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A MANUAL FOR TEACHERS 
 
 TO ACCOMPANY 
 
 "JOURNEYS THROUGH BOOKLAND" 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES H. SYLVESTER 
 
 BELLOWS-REEVE CO. 
 
 CHICAGO 
 

 Copyright, 1911, by 
 CHAELES H. SYLVESTER 
 
 f/ 
 
 ©CI.A2939G0 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Journeys Through Bookland was prepared 
 for boys and girls in their homes. The studies, 
 comments and helps were written for children 
 and their parents. Nearly all the material is ex- 
 cellent for the use of teachers, and they early dis- 
 covered its value. In fact, the teachers have been 
 so insistent in asking for the set that it seemed 
 wise to the author to write a manual for their 
 exclusive use. The present book is the result of 
 his efforts in that direction. 
 
 He has adapted all that was in Journeys to 
 the schoolroom, has added a great many sugges- 
 tions in methods and has correlated the whole 
 mass of literature so that it is available for ready 
 use in the classes where it is wanted. 
 
 By seeing and using in the school the same 
 methods that are best in the home, the two great 
 institutions, the home and the school, are brought 
 nearer together and helped to work in unison for 
 the good of the children. To bring parents and 
 teacher together on common ground is a thing 
 which all desire. May Journeys Through 
 Bookland help in the consummation of that 
 wish ! 
 
 The Manual is a plain, straightforward, busi- 
 ness-like book — a thing to be kept by one's side 
 and used constantly. That it may be so treated 
 is the earnest wish of the author. 
 
 Charles H. Sylvester. 
 
 Chicago, 1911. 
 
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 TALKS WITH TEACHEES 1 
 
 I. Beading Stories 3 
 
 The Hare and the Tortoise 6 
 
 The Fox and the Crow 8 
 
 Beth Gelert 15 
 
 The Passing of Arthur 17 
 
 II. Close Beading 18 
 
 Industry and Sloth 19 
 
 From The Death of Caesar 21 
 
 Two Phases of the Subject 24 
 
 III. Poetry 26 
 
 The First Snowfall -. 26 
 
 The Forsaken Merman 31 
 
 The Petrified Fern 38 
 
 IV. Pictures and Their Use 43 
 
 TaJce Warning 43 
 
 We Examined Our Treasure 45 
 
 V. Story Telling 49 
 
 Herve Biel 54 
 
 VI. Memorizing 61 
 
 One Hundred Choice Quotations 61 
 
 VII. Supplementary Book Lists 75 
 
 VIII. Contents and Plan of ' ' Journeys " 76 
 
 " JOUBNEYS" IN THE CLASSEOOM 77 
 
 Introduction 79 
 
 Beading 80 
 
 I. Nursery Ehymes 80 
 
 Hidden Significance 81 
 
 II. Ehymes Teaching Facts 82 
 
 III. Kindness to Animals 83 
 
 IV. Philosophical and Moral Ehymes 83 
 
 V. Maternal Care 84 
 
 VI. Pure Fun 85 
 
 VII. ' ' Counting Out ' ' Ehymes 86 
 
 VIII. Critical Studies 86 
 
 IX. Practical Value 86 
 
 II. LANGUAGE 88 
 
 A. Oral Lessons 90 
 
 Classified Selections 93 
 
 The Wind and the Sun 96 
 
 B. Written Language 99 
 
 I. Introduction 99 
 
 II. Literature in Written Language Work. 102 
 
vi Contexts 
 
 Page 
 
 A. Narration 103 
 
 Bobin Hood 104 
 
 B. Description 105 
 
 Sir Galahad 106 
 
 Journey to the Metropolis 106 
 
 Children's Books of the Past 107 
 
 The King of the Golden Biver 107 
 
 On the Beceipt of My Mother's Picture 108 
 
 C. Exposition 109 
 
 Martin Pelaez 110 
 
 D. Argument Ill 
 
 The Boston Massacre Ill 
 
 E. Conclusion 117 
 
 An Exciting Canoe Bace 118 
 
 Classified Selections 120 
 
 A. For Narration 120 
 
 B. For Description 120 
 
 C. For Exposition 121 
 
 D. For Argument 121 
 
 III. Nature Study 123 
 
 First. Broadening Nature Study 124 
 
 A. Seven Long Selections 124 
 
 1. Tom, the Water Baby 124 
 
 2. Bobinson Crusoe 125 
 
 3. Swiss Family Bobinson 125 
 
 4. Brute Neighbors 126 
 
 5. The Pond in Winter 127 
 
 6. Winter Animals 127 
 
 7. Ants and Trees That Help Each Other. 128 
 
 B. Classified Selections 129 
 
 I. Flowers and Plant Life 129 
 
 II. Birds 131 
 
 III. Four-footed Animals , 132 
 
 IV. Eeptiles 134 
 
 V. Insects 135 
 
 VI. Denizens of the Water 135 
 
 VII. Natural Phenomena 136 
 
 VILT. Geographical 137 
 
 Second. Nature- allusions in Literatue .137 
 
 The King of the Golden Biver 138 
 
 IV. Geography and History 145 
 
 I. Classified Selections 145 
 
 1. Largely Geographical , . . 146 
 
 a. Juvenile Poems 146 
 
 b. European 146 
 
 c. Fanciful Legends ; 147 
 
 d. Japan and India 147 
 
 e. Longitude 147 
 
 f . Plants 147 
 
 g. Animal Life 147 
 
 h. Natural Phenomena 147 
 
 2. Indians and Their Habits 148 
 
Contents vii 
 
 Page 
 
 3. Biography 148 
 
 a. Authors 148 
 
 b. Biblical Characters 149 
 
 c. JEsop 149 
 
 d. English History 149 
 
 e. American History 149 
 
 f . Koman History 149 
 
 4. Myths From Several Sources 149 
 
 a. Grecian and Eoman 149 
 
 b. Northern Europe 150 
 
 c. Miscellaneous 150 
 
 5. Legendary Heroes 150 
 
 a. Scandinavian 150 
 
 b. German 150 
 
 c. English 150 
 
 d. French 151 
 
 e. Spanish 151 
 
 f . Greek 151 
 
 g. Eoman 151 
 
 6. Historical Selctions 151 
 
 a. Northern Europe 151 
 
 b. France and Napoleon 151 
 
 c. Classic Lands 151 
 
 d. British Isles 152 
 
 e. United States 152 
 
 f . American 153 
 
 II. Suggestions in Method 153 
 
 1. Elementary Lessons 153 
 
 The Wind 156 
 
 Alfred the Great 159 
 
 2. Formal Lessons in History 163 
 
 Burgoyne 's Campaign 165 
 
 Character Building 171 
 
 I. Influence of Beading 171 
 
 II. The Teacher's Responsibility 173 
 
 III. The Function of ' ' Journeys ' ' 174 
 
 A. Classified Selections — 
 
 1. Wisdom, etc 175 
 
 2. Little Things 176 
 
 3. Promptness, etc 176 
 
 4. Independence and Equality 176 
 
 5. Courage, etc 176 
 
 6. Conceit 177 
 
 7. Flattery 177 
 
 B. Emotional Factors 177 
 
 1. Home and Family 178 
 
 2. Honesty and Truthfulness 179 
 
 3. Friendliness and Charity 179 
 
 4. Generosity 180 
 
 5. Kindness to Animals 180 
 
 6. Patience and Gentleness 181 
 
 7. Faithfulness 181 
 
viii Contents 
 
 Page 
 
 8. Envy and Covetousness 181 
 
 9. Contentment etc 181 
 
 C. Patriotism and Devotion 181 
 
 2. Devout Poems 182 
 
 1. Patriotism 182 
 
 VI. ' * Journeys ' ' in the High School 183 
 
 A. Classification of Studies in Journeys 184 
 
 I. In Character 184 
 
 II. In Plot 184 
 
 III. In Description 184 
 
 IV. Method of Analysis 185 
 
 V. General Studies 185 
 
 VI. Ehyme, Meter and Melody 185 
 
 VII. Various Interpretations 185 
 
 VIII. Biographical Sketches 186 
 
 B. Topics for Study 187 
 
 I. Ballads 188 
 
 II. Essays 188 
 
 III. Fables 189 
 
 IV. Fairy Lore and Folk Lore. 189 
 
 V. Fiction 190 
 
 VI. Legendary Heroes 190 
 
 VII. Lyrics 192 
 
 VIII. Myths 192 
 
 IX. Don Quixote 192 
 
 X. Odes 192 
 
 XL Poetry 192 
 
 XII. Wit and Humor 192 
 
 VII. Special Days in School 193 
 
 I. Bird Day 194 
 
 II. Memorial Day 194 
 
 III. Christmas 195 
 
 IV. Birthdays 195 
 
 V. Dramatization 195 
 
 VI. An Old-fashioned Afternoon 197 
 
TALKS WITH TEACHERS 
 
I. READING STORIES 
 (Volume X, page 331) 
 
 No part of the section known as Talks with 
 Parents in Journeys Through Bookland is 
 without interest to teachers ; all of it is extremely 
 valuable. However, some explanation may be 
 helpful and much can be added that will assist 
 in conducting reading lessons. We will follow 
 the order of the Talks in this section of the 
 Manual. 
 
 Read carefully pages 331-337. The principles 
 given on page 336 are those which every teacher 
 should know, for they are the justification of 
 story-reading; it is only when read for such pur- 
 poses that fiction is valuable. 
 
 In the tabulation on page 329, under the head 
 of The Study of the Story, are given the points 
 to be made in the reading class, whenever a story 
 justifies the use of all. They are worth repeating 
 here: 
 
 The Study of the Story: 
 
 a. The Plot. 
 
 b. The Persons. 
 
 c. The Scene of the Story. 
 
 d. The Author's Purpose and the Lesson. 
 
 e. The Author's Method and Style. 
 /. The Emotions. 
 
 3 
 
4 Reading Stories 
 
 It is evident that a> b, c, will interest children 
 of all ages; that all will be benefited by the "les- 
 son" of a story, if it be judiciously presented; 
 but that only the older children will be much 
 interested in d, e and /. 
 
 The several topics above given are elaborated 
 in the tenth volume. The method of the study 
 of the plot begins at A (Page 338) . It is illus- 
 trated with an outline of the plot of Cinderella, 
 from Volume I, page 231, and then on page 346 
 of Volume X is given a list of other stories whose 
 plots are worked out in the several volumes of 
 Journeys Through Bookland. 
 
 In a similar manner and with similar lists, the 
 other topics in Volume X are explained, viz : B, 
 The Persons (page 346) ; C, The Scene of the 
 Story (page 352) ; D, The Authors Purpose 
 and the Lesson (page 359) ; E, The Author's 
 Method and Style (page 363) ; F, The Emo- 
 tions (page 366) . 
 
 In the references given above the teacher will 
 find sufficient explanation to give a thorough un- 
 derstanding of this method of teaching reading 
 — that is, of teaching literature. No particular 
 care is given to oral expression in this method, 
 but expression will improve as understanding 
 grows and appreciation and sympathy are 
 aroused. Oral reading is necessary, but assist- 
 ance in teaching it must be found elsewhere. 
 
 To make this method even clearer and to col- 
 lect and classify the facts more systematically, 
 we will give below a few outlines for the com- 
 plete study of stories. In the volumes of Jour- 
 
Reading Stories 5 
 
 NEYSj intended as they were, primarily for read- 
 ing by children, it was not thought wise to make 
 the studies too extensive, or to attach too much 
 comment to the selections, lest the young reader 
 weary of his task or neglect it entirely. With 
 the teacher, however, the case is different. 
 
 To teach properly, the teacher must not only 
 know her subject thoroughly, but she must use 
 judgment in selecting the time to present it, in 
 the choice of methods to use, and in determining 
 how much to give to any class. The age of pu- 
 pils, their advancement, the influence of home 
 surroundings upon them, their sex, and the school 
 equipment are some of the miscellaneous factors 
 that enter into the decisions of the wide-awake 
 teacher. A good general principle to follow is 
 to present to the pupils only so much as will 
 hold their interest ; present it in the manner that 
 will best retain their interest, and change the 
 subject or the method when interest flags. 
 
 Speaking in general terms, pupils are most 
 interested in that of which they already know 
 something, and prefer to study intensively some- 
 thing which is "easy to read." The familiar se- 
 lections of old readers often are found to be alive 
 with interest, if studied by a new method. A 
 method is understood most easily when it is ap- 
 plied to a simple subject; in this case, to a story 
 in which the youngest children will be interested. 
 A word of caution may be worth while: Espe- 
 cially, with young children, "Do not let the 
 method be seen; it is the story that is to be 
 brought out." 
 
6 Reading Stories 
 
 The Hare and the Tortoise 
 (Volume I, page 68) 
 
 A. The Plot The slow Tortoise and the 
 speedy Hare ran a race. The Hare, full of con- 
 ceit, loitered and slept by the way, while the Tor- 
 toise won in his plodding fashion. 
 
 Incidents : 
 
 1. The Hare derides the Tortoise. 
 
 2. The Tortoise challenges the Hare. 
 
 3. The Fox becomes judge and holds the 
 
 stakes. 
 
 4. The race begins in heat and dust. 
 
 5. The Hare takes a rest and a nap. 
 
 6. The Tortoise in comfort passes the 
 
 Hare. 
 
 7. The Hare awakes, thinks the Tortoise 
 behind, and stops to eat. 
 
 8. The Hare discovers that the Tortoise 
 
 has passed and begins his pursuit. 
 
 9. The Hare finds the Tortoise at the 
 
 brook. 
 10. The Fox awards the money to the Tor- 
 toise. 
 
 B. The Persons. There are three characters 
 in the story: the Hare, the Tortoise and the Fox. 
 
 1. The Hare. He is a tall, long-legged ani- 
 mal, who can leap long distances and run like 
 the wind. In character he is unkind, impudent, 
 proud and lazy. 
 
 2. The Tortoise. He is a clumsy, short- 
 legged turtle, who carries a heavy box-shell 
 
Reading Stories 7 
 
 around his body. He cannot jump at all, and he 
 moves very slowly, flat on the ground, even his 
 tail dragging in the dust. But he is wise, steady, 
 not easily discouraged, and sticks to his task till 
 it is done. 
 
 3. The Fox. He is a wise old judge, who 
 cannot let the loser go without a word of advice. 
 
 C. The Scene. The race takes place along 
 a dusty road on a hot day. There is a big clover 
 patch, where the Hare rests, and at the end of 
 the course is a cool and delightful brook or river. 
 
 D. The Author's Purpose and the Lesson. 
 The author of this old fable intended to teach 
 the lesson that he puts into the last sentence, 
 "Steady-going wins the race." 
 
 E. The Authors Method and Style. His 
 method is to teach a truth by means of an inter- 
 esting story. His style is graphic and dramatic. 
 He gives three animals the power to talk, and 
 he makes them talk so that they seem almost like 
 real human beings. At any rate, he makes us 
 see the character of each very clearly. 
 
 F. Emotions. We see in the Hare the feel- 
 ings of conceit, contempt, and laziness; of sur- 
 prise, fear, and excitement; of chagrin and dis- 
 appointment. In the Tortoise we see a little of 
 resentment and some self-confidence; then cour- 
 age, determination, and persistence ; at last, calm 
 enjoyment and joy at winning. The Fox looks 
 on as we do, and has confidence in the Tortoise 
 and a little spice of contempt for the Hare. Then 
 he is pleased that the Tortoise should win, and 
 enjoys giving the Hare a stinging bit of advice. 
 
8 Reading Stories 
 
 G. Conclusion. It is because the little fable 
 has so much in it that it has lived for centuries, 
 and you have only to speak to any cultivated 
 person about the Hare and the Tortoise to re- 
 mind him that "Steady-going wins the race." 
 
 The preceding analysis shows what a teacher 
 should expect to bring out from a little class, 
 reading the fable for the first time, or from a 
 high-school class making a careful study of fa- 
 bles. In both cases, however, the facts should 
 be brought out by questions, with the expecta- 
 tion that the juveniles would not express them- 
 selves in anything like the words given above. 
 
 The Food and the Crow 
 (Volume I, page 60) 
 
 The following analysis of The Fox and the 
 Crow shows the method as it might appear in 
 actual use with a class of small pupils. It should 
 be remembered, however, that no two teachers 
 will ask the same questions and that no two pu- 
 pils will answer them in the same manner. Bring 
 out the thoughts and keep the pupils interested 
 while it is being done. Rapid, clear-cut ques- 
 tions which do not suggest the answer are the 
 kind to use. Whenever there is hesitation or 
 doubt, refer to the story. The story, \Aus the 
 pupil's imagination and reason, must give the 
 answers. If other facts are needed, the teacher 
 should supply them or show where they may be 
 learned. 
 
 A. The Plot. 
 
Reading Stories 9 
 
 Teacher. What was the first thing that hap- 
 pened in this little story ? 
 
 Pupil. The Fox saw a Crow fly off with a 
 piece of cheese in its mouth. 
 
 T. What next? 
 
 P. The Crow lit on a branch of a tree. 
 
 T. Next? 
 
 P. The Fox made up his mind to get the 
 cheese. 
 
 T. What did he do then? 
 
 P. He walked to the foot of the tree. 
 
 T. What next did he do? 
 
 P. He flattered the Crow and asked her to 
 sing. 
 
 T. What did the Crow do? 
 
 P. She cawed and dropped the cheese. 
 
 T. What did the Fox do? 
 
 P. He snapped up the cheese and ran off. 
 
 T. Did he do anything more? 
 
 P. Yes. He gave the Crow some advice. 
 
 T. Now tell me the storjr in as few words 
 as possible. 
 
 P. A Fox saw a Crow with some cheese in 
 her mouth. He flattered her and asked her to 
 sing. When she cawed she dropped the cheese 
 and the Fox ran away with it. 
 
 B. The Persons. 
 
 Teacher. Can a Fox talk, or a Crow sing? 
 
 Pupil. No. 
 
 T. Do they seem like persons in this storv? 
 
 P. Yes. 
 
 T. Let us think of them as persons for a few 
 minutes and see what kind of people they are. 
 
10 Reading Stories 
 
 We will talk about the Fox, first. What do you 
 think he looked like ? 
 
 P. Like a saucy little dog with bright eyes, a 
 long sharp nose, and a bushy tail. 
 
 T. When he said, "That's for me," what did 
 you learn about him? 
 
 P. That he was hungry ; that he was greedy ; 
 that he meant to get the cheese. 
 
 T. When he began to flatter the Crow, what 
 did you think of him? 
 
 P. That he was sharp ; that he was trying to 
 fool the Crow. 
 
 T. What did you think of him when he said 
 that her voice was finer than the voices of the 
 other birds, just as her coat was? 
 
 P. He was really flattering. Before, he was 
 telling some truth, for her feathers were glossy 
 and her eyes were bright. 
 
 T. Did he really think she could sing? 
 
 P. No. He knew she could only caw. He 
 was lying, then. 
 
 T. What did he say after she had dropped 
 the cheese ? 
 
 P. "That was all I wanted." 
 
 T. And then? 
 
 P. "Do not trust flatterers." 
 
 T. Did the Fox mean it? 
 
 P. Yes. But he was plaguing her, sneering 
 at her. He wasn't really sincere. 
 
 T. Now tell me what you've learned about 
 the Fox. 
 
 P. He was a lively animal that looked like a 
 dog, with a long nose and bushy tail. He was 
 
Reading Stories 11 
 
 smart, wise, knew how to flatter and get what he 
 wanted. But he was a liar and a mean fellow all 
 around. 
 
 T. Now, let us study the Crow. What did 
 she look like? 
 
 P. She was a big black bird with glossy 
 feathers and a bright eye. She had a big black 
 bill and black wings. 
 
 T. Did she have a good voice for singing? 
 
 No. She could only say "Caw, caw, caw," in 
 a hoarse, croaking voice. 
 
 T. Where was she ? 
 
 P. On the limb of a tree. 
 
 T. Could the Fox reach her? 
 
 P. No. She was safe. 
 
 T. What did she think of herself ? 
 
 P. She thought she was pretty and smart 
 and could sing. 
 
 T. What would you say of her manners ? 
 
 P. She was proud and conceited and foolish, 
 silly. 
 
 T. Now, tell me what you have learned of 
 the Crow. 
 
 P. She was a big black bird with glossy 
 feathers and a bright eye. She thought she could 
 sing, but she was silly and proud and conceited. 
 She was too easily fooled by the lies and flattery 
 of the fox. 
 
 C. The Scene. 
 
 Teacher. Where were the Fox and the Crow ? 
 
 Pupil. Outdoors, somewhere. 
 
 T. Were they near a house ? 
 
12 Reading Stories 
 
 P. I think so, because the Crow had cheese 
 in her mouth. 
 
 T. Was it a prairie country? 
 
 P. Perhaps, but there was one tree near. 
 
 T. Was it day, or night? 
 
 P. Daytime, I think. Crows do not hunt at 
 night, but foxes do. 
 
 T. Tell me all you know or can guess about 
 the place where the bird and fox were. 
 
 P. I think they were on the edge of the 
 woods, not very far away from a farmhouse. One 
 tree stood out by itself, and the Crow flew from 
 the farmhouse to the lone tree. 
 
 D. The Author's Purpose and the Lesson. 
 
 Teacher. This is an old, old story, and it has 
 been told in many languages. We cannot be sure 
 who first wrote it. But what do you suppose the 
 writer meant the story to accomplish? 
 
 Pupil. He meant it to teach a good lesson, I 
 think. 
 
 T. What is the lesson? 
 
 P. That foxes are tricky animals ; that crows 
 are silly birds; that flattery and lying are bad; 
 that it is foolish to trust anyone who flatters you. 
 
 T. Does that mean you do not trust people 
 who praise you ? 
 
 P. Oh, no. Praise is all right. Everybody 
 likes to be praised. 
 
 T. What is the difference between praise and 
 flattery? 
 
 P. When a person praises you he tells the 
 truth, and tells it because he likes you, and wants 
 to help you ; but when he flatters you, he lies and 
 
Reading Stories 13 
 
 deceives you, and does it to fool you, because he 
 wants you to do something for him, or to get 
 something you have. 
 
 T. How can we tell whether we are being 
 praised or flattered? 
 
 P. We must be sharp and know ourselves 
 and what we really can do. Then we will know 
 whether others are speaking the truth about us. 
 
 E. The Author s Method and Style. 
 Teacher. What do you call a story like this? 
 Pupil. A fable. 
 
 T. Why is it a fable? 
 
 P. Because it's short; because animals talk 
 and act like human beings; because it teaches a 
 good lesson. 
 
 T. Do you call this story "slow" ? 
 
 P. No. It's a quick, lively one. 
 
 T. What do you think makes it so ? 
 
 P. There are not too many words; the Fox 
 and the Crow are interesting; there is a lot of 
 talking; we can see the Fox and the Crow; they 
 act like human beings. 
 
 T. Are there any good sentences you would 
 like to remember? 
 
 P. Yes: "Do not trust flatterers." 
 
 F. The Emotions. 
 
 Teacher. How did the Fox feel when he saw 
 the Crow with the cheese in her mouth? 
 
 Pupil. He was hungry ; he wanted the cheese ; 
 he made up his mind to get it. 
 
 T. How did he feel when he was flattering 
 the Crow? 
 
14 Reading Stories 
 
 P. He felt jolly; he thought it was fun to 
 fool the Crow. 
 
 T. How did he feel when he got the cheese? 
 
 P. He was pleased; he was happy; he did 
 not pity the Crow ; he laughed at the Crow when 
 he gave her advice. 
 
 T. How did the Crow feel when she flew off 
 with the cheese ? 
 
 P. She was happy. 
 
 T. How did she feel while the Fox was flat- 
 tering her? 
 
 P. She was proud and vain and felt sure she 
 could sing. 
 
 T. When she dropped the cheese? 
 
 P. She was disappointed; she was sorry she 
 had tried to sing; she knew she had been fooled, 
 and was ashamed. 
 
 T. Did she like the advice the Fox gave her? 
 
 P. No, but she thought it was good advice. 
 
 T. Do you think the Fox could fool her 
 again? 
 
 G. Conclusion. 
 
 Teacher. Now, read the fable all through 
 just as well as you can. (It is read.) Now, 
 Harry, you be the Fox, and read just what he 
 says. Clara, be the Crow, and read just what she 
 says. Tom may be the story teller, and read just 
 the descriptions. Now, watch your parts so there 
 will be no delay, and try to speak just as though 
 j^ou are really what you are representing. Tom 
 may read the first paragraph, and the fourth, but 
 may omit entirely those words that are not 
 spoken in the other paragraphs. Begin, Tom. 
 
Reading Stories 15 
 
 Beth Gelert 
 
 (Volume III, page 81) 
 
 Narrative poems are only stories in the form 
 of verse, and should be studied first as though 
 they were stories only. The following outline 
 contains questions only, such questions as a 
 teacher might ask of pupils studying the poem, or 
 such as might be asked after the poem has been 
 read aloud. To carry this on with the language 
 class, the teacher has only to require a written 
 report on the poem after it has been read and 
 the questions have been answered. 
 
 A. The Plot. What was Llewelyn about to 
 do? Whom did he want to accompany him? Did 
 the dog go? Was the hunt successful? Why? 
 Who met Llewelyn on his return? What was 
 the dog's condition? What did the hunter sus- 
 pect? What frightened Llewelyn as he neared 
 the chamber ? What did he find when he entered 
 the chamber? What did he think? What did he 
 do? What did he find after he had killed the dog? 
 Tell the story in as few words as possible — in one 
 brief sentence if you can. 
 
 B. The Persons. Who is the chief character 
 in the story? Who next interests you? What 
 other characters are there ? 
 
 1. Llewelyn. What can you say about 
 Llewelyn's appearance? What kind of a man 
 was he? How do you know? Does his character 
 change in the poem? Would you call him a good 
 man? Why? Was he too hasty? 
 
 2. Beth Gelert. What kind of a dog was he ? 
 
16 Reading Stories 
 
 What was his appearance? Why did he not go 
 to hunt? Was he a brave dog? What other char- 
 acteristics can you name? What makes you 
 think they are characteristics of Beth Gelert ? 
 
 C. The Scene. Where do the first incidents 
 of the story take place? Where do the most 
 important events happen? What is a castle? 
 What can you tell about this castle? Where 
 was the baby? What furniture do you know 
 was in the room? How did the room look when 
 Llewelyn came in? 
 
 D. The Author s Purpose and the Lesson. 
 Why do you suppose this poem was written? Is 
 it a good story? Do you think it is worth while 
 to write or read a story like this? What is there 
 worth remembering in the story? Do you think 
 Gelert an admirable dog, and does the story tend 
 to make you think more of dogs, to be kinder to 
 them? 
 
 E. The Author's Method and Style. Do you 
 think this is a recently written story? Does it 
 sound like the poems that you find in the news- 
 papers and magazines today? What is a poem 
 written in this style called ? ( Ballad. ) Can you 
 think of other ballads? (Look in the Index of 
 Volume X, under the title Ballad. ) Do you like 
 this kind of poem? Is it vigorous, lively, and 
 strong, or is it weak and silly ? 
 
 F. The Emotions. What did Llewelyn feel 
 when Gelert did not appear for the hunt? How 
 did he feel when he started homeward? What 
 did he feel when he saw blood on the hound? 
 What did he feel when he saw blood in the bed- 
 
Reading Stories 17 
 
 room? What was his state of mind when he 
 killed the dog? How did he feel when he heard his 
 boy's voice? What were his feelings when he 
 thought of the slain dog? 
 
 What feeling did Gelert have for the boy? 
 Why did the dog stay at home? What were his 
 feelings when he saw the wolf? What were his 
 feelings when he killed the wolf ? What w r ere his 
 feelings when he saw his master returning? What 
 did he feel when he saw his master's hand raised 
 to strike? 
 
 How were you affected by each of the inci- 
 dents ? 
 
 The Passing of Arthur 
 (Volume V, page 417) 
 
 There is an outline for the study of this beau- 
 tiful poem on page 405 of Volume X. While 
 the outline differs in form from those we have 
 been using, it is a helpful variation, and shows 
 that while a narrative poem must be studied first 
 in the same manner as a story, there are still other 
 points that need careful examination. 
 
 Including these studies of stories, it is well to 
 remark even at the expense of repetition that 
 every teacher must expect to adapt every method 
 to herself first and then to her school. No one 
 can lay down exact rules for the work of another. 
 Again, the method has been exhibited sufficiently 
 so that it can be applied to any of the stories in 
 Journeys, or in a school reader, or to the reading 
 of a novel, a drama, or any narrative. 
 
II. CLOSE READING 
 
 In the purely literary style of reading which 
 we have been discussing we may have seemed to 
 slight some phases of the study. Reading is the 
 instrument by which a person gets information; 
 it is the instrument by which a child makes his 
 greatest advancement in language, in arithmetic, 
 in history, in geography — in fact, in every subject 
 he pursues. Study is reading and thinking. The 
 child who reads understandingly is the child who 
 makes progress in all his studies. While the read- 
 ing of stories is profitable only when undertaken 
 for the purpose previously described, it is evident 
 that closer work frequently is necessary. There 
 are many times when every word must be under- 
 stood, every phrase comprehended, every sen- 
 tence mastered, every paragraph weighed and 
 judged. For lack of a better term we have called 
 such work "Close reading"; it is really study in 
 its most comprehensive form. 
 
 For this close and severe work it is not well 
 to choose the finest literary masterpieces, because 
 the very labor necessary may cause dislike of the 
 thing studied. Many a fine selection has been 
 made distasteful to children by the wearisome 
 care with which it has been read. Study good 
 things in this manner, but leave the beautiful 
 things, the inspiring things for other treatment. 
 Take, frequently, problems in arithmetic; have 
 them read, studied, and analyzed; then outline 
 
 18 
 
Close Reading 19 
 
 the processes of solution, but do not solve them. 
 Take passages from the history, the geography, 
 the grammar, and work over them till every jot 
 of meaning is extracted. 
 
 Read, in this connection, wha*t is said in Jour- 
 neys,, Volume X, page 375. Some things are 
 worked out there. Other examples for school 
 room work are given below. 
 
 Industry and Sloth 
 (Volume I, page 313) 
 
 To bring out the thought in this selection, 
 study it as follows : 
 
 Ask one of your pupils who can write well to 
 put the selection on the blackboard before the 
 class is called. In the recitation bring out the 
 thought by such questions as the following : What 
 is the meaning of jocosely? (Humorously, flip- 
 pantly.) What is a court? (A place where disputes 
 between persons are settled by a judge, or by a 
 judge and jury.) What is a jury? (A company of 
 men, usually six or twelve, who hear the evidence 
 and decide on the facts.) What are cases? (The 
 dispute or disagreement is called a case, when it 
 is brought to court to be decided or settled.) 
 What are damsels? (Young girls.) What were 
 the names of the young damsels the young man 
 said he saw? Why do the words "Industry" and 
 "Sloth" begin with capital letters? (Because 
 they are the names of girls.) Were they real 
 girls? What does industry mean? (Work.) 
 What does sloth mean? (Laziness.) Were these 
 
20 Close Reading 
 
 real girls? Then what does this mean? (The 
 young man thinks of fondness for work and 
 fondness for idleness as though they were girls.) 
 When we write of qualities, or feelings, as though 
 they were human beings, the words become 
 proper nouns and we begin them with capital 
 letters. Do you know what we call this process 
 of lifting some thing that is lower to the level of 
 human beings? No? We call it personification. 
 Here industry and sloth are personified and made 
 the equals of human beings. What is the word? 
 Try to remember it. Some time I will ask you to 
 define it. What does entreats mean? (Begs.) 
 What does persuades mean? (That means teazes 
 or begs.) Which is the stronger word, entreats 
 or persuades? {Entreats means begs strongly* 
 persuades means begs and makes me believe what 
 is said. I think the latter is really the stronger 
 word.) What does alternately mean? (First one 
 and then the other. ) What does impartial mean ? 
 (Fair; without any favoritism.) What does 
 detained mean? (Kept.) What does pleadings 
 mean? (Where a case is tried in court the law- 
 yers on each side try to persuade the court or 
 jury to decide in favor of the man (client) who 
 has hired them. The written papers and the 
 speeches the lawyers make are called pleadings. ) 
 Do you think the young man was really seri- 
 ous ? Do you think he really tried to decide any- 
 thing as he lay in bed, or was he just trying to 
 make up an excuse for his laziness? Was there 
 any reason why the young man should lie in bed ? 
 Did he think there was? Could you find any 
 
Close Reading 21 
 
 better reason than he gave ? Do you think he was 
 a bright young man? If you had listened to him 
 would you have taken his excuse? Why? Was it 
 really truthful? Did you ever lie in bed and think, 
 "Well, I must get up; no, I'll lie a little longer. 
 But I must get up. What's the use? But I ought 
 to get up. Yes, I really ought to get up," etc., 
 etc., and finally discover that you had wasted a 
 great deal of time without really intending it? 
 Were Industry and Sloth pleading with you 
 then? Do you think that some people waste much 
 time trying to decide useless questions? Does it 
 sometimes happen that men and women waste so 
 much time in this way that they never accomplish 
 a great deal of anything? 
 
 From The Death of Caesar 
 (Volume X, page 86) 
 
 As preliminary to the intensive study of the 
 speech alluded to below, read to the class or have 
 them read all of the three selections, namely: 
 The Death of Caesar, from Plutarch (page 55) ; 
 The Death of Caesar, from Shakespeare (page 
 74) , and Julius Caesar, from Froude (page 87) . 
 As an example of selections worthy of close read- 
 ing, take the speech of Caesar as given on page 
 86, beginning, "I could be well mov'd, if I were 
 as you." 
 
 Bring out by questions these facts : 
 
 A. Words. 
 
 "Moved" ; induced to change my mind. 
 
 "Constant"; fixed, unchangeable, immovable. 
 
22 Close Reading 
 
 "Northern star;" the pole star; the north star. 
 To us this star always appears fixed in the north- 
 ern heavens. The other stars and the constella- 
 tions revolve around it; Ursa Major, the Big 
 Dipper, is most conspicuous, and by a line 
 through its two front stars we may always locate 
 the North Star and, hence, the direction, north. 
 Mariners have steered by this star for centuries. 
 Many a lost and wandering man has found his 
 way to safety by its fixed light. 
 
 "Resting"; always stationary. 
 
 "Fellow"; equal. 
 
 "Firmament"; sky, heavens. 
 
 "Painted"; decorated. 
 
 "Sparks"; stars. 
 
 "Doth"; does. 
 
 "Furnished"; filled. 
 
 "Apprehensive"; doubtful, filled with forebod- 
 ings and easily moved. 
 
 "Unassailable"; not subject to attack; here the 
 meaning is rather that of unconquerable. 
 
 "Constant"; insistent, the first time the word 
 appears ; but unchangeable, the second time. 
 
 B. Phrases. "Well moved" ; easily moved. 
 
 "If I were as you" ; if I were as you are, or if I 
 were like you. 
 
 "Could pray to move" ; could try to change the 
 opinion or the determination of someone else. 
 
 "True-fixed and resting quality"; quality of 
 always remaining true or fixed to the one spot in 
 the heavens. 
 
 "So in the world"; as all the unnumbered stars 
 
Close Reading 23 
 
 shine in the heavens and all move but one, thus 
 in the world. 
 
 "Holds on his rank unshak'd of motion"; is 
 fixed in his ideas and unmoved by prayers and 
 petitions. 
 
 "And that I am he"; and I am that one im- 
 movable man. 
 
 "Let me a little show it"; let me give a little 
 proof. 
 
 C. Sentences. The first sentence means: If 
 I could beg others to change their purposes, I 
 could be induced to change mine: but I am as 
 fixed in my conclusions as the north star is fixed 
 in the heavens. The second sentence says: As 
 there are unnumbered, movable stars in the 
 heavens and only one that is fixed, so in the world 
 there are unnumbered, changeable men and only 
 one who is fixed in his determination; that I am 
 the one determined man let me prove a little by 
 saying that, as I was persistent in banishing 
 Cimber so will I continue to keep him in banish- 
 ment. 
 
 D. The paragraph. The whole speech is a 
 refusal on Caesar's part to grant the petition of 
 the conspirators who plead that Cimber may be 
 brought back from banishment. The words are 
 well calculated to stir up resentment and to fix 
 the plotters in their plan to murder Caesar. Even 
 Brutus would be convinced by such sentiments 
 that Caesar was a dangerous man; if the great 
 Roman thought himself the one man only with 
 such determination, might he not think himself 
 the one man of the world in all respects? The 
 
24 Close Reading 
 
 conspirators were looking for an excuse for kill- 
 ing Caesar, and they might find it in this speech ; 
 Brutus was being led to believe that Caesar was 
 too ambitious and here was the final argument to 
 convince him. 
 
 Two phases of close reading are shown in 
 the study of Adventures in Lilliput (Volume X, 
 page 415), David Crockett in the Creek War 
 (Volume X, page 423), and the study on The 
 Impeachment of Warren Hastings (Volume X, 
 page 427). 
 
 Enough has been written to show the method of 
 teaching pupils to read closely. Examples could 
 be multiplied indefinitely, but they would not be 
 useful, for each teacher will prefer to do his work 
 in his own way. 
 
 In passing, it may be well to say a few words 
 as to what constitutes good questioning. Ques- 
 tions should always be clear and intelligible to 
 the pupils, should not call for too much, nor sug- 
 gest too plainly the answer. Questions should 
 compel thought. If they indicate clearly the 
 answer they are usually valueless. However, a 
 leading question intended to pave the way for a 
 different one may be permissible. Questions that 
 may be answered by yes or no are not necessarily 
 bad. For instance, such questions as the following 
 are poor: 
 
 "Do you not think that ?" 
 
 "You don't think, do you, that ?" 
 
Close Reading 25 
 
 But questions which require thought and de- 
 cision are good ones. The form governs. The two 
 questions given above should have been asked 
 thus: "Do you think that ?" 
 
 When the answer yes or no has been given, 
 then a question may be asked, "What were your 
 reasons for answering my question yes (or no) ? 
 Again, such a question as, "Was it red or yel- 
 low?" does not call for as much thought as "What 
 color was it?" But it is needless to go further. It 
 is hoped that the questions given in this Manual 
 will prove models in form and purpose. 
 
III. POETRY 
 
 Besides what has been said concerning poetry, 
 under the title Reading Stories, you will find in 
 Volume X, page 381, a brief discussion on the 
 value of poetry with references to those selections 
 in the different volumes of Journeys where form 
 is discussed and made clear in the study of selec- 
 tions. 
 
 On page 383 is an article, Reading Poetry, 
 which gives a long list of selections that have 
 been interpreted and for which studies have been 
 made. 
 
 Below are a few studies of different kinds, 
 more complete and offering different types. 
 
 The First Snowfall 
 (Volume II, page 443) 
 
 A. The Author. For a sketch of the life of 
 James Russell Lowell, see Volume VIII, page 
 259. 
 
 B. The Meaning. Words and Phrases: 
 "Gloaming"; early evening. 
 
 "Silence." The snow is called a silence, because 
 it hushes noise, or prevents it. 
 
 "Pine and fir and hemlock"; three evergreen 
 trees. 
 
 "Ermine"; the fur from a northern animal of 
 the same name. It is very soft and white. Earls, 
 
 26 
 
Poetry 27 
 
 nobles of rank, wore ermine on their robes to 
 show their high birth. 
 
 "Pearl"; a white, lustrous jewel, or the beau- 
 tiful lining of some sea shells. 
 
 "Carrara" ; a town in Italy, whence comes the 
 finest white marble. Here Carrara means costly 
 marble. 
 
 "Swan's down." Swans have fine soft down be- 
 tween their feathers. It protects them from cold 
 in winter, and in summer they line their nests 
 with it. 
 
 "Noiseless work"; covering everything with 
 snow. 
 
 "Mound"; grave. 
 
 "Auburn"; a beautiful cemetery near Boston. 
 
 "Babes in the Wood"; an allusion to the old 
 story of the children who were lost in the woods, 
 and whom the robins covered with leaves to pro- 
 tect them. 
 
 "All-father"; God, the Father of all. 
 
 "Leaden" ; gray and heavy, lead-colored. 
 
 "Arched"; curved. 
 
 "Deep-plunged woe"; a sorrow that plunged 
 us deep in misery. 
 
 "Eyes that saw not". His eyes were so filled 
 with tears that he could not see "Mabel," who is 
 really his daughter Rose. 
 
 "My kiss was given to her sister". He was 
 thinking so deeply of his lost daughter, that it 
 seemed almost as though he kissed the dead lips. 
 
 "Folded close". The soft downy snow made 
 him think of a soft, warm covering for the form 
 of his little one. 
 
28 Poetry 
 
 C. Form and Structure. 
 
 There are ten stanzas of four verses (lines) 
 each, with the rhymes at the ends of the second 
 and fourth verses only. The word snow is used 
 four times in rhymes ; the words rhyming with it 
 are crow, below, woe and know. All the rhymes 
 in the poem are perfect. 
 
 The meter is a varied iambic trimeter. The first 
 and third lines of each stanza have an added un- 
 accented syllable, while the second and fourth 
 have just three full feet. Anapestic feet are used 
 freely to improve the music; in fact, they are 
 nearly as numerous as the iambic feet. 
 
 The scansion of the first stanza may be indi- 
 cated thus : 
 
 The-snow' | had-be-gun' | in-the-gloam' | ing 
 
 And-bus' | i-ly-all' | the-night 
 
 Had-been-heap' j ing-field' | and-high' | way 
 
 With-a-si' | lence-deep' | and-white' 
 
 The scansion of the sixth stanza may be shown 
 as follows: 
 
 Up-spoke' | our-own' | lit-tle-Ma'bel 
 
 Say-ing-Fa' | ther-who-makes' | it-snow' 
 
 And-I-told' | of -the-good' | All-Fa' j ther 
 Who cares' | f or-us-here' j be-low' 
 
 They are musical stanzas and the finely chosen 
 words add much to the melody. 
 
 D. Sentiment. Lowell had a little daughter, 
 Blanche, who died shortly before this poem was 
 composed, so we may be sure that it was written 
 from a full heart. He begins by giving us one 
 of the most beautiful pictures of a snow-storm 
 
Poetry 29 
 
 and of a snow-covered world that was ever 
 written. 
 
 Compare Lowell's other descriptions of win- 
 ter to be found in the second part of The 
 Vision of Sir Launfal and Whittier's description 
 in Snowbound. 
 
 When he has made us feel the softness, gentle- 
 ness and beauty of the snow and caused us to for- 
 get that it is cold and damp, he speaks of himself. 
 We can see him standing by the window look- 
 ing out upon the beautiful pearl-clad world. He 
 brings us right into his own presence and we can 
 almost see the flocks of startled brown snowbirds 
 whirling by. Not till now, when we are fully in 
 sympathy with him, does he let us know that he 
 has met with a deep, heart-breaking loss. Now 
 we know what the soft flakes are hiding from 
 sight, and our hearts go out with his. 
 
 Then his innocent little daughter comes in with 
 the simple, common-place question which he an- 
 swers so touchingly. Can you not see him with 
 his arm aiound the child, telling her of the care 
 of the Father who loves little children so dearly? 
 Yet his mind cannot free itself wholly from his 
 first great sorrow, though he remembers that 
 calmness, resignation, and gentle patience fell 
 over his heart as the soft snow falls flake by flake 
 from the leaden sky. 
 
 To the child, however, he speaks words that she 
 will not fully understand until she, too, is grown 
 and has met with sorrow: "It is only the merciful 
 Father, darling, who can make fall that gentle 
 comfort that heals and hides all suffering." 
 
30 Poetry 
 
 Once more our hearts are wrung with sym- 
 pathy when with tear-filled eyes he gives the little 
 maiden by his side the kiss that was for the silent 
 lips in sweet Auburn. The little one, kissing 
 back, could not know the grief of her father's 
 heart or realize that another form than hers was 
 clasped in his embrace. 
 
 How much better we know the great poet when 
 he tells us his personal griefs in so touching a 
 manner ! How sweet is the lesson of patience and 
 resignation when communicated in such a beau- 
 tiful poem! 
 
 E. Beauty and Effectiveness in Phrasing. 
 Where in literature will you find more beautiful 
 phrases, more effective figures, than abound in 
 this poem ? Notice particularly the following, and 
 try to determine why each is remarkable : 
 
 "With a silence deep and white." 
 
 "Ermine too dear for an earl." 
 
 "Stiff rails softened to swan's down." 
 
 "The noiseless work of the sky." 
 
 "the leaden sky 
 That arched o'er our first great sorrow." 
 
 "The scar of our deep-plunged woe." 
 
 "Folded close in deepening snow." 
 
 F. Conclusion. The First Snowfall is one of 
 the most perfect poems in our language. In 
 beauty of composition, of music, of sentiment, 
 and in deep religious feeling it can scarcely be 
 excelled. Be guarded how you teach it; treat it 
 
Poetry 31 
 
 reverently. Try to cause the children to love it, 
 to wish to memorize it. If you see that you are 
 not securing these results, leave the poem and 
 take up something else. It is almost a sin to 
 spoil it for any person. 
 
 The Forsaken Merman 
 (Volume VIII, page 1) 
 
 One of the satisfactory poems for study in the 
 middle years of school life is the one whose name 
 heads this section of the Manual. It is a great 
 favorite with most children who know it, but it 
 has not found its way largely into school use. 
 For both of these reasons it is worthy of study. 
 
 I. Preparation and General Plan. If you 
 have but the one copy in your volume of Jour- 
 neys,, write out the poem neatly; or if you are 
 pressed for time, take the book to school with you. 
 There are nine good sections or stanzas in the 
 poem ; number these and let each pupil copy one 
 stanza, until all are in their hands. It may require 
 the spare time for several days, but you may be 
 sure that nearly every pupil will have read the 
 entire poem at least once, before the day of reci- 
 tation. Each pupil has, then, one stanza from 
 which to read, and under your direction has stud- 
 ied it in the usual way. In recitation you will call 
 upon the pupils in order, each to read his own 
 stanza and to answer questions upon it. For the 
 second reading, and third, if desirable, let the pu- 
 pils exchange papers so they will read stanzas 
 new to themselves. Be sure to have a final read- 
 
32 Poetry 
 
 ing by yourself, or by the best readers in the class, 
 that shall be continuous and without interrup- 
 tions ; otherwise, your pupils will miss the beauti- 
 ful unity of idea and fail to see the relations of 
 the different parts. 
 
 II. Words and Phrases and Sentences. 
 Where each pupil cannot have studied the whole 
 selection it is well to begin with the study sen- 
 tence by sentence. See that the meaning is clear. 
 The following suggestions may be of assistance: 
 
 Page 1, line 6. "Wild white horses"; the 
 breakers, where the waves are beaten into foam 
 and flying spray. 
 
 Line 7. "Champ" ; gnash their bits. 
 
 Page 2 3 line IS. "Stream." The ocean cur- 
 rents resemble streams of water on land. 
 
 Line 17. "Mail"; scales. How could the 
 snakes dry their mail ? 
 
 Line 18. "Unshut." Do fish have eyelids? 
 Is a whale a fish? Does a whale have eyelids? 
 Do most people think of a whale as a fish? 
 
 Line 29. "Sate" is an old form for "sat." 
 Can you find other old or unusual words or ex- 
 pressions? Why does the poet use them? 
 
 Page 3, line 4. "Merman." The literature of 
 the ancients contained frequent allusions to mer- 
 maids, who were strange creatures with heads 
 of beautiful, long-haired maidens, but with scaly 
 bodies and the tails of fish. In pictures they are 
 usually represented as sitting upon reefs holding 
 a mirror in one hand and combing their long locks 
 with the other. Holmes, in The Chambered 
 Nautilus, speaks of the "cold sea-maids" who 
 
Poetry 33 
 
 "rise to sun their streaming hair." Mermen were 
 not so often spoken of, but there are some allu- 
 sions to them. In later times the mermaids were 
 considered more as fairies, and there were many 
 stories of human children being taken to live with 
 the mermaids, and of the latter coming upon land 
 to live like men and women. There was, too, a 
 belief that sea-folk had no souls, and that a per- 
 son who went to live with them would lose his 
 soul. The beautiful picture on page 4 shows the 
 forsaken family. 
 
 Line 4* from the bottom. "Leaded panes." 
 The small panes of stained glass in the church 
 windows are set in narrow leaden frames. 
 
 Page 6, line U. "Heaths" and "broom." The 
 English and Scotch heathers are little bushy 
 shrubs that cover the hills and fields. They bear 
 beautiful little bell-like pink or white flowers. 
 The trailing arbutus, the blueberry and the win- 
 tergreen are some of our native plants belonging 
 to the same family. The broom plant is another 
 low shrub that bears rather large yellow blossoms, 
 shaped like the flowers of peas and beans. The 
 old-time country-folk used bundles of these 
 shrubs for brooms. 
 
 Line 25. There have been several allusions 
 to tides. If the pupils do not understand the 
 subject, be sure to explain how different a shore 
 looks at high and at low tide. The change is 
 most noticeable where the water is shallow, for 
 then long stretches of sea-bottom may be un- 
 covered at low tide. 
 
 III. The Story. Bring out by questions 
 
34 Poetry 
 
 these facts which constitute the "plot," or inci- 
 dents : 
 
 1. A merman who has a family of children 
 (four, the artist says, page 4), has been deserted 
 by his human wife. 
 
 2. The father and children are on shore try- 
 ing to persuade the mother to return. The fa- 
 ther feels that all must return. 
 
 3. He begs the children to call their mother 
 once more, for he thinks that childish voices, wild 
 with pain, may induce her to come. 
 
 4. He feels discouraged. 
 
 5. He tells how she became alarmed and left 
 them at Easter time to return to her church and 
 pray, that she might save the soul she feared she 
 was losing. 
 
 6. The father and children had come on shore 
 to find their mother. She was seen praying in 
 the church, working at her spinning wheel at 
 home, happy but apparently not wholly forget- 
 ful of her family in the sea, for she sighed and 
 dropped a tear as she looked over the sand to the 
 sea. 
 
 7. The father feels that his wife is cruel and 
 faithless and that she has deserted, forever, him- 
 self and his family, the kings of the sea. 
 
 IV. The Characters. Question the pupils 
 till they see clearly the persons. 
 
 1. The principal character is the deserted 
 merman, a king of the sea. Ought he to expect 
 his wife to stay with him? 
 
 2. The wife, a human being who has loved a 
 merman, and who has a family of sea children, 
 
Poetry 35 
 
 but who has suddenly become awakened to the 
 danger to her soul. Is she selfish? Ought she 
 to have forsaken her family? Can she really be 
 happy away from her husband and family? 
 
 3. The children. How many were there? 
 How old were they? Were there both boys and 
 girls ? Do you think Mr. Reese had a clear idea 
 of the family when he drew the picture (page 
 4) ? There must have been at least three, for 
 it is said that the mother tended the youngest 
 well; at least one girl, for the mother sighed for 
 the strange eyes of a little mermaiden. 
 
 4. The priest. 
 
 V. Pictures. Two series of pictures are kept 
 side by side all the time; one of the land, and 
 the other of the sea. Try to create a vivid scene 
 from each. 
 
 First, on land: We can see a little town, 
 nestling on the side of a bleak, wind-swept hill, 
 an old English town with a white stone wall all 
 around it. On the hill, which is too rough to be 
 cultivated, grow great fields of heather, studded 
 with the golden blossoms of broom-plant. A 
 little graystone church stands surrounded by its 
 yard, where the village dead are buried, for such 
 was the old custom in England. The stones 
 are at the head of the graves, and the walls of 
 the church are rain- and storm-worn, but bright 
 stained-glass windows in the building and flowers 
 and trees among the graves make the place very 
 beautiful. Some of the windows are clear, so 
 that you can look through and gaze along the 
 aisle bordered by high wooden pews and see the 
 
36 Poetry 
 
 priest reading service, and, by one of the stone 
 pillars, the merman's wife, her eyes steadily gaz- 
 ing at the bible in her lap. You are privileged, 
 too, to peep into one of the thatched cottages, 
 and see the mother turning the old-fashioned 
 spinning wheel. From her house there is a wide 
 view down the hill, across the bay and out to 
 sea. At high tide the breakers dash madly against 
 the shore, but at low tide there is a broad strip 
 of silver sand, rocks covered with sea-weed, and 
 in the low places, creeks and pools of salt water. 
 Does the artist's picture represent high or low 
 tide? 
 
 Second, at sea: Deep beneath the surface of 
 the water where the waves toss and roar, where 
 the surf and spray dash madly about, are great 
 caverns strewn with white sands. It is cool down 
 there in the depths and the light filtering through 
 the clear green sea is weak and pale. The wa- 
 ter streams through caverns swaying the ex- 
 quisite sea weeds that line the walls; and out- 
 side, round about, whales, sea-snakes and all 
 manner of water beasts swim in play or struggle 
 for mastery. In one of the caverns stands a 
 great throne of red gold, ornamented with grace- 
 ful sea fringe, pearls and amber. From without 
 one may gaze up to the amber-colored ceiling, or 
 down to the pavement of lustrous pearl. It was 
 this wondrous palace that the mermaid aban- 
 doned for the sake of her soul. 
 
 VI. Sentiment. It is, on the whole, a sad 
 poem, though a few cheering thoughts are sug- 
 gested by it. Without an attempt at classifica- 
 
Poetry 37 
 
 tion and analysis, here are a few choice ideas 
 taken in order as they occur : 
 
 Page 1. "Children's voices should be dear to 
 a mother's ear." 
 
 Page S. "Long prayers in the world thev 
 say." 
 
 Page J. "Oh joy, for the blessed light of the 
 sun!" 
 
 Page 6. The last stanza shows very pleasing- 
 ly the faithfulness of father and children, in con- 
 trast to the inconstancy of the mother. 
 
 VII. Beauty, Besides its sentiment, the 
 poem gives us other beauties in great number. 
 Here are some of them: 
 
 a. Unity. The poem has one idea running 
 through it from beginning to end, an idea that 
 is nowhere lacking, though at first it is not 
 seen. What is the one idea? Grief, but not 
 bitterness nor anger. Each succeeding stanza 
 is seen to add something to this idea, till all our 
 sympathies are enlisted for the forsaken children, 
 more than for the father who does all the talking. 
 
 b. Meter and Rhyme. Both meter and 
 rhyme are irregular, but that fact gives a pleas- 
 ing variety to the poem and corresponds to the 
 somewhat abrupt changes in the line of thought 
 that at first make the poem rather hard to read. 
 The pupils will be interested in comparing the 
 lengths of lines in different stanzas and sometimes 
 in different parts of the same stanza. It is easy 
 to pick out the rhymes, to see how often rhymes 
 are repeated in a stanza, and whether the lines 
 are in couples or alternate. 
 
38 Poetry 
 
 c. Phrases. The following lines are quoted 
 as those perhaps best worth study and remem- 
 brance. Let the pupil determine why they were 
 selected as beautiful lines; that is, determine in 
 what respect the lines are beautiful: 
 "Now the wild white horses play, 
 Champ and chafe and toss in spray." 
 
 "The far off sound of a silver bell." 
 
 "Where the sea snakes toil and twine, 
 Dry their mail and bask in the brine." 
 "A long, long sigh 
 
 For the cold, strange eyes of a little Mermaiden." 
 "A ceiling of amber, 
 A pavement of pearl." 
 "Heaths starred with bloom." 
 
 The Petrified Fern 
 (Volume VII, page 352) 
 
 Some day when you want an interesting and 
 delightful nature lesson that is a little out of 
 the ordinary, get, if you can, a fossil fern. If 
 you are in the city, doubtless you can get one 
 from the museum, or, better yet, you may find 
 that among your pupils there is some one who 
 has such a specimen carefully treasured away. 
 In some localities where the limestone rock comes 
 to the surface, especially in the coal measures, 
 these petrified ferns are very numerous. Show 
 this to the class and get them all interested in it. 
 
 If you cannot get a specimen to use, you can 
 find a picture in the encyclopedia or geology, or 
 
Poetry 39 
 
 you can tell the pupils how in some places it is 
 possible to pick up from among the rocks on the 
 surface of the ground oblong pieces perhaps a half 
 inch thick, in which, when they are split open, you 
 can see the impression of a fern, every vein show- 
 ing plainly and looking as clear in the dull gray 
 as it showed when alive in its green dress. 
 
 Tell the story of the fern something after this 
 fashion : 
 
 "Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, so 
 many years, in fact, that none of us can tell how 
 many, somewhere in a valley, there grew a beau- 
 tiful little fern, green and slender. It was as 
 tender and delicate as the ones you can find in 
 the woods now, and grew in just such a shady 
 place. When the breezes crept down under the 
 trees they waved the fern gracefully about so 
 that it gently touched the tall rushes that grew 
 above it and cast little shadows on the moss at 
 its feet. Now and then a playful sunbeam darted 
 through the crevices in the leaves and found the 
 fern, and at night drops of dew stole silently 
 in and made a glistening crown upon its head. 
 But there were no children then to find it. It 
 was long, long ago, when the earth was young 
 and nowhere on its broad surface was a single 
 human child. 
 
 "Out in the silent sea fishes larger than any 
 that can be found now were swimming about. 
 Across the plains of the earth animals of won- 
 derful shapes and enormous size stalked clumsily 
 and found their way into stately forests. No 
 man ever saw growing such trees as waved their 
 
40 Poetry 
 
 giant branches over the earth, for then Nature 
 made things on a grander scale than she does 
 now. The little fern, however, was wild and 
 simple, and lived in its home unnoticed and un- 
 cared for by any of the great creatures or the 
 mighty trees. Still it grew on modestly in its 
 own sweet way, spreading its fronds and becom- 
 ing more beautiful every day. 
 
 "Then suddenly one day the earth heaved up 
 its mighty rocks and threw them about in every 
 direction. The strong currents of the ocean 
 broke loose and flowed over the land. They 
 drowned the animals, moved the plain, tore down 
 the haughty woods and cast the great trunks 
 about like straw. They broke the little fern 
 from its slender stalk, and burying it deep in 
 soft moist clay, hid it safely away. 
 
 "Many, many long centuries have passed since 
 the day the useless little fern was lost. Millions 
 of human beings have come upon the earth, have 
 lived and been happy, have suffered, passed away, 
 and have been forgotten. The soft, moist clay 
 that clasped the fern hardened into rock and kept 
 safely in its strong prison the delicate little frond. 
 
 "Then one day, not long ago, a thoughtful 
 man studying Nature's secrets far and wide, 
 found up in a valley where a stream had worn 
 a deep fissure, a queer little rock. When he 
 looked at it, he saw running over it a strange 
 design, as though some fairy with its magic pen- 
 cil had drawn the outline of a fern with every 
 vein distinct, showing in every line the life of 
 
Poetry 41 
 
 the little long-lost plant. It was the fern I told 
 you about. 
 
 "Isn't it strange that so delicate a thing as a 
 fern could be kept clear and fine through all 
 those thousands of years when the earth was 
 changing and growing, and then finally be thrown 
 up where a man could find it and read its whole 
 history? Somebody, whose name we do not 
 know, saw the little fern and wrote the beautiful 
 lines which I now want to read to you." 
 
 (Here read the poem, The Petrified Fern, 
 found in Journeys, Volume VII, page 352). 
 
 There are very few words or expressions in 
 the poem that will require any explanation. At 
 the end of the first stanza the phrase "keeping 
 holiday" means that as there were no human be- 
 ings on the earth, there was no real work being 
 done. 
 
 At the end of the first line in the second stanza 
 the word main is an old term that means ocean. 
 
 The last two lines of the third stanza are 
 meant to show how different life has been on the 
 planet since man came. Until he appeared there 
 was no real agony; there was pain, for animals 
 can suffer, but it takes a mind and soul to know 
 agony. Man cannot live except with suffering 
 and at a bitter cost. 
 
 Until the last two lines of the fourth stanza 
 are reached the poem is merely a beautiful and 
 musical narrative. The last two lines are the 
 thought that comes to the poet when he con- 
 siders the history of the little fern. It is think- 
 ing such thoughts as this that make the poet 
 
42 Poetry 
 
 different from ordinary men. You and I might 
 see the impression of the fern and think it beau- 
 tiful, but its beauty would not suggest to us the 
 comforting idea that 
 
 * * * "God hides some souls away 
 Sweetly to surprise us, the last day." 
 
 Our own poet Longfellow, in The Builders, 
 voices a similar thought when he says : 
 
 "Nothing useless is, or low; 
 
 Each thing in its place is best ; 
 And what seems but idle show 
 
 Strengthens and supports the rest." 
 
 After you have presented these thoughts, read 
 the poem again to the class. Call attention to 
 its musical structure, its simplicity, the beauty 
 of its expressions, and then read it a third time. 
 It is one of those beautiful things which may well 
 be committed to memory. It contains, too, a 
 splendid language lesson, if the class will write 
 the story in prose and try to bring out the mean- 
 ing. Let them use freely the words of the poem, 
 but require not only a different arrangement of 
 words, but also that there shall be left no trace 
 of rhyme or meter in their prose. 
 
 Study also in this connection The Bugle Song 
 outline (Volume X, page 419), and the Ode to 
 a Skylark (Volume X, page 435). 
 
IV. PICTURES AND THEIR USE 
 
 Read first from Talks with Parents in Volume 
 X the section beginning on page 389. Studies 
 of two pictures are there given and other good 
 subjects for study are mentioned. Here we 
 will discuss methods more fully and give other 
 lessons. 
 
 To learn what a picture really contains, to 
 appreciate its purpose and merit, we should 
 study it systematically. The following topics 
 suggest themselves : 
 
 1. The general view. 
 
 2. The details. 
 
 3. The center of interest. 
 
 4. The purpose. 
 
 5. The artist's conception and its appropri- 
 ateness. 
 
 6. Elements of beauty. 
 
 As in other cases, the best way to explain a 
 method is to apply it. Accordingly, let us study 
 by this method the picture, Take Warning, on 
 page 41 of Volume I. 
 
 1. The general view. Here is a picture of 
 a sailor looking at a rainbow in the sky. 
 
 2. The details. On the seashore are a bar- 
 rel, a flagon, a post, stones, etc.; in the distance 
 a village, some boats, a lighthouse on a point, 
 and, away on the horizon, the outline of a ship 
 under sail. Perhaps we have made a mistake; 
 is the immediate foreground the deck of a ship? 
 
 43 
 
44 Pictures and Their Use 
 
 The sailor is dressed in the customary garb : wide 
 trousers; dark blouse; wide, square collar; flat- 
 topped cap, with the ends of the band flying. He 
 is barefooted and stands back to us with one 
 arm outstretched and the other half bent at the 
 elbow. 
 
 3. The center of interest. The center of in- 
 terest of most pictures is found near the center 
 of the picture and in this case it is the sailor 
 who attracts our attention to the point of sec- 
 ondary interest, the rainbow. 
 
 4. The purpose. The artist's intention is to 
 illustrate one of the two lines below the picture. 
 
 5. The artist's conception and its appropri- 
 ateness. The artist has chosen to represent the 
 first line, and conceives the idea of making the 
 attitude of a sailor, even when his back is turned 
 to us, express the surprise and alarm he might 
 feel when he sees in the east a beautiful bow, the 
 sign of storm and disaster. To us it seems high- 
 ly appropriate. 
 
 6. Elements of beauty. Perhaps this is not 
 a beautiful picture, but it is a suggestive one, and 
 we cannot but admire the way in which Mr. Wer- 
 veke has brought out the lights and shades by 
 the skillful use of lines, dots, and patches of 
 clear black. The sailor's attitude, too, is cer- 
 tainly very expressive. 
 
 Another profitable study can be made on the 
 halftone that faces page 204, in Volume X. Ques- 
 tions best induce an interest in a picture, but 
 the questions should be asked systematically. 
 
Pictures and Their Use 45 
 
 The following is a model on the picture named 
 above, We Examined Our Treasure, 
 
 1. General view. How many men do you 
 see in the picture? How does one differ from 
 the other two? What do they appear to be do- 
 ing? 
 
 2. Details. What man is kneeling? How 
 is he dressed? What is he looking at? What 
 is the expression on his face? What can you 
 say of the dress of the man who is standing? 
 What has he in his hand? Can you tell the ex- 
 pression on his face? What is the third man 
 doing? What has he in his hand? What expres- 
 sion has he on his face? What things are on the 
 table? What can you see on the floor? What 
 is the square object in the lower right hand cor- 
 ner? Is it full or empty? What kind of walls 
 has the room? What kind of a floor? Where 
 does the light in the picture come from? What 
 do you think gives the light? 
 
 3. The Center of Interest. Are all the men 
 looking in the same direction? Are all looking 
 at the same things? Where did they come from? 
 (Tell the story in part and read to the pupils 
 the paragraph beginning on page 204, covering 
 page 205, and extending a few lines on page 
 206.) What is the center of interest for the 
 three men? On what does your chief interest 
 center? 
 
 4. Purpose. What did the artist intend to 
 do by means of this picture? Did he select an 
 important and interesting event in the story? 
 
 5. Conception and Appropriateness. Would 
 
46 Pictures and Their Use 
 
 you have thought of making the long chain the 
 real center of interest to all three? Is it natu- 
 ral to think of the negro as kneeling on the floor, 
 taking things out of the chest and handing them 
 to the other men? Who is the man standing? 
 Who is the man sitting? Would you have 
 thought of drawing the three rings on the side 
 of the chest ? Was the chest very heavy ? What 
 were the rings for? Do you think the artist 
 has given appropriate expression to his charac- 
 ters? Do you think the picture in general and 
 in details appropriate to the paragraph the artist 
 intended to illustrate? Has he made the story 
 any clearer by his picture? Do you call the pic- 
 ture a success ? 
 
 6. Elements of Beauty. Do you like the 
 soft, warm tones of the picture, the smoothness 
 and neatness of it all? Does the light bring out 
 the jewels and riches? What does the light do 
 to the face of the sitting men? What effect has 
 it on the faces of the other two? Where are 
 the shadows thrown? Do you think it makes 
 the picture more beautiful to have the light come 
 all from one spot in the center of the picture? 
 What other beautiful things can you see in the 
 picture? How does this picture differ in execu- 
 tion from the one on page 202? (In this pic- 
 ture the lights and shadows shade smoothly one 
 into another and there are many different tones 
 or shades of brown. In the other there is noth- 
 ing but clear white and clear black; the 
 effects of light and shade are produced 
 by lines and dots and black patches. The 
 
Pictures and Their Use 47 
 
 original of the former was made with ink and 
 pen; the latter was painted with a brush.) 
 
 Is there a difference in the way the two pictures 
 are made for the book? (Yes. The picture on 
 page 202 is called a zinc etching. The original 
 drawing was photographed on zinc and then the 
 white parts were eaten out by acid, leaving the 
 lines, dots and patches higher so that they would 
 catch the ink in printing. The picture we have 
 been studying is called a halftone. If you ex- 
 amine it under a microscope you will see that the 
 ink is put on in minute dots. The original paint- 
 ing was photographed on copper through a 
 screen with minute meshes; then the lines were 
 etched out, leaving the wonderfully minute dots 
 which print from the ink. The halftone proc- 
 ess is much more expensive than the zinc-etch- 
 ing process and the results are far superior. 
 
 It may be interesting to know that the colored 
 plates in Journeys are made by the expensive 
 four-color process, the finest way yet discov- 
 ered to print reproductions of water colors or 
 oil paintings. The pictures here are just like 
 the originals in color, though they have been 
 reduced in size. The paintings were photo- 
 graphed four times, each photograph was litho- 
 graphed; that is, engraven upon stone. The 
 first photograph shows all the outlines and all 
 the colors, and is printed from a stone in black; 
 the second photograph is taken in such a way 
 that only the red of the painting shows and this 
 is printed from its stone in red ink over the 
 black print from the first stone ; the third photo- 
 
48 Pictures and Their Use 
 
 graph shows only the blue colors, and from the 
 stone made from this, blue ink is printed over 
 the black and red; then from the fourth stone 
 made from a photograph which showed only the 
 yellow colors, yellow ink is printed over the 
 impressions made from the other three places. 
 Every colored picture in the books actually 
 passed four times through the big presses and 
 all the purples and greens, the violets and other 
 shades and tints are made by the overlapping 
 and intermingling of the three primary colors, 
 red, blue and yellow.) 
 
 But to return to the study of the pictures in 
 Journeys. After the pupils have been taught 
 to observe properly, you have in the pictures 
 numberless interesting subjects for language ex- 
 ercises. A good, clear-cut description of a pic- 
 ture is worth reading and to write one means 
 thought and study. The exercise may be varied 
 by giving the picture to the class to describe be- 
 fore they have any knowledge of the subject and 
 then asking them to call their imaginations into 
 play and write a story to fit the picture. Later 
 you may read them the story the artist meant to 
 illustrate. 
 
V. STORY TELLING 
 
 (Volume X, page 397) 
 
 The teacher who can tell stories well has in 
 that power great advantage in her work. How- 
 ever, every teacher can learn to be a good story 
 teller, and it is the function of this article to 
 help her to do so. 
 
 A well-told story is always interesting and 
 may be used for many purposes in school. A 
 few of these are the following: 
 
 1. Valuable information may be given in 
 such a way that it will be remembered. 
 
 2. Moral lessons and instruction in manners 
 can be given most effectively. 
 
 3. It is one of the best ways to teach con- 
 sideration for the rights and feelings of others, 
 and kindness to animals. 
 
 4. A short, amusing story told at the right 
 time will help to break up disorder and revive 
 flagging interest in study. 
 
 5. Distasteful problems in arithmetic become 
 fascinating when put in story form. 
 
 6. History and geography lessons innumer- 
 able may be given as stories. 
 
 7. A story told to a language class may be- 
 come the basis for many conversational lessons 
 and written exercises. One of the hardest prob- 
 lems some teachers meet is to induce their pupils 
 to talk freely. They will enjoy talking about 
 an interesting story. Most pupils like to write 
 
 49 
 
50 Story Telling 
 
 when they have something interesting to write 
 about. They will be happy in writing what the 
 teacher told, in writing their opinions of the 
 character and acts of the people who appear and 
 in writing a good story for the teacher to tell. 
 
 8. There is no better way to introduce a 
 child to a great literary classic than by telling 
 the story of it in simple form. 
 
 The whole of the article beginning on page 
 397 is valuable to teachers, and the principles 
 given on page 399 are worth learning. In fact, 
 so important are they that we will repeat them 
 here in substance, with the modifications and ex- 
 planations necessary to make them perfectly ap- 
 plicable to the teacher who has a large mixed 
 audience. The parent, you know, has few listen- 
 ers and they have much in common. The prin- 
 ciples, then: 
 
 1. Use Your Oven Words. Simple words: 
 graphic, commonplace words are the best. The 
 older pupils will be just as much entertained, 
 and the younger ones can understand better. On 
 the other hand, do not talk down to their level; 
 they- will resent the idea and laugh at you. Keep 
 on their level. That means that you must be 
 sure you know your audience before you begin 
 to talk. 
 
 2. Talk Naturally. Forget that you are 
 telling a story for the effect it will produce. 
 Forget yourself. Tell the story as you would 
 tell them an incident you saw on the way to 
 school that morning. 
 
 3. Look Your Pupils in the Eyes. Find the 
 
Story Telling 51 
 
 responsive eyes and get your inspiration from 
 them; seek out the dull and uninterested eyes 
 and talk to them till they brighten up and re- 
 spond to your enthusiasm. Let every pupil 
 know that you have looked him square in the 
 face at least once, and make everyone feel you 
 are talking straight at him. 
 
 4. Supply Many Details. Children love 
 them; their lives are made up of little things. 
 Don't think you are ignoring the real story by 
 your additions. The details you give are prob- 
 ably the very ones the author of the original 
 story intended you to supply from your own 
 imagination as you read. Under this head comes 
 the giving of names to characters; descriptions 
 of clothes, of facts, of feelings; the addition of 
 new incidents. 
 
 The recital of a bare plot is not an interest- 
 ing story. For instance: "A boy on his way 
 to school found a yellowbird's nest with four 
 little birds in it," is the recitation of a bare plot. 
 Is it interesting? Would the story appeal to 
 children? What do you think of the form fol- 
 lowing? 
 
 "John told me an interesting story .this morn- 
 ing. As he was coming to school today he 
 saw a little yellowbird fly from the bushes by 
 the big tree at the corner of Mr. Brown's yard. 
 He parted the leaves and looked into the 
 bush, but for quite a while he could see nothing. 
 At last, however, he spied a pretty little nest in 
 the fork of a limb and so low that he could look 
 right down into it. John must have made some 
 
52 Story Telling 
 
 noise, because when he looked in he saw four 
 little, wide-open red mouths, and that was 
 about all. Of course, there were little 
 half-naked bodies under the gaping mouths, 
 but he couldn't see them, for each little bird was 
 shaking his head about, stretching it up higher 
 and higher and opening its mouth wider and 
 wider. You see, to each little bird a rustling 
 sound meant that the mother bird had come back 
 with a bit of tasty breakfast in her mouth. When 
 the wee babies found that they had made a mis- 
 take they closed their mouths, drew down their 
 heads and packed themselves away so tightly 
 that I'm sure they can't be cold while their 
 mother is away." 
 
 5. Be Intimate and Personal with Your Au- 
 dience. Express your opinion now and then as 
 your own; interrupt the story occasionally (not 
 often enough to spoil the interest) by asking 
 for the ideas of the pupils. Let them guess, 
 sometimes, at the outcome of the story. Make 
 them feel that they are an important and inti- 
 mate part of the exercise. Sometimes they will 
 help you wonderfully. 
 
 6. Use Direct Discourse Whenever Possible. 
 Make your characters speak in their own words. 
 Say, "John said, 'I saw the nest,' " rather than, 
 "John said that he saw the nest." 
 
 7. Keep the Climax Out of Sight as Long as 
 Possible. Curiosity is a large factor in interest, 
 and if the children know "how the story is com- 
 ing out" you are liable to lose their attention. 
 However, you will find that some stories will 
 
Story Telling 53 
 
 prove such favorites to young children that they 
 will call for the tales again and again. Occa- 
 sionally small children are very particular about 
 the way in which a story is repeated — there must 
 be no deviations from the way in which it was 
 first told. You may congratulate yourself on 
 having told the story well, if the children ask 
 for its repetition, and if they criticise your sec- 
 ond telling you may know you did very well in 
 your first attempt. 
 
 8. Be Enthusiastic; Be Dramatic. Throw 
 yourself into the tale; see what you are describ- 
 ing; feel what your characters feel, and enjoy 
 the story itself. Speak distinctly ; use clear, sym- 
 pathetic tones; speak slowly or rapidly as the 
 action demands, and use pauses effectively. 
 Don't be in a hurry. See that your face ex- 
 presses your feelings, that your attitudes are 
 easy and your gestures appropriate and grace- 
 ful. Act your part. 
 
 9. Do not Preach. Tell the story so the 
 moral, if there is any, may be seen and felt 
 without your striving to point it out. 
 
 10. Talk the Story Over Freely with Your 
 Pupils. Try to get their ideas, rather than to 
 give your own. You can tell whether you have 
 succeeded and what your faults in narration have 
 been. 
 
 Journeys Through Bookland furnishes ma- 
 terial for countless good stories. Whatever in- 
 terests the teacher in her reading she may feel 
 sure she can present in such a way as to make 
 it interest her pupil. On page 400 of Volume 
 
54 Story Telling 
 
 X is given a brief list of good subjects, but there 
 are many more just as satisfactory. 
 
 Let us take, for example, Browning's poem 
 Heme Riel (Volume IX, page 53). (By the 
 way, you can find the pronunciation for that 
 name and for many other different words in the 
 Glossary at the end of the volume.) We will 
 set about the preparation of it together. First 
 we will read the note and then the poem. * * * 
 It is a stirring thing, a noble monument to a 
 noble man. It is worth the telling. We will 
 read through it again and mark the passages 
 that contain the incidents that make the story, 
 so that we may not have to hesitate for ideas 
 after we begin to talk. * * * Really, the 
 plot is more simple than we thought. It is 
 merely this: "The French fleet, defeated by the 
 English, arrives off the harbor of St. Malo. They 
 call for pilots, but none will try to conduct the 
 big ships through the dangerous channel, and 
 the captains decide to wreck and burn their ships, 
 so the English may not capture them. Just at 
 this time a simple Breton sailor offers to pilot 
 the vessels through, under penalty of death. 
 The commander puts him in charge of the fleet 
 and he takes them safely into the harbor. The 
 English arrive just too late to do any damage, 
 and the French commander, grateful to his de- 
 liverer, offers him any reward he may wish. The 
 Breton laughs and asks for one day's leave to 
 go and visit his wife who lives nearby." 
 
 Let us consider the persons. Evidently Herve 
 Riel is the onlv one we need mention bv name. 
 
Story Telling 55 
 
 We could give him a simpler name, but if the 
 story is true, everyone ought to remember him. 
 We must try to make him seem alive. We must 
 make his deed seem great and must make a point 
 of his patriotic devotion and of his beautiful 
 love for his wife. 
 
 Now we are ready to talk, as soon as we have 
 thought a little and assured ourselves that we are 
 in the right spirit. So, facing our audience of 
 small children, we begin: 
 
 I've just been reading Herve Riel, a story that 
 I like so much I must tell it to you. A long 
 time ago, before there was a (name your town), 
 really before there was a United States, there 
 was a long war across the ocean between the 
 great nations, England and France. There had 
 been a bloody battle between their navies, and 
 the French had been beaten. Still twenty-two 
 of their ships escaped, sailed to their own coun- 
 try and arrived outside the harbor of Saint Malo. 
 But they were not safe, by any means. The 
 English were close behind and could soon over- 
 take and capture or destroy all the French ves- 
 sels, and put to death many of their crews. In- 
 side the harbor the French knew they would be 
 safe, for no English vessel could get through the 
 long, crooked channels without a pilot, and no 
 Frenchman would lead the English. 
 
 Without even waiting to anchor, the captains 
 made signals for pilots and many skilled ones 
 came off to the ships. When the pilots heard 
 that the French were crippled and must get into 
 the harbor they laughed at the captains. 
 
56 Story Telling 
 
 "Go through there now?" they said. "Why, 
 you can't do it. Don't you see it's low tide and 
 the rocks are showing everywhere? The chan- 
 nel is crooked and very dangerous at high water 
 and now you could not get your smallest ship 
 through safely, let alone such a large ship as 
 the Formidable here, with her ninety-two big 
 guns. It can't be done." 
 
 Nothing could change the minds of the pilots. 
 They knew their business thoroughly. So the 
 captains met to decide what they should do. The 
 commander addressed them, saying: 
 
 "The English are at our heels. What shall 
 we do? Do you want them to tow us all, one 
 behind the other, back to their country to become 
 their prizes? Not I. Better run all the ships 
 aground, set fire to them, and escape ourselves, 
 if we can." 
 
 The brave captains all looked at their com- 
 mander. Every man shut his teeth together, set 
 his brows, and with flashing eyes said, "Speak 
 the word; we will obey." 
 
 But the commander never gave his order! 
 Right into the excited group stepped a man; 
 not a captain, not even a second mate; just a 
 plain, simple sailor who lived near Saint Malo. 
 He had not even joined the fleet of his own will, 
 but had been seized and carried on board long 
 before the battle, because the navy was short of 
 sailors. You might think he would want revenge 
 for being taken away from his home and his 
 fishing. Did he? At first he was too much 
 
Story Telling 57 
 
 excited to speak, but in a moment he stormed 
 out: 
 
 "What's the matter with you pilots ? Are you 
 mad, or fools, or cowards, or have the English 
 bought you body and soul? Don't talk to me 
 of rock and shallow places and crooked channels ! 
 Haven't I sailed these waters for years, and 
 don't I know every shallow place, every dan- 
 gerous turn, every inch of the way? You cow- 
 ards! There's a way through, I tell you." 
 
 Then Herve Kiel turned to the commander 
 and shouted, "Put me in charge of this ship, 
 the biggest, this Formidable, and I'll steer her 
 through. Make the others follow me closely. 
 They'll all come safely in. Try me; I'll do it. 
 I haven't much to offer for the chance, but if 
 this ship so much as touches her keel on a hidden 
 rock, you may cut off my head. Let me try, sir." 
 
 The commander replied, "We have not a sec- 
 ond to spare. You're admiral here! Take the 
 helm and lead us through!" 
 
 Herve Riel was as prompt as the commander, 
 and seizing the tiller, he soon had the great ship 
 sailing along under perfect control. She went 
 into the narrow channel, with the great rocks 
 high on both sides. The waves beat up angrily 
 and the breakers threw their spray high over 
 the decks. With eyes fixed on the channel and 
 both hands on the helm, he guided the staunch 
 vessel on their winding course. Time and again 
 it seemed as though she must be wrecked, but 
 just at the moment of greatest danger Herve 
 Riel shifted the helm, and the stately ship moved 
 
58 Story Telling 
 
 safely on. With hearts beating high, the offi- 
 cers watched the wonderful deed, and the fright- 
 ened sailors clung speechless to the rail. Finally, 
 between two great rocks that seemed to block 
 the channel completely, the ship sailed majestic- 
 ally into the harbor, and Herve Kiel had kept 
 his promise. Not once had the great Formidable 
 touched her keel to a rock; not a scratch, except 
 the battle scars, marred her fair sides. 
 
 After her, one by one, came the other ships 
 of the squadron, till all were anchored safely in 
 the harbor. Just as the last ship came to anchor, 
 the English fleet, coming up in helpless anger, 
 began to throw shells across the passage. The 
 French, however, were out of range and could 
 laugh at the fruitless attempts of their enemy. 
 With one voice the captains and sailors of the 
 rescued fleet shouted, "Herve Kiel ! Herve Riel ! 
 Now, let the king of France reward the man 
 who has saved his fleet!" 
 
 And what of the brave sailor ? He stood calm 
 and quiet without a gleam of pride in his frank, 
 blue eyes. Just the same man as he was before 
 his gallant deed, he answered the Commander's 
 call and stood before him. 
 
 "My friend," began the Commander, "I can 
 scarcely speak, but you know praise comes from 
 the heart and not from the lips. You have saved 
 the fleet from certain destruction and have pre- 
 served the lives of many of your countrymen. 
 Xo reward is too great for you. Ask what you 
 will and it shall be granted." 
 
 Herve Kiel's blue eves danced with merriment 
 
Story Telling 59 
 
 as he said, "Now that my work is over I would 
 like, if I may have it, one whole day to visit my 
 wife whom I call Beautiful Aurora and who 
 lives just a little way from Saint Malo. That 
 is all I want. May I go?" 
 
 You can imagine whether or not his request 
 was granted. 
 
 Now, do you know, that brave act was for- 
 gotten; Herve Kiel was forgotten for many 
 centuries. No monument was erected to his mem- 
 ory; there seemed nothing to keep the patriotic 
 man alive in the hearts of his countrymen. But 
 one day, not so many years ago, Robert Brown- 
 ing, the great English poet, heard the story, 
 and he was so moved by the heroic deed and 
 the quiet humor of the man, that he wrote a fine, 
 manly poem and called it Herve Riel, so that it 
 should remain as a monument to the patriotism 
 and character of the simple French sailor. Some 
 day we will read the poem. 
 
 If the children are older and studying history, 
 we would give more of an idea of the place, make 
 the names and dates more prominent, and show 
 what the effect of saving the ship really was. 
 The poem is an excellent one, but most children 
 do not care for it till they have heard the story 
 and have studied the text. Then they are de- 
 lighted with it and will read it again and again. 
 It has been many years since the writer of this 
 first read Herve Riel, but he has never wearied 
 of it and cannot read it now without a thrill of 
 admiration for the hero and for Browning's mon- 
 ument. 
 
60 Story Telling 
 
 When you tell the story, do not try to tell it 
 as this has been told. Use your words, select for 
 emphasis the parts that appeal to you and give 
 your pupils just the ideas that you have con- 
 ceived. 
 
VI. MEMORIZING 
 (Volume X, page 401) 
 
 What is said in Talks with Parents on this sub- 
 ject is as valuable for teachers as for parents, 
 and the list of good selections at the end of the 
 article will be particularly helpful. 
 
 To assist the teacher still further, we append 
 a few pages of quotations taken at random from 
 the volumes. They will prove handy when the 
 teacher is pressed for time, and the references 
 to volume and page will enable the busy person 
 to find the context readily, if that seems de- 
 sirable. 
 
 One Hundred Choice Quotations 
 
 (Volume I) 
 
 Early to bed, and early to rise, 
 
 Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. 
 
 — Page 8. 
 
 Had it not been for your buzz I should not 
 even have known you were there. — Page 67. 
 
 The Rock-a-by Lady from Hushaby street, 
 With poppies that hang from her head to her 
 feet. — Page 90. 
 
 I saw the dimpling river pass 
 
 And be the sky's blue looking-glass. — Page 128. 
 
 61 
 
62 Memorizing 
 
 In through the window a moonbeam comes, 
 Little gold moonbeam with misty wings. 
 
 —Page 131. 
 
 Oh, the world's running over with joy. 
 
 —Page 146. 
 
 The honorable gentleman has not told us who 
 is to hang the bell around the Cat's neck. 
 
 —Page 203. 
 
 Here is the mill with the humming of thunder, 
 Here is the weir with the wonder of foam, 
 
 Here is the sluice with the race running under — 
 Marvelous places, though handy to home. 
 
 — Page 363. 
 
 Then she smooths the eyelids down 
 Over those two eyes of brown — 
 In such soothing, tender wise 
 Cometh Lady Button-Eyes. 
 
 — Page 382. 
 
 One must be content with the good one has 
 enjoyed. — Page 395. 
 
 (Volume II) 
 
 Did you ever hear of a bird in a cage, that 
 promised to stay in it? — Page 2. 
 
 The very violets in their bed 
 Fold up their eyelids blue. 
 
 — Page 35. 
 
 Oh, not in cruelty, not in wrath, 
 The Reaper came that day ; 
 
Memorizing 63 
 
 'Twas an angel visited the green earth, 
 And took the flowers away. 
 
 — Page 41. 
 
 It matters nothing if one is born in a duck 
 yard, if one can only be hatched from a swan's 
 egg. — Page 57. 
 
 Rejoice in thy youth, rejoice in thy fresh 
 growth, and in the young life that is within thee. 
 
 -Page 97. 
 
 You are more than the Earth, though you are 
 
 such a dot — 
 You can love and think, and the Earth cannot. 
 
 — Page 244. 
 
 Thank him for his lesson's sake, 
 
 Thank God's gentle minstrel there, 
 
 Who, when storms make others quake, 
 Sings of days that brighter were. 
 
 —Page 253, 
 
 You must expect to be beat a few times in 
 your life, little man, if you live such a life as a 
 man ought to live. — Page 288. 
 
 Those that wish to be clean, clean they will 
 be. —Page 293. 
 
 (Volume III) 
 
 Reckon not on your chickens before they are 
 hatched. — Page 69. 
 
 He saw the rocks of the mountain tops all 
 crimson and purple with the sunset; and there 
 were bright tongues of fiery cloud burning and 
 quivering about them; and the river, brighter 
 
64 Memorizing 
 
 than all, fell, in a waving column of pure gold, 
 from precipice to precipice, with the double arch 
 of a broad purple rainbow stretched across it, 
 flushing and fading alternately in the wreaths 
 of spray. — Page 151. 
 
 In darkness dissolves the gay frost-work of 
 bliss. —Page 186. 
 
 Peace and order and beauty draw 
 Round thy symbol of light and law. 
 
 — Page 477. 
 
 (Volume IV) 
 
 Prince thou art, — the grown up man 
 Only is republican. — Page 3. 
 
 O'er me, like a regal tent, 
 Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent, 
 Purple-curtained, fringed with gold, 
 Looped in many a wind-swung fold. 
 
 — Page 6. 
 Now in memory comes my mother, 
 
 As she was long years agone, 
 To regard the darling dreamers 
 Ere she left them till the dawn. 
 
 — Page 8. 
 
 Lips where smiles went out and in. — Page 32. 
 
 All the little boys and girls, 
 
 With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls, 
 
 And sparkling eves and teeth like pearls. 
 
 —Page 37. 
 I chatter over stony ways, 
 I've little sharps and trebles, 
 
Memorizing 65 
 
 I bubble into eddying bays, 
 I babble on the pebbles. 
 
 —Page 194. 
 
 For men may come and men may go, 
 But I go on forever. 
 
 —Page 195. 
 
 And looks the whole world in the face, 
 For he owes not any man. 
 
 —Page 227. 
 
 Thus at the flaming forge of life 
 Our fortunes may be wrought; 
 
 Thus on its sounding anvil shaped 
 Each burning deed and thought. 
 
 —Page 229. 
 
 And when the arrows of sunset 
 Lodged in the tree-tops bright, 
 
 He fell, in his saint-like beauty, 
 Asleep by the gates of light. 
 
 — Page 274. 
 
 And then through the flash of the morning light, 
 A steed as black as the steeds of night, 
 Was seen to pass as with eagle flight. 
 
 —Page 378. 
 
 Noiselessly as the springtime 
 Her crown of verdure weaves, 
 
 And all the trees on all the hills 
 Open their thousand leaves. 
 
 — Page 426. 
 
66 Memorizing 
 
 (Volume V) 
 
 Who dies in youth and vigor, dies the best, 
 Struck through with wounds, all honest, on the 
 breast. — Page 52. 
 
 the knotted column of his throat, 
 The massive square of his heroic breast, 
 And arms on which the standing muscle sloped, 
 As slopes a wild brook o'er a little stone, 
 Running too vehemently to break it. 
 
 — Page 325. 
 
 Ye think the rustic cackle of your bourg 
 The murmur of the world ! 
 
 —Page 331. 
 
 For man is man and master of his fate. 
 
 —Page 335. 
 
 (Volume VI) 
 
 Perseverance gains its mead 
 And Patience wins the race. 
 
 —Page 42. 
 
 Forever float that standard sheet! 
 
 Where breathes the foe but falls before us, 
 With Freedom's soil beneath our feet, 
 
 And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us? 
 
 —Page 130. 
 
 He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall 
 
 never call retreat; 
 He is sifting out the hearts of men before his 
 
 judgment seat: 
 
Memorizing 67 
 
 O, be swift, my soul, to answer him! be jubilant, 
 my feet ! 
 
 Our God is marching on. 
 
 —Page 132. 
 
 Silence! ground arms! kneel all! caps off! 
 
 "Old Blue-Light's" going to pray. 
 Strangle the foe that dares to scoff! 
 
 Attention! It's his way. — Page 133. 
 
 To every man upon this earth 
 
 Death cometh soon or late. 
 And how can man die better 
 
 Than facing fearful odds, 
 For the ashes of his fathers, 
 
 And the temples of his gods. 
 
 —Page 246. 
 
 When by my bed I saw my mother kneel, 
 
 And with her blessing took her nightly kiss ; 
 
 Whatever Time destroys, he cannot this; — 
 E'en now that nameless kiss I feel. — Page 372. 
 Sweet and low, sweet and low, 
 
 Wind of the western sea; 
 Low, low, breathe and blow, 
 
 Wind of the western sea ! 
 Over the rolling waters go, 
 Come from the dying moon, and blow, 
 
 Blow him again to me ; 
 While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps. 
 
 —Page 372. 
 
 The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the 
 firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto 
 day uttereth speech, and night unto night shew- 
 
68 Memorizing 
 
 eth knowledge. There is no speech nor language 
 where their voice is not heard. — Page 387. 
 
 I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of 
 my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 
 
 —Page 390. 
 
 He will not always chide : neither will he keep 
 his anger forever. — Page 391. 
 
 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt 
 as a child, I thought as a child; now that I am 
 become a man, I have put away childish things. 
 
 —Page 394. 
 
 And the sheen on their spears was like stars on 
 
 the sea, 
 Where the blue wave rolls nightly on deep 
 
 Galilee. —Page 395. 
 
 Whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou 
 lodgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall be my peo- 
 ple and thy God my God. —Page 399. 
 For we are all, like swimmers in the sea, 
 Poised on the top of a huge wave of fate, 
 Which hangs uncertain to which side to fall. 
 
 — Page 445. 
 
 (Volume VII) 
 
 Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, 
 Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. 
 
 — Page 6. 
 
 "God bless us everyone!" said Tiny Tim. 
 
 —Page 97. 
 All hail'd, with uncontroll'd delight 
 
Memorizing . 69 
 
 And general voice, the happy night, 
 That to the cottage, as the crown, 
 Brought tidings of Salvation down. 
 
 — Page 151. 
 
 The short and simple annals of the poor. 
 
 —Page 158. 
 
 The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 
 
 —Page 158. 
 
 Full many a gem of purest ray serene 
 
 The dark unf athomed caves of ocean bear ; 
 
 Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 
 
 —Page 159. 
 
 Along the cool, sequestered vale of life 
 They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. 
 
 —Page 161. 
 
 He gained from Heaven ('twas all he wished) 
 a friend. — Page 164. 
 
 Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor 
 wears ; while the used key is always bright. 
 
 —Page 208. 
 
 He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall 
 scarce overtake his business at night; while lazi- 
 ness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes 
 him. — Page 209. 
 
 Have you somewhat to do tomorrow? Do it 
 today. — Page 210. 
 
 For want of a nail the shoe was lost ; for want 
 of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a 
 horse the rider was lost. — Page 212. 
 
70 Memorizing 
 
 Beware of little expenses; a small leak will 
 sink a great ship. — Page 213. 
 
 'Tis foolish to lay out money in the purchase 
 of repentance. — Page 214. 
 
 Fools make feasts and wise men eat them. 
 
 —Page 214. 
 
 'Tis hard for an empty bag to stand upright! 
 
 —Page 217. 
 
 Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will 
 learn in no other. — Page 219. 
 
 That inward eye 
 Which is the bliss of solitude. 
 
 —Page 287. 
 
 Then doth thy sweet and quiet eye 
 Look through its fringes to the sky. 
 
 —Page 291. 
 
 The bonny lark, companion meet, 
 Bending thee 'mang the dewy weet 
 
 Wi' spreckled breast, 
 When upward springing, blithe to greet 
 
 The purpling east. — Page 295. 
 
 He prayeth well, who loveth well 
 Both man and bird and beast. 
 He prayeth best, who loveth best 
 All things both great and small. 
 
 —Page 351. 
 
 The rank is but the guinea's stamp, 
 The man's the gowd for a' that ! 
 
 — Page 454. 
 
Memokizing 71 
 
 By fairy hands their knell is rung 
 By forms unseen their dirge is sung. 
 
 — Page 457. 
 
 Still stands Thine ancient Sacrifice, 
 An humble and a contrite heart. 
 
 Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 
 
 —Page 472. 
 
 (Volume VIII) 
 
 The remarkably adult yet innocent expression 
 of their open and serene eyes is very memorable. 
 All intelligence seems reflected in them. They 
 suggest not merely the purity of infancy, but a 
 wisdom clarified by experience. Such an eye 
 was not born when the bird was, but is coeval with 
 the sky it reflects. The woods do not yield such 
 another gem. — Page 91. 
 
 Sounds of vernal showers 
 
 On the twinkling grass, 
 Rain-awakened flowers, 
 
 All that ever was 
 Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music 
 doth surpass. — Page 108. 
 
 Imagine a stream seventy yards broad divided 
 by a pebbly island, running over seductive rif- 
 fles and swirling into deep, quiet pools where 
 the good salmon goes to smoke his pipe after his 
 meals. — Page 119, 
 
72 Memorizing 
 
 I once had a sparrow alight on my shoulder 
 for a moment while I was hoeing in a village gar- 
 den, and I felt that I was more distinguished by 
 that circumstance than I should have been by 
 any epaulet I could have worn. — Page 132. 
 
 For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place 
 
 The flood may bear me far, 
 I hope to see my Pilot face to face 
 
 When I have crost the bar. — Page 184. 
 
 And while in life's late afternoon 
 
 Where cool and long the shadows grow, 
 I walk to meet the night that soon 
 
 Shall shape and darkness overflow, 
 I cannot feel that thou art far, 
 
 Since near at hand the angels are; 
 And when the sunset gates unbar, 
 
 Shall I not see thee waiting stand, 
 And. white against the evening star, 
 The welcome of thy beckoning hand ? 
 
 —Page 235. 
 He who, from zone to zone, 
 
 Guides through the boundless sky thy certain 
 night, 
 In the long way that I must tread alone, 
 
 Will lead my steps aright. — Page 244. 
 
 Go tell the Spartans, thou that passeth by, 
 That here, obedient to their laws, we lie. 
 
 — Page 447. 
 
 (Volume IX) 
 
 Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat: 
 The Alamo had none. — Page 35. 
 
Memorizing 73 
 
 Write me as one who loves his fellow men. 
 
 —Page 78. 
 
 England expects every man to do his duty. 
 
 —Page 229. 
 
 An' Oh ! be sure to fear the Lord alway ! 
 An' mind your duty, duly, morn and night! 
 
 —Page 257. 
 
 They never sought in vain that sought the 
 
 Lord aright. — Page 257. 
 
 The best acid is assiduity. — Page 267. 
 
 (Volume X) 
 
 When beggars die, there are no comets seen; 
 The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of 
 princes. — Page 76. 
 
 Cowards die many times before their deaths ; 
 The valiant never taste of death but once. 
 
 —Page 76. 
 Et tu brute! Then fall, Caesar. — Page 86. 
 Surely man is but a shadow, and life a dream. 
 
 —Page 232. 
 
 — All service ranks the same with God. 
 
 — Page 249. 
 The year's at the spring, 
 And day's at the morn; 
 Morning's at seven ; 
 The hillside's dew-pearled: 
 The lark's on the wing; 
 The snail's on the thorn ; 
 
74 Memorizing 
 
 God's in his heaven — 
 All's right with the world. 
 
 — Page 251, 
 
 For what are the voices of birds — 
 
 Ay, and of beasts — but words, our words, 
 
 Only so much more sweet? — Page 263. 
 
 I will pass each, and see their happiness, 
 
 And envy none — being just as great, no doubt, 
 
 Useful to men, dear to God as they! 
 
 —Page 267. 
 
 The quotations above are arranged in the or- 
 der of their appearance in Journeys Through 
 Bookland. This will enable the teacher to lo- 
 cate them easily. The lines cover a wide range 
 of thought and will furnish an endless variety 
 of material for stories, comment, question and 
 conversation. Some of them cannot be appre- 
 ciated without a knowledge of their setting in 
 the original poem or prose selection, while others 
 are complete and perfect as they stand. 
 
 One of the best ways to teach a poem or selec- 
 tion is to begin by creating an interest in a quo- 
 tation from it. For instance, "Write me as one 
 who loves his fellowmen," will lead the way to 
 an acquaintance with the old favorite Abou Ben 
 Adhem. In fact, only after the poem has been 
 read and appreciated will a person get the full 
 force of the idea, "Write me as one who loves 
 his fellowmen," 
 
VII. SUPPLEMENTARY BOOK LISTS 
 (Volume X, page 448) 
 
 The brief article beginning on page 448, 
 though written for parents, will be interesting 
 to teachers, and the lists beginning on page 452 
 will be found exceedingly helpful. Many of the 
 books will be found in school libraries and the 
 classification of the lists will enable the teacher 
 to use wisdom in her recommendation for out- 
 side or supplementary reading, even if she is not 
 familiar with the books themselves. It should 
 be remembered that as a general thing children 
 prefer to read the things that are easy for them 
 and that it is not well to recommend many books 
 that are even on a level with their reading in 
 class. Many pupils go to the public library for 
 books and they are always glad of suggestions 
 concerning interesting books related to school 
 exercises. 
 
 It not infrequently happens that teachers are 
 consulted by school boards concerning additions 
 to the school library, and no better service can 
 be rendered the district than to recommend the 
 books listed in Volume X. 
 
 When new books have been obtained for the 
 library the teacher should take some favorable 
 opportunity to tell the pupils about each of the 
 books, or to read interesting extracts from them. 
 Unused books are worse than no books. 
 
 75 
 
VIII. CONTENTS AND PLAN OF 
 "JOURNEYS THROUGH BOOK- 
 LAND" 
 
 (Volume X, page 440) 
 
 Every teacher should read the eight pages that 
 begin with page 440. As each feature of the 
 books is described, take some volume and verify 
 the comments. Learn where the tables of con- 
 tents, the lists of illustrations, the glossaries and 
 the index are to be found, so that you can turn 
 to any one promptly when you wish to find it. 
 
 You can spend several hours very profitably 
 in a general study of the set. It is the almost 
 universal custom of people who know books to 
 give each a general examination before begin- 
 ning to read it. In the case of a set of books 
 it is highly advantageous to look through each 
 volume sufficiently to gain a comprehensive idea 
 of the whole series. There is a certain unity and 
 harmony pervading the volumes. In this set 
 the ten are a unit, but it is a unit composed of 
 ten units. Each volume has its individual pe- 
 culiarities, but all the books are harmonious. The 
 purpose of the first examination is to learn the 
 secret of the unities, to understand the peculi- 
 arities, and to appreciate the harmony. 
 
 Cross-references in books are intended for 
 service, and the teacher will do well to accustom 
 himself to the habitual use of them. References 
 from the Manual to Journeys will be so fre- 
 quent that the former will be of little value with- 
 out the latter. 
 
 76 
 
"JOURNEYS" IN THE 
 CLASSROOM 
 
"JOURNEYS" IN THE CLASSROOM 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 To the teacher, the greatest value of Journeys 
 Through Bookland undoubtedly lies in the as- 
 sistance it gives in the teaching of reading, in the 
 broadening and deepening of culture and in the 
 formation of right habits, the development of 
 character. Yet as soon as that is said we begin 
 to think of the other uses to which the books 
 may be put and we are tempted to modify the 
 statement. There is not a branch of school work 
 in which Journeys may not be used with profit, 
 and in some its profit is inestimable. 
 
 Perhaps you will say that it cannot be used in 
 arithmetic classes. Doubtless there is very little 
 use for the books in that branch, but there are 
 several selections of a mathematical turn and nu- 
 merous stories which require the same style of 
 reasoning that is employed in arithmetic. Even 
 among the nursery rhymes is one that is purely 
 arithmetical (Volume I, page 35). Three Sun- 
 days in a Week (Volume VII, page 255) and 
 The Gold Bug (Volume X, page 172) are sto- 
 ries of the type that require mathematical rea- 
 soning. However, the real value and assistance 
 to the pupil in arithmetic comes in that style of 
 study which is discussed in this Manual and 
 in Talks with Parents (Volume X, page 375), 
 under the title Close Reading. But let us pro- 
 ceed to subjects of greater importance. 
 
 It is in reading, language, geography and his- 
 tory that we find Journeys Through Book- 
 land of the greatest assistance. 
 
 79 
 
I. READING 
 
 (Volume I, pages 3-56) 
 
 The prime motive of Journeys Through 
 Bookland is to teach through reading. It gives 
 many standard and classic masterpieces and fur- 
 nishes abundance of material for reading. Ac- 
 companying many of the selections are studies 
 and comments intended to encourage intelligent 
 and appreciative reading on the part of the chil- 
 dren. All of this, selections, comments and 
 studies, is available for class use. In Volume X, 
 beginning on page 355, under the head of Talks 
 with Parents, this matter is systematized for 
 parents, but it is equally helpful for teachers. 
 Accordingly, the first part of this Manual is 
 based on the Talks with Parents and presents the 
 whole subject from the teacher's standpoint. The 
 major portion of that section is given up to the 
 various phases of literary reading, and accord- 
 ingly it is unnecessary to continue the subject 
 here. The topic Journeys in the High School, in 
 this Manual, also contains some good sugges- 
 tions on reading. 
 
 NURSERY RHYMES 
 
 When a child is taught the little nursery 
 rhymes which seem to be meaningless jingles 
 he is really peeping into the fields of literature, 
 taking the first steps in those journeys that will 
 end in Shakespeare, Browning and Goethe. 
 
Reading 81 
 
 When his infantile ear is caught by the lively 
 rhythm and the catchy rhymes, he is receiving his 
 first lessons in poetry. That the lessons are de- 
 lightful now he shows by his smiles, and in mid- 
 dle life he will appreciate the joy more keenly 
 as he teaches the same little rhymes to his own 
 children. 
 
 Most children know the rhymes when they 
 come to school and they will like to read them 
 there, A child's keenest interest is in the things 
 he knows. Later, perhaps in the high school or 
 the grammar grades, he will be interested again 
 in learning that the rhymes are not wholly friv- 
 olous and that there may be reasons why these 
 rhymes should have survived for centuries in 
 practically unchanged forms. Some of the facts 
 that may be brought out at various times are the 
 following : 
 
 I. There is a hidden significance in some of 
 the nursery rhymes. For instance: 
 
 a. Daffy-Down-Dilly (page 3). In England 
 one of the earliest and most common of spring 
 flowers is the daffodil, a bright yellow, lily-like 
 blossom, with long narrow green leaves all grow- 
 ing from the bulb. The American child may 
 know them as the big double monstrosities the 
 florist sells in the spring, or he may have some 
 single and prettier ones growing in his garden. 
 The jonquil and the various kinds of narcissus 
 are nearly related, white or white and pink flow- 
 ers. The picture on page 3 of Journeys 
 Through Bookland shows in the lower left- 
 
82 Reading 
 
 hand corner a few daffodils growing. In the pic- 
 ture, too, may be seen some old English houses 
 which help to indicate where this rhyme orig- 
 inated. 
 
 Miss Daffy-Down-Dilly, then, in her yellow 
 petticoat and her green gown, is the pretty 
 flower; and the rhyme so understood brings a 
 breath of spring with it. 
 
 b. Humpty Dumpty (page 26). This is 
 really a riddle of the old-fashioned kind. There 
 are many of them in English folk lore. Usually 
 a verse was repeated and then a question asked ; 
 as, "Who was Humpty Dumpty?" The artist 
 has answered the question for us in the picture. 
 Possibly many people who learned the rhyme in 
 childhood never thought of Humpty as an egg. 
 
 What answer would you give to the question, 
 Who was Taffy (page 51)? For similar rid- 
 dles, see Nancy Netticoat (Volume I, page 
 105), The Andiron (page 176) and St. Ives 
 (page 210). 
 
 II. Some were intended to teach certain 
 facts. For instance : 
 
 a. When children were taught the alphabet 
 as the first step to reading, The Apple Pie (page 
 23) gave the letters in their order, including the 
 obsolete "Ampersand." 
 
 b. As children grew a little older and could 
 begin to read what they already knew, things in 
 which the same words were many times repeated 
 were helpful. Two examples are The House that 
 Jack Built (page 37) and There Is the Key of 
 the Kingdom (page 33) . 
 
Reading 83 
 
 c. The numbers from one to twenty were 
 taught by One, Two (page 35). 
 
 d. The days of the week were taught by 
 Solomon Grundy (page 30), which with its 
 amusing provision for repetition is sure to catch 
 the fancy of a child and keep his thoughts on the 
 words. 
 
 III. Some of them teach kindness to animals : 
 
 a. Dapple Gray (page 54). 
 
 b. Ladybird (page 12). This is sometimes 
 known as ladybug, and the bug is the little, 
 round, reddish beetle whose wings are back-dot- 
 ted. It is a pretty, harmless beetle that garden- 
 ers like to see around their plants. Children re- 
 peat the rhyme when they find the beetle in the 
 house and always release it to "fly away and 
 save its children." 
 
 c. Poor Robin (page 27). 
 
 d. Old Mother Hubbard's amusing adven- 
 tures with her dog (page 28) leave a very kindly 
 feeling toward both. 
 
 IV. Some are philosophical, or inculcate 
 moral precepts or good habits, in a simple or 
 amusing way. 
 
 a. Early to Bed (page 8) . 
 
 b. Little Bo-Peep (page 19). Is it not bet- 
 ter to let cares and worries alone? Why cry 
 about things that are lost? 
 
 c. Three Little Kittens (page 34) suggests 
 care for our possessions. 
 
 d. There Was a Man (page 36) has the same 
 idea that we often hear expressed in the proverb, 
 "A hair from the same dog will cure the wound." 
 
84 Reading 
 
 e. Rainbow in the Morning (page 41) has 
 some real weather wisdom in it. 
 
 /. There Was a Jolly Miller (page 43) gives 
 a good lesson in contentment. 
 
 g. A Diller, a Dollar (page 45) . 
 
 h. See a Pin (page 21) suggests in its harm- 
 less superstition a good lesson in economy. 
 
 i Little Boy Blue (page 7) makes the lazy 
 boy and the sluggard unpopular. 
 
 j. Come, Let's to Bed (page 6) ridicules 
 sleepiness, slowness and greediness. 
 
 V. Mother's loving care, at morning and 
 evening, when dressing and undressing the baby 
 or when putting the little folks to bed, have 
 prompted several of the rhymes : 
 
 a. This Little Pig (page 4) the mother re- 
 peats to the baby as she counts his little toes. 
 
 b. Pat-a-Cake (page 9) is another night or 
 morning rhyme; and here mother "marks it with" 
 the initial of her baby's name and puts it in the 
 oven for her baby and herself. Another of simi- 
 lar import is: Up, Little Baby (page 10). 
 
 c. Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling (page 41) has 
 kept many a little boy awake till he was safely 
 undressed. 
 
 d. What an old rhyme must Bye, Baby 
 Bunting be (page 11) ! It goes back to the days 
 when "father went a-hunting, to get a rabbit skin 
 to wrap baby Bunting in." Some one, more re- 
 cently, has added the idea of buying the rabbit 
 skin. 
 
 e. The simple little lyric which closes the sec- 
 tion of Nursery Rhymes (page 55) has filled 
 
Reading 85 
 
 many a childish soul with gentle wonder, and 
 many a night-robed lassie has wandered to the 
 window and begged the little stars to keep on 
 lighting the weary traveler in the dark. 
 
 VI. Some of the rhymes are pure fun, and, 
 as such, are worthy of a place in any person's 
 memory : 
 
 a. There Was an Old Woman (page 10) ; 
 Great A (page 11) ; Jack Be Nimble (page 12) ; 
 To Market, to Market and There Was a Monkey 
 (page 20) ; Goosey-Goosey (page 22) ; Hey, 
 Diddle, Diddle (page 25) ; There Was a Bat 
 (page 26), and others, belong to this category. 
 
 fo. Three Blind Mice (page 45) is an old- 
 fashioned Bound. Many a band of little folks 
 has been divided into groups and sung the non- 
 sensical rhymes until every boy and girl broke 
 down in laughter. Do you poor modern teachers 
 know how it was done? The school was divided 
 into a half-dozen sections. The first section be- 
 gan to sing and when its members reached the 
 end of the first line, the second section began; 
 the third section began when the second reached 
 the end of the first line, and so on till all sec- 
 tions were singing. When any section reached 
 the word "As " they began again at the be- 
 ginning. The first line was chanted in a low, 
 slow monotone, the others were sung as rapidly 
 as possible to a rattling little tune on a high 
 pitch. Imagine the noise, confusion and laugh- 
 ter. Many a dull afternoon in school has been 
 broken up by it, and countless children have re- 
 
86 Reading 
 
 turned to their little tasks with new enthusiasm. 
 The old things are not always to be scorned. 
 
 c. Old King Cole (page 48) is a jolly rhyme, 
 and the illustration is one of the finest in the 
 books. Everybody should study it. 
 
 VII. Two, at least, of the rhymes are of the 
 "counting out" kind. Often children want to de- 
 termine who is to be "It" in a game of tag, who 
 is to be blinded in a game of hide-and-seek, or 
 who takes the disagreeable part in some other 
 play. They are lined up and one begins to "count 
 out" by repeating a senseless jingle, touching a 
 playmate at each word. The one on whom the 
 last word falls is "out," safe from the unpleasant 
 task. One at a time they are counted out till 
 only the "It" remains. 
 
 Wire-brier (page 49) and One-ery, Two-ery 
 (page 5) are examples. The artist has shown 
 a group being counted out, in his very life-like 
 picture on page 49. 
 
 VIII. There are some errors in grammar in 
 the rhymes, many words you cannot find in a dic- 
 tionary, and some of the rhymes may seem a little 
 coarse and vulgar; but they have lived so long 
 in their present form that it seems almost a pity 
 to change them. Encourage your older pupils 
 to find the errors and to criticise and correct 
 as much as they wish. Probably they will not 
 like the rhymes in their new form and correct 
 dress any better than we would. 
 
 IX. There is really a practical value, too, in 
 a knowledge of the nursery rhymes. Allusions 
 to them are found in all literature and many a 
 
Reading 87 
 
 sentence is unintelligible to him who does not 
 recognize the nursery rhyme alluded to. It would 
 be safe, almost, to say that not a day passes in 
 which the daily papers do not contain allusions 
 to some simple little lines dear to our childhood. 
 They are not to be sneered at: they are to be 
 loved in babyhood and childhood, understood in 
 youth, and treasured in middle life and old age. 
 
II. LANGUAGE. 
 
 In the discussion of reading in this Manual 
 there are numerous allusions to the teaching of 
 language, but it may be well to present the 
 subject in a more systematic manner. 
 
 There are two distinct phases of the teaching 
 or language ; pupils must be taught to speak and 
 to write with ease, fluency and correctness. There 
 are very few childen who do not like to talk. It is 
 as natural to them as to breathe. But as soon as 
 they begin to speak we begin to correct their 
 speech. Much of our criticism is given publicly, 
 at least before other children, some of whom are 
 known to speak more fluently and correctly than 
 those whose errors aie being criticized. In con- 
 sequence, the children begin to doubt them- 
 selves, to hesitate, and gradually to lose their 
 desire to talk. In fact, so timid and reluctant do 
 they become that by the time they have been in 
 school a few years many teachers find their 
 greatest difficulty in getting pupils to recite well 
 or to talk naturally. Perhaps before and after 
 school and at recess they will converse freely and 
 delightfully, but as soon as their classes are called 
 they become reticent and ill at ease. Not all of 
 this lack of spirit is due to the teacher, but some 
 of it is. In any event it is an unfortunate con- 
 dition, and the teacher is anxious to remove it. 
 
 In a lesser degree, perhaps, the same facts are 
 true in written language, in composition. But in 
 
Language 89 
 
 lessons of this type the teacher will not find con- 
 ditions so favorable : Talking is natural, writing 
 is artificial; to speak is instinctive, to write is an 
 art of difficult attainment. In the first place, a 
 child must be taught to form strange characters 
 with his hand. After he acquires facility in that, 
 he must think, put his thoughts into words in his 
 mind, and then laboriously transfer his words, 
 letter by letter, to the paper before him. Many 
 a child who talks well, cannot write a respectable 
 letter. His thoughts outrun his hand, and by the 
 time the first labored sentence is written his ideas 
 have fled and he must begin again. Is it any 
 wonder that his sentences are disconnected, his 
 thought meager ? 
 
 Just think what it means to a child to write 
 you a letter, or even a brief paragraph ! Suppose 
 he wants to tell you about a dog he has at home. 
 He begins by thinking: "My dog, Ben, is a 
 pretty little woolly fellow with bright eyes and 
 long silky ears," and then his thoughts run off 
 vaguely into the general idea that he is going to 
 tell you about some very cute tricks Ben can per- 
 form. The child is all enthusiasm and he begins 
 writing and thinking something like this: "My 
 (that word must begin with a capital letter) dog 
 ('Ben' must begin with a capital, too,) Ben is a 
 (is that 'pritty' or 'pretty'? It's pronounced 
 'pritty' anyhow) pritty (that don't look right. 
 Scratch it out!) pretty (well, that don't, I mean 
 doesn't look right either, but I'll leave it.) (For 
 goodness sake, how do you spell it? 'Wooly'? 
 'wolly'? 'woolly'? I guess I had it right at 
 
90 Language 
 
 first.) wooly fellow (where shall I put the com- 
 mas? I'll leave 'em out. Teacher can put them 
 in if she wants them. ) with bright eyes and long 
 slicky (no, no, that isn't right! How funny! 
 Scratch it out.) silky ears. (I nearly forgot the 
 period. Now what was I going to say next?)" 
 When he is through his first sentence is like this : 
 "My dog Ben is a pretty little wooly fellow with 
 bright eyes and long silky ears." He looks at 
 his work with doubt and disgust as he scratches 
 his head for the next idea. He has wholly for- 
 gotten what he intended to tell about ! Later, his 
 work, wholly unsatisfactory to himself, comes to 
 you for criticism and you take your blue pencil 
 or your pen with red ink and put in the marks if 
 any are needed, indicate the misspelled words 
 and sigh as you say, "Will Charlie ever learn to 
 write a decent composition?" Certainty he will, 
 when his writing becomes mechanical, when his 
 hand makes the letters, puts in the marks, and his 
 lower brain spells the words for him, without dis- 
 turbing the higher cells which are occupied with 
 his ideas. 
 
 The diverse problems that confront a teacher 
 of language have been stated. We cannot solve 
 them, but most certainly we can help her on her 
 way. 
 
 A. Oral Lessons 
 
 Success in oral language lessons rests primarily 
 upon interest. If you can secure interest, the 
 pupils will talk freely ; if you retain interest, you 
 can criticize freely and with good effect. 
 
Language 91 
 
 Criticisms should not be too severe and should 
 always be impersonal. It is not John and Mary 
 who are being corrected, but the mistakes that 
 John and Mary make. You have heard teachers 
 say, "John, why will you persist in saying, 'I 
 done it!' Don't you know that is wrong? You 
 must correct yourself." Such criticism is wholly 
 bad. If John says, "I done it" it is because he 
 has heard the expression and become habituated 
 to its use. He cannot be taught differently by 
 berating him. When he says, "I done it," repeat 
 after him in a kindly inquiring voice, "I done it?" 
 or say in a kindly way, "I did it." In either case 
 John will give you the correct form willingly, and 
 when he has done so times enough he will forget 
 the wrong form and cease to use it. 
 
 Every teacher must remember that children 
 have heard slang and incorrect speech almost 
 from, infancy; that the playground, the street 
 and the home have been steadily teaching, and 
 that the minds of even primary children may be 
 filled with not only loose forms of speech, but 
 even with profane and indecent expressions. One 
 of the natural correctives for such things is the 
 reading and telling of attractive stories, full of 
 dramatic power, calculated to stimulate right 
 feeling, couched in clear and forcible English. 
 Elsewhere in this Manual, under the title Story- 
 Telling, are suggestions and models that will help 
 the teacher. 
 
 From the standpoint of the language lesson, 
 pupils must reproduce the story, must "tell it 
 back" to make it valuable to them. The teacher's 
 
92 Language 
 
 part in this reproduction may be summed up as 
 follows : 
 
 1. Give the pupil an interested audience, if 
 only yourself or a pupil who has been absent. 
 
 2. Secure clearness. Do it by a gentle ques- 
 tion or a remark now and then: "I am not sure 
 that I understand you." "Do you think Mary 
 would know what you mean if she had never 
 read the story?" "If you were telling the story 
 to your mother would she understand that?" 
 
 3. Encourage the pupils to use their own 
 words, when they follow too closely the phrase- 
 ology that was given them, yet remember that 
 one of the objects of the exercise is to give the 
 pupils the use of a wider vocabulary and to make 
 them appreciate and use beautiful and forcible 
 expressions. 
 
 4. Be reasonably content with freedom of 
 expression at first, and do not expect too japid 
 improvement. You are moving against fixed 
 habits. 
 
 5. Vary the character of the recitation. Some- 
 times permit one child to tell the whole story; at 
 other times, call upon many children, one taking 
 up the story where the other dropped it. 
 
 6. If the story is a difficult one, do not ask 
 for its reproduction until it is thoroughly under- 
 stood. Make its meaning clear by skillful ques- 
 tioning, which with the answers makes an ex- 
 tremely valuable conversation lesson. 
 
 7. Encourage the use of beautiful expres- 
 sions, of fine figures of speech. Do it by using 
 
 
Language 93 
 
 such expressions yourself and by pointing them 
 out in the story or poem you are using. 
 
 8. Beware of spoiling a beautiful poem or an 
 elegant prose selection by poor reproduction. 
 After the story has been related and the meaning 
 made clear have the original read several times 
 exactly as it is written and encourage the pupils 
 to commit it to memory. 
 
 There are in Journeys Through Bookland 
 many selections suitable for these oral lessons. 
 For the little folks there are some of the Nursery 
 Rhymes, of Volume I, like the following: 
 
 Little Boy Blue, Page 7. 
 
 Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Page 8. 
 
 Ladybird, Ladybird, Page 12. 
 
 Little Bo-Peep, Page 19. 
 
 Jack and Gill, Page 21. 
 
 Poor Robin, Page 27. 
 
 There Was a Jolly Miller, Page 43. 
 
 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Page 55. 
 
 In the same class may be included those beau- 
 tiful poems by Stevenson and Riley, poems that 
 every child loves and will be delighted to talk 
 about. For instance, the following from the same 
 Volume : 
 
 The Swing, Page 64. 
 
 Singing, Page 73. 
 
 The Rock-a-by Lady, Page 89. 
 
 My Bed is a Boat, Page 124. 
 
 Foreign Lands, Page 127. 
 
 Little Blue Pigeon, Page 130. 
 
 The Land of Counterpane, Page 143. 
 
94 Language 
 
 Norse Lullaby, Page 253. 
 Where Go the Boats? Page 265. 
 Wynken, Blynken and Nod, Page 272. 
 Keepsake Mill, Page 363. 
 The Duel, Page 400. 
 
 The last list, however, includes many of those 
 poems which must not be spoiled by childish re- 
 telling. Use them for conversation subjects and 
 then for reading or recitation. 
 
 The fables will be found to provide excellent 
 material, and there need be no fear of ruining 
 their effect as literature : 
 
 The Lion and the Mouse, Volume I, page 69. 
 
 The Wolf and the Crane, I, 91. 
 
 The Lark and Her Young Ones, I, 128. 
 
 The Cat and the Chestnuts, I, 141. 
 
 The Sparrow and the Eagle, Volume II, 8. 
 Certain of the fairy stories are excellent ; so are 
 anecdotes concerning men of whom the children 
 should know; historical tales, and stories about 
 plants, birds and other animals. Among the 
 great number of selections that might be included 
 under this head, some of the best are the follow- 
 ing: 
 
 1. Fairy Tales and Folk Stories : 
 
 Silverlocks and the Three Bears, Volume 
 1,96. 
 
 The Hardy Tin Soldier, I, 147. 
 
 Cinderella, I, 231. 
 
 The Ugly Duckling, II, 43. 
 
 Why the Sea is Salt, III, 51. 
 
 The Pied Piper of Hamelin, IV, 30. 
 
Language 95 
 
 2. Biographical Stories : 
 
 Robert Louis Stephenson, Volume I, 125. 
 
 Eugene Field, I, 249. 
 
 George Rogers Clark, VII, 221. 
 
 Pere Marquette, IX, 1. 
 
 3. Myths: 
 
 The Wonderful Gifts, Volume I, 384. 
 
 The Chimera, II, 208. 
 
 The Story of the Phaethon, II, 245. 
 
 4. Historical Tales : 
 
 Robert Bruce and the Spider, Volume VI, 
 
 40. 
 The Fall of Alamo, IX, 23. 
 Herve' Kiel, IX, 53. 
 
 5. About Flowers and Plants: 
 The Daffodils, Volume VII, 287. 
 
 Trees and Ants That Help Each Other, 
 
 VIII, 140. 
 A Bed of Nettles, IX, 131. 
 
 6. About Birds : 
 
 Who Stole the Bird's Nest? Volume II, 439. 
 Owls, X, 169. 
 
 7. About Other Animals : 
 Elephant Hunting, Volume VII, 180. 
 The Buffalo, VII, 395. 
 
 The Pond in Winter, VIII, 111. 
 The longer stories you will abbreviate in tell- 
 ing, and the children will still further shorten 
 them. Try, however, to retain the spirit of each. 
 Do not try to tell all that is contained in the 
 longer articles mentioned above. Select interest- 
 ing portions, a single anecdote, a few facts that 
 will hold attention. 
 
96 Language 
 
 At times vary the exercise by giving a very 
 simple theme and ask the children to make up a 
 story to fit it. If they have difficulty, help them 
 to think and talk. When they see what you want, 
 some will surprise you with their vivid imagina- 
 tions and picturesque modes of expression. Sup- 
 pose you have in mind the fable The Wind and 
 the Sun (Volume I, Page 90) . You might pre- 
 sent the idea to them in this form: "The Wind 
 and the Sun each tried to make a man take off 
 his coat. The Wind tried and failed, then the 
 Sun tried and succeeded. Can you tell me a story 
 about that?" If you meet with no satisfactory 
 response, begin questioning somewhat in this 
 style, and perhaps your pupils will answer nearly 
 as indicated : 
 
 Teacher. You don't know what I mean? 
 Then let us tell it together. How do you think 
 the Wind would try to make a man take off his 
 coat ? 
 
 John. He would try to blow it off. 
 
 Teacher. How would he blow? 
 
 John. He would blow hard. 
 
 Teacher. Can you think of another word 
 besides hard to show how he would blow? 
 
 John. Fierce. 
 
 Teacher. Fiercely. Yes, 'fiercely' is a good 
 word. How fiercely would he blow ? 
 
 John. Very fierce. 
 
 Teacher. Yes, very fiercely. Did you notice 
 I said "fiercely," John? Now can't you think of 
 a comparison with something else that is fierce, 
 
Language 97 
 
 so that our story will sound well and people will 
 like it? 
 
 John. A lion is fierce. We could say, "He 
 blew as fiercely as a lion?" 
 
 Teacher. But a lion does not blow. What 
 does he do ? 
 
 John. He tears his prey when he captures it. 
 
 Teacher. That's good. Now tell me how the 
 Wind tried to make the man take off his coat. 
 
 John. The Wind blew fiercely as a lion tears 
 his prey. 
 
 Teacher. Good. Did the man take off his 
 coat, Mary? 
 
 Mary. I don't think he did. I think he would 
 try to keep it on. 
 
 Teacher. How hard do you think he would 
 try? 
 
 Mary. As hard as he could. 
 
 Teacher. Did he lose it ? 
 
 Mary. No. No matter what the Wind did I 
 think the man would keep on his coat. 
 
 Teacher. Will you please tell the story as far 
 as we have gone ? 
 
 Mary. The Wind and the Sun tried to make 
 a man take off his coat. First the Wind blew as 
 fiercely as a lion tears his prey, but the man 
 clung more closely to his coat and would not let 
 it go. 
 
 Teacher. That is good, but it does not satisfy 
 me yet. I want a longer, prettier story. Let us 
 make believe the Wind and the Sun are two men. 
 Make them talk so they will seem real to us. 
 Can't you start us, Paul ? 
 
98 Language 
 
 Paul. One day Mr. Wind and Mr. Sun got 
 to talking. Each one thought he was stronger 
 than the other. They saw a man walking along 
 the road. He had a big overcoat on and Mr. 
 Wind said that he 
 
 Teacher. Tell us exactly what Mr. Wind 
 said. 
 
 Paul. Mr. Wind said, "I am stronger than 
 you are. I can make that man take off his coat. 
 You can't!" 
 
 Teacher. That is a fine start, Paul. Kate, will 
 you tell us what the Sun said ? 
 
 Kate. The Sun said that he 
 
 Teacher. "That he"? 
 
 Kate. The Sun said, "I can make him take 
 off his coat, and I can do it quicker than you 
 can." 
 
 Teacher. Good. Go on, Kate. 
 
 Kate. So they tried. Mr. Wind began. He 
 blew as hard as he could and whistled around the 
 man. He blew as fiercely as a lion tears his prey, 
 but the man wouldn't take off his coat. 
 
 Teacher. What would the man do to his coat? 
 
 Kate. I think he'd hold on to it, button it up, 
 draw it close around him. 
 
 Teacher. Good. Very good. Xow, Will, tell 
 the story as well as you can. 
 
 Will. Begin at the beginning? 
 
 Teacher. Yes. 
 
 Will. One day Mr. Wind and Mr. Sun got 
 into a quarrel about who was the strongest. While 
 they were at it, a man in a heavy overcoat came 
 walking along the road. When Mr. Wind saw 
 
Language 99 
 
 the man he said, "Now see that man down there. 
 I can make him take off his coat, but you can't." 
 Mr. Sun replied, "I don't believe you can do it, 
 but I can, though," Then Mr. Wind said, "Well, 
 I'll show you, you conceited thing!" So the Wind 
 blew and blew, fierce and loud like a lion attack- 
 ing his prey, but the man wouldn't take off his 
 coat. He drew it around him and buttoned 
 it up and hung on to it. 
 
 Teacher. I like your story, Will. But how 
 many people were talking? 
 
 Will. Two. 
 
 Teacher. Did you mean to say "strongest"? 
 
 Will. Stronger. 
 
 It is not necessary to continue this farther, for 
 enough has been written to show how a story may 
 be developed and improved with each retelling. 
 
 The same style of work, perhaps to even better 
 advantage, may be done from the pictures so 
 numerous in Journeys Through Bookland. 
 In the Manual and in Talks With Parents 
 (Volume X, Page 389), under the title Pictures 
 and Their Use, will be found plentiful sugges- 
 tions that will be helpful in conversation lessons. 
 
 B. Written Language. 
 
 I. Introduction. 
 
 The demands of written composition are so 
 much more severe than those of oral composition 
 that the teacher must be careful not to ask more 
 than the pupil can execute with comparative ease. 
 Before he begins to write, he should have clear 
 
100 Language 
 
 ideas of what he intends to write and should have 
 those ideas so arranged that they will not be con- 
 fused in the process of writing. Moreover, a pupil 
 must become quite familiar with writing as an art 
 before he can be expected to originate ideas or 
 forms of expression for the purpose of writing 
 them. It follows, then, that some of the early 
 written work in language may profitably consist 
 of copying selections of various kinds. 
 
 The titles given under the preceding section 
 (Oral Language) will lead the teacher to many 
 excellent exercises for this purpose. Insist on 
 perfect accuracy of copy. Spelling, capitalization 
 and punctuation must be correct. If the original 
 is prose, insist upon proper paragraphing; if 
 poetry, upon exactness in the arrangement of the 
 lines, especially in the matter of indentation. 
 Pupils will quickly see the relation that indenta- 
 tion bears to rhymes. By following with exact- 
 ness, the pupil learns unconsciously to observe the 
 general rules. By occasionally calling attention 
 to the reasons for forms, pupils are taught to act 
 intelligently and to decide for themselves when 
 they come to original composition. 
 
 Rhythm is as natural as breathing, and rhym- 
 ing is easy for children with quick ears and quick 
 thought. You will be surprised the first time you 
 try the exericse to see how quickly they will 
 imitate a rhythm with which they are familiar, 
 and the skill they show in making rhymes. Try 
 it first as an oral exercise, and later ask for writ- 
 ten lines. Much of such work may not be profit- 
 able, but it serves well to give variety. Making 
 
Language 101 
 
 simple parodies is amusing and stimulating to 
 thought. Sometimes you will help by suggesting 
 rhymes or by giving hints as to the subject to be 
 parodied. 
 
 Take the nursery rhyme There Was an Old 
 Woman (Volume I, Page 10) for a model. Sug- 
 gest bird and nest as ideas for new rhymes and 
 keep helping until you get something like this : 
 
 There was a sweet birdie 
 
 Who built a fine nest, 
 A beautiful birdie 
 
 With a very red breast. 
 
 Use the same meter many times over till all 
 become familiar with it. Similar exercises prove 
 highly interesting to pupils of all ages. 
 
 Although this is not a treatise on written lan- 
 guage lessons, a few general suggestions may 
 not be out of place : 
 
 1. Be sure that the pupils have something 
 interesting about which to write. 
 
 2. Be sure that they have a good stock of 
 ideas on the subject, or that they know how and 
 where to get information and can get it without 
 great difficulty. 
 
 3. Be sure that they write an outline of their 
 composition or have one thoroughly in mind be- 
 fore they begin on the essay itself. 
 
 4. Give plenty of time for the writing. 
 
 5. Show a decided interest in their prepara- 
 tion and in their compositions. 
 
 6. Do not be severe in your criticisms. Give 
 encouragement. Concentrate your efforts on one 
 
102 Language 
 
 or two points at a time. Let other mistakes pass 
 till a more convenient time. 
 
 7. a. Watch for errors : 
 
 ( 1 ) In the use of capital letters. 
 
 ( 2 ) In the use of punctuation marks ; first 
 of terminal marks, then of the marks within a 
 sentence. 
 
 b. See that every sentence is complete, with 
 subject and predicate. 
 
 c. See that verbs agree with subjects, and 
 pronouns with antecedents. 
 
 d. Insist that the work be paragraphed. 
 
 e. Watch for errors in case among the pro- 
 nouns. The objective case is troublesome. 
 
 /. Look for adjective forms where adver- 
 bial forms are correct. 
 
 8. Require care in all work. Neatness and 
 legibility are essential. 
 
 9. Mark errors, do not correct them. Let the 
 pupils do that. A simple system of marks will 
 enable you t3 indicate the nature of the error. 
 
 10. When the mistakes have been corrected, 
 have a neat copy made and preserved. 
 
 11. Try sincerely to work with your pupils 
 and to secure a genuine spirit of co-operation. 
 
 II. Literature in Written Language Work. 
 
 The skilful teacher draws her subjects for 
 composition from many sources. She makes 
 every lesson a language lesson, and from every 
 study she finds material for written exercises. 
 Here we are concerned with but one phase of the 
 
Language 103 
 
 subject, viz: the use that may be made of litera- 
 ture in the class room, and the aid that Journeys 
 Through Bookland will give the enterprising 
 teacher. 
 
 Indirectly, all that is said on the teaching of 
 reading in the Manual and in Journeys 
 Through Bookland bears upon language, and 
 the teacher is earnestly urged to consider it all 
 carefully in that light. More directly, what has 
 been written herein on the subject of conversation 
 lessons and oral language is a necessary prelim- 
 inary to any discussion of written work and 
 should be used freely in the assignment and prep- 
 aration of subjects for written exercises. The 
 outlines for study in reading and the outlines of 
 the oral lessons are easily modified to become 
 very satisfactory outlines for compositions. The 
 selections recommended for oral lessons are all 
 adapted to written work. 
 
 A. Narration. As in other instances in the 
 Manual, however, it here seems wise to give a 
 few suggestions specifically for the written exer- 
 cises, and as a basis for such suggestions we will 
 take selections from Journeys Through Book- 
 land. 
 
 Robin Hood has been an interesting character 
 for many generations of school boys, and among 
 the ballads concerning him (Volume IV, Page 
 86 ) , are several good selections for reading to the 
 class. Most of the pupils know something about 
 Robin Hood and many of them have read full 
 accounts, yet probably the old ballads are not 
 familiar. The note on page 86 gives information 
 
104 Language 
 
 about the ballads and tells what it is necessary to 
 know about Robin Hood himself. Suppose we 
 take as a subject the ballad on page 95, Robin 
 Hood and the Stranger. The notes explain pe- 
 culiar expressions and give the meanings of 
 obsolete words. There is a manly, rough-and- 
 tumble spirit in the ballad that boys like, and it 
 is clean and wholesome, as well. 
 
 Read the ballad to the pupils, explaining the 
 more obscure words and phrases as you go along. 
 Encourage the pupils to ask questions whenever 
 they do not fully understand. Talk freely until 
 you have made everything clear and have secured 
 interest. Then read the whole ballad without 
 interruption. Read with expression and enthusi- 
 asm. Show the spirit and virility of the men. 
 
 Then by questions bring out the facts of the 
 narrative in logical order and, as they appear, 
 have them written upon the blackboard, or have 
 each pupil copy them for himself. They con- 
 stitute the outline each is to write. Adapt the 
 outline to the age and acquirements of the pupil ; 
 make it as full or as brief as you please, but make 
 it logical and complete. Let it be similar to the 
 following : 
 
 1 . Robin Hood goes hunting. 
 
 2. He meets a well-dressed stranger, with 
 scarlet stockings. 
 
 3. The stranger kills a deer by a remarkable 
 shot with his bow. 
 
 4. Robin Hood invites the stranger to join 
 his company. 
 
Language 105 
 
 5. The stranger threatens Robin Hood. 
 
 6. They prepare to fight with bows. 
 
 7. Robin Hood thinks it a pity that either 
 should be slain, and proposes to fight with broad- 
 swords. 
 
 8. Robin Hood strikes a heavy blow which 
 the stranger returns with interest. 
 
 9. Robin Hood feels great respect for the 
 stranger's power, and asks who he is. 
 
 10. The stranger proves to be Robin Hood's 
 only nephew. 
 
 11. They meet Little John, who wants to 
 fight young Gamwell. 
 
 12. Robin Hood compels peace, makes Gam- 
 well second to Little John and names him 
 Scarlet. 
 
 Talk to the pupils freely after you have made 
 the outline; advise them to make the story inter- 
 esting, dramatic, and not too long. Show them 
 that it is better to use direct discourse ; that is, to 
 make the characters seem alive. The result will be 
 a good narration, the simplest and most common 
 form of written discourse. 
 
 B. Description. To so describe a scene to 
 another person that he may see it clearly and 
 vividly is high art. It is necessary in narration 
 and often lends strength to description and ex- 
 position. Accordingly, it is one of the most 
 important forms of composition and one on which 
 every teacher should give her pupils a great 
 amount of practice under close tutilage. In 
 no other direction, perhaps, can Journeys 
 
106 Language 
 
 Through Bookland be of greater assistance to 
 teachers. 
 
 I. In the first place, the pictures are a mine 
 of subjects for description. The pictures them- 
 selves may be described, and many of them will 
 suggest other subjects for similar tasks. For in- 
 stance, in Volume V, on page 398, is a picture 
 of Sir Galahad when the Holy Grail appears to 
 him. Some of the topics for description are the 
 following : 
 
 1. The picture, Sir Galahad. (For sugges- 
 tions as to the description of pictures, etc., see 
 the topic Pictures and Their Use, in Volume X, 
 page 389, and the same topic in this Manual. ) 
 
 2. The trees in the forest. 
 
 3. The armor of Sir Galahad and the trap- 
 pings of his horse. 
 
 Again, in Volume V, on page 186, is the picture 
 of Gulliver's Journey to the Metropolis, which 
 gives us these topics : 
 
 1. The picture. 
 
 2. The cart on which the Lilliputians trans- 
 port Gulliver. (Read the account in the story for 
 further facts.) 
 
 Facing page 288 in the same volume is the 
 halftone of King Arthur in armor. To write a 
 minute description of the armor would be an ex- 
 cellent exercise, requiring close observation and 
 not a little reading, if the pupils wish to name 
 the pieces of armor the king wears. 
 
 II. Many of the stories contain beautiful de- 
 scriptive passages which may be studied with 
 profit, and some of the selections are almost 
 
Language 107 
 
 wholly descriptive. An excellent example of the 
 latter type and an exceedingly interesting article 
 for children is Some Children's Books of the Past 
 (Volume V, Page 275). 
 
 The King of the Golden River (Volume III, 
 Page 136) and A Christmas Carol (Volume VII, 
 Page 27) are especially rich in material of this 
 kind. On page 139 of the former selection the 
 King is described at his first appearance. An 
 analysis of the paragraph is to be found on page 
 178 of the same volume, under the title First 
 Appearance. By comparing the analysis and the 
 descriptive paragraph it will be seen that the 
 former gives the facts only, while in the latter 
 there are comparisons and descriptive words that 
 make the whole vivid and artistic. 
 
 The outline is a good description of an imag- 
 inary person. After the pupils have studied 
 paragraph and outline, place on the board 
 another outline like this: 
 
 1. General statement, or introduction. 
 
 2. Nose. 
 
 3. Cheeks. 
 
 4. Eyes. 
 
 5. Beard. 
 
 6. Hair. 
 
 7. Height. 
 
 8. Clothing. 
 
 a. Hat. 
 
 b. Coat. 
 
 c. Vest. 
 
 d. Trousers. 
 
 e. Shoes. 
 
108 Language 
 
 Require each pupil to follow the outline and 
 to write a smooth, readable description of a man 
 whom he knows. Vary the exercise by asking 
 the pupils to describe some man whose picture 
 you show ; some man whom all have seen, or, if it 
 can be done in the proper spirit, one of the other 
 pupils who is willing to pose. Then ask them to 
 describe some fanciful character about whom you 
 make a general statement, as, for example, "He 
 was the most amusing man I ever saw in my 
 life," or, "He was certainty the most dignified 
 man in appearance and the best-dressed man I 
 ever saw." A comparison of the descriptions 
 given by the different members of the class will 
 be amusing and instructive. Try to secure de- 
 scriptions which in style are in harmony with the 
 subject. 
 
 III. In many of the selections the authors 
 have not tried to describe things very fully. In 
 such cases you have fine opportunities to train the 
 imagination by asking the pupils to supplement 
 the descriptions. For instance, On the Receipt 
 of My Mothers Picture (Volume VIII, Page 
 168) raises among other subjects for descrip- 
 tive writing the following: 
 
 1. Describe Cowper's mother. 
 
 2. Describe the picture he received. 
 
 3. Describe the home of his infancy. 
 
 4. Describe the "well-havened isle." 
 
 Pupils should be taught to look through the 
 entire poem for facts that bear on the topics. 
 When writing, they must not misrepresent these 
 
Language 109 
 
 facts nor give others that contradict those in the 
 poem. Where nothing is said, the pupil may 
 see what he likes. Such exercises tend to make 
 students appreciate good literature, and, when 
 they are reading, to visualize the things to which 
 allusion is made. 
 
 C. Exposition. In Volume IV, beginning 
 on page 146, is the story of Martin Pelaez, the 
 Asturian, which will offer good material for a 
 composition of another kind. The introduction 
 to Cid Campeador, page 140, will give you in- 
 formation you are likely to need to answer ques- 
 tions asked by the class. 
 
 As in the exercise just given, begin to read and 
 make such explanatory comments as are needed 
 to show clearly the character of Martin. You 
 will, of course, need to make the story lucid to 
 the pupils, for from that must come the facts 
 upon which they base their opinions. Show 
 that 
 
 a. Pelaez was a Spanish grandee of great 
 strength and noble form. 
 
 b. He was a coward at heart. 
 
 c. Twice he ran from the enemy and avoided 
 battle. 
 
 d. Both times he was asked by The Cid to 
 sit with him at the table, and not with the noblest 
 knights. 
 
 e. The first time Martin thought it an honor 
 to himself; the second time, he saw it to be a 
 grave reproof. 
 
 /. Thereafter he fought nobly, was seated 
 
110 Language 
 
 with the great knights, and became one of the 
 Cid's most favored friends. 
 
 When these points have been fixed in mind, 
 proceed to develop an outline for the composi- 
 tion. It may be something like this : 
 
 a. The character of Martin as we first meet 
 him in the story, with instances to prove the 
 nature of it. 
 
 b. His character after he was changed by 
 The Cid, with evidences to show it. Exemplified : 
 
 1. He was a coward. We know it from 
 
 (a) His flight during the first battle. 
 
 (b) His retreat during the second battle. 
 
 (c) The fact that he was large, strong and 
 well versed in arms yet would not fight. 
 
 (d) The fact that he hoped to escape the 
 notice of The Cid. 
 
 2. He was teachable. We know it because 
 he needed but two lessons. 
 
 3. He was brave. We know it from his con- 
 duct in battle. 
 
 4. He had many noble characteristics. We 
 know it because he became the trusted friend of 
 The Cid. 
 
 Put into the form of a composition, we might 
 expect something like this: 
 
 "Martin Pelaez, when we first knew him, was 
 an arrant coward, for though strong, well-formed 
 and versed in the use of arms, he more than once 
 fled before the enemy. He had other traits of a 
 coward, as we may know from his actions in 
 hiding in his tent and hoping to escape the eye 
 
Language 111 
 
 of his master and unfairly gain the reputation 
 of a brave knight. 
 
 "Later, however, under the wise treatment of 
 The Cid he was made ashamed of his cowardice, 
 conquered it and became a courageous warrior. 
 In fact, he was one of the bravest and most pow- 
 erful knights in the army of The Cid. 
 
 "More than that, Martin Pelaez developed all 
 the traits of a gentleman. He became a good 
 keeper of secrets, was wise in counsel and brave 
 in action." 
 
 The foregoing is a good example of exposi- 
 tion, the third of the four forms of prose com- 
 position. 
 
 D. Argument. — The Boston Massacre by 
 Nathaniel Hawthorne (Volume IV, page 370) 
 offers several good questions for debate. We may 
 select the decision of the judges (page 376) as 
 the one furnishing the best opportunity. Haw- 
 thorne says, "The judges told the jury that the 
 insults and violence which had been offered to 
 the soldiers justified them in firing at the mob." 
 
 To bring the question into a form for debate 
 we might write it, "Were the judges right in 
 their decision?" This leaves the question evenly 
 balanced, with no prejudice against either side. 
 It might be put more formally : "Resolved, That 
 the j udges were right in their decision. ' ' The effect 
 of stating the question in the latter form is to 
 throw the "burden of proof" on the negative. 
 In other words, if the question is in the latter 
 form and the arguments are equally balanced, 
 the decision would have to be that the judges 
 
112 Language 
 
 were right. In school debates the, first form is 
 preferable. 
 
 Having determined the form of the question, 
 the class may be divided into two sections, as 
 nearly as possible equal in ability, and one sec- 
 tion may be appointed to take the side of the 
 judges and one the side of the soldiers. Occa- 
 sionally appoint two leaders, let them "choose 
 up" and then take sides by lot. Avoid discour- 
 aging the weaker pupils, however. 
 
 Having arranged the preliminaries, converse 
 with the class freely, bringing out points equally 
 in favor of both sides. Avoid any appearance 
 of favoritism. If one side is manifestly stronger 
 than the other, however, you may put them on 
 a level bj^ showing a few arguments to the weaker 
 side. Do this openly, so that all may understand 
 your action. 
 
 Encourage the pupils to study both sides of 
 the question and to be fair-minded. In fact, the 
 ordinary debate where pupils are appointed to 
 argue upon a certain side of the question does 
 not bring into play the same good methods of 
 thought and judgment as the free debate, in 
 which each pupil studies both sides of the ques- 
 tion determines which side he thinks the right one, 
 and then argues for that side. 
 
 In this question urge the pupils to study the 
 subject in their histories or in any reference 
 books that may be handy. Help them to get at 
 the truth of the matter. Hawthorne may show 
 prejudice. Does he? We may feel a bias in 
 favor of one side or the other. Do we? Then 
 
 
Language 
 
 113 
 
 to the extent of that bias we are liable to be 
 unfair and to fail in making a sound argument. 
 
 After the pupils have read what they can find 
 on the subject, ask them to arrange their argu- 
 ments in parallel columns, for and against the 
 judges. Something like the following may ap- 
 pear: 
 
 FOR 
 
 1. The Americans 
 were the subjects of 
 the English, and sub- 
 jects should be loyal. 
 
 2. The c o 1 o n i sts 
 were not an organized 
 body, acting legally. 
 They were a wild mob, 
 and mobs must be 
 quelled or lives and 
 property cannot be 
 protected. 
 
 3. The mob was 
 c o m p o se d of wild 
 young men, and most 
 of the colonists did not 
 approve of their acts. 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 1. The English had 
 oppressed the colonists 
 by unjust taxes and in 
 other ways (mention 
 them) until the time 
 for loyalty had ceased. 
 
 2. If these colonists 
 were a mob they were 
 justified in their acts. 
 It was an insult and 
 worse to quarter troops 
 upon them, and they 
 naturally resented it. 
 They had had no time 
 to organize and make 
 laws. They had to act 
 at once. 
 
 3. It is always the 
 young men who lead. 
 In most great move- 
 ments it has been the 
 young men who were 
 right. 
 
114 
 
 Language 
 
 for 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 4. The mob called 
 the soldiers "lobster- 
 back s," "red-coats," 
 and other insulting 
 names before the sol- 
 diers spoke. 
 
 5. The mob crowd- 
 ed the soldiers off the 
 sidewalk, threw snow 
 and lumps of ice at 
 them. The young men 
 dared the soldiers to 
 fire, threatened to drive 
 them to their barracks 
 and to beat them down. 
 
 6. Captain Preston 
 was acting under or- 
 ders, and he warned 
 the colonists that he 
 would preserve order 
 at any risk. 
 
 7. The firing was a 
 mistake. It was not 
 by Captain Preston's 
 orders. 
 
 8. The first shot 
 was fired by a masked 
 man who appeared on 
 the balcony of a house 
 and fired at the sol- 
 diers. 
 
 4. The soldiers for- 
 got their discipline and 
 c a 1 1 ed the colonists 
 "rebel rascals" and 
 threatened to use bay- 
 onets. 
 
 5. The soldiers 
 should have kept to 
 their barracks, but they 
 paraded the streets and 
 pricked the townspeo- 
 ple with their bayonets. 
 
 6. Captain Preston 
 was unwise, irritating, 
 overbearing, and by his 
 attitude provoked the 
 colonists beyond hu- 
 man endurance. 
 
 7. Captain Preston 
 ordered his men to fire 
 on the colonists. 
 
 8. A British sym- 
 pathizer in a mask fired 
 into the crowd of un- 
 armed colonists. 
 
Language 
 
 115 
 
 FOR 
 
 9. The British sol- 
 diers were soon with- 
 drawn and everything 
 done to make the colo- 
 nists feel right about 
 the affair. This showed 
 that the British were 
 still very friendly to 
 the colonists. 
 
 10. Judges who are 
 supposed to be honor- 
 able men heard all the 
 evidence and would not 
 be liable to make any 
 mistake. 
 
 11. The judges 
 were so thoroughly 
 convinced that the sol- 
 diers were not guilty 
 that they told the jury 
 what verdict to give. 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 9. By withdrawing 
 the troops the British 
 confessed that they 
 were in the wrong. 
 
 10. The judges 
 were British appoint- 
 ees, not in sympathy 
 with the colonists and 
 too much prejudiced to 
 be able to decide fairly. 
 
 11. The judges 
 knew they were wrong 
 and were afraid to 
 leave the question to 
 the jury. 
 
 The "points" given above show some of the 
 really minor debatable topics that arise under 
 the larger question. They show, too, how dif- 
 ferently the same incidents may appear to dif- 
 ferent eyes. Perhaps some of the "points" are 
 stated unfairly, to give strength to the argu- 
 ment. Bare assertions are not proofs and some 
 of the "points" are nothing but assertions. Opin- 
 ions are not arguments. Some of the statements 
 
116 Language 
 
 would need to be bolstered up by facts and ' 'au- 
 thorities" before they could be accepted as real 
 arguments. 
 
 Most debates are oral, but, for our purpose, 
 they are to be considered as written language 
 lessons. Hence, when the arguments are mar- 
 tialed as above, the pupil should select the side 
 he feels to be right and compose his argument 
 in proper form. Teach him to see the three 
 parts to his argument, namely, the introduction, 
 the body of his argument, and the conclusion. 
 Tell him to make his style personal, clear, con- 
 cise, logical, strong, persuasive and convincing. 
 Show him what each characteristic in the above 
 list means. 
 
 For example, the argument for the judges 
 made from the assertions given above might be 
 stated as follows: 
 
 Introduction. "That the judges were right 
 when they pronounced Captain Preston and the 
 eight British soldiers not guilty of murder when 
 they fired on the colonial mob in what is incor- 
 rectly called the 'Boston Massacre,' will be 
 proved in this argument. 
 
 Body of the Argument. "The citizens of Bos- 
 ton were English subjects who had been fostered 
 by the mother country. Since the settlement at 
 Plymouth in 1620 no other nation had claimed 
 or exercised any control over them, and I main- 
 tain that loyalty to his country is one of the 
 highest duties of every citizen. (It is not ad- 
 visable to write here the 'body' of the argument. 
 
 
Language 117 
 
 It would naturally be continued step by step till 
 the eleven 'points' given above had been exhaust- 
 ed. If those 'points' had been brought up in the 
 general conversation lesson every pupil would be 
 expected to add others that he had found by his 
 own study. Liberty of omission, arrangement 
 and addition should always be allowed. Origi- 
 nality is always at a premium. ) 
 
 Conclusion, "I have now presented to you 
 the reasons for my belief. I have shown you 
 conclusively that the colonists were British sub- 
 jects and owed unquestioning loyalty to their 
 
 country ; that ( Here recapitulate briefly but 
 
 forcibly the arguments, so as to present them 
 convincingly and at one time.) In view of all 
 these facts I maintain that I have shown that 
 the judges did not err when they pronounced 
 Captain Preston and the eight soldiers not guilty 
 of murder." 
 
 Of course, it must not be understood that the 
 form of the introduction and conclusion are to 
 be kept as they are given here. Each pupil 
 should be allowed the greatest freedom of ex- 
 pression consistent with the facts that there 
 must be an introduction that states the ques- 
 tion fairly and clearly, and a conclusion that 
 shows how the contentions have been proved. 
 
 E. Conclusion. While narration, descrip- 
 tion, exposition and argument are the four forms 
 of prose composition, we do not find fre- 
 quently that selections are exclusively the one 
 or another. Nearly every story contains de- 
 
118 Language 
 
 scription, and exposition is not infrequent; ex- 
 positions often contain description and narra- 
 tion, and arguments are often based upon nar- 
 ration and exposition. Excellent language les- 
 sons may be given by examining masterpieces 
 to see what forms of composition they repre- 
 sent or which form predominates. 
 
 Thus, in An Exciting Canoe Race (Volume 
 VII, page 376), an extract from Cooper's The 
 Last of the Mohicans, may be found several 
 forms of composition: 
 
 1. The story as a whole is narration. 
 
 2. On page 378 is this passage in exposition: 
 "That is a trail that nothing but a nose can fol- 
 low; grass is a treacherous carpet for a flying 
 party to tread on, but wood and stone take no 
 print from a moccasin. Had you worn your 
 armed boots, there might indeed have been some- 
 thing to fear ; but with the deerskin suitably pre- 
 pared, a man may trust himself, generally, on 
 rocks with safety. Shove in the canoe higher 
 to the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp 
 as easily as the butter of the Jarmans on the 
 Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must not touch 
 the beach, or the knaves will know by what road 
 we have left the place." 
 
 3. On page 383 is this descriptive passage: 
 "The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came 
 skipping along the placid surface of the strait, 
 and a shrill yell from the island interrupted his 
 speech and announced that their passage was 
 discovered. In another instant several savages 
 
Language 119 
 
 were seen rushing into the canoes, which were 
 soon dancing over the water in pursuit. These 
 fearful precursors of a coming struggle produced 
 no change in the countenances and movements 
 of his three guides, so far as Duncan could dis- 
 cover, except that the strokes of their paddles 
 were longer and more in unison, and caused the 
 little bark to spring forward like a creature pos- 
 sessing life and volition." 
 
 It will be observed that the paragraph just 
 quoted is not purely descriptive, but that it con- 
 tains something of narration as well. A single 
 sentence of pure description is the following, to 
 be found on page 386: "So rapid was the prog- 
 ress of the light vessels that the lake curled in 
 their front in miniature waves, and their motion 
 became undulating by its own velocity." 
 
 The following, from page 388, is a brief argu- 
 ment in conversational form, the elementary form 
 of debate: 
 
 "Get you then into the bottom of the canoe, 
 you and the colonel; it will be so much taken 
 from the size of the mark." 
 
 "It would be but an ill example for the high- 
 est in rank to dodge, while the warriors were un- 
 der fire!" 
 
 "Lord! Lord! that is now a white man's cour- 
 age! And, like too many of his notions, not to 
 be maintained by reason. Do you think the Sag- 
 amore or Uncas, or even I, who am a man with- 
 out a cross, would deliberate about finding a 
 cover in a scrimmage when an open body would 
 
120 Language 
 
 do no good? For what have the Frenchers 
 reared up their Quebec, if fighting is always to 
 be done in the clearings?" 
 
 "All that you say is very true, my friend; 
 still, our custom must prevent us from doing as 
 you wish." 
 
 Good selections to use for the purposes de- 
 scribed and good subjects for compositions are 
 the following from Journeys Through Book- 
 land: 
 
 A. For Narration : 
 
 1. Stories from The Swiss Family Robinson, 
 Volume III, page 208. 
 
 2. The Story of Siegfried, IV, 57. 
 
 3. The Death of Hector, V, 47. 
 
 4. Tom Brown at Rugby, VI, 208. 
 
 5. The Recovery of the Hispaniola, VIII, 
 194. 
 
 6. The Adventure of the Windmills, VIII, 
 289. 
 
 7. The Adventure of the Wooden Horse, 
 VIII, 320. 
 
 8. The Battle of Ivry, VIII, 423. 
 
 B. For Description: 
 
 1. How the Old Woman Looked. See The 
 Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Volume I, 
 page 13. 
 
 2. The House in the Tree. See Swiss Fam- 
 ily Robinson, III, 208. 
 
 3. A Forest Scene. See Pictures of Mem- 
 ory, IV, 272. 
 
 4. Sheridan's Horse. See Sheridan's Ride, 
 IV, 378. 
 
Language 121 
 
 5. Christmas. See The Fir Tree, II, 95, and 
 Christmas in the Old Time, VII, 150. 
 
 6. A Scene of My Childhood. See The Old 
 Oaken Bucket, VII, 298. 
 
 7. My Old Kentucky Home. See poem of 
 the same name, VII, 485. 
 
 8. The Court of Lions. See The Alhambra, 
 IX, 36. 
 
 C. For Exposition: 
 
 1. The Character of the Boy, Tom. See 
 Tom, the Water Baby, Volume II, page 257. 
 
 2. What Kind of a Man was Viking? See 
 The Skeleton in Armor, VI, 54. 
 
 3. Exaggeration and Falsehood. See Baron 
 Munchausen, VI, 135. 
 
 4. On the construction, meaning, and senti- 
 ment in "Home, Sweet Home." See VII, 1. 
 
 5. The Strength of the Gorilla Compared 
 with That of the Elephant. See A Gorilla Hunt, 
 VII, 74, and Elephant Hunting, VII, 180. 
 
 6. The Wit of the Visitor. See Limestone 
 Broth, VII, 271. 
 
 7. A Character Sketch of Alice and John. 
 See Dream Children, IX, 271. 
 
 D. For Argument : 
 
 1. Was the Second Traveler in the Right? 
 See The Two Travelers, Volume I, page 104. 
 
 2. Had Willie a Right to Break His Arrest? 
 See Wee Willie Winkie, III, 189. 
 
 3. Were the Three Men Perfectly Healthy? 
 See We Plan a River Trip, VI, 179. 
 
 4. Was the Punishment of the Ancient Mar- 
 
122 Language 
 
 iner Just? See The Rime of the Ancient Mar- 
 iner, VII, 321. 
 
 5. Was It Sensible for Casibianca to Remain 
 on the Burning Ship? See Casibianca, IX, 246. 
 
 6. Should Warren Hastings Have Been Con- 
 victed? See The Impeachment of Warren 
 Hastings, IX, 439. 
 
III. NATURE STUDY 
 
 Nature study to be valuable must be in real- 
 ity the study of nature. Its beginnings are in 
 observation and experiment, but there comes a 
 time when the pupil must go to books for in- 
 formation and enlightenment. The purposes of 
 nature study in the school are to awaken a spirit 
 of inquiry concerning things in the immediate 
 vicinity and thence into wider fields; to develop 
 observation, comparison and reason; to give in- 
 terests that will charm the possessor through 
 life; to introduce the elements of the natural sci- 
 ences. Enthusiasts have made the study of na- 
 ture the basis of all school work, the correlating 
 force in all studies. Such an idea has merit in 
 it, for it is certain that lessons begun in the ob- 
 servation of living things and the phenomena 
 of nature speedily ramify into language, read- 
 ing, geography, history, and even mathematics. 
 
 There is among some teachers an unfortunate 
 tendency to go too much to books for material 
 and to seize too quickly any suggestion that leads 
 in that direction. Yet books are valuable at the 
 proper time and in the proper place. When facts 
 have been learned, they may be made vital by 
 good literary selections; when facts not accessi- 
 ble by observation are need, they may be ob- 
 tained through books. On the other hand, na- 
 ture is full of allusions to natural facts and phe- 
 nomena and may only be understood by him who 
 
 123 
 
124 Nature Study 
 
 knows nature. Both phases of the subject are 
 of vital interest to the teacher. 
 
 Instead of attempting any systematic outline 
 for nature study we will here try to give help on 
 two problems only: 
 
 First. How may nature study be broadened 
 by the use of literature? 
 
 Second. How may the study of nature help 
 in the appreciation of literature? 
 
 First. 
 
 In trying to answer the first question we will 
 present first a classified list of selections from 
 Journeys Through Booexand which are close- 
 ly related to the study of nature and indicate 
 briefly how they may be used. 
 
 A. Seven Long Selections. 
 
 In the first place, there are long selections in 
 which there are many anecdotes and incidents 
 which are usable in nature study recitations. We 
 will give partial lists of what is to be found 
 therein, but the teacher will do well to read the 
 whole selection and choose what she wishes. 
 
 1. Tom, the Water Baby (Volume II, page 
 257). This is one of the most charming stories 
 in the book, especially for young children, though 
 older ones and even people of mature years will 
 enjoy it thoroughly. Tom, a little chimney 
 sweep, after perilous adventures, dies, or rather 
 turns into a newt or eft, a water baby. His 
 exciting life thereafter is in the waters, where 
 he meets many of its strange denizens. The 
 
Nature Study 125 
 
 whole story is highly imaginative, humorous, and 
 full of fine lessons, beautifully given. The more 
 important of his adventures, from our point of 
 view, are concerned with the following: 
 
 The Caddis Fly, pages 308-310. 
 The Dragon Fly, pages 311-313. 
 The Sand Fly, pages 316-318. 
 Otters, pages 320-323, 326-355. 
 Salmon, pages 322, 329-333, 334-335. 
 Tides, page 339. 
 The Turbot, page 340. 
 Lobsters, pages 344-346, 353-356. 
 Sea Cucumbers, page 349. 
 Great Auk, page 396. 
 
 Mother Carey's Chickens (Stormy Petrels), 
 page 399. 
 
 2. Robinson Crusoe (Volume III, page 84). 
 Two chapters only are given from this great 
 story, but the first, dealing with the capture and 
 education of Crusoe's man Friday, may be worth 
 while to read in connection with studies of sav- 
 age races. It is not altogether scientific. 
 
 3. The Swiss Family Robinson (Volume II, 
 page 208) . This famous old story will be charm- 
 ing to children for many generations to come. 
 It is a tale of the wonderful struggle of a family 
 against nature. It may be a fact that it is un- 
 reasonable and impossible ; that not all the seem- 
 ing facts are true; that nature never plays so 
 perfectly into the hand of man; that not all the 
 living things mentioned are to be found in one 
 locality. But it is clean, wholesome adventure, 
 and the errors in it will do no harm. Many a 
 
126 Nature Study 
 
 good language lesson and many an addition to 
 nature lessons may be drawn from it. The ef- 
 forts of the family to utilize what they find, 
 though too successful, are worthy of imitation. 
 Some of the more interesting things met by the 
 family are the following: 
 
 Lobsters, pages 222-223. 
 
 Oysters, pages 223-224, 226-229. 
 
 Agouti, page 224, with a picture on page 228. 
 
 Cocoanuts, pages 232-239. 
 
 Calabash Trees, pages 232-233. 
 
 Monkeys and Cocoanuts, pages 235-239. 
 
 Shark, pages 249-250. 
 
 Turtle, pages 257-260. 
 
 Penguins (picture), page 262, pages 263-264. 
 
 Cassava Bread, pages 265-268. 
 
 Caoutchouc, page 283. 
 
 Onagra (Wild Ass), pages 286-288. 
 
 New Zealand Flax, pages 290-293. 
 
 Flamingo, pages 292-293. 
 
 Salt Cavern, pages 297-300. 
 
 Herrings, pages 302-304. 
 
 Gypsum, page 304. 
 
 Boa Constrictor, pages 308-309. 
 
 Ostrich, pages 324-333. 
 
 Hyenas, pages 344-345. 
 
 Lions, pages 371-376. 
 
 4. Brute Neighbors (Volume VIII, page 
 88) is an interesting essay by Henry David 
 Thoreau, the most delightful of American natu- 
 ralist writers. In this essay he chats familiarly 
 about the animals that surrounded his cottage 
 
Nature Study 127 
 
 in the woods, and shows the closeness of his ob- 
 servation as well as the breadth of his general 
 knowledge. It is a nature study in itself as a 
 whole. Besides mention of other animals, he tells 
 interesting anecdotes of the following: 
 
 A Wild Mouse, pages 89-90. 
 The Partridge, as the ruffed grouse is called 
 in New England, pages 90-92. 
 The Woodcock, page 92. 
 The Fighting Ants, pages 93-98. 
 The Loon, pages 99-104. 
 
 5. The Pond in Winter (Volume VIII, page 
 111) . This is another of Thoreau's charming es- 
 says in natural history. It contains a pretty de- 
 scription of the snow and ice covered pond ( page 
 111), an account of fishing through the ice 
 (pages 113-114), and a vivid description of 
 pickerel (pages 114-115). 
 
 6. Winter Animals (Volume VIII, page 
 126) is a third one of Thoreau's essays. An 
 analysis shows that he tells something of all the 
 following interesting things: 
 
 I. Winter routes over lakes, pages 126-127. 
 
 II. Sounds by day and night. 
 
 a. The melodious note of a hooting owl, 
 
 page 127. 
 
 b. The honking of a goose, page 127. 
 
 c. The harsh and tremulous call of a cat- 
 
 owl, page 127. 
 
 d. The whooping of the ice, page 128. 
 
 e. The barking of foxes, page 128. 
 
128 Nature Study 
 
 f . The feet of the red squirrel down the 
 
 sides of the house, page 129. 
 
 g. The discordant screams of the jays, 
 
 page 131. 
 h. The wiry note of the chickadee, page 
 
 132. 
 i. The whirring wings of the partridges, 
 
 page 133. 
 j. The yelping of hounds, and the hunting 
 
 horn (including fox hunting), pages 
 
 133-137. 
 
 III. The destructiveness of squirrels and 
 wild mice, pages 137-138. 
 
 IV. The hares, pages 138-139. 
 
 7. Ants and Trees That Help Each Other 
 (Volume VIII, page 140) is a selection from 
 the writings of Thomas Belt. It is an extremely 
 interesting account of some of the curious adap- 
 tations of plants and animals to each other, as 
 is indicated sufficiently by the title. An out- 
 line of the essay follows: 
 
 I. A species of acacia, pages 140-144. 
 
 1. Houses and feeds ants. 
 
 a. Houses in thorns. 
 
 b. Feeds (1) by glands and (2) by a 
 
 pear-shaped appendage. 
 
 2. Ants protect trees. 
 
 3. Each seems beneficial to the other. 
 
 II. A cecropia, or trumpet tree, pages 144- 
 145. 
 
 1. Houses and feeds ants. 
 
Nature Study 129 
 
 a. Houses in hollow stems. 
 
 b. Feeds ants through herds of plant- 
 
 lice that suck juices of plants and 
 secrete honey. 
 
 2. Ants protect trees. 
 
 3. Apparently beneficial to all. 
 
 III. An evergreen shrub. 
 
 1. Houses and (probably) feeds ants. 
 
 a. Houses in pouches at base of leaves. 
 
 b. Probably feeds ants through the serv- 
 
 ices of scale insects and plant lice. 
 
 2. Ants protect shrubs. 
 
 3. Probably beneficial to all 
 
 IV. Plants feeding ants, pages 146-148. 
 
 1. Orchids. 
 
 2. Passion flowers. 
 
 3. Dog rose. 
 
 B. Classified Selections 
 
 The following selections, ranging from nurs- 
 ery rhymes to some of the finest things ever 
 written, may be considered available for the pur- 
 pose of creating interest in nature study or of 
 adding to a stock of knowledge already acquired. 
 For convenience, they are classified in a general 
 way, according to the subject matter of which 
 they treat: 
 
 I. Flowers and plant life: 
 
 a. Nursery rhymes: 
 
 (1) Daffy-Down-Dilly Has 
 
130 Natuke Study 
 
 Come Up to Town, 
 Volume I, page 3. 
 (2) Mary, Mary Quite Con- 
 trary, I, 8. 
 
 b. Fables : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Boy and the Nettle, 
 Volume I, page 66. 
 (2) The Fox and the Grapes, 
 I, 133. 
 
 c. Fairy Tales: 
 
 (1) The Tree, Volume I, 
 
 page 263. 
 
 (2) The Flaoc, I, 394. 
 
 (3) The Fir Tree, II, 95. 
 
 d. Poems : 
 
 (1) The Reaper and the 
 
 Flowers, Volume II, 
 page 40. 
 
 (2) Johns Pumpkin, III, 1. 
 
 (3) The Potato, III, 57. 
 
 (4) The Moss Rose, VI, 
 
 345. 
 
 (5) The Daffodils, VII, 
 
 287. 
 
 (6) To the Fringed Gen- 
 
 tian, VII, 290. 
 
 (7) To a Mountain Daisy, 
 
 VII, 295. 
 
 (8) The Petrified Fern, 
 
 VII, 352. 
 
 e. An interesting essay: 
 
 (1) A Bed of Nettles, Vol- 
 ume IX, page 131. 
 
Nature Study 131 
 
 /. See references to The Swiss 
 Family Robinson and Ants 
 and Trees That Help Each 
 Other, in the earlier part of 
 this section. 
 
 II. 
 
 irds : 
 a. Nursery rhymes: 
 
 (i) ' 
 
 Lady Bird, Lady Bird, 
 
 
 Volume I, page 12. 
 
 (2) 
 
 Higgledy, Piggledy, I, 
 
 
 15. 
 
 (3) 
 
 Poor Robin, I, 27. 
 
 b. Poems 
 
 
 (i) 
 
 Little Birdie, Volume 
 
 
 I, page 141. 
 
 (2) 
 
 The Brown Thrush, I, 
 
 
 146. 
 
 (3) 
 
 The English Robin, II, 
 
 
 253. 
 
 (4) 
 
 Who Stole the Bkd's 
 
 
 Nest? II, 439. 
 
 (5) 
 
 Four Ducks on a Pond, 
 
 
 VI, 345. 
 
 (6) 
 
 The Rime of the An- 
 
 
 cient Mariner, VII, 
 
 
 321. 
 
 (7) 
 
 Ode to a Sky Lark, 
 
 
 VIII, 105. 
 
 (8) 
 
 To a Waterfowl, VIII, 
 
 
 242. 
 
 (9) 
 
 The Romance of the 
 
 
 Swan's Nest, IX, 248. 
 
132 Nature Study 
 
 c. Fables : 
 
 (1) The Fox and the Crow, 
 
 Volume I, page 60. 
 
 (2) The Fox and the Stork, 
 
 I, 62. 
 
 (3) The Wolf and the 
 
 Crane, I, 91. 
 
 (4) The Lark and Her 
 
 Young Ones, I, 128. 
 
 (5) The Owl and the Pussy 
 
 Cat, I, 352. 
 
 (6) Minerva and the Owl, 
 
 11,6. 
 
 d. Fairy Story: 
 
 ( 1 ) The Ugly Duckling, 
 Volume II, page 43. 
 
 e. An Essay: 
 
 (1) Owls, Volume X, page 
 169. 
 /. See also references to Tom, the 
 Water Baby, The Swiss Fam- 
 ily Robinson, Brute Neigh- 
 bors, and Winter Animals, in 
 earlier part of this section. 
 
 III. Four-footed animals: 
 
 a. Nursery rhymes : 
 
 (1) Ding Dong Bell, Vol- 
 
 ume I, page 18. 
 
 (2) Little Bo Peep, I, 19. 
 
 (3) Old Mother Hubbard. 
 
 I, 28. 
 
Nature Study 133 
 
 (4) 
 
 Three Little Kittens, I, 
 
 
 34. 
 
 («)' 
 
 Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, 
 
 
 I, 43. 
 
 b. Fables 
 
 
 (1) 
 
 T/i<? ,Fo<r and the Crow, 
 
 
 Volume I, page 60. 
 
 (2) 
 
 The Ass in the Lions 
 
 
 Skin, I, 61. 
 
 (3) 
 
 The Fooo and the Stork, 
 
 
 I, 62. 
 
 (4) 
 
 The Gnat and the Bull, 
 
 
 I, 66. 
 
 (5) 
 
 The Lion and the 
 
 
 Mouse, I, 69. 
 
 (6) 
 
 The Wolf and the 
 
 
 Crane, I, 91. 
 
 (7) 
 
 The Fooo and the 
 
 
 Grapes, I, 133. 
 
 (8) 
 
 The Bat and the Two 
 
 
 Weasels, I, 155. 
 
 (9) 
 
 T/b OwZ awa 7 £&£ Pussy 
 
 
 Cat, I, 352. 
 
 (10) 
 
 T/fce Horse and the 
 
 
 Stag, I, 353. 
 
 (11) 
 
 Tfo? Fotf, f fo flPoZ/, and 
 
 
 Jfo Horse, I, 383. 
 
 (12) 
 
 Tfo? PFoZ/ and *fo 
 
 
 Lamb, I, 455. 
 
 c. Poetry 
 
 
 (i) 
 
 T/i^ Cow, Volume I, 
 
 
 page 101. 
 
134 Nature Study 
 
 (2) Mercy to Animals, II, 
 
 39. 
 
 (3) How They Brought the 
 
 Good News from 
 Ghent to Aix, VI, 62. 
 
 (4) To a Mouse, VII, 292. 
 
 d. Stories : 
 
 (1) A Dog of Flanders, 
 
 Volume IV, page 235. 
 
 (2) The Lion and the Mis- 
 
 sionary, VI, 340. 
 
 (3) Rab and His Friends, 
 
 VI, 346. 
 
 (4) Elephant Hunting, 
 
 VII, 180. 
 
 (5) The Gorilla Hunt, 
 
 VIII, 74. 
 
 e. Essays : 
 
 (1) Some Clever Monkeys, 
 
 Volume, VII, page 
 198. 
 
 (2) The Buffalo, VII, 395. 
 /. See, also, references to Tom, the 
 
 Water Baby, The Swiss Fam- 
 ily Robinson, Brute Neigh- 
 bors, and The Pond in Win- 
 ter, in the earlier part of this 
 section. 
 
 IV. Reptiles: 
 
 a. Fables : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Boys and the Frogs, 
 Volume I, page 59. 
 
Nature Study 135 
 
 (2) The Bat and the Two 
 Weasels, I, 155. 
 b. See, also, references to Tom, the 
 Water Baby and The Swiss 
 Family Robinson, in the ear- 
 lier part of this section. 
 
 V. Insects : 
 
 a. Nursery rhyme : 
 
 (1) Little Miss Muffett, 
 Volume I, page 17. 
 
 b. Fable: 
 
 ( 1 ) The Gnat and the Bull, 
 I, 66. 
 
 c. Poem : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Spider and the Fly, 
 III, 22. 
 
 d. An Essay: 
 
 (1) Trees and Ants That 
 Help Each Other, 
 VIII, 140. 
 
 e. See, also, references to Tom, the 
 
 Water Baby, in the earlier 
 part of this section. 
 
 VI. Denizens of the water : 
 a. Fish: 
 
 (1) Salmon Fishing, Vol- 
 
 ume VIII, page 116. 
 
 (2) "Pickerel," in The 
 
 Pond in W int e r, 
 VIII, 114-115. 
 
 (3) See, also, "Salmon," in 
 
136 Nature Study 
 
 Tom, the Water 
 Baby, II, 322, 329- 
 333, 334-335. 
 
 b. See numerous references to 
 Tom, the Water Baby, in the 
 earlier part of this section. 
 
 iTIL Natural phenomena : 
 
 a. Nursery rhymes: 
 
 (i) " 
 
 Rainbow in the Morn- 
 
 
 ing, Volume I, page 
 
 
 41. 
 
 (2) 
 
 If All the World Were 
 
 
 Water, I, 47. 
 
 b. Poems 
 
 : 
 
 (i) 
 
 Twinkle, Twinkle, Lit- 
 
 
 tle Star, Volume I, 
 
 
 page 55. 
 
 (2) 
 
 The Sun's Travels, I, 
 
 
 67. 
 
 (3) 
 
 Bain, I, 106. 
 
 (4) 
 
 Autumn Fires, I, 411. 
 
 (5) 
 
 The Wind, I, 439. 
 
 (6) 
 
 The First Snowfall, II, 
 
 
 443. 
 
 (7) 
 
 In Time's Swing, III, 
 
 
 47. 
 
 (8) 
 
 Echo, III, 408. 
 
 (9) 
 
 Irish Astronomy, V, 
 
 
 154. 
 
 (10) 
 
 The Rainbow, VI, 337. 
 
 («) 
 
 Sweet and Low, VI, 
 
 
 372. 
 
Nature Study 137 
 
 (12) The Cloud, VIII, 85. 
 c. Fable : 
 
 (1) The Wind and the Sun, 
 Volume I, page 90. 
 
 VIII. Geographical in Nature : 
 
 (1) At the Seaside, Volume I, 
 
 page 134. 
 
 (2) From a Railway Carriage, I, 
 
 203. 
 
 (3) Stop, Stop, Pretty Water, I, 
 
 329. 
 
 (4) Origin of the Opal, III, 57. 
 
 (5) Song of the Brook, IV, 193. 
 
 (6) A Descent Into the Mael- 
 
 strom, VIII, 453. 
 
 (7) Ascent of the Jungfrau, IX, 
 
 66. 
 
 Second. 
 
 Aid in answering the second problem may be 
 found in the following paragraph: 
 
 A series of interesting studies may be founded 
 on the use which authors make of nature by way 
 of direct and indirect allusion in their works. 
 Such lessons are the opposite of those we have 
 been considering. Now, the literary selection is 
 taken first, read carefully and the allusions noted 
 and classified. It will be noticed that it is not 
 necessary that selections used for this purpose 
 should be new to the pupils. In fact, genuine 
 literature has the merit of being always new, al- 
 
138 Nature Study 
 
 ways interesting. No better service can be ren- 
 dered to a child than to create in him a love for 
 the fine things in literature. Continued, monot- 
 onous study of a masterpiece may breed dislike 
 of it, especially if the exercises are dull and for- 
 mal. But to approach an old favorite from a 
 new direction, to look at it from a new point of 
 view, is to lend it added charms. 
 
 A. To illustrate our method, we will use The 
 King of the Golden River (Volume III, page 
 136). 
 
 1. Assignment. The teacher assigns the les- 
 son as follows: "For tomorrow I wish you to 
 read the first section of The King of the Golden 
 River and bring to class, written in the order 
 of their occurrence, every mention of a living 
 thing or natural object and every allusion to 
 them. Use the words of the story when possible, 
 but be brief. After each put a number, to show 
 the page of the story. Let us see who can find 
 the greatest number and who can make the best 
 paper. In our recitation we will find some in- 
 teresting things to learn." 
 
 2. Preparation. If the children work well 
 their lists will be something like this : 
 
 a. The valley in the mountains, pages 136- 
 138. 
 
 (1) Snow covered peaks; cataracts; a 
 
 crag; river; circular hollows. 
 
 (2) Heavy crops; high hay; red apples; 
 
 blue grapes ; rich wine ; sweet honey. 
 
 ( 3 ) Blackbirds ; hedgehogs ; crickets; 
 
 cicadas. 
 
Natube Study 139 
 
 (4) Corn. 
 
 b. The wet summer. Page 138. 
 ( 1 ) Hay ; vines ; corn. 
 
 c. A nice piece of mutton. Page 139. 
 
 d. Must be the wind. Page 139. 
 
 e. A black feather some three feet long. Page 
 
 140. 
 
 f. Like a beaten puppy's tail. Page 141. 
 
 g. Like a mill stream. Page 141. 
 h. Licking its chops. Page 141. 
 
 i. A gust of wind that made the old chimneys 
 
 totter. Page 141. 
 j. Quicksilver-like streams. Page 142. 
 k. Like a straw in the high wind. Page 144. 
 1. A wreath of ragged cloud, that whirled and 
 
 rolled away down the valley. Page 
 
 146. 
 m. A gush of rain. Page 146. 
 n. Howling wind and rushing rain without 
 
 intermission. Page 146. 
 o. The room was full of water. Page 148. 
 p. A misty moonbeam. Page 148. 
 r. Like a cork. Page 148. 
 s. The inundation. Pages 148-149. 
 
 ( 1 ) Trees ; crops ; cattle swept away. 
 
 (2) Red sand and gray mud left in their 
 
 stead. 
 
 (3) Corn swept away. 
 
 (4) Breezy letters. 
 
 (5) Southwest Wind, Esquire. 
 
 3. Recitation. The teacher's part in the reci- 
 tation is to help the pupils to classify the things 
 mentioned, to bring out the meaning of the fig- 
 
140 Nature Study 
 
 ures of speech, and to see that the allusions are 
 understood. 
 
 In writing this fine chapter, Ruskin has men- 
 tioned or alluded to the following: 
 
 a. Land and water forms : mountains ; valley ; 
 
 snow; peaks; cataracts; river; circular 
 hollow; mill stream; cloud; rain; globe 
 of foam. 
 
 b. Animals: Sheep (mutton) ; bird (feath- 
 
 ers) ; puppy; dog (licking its chops) ; 
 wolf (howling wind) ; cattle. 
 
 c. Plant life: Crops; hay; apples; grapes; 
 
 corn; vines; straw; cork; trees. 
 
 d. Natural phenomena : A wet summer wind 
 
 blowing ; gushing rain ; whirling clouds ; 
 misty moonbeam ; floating foam ; sweep- 
 ing inundation; breezes (breezy let- 
 ters). 
 
 e. Rock material: Quicksilver; red sand; 
 
 gray mud. 
 
 f. Natural products: Crops; apples; hay; 
 
 grapes; wine; honey; corn; mutton; 
 cork; cattle. 
 
 g. Figures of speech: (In studying figures 
 
 of speech, make three points in each, 
 viz. : First j the basis of the figure ; sec- 
 ond, the translation of the figure into 
 literal English; third, the force and 
 beauty of the figure and its effect on 
 the meaning of the sentence. With 
 older pupils the names of the figures 
 may be given. Illustrations of these 
 directions will follow.) 
 
Nature Study 141 
 
 ( 1 ) Like a beaten puppy's tail. ( A beaten 
 
 puppy drops his tail and drags it 
 weakly behind him. The feather 
 drooped down behind him and 
 dragged limply along. The figure 
 gives a vivid picture of the wet 
 feather, limp and unhandsome. The 
 figure is a comparison in the form 
 of a simile.) 
 
 (2) Like a mill stream. (Rushing, roar- 
 
 ing, fast and furious.) 
 
 (3) Licking its chops. (First, a dog runs 
 
 out his tongue and licks his lips and 
 the outside of his face (cheeks- 
 chops) when he sees food brought 
 to him. A red flame twists and 
 waves around like the tongue of a 
 dog. We speak of "tongues of 
 flame" and "hungry flames devour- 
 ing." Second, long streams of flame 
 waved around and curled about the 
 wood as they burned it. Third, how 
 much more vivid is the picture we 
 see of the beautiful fire. The words 
 "rustling" and "roaring" help to 
 strengthen the * figure. This is a 
 fine comparison, but as it is not di- 
 rectly expressed by the use of the 
 words "like" or "as" we call it a 
 metaphor. ) 
 
 (4) Quicksilver-like streams. (Bright, 
 
 shining, smoothly running, with 
 metallic luster.) 
 
142 Nature Study 
 
 (5) Like a straw in the high wind. 
 
 (Rapid, uncertain, irregular mo- 
 tion. ) 
 
 (6) A wreath of ragged cloud. (Notice 
 
 the metaphor in wreath — also in 
 ragged.) 
 
 (7) Howling wind. (A wolf howls. The 
 
 figure which raises an inanimate ob- 
 ject to the level of animate beings, 
 or raises an animate being [a dog, 
 for instance] to the level of a human 
 being, is called personification.) 
 
 (8) Like a cork. 
 
 (9) Swept away. 
 
 (10) Breezy letters. ( The words swept and 
 breezy are somewhat metaphorical, 
 though their frequent use in this 
 manner makes the meaning almost 
 literal. ) 
 (11) Southwest Wind, Esquire. (Person- 
 ification. ) 
 
 B. A second lesson may confine itself more 
 closely to the figures of speech. Naturally this 
 study of figures belongs with language and lit- 
 erature, but the point we wish to make is one 
 of correlation. There is a literary side to na- 
 ture study, and a natural history side to litera- 
 ture. Many of the greatest authors have been 
 ardent lovers of nature, and have drawn liberally 
 on their knowledge of nature in beautifying what 
 they have written. Many a reader, from lack 
 of knowledge or from careless habits, passes over 
 
Nature Study 143 
 
 the most delightful things, as blind and aeaf as 
 he who sees no beauty in the wild flowers and 
 hears no melody in the songs of birds. Whether 
 lessons such as these be given in one class or an- 
 other does not matter, so that the pupils learn 
 the lessons and learn to love nature and appreci- 
 ate the charms it lends to literature. 
 
 For the second lesson of this character we will 
 take the second and third chapters of The King 
 of the Golden River, hoping to find an abun- 
 dance of figures based on nature in some of its 
 forms. We may not find many. Some writers 
 use few. We suspect that Ruskin used them 
 freely; as a matter of fact he was one of the 
 greatest lovers of nature, a man who labored 
 hard to bring art and nature together and to 
 find a place for them in the lives of all. 
 
 We find in the second chapter the following 
 nature-figures : 
 
 a. Southwest Wind, Esquire, page 149. 
 
 b. His relations, the West Winds, page 149. 
 
 c. It looks more like silk, page 150. 
 
 d. The hot breath of the furnace, page 151. 
 
 e. Bright tongues of fiery cloud burning and 
 
 quivering about them, page 151. 
 
 f. A clear metallic voice, page 152. 
 
 g. Like that of a kettle on the boil, page 152. 
 h. As smooth and polished as a river, page 
 
 153. 
 i. The prismatic colors gleamed over it, as if 
 on a surface of mother-of-pearl, page 
 155. 
 
144 Nature Study 
 
 j. In order to allow time for the consterna- 
 tion — to evaporate, page 156. 
 In the third chapter are the following : 
 
 a. Knotty question, page 158. 
 
 b. Like a line of forked lightning, page 159. 
 
 ( This whole paragraph is a wonderfully beau- 
 tiful description.) 
 
 c. Rose like slow smoke, page 160. 
 
 d. In feeble wreaths, page 160. 
 
 e. Shrieks resembling those of human voices 
 
 in distress or pain, page 160. 
 
 f . None like the ordinary forms of splintered 
 
 ice, page 160. 
 
 g. Deceitful shadows, page 160. 
 h. Lurid lights played, page 160. 
 
 i. Ice yawned into fresh chasms, page 161. 
 
 j. Fell thundering across his path, page 161. 
 
 k. Rays beat intensely, page 161. 
 
 1. Its lips parched and burning, page 162. 
 
 m. Long snake-like shadows, page 162. 
 
 n. The leaden weight of the dead air pressed 
 
 upon his brow and heart, page 162. 
 o. Shaped like a sword, page 164. 
 p. Like a red-hot ball, page 164. 
 q. They shook their crests like tongues of fire, 
 
 page 164. 
 r. Flashes of bloody light gleamed along their 
 
 foam, page 164. 
 s. An icy chill shot through his limbs, page 
 
 164. 
 t. The moaning of the river, page 164. 
 u. The Black Stone, page 164. 
 
IV. GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 
 
 I. Classified Selections 
 
 Lessons in geography and history should be so 
 interwoven one with the other that it is not wise 
 to attempt to treat them separately, to any great 
 extent. Journeys Through Bookland has in 
 its numerous volumes many things that will aid 
 the teacher greatly; some presenting facts that 
 should be known, but more that give that pecu- 
 liar spirit and interest without which the study 
 of either branch is uninteresting and unprofit- 
 able. It should be remembered that the books 
 present the literary side of the subjects and are 
 not reference books for the acquirement of facts. 
 There are historical and geographical articles, 
 it is true, but they alone would not make the 
 books indispensable to the teacher. Consequent- 
 ly, the outlines which follow will not be complete 
 on the subject, but will give that which may be 
 added to the regular work of the class. 
 
 Naturally, the earlier lessons must be, in geog- 
 raphy and history, of a conversational type and 
 based upon things which the pupils know. Read- 
 ing, language, history, and geography become so 
 closely correlated that what is distinctively in- 
 tended for the one may be almost equally effect- 
 ive as another. 
 
 In the following list of nearly one hundred 
 and fifty selections we will not try to classify 
 
 145 
 
146 
 
 Geography and History 
 
 very strictly, but will suggest for each a certain 
 phase of usefulness. 
 
 Largely geographical: 
 a. Juvenile poems with geographical allu- 
 sions, or based on geographical facts : 
 
 The Suns Travels, Volume I, page 
 67. 
 
 Singing, I, 73. 
 
 Foreign hands, I, 127. 
 
 At the Seaside, I, 134. 
 
 Old Gaelic Lullaby, I, 209. 
 
 Where Go the Boats? I, 265. 
 
 Foreign Children, I, 365. 
 
 Keepsake Mill, I, 363. 
 
 Windy Nights, II, 152. 
 
 Picture Books in Winter, II, 240. 
 
 The Child's World, II, 243. 
 Stories and poems that describe places or 
 people in Europe, and some of their 
 customs and modes of life : 
 
 The Tree, Volume I, page 263. 
 
 The Snow Maiden, I, 266. 
 
 The Snow Queen, II, 155. 
 
 A Bog of Flanders, IV, 235, 
 
 The Skeleton in Armor, VI, 54. 
 
 Rob and His Friends, VI, 346. 
 
 The Governor and the Notary, VII, 
 311. 
 
 Bon Quixote, VIII, 282. 
 
 The Alhambra, IX, 36. 
 
 Ascent of the Jungfrau, IX, 66. 
 
 (i) 
 
 (2 
 
 (3 
 
 (4 
 
 (5 
 (6 
 (7 
 (8 
 
 (9 
 (10 
 
 (11 
 
 (1) 
 (2) 
 
 (3) 
 (4) 
 
 (5) 
 (6) 
 (7) 
 
 (8) 
 
 (9) 
 (10) 
 
Geography and History 147 
 
 (11) The Cotter's Saturday Night, IX, 
 253. 
 
 c. Fanciful legends with geographical inter- 
 
 ests: 
 
 (1) Why the Sea Is Salt, Volume III, 
 
 page 51. 
 
 (2) Origin of the Opal, III, 57. 
 
 d. Stories from Japan and India : 
 
 (1) The Mirror of Matsuyana, Volume 
 
 II, page 62. 
 
 (2) Wee Willie Winkie, III, 189. 
 
 e. A story of longitude: 
 
 (1) Three Sundays in a Week, Volume 
 VII, page 255. 
 /. Plants or plant life : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Potato, Volume III, page 57. 
 
 (2) Trees and Ants That Help Each 
 
 Other, VIII, 140. 
 
 (3) A Bed of Nettles, IX, 131. 
 g. Animal life : 
 
 (1) Salmon Fishing, VIII, 116. 
 
 (2) Winter Animals, VIII, 126. 
 
 (3) Trees and Ants That Help Each 
 
 Other, VIII, 140. 
 
 (4) Owls,X 9 169. 
 
 (5) Elephant Hunting, VII, 180. 
 
 (6) Some Clever Monkeys, VII, 198. 
 
 (7) The Buffalo, VII, 395. 
 
 (8) A Gorilla Hunt, VIII, 74. 
 
 (9) Brute Neighbors, VIII, 88. 
 (10) The Pond in Winter, VIII, 111. 
 
 h. Natural phenomena : 
 
 (1) The Cloud, Volume VIII, page 85. 
 
148 Geography and History 
 
 2. Indians and their habits. The selections are 
 either historical or geographical or both. 
 
 a. The Arickara Indians. (A description of 
 
 the habits and customs of one of the 
 western tribes.) Volume V, page 463. 
 
 b. Reminiscences of a Pioneer, (This con- 
 
 tains a few interesting anecdotes of In- 
 dians and many incidents of pioneer 
 life.) Volume VI, page 67. 
 
 c. Black Hawk Tragedy. (A very interest- 
 
 ing biographical and historical sketch.) 
 Volume VII, page 354. 
 
 d. An Exciting Canoe Race. (A story of 
 
 the New York Indians at an early day.) 
 Volume VII, page 395. 
 
 e. David Crockett in the Creek War. (An 
 
 interesting account of southern Indians 
 and their wars.) Volume VIII, page 
 380. 
 
 3. Biography. The selections in this group con- 
 sist of anecdotal sketches, brief biographies, 
 extracts from longer works, and a few poems : 
 a. Authors of the United States and of for- 
 eign countries: 
 
 (1) Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume I, 
 
 page 125. 
 
 (2) Eugene Field, I, 249. 
 
 (3) Hans Christian Andersen, II, 110. 
 
 (4) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, IV, 
 
 200. 
 
 (5) Alice and Phoebe Cary, IV, 260. 
 
 (6) Nathaniel Hawthorne, IV, 331. 
 
 (7) Sir Walter Scott, VI, 265. 
 
Geography and History 149 
 
 (8) John Greenleaf Whittier, VIII, 226. 
 
 (9) William Cullen Bryant, VIII, 237. 
 
 (10) Oliver Wendell Holmes, VIII, 245. 
 
 (11) James Russell Lowell, VIII, 259. 
 
 (12) Washington Irving, IX, 139. 
 
 (13) Charles and Mary Lamb, IX, 263. 
 
 b. Biblical Characters : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Story of Joseph, Volume I, page 
 
 456. 
 
 (2) The Story of Esther, II, 445. 
 
 (3) David, IV, 429. 
 
 (4) Ruth, VI, 397. 
 
 c. The author of many fables: 
 (1) Aesop, Volume II, page 1. 
 
 d. English history: 
 
 (1) Richard of the Lion Heart, Volume 
 
 IV, page 381. 
 
 (2) Alfred the Great, IV, 418. 
 
 (3) Queen Victoria, VII, 458. 
 
 (4) Florence Nightingale, IX, 79. 
 
 e. American history: 
 
 (1) George Rogers Clark, Volume VII, 
 
 page 221. 
 
 (2) David Crockett in the Creek War, 
 
 VIII, 380. 
 ( 3 )* Pere Marquette, IX, 1 . 
 (4) Abraham Lincoln, X, 277. 
 /. Roman history : 
 
 ( 1 ) Julius Caesar, Volume X, page 87. 
 Myths from several sources : 
 a. Grecian and Roman: 
 
 (1) Atlanta's Race, Volume I, page 403. 
 
 (2) Baucis and Philemon, I, 429. 
 
150 Geography and History 
 
 (3) The Golden Touch, II, 70. 
 
 (4) The Chimera, II, 208. 
 
 (5) The Story of Phaethon, II, 245. 
 
 (6) The Queen of the Underworld, II, 
 
 467. 
 
 (7) Cupid and Psyche, IV, 10. 
 
 b, Northern Europe : 
 
 (1) How the Wolf Was Bound, Volume 
 
 II, page 121. 
 
 (2) The Death of Balder, II, 129. 
 
 (3) The Punishment of Loki, II, 143. 
 
 (4) Beowulf and Grendel, III, 478. 
 
 c. Miscellaneous : 
 
 (1) Stories of the Creation, Volume IV, 
 
 page 307. 
 
 5. Legendary heroes. The following selections 
 
 give vivid ideas of the great national heroes 
 
 whose reputed deeds have been an inspiration 
 
 to hosts of children in many lands : 
 
 a. Scandinavian : 
 
 (1) Frithiof the Bold, Volume IV, page 
 40. 
 
 b. German : 
 
 (1) The Story of Siegfried, Volume IV, 
 page 57. 
 
 c. English : 
 
 (1) Robin Hood, Volume IV, page 86. 
 
 (2) King Arthur, V, 287. 
 
 (3) Balin and Balan, V, 304. 
 
 (4) Geratnt and Enid, V, 323. 
 
 ( 5 ) The Holy Grail, V, 386. 
 
 (6) Dissensions at King Arthur s Court, 
 
 V, 412. 
 
Geography and History 151 
 
 (7) The Passing of Arthur, V, 417. 
 
 d. French : 
 
 (1) Roland at Roncesvalles , Volume IV, 
 page 111. 
 
 e. Spanish : 
 
 (1) The Cid, Volume IV, page 140. 
 /. Greek: 
 
 (1) The Death of Hector, Volume V, 
 
 page 47. 
 
 (2) Ulysses, V, 86. 
 g. Roman : 
 
 (1) Horatius, Volume VI, page 239. 
 6. Historical tales, poems, and selections of dif- 
 ferent kinds and varying degrees of difficulty : 
 
 a. Northern Europe : 
 
 ( 1 ) Holger Danske, Volume III, page 70. 
 
 (2) Make Way for Liberty, VII, 478. 
 
 (3) Marco Bozzaris, VIII, 448. 
 
 (4) The Siege of Ley den, X, 138. 
 
 b. France and Napoleon: 
 
 ( 1 ) Incident of the French Camp, Volume 
 
 IV, page 324. 
 
 (2) Battle of Ivry, VIII, 423. 
 
 (3) Heme* Riel, IX, 53. 
 
 (4) The Battle of Waterloo, IX, 31. 
 
 (5) The Battle of Cressy, X, 94. 
 
 c. Classic lands : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Wooden Horse, Volume V, page 
 
 69. 
 
 (2) The Battle of Thermopylae, VIII, 
 
 437. 
 
 (3) The Death of Caesar, X, 55. 
 
 (4) The Death of Caesar, X, 74. 
 
152 Geography and History 
 
 (5) Julius Caesar, X, 87. 
 
 d. British Isles: 
 
 (1) Chevy Chase, Volume IV, page 474. 
 
 (2) The Ballad Agincourt, V, 269. 
 
 (3) Some Children s Books of the Past, 
 
 V, 275. 
 
 (4) The Rise of Robert Bruce, VI, 1. 
 
 (5) Bruce and the Spider, VI, 40. 
 
 ( 6 ) The Heart of Bruce, VI, 43. 
 
 (7) The Tournament, VI, 279. 
 
 (8) Bannockburn, VII, 303. 
 
 (9) The Charge of the Light Brigade, 
 
 VII, 452. 
 
 (10) The Recessional, VII, 471. 
 
 (11) The Revenge, VIII, 428. 
 
 ( 12) The Battle of Trafalgar, IX, 214. 
 
 (13) Casabianca, IX, 246. 
 
 (14) The Impeachment of Warren Hast- 
 
 ings, IX, 439. 
 
 (15) The Battle of Cressy, X, 94. 
 
 (16) The Battle of Hastings, X, 284. 
 
 e. United States: 
 
 (1) The Pine Tree Shillings, Volume IV, 
 
 page 344. 
 
 (2) The Sunken Treasure, IV, 350. 
 
 (3) The Hutchinson Mob, IV, 360. 
 
 (4) The Boston Massacre, IV, 370. 
 
 (5) The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers 
 
 in New England, IV, 376. 
 
 (6) Sheridan s Ride, IV, 378. 
 
 (7) Henry Hudson's Fourth Voyage, V, 
 
 436. 
 
 (8) Reminiscences of a Pioneer, VI, 67. 
 
Geography and History 153 
 
 (9) Braddock's Defeat, VI, 109. 
 
 10) The American Flag, VI, 128. 
 
 11) Stonewall Jackson s Way, VI, 132. 
 
 12) The Capture of Vincennes, VII, 228. 
 
 13) The Old Continentals, VII, 481. 
 
 14) America, VIII, 405. 
 
 15) The Fall of the Alamo, IX, 23. 
 
 16) The Knickerbocker History of New 
 York, IX, 148. 
 
 17) The Battle of Saratoga, X, 111. 
 
 18) The Gettysburg Address, X, 272. 
 /. America, outside of the United States : 
 
 (1) The Buccaneers, Volume VI, page 88, 
 
 ( 2 ) Captain Morgan at Maricaibo, VI, 94. 
 
 (3) Ring rose and His Buccaneers, VIII, 
 
 340. 
 
 (4) The Retreat of Cortez, VIII, 409. 
 
 II. Suggestions in Method 
 
 1. Elementary Lessons. The object of 
 teaching geography and history is not solely that 
 children may acquire a collection of facts. Too 
 often the lessons in these branches consist merely 
 in memorizing text books, in learning long de- 
 scriptions, in the study of meaningless maps and 
 in the catalogueing of political and military 
 events in chronological order. The value of such 
 work is comparatively small, and the studies can- 
 not be considered profitable. If, however, pupils 
 are taught to know and understand people, their 
 habits and modes of life ; if they learn geograph- 
 ical facts in their relation to humanity, to study 
 
1,54 Geography and History 
 
 events in the relation of cause to effect, to seek 
 for truth and the meaning of things, then noth- 
 ing is more productive of good than the teaching 
 of geography and history. 
 
 If we accept as true the foregoing statements, 
 then methods of teaching the subjects become 
 clear as we think of them. It is evident that 
 early lessons should be designed to create in- 
 terest. 
 
 (1) In the world of things immediately 
 around us ; in the land and what grows and lives 
 upon it; in the water, its relation to the land, 
 its motions, and the life that it contains; in the 
 air, its phenomena and its denizens; in human 
 beings, their feelings and all their activities. 
 
 (2) In the great earth as a whole and its 
 parts, in foreign animals and plants; in human- 
 ity in other lands. 
 
 It appears that so broad an outline as the one 
 just given can never be filled in, that the study 
 of geography and history, the study of the world 
 and its peoples can never be completed. If such 
 is the case, it follows that the teacher who cre- 
 ates the most vital interest in the subject, who 
 leaves with her pupils the most ardent desire 
 to study and know has been of greatest service 
 to them. 
 
 Now, the great interests of life have their in- 
 ception in early years when the mind is active, 
 curiosity strong, and instruction accepted with- 
 out question. Then should be created that abid- 
 ing interest which will make good students of 
 geography and history, good citizens, good men 
 
Geography and History 155 
 
 and women. If too many formal lessons are 
 given then, and pupils are set to work at dreary 
 tasks and are asked to memorize dry facts, it is 
 probable that they will never become good stu- 
 dents. How, then, shall a teacher create the 
 abiding interest ? 
 
 The entrance to the field of geography is 
 through nature study, which is discussed else- 
 where under that title. For the first two years 
 of a child's school he will hear nothing of geog- 
 raphy, and even in the third year there will be 
 little formal reference to it, but all the time he 
 is quietly mastering facts and developing in- 
 terests that are geographical in their character. 
 
 When systematic lessons begin, the teacher 
 should remember to present only real facts and 
 genuine things, that they should bear some close 
 and direct relation to ourselves and that they 
 should be matters of personal observation, as far 
 as possible. Day and night in summer and win- 
 ter, the seasons, the weather, wind, rain, snow, 
 sleet, foods, clothing, the occupations of the 
 neighborhood, the brooks and bodies of water 
 about the school, hills, valleys, plains, plants and 
 animals of the locality, each in turn serves its 
 purpose. We cannot here show how these vari- 
 ous subjects should be treated, but to illustrate 
 the use of literature in elementary geography 
 lessons we will present an outline on a single 
 subject. The wide-awake teacher will see new 
 possibilities in every direction and will make fre- 
 quent use of the list given above in finding suit- 
 able selections. 
 
156 Geography and History 
 
 If we choose the wind as the subject of our 
 model lesson, we may be sure to cover several 
 recitations that will lead us into reading, nature 
 study and language (oral and written). It is 
 a subject that encourages wide correlation. The 
 outline for the teacher might be the following : 
 
 THE WIND 
 
 1. Purpose of the Lesson: To teach the fol- 
 
 lowing facts: 
 
 a. That air occupies space. 
 
 b. That wind is air in motion and has force. 
 
 c. The directions and names of winds. 
 
 d. The uses of winds. 
 
 2. Experiments and Observation: 
 
 a. Take an empty bottle and thrust it square- 
 
 ly, mouth down, into water, Does the 
 water rise in the bottle? (Only a little 
 way.) Why not? (It can't get in. 
 There is air in the bottle. ) 
 
 b. Raise the bottle slowly and tip it slightly 
 
 so that a part of the mouth is above the 
 water, then push it horizontally into the 
 water. Does the water go into the bot- 
 tle now? (Yes.) Why? (Because there 
 is no air there to keep it out.) How do 
 you know? (I saw the air coming out 
 in bubbles.) Why didn't the air come 
 out when we pushed the bottle down the 
 first time? (The water was too heavy; 
 it held the air in.) 
 
 c. Hold your hand close in front of your 
 
 mouth and blow. Can you feel any- 
 
Geography and History 157 
 
 thing ? ( Yes ; the air strikes my hand. ) 
 When you are out in the wind can you 
 feel it? (Yes; it pushes against me.) 
 Can it push hard ? ( Yes ; sometimes it 
 pushes over trees and houses.) What 
 is the wind? (It is air moving.) 
 
 d. Is the wind blowing today? Did it blow 
 
 yesterday? From what direction is it 
 (was it) blowing? How do you know ? 
 (I saw trees bending away from it. I 
 felt it pushing from that side. It came 
 in at that window. The vane on the 
 church steeple pointed that way.) 
 
 e. When a wind comes from the South, what 
 
 do we call it? (South wind.) When 
 a wind blows from the North what do 
 we call it? (North wind.) What wind 
 brings cold weather? (North.) What 
 wind brings warm weather? (South.) 
 What wind brings long spells of rainy 
 weather? (East.) What winds bring 
 showers and thunderstorms? (South 
 and West.) What winds prevail in 
 summer? (South and West.) What 
 winds prevail in winter? (North.) 
 
 f. What work have you seen the wind do? 
 
 (Turn windmills; sail boats.) Have 
 you seen it do any work for us here? 
 ( Yes ; it drives the clouds that bring us 
 rain. It drives away stormy clouds.) 
 Can't you think of something else ? ( It 
 scatters seeds of plants. It shakes nuts 
 
158 Geography and History 
 
 from trees. It helps melt snow and ice. 
 It keeps the air clean and pure.) 
 3. Literature. 
 
 a. As an introduction to the lesson or in 
 
 preparation, give the first two stanzas 
 of that beautiful poem by W. B. Rands, 
 The Child's World (Volume II, page 
 243). 
 
 b. In considering the strength of the wind, 
 
 there is a fine opportunity to introduce 
 the fable The Wind and the Sun (Vol- 
 ume I, page 90). 
 
 c. Robert Louis Stevenson's verses, Windy 
 
 Nights (Volume II, page 152), are en- 
 tertaining and give an opportunity for 
 nice explanation. 
 
 d. In the same light as the preceding selec- 
 
 tion may be regarded the imaginative 
 verses by the same author, The Wind 
 (Volume I, page 439). 
 
 e. In The King of the Golden River (Vol- 
 
 ume III), is a humorous personifica- 
 tion of the southwest wind. It is strik- 
 ingly true of the nature of that wind. 
 The description begins at the bottom 
 of page 139 and a second appearance 
 of the wind is chronicled on pages 147- 
 149. 
 /. Finest of all the selections for this topic 
 is Tennyson's exquisite lullaby, Sweet 
 and Low (Volume VI, page 372) . This 
 is well worth memorizing. 
 
Geography and History 159 
 
 ALFRED THE GREAT 
 
 One of the interesting characters in history is 
 King Alfred of England and in the sketch of 
 him (Volume IV, page 418) are facts enough 
 for several elementary lessons in history. The 
 teacher's outline might be as follows : 
 
 1. Teacher's Preparation. 
 
 a. Read the article above referred to, and 
 
 such other material concerning Alfred 
 as can be found. 
 
 b. Select two incidents for story telling and 
 
 prepare them for recital. ( See articles 
 on Story Telling in this Manual and 
 in Journeys, Volume X. ) 
 
 2. Presentation to Class. 
 
 a. Tell the first story (page 418). It might 
 be given in this form : 
 
 "More than a thousand years ago, Alfred, the 
 youngest of the four sons of the king, was born. 
 He was a fine lad and the favorite of his par- 
 ents, but when he was twelve years of age he 
 had not yet learned to read. This is not so 
 strange, when we stop to think that it was long 
 before people knew anything about printing and 
 every letter in every book had to be slowly made 
 with a pen. 
 
 "This made books very expensive and rare, 
 so that only a few people could own even one. 
 Still you have no idea how beautiful some of 
 those books were. They were written on thin, 
 fine-grained leather called parchment, and were 
 beautifully decorated in colors. The capital let- 
 
160 Geography and History 
 
 ters which began paragraphs, and sometimes all 
 the capital letters, were made large, in fanciful 
 shapes, and all around them were painted flow- 
 ers, birds, human beings, or pretty designs, so 
 that each letter was a beautiful picture in itself. 
 Then in the margins, above the titles, at every 
 place where there was no printing, were still 
 other delicate designs. Some of those wonder- 
 ful old books are still in existence, and people 
 go long distances to see them. They are more 
 valuable now than ever, and most of them are 
 safely guarded in museums. 
 
 "One day Alfred's mother was reading to her 
 children from one of those beautiful books some 
 fine poems which the Saxons had written. The 
 boys all became very much interested in the rich 
 little paintings that decorated it. The mother 
 pointed out its beauties and told the boys how 
 carefully the artists had worked and how long it 
 had taken them to do it. 
 
 " 'Did you ever see its equal?' she asked. 
 
 ' 'No,' replied the oldest boy, 'I have not seen 
 anything like it. I wish I had one like it.' 
 
 " 'Boys,' said the mother, 'this is one of the 
 greatest treasures I have, and I would not like 
 to part with it. Yet I love my boys better than 
 the book, and I want them to learn to read. So 
 this is what I will gladly do: I will give this 
 book to the first of you who comes to me and 
 shows that he can read it understandingly.' 
 
 " 'It is my book, for I can read some already,' 
 said the oldest. 
 
Geography and History 161 
 
 ' 'But I can work harder than you, and I will 
 learn faster,' said the second. 
 
 ' 'I learn more easily than any of you,' the 
 third boy added. 'I feel sure I shall win the 
 book.' 
 
 "Alfred said nothing, but as soon as his mother 
 had ceased to read he hurried away, found a 
 wise man to teach him and began immediately 
 to work with great diligence. It was not long 
 before he began to read for himself, and before 
 his brothers had made much progress Alfred 
 went to his mother. 
 
 ' 'I think I can read the book,' he said. 
 
 " 'I do not think you have had time to learn. 
 You are hurrying too much. You should study 
 more,' his mother replied. 
 
 ' 'But, mother, please let me try,' pleaded Al- 
 fred. 
 
 "The mother yielded and Alfred brought the 
 big book to her and laid it on her knee. Then 
 he opened it at the beginning and with very few 
 mistakes read poem after poem. His mother 
 was more than satisfied and when Alfred left 
 the room he was hugging the elegant book and 
 carrying it to his part of the castle. 
 
 "This was only the beginning, for Alfred be- 
 came the greatest scholar and the wisest king the 
 Saxons ever had. He made just laws, he ruled 
 kindly, he founded schools, and he tried in every 
 way to make his subjects better, wiser and hap- 
 pier. Do you not think it all began in his love 
 for the beautiful book?" 
 
162 Geography and History 
 
 3. Class recitation. 
 
 Question the class and make them see in it : 
 
 a. The Introduction. The first general facts 
 
 about Alfred. 
 
 b. The Body of the Narrative. The story 
 
 of how Alfred learned to read. 
 
 c. The Conclusion. Alfred wins the prize 
 
 and becomes a great ruler. 
 
 Then ask them to tell the story in their own 
 words. 
 
 Finally ask them to write the story for a com- 
 position. 
 
 4. Additional Information. Find out what 
 other things about Alfred are already known to 
 the class. Then tell the story of Alfred and the 
 cakes (page 419) ; of his battles with the Danes 
 under Guthrum (page 420) ; of his war with the 
 Danes under Hastings (page 422) ; of his work 
 for his people (page 423) ; and of his plans and 
 inventions (page 424). 
 
 5. Supplementary Readings. If the lessons 
 on Alfred have been well conducted, interest will 
 have been created in a variety of subjects relat- 
 ing to early English history. The Saxons, their 
 mode of life, armor, weapons, manner of war- 
 fare, laws and customs; the Danes and their 
 characteristics; the rulers who followed Alfred; 
 the formation of the English nation, are topics 
 that readily suggest themselves. 
 
 More or less closely connected with these lines 
 of thought are the following selections in Jour- 
 neys Through Bookland. The teacher may 
 easilv deflect the interest in anv direction. If 
 
Geography and History 163 
 
 the selections are too hard for the class to read, 
 tell the stories in simplified form: 
 
 1. The Legends of King Arthur (Volume 
 
 V, beginning on page 287). 
 
 2. The Attach on the Castle (Volume V, 
 
 page 1). 
 
 3. The Battle of Hastings (Volume X, 
 
 page 284). 
 4. Beowulf and Grendel (Volume III, 
 page 478). 
 
 5. Chevy Chase (Volume IV, page 474). 
 
 6. Frithiof the Bold (Volume IV, page 40) . 
 
 7. The myths of the Northland, viz. : How 
 
 the Wolf Was Bound (Volume IT, 
 page 121) ; The Death of Balder (Vol- 
 ume II, page 129) ; The Punishment 
 of Loki (Volume II, page 143) ; and 
 part of Stories of Creation (Volume 
 IV, page 307). 
 
 8. A Norse Lullaby (Volume I, page 253) . 
 
 9. The Tournament (Volume VI, page 
 
 279). 
 10. The Skeleton in Armor (Volume VI, 
 page 54). 
 
 It will be noticed that while this outline is 
 given for the use of teachers of history in the 
 lower grades, it easily may be adapted to the 
 use of older pupils and may lead into a wide 
 course in historical reading. 
 
 2. Formal Lessons in History. The text- 
 book in history is necessarily brief and really 
 little more than an outline of events. In many 
 
164 Geography and History 
 
 instances the book gives too much space to bat- 
 tles, sieges and military movements and too lit- 
 tle to the conditions of life, to manners, customs 
 and causes and effects of events. Yet the text- 
 book is a valuable guide and enables the teacher 
 to present the subject logically and to system- 
 atize what is learned, if nothing more. 
 
 What a wide range of subjects is covered in 
 the study of history! What abundance of ma- 
 terial for study is required by the teacher ! Dates 
 must be learned and events arranged chrono- 
 logically; maps must be studied, fixed in mind 
 and made of real value by a comprehension of 
 the things they are supposed to represent; mili- 
 tary events must be understood in relation to 
 the causes that lead to them and the results that 
 follow. Some few battles or campaigns must be 
 made vivid enough to give an idea of the ex- 
 pense, the labor, the suffering and the horrors 
 involved in war; government, educational 
 and religious institutions, religious and social 
 customs and financial methods must be studied; 
 industries and amusements, the lives of the peo- 
 ple, food and food supplies, the production of 
 clothing and building material must be exam- 
 ined ; in fact, each one of the multiform interests 
 of humanity may be a fair topic for study at 
 some time in the history class. 
 
 Methods of instructions must be as varied as 
 the subject matter. Sometimes drill is neces- 
 sary to fix facts; again it is necessary to en- 
 courage the observation and study of persons, 
 things and events about us; a third time, wide 
 
Geography and History 165 
 
 research and extension reading are demanded; 
 again, the feelings must be aroused, sentiment 
 and enthusiasm encouraged, patriotism taught. 
 
 The teacher will find material for many of 
 these exercises in Journeys Through Book- 
 land. One good outline for study may be found 
 in this Manual, under the head of Language; 
 it is the argumentative outline on The Boston 
 Massacre. 
 
 As a type of study for the military campaign, 
 we might take Burgoyne's campaign in the Rev- 
 olution. From the text-book we may learn cer- 
 tain facts and encourage the pupils to group 
 them as follows: 
 
 Burgoyne's Campaign. 
 
 1. Conditions prior thereto. 
 
 a. The British occupied only New York and 
 
 Newport. 
 
 b. They understood the natural highway that 
 
 existed along Lake Champlain and the 
 Hudson River from the Saint Law- 
 rence River to New York. 
 
 c. They resolved to establish a line of mili- 
 
 tary posts along this highway. 
 
 2. Plan of Campaign. 
 
 a. General Burgoyne was sent to Canada 
 
 with 4,000 British regulars and 3,000 
 Hessians. 
 
 b. Canadians and Indians to the number of 
 
 1,000 joined the troops under Bur- 
 goyne. 
 
 c. St. Leger was sent to Oswega to descend 
 
166 Geography and History 
 
 the Mohawk, capture Fort Stanwix and 
 join Burgoyne. 
 d. Burgoyne was to go through Richelieu 
 River and Lake Champlain by boats; 
 thence march to New York by land. 
 
 3. American Troops in Opposition. 
 
 a. General St. Clair with 3,000 men at Ticon- 
 
 deroga. 
 
 b. General Schuyler with about 3,000 men 
 
 on the Hudson. 
 
 4. Burgoyne's Advance. 
 
 a. The trip to Ticonderoga made and the 
 
 Americans dislodged from the fort. 
 
 b. The skirmish at Hubbardton was success- 
 
 ful, but the Americans were not cap- 
 tured, and the delay to Burgoyne en- 
 abled Saint Clair to join Schuyler. 
 
 c. The march to the Hudson was full of dif- 
 
 ficulties and discouragements: 
 
 (1) Obstructed roads; destroyed bridges. 
 
 (2) Supplies grew short. 
 
 (3) Indians deserted. 
 
 (4) A third of his troops were left at 
 
 Ticonderoga. 
 
 d. The expedition against Bennington: 
 
 (1) Colonel Baum sent to take supplies 
 
 from the Americans there. 
 
 (2) Met General Stark with a force out- 
 
 numbering him two or three to one. 
 
 (3) Rain delayed battle, and British en- 
 
 trenched. 
 
 (4) Baum surrounded; his force captured 
 
Geography and History 167 
 
 or killed, including a relief party 
 under Riedesel. 
 e. St. Leger's Campaign. 
 
 (1) Unsuccessful battle at Oriskany. 
 
 (2) St. Leger retreated and disappeared 
 
 from the region after a flight in- 
 duced by a ruse invented by Bene- 
 dict Arnold. 
 
 5. Burgoyne's Surrender. 
 
 a. He attempted to cut his way through the 
 lines of the American troops which sur- 
 rounded him. 
 
 6. Crossed the Hudson and met the Ameri- 
 cans at Bemis Heights ; defeated. 
 
 c. Defeated at Freeman's Farm. 
 
 d. Surrendered October 17, 1777. 
 
 6. Effects of the Surrender. 
 
 a. Gave the Americans many arms and muni- 
 
 tions of war. 
 
 b. Gave the Americans greater confidence in 
 
 themselves and their cause. 
 
 c. Caused great discouragement to the Brit- 
 
 ish, both at home and in the colonies. 
 
 d. Established the prestige of the American 
 
 cause in Europe. 
 
 e. Secured the assistance of France. 
 
 /. Probably was the most influential single 
 campaign in the war and largely instru- 
 mental in enabling the colonists to win. 
 
 The preceding outline is the framework for 
 the study of one military campaign. It is the 
 basis for topical recitations, but in itself it has 
 
1G8 Geography and History 
 
 neither interest nor vitality. The main points 
 should be memorized so that facts learned sub- 
 sequently may be logically arranged. When the 
 general outline is mastered, teachers and pupils 
 begin to fill in details from all available sources 
 and create in the minds of the pupils vivid pic- 
 tures of the scenes, a thorough understanding 
 of the course of events and a lively realization 
 of the effect of this remarkable episode of a great 
 war. 
 
 To further assist the teacher in this instance 
 and to furnish a type or model for succeeding 
 studies, we will traverse the outline again, show- 
 ing what may be done with it and how litera- 
 ture may lend its aid to the study of history. 
 In Journeys Through Bookland we have a 
 long extract from The Battle of Saratoga by 
 Creasy (Volume X, page 3). This will be the 
 source of much of our information, and the 
 teacher will find the explanatory footnotes to 
 the extract of considerable value. We reproduce 
 here only the indices of the original outline : 
 
 1. a, b and c. A good outline map of the 
 colonies is necessary. It must show the location 
 of bodies of water, natural thoroughfares, cities 
 and forts. The map should be made for the pur- 
 pose and contain no details beyond those neces- 
 sary for an understanding of this campaign. A 
 second map showing a strip of country from the 
 Saint Lawrence to New York and wide enough 
 to include all the operations of the armies should 
 contain more detail and be used frequently as 
 the study proceeds. It may be well for each 
 
Geography and History 169 
 
 pupil to draw this region in outline and fill in 
 the details as his study proceeds. Read page 
 113, Volume X. 
 
 2. a, b, c and d. Read pages 114-116, Vol- 
 ume X. 
 
 3. a and b. Pages 114-115, Volume X. 
 
 4. a. Pages 116 and 117, Volume X. 
 
 4. b. See page 118. The quotation from 
 Burke, Volume X, pages 118 and 119, and the 
 following paragraph are interesting accounts of 
 the feeling in England and America over the 
 apparent successes of Burgoyne. 
 
 6. c. The causes of the increased efficiency 
 of the Americans and the bitterness with which 
 the British were regarded by the colonists is ex- 
 plained on pages 120 and 121 of Volume X. 
 
 Something of the nature of the Indian allies 
 may be gained from the story, An Exciting 
 Canoe Race (Volume VII, page 376). 
 
 A stirring poem to be read in this connection, 
 or later on at the time of the battle, may be 
 found in The Old Continentals (Volume VII, 
 page 481 ) . 
 
 7. a, b, c and d. The final days of the cam- 
 paign and the surrender are described on pages 
 124-135, Volume X. In using this, bring out 
 the following points not made in the original 
 outline : 
 
 The near approach of Clinton and the message 
 from him. What must Burgoyne have felt when 
 he received the message! Put human interest 
 into the tale. 
 
170 Geography and History 
 
 The character of Burgoyne, Gates and Arnold, 
 as shown by their acts. 
 
 The Germans (Hessians) in the campaign. 
 
 The burial of General Frazer. 
 
 The condition of the British troops when they 
 surrendered. 
 
 The terms of surrender. 
 
 Gates's message to Congress. 
 
 6. a, bj c 3 d and e. See, in this connection, 
 page 111 and pages 136 and 137 of Volume X. 
 
 The Soldiers Dream (Volume VII, page 
 476) is a good poem to read for the purpose of 
 exciting sympathy for the soldiers. 
 
 The Picket Guard (Volume VII, page 483) 
 is useful in a similar way, though written in con- 
 nection with another war. 
 
 The American Flag (Volume VI, page 128) 
 may be used here. Did the American soldiers 
 carry the flag of the United States at the time 
 of the battle of Saratoga? If not, what flag 
 was borne? Did the "United Colonies" have a 
 flag? 
 
 By consulting the tabulated list of selections 
 useful in history classes you may find other things 
 of interest. Care should be taken, however, not 
 to cloud the main purpose of the lessons by the 
 introduction of too much literary matter. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of history and geog- 
 raphy we urge upon the teacher a careful peru- 
 sal of the sections entitled Close Reading, both 
 in Journeys Through Booklaxd (Volume X, 
 page 375) and in this Manual. 
 
V. CHARACTER BUILDING 
 
 The influences which unite to make character 
 are so numerous, subtle and complex that it is 
 next to impossible to detect them or to classify 
 them in order of importance. Not only is this 
 true of the aggregate, but it is true of the in- 
 dividual. It is doubtful if any person in middle 
 life can tell just what he is or just how he became 
 himself. He is aware of some great influences 
 that have exerted their power over him at cer- 
 tain crises in his life, but the little things which, 
 taken together, have done more to form and fix 
 his character are often unrecognized or under- 
 valued. Fortunately, we do not need at this 
 time to give attention to but one phase of the 
 great question. 
 
 As teachers, our greatest sphere of influence is 
 upon the characters of our pupils. It is the one 
 important thing. Great as is the value of book 
 education, of practical power and of good health, 
 still greater is the importance of sound, whole- 
 some character; and, consciously or unconscious- 
 ly, intentionally or unintentionally, the teacher 
 is incessantly at work building the characters of 
 the young people placed in her charge. Most of 
 us, too, are working toward right ends as con- 
 scientiously as any body of people in the world. 
 Yet often we grow faint-hearted, or are puzzled 
 
 171 
 
172 Character Building 
 
 to know what we can do to help the children and 
 how we can do it most ' effectively. 
 
 That the influence of reading on character is 
 one of the most powerful is granted by every 
 high-minded person who has written or spoken 
 upon the subject. Really, it is not an influence, 
 but a series of influences, wide, complex, far- 
 reaching. The extended range of subjects, the 
 infinite variety in style, the unlimited shades in 
 sentiment to be found in literature make its pres- 
 ence influential everywhere and always. In read- 
 ing there is comfort for the sorrowing, compan- 
 ionship for the lonely, encouragement for the 
 downcast, entertainment for the leisurely, inspi- 
 ration for the sluggish. Gentle, pervasive, al- 
 most unnoticed, yet stronger than iron bands, 
 is the power of literature over us. We are what 
 we read. 
 
 If such be the case, then there need be no ar- 
 gument concerning the importance of suitable 
 reading matter for the young. To leave a child 
 wholly to his own inclinations in reading is 
 as absurd as to send him to take honey from a 
 swarm of angry bees and not expect him to be 
 stung. Inevitably, he will be injured, and that 
 seriously. To supply him with honey, all that 
 he wants, at all times and without exertion to 
 himself, is to clog his taste and destroy his ap- 
 petite. We must see that he is led to look for the 
 sweet, taught to recognize it when he finds it, 
 and to extract it from the comb. He will enjoy 
 working to get it. On the other hand, he must 
 not be sent where his reward is too difficult to 
 
Character Building 173 
 
 find and secure, lest he become discouraged and 
 cease to work. 
 
 School readers furnish much excellent material 
 for reading; in the majority of schools there is 
 furnished more or less of supplementary reading 
 that is quite as good as that in the text-books 
 and which will have the merit of novelty and 
 exclusiveness. Yet, in spite of this, teachers are 
 continually finding themselves at a loss for fresh 
 and inspiring things for special lessons. These 
 she may get from Journeys Through Book- 
 land., and to assist her in finding them and in 
 using them after found the following lines have 
 been written. 
 
 II 
 
 Character is made up of a great variety of 
 traits ; some of the mind, some of the heart, some 
 of the soul. That is, what we are is composed 
 of what we know, what we feel and what we be- 
 lieve. In response to those things we act; we 
 govern ourselves in respect to ourselves and to 
 others. 
 
 The grave responsibility that rests upon teach- 
 ers is to encourage those traits which make for 
 noble manhood and womanhood and to correct 
 or eradicate as far as possible those which are 
 bad in themselves or which help to neutralize or 
 destroy the good ones. 
 
 Much may be accomplished by correct teach- 
 ing of good principles, but human nature is such 
 that people learn even more through indirection 
 than through instruction. By means of the study 
 
174 Character Building 
 
 of literature the best direct instruction may be 
 given, and wholesome lessons may be taught 
 abundantly in that charming way which accom- 
 plishes its purpose without a recognition on the 
 part of the pupils that they are being taught. 
 The force and persistence of a good lesson of 
 the latter kind cannot be estimated. It may be 
 years before it exhausts itself, and its force may 
 be revolutionary. 
 
 The wise teacher, though she does not make 
 known to her pupils all her plans, works sys- 
 tematically. That is, having learned that her 
 pupil is lacking in some respect, such as a knowl- 
 edge of what constitutes good character, or in 
 certain desirable traits of character, or possesses 
 some characteristics that should be changed, she 
 proceeds slowly and persistently to bring about 
 the results she desires. 
 
 Ill 
 
 In Journeys Through Bookland she will 
 find much to assist her. The influence of nearly 
 all the selections will be for the betterment of 
 character, will tend to make better men and 
 women of her pupils. But when she is looking 
 for some direct help, for something to produce 
 a certain definite result, she will study the books 
 carefully and select the things which are most 
 effective. To help her in her selection we have 
 prepared the following outline. It does not con- 
 tain everything of value, but it is sufficiently 
 
Character Building 175 
 
 comprehensive for its purpose, and will save 
 much time for the teacher. 
 
 Now let us not be foolish in teaching these 
 things. Let us be satisfied if we secure the in- 
 terest of the pupils in the selection and get from 
 them the smile of approval, the look of guilt, 
 the slight indication of a determination to profit 
 by the lesson. Many times we will refrain from 
 comment lest we spoil the effect of something 
 much finer, more inspiring than anything we can 
 say ourselves. 
 
 The things we have chosen for their direct in- 
 fluence on the growing character of children will 
 be grouped by subject in three general classes: 
 
 The selections in this group are calculated to 
 set the pupils to thinking properly about some 
 serious subjects. While not as important as some 
 others may be in the formation of character, they 
 are yet of no small consequence. 
 
 1. Wisdom, ignorance, keenness, wit, etc., in 
 some of their many phases are shown in the fa- 
 bles and the brief poem shown here : 
 
 The Ass in the Lions Skin, Volume I, page 61. 
 
 The Fox and the Stork, I, 62. 
 
 The Fox and the Grapes, 1, 133. 
 
 The Bat and the Two Weasels, I, 155. 
 
 The Horse and the Stag, I, 353. 
 
 The Fox, the Wolf, and the Horse, I, 383. 
 
 The Bald Knight, I, 402. 
 
176 Character Building 
 
 The Wolf and the Lamb, I, 455. 
 
 Minerva and the Owl, II, 6. 
 
 The Country Squire, VII, 278. 
 
 To ridicule ignorance but not the ignorant 
 person is sometimes a valuable means of inciting 
 a love for knowledge. 
 
 2. The importance of attention to little 
 things is inculcated in the following: 
 
 The Lion and the Mouse, Volume I, page 69. 
 The Reaper and the Flowers, II, 40. 
 The Daffodils, VII, 287. 
 The Petrified Fern, VII, 352. 
 
 3. The following will help to create habits of 
 promptness, industry and perseverance : 
 
 Time to Rise, Volume I, page 60. 
 The Hare and the Tortoise, I, 68. 
 The Lark and Her Young Ones, I, 128. 
 Industry and Sloth, I, 313. 
 Whittington and His Cat, I, 441. 
 Tom, the Water Baby, II, 257. 
 The Village Blacksmith, IV, 227. 
 Bruce and the Spider, VI, 40. 
 
 4. These show the sterling worth of inde- 
 pendence and the real equality of man : 
 
 The V'illaae Blacksmith, Volume IV, page 
 227. 
 
 For A 3 That and A 3 That, VII, 455. 
 
 5. Courage and bravery are shown to be ad- 
 mirable and cowardice is made shameful in these 
 selections : 
 
 The Boy and the Nettle, Volume I, page 66. 
 The Mice and the Cat, I, 202. 
 
Character Building 177 
 
 6. The evil of conceit and overweening self- 
 esteem may be shown emphatically by the use of 
 such selections as these : 
 
 The Gnat and the Bull, Volume I, page 66. 
 
 The Cock and the Horses, I, 145. 
 
 The Pea Blossom, I, 211. 
 
 The Sparrow and the Eagle, II, 8. 
 
 The Milkmaid, III, 67. 
 
 7. Flattery as a vice is made to seem un- 
 worthy, and its victim ridiculous in the two se- 
 lections following : 
 
 The Fooo and the Crow, Volume I, page 60. 
 The Spider and the Fly, III, 22. 
 
 B 
 
 Our character is largely made up of our feel- 
 ings and emotions. Reason takes us in hand and 
 tells us right from wrong, but we must feel be- 
 fore we act. To cultivate right feeling, laudable 
 emotions ; to make one wish to do and hence will 
 to do is perhaps the greatest function of real 
 literature, that is the literature of beauty and of 
 inspiration. Our collection is rich in this direc- 
 tion and to find material for lessons is an easy 
 task. Yet not everyone has the time to find, 
 classify and use everything; hence the following 
 lists. 
 
 Before giving them, however, a word of cau- 
 tion is necessary. Remember that these selec- 
 tions are not all suitable for pupils of every age. 
 Some that will delight the little children and 
 
178 Character Building 
 
 stimulate them to enthusiastic efforts to do right, 
 will not appeal to older pupils. Moreover, the 
 natural bent of a child's mind, the associations 
 he has formed, his home surroundings, and his 
 present character will all need to be considered 
 before making choice of the subject matter. As 
 for the manner of presentation, enough will be 
 found in the studies in Journeys Through 
 Bookland and in other parts of this Manual 
 safely to guide the young and inexperienced 
 teacher. 
 
 1. The influences of home and family are the 
 greatest that come into the lives of most chil- 
 dren. Love of home, of parents, of brothers and 
 sisters, of children, are the perfectly natural 
 things of existence. Yet often the ties are weak ; 
 not infrequently are they broken. Children drift 
 away from the restraining and helpful influence 
 of their parents, and families disintegrate. The 
 results are bad. By properly teaching such se- 
 lections as the following, the teacher may do 
 much to correct the evil and to intensify the 
 highest, holiest emotions of mankind : 
 
 The Rock-a-by Lady, Volume I, page 89. 
 
 Little Birdie, I, 141. 
 
 Sleep, Baby, Sleep, I, 204. 
 
 Old Gaelic Lullaby, I, 209. 
 
 Lady Button-Eyes, I, 381. 
 
 The First Snowfall, II, 443. 
 
 What the Old Man Does Is Always Bight, 
 III, 58. 
 
 Bain on the Boof, IV, 7. 
 
 Pictures of Memory, IV, 272. 
 
Character Building 179 
 
 Bernardo del Carpio, IV, 470. 
 
 Rab and His Friends, VI, 346. 
 
 Childhood, VI, 375. 
 
 Home, Sweet Home, VII, 1. 
 
 Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead, 
 VII, 12. 
 
 A Christmas Carol, VII, 27. 
 
 To My Infant Son, VII, 283. 
 
 The Old Oaken Bucket, VII, 298. 
 
 How's My Boy? VII, 475. 
 
 My Old Kentucky Home, VII, 485. 
 
 The Forsaken Merman, VIII, 1. 
 
 Tom and Maggie Tulliver, VIII, 7. 
 
 The Family of Michael Arout, VIII, 149. 
 
 On Receipt of My Mother s Picture, VIII, 
 168. 
 
 Extract from Snowbound, VIII, 234. 
 
 The Cotters Saturday Night, IX, 253. 
 
 Dream Children, IX, 271. 
 
 2. Honesty and truthfulness are cardinal vir- 
 tues; they are the foundation of every strong 
 character. Teach these selections and note their 
 effect : 
 
 The Shepherd Boy and the Wolves, Volume 
 I, page 87. 
 
 The Falcon and the Partridge, II, 6. 
 The Pied Piper of Hamelin, IV, 30. 
 The Cubes of Truth, VIII, 254. 
 
 3. Friendliness, kindness, consideration of 
 others, charity and love are a group of strong 
 characteristics which are admirably shown in the 
 following : 
 
 The Two Travelers, Volume I, page 104. 
 
180 Character Building 
 
 Cinderella, I, 231. 
 
 Baucis and Philemon, I, 429. 
 
 The Angel, II, 36. 
 
 The Snow Queen, II, 1.55. 
 
 The King of the Golden River, III, 136. 
 
 Was She Complainin? IV, 1. 
 
 Auld I^ang Syne, VII, 10. 
 
 A Christmas Carol, VII, 27. 
 
 Florence Nightingale, IX, 79. 
 
 4. Generosity is admirable; selfishness is de- 
 spicable. Prove the facts by these: 
 
 The Two Travelers, Volume I, page 104. 
 The Two Travelers and the Oyster, I, 107. 
 The Cat and the Chestnuts, I, 141. 
 The Generous Lion, I, 176. 
 Baucis and Philemon, I, 429. 
 
 5. Kindness to animals is next to kindness 
 and sympathy for human beings. It is best in- 
 culcated by teaching the beauty and loveliness 
 of animals, their value to man and their depend- 
 ence upon him. The following will help: 
 
 The Boys and the Frogs, Volume I, page 59. 
 
 The Brown Thrush, I, 146. 
 
 Mercy to Animals, II, 39. 
 
 The Ugly Duckling, II, 43. 
 
 Tom, the Water Baby, II, 257. 
 
 Who Stole the Bird's Nest? II, 439. 
 
 Beth Gelert, III, 81. 
 
 A Dog of Flanders, IV, 235. 
 
 Bab and His Friends, VI, 346. 
 
 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, VII, 321. 
 
 6. Patience and gentleness seem charming in 
 these selections : 
 
Character Building 181 
 
 The Wind and the Sun, Volume I, page 90. 
 
 Cinderella, I, 321. 
 
 Rab and His Friends, VI, 346. 
 
 7. Faithfulness is a virtue. We admire it in : 
 Something, Volume I, page 412. 
 Whittington and His Cat, I, 441. 
 
 The Mirror of Matsuyana, II, 62. 
 The Snow Queen, II, 155. 
 The Dog of Flanders, IV, 235. 
 Casabianca, IX, 246. 
 
 8. That envy and covetousness are unpleas- 
 ing and unprofitable are shown by these: 
 
 The Dog and His Shadow, Volume I, page 59. 
 The Frog Who Wished to Be as Big as an Ox, 
 I, 65. 
 The Golden Touch, II, 70. 
 
 9. Contentment, peacefulness, hopefulness 
 are made very attractive in the following : 
 
 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, 
 Volume I, page 205. 
 
 The Pea Blossom, I, 211. 
 
 The Flax, I, 394. 
 
 The Discontented Stone Cutter, II, 14. 
 
 The Fir Tree, II, 95. 
 
 The Blind Lassie, VI, 370. 
 
 Pippa Passes, X, 240. 
 
 We have grouped together here two classes of 
 selections which inculcate patriotism or devotion 
 to one's fatherland and devotion to God. How 
 
182 Character Building 
 
 admirable the selections are! You have only to 
 read them to see : 
 
 1. Patriotism: 
 
 Holger Danske, Volume III, page 70. 
 
 Incident of the French Camp, IV, 324. 
 
 The American Flag, VI, 128. 
 
 Battle Hymn of the Republic, VI, 131. 
 
 Stonewall Jackson s Way, VI, 132. 
 
 Horatius, VI, 239. 
 
 Bannockburn, VII, 303. 
 
 Breathes There the Man, VII, 454. 
 
 How Sleep the Brave, VII, 457. 
 
 Make Way for Liberty, VII, 478. 
 
 The Old Continentals, VII, 481. 
 
 America, VIII, 405. 
 
 The Battle of Thermopylae, VIII, 437. 
 
 The Fall of the Alamo, IX, 23. 
 
 Herve Riel, IX, 53. 
 
 The Battle of Trafalgar, IX, 214. 
 
 The Gettysburg Address, X, 272. 
 
 2. Suitable selections under this topic are dif- 
 ficult for teachers to find, owing to the objection 
 there is against religious teaching in the public 
 schools. The following are beautiful and seem 
 wholly unobjectionable: 
 
 A Thought, Volume I, page 61. 
 
 The First Snowfall, II, 443. 
 
 Nearer Home, IV, 271. 
 
 Stonewall Jackson s Way, VI, 132. 
 
 The Rainbow, VI, 337. 
 
 Crossing the Bar, VIII, 183. 
 
 A Child's Thought of God, VIII, 267. 
 
VI. "JOURNEYS" IN THE HIGH 
 SCHOOL 
 
 Though primarily intended for reading by 
 children below the second year in the high school, 
 it must be remembered that not a very large pro- 
 portion of young people have been so taught 
 that they are well acquainted with the founda- 
 tions of good literature, nor have they learned 
 to appreciate them thoroughly. Moreover, it is 
 a fact that a great number of the purchasers 
 of Journeys Through Bookland have been 
 adults who have expressed themselves again and 
 again as delighted with the collection of mas- 
 terpieces and the studies. The older a person 
 grows the more he loves the things that were a 
 delight to his childhood. Good literature never 
 dies, never loses its interest. Nothing really good 
 is so simple that it cannot give pleasure to ma- 
 ture minds, and often the meaning, the real sig- 
 nificance, of some of the most juvenile of poems 
 and stories, does not make itself manifest to 
 a person until life with its experiences gives the 
 power of full interpretation. In one sense, then, 
 nothing in Journeys is too simple for high school 
 students, if it is properly presented. Even the 
 Nursery Rhymes may be revived and made in- 
 teresting after the manner elsewhere discussed in 
 this volume. 
 
 However, it is not claimed that all the vast 
 amount of material in Journeys is of high school 
 
 183 
 
184 In the High School 
 
 value. From the fourth volume on to the end, 
 however, nearly every selection is worthy of study 
 upon the lines suggested in the hooks and offered 
 in this Manual. 
 
 A. 
 
 The studies in the books are nearly all appli- 
 cable to a greater or less degree in the high school. 
 It is only a question of adaptation and in many 
 cases the necessary adaptation is slight enough. 
 
 In the books the studies and interpretations 
 are scattered, in order that children may not see 
 too much of the machinery of instruction as they 
 read. The teacher, on the other hand, wants ma- 
 terial of that kind systematically arranged and 
 easy of access. 
 
 Accordingly, the following outline of the stud- 
 ies in Journeys will be of assistance : 
 
 I. Studies in character : 
 
 (1) Cinderella, Volume I, page 231. 
 
 (2) The Hardij Tin Soldier, X, 348. 
 
 (3) Bab and His Friends, X, 367. 
 II. Studies in plot : 
 
 (1) The Snow Queen, Volume II, page 
 
 155. 
 
 (2) The Gold Bug, X, 172. 
 
 (3) Cinderella, X, 340. 
 III. Studies in description: 
 
 ( 1 ) The King of the Golden River, Vol- 
 
 ume III, page 136. 
 
 (2) The Beapers Dream, VIII, 186. 
 
 (3) The Becovery of the Hispaniola, 
 
 VIII, 194. 
 
In the High School 185 
 
 IV. Method of analysis : 
 
 (1) The Gettysburg Address, Volume 
 
 X, page 272. 
 
 (2) Braddoch's Defeat, X, 378. 
 
 V. General studies involving several or all 
 of the main points : 
 
 (1) Incident of the French Camp, Vol- 
 
 ume IV, page 324. 
 
 ( 2 ) The Tempest, IX, 286. ( Extensive 
 
 studies following the drama.) 
 
 (3) The Passing of Arthur, X, 40.5. 
 VI. Studies in rhyme, meter and melody: 
 
 (1) The Country Squire, Volume VII, 
 
 page 278. 
 
 (2) To My Infant Son, VII, 283. 
 
 (3) The Daffodils, VII, 287. 
 
 (4) The Old Oaken Bucket, VII, 298. 
 
 (5) Bannockburn, VII, 303. 
 
 (6) Boat Song, VII, 306. 
 
 (7) The Bugle Song, X, 419. 
 
 VII. Studies in interpretation, giving various 
 methods and considering different 
 phases of the subject: 
 
 (1) Christmas in Old Time, Volume 
 
 VII, page 150. 
 
 (2) The Recessional, VII, 471. 
 
 (3) Crossing the Bar, VIII, 183. 
 
 ( 4 ) The Cubes of Truth, VIII, 254. 
 
 (5) America, VIII, 405. 
 
 (6) A Descent Into the Maelstrom, 
 
 VIII, 453. 
 
 (7) Dream Children, IX, 271. 
 
186 
 
 In the High School 
 
 VIII. 
 
 (8) The Vision of Mirza, X, 231. 
 
 (9) Pippa Passes, X, 240. 
 
 (10) Rob and His Friends, X, 367. 
 
 (11) The Reaper and the Flowers, X, 
 
 383. 
 
 (12) Adventures in Lilliput, X, 415. 
 
 (13) David Crockett in the Creek War, 
 
 X, 423. 
 
 (14) The Impeachment of Warren Hast- 
 
 ings, X, 427. 
 
 (15) A Christmas Carol, X, 433. 
 Biographical sketches of authors, suit- 
 able for class use : 
 
 (1) Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume 
 
 I, page 125. 
 
 (2) Eugene Field, I, 249. 
 
 (3) Aesop, II, 1. 
 
 (4) Hans Christian Andersen, II, 110. 
 
 (5) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, IV, 
 
 200. 
 
 (6) Alice Cary and Phoebe Cary, IV, 
 
 260. 
 
 (7) Nathaniel Hawthorne, IV, 331. 
 
 (8) Jonathan Swift, V, 167. 
 
 (9) Sir Walter Scott, VI, 265. 
 
 (10) John Howard Payne, VII, 1. 
 
 (11) John Greenleaf Whittier, VIII, 
 
 226. 
 
 (12) William Cullen Bryant, VIII, 237. 
 (18) Oliver Wendell Holmes, VIII, 245. 
 
 (14) James Russell Lowell, VIII, 259. 
 
 (15) Elizabeth Barrett Browning, VIII, 
 
 268. 
 
In the High School 187 
 
 (16) Washington Irving, IX, 139. 
 
 (17) Charles and Mary Lamb, IX, 263. 
 
 (18) William Shakespeare, IX, 417. 
 
 B. 
 
 Elsewhere in this Manual are a great variety 
 of articles showing how literature may be made 
 to assist in language, history, geography, nature 
 study (science), moral training, etc. The high 
 school teacher is earnestly requested to examine 
 these articles carefully, for in them are a host 
 of exercises which can be adapted to the class- 
 room work of even advanced high school stu- 
 dents. This is especially true of the work in 
 language and reading, the general interpretation 
 of literature. Nothing is beneath the attention 
 of the high school teacher, who should bear in 
 mind that most of the criticisms passed upon the 
 graduates of high schools are applied to their 
 weaknesses in English. Themes are required 
 upon subjects that are too difficult. Even the 
 older pupils can learn more from simple, inter- 
 esting literary selections than from the more ab- 
 struse subjects that are often assigned them. In- 
 sufficient attention is given to form and arrange- 
 ment. The close analysis of a masterpiece fur- 
 nishes fine models of both and teaches arrange- 
 ment almost without specific attention to it. The 
 use of capital letters and punctuation marks, 
 spelling, the choice of words are all subjects for 
 study, and are all learned better from good mod- 
 els than elsewhere. Pupils will discover that 
 
188 In the High School 
 
 authors and publishers vary the rules of ordi- 
 nary grammar to a considerable extent, espe- 
 cially in the use of capitals and the comma. 
 
 Some of the studies of special interest which 
 may be based upon selections from Journeys 
 will be given below. Many of the stories, poems 
 and essays are accompanied by notes, queries and 
 comments that will assist both pupil and teacher 
 in making the studies profitable. Each topic 
 will make several lessons and may be pursued 
 at greater length by research in books of refer- 
 ence and the volumes of the school or public 
 libraries. Look in the Index at the end of the 
 tenth volume for the following topics and then 
 find in the several volumes the selections listed 
 below the name : 
 
 I. Ballads. Eight of the old English bal- 
 lads and five more modern imitations are given. 
 They are virile poems ; simple, direct narratives. 
 The old ones show the peculiarities of the old 
 style English diction before poetry had been re- 
 fined, while the later ones, breathing still the fire 
 and originality of the earlier, are more polished 
 and show the greater skill and accomplishments 
 of the poets. The old ballads sprang spontane- 
 ously from the race and doubtless many minds 
 contributed to their phraseology, for they were 
 sung and recited and passed on from mouth to 
 mouth for generations before they were fixed in 
 their present form. 
 
 II. Essays. In the list of essays (nine 
 titles) are some of the most exquisite ever writ- 
 ten and others that are full of information and 
 
In the High School 189 
 
 inspiration. Dream Children is a perfect prose 
 lyric; Some Children's Books of the Past is an 
 extremely interesting essay of the informational 
 class. Besides the essays listed in the Index there 
 are other selections in essay form that may be 
 studied with profit. Here are some of them : 
 
 1. Abraham Lincoln, Volume X, page 277. 
 
 2. The Arickara Indians, V, 463. 
 
 3. The Buffalo, VII, 395. 
 
 4. Alfred the Great, IV, 418. 
 
 5. The Battle of Cressy, X, 94. 
 
 6. The Battle of Hastings, X, 284. 
 
 7. A Bed of Nettles, IX, 131. 
 
 8. Brute Neighbors, VIII, 88. 
 
 9. The Buccaneers, VI, 88. 
 
 10. Stories of the Creation, IV, 307. 
 
 11. Trees and Ants That Help Each Other, 
 VIII, 140. 
 
 III. Fables. The names of more than thirty 
 fables are given in the list. Comparative study 
 of these fables, considering the animals most fre- 
 quently mentioned, the correctness and natural- 
 ness of the traits ascribed to the different ani- 
 mals, the moral precepts inculcated by the fables, 
 etc., will be found interesting and profitable. 
 
 IV. Fairy Lore and Folk Lore. Though 
 fairy stories may have lost their intrinsic interest 
 for high school students, the teacher will find in 
 the collection given here the material for many a 
 study. What merits keep the old stories alive 
 and make them perennially fascinating to chil- 
 dren of all nations? Which stories are the bet- 
 ter for children, those of Hans Christian An- 
 
190 In the High School 
 
 dersen or those of the Brothers Grimm? What 
 are the particular merits or demerits of each 
 class? How do the stories by the latter writers 
 compare in originality and beauty with the older 
 stories ? What comparisons can be made between 
 The Ugly Duckling and The King of the Golden 
 River 1 What merits has Cinderella over Blue- 
 beard?. What is the effect of Jack the Giant 
 Killer and stories of that kind on the minds of 
 young people ? 
 
 V. Fiction. Look under the subtitles for the 
 long list of stories suitable for study when the 
 class is dealing with fiction. 
 
 VI. Legendary Heroes. What can be more 
 interesting than a study of these characters from 
 the borderland of history? These great figures 
 come forth from the shadows of the past and 
 move before us like living men: Beowulf, the 
 Saxon; Frithiof, the Norse hero; Siegfried, the 
 German; Roland, the French knight; The Cid, 
 Spain's greatest warrior and gentleman; Hector 
 and Ulysses, the Greeks; King Arthur and his 
 knights from England; Horatius, the Roman, 
 and Sohrab, the Persian. 
 
 The literature of the Arthurian legends as 
 given in Journeys, where they cover about 150 
 pages, is a cycle of great importance to every 
 high school student. The selections concerning 
 Arthur form a series of narratives which, though 
 from different sources, give a vivid picture of the 
 great knight and his times. The cycle is in vol- 
 ume V and the titles are: 
 
In the High School 191 
 
 a. Arthur Made King, page 287. 
 
 b. Arthur Weds Guenevere; The Round 
 
 Table, page 293. 
 
 c. Arthur and Pellinore, page 296. 
 
 d. Arthur Gets Eoccalibur, page 301. 
 
 e. Balin and Balan, page 304. (The stories 
 
 given so far were written expressly for 
 Journeys, but all have followed rather 
 closely the relation of Malory.) 
 
 f. Geraint and Enid, page 323. (This is 
 
 one of the most popular of Tennyson's 
 Idyls of the King. The poem is given 
 complete. ) 
 
 g. The Holy Grail, page 386. 
 
 (1) The Knighting of Sir Galahad, page 
 
 386. 
 
 (2) The Marvelous Sword, page 388. 
 
 (3) Galahad, and the Siege Perilous, page 
 
 391. 
 
 (4) Galahad Draws the Sword of Balin 
 
 Le Savage, page 393. 
 
 ( 5 ) The Holy Grail Appears, page 394. 
 
 (6) Galahad Gets His Shield, page 397. 
 
 (7) The Grail Achieved, page 402. (The 
 
 story of the search for the Holy 
 Grail, which is taken from the nar- 
 rative of Sir Thomas Malory, re- 
 tains his quaint and charming style. 
 The only material changes are in 
 paragraphing and the use of quota- 
 tion marks. ) 
 h. Dissensions at King Arthur s Court, page 
 412. (This was written for Journeys, 
 
192 In the High School 
 
 to cover the interval between the 
 achievement of the Grail by Sir Gala- 
 had and the death of Arthur. ) 
 i. The Passing of Arthur, page 417. (This 
 is Tennyson's beautiful poem given in 
 full. It describes the last days of Ar- 
 thur's reign and the strange story of 
 his death. In Volume X, beginning on 
 page 405, is a study on this poem. ) 
 
 VII. Lyrics. This topic gives the titles of 
 about fifty beautiful lyrics. 
 
 VIII. Myths. Twelve titles showing stories 
 from the mythology of different nations. Many 
 of the articles have explanatory comments and, 
 though stories and notes are intended primarily 
 for young children, the whole offers a good in- 
 troduction to a more extended study of mythol- 
 ogy. 
 
 IX. Don Quixote. The five adventures re- 
 lated give a good idea of the nature of the book 
 and are sufficient for reference when the history 
 class is studying chivalry. 
 
 X. Odes. These six of our finest odes will 
 please the class in literature. 
 
 XI. Poetry. Look up the subtitles for 
 names of poems. 
 
 XII. Wit and Humor. It is not always 
 easy to find what is wanted for class study un- 
 der this head. The selections given are amus- 
 ing, but at the same time most of them have real 
 literarv value, as well, and are worth study. 
 
VII. SPECIAL DAYS IN SCHOOL 
 
 It has become customary in most schools to 
 observe with appropriate exercises certain 
 notable days. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Me- 
 morial Day, Flag Day, Arbor Day and Bird 
 Day have their own peculiar functions and for 
 each there is a different style of observance. 
 Recitations, songs, readings, stories, help to make 
 up the programs, and upon the teacher falls most 
 of the burden in selecting material. In many 
 states the Department of Education issues beau- 
 tiful circulars on some of these special days, and 
 from them the teacher draws some of her material 
 and forms her program for the occasion. Yet 
 when the one or two days for which material has 
 been provided have passed there come a number 
 of others which make their demands. Besides 
 those mentioned, there are the birthdays of our 
 great patriots and literary men and the general 
 exercises at other times for which no special pro- 
 vision has been made. For the busy teacher 
 Journeys Through Bookland provides an al- 
 most inexhaustible supply of excellent things, 
 most of which may be found readily through the 
 Index. Moreover, the selections are from the 
 best literature for children, from that which they 
 should know, so that the tired and harrassed 
 teacher need not worry for fear that the children 
 are filling their minds with useless things. 
 
 It does not seem worth while to give long lists 
 
 193 
 
194 Special Days in School 
 
 of selections appropriate to special days as things 
 are well classified in the index in the tenth 
 volume. Yet to show more fully how Journeys 
 Through Bookland may be used, the following 
 suggestions are offered: 
 
 I. Bird Day. Besides many other selections 
 that are usable in different grades, the following 
 seem peculiarly appropriate: 
 
 1. The Fox and the Crow, Volume 1, page 
 60. (This and the other fables mentioned below 
 may be repeated as given or, better, may be told 
 by a pupil in his own words.) 
 
 2. The Fox and the Stork, I, 62. 
 
 3. The Wolf and the Crane, I, 91. 
 
 4. The Lark and Her Young Ones, 1, 128. 
 
 5. The Brown Thrush, I, 146. 
 
 6. The Owl and the Pussy-cat, I, 352. 
 
 7. Minerva and the Owl, II, 6. 
 
 8. The Sparrow and the Eagle, II, 8. 
 
 9. Who Stole the Bird's Nest? II, 439. 
 
 10. The Barefoot Boy, IV, 3. 
 
 11. Ode to a Skylark, VIII, 105. 
 
 12. (See also the lists of articles relating to 
 birds, given under the section devoted to Nature 
 Study in this Manual. 
 
 II. Memorial Day. A few of the selec- 
 tions suitable for this occasion are the following : 
 
 1. Sheridan s Ride, Volume IV, page 378. 
 
 2. The American Flag, VI, 128. 
 
 3. Cf Stonewall 33 Jackson's Way, VI, 132. 
 
 4. Breathes There the Man, VII, 454. 
 
 5. For A 3 That and A 3 That, VII, 455. 
 
 6. How Sleep the Brave, VII, 456. 
 
Special Days in School 195 
 
 7. The Picket Guard, VII, 483. 
 
 8. The Gettysburg Address, X, 272. 
 
 9. Abraham Lincoln, X, 277. 
 
 10. (See also in the index the titles under the 
 Words Patriotism and History.) 
 
 III. Christmas. There are at least three 
 selections dealing specifically with Christmas, 
 while many others are appropriate to the time : 
 
 1. A Visit from St: Nicholas, Volume II, 
 page 117. 
 
 2. A Christmas Carol, VII, 27. (This may 
 be made the base of a very interesting afternoon. 
 Parts of the story may be told briefly, parts may 
 be read in full, parts recited and parts given as 
 a dialogue. Thus the spirit of Christmas cheer 
 and good will that animates this beautiful story 
 may be communicated to the pupils in the 
 pleasantest of ways and one that will be remem- 
 bered. ) 
 
 3. Christmas in the Old Time, Volume VII, 
 page 150. 
 
 IV. Birthdays. In the Index will be found 
 the names of a number of great men and women 
 of whom there are biographical sketches and from 
 whose writings quotations have been made. Each 
 of these may be made the subject of a general 
 exercise at an appropriate time. 
 
 V. Dramatization. Many a poem or story 
 may be put into dramatic form with very little 
 effort and thus furnish an exercise for several 
 pupils at the same time. The descriptive parts 
 may be read by a pupil not in the dialogue or may 
 be omitted. In the latter case, acting may fill the 
 
196 Special Days in School 
 
 void or the narrative may be made into con- 
 versation between the characters. Some rear- 
 rangement may be necessary and a little change 
 in phraseology may be needed. Such adaptations 
 the pupils may make themselves. The following 
 scenes may be used by pupils of different ages: 
 
 1. The description of the attack as given by 
 Rebecca to Ivanhoe. (See The Attach on the 
 Castle, Volume V, pages 3 to 18.) By costumes 
 and good acting this may be made a very effective 
 scene. 
 
 2. A few boys will enjoy rendering the con- 
 versational parts of The Heart of Bruce (Vol- 
 ume VI, page 43) while a girl reads the de- 
 scriptive lines of the ballad. 
 
 3. By making some changes in the text and 
 putting into direct discourse some of that which 
 Dickens has written in indirect discourse, a 
 capital Christmas sketch may be made from the 
 Christmas doings at the Cratchit home. (See 
 A Christmas Carol, Volume VII, pages 92 to 
 101.) 
 
 4. Limestone Broth (Volume VII, page 
 271) can be made into a neat little humorous 
 dialogue with very little change. 
 
 5. Several scenes from The Tempest (Vol- 
 ume IX, page 305) are suitable for school use. 
 
 6. The Death of Caesar (Volume X, page 
 75) is a fine dialogue and affords a good oppor- 
 tunity for many speakers. 
 
 7. The conversation between Luigi and his 
 mother {Pip pa Passes, Volume X, pages 256- 
 262) is a fine scene for school use, especially if 
 
Special Days in School 197 
 
 Pippa really passes singing at the right moment. 
 VI. An Oldfashioned Afternoon. Not so 
 many years ago it was an almost universal custom 
 to give over Friday afternoon to the "speaking 
 of pieces." Occasionally even now a teacher 
 wants one of the old-fashioned mixed programs 
 and though she will prefer to make her own for 
 each occasion, the following example will show 
 one of the many that might be made from 
 Journeys Through Bookland: 
 
 1. Roll Call. ( Pupils respond with a memory 
 gem from the hundred given elsewhere in this 
 Manual. 
 
 2. Song: America, Volume VIII, page 405. 
 
 3. Wynken Blynken and Nod, I, 272. 
 
 4. The Discontented Stonecutter, II, 14. 
 
 5. The Land of Counterpane, I, 143. 
 
 6. Song: Sweet and Low, VI, 372. 
 
 7. Beowulf and Grendel (retold in brief), 
 III, 478. 
 
 8. Incident of the French Camp, IV, 324. 
 
 9. Song: My Old Kentucky Home, VII, 
 485. 
 
 10. Echo, III, 408. (Let the answers of 
 Echo be given by some one who is concealed from 
 view of the audience. ) 
 
 11. The First Snowfall, II, 443. 
 
 12. Song: Home Sweet Home, VII, 6. 
 
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