prince's four and twenty names that they never noticed the accident4 ,it was the ,prince's state nurse maid1 an elegant young lady of rank1 who let him fall just at the foot of the marble staircase4 ,she had been so busy arranging her train--that was the reason she dropped him--but she contrived to pick him up again the next minute before any one saw4 ,the baby had turned very pale under the heap of lace and muslin1 and he had moaned a little1 but that was all4 ,there were pages in crimson and gold1 troops of little girls in dazzling white with baskets of flowers1 the ,king and his train on one side--as pretty a sight as ever was seen out of fairyland4 8,the only thing the baby wants is a fairy godmother10 said one of the children4 8,does he80 said a shrill1 but soft voice behind4 ,she was no bigger than a child1 and certainly had not been invited to the christening4 ,she was a little old woman dressed all in gray2 gray gown1 gray hooded cloak of a material tinted like the gray of an evening sky1 gray hair1 and her eyes were gray also4 ,even her face had a soft gray shadow over it1 but she was not unpleasantly old1 and her smile was as sweet and childlike as the ,prince's own4 8,take care10 she said4 8,don't let the baby fall again60 ,the grand lady nurse started4 8,who spoke8 ,his ,royal ,highness is just going to sleep10 she said4 8,nevertheless ,i must kiss him10 said the little old woman4 8,i am his godmother40 ,and she stretched herself up on tiptoe1 and gave the little ,prince three kisses4 8,an insult to ,his ,royal ,highness10 said the nurse4 8,his ,majesty shall hear of this10 said a lord-in-waiting4 ,but just then the little gray woman faded away like air1 and the great bell of the palace--the bell which was only heard on the death of some member of the ,royal family--began to toll--one--two--three--nine and twenty--just the ,queen's age6 ,so when the little ,prince was carried back to his mother's room1 there was no mother to kiss him4 ,she had turned her face to the window whence one could just see the ,beautiful ,mountains where she was born4 ,so gazing1 she had quietly died4 ,everybody was very kind to the poor little ,prince1 but1 somehow1 after his mother died1 things seemed to go wrong with him4 ,from a beautiful baby he became sickly and pale1 and his legs1 which had been so fat and strong1 withered and shrank4 ,when he tried to stand he only tumbled down4 ,a prince1 and not able to walk6 ,people began to say what a misfortune it was to the country4 ,rather a misfortune to him1 also1 poor little lad1 but he still had the old sweet look in his little face1 and his body grew if his legs did not4 ,his ,majesty1 the ,king1 took very little notice of his son1 and one day he died1 too1 and they made the ,crown ,prince1 ,regent1 in his stead1 and then things went much worse with the little ,prince4 ,perhaps the ,prince ,regent did not mean to do wrong4 ,he told the country that the little ,prince would be better if he were sent for a while to the ,beautiful ,mountains4 ,so the poor little ,prince started1 with two whole regiments to guard him1 and then there came back word that he had gone on a much longer journey4 ,they said that he had died on the road1 so the country went into mourning1 and then forgot all about their little lame ,prince4 ,and the ,regent was proclaimed ,king4 ,what really became of the ,prince8 ,beyond the ,mountains there lay a barren tract of country1 with not a bush--not a tree4 ,in summer the sunshine fell upon it hour after hour1 and in winter the snow covered it steadily and noiselessly in one great sheet4 ,not a pleasant place to live--and no one did live there1 evidently4 ,the only human habitation for miles and miles was one large1 round stone tower1 circular1 with neither doors nor windows1 save some slits in the wall near the top4 ,and the top was a hundred feet from the plain4 ,one winter night1 when all the plain was white with moonlight1 there was seen crossing it a great black horse1 ridden by a man equally black1 and carrying before him on the saddle a woman and a child4 ,the woman had a sad1 fierce look1 and no wonder1 for she was a criminal under sentence of death1 but her sentence had been changed4 ,she was to live in the lonely tower with a child--only as long as he lived4 ,he was a little gentle boy1 with a sweet1 sleepy smile4 ,he had been tired with his long journey4 ,and he was very helpless1 with his poor1 small1 shrivelled legs1 which could neither stand nor run away--for the little boy was the ,prince4 ,when they reached the foot of the tower there was light enough to see a huge chain dangling from the top1 half way4 ,the man fitted together a ladder and mounted1 drawing up the ,prince and his nurse4 ,then he came down again and left them alone4 ,and there they stayed for years4 ,it was not an unhappy life for the little boy4 ,he had all sorts and kinds of beautiful toys1 and more picture books than he could look at4 ,he learned to crawl like a fly1 and to jump like a frog4 ,he played about from room to room--there were four2 parlor1 kitchen1 his nurse's room1 and his own--and as he grew older he would sit at the slits of windows and watch the sky1 and wonder about things--for his nurse never talked much4 8,i wish ,i had somebody to tell me all about the world10 he said to himself once1 8a real1 live person4 ,oh1 ,i want somebody dreadfully60 ,as he spoke1 there sounded behind him1 the tap-tap-tap of a cane1 and--what do you think he saw8 ,a little woman1 no larger than he1 with gray hair1 and a dress of gray1 and there was a gray shadow over her wherever she moved4 ,but she had the sweetest smile1 and the prettiest hands1 which she laid on his shoulders1 as she said3 8,my own little boy1 ,i couldn't come until you said you wanted me1 but here ,i am60 8,are you my mother80 asked the little ,prince4 ,he had always wondered what had become of his mother4 8,no1 only your godmother10 said the little woman1 8but ,i love you as much as your mother did1 and ,i want to help you all ,i can1 my poor little boy4 ,i am going to give you a present--a traveling cloak10 but just then in came the ,prince's nurse1 and his lovely old godmother melted away1 as a rainbow melts out of the sky4 ,he knew1 for he had watched one many a time4 ,and what of the traveling cloak8 ,i will tell you all about it4 ,it was the commonest-looking bundle imaginable--shabby and small4 ,it seemed no treasure at all2 only a circular1 green piece of cloth1 and quite worn and shabby4 ,it had a slit cut to the center1 forming a round hole for the neck1 and that was all its shape4 8,of what use will it be to me80 thought the little ,prince sadly4 8,i never go out4 ,she must be a rather funny person1 this dear old godmother of mine40 ,but he spread it out on the floor1 and sat down in the center for all the world like a frog on a water lily leaf4 ,the edges of the cloak began turning up--and--the cloak rose1 slowly and steadily1 and higher and higher until the little ,prince was obliged to open the skylight to let himself through4 ,there they were outside4 ,oh1 it was wonderful1 nothing but earth and sky for a while4 ,then came the patches of flowers that grew on the plain1 white saxifrage1 and yellow lotus1 and ground thistles4 ,next1 he saw a farm where cows and horses1 lambs and sheep fed in the meadows4 ,presently he heard a murmur in the distance1 like a gigantic hive of bees4 ,it was a great city which he was sailing over and the cloak stopped directly over a palace4 ,such a magnificent palace6 ,it had terraces and gardens1 battlements and towers4 ,its windows looked in all directions1 but mostly toward the ,beautiful ,mountains4 8,i wonder if there is a king in this palace10 thought the little ,prince4 ,just then the cloak settled down to the palace roof between some great stacks of chimneys as comfortably as if it were on the ground4 ,there were some broken tiles in the roof1 and the ,prince peered in4 ,it was the largest room he had ever seen1 and very grand4 ,there was the loveliest carpet ever woven on the floor1 a bed of flowers2 but the room was perfectly empty and silent4 ,in the center of a magnificent bed1 large enough to hold six people1 lay a small figure1 something like wax work1 fast asleep--very fast asleep4 ,there were some sparkling rings on the fingers and the nose was sharp and thin1 and a long gray beard lay over the breast4 ,two little flies buzzed about the curtains of the bed1 and made the only sound--for the ,king was dead4 ,then there came a great shouting from the city4 8,long live the ,king6 ,the ,king is dead--down with the ,king6 ,hurrah for the ,republic6 ,hurrah for no government at all60 8,oh1 dear godmother10 cried the little ,prince4 8,let me go back to the tower40 ,and he suddenly found himself in his own room alone and quiet--for the traveling cloak had taken him there2 after which it folded itself into the tiniest bundle1 and tied its own knots1 and rolled itself into the farthest and darkest corner4 ,the clock was striking ten1 and no nurse was to be seen4 ,the little lame ,prince crawled about from room to room on his weak little knees1 but all the four chambers were deserted4 8,nurse--dear nurse--please come back60 he cried4 8,come back and ,i will be the best boy in the land60 ,but she did not answer1 nor come4 ,in truth the poor woman had not been such a wicked woman after all4 ,as soon as she heard of the death of the ,king1 she determined to go to ,nomansland1 and set upon the throne its rightful heir4 ,she had persuaded the old black messenger to take her down from the tower1 and together they galloped like the wind from city to city spreading the news that the little lame ,prince was alive and well1 and the noblest young ,prince that ever was born4 ,it was a bold stroke1 but it succeeded4 8,hurrah for the ,prince6 ,let the little ,prince be our ,king10 came from end to end of the ,kingdom4 ,everybody tried to remember what a dear baby he once was1 and nobody at all spoke of his lameness4 ,they went with great rejoicing2 lords and gentlemen1 and soldiers traveling night and day to fetch the little lame ,prince4 ,they found him sitting on the floor--quite pale1 for he expected a far different end from this1 although he had decided to die1 if die he must1 courageously1 like a ,prince4 8,yes10 he said1 8,i am only a little boy1 but ,i will try to be your ,king4 ,i will do my best to make the people happy40 ,then there arose from inside and outside the tower1 such a shout as never yet was heard across the lonely plain4 ,so the little lame ,prince came to his own after all1 and every one says he was the best ,king that ever ruled ,nomansland4 ,his reign lasted for years and years1 and then he went away4 ,whither he went1 or who went with him1 it is impossible to say4 ,but ,i myself believe that his godmother took him on his traveling cloak to the ,beautiful ,mountains4 ,what he did there1 or where he is now1 who can tell8 ,i cannot4 ,but one thing ,i am quite sure of1 that1 wherever he is1 he is perfectly happy4 ,and so1 when ,i think of him1 am ,i4 ,adapted1 from ,miss ,mulock4 ,,stories ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,a ,,special ,,emotional ,,appeal ,,in ,,each ,,bre',r ,,rabbit ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,tar ,,baby 7,merriment7 ,joel ,chandler ,harris1 in ,nights with ,uncle ,remus ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,cedric 7,courage7 ,elizabeth ,harrison1 in ,in ,storyland ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,the ,,golden ,,river 7,unselfishness7 ,john ,ruskin1 adapted by ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,the ,,star ,,child 7,humility7 ,oscar ,wilde1 in ,the ,happy ,prince ,,the ,,ugly ,,duckling 7,pity7 ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,little ,,cosette 7,sympathy7 ,victor ,hugo1 in ,les ,misrables ,,epaminondas ,,and ,,his ,,aunty 7,glee7 ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,the ,,elves ,,and ,,the ,,shoemaker 7,industry7 ,grimm's ,tales ,,tiny ,,tim 7,love7 ,adapted from ,charles ,dickens1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,chapter ,,xi ,,imagination ,,and ,,the ,,fairy ,,story ,what is child imagination8 ,the ,puritans thought the imaginative person was a liar4 ,old ,salem said that such a vision as is conjured into reality by the imagination constituted witchcraft4 ,even to-day there are parents and teachers who believe that the child who has the power to pierce the veil of reality and see into a beyond is a dreamer who lacks stability of mind and practicality of purpose4 ,but the unexplainable power by means of which a human mind grasps a bundle of bare1 dry facts1 sorts them over speculatively and then pieces them together into a new1 luminous bit of mind stuff1 different from anything seen1 or heard or handled by that personality before--this is the miracle working of what we know as constructive imagination4 ,edison chaining electricity and perpetuating the human voice imaged these wonders before he realized them4 ,moissant saw air craft through the telescope of his mind before he built bird machines4 ,jane ,addams saw1 felt1 imaged herself alone1 poor and an outcast before she could successfully help her fellows4 ,in adult life1 the power to image the unreal1 the power to feel with another personality spells genius1 as well as imagination4 ,child imagination is a kaleidoscopic mind method of seeing1 and piecing1 and patching together ideas gathered by the senses1 and making of them a new concept4 ,no child ever saw a live fairy1 but any child will explain a fairy to you1 quite plausibly1 because he has formed his own fairy concept4 ,a being with hair like his favorite small girl friend1 and the stature of his little sister's doll1 having wings like the dragon fly he saw last summer and dressed in something colored and soft and rustling like his mother's dresses1 a person capable of doing all that the story books say she can do--this is a child's mind picture of a fairy4 ,no one of us ever saw ,heaven but all of us can describe it4 ,a place of this world's grass and flowers and music and familiar1 beloved personalities transplanted1 renewed1 translated--this is our manner of describing1 of seeing ,heaven4 ,the child's method of imaging a fairy and our method of imaging ,heaven are identical4 ,from known1 experienced1 familiar perceptions we make a new1 as yet unexperienced concept4 ,if we want a child to see ,heaven1 we must help him to see fairies4 ,success1 happiness1 efficiency1 belief--all these in adult life are dependent upon the proper stimulating of the child's constructive imagination4 ,a good fairy story is the best stimulus to child imagination4 ,not any fairy story1 selected with slight discrimination and told to a child just because it is a story of fancy1 however4 8,blue ,beard10 8,ali ,baba10 8,the ,cruel ,stepmother0 do little but cause child nightmares and give children ideas of cruelty1 vengeance and crime4 ,these concepts will present themselves to the child soon enough in the daily newspapers4 ,let us shut them out of the story hour4 ,in selecting a fairy story to tell to children1 we will first analyze it with exceeding care1 asking ourselves these questions in regard to it3 ,what constitutes the imaginative element of this story8 ,is its point of unreality an idea which we want to give permanence in the child's mind8 ,is the story told in a series of such familiar1 known images that there is material in it for stimulating the child's constructive imagination8 ,if a fanciful story survives these three tests1 we may be sure that it is perfect4 ,there is ,hans ,andersen's story of 8,the ,faithful ,tin ,soldier40 ,its climax is told in a lesson of heroism and faithfulness1 qualities that we wish to make permanent in the child's mind through the medium of the imagination4 ,and how are these qualities presented8 ,we find that they are made real to children by means of familiar settings2 a little boy is playing with new toys upon his birthday1 we see the child going to bed1 there is the coming-alive of the toys in the play-room1 the tin soldier's experiences in the street1 his return to the kitchen4 ,every child knows toys1 a birthday1 a play-room1 a city street in the rain1 a kitchen2 but out of these patches of gray1 every-day pigment ,andersen paints for children a new1 colored picture of fancy4 ,presented in terms of the real we have the unreal2 a live tin soldier who is as heroic and faithful as we wish our children to be4 ,this is a perfect imaginative story1 a bit of unreality which we wish to make real for children and told in terms of child experience4 ,alice ,brown's wonderful allegory1 8,the ,gradual ,fairy10 is also perfect in its theme and construction4 ,its hero1 the ,green ,goblin1 wishes to become a fairy4 ,the story of his changing his ugly colors for those of the flowers when he promises never to hurt them again1 losing his harsh1 shrill voice by being kind to the brook1 and so gradually finding beauty1 is a marvellously compelling bit of imagery to leave with a child and it is told in familiar1 right-at-hand word pictures4 ,in the several chapters of ,jean ,ingelow's1 8,mopsa1 the ,fairy10 child hearers are transported to familiar places1 but places where the unusual1 the beautiful happens4 ,the story tells of the ,winding ,up ,places where tired-out horses are put in green pastures and are allowed to grow back to colt-hood1 and where weary working folks are wound up1 like clocks1 and given such vigor that they never run down again4 ,charles ,kingsley1 from the reality of a dirty chimney sweep and a sooty chimney1 takes children voyaging into his paradise of fancy under the sea4 ,eugene ,field gives children a permanent picture of ,santa ,claus in his legend of 8,claus40 ,there is the little lad1 ,claus1 up in the ,northland1 finding his greatest happiness in carving wooden dolls and animals for the children4 ,when his parents disappear1 ,claus lights his father's forge fire and in the wonder light of the ,northern star pledges himself to create child happiness4 ,the elves bringing him gifts of metal and precious stones for his work1 the forest giving him its trees and greens1 the reindeer drawing his sleigh full of toys1 the snow and frost speeding him on his way--these give children the true meaning of ,claus' world saint-ship in terms of the imagination4 ,apply this threefold test to every imaginative story and your selection will be infallible4 ,what does the story image8 ,do ,i want to vivify this image for my children8 ,how does it stimulate the imagination8 ,the old1 loved fairy stories that have lived for centuries stand this test4 ,the story of ,cinderella leaves a child with a mental picture of a cinder maid full blown into a princess but with this image is the lesson of rewarded faithfulness to duty1 and the story plot is built up of familiar concepts2 the kitchen1 a pumpkin1 a party1 a chiming clock1 a tiny slipper4 8,the ,house in the ,wood10 8,little ,daylight10 8,the ,many ,furred ,creature10 8,snow ,white and ,rose ,red10 8,the ,goose ,girl10 8,briar ,rose10 8,spindle1 ,needle and ,shuttle10 8,the ,elves and the ,shoemaker10 8,the ,story of ,midas10 8,the ,star ,dollars10 8,why the ,sea is ,salt10 8,tom ,thumb10 all these world-old fanciful tales take children far afield but they leave them better off1 ethically1 than before they heard them and each story is a healthy stimulus to the imagination4 ,what is the place of the fairy story in the story hour8 ,a good fairy story is like the touch of spice that gives the needed zest to a dish1 it is the sweet at the end of the meal1 it should not be spoiled by over use1 by voraciousness4 ,we will select our fairy stories with the utmost care1 measuring each by our threefold rule4 ,we will tell these perfect fairy tales occasionally only1 realizing that they will bear frequent retelling and are to be the classics of the child's story literature4 ,one of the most beautiful of all fairy stories1 ,mary ,wilkins ,freeman wrote4 8,the ,blue ,robin0 is perfect in treatment and theme4 ,,the ,,blue ,,robin ,the country over which ,king ,chrysanthemum reigned was very far inland1 so there was very little talk about the sea-serpent1 but everybody was agitated over the question whether there was1 or was not1 a ,blue ,robin4 ,the whole kingdom was divided about it4 ,the members of parliament were 8,f4 ,b4 ,r410 for ,blue ,robin or 8,a4 ,b4 ,r410 against ,blue ,robin4 ,the ladies formed clubs to discuss the question1 and sometimes talked whole afternoons about it1 and the children even laid down their dolls1 and their tops to search for the ,blue ,robin4 ,indeed1 many children had to be kept tied to their mother's apron-strings all the time to prevent them from running away to a ,blue ,robin hunt4 ,it was a very common thing to see ladies going to a ,blue ,robin club1 with a child at each apron-string1 pulling back and crying1 8,i want to go hunting the ,blue ,robin6 ,i want to go hunting the ,blue ,robin60 ,the country was agitated over this question for many years1 then finally there were riots about it4 ,people had to lock themselves in their houses1 and when the ,blue ,robin party was uppermost1 paint blue robins on their front doors1 and when it was not1 wash them off4 ,after the riots commenced1 it was really almost all that people could do to paint blue robins on and wash them off1 their front doors4 ,at last ,king ,chrysanthemum had to take extreme measures4 ,he decided to consult the ,wise ,man4 ,a committee was chosen of eight ,f4 ,b4 ,r4's1 and eight ,a4 ,b4 ,r4's1 and a chairman1 and they set out at once1 marching four abreast1 the chairman with his chair leading the way1 to consult the ,wise ,man4 ,he had to be found before he could be consulted1 however1 and that was a very difficult matter4 ,the ,wise ,man considered it the height of folly to live like other people in a house immovably fixed upon one spot of ground1 and therefore he always carried his house about with him1 as a turtle carries his shell4 ,he had fashioned a little dwelling of cloth and steel ribs1 something like an umbrella1 which he strapped to himself1 and lived in1 traveling all over the country in pursuit of wisdom4 ,the committee marched a whole week1 before they came upon the ,wise ,man one afternoon in a pasture where huckleberries grew4 ,he was standing quite still when they approached and made their obeisances4 ,the ,chairman of the committee placed his chair1 a rocking-chair with a red plush cushion1 before the ,wise ,man1 seated himself1 and spoke4 8,all ,hail1 ,wise ,man60 said he in a loud voice4 ,the ,wise ,man's house had a little door in front like a coach door1 and two tiny windows4 ,one of the windows had the curtains drawn1 but out of the other looked the ,wise ,man's calm blue right eye4 ,there was so much wisdom in his two eyes that he knew people could not comprehend it1 so he always curtained one window4 ,the house was about one foot higher than his head1 and reached to his ankles4 ,they could see his feet in their leather sandals below it4 ,the ,wise ,man said not one word in response to the ,chairman's salutation1 only looked at him with his blue right eye4 ,then the ,chairman laid the matter before the ,wise ,man and besought his aid in the terrible situation of the country4 ,after the ,chairman had ceased speaking there was a silence for half an hour4 ,not a sound was to be heard except the creaking of the ,chairman's rocking-chair4 ,then the ,wise ,man cleared his throat4 ,the committee leaned forward expectantly1 but they had to wait another half hour before he spoke1 and then it was not very satisfactory4 8,ideas are not as thick as huckleberries in this pasture10 was all he said4 ,the committee looked at one another1 and nodded ruefully4 ,it was quite true1 but it did not help them in their dilemma4 ,they waited another half hour2 then the ,wise ,man began moving off across the pasture in his house4 8,oh1 stop1 stop60 cried the ,chairman4 8,stop1 stop60 cried the committee4 ,they all ran after him1 and begged him not to go away until he had given them some useful advice4 8,offer a reward60 called out the ,wise ,man1 as he scudded away4 8,for what1 for what60 cried the committee4 8,for finding the ,blue ,robin10 called out the ,wise ,man1 and then a puff of wind caught his umbrella-like house1 and he was lifted quite off his feet1 and bobbed away out of sight over the huckleberry-bushes4 ,the committee hastened back to the city1 and reported4 ,another special parliament was called1 and the reward for finding the ,blue ,robin was offered4 ,that was really a difficult matter1 because the ,princess ,honey was only five years old1 and the customary reward--her hand in marriage--could hardly be offered4 ,however1 it was stated that if the finder of the ,blue ,robin was of suitable age when the ,princess was grown1 she should be his bride2 and furthermore that he and all his relatives should be pensioned for life and that he should be appointed ,poet ,laureate1 and given a regiment1 a steam yacht1 a special train1 and a pound of candy every day from the national candy mills4 ,the offer was painted in blue letters on yellow paper1 and pasted up all over the country1 and then the search began in good earnest4 ,business all over the kingdom was at a standstill4 ,nobody did anything but hunt the ,blue ,robin4 ,people ate nothing in those days but cornmeal pudding1 hastily mixed and boiled4 ,there was no bread baked1 because all the bakers and all the housewives were out hunting the ,blue ,robin4 ,the mothers untied the children from their apron-strings1 and the schools were all closed1 because it was agreed that finding the ,blue ,robin and establishing peace in the kingdom1 was of more importance than books1 and all the children who were old enough were out hunting--that is1 all the children except ,poppy4 ,it should be stated here that everybody in this country1 with the exception of the ,princess1 had a flower-name4 ,the ,princess was so much sweeter1 that only the inmost sweetness of all flowers was good enough for her name1 and she was called ,honey4 ,poppy was about ten years old1 and his father was an editor of a newspaper1 and very poor4 ,he could scarcely support his five children4 ,his wife had died the year before1 and he could not afford to hire a housekeeper4 ,so ,poppy had to stay at home1 and keep the house1 and take care of his four young brothers and sisters1 while his father was away editing1 and he could not hunt the ,blue ,robin4 ,it was a great cross to him1 but he loved his little brothers and sisters1 and he made the best of it4 ,after the search for the ,blue ,robin began1 his father was much busier1 and had often to be away all night1 so ,poppy had to rock and trot the twin babies1 ,pink and ,phlox1 and go without sleep1 after working hard cooking and washing dishes and sewing all day4 ,poppy had to mend the children's clothes1 and he was even trying to make some little frocks for ,petunia and ,portulacca4 ,they were twins also1 five years old4 ,as ,poppy sat in the window and sewed1 with his right foot rocking ,pink's cradle1 and his left foot rocking ,phlox's1 with ,petunia and ,portulacca sitting beside him on their little stools1 he told them all he had ever heard about the wonderful ,blue ,robin4 8,nobody is even quite certain he has seen it1 himself10 said ,poppy1 8but he knows somebody else1 who knows somebody else1 who has2 and if you ever could find the first somebody1 why he could tell where the ,blue ,robin was40 8,can't they find the first somebody80 asked ,portulacca4 8,i guess he died before people were born10 said ,poppy4 ,then he went on and told ,petunia and ,portulacca how there was a wonderful blue stone in the ,king's crown1 which was unlike all other precious stones1 and said to be the ,blue ,robin's egg2 and how there was a little ,blue ,book in the ,king's library which had a strange verse in it about the ,blue ,robin4 ,then ,poppy repeated the verse4 ,he had learned it at school4 ,it ran in this way3 8,he who loveth me alone1 ,can tell me not from stick or stone2 ,he who loveth more than me1 ,shall me in fullest glory see40 8,what does that mean80 asked ,petunia and ,portulacca4 8,i don't know10 replied ,poppy4 ,then he mended faster than ever4 ,many children ran past the window1 hunting the ,blue ,robin1 but he did not complain1 even to himself4 ,that night his father did not come home1 and ,pink and ,phlox cried as usual1 and he had to rock them1 and trot them4 ,about midnight1 however1 they both fell asleep in their cradles1 and ,poppy began to think he might get a little rest himself4 ,he could scarcely keep his eyes open4 ,petunia and ,portulacca had been sound asleep in their cribs ever since seven o'clock4 ,everything was very still1 and he was just dozing1 when he heard a sound which made him start up wide awake at once1 although the children never stirred4 ,he heard a single sweet bird-pipe1 sweeter than anything he had ever heard in his life1 and it seemed to be right in the room at his elbow4 ,when the babies fell asleep ,poppy had blown out the candle1 the hearth-fire had gone out1 and the room had been very dark1 but now something was shining on the table like a lamp1 which gave out a wonderful blue light4 ,the sweet pipe came again4 ,poppy stared at the blue light on the table1 which grew brighter and brighter1 until he saw what it was4 ,the ,blue ,robin shone on his table like a living sapphire1 its blue wings seeming to fan the blue light into flames1 its blue breast brighter than anything he had ever seen4 ,while all the world was out searching for the ,blue ,robin1 it had come of its own accord to the poor little faithful boy in his poor little home4 ,the children all slept soundly1 and did not stir4 ,poppy stood up trembling1 and went over to the table1 and immediately the ,blue ,robin flew to his hand1 and clung there4 ,then ,poppy went out of the house1 and down the road to the ,king's palace with the ,blue ,robin on his hand4 ,although it was so late1 scarcely anybody had gone to bed4 ,they were all out with lanterns1 hunting for the ,blue ,robin4 ,when ,poppy with the ,blue ,robin on his hand came in sight1 all the lanterns went out4 8,what is that80 the people cried1 8what is that wonderful blue light80 ,they crowded around ,poppy4 ,then all of a sudden they shouted1 8,poppy has found the ,blue ,robin6 ,poppy has found the ,blue ,robin60 and followed him to the ,king's ,palace4 ,the shouts were heard in the newspaper office where ,poppy's father was hard at work1 and he ran to the window4 ,when he saw his son with the ,blue ,robin1 he was overwhelmed with joy4 ,he stuck his pen behind his ear and came down on the fire-escape1 and also went to the palace4 ,the ,king had not gone to bed1 though it was so late1 neither had the ,queen4 ,they were talking about the ,blue ,robin and the perilous state of the country with the ,prime ,minister1 on the front door-step4 ,when they saw ,poppy and the ,blue ,robin1 and all the people1 and heard the shouts of joy1 the ,king tossed his crown in the air1 the ,prime ,minister swung his hat1 and the ,queen ran in and wrapped up the ,princess ,honey in a little yellow silk gown1 and brought her to see the wonderful sight4 ,it was wonderful--the ,blue ,robin on ,poppy's hand seemed to light the whole city4 ,poppy1 by the ,king's order1 stood on the top door-step1 and everybody could see the bird on his hand4 ,then the ,blue ,robin began to sing1 and sang an hour without ceasing1 so loud that everybody could hear4 ,when the bird stopped singing1 the ,king advanced4 8,you shall now receive your reward10 he said to ,poppy1 8and ,i will take the ,blue ,robin1 and put him in a golden cage1 and have him guarded by a regiment of picked soldiers40 ,the ,king extended his hand and ,poppy his1 but just as the ,king touched the ,blue ,robin1 he disappeared4 ,there came a faint song from far above the city roofs1 and people tipped back their heads1 and strained their eyes1 but they could not see the ,blue ,robin2 they never saw him again1 as long as they lived4 ,however1 he had been seen by many witnesses1 and the object of the search was attained4 ,there were no longer two parties in parliament1 and the country was in a state of perfect peace4 ,indeed1 parliament only met afterward to agree1 and eat cake and ice cream1 and shake hands4 ,poppy had his reward at once--that is1 everything but the hand of the ,princess ,honey--and he and his father and his little brothers and sisters1 were very rich and happy1 until he grew to be a man4 ,then the ,princess ,honey had grown to be a beautiful maiden1 and he married her with great pomp1 and the ,king gave them the ,blue ,robin's egg for a wedding-present4 ,,mary ,,wilkins ,,freeman4 ,by the ,courtesy of the ,author4 ,,some ,,perfect ,,fairy ,,stories ,,the ,,happy ,,prince ,oscar ,wilde1 in ,the ,happy ,prince ,,the ,,gradual ,,fairy ,alice ,brown1 in ,the ,one-,footed ,fairy ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,claus ,eugene ,field1 in ,a ,little ,book of ,profitable ,tales ,,the ,,faithful ,,tin ,,soldier ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,old ,,pipes ,,and ,,the ,,dryad ,frank ,r4 ,stockton1 in ,fanciful ,tales ,,little ,,daylight ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,,briar ,,rose ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin and ,nora ,archibald ,smith1 in ,the ,fairy ,ring ,,the ,,elf-,,hill ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,ole ,,luk-,,oie ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,little ,,lame ,,prince ,miss ,mulock ,,chapter ,,xii ,,making ,,over ,,stories ,the average story must be cut and fitted to meet the needs of the story teller who wants to make a direct and vivid appeal to her children4 ,writing a story for the printed page and preparing a story for children's ears are two very different matters4 ,in the former case1 there is no time limit set upon the story2 the reader may lay his story book down at will when he tires of the printed words1 ready to take it up again when he has the inclination4 ,in the latter case1 we have to meet the mental and emotional needs of a group of children whose attention must be held by the compelling power of an orally delivered story4 ,to meet these story needs as applied to oral delivery1 a story has1 ordinarily1 to be made over before it is told4 ,it must be made into a perfectly fitting garment for wrapping the child about with a clinging cloak of imagination1 full of colorful words and truth4 ,the story teller must do this story adapting herself4 ,how can she bring it about in the quickest1 most effectual way8 ,a large percentage of the stories printed for children are too long4 ,the story that is too short and needs to be 8padded0 for telling is very rarely to be found4 ,in the case of the ,fables of sop and ,bidpai the skeleton only of each story is given and here the problem of adapting for the story teller is to find a way of filling in each picture in order to make the story of the desired length4 ,but how shall we shorten the too-long story that we want children to hear because of its compelling theme and motif1 but which is1 very likely1 two thousand or twenty-five hundred words long8 ,this is the average difficulty that the story teller meets in connection with the average story4 ,there is also the time problem to be taken into consideration1 as well4 ,while the story teller wants to spend as much time as necessary in the preparation of a story1 this time ought to be reduced to a minimum4 ,is there a short cut to story adaptation and how may the story teller find it8 ,one may almost reduce a recipe for making over stories4 ,it is possible to outline a pattern by means of which a printed story may be cut to fit the needs of a group of eager1 restless1 wriggling children4 ,having this recipe1 this pattern1 thoroughly in mind1 a little practice in applying it to particular stories that need adapting will give the story teller power to apply it1 quickly and effectually to any story with little loss of time4 ,its use will give the story teller an added power in her work4 ,knowing how to put stories in shape for telling will help her to hold the attention of any group of children4 ,the first step in our rule for adapting a story that is too long is to carefully read the story4 ,this seems too obvious a suggestion1 almost1 to put upon a printed page1 but reading a story having in mind making it over means reading it to find out what happens in the story1 what is its important action1 who are its necessary characters1 and what is the climax4 ,this first reading of a story for adaptation means an analysis of the story plot4 ,this kind of story reading may be developed so as to become the story teller's habit in reading any story1 but it is the necessary1 preliminary step in all story adapting4 ,our next step is to find the pictures in the story4 ,suppose you were a stage manager with the problem of dramatizing this special story to meet the interests of an audience1 how would you develop the different scenes in the story so as to make it into a play that holds interest8 ,suppose you are a film maker4 ,what are the moving pictures in the story to be presented in their order of interest through the medium of your film8 ,we have much to learn from the stage manager and the moving picture man4 ,their problems are identical with those of the story teller in that they must strip a story plot bare of details1 unnecessary description and the opinions of the author4 ,they must give an audience the naked story4 ,this is all the audience wants4 ,so it is with children4 ,they demand story scenes1 story pictures and nothing else4 ,the third and last step in story adaptation1 is to prepare our story pictures for presentation to the children4 ,this step depends a good deal upon the children for whom you are preparing the story4 ,if the children are foreign-born1 you will need to put each story picture into a frame of very simple language4 ,if yours are country children1 you will need to put country images into the picture canvas4 ,if they are city children1 the canvas may need a few fire engines1 parks and policemen to catch the children's attention4 ,these will be1 of course1 quite subsidiary to the real story interest which must be preserved at all events4 ,it depends1 also1 upon the person who wrote the story4 ,if we are adapting ,hans ,christian ,andersen1 ,charles ,dickens1 ,eugene ,field or any other master story teller for the special needs of our story group1 we must use the utmost care in keeping the form of the author and preserving his marvellous ,english4 ,too often the story teller ruins a story in attempting to 8tell it down0 to children4 ,it is possible to shorten a good story and still keep it the author's own4 ,it depends1 most of all1 upon determining the elements of action1 dialogue and description necessary to make the story picture a fixture in the child's mind4 ,children want to know 8what happens0 in each scene of the story4 ,this constitutes all their interest4 ,these1 to sum up1 are our steps in story adaptation3 ,read the story1 analytically4 ,select its necessary scenes4 ,reduce these scenes to elements of action4 ,we shall find it helpful to apply these separate steps to some one special story which we wish to present to children and which is too long for our use4 ,there is no more beautiful story in all literature than ,hans ,christian ,andersen's 8,the ,girl ,who ,trod on the ,loaf40 ,it is full of the sensory appeal1 the colorful word picturing1 the imagery1 the ethics which we look for in a perfect story1 but as it stands in the best translation1 it is almost three thousand words long and so hedged about with ,andersen's beautiful1 but adult philosophy that it is quite beyond the comprehension of children4 ,as a result1 it is seldom told to children and is one of the least well-known of the author's fairy tales4 ,let us see if we can put it in shape for telling without1 in the slightest degree1 hurting ,andersen's style4 ,we read the story analytically and find that it divides itself into four scenes1 all of which are necessary to preserve the story interest4 ,these are3 #a4 ,inge's sinning4 #b4 ,inge's descent to the abode of the ,moor ,woman4 #c4 ,inge's repentance and transformation into the bird4 #d4 ,the bird's ,christmas work and journey4 ,this analysis strips the story bare of detail4 ,each of these scenes1 in the original story1 is elaborated1 split up into minor scenes1 and they cover a very long period of time1 which makes the story difficult for a child to understand4 ,but if we keep carefully in mind these four separate pictures into which the story resolves itself and fill each picture with as little description as possible and only the essential action for carrying children by the quickest possible route to the climax1 we find ourselves equipped with a new1 shorter story1 told in ,andersen's words and ready for retelling to our children4 ,it will be well to compare this adapted version of the story as it appears here with the original story to be found in any translation of ,hans ,christian ,andersen's stories to determine the omitted description1 action and detail4 ,the method of adapting this story is a model for other story adapting4 ,,the ,,girl ,,who ,,trod ,,on ,,the ,,loaf ,the girl's name was ,inge2 she was a poor child1 but proud and presumptuous4 ,with years she grew worse rather than better4 ,she was sent into the country1 in service1 in the house of a rich people who kept her as their own child1 and dressed her in corresponding style4 ,she looked well1 and her presumption increased4 ,when she had been there about a year1 her mistress said to her1 8,you ought once to visit your parents1 ,inge4 8,i'll make you a present of a great wheaten loaf that you may give to them2 they will certainly be glad to see you again40 ,and ,inge put on her best clothes1 and her new shoes1 and drew her skirts around her1 and set out1 stepping very carefully that she might be clean and neat about the feet2 and there was no harm in that4 ,but when she came to the place where the footway led across the moor1 and where there were mud and puddles1 she threw the loaf into the mud1 and trod upon it to pass over without wetting her feet4 ,but as she stood there with one foot upon the loaf and the other uplifted to step farther1 the loaf sank with her1 deeper and deeper1 till she disappeared altogether1 and only a great puddle1 from which the bubbles rose1 remained where she had been4 ,whither did ,inge go8 ,she sank into the moor ground1 and went down to the ,moor ,woman1 who is always brewing there4 ,the ,moor ,woman is cousin to the ,elf ,maidens1 who are well enough known1 of whom songs are sung1 and whose pictures are painted2 but concerning the ,moor ,woman it is only known that when the meadows steam in summer-time1 it is because she is brewing4 ,into the ,moor ,woman's place did ,inge sink down2 and no one can endure that place long4 ,a box of mud is a palace compared with the ,moor ,woman's brewery4 ,every barrel there has an odor that almost takes away one's senses2 and the barrels stand close to each other2 and wherever there is a little opening among them1 through which one might push one's way1 the passage becomes impracticable from the number of damp toads and fat snakes who sit out their time there4 ,among this company did ,inge fall6 and she shuddered and became stark and stiff4 ,she continued fastened to the loaf and the loaf drew her down as an amber button draws a fragment of straw4 ,that was a never ending antechamber where ,inge found herself4 ,there was a whole crowd of sinful people there1 too4 ,great1 fat1 waddling spiders spun webs of a thousand years over the people's feet1 webs that cut like wire and bound them like bronze fetters4 ,inge felt a terrible pain while she had to stand there as a statue1 for she was tied fast to the loaf4 ,her clothes had been soiled with mud in coming down to the ,moor ,woman's place2 a snake was fastened in her hair and out of each fold in her muddy frock a great toad looked forth1 croaking4 ,the worst of all was the terrible hunger that tormented her4 ,but could she not stoop and break off a piece of the loaf on which she stood8 ,no1 her back was too stiff1 her hands and arms were benumbed1 and her whole body was like a pillar of stone2 only she was able to turn her eyes in her head1 to turn them quite round1 so that she could see backwards4 8,if this lasts much longer10 she said1 8,i shall not be able to bear it40 ,but she had to bear it1 and it lasted on and on4 ,her mother and all on earth knew of the sin she had committed2 knew that she had trodden upon the loaf1 and had sunk and disappeared2 for the cowherd had seen it from the hill beside the moor4 ,and then she heard how her story was told to the little children1 and the little ones said that she was so naughty and ugly that she must be well punished4 ,but one day when ,inge was very hungry1 she heard her name mentioned and her story was told to an innocent child4 ,the little girl burst into tears at the tale of the haughty1 vain ,inge4 8,but will ,inge never come up here again80 asked the little girl4 ,and the reply was1 8,she will never come up again40 8,but if she were to say she was sorry1 and to beg pardon1 and say she would never do so again80 8,yes1 then she might come10 was the reply1 and the words penetrated to ,inge's heart and did her good1 and a tear of penitence dropped down on the loaf4 ,again time went on--a long1 bitter time1 but at last ,inge heard some one call her name and she saw two bright stars that seemed gleaming above her4 ,the little girl who had been sorry for ,inge was now an old woman and had gone to ,heaven4 ,she was calling to ,inge4 ,she was still sorry for her4 ,and a wonderful thing happened4 ,a beam of light shot radiantly down into the depths of the ,moor ,woman's place with all the force of the sunbeam which melts the snow man the boys have built4 ,more quickly than the snowflake turns to water1 the stony form of ,inge was changed to mist1 and a little bird soared with the speed of lightning upward into the world of men4 ,but the bird was timid and shy towards all things around2 he was ashamed of himself1 ashamed to encounter any living thing1 and hurriedly sought to conceal himself in a dark hole in an old crumbling wall2 there he sat cowering1 trembling through his whole frame4 ,then1 presently1 it was the blessed ,christmas time4 ,the peasant who dwelt near set up a pole by the old wall with some ears of corn bound to the top1 that the birds of heaven might have a good meal1 and rejoice in the happy1 blessed time4 ,and on ,christmas morning the sun arose and shone upon the ears of corn1 which were surrounded by a number of twittering birds4 ,then out of the hole in the wall streamed forth the voice of another bird1 and the bird soared forth from his hiding-place2 and in heaven it was well known what bird this was4 ,it was a hard winter4 ,the ponds were covered with ice1 and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air were stinted for food4 ,our little bird soared away over the high road1 and in the ruts of the sledges he found here and there a grain of corn1 and at the halting-places some crumbs4 ,of these he ate only a few1 but he called all the other hungry sparrows around him1 that they1 too1 might have some food4 ,he flew into the towns1 and looked round about2 and wherever a kind hand had strewn bread on the window-sill for the birds1 he only ate a single crumb himself1 and gave all the rest to the other birds4 ,in the course of the winter1 the bird had collected so many bread-crumbs1 and given them to the other birds1 that they equalled the weight of the loaf on which ,inge had trod to keep her shoes clean2 and when the last bread-crumb had been found and given1 the gray wings of the bird became white1 and spread far out4 8,yonder is a sea-swallow1 flying away across the water10 said the children1 when they saw the white bird4 ,now it dived into the sea1 and now it rose again into the clear sunlight4 ,it gleamed white2 but no one could tell whither it went1 though some asserted that it flew straight into the sun4 ,adapted from ,hans ,christian ,andersen4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,planning ,,story ,,groups ,the children who hear one story well told eagerly demand1 8,tell us another60 ,it is the natural1 to-be-desired longing of the child mind to be satiated with good stories4 ,we endeavor to meet the children's wish for a number of stories in each story hour but we often hurt the mental and moral effect of one story by telling in close connection another story that has no interest connection with the last one told4 ,we lead the child from one story interest to another with slight attention to the influence which the story group will have upon the minds of the children4 ,we tell1 perhaps1 a home story1 then a nature story1 and last of all a holiday story in one story hour1 and in doing this we so quickly transfer the child's attention from one theme to a distinctly different one that there is no cohesion in our story building4 ,we break down instead of building up the powers of concentration of our children4 ,planning a group of stories for one story hour is quite as much a matter to be studied as is the selection of each individual story in the group and preparing this story for telling4 ,the story combination selected by the story teller must have the qualities of cohesion1 unity of theme1 and related interests to make the story hour valuable in the child's life4 ,on the other hand1 the unity of theme in the separate stories chosen must be emphasized by contrasting story treatment of this central theme4 ,a group of stories in which each story is just like its predecessor and similar to the story that follows will tire the child listeners4 ,we must bring about cohesion in the story hour by means of contrast in the treatment of each story4 ,our first thought in planning story groups will be3 ,select the story theme for the story hour4 ,this story theme will be some idea which we want to bring forcefully to the minds of our children4 ,the story hour motif may be3 animals1 the home1 trades1 birds1 flowers1 heroes1 a holiday or some ethical theme as3 honesty1 truth or charity1 but each of the stories selected for the story group will have an animal1 home1 trade1 bird1 flower1 hero1 holiday1 honesty1 truth or charity theme4 ,our second thought in planning story groups will be3 ,select stories which present the selected theme in contrasting treatment4 ,three stories form an excellent number for one story hour4 ,each of these stories will illustrate one central idea that a continuing thread of interest may be carried through the story group and knotted at the end of the story hour4 ,but each story will make a different mental appeal in presenting the theme that the children may have the benefit of contrast in helping them to concentrate upon listening to all the stories that make up the group4 ,the first of these three stories should be selected having in mind the securing of the involuntary attention of the children4 ,it should be an apperceptive story that finds quick interpretation in the minds of the children because its ideas are their ideas1 its scenes are familiar to theirs and its characters are people like the people whom they meet and know in their every-day environment4 ,having caught the children's attention involuntarily by a story that finds a place by its familiarity of treatment in their own lives1 the second story in the group may make a different mental appeal4 ,it may make the children reason2 it may take them far afield in their thinking1 it may be the longest story in the group and so call for greater concentration on the part of the story teller4 ,the last story in the story group will be selected for mental relaxation after the tense attention demanded for the second story4 ,it may be a humorous story1 a very short story1 or one so contrasted in treatment to the other stories in the group that it gives rest because of its difference4 ,to illustrate with one typical story group will be helpful4 ,we wish to make the thought of industry the central thought for a story hour4 ,the first story in the story group might be 8,the ,sailor ,man0 by ,laura ,e4 ,richards4 ,this story catches and holds the children's attention at once because its characters are familiar to them2 its setting is one that they can quickly see in their imagination4 ,they have much in common with the two children who go to visit the sailor man2 they know sailors2 they have been to the seashore2 they have enjoyed boat rides4 ,and the climax of the story is a lesson in industry4 ,the child who most industriously ties knots in the sailor's fish nets wins the reward4 ,the second story in the group1 8,the ,stone in the ,road10 makes the children think more forcefully than did the first one4 ,it takes them farther afield and makes them see in imagination1 wealth1 a castle1 gold1 poverty4 ,they are obliged to reason in interpreting the rich man's motive in hiding his gold4 ,the story makes the children use their dawning power of judging4 ,the last story selected for this special story group is1 8,drakesbill10 a humorous folk tale4 ,the hero1 an industrious duck who has worked hard all his life to accumulate a competence upon which he may live in his old age1 loans a large sum of money to the king4 ,the king being slow in paying back the money1 ,drakesbill goes to the palace to collect his debt4 ,his adventures on the way and the successful end of his journey form the interest of the story4 ,this story makes a fine climax to the story group4 ,while it still emphasizes the central thought of the story program1 industry1 it treats it in a different way from that in which the previous stories illuminate the theme4 ,its fantasy1 its humor make it a relaxation for the children4 ,if story groups are arranged having in mind these two considerations3 a central theme and contrast in the treatment of this theme the story hour will be a vital force for good in the development of the children's mental and moral life4 ,for the benefit of the story teller who has slight time for the consulting of many books of stories which such a planning of story groups entails1 some illustrative story programs follow1 each of which has been arranged with reference to one child-interest theme carried through three different types of stories4 ,,story ,,programs ,,selected ,,because ,,of ,,the ,,psychological ,,appeal ,,of ,,each ,,group ,,home ,,programs ,the ,home3 ,,how ,,the ,,home ,,was ,,built ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,little ,,gray ,,grandmother ,elizabeth ,harrison1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,sheep ,,and ,,the ,,pig ,scandinavian ,folk ,tale ,the ,kitchen3 ,,the ,,little ,,red ,,hen ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,two ,,little ,,cooks ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,five ,minute ,stories ,,the ,,wonderful ,,tea ,,kettle ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,toys3 ,,the ,,china ,,rabbit ,,family ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,top ,,and ,,the ,,ball ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,doll ,,in ,,the ,,grass ,in ,the ,fairy ,ring ,being ,neat3 ,,the ,,child ,,who ,,forgot ,,to ,,wash ,,his ,,face ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,,dust ,,under ,,the ,,rug ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,pig ,,brother ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,cake3 ,,the ,,christmas ,,cake ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,king ,,alfred ,,and ,,the ,,cakes ,in ,baldwin's ,fifty ,famous ,stories ,retold ,,the ,,pancake ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,mother3 ,,the ,,cap ,,that ,,mother ,,made1 see page #h ,,about ,,angels ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,epaminondas ,,and ,,his ,,auntie ,southern ,folk ,tale1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,the ,children3 ,,wishing ,,wishes ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,little ,,jack ,,rollaround ,adapted in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,food3 ,,the ,,gingerbread ,,boy ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,proud ,,little ,,grain ,,of ,,wheat ,frances ,hodgson ,burnett1 in ,st4 ,nicholas ,files ,,the ,,pancake ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,traveling3 ,,the ,,crane ,,express ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,pony ,,engine ,,and ,,the ,,pacific ,,express ,william ,dean ,howells1 in ,christmas ,every ,day ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,four ,,little ,,children ,,who ,,went ,,round ,,the ,,world ,edward ,lear1 in ,tales of ,laughter ,,animal ,,programs ,the ,cat3 ,,mrs4 ,,tabby ,,gray ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,dick ,,whittington ,,and ,,his ,,cat ,old ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,greedy ,,cat ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,the ,dog3 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,wylie ,adapted by ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,a ,,dog ,,of ,,flanders ,ouida ,,the ,,dog ,,in ,,the ,,manger ,in sop's ,fables ,the ,horse3 ,,the ,,little ,,gray ,,pony ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,horse ,,that ,,believed ,,he',d ,,get ,,there ,annie ,trumbull ,slosson1 in ,story ,tell ,lib ,a ,,wise ,,old ,,horse ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,the ,cow3 ,,the ,,friendly ,,cow ,robert ,louis ,stevenson1 in ,a ,child's ,garden of ,verse ,,irmgard',s ,,cow ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,the ,,story ,,the ,,milk ,,told ,,me ,gertrude ,h4 ,noyes1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,the ,rabbit3 ,,raggylug ,ernest ,thompson ,seton1 adapted by ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,peter ,,rabbit ,beatrix ,potter ,,bre',r ,,rabbit ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,tar ,,baby ,joel ,chandler ,harris1 in ,nights ,with ,uncle ,remus ,the ,squirrel3 ,,the ,,thrifty ,,squirrels ,mary ,dendy1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,squirrel ,,nutkin ,beatrix ,potter ,,bobby ,,squirrel',s ,,busy ,,day ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,sheep3 ,,grandfather',s ,,little ,,lamb ,in ,stories and ,rhymes for a ,child ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd ,the ,bible ,,the ,,shepherd ,,boy ,,and ,,the ,,wolf ,in sop's ,fables ,the ,pig3 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,little ,,pigs ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,little ,,pig ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,how ,,the ,,pigs ,,can ,,see ,,the ,,wind ,in ,firelight ,stories ,the ,bear3 ,,the ,,three ,,bears ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,bear ,,and ,,the ,,fowls sop's ,fables ,,why ,,the ,,bear ,,has ,a ,,stumpy ,,tail ,in ,firelight ,stories ,the ,lion3 ,,the ,,man ,,and ,,the ,,lion sop's ,fables ,,daniel ,,and ,,the ,,lions ,the ,bible ,,the ,,lion ,,and ,,the ,,mouse ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,children and ,animals3 ,,moufflou ,ouida ,,benjy ,,in ,,beastland ,nora ,archibald ,smith1 in ,the ,story ,hour ,,the ,,boy ,,and ,,the ,,wolves sop's ,fables ,,nature ,,programs ,spring ,flowers3 ,,the ,,snowdrop ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,shet-,,up ,,posy ,annie ,trumbull ,slosson1 in ,story ,tell ,lib ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,morning ,,glory ,,seed ,margaret ,eytinge1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,summer ,flowers3 ,,the ,,pink ,,rose ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,rose ,,bloom ,,and ,,thorn ,,bloom ,alice ,brown1 in ,the ,one-,footed ,fairy ,a ,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,goldenrod ,frances ,deland1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,birds3 ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,woodpecker ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,blue ,,robin ,mary ,wilkins ,freeman1 see page #bai ,,king ,,wren ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,the ,sky3 ,,the ,,star ,,dollars ,grimm's ,fairy ,tales ,,the ,,stars ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,how ,,the ,,sun1 ,,the ,,moon1 ,,and ,,the ,,wind ,,went ,,out ,,to ,,dinner ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,apples3 ,,the ,,sleeping ,,apple ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,big ,,red ,,apple ,kate ,whiting ,patch1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,apple ,,seed ,,john ,in ,saint ,nicholas ,files ,the ,barnyard3 ,,the ,,goose ,,that ,,laid ,,golden ,,eggs ,old ,folk ,tale ,,the ,,ugly ,,duckling ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,a ,,barnyard ,,talk ,emilie ,poulsson1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,light3 ,,the ,,old ,,street ,,lamp ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,golden ,,windows ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,moon ,,cake ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,snow3 ,,the ,,snow ,,man ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,grandfather',s ,,penny ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,how ,,peter ,,rabbit ,,got ,,his ,,white ,,patch ,thornton ,burgess1 in ,mother ,west ,wind's ,children ,water3 ,,the ,,little ,,hero ,,of ,,harlem ,adapted by ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,tom1 ,,the ,,water ,,baby ,charles ,kingsley1 adapted in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,why ,,the ,,sea ,,is ,,salt ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,leaves3 ,,the ,,anxious ,,leaf ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,maple ,,leaf ,,and ,,the ,,violet ,eugene ,field1 in ,a ,little ,book of ,profitable ,tales ,,the ,,snowflake ,,and ,,the ,,leaf ,helen ,preble1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,the ,bee3 ,,little ,,bee ,,trunkhosie ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,bee ,,man ,,of ,,orne ,frank ,r4 ,stockton1 in ,fanciful ,tales ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,monkey ,,and ,,the ,,crab ,japanese ,fairy ,tale1 in ,tales of ,laughter ,trees3 ,,the ,,little ,,pine ,,tree ,,that ,,wished ,,for ,,new ,,leaves ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,old ,,pipes ,,and ,,the ,,dryad ,frank ,r4 ,stockton1 in ,fanciful ,tales ,,the ,,three ,,little ,,christmas ,,trees ,,that ,,grew ,,on ,,the ,,hill ,mary ,mc,dowell1 in ,the ,story ,teller's ,book ,,trade ,,programs ,the ,farmer3 ,,the ,,larks ,,in ,,the ,,corn ,,field ,in sop's ,fables ,,do ,,what ,,you ,,can ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,farmer ,,and ,,the ,,troll ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,the ,baker3 ,,nero ,,at ,,the ,,bakery ,emilie ,poulsson1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,queer ,,little ,,baker ,,man ,phila ,butler ,bowman1 in ,mother's ,magazine1 ,november1 #aiab ,,the ,,old ,,woman ,,who ,,lost ,,her ,,dumplings ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,the ,shoemaker3 ,,goody ,,two ,,shoes ,emilie ,poulsson1 see page #af ,,the ,,elves ,,and ,,the ,,shoemaker ,grimm ,,the ,,hop-,,about ,,man ,in ,the ,story ,teller's ,book ,the ,blacksmith3 ,,the ,,little ,,gray ,,pony ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,mother ,stories ,,vulcan ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,village ,,blacksmith ,longfellow ,,holiday ,,programs ,thanksgiving3 ,,how ,,patty ,,gave ,,thanks ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,thanksgiving ,nora ,archibald ,smith1 in ,the ,story ,hour ,,the ,,pumpkin ,,glory ,william ,dean ,howells1 in ,christmas ,every ,day ,christmas3 ,,the ,,night ,,before ,,christmas ,clement ,moore ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,claus ,eugene ,field1 in ,a ,little ,book of ,profitable ,tales ,,the ,,golden ,,cobwebs ,in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,easter3 ,,an ,,easter ,,surprise4 ,louise ,m4 ,oglevee1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,a ,,lesson ,,in ,,faith ,margaret ,gatty1 in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,herr ,,oster ,,haase ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,stories of ,patriotism3 ,,how ,,cedric ,,became ,a ,,knight ,elizabeth ,harrison1 in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,little ,,george ,,washington ,nora ,archibald ,smith1 in ,the ,story ,hour ,,the ,,last ,,lesson ,adapted by ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,how to ,tell ,stories to ,children ,for a ,birthday3 ,,the ,,birthday ,,present ,maud ,lindsay1 in ,more ,mother ,stories ,,dicky ,,smiley',s ,,birthday ,nora ,archibald ,smith1 in ,the ,story ,hour ,,the ,,birthday ,,party ,gertrude ,smith1 in ,the ,story ,teller's ,book ,,ethical ,,programs ,being ,brave3 ,,the ,,eyes ,,of ,,the ,,king ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,,the ,,little ,,hero ,,of ,,harlem ,sara ,cone ,bryant1 in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,,the ,,brave ,,tin ,,soldier ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,being ,industrious3 ,,the ,,sailor ,,man ,laura ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,the ,,stone ,,in ,,the ,,road ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,drakesbill ,in ,the ,story ,teller's ,book ,being ,kind3 ,,the ,,little ,,brown ,,lady ,phila ,butler ,bowman1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,,the ,,wheat ,,field ,laura ,e4 ,richards1 in ,the ,golden ,windows ,,little ,,half ,,chick ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,being ,generous3 ,,the ,,little ,,boy ,,who ,,had ,a ,,picnic ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey1 in ,stories and ,rhymes for a ,child ,,the ,,happy ,,prince ,oscar ,wilde ,,the ,,little ,,old ,,man ,,and ,,his ,,gold ,phila ,butler ,bowman1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,being ,hospitable3 ,,the ,,selfish ,,giant ,oscar ,wilde1 in ,the ,happy ,prince and ,other ,fairy ,tales ,,baucis ,,and ,,philemon ,adapted in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,woodpecker ,,who ,,was ,,selfish1 see page #aha ,being ,honest3 ,,the ,,little ,,cowherd ,,brother ,in ,story ,telling in ,school and ,home ,,the ,,honest ,,woodman ,in ,in the ,child's ,world ,,the ,,street ,,musicians ,in ,the ,story ,teller's ,book ,,miscellaneous ,,programs ,good ,little ,folk3 ,,the ,,adventures ,,of ,a ,,brownie 7to be adapted7 ,miss ,mulock ,,the ,,one-,,footed ,,fairy ,alice ,brown ,,the ,,gradual ,,fairy ,alice ,brown1 in ,the ,one-,footed ,fairy ,funny ,stories3 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,lambikin ,in ,firelight ,stories ,,the ,,happy ,,family ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,little ,,black ,,mingo ,helen ,bannerman1 in ,tales of ,laughter ,myths3 ,,the ,,paradise ,,of ,,children ,in ,myths ,every ,child ,should ,know ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,persephone ,in ,for the ,children's ,hour ,,the ,,golden ,,touch ,adapted1 in ,myths ,every ,child ,should ,know ,fairy ,animals3 ,,the ,,winding ,,up ,,place 7to be adapted7 ,in ,mopsa ,the ,fairy ,,the ,,chim,,ra 7to be adapted7 ,in ,myths ,every ,child ,should ,know ,,the ,,little ,,jackal ,,and ,,the ,,alligator ,in ,best ,stories to ,tell to ,children ,princesses3 ,,the ,,crown ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey1 in ,story ,telling ,time ,,the ,,princess ,,and ,,the ,,pea ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,,the ,,princess ,,whom ,,nobody ,,could ,,silence ,in ,tales of ,laughter ,,valuable ,,reference ,,books ,,for ,,the ,,story ,,teller ,,how ,,to ,,tell ,,stories ,,to ,,children ,sara ,cone ,bryant ,,stories ,,to ,,tell ,,to ,,children ,sara ,cone ,bryant ,,the ,,children',s ,,reading ,frances ,jenkins ,olcott ,,story ,,telling3 ,,what ,,to ,,tell ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,tell ,,it ,edna ,lyman ,a ,,list ,,of ,,good ,,stories ,,to ,,tell ,,to ,,children ,,under ,,twelve ,,years ,,of ,,age ,,index ,,to ,,short ,,stories ,salisbury and ,beckwith ,,the ,,story ,,in ,,early ,,education ,sara ,wiltse ,,story ,,telling ,,in ,,school ,,and ,,home ,partridge ,,the ,,story ,,teller',s ,,book ,alice ,o',grady and ,frances ,throop ,,story ,,telling ,,time ,frances ,weld ,danielson ,,in ,,the ,,child',s ,,world ,emilie ,poulsson ,,for ,,the ,,children',s ,,hour ,bailey and ,lewis ,,mother ,,stories ,maud ,lindsay ,,more ,,mother ,,stories ,maud ,lindsay ,,tales ,,of ,,laughter ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin and ,nora ,archibald ,smith ,,the ,,talking ,,beasts ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin and ,nora ,archibald ,smith ,,story-,,tell ,,lib ,annie ,trumbull ,slosson ,,the ,,golden ,,windows ,laura ,e4 ,richards ,,the ,,story ,,hour ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin and ,nora ,archibald ,smith ,,stories ,,and ,,rhymes ,,for ,a ,,child ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey ,,firelight ,,stories ,carolyn ,sherwin ,bailey ,,the ,,wonder ,,book ,nathaniel ,hawthorne ,,tanglewood ,,tales ,nathaniel ,hawthorne ,,fairy ,,tales ,the ,brothers ,grimm 8 8 ,hans ,christian ,andersen 8 8 ,joseph ,jacobs ,,the ,,one-,,footed ,,fairy ,alice ,brown ,,the ,,boston ,,collection ,,of ,,kindergarten ,,stories ,,the ,,children',s ,,hour ,eva ,march ,tappan ,,the ,,jungle ,,books ,rudyard ,kipling ,,the ,,just ,,so ,,stories ,rudyard ,kipling ,,nature ,,myths ,florence ,holbrook ,,the ,,happy ,,prince ,,and ,,other ,,fairy ,,tales ,oscar ,wilde ,,why ,,the ,,chimes ,,rang ,r4 ,m4 ,alden ,,nights ,,with ,,uncle ,,remus ,joel ,chandler ,harris ,,johnny ,,crow',s ,,garden ,leslie ,brooke ,,granny',s ,,wonderful ,,chair ,francis ,browne ,,parables ,,from ,,nature ,margaret ,gatty ,,forgotten ,,tales ,,of ,,long ,,ago ,e4 ,v4 ,lucas ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,christmas ,,hamilton ,w4 ,mabie ,,myths ,,every ,,child ,,should ,,know ,,hamilton ,w4 ,mabie ,,heroes ,,every ,,child ,,should ,,know ,,hamilton ,w4 ,mabie ,,mopsa ,,the ,,fairy ,jean ,ingelow ,,the ,,dog ,,of ,,flanders ,,and ,,other ,,stories ,ouida 7,ram7 ,,the ,,children',s ,,book ,horace ,e4 ,scudder ,,the ,,bee-,,man ,,of ,,orne ,frank ,r4 ,stockton ,,half ,a ,,hundred ,,hero ,,tales ,francis ,storr ,,stories ,,and ,,poems ,,for ,,children ,celia ,thaxter 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4