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diff --git a/old/61340-h/61340-h.htm b/old/61340-h/61340-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b45e016..0000000 --- a/old/61340-h/61340-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11961 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Art of Story-Telling, by MARIE L. SHEDLOCK. - </title> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/i_title.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body {margin: auto 25%;} - - h1,h2,h3,h4 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; text-indent: 1em; -} -.noin {text-indent: 0;} -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-top: 4em; margin-bottom: 4em; visibility: hidden; -page-break-before: always;} -hr.tb {width: 50%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; visibility: visible; -margin-left: 25%; margin-right: 25%; border-top: 1px solid black;} -ul {list-style-type: none;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ -/* visibility: hidden; */ /* define the position */ -position: absolute; right: 3%; margin-right: 0em; -text-align: right; /* remove any special formating that could be inherited */ -font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; -letter-spacing: 0em; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0em; -font-size: x-small; /* never wrap this */ white-space: nowrap;} -.pagenum span { /* do not show text that is meant for non-css version*/ -visibility: hidden;} -.pagenum a {display: inline-block; color: #808080; -padding: 1px 4px 1px 4px;} - -ul {list-style-type: none;} -ul.index { list-style-type: none; } -li { list-style-type: none; } -li.isub1 {text-indent: 1em;} -li.isub2 {text-indent: 2em;} - -table {margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto;} - .tdr {text-align: right;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.u {text-decoration: underline;} - -.hang {text-indent: -1em; margin-left: 1em;} - -.err {border-bottom: thin dotted red;} - -.figcenter {margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-left: auto; -margin-right: auto; clear: both; max-width: 100%; /* div no wider than -screen, even when screen is narrow */ text-align: center;} - -img {max-width: 100%; border: none} - -.footnotes {border: none;} -.footnote {margin: 1em 4em; font-size: 1em;} -.footnote .label {position: relative; bottom: 0.4em; - vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 80%; text-decoration: none;} -.fnanchor {vertical-align: super; bottom: 0.4em; - font-size: 80%; white-space: nowrap;} - -.poem {display: inline-block; margin: auto; - line-height: 1.2em; text-align: left;} -.poem .stanza {margin: 1em auto;} -.poem .i0 {padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem .i2 {padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -2em;} -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; - color: black; font-size: .9em; padding: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 5em; font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -@media handheld -{ - -body {margin-left: 2%; margin-right: 2%; margin-top: 1%; margin-bottom: 1%;} -p { margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em; -text-align: justify; text-indent: 2em; } -.pagenum {display: none;} -ul {list-style-type: none;} -ul.index { list-style-type: none; } -li { list-style-type: none; } -} - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Art of Story-Telling, by Marie L. Shedlock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Art of Story-Telling - -Author: Marie L. Shedlock - -Commentator: Professor John Adams - -Release Date: February 8, 2020 [EBook #61340] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING *** - - - - -Produced by MFR, Eleni Christofaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="transnote"> -<h3>Transcriber's Note.</h3> - -<p>A list of the changes made can be found at the <a href="#Transcribers_Note">end of the book</a>. -</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>THE ART OF STORY-TELLING</h1> -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_cover.jpg" width="400" height="621" alt="cover" /> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="400" height="640" alt="title" /> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="center"> -<big><b>THE ART -OF STORY-TELLING</b></big></p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="smcap">By</span> MARIE L. SHEDLOCK</p> - -<p class="center p2"><small>WITH A PREFACE BY</small> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Professor</span> JOHN ADAMS -<br /> -CHAIR OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON</p> - -<p class="center p4">LONDON<br /> -JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.<br /> -1915</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center p6">ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table summary="contents"> -<tr><td colspan="3"> </td><td class="tdr">PAGE</td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Preface</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_vii">vii</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Introduction</span> </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>Chapter</td> <td class="tdr">I.</td> <td><span class="smcap">The Difficulties of Story-Telling connected -with Libraries and Clubs</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">II.</td> <td><span class="smcap">The Essentials of Story-Telling</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">III.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">The Artifices of Story-Telling</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">IV.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">Elements to Avoid</span> </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">V.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">Elements to Seek</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">VI.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">How to Obtain and Maintain the Effect</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_89">89</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">VII.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">Questions and Answers</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>” </td> <td class="tdr">VIII.</td> -<td><span class="smcap">List of Stories Told in Full</span> </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_138">138</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2"> </td> -<td><span class="smcap">List of Titles of Individual Stories and -of Collections of Stories</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Index</span></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_235">235</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">vii</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<p class="center">By <span class="smcap">Professor John Adams</span>, <br /> - -<i>Chair of Education, University of London</i>.</p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">Those</span> who do not love schoolmasters tell us that the -man who can do something supremely well contents -himself with doing it, while the man who cannot do -it very well must needs set about showing other -people how it should be done. The masters in any -craft are prone to magnify their gifts by maintaining -that the poet—or the stove-pipe maker—is born, not -made. Teachers will accordingly be gratified to find -in the following pages the work of a lady who is at -the same time a brilliant executant and an admirable -expositor. Miss Shedlock stands in the very first -rank of story-tellers. No one can claim with greater -justice that the gift of Scheherazade is hers by birthright. -Yet she has recognised that even the highest -natural gifts may be well or ill manipulated: that in -short the poet, not to speak of the stove-pipe maker, -must take a little more trouble than to be merely born.</p> - -<p>It is well when the master of a craft begins to take -thought and to discover what underlies his method. -It does not, of course, happen that every master is -able to analyse the processes that secure him success -in his art. For after all the expositor has to be born -as well as the executant; and it is perhaps one of the -main causes of the popularity of the born-not-made -theory that so few people are born both good artists -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">viii</a></span> -and good expositors. Miss Shedlock has had this -rare good fortune, as all those who have both read her -book and heard her exemplify her principles on the -platform will readily admit.</p> - -<p>Let no one who lacks the gift of story-telling hope -that the following pages will confer it. Like Comenius -and like the schoolmaster in Shakespeare, Miss -Shedlock is entitled to claim a certain capacity or -ingenuity in her pupils, before she can promise -effective help. But on the other hand let no successful -story-teller form the impression that he has nothing -to learn from the exposition here given. The best -craftsmen are those who are not only most able but -most willing to learn from a fellow master. The most -inexperienced story-teller who has the love of the art -in his soul will gather a full harvest from Miss -Shedlock's teaching, while the most experienced and -skilful will not go empty away.</p> - -<p>The reader will discover that the authoress is first -and last an artist. “Dramatic joy” is put in the -forefront when she is enumerating the aims of the -story-teller. But her innate gifts as a teacher will not -be suppressed. She objects to “didactic emphasis” -and yet cannot say too much in favour of the moral -effect that may be produced by the use of the story. -She raises here the whole problem of direct <i>versus</i> -indirect moral instruction, and decides in no uncertain -sound in favour of the indirect form. There is a great -deal to be said on the other side, but this is not the -place to say it. On the wide question Miss Shedlock -has on her side the great body of public opinion -among professional teachers. The orthodox master -proclaims that he is, of course, a moral instructor, but -adds that in the schoolroom the less <i>said</i> about the -matter the better. Like the authoress, the orthodox -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">ix</a></span> -teacher has much greater faith in example than in -precept: so much faith indeed that in many schools -precept does not get the place it deserves. But in the -matter of story-telling the artistic element introduces -something that is not necessarily involved in ordinary -school work. For better or for worse modern opinion -is against the explicitly stated lesson to be drawn from -any tale that is told. Most people agree with Mark -Twain's condemnation of “the moral that wags its -crippled tail at the end of most school-girls' essays.”</p> - -<p>The justification of the old-fashioned “moral” was -not artistic but didactic. It embodied the determination -of the story-teller to see that his pupils got the -full benefit of the lesson involved. If the moral is to -be cut out, the story-teller must be sure that the lesson -is so clearly conveyed in the text that any further -elaboration would be felt as an impertinent addition. -Whately assures us that men prefer metaphors to -similes because in the simile the point is baldly stated, -whereas in the metaphor the reader or hearer has to -be his own interpreter. All education is in the last -resort self-education, and Miss Shedlock sees to it -that her stories compel her hearers to make the -application she desires.</p> - -<p>In two other points modern opinion is prepared to -give our authoress rein where our forefathers would -have been inclined to restrain her. The sense of -humour has come to its proper place in our schoolrooms—pupils' -humour, be it understood, for there -always was scope enough claimed for the humour of -the teacher. So with the imagination. The time is -past when this “mode of being conscious” was -looked at askance in school. Parents and teachers -no longer speak contemptuously about “the busy -faculty,” and quote Genesis in its condemnation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">x</a></span> - -Miss Shedlock has been well advised to keep to her -legitimate subject instead of wandering afield in a -Teutonic excursion into the realms of folk-lore. What -parents and teachers want is the story as here and now -existing and an account of how best to manipulate it. -This want the book now before us admirably meets.</p> - -<p class="right"> -JOHN ADAMS. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">1</a></span></p> - -<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">Story-telling</span> is almost the oldest Art in the world—the -first conscious form of literary communication. -In the East it still survives, and it is not an uncommon -thing to see a crowd at a street-corner held by the -simple narration of a story. There are signs in the -West of a growing interest in this ancient art, and we -may yet live to see the renaissance of the troubadours -and the minstrels whose appeal will then rival that -of the mob orator or itinerant politician. One of the -surest signs of a belief in the educational power of the -story is its introduction into the curriculum of the -Training-College and the classes of the Elementary -and Secondary Schools. It is just at the time when -the imagination is most keen—the mind being unhampered -by accumulation of facts—that stories appeal -most vividly and are retained for all time.</p> - -<p>It is to be hoped that some day stories will only -be told to school groups by experts who have devoted -special time and preparation to the art of telling them. -It is a great fallacy to suppose that the systematic -study of story-telling destroys the spontaneity of -narrative. After a long experience, I find the exact -converse to be true, namely, that it is only when one -has overcome the mechanical difficulties that one can -“let oneself go” in the dramatic interest of the -story.</p> - -<p>By the expert story-teller I do not mean the professional -elocutionist. The name—wrongly enough—has -become associated in the mind of the public with -persons who beat their breast, tear their hair, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">2</a></span> -declaim blood-curdling episodes. A decade or more -ago, the drawing-room reciter was of this type, and -was rapidly becoming the bugbear of social gatherings. -The difference between the stilted reciter and -the simple story-teller is perhaps best illustrated by -an episode in Hans C. Andersen's immortal story of -the Nightingale.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> The real Nightingale and the -artificial Nightingale have been bidden by the -Emperor to unite their forces and to sing a duet at -a Court function. The duet turns out most disastrously, -and whilst the artificial Nightingale is singing -his one solo for the thirty-third time, the real -Nightingale flies out of the window back to the green -wood—a true artist, instinctively choosing his right -atmosphere. But the bandmaster—symbol of the -pompous pedagogue—in trying to soothe the outraged -feelings of the courtiers, says, “Because, you see, -Ladies and Gentlemen, and, above all, Your Imperial -Majesty, with the real nightingale you never can tell -what you will hear, but in the artificial nightingale -everything is decided beforehand. So it is, and so -it must remain. It cannot be otherwise.”</p> - -<p>And as in the case of the two nightingales, so it is -with the stilted reciter and the simple narrator: one -is busy displaying the machinery, showing “how the -tunes go”—the other is anxious to conceal the art. -Simplicity should be the keynote of story-telling, but -(and here the comparison with the Nightingale breaks -down) it is a simplicity which comes after much -training in self-control, and much hard work in -overcoming the difficulties which beset the presentation.</p> - -<p>I do not mean that there are not born story-tellers -who <i>could</i> hold an audience without preparation, but -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">3</a></span> -they are so rare in number that we can afford to -neglect them in our general consideration; for this -work is dedicated to the average story-tellers anxious -to make the best use of their dramatic ability, and it -is to them that I present my plea for special study and -preparation before telling a story to a group of -children—that is, if they wish for the far-reaching -effects I shall speak of later on. Only the preparation -must be of a much less stereotyped nature than that -by which the ordinary reciters are trained for their -career.</p> - -<p>Some years ago, when I was in the States, I was -asked to put into the form of lectures my views upon -the educational value of telling stories. A sudden -inspiration seized me. I began to cherish a dream of -long hours to be spent in the British Museum, the -Congressional Library in Washington and the Public -Library at Boston—and this is the only portion of -the dream which has been realized. I planned an -elaborate scheme of research work which was to result -in a magnificent (if musty) philological treatise. I -thought of trying to discover by long and patient -researches what species of lullaby were crooned by -Egyptian mothers to their babes, and what were the -elementary dramatic poems in vogue among Assyrian -nursemaids which were the prototypes of “Little Jack -Horner,” “Dickory, Dickory Dock,” and other -nursery classics. I intended to follow up the study -of these ancient documents by making an appendix -of modern variants, showing what progress we had -made—if any—among modern nations.</p> - -<p>But there came to me suddenly one day the remembrance -of a scene from Racine's “Plaideurs” in -which the counsel for the defence, eager to show how -fundamental is his knowledge, begins his speech:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">4</a></span> - -“Before the Creation of the World”—And the -Judge (with a touch of weariness tempered by humour) -suggests:—</p> - -<p>“Let us pass on to the Deluge.”</p> - -<p>And thus I, too, have “passed on to the Deluge.” -I have abandoned an account of the origin and past -of stories which at the best would only have displayed -a little recently-acquired book-knowledge. When I -thought of the number of scholars who could treat this -part of the question so infinitely better than myself, -I realized how much wiser it would be—though the -task is much more humdrum—to deal with the present -possibilities of story-telling for our generation of -parents and teachers, and, leaving out the folk-lore -side, devote myself to the story itself.</p> - -<p>My objects in urging the use of stories in the -education of children are at least five-fold:</p> - -<p><i>First</i>, to give them dramatic joy, for which they -have a natural craving. <i>Secondly</i>, to develop a sense -of humour, which is really a sense of proportion. -<i>Thirdly</i>, to correct certain tendencies by showing the -consequences in the career of the hero in the story. -(Of this motive the children must be quite unconscious, -and there must be no didactic emphasis.) <i>Fourthly</i>, -by means of example, not precept, to present such -ideals as will sooner or later (I care not which) be -translated into action. <i>Fifthly</i>, to develop the -imagination, which really takes in all the other points.</p> - -<p>So much for the purely educational side of the book. -But the art of story-telling, quite apart from the -subject, appeals not only to the educational world or -to parents as parents, but also to a wider outside -public, who may be interested in the purely human -point of view.</p> - -<p>In great contrast to the lofty scheme I had originally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span> -proposed to myself, I now simply place before all -those who are interested in the Art of Story-telling in -any form the practical experience I have had in my -travels across the United States and through England; -and, because I am confining myself to personal -experience which must of necessity be limited, I am -very anxious not to appear dogmatic or to give the -impression that I wish to lay down the law on the -subject. But I hope my readers may profit by my -errors, improve on my methods, and thus help to bring -about the revival of an almost lost art—one which -appeals more directly and more stirringly than any -other method to the majority of listeners.</p> - -<p>In Sir Philip Sidney's “Defence of Poesy” we -find these words:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Forsooth he cometh to you with a tale, which -holdeth children from play, and old men from the -chimney-corner, and pretending no more, doth -intend the winning of the mind from wickedness -to virtue even as the child is often brought to take -most wholesome things by hiding them in such -other as have a pleasant taste.”</p></blockquote> - -<p class="right"> -MARIE L. SHEDLOCK. -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> See p. <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">6</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">The Difficulties of the Story.</span></p> - -<p class="noin">I <span class="smcap">propose</span> to deal in this chapter with the difficulties -or dangers which beset the path of the Story-teller, -because, until we have overcome these, we cannot hope -for the finished and artistic presentation which is to -bring out the full value of the story.</p> - -<p>The difficulties are many, and yet they ought not to -discourage the would-be narrators, but only show them -how all-important is the preparation for the story, if -it is to have the desired effect.</p> - -<p>I propose to illustrate by concrete examples, thereby -hoping to achieve a two-fold result: one to fix the -subject more clearly in the mind of the student—the -other to use the Art of Story-telling to explain itself.</p> - -<p>I have chosen one or two instances from my own -personal experience. The grave mistakes made in my -own case may serve as a warning to others, who will -find, however, that experience is the best teacher. For -positive work, in the long run, we generally find out -our own method. On the negative side, however, it -is useful to have certain pitfalls pointed out to us, in -order that we may save time by avoiding them: it is -for this reason that I sound a note of warning. These -are:—</p> - -<p>I.—<i>The danger of side issues.</i> An inexperienced -story-teller is exposed to the temptation of breaking -off from the main dramatic interest in a short exciting -story, in order to introduce a side issue, which is often -interesting and helpful, but should be reserved for a -longer and less dramatic story. If the interest turns -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span> -on some dramatic moment, the action must be quick -and uninterrupted, or it will lose half its effect.</p> - -<p>I had been telling a class of young children the -story of Polyphemus and Ulysses, and, just at the -most dramatic moment in it, some impulse prompted -me to go off on a side issue to describe the personal -appearance of Ulysses.</p> - -<p>The children were visibly bored, but with polite -indifference they listened to my elaborate description -of the hero. If I had given them an actual description -from Homer, I believe that the strength of the -language would have appealed to their imagination -(all the more strongly because they might not have -understood the individual words) and have lessened -their disappointment at the dramatic issue being -postponed; but I trusted to my own lame verbal -efforts, and signally failed. Attention flagged, fidgeting -began, the atmosphere was rapidly becoming -spoiled, in spite of the patience and toleration still -shown by the children. At last, however, one little -girl in the front row, as spokeswoman for the class, -suddenly said: “If you please, before you go any -further, do you mind telling us whether, after all, that -Poly ... (slight pause) that (final attempt) -<i>Polyanthus</i> died?”</p> - -<p>Now, the remembrance of this question has been of -extreme use to me in my career as a story-teller. I -have realized that in a short dramatic story the mind -of the listeners must be set at ease with regard to the -ultimate fate of the special “Polyanthus” who takes -the centre of the stage.</p> - -<p>I remember too the despair of a little boy at a -dramatic representation of “Little Red Riding-Hood,” -when that little person delayed the thrilling catastrophe -with the Wolf, by singing a pleasant song on her way -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">8</a></span> -through the wood. “Oh, why,” said the little boy, -“does she not get on?” And I quite shared his -impatience.</p> - -<p>This warning is only necessary in connection with -the short dramatic narrative. There are occasions -when we can well afford to offer short descriptions for -the sake of literary style, and for the purpose of -enlarging the vocabulary of the child. I have found, -however, in these cases, it is well to take the children -into your confidence—warning them that they are to -expect nothing particularly exciting in the way of -dramatic event: they will then settle down with a -freer mind (though the mood may include a touch of -resignation) to the description you are about to offer -them.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>II.—<i>The danger of altering the story to suit special -occasions.</i> This is done sometimes from extreme -conscientiousness, sometimes from sheer ignorance of -the ways of children; it is the desire to protect them -from knowledge which they already possess and with -which they (equally conscientious) are apt to “turn -and rend” the narrator. I remember once when I -was telling the story of the siege of Troy to very -young children, I suddenly felt anxious lest there -should be anything in the story of the Rape of Helen -not altogether suitable for the average age of the -class—namely, nine years. I threw therefore, a -domestic colouring over the whole subject, and -presented an imaginary conversation between Paris -and Helen, in which Paris tried to persuade Helen -that she was a strong-minded woman, thrown away -on a limited society in Sparta, and that she should -come away and visit some of the institutions of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -world with him, which would doubtless prove a -mutually instructive journey.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> -I then gave the -children the view taken by Herodotus that Helen -never went to Troy, but was detained in Egypt. The -children were much thrilled by the story, and -responded most eagerly when, in my inexperience, I -invited them to reproduce for the next day the tale -I had just told them.</p> - -<p>A small child in the class presented me, as you will -see, with the ethical problem from which I had so -laboriously protected <i>her</i>. The essay ran:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p>“Once upon a time the King of Troy's son was -called Paris. And he went over to <i>Greace</i> to see -what it was like. And here he saw the beautiful -Helen<i>er</i>, and likewise her husband Menela<i>yus</i>. -And one day, Menelayus went out hunting, and left -Paris and Helener alone, and Paris said: ‘Do you -not feel <i>dul</i> in this <i>palis</i>?’ And Helener said: ‘I -feel very dull in this <i>pallice</i>,<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -and Paris said: -'Come away and see the world with me.’ So they -<i>sliped</i> off together, and they came to the King of -Egypt, and <i>he</i> said: ‘Who <i>is</i> the young lady?’ -So Paris told him. ‘But,’ said the King, ‘it is not -<i>propper</i> for you to go off with other people's <i>wifes</i>. -So <i>Helener</i> shall stop here.’ Paris stamped his -foot. When Menelayus got home, <i>he</i> stamped his -foot. And he called round him all his soldiers, and -they stood round Troy for eleven years. At last -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -they thought it was no use <i>standing</i> any longer, so -they built a wooden horse in memory of Helener -and the Trojans and it was taken into the town.”</p></blockquote> - -<p>Now the mistake I made in my presentation was to -lay particular stress on the reason for elopement by -my careful readjustment, which really called more -attention to the episode than was necessary for the -age of my audience; and evidently caused confusion -in the minds of some of the children who knew the -story in its more accurate original form.</p> - -<p>Whilst travelling in the States, I was provided with -a delightful appendix to this story. I had been telling -Miss Longfellow and her sister the little girl's version -of the Siege of Troy, and Mrs. Thorpe made the -following comment, with the American humour whose -dryness adds so much to its value:</p> - -<p>“I never realised before,” she said, “how glad the -Greeks must have been to sit down even inside a -horse, when they had been <i>standing</i> for eleven years.”</p> - -<p>III.—<i>The danger of introducing unfamiliar words.</i> -This is the very opposite danger of the one to which -I have just alluded; it is the taking for granted that -children are acquainted with the meaning of certain -words upon which turns some important point in the -story. We must not introduce (without at least a -passing explanation) words which, if not rightly -understood, would entirely alter the picture we wish -to present.</p> - -<p>I had once promised to tell stories to an audience of -Irish peasants, and I should like to state here that, -though my travels have brought me into touch with -almost every kind of audience, I have never found -one where the atmosphere is so “self-prepared” as in -that of a group of Irish peasants. To speak to them -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -(especially on the subject of Fairy-tales) is like playing -on a delicate harp: the response is so quick and the -sympathy is so keen. Of course the subject of Fairy-tales -is one which is completely familiar to them and -comes into their every-day life. They have a feeling -of awe with regard to fairies, which in some parts of -Ireland is very deep.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<p>On this particular occasion I had been warned by -an artist friend who had kindly promised to sing -songs between the stories, that my audience would be -of varying age and almost entirely illiterate. Many -of the older men and women, who could neither read -nor write, had never been beyond their native village. -I was warned to be very simple in my language and -to explain any difficult words which might occur in -the particular Indian story I had chosen for that night, -namely, “The Tiger, The Jackal and the Brahman.”<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> -It happened that the older portion of the audience had -scarcely ever seen even the picture of wild animals. -I profited by the advice, and offered a word of explanation -with regard to the Tiger and the Jackal. I -also explained the meaning of the word Brahman—at -a proper distance, however, lest the audience should -class him with wild animals. I then went on with -my story, in the course of which I mentioned the -Buffalo. In spite of the warning I had received, I -found it impossible not to believe that the name of -this animal would be familiar to any audience. I -therefore went on with the sentence containing this -word, and ended it thus: “And then the Brahman -went a little further and met an old Buffalo turning a -wheel.”</p> - -<p>The next day, whilst walking down the village -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> -street, I entered into conversation with a thirteen-year-old -girl who had been in my audience the night before, -and who began at once to repeat in her own words -the Indian story in question. When she came to the -particular sentence I have just quoted, I was greatly -startled to hear <i>her</i> version, which ran thus: “And -the priest went on a little further, and he met another -old gentleman pushing a wheelbarrow.” I stopped -her at once, and not being able to identify the sentence -as part of the story I had told, I questioned her a -little more closely. I found that the word Buffalo -had evidently conveyed to her mind an old “<i>buffer</i>” -whose name was “Lo” (probably taken to be an -Indian form of appellation, to be treated with tolerance -though it might not be Irish in sound). Then, not -knowing of any wheel more familiarly than that -attached to a barrow, the young narrator completed -the picture in her own mind—which, doubtless, was -a vivid one—but one must admit that it had lost -something of the Indian atmosphere which I had -intended to gather about it.</p> - -<p>IV.—<i>The danger of claiming the co-operation of -the class by means of questions.</i> The danger in this -case is more serious for the teacher than the child, -who rather enjoys the process and displays a fatal -readiness to give any sort of answer if only he can -play a part in the conversation. If we could depend -on the children giving the kind of answer we expect, -all might go well, and the danger would be lessened; -but children have a perpetual way of frustrating our -hopes in this direction, and of landing us in unexpected -bypaths from which it is not always easy to -return to the main road without a very violent reaction. -As illustrative of this, I quote from “The Madness of -Philip,” by Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon, a truly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> -delightful essay on Child Psychology, in the guise -of the lightest of stories.</p> - -<p>The scene takes place in a Kindergarten—where a -bold and fearless visitor has undertaken to tell a story -on the spur of the moment to a group of restless -children.</p> - -<p>She opens thus: “Yesterday, children, as I came -out of my yard, what do you think I saw?”</p> - -<p>The elaborately concealed surprise in store was so -obvious that Marantha rose to the occasion and -suggested “an el'phunt.”</p> - -<p>“Why, no. Why should I see an elephant in my -yard? It was not <i>nearly</i> so big as that—it was a -little thing.”</p> - -<p>“A fish,” ventured Eddy Brown, whose eye fell -upon the aquarium in the corner. The raconteuse -smiled patiently.</p> - -<p>“Now, how could a fish, a live fish, get into my -front yard?”</p> - -<p>“A dead fish,” says Eddy. He had never been -known to relinquish voluntarily an idea.</p> - -<p>“No; it was a little kitten,” said the story-teller -decidedly. “A little white kitten. She was standing -right near a big puddle of water. Now, what else do -you think I saw?”</p> - -<p>“Another kitten,” suggests Marantha, conservatively.</p> - -<p>“No; it was a big Newfoundland dog. He saw the -little kitten near the water. Now, cats don't like -water, do they? What do they like?”</p> - -<p>“Mice,” said Joseph Zukoffsky abruptly.</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, they do; but there were no mice in -my yard. I'm sure you know what I mean. If they -don't like <i>water</i>, <i>what</i> do they like?”</p> - -<p>“Milk,” cried Sarah Fuller confidently.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> - -“They like a dry place,” said Mrs. R. B. Smith. -“Now, what do you suppose the dog did?”</p> - -<p>It may be that successive failures had disheartened -the listeners. It may be that the very range of choice -presented to them and the dog alike dazzled their -imagination. At all events, they made no answer.</p> - -<p>“Nobody knows what the dog did?” repeated the -story-teller encouragingly. “What would you do if -you saw a little kitten like that?”</p> - -<p>And Philip remarked gloomily:</p> - -<p>“I'd pull its tail.”</p> - -<p>“And what do the rest of you think? I hope you -are not as cruel as that little boy.”</p> - -<p>A jealous desire to share Philip's success prompted -the quick response:</p> - -<p>“I'd pull it too.”</p> - -<p>Now, the reason of the total failure of this story -was the inability to draw any real response from the -children, partly because of the hopeless vagueness of -the questions, partly because, there being no time for -reflection, the children said the first thing that comes -into their head without any reference to their real -thoughts on the subject.</p> - -<p>I cannot imagine anything less like the enlightened -methods of the best Kindergarten teaching. Had -Mrs. R. B. Smith been a real, and not a fictional, -person, it would certainly have been her last appearance -as a <i>raconteuse</i> in this educational institution.</p> - -<p>V.—<i>The difficulty of gauging the effect of a story -upon the audience.</i> This rises from lack of observation -and experience; it is the want of these qualities -which leads to the adoption of such a method as I -have just presented. We learn in time that want of -expression on the faces of the audience and want of -any kind of external response does not always mean -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> -either lack of interest or attention. There is often -real interest deep down, but no power, or perhaps no -wish, to display that interest, which is deliberately -concealed at times so as to protect oneself from -questions which may be put.</p> - -<p>I was speaking on one occasion in Davenport in -the State of Iowa. I had been engaged to deliver a -lecture to adults on the “Fun and Philosophy” of -Hans C. Andersen's Fairy Tales. When I arrived -at the Hall, I was surprised and somewhat annoyed -to find four small boys sitting in the front row. They -seemed to be about ten years old, and, knowing pretty -well from experience what boys of that age usually -like, I felt rather anxious as to what would happen, -and I must confess that for once I wished children -had the useful faculty, developed in adults, of successfully -concealing their feelings. Any hopes I had -conceived on this point were speedily shattered. After -listening to the first few sentences, two of the boys -evidently recognised the futility of bestowing any -further attention on the subject, and consoled themselves -for the dulness of the occasion by starting a -“scrap.” I watched this proceeding for a minute -with great interest, but soon recalled the fact that I -had not been engaged in the capacity of spectator, so, -addressing the antagonists in as severe a manner as -I could assume, I said: “Boys, I shall have to ask -you to go to the back of the hall.” They responded -with much alacrity, and evident gratitude, and even -exceeded my instructions by leaving the hall -altogether.</p> - -<p>My sympathy was now transferred to the two -remaining boys, who sat motionless, and one of them -never took his eyes off me during the whole lecture. -I feared lest they might be simply cowed by the treatment -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> -meted out to their companions, whose joy in -their release had been somewhat tempered by the -disgrace of ejection. I felt sorry that I could not -provide these model boys with a less ignominious -retreat, and I cast about in my mind how I could make -it up to them. At the end of the lecture, I addressed -them personally and, congratulating them on their -quiet behaviour, said that, as I feared the main part -of the lecture could scarcely have interested them, I -should conclude, not with the story I had intended -for the adults, but with a special story for them, as a -reward for their good behaviour. I then told Hans -C. Andersen's “Jack the Dullard,” which I have -always found to be a great favourite with boys. These -particular youths smiled very faintly, and left any -expression of enthusiasm to the adult portion of the -audience. My hostess, who was eager to know what -the boys thought, enquired of them how they liked the -lecture. The elder one said guardedly: “I liked it -very well, but I was <i>piqued</i> at her underrating my -appreciation of Hans Andersen.”</p> - -<p>I was struck with the entirely erroneous impression -I had received of the effect I was producing upon the -boys. I was thankful at least that a passing allusion -to Schopenhauer in my lecture possibly provided -some interest for this “young old” child.</p> - -<p>I felt somewhat in the position of a Doctor of -Divinity in Canada to whom a small child confided -the fact that she had written a parody on “The Three -Fishers,” but that it had dropped into the fire. The -Doctor made some facetious rejoinder about the -impertinence of the flames in consuming her manuscript. -The child reproved him in these grave words: -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> -“Nature, you know, <i>is</i> Nature, and her laws are -inviolable.”</p> - -<p>VI.—<i>The danger of over illustration.</i> After long -experience, and after considering the effect produced -on children when pictures are shown to them during -the narration, I have come to the conclusion that the -appeal to the eye and the ear at the same time is of -doubtful value, and has, generally speaking, a -distracting effect; the concentration on one channel -of communication attracts and holds the attention -more completely. I was confirmed in this theory -when I addressed an audience of blind people for the -first time, and noticed how closely they attended, and -how much easier it seemed to them, because they were -so completely “undistracted by the sights around -them.”<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>I have often suggested to young teachers two -experiments in support of this theory. They are not -practical experiments, nor could they be repeated -often with the same audience, but they are intensely -interesting and they serve to show the <i>actual</i> effect -of appealing to one sense at a time. The first of these -experiments is to take a small group of children and -suggest that they should close their eyes whilst you -tell them a story. You will then notice how much -more attention is given to the intonation and inflection -of the voice. The reason is obvious: because there -is nothing to distract the attention, it is concentrated -on the only thing offered to the listeners (that is, -sound), to enable them to seize the dramatic interest -of the story.</p> - -<p>We find an example of the dramatic power of the -voice in its appeal to the imagination, in one of the -tributes brought by an old pupil to Thomas Edward -Brown (Master at Clifton College):</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -“My earliest recollection is that his was the most -vivid teaching I ever received: great width of view -and poetical, almost passionate, power of presentment. -We were reading Froude's History, and I -shall never forget how it was Brown's words, -Brown's voice, not the historian's, that made me -feel the great democratic function which the -monasteries performed in England: the view -became alive in his mouth.”</p></blockquote> - -<p class="noin">And in another passage:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“All set forth with such dramatic force and aided -by such a splendid voice, left an indelible impression -on my mind.” (<i>Letters of T. E. Brown</i>, p. 55.)</p></blockquote> - -<p>A second experiment, and a much more subtle and -difficult one, is to take the same group of children on -another occasion, telling them a story in pantomime -form, giving them first the briefest outline of it. In -this case this must be of the simplest construction, -until the children are able (if you continue the experiment) -to look for something more subtle.</p> - -<p>I have never forgotten the marvellous performance -of a play given in London, many years ago, entirely -in pantomime form. The play was called <i>L'Enfant -Prodigue</i>, and was presented by a company of French -artists. It would be almost impossible to exaggerate -the strength of that “silent appeal” to the public. -One was so unaccustomed to reading meaning and -development of character into gesture and facial -expression that it was really a revelation to most -present—certainly to all Anglo-Saxons.</p> - -<p>I cannot touch on this subject without admitting -the enormous dramatic value connected with the -kinematograph. Though it can never take the place -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> -of an actual performance, whether in story form or -on the stage, it has a real educational value in its -possibilities of representation which it is difficult to -over-estimate, and I believe that its introduction into -the school curriculum, under the strictest supervision, -will be of extraordinary benefit. The movement, in -its present chaotic condition, and in the hands of a -commercial management, is more likely to stifle than -to awaken or stimulate the imagination, but the -educational world is fully alive to the danger, and I -am convinced that in the future of the movement good -will predominate.</p> - -<p>The real value of the cinematograph in connection -with stories is that it provides the background that is -wanting to the inner vision of the average child, and -does not prevent its imagination from filling in the -details later. For instance, it would be quite impossible -for the average child to get an idea from mere -word-painting of the atmosphere of the Polar regions, -as represented lately on the film in connection with -Captain Scott's expedition; but any stories told later -on about these regions would have an infinitely -greater interest.</p> - -<p>There is, however, a real danger in using pictures -to illustrate the story—especially if it be one which -contains a direct appeal to the imagination of the -child (as quite distinct from the stories which deal -with facts)—which is that you force the whole audience -of children to see the same picture, instead of giving -each individual child the chance of making his own -mental picture, which is of far greater joy, and of -much greater educational value, since by this process -the child co-operates with you instead of having all -the work done for it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> -Queyrat, in his work on “La Logique chez l'Enfant” -quotes Madame Necker de Saussure:<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> - “To children and animals actual objects present themselves, -not the terms of their manifestations. For them -thinking is seeing over again, it is going through the -sensations that the real object would have produced. -Everything which goes on within them is in the form -of pictures, or rather, inanimate scenes in which Life -is partially reproduced.... Since the child has, -as yet, no capacity for abstraction, he finds a stimulating -power in words and a suggestive inspiration -which holds him enchanted. They awaken vividly-coloured -images, pictures far more brilliant than would -be called into being by the objects themselves.”</p> - -<p>Surely, if this be true, we are taking from children -that rare power of mental visualisation by offering to -their outward vision an <i>actual</i> picture.</p> - -<p>I was struck with the following note by a critic of -the “Outlook,” referring to a Japanese play but -bearing directly on the subject in hand.</p> - -<p>“First, we should be inclined to put insistence upon -appeal by <i>imagination</i>. Nothing is built up by lath -and canvas; everything has to be created by the poet's -speech.”</p> - -<p>He alludes to the decoration of one of the scenes, -which consists of three pines, showing what can be -conjured up in the mind of the spectator.</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah, yes. Unfolding now before my eyes</div> -<div class="i0">The views I know: the Forest, River, Sea</div> -<div class="i0">And Mist—the scenes of Ono now expand.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>I have often heard objections raised to this theory -by teachers dealing with children whose knowledge -of objects outside their own little limited circle is so -scanty that words we use without a suspicion that they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -are unfamiliar are really foreign expressions to them. -Such words as sea, woods, fields, mountains would -mean nothing to them, unless some explanation were -offered. To these objections I have replied that -where we are dealing with objects that can actually -be seen with the bodily eyes, then it is quite legitimate -to show pictures of those objects before you begin the -story, so that the distraction between the actual and -mental presentation may not cause confusion; but, as -the foregoing example shows, we should endeavour -to accustom the children to seeing much more than -the mere objects themselves, and in dealing with -abstract qualities we must rely solely on the power -and choice of words and dramatic qualities of presentation, -nor need we feel anxious if the response is not -immediate, or even if it is not quick and eager.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></p> - -<p>VII.—<i>The danger of obscuring the point of the -story with too many details.</i> This is not peculiar to -teachers, nor is it only shown in the narrative form. -I have often heard really brilliant after-dinner stories -marred by this defect. One remembers the attempt -made by Sancho Panza to tell a story to Don Quixote, -and I have always felt a keen sympathy with the latter -in his impatience over the recital.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“‘In a village of Estramadura there was a -shepherd—no, I mean a goatherd—which shepherd—or -goatherd—as my story says, was called Lope -Ruiz—and this Lope Ruiz was in love with a -shepherdess called Torralva, who was daughter to a -rich herdsman, and this rich herdsman——’</p> - -<p>‘If this be thy story, Sancho,’ said Don Quixote, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> -‘thou wilt not have done these two days. Tell it -concisely like a man of sense, or else say no more.’</p> - -<p>‘I tell it in the manner they tell all stories in -my country,’ answered Sancho, ‘and I cannot tell -it otherwise, nor ought your Worship to require -me to make new customs.’</p> - -<p>‘Tell it as thou wilt, then,’ said Don Quixote; -‘since it is the will of fate that I should hear it, go -on.’</p> - -<p>Sancho continued:</p> - -<p>‘He looked about him until he espied a fisherman -with a boat near him, but so small that it could only -hold one person and one goat. The fisherman got -into the boat and carried over one goat; he returned -and carried another; he came back again and carried -another. Pray, sir, keep an account of the goats -which the fisherman is carrying over, for if you lose -count of a single one, the story ends, and it will be -impossible to tell a word more.... I go on, then.... -He returned for another goat, and another, -and another and another——’</p> - -<p>‘<i>Suppose</i> them all carried over,’ said Don -Quixote, ‘or thou wilt not have finished carrying -them this twelve months.’</p> - -<p>‘Tell me, how many have passed already?’ -said Sancho.</p> - -<p>‘How should I know?’ answered Don Quixote.</p> - -<p>‘See there, now! Did I not tell thee to keep -an exact account? There is an end of the story. -I can go no further.’</p> - -<p>‘How can this be?’ said Don Quixote. ‘Is it -so essential to the story to know the exact number -of goats that passed over, that if one error be made -the story can proceed no further?’</p> - -<p>‘Even so,’ said Sancho Panza.”</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> - -VIII.—<i>The danger of over-explanation.</i> Again, -another danger lurks in the temptation to offer over -much explanation of the story, which is common to -most story-tellers. This is fatal to the artistic success -of any story, but it is even more serious in connection -with stories told from an educational point of view, -because it hampers the imagination of the listener; -and since the development of that faculty is one of our -chief aims in telling these stories, we must let it have -free play, nor must we test the effect, as I have said -before, by the material method of asking questions. -My own experience is that the fewer explanations you -offer (provided you have been careful with the choice -of your material and artistic in the presentation) the -more readily the child will supplement by his own -thinking power what is necessary for the understanding -of the story.</p> - -<p>Queyrat says: “A child has no need of seizing on -the exact meaning of words; on the contrary, a certain -lack of precision seems to stimulate his imagination -only the more vigorously, since it gives it a broader -liberty and firmer independence.”<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>IX.—One special danger lies in the <i>lowering of -the standard of the story</i> in order to cater to -the undeveloped taste of the child. I am alluding -here only to the story which is presented from the -educational point of view. There are moments of -relaxation in a child's life, as in that of an adult, when -a lighter taste can be gratified. I am alluding now to -the standard of story for school purposes.</p> - -<p>There is one development of the subject which -seems to have been very little considered either in the -United States or in our own country, namely, the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> -telling of stories to <i>old</i> people, and that not only in -institutions or in quiet country villages, but in the -heart of the busy cities and in the homes of these old -people. How often, when the young people are able -to enjoy outside amusements, the old people, necessarily -confined to the chimney-corner and many -unable to read much for themselves, might return to -the joy of their childhood by hearing some of the old -stories told them in dramatic form. Here is a -delightful occupation for those of the leisured class -who have the gift, and a much more effective way of -capturing attention than the more usual form of -reading aloud.</p> - -<p>Lady Gregory, in talking to the workhouse folk in -Ireland, was moved by the strange contrast between -the poverty of the tellers and the splendours of the -tale.</p> - -<p>She says: “The stories they love are of quite -visionary things; of swans that turn into kings' -daughters, and of castles with crowns over the doors, -and of lovers' flight on the backs of eagles, and music-loving -witches, and journeys to the other world, and -sleeps that last for 700 years.”</p> - -<p>I fear it is only the Celtic imagination that will -glory in such romantic material; but I am sure the -men and women of the poorhouse are much more -interested than we are apt to think in stories outside -the small circle of their lives.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> With regard to the right moment for choosing this kind of -story, I shall return to the subject in a later chapter.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> I venture to hope (at this long distance of years) that my -language in telling the story was more simple than appears from -this account.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> This difference of spelling in the same essay will be much -appreciated by those who know how gladly children offer an -orthographical alternative, in hopes that one if not the other may -satisfy the exigency of the situation.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> I refer, of course, to the Irish in their native atmosphere.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> See<a href="#Page_210"> List of Stories</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> This was at the Congressional Library at Washington.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Page <a href="#Page_55">55</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> In further illustration of this point see “When Burbage -played” (Austin Dobson) and “In the Nursery” (Hans C. -Andersen).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> From “Les Jeux des Enfants,” page 16.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span></p> -<h2>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">The Essentials of the Story.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">It</span> would be a truism to suggest that dramatic instinct -and dramatic power of expression are naturally the -first essentials for success in the Art of Story-telling, -and that, without these, no story-teller would go very -far; but I maintain that, even with these gifts, no high -standard of performance will be reached without -certain other qualities—among the first of which I -place <i>apparent</i> simplicity, which is really the <i>art</i> of -<i>concealing</i> the art.</p> - -<p>I am speaking here of the public story-teller, or of -the teachers with a group of children—not the -spontaneous (and most rare) power of telling stories -at the fireside by some gifted village grandmother, -such as Béranger gives us in his poem, <i>Souvenirs du -Peuple</i>:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Mes enfants, dans ce village,</div> -<div class="i0">Suivi de rois, il passa;</div> -<div class="i0">Voilà bien longtemps de ça;</div> -<div class="i0">Je venais d'entrer en ménage.</div> -<div class="i0">A pied grimpant le côteau,</div> -<div class="i0">Où pour voir je m'étais mise.</div> -<div class="i0">Il avait petit chapeau</div> -<div class="i0">Avec redingote grise.</div> -<div class="i0">Près de lui je me troublai!</div> -<div class="i0">Il me dit: Bonjour, ma chère,</div> -<div class="i2">Bonjour, ma chère.</div> -<div class="i0">Il vous a parlé, grand'mère?</div> -<div class="i2">Il vous a parlé?</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p>I am sceptical enough to think that it is not the -spontaneity of the grandmother but the art of Béranger -which enhances the effect of the story told in the poem.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> - -This intimate form of narration, which is delightful -in its special surroundings, would fail to <i>reach</i>, much -less <i>hold</i>, a large audience, <i>not</i> because of its simplicity -but often because of the want of skill in arranging -material and of the artistic sense of selection which -brings the interest to a focus and arranges the sidelights. -In short, the simplicity we need for the -ordinary purpose is that which comes from ease and -produces a sense of being able to let ourselves go, -because we have thought out our effects: it is when -we translate our instinct into art that the story becomes -finished and complete.</p> - -<p>I find it necessary to emphasise this point because -people are apt to confuse simplicity of delivery with -carelessness of utterance, loose stringing of sentences -of which the only connections seem to be the ever-recurring -use of “and” and “so,” and “er ...”—this -latter inarticulate sound has done more to ruin a -story and distract the audience than many more -glaring errors of dramatic form.</p> - -<p>The real simplicity holds the audience because the -lack of apparent effort in the artist has the most -comforting effect upon the listener. It is like turning -from the whirring machinery of process to the finished -article, bearing no trace of manufacture except in -the harmony and beauty of the whole, from which we -realise that the individual parts have received all -proper attention.</p> - -<p>And what really brings about this apparent simplicity -which ensures the success of the story? It -has been admirably expressed in a passage from -Henry James's lecture on Balzac:</p> - -<p>“The fault in the Artist which amounts most -completely to a failure of dignity is the absence of -<i>saturation with his idea</i>. When saturation fails, no -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> -other real presence avails, as when, on the other hand, -it operates, no failure of method fatally interferes.”</p> - -<p>I now offer two illustrations of the effect of this -saturation, one to show that the failure of method -does not prevent successful effect, the other to show -that when it is combined with the necessary secondary -qualities the perfection of art is reached.</p> - -<p>In illustration of the first point, I recall an experience -in the North of England when the Head Mistress of -an elementary school asked me to hear a young, -inexperienced girl tell a story to a group of very small -children.</p> - -<p>When she began, I felt somewhat hopeless, because -of the complete failure of method. She seemed to -have all the faults most damaging to the success of -a speaker. Her voice was harsh, her gestures -awkward, her manner was restless and melodramatic; -but as she went on, I soon began to discount all these -faults and, in truth, I soon forgot about them, for so -absorbed was she in her story, so saturated with her -subject, that she quickly communicated her own -interest to her audience, and the children were -absolutely spellbound.</p> - -<p>The other illustration is connected with a memorable -peep behind the stage, when the late M. Coquelin had -invited me to see him in the green-room between the -first and second Acts of “L'Abbé Constantin,” one -of the plays given during his last season in London, -the year before his death. The last time I had met -M. Coquelin was at a dinner-party, where I had been -dazzled by the brilliant conversation of this great -artist in the rôle of a man of the world. But on this -occasion, I met the simple, kindly priest, so absorbed -in his rôle that he inspired me with the wish to offer -a donation for his poor, and on taking leave to ask -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> -for his blessing for myself. Whilst talking to him, -I had felt puzzled: it was only when I had left him -that I realised what had happened—namely, that he -was too thoroughly saturated with his subject to be -able to drop his rôle during the interval, in order to -assume the more ordinary one of host and man of the -world.</p> - -<p>Now, it is this spirit I would wish to inculcate into -the would-be story-tellers. If they would apply themselves -in this manner to their work, it would bring -about a revolution in the art of presentation, that is, -in the art of teaching. The difficulty of the practical -application of this theory is the constant plea, on the -part of the teachers, that there is not the time to work -for such a standard in an art which is so apparently -simple that the work expended on it would never be -appreciated.</p> - -<p>My answer to this objection is that, though the -counsel of perfection would be to devote a great deal -of time to the story, so as to prepare the atmosphere -quite as much as the mere action of the little drama -(just as photographers use time exposure to obtain -sky effects, as well as the more definite objects in the -picture), yet it is not so much a question of time as -concentration on the subject which is one of the chief -factors in the preparation of the story.</p> - -<p>So many story-tellers are satisfied with cheap results, -and most audiences are not critical enough to -encourage a high standard.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> The method of “showing -the machinery” has more immediate results, and it is -easy to become discouraged over the drudgery which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -is not necessary to secure the approbation of the -largest number. But, since I am dealing with the -essentials of really good story-telling, I may be -pardoned for suggesting the highest standard and the -means for reaching it.</p> - -<p>Therefore I maintain that capacity for work, and -even drudgery, is among the essentials of story work. -Personally I know of nothing more interesting than -to watch the story grow gradually from mere outline -into a dramatic whole. It is the same pleasure, I -imagine, which is felt over the gradual development -of a beautiful design on a loom. I do not mean -machine-made work, which has to be done under -adverse conditions, in a certain time, and is similar -to thousands of other pieces of work; but that work -upon which we can bestow unlimited time and concentrated -thought.</p> - -<p>The special joy in the slowly-prepared story comes -in the exciting moment when the persons, or even the -inanimate objects, become alive and move as of -themselves.</p> - -<p>I remember spending two or three discouraging -weeks with Andersen's story of the “Adventures of -a Beetle.” I passed through times of great depression, -because all the little creatures—beetles, earwigs, -frogs, etc.—behaved in such a conventional, stilted -way (instead of displaying the strong individuality -which Andersen had bestowed upon them) that I -began to despair of presenting a live company at all.</p> - -<p>But one day the Beetle, so to speak, “took the -stage,” and at once there was life and animation -among the minor characters. Then the main work -was done, and there remained only the comparatively -easy task of guiding the movement of the little drama, -suggesting side issues and polishing the details, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -always keeping a careful eye on the Beetle, that he -might “gang his ain gait” and preserve to the full -his own individuality.</p> - -<p>There is a tendency in preparing stories to begin -with detail work (often a gesture or side issue which -one has remembered from hearing a story told), but -if this is done before the contemplative period, only -scrappy, jerky and ineffective results are obtained, on -which one cannot count for dramatic effects. This -kind of preparation reminds one of a young peasant -woman who was taken to see a performance of -<i>Wilhelm Tell</i>, and when questioned as to the plot, -could only sum it up by saying, “I know some fruit -was shot at.”<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p> - -<p>I realise the extreme difficulty for teachers to devote -the necessary time to the perfecting of the stories they -tell in school, because this is only one of the subjects -they have to take in an already over-crowded curriculum. -To them I would offer this practical advice: -<i>Do not be afraid to repeat your stories</i>.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> -If you did -not undertake more than seven stories a year (chosen -with infinite care), and if you repeated these stories -six times during the year of forty-two weeks, you -would be able to do artistic (and therefore lasting) -work; you would give a very great deal of pleasure -to the children, who delight in hearing a story many -times. You would be able to avoid the direct moral -application (to which subject I shall return later on); -for each time a child hears a story artistically told, a -little more of the meaning underlying the simple story -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> -will come to him without any explanation on your -part. The habit of doing one's best, instead of one's -second-best, means, in the long run, that one has no -interest except in the preparation of the best, and the -stories, few in number, polished and finished in style, -will have an effect of which one can scarcely over-state -the importance.</p> - -<p>In the story of the Swineherd,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> Hans Andersen -says:</p> - -<p>“On the grave of the Prince's father there grew a -rose-tree. It only bloomed once in five years, and -only bore one rose. But what a rose! Its perfume -was so exquisite that whoever smelt it forgot at once -all his cares and sorrows.”</p> - -<p>Lafcadio Hearn says: “Time weeds out the errors -and stupidities of cheap success, and presents the -Truth. It takes, like the aloe, a long time to flower, -but the blossom is all the more precious when it -appears.”</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"> -<span class="label">[11]</span></a> A noted Greek gymnast struck his pupil, though he was -applauded by the whole assembly. “You did it clumsily, and not -as you ought, for these people would never have praised you for -anything really artistic.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> For further details on the question of preparation of the -story, see chapter on “<a href="#Page_117">Questions asked by Teachers</a>.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Sully says that children love exact repetition because of the -intense enjoyment bound up with the process of imaginative -realisation.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> See p. <a href="#Page_150">150</a>.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span></p> -<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<p class="center"> - -<span class="smcap">The Artifices of Story-telling.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">By</span> this term I do not mean anything against the -gospel of simplicity which I am so constantly preaching, -but, for want of a better term, I use the word -“artifice” to express the mechanical devices by which -we endeavour to attract and hold the attention of the -audience. The art of telling stories is, in truth, much -more difficult than acting a part on the stage: first, -because the narrator is responsible for the whole -drama and the whole atmosphere which surrounds it. -He has to live the life of each character and understand -the relation which each bears to the whole. -Secondly, because the stage is a miniature one, -gestures and movements must all be so adjusted as -not to destroy the sense of proportion. I have often -noticed that actors, accustomed to the more roomy -public stage, are apt to be too broad in their gestures -and movements when they tell a story. The special -training for the Story-teller should consist not only in -the training of the voice and in choice of language, -but above all in power of <i>delicate</i> suggestion, which -cannot always be used on the stage because this is -hampered by the presence of <i>actual things</i>. The -Story-teller has to present these things to the more -delicate organism of the “inward eye.”</p> - -<p>So deeply convinced am I of the miniature character -of the Story-telling Art that I do not believe you can -ever get a perfectly artistic presentation of this kind -in a very large hall or before a very large audience.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span></p> - -<p>I have made experiments along this line, having -twice told a story to an audience exceeding five -thousand, in the States,<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> but on both occasions, -though the dramatic reaction upon oneself from the -response of so large an audience was both gratifying -and stimulating, I was forced to sacrifice the delicacy -of the story and to take from its artistic value by the -necessity of emphasis, in order to be heard by all -present.</p> - -<p>Emphasis is the bane of all story-telling, for it -destroys the delicacy, and the whole performance -suggests a struggle in conveying the message; the -indecision of the victory leaves the audience restless -and unsatisfied.</p> - -<p>Then, again, as compared with acting on the stage, -in telling a story you miss the help of effective -entrances and exits, the footlights, the costume, the -facial expression of your fellow-actor which interprets -so much of what you yourself say without further -elaboration on your part; for, in the story, in case of -a dialogue which necessitates great subtlety and -quickness in facial expression and gesture, you have -to be both speaker and listener.</p> - -<p>Now, of what artifices can we make use to take the -place of all the extraneous help offered to actors on -the stage?</p> - -<p>First and foremost, as a means of suddenly pulling -up the attention of the audience, is the judicious Art -of Pausing.</p> - -<p>For those who have not actually had experience in -the matter, this advice will seem trite and unnecessary, -but those who have even a little experience will realise -with me the extraordinary efficacy of this very simple<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> -means. It is really what Coquelin spoke of as a -“high light,” where the interest is focussed, as it -were, to a point.</p> - -<p>I have tried this simple art of <i>pausing</i> with every -kind of audience, and I have very rarely known it to -fail. It is very difficult to offer a concrete example of -this, unless one is giving a “live” representation; -but I shall make an attempt, and at least I shall hope -to make myself understood by those who have heard -me tell stories.</p> - -<p>In Hans C. Andersen's “Princess and the Pea,”<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> -the King goes down to open the door himself. Now, -you may make this point in two ways. You may -either say: “And then the King went to the door, -and at the door there stood a real Princess,” or, “And -then the King went to the door, and at the door there -stood—(pause)—a real Princess.”</p> - -<p>It is difficult to exaggerate the difference of effect -produced by so slight a cause.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> With children it -means an unconscious curiosity which expresses itself -in a sudden muscular tension—there is just time, -during that instant's pause, to <i>feel</i>, though not to -<i>formulate</i>, the question: “What is standing at the -door?” By this means half your work of holding -the attention is accomplished. It is not necessary for -me to enter into the psychological reason of this, but -I strongly recommend those who are interested in the -question to read the chapter in Ribot's work on this -subject, <i>Essai sur l'Imagination créatrice</i>, as well as -Mr. Keatinge's work on “Suggestion.”</p> - -<p>I would advise all teachers to revise their stories -with a view to introducing the judicious Pause, and -to vary its use according to the age, the number and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -above all, the mood of the audience. Experience -alone can ensure success in this matter. It has taken -me many years to realise the importance of this -artifice.</p> - -<p>Among other means of holding the attention of the -audience and helping to bring out the points of the -story is the use of gesture. I consider, however, it -must be a sparing use, and not of a broad or definite -character. We shall never improve on the advice -given by Hamlet to the actors on this subject: “See -that ye o'erstep not the modesty of Nature.”</p> - -<p>And yet, perhaps, it is not necessary to warn Story-tellers -against <i>abuse</i> of gesture: it is more helpful to -encourage them in the use of it, especially in Anglo-Saxon -countries, where we are fearful of expressing -ourselves in this way, and, when we do, the gesture -often lacks subtlety. The Anglo-Saxon, when he does -move at all, moves in solid blocks—a whole arm, a -whole leg, the whole body—but if you watch a -Frenchman or an Italian in conversation, you suddenly -realise how varied and subtle are the things which can -be suggested by the mere turn of the wrist or the -movement of a finger. The power of the hand has -been so wonderfully summed up in a passage from -Quintilian that I am justified in offering it to all -those who wish to realise what can be done by -gesture:</p> - -<p>“As to the hands, without the aid of which all -delivery would be deficient and weak, it can scarcely -be told of what a variety of motions they are susceptible, -since they almost equal in expression the power -of language itself. For other parts of the body assist -the speaker, but these, I may almost say, speak -themselves. With our hands we ask, promise, call -persons to us and send them away, threaten, supplicate, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> -intimate dislike or fear; with our hands we -signify joy, grief, doubt, acknowledgment, penitence, -and indicate measure, quantity, number and time. -Have not our hands the power of inciting, of restraining, -or beseeching, of testifying approbation.... -So that amidst the great diversity of tongues pervading -all nations and peoples, the language of the -hands appears to be a language common to all men.” -(From “Education of an Orator,” Book II, Chap. 3.)</p> - -<p>One of the most effective artifices in telling stories -to young children is the use of mimicry—the imitation -of animals' voices and sounds in general is of never-ending -joy to the listeners. Only, I should wish to -introduce a note of grave warning in connection with -this subject. This special artifice can only be used -by such narrators as have special aptitude and gifts -in this direction. There are many people with good -imaginative power but wholly lacking in the power -of mimicry, whose efforts in this direction, however -painstaking, would remain grotesque and therefore -ineffective. When listening to such performances (of -which children are strangely critical) one is reminded -of the French story in which the amateur animal -painter is showing her picture to an undiscriminating -friend:</p> - -<p>“Ah!” says the friend, “this is surely meant for a -lion?”</p> - -<p>“No,” says the artist, with some slight show of -temper; “it is my little lap-dog.”</p> - -<p>Another artifice which is particularly successful -with very small children is to ensure their attention -by inviting their co-operation before you actually -begin the story. The following has proved quite -effective as a short introduction to my stories when I -was addressing large audiences of children:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> - -“Do you know that last night I had a very strange -dream, which I am going to tell you before I begin -the stories. I dreamed that I was walking along the -streets of—— (here would follow the town in which -I happened to be speaking), with a large bundle on -my shoulders, and this bundle was full of stories which -I had been collecting all over the world in different -countries; and I was shouting at the top of my voice: -‘Stories! Stories! Stories! Who will listen to my -stories?’ And the children came flocking round me -in my dream, saying: ‘Tell <i>us</i> your stories. <i>We</i> will -listen to your stories.’ So I pulled out a story from -my big bundle and I began in a most excited way, -‘Once upon a time there lived a King and a Queen -who had no children, and they——’ Here a little boy, -<i>very</i> much like that little boy I see sitting in the front -row, stopped me, saying: ‘Oh! I know <i>that</i> old -story; it's Sleeping Beauty.’</p> - -<p>“So I pulled out a second story, and began: ‘Once -upon a time there was a little girl who was sent by -her mother to visit her grandmother——’ Then a -little girl, so much like the one sitting at the end of -the second row, said: 'Oh! everybody knows that -story! It's——’”</p> - -<p>Here I would make a judicious pause, and then the -children in the audience would shout in chorus, with -joyful superiority: “Little Red Riding-Hood!” -(before I had time to explain that the children in my -dream had done the same).</p> - -<p>This method I repeated two or three times, being -careful to choose very well-known stories. By this -time the children were all encouraged and stimulated. -I usually finished with congratulations on the number -of stories they knew, expressing a hope that some of -those I was going to tell that afternoon would be new -to them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> - -I have rarely found this plan fail for establishing a -friendly relation between oneself and the juvenile -audience.</p> - -<p>It is often a matter of great difficulty, not to <i>win</i> the -attention of an audience but to <i>keep</i> it, and one of the -most subtle artifices is to let the audience down -(without their perceiving it) after a dramatic situation, -so that the reaction may prepare them for the interest -of the next situation.</p> - -<p>An excellent instance of this is to be found in -Rudyard Kipling's story of “The Cat that walked ...” -where the repetition of words acts as a sort of sedative -until you realise the beginning of a fresh situation.</p> - -<p>The great point is never to let the audience quite -down, that is, in stories which depend on dramatic -situations. It is just a question of shade and colour -in the language. If you are telling a story in sections, -and spread over two or three occasions, you should -always stop at an exciting moment. It encourages -speculation between whiles in the children's minds, -which increases their interest when the story is taken -up again.</p> - -<p>Another very necessary quality in the mere artifice -of story-telling is to watch your audience, so as to -be able to know whether its mood is for action or -reaction, and to alter your story accordingly. The -moods of reaction are rarer, and you must use them -for presenting a different kind of material. Here is -your opportunity for introducing a piece of poetic -description, given in beautiful language, to which the -children cannot listen when they are eager for action -and dramatic excitement.</p> - -<p>Perhaps one of the greatest artifices is to take a -quick hold of your audience by a striking beginning -which will enlist their attention from the start; you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> -can then relax somewhat, but you must be careful -also of the end, because that is what remains most -vivid for the children. If you question them as to -which story they like best in a programme, you will -constantly find it to be the last one you have told, -which has for the moment blurred out the others.</p> - -<p>Here are a few specimens of beginnings which -seldom fail to arrest the attention of the child:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There was once a giant ogre, and he lived in a -cave by himself.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Giant and the Jackstraws</i>,” -Starr Jordan. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There were once twenty-five tin soldiers, who were -all brothers, for they had been made out of the same -old tin spoon.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Tin Soldier</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There was once an Emperor who had a horse shod -with gold.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Beetle</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There was once a merchant who was so rich that -he could have paved the whole street with gold, and -even then he would have had enough for a small -alley.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Flying Trunk</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There was once a shilling which came forth from -the mint springing and shouting, 'Hurrah! Now I -am going out into the wide world.'”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Silver Shilling</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“In the High and Far Off Times the Elephant, O -Best Beloved, had no trunk.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>The Elephant's Child</i>”: <i>Just So -Stories</i>, Rudyard Kipling. -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Not always was the Kangaroo as now we behold -him, but a Different Animal with four short legs.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>Old Man Kangaroo</i>”: <i>Just So -Stories</i>, Rudyard Kipling. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Whichever way I turn,” said the weather-cock on -a high steeple, “no one is satisfied.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>Fireside Fables</i>,” Edwin Barrow. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“A set of chessmen, left standing on their board, -resolved to alter the rules of the game.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From the same source.</i> -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“The Pink Parasol had tender whalebone ribs and -a slender stick of cherry-wood.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>Very Short Stories</i>,” Mrs. W. K. Clifford. -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“There was once a poor little Donkey on Wheels; -it had never wagged its tail, or tossed its head, or said -‘Hee-haw,’ or tasted a tender thistle.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From the same source.</i> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Now, some of these beginnings are, of course, for -very young children, but they all have the same -advantage, that of plunging <i>in medias res</i>, and therefore -are able to arrest attention at once, as distinct -from the stories which open on a leisurely note of -description.</p> - -<p>In the same way we must be careful about the -endings of the stories; in some way or other they must -impress themselves either in a very dramatic climax -to which the whole story has worked up, such as we -have in the following:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods, or up -the Wet Wild Trees, or on the Wet Wild Roofs, -waving his Wild Tail, and walking by his Wild -Lone.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>Just So Stories</i>,” Rudyard Kipling. -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span></p> - -<p>Or by an anti-climax for effect:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“We have all this straight out of the alderman's -newspaper, but it is not to be depended on.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>Jack the Dullard</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Or by evading the point:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Whoever does not believe this must buy shares -in the Tanner's yard.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>A Great Grief</i>,” Hans C. Andersen. -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Or by some striking general comment:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“He has never caught up with the three days he -missed at the beginning of the world, and he has -never learnt how to behave.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -—<i>From</i> “<i>How the Camel got his Hump</i>”: -<i>Just So Stories</i>, Rudyard Kipling. -</p></blockquote> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Once at the Summer School at Chatauqua, New York, and once -in Lincoln Park, Chicago.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> See p. <a href="#Page_156">156</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> There must be no more emphasis in the second manner than the -first.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2> -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Elements to Avoid in Selection of Material.</span></p> - -<p class="noin">I <span class="smcap">am</span> confronted, in this portion of my work, with a -great difficulty, because I cannot afford to be as -catholic as I could wish (this rejection or selection of -material being primarily intended for those story-tellers -dealing with normal children); but I wish from -the outset to distinguish between a story told to an -individual child in the home circle or by a personal -friend, and a story told to a group of children as part -of the school curriculum. And if I seem to reiterate -this difference, it is because I wish to show very clearly -that the recital of parents and friends may be quite -separate in content and manner from that offered by -the teaching world. In the former case, almost any -subject can be treated, because, knowing the individual -temperament of the child, a wise parent or friend -knows also what can be presented or <i>not</i> presented -to the child; but in dealing with a group of normal -children in school, much has to be eliminated that -could be given fearlessly to the abnormal child: I -mean the child who, by circumstances or temperament, -is developed beyond its years.</p> - -<p>I shall now mention some of the elements which -experience has shown me to be unsuitable for class -stories.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> - -I.—<i>Stories dealing with analysis of motive and -feeling.</i></p> - -<p>This warning is specially necessary to-day, because -this is above all an age of introspection and analysis. -We have only to glance at the principal novels and -plays during the last quarter of a century—most -especially during the last ten years—to see how this -spirit has crept into our literature and life.</p> - -<p>Now, this tendency to analyse is obviously more -dangerous for children than for adults, because, from -lack of experience and knowledge of psychology, the -child's analysis is incomplete. He cannot see all the -causes of the action, nor can he make that philosophical -allowance for mood which brings the adult to truer -conclusions.</p> - -<p>Therefore we should discourage children who show -a tendency to analyse too closely the motives of their -actions, and refrain from presenting in our stories -any example which might encourage them to persist -in this course.</p> - -<p>I remember, on one occasion, when I went to say -good-night to a little girl of my acquaintance, I found -her sitting up in bed, very wide awake. Her eyes -were shining, her cheeks were flushed, and when I -asked her what had excited her so much, she said:</p> - -<p>“I <i>know</i> I have done something wrong to-day, but -I cannot quite remember what it was.”</p> - -<p>I said: “But Phyllis, if you put your hand, which -is really quite small, in front of your eyes, you could -not see the shape of anything else, however large it -might be. Now, what you have done to-day appears -very large because it is so close, but when it is a little -further off, you will be able to see better and know -more about it. So let us wait till to-morrow morning.”</p> - -<p>I am happy to say that she took my advice. She -was soon fast asleep, and the next morning she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -forgotten the wrong over which she had been -unhealthily brooding the night before.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - -<p>II.—<i>Stories dealing too much with sarcasm and -satire.</i> These are weapons which are too sharply -polished, and therefore too dangerous, to place in the -hands of children. For here again, as in the case of -analysis, they can only have a very incomplete conception -of the case. They do not know the real cause which -produces the apparently ridiculous situation: it is -experience and knowledge which lead to the discovery -of the pathos and sadness which often underlie the -ridiculous appearance, and it is only the abnormally -gifted child or grown-up person who discovers this by -instinct. It takes a lifetime to arrive at the position -described in Sterne's words: “I would not have let -fallen an unseasonable pleasantry in the venerable -presence of misery to be entitled to all the Wit which -Rabelais has ever scattered.”</p> - -<p>I will hasten to add that I should not wish children -to have their sympathy too much drawn out, or their -emotions kindled too much to pity, because this would -be neither healthy nor helpful to themselves or others. -I only want to protect the children from the dangerous -critical attitude induced by the use of satire: it -sacrifices too much of the atmosphere of trust and -belief in human beings which ought to be an essential -of child-life. If we indulge in satire, the sense of -kindness in children tends to become perverted, their -sympathy cramped, and they themselves to become old -before their time. We have an excellent example of -this in Hans C. Andersen's “Snow Queen.”</p> - -<p>When Kay gets the piece of broken mirror into his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -eye, he no longer sees the world from the normal -child's point of view: he can no longer see anything -but the foibles of those about him—a condition usually -only reached by a course of pessimistic experience.</p> - -<p>Andersen sums up the unnatural point of view in -these words:</p> - -<p>“When Kay tried to repeat the Lord's Prayer, he -could only remember the multiplication table.” Now, -without taking these words in any literal sense, we -can admit that they represent the development of the -head at the expense of the heart.</p> - -<p>An example of this kind of story to avoid is -Andersen's “Story of the Butterfly.” The bitterness -of the Anemones, the sentimentality of the Violets, -the schoolgirlishness of the Snowdrops, the domesticity -of the Sweet-peas—all this tickles the palate of -the adult, but does not belong to the plane of the -normal child. Again I repeat that the unusual child -may take all this in and even preserve its kindly -attitude towards the world, but it is a dangerous -atmosphere for the ordinary child.</p> - -<p>III.—<i>Stories of a sentimental kind.</i> Strange to say, -this element of sentimentality often appeals more to -the young teachers than to the children themselves. -It is difficult to define the difference between sentiment -and sentimentality, but the healthy normal boy or -girl of—let us say ten or eleven years old seems to -feel it unconsciously, though the distinction is not -so clear a few years later.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Elizabeth McKracken contributed an excellent -article some years ago to the American <i>Outlook</i> on -the subject of literature for the young, in which we -find a good illustration of this power of discrimination -on the part of a child.</p> - -<p>A young teacher was telling her pupils the story of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -the emotional lady who, to put her lover to the test, -bade him pick up the glove which she had thrown -down into the arena between the tiger and the lion. -The lover does her bidding, in order to vindicate his -character as a brave knight. One boy, after hearing -the story, at once states his contempt for the knight's -acquiescence, which he declares to be unworthy.</p> - -<p>“But,” says the teacher, “you see he really did it -to show the lady how foolish she was.” The answer -of the boy sums up what I have been trying to show: -“There was no sense in <i>his</i> being sillier than <i>she</i> was, -to show her <i>she</i> was silly.”</p> - -<p>If the boy had stopped there, we might have -concluded that he was lacking in imagination or -romance, but his next remark proves what a balanced -and discriminating person he was, for he added: -“Now, if <i>she</i> had fallen in, and he had leapt after -her to rescue her, that would have been splendid and -of some use.” Given the character of the lady, we -might, as adults, question the last part of the boy's -statement, but this is pure cynicism and fortunately -does not enter into the child's calculations.</p> - -<p>In my own personal experience (and I have told this -story often in the German ballad form to girls of ten -and twelve in the High Schools in England) I have -never found one girl who sympathised with the lady or -who failed to appreciate the poetic justice meted out to -her in the end by the dignified renunciation of the -knight.</p> - -<p>Chesterton defines sentimentality as “a tame, cold, -or small and inadequate manner of speaking about -certain matters which demand very large and beautiful -expression.”</p> - -<p>I would strongly urge upon young teachers to revise, -by this definition, some of the stories they have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> -included in their repertory, and see whether they would -stand the test or not.</p> - -<p>IV.—<i>Stories containing strong sensational episodes.</i> -The danger is all the greater because many children -delight in it, and some crave for it in the abstract, but -fear it in the concrete.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></p> - -<p>An affectionate aunt, on one occasion, anxious to -curry favour with a four-year-old nephew, was taxing -her imagination to find a story suitable for his tender -years. She was greatly startled when he suddenly -said, in a most imperative tone: “Tell me the story -of a <i>bear</i> eating a small boy.” This was so remote -from her own choice of subject that she hesitated at -first, but coming to the conclusion that as the child -had chosen the situation he would feel no terror in the -working up of its details, she began a most thrilling -and blood-curdling story, leading up to the final -catastrophe. But just as she had reached the great -dramatic moment, the child raised his hands in terror -and said: “Oh! Auntie, don't let the bear <i>really</i> eat -the boy!”</p> - -<p>“Don't you know,” said an impatient boy who had -been listening to a mild adventure story considered -suitable to his years, “that I don't take any interest -in the story until the decks are dripping with gore?” -Here we have no opportunity of deciding whether or -not the actual description demanded would be more -alarming than the listener had realised.</p> - -<p>Here is a poem of James Stephens, showing a -child's taste for sensational things:—</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">A man was sitting underneath a tree</div> -<div class="i0">Outside the village, and he asked me</div> -<div class="i0">What name was upon this place, and said he</div> -<div class="i0">Was never here before. He told a</div> -<div class="i0">Lot of stories to me too. His nose was flat.</div> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -<div class="i0">I asked him how it happened, and he said,</div> -<div class="i0">The first mate of the “Mary Ann” done that,</div> -<div class="i0">With a marling-spike one day, but he was dead,</div> -<div class="i0">And a jolly job too, but he'd have gone a long way to have killed him.</div> -<div class="i0">A gold ring in one ear, and the other was bit off by a crocodile, bedad,</div> -<div class="i0">That's what he said: He taught me how to chew.</div> -<div class="i0">He was a real nice man. He liked me too.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The taste that is fed by the sensational contents of -the newspapers and the dramatic excitement of street -life, and some of the lurid representations of the -Kinematograph, is so much stimulated that the interest -in normal stories is difficult to rouse. I will not here -dwell on the deleterious effects of over dramatic -stimulation, which has been known to lead to crime, -since I am keener to prevent the telling of too many -sensational stories than to suggest a cure when the -mischief is done. Kate Douglas Wiggin has said:</p> - -<p>“Let us be realistic, by all means, but beware, O -Story-teller, of being too realistic. Avoid the shuddering -tale of ‘the wicked boy who stoned the birds,’ lest -some hearer should be inspired to try the dreadful -experiment and see if it really does kill.”</p> - -<p>I must emphasise the fact, however, that it is only -the excess of this dramatic element which I deplore. -A certain amount of excitement is necessary; but this -question belongs to the positive side of the subject, and -I shall deal with it later on.</p> - -<p>V.—<i>Stories presenting matters quite outside the -plane of the child</i> (unless they are wrapped in mystery, -which is of great educational value).</p> - -<p>The element I wish to eliminate is the one which -would make children world-wise and old before their -time.</p> - -<p>A small American child who had entertained a guest -in her mother's absence, when questioned as to whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> -she had shown all the hospitality the mother would -have considered necessary, said: “Oh! yes. And I -talked to her in the kind of ‘dressy’ tone <i>you</i> use on -your ‘At Home’ days.”</p> - -<p>On one occasion I was lecturing in the town of -Cleveland, and was to stay in the house of a lady -whom I had met only once, in New York, but with true -American hospitality she had begged me to make her -house my home during the whole of my stay in -Cleveland. In writing to invite me, she mentioned the -pleasure it would afford her little ten-year-old daughter -to make my acquaintance, and added this somewhat -enigmatic sentence: “Mignon has asked permission -to dedicate her <i>last</i> work to you.” I was alarmed at -the word <i>last</i>, given the age of the author, and felt -sorry that the literary faculty had developed quite so -early, lest the unfettered and irresponsible years of -childhood should have been sacrificed. I was still -more troubled when, upon my arrival, I learned that -the title of the book which was to be dedicated to me -was “The Two Army Girls,” and contained the -elaborate history of a double courtship. But, as the -story was read to me, I was soon disarmed. A more -innocent recital I never heard—and it was all the -quainter because of certain little grown-up sentences -gathered from the conversation of elders in unguarded -moments, which evidently conveyed but slight meaning -to the youthful authoress. The final scene between -two of the lovers is so characteristic that I cannot -refrain from quoting the actual words. Said John: -“I love you, and I wish you to be my wife.” “That -I will,” said Mary, without any hesitation. “That's -all right,” said John. “And now let us <i>get back to -the Golf Links</i>.”</p> - -<p>Oh, that modern writers of fiction would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> “get back -to the Golf Links” sooner than they do, realising with -this little unconscious philosopher that there are some -reactions from love-making which show a healthy and -balanced constitution.</p> - -<p>Experience with children ought to teach us to avoid -stories which contain too much <i>allusion</i> to matters of -which the hearers are entirely ignorant; but, judging -from the written stories of to-day, supposed to be for -children, it is still a matter of difficulty to realise that -this form of allusion to “foreign” matters, or making -a joke the appreciation of which depends solely on a -special and “inside” knowledge, is always bewildering -and fatal to sustained dramatic interest.</p> - -<p>It is a matter of intense regret that so very few -people have sufficiently clear remembrance of their own -childhood to help them to understand the taste and -point of view of the <i>normal</i> child. There is a passage -in the “Brownies” (by Mrs. Ewing) which illustrates -the confusion created in the child mind by a facetious -allusion in a dramatic moment which needed a more -direct treatment.</p> - -<p>When the nursery toys have all gone astray, one -little child exclaims joyfully:</p> - -<p>“Why, the old Rocking-Horse's nose has turned -up in the oven!”</p> - -<p>“It couldn't” remarks a tiresome, facetious doctor, -far more anxious to be funny than to sympathise with -the joy of the child; “it was the purest Grecian, -modelled from the Elgin marbles.”</p> - -<p>Now, for grown-up people this is an excellent joke, -but for a child who has not yet become acquainted with -these Grecian masterpieces, the whole remark is pointless -and hampering.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> - -VI.—<i>Stories which appeal to fear or priggishness.</i> -This is a class of story to be avoided which scarcely -counts to-day and against which the teacher does not -need a warning; but I wish to make a passing allusion -to it, partly to round off my subject and partly to -show that we have made some improvement in choice -of subject.</p> - -<p>When I study the evolution of the story from the -crude recitals offered to our children within the last -hundred years, I feel that, though our progress in -intelligent mental catering may be slow, it is real and -sure. One has only to take some examples from the -Chap Books of the beginning of last century to realise -the difference of appeal. Everything offered then was -either an appeal to fear or to priggishness, and one -wonders how it is that our grandparents and their -parents ever recovered from the effects of such stories -as were offered to them. But there is the consoling -thought that no lasting impression was made upon -them, such as I believe <i>may</i> be possible by the right -kind of story.</p> - -<p>I offer a few examples of the old type of story:</p> - -<p>Here is an encouraging address offered by a certain -Mr. Janeway to children about the year 1828:</p> - -<p>“Dare you do anything which your parents forbid -you, and neglect to do what they command? Dare -you to run up and down on the Lord's Day, or do -you keep in to read your book, and learn what your -good parents command?”</p> - -<p>Such an address would have almost tempted children -to envy the lot of orphans, except that the guardians -and less close relations might have been equally, if not -more, severe.</p> - -<p>From “The Curious Girl,” published about 1809:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> -“Oh! papa, I hope you will have no reason to be -dissatisfied with me, for I love my studies very much, -and I am never so happy at my play as when I have -been assiduous at my lessons all day.”</p> - -<p>“Adolphus: How strange it is, papa, you should -believe it possible for me to act so like a child, now -that I am twelve years old!”</p> - -<p>Here is a specimen taken from a Chap-book about -1825:</p> - -<p>Edward refuses hot bread at breakfast. His hostess -asks whether he likes it. “Yes, I am extremely fond -of it.” “Why did you refuse it?” “Because I -know that my papa does not approve of my eating it. -Am I to disobey a Father and Mother I love so well, -and forget my duty, because they are a long way off? -I would not touch the cake, were I sure nobody could -see me. I myself should know it, and that would -be sufficient.”</p> - -<p>“Nobly replied!” exclaimed Mrs. C. “Act always -thus, and you must be happy, for although the whole -world should refuse the praise that is due, you must -enjoy the approbation of your conscience, which is -beyond anything else.”</p> - -<p>Here is a quotation of the same kind from Mrs. -Sherwood:</p> - -<p>“Tender-souled little creatures, desolated by a sense -of sin, if they did but eat a spoonful of cupboard jam -without Mamma's express permission.... Would a -modern Lucy, jealous of her sister Emily's doll, break -out thus easily into tearful apology for her guilt?—‘I -know it is wicked in me to be sorry that Emily is -happy, but I feel that I cannot help it.’ And would a -modern mother retort with heartfelt joy?—'My dear -child, I am glad you have confessed. Now I shall tell -you why you feel this wicked sorrow'—proceeding to -an account of the depravity of human nature so unredeemed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> -by comfort for a childish mind of common -intelligence that one can scarcely imagine the -interview ending in anything less tragic than a fit of -juvenile hysteria.”</p> - -<p>Description of a Good Boy. “A good boy is dutiful -to his Father and Mother, obedient to his master and -loving to his playfellows. He is diligent in learning -his book, and takes a pleasure in improving himself -in everything that is worthy of praise. He rises early -in the morning, makes himself clean and decent, and -says his prayers. He loves to hear good advice, is -thankful to those who give it and always follows it. -He never swears<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> or calls names or uses ill words to -companions. He is never peevish and fretful, always -cheerful and good-tempered.”</p> - -<p>VII.—<i>Stories of exaggerated and coarse fun.</i> In the -chapter on the positive side of this subject I shall -speak more in detail of the educational value of robust -and virile representation of fun and of sheer nonsense, -but as a representation to these statements, I should -like to strike a note of warning about the element of -exaggerated and coarse fun being encouraged in our -school stories, partly because of the lack of humour in -such presentations—a natural product of stifling -imagination—and partly because the train of the -abnormal has the same effect as the too frequent use -of the melodramatic.</p> - -<p>You have only to read the adventures of Buster -Brown, which for years formed the Sunday reading of -millions of children in the United States, to realise -what would be the effect of coarse fun and entire -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span>absence of humour upon the normal child in its everyday -experience, an effect all the greater because of the -real skill with which the illustrations are drawn. It is -only fair to state that this series was not originally -prepared or intended for the young, but it is a matter -of regret (shared by most educationists in the States) -that they should ever have been given to children at -all.</p> - -<p>In an article in <i>Macmillan's Magazine</i>, Dec. 1869, -Miss Yonge writes: “A taste for buffoonery is much -to be discouraged, an exclusive taste for extravagance -most unwholesome and even perverting. It becomes -destructive of reverence and soon degenerates into -coarseness. It permits nothing poetical or imaginative, -nothing sweet or pathetic to exist, and there is a -certain self-satisfaction and superiority in making -game of what others regard with enthusiasm and -sentiment which absolutely bars the way against a -higher or softer tone.”</p> - -<p>Although these words were written nearly half a -century ago, they are so specially applicable to-day -that they seem quite “up-to-date”: indeed, I think -they will hold equally good fifty years hence.</p> - -<p>In spite of a strong taste on the part of children for -what is ugly and brutal, I am sure that we ought to -eliminate this element as far as possible from the -school stories—especially among poor children. Not -because I think children should be protected from all -knowledge of evil, but because so much of this knowledge -comes into their life outside school that we can -well afford to ignore it during school hours. At the -same time, however, as I shall show by example when -I come to the positive side, it would be well to show -children by story illustration the difference between -brute ugliness without anything to redeem it and -surface ugliness, which may be only a veil over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -beauty that lies underneath. It might be possible, for -instance, to show children the difference between the -real ugliness of a brutal story of crime and an illustration -of it in the sensational papers, and the apparent -ugliness in the priest's face of the “Laocoon” group, -because of the motive of courage and endurance behind -the suffering. Many stories in everyday life could be -found to illustrate this.</p> - -<p>VIII.—<i>Stories of infant piety and death-bed scenes.</i> -The stories for children forty years ago contained -much of this element, and the following examples will -illustrate this point:</p> - -<p>Notes from poems written by a child between six and -eight years of age, by name Philip Freeman, afterwards -Archdeacon of Exeter:</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Poor Robin, thou canst fly no more,</div> -<div class="i0">Thy joys and sorrows all are o'er.</div> -<div class="i0">Through Life's tempestuous storms thou'st trod,</div> -<div class="i0">But now art sunk beneath the sod.</div> -<div class="i0">Here lost and gone poor Robin lies,</div> -<div class="i0">He trembles, lingers, falls and dies.</div> -<div class="i0">He's gone, he's gone, forever lost,</div> -<div class="i0">No more of him they now can boast.</div> -<div class="i0">Poor Robin's dangers all are past,</div> -<div class="i0">He struggled to the very last.</div> -<div class="i0">Perhaps he spent a happy Life,</div> -<div class="i0">Without much struggle and much strife.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -<i>Published by John Loder, bookseller, -Woodbridge, in 1829.</i> -</p> - -<p>The prolonged gloom of the main theme is somewhat -lightened by the speculative optimism of the last -verse.</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Life, transient Life, is but a dream,</div> -<div class="i0">Like Sleep which short doth lengthened seem</div> -<div class="i0">Till dawn of day, when the bird's lay</div> -<div class="i0">Doth charm the soul's first peeping gleam.</div> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span></div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Then farewell to the parting year,</div> -<div class="i0">Another's come to Nature dear.</div> -<div class="i0">In every place, thy brightening face</div> -<div class="i0">Does welcome winter's snowy drear.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Alas! our time is much mis-spent.</div> -<div class="i0">Then we must haste and now repent.</div> -<div class="i0">We have a book in which to look,</div> -<div class="i0">For we on Wisdom should be bent.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Should God, the Almighty, King of all,</div> -<div class="i0">Before His judgment-seat now call</div> -<div class="i0">Us to that place of Joy and Grace</div> -<div class="i0">Prepared for us since Adam's fall.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p>I think there is no doubt that we have made considerable -progress in this matter. Not only do we -refrain from telling these highly moral (<i>sic</i>) stories -but we have reached the point of parodying them, in -sign of ridicule, as, for instance, in such writing as -Belloc's “Cautionary Tales.” These would be a -trifle too grim for a timid child, but excellent fun for -adults.</p> - -<p>It should be our study to-day to prove to children -that the immediate importance to them is not to think -of dying and going to Heaven, but of living and—shall -we say?—going to College, which is a far better -preparation for a life to come than the morbid dwelling -upon the possibility of an early death.</p> - -<p>In an article signed “Muriel Harris,” I think, from -a copy of the <i>Tribune</i>, appeared a delightful article on -Sunday Books, from which I quote the following:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span></p> -<p>“All very good little children died young in the -story-books, so that unusual goodness must have been -the source of considerable anxiety to affectionate -parents. I came across a little old book the other day -called ‘Examples for Youth.’ On the yellow fly-leaf -was written in childish, carefully sloping hand: -‘Presented to Mary Palmer Junior, by her sister, to -be read on Sundays,’ and was dated 1828. The -accounts are taken from a work on <i>Piety Promoted</i>, -and all of them begin with unusual piety in early youth -and end with the death-bed of the little paragon, and -his or her dying words.”</p> - -<p>IX.—<i>Stories containing a mixture of Fairy Tale and -Science.</i> By this combination you lose what is -essential to each, namely, the fantastic on the one side, -and accuracy on the other. The true Fairy Tale should -be unhampered by any compromise of probability even—the -scientific representation should be sufficiently -marvellous along its own lines to need no supernatural -aid. Both appeal to the imagination in different ways.</p> - -<p>As an exception to this kind of mixture, I should -quote “The Honey Bee, and Other Stories,” translated -from the Danish of Evald by C. G. Moore Smith. -There is a certain robustness in these stories dealing -with the inexorable laws of Nature, though some of -them will appear hard to the child; but they will be -of interest to all teachers.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the worst element in choice of stories is that -which insists upon the moral detaching itself and -explaining the story. In “Alice in Wonderland” the -Duchess says, “‘And the moral of <i>that</i> is: Take care -of the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves.’ -‘How fond she is of finding morals in -things,’ thought Alice to herself.” (This gives the -point of view of the child.)</p> - -<p>The following is a case in point, found in a rare old -print in the British Museum:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span></p> -<p>“Jane S. came home with her clothes soiled and -hands badly torn. ‘Where have you been?’ asked -her mother. ‘I fell down the bank near the mill,’ -said Jane, ‘and I should have been drowned if Mr. M. -had not seen me and pulled me out.’ 'Why did you -go so near the edge of the brink?‘ 'There was a -pretty flower there that I wanted, and I only meant to -take one step, but I slipped and fell down.’ Moral: -Young people often take but one step in sinful indulgence -(Poor Jane!), but they fall into soul-destroying -sins. There is a sinful pleasure which they wish to -enjoy. They can do it by a single act of sin (the -heinous act of picking a flower!). They do it; but that -act leads to another, and they fall into the Gulf of -Perdition, unless God interposes.”</p> - -<p>Now, apart from the folly of this story, we must -condemn it on moral grounds. Could we imagine a -lower standard of a Deity than that presented here to -the child?</p> - -<p>To-day the teacher would commend Jane for a -laudable interest in botany, but might add a word of -caution about choosing inclined planes as a hunting-ground -for specimens and a popular, lucid explanation -of the inexorable law of gravity.</p> - -<p>Here we have an instance of applying a moral when -we have finished our story, but there are many stories -where nothing is left to chance in this matter, and -where there is no means for the child to use ingenuity -or imagination in making out the meaning for himself.</p> - -<p>Henry Morley has condemned the use of this -method as applied to Fairy Stories. He says: -“Moralising in a Fairy Story is like the snoring of -Bottom in Titania's lap.”</p> - -<p>But I think this applies to all stories, and most -especially to those by which we do wish to teach -something.</p> - -<p>John Burroughs says in his article,<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> “Thou shalt -not preach”:</p> - -<p>“Didactic fiction can never rank high. Thou shalt -not preach or teach; though shalt pourtray and create, -and have ends as universal as nature.... What Art -demands is that the Artist's personal convictions and -notions, his likes and dislikes, do not obtrude themselves -at all; that good and evil stand judged in his -work by the logic of events, as they do in nature, and -not by any special pleading on his part. He does not -hold a brief for either side; he exemplifies the working -of the creative energy.... The great artist works <i>in</i> -and <i>through</i> and <i>from</i> moral ideas; his works are -indirectly a criticism of life. He is moral without -having a moral. The moment a moral obtrudes itself, -that moment he begins to fall from grace as an artist.... -The great distinction of Art is that it aims to -see life steadily and to see it whole.... It affords the -one point of view whence the world appears -harmonious and complete.”</p> - -<p>It would seem, then, from this passage, that it is of -<i>moral</i> importance to put things dramatically.</p> - -<p>In Froebel's “Mother Play” he demonstrates the -educational value of stories, emphasising that their -highest use consists in their ability to enable the child, -through <i>suggestion</i>, to form a pure and noble idea of -what a man may be or do. The sensitiveness of a -child's mind is offended if the moral is forced upon -him, but if he absorbs it unconsciously, he has received -its influence for all time.</p> - -<p>To me the idea of pointing out the moral of the -story has always seemed as futile as tying a flower on -to a stalk instead of letting the flower <i>grow out</i> of the -stalk, as Nature intended. In the first case, the flower, -showy and bright for the moment, soon fades away. -In the second instance, it develops slowly, coming to -perfection in fulness of time because of the life within.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> - -X.—Lastly, the element to avoid is <i>that which rouses -emotions which cannot be translated into action</i>.</p> - -<p>Mr. Earl Barnes, to whom all teachers owe a debt -of gratitude for the inspiration of his education views, -insists strongly on this point. The sole effect of such -stories is to produce a form of hysteria, fortunately -short-lived, but a waste of force which might be -directed into a better channel.<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> Such stories are so -easy to recognise that it would be useless to make a -formal list, but I shall make further allusion to this in -dealing with stories from the lives of the saints.</p> - -<p>These, then, are the main elements to avoid in the -selection of material suitable for normal children. -Much might be added in the way of detail, and the -special tendency of the day may make it necessary -to avoid one class of story more than another; but -this care belongs to another generation of teachers and -parents.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Such works as “Ministering Children,” “The Wide, Wide -World,” “The Fairchild Family,” are instances of the kind of story -I mean, as containing too much analysis of emotion.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> One child's favourite book bore the exciting title of “Birth, -Life and Death of Crazy Jane.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> This does not imply that the child would not appreciate in the -right context the thrilling and romantic story in connection with -the finding of the Elgin marbles.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> One is almost inclined to prefer Marjorie Fleming's little -innocent oaths. “But she was more than usual calm. She did not -give a single dam.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> From “Literary Values.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> A story is told of Confucius, that having attended a funeral -he presented his horse to the chief mourner. When asked why he -bestowed this gift, he replied: “I wept with the man, so I feel -I ought to <i>do</i> something for him.”</p></div></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Elements to Seek in Choice of Material.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">In</span> “The Choice of Books” Frederic Harrison has -said: “The most useful help to reading is to know -what we shall <i>not</i> read, ... what we shall keep from -that small cleared spot in the overgrown jungle of -information which we can call our ordered patch of -fruit-bearing knowledge.”<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>Now, the same statement applies to our stories, and, -having busied myself, during the last chapter, with -“clearing my small spot” by cutting away a mass of -unfruitful growth, I am now going to suggest what -would be the best kind of seed to sow in the patch -which I have “reclaimed from the Jungle.”</p> - -<p>Again I repeat that I have no wish to be dogmatic, -and that in offering suggestions as to the stories to be -told, I am only catering for a group of normal school-children. -My list of subjects does not pretend to cover -the whole ground of children's needs, and just as I -exclude the abnormal or unusual child from the scope -of my warning in subjects to avoid, so do I also -exclude that child from the limitation in choice of -subjects to be sought, because you can offer almost -any subject to the unusual child, especially if you stand -in close relation to him and know his powers of -apprehension. In this matter, <i>age</i> has very little to -say: it is a question of the stage of development.</p> - -<p>Experience has taught me that for the group of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -normal children, almost irrespective of age, the first -kind of story suitable will contain an appeal to -conditions to which they are accustomed. The -reason of this is obvious: the child, having limited -experience, can only be reached by this experience, -until his imagination is awakened and he is enabled -to grasp through this faculty what he has not actually -passed through. Before this awakening has taken -place he enters the realm of fiction (represented in the -story) by comparison with his personal experience. -Every story and every point in the story mean more -as that experience widens, and the interest varies, of -course, with temperament, quickness of perception, -power of visualising and of concentration.</p> - -<p>In “The Marsh King's Daughter,” H. C. Andersen -says:</p> - -<p>“The Storks have a great many stories which they -tell their little ones, all about the bogs and marshes. -They suit them to their age and capacity. The young -ones are quite satisfied with Kribble, Krabble, or some -such nonsense, and find it charming; but the elder -ones want something with more meaning.”</p> - -<p>One of the most interesting experiments to be made -in connection with this subject is to tell the same story -at intervals of a year or six months to some individual -child.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> The different incidents in the story which -appeal to it (and you must watch it closely, to be sure -the interest is real, and not artificially stimulated by -any suggestion on your part) will mark its mental -development and the gradual awakening of its -imagination. This experiment is a very delicate one, -and will not be infallible, because children are secretive -and the appreciation is often (unconsciously) simulated,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -or concealed through shyness or want of articulation. -But it is, in spite of this, a deeply interesting and -helpful experiment.</p> - -<p>To take a concrete example: let us suppose the story -of Andersen's Tin Soldier told to a child of five or six -years. At the first recital, the point which will interest -the child most will be the setting up of the tin soldiers -on the table, because he can understand this by means -of his own experience, in his own nursery: it is an -appeal to conditions to which he is accustomed and -for which no exercise of the imagination is needed, -unless we take the effect of memory to be, according -to Queyrat, retrospective imagination.</p> - -<p>The next incident that appeals is the unfamiliar -behaviour of the toys, but still in familiar surroundings; -that is to say, the <i>unusual</i> activities are carried -on in the safe precincts of the nursery—in the <i>usual</i> -atmosphere of the child.</p> - -<p>I quote from the text:</p> - -<p>“Late in the evening the other soldiers were put in -their box, and the people of the house went to bed. -Now was the time for the toys to play; they amused -themselves with paying visits, fighting battles and -giving balls. The tin soldiers rustled about in their -box, for they wanted to join the games, but they could -not get the lid off. The nut-crackers turned somersaults, -and the pencil scribbled nonsense on the slate.”</p> - -<p>Now, from this point onwards in the story, the events -will be quite outside the personal experience of the -child, and there will have to be a real stretch of -imagination to appreciate the thrilling and blood-curdling -adventures of the little tin soldier, namely, the -terrible sailing down the gutter under the bridge, the -meeting with the fierce rat who demands the soldier's -passport, the horrible sensation in the fish's body, etc.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> -Last of all, perhaps, will come the appreciation of the -best qualities of the hero: his modesty, his dignity, his -reticence, his courage and his constancy: he seems to -combine all the qualities of the best soldier with those -of the best civilian, without the more obvious qualities -which generally attract first. As for the love-story, we -must not <i>expect</i> any child to see its tenderness and -beauty, though the individual child may intuitively -appreciate these qualities, but it is not what we wish -for or work for at this period of child-life.</p> - -<p>This method could be applied to various stories. I -have chosen the <i>Tin Soldier</i> because of its dramatic -qualities and because it is marked off (probably quite -unconsciously on the part of Andersen) into periods -which correspond to the child's development.</p> - -<p>In Eugene Field's exquisite little poem of “The -Dinkey Bird” we find the objects familiar to the child -in <i>unusual</i> places, so that some imagination is needed -to realise that “big red sugar-plums are clinging to -the cliffs beside that sea”; but the introduction of the -fantastic bird and the soothing sound of the Amfalula -Tree are new and delightful sensations, quite out of -the child's personal experience.</p> - -<p>Another such instance is to be found in Mrs. W. K. -Clifford's story of Master Willie. The abnormal -behaviour of familiar objects, such as a doll, leads -from the ordinary routine to the paths of adventure. -This story is to be found in a little book called “Very -Short Stories,” a most interesting collection for -teachers and children.</p> - -<p>We now come to the second element we should seek -in material—namely, the element of the unusual, which -we have already anticipated in the story of the Tin -Soldier.</p> - -<p>This element is necessary in response to the demand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> -of the child who expressed the needs of his fellow-playmates -when he said: “I want to go to the place -where the shadows are real.” This is the true definition -of “Faerie” lands, and is the first sign of real -mental development in the child when he is no longer -content with the stories of his own little deeds and -experiences, when his ear begins to appreciate sounds -different from the words in his own everyday language, -and when he begins to separate his own personality -from the action of the story.</p> - -<p>George Goschen says<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a>:</p> - -<p>“What I want for the young are books and stories -which do not simply deal with our daily life. I like -the fancy (even) of little children to have some larger -food than images of their own little lives, and I confess -I am sorry for the children whose imaginations are not -sometimes stimulated by beautiful Fairy Tales which -carry them to worlds different from those in which -their future will be passed.... I hold that what -removes them more or less from their daily life is -better than what reminds them of it at every step.”</p> - -<p>It is because of the great value of leading children to -something beyond the limited circle of their own lives -that I deplore the twaddling boarding-school stories -written for girls and the artificially-prepared Public -School stories for boys. Why not give them the -dramatic interest of a larger stage? No account of a -cricket match, or a football triumph, could present a -finer appeal to boys and girls than the description of -the Peacestead in the “Heroes of Asgaard”:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span></p> -<p>“This was the playground of the Æsir, where they -practised trials of skill one with another and held -tournaments and sham fights. These last were always -conducted in the gentlest and most honourable -manner; for the strongest law of the Peacestead was, -that no angry blow should be struck, or spiteful word -spoken upon the sacred field.”</p> - -<p>For my part, I would unhesitatingly give to boys -and girls an element of strong romance in the stories -which are told them even before they are twelve. -Miss Sewell says:</p> - -<p>“The system that keeps girls in the schoolroom -reading simple stories, without reading Scott and -Shakespeare and Spenser, and then hands them over -to the unexplored recesses of the Circulating Library, -has been shown to be the most frivolizing that can be -devised.” She sets forward the result of her experience -that a good novel, especially a romantic one, read -at twelve or fourteen, is really a beneficial thing.</p> - -<p>At present many of the children from the elementary -schools get their first idea of love (if one can give it -such a name) from vulgar pictures displayed in the -shop windows, or jokes on marriage culled from the -lowest type of paper, or the proceedings of a divorce-court.</p> - -<p>What an antidote to such representation might be -found in the story of</p> - -<ul> -<li>Hector and Andromache,</li> -<li>Siegfreid and Brunhild,</li> -<li>Dido and Æneas,</li> -<li>Orpheus and Eurydice,</li> -<li>St. Francis and St. Clare.</li> -</ul> - -<p>One of the strongest elements we should introduce -into our stories for children of all ages is that which -calls forth love of beauty. And the beauty should -stand out, not necessarily only in delineation of noble -qualities in our heroes and heroines, but in beauty and -strength of language and form.</p> - -<p>In this latter respect the Bible stories are of such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> -inestimable value—all the greater because a child is -familiar with the subject, and the stories gain fresh -significance from the spoken or winged word as -compared with the mere reading. Whether we should -keep to the actual text is a matter of individual -experience. Professor R. G. Moulton, whose interpretations -of the Bible Stories are so well known both in -England and the States, does not always confine -himself to the actual text, but draws the dramatic -elements together, rejecting what seems to him to -break the narrative, but introducing the actual -language where it is the most effective. Those who -have heard him will realise the success of his method.</p> - -<p>There is one Bible story which can be told with -scarcely any deviation, and that is the story of -Nebuchadnezzar and the Golden Image. Thus, I -think it wise, if the children are to succeed in partially -visualizing the story, that they should have some idea -of the dimensions of the Golden Image as it would -stand out in a vast plain. It might be well to compare -those dimensions with some building with which the -child is familiar. In London the matter is easy, as the -height will compare, roughly speaking, with that of -Westminster Abbey. The only change in the text I -should adopt is to avoid the constant enumeration of -the list of rulers and the musical instruments. In -doing this, I am aware that I am sacrificing something -of beauty in the rhythm,—on the other hand, for -narrative purpose, the interest is not broken. The first -time the announcement is made, that is, by the Herald, -it should be in a perfectly loud, clear and toneless -voice, such as you would naturally use when shouting -through a trumpet to a vast concourse of people -scattered over a wide plain; reserving all the dramatic -tone of voice for the passage where Nebuchadnezzar is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -making the announcement to the three men by themselves. -I can remember Professor Moulton saying -that all the dramatic interest of the story is summed -up in the words “But if Not....” This suggestion is -a very helpful one, for it enables us to work up -gradually to this point, and then, as it were, <i>unwind</i>, -until we reach the words of Nebuchadnezzar's -dramatic recantation.</p> - -<p>In this connection, it is a good plan occasionally -during the story hour to introduce really good poetry -which, delivered in a dramatic manner (far removed, -of course, from the melodramatic), might give children -their first love of beautiful form in verse. And I do -not think it necessary to wait for this. Even the -normal child of seven (though there is nothing -arbitrary in the suggestion of this age) will appreciate -the effect—if only on the ear—of beautiful lines well -spoken. Mahomet has said, in his teaching advice: -“Teach your children poetry: it opens the mind, -lends grace to wisdom and makes heroic virtues -hereditary.”</p> - -<p>To begin with the youngest children of all, here -is a poem which contains a thread of story, just enough -to give a human interest:</p> - -<p class="center">MILKING-TIME.</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">When the cows come home, the milk is coming,</div> -<div class="i0">Honey's made when the bees are humming.</div> -<div class="i0">Duck, Drake on the rushy lake,</div> -<div class="i0">And the deer live safe in the breezy brake,</div> -<div class="i0">And timid, funny, pert little bunny</div> -<div class="i0">Winks his nose, and sits all sunny.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -<i>Christina Rossetti.</i> -</p> - -<p>Now, in comparing this poem with some of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> -doggerel verse offered to small children, one is struck -with the literary superiority in the choice of words. -Here, in spite of the simplicity of the poem, there is -not the ordinary limited vocabulary, nor the forced -rhyme, nor the application of a moral, by which the -artist falls from grace.</p> - -<p>Again, in Eugene Field's “Hushaby Lady,” the -language of which is most simple, the child is carried -away by the beauty of the sound.</p> - -<p>I remember hearing some poetry repeated by the -children in one of the elementary schools in Sheffield -which made me feel that they had realised romantic -possibilities which would prevent their lives from ever -becoming quite prosaic again, and I wish that this -practice were more usual. There is little difficulty -with the children. I can remember, in my own experience -as a teacher in London, making the experiment of -reading or repeating passages from Milton and -Shakespeare to children from nine to eleven years of -age, and the enthusiastic way they responded by learning -those passages by heart. I have taken, with -several sets of children, such passages from Milton as -“Echo Song,” “Sabrina,” “By the rushy fringed -Bank,” “Back, shepherds, back,” from <i>Comus</i>, -“May Morning,” “Ode to Shakespeare,” “Samson -on his blindness,” etc. I even ventured on several -passages from <i>Paradise Lost</i>, and found “Now came -still evening on” a particular favourite with the -children.</p> - -<p>It seemed even easier to interest them in Shakespeare, -and they learned quite readily and easily many -passages from “As You Like It,” “Merchant of -Venice,” “Julius Cæsar”; from “Richard II,” -“Henry IV,” and “Henry V.”</p> - -<p>The method I should recommend in the introduction<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -of both poets occasionally into the Story-hour would -be threefold.</p> - -<p>First, to choose passages which appeal for beauty of -sound or beauty of mental vision called up by those -sounds: such as, “Tell me where is Fancy bred,” -Titania's Lullaby, “How sweet the moonlight sleeps -upon this bank.”</p> - -<p>Secondly, passages for sheer interest of content, such -as the Trial Scene from “The Merchant of Venice,” -or the Forest Scene in “As You Like It.”</p> - -<p>Thirdly, for dramatic and historical interest, such -as, “Men at some time are masters of their fates,” the -whole of Mark Antony's speech, and the scene with -Imogen and her foster-brothers in the Forest.</p> - -<p>It may not be wholly out of place to add here that -the children learned and repeated these passages -themselves, and that I offered them the same advice as -I do to all Story-tellers. I discussed quite openly with -them the method I considered best, trying to make -them see that simplicity of delivery was not only the -most beautiful but the most effective means to use; -and, by the end of a few months, when they had been -allowed to experiment and express themselves, they -began to see that mere ranting was not force, and that -a sense of reserve power is infinitely more impressive -and inspiring than mere external presentation.</p> - -<p>I encouraged them to criticise each other for the -common good, and sometimes I read a few lines with -over-emphasis and too much gesture, which they were -at liberty to point out, so that they might avoid the -same error.</p> - -<p>A very good collection of poems for this purpose -of narrative is to be found in:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Mrs. P. A. Barnett's series of <i>Song and Story</i>,</p> - -<p class="right"> -Published by A. and C. Black. -</p></blockquote> - -<p class="noin"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> - -And for older children:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>The Call of the Homeland</i>, Anthology.</p> - -<p class="right"> -Edited by Dr. Scott and Miss Katharine Wallas, -Published by Blackie and Son. -</p></blockquote> - -<p class="noin">Also in a collection published (I believe) in Boston by -Miss Agnes Repplier.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>Golden Numbers</i>.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(K. D. Wiggin and N. A. Smith). -</p></blockquote> - -<p>It will be realised from the scanty number of -examples offered in this section that it is only a side -issue, a mere suggestion of an occasional alternative -for the Story-hour, as likely to develop the imagination.</p> - -<p>I think it is well to have a good number of stories -illustrating the importance of common sense and -resourcefulness. For this reason I consider that stories -treating of the ultimate success of the youngest son -are very admirable for the purpose, because the -youngest child, who begins by being considered -inferior to the elder ones, triumphs in the end, either -from resourcefulness, or from common sense, or from -some high quality, such as kindness to animals, -courage in overcoming difficulties, etc.<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> - -<p>Thus we have the story of Cinderella. The cynic -might imagine that it was the diminutive size of her -foot that ensured her success: the child does not realise -any advantage in this, but, though the matter need not -be pressed, the story leaves us with the impression that -Cinderella had been patient and industrious, forbearing -with her sisters. We know that she was strictly -obedient to her godmother, and in order to be this she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -makes her dramatic exit from the ball which is the -beginning of her triumph. There are many who -might say that these qualities do not meet with -reward in life and that they end in establishing a habit -of drudgery, but, after all, we must have poetic justice -in a Fairy Story, occasionally, at any rate.</p> - -<p>Another such story is “Jesper and the Hares.” -Here, however, it is not at first resourcefulness that -helps the hero, but sheer kindness of heart, which -prompts him first to help the ants, and then to show -civility to the old woman, without for a moment -expecting any material benefit from such actions. At -the end, he does win by his own ingenuity and -resourcefulness, and if we regret that his <i>trickery</i> has -such wonderful results, we must remember that the -aim was to win the princess for herself, and that there -was little choice left him. I consider the end of this -story to be one of the most remarkable I have found -in my long years of browsing among Fairy Tales. I -should suggest stopping at the words: “The Tub is -full,” as any addition seems to destroy the subtlety of -the story.<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a></p> - -<p>Another story of this kind, admirable for children -from six years and upwards, is “What the Old Man -does is <span class="err" title="original: alway">always</span> Right.” Here, perhaps, the entire lack -of common sense on the part of the hero would serve -rather as a warning than a stimulating example, but -the conduct of the wife in excusing the errors of her -foolish husband is a model of resourcefulness.</p> - -<p>In the story of “Hereafter—this”<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> we have just the -converse: a perfectly foolish wife shielded by a most -patient and forbearing husband, whose tolerance and -common sense save the situation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span> - -One of the most important elements to seek in our -choice of stories is that which tends to develop, eventually, -a fine sense of humour in a child. I purposely -use the word “eventually,” because I realise first that -humour has various stages, and that seldom, if ever, -can you expect an appreciation of fine humour from a -normal child, that is, from an elemental mind. It -seems as if the rough-and-tumble element were almost -a necessary stage through which children must pass—a -stage, moreover, which is normal and healthy; but up -to now we have quite unnecessarily extended the period -of elephantine fun, and though we cannot control the -manner in which children are catered for along this -line in their homes, we can restrict the folly of -appealing too strongly or too long to this elemental -faculty in our schools. Of course, the temptation is -strong, because the appeal is so easy. But there is a -tacit recognition that horse-play and practical jokes -are no longer considered an essential part of a -child's education. We note this in the changed attitude -in the schools, taken by more advanced educationists, -towards bullying, fagging, hazing, etc. As a reaction, -then, from more obvious fun, there should be a certain -number of stories which make appeal to a more subtle -element, and in the chapter on the questions put to me -by teachers on various occasions, I speak more in -detail about the educational value of a finer humour in -our stories.</p> - -<p>At some period there ought to be presented in our -stories the superstitions connected with the primitive -history of the race, dealing with the Fairy (proper), -giants, dwarfs, gnomes, nixies, brownies and other -elemental beings. Andrew Lang says:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> “Without our -savage ancestors we should have had no poetry. -Conceive the human race born into the world in its -present advanced condition, weighing, analysing, -examining everything. Such a race would have been -destitute of poetry and flattened by common sense. -Barbarians did the <i>dreaming</i> of the world.”</p> - -<p>But it is a question of much debate among educationists -what should be the period of the child's -life in which these stories are to be presented. I -myself was formerly of opinion that they belonged to -the very primitive age of the individual, just as they -belong to the primitive age of the race, but experience -in telling stories has taught me to compromise.</p> - -<p>Some people maintain that little children, who take -things with brutal logic, ought not to be allowed the -Fairy Tale in its more limited form of the Supernatural; -whereas, if presented to older children, this -material can be criticised, catalogued and (alas!) -rejected as worthless, or retained with flippant toleration.</p> - -<p>Now, whilst recognising a certain value in this point -of view, I am bound to admit that if we regulate our -stories entirely on this basis, we lose the real value of -the Fairy Tale element—it is the one element which -causes little children to <i>wonder</i>, simply because no -scientific analysis of the story can be presented to -them. It is somewhat heartrending to feel that Jack -and the Bean-Stalk and stories of that ilk are to be -handed over to the critical youth who will condemn -the quick growth of the tree as being contrary to the -order of nature, and wonder why Jack was not playing -football in the school team instead of climbing trees -in search of imaginary adventures.</p> - -<p>A wonderful plea for the telling of early superstitions -to children is to be found in an old Indian Allegory -called “The Blazing Mansion.” -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a> -</span> </p> -<blockquote> - -<p>“An old man owned a large, rambling mansion—the -pillars were rotten, the galleries tumbling down, -the thatch dry and combustible, and there was only one -door. Suddenly, one day, there was a smell of fire: -the old man rushed out. To his horror he saw that -the thatch was aflame, the rotten pillars were catching -fire one by one, and the rafters were burning like -tinder. But inside, the children went on amusing -themselves quite happily. The distracted father said: -‘I will run in and save my children. I will seize them -in my strong arms, I will bear them harmless through -the falling rafters and the blazing beams.’ Then the -sad thought came to him that the children were romping -and ignorant. ‘If I say the house is on fire, they -will not understand me. If I try to seize them, they -will romp about and try to escape. Alas! not a -moment to be lost!’ Suddenly a bright thought -flashed across the old man's mind. ‘My children are -ignorant,’ he said; ‘they love toys and glittering -playthings. I will promise them playthings of -unheard-of beauty. Then they will listen.’</p> - -<p>So the old man shouted: ‘Children, come out of -the house and see these beautiful toys! Chariots with -white oxen, all gold and tinsel. See these exquisite -little antelopes. Whoever saw such goats as these? -Children, children, come quickly, or they will all be -gone!’</p> - -<p>Forth from the blazing ruin the children came in -hot haste. The word ‘plaything’ was almost the only -word they could understand.</p> - -<p>Then the Father, rejoiced that his offspring was -freed from peril, procured for them one of the most -beautiful chariots ever seen: the chariot had a canopy -like a pagoda: it had tiny rails and balustrades and -rows of jingling bells. Milk-white oxen drew the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -chariot. The children were astonished when they were -placed inside.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -(<i>From the “Thabagata.”</i>) -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Perhaps, as a compromise, one might give the -gentler superstitions to very small children, and leave -such a blood-curdling story as Bluebeard to a more -robust age.</p> - -<p>There is one modern method which has always -seemed to me much to be condemned, and that is the -habit of changing the end of a story, for fear of -alarming the child. This is quite indefensible. In -doing this we are tampering with folk-lore and confusing -stages of development.</p> - -<p>Now, I know that there are individual children that, -at a tender age, might be alarmed at such a story, for -instance, as Little Red Riding-Hood; in which case, it -is better to sacrifice the “wonder stage” and present -the story later on.</p> - -<p>I live in dread of finding one day a bowdlerized form -of “Bluebeard” (prepared for a junior standard), in -which, to produce a satisfactory finale, all the wives -come to life again, and “live happily for ever after” -with Bluebeard and each other!</p> - -<p>And from this point it seems an easy transition to -the subject of legends of different kinds. Some of the -old country legends in connection with flowers are -very charming for children, and as long as we do not -tread on the sacred ground of the Nature Students, we -may indulge in a moderate use of such stories, of which -a few will be found in the Story Lists.</p> - -<p>With regard to the introduction of legends connected -with saints into the school curriculum, my chief plea is -the element of the unusual which they contain, and -an appeal to a sense of mysticism and wonder which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> -is a wise antidote to the prosaic and commercial -tendencies of to-day. Though many of the actions of -the saints may be the result of a morbid strain of self-sacrifice, -at least none of them were engaged in the sole -occupation of becoming rich: their ideals were often -lofty and unselfish; their courage high, and their deeds -noble. We must be careful, in the choice of our -legends, to show up the virile qualities rather than to -dwell on the elements of horror in details of -martyrdom, or on the too-constantly recurring -miracles, lest we should defeat our own ends. For the -children might think lightly of the dangers to which -the saints were exposed if they find them too often -preserved at the last moment from the punishment -they were brave enough to undergo. For one or other -of these reasons, I should avoid the detailed history of -St. Juliana, St. Vincent, St. Quintin, St. Eustace, St. -Winifred, St. Theodore, St. James the More, St. -Katharine, St. Cuthbert, St. Alphage, St. Peter of -Milan, St. Quirine and Juliet, St. Alban and others.</p> - -<p>The danger of telling children stories connected with -sudden conversions is that they are apt to place too -much emphasis on the process, rather than the goal to -be reached. We should always insist on the splendid -deeds performed after a real conversion—not the details -of the conversion itself; as, for instance, the beautiful -and poetical work done by St. Christopher when he -realised what work he could do most effectively.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, there are many stories of the -saints dealing with actions and motives which would -appeal to the imagination and are not only worthy of -imitation, but are not wholly outside the life and -experience even of the child.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span></p> - -<p>Having protested against the elephantine joke and -the too-frequent use of exaggerated fun, I now endeavour -to restore the balance by suggesting the introduction -into the school curriculum of a few purely -grotesque stories which serve as an antidote to sentimentality -or utilitarianism. But they must be presented -as nonsense, so that the children may use them for -what they are intended, as pure relaxation. Such a - story is that of “The Wolf and the Kids.” I -have had serious objections offered to this story by -several educational people, because of the revenge -taken by the goat on the wolf, but I am inclined to -think that if the story is to be taken as anything but -sheer nonsense, it is surely sentimental to extend our -sympathy towards a caller who has devoured six of his -hostess' children. With regard to the wolf being cut -open, there is not the slightest need to accentuate the -physical side. Children accept the deed as they accept -the cutting off of a giant's head, because they do not -associate it with pain, especially if the deed is presented -half-humorously. The moment in the story where -their sympathy is aroused is the swallowing of the -kids, because the children do realise the possibility of -being disposed of in the mother's absence. (Needless -to say, I never point out the moral of the kids' -disobedience to the mother in opening the door.) I -have always noticed a moment of breathlessness even -in a grown-up audience when the wolf swallows the -kids, and that the recovery of them “all safe and -sound, all huddled together” is quite as much appreciated -by the adult audience as by the children, and is -worth the tremor caused by the wolf's summary action.</p> - -<p>I have not always been able to impress upon the -teachers that this story <i>must</i> be taken lightly. A very -earnest young student came to me once after I had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> -told it, and said in an awestruck voice: “Do you -Correlate?” Having recovered from the effect of -this word, which she carefully explained, I said that -as a rule I preferred to keep the story apart from -the other lessons, just an undivided whole, because it -had effects of its own which were best brought about -by not being connected with other lessons.<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> She -frowned her disapproval and said: “I am sorry, -because I thought I would take The Goat for my Nature -Study lesson, and then tell your story at the end.” I -thought of the terrible struggle in the child's mind -between his conscientious wish to be accurate and his -dramatic enjoyment of the abnormal habits of a goat -who went out with scissors, needle and thread; but I -have been most careful since to repudiate any connection -with Nature Study in this and a few other stories -in my répertoire.</p> - -<p>One might occasionally introduce one of Edward -Lear's “Book of Nonsense.” For instance:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">There was an Old Man of Cape Horn,</div> -<div class="i0">Who wished he had never been born;</div> -<div class="i0">So he sat in a chair till he died of despair,</div> -<div class="i0">That dolorous Man of Cape Horn.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Now, except in case of very young children, this -could not possibly be taken seriously. The least -observant normal boy or girl would recognise the -hollowness of the pessimism that prevents a man from -at least an attempt to rise from his chair.</p> - -<p>The following I have chosen as repeated with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> -intense appreciation and much dramatic vigour by a -little boy just five years old:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">There was an Old Man who said, “Hush!</div> -<div class="i0">I perceive a young bird in this bush!”</div> -<div class="i0">When they said, “Is it small?” he replied, “Not at all!</div> -<div class="i0">It is four times as big as the bush!”<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>One of the most desirable of all elements to -introduce into our stories is that which encourages -kinship with animals. With very young children this -is easy, because in those early years when the mind -is not clogged with knowledge, the sympathetic -imagination enables them to enter into the feelings of -animals. Andersen has an illustration of this point in -his “Ice Maiden”:</p> - -<p>“Children who cannot talk yet can understand the -language of fowls and ducks quite well, and cats and -dogs speak to them quite as plainly as Father and -Mother; but that is only when the children are very -small, and then even Grandpapa's stick will become a -perfect horse to them that can neigh and, in their eyes, -is furnished with legs and a tail. With some children -this period ends later than with others, and of such we -are accustomed to say that they are very backward, -and that they have remained children for a long time. -People are in the habit of saying strange things.”</p> - -<p>Felix Adler says: “Perhaps the chief attraction of -Fairy Tales is due to their representing the child as -living in brotherly friendship with nature and all -creatures. Trees, flowers, animals, wild and tame, even -the stars are represented as comrades of children. That -animals are only human beings in disguise is an axiom -in the Fairy Tales. Animals are humanised, that is,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> -the kinship between animal and human life is still -keenly felt; and this reminds us of those early -animistic interpretations of nature which subsequently -led to doctrines of metempsychosis.”<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - -<p>I think that beyond question the finest animal stories -are to be found in the Indian Collections, of which I -furnish a list in the Appendix.</p> - -<p>With regard to the development of the love of nature -through the telling of the stories, we are confronted -with a great difficult in the elementary schools, because -so many of the children have never been out of the -towns, have never seen a daisy, a blade of grass and -scarcely a tree, so that in giving, in form of a story, -a beautiful description of scenery, you can make no -appeal to the retrospective imagination, and only the -rarely gifted child will be able to make pictures whilst -listening to a style which is beyond his everyday use. -Nevertheless, once in a way, when the children are in -a quiet mood, not eager for action but able to give -themselves up to the pure joy of sound, then it is -possible to give them a beautiful piece of writing in -praise of Nature, such as the following, taken from -<i>The Divine Adventure</i>, by Fiona Macleod: -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<p>“Then he remembered the ancient wisdom of the -Gael and came out of the Forest Chapel and went into -the woods. He put his lip to the earth, and lifted a -green leaf to his brow, and held a branch to his ear, -and because he was no longer heavy with the sweet -clay of mortality, though yet of human clan he heard -that which we do not hear, and saw that which we do -not see, and knew that which we do not know. All the -green life was his. In that new world, he saw the lives -of trees, now pale green, now of woodsmoke blue, now -of amethyst; the gray lives of stone; breaths of the -grass and reed, creatures of the air, delicate and wild -as fawns, or swift and fierce and terrible, tigers, of that -undiscovered wilderness, with birds almost invisible -but for their luminous wings, and opalescent crests.”</p></blockquote> - -<p>The value of this particular passage is the mystery -pervading the whole picture, which forms so beautiful -an antidote to the eternal explaining of things. I -think it of the highest importance for children to realise -that the best and most beautiful things cannot be -expressed in everyday language and that they must -content themselves with a flash here and there of the -beauty which may come later. One does not enhance -the beauty of the mountain by pulling to pieces some -of the earthy clogs: one does not increase the impression -of a vast ocean by analysing the single drops of -water. But at a reverent distance one gets a clear -impression of the whole, and can afford to leave the -details in the shadow.</p> - -<p>In presenting such passages (and it must be done -very sparingly) experience has taught me that we -should take the children into our confidence by telling -them frankly that nothing exciting is going to happen, -so that they will be free to listen to the mere words. -A very interesting experiment might occasionally be -made by asking the children some weeks afterwards to -tell you in their own words what pictures were made on -their minds. This is a very different thing from -allowing the children to reproduce the passage at once, -the danger of which proceeding I speak of later in -detail. (See Chapter on Questions.)</p> - -<p>We now come to the question as to what proportion -of <i>Dramatic Excitement</i> we should present in the -stories for a normal group of children. Personally, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -should like, while the child is very young (I mean in -mind, not in years) to exclude the element of dramatic -excitement, but though this may be possible for the -individual child, it is quite Utopian to hope we can -keep the average child free from what is in the atmosphere. -Children crave for excitement, and unless we -give it to them in legitimate form, they will take it in -any riotous form it presents itself, and if from our -experience we can control their mental digestion by a -moderate supply of what they demand, we may save -them from devouring too eagerly the raw material they -can so easily find for themselves.</p> - -<p>There is a humorous passage bearing on this -question in the story of the small Scotch boy, when he -asks leave of his parents to present the pious little -book—a gift to himself from his Aunt—to a little sick -friend, hoping probably that the friend's chastened -condition will make him more lenient towards this -mawkish form of literature. The parents expostulate, -pointing out to their son how ungrateful he is, and how -ungracious it would be to part with his Aunt's gift. -Then the boy can contain himself no longer. He -bursts out, unconsciously expressing the normal -attitude of children at a certain stage of development: -“It's a <i>daft</i> book ony way; there's naebody gets kilt -en't. I like stories about folk getting their heids cut -off, or stabbit through and through, wi' swords an' -spears. An' there's nae wile beasts. I like Stories -about black men gettin' ate up, an' white men killin' -lions and tigers an' bears an'——”</p> - -<p>Then, again, we have the passage from George -Eliot's “Mill on the Floss”: -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<p>“Oh, dear! I wish they would not fight at your -school, Tom. Didn't it hurt you?”</p> - -<p>“Hurt me? No,” said Tom, putting up the hooks -again, taking out a large pocket-knife, and slowly -opening the largest blade, which he looked at meditatively -as he rubbed his finger along it. Then he -added:</p> - -<p>“I gave Spooner a black eye—that's what he got -for wanting to leather me. I wasn't going to go halves -because anybody leathered me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! how brave you are, Tom. I think you are -like Samson. If there came a lion roaring at me, I -think you'd fight him, wouldn't you, Tom?”</p> - -<p>“How can a lion come roaring at you, you silly -thing? There's no lions only in the shows.”</p> - -<p>“No, but if we were in the lion countries—I mean -in Africa where it's very hot, the lions eat people there. -I can show it you in the book where I read it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I should get a gun and shoot him.”</p> - -<p>“But if you hadn't got a gun?—we might have -gone out, you know, not thinking, just as we go out -fishing, and then a great lion might come towards us -roaring, and we could not get away from him. What -should you do, Tom?”</p> - -<p>Tom paused, and at last turned away contemptuously, -saying: “But the lion <i>isn't</i> coming. What's -the use of talking?”</p></blockquote> - -<p>This passage illustrates also the difference between -the highly-developed imagination of the one and the -stodgy prosaical temperament of the other. Tom could -enter into the elementary question of giving his school-fellow -a black eye, but could not possibly enter into -the drama of the imaginary arrival of a lion. He was -sorely in need of Fairy Stories.</p> - -<p>It is for this element we have to cater, and we -cannot shirk our responsibilities.</p> - -<p>William James says: “Living things, moving -things or things that savour of danger or blood, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -have a dramatic quality, these are the things natively -interesting to childhood, to the exclusion of almost -everything else, and the teacher of young children -(until more artificial interests have grown up) will keep -in touch with his pupils by constant appeal to such -matters as those.”<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></p> - -<p>Of course the savour of danger and blood is only -<i>one</i> of the things to which we should appeal, but I -give the whole passage to make the point clearer.</p> - -<p>This is one of the most difficult parts of our selection, -namely, how to present enough excitement for the -child and yet include enough constructive element -which will satisfy him when the thirst for -“blugginess” is slaked.</p> - -<p>And here I should like to say that, whilst wishing -to encourage in children great admiration and reverence -for the courage and other fine qualities which -have been displayed in times of war, and which have -mitigated its horrors, I think we should show that -some of the finest moments in these heroes' lives had -nothing to do with their profession as soldiers. Thus -we have the well-known story of Sir Philip Sidney and -the soldier; the wonderful scene where Roland drags -the bodies of his dead friends to receive the blessing -of the archbishop after the battle of Roncevalles<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a>; and -of Napoleon sending the sailor back to England. -There is a moment in the story of Gunnar when he -pauses in the midst of the slaughter of his enemies, -and says, “I wonder if I am less brave than others, -because I kill men less willingly than they.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span></p> - -<p>And in the “Njal's Burning” from Andrew Lang's -“Book of Romance” we have the words of the boy -Thord when his grandmother, Bergthora, urges him -to go out of the burning house.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“You promised me when I was little, grandmother, -that I never should go from you till I wished it of -myself. And I would rather die with you than live -after you.”</p></blockquote> - -<p>Here the moral courage is so splendidly shown; -none of these heroes feared to die in battle or in open -single fight, but to face a death by fire for higher -considerations is a point of view worth presenting to -the child.</p> - -<p>In spite of all the dramatic excitement roused by -the conduct of our soldiers and sailors,<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> should we not -try to offer also in our stories the romance and excitement -of saving as well as <i>taking</i> life?</p> - -<p>I would have quite a collection dealing with the -thrilling adventures of the Life-Boat and the Fire -Brigade, of which I hope to present examples in the -final Story List.</p> - -<p>Finally, we ought to include a certain number of -stories dealing with Death, especially with children -who are of an age to realise that it must come to all, -and that this is not a calamity but a perfectly natural -and simple thing. At present the child in the street -invariably connects death with sordid accidents. I -think they should have stories of Death coming in -heroic form, as when a man or woman dies for a -great cause, in which he has opportunity of admiring -courage, devotion and unselfishness; or of Death -coming as a result of treachery, such as we find in -the death of Baldur, of Siegfried, and of others, -so that children may learn to abhor such deeds; but -also a fair proportion of stories dealing with death that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span> -comes naturally, when our work is done and our -strength gone, which has no more tragedy than the -falling of a leaf from the tree. In this way we can -give children the first idea that the individual is so -much less than the whole.</p> - -<p>Quite small children often take Death very naturally. -A boy of five met two of his older companions at the -school door. They said sadly and solemnly: “We -have just seen a dead man!” “Well,” said the little -philosopher, “that's all right. We've <i>all</i> got to die -when our work's done.”</p> - -<p>In one of the Buddha stories which I reproduce at -the end of this book, the little Hare (who is, I think, a -symbol of nervous Individualism) constantly says: -“Suppose the Earth were to fall in, what would -become of me?”</p> - -<p>As an antidote to the ordinary attitude towards -death, I commend an episode from a German folk-lore -story called “Unlucky John,” which is included in -the list of stories recommended at the end of this -book.</p> - -<p>The following sums up in poetic form some of the -material necessary for the wants of a child:</p> - -<p class="center">THE CHILD.</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">The little new soul has come to Earth,</div> -<div class="i2">He has taken his staff for the Pilgrim's way.</div> -<div class="i0">His sandals are girt on his tender feet,</div> -<div class="i2">And he carries his scrip for what gifts he may.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">What will you give to him, Fate Divine?</div> -<div class="i2">What for his scrip on the winding road?</div> -<div class="i0">A crown for his head, or a laurel wreath?</div> -<div class="i2">A sword to wield, or is gold his load?</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -<div class="i0">What will you give him for weal or woe?</div> -<div class="i2">What for the journey through day and night?</div> -<div class="i0">Give or withhold from him power and fame,</div> -<div class="i2">But give to him love of the earth's delight.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Let him be lover of wind and sun</div> -<div class="i2">And of falling rain; and the friend of trees;</div> -<div class="i0">With a singing heart for the pride of noon,</div> -<div class="i2">And a tender heart for what twilight sees.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Let him be lover of you and yours—</div> -<div class="i2">The Child and Mary; but also Pan,</div> -<div class="i0">And the sylvan gods of the woods and hills,</div> -<div class="i2">And the god that is hid in his fellow-man.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Love and a song and the joy of earth,</div> -<div class="i2">These be the gifts for his scrip to keep</div> -<div class="i0">Till, the journey ended, he stands at last</div> -<div class="i2">In the gathering dark, at the gate of sleep.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -<i>Ethel Clifford.</i> -</p> - -<p>And so our stories should contain all the essentials -for the child's scrip on the road of life, providing the -essentials and holding or withholding the non-essentials. -But, above all, let us fill the scrip with -gifts that the child need never reject, even when he -passes through “the gate of sleep.”</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Chapter I, page <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> This experiment cannot be made with a group of children, for -obvious reasons.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> From an address on the “Cultivation of the Imagination.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> “The House in the Wood” (Grimm) is a good instance of -triumph for the youngest child.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> To be found in Andrew Lang's Collection. See <a href="#Lang_Books">list of Stories</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> To be found in Jacob's “More English Tales.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> For selection of suitable stories among legends of the Saints, -see <a href="#Page_210">Story Lists</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> I believe that I am quite in a minority among Educationists -in this matter. Possibly my constantly specialising in the stories -may have formed my opinion.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> These words have been set most effectively to music by Miss -Margaret Ruthven Lang. (Boston.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> From “Moral Instruction of Children,” page 66. “The Use of -Fairy Tales.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> From “Talks to Teachers,” page 93.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> An excellent account of this is to be found in “The Song of -Roland,” by Arthur Way and Frederic Spender.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> This passage was written before the Great War.</p></div></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">How to Obtain and Maintain the Effect of the -Story.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">We</span> are now coming to the most important part of the -question of Story-Telling, to which all the foregoing -remarks have been gradually leading, and that is -the Effects of these stories upon the child, apart -from the dramatic joy he experiences in listening to -them, which would in itself be quite enough to justify -us in the telling. But, since I have urged upon -teachers the extreme importance of giving so much -time to the manner of telling and of bestowing so -much care on the selection of the material, it is right -that they should expect some permanent results, or -else those who are not satisfied with the mere enjoyment -of the children will seek other methods of appeal—and -it is to them that I most specially dedicate this -chapter.</p> - -<p>I think we are on the threshold of the re-discovery -of an old truth, that the Dramatic Presentation is the -quickest and surest, because it is the only one with -which memory plays no tricks. If a thing has -appeared before us in a vital form, nothing can really -destroy it; it is because things are often given in a -blurred, faint light that they gradually fade out of our -memory. A very keen scientist was deploring to me, -on one occasion, the fact that stories were told so much -in the schools, to the detriment of science, for which -she claimed the same indestructible element that I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> -recognise in the best-told stories. Being very much -interested in her point of view, I asked her to tell -me, looking back on her school days, what she could -remember as standing out from other less clear -information. After thinking some little time over the -matter, she said with some embarrassment, but with a -candour that did her much honour:</p> - -<p>“Well, now I come to think of it, it was the story -of Cinderella.”</p> - -<p>Now, I am not holding any brief for this story in -particular. I think the reason it was remembered was -because of the dramatic form in which it was presented -to her, which fired her imagination and kept the -memory alight. I quite realise that a scientific fact -might also have been easily remembered if it was -presented in the form of a successful chemical experiment: -but this also has something of the dramatic -appeal and will be remembered on that account.</p> - -<p>Sully says: “We cannot understand the fascination -of a story for children save in remembering that for -their young minds, quick to imagine, and unversed in -abstract reflection, words are not dead things but -<i>winged</i>, as the old Greeks called them.”<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> - -<p>The Red Queen (in “Through the Looking-Glass”) -was more psychological than she knew when -she made the memorable statement: “When once -you've <i>said</i> a thing that <i>fixes</i> it, and you must take the -consequences.”</p> - -<p>In Curtin's Introduction to “Myths and Folk Tales -of the Russians,” he says:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span></p> -<p>“I remember well the feeling roused in my mind -at the mention or sight of the name <i>Lucifer</i> during the -early years of my life. It stood for me as the name -of a being stupendous, dreadful in moral deformity, -lurid, hideous and mighty. I remember the surprise -<span class="err" title="original: which which">which, when</span> I had grown somewhat older and -began to study Latin, I came upon the name in Virgil -where it means <i>light-bringer</i>—the herald of the Sun.”</p> - -<p>Plato has said: “That the End of Education should -be the training by suitable habits of the Instincts of -Virtue in the Child.”</p> - -<p>About two thousand years later, Sir Philip Sidney, -in his “Defence of Poesy,” says: “The final end of -learning is to draw and lead us to so high a perfection -as our degenerate souls, made worse by their clay -lodgings, can be capable of.”</p> - -<p>And yet it is neither the Greek philosopher nor the -Elizabethan poet that makes the every-day application -of these principles; but we have a hint of this application -from the Pueblo tribe of Indians, of whom -Lummis tells us the following:</p> - -<p>“There is no duty to which a Pueblo child is trained -in which he has to be content with a bare command: -Do this. For each he learns a fairy-tale designed to -explain how children first came to know that it was -right to ‘do this,’ and detailing the sad results that -befell those who did otherwise. Some tribes have -regular story-tellers, men who have devoted a great -deal of time to learning the myths and stories of their -people and who possess, in addition to a good memory, -a vivid imagination. The mother sends for one of -these, and having prepared a feast for him, she and her -little brood, who are curled up near her, await the -Fairy Stories of the dreamer, who after his feast and -smoke entertains the company for hours.”</p> - -<p>In modern times, the nurse, who is now receiving -such complete training for her duties with the children, -should be ready to imitate the “dreamer” of the -Indian tribe. I rejoice to find that regular instruction<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -in Story-telling is being given in many of the institutions -where the nurses are trained.</p> - -<p>Some years ago there appeared a book by Dion -Calthrop called “King Peter,” which illustrates very -fully the effect of story-telling. It is the account of -the education of a young prince which is carried on at -first by means of stories, and later he is taken out into -the arena of Life to be shown what is happening there—the -dramatic appeal being always the means used to -awaken his imagination. The fact that only <i>one</i> story -a year is told him prevents our seeing the effect from -day to day, but the time matters little. We only need -faith to believe that the growth, though slow, was very -sure.</p> - -<p>There is something of the same idea in the “Adventures -of Telemachus,” written by Fénélon for his royal -pupil, the young Duke of Burgundy; but whereas -Calthrop trusts to the results of indirect teaching by -means of dramatic stories, Fénélon, on the contrary, -makes use of the somewhat heavy, didactic method, so -that one would think the attention of the young prince -must have wandered at times; and I imagine -Telemachus was in the same condition when he was -addressed at some length by Mentor, who, being -Minerva (though in disguise), should occasionally -have displayed that sense of humour which must -always temper true wisdom:</p> - -<p>Take, for instance, the heavy reproof conveyed in -the following passage:</p> - -<p>“Death and shipwreck are less dreadful than the -pleasures that attack Virtue.... Youth is full of -presumption and arrogance, though nothing in the -world is so frail: it fears nothing, and vainly relies on -its own strength, believing everything with the utmost -levity and without any precaution.”</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -And on another occasion, when Calypso hospitably -provides clothes for the shipwrecked men, and Telemachus -is handling a tunic of the finest wool and white -as snow, with a vest of purple embroidered with gold, -and displaying much pleasure in the magnificence of -the clothes, Mentor addresses him in a severe voice, -saying: “Are these, O Telemachus, the thoughts -that ought to occupy the heart of the son of Ulysses? -A young man who loves to dress vainly, as a woman -does, is unworthy of wisdom or glory.”</p> - -<p>I remember, as a schoolgirl of thirteen, having to -commit to memory several books of these adventures, -so as to become familiar with the style. Far from -being impressed by the wisdom of Mentor, I was -simply bored, and wondered why Telemachus did not -escape from him. The only part in the book that -really interested me was Calypso's unrequited love for -Telemachus, but this was always the point where we -ceased to learn by heart, which surprised me greatly, -for it was here that the real human interest seemed -to begin.</p> - -<p>Of all the effects which I hope for from the telling of -stories in the schools, personally I place first the -dramatic joy we bring to the children and to ourselves. -But there are many who would consider this result as -fantastic, if not frivolous, and not to be classed among -the educational values concocted with the introduction -of stories into the school curriculum. I therefore -propose to speak of other effects of story-telling which -may seem of more practical value.</p> - -<p>The first, which is of a purely negative character, is -that through means of a dramatic story we can counteract -some of the sights and sounds of the streets which -appeal to the melodramatic instinct in children. I am -sure that all teachers whose work lies in the crowded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> -cities must have realised the effect produced on -children by what they see and hear on their way to -and from school. If we merely consider the hoardings, -with their realistic representations, quite apart from -the actual dramatic happenings in the street, we at once -perceive that the ordinary school interests pale before -such lurid appeals as these. How can we expect the -child who has stood open-mouthed before a poster -representing a woman chloroformed by a burglar, -whilst that hero escapes in safety with her jewels, to -display any interest in the arid monotony of the -multiplication-table? The illegitimate excitement -created by the sight of the depraved burglar can only -be counteracted by something equally exciting along -the realistic but legitimate side; and this is where the -story of the right kind becomes so valuable, and why -the teacher who is artistic enough to undertake the -task can find the short path to results which theorists -seek for so long in vain. It is not even necessary to -have an exceedingly exciting story; sometimes one -which will bring about pure reaction may be just as -suitable.</p> - -<p>I remember in my personal experience an instance -of this kind. I had been reading with some children -of about ten years old the story from Cymbeline, of -Imogen in the forest scene, when the brothers strew -flowers upon her, and sing the funeral dirge,</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“Fear no more the heat of the sun.”</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="noin">Just as we had all taken on this tender, gentle mood, -the door opened and one of the prefects announced in a -loud voice the news of the relief of Mafeking. The -children were on their feet at once, cheering lustily, -and for the moment the joy over the relief of the brave -garrison was the predominant feeling. Then, before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> -the Jingo spirit had time to assert itself, I took advantage -of a momentary reaction and said: “Now, -children, don't you think we can pay England the -tribute of going back to England's greatest poet?” -In a few minutes we were back in the heart of the -Forest, and I can still hear the delightful intonation of -those subdued voices repeating:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Golden lads and girls all must</div> -<div class="i0">Like chimney-sweepers come to dust.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>It is interesting to note that the same problem that -is exercising us to-day was a source of difficulty to -people in remote times. The following is taken from -an old Chinese document, and has particular interest -for us to-day.</p> - -<p>“The Philosopher Mentius (born 371 <small>B.C.</small>) was left -fatherless at a very tender age and brought up by his -mother Changsi. The care of this prudent and attentive -mother has been cited as a model for all virtuous -parents. The house she occupied was near that of a -butcher: she observed at the first cry of the animals -that were being slaughtered, the little Mentius ran to -be present at the sight, and that, on his return, he -sought to imitate what he had seen. Fearful lest his -heart might become hardened, and accustomed to the -sights of blood, she removed to another house which -was in the neighbourhood of a cemetery. The relations -of those who were buried there came often to weep -upon their graves, and make their customary libations. -The lad soon took pleasure in their ceremonies and -amused himself by imitating them. This was a new -subject of uneasiness to his mother: she feared her son -might come to consider as a jest what is of all things -the most serious, and that he might acquire a habit -of performing with levity, and as a matter of routine -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -merely, ceremonies which demand the most exact -attention and respect. Again therefore she anxiously -changed the dwelling, and went to live in the city, -opposite to a school, where her son found examples the -most worthy of imitation, and began to profit by them. -This anecdote has become incorporated by the Chinese -into a proverb, which they constantly quote: The -Mother of Mentius seeks a neighbourhood.”</p> - -<p>Another influence we have to counteract is that of -newspaper headings which catch the eye of children -in the streets and appeal so powerfully to their -imagination.</p> - -<p>Shakespeare has said:</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Tell me where is Fancy bred,</div> -<div class="i0">Or in the heart, or in the head?</div> -<div class="i0">How begot, how nourished?</div> -<div class="i2">Reply, reply.</div> -<div class="i0">It is engendered in the eyes</div> -<div class="i0">With gazing fed: and Fancy dies</div> -<div class="i0">In the cradle where it lies.</div> -<div class="i2">Let us all ring Fancy's knell.</div> -<div class="i2">I'll begin it—ding, dong, bell.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -“<i>Merchant of Venice.</i>” -</p> - -<p>If this be true, it is of importance to decide what -our children shall look upon as far as we can control -the vision, so that we can form some idea of the effect -upon their imagination.</p> - -<p>Having alluded to the dangerous influence of the -street, I should hasten to say that this influence is very -far from being altogether bad. There are possibilities -of romance in street life which may have just the same -kind of effect on children as the telling of exciting -stories. I am indebted to Mrs. Arnold Glover (Hon. -Sec. of the National Organisation of Girls' Clubs), -one of the most widely informed people on this subject, -for the two following experiences gathered from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -streets which bear indirectly on the subject of story-telling:</p> - -<p>Mrs. Glover was visiting a sick woman in a very -poor neighbourhood, and found, sitting on the doorstep -of the house, two children, holding something -tightly grasped in their little hands, and gazing -with much expectancy towards the top of the street. -She longed to know what they were doing, but not -being one of those unimaginative and tactless folk who -rush headlong into the mysteries of children's doings, -she passed them at first in silence. It was only when -she found them still in the same silent and expectant -posture half-an-hour later that she said tentatively: -“I wonder whether you would tell me what you are -doing here?” After some hesitation, one of them -said, in a shy voice: “We're waitin' for the barrer.” -It then transpired that, once a week, a vegetable-and -flower-cart was driven through this particular street, -on its way to a more prosperous neighbourhood, and -on a few red-letter days, a flower, or a sprig, or even a -root sometimes fell out of the back of the cart; and -those two little children were waiting there in hope, -with their hands full of soil, ready to plant anything -which might by golden chance fall that way, in their -secret garden of oyster-shells.</p> - -<p>This seems to me as charming a fairy-tale as any -that our books can supply.</p> - -<p>Another time Mrs. Glover was collecting the pennies -for the Holiday Fund Savings Bank from the children -who came weekly to her house. She noticed on three -consecutive Mondays that one little lad deliberately -helped himself to a new envelope from her table. Not -wishing to frighten or startle him, she allowed this to -continue for some weeks, and then one day, having -dismissed the other children, she asked him quite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> -quietly why he was taking the envelopes. At first he -was very sulky, and said: “I need them better than -you do.” She quite agreed this might be, but -reminded him that, after all, they belonged to her. -She promised, however, that if he would tell her for -what purpose he wanted the envelopes, she would -endeavour to help him in the matter. Then came the -astonishing announcement: “I am building a navy.” -After a little more gradual questioning, Mrs. Glover -drew from the boy the information that the Borough -Water Carts passed through the side street once a -week, flushing the gutter; that then the Envelope -Ships were made to sail on the water and pass under -the covered ways which formed bridges for wayfarers -and tunnels for the “navy.” Great was the excitement -when the ships passed out of sight and were recognised -as they arrived safely at the other end. Of course the -expenses in raw material were greatly diminished by -the illicit acquisition of Mrs. Glover's property, and in -this way she had unconsciously provided the neighbourhood -with a navy and a Commander. Her first -instinct, after becoming acquainted with the whole -story, was to present the boy with a real boat, but on -second thought she collected and gave him a number -of old envelopes with names and addresses upon them, -which added greatly to the excitement of the sailing, -because they could be more easily identified as they -came out of the other side of the tunnel, and had their -respective reputations as to speed.</p> - -<p>Here is indeed food for romance, and I give both -instances to prove that the advantages of street life are -to be taken into consideration as well as the disadvantages; -though I think we are bound to admit that the -latter outweigh the former.</p> - -<p>One of the immediate results of dramatic stories is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> -the escape from the commonplace, to which I have -already alluded in quoting Mr. Goschen's words. The -desire for this escape is a healthy one, common to -adults and children. When we wish to get away from -our own surroundings and interests, we do for ourselves -what I maintain we ought to do for children; we -step into the land of fiction. It has always been a -source of astonishment to me that, in trying to escape -from our own every-day surroundings, we do not step -more boldly into the land of pure romance, which -would form a real contrast to our every-day life, but in -nine cases out of ten the fiction which is sought after -deals with the subjects of our ordinary existence—namely, -frenzied finance, sordid poverty, political -corruption, fast society, and religious doubts.</p> - -<p>There is the same danger in the selection of fiction -for children: namely, a tendency to choose very -utilitarian stories, both in form and substance, so that -we do not lift the children out of the commonplace. I -remember once seeing the titles of two little books, the -contents of which were being read or told to small -children of the poorer class: one was called “Tom the -Boot-black,” the other, “Dan the News-boy.” My -chief objection to these stories was the fact that neither -of the heroes rejoiced in their work for the work's -sake. Had Tom even invented a new kind of blacking, -or if Dan had started a splendid newspaper, it might -have been encouraging for those among the listeners -who were thinking of engaging in similar professions. -It is true, both gentlemen amassed large fortunes, but -surely the school age is not to be limited to such -dreams and aspirations as these! One wearies of the -tales of boys who arrive in a town with one cent -in their pockets, and leave it as millionaires, with the -added importance of a Mayoralty, not to speak of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -Knighthood. It is true that the romantic prototype of -these boys is Dick Whittington, for whom we unconsciously -cherish the affection which we often bestow -on a far-off personage. Perhaps—who knows?—it is -the picturesque adjunct of the cat—lacking to modern -millionaires.<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></p> - -<p>I do not think it Utopian to present to children a -fair share of stories which deal with the importance of -things “untouched by hand.” They too can learn at -an early age that “the things which are seen are -temporal, but the things which are unseen are -spiritual.” To those who wish to try the effect of such -stories on children, I present for their encouragement -the following lines from Whitcomb Riley:</p> - -<p class="center">THE TREASURE OF THE WISE MAN.<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a></p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Oh, the night was dark and the night was late,</div> -<div class="i0">When the robbers came to rob him;</div> -<div class="i0">And they picked the lock of his palace-gate,</div> -<div class="i0">The robbers who came to rob him—</div> -<div class="i0">They picked the lock of the palace-gate,</div> -<div class="i0">Seized his jewels and gems of State</div> -<div class="i0">His coffers of gold and his priceless plate,—</div> -<div class="i0">The robbers that came to rob him.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">But loud laughed he in the morning red!—</div> -<div class="i0">For of what had the robbers robbed him?</div> -<div class="i0">Ho! hidden safe, as he slept in bed,</div> -<div class="i0">When the robbers came to rob him,—</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -<div class="i0">They robbed him not of a golden shred</div> -<div class="i0">Of the childish dreams in his wise old head—</div> -<div class="i0">“And they're welcome to all things else,” he said,</div> -<div class="i0">When the robbers came to rob him.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>There is a great deal of this romantic spirit, combined -with a delightful sense of irresponsibility, which -I claim above all things for small children, to be found -in our old Nursery Rhymes. I quote from the following -article written by the Rev. R. L. Gales for the -<i>Nation</i>.</p> - -<p>After speaking on the subject of Fairy Stories being -eliminated from the school curriculum, the writer -adds:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span></p> -<p>“This would be lessening the joy of the world and -taking from generations yet unborn the capacity for -wonder, the power to take a large unselfish interest -in the spectacle of things, and putting them forever -at the mercy of small private cares.</p> - -<p>A Nursery Rhyme is the most sane, the most -unselfish thing in the world. It calls up some delightful -image,—a little nut-tree with a silver walnut and a -golden pear; some romantic adventure only for the -child's delight and liberation from the bondage of -unseeing dulness: it brings before the mind the -quintessence of some good thing:</p> - -<p>'The little dog laughed to see such sport'—there -is the soul of good humour, of sanity, of health -in the laughter of that innocently wicked little dog. -It is the laughter of pure frolic without unkindness. -To have laughed with the little dog as a child is the -best preservative against mirthless laughter in later -years—the horse laughter of brutality, the ugly -laughter of spite, the acrid laughter of fanaticism. The -world of Nursery Rhymes, the old world of Mrs. -Slipper-Slopper, is the world of natural things, of -quick, healthy motion, of the joy of living.</p> - -<p>In Nursery Rhymes the child is entertained with -all the pageant of the world. It walks in Fairy -Gardens, and for it the singing birds pass. All the -King's horses and all the King's men pass before it in -their glorious array. Craftsmen of all sorts, bakers, -confectioners, silversmiths, blacksmiths are busy for it -with all their arts and mysteries, as at the court of an -Eastern King.”</p> - -<p>In insisting on the value of this escape from the -commonplace, I cannot prove the importance of it more -clearly than by showing what may happen to a child -who is deprived of his birthright by having none of the -Fairy Tale element presented to him. In “Father and -Son,” Mr. Edmund Gosse says:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span></p> -<p>“Meanwhile, capable as I was of reading, I found -my greatest pleasure in the pages of books. The -range of these was limited, for story-books of every -description were sternly excluded. No fiction of any -kind, religious or secular, was admitted into the house. -In this it was to my Mother, not to my Father, that -the prohibition was due. She had a remarkable, I -confess, to me somewhat unaccountable impression -that to ‘tell a story,’ that is, to compose fictitious -narrative of any kind, was a sin.... Nor would she -read the chivalrous tales in the verse of Sir Walter -Scott, obstinately alleging that they were not true. -She would read nothing but lyrical and subjective -poetry.... As a child, however, she had possessed a -passion for making up stories, and so considerable a -skill in it, that she was constantly being begged to -indulge others with its exercise.... ‘When I was a -very little child,’ she says, ‘I used to amuse myself -and my brothers with inventing stories such as I had -read. Having, as I suppose, naturally a restless mind -and busy imagination, this soon became the chief -pleasure of my life. Unfortunately, my brothers were -always fond of encouraging this propensity, and I -found in Taylor, my maid, a still greater tempter. I -had not known there was any harm in it, until Miss -Shore (a Calvinistic governess), finding it out, lectured -me severely and told me it was wicked. From that -time forth I considered that to invent a story of any -kind was a sin.... But the longing to invent stories -grew with violence. The simplicity of Truth was not -enough for me. I must needs embroider imagination -upon it, and the folly and wickedness which disgraced -my heart are more than I am able to express....’ -This (the Author, her son, adds) is surely a very -painful instance of the repression of an instinct.”</p> - -<p>In contrast to the stifling of the imagination, it is -good to recall the story of the great Hermits who, -having listened to the discussion of the Monday sitting -at the Académie des Sciences (Institut de France) as to -the best way to teach the young how to shoot in the -direction of mathematical genius, said: “<i>Cultivez -l'imagination, messieurs. Tout est là. Si vous voulez -des mathématiciens, donnez à vos enfants à lire—des -Contes de Fées.</i>”</p> - -<p>Another important effect of the story is to develop at -an early age sympathy for children of other countries -where conditions are different from our own. There is -a book used in American schools called “Little -Citizens of other Lands,” dealing with the clothes, the -games and occupations of those little citizens. Stories -of this kind are particularly necessary to prevent the -development of insular notions, and are a check on that -robust form of Philistinism, only too prevalent, alas! -among grown-ups, which looks askance at new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -suggestions and makes the withering remark: “How -un-English! How queer!”—the second comment -being, it would seem, a natural corollary to the first.<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a></p> - -<p>I have so constantly to deal with the question of -confusion between Truth and Fiction in the mind of -children that it might be useful to offer here an -example of the way they make the distinction for -themselves.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Ewing says on this subject:</p> - -<p>“If there are young intellects so imperfect as to be -incapable of distinguishing between Fancy and Falsehood, -it is most desirable to develop in them the power -to do so, but, as a rule, in childhood, we appreciate -the distinction with a vivacity which as elders our -care-clogged memories fail to recall.”</p> - -<p>Mr. P. A. Barnett, in his book on the “Commonsense -of Education,” says, alluding to Fairy Tales:</p> - -<p>“Children will <i>act</i> them but not act <i>upon</i> them, and -they will not accept the incidents as part of their -effectual belief. They will imagine, to be sure, -grotesque worlds, full of admirable and interesting -personages to whom strange things might have -happened. So much the better; this largeness of -imagination is one of the possessions that distinguish -the better nurtured child from others less fortunate.”</p> - -<p>The following passage from Stevenson's essay on -<i>Child Play</i><a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> will furnish an instance of children's -aptitude for creating their own dramatic atmosphere:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span></p> -<p>“When my cousin and I took our porridge of a -morning, we had a device to enliven the course of a -meal. He ate his with sugar, and explained it to be a -country continually buried under snow. I took mine -with milk, and explained it to be a country suffering -gradual inundation. You can imagine us exchanging -bulletins; how here was an island still unsubmerged, -here a valley not yet covered with snow; what inventions -were made; how his population lived in cabins -on perches and travelled on stilts, and how mine was -always in boats; how the interest grew furious as the -last corner of safe ground was cut off on all sides and -grew smaller every moment; and how, in fine, the food -was of altogether secondary importance, and might -even have been nauseous, so long as we seasoned it -with these dreams. But perhaps the most exciting -moments I ever had over a meal, were in the case of -calves' feet jelly. It was hardly possible not to believe, -and you may be quite sure, so far from trying it, I did -all I could to favour the illusion—that some part of it -was hollow, and that sooner or later my spoon would -lay open the secret tabernacle of that golden rock. -There, might some Red-Beard await this hour; there -might one find the treasures of the Forty Thieves. -And so I quarried on slowly, with bated breath, -savouring the interest. Believe me, I had little palate -left for the jelly; and though I preferred the taste -when I took cream with it, I used often to go without -because the cream dimmed the transparent fractures.”</p> - -<p>In his work on Imagination, Ribot says: “The free -initiative of children is always superior to the imitations -we pretend to make for them.”</p> - -<p>The passage from Robert Stevenson becomes more -clear from a scientific point of view when taken in -connection with one from Karl Groos' book on the -“Psychology of Animal Play”:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span></p> -<p>“The Child is wholly absorbed in his play, and yet -under the ebb and flow of thought and feeling like still -water under wind-swept waves, he has the knowledge -that it is pretence after all. Behind the sham ‘I’ that -takes part in the game, stands the unchanged ‘I’ -which regards the sham ‘I’ with quiet superiority.”</p> - -<p>Queyrat speaks of play as one of the distinct phases -of a child's imagination; it is “essentially a metamorphosis -of reality, a transformation of places and -things.”</p> - -<p>Now to return to the point which Mrs. Ewing -makes, namely, that we should develop in normal -children the power of distinguishing between Truth -and Falsehood.</p> - -<p>I should suggest including two or three stories -which would test that power in children, and if they -fail to realise the difference between romancing and -telling lies then it is evident that they need special -attention and help along this line. I give the titles of -two stories of this kind in the collection at the end of -the book.<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a></p> - -<p>So far we have dealt only with the negative results -of stories, but there are more important effects, and I -am persuaded that if we are careful in our choice of -stories, and artistic in our presentation (so that the -truth is framed, so to speak, in the memory), we can -unconsciously correct evil tendencies in children which -they only recognise in themselves when they have -already criticised them in the characters of the story. -I have sometimes been misunderstood on this point, -therefore I should like to make it quite clear. I do -<i>not</i> mean that stories should take the place entirely of -moral or direct teaching, but that on many occasions -they could supplement and strengthen moral teaching, -because the dramatic appeal to the imagination is -quicker than the moral appeal to the conscience. A -child will often resist the latter lest it should make him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -uncomfortable or appeal to his personal sense of -responsibility: it is often not in his power to resist the -former, because it has taken possession of him before -he is aware of it.</p> - -<p>As a concrete example, I offer three verses from a -poem entitled “A Ballad for a Boy,” written some -twelve years ago by W. Cory, an Eton master. The -whole poem is to be found in a book of poems known -as “Ionica” (published by George Allen and Co.).</p> - -<p>The poem describes a fight between two ships, the -French ship <i>Téméraire</i> and the English ship <i>Quebec</i>. -The English ship was destroyed by fire. Farmer, the -captain, was killed, and the officers taken prisoners:</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“They dealt with us as brethren, they mourned for Farmer dead;</div> -<div class="i0">And as the wounded captives passed, each Breton bowed the head.</div> -<div class="i0">Then spoke the French lieutenant, 'Twas the fire that won, not we:</div> -<div class="i0">You never struck your flag to <i>us</i>; you'll go to England free.'<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a></div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">'Twas the sixth day of October, Seventeen-hundred-seventy-nine,</div> -<div class="i0">A year when nations ventured against us to combine,</div> -<div class="i0"><i>Quebec</i> was burned and Farmer slain, by us remembered not;</div> -<div class="i0">But thanks be to the French book wherein they're not forgot.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">And you, if you've to fight the French, my youngster, bear in mind</div> -<div class="i0">Those seamen of King Louis so chivalrous and kind;</div> -<div class="i0">Think of the Breton gentlemen who took our lads to Brest,</div> -<div class="i0">And treat some rescued Breton as a comrade and a guest.”</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -This poem is specially to be commended because it -is another example of the finer qualities which are -developed in war.<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a></p> - -<p>Now, such a ballad as this, which, being pure -narrative, could easily be introduced into the story-hour, -would do as much to foster “<i>L'entente cordiale</i>” -as any processions or civic demonstrations, or lavish -international exchange of hospitality. It has also a -great practical application now that we are encouraging -visits between English and foreign children. Let us -hope the <i>entente cordiale</i> will not stop at France. -There must be many such instances of magnanimity -and generosity displayed to us by other nations, and it -might be well to collect them and include them among -stories for the school curriculum.</p> - -<p>But in all our stories, in order to produce desired -effects we must refrain from holding, as Burroughs -says, “a brief for either side,” and we must leave the -decision of the children free in this matter.<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a></p> - -<p>In a review of Ladd's <i>Psychology</i> in the -“Academy,” we find a passage which refers as much -to the story as to the novel:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span></p> -<p>“The psychological novelist girds up his loins -and sets himself to write little essays on each of his -characters. If he have the gift of the thing he may -analyse motives with a subtlety which is more than -their desert, and exhibit simple folk passing through -the most dazzling rotations. If he be a novice, he is -reduced to mere crude invention—the result in both -cases is quite beyond the true purpose of Art. Art—when -all is said and done—is a suggestion, and it -refuses to be explained. Make it obvious, unfold it -in detail, and you reduce it to a dead letter.”</p> - -<p>Again there is a sentence by Schopenhauer applied -to novels which would apply equally well to stories:</p> - -<p>“Skill consists in setting the inner life in motion -with the smallest possible array of circumstances, for -it is this inner life that excites our interest.”</p> - -<p>Now, in order to produce an encouraging and lasting -effect by means of our stories, we should be careful -to introduce a certain number from fiction where virtue -is rewarded and vice punished, because to appreciate -the fact that “virtue is its own reward” calls for a -developed and philosophic mind, or a born saint, of -whom there will not, I think, be many among normal -children: a comforting fact, on the whole, as the -normal teacher is apt to confuse them with prigs.</p> - -<p>A <i>grande dame</i> visiting an elementary school -listened to the telling of an exciting story from fiction, -and was impressed by the thrill of delight which passed -through the children. But when the story was -finished, she said: “But <i>oh!</i> what a pity the story was -not taken from actual history!”</p> - -<p>Now, not only was this comment quite beside the -mark, but the lady in question did not realise that -pure fiction has one quality which history cannot have. -The historian, bound by fact and accuracy, must often -let his hero come to grief. The poet (or, in this case, -we may call him, in the Greek sense, the “maker” of -stories) strives to show <i>ideal</i> justice.</p> - -<p>What encouragement to virtue (except for the -abnormal child) can be offered by the stories of good -men coming to grief, such as we find in Miltiades, -Phocion, Socrates, Severus, Cicero, Cato and Cæsar?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span></p> - -<p>Sir Philip Sidney says in his “Defence of Poesy”:</p> - -<p>“Only the Poet declining to be held by the limitations -of the lawyer, the <i>historian</i>, the grammarian, -the rhetorician, the logician, the physician, the metaphysician, -if lifted up with the vigour of his own -imagination; doth grow in effect into another nature -in making things either better than Nature bringeth -forth or quite anew, as the Heroes, Demi-gods, -Cyclops, Furies and such like, so as he goeth hand -in hand with Nature not enclosed in the narrow range -of her gifts but freely ranging within the Zodiac of -his own art—<i>her</i> world is brazen; the poet only -delivers a golden one.”</p> - -<p>The effect of the story need not stop at the negative -task of correcting evil tendencies. There is the -positive effect of translating the abstract ideal of the -story into concrete action.</p> - -<p>I was told by Lady Henry Somerset that when the -first set of slum children came down for a fortnight's -holiday in the country, she was much startled and -shocked by the obscenity of the games they played -amongst themselves. Being a sound psychologist, -Lady Henry wisely refrained from appearing surprised -or from attempting any direct method of reproof. “I -saw,” she said, “that the ‘goody’ element would -have no effect, so I changed the whole atmosphere -by reading to them or telling them the most thrilling -mediæval tales without any commentary. By the end -of the fortnight the activities had all changed. The -boys were performing astonishing deeds of prowess, -and the girls were allowing themselves to be rescued -from burning towers and fetid dungeons.” Now, if -these deeds of chivalry appear somewhat stilted to us, -we can at least realise that, having changed the whole -atmosphere of the filthy games, it is easier to translate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> -the deeds into something a little more in accordance -with the spirit of the age, and boys will more readily -wish later on to save their sisters from dangers more -sordid and commonplace than fiery towers and dark -dungeons, if they have once performed the deeds in -which they had to court danger and self-sacrifice for -themselves.</p> - -<p>And now we come to the question as to how these -effects are to be maintained. In what has already -been stated about the danger of introducing the -dogmatic and direct appeal into the story, it is evident -that the avoidance of this element is the first means of -preserving the story in all its artistic force in the -memory of the child, and we must be careful, as I -point out in the chapter on Questions, not to interfere -by comment or question with the atmosphere we have -made round the story, or else, in the future, that story -will become blurred and overlaid with the remembrance, -not of the artistic whole, as presented by the -teller of the story, but by some unimportant small side -issue raised by an irrelevant question or a superfluous -comment.</p> - -<p>Many people think that the dramatisation of the -story by the children themselves helps to maintain -the effect produced. Personally, I fear there is the -same danger as in the immediate reproduction of the -story, namely, that the general dramatic effect may be -weakened.</p> - -<p>If, however, there is to be dramatisation (and I do -not wish to dogmatise on the subject), I think it should -be confined to facts and not fancies, and this is why I -realise the futility of the dramatisation of Fairy Tales.</p> - -<p>Horace Scudder says on this subject:</p> - -<p>“Nothing has done more to vulgarise the Fairy -than its introduction on the stage. The charm of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> -the Fairy Tale is its divorce from human experience; -the charm of the stage is its realisation in miniature of -Human Life. If a frog is heard to speak, if a dog is -changed before our eyes into a prince by having cold -water dashed over it, the charm of the Fairy Tale has -fled, and, in its place, we have the perplexing pleasure -of <i>leger de main</i>. Since the real life of a Fairy is in -the imagination, a wrong is committed when it is -dragged from its shadowy hiding-place and made to -turn into ashes under the calcium light of the understanding.”<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a></p> - -<p>I am bound to confess that the teachers have a case -when they plead for this re-producing of the story, -and there are three arguments they use whose validity -I admit, but which have nevertheless not converted me, -because the loss, to my mind, would exceed the gain.</p> - -<p>The first argument they put forward is that the -reproduction of the story enables the child to enlarge -and improve his vocabulary. Now I greatly sympathise -with this point of view, only, as I regard the story-hour -as a very precious and special one, which I think -may have a lasting effect on the character of a child, I -do not think it important that, during this hour, a -child should be called upon to improve his vocabulary -at the expense of the dramatic whole, and at the -expense of the literary form in which the story has -been presented. It would be like using the Bible for -parsing or paraphrase or pronunciation. So far, I -believe, the line has been drawn here, though there are -blasphemers who have laid impious hands on Milton -or Shakespeare for this purpose.</p> - -<p>There are surely other lessons (as I have already -said in dealing with the reproduction of the story<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -quite apart from the dramatisation), lessons more -utilitarian in character, which can be used for this -purpose: the facts of history (I mean the mere facts -as compared with the deep truths) and those of -geography, above all, the grammar lessons are those -in which the vocabulary can be enlarged and -improved. But I am anxious to keep the story-hour -apart as dedicated to something higher than these -excellent but utilitarian considerations.</p> - -<p>The second argument used by the teachers is the -joy felt by the children in being allowed to dramatise -the stories. This, too, appeals very strongly to me, -but there is a means of satisfying their desire and yet -protecting the dramatic whole, and that is occasionally -to allow children to act out their own dramatic inventions; -this, to my mind, has great educational significance: -it is original and creative work and, apart -from the joy of the immediate performance, there is -the interesting process of comparison which can be -presented to the children, showing them the difference -between their elementary attempts and the finished -product of the experienced artist, which they can be -led to recognise by their own powers of observation -if the teachers are not in too great a hurry to point it -out themselves.</p> - -<p>Here is a short original story (quoted by the French -psychologist, Queyrat, in his “Jeux de l'enfance”) -written by a child of five:</p> - -<p>“One day I went to sea in a life-boat—all at once -I saw an enormous whale, and I jumped out of the -boat to catch him, but he was so big that I climbed -on his back and rode astride, and all the little fishes -laughed to see.”</p> - -<p>Here is a complete and exciting drama, making a -wonderful picture and teeming with adventure. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> -could scarcely offer anything to so small a child for -reproduction that would be a greater stimulus to the -imagination.</p> - -<p>Here is another, offered by Loti, but the age of the -child is not given:</p> - -<p>“Once upon a time, a little girl out in the Colonies -cut open a huge melon, and out popped a green beast -and stung her, and the little child died.”</p> - -<p>Loti adds: “The phrases ‘out in the Colonies’ -and ‘a huge melon’ were enough to plunge me -suddenly into a dream. As by an apparition, I beheld -tropical trees, forests alive with marvellous birds. -Oh! the simple magic of the words 'the Colonies'! -In my childhood they stood for a multitude of distant -sun-scorched countries, with their palm-trees, their -enormous flowers, their black natives, their wild beasts, -their endless possibilities of adventure.”</p> - -<p>I quote this in full because it shows so clearly the -magic force of words to evoke pictures, without any -material representation. It is just the opposite effect -of the pictures presented to the bodily eye without -the splendid educational opportunity for the child to -form his own mental image.</p> - -<p>I am more and more convinced that the rare power -of visualization is accounted for by the lack of mental -practice afforded along these lines.</p> - -<p>The third argument used by the teachers in favour -of the dramatisation of the stories is that it is a means -of discovering how much the child has really learnt -from the story. Now this argument makes absolutely -no appeal to me.</p> - -<p>My experience, in the first place, has taught me -that a child very seldom gives out any account of a -deep impression made upon him: it is too sacred and -personal. But he very soon learns to know what is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> -expected of him, and he keeps a set of stock sentences -which he has found out are acceptable to the teacher. -How can we possibly gauge the deep effects of a story -in this way, or how can a child, by acting out a story, -describe the subtle elements which you have tried to -introduce? You might as well try to show with a -pint measure how the sun and rain have affected a -plant, instead of rejoicing in the beauty of the sure, -if slow, growth.</p> - -<p>Then, again, why are we in such a hurry to find out -what effects have been produced by our stories? Does -it matter whether we know to-day or to-morrow how -much a child has understood? For my part, so sure -do I feel of the effect that I am willing to wait indefinitely. -Only I must make sure that the first presentation -is truly dramatic and artistic.</p> - -<p>The teachers of general subjects have a much easier -and more simple task. Those who teach science, -mathematics, even, to a certain extent, history and -literature, are able to gauge with a fair amount of -accuracy, by means of examination, what their pupils -have learnt. The teaching carried on by means of -stories can never be gauged in the same manner. We -must be content, though we have nothing to place in -our “shop window,” content to know of the possessions -behind, and make up our mind that we can show -the education authorities little or no results from our -teaching, but that the real fruit will be seen by the -next generation; and we can take courage, for, if our -story be “a thing of beauty,” it will never “pass into -nothingness.”</p> - -<p>Carlyle has said:<a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span></p> -<p>“Of this thing be certain: wouldst thou plant for -Eternity, then plant into the deep infinite faculties of -man, his Fantasy and Heart. Wouldst thou plant for -Year and Day, then plant into his shallow superficial -faculties, his self-love and arithmetical understanding, -what will grow there.”</p> - -<p>If we use this marvellous Art of Story-Telling in -the way I have tried to show, then the children who -have been confided to our care will one day be able -to bring to us the tribute which Björnson brought to -Hans C. Andersen:</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Wings you give to my Imagination,</div> -<div class="i2">Me uplifting to the strange and great;</div> -<div class="i0">Gave my heart the poet's revelation,</div> -<div class="i2">Glorifying things of low estate.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">When my child-soul hungered all-unknowing,</div> -<div class="i2">With great truths its needs you satisfied:</div> -<div class="i0">Now, a world-worn man, to you is owing</div> -<div class="i2">That the child in me has never died.</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -(<i>Translated from the Danish by -Emilie Poulson.</i>) -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> From “Studies of Childhood,” page 55.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> I always remember the witty jibe of a chairman at my expense -on this subject, who, when proposing a vote of thanks to me, asked -whether I seriously approved of the idea of providing “wild-cat -schemes” in order to bring romance into the lives of millionaires.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> From The Lockerbie Book, by James Whitcomb Riley. Copyright -1911. Used by special permission of the publishers, the -Bobbs-Merrill Company.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> See <a href="#Page_214">Little Cousin Series</a> in American collection of tales at the -end of book.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> From “Virginibus Puerisque and other Essays.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> See Longbow story, “John and the Pig.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> This is even a higher spirit than that shown in the advice given -in the <i>Agamemnon</i> (speaking of the victor's attitude after the taking -of Troy): -</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“Yea, let no craving for forbidden gain</div> -<div class="i0">Bid conquerors yield before the darts of greed.”</div> -</div></div></div> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> The great war in which we have become involved since this -book was written has furnished brilliant examples of these finer -qualities.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> It is curious to find that the story of “Puss-in-Boots” in its -variants is sometimes presented with a moral, sometimes without. -In the valley of the Ganges it has <i>none</i>. In Cashmere it has one -moral, in Zanzibar another.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> From “Childhood in Literature and Art.” Study of Hans C. -Andersen, page 201.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> “Sartor Resartus,” Book III, page 218.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">On Questions Asked by Teachers.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">The</span> following questions have been put to me so often -by teachers, in my own country and the States, that -I have thought it might be useful to give in my book -some of the attempts I have made to answer them; -and I wish to record here an expression of gratitude -to the teachers who have asked these questions at the -close of my lectures. It has enabled me to formulate -my views on the subject and to clear up, by means -of research and thought, the reason for certain things -which I had more or less taken for granted. It has -also constantly modified my own point of view, and -has prevented me from becoming too dogmatic in -dealing with other people's methods.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question I.</i> Why do I consider it necessary to spend -so many years on the Art of Story-Telling, -which takes in, after all, such a restricted -portion of literature?</p> - -<p>Just in the same way that an actor thinks it worth -while to go through so many years' training to fit -him for the stage, although dramatic literature is also -only one branch of general literature. The region of -Storyland is the legitimate stage for children. They -crave for drama as we do, and because there are -comparatively few good story-tellers, children do not -have their dramatic needs satisfied. What is the -result? We either take them to dramatic performances -for grown-up people, or we have children's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> -theatres where the pieces, charming as they may be, -are of necessity deprived of the essential elements -which constitute a drama—or they are shrivelled up -to suit the capacity of the child. Therefore it would -seem wiser, whilst the children are quite young, to -keep them to the simple presentation of stories, -because, their imagination being keener at that period, -they have the delight of the inner vision and they -do not need, as we do, the artificial stimulus provided -by the machinery of the stage.<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a></p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question II.</i> What is to be done if a child asks you: -Is a story true?</p> - -<p>I hope I shall not be considered Utopian in my -ideas if I say that it is quite easy, even with small -children, to teach them that the seeing of truth is a -relative matter which depends on the eyes of the seer. -If we were not afraid to tell our children that all -through life there are grown-up people who do not -see things that others see, their own difficulties would -be helped.</p> - -<p>In his <i>Imagination Créatrice</i>, Queyrat says:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> “To -get down into the recesses of a child's mind, one -would have to become even as he is; we are reduced -to interpreting that child in the terms of an adult. -The children we observe live and grow in a civilised -community, and the result of this is that the development -of their imagination is rarely free or complete, -for as soon as it rises beyond the average level, the -rationalistic education of parents and schoolmasters -at once endeavours to curb it. It is restrained in its -flight by an antagonistic power which treats it as a -kind of incipient madness.”</p> - -<p>It is quite easy to show children that if you keep -things where they belong they are true with regard -to each other, but that if you drag these things out -of the shadowy atmosphere of the “make-believe,” -and force them into the land of actual facts, the whole -thing is out of gear.</p> - -<p>To take a concrete example: The arrival of the -coach made from a pumpkin and driven by mice is -entirely in harmony with the Cinderella surroundings, -and I have never heard one child raise any question -of the difficulty of travelling in such a coach or of -the uncertainty of mice in drawing it. But suggest -to the child that this diminutive vehicle could be -driven among the cars of Broadway, or amongst the -motor omnibuses in the Strand, and you would bring -confusion at once into his mind.</p> - -<p>Having once grasped this, the children will lose the -idea that Fairy Stories are just for them, and not for -their elders, and from this they will go on to see that -it is the child-like mind of the Poet and Seer that -continues to appreciate these things: that it is the -dull, heavy person whose eyes so soon become dim -and unable to see any more the visions which were -once his own.</p> - -<p>In his essay on <i>Poetry and Life</i> (Glasgow, 1889), -Professor Bradley says:</p> - -<p>“It is the effect of poetry, not only by expressing -emotion but in other ways also, to bring life into the -dead mass of our experience, and to make the world -significant.”</p> - -<p>This applies to children as well as to adults. There -may come to the child in the story-hour, by some -stirring poem or dramatic narration, a sudden flash<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -of the possibilities of Life which he had not hitherto -realised in the even course of school experience.</p> - -<p>“Poetry,” says Professor Bradley, “is a way of -representing truth; but there is in it, as its detractors -have always insisted, a certain untruth or illusion. -We need not deny this, so long as we remember that -the illusion is conscious, that no one wishes to deceive, -and that no one is deceived. But it would be better -to say that poetry is false to literal fact for the sake -of obtaining a higher truth. First, in order to -represent the connection between a more significant -part of experience and a less significant, poetry, -instead of linking them together by a chain which -touches one by one the intermediate objects that -connect them, leaps from one to the other. It thus -falls at once into conflict with commonsense.”</p> - -<p>Now, the whole of this passage bears as much on -the question of the truth embodied in a Fairy Tale -as a poem, and it would be interesting to take some -of these tales and try to discover where they are false -to actual fact for the sake of a higher truth.</p> - -<p>Let us take, for instance, the story of Cinderella: -The coach and pumpkins to which we have alluded, -and all the magic part of the story, are false to actual -facts as we meet them in our every-day life; but is it -not a higher truth that Cinderella could escape from -her chimney corner by thinking of the brightness -outside? In this sense we all travel in pumpkin -coaches.</p> - -<p>Take the story of Psyche, in any one of the many -forms it is presented to us in folk-story. The magic -transformation of the lover is false to actual fact; but -is it not a higher truth that we are often transformed -by Circumstance, and that love and courage can -overcome most difficulties?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> - -Take the story of the Three Bears. It is not in -accordance with established fact that bears should -extend hospitality to children who invade their territory. -Is it not true, in a higher sense, that fearlessness -often lessens or averts danger?</p> - -<p>Take the story of Jack and the Bean-Stalk. The -rapid growth of the bean-stalk and the encounter with -the Giant are false to literal fact; but is it not a higher -truth that the spirit of courage and high adventure -leads us straight out of the commonplace and often -sordid facts of Life?</p> - -<p>Now, all these considerations are too subtle for the -child, and, if offered in explanation, would destroy -the excitement and interest of the story; but they are -good for those of us who are presenting such stories: -they not only provide an argument against the objection -raised by unimaginative people as to the futility, -if not immorality, of presenting these primitive tales, -but clear up our own doubt and justify us in the use -of them, if we need such justification.</p> - -<p>For myself, I am perfectly satisfied that, being part -of the history of primitive people, it would be foolish -to ignore them from an evolutionary point of view, -which constitutes their chief importance; and it is -only from the point of view of expediency that I -mention the potential truths they contain.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question III.</i> What are you to do if a child says he -does not like Fairy Tales?</p> - -<p>This is not an uncommon case. What we have -first to determine, under these circumstances, is -whether this dislike springs from a stolid, prosaic -nature, whether it springs from a real inability to -visualize such pictures as the Fairy, or marvellous -element in the story, presents, or whether (and this is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -often the real reason) it is from a fear of being asked -to believe what his judgment resents as untrue, or -whether he thinks it is “grown-up” to reject such -pleasure as unworthy of his years.</p> - -<p>In the first case, it is wise to persevere, in hopes of -developing the dormant imagination. If the child -resents the apparent want of truth, we can teach him -how many-sided truth is, as I suggested in my answer -to the first question. In the other cases, we must try -to make it clear that the delight he may venture to -take now will increase, not decrease, with years; that -the more you bring <i>to</i> a thing (in the way of experience -and knowledge) the more you will draw <i>out</i> of it.</p> - -<p>Let us take as a concrete example the question of -Santa Claus. This joy has almost disappeared, for -we have torn away the last shred of mystery about that -personage by allowing him to be materialised in the -Christmas shops and bazaars.</p> - -<p>But the original myth need never have disappeared; -the link could easily have been kept by gradually -telling the child that the Santa Claus they worshipped -as a mysterious and invisible power is nothing but -the Spirit of Charity and Kindness that makes us -remember others, and that this spirit often takes the -form of material gifts. We can also lead them a step -higher and show them that this spirit of kindness can -do more than provide material things; so that the -old nursery tale has laid a beautiful foundation which -need never be pulled up: we can build upon it and -add to it all through our lives.</p> - -<p>Is not <i>one</i> of the reasons that children reject Fairy -Tales because such very <i>poor</i> material is offered them? -There is a dreary flatness about all except the very -best which revolts the child of literary appreciation -and would fail to strike a spark in the more prosaic.</p> - -<p class="hang"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span> - -<i>Question IV.</i> Do I recommend learning a story by -heart, or telling it in one's own words?</p> - -<p>This would largely depend on the kind of story. -If the style is classic or if the interest of the story is -closely connected with the style, as in Andersen, -Kipling or Stevenson, then it is better to commit it -absolutely to memory. But if this process should -take too long (I mean for those who cannot afford the -time to specialise), or if it produces a stilted effect, -then it is wiser to read the story many times over, let -it soak in, taking notes of certain passages which -would add to the dramatic interest of the story, and -not trouble about the word accuracy of the whole.</p> - -<p>For instance, for very young children the story of -Pandora, as told in the Wonder-Book, could be -shortened so as to leave principally the dramatic -dialogue between the two children, which would be -easily committed to memory by the narrator and -would appeal most directly to the children. Again, for -older children: in taking a beautiful mediæval story -such as “Our Lady's Tumbler,” the original text -could hardly be presented so as to hold an audience; -but whilst giving up a great deal of the elaborate -material, we should try to present many of the characteristic -passages which seem to sum up the situation. -For instance, before his performance, the Tumbler -cries: “What am I doing? For there is none here -so caitiff but who vies with all the rest in serving God -after his trade.” And after his act of devotion: -“Lady, this is a choice performance. I do it for no -other but for you; so aid me God, I do not—for you -and for your Son. And this I dare avouch and boast, -that for me it is no play-work. But I am serving you, -and that pays me.”</p> - -<p>On the other hand, there are some very gifted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -narrators who can only tell the story in their own -words. I consider that both methods are necessary -to the all-round story-teller.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question V.</i> How do I set about preparing a story?</p> - -<p>Here again the preparation depends a great deal on -the kind of story: whether it has to be committed to -memory or re-arranged to suit a certain age of child, -or told entirely in one's own words. But there is one -kind of preparation which is the same for any story, -that is, living with it for a long time, until you have -really obtained the right atmosphere, and then bringing -the characters actually to life in this atmosphere, -most especially in the case of inanimate objects. This -is where Hans C. Andersen reigns supreme. Horace -Scudder says of him: “By some transmigration, -souls have passed into tin soldiers, balls, tops, money-pigs, -coins, shoes and even such attenuated things as -darning-needles, and when, in forming these apparent -dead and stupid bodies, they begin to make manifestations, -it is always in perfect consistency with the -ordinary conditions of the bodies they occupy, though -the several objects become, by the endowment of -souls, suddenly expanded in their capacity.”<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a></p> - -<p>Now, my test of being ready with such stories is -whether I have ceased to look upon such objects <i>as</i> -inanimate. Let us take some of those quoted from -Andersen. First, the Tin Soldier. To me, since I -have lived in the story, he is a real live hero, holding -his own with some of the bravest fighting heroes in -history or fiction. As for his being merely of tin, I -entirely forget it, except when I realise against what -odds he fights, or when I stop to admire the wonderful -way Andersen carries out his simile of the old tin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -spoon—the stiffness of the musket, and the tears of -tin.</p> - -<p>Take the Top and the Ball, and, except for the -delightful way they discuss the respective merits of -<i>cork</i> and <i>mahogany</i> in their ancestors, you would -completely forget that they are not real human beings -with the live passions and frailties common to youth.</p> - -<p>As for the Beetle—who ever thinks of him as a -mere entomological specimen? Is he not the symbol -of the self-satisfied traveller who learns nothing <i>en -route</i> but the importance of his own personality? -And the Darning-Needle? It is impossible to divorce -human interest from the ambition of this little piece of -steel.</p> - -<p>And this same method applied to the preparation of -any story shows that you can sometimes rise from the -rôle of mere interpreter to that of creator—that is to -say, the objects live afresh for you in response to the -appeal you make in recognising their possibilities of -vitality.</p> - -<p>As a mere practical suggestion, I would advise that, -as soon as you have overcome the difficulties of the -text (if actually learning by heart, there is nothing -but the drudgery of constant repetition), and as you -begin to work the story into true dramatic form, -always say the words aloud, and many times aloud, -before you try them even on one person. More -suggestions come to one in the way of effects from -hearing the sounds of the words, and more complete -mental pictures, in this way than any other ... it is -a sort of testing period, the results of which may or -may not have to be modified when produced in public.... -In case of committing to memory, I advise -word perfection first, not trying dramatic effects before -this is reached; but, on the other hand, if you are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -using your own words, you can think out the effects -as you go along—I mean, during the preparation. -Gestures, pauses, facial expression often help to fix -the choice of words you decide to use, though here -again the public performance will often modify the -result. I should strongly advise that all gestures -should be studied before the glass, because this most -faithfully-recording friend, whose sincerity we dare -not question, will prevent glaring errors, and also help -by the correction of these to more satisfactory results -along positive lines. If your gesture does not satisfy -(and practice will <span class="err" title="original: make make">make</span> you more and more -critical), it is generally because you have not made -sufficient allowance for the power of imagination in -your audience. Emphasis in gesture is just as -inartistic—and therefore ineffective—as emphasis in -tone or language.</p> - -<p>Before <i>deciding</i>, however, either on the facial -expression or gesture, we must consider the chief -characters in the story, and study how we can best—<i>not</i> -present them, but allow them to present themselves, -which is a very different thing. The greatest -tribute which can be paid to a story-teller, as to an -actor, is that his own personality is temporarily -forgotten, because he has so completely identified -himself with his rôle.</p> - -<p>When we have decided what the chief characters -really mean to do, we can let ourselves go in the -impersonation....</p> - -<p>I shall now take a story as a concrete example—namely, -the Buddhist legend of the Lion and the -Hare,<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> which I give in the final story list.</p> - -<p>We have here the Lion and the Hare as types—the -other animals are less individual and therefore display<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> -less salient qualities. The little hare's chief characteristics -are nervousness, fussiness and misdirected -imagination. We must bear this all in mind when -she appears on the stage—fortunately these characteristics -lend themselves easily to dramatic representation. -The lion is not only large-hearted but -broad-minded. It is good to have an opportunity of -presenting to the children a lion who has other -qualities than physical beauty or extraordinary -strength. (Here again there will lurk the danger of -alarming the Nature students!) He is even more -interesting than the magnanimous lion whom we -have sometimes been privileged to meet in fiction.</p> - -<p>Of course we grown-up people know that the lion -is the Buddha in disguise. Children will not be able -to realise this, nor is it the least necessary that they -should do so; but they will grasp the idea that he is -a very unusual lion, not to be met with in Paul du -Chaillu's adventures, still less in the quasi-domestic -atmosphere of the Zoological Gardens. If our presentation -is life-like and sincere, we shall convey all -we intend to the child. This is part of what I call -the atmosphere of the story, which, as in a photograph, -can only be obtained by long exposure, that is to say, -in case of the preparation we must bestow much -reflection and sympathy.</p> - -<p>Because these two animals are the chief characters, -they must stand out in sharp outline: the other -animals must be painted in fainter colours—they -should be suggested rather than presented in detail. -It might be as well to give a definite gesture to the -Elephant—say, a characteristic movement with his -trunk—a scowl to the Tiger, a supercilious and -enigmatic smile to the Camel (suggested by Kipling's -wonderful creation). But if a gesture were given to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> -each of the animals, the effect would become monotonous, -and the minor characters would crowd the -foreground of the picture, impeding the action and -leaving little to the imagination of the audience.... -I personally have found it effective to repeat the -gestures of these animals as they are leaving the stage, -less markedly, as it is only a form of reminder.</p> - -<p>Now, what is the impression we wish to leave on -the mind of the child, apart from the dramatic joy and -interest we have endeavoured to provide? Surely it -is that he may realise the danger of a panic. One -method of doing this (alas! a favourite one still) is -to say at the end of the story: “Now, children, what -do we learn from this?” Of this method Lord -Morley has said: “It is a commonplace to the wise, -and an everlasting puzzle to the foolish, that direct -inculcation of morals should invariably prove so -powerless an instrument—so futile a method.”</p> - -<p>If this direct method were really effective, we might -as well put the little drama aside, and say plainly: -“It is foolish to be nervous; it is dangerous to make -loose statements. Large-minded people understand -things better than those who are narrow-minded.”</p> - -<p>Now, all these abstract statements would be as true -and as tiresome as the multiplication-table. The child -might or might not fix them in his mind, but he would -not act upon them.</p> - -<p>But, put all the artistic warmth of which you are -capable into the presentation of the story, and, without -one word of comment from you, the children will feel -the dramatic intensity of that vast concourse of -animals brought together by the feeble utterance of -one irresponsible little hare. Let them feel the dignity -and calm of the Lion, which accounts for his authority; -his tender but firm treatment of the foolish little Hare;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -and listen to the glorious finale when all the animals -retire convinced of their folly; and you will find that -you have adopted the same method as the Lion (who -must have been an unconscious follower of Froebel), -and that there is nothing to add to the picture.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question VI.</i> Is it wise to talk over a story with -children and to encourage them in the habit of -asking questions about it?</p> - -<p>At the time, no! The effect produced is to be by -dramatic means, and this would be destroyed by any -attempts at analysis by means of questions.</p> - -<p>The medium that has been used in the telling of the -story is (or ought to be) a purely artistic one which -will reach the child through the medium of the -emotions: the appeal to the intellect or the reason is -a different method, which must be used at a different -time. When you are enjoying the fragrance of a -flower or the beauty of its colour, it is not the moment -to be reminded of its botanical classification. Just as -in the botany lesson it would be somewhat irrelevant -to talk of the part that flowers play in the happiness -of life.</p> - -<p>From a practical point of view, it is not wise to -encourage questions on the part of the children, -because they are apt to disturb the atmosphere by -bringing in entirely irrelevant matter, so that in -looking back on the telling of the story, the child -often remembers the irrelevant conversation to the -exclusion of the dramatic interest of the story itself.<a name="FNanchor_51_51" id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a></p> - -<p>I remember once making what I considered at the -time a most effective appeal to some children who had -been listening to the story of the Little Tin Soldier, -and, unable to refrain from the cheap method of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -questioning, of which I have now recognised the -futility, I asked: “Don't you think it was nice of the -little dancer to rush down into the fire to join the brave -little soldier?” “Well,” said a prosaic little lad of -six: “I thought the draught carried her down.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question VII.</i> Is it wise to call upon children to -repeat the story as soon as it has been told?</p> - -<p>My answer here is decidedly in the negative.</p> - -<p>Whilst fully appreciating the modern idea of -children expressing themselves, I very much deprecate -this so-called self-expression taking the form of mere -reproduction. I have dealt with this matter in detail -in another portion of my book. This is one of the -occasions when children should be taking in, not -giving out. (Even the most fanatic of moderns must -agree that there are such moments.)</p> - -<p>When, after much careful preparation, an expert -has told a story to the best of his ability, to encourage -the children to reproduce this story with their imperfect -vocabulary and with no special gift of speech (I -am always alluding to the normal group of children) -is as futile as if, after the performance of a musical -piece by a great artist, some individual member of -the audience were to be called upon to give his -rendering of the original rendering. The result would -be that the musical joy of the audience would be -completely destroyed and the performer himself would -share in the loss.<a name="FNanchor_52_52" id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a></p> - -<p>I have always maintained that five minutes of -complete silence after the story would do more to fix -the impression on the mind of the child than any -amount of attempts at reproducing it. The general<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> -statement made in Dr. Montessori's wonderful chapter -on Silence would seem to me of special application to -the moments following on the telling of a story.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question VIII.</i> Should children be encouraged to -illustrate the stories which they have heard?</p> - -<p>As a dramatic interest to the teachers and the -children, I think it is a very praiseworthy experiment, -if used somewhat sparingly. But I seriously doubt -whether these illustrations in any way indicate the -impression made on the mind of the child. It is the -same question that arises when that child is called -upon (or expresses a wish) to reproduce the story in -his own words: the unfamiliar medium in both -instances makes it almost impossible for the child to -convey his meaning, unless he be an artist in the one -case or have real literary power of expression in -the other.</p> - -<p>My own impression, which has been confirmed by -many teachers who have made the experiment, is that -a certain amount of disappointment is mixed up with -the daring joy in the attempt, simply because the -children can get nowhere near the ideal which has -presented itself to the “inner eye.”</p> - -<p>I remember a Kindergarten mistress saying that on -one occasion, when she had told to the class a thrilling -story of a knight, one of the children immediately -asked for permission to draw a picture of him on the -blackboard. So spontaneous a request could not, of -course, be refused, and, full of assurance, the would-be -artist began to give his impression of the knight's -appearance. When the picture was finished, the child -stood back for a moment to judge for himself of the -result. He put down the chalk and said sadly:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> “And -I <i>thought</i> he was so handsome.”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, except for the drawback of the other -children seeing a picture which might be inferior to -their own mental vision, I should quite approve of -such experiments as long as they are not taken as -literal data of what the children have really received. -It would, however, be better not to have the picture -drawn on a blackboard but at the child's private desk, -to be seen by the teacher and not, unless the picture -were exceptionally good, to be shown to the other -children.</p> - -<p>One of the best effects of such an experiment would -be to show a child how difficult it is to give the -impression he wishes to record, and which would -enable him later on to appreciate the beauty of such -work in the hands of a finished artist.</p> - -<p>I can anticipate the jeers with which such remarks -would be received by the Futurist School, but, according -to their own theory, I ought to be allowed to -express the matter <i>as I see it</i>, however faulty the vision -may appear to them.<a name="FNanchor_53_53" id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a></p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question IX.</i> In what way can the dramatic method -of story-telling be used in ordinary class teaching?</p> - -<p>This is too large a question to answer fully in so -general a survey as this work, but I should like to give -one or two concrete examples as to how the element -of story-telling could be introduced.</p> - -<p>I have always thought that the only way in which -we could make either a history or literature lesson<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -live, so that it should take a real hold on the mind of -the pupil at any age, would be that, instead of offering -lists of events, crowded into the fictitious area of one -reign, one should take a single event, say in one lesson -out of five, and give it in the most splendid language -and in the most dramatic (not to be confused with -“melodramatic”) manner.</p> - -<p>To come to a concrete example: Supposing that -you are talking to the class of Greece, either in -connection with its history, its geography or its -literature, could any mere accumulation of facts give -a clearer idea of the life of the people than a dramatically -told story from Homer, Æschylus, Sophocles or -Euripides?</p> - -<p>What in the history of Iceland could give a more -graphic idea of the whole character of the life and -customs of the inhabitants than one of the famous -sagas, such as “The Burning of Njal” or “The -Death of Gunnar”?</p> - -<p>In teaching the history of Spain, what could make -the pupils understand better the spirit of knight-errantry, -its faults and its qualities, than a recital from -“Don Quixote” or from the tale of “The Cid”?</p> - -<p>In a word, the stories must appeal so vividly to the -imagination that they will light up the whole period -of history which we wish them to illustrate, and keep -it in the memory for all time.</p> - -<p>But apart from the dramatic presentation of history, -there are great possibilities for introducing the short -story into the portrait of some great personage: a -story which, though it may be insignificant in itself, -throws a sudden sidelight on his character, and reveals -the mind behind the actual deeds; this is what I mean -by using the dramatic method.</p> - -<p>To take a concrete example: Supposing, in giving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> -an account of the life of Napoleon, after enlarging -on his campaigns, his European policy, his indomitable -will, you were suddenly to give an idea of his -many-sidedness by relating how he actually found -time to compile a catechism which was used for some -years in the elementary schools in France!</p> - -<p>What sidelights might be thrown in this way on -such characters as Nero, Cæsar, Henry VIII, Luther, -Goethe!</p> - -<p>To take one example from these: Instead of making -the whole career of Henry VIII centre round the fact -that he was a much-married man, could we not present -his artistic side and speak of his charming contributions -to music?....</p> - -<p>So much for the history lessons. But could not -the dramatic form and interest be introduced into our -geography lessons? Think of the romance of the -Panama Canal, the position of Constantinople as -affecting the history of Europe, the shape of Greece, -England as an Island, the position of Tibet, the -interior of Africa—to what wonderful story-telling -would these themes lend themselves!</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question X.</i> Which should predominate in the story—the -dramatic or the poetic element?</p> - -<p>This is a much debated point. From experience, -I have come to the conclusion that, though both -should be found in the whole range of stories, the -dramatic element should prevail from the very nature -of the presentation, and also because it reaches the -larger number of children (at least of normal children). -Almost every child is dramatic, in the sense that he -loves action (not necessarily an action in which he has -to bear a part). It is the exceptional child who is -reached by the poetic side, and just as on the stage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> -the action must be quicker and more concentrated -than in a poem—even than a dramatic poem—so it -must be with the story. Children act out in their -imagination the dramatic or actable part of the story—the -poetical side, which must be painted in more -delicate colours or presented in less obvious form, -often escapes them. Of course the very reason why -we must include the poetical element is that it is an -unexpressed need of most children. Their need of -the dramatic is more loudly proclaimed and more -easily satisfied.</p> - -<p class="hang"><i>Question XI.</i> What is the educational value of -Humour in the stories told to our children?</p> - -<p>My answer to this is that Humour means much -more than is usually understood by this term. So -many people seem to think that to have a sense of -humour is merely to be tickled by a funny element -in a story. It surely means something much more -subtle than this. It is Thackeray who says: “If -Humour only meant Laughter ... but the Humourist -professes to awaken and direct your love, your pity, -your kindness, your scorn for untruth and pretention, -your tenderness for the weak, the poor, the oppressed, -the unhappy.” So that, in our stories, the introduction -of humour should not merely depend on the -doubtful amusement that follows on a sense of incongruity. -It should inculcate a sense of proportion -brought about by an effort of imagination: it shows -a child its real position in the Universe, and prevents -an exaggerated idea of his own importance. It -develops the logical faculty, and prevents hasty -conclusions. It shortens the period of joy in horseplay -and practical jokes. It brings about a clearer -perception of all situations, enabling the child to get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -the point of view of another person. It is the first -instilling of philosophy into the mind of a child, and -prevents much suffering later on when the blows of -life fall upon him; for a sense of humour teaches us -at an early age not to expect too much; and this -philosophy can be developed without cynicism or -pessimism, without even destroying the <i>joie de vivre</i>....</p> - -<p>One cannot, however, sufficiently emphasize the -fact that these far-reaching results can only be brought -about by humour quite distinct from the broader fun -and hilarity which have also their use in an educational -scheme.</p> - -<p>From my own experience, I have learned that -development of Humour is with most children -extremely slow. It is quite natural and quite right -that at first pure fun, obvious situations and elementary -jokes should please them, but we can very -gradually appeal to something more subtle, and if I -were asked what story would educate our children -most thoroughly in appreciation of Humour, I should -say that “Alice in Wonderland” was the most -effective.</p> - -<p>What better object-lesson could be given in -humorous form of taking somebody else's point of -view than that given to Alice by the Mock Turtle in -speaking of the Whiting?:</p> - -<p>“‘You know what they're like?’</p> - -<p>‘I believe so,’ said Alice. ‘They have their tails -in their mouths—and they're all over crumbs.’</p> - -<p>‘You're wrong about the crumbs,’ said the Mock -Turtle. 'Crumbs would all wash off in the sea.'”</p> - -<p>Or when Alice is speaking to the Mouse of her Cat, -and says: “She is such a dear quiet thing—and a -capital one for catching mice——” and then suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> -realises the point of view of the Mouse, who was -“trembling down to the end of its tail.”</p> - -<p>Then, as an instance of how a lack of humour leads -to illogical conclusions (a condition common to most -children), we have the conversation between Alice and -the Pigeon:</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Alice</span>: “But little girls eat quite as much as -serpents do, you know.”</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pigeon</span>: “I don't believe it. But if they do, why -then they're a kind of serpent, that's all I can say.”</p> - -<p>Then, as an instance of how a sense of humour -would prevent too much self-importance:</p> - -<p>“‘I have a right to think,’ said Alice sharply.</p> - -<p>‘Just about as much right,’ said the Duchess, -'as pigs have to fly.'”</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> I do not deny that there can be charming representations of -this kind. Miss Netta Syrett has given a triplet of plays at -the Court Theatre which were entirely on the plane of the child; -but these performances were somewhat exceptional.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> From “Study of Hans C. Andersen.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> See “Eastern Stories and Fables,” published by Routledge.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span class="label">[51]</span></a> See <a href="#Page_6">Chapter I</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span class="label">[52]</span></a> In this matter I have, in England, the support of Dr. Kimmins, -Chief Inspector of the London County Council, who is strongly -opposed to immediate reproduction of the stories.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span class="label">[53]</span></a> Needless to say that these remarks only refer to the illustrations -of stories told. Whether children should be encouraged to -self-expression in drawing (quite apart from reproducing in one -medium what has been conveyed to them in another), is too large a -question to deal with in this special work on Story-Telling.</p></div></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Stories in Full.</span></p> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">The</span> following three stories have for so long formed -a part of my repertory that I have been requested to -include them in my book, and, in order to associate -myself more completely with them, I am presenting -a translation of my own from the original Danish -version.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Nightingale.</span></h3> - -<p>You must know that in China the Emperor is a -Chinaman, and all those around him are also Chinamen. -It is many years since all this happened, and -for that very reason it is worth hearing, before it is -forgotten.</p> - -<p>There was no palace in the world more beautiful -than the Emperor's; it was very costly, all of fine -porcelain, but it was so delicate and brittle, that it -was very difficult to touch, and you had to be very -careful in doing so. The most wonderful flowers -could be seen in the garden, and silver tinkling bells -were tied on to the most beautiful of these, for fear -people should pass by without noticing them. How -well everything had been thought out in the Emperor's -garden—which was so big, that even the gardener -himself did not know how big. If you walked on -and on you came to the most beautiful wood, with tall -trees and deep lakes. This wood stretched right down -to the sea, which was blue and deep; great ships could -pass underneath the branches, and in these branches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> -a nightingale had made its home, and its singing was -so entrancing that the poor fisherman, though he had -so many other things to do, would lie still and listen -when he was out at night drawing in his nets.</p> - -<p>“Heavens! how lovely that is!” he said: but then -he was forced to think about his own affairs, and the -nightingale was forgotten; but the next day, when it -sang again, the fisherman said the same thing: -“Heavens! how lovely that is!”</p> - -<p>Travellers from all the countries of the world came -to the Emperor's town, and expressed their admiration -for the palace and the garden, but when they heard -the nightingale, they all said in one breath: “That -is the best of all!”</p> - -<p>Now, when these travellers came home, they told of -what they had seen. The scholars wrote many books -about the town, the palace and the garden, but -nobody left the nightingale out: it was always spoken -of as the most wonderful of all they had seen, and -those who had the gift of the Poet wrote the most -delightful poems all about the nightingale in the wood -near the deep lake.</p> - -<p>The books went round the world, and in course of -time some of them reached the Emperor. He sat in -his golden chair, and read and read, nodding his head -every minute; for it pleased him to read the beautiful -descriptions of the town, the palace and the garden; -and then he found in the book the following words: -“But the Nightingale is the best of all.”</p> - -<p>“What is this?” said the Emperor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> “The -nightingale! I know nothing whatever about it. -To think of there being such a bird in my Kingdom—nay, -in my very garden—and I have never heard it! -And one has to learn of such a thing for the first time -from a book!”</p> - -<p>Then he summoned his Lord-in-Waiting, who was -such a grand creature that if any one inferior in rank -ventured to speak to him, or ask him about anything, -he merely uttered the sound “P,” which meant -nothing whatever.</p> - -<p>“There is said to be a most wonderful bird, called -the Nightingale,” said the Emperor; “they say it is -the best thing in my great Kingdom. Why have I -been told nothing about it?”</p> - -<p>“I have never heard it mentioned before,” said the -Lord-in-Waiting. “It has certainly never been -presented at court.”</p> - -<p>“It is my good pleasure that it shall appear here -to-night and sing before me!” said the Emperor. -“The whole world knows what is mine, and I myself -do not know it.”</p> - -<p>“I have never heard it mentioned before,” said the -Lord-in-Waiting. “I will seek it, and I shall find it.”</p> - -<p>But where was it to be found? The Lord-in-Waiting -ran up and down all the stairs, through the -halls and the passages, but not one of all those whom -he met had ever heard a word about the Nightingale. -The Lord-in-Waiting ran back to the Emperor and -told him that it must certainly be a fable invented by -writers of books.</p> - -<p>“Your Majesty must not believe all that is written -in books. It is pure invention, besides something -which is called the Black Art.”</p> - -<p>“But,” said the Emperor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> “the book in which I -read this was sent to me by His Majesty the Emperor -of Japan, and therefore this cannot be a falsehood. -I insist on hearing the Nightingale: it must appear -this evening. It has my gracious favour, and if it -fails to appear, the court shall be trampled upon after -the court has supped.”</p> - -<p>“Tsing-pe!” said the Lord-in-Waiting, and again -he ran up and down all the stairs, through all the halls -and passages, and half the court ran with him, for -they had no wish to be trampled upon. And many -questions were asked about the wonderful Nightingale -of whom all had heard except those who lived at court.</p> - -<p>At last, they met a poor little girl in the kitchen. -She said: “Heavens! The Nightingale! I know -it well! Yes, how it can sing! Every evening I -have permission to take the broken pieces from the -table to my poor sick mother who lives near the -seashore, and on my way back, when I feel tired and -rest a while in the wood, then I hear the Nightingale -sing, and my eyes are filled with tears: it is just as -if my mother kissed me.”</p> - -<p>“Little kitchen-girl,” said the Lord-in-Waiting, -“I will get a permanent position for you in the Court -Kitchen and permission to see the Emperor dine, if -you can lead us to the Nightingale; for it has received -orders to appear at Court to-night.”</p> - -<p>So they started off all together for the wood where -the bird was wont to sing: half the court went too. -They were going along at a good pace when suddenly -they heard a cow lowing.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said a court-page. “There you have it. -That is a wonderful power for so small a creature! -I have certainly heard it before.”</p> - -<p>“No, those are the cows lowing,” said the little -kitchen girl. “We are a long way from the place -yet.”</p> - -<p>And then the frogs began to croak in the pond.</p> - -<p>“Beautiful,” said the Court Preacher. “Now, I -hear it—it is just like little church bells.”</p> - -<p>“No, those are the frogs,” said the little Kitchen -maid.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> “But now I think that we shall soon hear it.”</p> - -<p>And then the Nightingale began to sing.</p> - -<p>“There it is,” said the little girl. “Listen, listen—there -it sits.” And she pointed to a little grey bird -in the branches.</p> - -<p>“Is it possible!” said the Lord-in-Waiting. “I -had never supposed it would look like that. How -very plain it looks! It has certainly lost its colour -from seeing so many grand folk around it.”</p> - -<p>“Little Nightingale,” called out the little Kitchen -girl, “our gracious Emperor would be so glad if you -would sing for him.”</p> - -<p>“With the greatest pleasure,” said the Nightingale. -It sang, and it was a joy to hear it.</p> - -<p>“Just like little glass bells,” said the Lord-in-Waiting; -“and just look at the little throat, how -active it is! It is astonishing to think we have never -heard it before! It will have a real <i>success</i> at Court.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I sing for the Emperor again?” said the -Nightingale, who thought that the Emperor was there -in person.</p> - -<p>“Mine excellent little Nightingale,” said the Lord-in-Waiting, -“I have the great pleasure of bidding -you to a Court-Festival this night, when you will -enchant His Imperial Majesty with your delightful -warbling.”</p> - -<p>“My voice sounds better among the green trees,” -said the Nightingale. But it came willingly when it -knew that the Emperor wished it.</p> - -<p>There was a great deal of furbishing up at the -Palace. The walls and ceiling, which were of porcelain, -shone with a light of a thousand golden lamps. -The most beautiful flowers of the tinkling kind were -placed in the passages. There was running to and -fro, and a thorough draught. But that is just what -made the bells ring: one could not oneself. In the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -middle of the large hall where the Emperor sat, a -golden rod had been set up on which the Nightingale -was to perch. The whole Court was present, and the -little Kitchen-maid was allowed to stand behind the -door, for she had now the actual title of a Court -Kitchen Maid. All were there in their smartest -clothes, and they all looked towards the little grey -bird to which the Emperor nodded.</p> - -<p>And the Nightingale sang so delightfully that -tears sprang into the Emperor's eyes and rolled down -his cheeks; and then the Nightingale sang even more -beautifully. The song went straight to the heart, and -the Emperor was so delighted that he declared that -the Nightingale should have his golden slipper to -hang round its neck. But the Nightingale declined. -It had already had its reward.</p> - -<p>“I have seen tears in the Emperor's eyes. That to -me is the richest tribute. An Emperor's tears have a -wonderful power. God knows my reward is great -enough,” and again its sweet, glorious voice was -heard.</p> - -<p>“That is the most delightful coquetting I have -ever known,” said the ladies sitting round, and they -took water into their mouths, in order to gurgle when -anyone spoke to them, and they really thought they -were like the Nightingale. Even the footmen and the -chambermaids sent word that they, too, were satisfied, -and that means a great deal, for these are the people -whom it is most difficult to please. There was no -doubt as to the Nightingale's success. It was sure to -stay at Court, and have its own cage, with liberty to -go out twice in the daytime, and once at night. -Twelve servants went out with it, and each held a -silk ribbon which was tied to the bird's leg, and they -held it very tightly. There was not much pleasure in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> -going out under those conditions. The whole town -was talking of the wonderful bird, and when two -people met, one said: “Nightin-” and the other said -“gale,” and they sighed and understood one another. -Eleven cheese-mongers' children were called after the -bird, though none of them had a note in his voice. -One day a large parcel came for the Emperor. Outside -was written the word: “Nightingale.”</p> - -<p>“Here we have a new book about our wonderful -bird,” said the Emperor. But it was not a book; it -was a little work of art which lay in a box—an -artificial Nightingale, which was supposed to look -like the real one, but it was set in diamonds, rubies -and sapphires. As soon as you wound it up, it could -sing one of the pieces which the real bird sang, and -its tail moved up and down and glittered with silver -and gold. Round its neck was a ribbon on which was -written: “The Emperor of Japan's Nightingale is -miserable compared with the Emperor of China's.”</p> - -<p>“That is delightful,” they all said, and on the -messenger who had brought the artificial bird they -bestowed the title of “Imperial Nightingale-Bringer-in-Chief.”</p> - -<p>“Let them sing together, and <i>what</i> a duet that will -be!”</p> - -<p>And so they had to sing, but the thing would not -work, because the real Nightingale could only sing in -its own way, and the artificial Nightingale could only -play by clock-work.</p> - -<p>“That is not its fault,” said the Band Master. -“Time is its strong point, and it has quite my -method.”</p> - -<p>Then the artificial Nightingale had to sing alone. -It had just as much success as the real bird, and then -it was so much handsomer to look at: it glittered like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -bracelets and breast-pins. It sang the same tune three -and thirty times, and it was still not tired: the people -would willingly have listened to the whole performance -over again from the start. But the Emperor suggested -that the real Nightingale should sing for a -while. But where was it? Nobody had noticed that -it had flown out of the open window back to its green -woods.</p> - -<p>“But what is the meaning of all this?” said the -Emperor. All the courtiers upbraided the Nightingale -and said that it was a most ungrateful creature.</p> - -<p>“We have the better of the two,” they said, and -the artificial Nightingale had to sing again, and this -was the thirty-fourth time they heard the same tune. -But they did not know it properly even then, because -it was so difficult, and the bandmaster praised the -wonderful bird in the highest terms, and even asserted -that it was superior to the real bird, not only as -regarded the outside, with the many lovely diamonds, -but also the inside as well.</p> - -<p>“You see, ladies and gentlemen, and above all -your Imperial Majesty, that with the real Nightingale, -you can never predict what may happen, but with the -artificial bird, everything is settled upon beforehand; -so it remains and it cannot be changed. One can -account for it. One can rip it open and show the -human ingenuity, explaining how the cylinders lie, -how they work, and how one thing is the result of -another.”</p> - -<p>“That is just what we think,” they all exclaimed, -and the Bandmaster received permission to exhibit -the bird to the people on the following Sunday. The -Emperor said they were to hear it sing. They -listened, and were as much delighted as if they had -been drunk with tea, which is a thoroughly Chinese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -habit, and they all said “Oh!” and stuck their -forefingers in the air, and nodded their heads. But -the poor Fisherman who had heard the real Nightingale, -said: “It sounds quite well, and a little like it, -but there is something missing. I do not know what -it is.”</p> - -<p>The real Nightingale was banished from the -Kingdom. The artificial bird had its place on a -silken cushion close to the Emperor's bed. All the -presents it had received, the gold and precious stones, -lay all round it, and it had been honoured with the -title of High Imperial Bedroom Singer—in the first -rank, on the left side, for even the Emperor considered -that side the grander on which the heart is placed, -and even an Emperor has his heart on the left side. -The Bandmaster wrote twenty-five volumes about the -wonderful artificial bird. The book was very learned -and very long, filled with the most difficult words in -the Chinese language, and everybody said that he had -read it and understood it, for otherwise he would have -been considered stupid, and would have been trampled -upon.</p> - -<p>And thus a whole year passed away. The Emperor, -the Court and all the other Chinese knew every little -gurgle in the artificial bird's song, and just for this -reason, they were all the better pleased with it. They -could sing it themselves—which they did. The boys -in the street sang “zizizi” and “cluck, cluck,” and -even the Emperor sang it. Yes, it was certainly -beautiful. But one evening, while the bird was singing, -and the Emperor lay in bed listening to it, there -was a whirring sound inside the bird, and something -whizzed; all the wheels ran round, and the music -stopped. The Emperor sprang out of bed and sent -for the Court Physician, but what could he do? Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -they sent for the watch-maker, and after much talk -and examination, he patched the bird up, but he said -it must be spared as much as possible, because the -hammers were so worn out and he could not put new -ones in so that the music could be counted on. This -was a great grief. The bird could only be allowed to -sing once a year, and even that was risky, but on these -occasions the Bandmaster would make a little speech, -introducing difficult words, saying the bird was as -good as it ever had been: and that was true.</p> - -<p>Five years passed away, and a great sorrow had -come over the land. The people all really cared for -their Emperor: now he was ill and it was said he -could not live. A new Emperor had been chosen, and -the people stood about the streets, and questioned the -Lord-in-Waiting about their Emperor's condition.</p> - -<p>“P!” he said, and shook his head.</p> - -<p>The Emperor lay pale and cold on his great, -gorgeous bed: the whole Court believed that he was -dead, and they all hastened to pay homage to the new -Emperor. The footmen hurried off to discuss matters, -and the chambermaids gave a great coffee party. -Cloth had been laid down in all the rooms and -passages, so that not a footstep should be heard and it -was all fearfully quiet. But the Emperor was not yet -dead. He lay stiff and pale in the sumptuous bed, -with its long, velvet curtains, and the heavy gold -tassels: just above was an open window, and the moon -shone in upon the Emperor and the artificial bird. -The poor Emperor could hardly breathe: it was as if -something were weighing him down: he opened his -eyes and saw it was Death, sitting on his chest, -wearing his golden crown, holding in one hand the -golden sword, and in the other the splendid banner: -and from the folds of the velvet curtains strange faces<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -peered forth, some terrible to look on, others mild and -friendly: these were the Emperor's good and bad -deeds, which gazed upon him now that Death sat -upon his heart.</p> - -<p>“Do you remember this?” whispered one after -the other. “Do you remember that?” They told -him so much that the sweat poured down his face.</p> - -<p>“I never knew that,” said the Emperor. “Play -music! music! Beat the great Chinese drum!” he -called out, “so that I may not hear what they are -saying!”</p> - -<p>But they kept on, and Death nodded his head, like -a Chinaman, at everything they said.</p> - -<p>“Music, music,” cried the Emperor. “You little -precious bird! Sing to me, ah! sing to me! I have -given you gold and costly treasures. I have hung my -golden slipper about your neck. Sing to me. Sing -to me!”</p> - -<p>But the bird stood still: there was no one to wind -him up, and therefore he could not sing. But Death -went on, staring at the Emperor with his great hollow -sockets, and it was terribly still.</p> - -<p>Then, suddenly, close to the window, came the sound -of a lovely song. It was the little live Nightingale -which perched on the branches outside. It had heard -of its Emperor's plight, and had therefore flown hither -to bring him comfort and hope, and as he sang, the -faces became paler and the blood coursed more freely -through the Emperor's weak body, and Death himself -listened and said: “Go on, little Nightingale. Go -on.”</p> - -<p>“And will you give me the splendid sword, and the -rich banner and the Emperor's crown?”</p> - -<p>And Death gave all these treasures for a song. And -still the Nightingale sang on. He sang of the quiet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -churchyard, where the white roses grow, where the -Elder flowers bloom, and where the grass is kept moist -by the tears of the survivors, and there came to Death -such a longing to see his garden, that he floated out -of the window, in the form of a white, cold mist.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, thank you,” said the Emperor. “You -heavenly little bird, I know you well! I banished you -from the land, and you have charmed away the evil -spirits from my bed, and you have driven Death from -my heart. How shall I reward you?”</p> - -<p>“You have rewarded me,” said the Nightingale. -“I received tears from your eyes the first time I sang, -and I never forget that. These are jewels which touch -the heart of the singer. But sleep now, that you may -wake fresh and strong. I will sing to you,” and it -sang, and the Emperor fell into a sweet sleep. The -sun shone in upon him through the window, and he -woke feeling strong and healthy. None of his servants -had come back, because they thought he was -dead, but the Nightingale was still singing.</p> - -<p>“You will always stay with me,” said the Emperor. -“You shall only sing when it pleases you, and I will -break the artificial Nightingale into a thousand -pieces.”</p> - -<p>“Do not do that,” said the Nightingale.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> “It has -done the best it could. Keep it with you. I cannot -build my nest in a palace, but let me come just as I -please. I will sit on the branch near the window, and -sing to you that you may be joyful and thoughtful too. -I will sing to you of the happy folk, and of those that -suffer; I will sing of the evil and of the good, which -is being hidden from you. The little singing bird -flies hither and thither, to the poor fisherman, to the -peasant's hut, to many who live far from you and the -Court. Your heart is dearer to me than your crown, -and yet the crown has a breath of sanctity too. I will -come; I will sing to you, but one thing you must -promise.”</p> - -<p>“All that you ask,” said the Emperor and stood -there in his imperial robes which he had put on -himself, and held the heavy golden sword on his heart.</p> - -<p>“I beg you, let no one know that you have a little -bird who tells you everything. It will be far better -thus,” and the Nightingale flew away.</p> - -<p>The servants came to look upon their dead Emperor: -they stood there and the Emperor said “Good -morning.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -(<i>From Hans. C. Andersen, translated from the -Danish by Marie L. Shedlock.</i>) -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Swineherd.</span></h3> - -<p>There was once upon a time a needy prince. He -owned a Kingdom—a very small one, but it was large -enough to support a wife, and he made up his mind -to marry. Now, it was really very bold on his part -to say of the King's daughter: “Will you marry -me?” But he dared to do so, for his name was -known far and wide, and there were hundreds of -princesses who would willingly have said: “Yes, -with thanks.” But, whether she would say so, was -another matter. We shall hear what happened.</p> - -<p>On the grave of the Prince's father there grew a -rose-tree—such a wonderful rose-tree! It only -bloomed once in five years, and then it only bore one -rose—but what a rose! Its perfume was so sweet that -whoever smelt it forgot all his cares and sorrows. The -Prince had also a Nightingale which could sing as if -all the delicious melodies in the world were contained -in its little throat. The rose and the Nightingale were -both to be given to the Princess and were therefore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> -placed in two silver cases and sent to her. The -Emperor had them carried before him into the great -hall where the Princess was playing at “visiting” -with her ladies-in-waiting. This was their chief -occupation; and when she saw the great cases with -the presents in them, she clapped her hands with joy.</p> - -<p>“If it were only a little pussy-cat,” she cried. But -out came the beautiful rose.</p> - -<p>“How elegantly it is made,” said all the ladies of -the Court.</p> - -<p>“It is more than elegant,” said the Emperor; “it -is nice.”</p> - -<p>“Fie, papa,” she said, “it is not made at all; it is -a natural rose.”</p> - -<p>“Fie,” said all the ladies of the court; “it is a -natural rose.”</p> - -<p>“Let us see what the other case contains before we -lose our temper,” said the Emperor, and then out -came the little Nightingale and sang so sweetly that -nobody right off could think of any bad thing to say -of it.</p> - -<p>“Superbe, charmant,” cried the ladies of the Court, -for they all chattered French, one worse than the -other.</p> - -<p>“How the bird reminds me of the late Empress' -musical-box!” said an old Lord-in-Waiting. “Ah -me! The same tone, the same execution——”</p> - -<p>“The very same,” said the Emperor, and he cried -like a little child.</p> - -<p>“I hope it is not a real bird,” said the Princess.</p> - -<p>“Oh yes; it is a real bird,” said those who had -brought it.</p> - -<p>“Then let the bird fly away,” she said, and she -would on no account allow the Prince to come in.</p> - -<p>But he was not to be discouraged. He smeared his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -face with black and brown, drew his cap over his -forehead, and knocked at the Palace door. The -Emperor opened it.</p> - -<p>“Good day, Emperor,” he said. “Could I not get -some work at the Palace?”</p> - -<p>“There are so many who apply for positions here!” -said the Emperor. “Now let me see: I am in want -of a swineherd. I have a good many pigs to keep.”</p> - -<p>So the Prince was appointed as Imperial Swineherd. -He had a wretched little room near the pig-sty -and here he was obliged to stay. But the whole day -he sat and worked, and by the evening he had made a -neat little pipkin, and round it was a set of bells, and -as soon as the pot began to boil, the bells fell to -jingling most sweetly and played the old melody:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“Ah, my dear Augustus,</div> -<div class="i0">All is lost, all is lost;”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="noin">but the most wonderful thing was that when you held -your finger in the steam of the pipkin, you could -immediately smell what dinner was cooking on every -hearth in the town—that was something very different -from a rose.</p> - -<p>The Princess was walking out with her ladies-in-Waiting, -and when she heard the melody, she stopped -short, and looked much rejoiced, for she could play -“Ah, my dear Augustus.” That was the only tune -she knew, but she could play it with one finger. -“Why, that is what I can play,” she said. “What -a cultivated swineherd he must be. Go down and ask -him how much his instrument costs.”</p> - -<p>So one of the Ladies-in-Waiting was obliged to go -down, but she put on pattens first.</p> - -<p>“What do you charge for your instrument?” -asked the Lady-in-Waiting.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> - -“I will have ten kisses from the Princess,” said -the Swineherd.</p> - -<p>“Good gracious!” said the Lady-in-Waiting.</p> - -<p>“I will not take less,” said the Swineherd.</p> - -<p>“Well, what did he say?” asked the Princess.</p> - -<p>“I really cannot tell you,” said the Lady-in-Waiting. -“It is too dreadful.”</p> - -<p>“Then you can whisper it,” said the Princess.</p> - -<p>So she whispered it.</p> - -<p>“He is very rude,” said the Princess, and she -walked away. But when she had walked a few steps -the bells sounded so sweetly:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“Ah, my dear Augustus,</div> -<div class="i0">All is lost, all is lost.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>“Listen,” said the Princess, “ask him whether he -will have his kisses from my Ladies-in-Waiting.”</p> - -<p>“No, thank you,” said the Swineherd. “I will -have ten kisses from the Princess, or I will keep my -pipkin.”</p> - -<p>“How tiresome it is,” said the Princess; “but you -must stand round me, so that nobody shall see.”</p> - -<p>So the Ladies-in-Waiting stood round her, and they -spread out their dresses. The Swineherd got the -kisses, and she got the pipkin.</p> - -<p>How delighted she was. All the evening, and the -whole of the next day that pot was made to boil. And -you might have known what everybody was cooking -on every hearth in the town from the Chamberlain's -to the shoemaker's. The court ladies danced and -clapped their hands.</p> - -<p>“We know who is to have fruit, soup and pancakes. -We know who is going to have porridge, and cutlets. -How very interesting it is!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -“Most, interesting, indeed,” said the first Lady-of-Honour.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but hold your tongues, because I am the -Emperor's daughter.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we will,” they cried in one breath.</p> - -<p>The Swineherd, or rather the Prince, though they -did not know but that he was a real swineherd, did -not let the day pass without doing something, and he -made a rattle which could play all the waltzes and the -polkas and the hop-dances which had been known -since the creation of the world.</p> - -<p>“But this is superb,” said the Princess, who was -just passing: “I have never heard more beautiful -composition. Go and ask him the cost of the instrument. -But I will give no more kisses.”</p> - -<p>“He insists on a hundred kisses from the Princess,” -said the Ladies-in-Waiting who had been down to ask.</p> - -<p>“I think he must be quite mad,” said the Princess, -and she walked away. But when she had taken a few -steps, she stopped short, and said: “One must -encourage the fine arts, and I am the Emperor's -daughter. Tell him he may have ten kisses, as before, -and the rest he can take from my Ladies-in-Waiting.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we object to that,” said the Ladies-in-Waiting.</p> - -<p>“That is nonsense,” said the Princess. “If I can -kiss him, surely you can do the same. Go down at -once. Don't I pay you board and wages?”</p> - -<p>So the Ladies-in-Waiting were obliged to go down -to the Swineherd again.</p> - -<p>“A hundred kisses from the Princess, or each keeps -his own.”</p> - -<p>“Stand round me,” she said. And all the Ladies-in-Waiting -stood round her, and the Swineherd began -to kiss her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> - -“What can all that crowd be down by the pigsty?” -said the Emperor, stepping out on to the -balcony. He rubbed his eyes and put on his spectacles. -“It is the court-ladies up to some of their tricks. -I must go down and look after them.” He pulled up -his slippers (for they were shoes which he had trodden -down at the heel).</p> - -<p>Heavens! How he hurried! As soon as he came -into the garden he walked very softly, and the Ladies-in-Waiting -had so much to do counting the kisses, so -that everything should be done fairly, and that the -Swineherd should neither get too many nor too few, -that they never noticed the Emperor at all. He stood -on tiptoe.</p> - -<p>“What is this all about?” he said, when he saw -the kissing that was going on, and he hit them on the -head with his slipper, just as the Swineherd was -getting the eighty-sixth kiss. “Heraus,” said the -Emperor, for he was angry, and both the Princess and -the Swineherd were turned out of his Kingdom.</p> - -<p>The Princess wept, the Swineherd scolded, and the -rain streamed down.</p> - -<p>“Ah! wretched creature that I am,” said the -Princess. “If I had only taken the handsome Prince! -Ah me, how unhappy I am!”</p> - -<p>Then the Swineherd went behind a tree, washed the -black and brown off his face, threw off his ragged -clothes, and stood forth in his royal apparel, looking -so handsome that she was obliged to curtsey.</p> - -<p>“I have learned to despise you,” he said.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> “You -would not have an honourable Prince. You could -not appreciate a rose or a Nightingale, but to get a toy, -you kissed the Swineherd. Now you have your -reward.”</p> - -<p>So he went into his Kingdom, shut the door and -bolted it, and she had to stand outside singing:</p> -<div class="center"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">“Ah, you dear Augustus,</div> -<div class="i0">All, all is lost.”</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p class="right"> -(<i>From the Danish of Hans C. Andersen, translated -by Marie L. Shedlock.</i>) -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Princess and the Pea.</span></h3> - -<p>There was once a Prince who wished to marry a -Princess, but she must be a real Princess. He -travelled all over the world to find such a one; but -there was always something the matter. There were -plenty of Princesses, but whether they were real or -not, he could not be quite certain. There was always -something that was not quite right. So he came -home again, feeling very sad, for he was so anxious -to have a real Princess.</p> - -<p>One evening a terrible storm came on: it lightened, -and thundered and the rain came down in torrents. -It was quite terrible. Then there came a knocking at -the town-gate, and the old King went down to open -it. There, outside, stood a Princess. But gracious! -the rain and bad weather had made her look dreadful. -The water was running out of her hair on to her -clothes, into the tips of her shoes and out at the heels, -and yet she said she was a real Princess.</p> - -<p>“We shall soon find out about that,” thought the -old Queen. But she said never a word. She went -into the bedroom, took off all the bed-clothes and put -a pea on the bedstead. Then she took twenty -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> -mattresses and laid them on the pea and twenty eider-down -quilts upon the mattresses. And the Princess -was to sleep there at night.</p> - -<p>In the morning they came to her and asked her how -she had slept.</p> - -<p>“Oh! dreadfully,” said the Princess. “I scarcely -closed my eyes the whole night long. Heaven knows -what could have been in the bed. I have lain upon -something hard, so that my whole body is black and -blue. It is quite dreadful.”</p> - -<p>So they could see now that she was a real Princess, -because she had felt the pea through twenty mattresses -and twenty eider-down quilts. Nobody but a real -Princess could be so sensitive.</p> - -<p>So the Prince married her, for now he knew that he -had found a real Princess, and the pea was sent to an -Art Museum, where it can still be seen, if nobody has -taken it away.</p> - -<p>Now, mark you: This is a true story.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(<i>Translated from the Danish of Hans C. Andersen -by Marie L. Shedlock.</i>) -</p> - -<p class="p2">I give the following story, quoted by Professor Ker -in his Romanes Lecture, 1906, as an encouragement to -those who develop the art of story-telling.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Story of Sturla.</span></h3> - -<p>Then Sturla got ready to sail away with the king, -and his name was put on the list. He went on board -before many men had come; he had a sleeping bag -and a travelling chest, and took his place on the -fore-deck. A little later the king came on to the quay,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> -and a company of men with him. Sturla rose and -bowed, and bade the king ‘hail,’ but the king -answered nothing, and went aft along the ship to the -quarter-deck. They sailed that day to go south along -the coast. But in the evening when men unpacked -their provisions Sturla sat still, and no one invited -him to mess. Then a servant of the king's came and -asked Sturla if he had any meat and drink. Sturla -said ‘No.’ Then the king's servant went to the king -and spoke with him, out of hearing: and then went -forward to Sturla and said: “You shall go to mess -with Thorir Mouth and Erlend Maw.” They took -him into their mess, but rather stiffly. When men -were turning in to sleep, a sailor of the king's asked -who should tell them stories. There was little answer. -Then he said: “Sturla the Icelander, will you tell -stories?” “As you will,” said Sturla. So he told -them the story of Huld, better and fuller than any one -there had ever heard it told before. Then many men -pushed forward to the fore-deck, wanting to hear as -clearly as might be, and there was a great crowd. The -queen asked: “What is that crowd on deck there?” -A man answered: “The men are listening to the -story that the Icelander tells.” “What story is that?” -said she. He answers: “It is about a great troll-wife, -and it is a good story and well told.” The king -bade her pay no heed to that, and go to sleep. She -says: “I think this Icelander must be a good fellow, -and less to blame than he is reported.” The king -was silent.</p> - -<p>So the night passed, and the next morning there -was no wind for them, and the king's ship lay in the -same place. Later in the day, when men sat at their -drink, the king sent dishes from his table to Sturla. -Sturla's messmates were pleased with this:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> “You -bring better luck than we thought, if this sort of thing -goes on.” After dinner the queen sent for Sturla and -asked him to come to her and bring the troll-wife story -along with him. So Sturla went aft to the quarter-deck, -and greeted the king and queen. The king -answered little, the queen well and cheerfully. She -asked him to tell the same story he had told overnight. -He did so, for a great part of the day. When he had -finished, the queen thanked him, and many others -besides, and made him out in their minds to be a -learned man and sensible. But the king said nothing; -only he smiled a little. Sturla thought he saw that -the king's whole frame of mind was brighter than the -day before. So he said to the king that he had made -a poem about him, and another about his father: “I -would gladly get a hearing for them.” The queen -said: “Let him recite his poem; I am told that he is -the best of poets, and his poem will be excellent.” -The king bade him say on, if he would, and repeat -the poem he professed to have made about him. -Sturla chanted it to the end. The queen said: “To -my mind that is a good poem.” The king said to -her: “Can you follow the poem clearly?” “I -would be fain to have you think so, Sir,” said the -queen. The king said: “I have learned that Sturla -is good at verses.” Sturla took his leave of the king -and queen and went to his place. There was no -sailing for the king all that day. In the evening -before he went to bed he sent for Sturla. And when -he came he greeted the king and said: “What will -you have me to do, Sir?” The king called for a -silver goblet full of wine, and drank some and gave -it to Sturla and said: “A health to a friend in wine!” -(<i>Vin skal til vinar drekka.</i>) Sturla said: “God be -praised for it!” “Even so,” says the king,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> “and -now I wish you to say the poem you have made about -my father.” Sturla repeated it: and when it was -finished men praised it much, and most of all the -queen. The king said: “To my thinking, you are -a better reciter than the Pope.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -<i>Sturlunga Saga</i>, vol. ii, pp. 269 <i>sqq.</i> -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">A Saga.</span></h3> - -<p>In the grey beginnings of the world, or ever the -flower of justice had rooted in the heart, there lived -among the daughters of men two children, sisters, of -one house.</p> - -<p>In childhood did they leap and climb and swim -with the men children of their race, and were nurtured -on the same stories of gods and heroes.</p> - -<p>In maidenhood they could do all that a maiden -might and more—delve could they no less than spin, -hunt no less than weave, brew pottage and helm ships, -wake the harp and tell the stars, face all danger and -laugh at all pain.</p> - -<p>Joyous in toil-time and rest-time were they as the -days and years of their youth came and went. Death -had spared their house, and unhappiness knew they -none. Yet often as at falling day they sat before -sleep round the hearth of red fire, listening with the -household to the brave songs of gods and heroes, -there would surely creep into their hearts a shadow—the -thought that whatever the years of their lives, and -whatever the generous deeds, there would for them, as -women, be no escape at the last from the dire mists -of Hela, the fogland beyond the grave for all such as -die not in battle; no escape for them from Hela, and -no place for ever for them or for their kind among -the glory-crowned, sword-shriven heroes of echoing -Valhalla.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> - -That shadow had first fallen in their lusty childhood, -had slowly gathered darkness through the -overflowing days of maidenhood, and now, in the -strong tide of full womanhood, often lay upon their -future as the moon in Odin's wrath lies upon the sun.</p> - -<p>But stout were they to face danger and laugh at -pain, and for all the shadow upon their hope they -lived brave and songful days—the one a homekeeper -and in her turn a mother of men; the other unhusbanded, -but gentle to ignorance and sickness and -sorrow through the width and length of the land.</p> - -<p>And thus, facing life fearlessly and ever with a -smile, those two women lived even unto extreme old -age, unto the one's children's children's children, -labouring truly unto the end and keeping strong -hearts against the dread day of Hela, and the fate-locked -gates of Valhalla.</p> - -<p>But at the end a wonder.</p> - -<p>As these sisters looked their last upon the sun, the -one in the ancestral homestead under the eyes of love, -the other in a distant land among strange faces, -behold the wind of Thor, and out of the deep of -heaven the white horses of Odin, All-Father, bearing -Valkyrie, shining messengers of Valhalla. And those -two world-worn women, faithful in all their lives, were -caught up in death in divine arms and borne far from -the fogs of Hela to golden thrones among the battle -heroes, upon which the Nornir, sitting at the loom of -life, had from all eternity graven their names.</p> - -<p>And from that hour have the gates of Valhalla -been thrown wide to all faithful endeavour whether of -man or of women.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">John Russell</span>,<br /> -Headmaster of the King Alfred School. -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Legend of St. Christopher.</span></h3> - -<p>Christopher was of the lineage of the Canaaneans -and he was of a right great stature, and had a terrible -and fearful cheer and countenance. And he was -twelve cubits of length. And, as it is read in some -histories, when he served and dwelled with the king -of Canaaneans, it came in his mind that he would -seek the greatest prince that was in the world and him -he would serve and obey.</p> - -<p>And so far he went that he came to a right great -king, of whom the renown generally was that he was -the greatest of the world. And when the king saw -him he received him into his service and made him -to dwell in his court.</p> - -<p>Upon a time a minstrel sang before him a song in -which he named oft the devil. And the king which -was a Christian man, when he heard him name the -devil, made anon the sign of the cross in his visage. -And when Christopher saw that, he had great marvel -what sign it was and wherefore the king made it. -And he demanded it of him. And because the king -would not say, he said, “If thou tell me not, I shall -no longer dwell with thee.” And then the king told -to him saying, “Alway when I hear the devil named, -I fear that he should have power over me, and I -garnish me with this sign that he grieve not nor annoy -me.” Then Christopher said to him, “Thou doubtest -the devil that he hurt thee not? Then is the devil -more mighty and greater than thou art. I am then -deceived of my hope and purpose; for I supposed that -I had found the most mighty and the most greatest -lord of the world. But I commend thee to God, for I -will go seek him to be my lord and I his servant.”</p> - -<p>And then he departed from this king and hasted -him to seek the devil. And as he went by a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -desert he saw a great company of knights. Of which -a knight cruel and horrible came to him and demanded -whither he went. And Christopher answered to him -and said, “I go to seek the devil for to be my master.” -And he said, “I am he that thou seekest.” And then -Christopher was glad and bound himself to be his -servant perpetual, and took him for his master and -lord.</p> - -<p>And as they went together by a common way, they -found there a cross erect and standing. And anon -as the devil saw the cross, he was afeard and fled, and -left the right way and brought Christopher about by -a sharp desert, and after, when they were past the -cross, he brought him to the highway that they had -left. And when Christopher saw that, he marvelled -and demanded whereof he doubted that he had left -high and fair way and had gone so far about by so -hard desert. And the devil would not tell to him in -no wise. Then Christopher said to him, “If thou -wilt not tell me I shall anon depart from thee and -shall serve thee no more.” Therefore the devil was -constrained to tell him, and said, “There was a man -called Christ which was hanged on the cross, and -when I see his sign, I am sore afeard and flee from it -wheresomever I find it.” To whom Christopher said, -“Then he is greater and more mightier than thou, -when thou art afraid of his sign. And I see well that -I have laboured in vain since I have not founden the -greatest lord of all the earth. And I will serve thee -no longer. Go thy way then: for I will go seek Jesus -Christ.”</p> - -<p>And when he had long sought and demanded where -he should find Christ, at the last he came into a great -desert to an hermit that dwelled there. And this -hermit preached to him of Jesus Christ and informed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> -him in the faith diligently. And he said to him, -“This king whom thou desirest to serve, requireth -this service that thou must oft fast.” And Christopher -said to him, “Require of me some other thing and I -shall do it. For that which thou requirest I may not -do.” And the hermit said, “Thou must then wake -and make many prayers.” And Christopher said to -him, “I wot not what it is. I may do no such thing.” -And then the hermit said unto him, “Knowest thou -such a river in which many be perished and lost?” -To whom Christopher said, “I know it well.” Then -said the hermit, “Because thou art noble and high of -stature and strong in thy members, thou shalt be -resident by that river and shalt bear over all them that -shall pass there. Which shall be a thing right -convenable to Our Lord Jesus Christ, whom thou -desirest to serve, and I hope He shall shew Himself -to thee.” Then said Christopher, “Certes, this service -may I well do, and I promise to Him for to do it.”</p> - -<p>Then went Christopher to this river, and made -there his habitation for him. And he bare a great -pole in his hand instead of a staff, by which he -sustained him in the water; and bare over all manner -of people without ceasing. And there he abode, thus -doing many days.</p> - -<p>And on a time, as he slept in his lodge, he heard -the voice of a child which called him and said, -“Christopher, come out and bear me over.” Then -he awoke and went out; but he found no man. And -when he was again in his house, he heard the same -voice, and he ran out and found nobody. The third -time he was called, and came thither, and found a -child beside the rivage of the river: which prayed -him goodly to bear him over the water. And then -Christopher lift up the child on his shoulders and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> -took his staff and entered into the river for to pass. -And the water of the river arose and swelled more and -more. And the child was heavy as lead. And always -as he went further the water increased and grew more, -and the child more and more waxed heavy: in so -much that Christopher had great anguish and feared -to be drowned. And when he was escaped with great -pain and passed the water, and set the child aground, -he said to the child, “Child, thou hast put me in -great peril. Thou weighest almost as I had had all -the world upon me. I might bear no greater burden.” -And the child answered, “Christopher, marvel thou -no thing. For thou hast not only borne all the world -upon thee; but thou hast borne Him that created and -made all the world upon thy shoulders. I am Jesus -Christ, the King to whom thou servest in this work. -And that thou mayest know that I say to thee truth, -set thy staff in the earth by the house, and thou shalt -see to-morrow that it shall bear flowers and fruit.” -And anon he vanished from his eyes.</p> - -<p>And then Christopher set his staff in the earth and -when he arose on the morrow, he found his staff like -a palm-tree bearing flowers, leaves and dates.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Arthur in the Cave.</span></h3> - -<p>Once upon a time a Welshman was walking on -London Bridge, staring at the traffic and wondering -why there were so many kites hovering about. He -had come to London, after many adventures with -thieves and highwaymen, which need not be related -here, in charge of a herd of black Welsh cattle. He -had sold them with much profit, and with jingling -gold in his pocket he was going about to see the -sights of the city.</p> - -<p>He was carrying a hazel staff in his hand, for you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> -must know that a good staff is as necessary to a drover -as teeth are to his dogs. He stood still to gaze at -some wares in a shop (for at that time London Bridge -was shops from beginning to end), when he noticed -that a man was looking at his stick with a long fixed -look. The man after a while came to him and asked -him where he came from.</p> - -<p>“I come from my own country,” said the Welshman, -rather surlily, for he could not see what business -the man had to ask such a question.</p> - -<p>“Do not take it amiss,” said the stranger: “if you -will only answer my questions, and take my advice, it -will be greater benefit to you than you imagine. Do -you remember where you cut that stick?”</p> - -<p>The Welshman was still suspicious, and said: -“What does it matter where I cut it?”</p> - -<p>“It matters,” said the questioner, “because there -is a treasure hidden near the spot where you cut that -stick. If you can remember the place and conduct -me to it, I will put you in possession of great riches.”</p> - -<p>The Welshman now understood he had to deal with -a sorcerer, and he was greatly perplexed as to what -to do. On the one hand, he was tempted by the -prospect of wealth; on the other hand, he knew that -the sorcerer must have derived his knowledge from -devils, and he feared to have anything to do with the -powers of darkness. The cunning man strove hard -to persuade him, and at length made him promise to -shew the place where he cut his hazel staff.</p> - -<p>The Welshman and the magician journeyed together -to Wales. They went to Craig y Dinas, the Rock of -the Fortress, at the head of the Neath valley, near -Pont Nedd Fechan, and the Welshman, pointing to -the stock or root of an old hazel, said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> “This is where -I cut my stick.”</p> - -<p>“Let us dig,” said the sorcerer. They digged until -they came to a broad, flat stone. Prising this up, -they found some steps leading downwards. They -went down the steps and along a narrow passage until -they came to a door. “Are you brave?” asked the -sorcerer, “will you come in with me?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the Welshman, his curiosity getting -the better of his fear.</p> - -<p>They opened the door, and a great cave opened out -before them. There was a faint red light in the cave, -and they could see everything. The first thing they -came to was a bell.</p> - -<p>“Do not touch that bell,” said the sorcerer, “or it -will be all over with us both.”</p> - -<p>As they went further in, the Welshman saw that -the place was not empty. There were soldiers lying -down asleep, thousands of them, as far as ever the -eye could see. Each one was clad in bright armour, -the steel helmet of each was on his head, the shining -shield of each was on his arm, the sword of each was -near his hand, each had his spear stuck in the ground -near him, and each and all were asleep.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the cave was a great round table at -which sat warriors whose noble features and richly-dight -armour proclaimed that they were not as the -roll of common men.</p> - -<p>Each of these, too, had his head bent down in sleep. -On a golden throne on the further side of the round -table was a king of gigantic stature and august -presence. In his hand, held below the hilt, was a -mighty sword with scabbard and haft of gold studded -with gleaming gems; on his head was a crown set -with precious stones which flashed and glinted like -so many points of fire. Sleep had set its seal on his -eyelids also.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> - -“Are they asleep?” asked the Welshman, hardly -believing his own eyes. “Yes, each and all of -them,” answered the sorcerer. “But, if you touch -yonder bell, they will all awake.”</p> - -<p>“How long have they been asleep?”</p> - -<p>“For over a thousand years.”</p> - -<p>“Who are they?”</p> - -<p>“Arthur's warriors, waiting for the time to come -when they shall destroy all the enemy of the Cymry -and repossess the strand of Britain, establishing their -own king once more at Caer Lleon.”</p> - -<p>“Who are these sitting at the round table?”</p> - -<p>“These are Arthur's knights—Owain, the son of -Urien; Cai, the son of Cynyr; Gnalchmai, the son of -Gwyar; Peredir, the son of Efrawe; Geraint, the son -of Erbin; Trystan, the son of March; Bedwyr, the -son of Bedrawd; Ciernay, the son of Celyddon; -Edeyrn, the son of Nudd; Cymri, the son of Clydno.”</p> - -<p>“And on the golden throne?” broke in the Welshman.</p> - -<p>“Is Arthur himself, with his sword Excalibur in -his hand,” replied the sorcerer.</p> - -<p>Impatient by this time at the Welshman's questions, -the sorcerer hastened to a great heap of yellow gold -on the floor of the cave. He took up as much as he -could carry, and bade his companion do the same. -“It is time for us to go,” he then said, and he led -the way towards the door by which they had entered.</p> - -<p>But the Welshman was fascinated by the sight of -the countless soldiers in their glittering arms—all -asleep.</p> - -<p>“How I should like to see them all awaking!” he -said to himself. “I will touch the bell—I <i>must</i> see -them all arising from their sleep.”</p> - -<p>When they came to the bell, he struck it until it -rang through the whole place. As soon as it rang,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -lo! the thousands of warriors leapt to their feet and -the ground beneath them shook with the sound of the -steel arms. And a great voice came from their midst: -“Who rang the bell? Has the day come?”</p> - -<p>The sorcerer was so much frightened that he shook -like an aspen leaf. He shouted in answer: “No, the -day has not come. Sleep on.”</p> - -<p>The mighty host was all in motion, and the Welshman's -eyes were dazzled as he looked at the bright -steel arms which illumined the cave as with the light -of myriad flames of fire.</p> - -<p>“Arthur,” said the voice again, “awake; the bell -has rung, the day is breaking. Awake, Arthur the -Great.”</p> - -<p>“No,” shouted the sorcerer, “it is still night. -Sleep on, Arthur the Great.”</p> - -<p>A sound came from the throne. Arthur was standing, -and the jewels in his crown shone like bright stars -above the countless throng. His voice was strong -and sweet like the sound of many waters, and he said: -“My warriors, the day has not come when the -Black Eagle and the Golden Eagle shall go to war. -It is only a seeker after gold who has rung the bell. -Sleep on, my warriors; the morn of Wales has not -yet dawned.”</p> - -<p>A peaceful sound like the distant sigh of the sea -came over the cave, and in a trice the soldiers were all -asleep again. The sorcerer hurried the Welshman -out of the cave, moved the stone back to its place and -vanished.</p> - -<p>Many a time did the Welshman try to find his way -into the cave again, but though he dug over every -inch of the hill, he has never again found the entrance -to Arthur's Cave.</p> - -<p class="right"> -From “The Welsh Fairy Book,” by W. Jenkyn -Thomas. Fisher Unwin. -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Hafiz the Stone-cutter.</span> -</h3> -<p>There was once a stone-cutter whose name was -Hafiz, and all day long he chipped, chipped, chipped -at his block. And often he grew very weary of his -task and he would say to himself impatiently, “Why -should I go on chip-chip-chipping at my block? Why -should I not have pleasure and amusement as other -folk have?”</p> - -<p>One day, when the sun was very hot and when he -felt specially weary, he suddenly heard the sound of -many feet, and, looking up from his work, he saw a -great procession coming his way. It was the King, -mounted on a splendid charger, all his soldiers to the -right, in their shining armour, and the servants to the -left, dressed in gorgeous clothing, ready to do his -behests.</p> - -<p>And Hafiz said: “How splendid to be a King! If -only I could be a King, if only for ten minutes, so -that I might know what it feels like!” And then, -even as he spoke, he seemed to be dreaming, and in -his dream he sang this little song:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah me! Ah me!</div> -<div class="i0">If Hafiz only the King could be!</div> -</div></div> -</div> -<p>And then a voice from the air around seemed to -answer him and to say:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Be thou the King.<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And Hafiz became the King, and he it was that sat -on the splendid charger, and they were his soldiers -to the right and his servants to the left. And Hafiz -said: “I am King, and there is no one stronger in -the whole world than I.”</p> - -<p>But soon, in spite of the golden canopy over his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> -head, Hafiz began to feel the terrible heat of the rays -of the sun, and soon he noticed that the soldiers and -servants were weary, that his horse drooped, and that -he, Hafiz, was overcome, and he said angrily: -“What! Is there something stronger in the world -than a King?” And, almost without knowing it, -he again sang his song—more boldly than the first -time:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah me! Ah me!</div> -<div class="i0">If Hafiz only the Sun could be!</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And the Voice answered:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Be thou the Sun.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And Hafiz became the Sun, and shone down upon -the Earth, but, because he did not know how to shine -very wisely, he shone very fiercely, so that the crops -dried up, and folk grew sick and died. And then -there arose from the East a little cloud which slipped -between Hafiz and the Earth, so that he could no -longer shine down upon it, and he said: “Is there -something stronger in the world than the Sun?”</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah me! Ah me!</div> -<div class="i0">If Hafiz only the Cloud could be!</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And the Voice said:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Be thou the cloud.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And Hafiz became the Cloud, and rained down -water upon the Earth, but, because he did not know -how to do so wisely, there fell so much rain that all -the little rivulets became great rivers, and all the great -rivers overflowed their banks, and carried everything -before them in swift torrent—all except one great rock -which stood unmoved. And Hafiz said: “Is there -something stronger than the Cloud?”</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah me! Ah me!</div> -<div class="i0">If Hafiz only the Rock could be!</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -And the Voice said:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Be thou the Rock.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And Hafiz became the Rock, and the Cloud disappeared -and the waters went down.</p> - -<p>And Hafiz the Rock saw coming towards him a -man—but he could not see his face. As the man -approached he suddenly raised a hammer and struck -Hafiz, so that he felt it through all his stony body. -And Hafiz said: “Is there something stronger in the -world than the Rock?”</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Ah me! Ah me!</div> -<div class="i0">If Hafiz only that man might be!</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And the Voice said:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Be thou—Thyself.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And Hafiz seized the hammer and said:</p> - -<p>“The Sun was stronger than the King, the Cloud -was stronger than the Sun, the Rock was stronger -than the Cloud, but I, Hafiz, was stronger than all.”</p> - -<p class="right"> -<i>Adapted and arranged for narration by M. C. S.</i> -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span class="label">[54]</span></a> The melody to be crooned at first and to grow louder at each -incident.</p></div></div> - -<h3><span class="smcap">To Your Good Health.</span></h3> - -<p class="center">(<i>From the Russian.</i>)</p> - -<p>Long long ago there lived a King who was such a -mighty monarch that whenever he sneezed everyone -in the whole country had to say, “To your good -health!” Everyone said it except the Shepherd with -the bright blue eyes, and he would not say it.</p> - -<p>The King heard of this and was very angry, and -sent for the Shepherd to appear before him.</p> - -<p>The Shepherd came and stood before the throne, -where the King sat looking very grand and powerful. -But, however grand or powerful he might be, the -Shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> - -“Say at once, 'To my good health!'” cried the -King.</p> - -<p>“To my good health,” replied the Shepherd.</p> - -<p>“To mine—to <i>mine</i>, you rascal, you vagabond!” -stormed the King.</p> - -<p>“To mine, to mine, Your Majesty,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“But to <i>mine</i>—to my own!” roared the King, and -beat on his breast in a rage.</p> - -<p>“Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,” cried -the Shepherd, and gently tapped his breast.</p> - -<p>The King was beside himself with fury and did -not know what to do, when the Lord Chamberlain -interfered:</p> - -<p>“Say at once—say at this very moment, ‘To your -health, Your Majesty,’ for if you don't say it you -will lose your life,” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“No, I won't say it till I get the Princess for my -wife,” was the Shepherd's answer.</p> - -<p>Now the Princess was sitting on a little throne beside -the King her father, and she looked as sweet and -lovely as a little golden dove. When she heard what -the Shepherd said, she could not help laughing, for -there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd -with the blue eyes pleased her very much; indeed, he -pleased her better than any king's son she had yet -seen.</p> - -<p>But the King was not as pleasant as his daughter, -and he gave orders to throw the Shepherd into the -white bear's pit.</p> - -<p>The guards led him away and thrust him into the -pit with the white bear, who had had nothing to eat -for two days and was very hungry. The door of the -pit was hardly closed when the bear rushed at the -Shepherd; but when it saw his eyes it was so frightened -that it was ready to eat itself. It shrank away into a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span> -corner and gazed at him from there, and in spite of -being so famished, did not dare to touch him, but -sucked its own paws from sheer hunger. The -Shepherd felt that if he once removed his eyes off -the beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep -himself awake he made songs and sang them, and so -the night went by.</p> - -<p>Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to see -the Shepherd's bones, and was amazed to find him -alive and well. He led him to the King, who fell -into a furious passion, and said:</p> - -<p>“Well, you have learned what it is to be very near -death, and now will you say, 'To my very good -health'?”</p> - -<p>But the Shepherd answered:</p> - -<p>“I am not afraid of ten deaths! I will only say it -if I may have the Princess for my wife.”</p> - -<p>“Then go to your death,” cried the King, and -ordered him to be thrown into the den with the wild -boars.</p> - -<p>The wild boars had not been fed for a week, and -when the Shepherd was thrust into their den they -rushed at him to tear him to pieces. But the Shepherd -took a little flute out of the sleeve of his jacket, and -began to play a merry tune, on which the wild boars -first of all shrank shyly away, and then got up on -their hind legs and danced gaily. The Shepherd -would have given anything to be able to laugh, they -looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing, for -he knew well enough that the moment he stopped -they would fall upon him and tear him to pieces. -His eyes were of no use to him here, for he could not -have stared ten wild boars in the face at once; so he -kept on playing, and the wild boars danced very -slowly, as if in a minuet; then by degrees he played<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span> -faster and faster, till they could hardly twist and turn -quickly enough, and ended by all falling over each -other in a heap, quite exhausted and out of breath.</p> - -<p>Then the Shepherd ventured to laugh at last; and -he laughed so long and so loud that when the Lord -Chamberlain came early in the morning, expecting to -find only his bones, the tears were still running down -his cheeks from laughter.</p> - -<p>As soon as the King was dressed the Shepherd was -again brought before him; but he was more angry -than ever to think the wild boars had not torn the -man to bits, and he said:</p> - -<p>“Well, you have learned what it feels to be near -ten deaths, <i>now</i> say 'To my good health!'”</p> - -<p>But the Shepherd broke in with:</p> - -<p>“I do not fear a hundred deaths; and I will only -say it if I may have the Princess for my wife.”</p> - -<p>“Then go to a hundred deaths!” roared the King, -and ordered the Shepherd to be thrown down the deep -vault of scythes.</p> - -<p>The guards dragged him away to a dark dungeon, -in the middle of which was a deep well with sharp -scythes all round it. At the bottom of the well was -a little light by which one could see, if anyone was -thrown in, whether he had fallen to the bottom.</p> - -<p>When the Shepherd was dragged to the dungeon -he begged the guards to leave him alone a little while -that he might look down into the pit of scythes; -perhaps he might after all make up his mind to say, -“To your good health” to the King.</p> - -<p>So the guards left him alone, and he stuck up his -long stick near the wall, hung his cloak round the -stick and put his hat on the top. He also hung his -knapsack up beside the cloak, so that it might seem -to have some body within it. When this was done,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span> -he called out to the guards and said that he had -considered the matter, but after all he could not make -up his mind to say what the King wished.</p> - -<p>The guards came in, threw the hat and cloak, -knapsack and stick all down in the well together, -watched to see how they put out the light at the -bottom, and came away, thinking that now there was -really an end of the Shepherd. But he had hidden in -a dark corner, and was now laughing to himself all -the time.</p> - -<p>Quite early next morning came the Lord Chamberlain -with a lamp, and he nearly fell backwards with -surprise when he saw the Shepherd alive and well. -He brought him to the King, whose fury was greater -than ever, but who cried:</p> - -<p>“Well, now you have been near a hundred deaths; -will you say, 'To your good health'?”</p> - -<p>But the Shepherd only gave the same answer:</p> - -<p>“I won't say it till the Princess is my wife.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps after all you may do it for less,” said the -King, who saw that there was no chance of making -away with the Shepherd; and he ordered the state -coach to be got ready; then he made the Shepherd -get in with him and sit beside him, and ordered the -coachman to drive to the silver wood.</p> - -<p>When they reached it, he said:</p> - -<p>“Do you see this silver wood? Well, if you will -say, ‘To your good health,’ I will give it to you.”</p> - -<p>The Shepherd turned hot and cold by turns, but he -still persisted:</p> - -<p>“I will not say it till the Princess is my wife.”</p> - -<p>The King was much vexed; he drove further on -till they came to a splendid castle, all of gold, and -then he said:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span></p> -<p>“Do you see this golden castle? Well, I will give -you that too, the silver wood and the golden castle, -if only you will say that one thing to me: 'To your -good health.'”</p> - -<p>The Shepherd gaped and wondered, and was quite -dazzled, but he still said:</p> - -<p>“No, I will not say it till I have the Princess for my -wife.”</p> - -<p>This time the King was overwhelmed with grief, -and gave orders to drive on to the diamond pond, and -there he tried once more:</p> - -<p>“You shall have them all—all, if you will but say, -'To your good health.'”</p> - -<p>The Shepherd had to shut his staring eyes tight not -to be dazzled with the brilliant pond, but still he said:</p> - -<p>“No, no; I will not say it till I have the Princess -for my wife.”</p> - -<p>Then the King saw that all his efforts were useless, -and that he might as well give in; so he said:</p> - -<p>“Well, well, it is all the same to me—I will give -you my daughter to wife; but then you really and -truly must say to me, 'To your good health.'”</p> - -<p>“Of course I'll say it; why should I not say it? -It stands to reason that I shall say it then.”</p> - -<p>At this the King was more delighted than anyone -could have believed. He made it known to all -through the country that there were going to be great -rejoicings, as the Princess was going to be married. -And everyone rejoiced to think that the Princess who -had refused so many royal suitors, should have ended -by falling in love with the staring-eyed Shepherd.</p> - -<p>There was such a wedding as had never been seen. -Everyone ate and drank and danced. Even the sick -were feasted, and quite tiny new-born children had -presents given them. But the greatest merry-making -was in the King's palace; there the best bands played<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> -and the best food was cooked. A crowd of people sat -down to table, and all was fun and merry-making.</p> - -<p>And when the groomsman, according to custom, -brought in the great boar's head on a big dish and -placed it before the King, so that he might carve it -and give everyone a share, the savoury smell was so -strong that the King began to sneeze with all his -might.</p> - -<p>“To your very good health!” cried the Shepherd -before anyone else, and the King was so delighted -that he did not regret having given him his daughter.</p> - -<p>In time, when the old King died, the Shepherd -succeeded him. He made a very good king, and -never expected his people to wish him well against -their wills: but, all the same, everyone did wish him -well, because they loved him.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Proud Cock.</span></h3> - -<p class="noin">There was once a cock who grew so dreadfully proud -that he would have nothing to say to anybody. He -left his house, it being far beneath his dignity to have -any trammel of that sort in his life, and as for his -former acquaintances, he cut them all.</p> - -<p>One day, whilst walking about, he came to a few -little sparks of fire which were nearly dead.</p> - -<p>They cried out to him: “Please fan us with your -wings, and we shall come to the full vigour of life -again.”</p> - -<p>But he did not deign to answer, and as he was going -away, one of the sparks said: “Ah well! we shall die, -but our big brother the Fire will pay you out for this -one day.”</p> - -<p>On another day he was airing himself in a meadow, -showing himself off in a very superb set of clothes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -A voice calling from somewhere said: “Please be so -good as to drop us into the water again.”</p> - -<p>He looked about and saw a few drops of water: -they had got separated from their friends in the river, -and were pining away with grief. “Oh! please be -so good as to drop us into the water again,” they -said; but, without any answer, he drank up the drops. -He was too proud and a great deal too big to talk -to a poor little puddle of water; but the drops said: -“Our big brother the Water will one day take you -in hand, you proud and senseless creature.”</p> - -<p>Some days afterwards, during a great storm of rain, -thunder and lightning, the cock took shelter in a little -empty cottage, and shut to the door; and he thought: -“I am clever; I am in comfort. What fools people -are to stop out in a storm like this! What's that?” -thought he. “I never heard a sound like that before.”</p> - -<p>In a little while it grew much louder, and when a -few minutes had passed, it was a perfect howl. -“Oh!” thought he, “this will never do. I must -stop it somehow. But what is it I have to stop?”</p> - -<p>He soon found it was the wind, shouting through -the keyhole, so he plugged up the keyhole with a bit -of clay, and then the wind was able to rest. He was -very tired with whistling so long through the keyhole, -and he said: “Now, if ever I have at any time a -chance of doing a good turn to that princely domestic -fowl, I will do it.”</p> - -<p>Weeks afterwards, the cock looked in at a house -door: he seldom went there, because the miser to -whom the house belonged almost starved himself, and -so, of course, there was nothing over for anybody else.</p> - -<p>To his amazement the cock saw the miser bending -over a pot on the fire. At last the old fellow turned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -round to get a spoon with which to stir his pot, and -then the cock, walking up, looked in and saw that the -miser was making oyster-soup, for he had found some -oyster-shells in an ash-pit, and to give the mixture a -colour he had put in a few halfpence in the pot.</p> - -<p>The miser chanced to turn quickly round, whilst -the cock was peering into the saucepan, and, chuckling -to himself, he said: “I shall have some chicken broth -after all.”</p> - -<p>He tripped up the cock into the pot and shut the -lid on. The bird, feeling warm, said: “Water, -water, don't boil!” But the water only said: “You -drank up my young brothers once: don't ask a favour -of <i>me</i>.”</p> - -<p>Then he called out to the Fire: “Oh! kind Fire, -don't boil the water.” But the Fire replied: “You -once let my young sisters die: you cannot expect any -mercy from me.” So he flared up and boiled the -water all the faster.</p> - -<p>At last, when the cock got unpleasantly warm, he -thought of the wind, and called out: “Oh, Wind, -come to my help!” and the Wind said: “Why, -there is that noble domestic bird in trouble. I will -help him.” So he came down the chimney, blew out -the fire, blew the lid off the pot, and blew the cock far -away into the air, and at last settled him on a steeple, -where the cock has remained ever since. And people -say that the halfpence which were in the pot when it -was boiling have given him the queer brown colour -he still wears.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<i>From the Spanish.</i> -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Snegourka.</span></h3> - -<p>There lived once, in Russia, a peasant and his wife -who would have been as happy as the day is long, if -only God had given them a little child.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> - -One day, as they were watching the children -playing in the snow, the man said to the woman:</p> - -<p>“Wife, shall we go out and help the children to -make a snowball?”</p> - -<p>But the wife answered, smiling:</p> - -<p>“Nay, husband, but since God has given us no -little child, let us go and fashion one from the snow.”</p> - -<p>And she put on her long blue cloak, and he put on -his long brown coat, and they went out onto the crisp -snow, and began to fashion the little child.</p> - -<p>First they made the feet and the legs and the little -body, and then they took a ball of snow for the head. -And at that moment a stranger in a long cloak, with -his hat well drawn over his face, passed that way, and -said: “Heaven help your undertaking!”</p> - -<p>And the peasants crossed themselves and said: “It -is well to ask help from Heaven in all we do.”</p> - -<p>Then they went on fashioning the little child. And -they made two holes for the eyes and formed the nose -and the mouth. And then—wonder of wonders—the -little child came alive, and breath came into its nostrils -and parted lips.</p> - -<p>And the man was afeared, and said to his wife: -“What have we done?”</p> - -<p>And the wife said: “This is the little girl child -God has sent us.” And she gathered it into her arms, -and the loose snow fell away from the little creature. -Her hair became golden and her eyes were as blue -as forget-me-nots—but there was no colour in her -cheeks, because there was no blood in her veins.</p> - -<p>In a few days she was like a child of three or four, -and in a few weeks she seemed to be the age of nine -or ten, and ran about gaily and prattled with the other -children, who loved her so dearly, though she was so -different from them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span> - -Only, happy as she was, and dearly as her parents -loved her, there was one terror in her life, and that -was the sun. And during the day she would run and -hide herself in cool, damp places away from the -sunshine, and this the other children could not understand.</p> - -<p>As the Spring advanced and the days grew longer -and warmer, little Snegourka (for this was the name -by which she was known) grew paler and thinner, and -her mother would often ask her: “What ails you, -my darling?” and Snegourka would say: “Nothing -Mother, but I wish the sun were not so bright.”</p> - -<p>One day, on St. John's Day, the children of the -village came to fetch her for a day in the woods, and -they gathered flowers for her and did all they could -to make her happy, but it was only when the great red -sun went down that Snegourka drew a deep breath of -relief and spread her little hands out to the cool -evening air. And the boys, glad at her gladness, -said: “Let us do something for Snegourka. Let us -light a bonfire.” And Snegourka, not knowing what -a bonfire was, she clapped her hands and was as merry -and eager as they. And she helped them gather the -sticks, and then they all stood round the pile and the -boys set fire to the wood.</p> - -<p>Snegourka stood watching the flames and listening -to the crackle of the wood; and then suddenly they -heard a tiny sound—and looking at the place where -Snegourka had been standing, they saw nothing but -a little snowdrift fast melting. And they called and -called, “Snegourka! Snegourka!” thinking she had -run into the forest. But there was no answer. -Snegourka had disappeared from this life as mysteriously -as she had come into it.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<i>From the Russian, adapted for narration by M.T.S.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Water Nixie.</span></h3> - -<p>The river was so clear because it was the home of -a very beautiful Water Nixie who lived in it, and who -sometimes could emerge from her home and sit in -woman's form upon the bank. She had a dark green -smock upon her, the colour of the water-weed that -waves as the water wills it, deep, deep down. And in -her long wet hair were the white flowers of the water-violet, -and she held a reed mace in her hand. Her -face was very sad, because she had lived a long life, -and known so many adventures, ever since she was a -baby, which was nearly a hundred years ago. For -creatures of the streams and trees live a long, long -time, and when they die they lose themselves in -Nature. That means that they are forever clouds, or -trees, or rivers, and never have the form of men and -women again.</p> - -<p>All water creatures would live, if they might choose -it, in the sea, where they are born. It is in the sea -they float hand-in-hand upon the crested billows, and -sink deep in the great troughs of the strong waves, -that are green as jade. They follow the foam and lose -themselves in the wide ocean:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">Where great whales come sailing by,</div> -<div class="i0">Sail and sail with unshut eye;</div> -<div class="i0">And they store in the Sea King's palace</div> -<div class="i0">The golden phosphor of the sea.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>But this Water Nixie had lost her happiness -through not being good. She had forgotten many -things that had been told her, and she had done -many things that grieved others. She had stolen -somebody else's property—quite a large bundle of -happiness—which belonged elsewhere and not to her. -Happiness is generally made to fit the person who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> -owns it, just as do your shoes, or clothes; so that -when you take some one else's it's very little good to -you, for it fits badly, and you can never forget it isn't -yours.</p> - -<p>So what with one thing and another, this Water -Nixie had to be punished, and the Queen of the Sea -had banished her from the waves. The punishment -that can most affect merfolk is to restrict their -freedom. And this is how the Queen of the Sea -punished the Nixie of our tale.</p> - -<p>“You shall live for a long time in little places, -where you will weary of yourself. You will learn to -know yourself so well that everything you want will -seem too good for you, and you will cease to claim it. -And so, in time, you shall get free.”</p> - -<p>Then the Nixie had to rise up and go away, and be -shut into the fastness of a very small space, according -to the words of the Queen. And this small space -was—a tear.</p> - -<p>At first she could hardly express her misery, and by -thinking so continuously of the wideness and savour -of the sea, she brought a dash of the brine with her, -that makes the saltness of our tears. She became -many times smaller than her own stature; even then, -by standing upright and spreading wide her arms, -she touched with her finger-tips the walls of her tiny -crystal home. How she longed that this tear might -be wept, and the walls of her prison shattered. But -the owner of this tear was of a very proud nature, and -she was so sad that tears seemed to her in no wise -to express her grief.</p> - -<p>She was a Princess who lived in a country that was -not her home. What were tears to her? If she could -have stood on the top of the very highest hill and with -both hands caught the great winds of heaven, strong<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> -as they, and striven with them, perhaps she might -have felt as if she expressed all she knew. Or, if she -could have torn down the stars from the heavens, or -cast her mantle over the sun. But tears! Would -they have helped to tell her sorrow? You cry if you -soil your copy-book, don't you? or pinch your hand? -So you may imagine the Nixie's home was a safe one, -and she turned round and round in the captivity of -that tear.</p> - -<p>For twenty years she dwelt in that strong heart, -till she grew to be accustomed to her cell. At last, in -this wise came her release.</p> - -<p>An old gipsy came one morning to the Castle and -begged to see the Princess. She must see her, she -cried. And the Princess came down the steps to meet -her, and the gipsy gave her a small roll of paper in -her hand. And the roll of paper smelt like honey as -she took it, and it adhered to her palm as she opened -it. There was little sign of writing on the paper, but -in the midst of the page was a picture, small as the -picture reflected in the iris of an eye. The picture -shewed a hill, with one tree on the sky-line, and a long -road wound round the hill.</p> - -<p>And suddenly in the Princess' memory a voice -spoke to her. Many sounds she heard, gathered up -into one great silence, like the quiet there is in forest -spaces, when it is Summer and the green is deep:</p> - -<p>Then the Princess gave the gipsy two golden pieces, -and went up to her chamber, and long that night she -sat, looking out upon the sky.</p> - -<p>She had no need to look upon the honeyed scroll, -though she held it closely. Clearly before her did -she see that small picture: the hill, and the tree, and -the winding road, imaged as if mirrored in the iris of -an eye. And in her memory she was upon that road,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span> -and the hill rose beside her, and the little tree was -outlined every twig of it against the sky.</p> - -<p>And as she saw all this, an overwhelming love of -the place arose in her, a love of that certain bit of -country that was so sharp and strong, that it stung -and swayed her, as she leaned on the window-sill.</p> - -<p>And because the love of a country is one of the -deepest loves you may feel, the band of her control -was loosened, and the tears came welling to her eyes. -Up they brimmed and over, in salty rush and follow, -dimming her eyes, magnifying everything, speared for -a moment on her eyelashes, then shimmering to their -fall. And at last came the tear that held the disobedient -Nixie.</p> - -<p>Splish! it fell. And she was free.</p> - -<p>If you could have seen how pretty she looked -standing there, about the height of a grass-blade, -wringing out her long wet hair. Every bit of moisture -she wrung out of it, she was so glad to be quit of that -tear. Then she raised her two arms above her in one -delicious stretch, and if you had been the size of a -mustard-seed perhaps you might have heard her -laughing. Then she grew a little, and grew and grew, -till she was about the height of a bluebell, and as -slender to see.</p> - -<p>She stood looking at the splash on the window-sill -that had been her prison so long, and then, with three -steps of her bare feet, she reached the jessamine that -was growing by the window, and by this she swung -herself to the ground.</p> - -<p>Away she sped over the dew-drenched meadows till -she came to the running brook, and with all her -longing in her outstretched hands, she kneeled down -by the crooked willows among all the comfrey and the -loosestrife, and the yellow irises and the reeds.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span></p> - -<p>Then she slid into the wide, cool stream.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Pamela Tennant</span> (Lady Glenconner).<br /> - -<i>From “The Children and the Pictures”</i> -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Blue Rose.</span></h3> - -<p>There lived once upon a time in China a wise -Emperor who had one daughter. His daughter was -remarkable for her perfect beauty. Her feet were the -smallest in the world; her eyes were long and slanting -and bright as brown onyxes, and when you heard her -laugh it was like listening to a tinkling stream or to -the chimes of a silver bell. Moreover, the Emperor's -daughter was as wise as she was beautiful, and she -chanted the verse of the great poets better than anyone -in the land. The Emperor was old in years; his son -was married and had begotten a son; he was, therefore, -quite happy with regard to the succession to the -throne, but he wished before he died to see his -daughter wedded to someone who should be worthy -of her.</p> - -<p>Many suitors presented themselves to the palace as -soon as it became known that the Emperor desired a -son-in-law, but when they reached the palace they were -met by the Lord Chamberlain, who told them that the -Emperor had decided that only the man who found -and brought back the blue rose should marry his -daughter. The suitors were much puzzled by this -order. What was the blue rose and where was it to -be found? In all a hundred and fifty suitors had -presented themselves, and out of these fifty at once put -away from them all thought of winning the hand of -the Emperor's daughter, since they considered the -condition imposed to be absurd.</p> - -<p>The other hundred set about trying to find the blue -rose. One of them, whose name was Ti-Fun-Ti, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> -a merchant, and immensely rich: he at once went to -the largest shop in the town and said to the shopkeeper, -“I want a blue rose, the best you have.”</p> - -<p>The shopkeeper with many apologies, explained -that he did not stock blue roses. He had red roses in -profusion, white, pink, and yellow roses, but no blue -roses. There had hitherto been no demand for the -article.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Ti-Fun-Ti, “you must get one for -me. I do not mind how much money it costs, but I -must have a blue rose.”</p> - -<p>The shopkeeper said he would do his best, but he -feared it would be an expensive article and difficult to -procure. Another of the suitors, whose name I have -forgotten, was a warrior, and extremely brave; he -mounted his horse, and taking with him a hundred -archers and a thousand horsemen, he marched into the -territory of the King of the Five Rivers, whom he -knew to be the richest king in the world and the -possessor of the rarest treasures, and demanded of -him the blue rose, threatening him with a terrible doom -should he be reluctant to give it up.</p> - -<p>The King of the Five Rivers, who disliked soldiers, -and had a horror of noise, physical violence, and every -kind of fuss (his bodyguard was armed solely with -fans and sunshades), rose from the cushions on which -he was lying when the demand was made, and, -tinkling a small bell, said to the servant who straightway -appeared, “Fetch me the blue rose.”</p> - -<p>The servant retired and returned presently bearing -on a silken cushion a large sapphire which was carved -so as to imitate a full-blown rose with all its petals.</p> - -<p>“This,” said the King of the Five Rivers, “is the -blue rose. You are welcome to it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span> -The warrior took it, and after making brief, soldier-like -thanks, he went straight back to the Emperor's -palace, saying that he had lost no time in finding the -blue rose. He was ushered into the presence of the -Emperor, who as soon as he heard the warrior's story -and saw the blue rose which had been brought sent -for his daughter and said to her: “This intrepid -warrior has brought you what he claims to be the blue -rose. Has he accomplished the quest?”</p> - -<p>The Princess took the precious object in her hands, -and after examining it for a moment, said: “This is -not a rose at all. It is a sapphire; I have no need -of precious stones.” And she returned the stone to -the warrior with many elegantly expressed thanks. -And the warrior went away in discomfiture.</p> - -<p>The merchant, hearing of the warrior's failure, was -all the more anxious to win the prize. He sought the -shopkeeper and said to him: “Have you got me the -blue rose? I trust you have; because, if not, I shall -most assuredly be the means of your death. My -brother-in-law is chief magistrate, and I am allied by -marriage to all the chief officials in the kingdom.”</p> - -<p>The shopkeeper turned pale and said: “Sir, give -me three days and I will procure you the rose without -fail.” The merchant granted him the three days and -went away. Now the shopkeeper was at his wit's end -as to what to do, for he knew well there was no such -thing as a blue rose. For two days he did nothing -but moan and wring his hands, and on the third day -he went to his wife and said: “Wife, we are ruined.”</p> - -<p>But his wife, who was a sensible woman, said: -“Nonsense. If there is no such thing as a blue rose -we must make one. Go to the chemist and ask him -for a strong dye which will change a white rose into -a blue one.”</p> - -<p>So the shopkeeper went to the chemist and asked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> -him for a dye, and the chemist gave him a bottle of -red liquid, telling him to pick a white rose and to dip -its stalk into the liquid and the rose would turn blue. -The shopkeeper did as he was told; the rose turned -into a beautiful blue and the shopkeeper took it to the -merchant, who at once went with it to the palace -saying that he had found the blue rose.</p> - -<p>He was ushered into the presence of the Emperor, -who as soon as he saw the blue rose sent for his -daughter and said to her: “This wealthy merchant -has brought you what he claims to be the blue rose. -Has he accomplished the quest?”</p> - -<p>The Princess took the flower in her hands and after -examining it for a moment said: “This is a white -rose; its stalk has been dipped in a poisonous dye and -it has turned blue. Were a butterfly to settle upon it -it would die of the potent fume. Take it back. I -have no need of a dyed rose.” And she returned it -to the merchant with many elegantly expressed thanks.</p> - -<p>The other ninety-eight suitors all sought in various -ways for the blue rose. Some of them travelled all -over the world seeking it; some of them sought the -aid of wizards and astrologers, and one did not -hesitate to invoke the help of the dwarfs that live -underground; but all of them, whether they travelled -in far countries or took counsel with wizards and -demons or sat pondering in lonely places, failed to -find the blue rose.</p> - -<p>At last they all abandoned the quest except the -Lord Chief Justice, who was the most skilful lawyer -and statesman in the country. After thinking over -the matter for several months he sent for the most -famous artist in the country and said to him:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> “Make -me a china cup. Let it be milk-white in colour and -perfect in shape, and paint on it a rose, a blue rose.”</p> - -<p>The artist made obeisance and withdrew, and worked -for two months at the Lord Chief Justice's cup. In -two months' time it was finished, and the world has -never seen such a beautiful cup, so perfect in symmetry, -so delicate in texture, and the rose on it, the -blue rose, was a living flower, picked in fairyland and -floating on the rare milky surface of the porcelain. -When the Lord Chief Justice saw it he gasped with -surprise and pleasure, for he was a great lover of -porcelain, and never in his life had he seen such a -piece. He said to himself, “Without doubt the blue -rose is here on this cup and nowhere else.”</p> - -<p>So, after handsomely rewarding the artist, he went -to the Emperor's palace and said that he had brought -the blue rose. He was ushered into the Emperor's -presence, who as he saw the cup sent for his daughter -and said to her: “This eminent lawyer has brought -you what he claims to be the blue rose. Has he -accomplished the quest?”</p> - -<p>The Princess took the bowl in her hands, and after -examining it for a moment said: “This bowl is the -most beautiful piece of china I have ever seen. If you -are kind enough to let me keep it I will put it aside -until I receive the blue rose. For so beautiful is it -that no other flower is worthy to be put in it except -the blue rose.”</p> - -<p>The Lord Chief Justice thanked the Princess for -accepting the bowl with many elegantly turned -phrases, and he went away in discomfiture.</p> - -<p>After this there was no one in the whole country -who ventured on the quest of the blue rose. It -happened that not long after the Lord Chief Justice's -attempt a strolling minstrel visited the kingdom of -the Emperor. One evening he was playing his one-stringed -instrument outside a dark wall. It was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> -summer's evening, and the sun had sunk in a glory -of dusty gold, and in the violet twilight one or two -stars were twinkling like spear-heads. There was an -incessant noise made by the croaking of frogs and -the chatter of grasshoppers. The minstrel was -singing a short song over and over again to a -monotonous tune. The sense of it was something -like this:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">I watched beside the willow trees</div> -<div class="i2">The river, as the evening fell,</div> -<div class="i0">The twilight came and brought no breeze,</div> -<div class="i2">Nor dew, nor water for the well.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div class="i0">When from the tangled banks of grass</div> -<div class="i2">A bird across the water flew,</div> -<div class="i0">And in the river's hard grey glass</div> -<div class="i2">I saw a flash of azure blue.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>As he sang he heard a rustle on the wall, and -looking up he saw a slight figure white against the -twilight, beckoning to him. He walked along the -wall until he came to a gate, and there someone was -waiting for him, and he was gently led into the -shadow of a dark cedar tree. In the dim twilight he -saw two bright eyes looking at him, and he understood -their message. In the twilight a thousand -meaningless nothings were whispered in the light of -the stars, and the hours fled swiftly. When the East -began to grow light, the Princess (for it was she) said -it was time to go.</p> - -<p>“But,” said the minstrel, “to-morrow I shall come -to the palace and ask for your hand.”</p> - -<p>“Alas!” said the Princess,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span> “I would that were -possible, but my father has made a foolish condition -that only he may wed me who finds the blue rose.”</p> - -<p>“That is simple,” said the minstrel. “I will find -it.” And they said good-night to each other.</p> - -<p>The next morning the minstrel went to the palace, -and on his way he picked a common white rose from -a wayside garden. He was ushered into the Emperor's -presence, who sent for his daughter and said to her: -“This penniless minstrel has brought you what he -claims to be the blue rose. Has he accomplished the -quest?”</p> - -<p>The Princess took the rose in her hands and said: -“Yes, this is without doubt the blue rose.”</p> - -<p>But the Lord Chief Justice and all who were present -respectfully pointed out that the rose was a common -white rose and not a blue one, and the objection was -with many forms and phrases conveyed to the -Princess.</p> - -<p>“I think the rose is blue,” said the Princess. -“Perhaps you are all colour blind.”</p> - -<p>The Emperor, with whom the decision rested, -decided that if the Princess thought the rose was blue -it was blue, for it was well known that her perception -was more acute than that of any one else in the -kingdom.</p> - -<p>So the minstrel married the Princess, and they -settled on the sea coast in a little seen house with a -garden full of white roses, and they lived happily for -ever afterwards. And the Emperor, knowing that his -daughter had made a good match, died in peace.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Maurice Baring.</span> -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Two Frogs.</span></h3> - -<p>Once upon a time in the country of Japan there -lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a -ditch near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran -through the city of Kioto. At such a great distance -apart; they had never even heard of each other; but, -funnily enough, the idea came into both their heads -at once that they should like to see a little of the -world, and the frog who lived at Kioto wanted to -visit Osaka, and the frog who lived at Osaka wished -to go to Kioto, where the great Mikado had his palace.</p> - -<p>So one fine morning, in the spring, they both set -out along the road that led from Kioto to Osaka, one -from one end and the other from the other.</p> - -<p>The journey was more tiring than they expected, -for they did not know much about travelling, and -half-way between the two towns there rose a mountain -which had to be climbed. It took them a long time -and a great many hops to reach the top, but there they -were at last, and what was the surprise of each to see -another frog before him! They looked at each other -for a moment without speaking, and then fell into -conversation, and explained the cause of their meeting -so far from their homes. It was delightful to find -that they both felt the same wish—to learn a little -more of their native country—and as there was no sort -of hurry they stretched themselves out in a cool, damp -place, and agreed that they would have a good rest -before they parted to go their ways.</p> - -<p>“What a pity we are not bigger,” said the Osaka -frog, “and then we could see both towns from here -and tell if it is worth our while going on.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that is easily managed,” returned the Kioto -frog. “We have only got to stand up on our hind -legs, and hold on to each other, and then we can each -look at the town he is travelling to.”</p> - -<p>This idea pleased the Osaka frog so much that he -at once jumped up and put his front paws on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> -shoulder of his friend, who had risen also. There -they both stood, stretching themselves as high as -they could, and holding each other tightly, so that -they might not fall down. The Kioto frog turned -his nose towards Osaka, and the Osaka frog turned -his nose towards Kioto; but the foolish things forgot -that when they stood up their great eyes lay in the -backs of their heads, and that though their noses -might point to the places to which they wanted to go, -their eyes beheld the places from which they had -come.</p> - -<p>“Dear me!” cried the Osaka frog, “Kioto is -exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a -long journey. I shall go home.”</p> - -<p>“If I had had any idea that Osaka was only a copy -of Kioto I should never have travelled all this way,” -exclaimed the frog from Kioto, and as he spoke, he -took his hands from his friend's shoulders and they -both fell down on the grass.</p> - -<p>Then they took a polite farewell of each other, and -set off for home again, and to the end of their lives -they believed that Osaka and Kioto, which are as -different to look at as two towns can be, were as like -as two peas.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The Wise Old Shepherd.</span></h3> - -<p>Once upon a time, a Snake went out of his hole to -take an airing. He crawled about, greatly enjoying -the scenery and the fresh whiff of the breeze, until, -seeing an open door, he went in. Now this door was -the door of the palace of the King, and inside was -the King himself, with all his courtiers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span> -Imagine their horror at seeing a huge Snake crawling -in at the door. They all ran away except the -King, who felt that his rank forbade him to be a -coward, and the King's son. The King called out for -somebody to come and kill the Snake; but this -horrified them still more, because in that country the -people believed it to be wicked to kill any living -thing, even snakes and scorpions and wasps. So the -courtiers did nothing, but the young Prince obeyed -his father, and killed the Snake with his stick.</p> - -<p>After a while the Snake's wife became anxious and -set out in search of her husband. She too saw the -open door of the palace, and in she went. O horror! -there on the floor lay the body of her husband, all -covered with blood and quite dead. No one saw the -Snake's Wife crawl in; she inquired of a white ant -what had happened, and when she found that the -young Prince had killed her husband, she made a -vow that, as he had made her a widow, so she would -make his wife a widow.</p> - -<p>That night, when all the world was asleep, the -Snake crept into the Prince's bedroom, and coiled -round his neck. The Prince slept on, and when he -awoke in the morning, he was surprised to find his -neck encircled with the coils of a snake. He was -afraid to stir, so there he remained, until the Prince's -mother became anxious and went to see what was the -matter. When she entered his room, and saw him in -this plight, she gave a loud shriek, and ran off to tell -the King.</p> - -<p>“Call the archers,” said the King.</p> - -<p>The archers came, and the King told them to go to -the Prince's room, and shoot the Snake that was coiled -about his neck. They were so clever, that they could -easily do this without hurting the Prince at all.</p> - -<p>In came the archers in a row, fitted the arrows to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span> -the bows, the bows were raised and ready to shoot, -when, on a sudden, from the Snake there issued a -voice which spoke as follows:</p> - -<p>“O archers, wait, wait and hear me before you -shoot. It is not fair to carry out the sentence before -you have heard the case. Is not this a good law: an -eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth? Is it not so, -O King?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied the King, “that is our law.”</p> - -<p>“Then,” said the Snake, “I plead the law. Your -son has made me a widow, so it is fair and right that -I should make his wife a widow.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds right enough,” said the King, “but -right and law are not always the same thing. We -had better ask somebody who knows.”</p> - -<p>They asked all the judges, but none of them could -tell the law of the matter. They shook their heads, -and said they would look up all their law-books, and -see whether anything of the sort had ever happened -before, and if so, how it had been decided. That is -the way judges used to decide cases in that country, -though I daresay it sounds to you a very funny way. -It looked as if they had not much sense in their own -heads, and perhaps that was true. The upshot of it -all was that not a judge would give an opinion; so -the King sent messengers all over the countryside, to -see if they could find somebody who knew something.</p> - -<p>One of these messengers found a party of five -shepherds, who were sitting upon a hill and trying to -decide a quarrel of their own. They gave their -opinions so freely, and in language so very strong, -that the King's messenger said to himself, “Here are -the men for us. Here are five men, each with an -opinion of his own, and all different.” Post-haste he -scurried back to the King, and told him that he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> -found at last some one ready to judge the knotty point.</p> - -<p>So the King and the Queen, and the Prince and -Princess, and all the courtiers, got on horseback, and -away they galloped to the hill whereupon the five -shepherds were sitting, and the Snake too went with -them, coiled round the neck of the Prince.</p> - -<p>When they got to the shepherds' hill, the shepherds -were dreadfully frightened. At first they thought -that the strangers were a gang of robbers, and when -they saw it was the King their next thought was that -one of their misdeeds had been found out; and each -of them began thinking what was the last thing he -had done, and wondering, was it that?</p> - -<p>But the King and the courtiers got off their horses, -and said good day in the most civil way. So the -shepherds felt their minds set at ease again. Then -the King said:</p> - -<p>“Worthy shepherds, we have a question to put to -you, which not all the judges in all the courts of my -city have been able to solve. Here is my son, and -here, as you see, is a snake coiled round his neck. -Now, the husband of this Snake came creeping into -my palace hall, and my son the Prince killed him; -so this Snake, who is the wife of the other, says that, -as my son has made her a widow, so she has a right -to widow my son's wife. What do you think about -it?”</p> - -<p>The first shepherd said: “I think she is quite -right, my Lord the King. If anyone made my wife -a widow, I would pretty soon do the same to him.”</p> - -<p>This was brave language, and the other shepherds -shook their heads and looked fierce. But the King -was puzzled, and could not quite understand it. You -see, in the first place, if the man's wife were a widow, -the man would be dead; and then it is hard to see that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span> -he could do anything. So, to make sure, the King -asked the second shepherd whether that was his -opinion too.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the second shepherd; “now the Prince -has killed the Snake, the Snake has a right to kill the -Prince if he can.” But that was not of much use -either, as the Snake was as dead as a door-nail. So -the King passed on to the third.</p> - -<p>“I agree with my mates,” said the third shepherd. -“Because, you see, a Prince is a Prince, but then a -Snake is a Snake.” That was quite true, they all -admitted, but it did not seem to help the matter much. -Then the King asked the fourth shepherd to say what -he thought.</p> - -<p>The fourth shepherd said: “An eye for an eye, and -a tooth for a tooth; so I think a widow should be a -widow, if so be she don't marry again.”</p> - -<p>By this time the poor King was so puzzled that he -hardly knew whether he stood on his head or his heels. -But there was still the fifth shepherd left; the oldest -and wisest of them all; and the fifth shepherd said:</p> - -<p>“King, I should like to ask two questions.”</p> - -<p>“Ask twenty, if you like,” said the King. He did -not promise to answer them, so he could afford to be -generous.</p> - -<p>“First, I ask the Princess how many sons she has?”</p> - -<p>“Four,” said the Princess.</p> - -<p>“And how many sons has Mistress Snake here?”</p> - -<p>“Seven,” said the Snake.</p> - -<p>“Then,” said the old shepherd, “it will be quite -fair for Mistress Snake to kill his Highness the Prince -when her Highness the Princess has had three sons -more.”</p> - -<p>“I never thought of that,” said the Snake.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> “Good-bye, -King, and all you good people. Send a message -when the Princess has had three more sons, and you -may count upon me—I will not fail you.”</p> - -<p>So saying, she uncoiled from the Prince's neck and -slid away among the grass.</p> - -<p>The King and the Prince and everybody shook -hands with the wise old shepherd, and went home -again. And the Princess never had any more sons -at all. She and the Prince lived happily for many -years; and if they are not dead they are living still.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<i>From “The Talking Thrush.”</i> -</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">The True Spirit of a Festival Day.</span></h3> - -<p>And it came to pass that the Buddha was born a -Hare and lived in a wood; on one side was the foot -of a mountain, on another a river, on the third side -a border village.</p> - -<p>And with him lived three friends: a Monkey, a -Jackal and an Otter; each of these creatures got food -on his own hunting ground. In the evening they -met together, and the Hare taught his companions -many wise things: that the moral laws should be -observed, that alms should be given to the poor, and -that holy days should be kept.</p> - -<p>One day the Buddha said: “To-morrow is a fast -day. Feed any beggars that come to you by giving -food from your own table.” They all consented.</p> - -<p>The next day the Otter went down to the bank of -the Ganges to seek his prey. Now a fisherman had -landed seven red fish and had buried them in the sand -on the river's bank while he went down the stream -catching more fish. The Otter scented the buried -fish, dug up the sand till he came upon them, and he -called aloud: “Does any one own these fish?” And<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> -not seeing the owner, he laid the fish in the jungle -where he dwelt, intending to eat them at a fitting time. -Then he lay down, thinking how virtuous he was.</p> - -<p>The Jackal also went off in search of food, and -found in the hut of a field watcher a lizard, two spits, -and a pot of milk-curd.</p> - -<p>And, after thrice crying aloud, “To whom do these -belong?” and not finding an owner, he put on his -neck the rope for lifting the pot, and grasping the -spits and lizard with his teeth, he laid them in his own -lair, thinking, “In due season I will devour them,” -and then he lay down, thinking how virtuous he had -been.</p> - -<p>The Monkey entered the clump of trees, and gathering -a bunch of mangoes, laid them up in his part of -the jungle, meaning to eat them in due season. He -then lay down and thought how virtuous he had been.</p> - -<p>But the Hare (who was the Buddha-to-be) in due -time came out, thinking to lie (in contemplation) on -the Kuca grass. “It is impossible for me to offer -grass to any beggars who may chance to come by, -and I have no oil or rice or fish. If any beggar come -to me, I will give him (of) my own flesh to eat.”</p> - -<p>Now when Sakka, the King of the Gods, heard this -thing, he determined to put the Royal Hare to the -test. So he came in disguise of a Brahmin to the -Otter and said: “Wise Sir, if I could get something -to eat, I would perform all my priestly duties.”</p> - -<p>The Otter said: “I will give you food. Seven red -fish have I safely brought to land from the sacred river -of the Ganges. Eat thy fill, O Brahmin, and stay in -this wood.”</p> - -<p>And the Brahmin said: “Let it be until to-morrow, -and I will see to it then.”</p> - -<p>Then he went to the Jackal, who confessed that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span> -had stolen the food, but he begged the Brahmin to -accept it and remain in the wood; but the Brahmin -said: “Let it be until the morrow, and then I will -see to it.”</p> - -<p>And he came to the Monkey, who offered him the -mangoes, and the Brahmin answered in the same way.</p> - -<p>Then the Brahmin went to the wise Hare, and the -Hare said: “Behold, I will give you of my flesh to -eat. But you must not take life on this holy day. -When you have piled up the logs I will sacrifice -myself by falling into the midst of the flames, and -when my body is roasted you shall eat my flesh and -perform all your priestly duties.”</p> - -<p>Now when Sakka heard these words he caused a -heap of burning coals to appear, and the Wisdom -Being, rising from the grass, came to the place, but -before casting himself into the flames he shook -himself, lest perchance there should be any insects in -his coat who might suffer death. Then, offering his -body as a free gift, he sprang up, and like a royal -swan, lighting on a bed of lotus in an ecstasy of joy, -he fell on the heap of live coals. But the flame failed -even to heat the pores or the hair on the body of the -Wisdom Being, and it was as if he had entered a -region of frost. Then he addressed the Brahmin in -these words: “Brahmin, the fire that you have -kindled is icy cold; it fails to heat the pores or the -hair on my body. What is the meaning of this?”</p> - -<p>“O most wise Hare! I am Sakka, and have come -to put your virtue to the test.”</p> - -<p>And the Buddha in a sweet voice said: “No god -or man could find in me an unwillingness to die.”</p> - -<p>Then Sakka said: “O wise Hare, be thy virtue -known to all the ages to come.”</p> - -<p>And seizing the mountain he squeezed out the juice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span> -and daubed on the moon the signs of the young hare.</p> - -<p>Then he placed him back on the grass that he -might continue his Sabbath meditation, and returned -to Heaven.</p> - -<p>And the four creatures lived together and kept the -moral law.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Filial Piety.</span></h3> - -<p>Now it came to pass that the Buddha was re-born -in the shape of a Parrot, and he greatly excelled all -other parrots in his strength and beauty. And when -he was full grown his father, who had long been the -leader of the flock in their flights to other climes, said -to him: “My son, behold my strength is spent! Do -thou lead the flock, for I am no longer able.” And -the Buddha said: “Behold, thou shalt rest. I will -lead the birds.” And the parrots rejoiced in the -strength of their new leader, and willingly did they -follow him. Now from that day on, the Buddha -undertook to feed his parents, and would not consent -that they should do any more work. Each day he led -his flock to the Himalaya Hills, and when he had -eaten his fill of the clumps of rice that grew there, he -filled his beak with food for the dear parents who -were waiting his return.</p> - -<p>Now there was a man appointed to watch the rice-fields, -and he did his best to drive the parrots away, -but there seemed to be some secret power in the leader -of this flock which the Keeper could not overcome.</p> - -<p>He noticed that the Parrots ate their fill and then -flew away, but that the Parrot-King not only satisfied -his hunger, but carried away rice in his beak.</p> - -<p>Now he feared there would be no rice left, and he -went to his master the Brahmin to tell him what had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span> -happened; and even as the master listened there came -to him the thought that the Parrot-King was something -higher than he seemed, and he loved him even -before he saw him. But he said nothing of this, and -only warned the Keeper that he should set a snare -and catch the dangerous bird. So the man did as he -was bidden: he made a small cage and set the snare, -and sat down in his hut waiting for the birds to come. -And soon he saw the Parrot-King amidst his flock, -who, because he had no greed, sought no richer spot, -but flew down to the same place in which he had fed -the day before.</p> - -<p>Now, no sooner had he touched the ground that he -felt his feet caught in the noose. Then fear crept into -his bird-heart, but a stronger feeling was there to -crush it down, for he thought: “If I cry out the Cry -of the Captured, my Kinsfolk will be terrified, and -they will fly away foodless. But if I lie still, then -their hunger will be satisfied, and they may safely -come to my aid.” Thus was the Parrot both brave -and prudent.</p> - -<p>But alas! he did not know that his Kinsfolk had -nought of his brave spirit. When <i>they</i> had eaten -their fill, though they heard the thrice-uttered cry of -the captured, they flew away, nor heeded the sad -plight of their leader.</p> - -<p>Then was the heart of the Parrot-King sore within -him, and he said: “All these my kith and kin, and -not one to look back on me. Alas! what sin have -I done?”</p> - -<p>The Watchman now heard the cry of the Parrot-King, -and the sound of the other Parrots flying -through the air. “What is that?” he cried, and -leaving his hut he came to the place where he had -laid the snare. There he found the captive Parrot;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> -he tied his feet together and brought him to the -Brahmin, his master. Now, when the Brahmin saw -the Parrot-King, he felt his strong power, and his -heart was full of love to him, but he hid his feelings, -and said in a voice of anger: “Is thy greed greater -than that of all other birds? They eat their fill, but -thou takest away each day more food than thou canst -eat. Doest thou this out of hatred for me, or dost -thou store up the food in some granary for selfish -greed?”</p> - -<p>And the Great Being made answer in a sweet -human voice: “I hate thee not, O Brahmin. Nor -do I store the rice in a granary for selfish greed. But -this thing I do. Each day I pay a debt which is -due—each day I grant a loan, and each day I store -up a treasure.”</p> - -<p>Now the Brahmin could not understand the words -of the Buddha (because true wisdom had not entered -his heart), and he said: “I pray thee, O Wondrous -Bird, to make these words clear unto me.”</p> - -<p>And then the Parrot-King made answer: “I carry -food to my ancient parents who can no longer seek -that food for themselves: thus I pay my daily debt. -I carry food to my callow chicks whose wings are yet -ungrown. When I am old they will care for me—this -my loan to them. And for other birds, weak and -helpless of wing, who need the aid of the strong, for -them I lay up a store; to these I give in charity.”</p> - -<p>Then was the Brahmin much moved, and showed -the love that was in his heart. “Eat thy fill, O -Righteous Bird, and let thy Kinsfolk eat too, for thy -sake.” And he wished to bestow a thousand acres -of land upon him, but the Great Being would only -take a tiny portion round which were set boundary -stones.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> - -And the Parrot returned with a head of rice, and -said: “Arise, dear Parents, that I may take you to a -place of plenty.” And he told them the story of his -deliverance.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">My</span> thanks are due to:</p> - -<p>Mrs. Josephine Dodge Darkam Bacon, for permission -to use an extract from “The Madness of Philip,” -and to her publishers, Charles Scrivener.</p> - -<p>To Messrs. Houghton Mifflin, for permission to use -extract from “Thou Shalt Not Preach,” by Mr. John -Burroughs.</p> - -<p>To Messrs. Macmillan & Co., for permission to use -“Milking Time” of Miss Rossetti.</p> - -<p>To Messrs. William Sharp, for permission to use -passage from “The Divine Adventure,” by “Fiona -MacLeod.”</p> - -<p>To Miss Ethel Clifford, for permission to use the -poem of “The Child.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. James Whitcomb Riley and the Robbs -Merrill Co., for permission to use “The Treasure of -the Wise Man.”</p> - -<p>To Rev. R. L. Gales, for permission to use the -article on “Nursery Rhymes” from the <i>Nation</i>.</p> - -<p>To Mr. Edmund Gosse, for permission to use -extracts from “Father and Son.”</p> - -<p>To Messrs. Chatto and Windus, for permission to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> -use “Essay on Child's Play” (from <i>Virginibus -Puerisque</i>) and other papers.</p> - -<p>To Mr. George Allen & Co., for permission to use -“Ballad for a Boy,” by W. Cory, from “Ionica.”</p> - -<p>To Professor Bradley, for permission to quote from -his essay on “Poetry and Life.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. P. A. Barnett, for permission to quote from -“The Commonsense of Education.”</p> - -<p>To Professor Ker, for permission to quote from -“Sturla the Historian.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. John Russell, for permission to print in -full, “A Saga.”</p> - -<p>To Messrs. Longmans Green & Co., for permission -to use “The Two Frogs,” from the Violet Fairy -Book, and “To Your Good Health,” from the -Crimson Fairy Book.</p> - -<p>To Mr. Heinemann and Lady Glenconner, for permission -to reprint “The Water Nixie,” by Pamela -Tennant, from “The Children and the Pictures.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. Maurice Baring and the Editor of <i>The -Morning Post</i>, for permission to reprint “The Blue -Rose” from <i>The Morning Post</i>.</p> - -<p>To Dr. Walter Rouse and Mr. J. M. Dent, for -permission to reprint from “The Talking Thrush” -the story of “The Wise Old Shepherd.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. James Stephens, for permission to reprint<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -“The Man and the Boy.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. Harold Barnes, for permission to use version -of “The Proud Cock.”</p> - -<p>To Mrs. Arnold Glover, for permission to print -two of her stories.</p> - -<p>To Miss Emilie Poulson, for permission to use her -translation of Björnsen's poem.</p> - -<p>To George Routledge & Son, for permission to use -stories from “Eastern Stories and Fables.”</p> - -<p>To Mrs. W. K. Clifford, for permission to quote -from “Very Short Stories.”</p> - -<p>To Mr. W. Jenkyn Thomas and Mr. Fisher Unwin, -for permission to use “Arthur in the Cave” from the -Welsh Fairy Book.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The following stories are not a representative list: -this I have endeavoured to give with the story-list -preceding. These stories are mostly taken from my -own <i>répertoire</i>, and have so constantly been asked -for by teachers that I am glad of an opportunity of -presenting them in full.</p> - -<ul> -<li>Episode from “Sturla the Historian,” to illustrate -the value of the art of story-telling.</li> - -<li>Saga, by John Russell.</li> - -<li>St. Christopher, in the version taken from the -“<i>Legenda Aurea</i>.”</li> - -<li>“Arthur in the Cave,” from the “Welsh Fairy -Book.”</li> - -<li>“Hafiz the Stone-cutter” (adapted from the Oriental).</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span> - -“To Your Good Health,” from The Crimson Fairy -Book.</li> - -<li>“The Proud Cock,” from the Spanish.</li> - -<li>“Snegourka,” from the Russian.</li> - -<li>“The Water Nixie,” by Pamela Tennant.</li> - -<li>“The Blue Rose,” by Maurice Baring.</li> - -<li>“The Wise old Shepherd,” from “The Talking -Thrush.”</li></ul> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I had intended, in this section, to offer an appendix -of titles of stories and books which would cover all -the ground of possible narrative in schools; but I -have found, since taking up the question, so many -lists containing standard books and stories, that I -have decided that this original plan would be a work -of supererogation, since it would be almost impossible -to prepare such a list without the certainty of over-lapping. -What is really needed is a supplementary -list to those already published—a specialized list -which has been gathered together by private research -and personal experience. I have for many years -spent considerable time in the British Museum, and -some of the principal Libraries in the United States, -and I now offer the fruit of that labour in the miscellaneous -collection contained in this chapter. Before -giving my own selection, I should like to say that for -general lists one can use with great profit the -following:</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span></p> - -<h2>LIST OF BOOKS</h2> -<h3><span class="smcap">Sources of Norse Stories for Story-tellers.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Cycles of Stories from the Norse. Part I: Historical Tales. -Part II: Norse Myths. Part III: Völsunga Saga. -Part IV: Frithiof Saga.</li> - -<li>Snorro Sturluson. Stories of the Kings of Norway; done -into English by William Morris. Page 83-117.</li> - -<li>Snorro Sturluson. A History of the Norse Kings; done -into English by Samuel Laing. Pages 11-35.</li> - -<li>Snorro Sturluson. Younger Edda. Pages 72, 73, 114-127, -128-130, 131-139, 160-164, 184-187, -189-192.</li> - -<li>Morris. Story of Sigurd the Volsung.</li> - -<li>Völsunga Saga. By Eirikr and William Morris.</li> -</ul> -<p>Other sources from modern books can be found in -Mabie, Wilmot Buxton, Keans Tappah, Cartwright -Pole, Johonnut Anderson. Some of these are suitable -for children themselves, and contain excellent reading -matter.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>—I most gratefully acknowledge these sources -supplied by the courtesy of Pittsburg Carnegie -Library.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>List of stories in compilation by Anna C. Tyler (Supervisor -of Story-telling in New York).</li> - -<li>Heroism. A reading list for boys and girls.</li></ul> - -<p>Both these lists are published by the New York -Library, and I have had permission to quote both, by -the courtesy of the Library.</p> - -<p>In that admirable work, “Story-Telling in School -and Home,” by Evelyn Newcomb Partridge and -George Everett Partridge, published by William -Heinemann, besides a valuable analysis of the Art of -Story-Telling, there is an excellent list of books and -stories.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">List of Books containing Stories or Reading -Matter for Children.</span></h3> - -<p>The following list is not of my own making. I -have taken it on the recommendation of Marion E. -Potter, Bertha Tannehill and Emma L. Teich, who -have compiled the list from twenty-three other lists. -I again have made a shorter list of the titles, and -acknowledge most gratefully the kind permission of -the H. W. Wilson Company (Minneapolis) to quote -from their book. The original work, which contains -3,000 titles, is well known in the United States under -the title of “Children's Catalogue.” It is a book -which ought to be in every School and Training College -Library, and I hope my fragmentary selection may -make it better known in my own country. I regret -that I am unable to give publishers or reference marks -for this American list.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>About Old Story-tellers. Mitchell, D. G.</li> -<li>Boys' Iliad. Perry.</li> -<li>Jack among the Indians, and Other Stories. G. B. Grinnell.</li> -<li>Adventure Stories. Hale, E.</li> -<li>Young Alaskans. Hough, E.</li> -<li>Aztec Treasure House. Janvier.</li> -<li>Last Three Soldiers. Skelton, W.</li> -<li>Under the Lilacs. Alcott, Louisa.</li> -<li>Moral Pirates. Livingstone, A. W.</li> -<li>Classics Old and New. Alderman, E. A.</li> -<li>Boy of a Thousand Years Ago. Comstock, H. R.</li> -<li>All About Japan. Brane, B. M.</li> -<li>All About the Russians. Lockes, E. C.</li> -<li>Children of the Palm Lands. Allen, A. E.</li> -<li>Italian Child Life. Ambrose, Marietta.</li> -<li>American Hero Stories. Tappan, E. M.</li> -<li>Chinese Boy and Girl, Headland, Y. T.</li> -<li>Viking Tales of the North. Anderson, R. B.</li> -<li>Animal Stories Re-told from St. Nicholas. Carter, M. H.</li> -<li>Short Stories of Shy Neighbours. Kelly, M. H.</li> -<li>Hundred Anecdotes of Animals. Billingham, P. T.</li> -<li>Books of Saints and Friendly Beasts. Brown, A. F.</li> - -<li>Stories of Animal Life. Holden, C. F.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> -Story of a Donkey (Abridged). Segur, S.</li> -<li>Children of the Cold. Schnatka, F.</li> -<li>Stories from Plato and other Classic Writers. Burt, M. E.</li> -<li>Tenting on the Plains. Custer, E.</li> -<li>To the Front. King, C.</li> -<li>Stories of Persian Heroes. Firdansi.</li> -<li>Nelson and his Captains. Fitchett, William H.</li> -<li>Danish Fairy and Folk Tales. Bay, J. C.</li> -<li>Evening Tales. Ortoli, F.</li> -<li>Legends of King Arthur and his Court. Greene, F. N.</li> -<li>Story of King Arthur. Pyle, H.</li> -<li>New World Fairy Book. Kenedy, H. A.</li> -<li>Myths of the Red Children. Wilson, G. L.</li> -<li>Old Indian Legends. Zitkala, Sa.</li> -<li>Folk Tales from the Russian. Blumenthal, V. K.</li> -<li>Wagner Opera Stories. Barker, Grace.</li> -<li>Lolanu, the Little Cliff-dweller. Bayliss (Mrs. Clara Kern).</li> -<li>Big People and Little People of Other Lands. Shaw, E. R.</li> -<li>Children's Stories of the Great Scientists. Wright, H. C.</li> -<li>Fairy Tales. Lansing, M. F.</li> -<li>Light Princess, and Other Stories. Macdonald, George.</li> -<li>Classic Stories for the Little Ones. Mace, J., and McClurey, L. B.</li> -<li>Old World Wonder Stories. O'Shea, M. V.</li> -<li>Japanese Fairy Tales Re-told. Williston, T. P.</li> -<li>Famous Indian Chiefs I Have Known. Hovard, O. O.</li> -<li>Fanciful Tales. Stockton, F. R.</li> -<li>Boys' Book of Famous Rulers, from Agamemnon to Napoleon. Farmer, Mrs. -Lydia Hoyt.</li> -<li>Favourite Greek Myths, Hyde, T. S.</li> -<li>Children's Life in the Western Mountains. Foote, Mary (Hallock).</li> -<li>Gods and Heroes. Francillon, Robert Edward.</li> -<li>Sa-Zada Tales. Fraser, William Alexander.</li> -<li>Story of Gretta the Strong. French, Allen.</li> -<li>Lance of Kanana (Story of Arabia). French, Henry Willard.</li> -<li>Home Life in all Lands. Morris, C.</li> -<li>Held Fast for England. Henty.</li> -<li>Plutarch's Lives. Ginn, Edwin.</li> -<li>King's Story Book. Gomme, Lawrence.</li> -<li>Little Journeys to Balkans, European Turkey and Greece. George, M. M.</li> -<li>Herodotus. White, J. S.</li> -<li>Classic Myths in English Literature. Gayley, C. M.</li> -<li>Favourite Greek Myths. Hyde, L. S.</li> -<li>Stories from the East. Church, A. T.</li> -<li>Herodotus. Church, A. T.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> -Men of Iron. Pyle, H.</li> -<li>Boys' Heroes. Hale, Edward Everett.</li> -<li>Strange Stories from History. Eggleston.</li> -<li>Stories of Other Lands. Johannot, J.</li> -<li>Book of Nature Myths. Holbrook, Florence.</li> -<li>Stories of Great Artists. Home, Olive Brown, and Lois, K.</li> -<li>Russian Grandmother's Wonder Tales. Houghton, Mrs. Louise (Seymour).</li> -<li>Stories of Famous Children. Hunter, Mary van Brunt.</li> -<li>Stories of Indian Chieftains. Husted, Mary Hall.</li> -<li>Stories of Indian Children. Husted, Mary Hall.</li> -<li>Golden Porch: A Book of Greek Fairy Tales. Hutchinson, W. M. L.</li> -<li>Indian Boyhood. Eastman, C. H.</li> -<li>Indian History for Young Folk. Drake, F. S.</li> -<li>Indian Stories Re-told from St Nicholas. Drake, F. S.</li> -<li>One Thousand Poems for Children. Ingpen, Roger.</li> -<li>My Lady Pokahontas. Cooke, J. E.</li> -<li>In the Sargasso Sea. Janvier, T. A.</li> -<li>Childhood of Ji-Shib. Jenks, Albert Ernest.</li> -<li>Stories from Chaucer told to the Children. Kelman, Janet Harvey.</li> -<li>Stories from the Crusades. Kelman, Janet Harvey.</li> -<li>New World Fairy Book. Kenedy, Howard Angus.</li> -<li>Stories of Ancient People. Arnold E. T.</li> -<li>Stories of Art and Artists. Clement, C.</li> -<li>Mabinogion (Legends of Wales). Knightley.</li> -<li>Heroes of Chivalry. Maitland, L.</li> -<li>Cadet Days: Story of West Point. King, Charles.</li> -<li>Household Stories for Little Readers. Klingensmith, Annie.</li> -<li>Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire. Knox, Thomas Wallace.</li> -<li>Boy Travellers on the Congo. Knox, Thomas Wallace.</li> -<li>Fairy Book. Laboulaye, Eduard Réné Lefebre.</li> -<li>Fairy Tales of All Nations. Translated by M. I. Booth. Laboulaye, -Eduard Réné Lefebre.</li> -<li>Middle Five (Life of Five Indian Boys at School). La Flesche, Francis.</li> -<li>Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Lagerlöf, Selma.</li> -<li>Land of Pluck. Dodge, M. M.</li> -<li>Land of the Long Night. Du Chaillu, P. B.</li> -<li>Schoolboy Days in France. Laurie, André.</li> -<li>Schoolboy Days in Japan. Laurie, André.</li> -<li>Schoolboy Days in Russia. Laurie, André.</li> -<li>When I was a Boy in China. Lee, Yan Phon.</li> -<li>Fifty Famous Stories Re-told. Baldwin.</li> -<li>Stories from Famous Ballads. Lippincott.</li> - -<li>Wreck of the Golden Fleece. Leighton, Robert.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -Children's Letters, Written to Children by Famous Men and Women. -Colson, E., and Chittenden, A. G.</li> -<li>A Story of Abraham Lincoln. Hamilton, M.</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Little Cousin Series.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Our Little Swedish Cousin. Coburn, C. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Chinese Cousin. Headland, I. T.</li> -<li>Our Little Arabian Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Dutch Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Egyptian Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little English Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little French Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Hindu Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Scotch Cousin. Mansfield, B. M.</li> -<li>Our Little Alaskan Cousin. Nixon, Roulet M. F.</li> -<li>Our Little Australian Cousin. Nixon, Roulet M. F.</li> -<li>Our Little Brazilian Cousin. Nixon, Roulet M. F.</li> -<li>Our Little Grecian Cousin. Nixon, Roulet M. F.</li> -<li>Our Little Spanish Cousin. Nixon, Roulet, M. F.</li> -<li>Our Little Korean Cousin. Pike, H. L.</li> -<li>Our Little Panama Cousin. Pike, H. L.</li> -<li>Our Little African Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Armenian Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Brown Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Cuban Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Eskimo Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Hawaiian Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Indian Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Irish Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Italian Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Japanese Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Jewish Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Norwegian Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Philippine Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Porto Rican Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Siamese Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Turkish Cousin. Wade, M. H.</li> -<li>Our Little Canadian Cousin. Macdonald, E. Roberts.</li> - -</ul> -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Little Folk in Brittany. Haines, A. C.</li> -<li>Little Folks of Many Lands. Chance, L. M.</li> -<li>Little Lives of Great Men. Hathaway, E. V.</li> -<li>Little Men. Alcott, L. M.</li> -<li>Little Royalties. McDougall, I.</li> -<li>Little Stories of France. Dutton, M. B.</li> -<li>Little Stories of Germany. Dutton, M. B.</li> -<li>Lives of Girls who Became Famous. Bolton, S. K.</li> -<li>Beasts of the Field. Long, William Joseph.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -Wood-Folk at School. Long, William Joseph.</li> -<li>Long Ago in Greece. Carpenter, E. J.</li> -<li>Peasant and Prince. Martineau, H.</li> -<li>Boy Courier of Napoleon. Sprague, W. C.</li> -<li>Wonder Stories from the Mabinogion. Brooks, E.</li> -<li>Old Farm Fairies.<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> McConk, Henry Christopher. -</li> -<li>Tenants of an Old Farm.<a name="FNanchor_55a_55a" id="FNanchor_55a_55a"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> McConk, Henry Christopher. -</li> -<li>At the Back of the North Wind. MacDonald, George.</li> -<li>Princess and the Goblin. MacDonald, George.</li> -<li>Cave Boy of the Age of Stone. McIntyre, Margaret A.</li> -<li>Magna Carta Stories. Gilman, A.</li> -<li>Early Cave Men. Dopp, K. E.</li> -<li>Later Cave Men. Dopp, K. E.</li> -<li>Stories of Roland. Marshall, H. E.</li> -<li>Crofton Boys. Martineau, Harriet.</li> -<li>Peats on the Fiord. Martineau, Harriet.</li> -<li>Peasant and Prince. Martineau, Harriet.</li> -<li>Child Stories from the Masters. Menafee, Maud.</li> -<li>Miss Muffet's Christmas Party. Crotchers, S. M.</li> -<li>Historical Tales: Greek. Morris, Charles.</li> -<li>Historical Tales: Russian. Morris, Charles.</li> -<li>Bed-Time Stories. Moulton, Louise Chandler.</li> -<li>New Bed-Time Stories. Moulton, Louise Chandler.</li> -<li>Modern Reader's Bible (Children Series). Moulton, F. R. G.</li> -<li>My Air-Ships. Santos-Dumont.</li> -<li>Old Norse Stories. Bradish, S. P.</li> -<li>Through Russian Snows. Henty, G.</li> -<li>Nine Worlds: Stories from Norse Mythology. Lichfield, M. E.</li> -<li>Fairy Tales, Narratives and Poems. Norton, George Eliot.</li> -<li>Modern Vikings. Boyeson, H. H.</li> -<li>Boyhood in Norway. Boyeson, H. H.</li> -<li>Old Greek Stories Told Anew. Peabody, J. B.</li> -<li>Arabian Nights Re-told. Peary, Mrs. Josephine (Diebitsh).</li> -<li>Heroic Ballads. Montgomery, D. H.</li> -<li>English Ballads. Perkins, Mrs. Lucy Fitch.</li> -<li>Boys' Iliad. Perry, Walter Copland.</li> -<li>Boys' Odyssey. Perry, Walter Copland.</li> -<li>Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter, B.</li> -<li>Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. Potter, B.</li> -<li>Stories of Old France. Pitman, Leila Webster.</li> -<li>Boys' and Girls' Plutarch. White, J. S.</li> -<li>Greek Lives from Plutarch. Byles, C. E.</li> -<li>My Lady Pokahontas. Cooke, J. E.</li> -<li>Poems for Children. Rossetti, C. G.</li> -<li>Children's Book. Scudder, H. E.</li> -<li>Scottish Chiefs. Porter, Jane.</li> -<li> -Legends of the Red Children. Pratt, Mara Louise.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span> -Little Nature Studies for Little Folk. Burroughs, John.</li> -<li>Giant Sun and His Family. Proctor, Mary.</li> -<li>Stories of Starland. Proctor, Mary.</li> -<li>Revolutionary Stories Re-told from St. Nicholas. Pyle, Howard.</li> -<li>Old Tales from Rome. Zimmern, A.</li> -<li>Stories of the Saints. Chenoweth, C. V. D.</li> -<li>Sandman: His Farm Stories. Hopkins, W. T.</li> -<li>Sandman: His Sea Stories. Hopkins, W. T.</li> -<li>Sandman: His Ship Stories. Hopkins, W. T.</li> -<li>Schooldays in France. Laurie, A.</li> -<li>Schooldays in Italy. Laurie, A.</li> -<li>Schooldays in Japan. Laurie, A.</li> -<li>Schooldays in Russia. Laurie, A.</li> -<li>William of Orange (Life Stories for Young People). Schupp, Otto Kar.</li> -<li>Sea Yarns for Boys. Henderson, W. T.</li> -<li>Story of Lord Roberts. Sellar, Edmund Francis.</li> -<li>Story of Nelson. Sellar, Edmund Francis.</li> -<li>Tent Life in Siberia. Kenman, G.</li> -<li>Stories from English History. Skae, Hilda I.</li> -<li>Boys who Became Famous Men (Giotto, Bach, Byron, Gainsborough, Handel, -Coleridge, Canova, Chopin). Skinner, Harriet Pearl.</li> - -<li>Eskimo Stories. Smith, Mary Emily Estella.</li> -<li>Some Curious Flyers, Creepers and Swimmers. Johannot, J.</li> -<li>Bush Boys. Reid, M.</li> -<li>New Mexico David, and Other Stories. Lummis, C. F.</li> -<li>Child's History of Spain. Bonner, J.</li> -<li>Historical Tales: Spanish. Morris, C.</li> -<li>Story of the Cid. Wilson, C. D.</li> -<li>Life of Lincoln for Boys. Sparhawk, Frances Campbell.</li> -<li>Pieces for Every Occasion. Le Rou, C. B.</li> -<li>Stories from Dante. Chester, N.</li> -<li>Stories from Old English Poetry. Richardson, A. S.</li> -<li>Stories from Plato and Other Classic Writers. Burt, M. E.</li> -<li>Stories in Stone from the Roman Forum. Lovell, I.</li> -<li>Stories of Brave Days. Carter, M. H.</li> -<li>Stories of Early England. Buxton, E. M. Wilmot.</li> -<li>Stories of Heroic Deeds. Johannot, J.</li> -<li>Stories of Indian Chieftains. Husted, M. H.</li> -<li>Stories of Insect Life. Weed, C. M., and Mustfeldt, M. E.</li> -<li>Stories of the Gorilla Country. Du Chaillu, P. B.</li> -<li>Stories of the Sea told by Sailors. Hale, E. E.</li> -<li>Stories of War. Hale, E. E.</li> -<li>Story of Lewis Caroll. Bowman, I.</li> -<li>Story of Sir Launcelot and his Companions. Pyle, H.</li> -<li>Queer Little People. Stowe, Harriet Beecher.</li> -<li>In Clive's Command. Strang, Herbert.</li> - -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span> -George Washington Jones (Christmas of a Little Coloured Boy). Stuart, -Ruth McEnery. </li> -<li>Story of Babette. Stuart, Ruth McEnery.</li> -<li>Old Ballads in Prose. Tappan, Eva.</li> -<li>Lion and Tiger Stories. Carter, M. H.</li> -<li>True Tales of Birds and Beasts. Jordan, D. S.</li> -<li>Typical Tales of Fancy, Romance and History from Shakespeare's Plays. -Raymond, E.</li> -<li>Young People's Story of Art. Whitcomb, Ida Prentice.</li> -<li>Young People's Story of Music. Whitcomb, Ida Prentice.</li> -<li>Tales of Laughter. Wiggin, K. Douglas.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The following miscellaneous list of books and -stories is my own. I do not mean that none of them -have appeared in other lists, but the greater number -have been sifted from larger lists which I have made -during the last ten years, more or less.</p> - -<p>For English readers I have given the press-marks -in the British Museum, which will be an economy of -time to busy students and teachers. I have supplied, -in every case where it has been possible, the source of -the story and the name of the publisher for American -readers, but my experience as a reader in the libraries -of the States brings me to the conclusion that all the -books of educational value will either be found in the -main libraries or procured on application even in the -small towns.</p> - -<p>In many cases the stories would have to be shortened -and re-arranged. The difficulty of finding the sources -and obtaining permission has deterred me from offering -for the present these stories in full.</p> - -<p>This being a supplementary list to more general -ones, there will naturally be absent a large number of -standard books which I take for granted are known. -Nevertheless, I have included the titles of some well-known -works which ought not to be left out of any list.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Titles of Books containing Translations and -Adaptations of Classical Stories.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>The Children of the Dawn. Old Tales of Greece. E. -Fennemore Buckley. 12403 f. 41. Wells, Gardner, -Darton & Co.</li> - -<li>Kingsley's Heroes. 012208. e. 22/26. Blackie and Son. -(See List of Stories.)</li> - -<li>Wonder Stories from Herodotus. (Excellent as a preparation -for the real old stories.) N. Barrington d'Almeida. -9026.66. S. Harper Brothers.</li></ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Titles of Books containing Classical Stories -from History Re-told.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls. Re-told by W. H. -Weston. 10606. d. 4. T. C. and E. C. Jack.</li> - -<li>Tales from Plutarch. By Jameson Rawbotham. 10606. bb. -3. Fisher Unwin.</li></ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Sources of Indian Stories and Myths.</span></h3> - -<p>For an understanding of the inner meaning of these -stories, and as a preparation for telling them, I should -recommend as a useful book of reference:</p> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>Indian Myths and Legends. By Mackenzie. 04503. f. 26. -Gresham Publishing House.</li></ul> - -<p>The following titles are of books containing stories -for narration:</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Jacob's Indian Tales. 12411. h. 9. David Nutt.</li> -<li>Old Deccan Days. Mary Frere. 12411. e.e. 14. John Murray.</li> -<li>The Talking Thrush. W. H. D. Rouse. 12411. e.e.e. 17. J. M. Dent.</li> -<li>Wide Awake Stories. 12411. b.b.b. 2. Steel and Temple.</li> -<li>Indian Nights' Entertainment. Synnerton. 14162. f. 16. Eliot Stock.</li> - -<li>Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists. By Sister Nevedita and Amanda - -Coomara. K.T.C. Swamy. A. I. George Harrap Company. (This volume is -mainly for reference.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span> -Buddhist Birth Stories. T. W. Rhys Davids. 14098. d. 23. Trubner Co.</li> -<li>Stories of the Buddha Birth. Cowell, Rouse, Neil, Francis. 14098. dd. -8. University Press, Cambridge.</li> -</ul> - -<p>As selections of this extensive work:</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Eastern Stories and Fables. M. I. Shedlock. George Routledge.</li> -<li>The Jatakas, Tales of India. Re-told by Ellen C. Babbitt. 012809. d. 8. -The Century Co.</li> -<li>Folk-Tales of Kashmir. Knowles. 2318. g. 18. Trübner -& Co.</li> -<li>The Jungle-Book. Rudyard Kipling. 012807. ff. 47. Macmillan.</li> -<li>The Second Jungle-Book. Rudyard Kipling. 012807. k. 57. Macmillan.</li> -<li>Tibetian Tales. F. A. Shieffner. 2318. g. 7. Trübner & Co.</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Legends, Myths and Fairy-Tales.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Classic Myths and Legends. A. H. Hope Moncrieff. 12403. ee. 6. The -Gresham Publishing House.</li> - -<li>Myths and Folk-Tales of the Russians. Curtin. 2346. e. 6. Sampson Low.</li> - -<li>North-West Slav Legends and Fairy Stories. Erben. (Translated by W. W. -Strickland.) 12430. i. 44.</li> - -<li>Russian Fairy-Tales. Nisbet Pain. 12431. ee. 18. Lawrence and Bullen.</li> - -<li>Sixty Folk-Tales from Slavonic Sources. Wratislau. 12431. dd. 29. -Elliot Stock.</li> - -<li>Slavonic Fairy-Tales. F. Naake. 2348. b. 4. Henry S. King.</li> - -<li>Slav Tales. Chodsho. (Translated by Emily J. Harding.) 12411. eee. 2. -George Allen.</li> - -<li>Chinese Stories. Pitman. 12410. dd. 25. George Harrap & Co.</li> - -<li>Chinese Fairy Tales. Professor Giles. 012201. de. 8. Govans -International Library.</li> - -<li>Chinese Nights' Entertainment. Adèle Fielde. 12411. h. 4. G. P. Putnam.</li> - -<li>Maori Tales. K. M. Clark. 12411. h. 15. Macmillan & Co.</li> - -<li>Papuan Fairy Tales. Annie Ker. 12410. eee. 25. Macmillan & Co.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span> -Cornwall's Wonderland. Mabel Quiller Couch. 12431. r. 13. J. M. Dent.</li> - -<li>Perrault's Fairy Tales. 012200. e. 8. “The Temple Classics.” J. M. Dent.</li> - -<li>Gesta Romanorum. 12411. e. 15. Swan Sonnenschein. -</li> -<li>Myths and Legends of Japan. F. H. Davis. 1241. de. 8. G. Harrap & Co. -</li> -<li>Old World Japan. Frank Rinder. 12411. eee. 3. George Allen. -</li> -<li>Legendary Lore of All Nations. Swinton and Cathcart. 1241. f. 13. -Ivison, Taylor & Co. -</li> -<li>Popular Tales from the Norse. Sir George Webbe Dasent. 12207. pp. -George Routledge and Son. -</li> -<li>Fairy Tales from Finland. Zopelius. 12431. df. 2. J. M. Dent. -</li> -<li>Fairy Gold. A Book of Old English Fairy Tales, chosen by Ernest Rhys. -12411. dd. 22. J. M. Dent. -</li> -<li>Contes Populaires du Vallon. Aug. Gittée. 12430. h. 44. (Written in -very simple style and easy of translation.) Wanderpooten Gand. -</li> -<li>Tales of Old Lusitania. Coelho. 12431. e. 34. Swan Sonnenschein. -</li> -<li>Tales from the Land of Nuts and Grapes. Charles Sellers. 12431. c. 38. -Simpkin, Marshall & Co. -</li> -<li>The English Fairy Book. Ernest Rhys. 12410. dd. 29. Fisher Unwin. -</li> -<li>Zuni Folk Tales. F. H. Cushing. 12411. g. 30. Putnam. -</li> -<li>Manx Fairy Tales. Sophia Morrison. 12410. df. 10. David Nutt. -</li> -<li>Legend of the Iroquois. W. V. Canfield. 12410. ff. 23. A Wessels -Company. -</li> -<li>The Indian's Book. Natalie Curtis. 2346. i. 2. Harper Brothers. -</li> -<li>Hansa Folk Lore. Rattray. 12431. tt. 2. Clarendon Press. -</li> -<li>Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales. Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. 12450. ec. -18. Swan Sonnenschein. -</li> -<li>Kaffir Folk Tales. G. M. Theal. 2348. e. 15. Swan Sonnenschein. -</li> -<li>Old Hungarian Tales. Baroness Orczy and Montagu Barstow. 12411. f. 33. -Dean and Son. -</li> -<li>Evening with the Old Story-tellers. G.B. 1155. e. I (1). James Burns. -</li> -<li>Myths and Legends of Flowers. C. Skinner. 07029. h. 50. Lippincott. -</li> -<li>The Book of Legends Told Over Again. Horace Scudder. 12430. e. 32. Gay -and Bird. -</li> -<li>Indian Folk Tales (American Indian). Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. 12411. cc. -14. D. Appleton Company.</li> - -</ul> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Romance.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>Epic and Romance. Professor W. P. Ker. 2310. c. 20. Macmillan. -(As preparation for the selection of Romance -Stories.)</li> - -<li>Old Celtic Romances. P. W. Joyce. 12430. cc. 34. David -Nutt.</li> - -<li>Heroes of Asgard. Keary. 012273. de. 6. Macmillan & Co.</li> - -<li>Early British Heroes. Hartley. 12411. d. 5. J. M. Dent -& Co.</li> - -<li>A Child's Book of Saints. W. Canton. 12206. r. 11. J. M. -Dent.</li> - -<li>A Child's Book of Warriors. W. Canton. 04413. g. 49. -J. M. Dent.</li> - -<li>History of Ballads. Professor W. P. Ker. From “Proceedings -of British Academy.” 11852. Vol. 6 (9).</li> - -<li>History of English Balladry. Egbert Briant. 011853. aaa. -16. Richard G. Badger, Gorham Press.</li> - -<li>Book of Ballads for Boys and Girls. Selected by Smith and -Soutar. 11622. bbb. 3. 7. The Clarendon Press.</li> - -<li>A Book of Ballad Stories. Mary Macleod. 12431. p. 3. -Wells, Gardner & Co.</li> - -<li>Captive Royal Children. G. T. Whitham. 10806. eee. 2. -Wells, Gardner, Darton & Co.</li> - -<li>Tales and Talks from History. 9007. h. 24. Blackie & Son.</li> - -<li>Stories from Froissart. Henry Newbolt. 9510. cc. 9. Wells, -Gardner, Darton & Co.</li> - -<li>Pilgrim Tales from Chaucer. F. J. Harvey Darton. 12410. -eee. 14. Wells, Gardner & Darton.</li> - -<li>Wonder Book of Romances. F. J. Harvey Darton. 12410. -eee. 18. Wells, Gardner & Darton.</li> - -<li>Red Romance Book. Andrew Lang. 12411. bbb. 10. Longmans, -Green & Co.</li> - -<li>The Garden of Romance. Edited by Ernest Rhys. 12411. -h. 17. Kegan Paul.</li> - -<li>The Kiltartan Wonderbook. Lady Gregory. 12450. g. 32. -Maunsel & Co.</li> - -<li>The Story of Drake. L. Elton. 10601. p. (From “The -Children's Heroes” Series.)</li> - -<li>Tales from Arabian Nights. 012201. ff. 7/1. Blackie & -Sons.</li> - -<li>King Peter. Dion Calthrop, 012632. ccc. 37. Duckworth -& Co.</li> - -<li>Tales of the Heroic Ages: Siegfried, Beowulf, Frithjof, -Roland. Zenaide Ragozin. 12411. eee. G. P. Putnam.</li></ul> - -<h3><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> - -<span class="smcap">Titles of Miscellaneous Books containing -Material for Narration.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>Strange Adventures in Dicky Birdland. Kearton. 12809. -ff. 45. Cassell & Co.</li> - -<li>Then and Now Stories: Life in England Then and Now; -Children Then and Now; Story-Tellers Then and Now. -W.P. 2221. Macmillan & Co.</li> - -<li>A Book of Bad Children. Trego Webb. 012808. ee. Methuen -& Co.</li> - -<li>Land of Play. Ada Wallas. 12813. r. 8. (The story of a -Doll-Historian, much appreciated by children.) -Edward Arnold.</li> - -<li>Tell It Again Stories (For very young children). Elizabeth -Thompson Dillingham and Adèle Pomers Emerson. -012808. cc. 15. Ginn and Co.</li> - -<li>The Basket Woman. Mrs. Mary Austin. Houghton Mifflin -Co.</li> - -<li>The Queen Bee, and Other Stories. Evald. (Translated -by C. C. Moore Smith.) P.P. 6064 c. Nelson and Sons.</li> - -<li>The Children and the Pictures. Pamela Tennant. 12804. tt. -10. William Heinemann.</li> - -<li>Stories from the History of Ceylon for Children. Marie -Musaus Higgins. Capper & Sons.</li> - -<li>Nonsense for Somebody by A. Nobody. 12809. n. 82. -Wells, Gardner & Co.</li> - -<li>Graphic Stories for Boys and Girls. Selected from 3, 4, 5, 6 -of the Graphic Readers. 012866. f. Collins.</li> - -<li>Child Lore. 1451. a. 54. Nimmo.</li> - -<li>Windlestraw (Legends in Rhyme of Plants and Animals). -Pamela Glenconner. 011651. e. 76. Chiswick Press.</li> - -<li>Deccan Nursery Tales. Kinaid. Macmillan.</li> - -<li>The Indian's Story Book. Richard Wilson. Macmillan.</li> - -<li>Told in Gallant Deeds. A Child's History of the War. -Mrs. Belloc Lowndes. Nisbet.</li></ul> - -<p>I much regret that I have been unable to find a good -collection of stories from history for Narrative -purposes. I have made a careful and lengthy search, -but apart from the few I have quoted the stories are -all written from the <i>reading</i> point of view, rather than -the <i>telling</i>. There is a large scope for such a book, -but the dramatic presentation is the first and chief -essential of such a work. These stories could be used -as supplementary to the readings of the great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span> -historians. It would be much easier to interest boys -and girls in the more leisurely account of the historian -when they have once been caught in the fire of -enthusiasm on the dramatic side.</p> - -<p>The following is a list of single stories chosen for -the dramatic qualities which make them suitable for -narration. For the Press-marks and the publishers -it will be necessary to refer back to the list containing -the book-titles.</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Classical Stories Re-told.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Story of Theseus (To be told in six parts for a series).</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Lifted the Stone.</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Slew the Corynetes.</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Slew Sinis.</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Slew Kerkyon and Procrustes.</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Slew Medea and was acknowledged as the Son of Ægeus.</li> -<li class="isub1">How Theseus Slew the Minotaur.</li> -<li class="isub2">(From Kingsley's Heroes. 012208. e. 22/26. Blackie & Son.)</li> -<li>The Story of Crœsus.</li> -<li>The Conspiracy of the Magi.</li> -<li>Arion and the Dolphin.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Wonder Tales from Herodotus. These are -intended for reading, but could be shortened for -effective narration.)</li> - -<li>Coriolanus.</li> -<li>Julius Cæsar.</li> -<li>Aristides.</li> -<li>Alexander.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls. These -stories must be shortened and adapted for narration.) -</li> -<li>The God of the Spears: The Story of Romulus.</li> -<li>His Father's Crown: The story of Alcibiades. </li> -<li class="isub1">(From Tales from Plutarch. F. J. Rowbotham. Both -these stories to be shortened and told in sections.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Indian Stories.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Wise Old Shepherd.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Talking Thrush. Rouse.)</li> - -<li>The Religious Camel.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From the same source.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span> -Less Inequality than Men Deem.</li> -<li>The Brahman, the Tiger and the Six Judges.</li> -<li>Tit for Tat.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Old Deccan Days. Mary Frere.)</li> -<li>Pride Goeth Before a Fall. </li> -<li>Harisarman. </li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Jacob's Indian Fairy Tales.)</li> - -<li>The Bear's Bad Bargain.</li> -<li>Little Anklebone.</li> -<li>Peasie and Beansie.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Wide Awake Stories. Flora Annie Steel.)</li> - -<li>The Weaver and the Water Melon.</li> -<li>The Tiger and the Hare.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Indian Nights' Entertainment. Synnerton.)</li> - -<li>The Virtuous Animals.</li> -<li class="isub1">(This story should be abridged and somewhat altered -for narration.)</li> - -<li>The Ass as Singer.</li> -<li>The Wolf and the Sheep.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Tibetian Tales. F. A. Schieffur.)</li> -<li>A Story about Robbers.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Out of the Far East. Page. 131. Lafcadio -Hearn. 10058. de. g. Houghton and Mifflin.)</li> -<li>Dripping.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Indian Fairy Tales. Mark Thornhill. 12431. -bbb. 38. Hatchard.)</li> - -<li>The Buddha as Tree-Spirit.</li> -<li>The Buddha as Parrot.</li> -<li>The Buddha as King.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Eastern Stories and Fables. George Routledge.)</li> -<li>Raksas and Bakshas.</li> -<li>The Bread of Discontent.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Legendary Lore of All Nations. Cathcart and -Swinton.)</li> - -<li>A Germ-Destroyer.</li> -<li>Namgay Doola (A good story for boys, to be given in shortened form).</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Kipling Reader. 1227. t. 7. Macmillan.)</li> - -<li>A Stupid Boy.</li> -<li>The Clever Jackal (One of the few stories wherein the Jackal shows -skill combined with gratitude).</li> - -<li>Why the Fish Laughed. - -(From Folk Tales of Kashmir. Knowles.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Common Sense and Resourcefulness and Humour.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Thief and the Cocoanut Tree.</li> - -<li>The Woman and the Lizard.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span> -Sada Sada.</li> -<li>The Shopkeeper and the Robber.</li> -<li>The Reciter.</li> -<li>Rich Man's Potsherd.</li> -<li>Singer and the Donkey.</li> -<li>Child and Milk.</li> -<li>Rich Man Giving a Feast.</li> -<li>King Solomon and the Mosquitoes.</li> -<li>The King who Promised to Look After Tennel Ranan's Family.</li> -<li>Vikadakavi.</li> -<li>Horse and Complainant.</li> -<li>The Woman and the Stolen Fruit.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From An Indian Tale or Two. Swinton. 14171. A. 20. -Reprinted from Blackheath Local Guide.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Titles of Books containing Stories from History.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>British Sailor Heroes. </li> -<li>British Soldier Heroes. </li> - -<li class="isub1">(From the Hero Reader. W.P. 53 ⅓. William Heinemann.)</li> - -<li>The Story of Alfred the Great. A. E. McKillan.</li> -<li>Alexander the Great. Ada Russell: W.P. 66/5.</li> -<li>The Story of Jean d'Arc. Wilmot Buxton. W.P. 66/1.</li> -<li>Marie Antoinette. Alice Birkhead. W.P. 66/2.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(All these are published by George Harrap.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Stories from the Lives of Saints.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Children's Library of the Saints. Edited by Rev. W. Guy Pearse. -Printed by Richard Jackson.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(This is an illustrated penny edition.)</li> - -<li>From the Legenda Aurea. 012200. de.</li> -<li class="isub1">The Story of St. Brandon (The Episode of the Birds). Vol 7, page 52.</li> -<li class="isub1">The Story of St. Francis. Vol. 6, page 125.</li> -<li class="isub1">The Story of Santa Clara and the Roses.</li> -<li class="isub1">Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. Vol. 6, page 213.</li> -<li class="isub1">St. Martin and the Cloak. Vol. 6, page 142.</li> -<li>The Legend of St. Marjory.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(<i>Tales Facetiæ.</i> 12350. b. 39.)</li> - -<li>Melangell's Lambs.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Welsh Fairy Book. W. Jenkyn Thomas. -Fisher Unwin.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span> -Our Lady's Tumbler. (Twelfth Century Legend told by Philip Wicksteed. -012356. e. 59.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(J. M. Dent. This story could be shortened and adapted -without sacrificing too much of the beauty of the style.)</li> - -<li>The Song of the Minster.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From William Canton's Book of Saints. K.T.C. a/4. -J. M. Dent. This should be shortened and somewhat -simplified for narration, especially in the -technical ecclesiastical terms.)</li> - -<li>The Story of St. Kenelm the Little King.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Old English History for Children.)</li> - -<li>The Story of King Alfred and St. Cuthbert.</li> -<li>The Story of Ædburg, the Daughter of Edward.</li> -<li>The Story of King Harold's Sickness and Recovery.</li> -</ul> - -<p>I commend all those who tell these stories to read -the comments made on them by E. A. Freeman -himself.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>(From Old English History for Children. 012206. ppp. -7. J. M. Dent. Everyman Series.)</li></ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Stories Dealing with the Success of the -Youngest Child.</span></h3> - -<p class="hang">(This is sometimes due to a kind action shown to -some humble person or to an animal.)</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Three Sons.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Kiltartan Wonderbook. By Lady Gregory.)</li> - -<li>The Flying Ship.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Russian Fairy Tales. Nisbet Pain.)</li> - -<li>How Jesper Herded the Hares.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From The Violet Fairy Book. 12411. ccc. 6.)</li> - -<li>Youth, Life and Death.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Myths and Folk Tales of Russians and Slavs. -By Curtin.)</li> - -<li>Jack the Dullard. Hans Christian Andersen.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(See list of <a href="#C_Andersen">Andersen Stories</a>.)</li> - -<li>The Enchanted Whistle.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Golden Fairy Book. 12411. c. 36.)</li> - -<li>The King's Three Sons.</li> - -<li>Hunchback and Brothers.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Legends of the French Provinces. 1241. c. 2.)</li> - -<li>The Little Humpbacked Horse. (This story is more suitable -for reading than telling.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Russian Wonder Tales. By Post Wheeler. -12410. dd. 30. Adam and Charles Black.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span> -The Queen Bee. By Grimm. (See full list.)</li> - -<li>The Wonderful Bird.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Roumanian Fairy Tales. Adapted by J. M. -Percival. 12431. dd. 23. Henry Holt.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Legends, Myths, Fairy Tales and Miscellaneous -Stories.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>How the Herring became King.</li> -<li>Joe Moore's Story.</li> -<li>The Mermaid of Gob Ny Ooyl.</li> -<li>King Magnus Barefoot.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Manx Tales. By Sophia Morrison.) -</li> -<li>The Greedy Man.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Contes Populaires Malgaches. By G. Ferrand. -2348. aaa. 19. Ernest Leroux.)</li> - -<li>Arbutus.</li> -<li>Basil.</li> -<li>Briony.</li> -<li>Dandelion.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Legends of Myths and Flowers. C. Skinner.) -</li> -<li>The Magic Picture.</li> -<li>The Stone Monkey.</li> -<li>Stealing Peaches.</li> -<li>The Country of Gentlemen.</li> -<li>Football on a Lake.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Chinese Fairy Tales. Professor Giles.)</li> - -<li>The Lime Tree.</li> -<li>Intelligence and Luck.</li> -<li>The Frost, the Sun and Wind.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Sixty Folk Tales. Wratislaw.)</li> - -<li>The Boy who Slept.</li> -<li>The Gods Know. (This story must be shortened and adapted for narration.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Chinese Fairy Stories. By Pitman.)</li> -<li>The Imp Tree.</li> -<li>The Pixy Flower.</li> -<li>Tom-Tit Tot.</li> -<li>The Princess of Colchester.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Fairy Gold. Ernest Rhys.)</li> - -<li>The Origin of the Mole.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Cossack Fairy Tales. Selected by Nisbet Bain. -12431. f. 51. Lawrence and Bullen.)</li> - -<li>Dolls and Butterflies.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Myths and Legends of Japan. Chapter VI.)</li> - -<li>The Child of the Forest.</li> -<li>The Sparrow's Wedding.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span> -The Moon Maiden.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Old World Japan. By Frank Binder.)</li> - -<li>The Story of Merlin. (For Young People.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(Told in Early British Heroes. Harkey.)</li> - -<li>The Isle of the Mystic Lake.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Voyage of Maildun, “Old Celtic Romances.” -P. W. Joice.)</li> - -<li>The Story of Baldur. (In Three Parts, for Young Children.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Heroes of Asgard. M. R. Earle. Macmillan.)</li> - -<li>Adalhero.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Evenings with the Old Story-Tellers. See -“Titles of Books.”)</li> - -<li>Martin, the Peasant's Son.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(This is more suitable for reading. From Russian -Wonder Tales. Post Wheeler.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Miscellaneous Stories.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Versions of the Legend of Rip Van Winkle.</li> -<li>Urashima.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Myths and Legends of Japan. Hadland Davis.)</li> - -<li>The Monk and the Bird.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From the Book of Legends-Told Over Again. Horace -Scudder.)</li> - -<li>Carob. (Talmud Legend.)</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Myths and Legends of Flowers. C. Skinner.)</li> -<li>The Land of Eternal Youth.</li> <li class="isub1">(From Child-Lore.)</li> - -<li>Catskin.</li> -<li>Guy of Gisborne.</li> -<li>King Henry and the Miller.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Stories from Ballads. M. Macleod.)</li> - -<li>The Legend of the Black Prince.</li> - -<li>Why the Wolves no Longer Devour the Lambs on Xmas Night.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Au Pays des Legendes. E. Herpin. 12430. -bbb. 30. Hyacinthe Calliere.)</li> - -<li>The Coyote and the Locust.</li> -<li>The Coyote and the Raven.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Zuni Folk Tales. Cushing.)</li> -<li>The Peacemaker. - -(From Legends of the Iroquois. W. V. Canfield.)</li> - -<li>The Story of the Great Chief of the Animals.</li> -<li>The Story of Lion and Little Jackal.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Kaffir Folk Tales. G. M. Theal.)</li> - -<li>The Legend of the Great St. Nicholas.</li> -<li>The Three Counsels.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Bulletin de Folk Lore. Liege. Academies, -987 ½.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span> -The Tale of the Peasant Demyar.</li> - -<li>Monkey and the Pomegranate Tree.</li> -<li>The Ant and the Snow.</li> -<li>The Value of an Egg.</li> -<li>The Padre and the Negro.</li> -<li>Papranka.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Tales of Old Lusitania. Coelho.)</li> - -<li>Kojata.</li> -<li>The Lost Spear. (To be shortened.)</li> -<li>The Hermit. By Voltaire.</li> -<li>The Blue Cat. (From the French.)</li> -<li>The Silver Penny.</li> -<li>The Three Sisters.</li> -<li>The Slippers of Abou-Karem.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Golden Fairy Book. 12411. e. 36. Hutchinson.)</li> - -<li>The Fairy Baby. - -(From Uncle Remus in Hansaland. By Mary and -Newman Tremearne.)</li> - -<li>Why the Sole of a Man's Foot is Uneven.</li> -<li>The Wonderful Hair.</li> -<li>The Emperor Trojan's Goat Ears.</li> -<li>The Language of Animals.</li> -<li>Handicraft above Everything.</li> -<li>Just Earnings are Never Lost.</li> -<li>The Maiden who was Swifter than a Horse.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Servian Stories and Legends.)</li> - -<li>Le Couple Silencieux.</li> -<li>Le Mort Parlant.</li> -<li>La Sotte Fiancee.</li> -<li>Le Cornacon.</li> -<li>Persin au Pot.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Contes Populaires du Vallon. Aug. Gittée. -12430. h. 44.)</li> - -<li>The Rat and the Cat.</li> -<li>The Two Thieves.</li> -<li>The Two Rats.</li> -<li>The Dog and the Rat.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Contes Populaires Malgaches. 2348. aaa. 19. -Gab. Ferrand.)</li> -<li>Rua and Toka. -(From The Maori Tales. Clark.)</li> - -<li>John and the Pig. (Old Hungarian Tales.) - -(This story is given for the same purpose as “Long -Bow Story.” See Andrew Lang's Books.)</li> - -<li>Lady Clare.</li> -<li>The Wolf-Child.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Land of Grapes and Nuts.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span> -The Ungrateful Man.</li> -<li>The Faithful Servant. (In part.)</li> -<li>Jovinian the Proud Emperor.</li> -<li>The Knight and the King of Hungary.</li> -<li>The Wicked Priest.</li> -<li>The Emperor Conrad and the Count's Son.</li> - -<li class="isub1"> - -(From the Gesta Romanorum. 1155. e. I.)</li> - -<li>Virgil, the Emperor and the Truffles. - -(From Unpublished Legends of Virgil. Collected by -C. G. Leland. 12411. eee. 15. Elliot Stock.)</li> - -<li>Seeing that All was Right. (A good story for boys.)</li> -<li>La Fortuna.</li> -<li>The Lanterns of the Strozzi Palace.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Legends of Florence. Re-told by C. G. Leland. -12411. c.cc. 2. David Nutt.)</li> - -<li>The Three Kingdoms.</li> -<li>Yelena the Wise.</li> -<li>Seven Simeons.</li> -<li>Ivan, the Bird and the Wolf.</li> -<li>The Pig, the Deer and the Steed.</li> -<li>Waters of Youth.</li> -<li>The Useless Wagoner.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(These stories need shortening and adapting. From -Myths and Folk Tales of the Russian. Curtin.) </li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Miscellaneous Stories taken from the Andrew -<a id="Lang_Books"></a>Lang Books.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Serpent's Gifts.</li> -<li>Unlucky John.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From All Sorts of Story Books. 012704. aaa. 35.)</li> - -<li>Makoma. (A story for boys.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Orange Fairy Book. 12411. c. 36.)</li> - -<li>The Lady of Solace.</li> -<li>How the Ass Became a Man Again.</li> -<li>Amys and Amile.</li> -<li>The Burning of Njal.</li> -<li>Ogier the Dane.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Red Book of Romance. 12411. bbb. 10.)</li> - -<li>The Heart of a Donkey.</li> -<li>The Wonderful Tune.</li> -<li>A French Puck.</li> -<li>A Fish Story.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Lilac Fairy Book. 12411. de. 17.)</li> - -<li>East of the Sun and West of the Moon. (As a preparation for Cupid and -Psyche.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Blue Fairy Book. 12411. I. 3.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span> -The Half Chick.</li> -<li>The Story of Hok Lee and the Dwarfs.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Green Fairy Book. 12411.1. 6.)</li> - -<li>How to Find a True Friend. (To be given in shorter form.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Crimson Fairy Book. 12411. c. 20.) -</li> -<li>The Long Bow Story. (This story makes children learn to distinguish -between falsehood and romance.)</li> -<li class="isub1">(From The Olive Fairy Book. 12410. dd. 18.)</li> - -<li>Kanny, the Kangaroo.</li> -<li>Story of Tom the Bear.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From The Animal Story Book.)</li> - -<li>The Story of the Fisherman.</li> -<li>Aladdin and the Lamp. (This story should be divided and told in two -sections.)</li> -<li>The Story of Ali Cogia.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From the Arabian Nights Stories of Andrew Lang. -All these stories are published by Longmans, -Green & Co.)</li> -</ul> - -<p class="noin">The following titles are taken from the “Story-telling -Magazine,” published 27 West 23rd Street, -New York.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>March and the Shepherd. </li> - -<li class="isub1">(Folk Lore from Foreign Lands. January, 1914.)</li> - -<li>The Two Young Lions.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Fénélon's Fables and Fairy Tales. Translated -by Marc T. Valette. March, 1914.)</li> - -<li>Why the Cat Spits at the Dog. (November, 1913.)</li> -<li>The Story of Persephone. By R. T. Wyche. (September, 1913.)</li> -<li>The Story of England's First Poet. By G. P. Krapp.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From In Oldest England, July, 1913.)</li> -<li>The Three Goats. By Jessica Child. (For very young children. July, -1913.)</li> -<li>The Comical History of the Cobbler and the King. (Chap. Book. 12331. i. -4.)</li> -<li class="isub1">(This story should be shortened to add to the dramatic<br /> -power.)</li> -</ul> - -<p class="noin">The two following stories, which are great favourites, -should be told one after the other, one to illustrate the -patient wife, and the other the patient husband.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> - -<li>The Fisherman and his Wife. Hans. C. Andersen.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(See Publishers of Andersen's Stories.)</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span> -Hereafter This.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From More English Fairy Tales. By Jacobs. 12411. -h. 23. David Nutt.)</li> - -<li>How a Man Found his Wife in the Land of the Dead. (This is a very -dramatic and pagan story, to be used with discretion.)</li> -<li>The Man without Hands and Feet.</li> -<li>The Cockerel.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Papuan Fairy Tales. Annie Ker.)</li> - -<li>The Story of Sir Tristram and La Belle Iseult. (To be told in shortened -form.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Cornwall's Wonderland. Mabel Quiller Couch.)</li> - -<li>The Cat that Went to the Doctor.</li> -<li>The Wood Anemone.</li> -<li>Sweeter than Sugar.</li> -<li>The Raspberry Caterpillar.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Fairy Tales from Finland. Zopelius.)</li> - -<li>Dinevan the Emu.</li> -<li>Goomble Gubbon the Bustard.</li> -<li class="isub1">(From Australian Legendary Lore. By Mrs. Langloh -Parker. 12411. h. 13.)</li> - -<li>The Tulip Bed.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From English Fairy Book. Ernest Rhys.)</li> -</ul> - -<p>I have been asked so often for this particular story: -I am glad to be able to provide it in very poetical -language.</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Fisherman and his Wife.</li> -<li>The Wolf and the Kids.</li> -<li>The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet.</li> -<li>The Old Man and his Grandson.</li> -<li>Rumpelstiltskin.</li> -<li>The Queen Bee.</li> -<li>The Wolf and the Man.</li> -<li>The Golden Goose.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Grimm's Fairy Tales. By Mrs. Edgar Lucas. -12410. dd. 33. Constable.)</li> -</ul> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Stories from Hans <a id="C_Andersen"></a>C. Andersen.</span></h3> - -<p class="center">(For young children.)</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Ole-Luk-Oie. (Series of seven.)</li> -<li>What the Old Man Does is Always Right.</li> -<li>The Princess and the Pea.</li> -<li>Thumbelina.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span>(For older children.)</p> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>It's Quite True.</li> -<li>Five Out of One Pod.</li> -<li>Great Claus and Little Claus.</li> -<li>Jack the Dullard.</li> -<li>The Buckwheat.</li> -<li>The Fir-Tree.</li> -<li>The Little Tin Soldier.</li> -<li>The Nightingale.</li> -<li>The Ugly Duckling.</li> -<li>The Swineherd.</li> -<li>The Sea Serpent.</li> -<li>The Little Match-Girl.</li> -<li>The Gardener and the Family.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The two best editions of Hans C. Andersen's Fairy Tales -are the translation by Mrs. Lucas, published by Dent, and -the only complete English edition, published by W. A. and -J. K. Craigie (Humphrey Milford, 1914).</p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">Miscellaneous Modern Stories.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>The Summer Princess.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Enchanted Garden. Mrs. Molesworth. -012803. d. f. T. Fisher Unwin. This could be -shortened and arranged for narration.)</li> - -<li>Thomas and the Princess. (A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, for pure -relaxation.) By Joseph Conrad.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Twenty-six Ideal Stories for Girls. 012809. e. 1. -Hutchinson & Co.)</li> - -<li>The Truce of God.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From All-Fellowes Seven Legends of Lower Redemption. -Laurence Housman. 012630. 1. 25. Kegan -Paul.)</li> - -<li>The Selfish Giant. By Oscar Wilde. 012356. e. 59. David Nutt.</li> -<li>The Legend of the Tortoise.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From the Provençal. From Windestraw. Pamela -Glenconner.) Chiswick Press.</li> - -<li>Fairy Grumblesnooks.</li> -<li>A Bit of Laughter's Smile. By Maud Symonds.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Tales for Little People. Nos. 323 and 318. -Aldine Publishing Company.)</li> - -<li>The Fairy who Judged her Neighbours.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Little Wonder Box. By Jean Ingelow. -12806. r. 21. Griffiths, Farren & Co.)</li> - -</ul> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span></p> - -<h3><span class="smcap">For Teachers of Young Children.</span></h3> - -<ul class="hang"> -<li>Le Courage.</li> -<li>L'Ecole.</li> -<li>Le Jour de Catherine.</li> -<li>Jacqueline et Mirant.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Nos Enfants. Anatole France. 12810. dd. 72. -Hachette.)</li> - -<li>The Giant and the Jackstraw. By David Starr Jordan.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From Una and the Knights. For very small children.)</li> - -<li>The Musician.</li> -<li>Legend of the Christmas Rose.</li> - -<li class="isub1">(From The Girl from the Marsh Croft. Selma <span class="err" title="original: Lagelöf">Lagerlöf</span>. -12581. p. 99.)</li> - -<li class="isub1">Both these should be shortened and adapted for narration.</li> -</ul> - -<p>I trust that the titles of my stories in this Section -may not be misleading. Under the titles of “Myths, -Legends and Fairy Tales,” I have included many -which contain valuable ethical teaching, deep philosophy -and stimulating examples for conduct in life. -I regret that I have not been able to furnish in my -own list many of the stories I consider good for -narration, but the difficulty of obtaining permission -has deterred me from further efforts in this direction. -I hope, however, that teachers and students will look -up the book containing these stories.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span class="label">[55]</span></a> Both books dealing with insect life.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span></p> -<h2>INDEX</h2> - -<ul class="index"> -<li>Adler, Felix, on animal stories, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></li> - -<li>Adventures of a Beetle, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li> - -<li>Alice in Wonderland, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li> - -<li>Analysis of motive and feeling, to be avoided, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li> - -<li>Andersen, Hans C., <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, -<a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>, -<a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, -<a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li> - -<li>Animal Play, Psychology of, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li>Art, true purpose of, <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li> - -<li>Arthur in the Cave, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>-<a href="#Page_169">9</a></li> - -<li>Artifices of story telling, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Bacon, J. D. D., <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li> - -<li>Ballad for a boy, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li>Baring, M., <a href="#Page_193">193</a></li> - -<li>Barnes, Earl, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li>Barnett, P. A., <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li>Barnett, Mrs. P. A., <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li> - -<li>Barrow, E., <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li>Beautiful things need appropriate language, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></li> - -<li>Beetle, the, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li>Beginning, should be striking, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li>Belloc's Cautionary Tales, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li>Béranger, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li>Bible Stories, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li>Björnson's tribute to Andersen, <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li> - -<li>Blazing Mansion, the, <a href="#Page_74">74</a></li> - -<li>Bluebeard, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li>Blue Rose, the, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li> - -<li>‘Blugginess,’ the thirst for, <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li> - -<li>Books, choice of, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li>Bradley, Professor, <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li> - -<li>Brown, T. E., <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li>Buddha, stories of, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></li> - -<li>Buffoonery, to be discouraged, <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li> - -<li>Burroughs, John, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li>Buster Brown, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li>Butterfly, Story of, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Call of the Homeland, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Calypso, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> - -<li>Calthrop, Dion, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li>Carlyle, T., <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li> - -<li>Chap books, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></li> - -<li>Chesterton, G. K., on sentimentality, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li> - -<li>Child, the, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li>Child Play, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li>Children's Catalogue, <a href="#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li>Choice of books, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li>Christopher, St., legend of, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>-<a href="#Page_165">5</a></li> - -<li>Cid, the, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li>Cinderella, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li> - -<li>Classical Stories, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li> - -<li>Class teaching, use of story-telling in, <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li> - -<li>Clifford, Ethel, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></li> - -<li>Clifford, Mrs. W. K., <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li>Commonplace, to be avoided, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li>Common sense of Education, <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li>Common sense, illustrated in stories, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li> - -<li>Concealment of emotion by children, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li> - -<li>Confucius, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li>Co-operation of audience, how to enlist, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span> -Cory, W., <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li>Coquelin, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li>Crazy Jane, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li>Creative work, value of, <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li> - -<li>Curious Girl, <a href="#Page_51">51</a></li> - -<li>Curtin, Russian Myths, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li>Cymbeline, <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Danger of side issues, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li> - -<li>Danger of altering the story for the occasion, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li>Darning Needle, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li>Death, stories dealing with, <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li> - -<li>Death-bed scenes, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li>Defence of Poesy, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li>Detail, excess of, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li>Dick Whittington, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li>Didactic fiction, a low type of art, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li>Dido and Aeneas, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li>Difficulties of the story, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li> - -<li>Dinkey Bird, the, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li>Direct appeal, danger of, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li>Divine Adventure, the, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li>Dobson, Austin, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li>Don Quixote, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li>Dramatic and poetic elements, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li> - -<li>Dramatic Excitement, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></li> - -<li>Dramatic joy, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> - -<li>Dramatic presentation, of moral value, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— indispensable, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li>Dramatisation, danger of, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li>Drudgery, essential for success, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Educational uses of story telling, <a href="#Page_4">4</a></li> - -<li>Effect of story, difficult to gauge, <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— how to obtain and maintain, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li>Elements, desirable, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— to be avoided, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li>Eliot, George, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></li> - -<li>Emotions, unable to find expression, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li>Emphasis, danger of, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></li> - -<li>Endings, dramatic, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li>Enfant Prodigue, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li>Environment, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li> - -<li>Essentials of the story, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li>Ewing, Mrs., <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li>Examples for Youth, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li>Experience, the appeal to, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Fact and make-believe, <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li> - -<li>Fairchild Family, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Fairy tales, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— do not appeal to some, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— mixed with science, to be avoided, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— poor material of, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— potential truth in, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— right age for, <a href="#Page_75">75</a></li> - -<li>Father and Son, <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li> - -<li>Fear, appeals to, <a href="#Page_51">51</a></li> - -<li>Fénélon's Telemachus, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li>Festival Day, true spirit of, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>-<a href="#Page_203">3</a></li> - -<li>Fiction, should be used, <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li> - -<li>Field, Eugene, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li>Filial Piety, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>-<a href="#Page_206">6</a></li> - -<li>Fleming, Marjorie, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li>Folk lore, tampering with, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li>Freeman, P., poems of, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span> -Froebel, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li>Fun, coarse and exaggerated, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Gales, R. L., <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li> - -<li>Geography, dramatic possibilities of, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li> - -<li>Gesture, use and abuse of, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li> - -<li>Glenconner, Lady, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li> - -<li>Glover, Mrs. Arnold, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li>Golden Numbers, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Goschen, G., <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li>Gosse, E., <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li> - -<li>Gregory, Lady, <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li> - -<li>Grimm, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Groos, Karl, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li>Grotesque stories, an antidote to sentimentality, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li>Gunnar, Death of, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Hafiz the Stone-cutter, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>-<a href="#Page_172">2</a></li> - -<li>Harris, Muriel, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li>Harrison, Frederic, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li>Hearn, Lafcadio, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li> - -<li>Hector and Andromache, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li>Helen and Paris, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li>Heroes of Asgaard, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></li> - -<li>History and fiction, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></li> - -<li>Honey Bee and other Stories, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li>Human interest, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> - -<li>Humour, development slow, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— educational value of, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— to encourage the sense of, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li> - -<li>Hushaby Lady, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li>Hysteria, how encouraged, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Ice Maiden, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></li> - -<li>Ideal, translated into action, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li>Illustration of stories, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li> - -<li>Imagination, appeal by, <a href="#Page_20">20</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— cultivation of, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— Queyrat on, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— Ribot on, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li>Indian Stories, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></li> - -<li>Infant piety, tales of, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li>Irish peasants as an audience, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Jack and the Beanstalk, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li>Jacob, More English tales, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li>James, Henry, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li> - -<li>James, William, <a href="#Page_84">84</a></li> - -<li>Janeway, Mrs., <a href="#Page_51">51</a></li> - -<li>Jesper and the Hares, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li>John and the Pig, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Keatinge, on Suggestion, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li>Kimmins, Dr., <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li>Kinematograph, dramatic value of, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li>King Peter, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li>Kinship with animals, to be encouraged, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></li> - -<li>Ker, Professor, <a href="#Page_157">157</a></li> - -<li>Kipling, Rudyard, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Ladd's Psychology, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li>Lang, Andrew, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_230">230</a></li> - -<li>Laocoon group, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li>Lear's Book of Nonsense, <a href="#Page_79">79</a></li> - -<li>Legends, Myths and Fairy tales, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a></li> - -<li>Life, stories of saving, <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li> - -<li>Little Citizens of other Lands, <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li> - -<li>Little Cousin Series, <a href="#Page_214">214</a></li> - -<li>Little Red Riding Hood, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span> -Lion and Hare, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li> - -<li>Loti, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Magnanimity, to be encouraged, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li>Mahomet, advice to teachers, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li>McKracken, Mrs. E., <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li>Macleod, Fiona, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li>Marsh King's Daughter, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li>Mechanical devices for attracting attention, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li>Memory or improvisation, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li>Memory, the effect of, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li>Mentius, Chinese philosopher, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li> - -<li>Metempsychosis, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li>Milking time, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li>Mill on the Floss, <a href="#Page_83">83</a></li> - -<li>Milton, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li>Mimicry, use of, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li>Ministering Children, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Miscellaneous Stories, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a></li> - -<li>Modern Stories, List of, <a href="#Page_233">233</a></li> - -<li>Montessori, on Silence, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li> - -<li>Moore Smith, C. G., <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li>Moral Instruction of Children, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li>Moral tales, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li>Morley, Henry, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li>Morley, Lord, on direct moral teaching, <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li> - -<li>Mother Play, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li>Moulton, Professor, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Napoleon, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li> - -<li>Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li>Necker de Saussure, Mme., <a href="#Page_20">20</a></li> - -<li>Nightingale, the, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>-<a href="#Page_150">150</a></li> - -<li>Njal, Burning of, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li> - -<li>Nonsense, a plea for, <a href="#Page_79">79</a></li> - -<li>Norse Stories, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li>Nursery Rhymes, <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Old people, as an audience, <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li> - -<li>Openings, vivid, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li>Orpheus and Eurydice, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li>Our Lady's Tumbler, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li>Over dramatic stimulation, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li>Over-elaboration, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li> - -<li>Over explanation, danger of, <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li> - -<li>Over-illustration, danger of, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Pandora, story of, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li>Pantomime, stories in, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></li> - -<li>Paris and Helen, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li>Pausing, the art of, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></li> - -<li>Piety Promoted, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li>Planting for Eternity, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li> - -<li>Plato, on the End of Education, <a href="#Page_91">91</a></li> - -<li>Poetic element, children's unexpressed need, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li> - -<li>Poetry and Life, <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li> - -<li>Poetry, effect of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li> - -<li>Poetry, value of, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li>Polish, importance of, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li> - -<li>Poor Robin, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li>Priggishness, how to avoid, <a href="#Page_51">51</a></li> - -<li>Preparation for a story, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li> - -<li>Princess and the Pea, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>-<a href="#Page_157">7</a></li> - -<li>Proud Cock, the, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>-<a href="#Page_180">180</a></li> - -<li>Psyche, <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li> - -<li>Psychology, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li>Psychological novelist, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li>Pueblo tribe of Indians, <a href="#Page_91">91</a></li> - -<li>Puss in Boots, <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Quebec and Téméraire, story of, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li> - -<li>Questions, danger of, <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span> -Questions of teachers, <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li>Questioning the audience, futility of, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li>Queyrat, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li>Quintilian, on the use of the hands, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Reading matter for children, <a href="#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li>Realism, excessive, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></li> - -<li>Repetition of story (by children) inadvisable, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li>Repetition of stories (by lecturers) recommended, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li>Reproduction of stories, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li> - -<li>Resourcefulness, stories of, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li> - -<li>Ribot, on the imagination, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li>Riley, Whitcomb, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li>Romance, Books of, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li> - -<li>Romance, good for children, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— in the streets, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li>Rossetti, Christina, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li>Russell, J., <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li>Russian myths and folk tales, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Saga, a, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li>Saints, lives of, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></li> - -<li>St. Christopher, Legend of, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>-<a href="#Page_165">5</a></li> - -<li>St. Francis and St. Clare, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li>Santa Claus, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li>Sarcasm, excess to be avoided, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Satire, excessive, to be deprecated, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Saturation, necessity of, <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li> - -<li>Scott, Dr., <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Scudder, H., <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li> - -<li>Sensationalism, danger of, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li>Sentimentality, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li> - -<li>Shakespeare, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li>Shepherd, the Obstinate, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>-<a href="#Page_178">8</a></li> - -<li>Sherwood, Mrs., <a href="#Page_52">52</a></li> - -<li>Side issues, danger of, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li> - -<li>Sidney, Sir Philip, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li>Siegfried and Brunhild, <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li>Silence, Montessori on, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li> - -<li>Simplicity, the keynote of story-telling, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></li> - -<li>Smith, Mrs. R. B., <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li>Smith, N. A., <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Snake story, a, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>-<a href="#Page_200">200</a></li> - -<li>Snegourka, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>-<a href="#Page_182">2</a></li> - -<li>Snow Child, the, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>-<a href="#Page_182">2</a></li> - -<li>Somerset, Lady H., <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li>Song and Story, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li> - -<li>Song of Roland, <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li> - -<li>Souvenirs du Peuple, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li> - -<li>Standard, must be high, <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li> - -<li>Sterne, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Stephens, James, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li>Stevenson, R. L., <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li>Stories, in full, <a href="#Page_138">138</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— to counteract influence of the streets, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> - -<li class="isub1">—— outside children's experience, futility of, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li>Story telling in school and home, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li>Story Telling Magazine, <a href="#Page_231">231</a></li> - -<li>Sturla, story of, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>-<a href="#Page_160">160</a></li> - -<li>Suggestion, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li>Sully, on children, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li>Sunday books, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li>Swineherd, the, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>-<a href="#Page_156">156</a></li> - -<li>Sympathy for foreigners, <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li> - -<li>Syrett, N., <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Talking over a story, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - -<li>Talking Thrush, the, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></li> - -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span> -Talks to teachers, <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li> - -<li>Teachers of Young Children, books for, <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li> - -<li>Telemachus, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li> - -<li>Tell, Wilhelm, <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li> - -<li>Tennant, Pamela, <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li> - -<li>Thackeray, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li> - -<li>Thomas, W. Jenkyn, <a href="#Page_169">169</a></li> - -<li>Three Bears, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li>Through the Looking Glass, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li>Tiger, Jackal and Brahman, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li> - -<li>Time, spent on story telling, <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li>Tin Soldier, the, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - -<li>Top and Ball, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li>To your good health, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>-<a href="#Page_178">8</a></li> - -<li>Treasure of the Wise Man, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li>Troy, tale of, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li> - -<li>Truth, many-sided, <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li>Truth of Stories, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li>Truth and Falsehood, how to distinguish, <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li> - -<li>Two Frogs, the, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>-<a href="#Page_195">5</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Ulysses, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li> - -<li>Unfamiliar words, danger of, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li>United States, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></li> - -<li>Unsuitable material for stories, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li>Unusual element, desirable, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li>Unwholesome Extravagance, <a href="#Page_53">53</a></li> - -<li>Utilitarian stories, danger of, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Very Short Stories, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li>Virginibus Puerisque, <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li>Voice, dramatic power of, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Wallas, K., <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Warlike Excitement, not essential, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li>Water Nixie, the, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>-<a href="#Page_187">7</a></li> - -<li>Wide, Wide World, <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li> - -<li>Wiggin, Kate Douglas, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li> - -<li>Wise Old Shepherd, the, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>-<a href="#Page_200">200</a></li> - -<li>Wolf and Kids, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li class="p2">Yonge, Miss, <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li> - -<li>Youngest Child, success of, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li> -</ul> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="p6 center"><i>Sherratt and Hughes, Printers, London and Manchester.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center"><big><b>MURRAY'S <br />SHILLING LIBRARY</b></big></p> - -<p class="center"><i>In Red Cloth, crown 8vo., 1/-net each.</i></p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE SCHOOLMASTER.</b> A Commentary upon the -Aims and Methods of an Assistant Master in a Public School. -By <span class="smcap">A. C. Benson</span>, C.V.O., President of Magdalene College, -Cambridge.</p> - -<p>This book is the fruits of the experience of one who has gained -distinction both as a schoolmaster and as a man of letters. It is -not a scientific educational treatise, but an attempt to consider the -life of the schoolmaster from within.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>GOLDEN STRING.</b> A Day Book for Busy Men and -Women. Arranged by <span class="smcap">Susan, Countess of Malmesbury</span>, -and Miss <span class="smcap">Violet Brooke-Hunt</span>.</p> - -<p>“An admirable selection of noble and inspiring thoughts.”—<i>Westminster -Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>“Delightful little volume, one can find nothing but praise for -a happy idea so admirably carried out.”—<i>Ladies' Field</i>.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.</b> A Personal Narrative of Adventures, Risks, and Escapes during the American Civil -War. By <span class="smcap">Thomas E. Taylor</span>. Frontispiece and Map.</p> - -<p>An absorbing record of personal adventure, and a real contribution -to history, for it presents to us, from the pen of a principal -actor, the most complete account we have of a great blockade in -the early days of steam. As a picture of exciting escapes, of -coolness and resource at moments of danger, of well-calculated -risks, boldly accepted and carried through, it has few rivals in sea -story.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>HISTORICAL MEMORIALS OF CANTERBURY.</b> -By the late <span class="smcap">Dean Stanley</span>. With Illustrations.</p> - -<p>“No pilgrim to Canterbury need now content himself with the -meagre historical information of the guide-books when he can get -Dean Stanley's fascinating work for one shilling.”—<i>The Church -Times</i>.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>LIVINGSTONE'S FIRST EXPEDITION TO AFRICA</b>. -A popular account of Missionary Travels and Researches in -South Africa. By <span class="smcap">David Livingstone</span>, M.D. With Map and -numerous Illustrations.</p> - -<p>This is the great missionary-explorer's own narrative of his first -travel experiences in Africa, and consists chiefly of a full account -of his wonderful journeys in the years 1849-1856, in the course of -which he discovered the Victoria Falls, and crossed the continent -from west to east.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE GATHERING OF BROTHER HILARIUS.</b> -By <span class="smcap">Michael Fairless</span>.</p> - -<p>Through this little book runs the road of life, the common road -of men, the white highway that Hilarius watched from the monastery -gate and Brother Ambrose saw nearing its end in the Jerusalem -of his heart. The book is a romance. It may be read as a romance -of the Black Death and a monk with an artist's eye; but for the -author it is a romance of the Image of God.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>AN ENGLISHWOMAN'S LOVE LETTERS.</b> By -<span class="smcap">Laurence Housman</span>.</p> - -<p>Mr. T. P. O'Connor in the <i>Daily Mail</i> said:—“I turned over the -leaves rapidly, almost greedily, and had read almost all its story -before I could allow myself to sleep.... It is a loud cry, not -merely of one intoxicated and torn heart, but of the claim of inner -and true emotion to be still the greatest force of life; the one thing -worth having—worth living for, longing for, dying for.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>ÆSOP'S FABLES.</b> A New Version, chiefly from the -original sources. By the Rev. <span class="smcap">Thomas James</span>, M.A. With -more than 100 Woodcuts designed by <span class="smcap">Tenniel</span> and <span class="smcap">Wolfe</span>.</p> - -<p>Sir John Tenniel's beautiful illustrations are a notable feature of -this edition of “the most popular moral and political class-book -of more than two thousand years.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE LION HUNTER IN SOUTH AFRICA.</b> -Five Years' Adventures in the Far Interior of South Africa, -with Notices of the Native Tribes and Savage Animals. By -<span class="smcap">Roualeyn Gordon Cumming</span>, of Altyre. With Woodcuts.</p> - -<p>This sporting classic is a fascinating first-hand narrative of -hunting expeditions in pursuit of big game and adventures with -native tribes. A special interest now attaches to it by reason of -the great changes which have come over the “scene of the lion -hunter's” exploits.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>UNBEATEN TRACKS IN JAPAN.</b> An Account of -Travels in the Interior, including visits to the Aborigines of -Yezo and the Shrine of Nikkô. By Mrs. <span class="smcap">Bishop</span> (<span class="smcap">Isabella -L. Bird</span>). With Illustrations.</p> - -<p>This book gives practically Mrs. <span class="smcap">Bishop's</span> day to day experiences -during journeys of over one hundred and four thousand miles in -Japan. As a faithful and realistic description of Old Japan by -one of the most remarkable Englishwomen of her day, this book -has an abiding interest.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>NOTES FROM A DIARY.</b> First Series. By <span class="smcap">Sir -Mountstuart E. Grant Duff</span>.</p> - -<p>Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff, besides being a distinguished public-servant, -was a popular member of society with a genius for gathering -and recording good stories. In his series of “Notes from a Diary” -he jotted down the best things he heard, and thereby made some -enjoyable volumes.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>LAVENGRO: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest.</b> -By <span class="smcap">George Borrow</span>. With 6 Pen and Ink Sketches by -<span class="smcap">Percy Wadham</span>.</p> - -<p>This edition contains the unaltered text of the original issue: -with the addition of some Suppressed Episodes printed only in the -Editions issued by Mr. Murray; MS. Variorum, Vocabulary, and -Notes by the late Professor <span class="smcap">W. I. Knapp</span>.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>OUR ENGLISH BIBLE.</b> The Story of its Origin and -Growth. By <span class="smcap">H. W. Hamilton Hoare</span>, late of Balliol College, -Oxford, now an Assistant Secretary to the Board of Education, -Whitehall. With Specimen Pages of Old Bibles.</p> - -<p>An historical sketch of the lineage of our Authorised Version, -which was published in 1901 under the title of “The Evolution of -the English Bible.”</p> - -<p>The aim of the sketch is to give, in a continuous and narrative -form, a history of our English translations, and to exhibit them in -close connection with the story of the national life.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE LETTERS OF QUEEN VICTORIA. A Selection -from her Majesty's correspondence between the years -1837 and 1861.</b> Edited by <span class="smcap">A. C. Benson</span>, M.A., C.V.O., and -<span class="smcap">Viscount Esher</span>, G.C.V.O., K.C.B. With 16 Portraits. -3 vols. 1<i>s.</i> net each volume.</p> - -<p>Published by authority of his Majesty King Edward VII. This -edition is not abridged, but is the complete and revised text of the -original.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL -SELECTION.</b> By <span class="smcap">Charles Darwin</span>. Popular impression -of the Corrected Copyright Edition. Issued with the approval -of the author's executors.</p> - -<p>The first edition of Darwin's “Origin of Species” has now passed -out of copyright.</p> - -<p>It should, however, be clearly understood that the edition which -thus loses its legal protection is the imperfect edition which the -author subsequently revised and which was accordingly superseded. -This, the complete and authorised edition of the work, will not -lose copyright for some years.</p> - -<p>The only complete editions authorised by Mr. Darwin and his -representatives are those published by Mr. Murray.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>ROUND THE HORN BEFORE THE MAST.</b> An -Account of a Voyage from San Francisco round Cape Horn to -Liverpool, in a Fourmasted “Windjammer,” with experiences -of the life of an Ordinary Seaman. By <span class="smcap">Basil Lubbock</span>. -With Illustrations.</p> - -<p><i>The Sheffield Independent</i> says:—“If you care to read what -life at sea in a sailing vessel really is like, this is the book that tells -the story.... Mr. Lubbock has a fine power of telling a tale -realistically. I have never read any work about the sea that is as -vivid and actual as this.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>ENGLISH BATTLES AND SIEGES IN THE -PENINSULA.</b> By <span class="smcap">Lieut.-Gen. Sir William Napier</span>, -K.C.B. With Portrait.</p> - -<p>In spite of the countless books which have appeared on the -Peninsular War, this great work has preserved its popularity as a -standard book on the subject for over half a century and still holds -its own when most rivals, which have appeared since, have become -forgotten.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>STUDIES IN THE ART OF RAT-CATCHING.</b> -By <span class="smcap">H. C. Barkley</span>.</p> - -<p>“Should the reader know of a schoolboy fond of ratting, the -proud possessor possibly of a sharp terrier, and, maybe, a few -ferrets, and wish to bestow a present upon him, the memory of which -would last throughout his life, we could not do better than advise -him to purchase this most pleasantly-written book and bestow it -upon him.”—<i>Field.</i></p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.</b> By the Right -Rev. <span class="smcap">Charles Gore</span>, D.D., LL.D., Bishop of Oxford.</p> - -<p>Cultured and scholarly, and yet simple and luminous, eloquent -in tone and graceful in diction, practical and stimulating, it is far -and away the best exposition of the Sermon on the Mount that has -yet appeared.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE HOUSE OF QUIET. An Autobiography.</b> -By <span class="smcap">A. C. Benson</span>.</p> - -<p>“The House of Quiet” is an autobiography, and something more—a -series of very charming essays on people and life. The writer -has placed himself in the chair of an invalid, an individual possessed -of full mental vigour and free from bodily pain, but compelled by -physical weakness to shirk the rough and tumble of a careless, -unheeding, work-a-day world. He writes with a pen dipped in -the milk of human kindness, and the result is a book to read time -and again.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE THREAD OF GOLD.</b> By <span class="smcap">A. C. Benson</span>.</p> - -<p><i>The Guardian</i> says:—“The style of the writing is equally simple -and yet dignified; from beginning to end an ease of movement -charms the reader. The book is abundantly suggestive.... -The work is that of a scholar and a thinker, quick to catch a vagrant -emotion, and should be read, as it was evidently written, in leisure -and solitude. It covers a wide range—art, nature, country life, -human character, poetry and the drama, morals and religion.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE PAINTERS OF FLORENCE. From the 13th -to the 16th Centuries.</b> By <span class="smcap">Julia Cartwright</span> (Mrs. <span class="smcap">Ady</span>). -With Illustrations.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Ady is a competent and gifted writer on Italian painting, -and presents in these 350 pages an excellent history of the splendid -art and artists of Florence during the golden period from Cimabue -and Giotto to Andrea del Sarto and Michelangelo.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>A LADY'S LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.</b> -By Mrs. <span class="smcap">Bishop</span> (<span class="smcap">Isabella L. Bird</span>). With Illustrations.</p> - -<p><i>The Irish Times</i> says:—“‘A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains’ -needs no introduction to a public who have known and admired -Mrs. Bishop (Isabella L. Bird) as a fearless traveller in the days -when it was something of an achievement for a woman to undertake -long and remote journeys.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE.</b> By -<span class="smcap">William Garden Blaikie</span>. With Portrait.</p> - -<p>This is the standard biography of the great missionary who will -for ever stand pre-eminent among African travellers.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>DEEDS OF NAVAL DARING; or, Anecdotes of -the British Navy.</b> By <span class="smcap">Edward Giffard</span>.</p> - -<p>This work contains ninety-three anecdotes, told in everyday -language, of such traits of courage and feats of individual daring -as may best serve to illustrate the generally received idea of the -British sailor's character for “courage verging on temerity.”</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>SINAI AND PALESTINE in connection with their -History.</b> By the late <span class="smcap">Dean Stanley</span>. With Maps.</p> - -<p>“There is no need, at this time of day, to praise the late Dean -Stanley's fascinating story of his travels in Palestine. It is enough -to say that here Mr. Murray has given us, for the sum of one shilling -net, a delightful reprint of that charming book, with maps and -plans and the author's original advertisement and prefaces. We -would especially commend this cheap storehouse of history, tradition, -and observation to Bible students.”—<i>Dundee Courier.</i></p> - -<p class="hang"><b>THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS.</b> -A Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of -Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature under the -Equator, during Eleven Years of Travel. By <span class="smcap">H. W. Bates</span>, -F.R.S. Numerous Illustrations.</p> - -<p>A most readable record of adventures, sketches of Brazilian and -Indian life, habits of animals, and aspects of nature under the -Equator during eleven years of travel.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center"><b><big>WORKS OF SAMUEL SMILES.</big></b></p> - -<p>Few books in the whole history of literature have had such wide -popularity or such healthy and stimulating effect as the works of -Samuel Smiles during the last half-century. How great men have -attained to greatness and successful men achieved success is the -subject of these enthralling volumes, which are now brought within -the reach of all.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>SELF-HELP. With Illustrations of Conduct and -Perseverance.</b> With Portrait.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>LIFE AND LABOUR; or, Characteristics of Men -of Industry, Culture, and Genius.</b></p> - -<p class="hang"><b>CHARACTER. A Book of Noble Characteristics.</b> -With Frontispiece.</p> - -<p class="hang"><b>JAMES NASMYTH, Engineer and Inventor of the -Steam Hammer.</b> An Autobiography. Portrait and Illustrations.</p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_back.jpg" width="400" height="612" alt="back cover" /> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="transnote"> -<h3><a id="Transcribers_Note"></a>Transcriber's Note:</h3> - -<p>Variable spelling and hyphenation have been retained. Minor punctuation -inconsistencies have been silently repaired.</p> - -<h4>Corrections.</h4> - -<p>The first line indicates the original, the second the correction.</p> - -<p>p. <a href="#Page_72">72:</a></p> - -<ul><li>is “What the Old Man -does is alway Right.”</li> - -<li>is “What the Old Man -does is <span class="u ">always</span> Right.”</li></ul> - -<p>p. <a href="#Page_91">91:</a></p> - -<ul> -<li>I remember the surprise -which which, when I had grown somewhat older</li> -<li>I remember the surprise -<span class="u ">which, when</span> I had grown somewhat older</li> - -</ul> - -<p>p. <a href="#Page_126">126</a>:</p> -<ul><li>and practice will -make make you more and more critical</li> - -<li>and practice <span class="u">will -make</span> you more and more critical</li></ul> - -<p>p. <a href="#Page_234">234:</a></p> - -<ul><li>(From The Girl from the Marsh Croft. Selma Lagelöf. -12581. p. 99.)</li> - -<li>(From The Girl from the Marsh Croft. Selma <span class="u ">Lagerlöf</span>. -12581. p. 99.)</li></ul> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Art of Story-Telling, by Marie L. Shedlock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ART OF STORY-TELLING *** - -***** This file should be named 61340-h.htm or 61340-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/3/4/61340/ - -Produced by MFR, Eleni Christofaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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