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owtoteac#jj;arnoiala   ,transcriber's   
note3        ,text enclosed by          
underscores is in italics 7italics74    
,text enclosed by equal signs is in bold
 face 7bold74      ,,reading3 ,,how ,,to
 ,,teach ,,it4   ,illustration3 ,,girl  
,,reading4  ,w4 ,m4 ,hunt4   ,,reading3 
,,how ,,to ,,teach ,,it  by  ,,sarah    
,,louise ,,arnold  ,supervisor of       
,schools1 ,boston1 ,mass41 and author of
 8,stepping ,stones to ,literature10    
8,waymarks for ,teachers10 etc4         
,illustration       ,silver1 ,burdett   
and ,company ,boston      ,new ,york    

,chicago  ,copyright1 #ahii by ,silver1 
,burdett and ,company     ,,greeting4   
,the teacher of children must know how  
to guide her work so that the seemingly 
trivial beginnings shall tend toward a  
goal whose attainment is worth striving 
for4 ,hers is a day of small things4    
,the child does not see the end from the
 beginning1 but the teacher must1 and   
the constant recognition of the desired 
object must influence her simplest      
lesson4  ,these pages are written in the
 hope of helping teachers to appreciate 
the true import of the familiar task4   
,they attempt to interpret and to       
dignify the commonplace routine4 ,they  
have grown out of thoughtful experience1
 and are sent forth with good will1 to  
their service4                          
,,sarah ,,louise ,,arnold4  ,boston1    
,mass41 ,july1 #ahii4     ,,contents4   
,,chapter                               
,,page       ,i4 ,,why ,,do ,,we ,,read8
                                        
#i      ,,ii4 ,,literature ,,in ,,the   

,,school-,,room                         
#be     ,,iii4 ,,learning ,,to ,,read   
#de      ,,iv4 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the 
,,lesson                                
#hg       ,v4 ,,language ,,lessons ,,as 
,a ,,preparation ,,for ,,reading        
,,lessons    #aje      ,,vi4            
,,expression ,,in ,,reading             
#aag     ,,vii4 ,,lessons ,,to ,,suggest
 ,,plans ,,of ,,work                    
#aci    ,,viii4 ,,lessons ,,to ,,suggest
 ,,plans ,,of ,,work--,,continued       
#aeg      ,,ix4 ,,the ,,study ,,of      
,,pictures                              
#ahe       ,x4 ,,hints ,,for ,,reading  
,,lessons                               
#aii      ,,xi4 ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,the  
,,library                               
#bbc     ,,xii4 ,a ,,list ,,of ,,books  
#bea    ,,xiii4 ,a ,,list ,,of ,,poems  
#bgc         ,consider what you have in 
the smallest chosen library4 ,a         
company of the wisest and wittiest men  
that could be picked     out of all     
civil countries1 in a thousand years1   

have set in     best order the results  
of their learning and wisdom4 ,the men  
themselves were hidden and inaccessible1
 solitary1 impatient     of             
interruption1 fenced by etiquette2 but  
the thought that     they did not       
uncover to their bosom friend is here   
written     out in transparent words to 
us1 the strangers of another age4       
,we owe to books those general benefits 
which come from high     intellectual   
action4 ,thus1 ,i think1 we often owe to
 them the     perception of immortality4
 ,they impart sympathetic activity      
to the moral power4 ,go with mean       
people1 and you think life     is mean4 
,then read ,plutarch1 and the world is a
 proud place1     peopled with men of   
positive quality1 with heroes and       
demi-gods     standing around us1 who   
will not let us sleep4 ,then they       
address the imagination3 only poetry    
inspires poetry4 ,they     become the   
organic culture of the time4 ,college   
education is     the reading of certain 

books which the common sense of all     
scholars agrees will represent the      
science already accumulated4     ,in the
 highest civilization1 the book is still
 the highest     delight4               
,,ralph ,,waldo ,,emerson4              
,illustration     ,,reading3 ,,how ,,to 
,,teach ,,it4     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,why  
,,do ,,we ,,read8   ,the power to read  
is so ordinary a part of our mental     
equipment that we rarely question its   
meaning or its origin4 ,all common      
things pass us unchallenged1 however    
marvellous they may be4 ,we take little 
note of our sunrises and sunsets1 the   
hill range which we see every day from  
our window1 the clear air which infuses 
new energies into our lives with every  
new morning4 ,common institutions1      
however precious--the home1 the school1 
the church1 the state--are received by  
us as a matter of course1 just as       
children receive without surprise the   
most valuable gifts from the hands of   
their friends4 ,we need not marvel1     

then1 that this power1 which has so long
 been a part of ourselves1 should remain
 unquestioned1 or that we learn to read 
without giving a thought to the motive  
which impels us to learn4 ,it may be    
well for even the most thoughtful among 
us to pause for a moment to question why
 everybody learns to read2 to ponder the
 returns from the effort1 the time1 and 
the pains spent in the mastery of the   
art4  ,it is evident that our estimate  
of the value of reading will depend upon
 our kind of reading2 or1 in other      
words1 the kind of knowledge which we   
gain from reading4 ,for example1 you and
 ,i may turn to the daily newspaper for 
a certain knowledge to direct our       
everyday plans4 ,we wish to go to the   
city on the morrow3--this evening's     
paper warns us of an approaching rain2  
we therefore provide ourselves with an  
umbrella before starting on our journey4
 ,or we desire to hear ,nansen's        
lecture3--the newspaper apprises us of  
the time1 the place1 the subject1 the   

cost of tickets1 the place where they   
are to be sold1 the arrangement for     
extra trains4 ,or1 again1 we plan a trip
 to ,florida3--the ways and means of    
going1 the departure and arrival of     
trains1 the choice of routes1 the cost  
of the journey1 the hotels which we may 
expect to find1 together with a thousand
 other items1--all these are learned by 
means of time-tables1 guide-books1 and  
printed pamphlets1 which we carefully   
read before going4 ,without this        
information which has been written down 
for us1 and without this power on our   
part to read it1 our journey would be to
 us like that of a traveller in an      
unexplored country1 except as our       
friends give us the result of their     
experience4 ,the business man consults  
the paper to learn of the quotations of 
stocks and bonds1 the arrival or        
departure of ships1 the scarcity or     
abundance of crops4 ,the enthusiastic   
bicyclist learns of the proposed runs of
 the club through the obliging columns  

of the paper2 his guide-book supplies   
the directions which take him safely to 
his journey's end1 or the descriptions  
which interpret to him the places       
through which he rides4 ,can we imagine 
ourselves as bereft of this power of    
reading the printed directions which are
 every day consulted by us for our      
ordinary convenience8 ,how limited1 how 
hindered our lives would seem to us with
 this power withdrawn6  ,through the    
various agencies to which we have       
referred1 and similar sources equally   
familiar to us1 we share the experience 
of others and add to our limited life   
that which they have learned for us4    
,our power is multiplied1 our           
convenience is assured1 our happiness is
 increased by means of the work which   
has been done by others4 ,the fruit of  
others' thought and experience is stored
 ready for our use as soon as we have   
mastered the art of reading4 ,therefore1
 in order that we may add to our own    
power by sharing the experience and     

wisdom of others in the management of   
our everyday1 practical affairs1 we have
 learned to read4  ,and1 furthermore1 as
 members of a community we need to know 
what others are doing4 ,we cannot live  
to ourselves alone4 ,ordinary           
intelligence demands a knowledge of     
contemporary events4 ,a strike in the   
,fall ,river mills1 a freshet in the    
,connecticut ,valley1 a cyclone in      
,iowa1 a frost in ,florida1 a famine or 
a pestilence in ,india1 a war in ,cuba1 
the threatened partition of ,china1 the 
accession of ,hawaii1 are matters which 
pertain to us also4 ,in these days of   
rapid transmission of intelligence1 the 
world has become one great family1 and  
in proportion as one recognizes his     
responsibility to the brotherhood of    
which he is a member1 he will be        
interested to know the deeds of other   
men1 the happenings in other            
communities4 ,these exert a direct      
influence upon our own environment4     
,therefore we read to obtain knowledge  

of the life about us1 in countries near 
and remote2 and in proportion as our    
interest is wide and intelligent does   
such reading become a necessity to us4  
,moreover1 an intelligent judgment of   
the events of the present involves a    
knowledge of the past1 which to so large
 a degree determines the present4 ,what 
men have done1 what they have           
discovered1 what they have thought1 in  
the ages that are past1 enables us to   
interpret the present4 ,a complete      
knowledge of our own time is the        
possession only of the man who can read 
the past4 ,the history of any nation1   
the development of any art or science1  
the growth of any religion can be known 
only to him who reads4 ,the student of  
his own times must turn to the life of  
the yesterdays for answers to the       
problems which are confronting him4 ,the
 experience of the past has been        
chronicled in books in order that we may
 share the blessings of that experience4
 ,how narrow seems the life of the      

person who is without the power to read 
even the outlines of that history6 ,we  
have but to imagine the books of the    
past as closed to the entire world1 and 
the power of reading as cut off from    
every one1 to realize the individual    
loss when the power of thus reading is  
withheld4 ,it is a recognized truth that
 the broader one's life1 the greater his
 consciousness of the necessity for     
general knowledge such as is gained from
 books4  ,a fourth type of reading is   
suggested by the ministrations of       
literature4 ,if we imagine ourselves as 
seated by the study table reading our   
favorite poem1 we shall recognize that  
it has been through the reading of      
literature that much of our highest     
inspiration has come to us4 ,it is the  
poet who brings to us true insight into 
our own experience1 who interprets for  
us the great problems of life4 ,with    
what joy and exultation we recall our   
magnificent hymns6 ,what waves of       
emotion sweep over us as we read the    

lines in which the master hand has      
recorded the deepest experiences6 ,for  
enjoyment1 for culture1 for spiritual   
help we turn to the higher order of     
books4 ,in the truest sense1 this       
reading directs our lives1 interprets   
our experiences1 and determines our     
ideals4 ,we cannot imagine ourselves as 
defrauded of this birthright4 ,how      
meagre would our lives at once become if
 every vestige of the treasures of      
literature was removed from our         
experience3--the army without the battle
 hymn1 the home without the poem1 the   
struggle without the psalm of courage1  
the mortal defeat without the inspiring 
shout of spiritual triumph6 ,in         
attempting thus to picture a life       
without the inspiration of literature1  
we realize our dependence upon its      
teachings4 ,the higher our conception of
 living1 the fuller our realization of  
the help which comes to us through      
literature4  ,our motives in reading1   
then1 may be recorded in an ascending   

series3 ,to obtain practical guidance in
 everyday affairs2 to enrich our lives  
with the experience of our neighbors2 to
 share the wisdom resulting from the    
experience of the past2 to gain         
pleasure1 insight1 and spiritual        
direction4 ,any one of these motives    
would be sufficient to warrant us in    
teaching reading2 through any one of    
these results we are fitted to become   
better members of the community4 ,but   
can we draw the line1 giving to our     
children the lower results only1 where  
so much might well be given8  ,we have  
asked why we read1 and the question     
which naturally follows is3 8,what shall
 we read80 ,we must be able to read     
ordinary facts affecting our everyday   
life1 expressed in the terms of that    
life4 ,such reading involves little     
growth4 ,its purposes are exceedingly   
practical in the ordinary sense of the  
term4 ,there is little widening of our  
horizon1 little deepening of our        
experience in consequence of such       

practice4 ,second1 we should read such  
books and papers as will serve to inform
 us of contemporary events1--such events
 as really have a bearing upon our      
present environment or the life of the  
future4 ,this reading gives us knowledge
 of other peoples and places1 widening  
our horizon1 and urging us back to      
study1 with clearer eyes1 the           
environment which has been constantly   
about us4 ,only thus can we truly see   
the life which is nearest to us4 ,third1
 the reading of the past leads us to the
 pages of history in which the best has 
been chronicled4 ,as has been said1 the 
knowledge of the present can be obtained
 only through the interpretation of the 
past4 ,that life is narrow indeed which 
confines its range to the present alone4
 ,and fourth1 we must be able to read   
and interpret literature1 a reading     
which requires a fuller power than any  
which has been heretofore described1 and
 involves a higher type of teaching4    
,in the thought of many parents and     

friends of the school1 the immediately  
practical aim of reading is the only one
 considered4 ,because reading           
facilitates buying and selling1 coming  
and going1 and is ordinarily accepted as
 a mark of intelligence1 it is          
considered as an essential in our school
 courses4 ,but the higher our conception
 of life1 the higher will be our        
conception of education2 and with the   
higher conception of education comes the
 acceptance of the higher aim1 even in  
our simplest teaching4 ,we may learn to 
read in such a way that we never rise   
beyond the first result of our          
attainment4 ,this will almost assuredly 
be the case if the so-called 8practical0
 aim is the only one considered2 but if1
 from the beginning1 the teacher's hope 
and that of the parent are that the     
child may grow into fuller power1 we    
shall find his life strengthened and    
inspired by the loftier aim1 by the     
surer accomplishment of the greater     
result4 8,seek ye first the kingdom of  

,god and his righteousness1 and all     
these things shall be added unto you40  
,the old saying is far from being       
interpreted in these days of hurrying to
 obtain the immediate and the           
practical1--but it is forever true that 
as our aim becomes higher1 the type of  
our work becomes nobler1 while the      
character of the results justifies our  
endeavors4 ,the greater will include the
 less1 but the lower aim may never lead 
to the higher4 ,can we dare to withhold 
from our children the comfort1 the      
inspiration1 the strength1 the guidance 
that has come to us through the higher  
type of reading8 ,is it not a necessity 
that1 from the beginning1 they shall be 
taught to look forward to such power of 
acquisition as shall open to them the   
treasures of experience which have been 
written down for them in the best books8
  ,illustration         ,it is as       
undesirable as it is impossible to try  
to feed the     minds of children only  
upon facts of observation or record4    

,the immense product of the imagination 
in art and literature     is a concrete 
fact with which every educated being    
should be     made somewhat familiar1   
such products being a very real part    
of every individual's actual            
environment4 ''' ,do we not all know    
many people who seem to live in a mental
 vacuum--to whom we     have great      
difficulty in attributing immortality1  
because they     apparently have so     
little life except that of the body8    
,fifteen     minutes a day of good      
reading would give any one of this      
multitude a really human life4 8,the    
uplifting of the democratic     masses  
depends upon the implanting at schools  
of the taste for     good reading40     
,,charles ,w4 ,,eliot4     ,illustration
     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,literature ,,in 
,,the ,,school-,,room4   ,learning to   
read is an important part of the        
children's training1 but learning what  
to read is quite as important4 ,a       
child's mastery of the printed page may 

leave him with the key to that which is 
base and ignoble in literature1 or it   
may open to him that which is noble and 
inspiring4 ,his newly gotten power may  
unlock to him the dime novel1 or the    
,iliad4 ,whether he turns to the one or 
to the other depends largely upon his   
early associations4 ,it is determined   
especially by his early teaching4  ,to  
present the right standard or pattern is
 one of the functions of the teacher4   
,this is equally true whether the lesson
 be the form of a ,latin verb1 the shape
 of a vase1 the polite fashion of       
address1 or the choice of books4 ,to set
 the copy was of old the teacher's part1
 and it must still occupy a prominent   
place in our work4 ,for the sake of     
giving the children right ideals1 we    
must place before them the best in      
literature1 such literature as will     
supply not only standards in language1  
but ideals in character4 ,their         
experience1 like ours1 must be renforced
 by the teachings of others--the lessons

 which have been treasured in books--and
 these lessons must begin in childhood4 
,it is a mistake to postpone good       
literature until the child has mastered 
word forms and the technique of reading4
 ,his love for the good must exist      
before he begins to read at all1 and    
must be stimulated and strengthened by  
means of his reading4 ,at the same time 
that he becomes master of the mechanics 
of reading1 he should be endowed with   
the desire to choose that which is good 
to read4 ,the work of the teacher1      
therefore1 is to establish ideals1 to   
quicken desire1 to strengthen right     
tendencies1 to lead to wise choices4    
,these belong to the teaching of        
reading1 and should assume quite as     
important a place as does the mastery of
 words1 or fluency in expression4  ,as  
has been said1 good literature should   
not be postponed until the children can 
read it for themselves4 ,a study of our 
own experience will assure us that the  
teachings of our childhood have made the

 most lasting impression upon us4 ,it is
 the childhood association which moves  
us most strongly to-day4 ,as the twig is
 bent the tree is inclined4 ,there comes
 a time in the tree's history when its  
inclination is fixed4 ,it is the young  
tree which is shaped by the skill of the
 nurseryman4 ,the best of poems should  
be read and recited to little children4 
8,tell me a story10 or 8,read to me10 is
 the oft-repeated plea in the home4 ,it 
indicates the child's desire1 and his   
need as well4 ,let us be taught by the  
children4 ,here is our opportunity to   
present to them the story that is worth 
telling1 the poem that is worth reading4
 8,tell it again10 we hear1 after every 
recital1 and again and again and again  
the loved story is repeated4 ,should we 
not be assured that the oft-heard word  
is worthy of this frequent repetition8  
,if the child asks for bread1 shall we  
give him a stone8  ,in the home1 long   
before the child enters school1 he      
should become familiar with true        

stories1 fairy stories1 exquisite songs1
 beautiful poems1 adapted to his        
intelligence1 suited to his interest4   
,if this good work has been done at home
 it should be continued by the teacher4 
,if it has been neglected by the home   
friends1 it necessarily becomes a part  
of the teacher's work4 ,the child's mind
 should be furnished with the best      
stories and poems before he begins his  
primer4 ,so shall he long to master the 
art which shall open books to him for   
his own reading1 and every step which   
his baby feet take in the path to his   
desire shall bring him consciously      
nearer to the longed-for treasure4      
,through the first years of the school  
life1 telling stories1 reciting poems1  
or reading to the children should be a  
frequent exercise4 ,this may occur in   
the time of the reading lesson1 in the  
language lesson1 or the morning talk4   
,the benefits derived from this practice
 are two-fold4 ,the stories and the     
poems give to the children new material 

for thought2 they also help them to     
acquire a taste for good things which   
will cause them to choose instinctively 
that which is good when they are left   
free to choose4 ,children who have been 
accustomed to the stories of the ,iliad1
 will read and re-read this treasure in 
later life with an advantage which could
 not have been theirs had not the heroes
 of the old story been the companions of
 their childhood's thought4 ,we can     
hardly imagine that boys accustomed to  
such associations will be satisfied with
 the cheap and pernicious pages of the  
dime novel4 ,a mind well furnished with 
good things will appropriate good to    
itself4 ,it is the empty head which     
becomes filled with that which is cheap 
and mean4 ,the children of a certain    
city were once asked without previous   
notice to write down something which    
they had memorized4 ,those who had not  
been taught in school to memorize choice
 selections1 wrote pages of curious and 
uncouth rhymes1 which they had learned  

in various ways4 ,the exercise proved   
conclusively that they must be helped to
 choose wisely4 ,the choice will never  
be between the good and nothing1 fulness
 and emptiness3 it will always be a     
choice between the good and the bad4    
,let us read to the children1 then4 ,let
 their own desires guide our selection  
in the beginning4 ,the true story1 the  
fairy story1 the poem1 may be read or   
recited in turn4 ,the children's plea   
for repetition will teach us what their 
present choice is4 ,if we are wise we   
shall be instructed by their comments   
and questions4  ,three rules should     
guide our choice of literature3 ,first1 
give the children what is good4 ,second1
 give them what we like4 ,third1 give   
them what they like4  ,the first rule   
needs no interpretation4 ,with so much  
that is precious waiting to be taught1  
we cannot be satisfied with any lesson  
material worthless in itself4 ,life is  
too short and its time too sacred to    
admit of such harmful dallying4  ,the   

second rule is always a safe one4 ,we   
must teach that which belongs to us4 ,we
 cannot give to the children what is not
 ours to give4 ,the poem or story which 
we enjoy because it answers to something
 in our nature1 we shall be able to     
teach to them4 ,we may repeat1 but we   
cannot teach1 that which has not entered
 into our own lives4 ,therefore1 if we  
do not love and appreciate what is good 
in literature1 our first duty is to     
teach ourselves1 in order that we may be
 prepared to teach the children4  ,the  
third rule necessitates a study of the  
children as well as a study of          
literature4 ,songs and stories which are
 entirely suited to one class may fail  
to interest another4 ,those which we    
like may not attract the children4      
,hence1 we must watch them through our  
story-telling or our reading1 and judge1
 by their attention1 their comments1    
their silence1 their indifference1 where
 their interest lies4 ,we must begin    
with that which appeals to their child  

life1 their present interest2 but we    
shall not end there4 ,we must lead them 
to a fuller enjoyment and to a wider    
interest1 by giving them always a little
 more than that for which they ask4     
,there is much in the pages of the best 
literature which is already suited to   
children's understanding4 ,let us choose
 that first4 ,but we shall dare to add  
much which they do not fully understand 
as yet1 knowing that the future will    
interpret to them that which is now     
hidden4 ,it is a mistake to cut         
literature to the children's            
comprehension4 ,let us trust that they  
will feel in some measure the beauty    
which they cannot understand1 and that  
their future experience will unlock the 
door which is now shut to them4  ,the   
writer remembers a class of             
children--children who came from rude   
homes1 whose lives were narrow and      
hindered1 who1 nevertheless1 listened   
with intense interest to the poems which
 their teacher read to them4 ,it        

happened that she once selected for the 
morning reading the first stanzas of    
,longfellow's poem1 8,my ,lost ,youth40 
,they listened eagerly until the book   
was closed1 giving evidence of          
appreciation with every return of the   
rhythmic refrain4 8,is that all80 they  
asked4 8,no10 was the reply1 8but you   
would not understand the rest40 8,oh1   
read it to us1 even if we don't10 they  
urged4 8,we love the sound of it40  ,the
 writer has often heard primary classes 
reciting ,wordsworth's 8,daffodils0 with
 great delight4 ,without doubt the      
child's interpretation differs from that
 of the man1--understanding is the fruit
 of experience1--but even thus early the
 children enter into the spirit of the  
poem1 rejoice in the beauty of the      
daffodils1 and are happy in the rhythmic
 recitation4 ,the beautiful words are   
treasured in their memories1 to return  
again and again to gladden their hearts1
 just as the bright vision was repeated 
in the experience of the poet4  ,give to

 the children1 then1 not only the child 
thought which fits the childish         
experience1 but also the treasure which 
grows in beauty as they grow1 and       
becomes rich as they become wise4  ,it  
is well for the teacher to cultivate the
 art of telling stories to children4    
,the story that is told has an element  
of life which is not found in the story 
that is read4 ,there is no barrier      
between the story-teller and his        
audience2 the book often makes a gulf   
between the reader and his hearers4     
,practise story-telling4 ,let the       
children's indifference teach you       
wherein you fail2 your unconscious      
tutors will show you what to omit and   
what to magnify4 ,their training will   
help you in other directions4 ,if you   
yield yourself to the teaching of the   
children1 you will be repaid by a new   
readiness in story-telling before less  
kindly and less candid critics4 ,do not 
forego this privilege4  ,it is well to  
read and re-read the poem or story until

 it becomes the child's own possession4 
,the term 8,memory ,gem0 has been       
adopted into our familiar school        
phrases4 ,whether the phrase remains or 
not1 it is to be hoped that the exercise
 which it names will always have a      
place4 ,it has an advantage beyond      
simply reading or hearing the poem4 ,the
 poem which has been committed to memory
 and recited again and again1 becomes   
the child's own4 ,it will recur to him  
at his play1 at his work1 in school and 
out4 ,no other thought treasure is so   
dear to us as that which is learned in  
childhood1 and which accompanies us     
through life4 ,through such indirect    
teaching1 we may remain an influence for
 good even when our names have been     
forgotten4 ,by means of such tuition the
 child becomes familiar with the        
vocabulary of good literature1 and is   
prepared to read1 understand1 and enjoy 
that which would otherwise have been    
beyond his reach4 ,by all means continue
 the 8memory gem10 but be assured that  

the selections are truly gems4  ,a poem 
or story may be presented to a child as 
a message from the author to him4       
,whittier's 8,barefoot ,boy10 for       
example1 serves not only to describe the
 barefoot boy1 but to tell the children 
something about the poet himself4 ,if   
they read it with this thought in mind1 
they will be desirous of learning       
something about the poet4 ,this study of
 the author should not precede the study
 of the poem4 ,they will care to learn  
about ,whittier because he has written  
this charming poem for them2 now1 facts 
about his life will be filled with      
meaning2 they will rejoice in the story 
of his boyhood experience1 and will     
return to 8,the ,barefoot ,boy0 with a  
keener interest1 because it has become  
real to them through their study of the 
poet's life4 ,for little children 7and  
is it not true of grown-up children as  
well87 this is the natural order of     
teaching4 ,we care to know about ,scott 
because we delight in 8,marmion0 and    

8,ivanhoe02 we do not first learn about 
the author1 and then decide to read his 
works4  ,other things being equal1 our  
selections for reading and for          
memorizing should be from the world's   
best writers4 ,we should at least be    
sure that the children's course of      
reading gives them some sense of        
companionship with a few men and women  
who have blessed the world through their
 books4 ,hans ,christian ,andersen1     
,alice and ,phbe ,cary1 ,mary ,howitt1  
,longfellow1 ,whittier1 ,lowell1 ,robert
 ,louis ,stevenson1 and ,eugene ,field  
have written some of their best thoughts
 for children as well as for men and    
women4 ,some of these names should stand
 for real personalities1 nay1 for       
friends1 to the children1 before they   
leave school4  ,one question is often   
asked by teachers3 8,shall ,i give myths
 to the children1 and how8 and can ,i   
give them if ,i do not believe them nor 
like them at all myself80 ,somewhere1   
sometime1 somehow1 the children should  

become familiar with the classic myths4 
,the 8sometime0 should be in childhood1 
or the myths will never fulfil their    
true mission4 ,they should come at the  
time when children delight in the       
marvellous1 the fanciful1 the grotesque4
 ,rightly used1 they help to develop the
 imagination1 a power which is left     
sadly to itself in school life4 ,they   
serve as a basis for future reading4 ,a 
knowledge of them is necessary to the   
interpretation of the best in           
literature4 ,by all means give them to  
the children1 but give them in their    
best form4 ,they should not be mutilated
 by any attempt to embody them in words 
of one syllable4 ,let the child's       
reading of the myths wait until he is   
able to read some version couched in the
 purest ,english4 ,meanwhile1 read them 
to him again and again1 sometimes       
without note or comment1 for            
explanations are often bungling attempts
 to explain that which can never be     
explained4 ,let the child absorb into   

himself what the story conveys to him4  
,answer his questions plainly1 if you   
can4 ,tell him you do not know1 if you  
do not2 but do not spoil his visions by 
attempting to teach vaporized theories4 
,enough has been said of the teacher's  
duty in the direction of developing     
taste4 ,it is self-evident that no      
teacher can help a child to appreciate  
that which is beautiful1 unless she     
herself appreciates it4 ,the fountain   
cannot rise higher than its source4 ,we 
must be that which we would help the    
children to become4 ,therefore1 it is of
 the utmost importance that the         
teacher's reading be carefully directed4
 ,i know of no way in which a teacher   
can better serve her children than by   
reading the best books4 ,this reading   
will be1 of course1 in the line of her  
own tastes and interests4 ,every year1  
at the least1 a new book should become a
 teacher's possession4 ,she should not  
only buy it to keep1 but she should read
 and re-read it1 until its contents     

become a part of herself4 ,every year   
should widen her horizon1 and enable her
 to see more truly than she has seen    
before4 ,every book thus read and       
re-read becomes a definite force in her 
life1 and unconsciously directs her     
teaching4 ,the teacher who would guide  
her pupils in the fields of literature1 
must herself frequent the paths in which
 she desires their feet to tread4       
,illustration         ,if the crowns of 
all the kingdoms of the empire were laid
 down     at my feet in exchange for my 
books and my love of reading1 ,i        
would spurn them all4                   
--,f,,nelon4     ,illustration          
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,learning ,,to       
,,read4   ,the problem of teaching would
 be solved could the teacher know how   
her well-devised plan of action really  
affects her pupil4 ,patiently and       
persistently she follows her            
foreordained method1 but who can know   
the critical moment when the mind opens 
to take in the new idea1 and to delight 

in the consciousness of growth8 ,who can
 name or describe the ,open ,sesame that
 unlocks the world of books to the      
child8  ,a clear light is thrown upon   
our common problem by the charming      
description of one child's experience4  
,hugh ,miller1 in his 8,schools and     
,schoolmasters10 tells us how he learned
 to read1 or1 rather1 learned to love   
reading4 ,we quote at length3--      ,i 
had been sent1 previous to my father's  
death1 to a dame's     school1 where ,i 
was taught to pronounce my letters to   
such     effect in the old ,scottish    
mode1 that still1 when ,i attempt       
spelling a word aloud1 which is not     
often1--for ,i find the     process a   
perilous one1--the aa's1 and ee's1 and  
uh's1     and rau's1 return upon me1 and
 ,i have to translate them1     with no 
little hesitation1 as ,i go along1 into 
the more modish     sounds4 ,a knowledge
 of the letters themselves ,i had       
already     acquired by studying the    
signposts of the place1--rare works of  

art1 that excited my utmost admiration1 
with jugs1 and glasses1     and bottles1
 and ships1 and loaves of bread upon    
them2 all of     which could1 as the    
artist intended1 be actually recognized4
     ,during my sixth year1 ,i spelt my 
way1 under the dame1 through     the    
,shorter ,catechism1 the ,proverbs1 and 
the ,new ,testament1     and then       
entered upon her highest form1 as a     
member of the     ,bible ,class2 but all
 the while1 the process of acquiring    
learning had been a dark one1 which ,i  
slowly mastered1 in     humble          
confidence in the awful wisdom of the   
schoolmistress1     not knowing whither 
it tended1--when at once my mind awoke  
to     the meaning of that most         
delightful of all narratives1 the       
story of ,joseph4 ,was there ever such a
 discovery made before6 ,i     actually 
found out for myself1 that the art of   
reading is the     art of finding       
stories in books1 and from that moment  
reading     became one of the most      

delightful of my amusements4 ,i began by
     getting into a corner at the       
dismissal of the school1 and there      
conning over to myself the new-found    
story of ,joseph2 nor did     one       
perusal serve2 the other ,scripture     
stories followed1--in     especial1 the 
story of ,samson and the ,philistines1  
of ,david and     ,goliath1 of the      
prophets ,elijah and ,elisha2 and after 
that came     the ,new ,testament       
stories and parables4 ,assisted by my   
uncles1     ,i began to collect a       
library in a box of birch-bark about    
nine     inches square1 which ,i found  
quite large enough to contain     a     
great many immortal works1--8,jack the  
,giant-,killer10 and     8,jack and the 
,bean-,stalk10 and the 8,yellow ,dwarf10
 and 8,blue     ,beard10 and 8,sindbad  
the ,sailor10 and 8,beauty and the      
,beast10     and 8,aladdin and the      
,wonderful ,lamp10 with several others  
of     resembling character4      ,those
 intolerable nuisances1 the             

useful-knowledge books1 had     not yet 
arisen1 like tenebrious stars1 on the   
educational     horizon1 to darken the  
world1 and shed their blighting         
influence on the opening intellect of   
the 8youthhood02 and     so1 from my    
rudimental books--books that made       
themselves truly     such by their      
thorough assimilation with the          
rudimental     mind--,i passed on1      
without being conscious of break or line
 of     division1 to books on which the 
learned are content to write            
commentaries and dissertations1 but     
which ,i found to be quite     as nice  
children's books as any of the others4  
,old ,homer wrote     admirably for     
little folk1 especially in the          
8,odyssey02 a copy     of which1 in the 
only true translation extant1--for1     
judging     from its surpassing interest
 and the wrath of critics1 such ,i      
hold that of ,pope to be1--,i found in  
the house of a neighbor4     ,next came 
the 8,iliad02 not1 however1 in a        

complete copy1 but     represented by   
four of the six volumes of ,bernard     
,lintot4 ,with     what power1 and at   
how early an age1 true genius impresses6
 ,i     saw1 even at this immature      
period1 that no writer could cast     a 
javelin with half the force of ,homer4  
,the missiles went     whizzing athwart 
his pages2 and ,i could see the         
momentary gleam     of the steel1 ere it
 buried itself deep in brass and        
bull-hide4     ,i next succeeded in     
discovering for myself a child's book1  
of     not less interest than even the  
8,iliad10 which might1 ,i was     told1 
be read on ,sabbaths1 in a magnificent  
old edition of     8,pilgrim's          
,progress10 printed on coarse1          
whity-brown paper1     and charged with 
numerous woodcuts1 each of which        
occupied an     entire page1 that1 on   
principles of economy1 bore letterpress 
on the other side4 ,and such delightful 
prints as these were6 ,it     must have 
been some such volume that sat for its  

portrait to     ,wordsworth1 and which  
he so exquisitely describes as          
8,profuse in garniture of wooden cuts1  
,strange and uncouth2 dire faces1       
figures dire1         ,sharp-kneed1     
sharp-elbowed1 and lean-ankled1 too1    
,with long and ghastly shanks1--forms   
which1 once seen1         ,could never  
be forgotten40      ,in process of time 
,i had devoured1 besides these genial   
works1     8,robinson ,crusoe10         
8,gulliver's ,travels10 8,ambrose on    
,angels10     the judgment chapter in   
,howie's 8,scotch ,worthies10 ,byron's  
8,narrative10 and the 8,adventures of   
,philip ,quarll10 with a     good many  
other adventures and voyages1 real and  
fictitious1     part of a very          
miscellaneous collection of books made  
by my     father4 ,it was a melancholy  
little library to which ,i had          
fallen heir4 ,most of the missing       
volumes had been with the     master    
aboard the vessel when he perished4 ,of 
an early edition     of ,cook's         

8,voyages10 all the volumes were now    
absent save the     first2 and a very   
tantalizing romance in four volumes1    
,mrs4     ,ratcliff's 8,mysteries of    
,udolpho10 was represented by only the  
earlier two4 ,small as the collection   
was1 it contained some     rare         
books1--among the rest1 a curious little
 volume entitled1     8,the ,miracles of
 ,nature and ,art10 to which we find    
,dr4 ,johnson     referring1 in one of  
the dialogues chronicled by ,boswell1   
as scarce even in his day1 and which had
 been published1 he     said1 some time 
in the seventeenth century by a         
bookseller     whose shop hung perched  
on ,old ,london ,bridge1 between sky and
     water4 ,it contained1 too1 the only
 copy ,i ever saw of the     8,memoirs  
of a ,protestant condemned to the       
,galleys of ,france     for his         
,religion10--a work interesting from the
 circumstance     that1 though it bore  
another name on its title-page1 it had  
been translated from the ,french for a  

few guineas by poor     ,goldsmith in   
his days of obscure literary drudgery1  
and     exhibited the peculiar          
excellences of his style4 ,the          
collection     boasted1 beside1 of a    
very curious old book1 illustrated by   
very uncouth plates1 that detailed the  
perils and sufferings     of an ,english
 sailor who had spent his best years of 
life as     a slave in ,morocco4 ,it had
 its volumes of sound theology1     too1
 and of stiff controversy1--,flavel's   
8,works10 and ,henry's                  
8,commentary10 and ,hutchinson on the   
8,lesser ,prophets10 and a     very old 
treatise on the 8,revelation10 with the 
title-page     away1 and blind          
,jameson's volume on the 8,hierarchy10  
with first     editions of 8,naphthali10
 8,the ,cloud of ,witnesses10 and 8,the 
,hind let ,loose40 ,but with these solid
 authors ,i did not venture     to      
grapple until long after this time4 ,of 
the works of fact     and incident which
 it contained1 those of the voyagers    

were     my especial favorites4 ,i      
perused with avidity the voyages of     
,anson1 ,drake1 ,raleigh1 ,dampier1 and 
,captain ,woods ,rogers1 and     my mind
 became so filled with conceptions of   
what was to be     seen and done in     
foreign parts1 that ,i wished myself big
 enough     to be a sailor1 that ,i     
might go and see coral islands and      
burning mountains1 and hunt wild beasts 
and fight battles4  ,these reminiscences
 are most suggestive4 ,do they not find 
a parallel in our memory of our         
childhood conquest of the art of        
reading8  ,before planning her lessons  
in reading1 the teacher will do well to 
review her own experience in reading1 or
 to scan the difficulties which she has 
encountered in teaching other classes4  
,a brief analysis of her experiences1   
both as a pupil and as a teacher1 will  
reveal distinct lines of achievement in 
learning to read4 ,these are illustrated
 in any act of reading4      8,the old  
familiar sights of ours     ,took       

marvellous shapes4 ,strange domes and   
towers     ,rose up where sty and       
corncrib stood1     ,or garden wall1 or 
belt of wood4     ,the bridle post an   
old man sat1     ,with loose-flung coat 
and high-cocked hat4     ,the wellcurb  
had a ,chinese roof1     ,and even the  
tall sweep1 high aloof1     ,in its     
slant splendor seemed to tell     ,of   
,pisa's leaning miracle40  ,to          
read1--that is1 to get the meaning of   
these lines2 or1 if one reads aloud1 to 
get and to give the meaning4 ,one who   
truly reads 8,snow-,bound0 learns to see
 the scenes which ,whittier so          
beautifully describes2 to see them as he
 saw them1 with tender affection1 and to
 interpret the deeper meaning of the    
lines of 8homely toil and destiny       
obscure40  ,manifestly this involves    
much4 ,on the surface1 and first        
attracting the attention of the teacher1
 appears the obvious necessity of       
knowing the words at sight4 ,familiarity
 with the forms of the words used is    

indispensable to reading4 ,this involves
 knowing the sounds of the words1 while 
the power to pronounce new words readily
 calls for knowledge of the laws of     
,english pronunciation4  ,in the minds  
of too many teachers of little children1
 such mastery of word pronunciation is  
held as reading4 ,but this is a grievous
 error1 which leads to narrow and       
mechanical work1 and obscures the high  
purpose of real reading4 ,reference to  
the definition of reading1 and a study  
of the selection from 8,snow-,bound10   
will show us the proper value of this   
achievement and its relation to true    
reading4 ,the words are the vehicle of  
thought1 a means to an end4 ,their      
mastery is indispensable to reading1 but
 the reader must compass1 not the single
 word-speaking1 but the meaning of the  
related words which express the author's
 thought4 ,knowledge of the meaning of  
the words used1 and especially the      
meaning of the words as ,whittier uses  
them1 is necessary to a clear           

understanding of the poem4 ,the reader  
who would understand the poem must know 
something of farm life--the sty and the 
corncrib1 the garden wall1 the wellcurb1
 the sweep1 and the other accessories of
 the farm which ,whittier names or      
describes4 ,plainly1 too1 his knowledge 
must extend further--to a ,chinese roof1
 and ,pisa's leaning miracle4 ,to such  
knowledge1 observation of common life   
must minister1 coupled with the study of
 books and pictures4 ,in other words1   
the reader interprets ,whittier's       
8,snow-,bound0 by virtue of his own     
experience1 renforced by the experience 
of others as written down in books1 or  
pictured with brush or pen4 ,to the     
formal word-mastery1 then1 must be added
 study of the meaning of new words1 or  
recalling such experience as explains   
the old4 ,the content1 as well as the   
form1 of the word must be studied4      
,added to such study1 is the general    
training which gives us power to picture
 the unknown1 interpreting a new scene  

through its relation to our old         
experience4 ,the ready and trained      
imagination easily pictures the scene   
which the words conjure before the      
mind--makes real the homestead1         
snowbound and comfortfilled4 ,reading   
may be so taught as to develop this     
power1 which takes hold on things       
unseen4 ,no careful teacher omits such  
training4  ,here1 then1 are different   
phases of teaching reading3 mastery of  
the words as to form and sound2         
explanation of the meaning of new words1
 through observation or reading2 lessons
 which tend to develop power of         
imagination4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the young child  
who leaves his home and his play to     
enter upon the life of the school-room  
finds a new world awaiting him1 with    
manifold new experiences4 ,hitherto he  
has romped and rambled to his heart's   
content4 ,all his friends and playmates 
have in turn been his teachers1 albeit  
theirs has been an unconscious tuition4 

,his lessons have been in the line of   
his desires1 or suggested by his natural
 environment4 ,longfellow pictures the  
little ,hiawatha in the arms of his     
first teacher1 the loving old ,nokomis3 
8,at the door on summer evenings        
,sat the little ,hiawatha1     ,heard   
the whispering of the pine-trees1       
,heard the lapping of the water--       
,sounds of music1 words of wonder2--    
,saw the moon rise from the water1      
,rippling1 rounding from the water1     
,saw the flecks and shadows on it1      
,whispered1 #8,what is that1 ,nokomis8' 
,and the good ,nokomis answered--0      
'''  ,the moon1 the rainbow in the      
heaven1 the ,milky ,way1 the firefly1   
the owl and owlet1 the beaver1 the      
rabbit1 the squirrel--these saluted the 
baby boy1 and awakened his interest4    
8,what is that80 he cried1 with eager   
question4 8,and the good ,nokomis       
answered40 ,the little ,hiawatha        
8learned of every bird its language40   
,he was taught1 not by old ,nokomis     

alone1 but by bird and beast1 flower and
 field4  ,so with every child who enters
 the school-room upon that fateful first
 ,monday in ,september4 ,he brings with 
him1 not an empty head1 but a mind      
stored with the memories of varied      
experiences4 ,just as the little        
,hiawatha gazed1 pondered1 questioned1  
learned--so this child has seen1 has    
heard1 has questioned1 has thought1 has 
acted4 ,what he brings to school1 who   
can tell8 ,what has he seen and heard8  
,what has he liked and desired8 ,what   
has he questioned and learned8 ,how     
little we know of this unwritten        
history6 ,and yet it determines the net 
result of all our teaching4 ,for nothing
 which we attempt to teach finds        
lodgment in the child mind unless it is 
linked with some past experience and    
awakens actual interest4 ,much of our   
reiterated instruction falls upon deaf  
ears1 fails utterly to awaken the       
dormant interest1 because it is ill     
chosen4 ,we must know something about   

the life of the children before we can  
wisely teach them4  ,the thoughtful     
teacher remembers this truth and directs
 her work accordingly4 ,instead of      
rushing with headlong zeal into the     
routine of reading1 writing1 and        
number--under the impulsion of the      
,course of ,study1 and the memory of    
classes which failed to 8pass0--she     
makes haste slowly1 and devotes the     
first days of the term to lessons which 
help to reveal the experience of the    
children4 ,observation of and talks     
about common things2 conversations which
 lead the children to tell what they can
 do1 or like to do2 story telling2      
picture drawing2--these afford          
opportunity for expression1 and serve to
 show the teacher something of her      
pupils' attainments1 and the line of    
their interests as well4 ,meanwhile1    
they are becoming accustomed to the     
school-room routine1 and so emerge from 
the period in which they gazed1 dumb and
 dazed1 at the many marvels with which  

this new school world is crowded4 ,they 
come to know the teacher as their       
friend1 and they become free and        
confident in her presence4 ,thus the    
true atmosphere of the school-room is   
created--the only atmosphere in which   
wholesome and natural teaching and      
learning can thrive4  ,this is not a    
prodigal misuse of time4 ,it is the part
 of thrift to so spend in the beginning1
 for the returns are evident in the ease
 and readiness with which pupils and    
teacher afterward work together--the    
value of every lesson being enhanced by 
the mutual good will and understanding4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,the school differs from the home and   
the kindergarten in that its allotted   
tasks are evidently determined by a     
motive and plan outside the child's     
comprehension4 ,in many cases this must 
be so4 ,the lessons which involve the   
mastery of the symbols used in reading1 
writing1 and number1 or the drill and   
practice necessary to attain skill in   

music or drawing or writing1 have no    
self-evident goal for the child4 ,so    
many lines1 so many letters1 so many    
problems1 he attempts1 because the      
teacher says so1 and in his new universe
 the teacher is supreme4 ,at home he has
 always chosen more or less2 so1 too1 in
 the kindergarten his interest and      
choice determined the story or the game 
or the topic of conversation4 ,he has   
delighted in building houses1 modelling 
balls1 weaving mats1 playing games--and 
all1 so far as he knew1 for his own     
immediate pleasure and accomplishment4  
,other results1 to him unknown1 were of 
course secured4 ,he builded better than 
he knew4 ,but in every case he rejoiced 
in some immediate accomplishment which  
he desired4  ,in too many cases the     
decreed exercises of the school are     
meaningless and purposeless to the      
beginner4 ,such exercises easily        
degenerate into dull and fruitless      
routine1 indifferent and profitless to  
teacher and pupil alike4 ,to arouse     

desire and awaken conscious motive is   
the teacher's most important work1 and  
in teaching reading it should receive   
first consideration4 ,she1 therefore1   
after securing such freedom and         
coperation as promise a fertile soil for
 her seed-planting1 calls the children  
about her to explain the purpose of the 
lessons which will fill their days4     
,perhaps she reads to them a story which
 they like1 a new story which they have 
never heard4 ,when she reaches the      
interesting climax she pauses to say1   
8,i haven't time to read the rest of the
 story now4 ,how ,i wish you could read6
 ,then you might take the book and read 
the story yourselves4 ,would you not    
like to learn to read1 so that you could
 read stories like these80  ,in ,hugh   
,miller's graphic description of his    
childhood experience in reading1 this   
element of purpose and desire is        
strongly emphasized4 8,the process of   
learning and acquiring had been a dark  
one10 he says1 recalling his struggles  

with letters and syllables4 ,he 8slowly 
mastered0 these 8in humble confidence in
 the awful wisdom of the schoolmistress1
 not knowing whither it tended10 when   
7as a member of the ,bible ,class--8in  
the highest form07 his mind 8awoke to   
the meaning of that most delightful of  
all narratives1 the story of ,joseph4   
,was there ever such a discovery made   
before80  ,such testimony might be      
repeated a thousand times over1 by our  
pupils of to-day--if they were able to  
describe their common experience4  ,it  
was the first vision of the goal that   
gave meaning1 motive1 and conscious     
gladness to ,hugh ,miller's study4 ,such
 motive and such meaning should pervade 
the earliest lessons in reading1 and    
should be consciously recognized by     
pupil as well as teacher4 ,we repeat1   
then3 the teacher's first effort1 after 
becoming acquainted with her children1  
is to awaken this conscious desire to   
read1 and to secure intelligent         
coperation in her exercises4  ,one      

teacher suggests writing upon the board 
some sentence which has been whispered  
to her by the children1 and then calling
 an older child from another room to    
read the secret4 ,this is done again and
 again1 until the children are eager to 
share the power which their comrade     
possesses1 and turn gladly to the tasks 
required of them1 that they may the     
sooner reach their goal4  ,there is a   
wide difference between such teaching   
and the routine drill which does not    
enlist the child's desire4 ,the         
enthusiastic bicyclist would smile if   
asked to exchange his morning ride to   
the city for an hour's exercise upon a  
fixed 8bicycle exerciser0 in the back   
hall4 ,nor could the most skilful       
pedagogue convince him that the exercise
 involved in making the wheel go round  
is as valuable as the spin which carries
 him to his destination1 through the    
fresh morning air1 along roads bordered 
with flowered fields4 ,yet the contrast 
is no more marked than that between the 

task of the syllable-pronouncer1 who    
obediently performs his meaningless     
labor1 and that of the child who1 with  
conscious and earnest desire1 sets      
himself to learn to read4  ,in order to 
give some sense of immediate            
achievement1 the sentences of the first 
lessons should express thoughts in which
 the children are interested4      ,this
 is ,kate4     ,kate can read4     ,kate
 has a book4     ,read to me1 ,kate4    
,kate can read4     ,i can read1 too4   
,kate has a book4     ,i have a book1   
too4     ,see ,kate's book6     ,see my 
book6     ,kate has a doll4     ,i have 
a doll1 too4     ,kate has a kitty4     
,i have a dog4     ,kate likes her doll4
     ,i like my dog4     ,see my dog6   
,see ,kate's little kitty6     ,come1   
little ,kitty4     ,come to me1 ,kitty4 
,the object of these preparatory lessons
 is to give some consciousness of the   
purpose of reading1 and some sense of   
achievement4 ,the sentences are the     
children's1 obtained in a conversation  

concerning ,kate1 who is an older pupil1
 or some pictured child4 ,the sentence  
is the unit1 and is read by the teacher4
 ,the children repeat the sentence after
 her reading4  ,of course these first   
efforts are not reading4 ,they simply   
represent the children's memory of the  
teacher's words and tone4 ,often1 when  
asked to read alone1 the child dashes at
 the wrong sentence with his pointer1   
which vainly wanders in search of the   
right one4 ,but just as the frequent    
observation of the loved story in the   
picture book not only fixes the words in
 their order1 but enables the young     
listener to find some of them upon the  
page1 so1 by repetition of these first  
sentences1 the words are at last held in
 the mind1 and are recognized in new    
places and under new relations4 ,the    
attentive eye will recognize the new    
words1 first in their wonted place in   
the sentence1 then when isolated4 ,at   
first the words selected for repetition 
and recognition are those which present 

fewest difficulties2--not by any means  
the shortest words--as a1 is1 too--but  
the meaningful words1 the nouns and     
adjectives1 and verbs which denote      
action4 ,kate1 book1 doll1 dog1         
kitty--these are the first and easiest1 
in the lessons written above4 ,later1   
see and likes1 with can read4 ,later    
still1 ,i have1 this is--while is and a 
will not be emphasized as units until   
the eyes have been trained to           
distinguish more readily1 and the words 
have become familiar through constant   
repetition4  ,such lessons should       
continue for several weeks1 introducing 
the various dear and oft-seen objects of
 the child's environment1 and the       
actions with which he has long been     
familiar4 ,the sentences should be worth
 reading1 and grouped in coherent       
paragraphs4 ,drill in recognizing the   
words should follow the sentence        
reading1 in every day's lesson4  ,when  
the children can recognize at sight a   
vocabulary of one hundred to two hundred

 words1 they should begin to compare    
them1 and to place in groups those which
 are alike in sound4 ,for example3 book1
 look1 and brook are known2 red and fed2
 cat1 hat1 and pat2 ,fan1 ran1 can1 and 
,dan4 ,placed in lists1 their similarity
 is evident3       book      look       
took       fed      red     bed         
cat      hat     sat       ,fan      ran
     man  ,some one volunteers to       
increase the list1 adding took1 bed1    
sat1 and man4 ,here is the beginning of 
the analysis of words into their sounds1
 and with this lesson a new feature     
appears in our word study4  ,such       
lessons in sentence reading as have been
 suggested1 if continued long enough and
 with sufficient discretion on the part 
of the teacher1 might enable a class to 
read independently--for1 even without   
the teacher's direction1 obvious        
likenesses and differences in words are 
noted by the children1 and rules are    
deduced therefrom4 ,but the mastery of a
 large vocabulary is readily secured    

only through attention to the common    
laws of pronunciation1 and familiarity  
with the sound units4 ,thus far every   
word has been presented as a new unit4  
,now the children should learn that     
these words are like many others in     
form1 and that the pronunciation of one 
serves as a key to the many4 ,knowing   
book1 all monosyllables ending in ook   
can at once enter their vocabulary of   
recognizable words2 knowing ,fan1 all   
monosyllables with the an ending are    
known4 ,the missing factor is the       
knowledge of the sounds of the separate 
letters which are initials in these     
group words--m-an1 ,f-an1 c-an1 r-an1   
t-an1 p-an4 ,at this juncture these     
sounds should be taught4  ,there has    
been some question among teachers as to 
the time for teaching sounds of the     
letters4 ,it is wise to defer this      
teaching until the children have        
acquired some little facility in        
reading1 and understand its purpose1    
that their work may not be approached   

from the mechanical side solely4 ,again1
 the vocabulary which the children      
already know reveals groups of similar  
words and suggests the wisdom of        
analysis and classification4 ,and1      
further1 the too early attempt to study 
the lists of similar words and to select
 and emphasize them for use in reading1 
drives the children at once to their    
most difficult task4 ,it is much easier 
to recognize ,hiawatha and arrow1       
because they are long and different1 and
 seem hard1 than to name promptly the   
elusive can1 ran1 and tan1 which seem so
 easy and yet are so nearly alike as to 
be formidable obstacles to the success  
of the untrained observer4 ,the climax  
of objection is reached when we cite the
 tendency to make sentences solely for  
the sake of using certain words1 thus   
destroying the element of thought value 
in the sentence4 8,does the fat rat see 
the cat on the mat80 is far more        
difficult for a child than is 8,hiawatha
 lived in a wigwam with old             

,nokomis0--for the reasons above named4 
,the mastery of words is an essential   
element in learning to read4 ,our common
 mistake is1 not that we do such work   
too well1 but that we make it the final 
aim of the reading lesson1 and lead the 
children to feel that they can read when
 they are merely able to pronounce      
words4 ,perhaps lack of careful         
attention to the form of words is quite 
as serious a mistake1 for it results in 
carelessness in reading4  ,the study of 
form and of sound should be associated1 
but attention to sound alone should     
precede any attempt to master the form  
as suggesting sound4 ,children should be
 taught to recognize and to distinguish 
sounds1 to repeat them accurately1 to   
speak them distinctly1 before they are  
taught to copy the single characters    
which represent these sounds4 ,to hear1 
to repeat1 to compare1 to distinguish   
sounds1 should be the order of the      
instruction4  ,careless speech and      
indistinct articulation often arise from

 imperfect hearing1 or indifferent      
attention to what is said4 ,children    
should be trained in the early lessons  
to hear1 and to repeat1 exactly what is 
said4 ,the repetition is a test of the  
child's hearing4 ,begin with short      
sentences4 ,speak them clearly1 in a    
moderate voice1 requiring the children  
to repeat after once hearing4 ,gradually
 increase the length of sentence1 but do
 not increase the volume of voice2 speak
 distinctly1 and expect the children to 
be attentive enough to hear an ordinary 
tone2 teach them to respond in the same 
tone1 with clear articulation4 ,continue
 this exercise until a long sentence can
 be accurately returned2 then pronounce 
lists of words beginning with letters   
which demand careful articulation4 ,when
 these have been mastered1 draw         
attention to initial sounds1 and then to
 the letters which represent them4 ,work
 with these until every letter suggests 
its sounds to the pupils1 whether in a  
new or in a familiar word4 ,with little 

children1 the sound should be taught    
first in connection with initial letters
 always4  ,a successful device consists 
in allowing each pupil to represent a   
certain sound4 ,if the sound is the     
initial sound in his own name1 it will  
be easy for the children to remember4   
,thus--,john can always suggest the     
sound of j1 ,mary the sound of m1 ,peter
 the sound of p1 and so on4 ,a class of 
children aided in this way will master  
the sounds of the letters in a very     
short time4  ,having learned1 through   
the initials1 the sounds which various  
letters represent1 the next step will be
 to analyze monosyllables into their    
sounds4 ,select first those containing  
short vowels1 in order to avoid the     
difficulty of the silent letter4 ,the   
preliminary drill with the initials will
 have made this step an easy one to     
take4  ,whenever a type word is         
represented1 as black1 for example1 the 
children should be taught to suggest    
other words which rhyme with the        

pattern1 as crack1 back1 lack1 etc4 ,if 
in every such case the common element is
 studied and mastered1 in a few weeks   
the children will become possessors of a
 large vocabulary1 whose basis is the   
few familiar words which they have      
studied4 ,every type word will stand for
 a list of words similar in form4  ,this
 study of sounds should continue through
 at least the first five school years4  
,after analyzing any word into its      
separate sounds1 the children should be 
required to name other known words which
 resemble the one studied4 ,this will   
tend to a habit of classification1 and  
will enable the pupil to depend upon    
himself in his study4  ,diacritical     
marks are a help in mastering new words1
 if the key words have been studied in  
connection with the marks4 ,they are    
needed also in consulting the dictionary
 for pronunciation4 ,they should be     
taught only when necessary to the       
pronunciation4 ,in older classes1 after 
the use of the dictionary becomes       

necessary1 a complete list should be    
mastered4 ,it is a mistake to insist    
upon diacritical marking when the       
children can pronounce accurately       
without4 ,i remember hearing a teacher  
chide a pupil for reading a sentence    
before she had time to mark the vowels1 
but1 since the child could and did read 
without such help1 the marking was      
evidently unnecessary4 ,it serves as a  
means to an end1 and should be dispensed
 with when the end can be reached       
without such artificial aid4  ,as a     
matter of fact1 every child refers a new
 word back to a similar word with which 
he has become familiar4 ,thus3 black1   
once mastered1 serves as a key to sack1 
crack1 quack1 etc4 ,the only elements in
 these words are the final element ack  
and the initial sounds4 ,if a child     
hesitates with a new word1 help him to  
refer at once to the type word which he 
has already mastered4 ,instead of       
pronouncing the new word for him1 insist
 upon his using for himself his own     

stock of knowledge4 ,help him only where
 he cannot help himself4 ,if he forms   
the habit of referring the unknown to   
the kindred known1 he will become       
independent in study4 ,for example1 to a
 six-years-old child the word blacksmith
 may1 at first sight1 appear formidable4
 ,separated into its parts and referred 
to the simple words already mastered1   
the child conquers the newcomer1 and    
adds it to his list of servants4 ,he is 
endowed with new strength1 because he   
has mastered something which seemed to  
him hard4 ,such conquests1 often        
repeated1 lead to strength and          
independence4 ,in many cases1 it is wise
 to leave a child to wrestle with a word
 which at first sight he fails to       
master4 ,of course this process is      
unwise if he has no experience to which 
he can refer for help4 ,guess-work will 
never take the place of thought1 and a  
child should not be driven to guess at  
the pronunciation1 but every attempt    
should be based upon something which he 

has been taught in former lessons4 ,such
 practice will lead to thoughtful       
self-help4  ,this work may be           
facilitated by many devices4 ,we have   
seen classes hunting for new words      
beginning with a given sound1 as eagerly
 as if they were playing hide-and-seek4 
,or with the utmost enjoyment they have 
made lists of words beginning with      
chosen sounds2 or matched pairs of words
 which rhymed4 ,but their most valuable 
exercise is that in which the old       
familiar word of their first vocabulary 
is made the key which unlocks the new4  
,now1 when a new word is presented1 the 
teacher no longer pronounces it for the 
children1 but asks instead1 8,what word 
helps you to pronounce it80 ,bright is  
not a new word1 because the children    
know light1 remember the sound of br1   
and put their two bits of knowledge     
together to meet the new emergency4     
,they do for themselves what the teacher
 has heretofore done for them4  ,a most 
helpful form of word study1 which is    

suitable for desk work1 is making lists 
of words containing the same sound4 ,it 
strengthens the habit of classification1
 and helps in spelling and in the       
recognition of new words4  ,the most    
difficult work for children appears in  
words which are spelled alike and       
pronounced differently1 or in words     
pronounced alike and spelled            
differently1 or in the various          
equivalents of the same sound which our 
language affords4 ,chair1 their1 where1 
etc41 suggest the problems of this      
nature4 ,this work should be introduced 
not earlier than the third or fourth    
year4 ,it should come in connection with
 the spelling lesson1 and not with the  
reading4 ,the mastery of these          
difficulties in ,english spelling       
doubtless requires many months of       
careful teaching4  ,it must not be      
forgotten that children are hindered and
 not helped by any attempt to spell1 by 
sound1 words which are unique in        
spelling4 ,through1 for example1 should 

be learned by sight1 and not by sound4  
,beautiful1 tongue1 physique1 may       
illustrate this group4 ,the eye and not 
the ear must be depended upon in the    
mastery of such words4 ,care should be  
taken to develop the habit of accurate  
attention through the eye as well as the
 ear4 ,any attempt to mark the sounds in
 these words increases the labor without
 increasing facility4 ,if the teacher   
makes a careful classification of the   
ordinary words which frequently recur in
 the reading lesson1 she will discover  
the class which must be mastered by     
sight4 ,out of the remainder she can    
make lists which include the ordinary   
type sounds4 ,the study of these lists  
will reduce the labor of word mastery to
 its minimum1 and the habit of          
comparison developed through this study 
will go far to make the children        
independent in the pronunciation of new 
words4  ,it is self-evident that this   
plan can be pursued only when the words 
are amenable to common phonic laws4     

,cough1 and its congeners1 should be    
named as new wholes4 ,so with all words 
which follow no rule1 and must be       
pronounced by substitution4 ,no time    
should be lost by attempting a method   
which has no excuse for being1 in such  
cases4 ,in its place1 as a help to the  
mastery of groups of kindred words1 it  
is invaluable4 ,out of place1 it is bad4
  ,for diacritical marks and correct    
pronunciation1 the teacher is referred  
to the standard dictionaries4 ,it should
 not be forgotten that the teacher's    
pronunciation is a guide to the pupil4  
,she needs a quick ear and the careful  
judgment which will render her a safe   
guide4 ,the familiar rule should direct 
her practice3 ,when in doubt1 consult   
the dictionary4  ,note the value of this
 word mastery4 ,the pupil fast becomes  
independent of the teacher1 and ready to
 master the page for himself4 ,note1    
also1 that this power becomes his in    
proportion to the teacher's purpose to  
make him self-helpful1 and her skill in 

finding the connecting link between the 
new knowledge and the old4  ,two        
elements of learning to read have been  
presented here3 sentence reading and    
word mastery4 ,of the study of the      
meaning of the words and the development
 of the power of imagination we shall   
speak elsewhere4  ,illustration         
,reading without purpose is sauntering1 
not exercise4 ,more is     got from one 
book on which the thought settles for   
definite end     in knowledge1 than from
 libraries skimmed over by a wandering  
eye4 ,a cottage flower gives honey to   
the bee1 a king's garden     none to the
 butterfly4                             
--,,edward ,,bulwer4     ,illustration  
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,study ,,of     
,,the ,,lesson4   ,in our emphasis of   
certain phases of the new education1    
there is a tendency to swing away from  
the use of the text-book1 so that the   
children depend largely upon the        
teacher's oral instruction and          
explanation4 ,it often happens that the 

teacher1 in her zeal1 forgets that the  
growth of the children depends upon     
their own doing1 and imagines that her  
thought and experience will suffice1    
without effort on the part of her       
pupils4 ,this state of affairs exists in
 the reading class oftener than in any  
other4 ,time is often wasted in         
smoothing out difficulties which never  
existed as such to the children1 and    
obstacles are explained away before they
 are recognized by the child as         
obstacles4 ,meanwhile the teacher is    
doing the work and the pupil is losing  
the opportunity to gain power by        
wrestling with his little problems      
himself4  ,it is essential that even the
 little children should be taught how to
 study to the limit of their ability4   
,the study of the reading lesson may be 
made a most profitable exercise4 ,too   
much of the occupation termed study by  
both pupil and teacher is an indifferent
 conning of the book1 a careless and    
hurried repetition of the text1 or a    

thoughtless copying2 all of which       
weakens the power of attention1 and     
tends to make the lesson dull and       
uninteresting4 ,such loss should be     
prevented by careful direction of the   
young student4 ,the study should be at  
first conducted under the personal      
guidance of the teacher1 for1 until the 
children grow into the power of learning
 to work by themselves1 they need to be 
taught how to study as well as how to   
read4 ,the time spent in the preparation
 of the lesson should be thoughtfully   
employed1 the exercise resulting in     
helpful habits as well as in increased  
power4  ,before we can teach our pupils 
how to study their reading lessons1 we  
must have a realizing sense of their    
difficulties in reading4 ,this means    
that we must know our children as well  
as we would have them know their lesson4
 ,a successful teacher of little        
children once told the writer that she  
allowed her pupils a period for free    
conversation every day4 ,while they     

availed themselves of this privilege1   
she listened1 in order to discover in   
what they were interested and about what
 subjects they talked freely to one     
another4 ,having learned this1 she began
 her language lessons where the         
children's interest was centred1 led    
them gradually to new interests1 and    
helped them to overcome their           
limitations4  ,some such study of       
individual children1 or at least of the 
varying classes of children1 is         
indispensable to the teacher who would  
endeavor to train her pupils to overcome
 the obstacles in their way4 ,it is vain
 for her to assume that all classes are 
alike1 and that a mastery of the words  
at the head of the lesson will properly 
equip them all for the feat of rendering
 the thought which the lesson contains4 
,such easy assumption ends in failure4  
,the children differ in attainment and  
in experience4 ,we cannot take for      
granted either knowledge or ignorance on
 their part4 ,we must study their       

experience in order to know their       
limitations and their needs4  ,a class  
of children of foreign parentage was    
engaged in reading a fairy tale which   
described the adventures of a wee robin 
on his way to sing a ,yule song to the  
king4 ,evidently the children were not  
accustomed to imaginative tales1 and1   
moreover1 they had the dimmest possible 
notions of the wee robin1 the gray1     
greedy hawk1 the ,yule song1 and the    
king4 ,their reading was dull1          
monotonous1 and indifferent1            
accomplished by dint of constant        
suggestion and explanation on the part  
of the teacher1 and wearisome though    
patient repetition on the part of the   
children4  ,the exercise1 though termed 
reading1 was in reality simply a        
preparation for reading4 ,it would have 
been greatly improved by a conscious    
recognition of its import by both       
teacher and pupils4 ,they were studying 
the lesson together and aloud4 ,had it  
been thoughtfully studied in this way   

before reading was attempted1 both      
exercises would have been more helpful  
to the pupils4  ,this same class was    
afterwards questioned in regard to home 
reading4 ,not one pupil was accustomed  
to read or to hear reading at home4 ,in 
few homes were there any books1 while   
story-telling was a practice of which   
they had never dreamed4 ,obviously these
 children had in their home experience a
 meagre preparation for reading1 and the
 teacher's duty was consequently a      
double one4 ,in such an instance the    
reading lesson would be entirely robbed 
of its value if the proper study of the 
lesson were omitted4  ,for preliminary  
study1 therefore1 it is well for the    
teacher to use the period assigned to   
reading in talking with the class about 
the lesson1 her object being not to tell
 what she knows1 but to discover what   
the children know or do not know4 ,to   
this end she will bend a listening ear  
to all mistakes1 not to waive them away1
 nor to smile at the awkward            

interpretation1 but to see from what    
limitation they arise4 ,knowing their   
source1 she can help to correct them by 
removing the cause4 ,such attention to  
the errors or the questions of the      
children discloses two classes of       
difficulties3 those which the children  
can overcome by thought or by           
observation1 and others in which the    
teacher must of necessity furnish the   
necessary explanation4 ,for example1 a  
class in a primary school read1 and with
 fair expression1 the story of 8a kid   
upon the roof of a house that railed at 
a wolf passing by40 ,the teacher1       
knowing her class1 assumed their        
ignorance of the meaning of             
8railed0--was not surprised at the      
suggestion that 8the kid fired a rail at
 the wolf0--and by her explanation made 
clear the meaning of the word4 ,she was 
surprised1 however1 in the course of the
 study conversation1 to discover that to
 the majority of the class 8kid0 stood  
for little boy4 ,nothing in the wording 

of the fable or in the children's       
experience served to correct the        
impression4 ,again the duty devolved    
upon the teacher4  ,obviously1 in such  
cases the children must depend upon the 
teacher4 ,to withhold aid at the right  
time is to make the study fruitless and 
the children indifferent or discouraged4
 ,on the other hand1 by means of just   
such united exercises in study the      
children will learn to measure their own
 understanding and to point out their   
own limitations4  ,fancy the class1     
described above1 as having been taught  
to study1 and therefore having wrestled 
alone with the fable4 ,upon coming to   
the recitation1 some are conscious of   
their ignorance and say at once1 8,i do 
not know what #8railed' means40 ,they   
have studied to some purpose1 have made 
themselves ready for their teacher's    
explanation--and for helping themselves 
by means of the dictionary4 ,the other  
difficulty presented by the slang use of
 8kid0 would of course fail to present  

itself to their consciousness4  ,one    
result1 then1 of the preliminary study1 
with or without the teacher1 should be  
to help the children to discover the    
8don't know0 line2 the second should be 
to enable them to help themselves1 if   
possible4 ,through careful and conscious
 study1 they may be helped to realize   
the 8sense0 of what they read1 and to   
judge for themselves when they fail to  
get the meaning of the sentence4  ,from 
the beginning1 the children should be   
shown that every sentence is an         
embodiment of a thought1 every word     
having its place in the expression of   
that thought4  8,a saucy robin is eating
 the ripe cherries in the tree under my 
window10 the children read4 ,the teacher
 studies with them for a moment4 ,what  
does the sentence tell them8 ,who is    
eating the ripe cherries8 ,what kind of 
robin8 ,what is he doing8 ,what is he   
eating8 ,what cherries is he eating8    
,where is the tree8 ,what word tells us 
what kind of a robin is eating8 ,what   

words tell where the cherries are8 ,what
 word tells who is eating the cherries8 
,even in primary schools such           
questioning is valuable1 leading the    
children to realize that the words      
appear in the sentence1 not by chance1  
but in order to express something2 that 
every word has its work1 that not one   
can be omitted1 that a change in a      
single word changes the thought4 ,such  
exercises1 thoughtfully conducted1 will 
lead the children to look for the       
thought in the sentence1 and will make  
its mastery a test of their success4 ,if
 the sentence does not yield them a     
thought which they understand1 let them 
question every word until they get its  
meaning4 ,thus they learn to recognize  
the line where their knowledge ends and 
their ignorance begins4  ,it is often   
the case1 however1 that the difficulty  
to be overcome is the pupils' inability 
to pronounce words whose meaning may be 
familiar4 ,if this is the case1 they    
will need to bring all their knowledge  

of words to bear upon this new problem4 
8,sidewalk0 is a long word1 a new       
word--no one knows it4 ,the teacher     
helps1 not by pronouncing it and easing 
the children of their load4 ,no4 ,she   
says3 8,that word seems long1 but it is 
very easy4 ,you know the first          
syllable40 ,yes1 everybody knows 8side40
 8,now1 who knows the second8 ,who can  
put them together80 ,the children       
rejoice in the sense of overcoming4     
,they have gained some power to help    
themselves4 ,our teaching should compel 
as well as invite such thoughtful       
comparison of the old with the new1     
should lead the children to use what    
they have learned1 in the mastery of the
 not learned4  ,the simplest lessons in 
preparatory study are thus justified3   
they lead to a conscious judgment of    
one's attainment4 ,study means nothing  
if it does not lead to this judgment4   
,the power once gained1 the pupil is his
 own best teacher1 his own strongest    
helper4 ,prize1 then1 all exercises     

which lead to this judgment4 ,instead of
 saying to the untrained pupil1 8,read  
your lesson ten times10 when his present
 attainment or lack of attainment       
renders such repetition worse than      
useless1 you will say1 8,read the lesson
 and copy all the words whose meaning   
you do not know40 8,read and copy the   
words that you cannot pronounce40 8,read
 and copy the sentence that you do not  
understand40 8,read so carefully that   
you are sure you can read well to the   
class40  ,the skilful teacher will think
 of a hundred devices to advance such   
study4 ,the test of each device will be1
 8,does it help to arouse thought8 ,does
 it end in thoughtful study80  ,such    
study is necessary before reading       
whenever we may assume that the lesson  
presents any difficulty to the child1   
unless we prefer that the first oral    
rendering of the lesson shall be merely 
a studying aloud4  ,as a stimulus to1 or
 a test of1 study1 it may be well to    
omit the oral reading occasionally1     

substituting for it an exercise in      
silent reading1 whose thoroughness is   
tested by questions4 ,after the usual   
study of the lesson the books are closed
 and the teacher calls upon the pupils  
to tell her what they have read4 ,older 
pupils may respond by giving the        
substance of the lesson4 ,younger       
children may be tested by more frequent 
and detailed questions after the reading
 of short paragraphs4  ,the above       
exercise is even more helpful if the    
children share in the questioning4 ,they
 read with keener interest if their     
knowledge is thus put to the test4      
,such exercises tend to emphasize to the
 pupils the truth that their reading is 
not for itself1 but to make them masters
 of the thoughts expressed in their     
lessons4 ,it becomes more real1 more    
purposeful1 in proportion as this is    
realized4  ,in this connection1 it may  
be said that anything which adds purpose
 to the reading lesson gives motive to  
study4 ,when pupils are asked to read to

 the class some selection unknown to the
 other pupils1 they study and read with 
a zest quite unlike that manifested in  
the repetition of a worn-out selection  
which the others already know4 ,for some
 good end1 recognized by himself as     
worthy1 the child reads now4 ,the       
introduction of opportunities for       
individual reading1 as early as may be1 
thus proves an incentive to study and a 
means of rapid advancement4 ,cuttings   
from papers and magazines and           
collections of children's books prove   
most helpful at this stage1 affording a 
prize for attainment1 as well as an     
evident test of progress4  ,the         
foregoing has been written with special 
reference to beginners in reading4 ,as  
pupils advance in their grades1 the     
study of the reading becomes even more  
necessary and may be made the more      
profitable4  ,all that has been said of 
younger readers applies equally to older
 pupils4 ,the test of the ability to    
study is the power to judge rightly     

where the limit of one's knowledge      
appears4  ,as soon as the pupil can     
point out the obstacle which hinders his
 understanding1 he is ready to be       
taught4 ,a single word1 a question1 a   
suggestion from the teacher1 removes his
 difficulty4 ,he recognizes his need and
 desires help1--therefore listens       
attentively and intelligently4  ,at this
 stage he is enabled1 also1 to help     
himself1 since he is prepared to use the
 dictionary and other reference books4  
,older students should read with the    
help of the dictionary4 ,they should1 of
 course1 be taught how to use it1 just  
as they are taught to interpret any     
other book4 ,its use is discussed at    
length in another chapter4              
,illustration           ,and this our   
life '''     ,finds tongues in trees1   
books in the running brooks1            
,sermons in stones1 and good in         
everything4                             
--,,william ,,shakespeare4              
,illustration     ,,chapter ,v4         

,,language ,,lessons ,,as ,a            
,,preparation ,,for ,,reading ,,lessons4
   ,two problems confront the teacher of
 little children in the ordinary        
school-room4 ,children coming from      
different homes1 with various training  
and environment1 do not always bring a  
common fund of knowledge4 ,unaccustomed 
to the strange surroundings and the new 
rgime1 they are not always free in      
telling what they know4 ,the teacher    
needs to learn the 8contents of their   
minds0 7as the present phrase hath it71 
and this she cannot readily do unless   
the children converse freely and without
 self-consciousness4 ,talking lessons1  
or lessons whose object is purely to    
help them to free expression1 so that   
they will reveal their experiences to   
the teacher1 are very necessary at this 
stage4 ,these lessons will have a       
further value if they help the children 
to new interests1 and to new knowledge4 
,they will also be more valuable if the 
teacher recognizes a definite purpose   

and forms a definite plan for the       
lesson4  ,again1 the simplest reading   
lesson develops the fact that1 inasmuch 
as the children's experiences have been 
varied1 their corresponding fund of     
ideas is widely different4 ,any new     
lesson may present ideas entirely       
foreign to the experience of the        
children4 ,the words which represent    
these ideas1 therefore1 will be         
unfamiliar4 ,this state of affairs      
necessitates an act of teaching which   
should precede the act of reading4 ,for 
example1 a class of city children in the
 ,west attempt to read a story which    
deals with life by the sea4 ,the        
sounding sea1 the rolling waves1 the    
whispering foam1 the rugged rocks1 the  
shining sands1 the smooth pebbles1 the  
brown seaweed1 the white-winged ships1  
the brave sailors1 are unknown          
quantities to these children--entirely  
foreign to their experience4 ,clearly1  
before they read this lesson1 they must 
know something of the life and scenes   

which the lesson portrays4 ,the teacher 
of children who live by the sea is not  
confronted by the same problem4 ,her    
children have played upon the beach1    
have gathered the many-colored pebbles1 
have built houses in the wet sand4      
,ships at sea are as familiar to them as
 are the clouds1 or the birds2 while    
many of them have played upon the decks 
of their fathers' fishing-boats1 and    
know the ropes and spars even as they   
know their own homes4 ,these children   
have had an experience which fills the  
lesson with meaning4 ,the inland        
children must be taught in the next best
 way4 ,since they cannot go to the sea1 
at least pictures of the sea may be     
brought to them4 ,shells and pebbles1   
sea-urchins1 starfishes1 and seaweeds   
will tell their story of the far-off    
beaches4 ,pictures of ships at sea1 of  
rocks lashed by the waves in a storm1   
will help them to imagine the conditions
 which their lesson attempts to describe
 to them4 ,but the wise teacher will    

make a connecting link1 in some fashion1
 between the experience and interest of 
the child and the thought suggested by  
the story4 ,here1 then1 is the need of a
 language lesson which shall introduce  
or explain the reading lesson1 preparing
 the child for the new thought1 or      
recalling to his mind the almost        
forgotten experience4  ,the everyday    
experience in every city school-room    
will serve to renforce this truth4 ,many
 a city child has never looked upon     
daisies and buttercups4 ,brooks and     
fields and trees are outside his little 
horizon4 ,it is idle to have these      
children pronounce the words which stand
 for these objects unless the words call
 up pictures in their own minds1 and    
this cannot be the case except as they  
have some experience with the real      
things4 ,it is not impossible to bring  
the flowers and the birds and the trees 
within the experience of the children4  
,no other work which we can ever do for 
them will tend more to their future     

happiness and growth2 but1 aside from   
that1 no other work which we can do for 
them will contribute so generously to   
their growth in reading power4 ,they    
cannot get the thought from the page    
unless the words stand for something at 
least akin to their own experience1 and 
our first efforts must begin by         
occasioning the experience which is     
necessary to the interpretation of the  
printed page4 ,as a means to good       
reading1 then1 language lessons are     
necessary for the purpose of developing 
ease of expression and freedom from     
self-consciousness1 and leading to      
knowledge which will serve as a basis   
for the new thought contained in the    
lesson4  ,the subjects introduced in the
 earliest language lessons should be    
those with which children are ordinarily
 familiar4 ,all country children are    
somewhat acquainted with the common     
animals3 the rabbit1 squirrel1 cat1 dog1
 cow1 mouse1 etc4 ,they know something  
of the occupations of the people around 

them4 ,they have watched the sunrise and
 sunset4 ,they have seen the boughs of  
the trees waving in the wind4 ,they have
 been awakened by the birds in the      
morning4 ,they have cared for pet       
animals at home4 ,many city children    
have had something of this experience4  
,all need to have it4 ,in every lesson  
where these subjects are introduced1 the
 teacher should be assured that the     
children already know something about   
them4 ,a short conversation may suffice 
where the objects are already familiar2 
where they are strange1 careful lessons 
should be arranged4 ,the cat1 rabbit1   
dog1 squirrel1 or mouse1 can be brought 
to the school-room1 cared for1 observed1
 studied1 discussed4 ,these language    
lessons will not only give the children 
the knowledge necessary for             
understanding the lessons1 but they will
 endow the subject with new interest1   
and add to the reading a sense of       
reality4 ,children who have been        
observing the squirrel will read with   

great zest the lessons which reaffirm   
what their eyes have seen1 or answer the
 questions which they have asked1 or    
tell some story which adds to the       
interest already evoked4 ,the reading   
thus becomes an expression of the       
child's actual experience or interest4  
,it is no longer a something which he   
does simply because he is told4 ,he sees
 at once the fruit of his labors4 ,he   
reaches a goal which seems desirable    
from a child's point of view4 ,he       
recognizes the purpose and meaning of   
the story1 and works to dig out the     
message which the sentences contain for 
him4 ,everything which serves to make   
the lesson real to the child's          
experience1 makes a permanent addition  
to his reading power4  ,a little careful
 study convinces us that there are two  
general fields which all readers must   
explore4 ,the subjects which appear and 
reappear upon the pages of books have   
their source either in nature or in     
human experience4 ,when we teach the    

child to read books1 we must also teach 
him to apprehend that of which books    
treat4 ,this teaching will necessarily  
include observation of nature and       
observation of human experience4 ,to    
read 8,the ,village ,blacksmith0        
requires some knowledge of a            
blacksmith's work and its associations3 
the horse and his shoes1 the molten iron
 and its action1 the sounding anvil and 
its use1 the reason for the 8honest     
sweat0 upon the brow of him who 8owes   
not any man40 ,knowledge of nature and  
knowledge of human experience are surely
 needed in order to read the thought in 
this poem4 ,he whose experience is      
richest will obtain the richest harvest 
from this field4 ,any act of reading    
will teach us this truth with regard to 
our own experience4 ,it ought also to   
point the way for all teaching of       
children4 ,a visit to a blacksmith's    
shop is the best possible preparation   
for a study of 8,the ,village           
,blacksmith40 ,if such a visit is       

impossible 7is it ever impossible871    
pictures and talks may help to supply   
the need4 ,the language lesson in the   
one form or the other is necessary to   
the full interpretation of the reading4 
,so of any poem or story which tells of 
the life of the farmer1 the miller1 the 
baker1 the sailor1 the fisherman1 the   
shoemaker1 the mother4 ,the language    
lesson which serves to make the         
experience real to the children helps   
them to understand the reading lesson1  
and gives added power for the           
interpretation of all such lessons in   
the future4  ,such language lessons     
should not be considered as something   
added to the school course4 ,they are   
legitimate reading lessons1 inasmuch as 
they prepare for the study of pages     
which would be meaningless to many      
pupils without such preparation4 ,the   
teacher will of course choose her own   
time for such lessons4 ,often they are  
given in connection with the reading    
lesson itself4 ,a wiser plan ordinarily 

is that which allots a specific time for
 the observation or the conversation    
which is necessary to explain the       
reading lesson4 ,if the first period of 
the morning is set aside for oral       
language1 the subjects for this period  
may be easily determined by the reading 
lesson1 and selected to accord with and 
prepare for it4  ,a few illustrative    
lessons appear in another chapter4 ,they
 are intended to serve as suggestions   
merely1 for those to whom such lessons  
are to open a new field4 ,it is believed
 that in the majority of school-rooms   
such teaching is already a common       
feature4         ,and to get peace1 if  
you want it1 make for yourselves nests  
of pleasant thoughts4 ,those are nests  
in the sea1 indeed1 but     safe beyond 
all others4 ,do you know what fairy     
palaces you may     build of beautiful  
thought1 proof against all adversity8   
,bright     fancies1 satisfied memories1
 noble histories1 faithful sayings1     
treasure houses of precious and restful 

thoughts1 which care     can not        
disturb1 nor pain make gloomy1 nor      
poverty take away     from us2 houses   
built without hands for our souls to    
live in4                                
--,,john ,,ruskin4     ,illustration    
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,expression ,,in      
,,reading4   ,how can children be taught
 to read aloud clearly1 distinctly1 and 
with feeling1 so as to clearly convey   
the author's thought and to give        
pleasure to the listener8 8,my pupils do
 not read with expression10 is a common 
complaint4 8,how can ,i help them80     
,manifestly the first requisite to      
reading with expression is the mastery  
of the thought on the part of the pupil1
 and this cannot be accomplished without
 mastery of the words4 ,as has been said
 in another chapter1 children should be 
trained to study in such a way that they
 can decide for themselves what words   
present difficulties to their           
understanding4 ,when the pupils1 after  
studying a lesson1 are enabled to point 

to the exact words which are obstacles  
to their thought-getting1 the teacher's 
labors are minimized and her teaching is
 at once made definite4 ,such study1    
too1 leads the pupils to more thoughtful
 reading4 ,since they must weigh every  
word in the sentence to discover its    
meaning1 they become accustomed to dig  
for the thought1 and to estimate their  
own difficulties4 ,by this means they   
help themselves to the mastery of the   
thought1 as far as the words in which it
 is expressed belong to their           
vocabulary4  ,but when a pupil points   
out to the teacher the words which mark 
the boundary of his understanding1 it   
becomes her duty to make them clear to  
him4 ,this is a fruitful exercise4 ,the 
child desires to learn the meaning of   
the word which has blocked his way1 and 
his need of it makes him its master     
forever after4 ,it is only in this way  
that words are mastered4 ,it is idle to 
explain a list of words for which       
children have no use in the expression  

of their thought4 ,but after the study  
has revealed to the child his need of   
new knowledge1 the word fits at once    
into his vocabulary and answers the new 
need4 ,the teacher's explanation not    
only suffices to make the reading plain1
 but it increases the child's vocabulary
 for future use4  ,it should be borne in
 mind in such exercises that the word is
 not always made plain by simple        
explanation2 illustration may be        
necessary1 or some entire language      
lesson like those indicated in a        
previous chapter4 ,the teacher should   
make mental note at least of these      
unfamiliar words1 in order that she may 
so direct her language lesson as to     
supplement her teaching in reading4 ,she
 is wise if she keeps a notebook at hand
 in which these lists may be recorded4  
,it will be seen from the above that the
 pupil is expected to master the words  
of the lesson as a means of getting the 
thought1 before it is assumed that he   
can read with expression4 ,but1 having  

prepared himself through study1 and     
having been assisted by the teacher's   
illustration and explanation1 there     
should be no hindrance to free and      
natural reading4 ,we do1 however1 find  
expression hindered by various minor    
causes1 some of which it may be well to 
discuss4  ,a frequent occasion of       
indolent or indifferent reading is the  
child's feeling that the exercise is    
perfunctory1 one of the tasks assigned  
at school as a school duty1 but having  
in itself no excuse for being4 ,he needs
 to realize that he is delivering a     
message1 or telling a story which some  
one desires to hear4 ,it has often been 
observed that children read their own   
productions with marvellously good      
effect1 even when they stumble and      
hesitate in the normal reading          
exercises4 ,the reason is easily        
discerned4 ,in the one case they have   
something to tell1 and desire to tell   
it4 ,in the second case1 the exercise is
 one in which they have no special      

interest4 ,the teacher's chief endeavor1
 then1 should be directed toward        
inciting in the children a desire to    
communicate thought4 ,this may sometimes
 be secured by having the class listen1 
with closed books1 while a single pupil 
reads1 the teacher insisting that he    
shall so read that every one who listens
 may understand and enjoy all that is   
read4 ,another help which has been      
suggested by many teachers is the       
practice of bringing from home different
 short selections1 which the pupils are 
encouraged to read to the class4 ,these 
selections may be brief and simple--some
 anecdote1 some clipping from a         
newspaper1 some phrase or line1 some    
conundrum1 which has interested the     
child4 ,it will soon be discovered that 
the children will learn to read well    
only when conscious that their reading  
is the means of conveying the thought to
 their hearers4  ,the practice of       
consulting reference books1 even with   
pupils in the lowest grammar grades1 has

 a reflex influence upon the power to   
read aloud well1 since it gives to the  
pupil something which he desires to read
 to the others and which he alone can   
convey to them4 ,this desire to share   
what is read by becoming able to read   
well should be stimulated in every      
possible way4  ,again1 ease in reading1 
which is an important factor1 is often  
prevented by the pupil's                
self-consciousness1 which renders him   
timid and awkward whenever he attempts  
to read aloud in the presence of others4
 ,this timid self-consciousness varies  
with different individuals1 of course1  
and it also varies in different classes4
 ,the teacher is often responsible for  
this shrinking on the part of the       
children1 although it may be an         
unconscious responsibility on her part4 
,undue criticism of the reader1 which   
draws the attention of the class to his 
faults and makes him conscious of       
himself1 often prevents the very thing  
which the teacher is striving to obtain4

 ,the pupil's thought should be drawn   
away from himself and centred upon the  
thought in the sentence1 the message    
which he is to deliver4 ,the question   
should be directed toward that1 rather  
than toward the pupil's idiosyncrasies4 
,this is coupled with another serious   
consideration4 ,it has just been said   
that the child cannot read with         
expression if he is thinking about      
himself4 ,it is also true that he cannot
 read well except as his mind is centred
 upon the subject about which he is     
reading4 ,the teacher's efforts should  
be in the direction of picturing the    
scene which the child describes1 so that
 it will become real to him1 and that he
 may be enabled to paint it to the      
class4 ,she not only will endeavor to   
refrain from drawing the pupil's        
attention to himself by ill-chosen      
comments1 but she will also help him to 
imagine the thing described and to fix  
his thought upon it4 ,for the time being
 everything else is forgotten4  ,let us 

suppose that a class is reading 8,paul  
,revere's ,ride03      8,meanwhile1     
impatient to mount and ride1     ,booted
 and spurred1 with a heavy stride       
,on the opposite shore walked ,paul     
,revere4     ,now he patted his horse's 
side1     ,now gazed at the landscape   
far and near1     ,then1 impetuous1     
stamped the earth1     ,and turned and  
tightened his saddle-girth2     ,but    
mostly he watched with eager search     
,the belfry-tower of the ,old ,north    
,church1     ,as it rose above the      
graves on the hill1     ,lonely and     
spectral and sombre and still2     ,and 
lo6 as he looks1 on the belfry's height 
,a glimmer1 and then a gleam of light6  
,he springs to the saddle1 the bridle he
 turns1     ,but lingers and gazes1 till
 full on his sight     ,a second lamp in
 the belfry burns6     ,a hurry of hoofs
 in a village street1     ,a shape in   
the moonlight1 a bulk in the dark1      
,and beneath1 from the pebbles1 in      
passing1 a spark     ,struck out by a   

steed flying fearless and fleet3        
,that was all6 ,and yet1 through the    
gloom and the light1     ,the fate of a 
nation was riding that night2     ,and  
the spark struck out by that steed1 in  
his flight1     ,kindled the land into  
flame with its heat40                   
,used by permission of ,houghton1       
,mifflin  ,co4  ,if the pupil is to make
 his hearers hear and see ,paul ,revere1
 he must see and hear him1 too4 ,his eye
 must be upon the belfry tower of the   
,old ,north ,church2 he must feel the   
loneliness of the quiet graveyard1 the  
fearfulness of the silent way2 he must  
catch the gleam of the light2 must watch
 the impetuous mounting1 hear the hurry 
of hoofs in the village street1 and     
realize the fatefulness of the hour in  
which the land is kindled into flame4   
,every effort should be centred upon    
helping the children to feel1 to imagine
 the picture1 and to sense its depth of 
meaning4 ,say nothing now about holding 
the book in one hand1 standing on both  

feet or throwing the shoulders back2 but
 stir the class to feel as ,paul ,revere
 felt1 and to tell the tale with        
enthusiastic pride4 ,let all the        
questions help to make the picture      
clearer and the feeling stronger4 ,read 
again1 and again1 and again1 until the  
message becomes most familiar1 but with 
every reading more eager than before4   
,this selection emphasizes the need of  
preparation for the reading lesson      
outside of the reading class4 ,no one   
can read the poem well who does not     
understand the setting4 ,the story of   
the ,revolution is essential to         
understanding the poem4 ,why the        
,british ships were in the harbor2 why  
the country folk should be up and in    
arms2 what preceded and what followed   
the fateful ride2 the scene of the      
poem--the belfry1 the church1 the town1 
the river1 the harbor--must be clearly  
in mind4 ,the background of the poet's  
picture must be drawn before the        
children attempt to read aloud the      

paragraph4  ,it is obvious that the     
picture will be most vivid in the minds 
of those pupils who are most generously 
endowed with imagination4 ,the above    
exercise goes to prove the need of some 
attempt on the part of teachers to      
cultivate the imagination of the        
children4 ,a close scrutiny of the      
failures in our reading lessons would   
lead us to believe that it is to a lack 
of this power that we may attribute much
 of our difficulty in teaching reading4 
,as soon as the children picture the    
scene which the words describe1 they    
read with interest and vigor4 ,their    
indifference and heaviness are largely  
due to the fact that the words suggest  
no picture to them4  ,this faculty might
 be developed1 in some degree1 by       
frequent conversations which necessitate
 the children's picturing or imagining  
what they have read4 ,the simplest      
primer will lend itself to this         
exercise4 ,the habit of drawing the     
picture which the sentence suggests is a

 further stimulus4 ,reading fairy       
stories or stories of adventure may help
 to stimulate the imagination4 ,an      
effective aid is derived from playing or
 acting the story told in the lesson4 ,i
 remember seeing a primary class that   
played 8,hiawatha0 with great delight1  
different children taking the parts of  
,nokomis1 ,hiawatha1 ,wenonah1 the ,pine
 ,tree1 the ,fir ,tree1 the ,squirrels1 
the ,rabbits2 reciting their parts with 
eager pleasure1 acting them in the most 
unconscious fashion1 and never with any 
lack of expression4 ,the children       
recited with ease and naturalness and   
vigor4 ,they were lost in their play1   
which was very real to them4 ,not long  
ago ,i visited a school in which the    
children had begged the privilege of    
representing the dialogue which they    
were reading4 ,they assigned the parts  
themselves1 improvised simple costumes1 
and read their various parts with great 
animation4 ,the members of the class who
 served as audience listened with rapt  

attention1 very unlike that which is    
ordinarily accorded to a rendering of   
the reading lesson4 ,through the play1  
the lesson became vitalized1 it was made
 real4 ,it did not occur to the teacher 
to suggest inflections or pauses2 such  
suggestions were quite as unnecessary as
 they would have been in any            
conversation with the children4 ,these  
things take care of themselves when the 
children have once been overmastered by 
the desire to express the thought4 ,nor 
will it ever be necessary to dwell upon 
them if this desire is created4 8,seek  
ye first the kingdom of ,god and his    
righteousness1 and all these things     
shall be added unto you40 ,in a parallel
 sense1 if we once inspire in the       
children the desire to convey the       
message of the text1 the accessories of 
inflection and tone will become theirs4 
,it cannot be too strongly emphasized   
that these lesser phases of good reading
 will be secured if properly            
subordinated to one great aim--the      

desire to communicate thought4  ,it is  
not difficult to imagine a question at  
this point4 8,would you not have any    
vocal exercises to help in securing     
expression80 ,by all means1 but not as a
 part of the reading exercise4 ,if the  
exercise shows that the children have   
certain needs1--if the teeth are closed1
 if the pronunciation is slovenly or the
 articulation poor1--special exercises  
should be planned to remedy such        
defects1 but these should be given as   
exercises and not as a part of the      
reading lesson4 ,sentences which demand 
clear articulation may be pronounced in 
rapid succession1 or sung to the scale2 
selections may be read from the farthest
 corner of the room4 ,exercises which   
stretch the muscles used in             
articulation1 exercises which straighten
 the body or secure ease in posture2    
breathing exercises and their           
kindred1--all are helpful1 as exercises1
 but they should not interrupt the      
reading4 ,they may alternate with       

reading1 and prepare for it1 but they   
should be considered1 as they really    
are1 subordinate to the one essential1  
the creation of a desire to read4       
8,would you ever read to children in    
order to help them to get the right     
expression80 is a question which is     
frequently asked4 ,by all means4 ,there 
is no other way in which children can   
form an ideal of good reading4 ,many    
children hear no reading in their homes4
 ,they are accustomed to monotonous     
speech and to careless articulation4 ,it
 is necessary to read to them1 and to   
read well1 in order to show them what   
good reading is4 ,a further advantage of
 reading to the children is to show them
 how much the teacher gets from a poem  
or story which has meant little to them4
 ,such reading should not lead to       
servile imitation on the part of the    
children2 rather the opposite4 ,the     
teacher's comments upon the reading in  
the class will readily fix the seal of  
her approval upon individual renderings4

 8,let me hear how that seems to you1   
,john10 she will say4 8,mary1 let me    
hear you read4 ,i should like to get    
your thought40 8,kate1 is that the way  
you understood it8 ,let me hear you read
 it40 ,i have heard a teacher request   
one pupil after another to read1 waiting
 until the interpretation which was like
 her own was given before she commended1
 and impressing upon the entire class   
her feeling that such reading alone was 
correct4 ,as a matter of fact1 every    
rendering which was given was as good as
 the teacher's--some even were better4  
,the reader must interpret the author's 
message as it appears to him4 ,his      
reading shows his interpretation4 ,if   
the teacher reads to the class1 she     
shows simply what the writer's message  
has been to her4 ,in the reading lesson 
she gives to the pupils the opportunity 
of expressing what they themselves have 
read4  ,in reading1 as in everything    
else1 ease comes with practice4 ,the    
class should have two varieties of      

practice4 ,they should read and re-read 
a few selections which demand variety in
 expression2 and they should read many  
easy selections which require very      
little effort in mastering4 ,if the     
exercise is difficult enough to demand  
study1 it will necessitate hesitation if
 read at sight4 ,such attempts at sight 
reading1 with too difficult matter1 will
 result in the habit of stumbling4      
,children should have an opportunity to 
overcome by study the difficulties which
 would otherwise make them hesitate in  
reading4 ,all sight reading1 so called1 
should be easy enough to be read        
fluently at sight4  ,the old-fashioned  
custom of setting apart ,friday         
afternoons for reading1 recitation1 and 
declamation should be revived4 ,the     
exercise was admirable1 giving the      
children confidence in reading and      
speaking which resulted in ease and     
fluency4 ,it was a helpful adjunct to   
the reading class and deserves to be    
honored in the observance4  ,it may be  

well to suggest1 in this connection1    
that the habit of reading with free and 
individual expression is seriously      
hindered by the practice of concert     
reading4 ,if the teachers who pursue    
that practice were to attempt           
occasionally to read aloud in company   
with others1 they would discover the    
difficulties under which the children   
labor4 ,the practice works in direct    
opposition to the exercises which have  
been advised4 ,it is impossible for the 
child to give his individual rendering  
in a concert recitation4 ,he cannot even
 read at his individual rate2 he must   
wait for his neighbor4 ,his words drag1 
his voice becomes strained and          
unnatural1 the exercise assumes the     
school-room tone1 and the children adopt
 the swinging rhythm of the singsong4 ,a
 few children lead2 the others follow1  
or most of the others--a very few       
succeed in evading the reading          
altogether4 ,all this is wrong4 ,it is  
better for the child to read once alone 

than to read ten times in concert with  
others4 ,it is true1 however1 that there
 is one place for the concert reading4  
,when a poem or paragraph has been      
memorized by the entire class under the 
direction of the teacher1 they may learn
 to recite it well in concert without   
the disadvantages described2 but1 as a  
reading lesson1 the exercise has no     
place--it should be banished from the   
school-room4  ,one word more4 ,in our   
attempts to teach children to read with 
expression1 we may be helped by studying
 to learn what selections they like best
 to read1 what it is that appeals to    
them4 ,by following the line of their   
interest we may come to realize why     
selections which we have chosen are     
difficult for them1 and through making a
 wiser choice may become more successful
 in our teaching4 ,here1 as elsewhere1  
it is the intelligent study of the class
 by the teacher which enables her to    
apply her knowledge of the subject which
 she teaches4         ,the highest      

office of reading is not to open the    
eyes of the     child to the evolution  
of the material world1 nor to teach     
him to adapt its resources to his own   
subsistence2 he needs     no books for  
that4 ,the greatest hunger of the human 
soul     is not for food4 ,it is that he
 may better understand soul     motives 
and heart needs2 that he may more freely
 give to the     heart-hungry1 and more 
freely receive from the soul-full2 that 
he may live out of and away from his    
meaner self2 that he may     grow       
all-sided2 that he may look with        
analytic rather than     with critical  
eyes upon the erring2 that he may relish
 the     homely side of life1 and weave 
beauty into its poverty and ugly        
hardships2 that he may add to his own   
strength and wisdom the     strength and
 wisdom of the past ages4 ,it is that he
 may find     his own relation to the   
eternal1 that the child1 equally with   
the grown person1 turns to the songs    
which ravish the ear and     gladden the

 heart4                                 
--,,mary ,e4 ,,burt4     ,illustration  
,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,lessons ,,to        
,,suggest ,,plans ,,of ,,work4          
,i4--,lesson upon the ,cow4  ,to precede
 or accompany ,reading ,lessons which   
refer to the ,cow 7in lowest grades74   
#a4 ,find out what the children know    
about the cow4  ,every new lesson should
 be built upon and fastened to the      
children's past experience4 ,if they    
have no knowledge of cows1 we must      
introduce the subject accordingly4 ,if  
they have always known them1 the lesson 
will be merely a review1 because the    
foundation will have been prepared4 ,if 
the children live in the country and    
know the common animals1 proceed at once
 to definite questions which will       
arrange their knowledge and help them to
 express it3  ,where have you seen cows8
 ,what do you know about them--their    
size1 color2 the head1 ears1 legs1 feet1
 tail8  ,how large are they1 as compared
 with the horse1 dog1 cat8  ,compare the

 covering with that of the horse1 dog1  
cat4 ,compare the parts with the        
corresponding parts of those animals4   
,describe the horns4 ,why do cows have  
horns8 ,what use do they make of them8  
,describe the ears4 ,where are they8    
,does the cow move them8 ,the ears of   
the dog1 cat1 cow1 horse are movable2   
ours are not4 ,why8  ,compare the cow's 
nose and mouth with those of the cat or 
the horse4  ,does anyone know anything  
about the cow's teeth8 ,what does she   
eat8 ,what kind of teeth does she need8 
,tell the children about the chewing of 
the cud4  ,of what use to the cow is the
 long tail with its brush at the end8   
,who has seen her use it8 ,would a short
 tail serve as well8  ,who knows        
anything about the cow's foot8 ,who can 
draw a picture of a cow's footprint8    
,of what use are cows to us8 ,what does 
the cow give to us8  ,how should cows be
 cared for8 ,what kind of stall1 what   
kind of bed1 what food1 water1 pasture1 
should they have8 ,describe a pasture   

that you would like if you were a cow4  
,describe a barn that you would like if 
you were a cow4  ,how ought we to treat 
animals8 ,is it right to forget their   
wants when we have the care of them8    
,every lesson upon animals should help  
the children to realize more fully their
 obligation to properly care for them4  
,sympathy for animal life ought to be   
developed through the reading and       
language lessons4 ,interest in animal   
life is always present in children4 ,the
 questions above suggested cannot be    
answered at once1 by any ordinary class 
of children4 ,many who are familiar with
 cows in general will be unable to      
answer them definitely4 ,but the        
questions will lead them to more        
thoughtful observation1 after which they
 can report in another lesson4          
,sometimes the subjects may be          
distributed1 different groups of        
children being held responsible for the 
answer to a certain question4  #b4      
,direct outside observation1 in order to

 get new knowledge4  ,it is entirely    
feasible1 in many school-rooms1 to make 
the study of the cow the subject of a   
field lesson4 ,the children may be      
taken1 in groups1 to a farmyard1 a      
pasture1 or a stable1 where a cow may be
 observed and studied4 ,such lessons    
have ceased to be formidable1 since they
 have become so common4 ,the need of    
these visits is revealed by the         
children's vague answers4 ,nothing but  
definite observation of the real thing  
will open their eyes1 and make the words
 in their lesson full of meaning4       
,there are many city children who have  
never seen a cow4 ,if it is impossible  
to take them to a real cow1 excellent   
pictures should be substituted4 ,many of
 the questions suggested could be       
answered by pictures4 ,it must be       
remembered1 however1 that the picture   
tells to us1 who have had the real      
experience1 much more than it tells to a
 child who has never had that           
experience4 ,it is not strange that a   

boy who has never seen a real cow should
 imagine that animal to be six inches   
long1 the size of the cow which he has  
known from pictures in the lesson4      
,emphasize the fact of the size4 ,allude
 to the picture as a picture only4 ,have
 the children show by their hands how   
high a cow would be1 how long1 how wide 
its head1 etc4 ,by such means1 help to  
vivify the mental picture which is      
suggested to the children by the lesson4
 ,if the pictures are the only avenue   
through which they learn about the cow1 
do not attempt to give as much          
information as would naturally be       
associated with the real observation    
lesson1 ,remember that the amount of    
knowledge which the child gains is not  
proportioned to the number of facts     
which the teacher enumerates4 ,he will  
intelligently appropriate those which   
his observation and thought have helped 
him to understand4 ,as has been said    
before1 this truth determines the value 
of the reading lesson to the child1 and 

necessitates the associated lessons1    
which supplement his experience and     
enable him to bring to the lesson a mind
 furnished with appropriate ideas4  #c4 
,tell the children simple facts which   
they cannot find out for themselves4    
,there are many facts associated with   
the cow which the children can know only
 through others3 the use of the horns1  
of the bones1 the hair1 etc42 the       
manufactures2 the reason for the        
cud-chewing2 the making of butter and   
cheese4 ,the writer has known           
class-rooms in which milk was skimmed1  
the cream churned into butter1 and the  
butter eaten by the children4 ,the      
quantity1 of course1 was small1 but the 
process was very real and very          
interesting4 ,this happened recently in 
a kindergarten in a large city4 ,there  
were only three children in the class   
who had ever seen a cow4 ,it is hardly  
necessary to say that the lesson        
followed a visit to the cow4  #d4       
,renforce the lessons by stories4       

,stories about cows1 or descriptions of 
certain animals1 perhaps the pets which 
we have known1 will add interest to the 
lessons4  #e4 ,collect pictures of cows1
 for comparison and description4  ,in   
almost any district the children will be
 able to help in making collections of  
pictures which illustrate the language  
and reading lesson4 ,these pictures can 
be obtained from newspapers1 magazines1 
advertisements1 and various other       
sources4 ,every child who helps to swell
 the collection will feel an added      
interest in it4 ,the collection will be 
valuable in proportion as it is         
carefully arranged and thoughtfully used
 by the teacher4 ,if the cards are      
neatly mounted upon separate sheets     
which contain the name of the           
contributor1 and distributed amongst the
 children for observation and           
comparison1 it will prove really        
helpful4 ,through the comparison of the 
different pictures many facts will be   
developed1 suggested by the children's  

comments or questions4 ,such teaching   
will be sure to fit the need of the     
children4  ,these suggestions will be   
modified and arranged by any teacher who
 desires to use them4 ,they may help to 
point the way for those who are not     
entirely familiar with this phase of    
their work1 and so lead to better       
things4   ,,ii4--,lesson upon the ,oak4 
,as in the previous lesson1 the         
teacher's first object should be to     
discover what the children already know4
 ,nearly all children1 even those living
 in the midst of the city1 have some    
opportunity to see and study trees1 and 
their attention should be carefully     
directed to the trees in their          
neighborhood4  ,have you ever seen an   
oak tree8 ,where was it growing8 ,how   
tall was it8 7,compare with a man1 with 
a horse1 a house1 with other trees47    
,what do you remember about the size of 
its trunk8 about the bark1 about the    
leaves1 about the fruit8  ,bring to the 
class acorns1 leaves1 or1 in blossom    

time1 bring blossoms4 ,what is the use  
of the blossom1 of the leaf1 of the     
acorn8 ,draw them4  ,plant an acorn and 
see what comes of it4  ,of what use is  
the oak tree to us8 7,do not forget that
 beauty as well as manufacturing is to  
be considered47  ,name articles made of 
oak4  ,bring specimens of the wood4     
,the older pupils can draw the tree4    
,tell the children about the ,charter   
,oak4  ,take them1 if possible1 to a    
field or woods or park or street where  
they can see an oak tree growing4       
,refer to the lesson some weeks         
afterwards1 in order to lead to         
continued observation of the tree in    
different stages4  ,do not feel that it 
is necessary to do all which the lesson 
suggests1 with every class2 but be sure 
that the children have some actual      
knowledge of a real oak tree4           
,,iii4--,lessons upon ,occupations4     
,frequent reference is made1 in all     
literature1 to the occupations of men4  
,even if this were not so1 a knowledge  

of these occupations is necessary to    
even a fair education4 ,every child     
should be intelligent in regard to the  
work of the farmer1 the miller1 the     
carpenter1 the brick-layer1 the         
engineer1 the miner1 the merchant4 ,but1
 be this as it may1 the pages of the    
school reader1 even1 will demand some   
knowledge of the everyday occupations of
 men4  ,children are naturally          
interested in the occupations of their  
neighbors4 ,they like to see things     
made4 ,they like to know why certain    
effects come from certain causes4       
,nothing could be more fruitful than a  
visit to a blacksmith shop1 a new house 
that is being built1 a sewer that is    
being dug1 a cellar that is being laid2 
to a ropewalk1 to a mine1 to a quarry1  
where real men are engaged in real work4
 ,this natural interest of children in  
these subjects is evidenced by their    
desire to 8play0 the miller1 the farmer1
 the driver1 the boatman1 etc4 ,we do   
well when we build upon this natural    

interest4 8,the ,village ,blacksmith0 is
 a familiar poem1 based upon a common   
experience4 ,as has been said1 the      
children who know something about the   
work of the blacksmith will enjoy and   
understand the poem as no others can4   
,ask them to go to a blacksmith1 and    
then to report2 or go with a class of   
children1 and help them to observe and  
to question4 ,the blacksmith will be    
helpful and generous if he is           
courteously requested to give his aid to
 the children4 ,prepare them for the    
lesson by a preliminary talk about the  
blacksmith1 his work1 the need of his   
work2 his tools1 the material with which
 he works2 the source from which iron is
 obtained1 the process by which steel is
 made4 ,having prepared the children to 
observe1 assign questions or topics upon
 which they are to report3 the anvil1   
the forge1 the sledge1 the bellows1 the 
horseshoe1 etc4 ,upon returning from the
 visit1 allow the different pupils to   
tell what they have seen4 ,after the    

general conversation1 insist upon an    
orderly description4  ,kindred lessons  
may be given upon the other occupations 
suggested4 ,in many cases1 stories can  
be told1 or read1 which will renforce   
the observation4 ,it must not be        
forgotten that one result of the lessons
 should be a sincere respect for honest 
toil1 and sturdy pride in ability to do 
honest work well4 ,it is hardly         
necessary to say that the visit to the  
blacksmith's shop will renforce the     
reading1 and that a study of            
,longfellow's poem will in turn make the
 visit more valuable4 ,the language     
lesson will help the reading lesson     
because it adds interest2 it will also  
help the lesson as literature1 because  
it gives fuller power of interpretation1
 and corresponding appreciation of the  
poem4 ,all these lessons will be made   
more valuable by the use of collections 
of pictures4   ,,iv4--,rain4  ,for      
,second ,grade4  ,observation during a  
,rainfall4  ,what is rain8  ,where does 

it come from8  ,how did it get there8   
,experiment later1 if the children      
become interested in the question1 but  
do not answer it for them now2 let them 
question and think4  ,upon which windows
 does it fall8  ,why not upon the       
opposite windows8  ,where does it go8   
,what good will it do8  ,what harm will 
it do8  ,think what the rain does for   
the trees4  ,how do you know8  ,what    
does it do for the birds8  ,how do you  
know8  ,what does it do for the flowers8
  ,how do you know8  ,what does it do   
for you8  ,if no rain were to fall for  
three or four months1 what would happen 
to the flowers8  ,to the grass8  ,to the
 gardens8  ,to the brooks8  ,would it   
make any difference to you8             
,experiment3 ,breathe upon the cold     
glass2 show condensed vapor4  ,boil     
water2 collect vapor on cold surface4   
,recall vapor on windows4  ,recall      
clothes drying4  ,recall windows on     
washing day4  ,explain how fine         
particles of water are carried through  

the air1 and unite so as to be seen1    
when cold1 in the breath1 on windows1 in
 clouds1 in fog4  ,explain how rainfall 
is caused4  ,read 8,children of the     
,clouds40  ,memorize 8,is it ,raining1  
,little ,flower80  ,read to the children
 8,a ,rainy ,day40  ,tell the story of  
the drop of water in its journey from   
ocean to ocean again4  ,illustration    
,oh for a booke and a shadie nooke1     
,eyther in-a-doore or out2     ,with the
 grene leaves whispering overhede1      
,or the streete cry all about4          
,where ,i maie reade all at my ease1    
,both of the newe and olde2     ,for a  
jollie goode booke whereon to looke1    
,is better to me than golde4            
--,,old ,,english ,,song4               
,illustration     ,,chapter ,,viii4     
,,lessons ,,to ,,suggest ,,plans ,,of   
,,work--,,continued4   ,i4--,lessons on 
,bird ,life4  ,the study of birds has   
become so common as a part of school    
work1 that suggestions upon the subject 
may be trite and superfluous4 ,for the  

teachers who have not yet attempted such
 study1 the following practical         
suggestions may be helpful4  ,all       
children are interested in animal life1 
but few city children have more than a  
vague notion of the habits and          
characteristics of the animals of which 
they read4 ,not long ago1 the writer    
chanced to hear a class of primary      
children reading about the hen4 ,the    
exercise was hesitating1 the reading    
dubious4 ,upon questioning it transpired
 that but three children in the class   
had ever seen a live hen1 and in two of 
these cases the hen was 8nailed up in a 
box in the market40 ,one child only had 
seen a hen walking about1 and that was  
in 8,tim ,jones's ,alley40 ,obviously   
the sentences which had seemed so       
luminous to the teacher were dark to the
 children4  ,such experiences are not   
confined to city children4 ,wide        
experience has discovered many a country
 child whose eyes have never been truly 
opened to the life about him4 ,it is    

safe to assume that any class of little 
children will profit by the lesson which
 increases their interest in the bird   
world1 and opens their eyes to see new  
beauties1 their minds to receive new    
pictures1 and which incidentally        
explains the pages that otherwise are   
meaningless4  ,for such preliminary     
study1 the best beginning is the        
observation of some caged bird which can
 be kept within reach for awhile4 ,a    
canary1 a parrot1 a dove1 a hen1 a duck 
will behave well in the school-room1 may
 be cared for by the pupils1 and        
observed for several days1 and will     
serve as a centre from which new        
investigation may radiate1 or a type to 
which all new bird knowledge may be     
referred4 ,the canary or parrot will be 
brought in its own house4 ,for the      
others a dwelling-place may be          
extemporized4 ,a box frame may be built1
 open on all sides1 and covered with    
coarse wire netting or netted fencing2  
or one side may be removed from a wooden

 box of suitable size1 and netting be   
substituted for it4 ,the children should
 be able to watch the bird as it eats1  
drinks1 walks1 or flies about1 and      
should at first be allowed to observe   
without the restriction of question or  
recitation4  ,the conversation of the   
pupils1 their exclamations and          
questions1 will reveal the best line of 
approach to the subject4 ,it will be    
found that their chief interest centres 
in the actions of the bird4 8,see him   
eat6 ,how fast he turns the seed4 ,see  
the shells fly6 ,how he spatters the    
water6 ,oh1 he's washing himself60 ,such
 are the free comments of the children4 
,let these determine the first lesson4  
8,you have been watching the canary4    
,what have you seen him do8 ,what can he
 do that you can do8 ,what can he do    
that you cannot do80  ,these questions  
cannot be answered without actual       
knowledge4 ,if the replies are written  
upon the board1 it will be discovered   
that the children have added definitely 

to their store of knowledge1 and        
likewise to their vocabulary4  ,another 
conversation may compare the cat and the
 canary1 the cow and the canary1 or 7a  
very different exercise7 may note the   
resemblances and differences between the
 canary and other birds with which the  
children are somewhat familiar4 ,this   
comparison leads to observation of the  
structure1 to naming and describing the 
parts of the canary4  8,the canary can  
fly because he has wings4 ,we have no   
wings1 but we have arms4 ,the cat has no
 wings1 but she has two forelegs40 ,so  
the comparison proceeds to head1 eyes1  
bill1 feet1 until the children are able 
to describe the bird in clear and       
appropriate language4  ,another talk    
compares the habits of the bird with    
those of the cat or dog1 and leads to   
descriptions of the nests1 the eggs1 the
 home habits of the bird1 with the      
rearing of the young4 ,the lessons      
prepare for the reading1 to be sure1 but
 this value is incidental only1 as      

compared with the widened interest and  
growing power of the children in        
thinking1 seeing1 and saying4  ,it would
 be interesting to keep a record of the 
words used1 or needed1 by the children  
in such lessons1 to collate them        
afterward1 and to discover what         
proportion of the list of words is      
included in the ordinary stock          
vocabulary of elementary readers4 ,such 
a study would reveal to any intelligent 
teacher the close relation between      
experience and reading1 and would fully 
justify the plan of work outlined in    
these pages4  ,it may be well to add in 
passing that such a series of lessons   
serves as a basis to which all the      
related lessons may be referred4 ,when  
the children read about the oriole or   
the robin1 he is compared with the      
canary1 and the old lesson explains and 
renforces the new4 ,the value of such   
lessons depends upon the teacher's      
recognition of this relation4 ,the      
children need not know the skeleton of  

her plan1 but she must know the end from
 the beginning4   ,,ii4--,study of 8,the
 ,builders0--,longfellow4  ,,preparation
 ,,for ,,the ,,poem4  ,if the readers   
are young children1 it would be well to 
prepare for the reading of the poem by a
 lesson upon the material building4 ,it 
is possible that the carpenters and     
masons are already at work in the       
immediate neighborhood of the           
schoolhouse4 ,the children have been    
interested in watching the digging of   
the cellar1 the laying of the foundation
 stone1 the fixing of the frame in      
position1 the building of the walls4 ,a 
little questioning and observation will 
lead them to see how necessary it is to 
the strength of the building that every 
part be well shaped and firmly placed4  
,there may be unfortunate examples in   
their neighborhood which show the folly 
of dishonest building4 ,they may easily 
be led to realize what harm may result  
from slighting any piece of work1 or    
falsely covering any weakness4          

,anecdotes are abundant to illustrate   
this3 the bridge which gives way beneath
 the weight of the passing train1       
carrying hundreds to death2 the dam     
which has weak timber1 yielding to the  
pressure of the freshet2 the elevator   
which falls with its precious load4     
,these point to building which was      
insecure and treacherous4 ,for the other
 side of the picture1 we turn to the old
 cathedrals1 showing the children the   
beautiful spires1 the exquisite carving1
 and telling them how they have endured 
through the ages because their builders 
did honest work4  ,such a lesson        
prepares for the interpretation of the  
poem1 which turns our thought to the    
building which we are shaping with our  
to-days and yesterdays4 ,the lesson of  
the unstable wall1 the falling bridge1  
as well as the grace and strength of the
 cathedral1 serve now as a parallel for 
the poet's teaching1 and the inevitable 
result to others is seen as well as felt
 when we read of the 8broken stairways1 

where the feet stumble as they seek to  
climb40 ,after such lessons1 every line 
is filled with meaning as the children  
read and re-read the inspiring poem4    
,then it is time to memorize every line1
 but especially the two stanzas1        
8,in the elder days of art1             
,builders wrought with greatest care    
,each minute and unseen part2       ,for
 the gods see everywhere4      8,let us 
do our work as well1       ,both the    
unseen and the seen3     ,make the      
house1 where gods may dwell1            
,beautiful1 entire1 and clean40  ,it is 
not necessary to preach while teaching  
this poem4 ,the lesson impresses itself 
upon the children if they are rightly   
prepared for it4 ,they will make their  
own application1 but we should not      
forget that a valuable lesson like this 
is not measured by ease in recitation or
 accuracy in reading4 ,if in the days to
 come the memory of the poet's words    
gives strength in the hour of           
temptation1 or incites to honest work   

when the hand inclines to careless      
shirking1 the lesson will have counted  
for good4 ,in selecting our poems for   
our children1 and in directing their    
reading1 such hope should guide our     
choice4 ,the words of the poem or story 
will recur again and again when the     
memory of the school-room has faded4 ,we
 should be assured that the minds of our
 pupils are furnished with thoughts     
worth remembering4 8,whatsoever things  
are lovely1 whatsoever things are pure1 
whatsoever things are of good report1 if
 there be any virtue1 and if there be   
any praise1 think on these things40     
,,iii4--,study of the ,reading ,lesson4 
,,illustrative ,,lesson4  ,,little      
,,bell4      ,piped the blackbird on the
 beechwood spray1     8,pretty maid1    
slow wandering this way1         ,what's
 your name80 quoth he1--     8,what's   
your name8 ,oh1 stop1 and straight      
unfold1     ,pretty maid1 with showery  
curls of gold60         8,little ,bell10
 said she4      ,little ,bell sat down  

beneath the rocks1     ,tossed aside her
 gleaming golden locks4         8,bonny 
bird10 quoth she1     8,sing me your    
best song1 before ,i go40     8,here's  
the very finest song ,i know1           
,little ,bell10 said he4      ,and the  
blackbird piped2 you never heard        
,half so gay a song from any bird1--    
,full of quips and wiles1     ,now so   
round and rich1 now soft and slow1      
,all for love of that sweet face below1 
,dimpled o'er with smiles4      ,and the
 while the bonny bird did pour     ,his 
full heart out freely1 o'er and o'er1   
',neath the morning skies1     ,in the  
little childish heart below     ,all the
 sweetness seemed to grow and grow1     
,and shine forth in happy overflow      
,from the blue1 bright eyes4      ,down 
the dell she tripped1 and through the   
glade     ,peeped the squirrel from the 
hazel shade1         ,and from out the  
tree     ,swung1 and leaped1 and        
frolicked1 void of fear1     ,while bold
 blackbird piped1 that all might hear1  

8,little ,bell60 piped he4      ,little 
,bell sat down amid the fern2           
8,squirrel1 squirrel1 to your task      
return2         ,bring me nuts10 quoth  
she4     ,up1 away1 the frisky squirrel 
hies1--     ,golden woodlights glancing 
in his eyes1--         ,and adown the   
tree     ,great ripe nuts1 kissed brown 
by ,july sun1     ,in the little lap    
dropped one by one4     ,hark6 how      
blackbird pipes to see the fun6         
8,happy ,bell60 pipes he4      ,little  
,bell looked up and down the glade2     
8,squirrel1 squirrel1 if you're not     
afraid1         ,come and share with    
me60     ,down came squirrel1 eager for 
his fare1--     ,down came bonny        
blackbird1 ,i declare6     ,little ,bell
 gave each his honest share2            
,ah1 the merry three6      ,and the     
while these frolic playmates twain      
,piped and frisked from bough to bough  
again1         ',neath the morning      
skies1     ,in the little childish heart
 below     ,all the sweetness seemed to 

grow and grow1     ,and shine out in    
happy overflow         ,from her blue1  
bright eyes4      ,by her snow-white    
cot1 at close of day1     ,knelt sweet  
,bell1 with folded palms1 to pray4      
,very calm and clear     ,rose the      
praying voice1 to where1 unseen1     ,in
 blue heaven1 an angel shape serene     
,paused awhile to hear4      8,what good
 child is this80 the angel said1        
8,that1 with happy heart1 beside her bed
         ,prays so lovingly80     ,low  
and soft1--,o6 very low and soft1       
,crooned the blackbird in the orchard   
croft1         8,bell1 dear ,bell60     
crooned he4      8,whom ,god's creatures
 love10 the angel fair     ,murmured1   
8,god doth bless with angels' care2     
,child1 thy bed shall be     ,folded    
safe from harm4 ,love1 deep and kind1   
,shall watch around1 and leave good     
gifts behind1         ,little ,bell1 for
 thee40                                 
--,,thomas ,,westwood4  ,the poem       
selected for this lesson is suitable for

 use in third1 fourth1 or fifth grades1 
although even younger children enjoy    
hearing it read4 ,such children would1  
however1 find difficulty in a detailed  
study1 such as is suggested in this     
exercise4 ,the poem may be used simply  
as a reading lesson1 or it may be read1 
studied1 and memorized by the pupils as 
a language exercise4 ,the various       
advantages of the study are indicated in
 the following suggestions1 which are   
intended to indicate merely some of the 
different modes of treatment which may  
be attempted in language teaching4      
,,the ,,thought ,,in ,,the ,,poem4  ,as 
in all lessons1 the children should read
 the entire poem1 or hear it read1      
before any detailed study is attempted4 
,this is done in order that the poem may
 be presented to them as a whole1 giving
 its thought or telling its message4    
,after such reading1 every verse and    
word will assume its rightful place in  
the description of the story4           
,otherwise1 given separately1 the words 

lose the meaning which they are intended
 to convey4 ,a poem1 like a picture1    
should be presented as a whole1 and     
never dissected1 in the first lesson4   
,it is wise1 sometimes1 to read and to  
re-read without note or comment2 then to
 lay aside the book and leave the       
children to recall the story1 and to    
accustom themselves to its pictures4 ,at
 the next lesson1 the teacher may       
question1 following out any of the      
suggested lines of work4  ,the important
 motive is to get the message which the 
author intended to give us in the poem4 
,everything else must be subordinate to 
this purpose4 ,any supplementary        
teaching which draws the attention away 
from the poem1 creating a separate      
centre of interest1 is excessive4 ,all  
illustration and explanation should be  
intended simply to throw light upon the 
poem1 making the pictures more vivid and
 the message more plain4  ,the thought  
in this poem is very evident1 even to   
the children4 ,in the first stanza the  

blackbird on the beechwood spray        
introduces us to the pretty maid1 8slow 
wandering0 his way4 ,she is little      
,bell4 ,sitting down beneath the rocks1 
she asks the blackbird for his best     
song4 ,the bonny bird pours his full    
heart out freely1 while1 in the little  
childish heart below1 all the sweetness 
seems to grow and grow1 and shine forth 
in happy overflow from the blue1 bright 
eyes4 ,the squirrel swings and leaps and
 frolics in the glade1 and at the       
child's bidding drops down great ripe   
nuts into her lap4 ,the blackbird pipes 
to see the fun4 ,the child shares her   
treasures with the squirrel and the     
bird1 and again the poet tells us       
8,in the little childish heart below    
,all the sweetness seemed to grow and   
grow1     ,and shine out in happy       
overflow         ,from her blue1 bright 
eyes40  ,when1 at close of day1 the     
child kneels to pray beside her         
snow-white cot1 an angel pauses to hear1
 and asks what good child prays so      

lovingly beside her bed4 ,the blackbird 
answers from the orchard croft1 8,bell1 
dear ,bell60 8,whom ,god's creatures    
love1 ,god doth bless with angels'      
care10 the angel murmured4 8,child1 thy 
bed shall be folded safe from harm4     
,love1 deep and kind1 shall watch       
around1 and leave good gifts behind1    
little ,bell1 for thee40  ,even the     
little children sense the meaning of the
 poem4 ,they have already learned that  
love wins love and makes friends1 and   
they feel it to be both natural and just
 that the loving little ,bell shall be  
shielded from all harm1 and sheltered by
 loving thought4 ,the elder children may
 be reminded of ,sidney ,lanier's poem1 
8,how ,love ,sought for ,hell10 failing 
to find it because wherever his presence
 came there were kindness and light4    
,the little ones are reminded that the  
mirror gives back smile for smile1 and  
frown for frown4 ,it is hardly necessary
 to 8point the moral and adorn the      
tale40 ,the poet has repeated in the    

self-same words the lines which show how
 the child grew in sweetness as she     
played so lovingly with her woodland    
friends4 ,for many classes it would be  
enough to talk of the poem until the    
children were possessed of this thought1
 or rather this feeling1 and then leave 
it to do its own work4 ,in this case1   
however1 the poem serves as a text for  
the lesson1 and we shall consider other 
phases4   ,the ,pictures in the ,poem4  
,the poem takes us at once to the woods 
where the blackbird pipes on the        
beechwood spray4 ,we see the rocks1 the 
dell1 the glade1 the trees1 the hazel   
shade1 and are made acquainted with the 
blackbird and the squirrel4 ,plainly1   
the setting of the poem is clearest to  
those children who themselves have      
played in the woods2 who have heard the 
blackbird sing1 and have seen the       
squirrel leap from bough to bough4 ,the 
beechwood spray1 the hazel shade1 the   
dell1 the glade1 the fern1 are already  
familiar to such children1 and need no  

lesson to introduce them4 ,but if the   
tenement house1 the narrow alley1 the   
brick walls1 and the noisy street have  
been the familiar surroundings of the   
children1 and if the country seems as   
far away to them as ,paradise1 the poem 
is written in a foreign tongue4 ,with   
such children1 other lessons are        
necessary before any such selection is  
read or memorized4 ,these lessons may   
not be given at the time of the         
reading--far better not2 but they should
 precede the reading in the teacher's   
plan1 and the young reader should enter 
upon this lesson equipped with some     
knowledge of the bird1 the squirrel1 and
 the woods4 ,in another chapter1        
something has been said of the necessity
 of such teaching1 and of the way in    
which such lessons may be conducted4    
,the suggestion is made here simply to  
emphasize this truth3 that observation  
of nature is essential to the           
interpretation of literature4   ,study  
of the ,vocabulary of the ,poem4        

,although the pupils may be prepared by 
their out-of-door experience to         
understand the poem1 they will1         
nevertheless1 be met by a new difficulty
 in the reading4 ,the language of       
literature differs from that to which   
they have been accustomed in            
conversation4 ,the tendency of our      
school readers and children's books is  
often to remove such difficulties from  
the path of the children4 ,the lessons  
are expressed in words already familiar 
to the children1 and in colloquial      
forms4 ,while this practice renders the 
first lessons in reading easy1 it makes 
the entrance to literature difficult4   
,many expressions are entirely foreign  
to the child's ear1 and therefore       
unintelligible1 even when the story is  
attractive4 ,the poem which we are using
 for illustration contains many words   
and phrases which the children have not 
met in their ordinary reading4 ,these   
must be explained and their meaning made
 familiar to the children4 8#8,what's   

your name8' quoth he02 8stop1 and       
straight unfold02 8showery curls of     
gold02 8gleaming golden locks02 8bonny  
bird02 8blackbird piped02 8dell02       
8glade02 8hazel shade02 8void of fear02 
8hies02 8golden woodlights02 8adown the 
tree02 8playmates twain02 8an angel     
shape02 8crooned the blackbird in the   
orchard croft10 are some of these4  ,it 
may not be necessary nor wise in most   
classes to study all these expressions  
minutely1 but they should become plain  
to the children so that they may plainly
 speak the message of the poem1 and     
present no difficulty if met elsewhere4 
,so with the figurative expressions3    
8,the bird did pour his full heart out  
freely02 8the sweetness did shine forth 
in happy overflow02 8thy bed shall be   
folded safe from harm02 8stop1 and      
straight unfold40  ,there is no reason  
why the young readers should not come to
 realize the picture in these figurative
 expressions1 to compare their several  
words with the figure which the poet has

 used1 and to begin to sense the        
difference between the plain1           
straightforward speech and the pictured 
verses of the poet4 ,such study1 however
 simple1 will help the children to some 
appreciation of the beauty of           
expression1 which is one charm of       
literature4  ,from what has been said1  
it will be rightly judged that the poem 
affords a basis of several lessons1 all 
of value in different directions4 ,it   
may not be wise to make a detailed and  
careful study of every poem which is    
read or memorized by the children1 but  
some teaching in the lines suggested is 
indispensable to intelligent reading on 
the part of the children4 ,the phrases  
which are so familiar to us often       
suggest a very curious idea to the      
children4 ,this interpretation is shown 
when they draw pictures to represent the
 scenes of the poem4 ,in a certain      
school1 the teacher read a story to the 
children containing the expression1 8his
 mother gave him leave to go40 ,the     

child drew the mother in the act of     
presenting a leaf to the boy4           
8,fret-work10 said the boy who read     
8,sir ,launfal0 for the first time1     
8fret-work is work that makes you fret02
 while the child who drew the picture of
 the hare and the tortoise represented a
 turtle and a boy with bushy hair4      
,reference has been made elsewhere to   
the kid on the roof of the house which  
was pictured as a little boy2 and the   
writer remembers the pictures which were
 drawn by children in illustration of   
the above poem1 representing the angels 
with webbed feet4 ,these items are      
intended simply to suggest that the     
child's crude notion is often very      
different from the meaning which the    
word or phrase conveys to us4 ,we should
 be grateful for the frank question or  
the crude remark which betrays the      
child's mistake1 and should be careful  
to secure such confidence and freedom in
 our classes as will enable us to       
discover what the children are really   

thinking4  ,after reading and discussing
 the poem1 the children may memorize it4
 ,at this juncture it is wise for the   
teacher to read it to the children again
 and again in order that they may get   
some notion of the proper reading4 ,the 
children's recitation will incline to   
adopt the virtues of the teacher's      
reading2 the faults will be imitated1   
also4  ,if1 after such study and such   
memorizing1 the words of the poem appear
 now and then in the children's         
conversation or writing1 let us rejoice2
 for this means not simply that new     
words have been added to the vocabulary1
 but that the child has a new conception
 of beauty of thought and speech4       
,illustration                           
,we're made so that we love     ,first  
when we see them painted1 things we have
 passed     ,perhaps a hundred times nor
 cared to see2     ,god uses us to help 
each other so1     ,lending our minds   
out4                                    
--,,robert ,,browning4     ,illustration

     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,the ,,study ,,of
 ,,pictures   ,children delight in      
pictures4 ,every child-lover knows how  
intently and with what delight the      
baby's eyes gaze upon the pages of the  
beloved picture book1 long before the   
words which describe the picture can be 
spoken or even understood by the young  
student4 ,the childish chatter is an    
attempt to express the delight in the   
treasure and the thoughts suggested by  
the picture4  ,as the child grows older1
 pictures continue to be a source of    
pleasure4 ,he names the familiar        
objects1 talks about them1 asks         
questions about them4 ,thus he          
unconsciously grows in the power to see 
and to tell what he sees1 taught by the 
many willing helpers who turn the pages 
of his book and interpret its pictures4 
,many a new idea creeps into the child's
 mind by the path of the picture book4  
,many an object which would be entirely 
foreign to his experience otherwise1    
becomes familiar through its pages4     

,every new book put into his hands is   
first challenged by him to discover     
whether it contains pictures1 and it is 
the pictures that first excite his      
desire to learn to read the story which 
they illustrate4  ,we cannot estimate   
the contribution which such books make  
to both knowledge and vocabulary4 ,most 
of us can think of scenes which we know 
only through their pictured semblances1 
yet seem to know well4 ,we can remember 
our first glimpses of scenes that       
pictures had made familiar4 ,how        
friendly1 how well known they seemed6   
,how we were used to them6 ,niagara1    
,westminster ,abbey1 the ,pyramids1 the 
,alps1 are known to many of us only     
through pictures4 ,are we entirely      
ignorant1 then1 of their beauty or their
 grandeur8 ,when our eyes first look    
upon them1 shall we not greet them as   
already a part of our possession8  ,we  
have been slow1 in our school work1 to  
follow the teaching of children's       
experience4 ,although we have always    

known and always recognized the child's 
interest in pictures1 we have not used  
them in the school-room to the extent   
that they might have been used1 nor in  
such a manner as to yield the greatest  
advantage4  ,the writer remembers a     
class of children in whose hands were   
placed some new readers beautifully     
illustrated with full-page pictures4    
,the new books1 which had just been     
brought into the room1 were given to the
 children with the brief direction1     
8,turn to page #he and begin reading at 
the top of the page40      8,theirs not 
to reason why1     ,theirs not to make  
reply40  ,the obedient fingers turned to
 the page indicated1 and the curious    
eyes were allowed no moment to linger   
over the pages which tempted them with  
their fascinating pictures4 ,yet here   
was the 8,delectable ,land10 which might
 have been opened to them to their      
lasting advantage4 ,here the children's 
interest was assured1 and no artificial 
incentive needed to be presented4       

,another class1 under similar           
conditions1 had a different experience4 
8,here are new books10 the teacher said 
to the children4 8,you will enjoy       
reading these stories1 ,i know4 ,but you
 will find pictures in them as well as  
stories4 ,before we read let us look at 
the pictures and enjoy them40  ,the     
children eagerly opened the books4 ,they
 found1 as a frontispiece1 a copy of    
,rosa ,bonheur's 8,norman ,sire40  ,the 
children talked about the picture1      
compared the horse with horses that they
 knew1 admired the noble head1 the fine 
eyes4 ,as they turned the pages of their
 books they found other pictures of     
animals1 8,the ,lions at ,home0 and     
8,coming from the ,fair40 ,their        
comments were free1 their questions     
ready4 ,nobody thought of the picture as
 a picture4 ,the conversation centred   
about lions and horses only1 and        
expressed the children's interest in    
animals4  ,it was the teacher who called
 the attention of the children to the   

name written underneath the first       
picture1 8,rosa ,bonheur40 ,this1 they  
inferred1 must be the name of the one   
who made the picture4  ,the teacher then
 explained that the pictures in the book
 were copied from photographs of the    
original pictures which the artist      
painted4 ,if the children were to see   
the painting they would find it colored 
and much larger than the copies4        
,looking again and with a new interest  
at the other pictures1 the children     
discovered the same name written below  
them4 8,did ,rosa ,bonheur paint this   
picture1 too80 8,and this80 8,did she   
paint any others80 8,does she paint     
now80 ,these questions answered1 the    
children asked1 8,who painted the       
picture of the little girl tending the  
baby80 8,is this the painter's name     
under the picture80 8,yes1 ,meyer von   
,bremen4 ,on this page you will find    
another picture of his40 ,the children  
found the picture of 8,the ,pet         
,canary10 and talked earnestly about it4

 8,i like that picture4 ,i wonder if    
this is the same little girl40 8,what   
queer chairs60 8,what a funny window60  
8,this girl has been knitting1 too40    
,the teacher threw some light upon the  
,german interior1 explaining that this  
was a picture of a home in the country  
where the artist lived4 ,then she       
questioned1 8,what did ,meyer von       
,bremen paint for you80 8,children10 was
 the ready response4 8,and what did     
,rosa ,bonheur paint80 8,animals10 came 
quite as readily4 8,do the pictures tell
 you anything about the artists80 ,the  
children hesitated4 8,you remember      
#8,the ,children's ,hour'80 suggested   
the teacher4 8,you thought that ,mr4    
,longfellow wrote about                 
children0--8,because he loved children10
 volunteered a child1 as the teacher    
paused4 8,i should think ,meyer von     
,bremen liked children1 too10 observed  
another1 thoughtfully4 8,and ,rosa      
,bonheur must like animals10 added a    
third4  ,they turned again to the       

pictures1 and decided1 after some       
discussion1 that ,rosa ,bonheur not only
 loved animals1 but was able to make us 
love them better by her painting4  ,the 
books were closed and carefully put away
 till time could be given for the       
reading1 which the children now so      
earnestly desired4 ,the lesson had been 
a simple one4 ,to some casual observers 
it might have seemed no lesson at all4  
8,just looking at pictures60 ,but it    
opened to the pupils a new line of      
thought1 and served to illuminate both  
picture and text4 ,when the children    
read1 the pictures1 now made to         
interpret the text1 themselves became   
teachers4  ,though seemingly incidental1
 the lesson pointed toward such study of
 pictures as should obtain in every     
school4 ,one of the greatest pleasures  
of life is the delight in art1 the      
creations of minds that enjoy the       
beautiful1 and know how to make the     
world beautiful for others4 ,we have    
learned to give to young children the   

poems which the world treasures4 ,they  
commit these to memory4 ,they learn to  
sing the hymns which the greatest of    
musicians have composed4 ,in poetry1 in 
music1 we have begun to learn how to    
teach4 ,but should we not teach the     
children to know and to love good       
pictures1 as well as good poems and good
 music8  ,in too many of our homes the  
picture is a stranger4 ,such teaching as
 tends to interest the children in the  
picture gallery or the art museum opens 
another avenue of pleasure and profit1  
adds one more resource to the lives     
which must often be hindered and bound4 
,by all means1 let us begin it1 and     
learn how to use the wealth of material 
which lies at our hand4  ,in a ,boston  
school the teacher has established a    
loan collection of pictures4 ,the       
children have the privilege of keeping  
for a week the framed pictures which    
they choose to carry home4 ,they learn  
to enjoy the pictures1 and1 so to speak1
 to read them4 ,they look with new      

interest at all other pictures which    
come in their way1 comparing them with  
the ones they have come to know4 ,they  
visit the art museum and study the      
original from which their pictures are  
copied4 ,their lives are enriched by    
such teaching1 their minds are furnished
 with pleasant memories1 and their love 
of the beautiful is set growing4  ,such 
study has a legitimate place in the     
school curriculum4 ,happily1 it is now  
emphasized in some degree in the        
,drawing4 ,it should also appear in     
connection with the ,reading4 ,the      
picture is intended to throw light upon 
the lesson which is illustrated4 ,the   
children should be taught to read the   
picture as well as to read the story4   
,geography1 as it is presented in good  
schools of the present day1 well        
illustrates the necessity4 ,the picture 
is often a photographic reproduction of 
the mountain1 the cascade1 the geyser1  
the surf4 ,the text describes1 as       
clearly as words can describe1 but the  

picture is far more faithful4 ,it brings
 the scene before the eyes of the child1
 while words1 misapplied or             
misunderstood1 often build a wall       
between the pupil and the scene which   
they attempt to portray4 ,if the        
children learn to see all that the      
picture contains1 they are helped in    
their study of the text4 ,it is the part
 of wisdom1 from the teacher's point of 
view1 to make much of these aids1 even  
if knowledge getting is the one goal in 
sight4 ,it can hardly be doubted1       
however1 that all teachers will         
recognize the greater need which is     
satisfied by such instruction4 ,to know 
and to love these things so well worth  
knowing and loving is quite as worthy of
 achievement as the mastery of equations
 or the demonstration of a theorem4  ,if
 the ,drawing does not admit of the     
teaching suggested1 the ,language       
,lesson1 ever hospitably inclined1 may  
be extended to include the study of the 
picture4 ,every teacher knows best what 

pictures she desires to present to her  
class1 but1 from common experience1 a   
few inferences may be made4  ,certainly 
the picture chosen for initial study    
should be one whose subject is          
interesting to the children1 a picture  
which represents action or suggests a   
story4 ,such pictures are ,schreyer's   
8,imperial ,courier10 ,meyer von        
,bremen's 8,little ,nurse10 ,millet's   
8,angelus10 ,landseer's 8,saved40 ,after
 the children have become interested in 
the picture they will wish to learn who 
painted it1 just as they desire to know 
about the poet1 after they have come to 
enjoy the poem4 ,then they are ready to 
look at the reprints of the other works 
of the artist1 regardless of subject1   
and to ask questions about the artist   
and his works4 ,so the interest deepens 
and the study grows1 following this     
natural order4  ,fortunately the        
abundance of cheap good reprints1 and   
the careful illustration of text-books1 
place the means for such study within   

the reach of every teacher and pupil4   
,it will not be long before the picture 
will take its proper place with the song
 and the poem as a factor in elementary 
education4         ,he that loveth a    
book will never want a faithful friend1 
a wholesome counsellor1 a cheerful      
companion1 an effectual     comforter4  
,by study1 by reading1 by thinking1 one 
may     innocently divert and pleasantly
 entertain himself1 as in all           
weathers1 so in all fortunes4           
--,,isaac ,,burrows4     ,illustration  
,,chapter ,x4  ,,hints ,,for ,,reading  
,,lessons4   ,words at the ,head of the 
,lesson4  ,it is not uncommon to find   
the lists of words which precede or     
follow the lessons of the so-called     
8regular reader0 used as the only basis 
of the study of the lesson4 ,this would 
be wise if the lists enumerated the only
 or the chief obstacles to the          
children's understanding of the lesson4 
,but as a matter of fact1 they must vary
 greatly in value1 sometimes bearing no 

relation to the real needs of the       
individual class4 ,they are prepared    
with the average child in mind1 but as  
some one has humorously said1 8,the     
average child does not exist40 ,they may
 prove very helpful to one class1 and of
 no possible use to another4  ,examine  
any such list with reference to your own
 class1 or ask the children to study the
 list with you4 ,you find that the first
 word is an old friend1 the second is   
made up of two known words1 the third is
 unfamiliar in both meaning and form1   
the fourth presents a variation from the
 ordinary rule of spelling1 the fifth   
and the sixth are easy to master or are 
already well known4  ,after such a      
survey1 the thoughtful pupil will       
8study0 the third and fourth critically 
and carefully1 the others having been   
disposed of in the first reading4 ,such 
an exercise is profitable1 deserving the
 name of study4 ,the routine direction1 
8,study the words at the head of the    
lesson twenty times1 and copy them five 

times10 leads to careless droning over  
the page and ends in preventing any     
intelligent study4   ,reading 8,without 
the ,book40  ,a visitor in a primary    
school was astonished by the rapid and  
fluent reading of a five-year-old who   
delivered 8,the ,story of a ,dog0 with  
remarkable ease and precision4 8,may ,i 
see your book80 the visitor asked4 ,the 
little lad passed the book to her with  
smiling consent4 8,but10 she exclaimed1 
8there is nothing here that you have    
read40 8,dear me60 cried the child1     
looking at the picture1 8,i got the     
wrong dog40  ,the writer remembers a    
child who explained with charming navet1
 8,i can read my reader all through     
without the book40 ,upon being tested1  
he proved his statement4  ,the constant 
repetition of the pages of the 8regular 
reader0 soon imparts this fatal         
facility1 which often completely        
deceives the teacher4 ,the ability to   
repeat the story1 word for word1 does   
not necessarily involve the power to    

recognize the words on any page4 ,the   
children simply memorize the sentences  
to which they have so often listened1   
and are reciting by rote1 not reading4  
,just here the new lesson written upon  
the board1 or the supplementary reading 
book1 is effective4 ,the new arrangement
 of familiar words demands thoughtful   
attention1 and serves therefore as a    
test of skill4 ,the teacher should guard
 against the common tendency to use a   
single lesson until it becomes useless4 
,word ,study apart from the ,reading    
,lesson4  ,if the words which occur in  
the reading lesson present such         
difficulty to the children that their   
first efforts in reading are seriously  
hindered1 it is wise to make the word   
study a separate exercise1 preparing for
 the so-called reading lesson4 ,this    
preparatory lesson1 often called 8the   
development lesson10 should make the    
pupils so familiar with the form of the 
word that it at once suggests the       
meaning4 ,if the meaning itself is new1 

there is need also of the explanatory or
 illustrative lesson4 ,it may be wise to
 repeat the suggestion that the         
explanation does not always explain1 and
 that special illustration is necessary 
in presenting new ideas to the children4
 ,in any case1 however1 the time taken  
for 8sounding0 the word1 or the         
necessity for explaining its meaning1 is
 an interruption to the reading as      
thought getting1 and should be reduced  
to the lowest terms in the reading      
exercise4 ,the better plan1 with classes
 of young children1 is to arrange a     
separate time for word study1 as a      
preliminary to individual study of the  
lesson4 ,where it is possible to secure 
the necessary time1 the order of the    
work might be as follows3  #a4 ,class   
study of new words1 with explanation and
 illustration by the teacher when       
necessary4  #b4 ,individual study of the
 lesson at desks1 or 8busy work0        
employing new words4  #c4 ,reading the  
lesson which has been studied4  #d4     

,supplementary reading1 sight reading1  
or review4  ,this plan is especially    
adapted to the first year of school1    
where the time is largely given to      
language and reading4 ,in the class     
study phonics finds its proper time and 
place4 ,in the seat work children make  
some application of the knowledge just  
acquired4 ,when the reading exercise    
takes place1 the time should be given to
 reading1 the attention being held to   
the thought in the lesson4              
,supplementary and ,sight ,reading4     
,the supplementary book is intended to  
afford variety in practice for the young
 readers1 and to prevent the memorizing 
process1 with its hindrance to reading4 
,its use depends upon circumstances4 ,it
 should sometimes be used as is the     
8regular reader03 studied1 read1 and    
re-read--that is1 if it is worth        
re-reading4 ,it may be given to the     
pupils for silent reading only1 or for  
individual reading when other work is   
done4 ,selected lessons from the        

supplementary reading may alternate with
 those of the more familiar book1 or the
 books may be changed from week to week4
  ,in 8sight reading10 so called1 the   
book serves simply as a test of the     
pupil's power to read at sight1 without 
definite preparation in the way of      
study4 ,such exercises should1 of       
course1 present no new difficulty which 
demands study4 ,as soon as this becomes 
necessary1 the character of the exercise
 is changed1 and it becomes a 8study of 
a lesson0 instead of a test or review4  
,the teacher should select1 for sight   
reading1 material of a simpler sort than
 that which is demanded in the current  
exercises in reading at that period4    
,second ,grade classes may read ,first  
,readers4 ,third ,grade classes may use 
,second ,readers1 and so on4  ,of course
 this provision becomes useless as soon 
as the pupils have passed the 8learning 
to read0 stage1 and are reading for the 
sake of thought getting only1 without   
reference to training in power to read4 

,then the supplementary books should be 
chosen purely with an eye to throwing   
light on other subjects studied1 or for 
their literary value1 and pleasure in   
reading4 ,mention has been made         
elsewhere of the value of school        
libraries as an aid to the reading      
habit4 ,here the ,supplementary ,reader 
loses its title1 and advances to the    
grade of a 8real book40 ,now the        
cultivation of the reading habit and the
 love of books is an immediate aim1 and 
the book ceases to serve as a test      
merely4 ,it is a means to an end1 an    
instrument by whose use new knowledge   
can be gained or the pleasure of life   
enhanced4 ,therefore it is wise to spend
 carefully the money devoted to books1  
buying few of a kind1 and many kinds    
now4 ,for reference1 for individual     
reading1 for reading to the class1 this 
collection of books is invaluable4 ,the 
skilful teacher will plan many exercises
 which will reach far beyond the        
immediate lesson in their beneficent    

results4   ,reading ,poetry4  ,among the
 many school-room exercises which yield 
present profit1 none other continues its
 dividends so far into the future as    
does the intelligent reading and        
memorizing of a good poem4 ,it has been 
urged elsewhere that the teacher should 
frequently read good poetry to the      
children1 often without comment1 but    
sometimes repeating the reading again   
and again1 until the children become    
familiar with the rhythm1 question the  
meaning1 and are ready to memorize the  
poem4 ,such exercises are immediately   
helpful in other reading1 while they    
store the sturdy young memory with      
treasures1 promising enjoyment for      
future years1 which can be gained in no 
other way4 ,childhood is the one fit    
season for amassing such wealth4 ,it is 
well for the children if the teacher    
recognizes this opportunity4 ,just here 
it may be wise to refer to the interest 
which attends such exercises in schools 
where every class chooses a class poet1 

reading and memorizing selections from  
his works1 and learning something about 
his life4 ,from the lowest to the       
highest grade this work proves helpful1 
and the children's association with     
these authors is never forgotten4       
,something the memory will hold1 do what
 we may4 ,let us supply materials worthy
 to endure1 preventing the accumulation 
of stuff which is not merely of         
indifferent value1 but is often         
positively harmful4   ,friday           
,afternoons4  ,the old custom of setting
 aside a part of ,friday afternoons for 
declamation and recitations is          
remembered with mingled feelings by the 
pupils who shared its advantages4       
,nevertheless the custom should be      
perpetuated1 for such exercises afford  
an unusual opportunity for practice in  
reading and reciting for the sake of    
others4 ,to read aloud so that our      
hearers can listen with pleasure1 gives 
us the power and privilege of helping   
and pleasing others4 ,no life is without

 such opportunities4 ,it is wise to     
emphasize this accomplishment in our    
schools1 and to expect our pupils to    
become competent to render this service4
  ,any exercise which accustoms the     
children to reading or reciting with    
ease1 modesty1 and simplicity1 in the   
presence of1 and for the sake of1       
others1 adds materially to their ability
 to make themselves agreeable as well as
 useful4  ,the special exercise1 when   
one class entertains another class in   
the hall1 or when children recite for   
the audience of schoolmates and parents1
 differs from the ordinary exercise in  
motive4 ,why should one read plainly    
when everyone else holds a similar book 
and is reading the same paragraph8 ,but 
to read to those who have no book1 have 
never read the story1 or really desire  
to hear it1 that is another matter4     
,so1 with no artificial manner1 voice1  
or gesture1 but with a pure and simple  
desire to please1 let the children read 
and recite to one another1 or to other  

classes1 at least once a week1 until the
 exercise becomes as natural as         
breathing4 ,and let the power to thus   
minister to others become one of the    
common attainments of our pupils4       
,children as ,teachers4  ,the child's   
interpretation of that which he reads is
 often very different from the          
teacher's4 ,yet his rendering does not  
always disclose his thought4            
,conversation regarding the lesson      
brings out the children's notions1 if   
there is freedom and confidence in the  
presence of the teacher4 ,but nothing   
else affords so much light on the       
subject as the children's own questions1
 if they are allowed to question one    
another4 ,where the teacher monopolizes 
the questions1 she often monopolizes the
 thinking1 too4 ,let the children act   
the part of the teacher1 and as they    
question one another1 their own ideas   
will appear1 while the teacher who      
listens thoughtfully will be able to    
teach according to the revelation which 

she hears4   ,management of the ,reading
 ,class4  ,the abandonment of concert   
reading at once necessitates the        
reorganization of the reading class4    
8,if ,i cannot have my children read in 
concert10 one questions1 8how can ,i    
keep them interested and attentive      
through the long reading hour80  ,the   
way of escape from the difficulty is a  
simple one4 ,do not expect to arrange to
 have fifty pupils read at one period1  
unless there is some work worth doing to
 demand their attention4 ,the plan of   
work will vary with the grade of the    
class and the aim of the lesson4  ,is   
the teacher's purpose to introduce the  
class to the lesson thought8 ,to teach  
them how to study the lesson8 ,to       
discover what words or phrases or turns 
of expression present obstacles to the  
learners8 ,then fifty may be taught and 
questioned as well as one1 and just as  
long as general interest and attention  
can be maintained--no longer4  ,is the  
aim of the teacher to afford practice in

 oral reading1 by drilling upon the     
rendering of a certain paragraph8 ,then 
let her limit the class to ten or twelve
 at most1 leaving the other pupils to   
busy themselves with written work which 
admits of definite accomplishment4 ,all 
pupils become weary of the countless    
repetitions of their mates1 in their    
stumbling practice4 ,they learn chiefly 
through their own doing1 the correction 
of their own mistakes4 ,and while the   
drill is confined to the few1           
8,satan finds some mischief still       
,for idle minds to do40  ,so the old    
hymn might be varied by the experienced 
teacher who remembers unnumbered cases  
of discipline which have arisen from the
 monotonous drill exercises in which the
 wits of the majority of the class were 
unemployed4 ,by all means1 in such      
cases1 drill a few pupils at a time1 and
 let the others be profitably employed  
in conscious endeavor to accomplish     
something4  ,in older classes where the 
reading has passed the elementary stage1

 and the pupils are reading for         
information or enjoyment1 neither length
 of lesson nor number of pupils need be 
considered4 ,here1 without doubt1 the   
interest in the subject will be         
paramount1 and 8method0 may be          
forgotten4 ,now the children read for   
the love of reading1 and the only gauge 
of time or number is the teacher's power
 to interest her class4 ,the one aim is 
to get the message from the book1 and to
 make it plain to those who hear4       
,desire is the spur to endeavor1 and    
attention is at the command of interest4
 ,the teacher's one secret is the art of
 making her pupils book lovers4         
,concert ,reading4  ,to save time1 in   
the hurried day with its crowded        
program1 is the teacher's constant      
desire1 and it is not remarkable that1  
under pressure1 achievement is measured 
by counting the minutes of recitation   
and numbering the facts learned or the  
questions answered4 ,it is a common     
error to assume that mere lip repetition

 is valuable drill1 and that 8practice  
makes perfect10 even when the practice  
is indifferent or unwise4 ,quantity is  
carefully measured1 while quality is    
ignored1 in such drill4  ,to this       
mistaken estimate the wide prevalence of
 concert recitation is due4 ,if thirty  
children read at one time1 it would seem
 that the recitation accomplishes thirty
 times as much as would be accomplished 
by a single recitation in the same time4
 8,i could not get through with the     
lesson10 explains the teacher1 8if ,i   
did not have my class read in concert40 
,the theory appears plausible to the    
mathematical mind4 ,upon inspection1    
however1 its failings appear4  ,in what 
does the value of the lesson as a       
reading lesson consist8 ,the exercise   
should aid the children in getting the  
thought or in expressing it fluently and
 naturally4 ,the teacher should be      
assured that the mind of every reader is
 intelligently active in the thought    
getting1 and that the practice in       

expression is such as will lead to      
independent skill4  ,but observe3 in    
concert reading the individual          
difficulties are 8skipped40 ,while      
,john1 who fails to recognize a word1   
falters1 hesitates1 and halts1 ,jane1 to
 whom it is an old friend1 marches      
triumphantly on4 ,john takes breath1 and
 plunges in again when his              
stumbling-blocks have been safely passed
 7by his comrades74 ,john's achievement 
was nil1 likewise ,jane's1 for she knew 
the word before4 ,as a teaching         
exercise1 then1 the concert reading is  
ineffective4 ,it is safe to assume that 
it is difficult if not impossible for   
any teacher to know that all of her     
pupils are really reading all the time  
during the concert exercise1 or that a  
seemingly good concert exercise really  
proves that all the members of the class
 can master1 or have mastered1 the      
lesson4  ,again1 as a practice in       
expression the concert exercise is      
harmful1 because it ignores the         

individual expression and aims at an    
average movement1 inflection1           
interpretation4 ,the product is not the 
expression of the thought as it appears 
to ,john1 ,jane1 or ,henry1 but a       
composite which represents nobody4 ,the 
sprightly ,kate must wait for the       
ponderous ,phbe2 the slow-moving ,james 
must lag behind the animated ,jack4 ,let
 a dozen teachers attempt to read aloud 
in concert1 without previous common     
training1 and the statement will need no
 further argument4  ,to the writer the  
time given to concert reading in the    
elementary schools seems ill-spent4     
,definite teaching and practice are     
possible only when the pupils are       
considered as individuals4 ,droning and 
indifference are cultivated by the      
concert exercise4  ,the above statements
 apply to all exercises whose object is 
to teach reading4 ,declamation or       
recitation of the poem or paragraph     
which has been studied1 read1 and       
mastered by the individuals of the      

class1 or which presents merely an      
imitation of the teacher's reading1 is  
included under another head4 ,it deals  
with known material1 and presupposes    
training which leads to a common        
interpretation4 ,such recitation        
partakes of the nature of song1 and here
 the power to render the thought in     
unison becomes an element of value4 ,for
 such exercises special training should 
be given4  ,in schools where it is      
possible for the classes to meet in the 
hall for morning exercises1 or even in  
preparation for the devotional exercises
 of any single class1 such training is  
indispensable4 ,to know how to read in  
responsive exercises1 to join with      
others in the rendition of a favorite   
psalm1 hymn1 or other poem1 is no       
trivial acquisition4 ,it is worth while 
to include in our reading exercises such
 lessons as will develop this power4    
,does the ordinary concert exercise do  
this8      8,my country tiserty1        
,sweet lanter libbutty10  a child sang  

happily in a primary school the other   
day4 ,upon investigation it fell out    
that several members of the class sang  
the same combination4  ,a parallel      
instance was reported recently by a     
teacher whose pupils begged to be       
allowed to recite      8,there's an old 
dude left on the daisies and clover40   
,lovers of ,jean ,ingelow's exquisite   
8,songs of ,seven0 may well take alarm1 
and inquire the cause of the difficulty4
  ,such recitation is useless so far as 
the thought in the song is concerned4   
,no time was saved in these instances by
 omitting the individual recitation4    
,individual mastery of the selection    
should precede any exercise in concert  
reading4         ,it is one thing to own
 a library2 it is1 however1 another     
to use it wisely4 ,if ,i were to pray   
for a taste which should     stand me in
 stead under every variety of           
circumstances1 and     be a source of   
happiness and cheerfulness to me through
 life1     and a shield against its     

ills1 however things might go amiss     
and the world frown upon me1 it would be
 a taste for reading4     ,i speak of   
it1 of course1 only as a worldly        
advantage1 and not     in the slightest 
degree superseding or derogating from   
the     higher office1 and surer and    
stronger panoply of religious           
principles--but as a taste1 an          
instrument1 and a mode of               
pleasurable gratification4 ,give a man  
this taste and the means     of         
gratifying it1 and you can hardly fail  
of making a happy     man4              
--,,sir ,,john ,,herschel4              
,illustration     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,the
 ,,use ,,of ,,the ,,library4       ,in  
my garden ,i spend my days1 in my       
library ,i spend my nights4     ,my     
interests are divided between my        
geraniums and my books4     ,with the   
flowers ,i am in the present2 with the  
books ,i am in     the past4 ,i go into 
my library and all history unrolls      
before     me4 ,i breathe the morning   

air of the world while the scent of     
,eden's roses yet lingered in it1 while 
it vibrated only to the     world's     
first brood of nightingales and to the  
laugh of ,eve4      ,i see the pyramids 
building2 ,i hear the shoutings of the  
armies of ,alexander2 ,i feel the ground
 shake beneath the march     of         
,cambyses4 ,i sit as in a theatre2 the  
stage is ,time1 the     play is the     
,world4 ,what a spectacle it is6 ,what  
kingly pomp1     what processions1 file 
past2 what cities burn to heaven1       
what crowds of captives are carried at  
the chariot wheels of     conquerors6 ,i
 hear or cry1 8,bravo60 when the great  
actors     come on1 shaking the stage4  
,i am a ,roman emperor when ,i look     
at a ,roman coin4 ,i lift old ,homer1   
and ,i shout ,achilles in     the       
trenches4 ,the silence of the empeopled 
,syrian plains1 the     outcomings and  
ingoings of the patriarchs1 ,abraham and
 ,ishmael1     ,isaac in the fields at  
eventide1 ,rebekah at the well1 ,jacob's

     guile1 ,esau's face reddened by the
 desert sunheat1 ,joseph's     splendid 
funeral procession--all these things ,i 
find within the     boards of my ,old   
,testament4      ,what a silence in     
those old books1 as of a half-peopled   
world2     what bleating of flocks1 what
 green pastoral rest1 what              
indubitable human existence6 ,across    
brawling centuries of blood     and war 
,i hear the bleating of ,abraham's      
flocks1 the tinkling     of the bells of
 ,rebekah's camels4      ,oh1 men and   
women1 so far separated yet so near1 so 
strange     yet so well known1 by what  
miraculous power do ,i know you     all8
 ,books are the true ,elysian fields    
where the spirits of     the dead       
converse1 and into these fields a mortal
 may venture     unappalled4 ,what      
king's court can boast such company8    
,what     school of philosophy such     
wisdom8      ,there is ,pan's pipe2     
there are the songs of ,apollo4 ,seated 
in     my library at night1 and looking 

on the silent faces of my     books1 ,i 
am occasionally visited by a strange    
sense of the     supernatural4 ,they are
 not collections of printed pages2 they 
are ghosts4 ,i take one down1 and it    
speaks with me in a tongue     not now  
heard on earth1 and of men and things of
 which it alone     possesses the       
knowledge4      ,i call myself a        
solitary1 but sometimes ,i think ,i     
misapply     the term4 ,no man sees more
 company than ,i do4 ,i travel with     
mightier cohorts around me than ever did
 ,timour or ,genghis ,khan     on their 
fiery marches4 ,i am a sovereign in my  
library2 but it     is the dead1 not the
 living1 that attend my levees4         
--,,alexander ,,smith4  ,the ,free      
,public ,library is often termed the    
,people's ,college4 ,it is established  
by communities that believe education to
 be the foundation of civic freedom as  
well as an element in human happiness4  
,by taxation of the people these        
treasures of books are made free to all3

 the richest and the poorest alike4     
,here one's scanty library is renforced 
by full and rare collections1 and the   
entire care of the custodians is to make
 this treasure-house useful to all      
comers4  ,but the reports of the        
librarians1 encouraging though they be1 
do not describe a state of general      
reading4 ,a study of these reports will 
reveal the fact that only a small part  
of the ought-to-be reading public finds 
its way to the library and uses this    
marvellous opportunity4  ,if we question
 why the readers are so few1 we shall   
doubtless arrive at certain conclusions4
 ,aside from the duties and necessities 
which debar many would-be readers from  
using the library1 we shall conclude    
that the majority of persons not        
illiterate who fail to avail themselves 
of this opportunity have not learned to 
love books2 while many others who have  
had considerable reading in school or at
 home have not learned how to make the  
stores of the library available4        

,enough has been said1 perhaps1         
regarding the necessity of teaching     
children to love books1 to the end that 
they may have wholesome interests and   
simple and natural pleasures4 ,books    
reveal the experience of others1 and    
yield to us the companionship of the    
wise and good4 ,sympathetic observation 
of the lives of boys and girls who have 
not been trained to this larger interest
 would drive us to renewed endeavors to 
open wide the doors to them1 out of and 
away from the temptations which allure  
them to lower loves4 ,the life that does
 not know how to find pleasure in a     
book1 that turns to the saloon rather   
than to the library1 is sad indeed4 ,we 
cannot urge too strongly the early and  
continual teaching whose object is to   
make the children book-lovers4  ,but1 if
 the young book-lover appears at the    
library door and fails to find the clue 
to the labyrinth where the words which  
he desires may be found1 he may wander  
away again1 never to return4 ,if his    

love is strong1 and the custodian learns
 his need1 he may study his way into the
 desired paths2 but it is evident to all
 readers that the library is most       
available to the best prepared1 and that
 the vast treasures of even the free    
library are worthless to the ignorant4  
,further1 we can but recognize that home
 reading and school reading do not      
always qualify the reader for study in a
 library4 ,he must be taught how to use 
it1 and somebody must teach him4  ,home 
and school must supply this need4 ,the  
wise father and mother will go with the 
children to the library1 and there teach
 them to use books2 while in school1 the
 teacher of reading will aim beyond the 
simple mastery of the text-book4 ,no    
longer can she content herself with     
guiding her pupils through the ,fifth   
,reader from page #a to page #bef4 ,with
 her larger conception of reading1 she  
knows now that her pupils must be taught
 to unlock other books1 and she sets    
herself to teach them how to do this4   

,but how8--a practical question4 ,this  
chapter would avail little did it fail  
to attempt an answer4  ,first1 by       
including in her teaching such lessons  
as will show the use of books as tools4 
,the student who hunts down a subject in
 the library looks through myriads of   
books1 but he does not read them all4   
,he learns first what books are likely  
to answer his question4 ,all other books
 he excludes from his list4 ,he learns  
further where to look for aid in his    
selected books1 and turns at once to the
 helpful pages1 excluding all others4   
,so he reaches the chapter1 the page1   
the line which contains the desired     
message1 and achieves his end4 ,the     
untrained worker loses himself in the   
labyrinth of books1 and finds nothing4  
,such ability to use books is not a     
gift2 it is earned by thoughtful        
practice4 ,the power to use reference   
books comes only through wisely using   
them4 ,the art begins with the use of   
the dictionary and the supplementary    

reader1 and here should the teacher     
first apply herself to teach the use of 
books of reference4  ,first1 as to the  
dictionary4 ,all grammar-school classes 
should be supplied with a good          
unabridged dictionary1 while every pupil
 should have access to a smaller one1   
and be taught to use it so constantly   
that he will consider it an equal       
necessity with his pocket-knife4 ,where 
children buy their own books1 the       
possession of the dictionary should be  
urged4 ,ownership is equally desirable  
where books are supplied by the city or 
town4 ,nothing can take the place of it4
 ,the dictionary is the student's       
commonest tool4  ,having dictionaries1  
the children should be taught to use    
them4 ,here they are4 ,what are they8   
,what do they contain8 ,what are they   
good for8 ,of what use can they be to   
you8  ,a study of the book reveals to us
 that the dictionary tells us the       
meaning of unfamiliar words2 it may     
therefore help to explain to us what we 

read4 ,or it gives us many meanings of  
words1 in their various uses1 thus      
helping us to choose the fitting one4   
,again1 it shows us the correct spelling
 and pronunciation of the words which we
 need to use in reading or speaking2    
while in our later study it reveals to  
us the grammatical uses of words1 giving
 good authority for each use1 and       
further explains the derivation or tells
 the history of the word4  ,before      
leaving the grammar school1 children    
should be able to gather all this help  
from the dictionary4 ,in the lower      
grades--fourth and fifth--the lessons   
will be confined to the study of the    
dictionary as a means of learning the   
meaning1 spelling1 and correct          
pronunciation of the selected words4    
,the first step is a study of the       
arrangement of the book3 the title1     
introduction1 preface1 keys to          
pronunciation1 rules for spelling2 then 
the lists of words1 arranged in         
alphabetical order4 ,what does that     

mean8 ,who knows the meaning of the     
order of the letters of the alphabet8   
,test the class to discover this4 ,often
 the first lack appears here4 ,by rapid 
recitation both forward and backward1   
and varied questions1 make this         
knowledge available here4 8,does ,s come
 before or after ,m1 ,u1 ,g1 ,q1 ,w8 ,in
 which half of the alphabet shall ,i    
find ,n1 ,l1 ,f1 ,t8 etc4 ,i am turning 
the leaves of the dictionary to find the
 word #8,travel4' ,i open to a page of  
words beginning with ,m4 ,shall ,i turn 
forward or backward80 ,by such tests oft
 repeated1 dictionary in hand1 the      
children accustom themselves to the     
alphabetical order4 ,do not forget that 
it must be taught4 ,it is not discovered
 by intuition4  ,after tracing the word 
to its letter1 it remains to be found   
upon the page--a more difficult study of
 alphabetical arrangement4 ,the child   
who attempts to find the word 8,travel0 
finds the ,ta's1 but1 with his limited  
knowledge1 stays to rest his eyes upon  

,table1 ,tack1 ,tall1 ,tank1 etc41 in   
his likely-to-be-vain search4 ,now he   
must study with his teacher the fuller  
detail of alphabetical order4 ,the word 
to be found begins with ,tr4 ,let him   
leave ,ta1 ,te1 ,ti to find ,tr1 and    
then must he follow on with his finger  
to ,trav2 and now slowly through this   
column to the appointed word4  ,the     
order being thus made clear1 a double   
practice should be given1 to fix it in  
his mind3 first1 finding chosen words in
 the dictionary in the quickest possible
 time2 second1 making lists of words in 
alphabetical order4  ,these lessons may 
seem superfluously simple and           
mechanical1 but it is due to the        
omission of such teaching that so many  
hours are wasted in the blind search    
after the contents of books1 and that so
 many dictionaries are fresh-edged1     
unused4  ,thus far the pupil has simply 
found the way to his word4 ,now he must 
learn to read what the dictionary tells 
him about it4 ,here further knowledge is

 required4  ,he finds the word so       
divided and marked as to enable him to  
pronounce it correctly1 if he knows     
enough4 ,but first he must know how to  
pronounce the syllables into which it is
 divided1 and to translate the marks    
used for his benefit4 ,syllabification  
and diacritical marks constitute the    
subject of the next series of lessons4  
,the first is not so minor a matter as  
it may seem at first sight4 ,proper     
division into syllables is necessary to 
proper pronunciation of syllables1 and a
 correct naming of the consecutive      
syllables means correct pronunciation of
 the word4 ,the children's trick1 which 
often confounds the scholar1 proves     
this4 8,pronounce ba-cka-che10 they     
demand1 dictating the syllables as      
written4 ,after sufficiently enjoying   
the scholar's discomfiture1 they        
pronounce the common word1 backache4 ,it
 is no more than fair to give him a     
taste of their daily vicissitudes4 ,all 
teachers know how children are daily    

lost in the mazes of syllabification4   
,it would be well to avert this evil1   
and lead to a more helpful reading of   
the dictionary1 by giving lessons whose 
object is the mastery of syllables4     
,separating familiar words into their   
syllables and pronouncing by syllable at
 sight are excellent exercises1 and they
 may well displace some of the formal   
and mechanical study of never-to-be-used
 lists of words4  ,many words are       
mastered for all time as soon as the art
 of syllabification is learned4 ,for    
others there remains1 however1 the need 
of the diacritical marks4  ,as teachers 
know 7but as children seldom discover71 
those marks exist simply as aids to     
pronunciation4 ,they vary1 in different 
dictionaries4 ,it is1 therefore1        
necessary that children should study the
 key to pronunciation in the dictionary 
which they use4 ,as an aid to their     
memories1 an epitome of this key is     
printed at the bottom of every page1    
that he who runs may read4 ,if the mark 

is not recognized1 a glance shows them  
the value of the same marked vowel in a 
familiar word4 ,the sound of the        
unfamiliar word is made plain to them if
 they have learned to read the          
dictionary4 ,drill in pronouncing       
columns of the words found in the       
dictionary1 is an aid to the rapid      
acquirement of power to translate these 
equivalents1 while1 until this power is 
won1 the pupil may be helped by marking 
familiar words in accordance with the   
key4  ,the mastery of the alphabetical  
arrangement and syllabification and     
pronunciation being assured1 there      
remains the study of the grouped        
meanings and the derivation1 with       
attention to grammatical use4 ,as soon  
as the pupil knows the parts of speech1 
the various uses of words are made plain
 to him1 and he intelligently follows   
the dictionary column which exhibits a  
word as noun1 verb1 adjective1 or       
adverb4 ,if his object is to discover   
the verb meaning1 he passes the others4 

,if the earlier and perhaps obsolete    
meanings do not apply1 he reads on until
 the fitting definition is reached4 ,if 
the definition itself is not plain to   
him1 he 8looks up0 the unfamiliar words 
contained in it4 ,but he keeps at work  
until he has made himself master of the 
word for whose meaning he sought4       
,quotations showing standard use are    
read and considered4 ,the paragraph or  
sentence containing the new word is     
re-read1 illumined by the new meaning4  
,such a lesson has in it the virtue of a
 language lesson4 ,the new word1 with   
its precious cargo1 has become the      
child's possession1 and he can send it  
voyaging to ports he desires to reach   
with his thought4 ,further1 through such
 exercises1 he learns to master books4  
,the more mature student will carefully 
con the root-meaning1 and follow the    
word through its devious history4 ,that 
work1 in its detail1 must wait for the  
higher grades and the college4 ,but with
 such thoroughness as has been outlined1

 the grammar grade pupil may make the   
dictionary his strong ally and unfailing
 friend4 ,it behooves us to teach him   
the art4  ,books of reference should be 
made available to the pupils1 as is the 
dictionary1 by lessons which show their 
use4 ,the ,atlas1 the ,cyclopedia1 the  
,compendium1 should be explained1 and   
opportunities for their use should be   
created4 ,so all minor books--grammars1 
histories1 geographies--should be       
consulted by the children1 and compared 
with their own4 ,in such consultation   
the index or table of contents should   
serve its purpose4 ,the pupil should not
 be allowed to search the book from     
cover to cover for his bit of           
information1 but should be taught to    
look for it1 by the help of the index1  
in its proper place1 just as he learned 
to find the word on the page of a       
dictionary4 ,through such study1        
children may develop the habit of       
turning to books for information and    
enlightenment4 ,they will know how to   

seek and find4 ,we cannot overestimate  
easily the value of such a habit and its
 accompanying tendencies in their after 
life4  ,we have spoken thus far of the  
child's use of single books under the   
direction of the teacher4 ,a few words  
further in regard to the school library1
 which should be an introduction to the 
,public ,library4  ,in these days many  
schools are provided with the nucleus of
 a library4 ,every school should have   
one4 ,a few shelves of books1 well      
chosen and well used--these are next in 
importance to the teacher in the        
equipment of a school4 ,by properly     
using such books1 the children learn how
 to choose and to use their own books   
when they get them1 and meanwhile how   
best to avail themselves of the ,public 
,library4  ,in order to afford enough   
practice in finding what is in the books
 which are within reach1 the teacher    
should assign to the pupils work which  
will necessitate the use of these books4
 ,the reading lesson speaks of the      

cultivation of cotton4 ,ask ,john or    
,joseph to learn whether any book in the
 library throws light on the cultivation
 or manufacture of cotton4 ,the boy     
first makes up his mind what books will 
be likely to contain this information1  
and then1 by use of the indexes in the  
chosen books1 discovers his item1 which 
he brings as his contribution to the    
class4 ,what he learns about cotton is  
of far less value to him than what he   
gains through searching for the item4   
,again1 the history lesson treats of the
 war for independence4 ,the teacher1    
instead of confining the pupils to      
memorizing the work on the pages of the 
school history1 sends them to the       
bookshelves to consult the ,english     
histories which shall tell the children 
something of ,george ,,iii4 and the     
,english statesmen of his time4 ,by and 
by they have gained not only some       
facility in the use of books1 but the   
knowledge that some books are of greater
 use than others in the lines of their  

study4  ,it is but a step1 now1 from the
 school library to the ,public ,library1
 and this step should be taken when the 
children feel the limitations of their  
bookshelves4 ,their quest must take its 
beginning in their need2 not in the     
teacher's advice1 but in their          
inclination4 ,john cannot find in any   
book in the school library what he wants
 to know about ,william ,pitt4 ,very    
well4 ,does he know any book that would 
give him the desired information8 ,there
 may be books at the library1 he        
volunteers4 ,ah1 yes4 ,how can he find  
out8 ,by going there4 ,susan suggests   
that the library catalogue will tell him
 whether he can find there just what he 
wishes4 ,and now the school comes into  
possession of the catalogue of the ,free
 ,public ,library of the town--owns it  
because the children need to use it4    
,john finds in the catalogue the names  
of the books which he thinks may contain
 the object of his search4 ,here the    
teacher helps him by pointing out1 from 

her fuller knowledge1 the books which   
will be simple enough to be of service  
to him4 ,or the custodian of the library
 lends a hand1 and names the books which
 will be most helpful4  ,we may readily 
see that here begins another series of  
lessons which1 unfortunately1 rarely    
makes its appearance4 ,inside the       
library door1 the youthful seeker after 
light struggles to get the book which he
 desires4 ,he must learn the machinery  
of the library1 and somebody must teach 
him4 ,if the teacher knows the librarian
 and the librarian knows the teacher1   
and both are interested in the boy1 we  
have a happy state of affairs4 ,his card
 is filled out for him and properly     
signed4 ,he is now allowed to take books
 for himself4 ,he must be told where to 
get them and how to get them2 what to do
 with them when he gets them2 what to do
 if he cannot get them2 how1 and when1  
and where to return them2 what          
privileges he may have in the use of    
them4 ,well for the boy if his two      

friends and co-laborers make it worth   
while for him to use the library in     
these early days6 ,ah1 who shall tell us
 how to correctly mark in per cents the 
value of this boy's acquisition1 or the 
worth of the teacher's instruction8  ,in
 many of our cities1 this coperation of 
the library and the school exists1 and  
proves its usefulness4 ,teachers are    
supplied with teachers' cards1 allowing 
them to take six books at a time and    
retain them for a long time4 ,classes   
are supplied with books4 ,boxes of books
 are carried from school to school4     
,duplicates of much-desired books are   
secured from the librarian4 ,children   
are taken to the library by the teacher1
 and the classes study on the spot the  
operation of the system1 and familiarize
 themselves with its plan of action4    
,children are sent from school to       
consult reference books1 to study the   
collections of photographs1 or the mural
 decorations in the building4 ,the      
,boston ,public ,library affords an     

example1 not only of stateliness of     
building and beauty of decoration1 but  
of efficiency of the system by which its
 recent librarian1 ,mr4 ,herbert ,l4    
,putnam1 did much to bring the library  
within the reach of the school-children 
throughout the city4  ,if we rightly    
estimate the value of this tendency to  
read and this love of books1 we shall be
 willing to subordinate some of the     
formerly accepted work of the schools to
 this essential tuition4 ,shall we      
continue to spend money for our public  
libraries8 ,if so1 let us insure the    
return of our investment a hundredfold1 
by fitting our children to make use of  
the privileges which are thus afforded  
them1 and teaching them to know the best
 books4  ,illustration     ,in response 
to the requests made by many different  
teachers1 ,i have prepared a list of    
books1 stories1 and poems which are     
suitable for reading or reciting to     
children4 ,in all cases the selections  
have been tested with numbers of        

children1 often with numbers of classes1
 and the list represents the thoughtful 
experience of many and different        
teachers4 ,in choosing1 however1 the    
teacher must be guided by her knowledge 
of her own children4 ,it is unwise to   
accept without question the judgment of 
another1 who may teach under conditions 
very different from those which exist in
 the class of the seeker4 ,reference to 
the list may1 however1 prevent fruitless
 excursions to the library for          
unnecessary reading of the books which  
would be read only to be discarded4 ,it 
will be safe to make selections from the
 list for any class in the public       
schools4--,s4 ,l4 ,a4                   
,give me leave     ,t'enjoy myself2 that
 place that does contain     ,my books1 
the best companions1 is to me     ,a    
glorious court1 where hourly ,i converse
     ,with the old sages and            
philosophers2     ,and sometimes1 for   
variety1 ,i confer     ,with kings and  
emperors1 and weigh their counsels2     

,calling their victories1 if unjustly   
got1     ,unto a strict account1 and1 in
 my fancy1     ,deface their ill-placed 
statues4 ,can ,i then     ,part with    
such constant pleasures to embrace      
,uncertain vanities8 ,no2 be it your    
care     ,t'augment your heap of wealth2
 it shall be mine     ,t'increase in    
knowledge4                              
--,,beaumont  ,,fletcher4               
,illustration     ,,chapter ,,xii4  ,a  
,,list ,,of ,,books  ,which ,have been  
,tested and ,found ,helpful in the      
,school-room4  7,alphabetically         
arranged47   ,,general ,,reading4       
,alice in ,wonderland4 ,lewis ,carroll4 
,among the ,isles of ,shoals4 ,celia    
,thaxter4  ,architects of ,fate4 ,orison
 ,swett ,marden4  ,at the ,back of the  
,north ,wind4 ,george ,macdonald4  ,aunt
 ,martha's ,corner ,cupboard4 ,m4 and   
,e4 ,kirby4  ,being a ,boy4 ,charles    
,dudley ,warner4  ,betty ,leicester4    
,sarah ,orne ,jewett4  ,bird's          
,christmas ,carol1 ,the4 ,kate ,douglas 

,wiggin4  ,bits of ,talk4 ,helen ,hunt  
,jackson4  ,bits of ,travel4 ,helen     
,hunt ,jackson4  ,black ,beauty4 ,anna  
,sewall4  ,boy's ,froissart4 ,sidney    
,lanier4  ,boy's ,percy4 ,sidney        
,lanier4  ,braided ,straws4 ,elizabeth  
,e4 ,foulke4  ,child ,life in ,prose4   
,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,child's   
,world1 ,in the4 ,emilie ,poulsson4     
,christmas ,carol4 ,charles ,dickens4   
,court of ,king ,arthur1 ,the4 ,w4 ,h4  
,frost4  ,cricket on the ,hearth1 ,the4 
,charles ,dickens4  ,daffydowndilly4    
,nathaniel ,hawthorne4  ,easy ,steps for
 ,little ,feet4 ,swinton and ,cathcart4 
,eight ,cousins4 ,louisa ,m4 ,alcott4   
,fifty ,famous ,stories ,retold4 ,james 
,baldwin4  ,five ,little ,peppers4      
,margaret ,sidney4  ,four ,macnichols1  
,the4 ,william ,black4  ,golden ,book of
 ,choice ,reading4 ,swinton and         
,cathcart4  ,great ,stone ,face4        
,nathaniel ,hawthorne4  ,gulliver's     
,travels4 ,jonathan ,swift4  ,heart of  
,oak1 ,books ,i4-,,vi4 ,charles ,eliot  

,norton4  ,how ,success is ,won4 ,sarah 
,k4 ,bolton4  ,hunt for the ,captain1   
,the4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes4         
,hunting of the ,deer1 ,the4 ,charles   
,dudley ,warner4  ,in ,his ,name4       
,edward ,everett ,hale4  ,in the        
,child's ,world4 ,emilie ,poulsson4     
,jackanapes4 ,juliana ,horatia ,ewing4  
,jan of the ,windmill4 ,juliana ,horatia
 ,ewing4  ,jungle ,book4 ,rudyard       
,kipling4  ,jungle ,book1 ,second4      
,rudyard ,kipling4  ,kindergarten       
,stories4 ,sara ,e4 ,wiltse4  ,king of  
the ,golden ,river1 ,the4 ,john ,ruskin4
  ,last of the ,mohicans1 ,the4 ,james  
,fenimore ,cooper4  ,letters from a     
,cat4 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4  ,life and 
,letters of ,louisa ,m4 ,alcott4  ,life 
of the ,cary ,sisters1 ,the4 ,mary      
,clemmer ,ames4  ,little ,lame ,prince1 
,the4 ,dinah ,maria ,mulock4  ,little   
,lord ,fauntleroy4 ,frances ,hodgson    
,burnett4  ,little ,men4 ,louisa ,m4    
,alcott4  ,little ,women4 ,louisa ,m4   
,alcott4  ,little ,saint ,elizabeth4    

,frances ,hodgson ,burnett4             
,lob-,lie-,by-,the-,fire4 ,juliana      
,horatia ,ewing4  ,lorna ,doone4 ,r4 ,d4
 ,blackmore4  ,melchior's ,dream4       
,juliana ,horatia ,ewing4  ,modern      
,vikings1 ,the4 ,h4 ,h4 ,boyeson4       
,mopsa the ,fairy4 ,jean ,ingelow4      
,bre'r ,rabbit4 ,joel ,chandler ,harris4
  ,nellie's ,silver ,mine4 ,helen ,hunt 
,jackson4  ,old-,fashioned ,girl1 ,the4 
,louisa ,m4 ,alcott4  ,old ,stories of  
the ,east4 ,james ,baldwin4  ,pilgrim's 
,progress4 ,john ,bunyan4  ,play ,days4 
,sarah ,orne ,jewett4  ,polly ,oliver's 
,problem4 ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin4  ,rab 
and ,his ,friends4 ,thomas ,brown4      
,rainbows for ,children4 ,lydia ,maria  
,child4  ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,daniel     
,defoe4  ,rollo ,books4 ,jacob ,abbott4 
,rose in ,bloom1 ,the4 ,louisa ,m4      
,alcott4  ,rules of ,conduct4 ,george   
,washington4  ,silas ,marner4 ,george   
,eliot4  ,six to ,sixteen4 ,juliana     
,horatia ,ewing4  ,spy1 ,the4 ,james    
,fenimore ,cooper4  ,stories for        

,children4 ,edward ,everett ,hale4      
,stories from ,plato4 ,mary ,e4 ,burt4  
,stories ,told to ,children4 ,jean      
,ingelow4  ,story ,hour1 ,the4 ,kate    
,douglas ,wiggin4  ,story of a ,bad     
,boy1 ,the4 ,thomas ,bailey ,aldrich4   
,story of the ,golden ,age1 ,a4 ,james  
,baldwin4  ,story of ,roland1 ,the4     
,james ,baldwin4  ,story of a ,short    
,life1 ,the4 ,juliana ,horatia ,ewing4  
,swiss ,family ,robinson4 ,johann       
,weiss4  ,tales from ,shakespeare4      
,charles ,lamb4  ,tales from            
,shakespeare4 ,charles ,morris4  ,tales 
of the ,alhambra4 ,washington ,irving4  
,three of ,us4 ,joel ,chandler ,harris4 
,timothy's ,quest4 ,kate ,douglas       
,wiggin4  ,tom ,brown's ,schooldays4    
,thomas ,hughes4  ,twilight ,stories4   
,elizabeth ,e4 ,foulke4  ,two ,little   
,pilgrims' ,progress4 ,frances ,hodgson 
,burnett4  ,under the ,lilacs4 ,louisa  
,m4 ,alcott4  ,undine4 ,baron ,fouqui4  
,water ,babies4 ,charles ,kingsley4  ,we
 and the ,world4 ,juliana ,horatia      

,ewing4  ,we ,girls4 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4  
,whitney4  ,what ,katy ,did4 ,susan     
,coolidge4   ,,nature ,,study4          
,animals1 ,wild and ,tame4 ,anna ,c4    
,davis4  ,bird ,ways4 ,olive ,thorne    
,miller4  ,bird ,world4 ,stickney and   
,hoffman4  ,birds and ,bees4 ,john      
,burroughs4  ,birds ,through an ,opera  
,glass4 ,florence ,merriam4  ,citizen   
,bird4 ,mabel ,osgood ,wright4          
,eye-,spy4 ,william ,hamilton ,gibson4  
,fairyland of ,flowers4 ,mara ,l4       
,pratt4  ,fairyland of ,science4        
,arabella ,buckley4  ,few ,familiar     
,flowers1 ,a4 ,margaret ,morley4        
,four-,handed ,folk4 ,olive ,thorne     
,miller4  ,from ,flower to ,fruit4 ,jane
 ,h4 ,newell4  ,from ,seed to ,leaf4    
,jane ,h4 ,newell4  ,in ,nesting ,time4 
,olive ,thorne ,miller4  ,life and ,her 
,children4 ,arabella ,buckley4  ,little 
,flower ,folks4 ,mara ,l4 ,pratt4       
,little ,folks in ,feathers and ,fur4   
,olive ,thorne ,miller4  ,madam ,how and
 ,lady ,why4 ,arabella ,buckley4  ,my   

,saturday ,bird ,class4 ,olive ,thorne  
,miller4  ,my ,summer in a ,garden4     
,charles ,dudley ,warner4  ,pacific     
,nature ,stories4 ,harr ,wagner4        
,pepacton4 ,john ,burroughs4  ,plant    
,world4 ,frank ,vincent4  ,rambler's    
,lease1 ,a4 ,bradford ,torrey4  ,seaside
 and ,wayside4 ,jane ,andrews4  ,sharp  
,eyes4 ,william ,hamilton ,gibson4      
,sharp ,eyes4 ,john ,burroughs4  ,short 
,stories of ,our ,shy ,neighbors4 ,mrs4 
,m4 ,a4 ,b4 ,kelly4  ,song of ,life4    
,margaret ,morley4  ,stories ,mother    
,nature ,told ,her ,children4 ,jane     
,andrews4  ,story of the ,birds1 ,the4  
,james ,n4 ,baskett4  ,succession of    
,forest ,trees4 ,henry ,david ,thoreau4 
,through ,magic ,glasses4 ,arabella     
,buckley4  ,toilers of the ,sea4 ,victor
 ,hugo4  ,wake ,robin4 ,john ,burroughs4
  ,walden4 ,henry ,david ,thoreau4      
,winners in ,life's ,race4 ,arabella    
,buckley4   ,,poetry4  ,blue ,poetry    
,book4 ,andrew ,lang4  ,child ,life in  
,poetry4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4    

,child's ,garden of ,verse4 ,robert     
,louis ,stevenson4  ,children's         
,treasury of ,english ,song4 ,francis   
,palgrave4  ,courtship of ,miles        
,standish4 ,henry ,wadsworth            
,longfellow4  ,eugene ,field ,book4     
,mary ,e4 ,burt4  ,evangeline4 ,henry   
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,grandmother's 
,story of ,bunker ,hill4 ,oliver        
,wendell ,holmes4  ,hiawatha4 ,henry    
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,homer's       
,iliad4  ,homer's ,odyssey4  ,lady of   
the ,lake4 ,walter ,scott4  ,lays of    
,ancient ,rome4 ,thomas ,babington      
,macaulay4  ,nature in ,verse4 ,mary ,i4
 ,lovejoy4  ,poems for ,children4 ,celia
 ,thaxter4  ,poems of ,american         
,patriotism4 ,brander ,matthews4        
,poetry for ,children4 ,samuel ,eliot4  
,poetry for ,home and ,school4 ,anna ,c4
 ,brackett and ,ida ,m4 ,eliot4  ,poetry
 of the ,seasons4 ,mary ,i4 ,lovejoy4   
,school ,speaker4 ,harper's4            
7,selections for ,arbor ,day and        
,decoration ,day47  ,snow-,bound4 ,john 

,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,tales of a      
,wayside ,inn4 ,henry ,wadsworth        
,longfellow4  ,vision of ,sir ,launfal1 
,the4 ,james ,russell ,lowell4          
,,myths1 ,,fables1 ,,fairy ,,tales4     
,adventures of a ,brownie4 ,dinah ,maria
 ,mulock4  ,adventures of ,ulysses4     
,charles ,lamb4  sop's ,fables4  ,age of
 ,fable4 ,thomas ,bulfinch4  ,blue      
,fairy ,book4 ,andrew ,lang4            
,bulfinch's ,mythology4 ,thomas         
,bulfinch4  ,cinderella4  ,classic      
,myths4 ,charles ,mills ,gayley4        
,fables and ,folk ,stories4 ,horace ,e4 
,scudder4  ,fables and ,rhymes for      
,beginners4 ,john ,g4 and ,thomas ,e4   
,thompson4  ,fairy ,tale and ,fable4    
,john ,g4 and ,thomas ,e4 ,thompson4    
,fairy ,tales4 ,charles ,de ,garmo4     
,fairy ,tales4 ,grimm4  ,fairy ,tales4  
,hans ,christian ,andersen4  ,gods and  
,heroes4 ,francillon4  ,greek ,heroes4  
,charles ,kingsley4  ,in ,mythland4     
,helen ,beckwith4  ,jack and the        
,beanstalk4  ,little ,red ,riding ,hood4

 ,andrew ,lang4  ,myths of ,northern    
,lands4 ,h4 ,a4 ,guerber4               
,old-,fashioned ,fairy ,book4 ,elizabeth
 ,harrison4  ,old ,greek ,stories4      
,james ,baldwin4  ,stories of the ,old  
,world4 ,alfred ,church4  ,stories of   
the ,golden ,age4  ,story of ,siegfried4
 ,james ,baldwin4  ,story of the        
,niebelungen ,lied4 ,mary ,e4 ,burt4    
,story of ,ulysses4 ,mary ,e4 ,burt4    
,tales of ,troy4 ,charles ,de ,garmo4   
,tanglewood ,tales4 ,nathaniel          
,hawthorne4  ,wonder ,book4 ,nathaniel  
,hawthorne4   ,,geography4  ,adrift in  
the ,ice ,fields4 ,captain ,hall4       
,around the ,world in the ,yacht        
,sunbeam4 ,lady ,brassey4  ,boy         
,travellers4 ,knox4  ,brook and ,brook  
,basins4 ,alexander ,frye4  ,children of
 the ,cold4 ,lieutenant ,schwatka4      
,coal and ,coal ,mines4 ,homer ,green4  
,each and ,all4 ,jane ,andrews4  ,family
 ,flights4 ,edward ,everett ,hale4      
,feats on the ,fiord4 ,harriet          
,martineau4  ,from ,ponkapog to ,pesth4 

,thomas ,bailey ,aldrich4  ,in ,brook   
and ,bayou4 ,clara ,kern ,bayliss4      
,java1 the ,pearl of the ,east4 ,mrs4   
,s4 ,j4 ,higginson4  ,little ,lucy's    
,wonderful ,globe4 ,charlotte ,m4       
,yonge4  ,little ,people of ,asia4      
,miller4  ,seven ,little ,sisters4 ,jane
 ,andrews4  ,stories of ,other ,lands4  
,james ,johonnot4  ,under ,six ,flags4  
,m4 ,e4 ,davis4  ,under the ,southern   
,cross4 ,edward ,ballou4  ,views ,afoot4
 ,bayard ,taylor4  ,world and ,its      
,people1 ,the4 ,books ,i4-,,ix4 ,larkin 
,dunton4  ,world by the ,fireside1 ,the4
 ,mary and ,elizabeth ,kirby4  ,zigzag  
,journeys4 ,hezekiah ,butterworth4      
,,history4  ,american ,historical       
,tales4 ,charles ,morris4               
,autobiography of ,benjamin ,franklin4  
,book of ,american ,explorers4 ,thomas  
,wentworth ,higginson4  ,boyhood of     
,lincoln1 ,the4 ,hezekiah ,butterworth4 
,boys of '#fa4 ,charles ,carleton       
,coffin4  ,boys of '#gf4 ,charles       
,carleton ,coffin4  ,boys ,who ,became  

,famous4 ,sarah ,k4 ,bolton4  ,building 
of the ,nation4 ,charles ,carleton      
,coffin4  ,colonial ,massachusetts3     
,stories of the ,old ,bay ,state4 ,mrs4 
,s4 ,e4 ,dawes4  ,drumbeats of the      
,nation4 ,charles ,carleton ,coffin4    
,england1 ,young ,folks' ,history of4   
,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge4  ,english        
,historical ,tales4 ,charles ,morris4   
,first ,steps in the ,history of our    
,country4 ,w4 ,a4 and ,a4 ,m4 ,mowry4   
,france1 ,young ,folks' ,history of4    
,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge4  ,george         
,washington4 ,horace ,scudder4  ,german 
,historical ,tales4 ,charles ,morris4   
,girls ,who ,became ,famous4 ,sarah ,k4 
,bolton4  ,greece1 ,young ,folks'       
,history of4 ,charlotte ,m4 ,yonge4     
,greek ,home ,life4 ,mary ,e4 ,burt4    
,heroes of ,history4 ,george ,makepeace 
,towle4  ,heroic ,deeds4 ,james         
,johonnot4  ,historic ,boys4 ,elbridge  
,s4 ,brooks4  ,historic ,girls4         
,elbridge ,s4 ,brooks4  ,historic       
,pilgrimages in ,new ,england4 ,edwin   

,m4 ,bacon4  ,historical ,readers4      
,longmans' ,ship4  ,historical ,tales3  
,american1 ,german1 ,greek1 ,roman4     
,charles ,morris4  ,history ,readers4   
,mrs4 ,w4 ,w4 ,wilson4  ,history of the 
,united ,states4 ,thomas ,wentworth     
,higginson4  ,joan of ,arc4 ,mary ,e4   
,burt4  ,legends of ,charlemagne4 ,mary 
,e4 ,burt4  ,madam ,roland4 ,mary ,e4   
,burt4  ,making of ,new ,england1 ,the4 
,samuel ,adams ,drake4  ,man ,without a 
,country1 ,a4 ,edward ,everett ,hale4   
,old ,times in the ,colonies4 ,charles  
,carleton ,coffin4  ,plutarch for ,boys 
and ,girls4  ,prince and ,pauper4       
,thomas ,clemens 7,mark ,twain74        
,rescue of ,cuba1 ,the4 ,andrew ,s4     
,draper4  ,standish of ,standish4 ,jane 
,austin4  ,stories from ,herodotus4     
,alfred ,j4 ,church4  ,stories of ,great
 ,americans for ,little ,americans4     
,edward ,eggleston4  ,stories of our    
,country4 ,james ,johonnot4  ,stories of
 the ,red ,children4 ,dorothy ,brooks4  
,stories from ,english ,history4 ,grace 

,aguilar4  ,story of ,liberty4 ,charles 
,carleton ,coffin4  ,ten ,boys on the   
,road from ,long ,ago to ,now4 ,jane    
,andrews4  ,war for ,independence4 ,john
 ,fiske4  ,watchfires of '#gf4 ,samuel  
,r4 ,drake4  ,winning ,his ,way4        
,charles ,carleton ,coffin4  ,young     
,folks' ,histories3 ,greece1 ,rome1     
,france1 ,england4 ,charlotte ,m4       
,yonge4  ,vasco da ,gama4 ,george       
,makepeace ,towle4         ,there is    
another view of reading1 which1 though  
it is obvious     enough1 is seldom     
taken1 ,i imagine1 or at least acted    
upon2 and     that is1 that in the      
course of our reading we should lay up  
in     our minds a store of goodly      
thoughts in well-wrought words1         
which should be a living treasure of    
knowledge always with us1     and from  
which1 at various times and amidst all  
the shifting     of circumstances1 we   
might be sure of drawing some comfort1  
guidance1 and sympathy4 ''' ,a man whose
 mind is enriched with     the best     

sayings of his own country is a more    
independent man1     walks the streets  
in a town1 or the lanes in the country1 
with     far more delight than he would 
otherwise1 and is taught by wise        
observers of man and nature to observe  
for himself4 ,sancho     ,panza1 with   
his proverbs1 is a great deal better    
than he would     have been without     
them2 and ,i contend that a man has     
something     in himself to meet        
troubles and difficulties1 small or     
great1     who has stored in his mind   
some of the best things that have       
been said about troubles and            
difficulties4                           
--,,sir ,,arthur ,,helps4               
,illustration     ,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,a 
,,list ,,of ,,poems  ,suitable for ,use 
in the ,school-room4   ,the list is     
intended to be suggestive merely4       
,nearly all the poems are well known1   
and need only to be recalled to the mind
 of the teacher4 ,they can readily be   
found at any good library4 ,most of them

 are suitable for memorizing4 ,all may  
be read with advantage to the children  
in most grades4   ,,poems4  ,abou ,ben  
,adhem4 ,leigh ,hunt4  ,aladdin4 ,james 
,russell ,lowell4  ,alexander ,selkirk4 
,william ,cowper4  ,ancient ,mariner1   
,the4 ,samuel ,taylor ,coleridge4       
,april4 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4  ,april  
,day1 ,an4 ,mrs4 ,southey4  ,arnold ,von
 ,winkelried4 ,james ,montgomery4       
,autumn ,fashions4 ,edith ,thomas4      
,bannockburn4 ,robert ,burns4  ,barefoot
 ,boy1 ,the4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4
  ,battle ,hymn of the ,republic4 ,julia
 ,ward ,howe4  ,better ,land1 ,the4     
,felicia ,d4 ,hemans4  ,bingen on the   
,rhine4 ,caroline ,norton4  ,blue and   
the ,gray1 ,the4 ,f4 ,m4 ,finch4        
,break1 ,break1 ,break6 ,alfred         
,tennyson4  ,breathes there the man1    
etc4 ,walter ,scott4  ,brook1 ,the4     
,alfred ,tennyson4  ,bugle ,song1 ,the4 
,alfred ,tennyson4  ,builders1 ,the4    
,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,burial 
of ,moses1 ,the4 ,mrs4 ,alexander4      

,burial of ,sir ,john ,moore4 ,charles  
,wolfe4  ,captain's ,daughter1 ,the4    
,james ,t4 ,fields4  ,casabianca4       
,felicia ,d4 ,hemans4  ,centennial      
,hymn4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4      
,chambered ,nautilus4 ,oliver ,wendell  
,holmes4  ,charge of the ,light         
,brigade4 ,alfred ,tennyson4  ,cloud1   
,the4 ,percy ,bysshe ,shelley4          
,commemoration ,ode4 ,james ,russell    
,lowell4 7,lines on ,lincoln47          
,courtship of ,miles ,standish4 ,henry  
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,daffodils4    
,william ,wordsworth4  ,day is ,done1   
,the4 ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow4    
,death of the ,flowers4 ,william ,cullen
 ,bryant4  ,destruction of ,sennacherib1
 ,the4 ,george ,gordon1 ,lord ,byron4   
,echo4 ,jean ,ingelow4  ,elegy ,written 
in a ,country ,churchyard4 ,thomas      
,gray4  ,emerson 7from 8,fable for      
,critics074 ,james ,russell ,lowell4    
,eternal ,goodness4 ,john ,greenleaf    
,whittier4  ,evangeline4 ,henry         
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,eve of        

,waterloo1 ,the4 ,george ,gordon1 ,lord 
,byron4  ,excelsior4 ,henry ,wadsworth  
,longfellow4  ,fable for ,critics       
7selections on ,emerson1 ,whittier1     
,hawthorne1 ,holmes74 ,james ,russell   
,lowell4  ,february4 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,d4 ,t4  
,whitney4  ,fiftieth ,birthday of       
,agassiz1 ,the4 ,henry ,wadsworth       
,longfellow4  ,first ,psalm4 ,bible4    
,first ,snowfall1 ,the4 ,james ,russell 
,lowell4  ,flowers4 ,henry ,wadsworth   
,longfellow4  ,forest ,hymn1 ,the4      
,william ,cullen ,bryant4  ,forest      
,song4 ,w4 ,h4 ,venable4  ,forsaken     
,merman1 ,the4 ,robert ,browning4       
,fringed ,gentian1 ,the4 ,william       
,cullen ,bryant4  ,frost ,spirit1 ,the4 
,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,ginevra4  
,samuel ,rogers4  ,good ,great ,man1    
,the4 ,samuel ,taylor ,coleridge4  ,good
 ,little ,sister1 ,the4 ,phbe ,cary4    
,good ,night and ,good ,morning4 ,lord  
,houghton4  ,goody ,blake and ,harry    
,gill4 ,william ,wordsworth4  ,gray     
,swan1 ,the4 ,alice ,cary4  ,great1     

,wide1 ,beautiful ,world4 ,lilliput     
,lectures4  ,hawthorne 7in 8,fable for  
,critics074 ,james ,russell ,lowell4    
,heritage1 ,the4 ,james ,russell        
,lowell4  ,herv ,riel4 ,robert          
,browning4  ,hiawatha4 ,henry ,wadsworth
 ,longfellow4  ,high ,tide on the ,coast
 of ,lincolnshire4 ,jean ,ingelow4      
,hohenlinden4 ,thomas ,campbell4        
,holmes 7in 8,fable for ,critics074     
,james ,russell ,lowell4  ,horatius at  
the ,bridge4 ,thomas ,babington         
,macaulay4  ,how the ,leaves came ,down4
 ,susan ,coolidge4  ,how ,they ,brought 
the ,good ,news from ,ghent to ,aix4    
,robert ,browning4  ,humblebee1 ,the4   
,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4  ,if ,i can     
,stop one ,heart from ,breaking4 ,emily 
,dickinson4  ,incident of the ,french   
,camp4 ,robert ,browning4  ,in ,school  
,days4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,i  
,remember1 ,i ,remember4 ,thomas ,hood4 
,jack ,frost ,looked ,forth4 ,jane      
,gould4  ,king's ,jewel1 ,the4 ,phbe    
,cary4  ,ladder of ,st4 ,augustine4     

,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,landing
 of the ,pilgrims4 ,felicia ,d4 ,hemans4
  ,last ,leaf1 ,the4 ,oliver ,wendell   
,holmes4  ,last ,walk in ,autumn1 ,the4 
,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,leak in   
the ,dike1 ,a4 ,phbe ,cary4  ,legend of 
,st4 ,christopher4 ,helen ,hunt         
,jackson4  ,legend of the ,northland1   
,a4 ,phbe ,cary4  ,lincoln 7in          
8,commemoration ,ode074 ,james ,russell 
,lowell4  ,little ,bell4 ,thomas        
,westwood4  ,little ,gottlieb4 ,phbe    
,cary4  ,little ,gustava4 ,celia        
,thaxter4  ,lochiel's ,warning4 ,walter 
,scott4  ,lochinvar4 ,walter ,scott4    
,longing4 ,james ,russell ,lowell4      
,lost ,youth1 ,my4 ,henry ,wadsworth    
,longfellow4  ,lucknow1 ,defence of4    
,alfred ,tennyson4  ,lucknow1 ,pipes of4
 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,lucknow1 
,relief of4 ,robert ,lowell4            
,maidenhood4 ,henry ,wadsworth          
,longfellow4  ,man's a ,man1 ,a4 ,robert
 ,burns4  ,march4 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4
  ,march4 ,william ,wordsworth4  ,marco 

,bozzaris4 ,fitz-,greene ,halleck4      
,may4 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4  ,morte    
d',arthur4 ,alfred ,tennyson4  ,mountain
 and the ,squirrel1 ,the4 ,ralph ,waldo 
,emerson4  ,my ,triumph4 ,john          
,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,nest ,eggs4     
,robert ,louis ,stevenson4  ,night and  
,day4 ,robert ,louis ,stevenson4  ,oak1 
,the4 ,james ,russell ,lowell4  ,ocean1 
,the4 ,george ,gordon1 ,lord ,byron4    
,old ,clock on the ,stairs1 ,the4 ,henry
 ,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,old          
,ironsides4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes4   
,old ,tray4 ,robert ,browning4          
,one-,hoss ,shay1 ,the4 ,oliver ,wendell
 ,holmes4  ,one1 ,two1 ,three4 ,horatio 
,bunner4  ,order for a ,picture1 ,an4   
,alice ,cary4  ,our ,good ,president4   
,phbe ,cary4  ,over ,river and ,through 
,wood4 ,lydia ,maria ,child4  ,over the 
,hills in ,palestine4 ,harriet ,prescott
 ,spofford4  ,owl ,critic1 ,the4 ,james 
,t4 ,fields4  ,pictures from ,appledore4
 ,james ,russell ,lowell4  ,pied ,piper1
 ,the4 ,robert ,browning4  ,pipes at    

,lucknow4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4   
,plant a ,tree4 ,lucy ,larcom4          
,planting of the ,apple ,tree1 ,the4    
,william ,cullen ,bryant4  ,polonius to 
,laertes4 ,william ,shakespeare4        
,present ,crisis1 ,the4 ,james ,russell 
,lowell4  ,prisoner of ,chillon1 ,the4  
,george ,gordon1 ,lord ,byron4  ,psalm1 
,my4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4        
,psalm1 ,nineteenth4 ,bible4  ,psalm1   
,twenty-third4 ,bible4  ,psalm1         
,ninetieth4 ,bible4  ,quality of ,mercy 
7,merchant of ,venice74 ,william        
,shakespeare4  ,rabbis1 ,the ,two4 ,john
 ,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,ratisbon2 or1  
,an ,incident of the ,french ,camp4     
,robert ,browning4  ,receiving an       
,eagle's ,quill from ,lake ,superior1   
,on4 ,john ,greenleaf ,whittier4        
,relief of ,lucknow1 ,the4 ,robert      
,lowell4  ,rhcus4 ,james ,russell       
,lowell4  ,rising in #aggf1 ,the4       
,thomas ,buchanan ,read4  ,robert of    
,lincoln4 ,william ,cullen ,bryant4     
,sandpiper1 ,the4 ,celia ,thaxter4      

,santa ,filomena4 ,henry ,wadsworth     
,longfellow4  ,school ,days1 ,in4 ,john 
,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,september ,hymn4
 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4  ,shepherd of   
,king ,admetus1 ,the4 ,james ,russell   
,lowell4  ,sheridan's ,ride4 ,thomas    
,buchanan ,read4  ,sing1 ,little        
,children1 ,sing4 ,celia ,thaxter4      
,skeleton in ,armor1 ,the4 ,henry       
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,skipper       
,ireson's ,ride4 ,john ,greenleaf       
,whittier4  ,snow ,flakes4 ,henry       
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,snow ,storm4  
,william ,cullen ,bryant4  ,snow ,storm4
 ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4  ,song of      
,marion's ,men1 ,the4 ,william ,cullen  
,bryant4  ,song of the ,chattahoochee1  
,the4 ,sidney ,lanier4  ,song of the    
,shirt1 ,the4 ,thomas ,hood4  ,songs of 
,seven4 ,jean ,ingelow4  ,spacious      
,firmament on ,high1 ,the4 ,joseph      
,addison4  ,story of a ,blackbird1 ,the4
 ,alice ,cary4  ,suthin' in a ,pastoral 
,line 7from 8,biglow ,papers074 ,james  
,russell ,lowell4  ,tales of a ,wayside 

,inn4 ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow4    
,talking in their ,sleep4 ,edith ,m4    
,thomas4  ,tempest1 ,the4 ,james ,t4    
,fields4  ,thanatopsis4 ,william ,cullen
 ,bryant4  ,three ,bells1 ,the4 ,john   
,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,to-day4 ,thomas 
,carlyle4  7,the7 ,train from out the   
castle drew 7from 8,marmion074 ,walter  
,scott4  ,tray1 ,old4 ,robert ,browning4
  ,tree1 ,the4 ,bjornesterne ,bjornson4 
,triumph1 ,my4 ,john ,greenleaf         
,whittier4  ,twenty-third ,psalm4       
,bible4  ,two ,rabbis1 ,the4 ,john      
,greenleaf ,whittier4  ,verses by       
,alexander ,selkirk4 ,william ,cowper4  
,village ,blacksmith1 ,the4 ,henry      
,wadsworth ,longfellow4  ,vision of ,sir
 ,launfal1 ,the4 ,james ,russell        
,lowell4  ,visit from ,st4 ,nicholas1   
,a4 ,clement ,c4 ,moore4  ,voice of     
,spring1 ,the4 ,felicia ,d4 ,hemans4    
,waterloo1 ,the ,eve of4 ,george        
,gordon1 ,lord ,byron4  ,we are ,seven4 
,william ,wordsworth4  ,what            
,constitutes a ,state8 ,sir ,william    

,jones4  ,whittier 7lines in 8,fable for
 ,critics074 ,james ,russell ,lowell4   
,why do the ,bells at ,christmas ,ring8 
,eugene ,field4  ,wind1 ,the4 ,robert   
,louis ,stevenson4  ,wind in a ,frolic1 
,the4 ,william ,howitt4  ,wise ,fairy1  
,the4 ,alice ,cary4  ,wizard ,frost4    
,frank ,dempster ,sherman4  ,wolsey to  
,cromwell4 ,william ,shakespeare4       
,woodman1 ,spare that ,tree6 ,george ,p4
 ,morris4  ,wounded ,curlew1 ,the4      
,celia ,thaxter4  ,wreck of the         
,hesperus1 ,the4 ,henry ,wadsworth      
,longfellow4  ,year's at the ,spring1   
,the4 ,robert ,browning4  ,yellow       
,violet4 ,william ,cullen ,bryant4      
,yussouf4 ,james ,russell ,lowell4      
,,good ,,collections ,,of ,,poems4      
,bryant's ,library of ,poetry4          
,emerson's ,parnassus4  ,whittier's     
,songs of ,three ,centuries4            
,whittier's ,child ,life in ,poetry4    
,open ,sesame1 ,i4-,,iii4 ,blanche      
,wilder ,bellamy and ,maud ,wilder      
,goodwin4  ,poetry for ,home and        

,school4 ,anna ,c4 ,brackett and ,ida   
,m4 ,eliot4  ,ward's ,english ,poets4   
,the ,land of ,song1 ,books ,i4-,,iii4  
,katharine ,m4 ,shute and ,larkin       
,dunton1 ,,ll4,d4  ,illustration