THE 
 TEACHING OP^ READING 
 
 A MANUAL 
 
 TO ACCOMPANY 
 
 EVERYDAY CLASSICS 
 Books Seven and Eight 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANKLIN T. BAKKR 
 
 AND 
 
 ASHLEY H. THORNDIKE 
 
 THE MACMTM.AN COMPANY 
 
THE 
 TEACHING OF RE:ADING 
 
 A MANUAL 
 
 TO ACCOMPANY 
 
 EVERYDAY CLASSICS 
 Books Se\^en and Eight 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANKLIN T. BAKER 
 
 PROFESSOR OK ENGLISH IN TEACHERS COLLEGE 
 
 AND SUPERVISOR OF ENGLISH IN THE 
 
 HORACE MANN SCHOOL 
 
 AND 
 
 ASHLEY H. THORNDIKE 
 
 PROFESSOR OK ENGLISH IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 
 
 XfU3 gork 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 1918 
 
 j4ll righli reieri'tJ 
 

 <p 
 
 Copyright, 1918, 
 By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. 
 
 Set up and electrotyped. Published July, 1918. 
 
 Norinooli ^rras 
 
 J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 
 
 Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 
 
 AUG -8I9IB 
 ©CI.A504 044 
 
ROOK SEVEN 
 
 GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE EVFR\r)AV CLASSICS 
 
 The general aims of the Everyday Classic Series have been 
 already set forth at sufficient length in a Manual called The 
 Teaching of Reading, written to accompany the Third, Fourth, 
 Fifth, and Sixth books of the series. These aims may therefore 
 be restated here quite briefly. 
 
 The series includes almost wholly such selections as are not 
 only well known, but are of approved standing in the world of 
 children's interests. In a few instances, in the later books, a 
 selection of comparatively recent date has been admitted ; but 
 only in case it has already received wide and unanimous approval 
 from such sources as commonly render an enduring verdict on 
 literature. It has been the purpose of the editors to make these 
 Readers unquestionably a collection of everyday classics. 
 
 Since they are intended for children and not for educated adults, 
 the classics chosen arc simple in theme and diction, as well as of 
 universal interest. The subtle and ornate, the profound and 
 cryptic, do indeed appear in some classic literature ; but such pieces 
 can never be considered as everyday classics in the sense indicated 
 by the general title of this series. The boys and girls in the 
 schools have the same tastes and capacities as those who have, 
 in the generations before them, set the stamp of understanding 
 and approval on the simple things that have a general interest and 
 appeal, and so made them everyday classics. It is the classics 
 of this sort that are remembered in later life, referred to, and 
 quoted. It is in this sense, in the persistence in the memory of 
 the individual, and in the transmission of it from generation to 
 
 B I 
 
2 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 generation, that it is true of a classic that it is "something that 
 can never grow old." 
 
 As a corollary of the general purpose to emphasize the literature 
 of this accepted and established character, the editors have had 
 in mind an educational aim of the very highest importance. 
 To give to the children a common stock of knowledge, a common 
 fund of ideals of character and action, is to introduce a socializing 
 force of the greatest permanence and potency. In the common 
 songs, the common proverbs, the common admiration of ideals 
 of character, the people of any age find their real and permanent 
 grounds of mutual understanding. These are the fundamentals 
 of feeling and character in which all are alike. The literary 
 expressions of such universal agreement in feeling and judgment 
 serve at once to form ideals, to make people conscious of what they 
 really feel and believe in, and to help them to realize these ideals 
 as a sort of social bond. To know these common things is to 
 speak the language and live the mental life of those about us ; to 
 be ignorant of them is to be outside the social group in respect to 
 the things that count most in social intercourse. We "understand 
 each other" just in proportion as we know and believe the same 
 things. If we do not share the same ideas as our fellows, though 
 we may use the same words as they, yet we do not speak the same 
 language. 
 
 At the present time we recognize as never before a further need 
 of these socializing influences in the schools. As a nation we are 
 by no means so unified as we had been thinking we were. We have 
 found that outside the circles in which the traditions of an earlier 
 time are accepted and carried on, there are other circles cherishing 
 traditions and ideals different from, perhaps hostile to, those which 
 we have been calling American. We have been, and should con- 
 tinue to be, open to new ideas, ready for new points of view ; 
 what is new is, of course, not for that reason undesirable. But 
 there are certain fundamental standards of life and conduct, certain 
 common beliefs and admirations, upon which, as a nation, we 
 must unite, if we are to be a nation, and not merely an aggregation 
 of people under a common government. Hence our new realization 
 of the importance of giving in the schools, to the foreign born and 
 
BOOK SEVEN J 
 
 the children of the foreign born, some common body of reading 
 whicli shall help bridge the gap of strangeness between them and 
 us, which shall worthily present those ideals by which we seek 
 to live, and shall enable them to feel — as they desire to do — 
 that they arc being made into Americans by the schools. 
 
 It is, of course, to the humanities that we turn for this nationali- 
 lation, to literature, and history. Science and the manual arts, 
 necessary as they are, and valuable in their educational effects, 
 have no national boundaries. Arithmetic and the chemistry 
 of cooking are the same in Finland and Italy as they arc here. 
 It is in the interpretation of the human spirit, in the expression 
 of feelings and beliefs, that we find the greatest differences among 
 nations. So it is through unity of feeling about fundamental 
 matters and common understanding of them, that we secure 
 a more unified and higher national life. Good citizenship is more 
 than economic worth and obedience to the laws. He is the good 
 citizen who not only bears his share in adding to the nation's 
 resources, not only obeys its laws and upholds the right in political 
 affairs, but who adds to the general character and good quality of 
 the community by being himself a sharer in its better thoughts 
 and finer feelings. 
 
 Reading in the Higher Grades 
 
 It would be pleasant to think that all students in the seventh and 
 eighth years of their school life could now be regarded as having 
 learned how to read well. Many of them, indeed, have learned ; 
 but many more of them still need guidance in how to read and 
 what to read. 
 
 It has been noted often that children who read aloud well in 
 the fourth year have a sort of setback in the next two years ; they 
 fumble, and mumble. This may be due to increasing self-con- 
 sciousness, and, perhaps, to the greater difficulty of the reading 
 matter. Whatever the reason, the teacher must set herself to the 
 task of keeping the oral reading up to standard. The effort to do 
 this needs to be prolonged through the seventh and eighth years. 
 Simple and resonant verse, and vigorous prose of the declamatory 
 
4 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 sort — material that demands of the reader that he "let himself 
 go" — humorous things and exciting narrative, are all of value 
 here. Clear enunciation, emphasis that shows understanding of 
 the thing read, pronunciation that is not only correct but con- 
 fident, and a clear, audible, though not strained, voice, must all 
 be insisted upon. If the rest of the class are made not only auditors 
 but critics, the results will be better. On such points the school- 
 boy is inclined to value the criticism of his fellows more than that 
 of his teacher. Nothing less than confident mastery of the hard 
 words will do. Hesitation, slurring-over, and mispronunciation 
 are bad, intellectually and morally. Leave no unmastered words 
 behind; no sense of a task half done. For the necessary familiarity 
 and confidence, it is well to have certain selections read not only 
 once but several times. In Book Seven, for example, Hawthorne's' 
 "The Gray Champion," Patrick Henry's Speech, Holmes's 
 "The Boys" and "Contentment," Kellogg's "Spartacus," 
 Field's "How the Atlantic Cable was Laid," Garland's "A 
 Western Farm Scene," Bryce's "Democracy and Kindliness," 
 and "The President's Address" might well have three readings, 
 at intervals of a week or two. Many other selections in the 
 book will commend themselves to the teacher as appropriate for 
 such use. 
 
 The exclusive emphasis upon reading aloud, with a side glance 
 at the possible development of "orators" among the pupils, has 
 gone the way of many other of our naive and pioneer attitudes 
 of mind. Conditions have changed. Speechifying is less in 
 favor ; sound and extensive knowledge, and the ability to read 
 and learn rapidly, are more in favor. Hence the new emphasis 
 upon silent reading, "reading for content"; hence the use of 
 questions to test the pupil's power of getting and giving back the 
 substance of what he has read. This test, it is important to note, 
 is not primarily for the information of the teacher, though she must 
 know whether the pupil is really understanding and remembering; 
 it is of value primarily for the pupil himself, that he may know 
 whether he is understanding what he reads. For it is hoped 
 that his reading will continue long past the time when he has a 
 teacher at hand to help him "check up" his reading to see whether 
 
BOOK SEVEN 5 
 
 it is intelligent or unintelligent. A good device to cultivate this 
 habit of mind is to have the pupils ask each other such questions 
 on what has been read. 
 
 SELECTIONS VS. LONG CLASSICS 
 
 There is a curious fallacy abroad that only long pieces of litera- 
 ture are masterpieces; a fallacy due, probably, to thoughtless- 
 ness. If it were so, what becomes of such short bits as Gray's 
 "Elegy," Irving's "Rip Van Winkle," Poe's "Annabel Lee," 
 Keats's "Ode to Autumn".'' Such an anthology as Palgrave's 
 Golden Treasury, though a masterpiece among anthologies, is 
 really a collection of masterpieces. So is the Bible ; for any 
 biblical scholar will tell us that it is really not even a collection, 
 but a library. For this reason there is still a place in the upper 
 grades for selections. Such collections properly include pieces 
 complete in themselves, and complete units taken out of longer 
 books. If such excerpts lose something by being taken from their 
 setting, they serve on the other hand as an introduction to interest 
 the pupil in Cooper, or Dickens, or Scott, or Shakespeare. As 
 for the short complete pieces, many of them would never be known 
 to the pupils except through the school reader. 
 
 It may be taken for granted, of course, that the pupils are to 
 be encouraged to read long books. David Copperfield, The Three 
 Guardsmen, Les Miserables, Scott's and Stevenson's novels, and 
 many other long books ought to be made to seem the more at- 
 tractive by their length, rather than repellent. The boy or girl 
 who is reluctant to undertake a big book will never know much ; 
 and teachers and librarians should do their best to dispel this 
 reluctance. 
 
 THE JUNIOR HIGH .SCHOOL 
 
 The junior high school is now an accepted fact in our educational 
 system. It is a part of the administrative organization, and, as 
 such, has become a definite thing. Its educational definiteness is, 
 however, still in the making. A few characteristics are taking 
 shape. One is "departmental" instruction, under which the 
 
6 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 teacher of English, the teacher of mathematics, and so on, are 
 different, and each is, presumably, more of a specialist in his field 
 than the grade teacher can find time to be in any field. This 
 plan has the definite advantage of securing better scholarship in 
 the teachers of the various subjects. It has the disadvantage that 
 the teacher of any one subject is less likely to know how his pupils 
 are doing in other subjects. Now, in English, it is very important 
 indeed that the teacher should know the general ability and prog- 
 ress of her pupils. She needs to know how far the pupil's weak- 
 ness in reading is an index of his general mental attitudes, how far 
 it is a special failing. This knowledge she must get by knowing 
 the general records of her pupils. 
 
 Another element in the plans of the junior high school is the more 
 distinct organization of the subject matter. In reading, for 
 example, there will be grouping of the short selections read under 
 some large general topic; such grouping, for example, as is shown 
 in the Tables of Contents in Books Seven and Eight of this series. 
 There will also be frequent comparisons and contrasts, suggested 
 by the teacher, between what the pupil is reading and what he 
 has read before. The plan of teaching that helps him consciously 
 to organize his ideas is better than the plan which leaves such 
 organization to chance. 
 
 A few general cautions the editors may be pardoned for offering. 
 In the study of these selections, and of any other literature 
 read, keep in mind these few large principles : 
 
 INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE 
 
 1. Get the point of view, the feeling, toward the material in 
 any selection that is clearly what the author himself had. Do not 
 make a serious thing flippant, or kill the humor of a light thing by 
 solemnity or moralizing. 
 
 2. Aim to make the one big idea stand out in the minds of the 
 pupils ; or the two or three, if there are so many. It is necessary, 
 of course, that the details should be understood ; but do not leave 
 the pupil caught in them, tangled up, and feeling as though he 
 were fast in the underbrush. Do not, therefore, pester the class 
 
Book: seven 7 
 
 with loo many questions. Do not ask all that you can think of; 
 ask only those that you deem necessary to insure the necessary 
 understanding. 
 
 3. Refer, casually, to things read before. Repetition at 
 intervals is the best insurance against forgetting; and the classics 
 ought not to be forgotten. 
 
 4. Show your own appreciation, net by an artificial enthusiasm 
 (which the cliildrcn will surely sec through), but frankly and 
 genuinely. 
 
 5. Allow, even encourage, the children to be honest in expressing 
 their likes and dislikes. Hypocrisy on their part, even for the 
 pardonable purpose of securing the teacher's approbation, is 
 not good for them either mentally or morally. 
 
 6. Help them, and require them, to be not only independent, 
 but also clear and deiinite. Neither parrot-like nor muddle- 
 headed people make the right kind of citizens for a democracy. 
 
 General Theme of Book Seven 
 
 The general theme of Book Seven is indicated on the title page : 
 American Life and Literature. Naturally a thing so big and 
 complicated can be presented only in certain aspects, and that 
 cursorily. Still, an introduction to certain aspects is the only 
 way a beginning can be made of the study of any big subject. 
 What phases of American history, American thought, and Ameri- 
 can ideals are presented, will be seen by reference to the Table of 
 Contents. All but a half dozen or so of the selections are by 
 American authors; the half dozen others are on topics either 
 directly named as American, or, as in the case of the poem by 
 Burns, of a nature to appeal peculiarly to Americans. 
 
 In carrying out this scheme, it has not been possible in every 
 instance to grade the selections steadily from the easier to the more 
 difficult. Two, at least, of the selections in the first half of the 
 book arc perceptibly more difficult than the selections which imme- 
 diately precede and follow them : " l^he Gray Champion," and 
 Burke's passage " In Defense of American Rights." In a class 
 that does not read with ease, these selections might be postponed 
 
8 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 and read just before the group at the end under National Ideals. 
 By virtue of their content and spirit they would fit in very well 
 with that portion of the book. 
 
 In one important phase of American life the teacher should 
 take pleasure in emphasizing and supplementing what is given 
 here : that is, American humor. About the seventh year the 
 pupils are quite ready to enjoy Mark Twain, John Godfrey 
 Saxe, Booth Tarkington's Penrod and Seventeen, the better 
 humorous anecdotes in the magazines and newspapers. Perhaps, 
 too, the teacher will find that she can bring the children to feel 
 the difference between the finer kinds of humor and the crude 
 stuff offered by some of the newspapers in the comic supple- 
 ments and daily cartoons. If she can sharpen and refine their 
 sense of humor, she will have done much to make them finer 
 human beings. 
 
 For the further guidance of the teacher a few comments are 
 offered upon the individual selections. The editors do this 
 tentatively and in a spirit of humility ; for every teacher will, of 
 course, have her own reserves of ideas and information to bring 
 to bear upon her work. She must not, therefore, consider these 
 suggestions as in any way mandatory. 
 
 The Skeleton in Armor, by Henry W. Longfellow (ii) 
 
 In this selection Longfellow's mind goes back to the earliest 
 period of discovery in America, — that of the hardy and adven- 
 turous Norsemen. (The fact that neither the old stone tower at 
 Newport, nor the skeleton, in a primitive metal armor, which 
 suggested the poem, were really Norse, does not detract from the 
 imaginative quality of the poem.) For a readable account of the 
 early Norse settlements here, see John Fiske's Discovery of America, 
 vol. I, chap. II, Justin Winsor's History of the United States, vol. 
 I, chap. II, and Payne's Discovery of America. To most children 
 it will come as something of a surprise to know how much of 
 venturesome exploration there was before the days of Columbus. 
 Of course it is not advised that the teacher should do more than 
 create a background that will help in the imaginative under- 
 
BOOK SEVEN 9 
 
 standing of the poem ; and the teacher must judge when the right 
 amount of information has been given. It is the poem that we 
 are studying, not medieval history. 
 
 What the old Norse vikings were, — brave, but cruel and 
 ruthless plunderers, with their own code of honor, the reader 
 may see in The Story of the Folsungs, translated by Erik Magnusson 
 and William Morris. He will see there, too, how unlike the women 
 of that time is the shy and tender maiden, like a gentle New 
 England girl, whom Longfellow makes the heroine. 
 
 The reader of the poem must follow Longfellow's imagination in 
 building up the story : his first address to the skeleton, " wrapped 
 not in Eastern balms," like an Egyptian mummy, but in crude 
 and rusted armor, and the spirit of the ancient warrior answer- 
 ing and telling what Longfellow imagines may have been the story 
 of his life. It was a life in which the joy of fighting and robbing 
 was the main thing, long before the world learned to view such 
 actions with horror. Then enters the story of his love ; his demand 
 for the maiden's hand, her father's scornful rejection, the flight 
 of the lovers, the fight, the voyage to the unknown new world, 
 his life here, the loss of his wife, his own death. Thus the poem is 
 purely a romantic story of love and adventure. Of course it has 
 no moral meaning whatever. 
 
 Attention might be called to other ballads, written in this period 
 of our literature : Longfellow's " The Wreck of the Hesperus " 
 and Whittier's " Skipper Ireson's Ride " are the best known. 
 This will, by comparison, help the pupils to appreciate the force 
 and swiftness of the meter of " The Skeleton in Armor," its 
 rapidly moving and changing short lines. Encourage the pupils 
 to read it forcefully, and with spirit, and to see how appropriate 
 it is to the spirit of the people it describes. 
 
 To recapitulate : 
 
 1. Give enough background to the poem, by telling of the old 
 Norsemen, with their spirit of adventure, their fighting, their 
 lives as a sort of glorified pirates. 
 
 2. Read the story as a romantic tale suggested by the 
 mysterious skeleton. 
 
 3. Make sure that the words of the poem are known. 
 
lO THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 4. Get the feeling conveyed by the abrupt and spirited form 
 of verse. 
 
 5. Compare It with other ballads. 
 
 Discovery and Adventure (18) 
 
 The material of this explanatory chapter may be extended 
 further by the teacher in informal talks. Many of the things that 
 pupils remember best are the informal and incidental things that 
 they hear when their interest and attention are alert. They should 
 realize how large a part of the history of the world has been made 
 by the pushing of strong people into new lands, inhabited or 
 uninhabited ; how much the romance of adventure, the glory of 
 war, and the hope of wealth are responsible for, both in the 
 development of the world as it is, and in the endless pageant of 
 human suffering that has accompanied this development; and 
 how the more highly civilized nations, ceasing to regard aggression 
 and conquest as honorable, are exploring the few unknown parts 
 of the world, like the polar regions, under the stimuli of adventure 
 and scientific interest. Much interesting material on other move- 
 ments than those of the Norsemen may be found in the books 
 already cited. 
 
 Columbus Discovers Land, by Washington Irving (20) 
 
 It was mainly the two motives mentioned above, scientific in- 
 terest and adventure, that inspired Columbus. The class should 
 be told of his early life, of his studies in astronomy, navigation, and 
 geography, and of the limited knowledge of the world that there 
 was at that time. If possible, show the class some maps of the 
 15th century and earlier. In the books on the discovery of 
 America, cited before, there is an abundance of interesting material, 
 maps, and pictures as well as information. 
 
 Before reading this selection, the class should know about 
 Columbus's earlier efforts to get the means for his voyage, his 
 persistence under the discouragement of skepticism and ridicule, 
 and how he was finally provided with ships and men. It will be 
 understood, of course, that for his men not only curiosity but 
 
HOOK SEVEN II 
 
 also the hope of discovering new and rich lands was a strong 
 motive. Not only earlier ages, but even our own sophisticated 
 age has been fired by the rumors or hopes of gold. And the tradi- 
 tion was centuries old thai utf in the unknown west there might 
 be found lands of fabulous wealth. There existed also the belief 
 that the edge of the world lay out there, and a ship that went too 
 far would fall off. — Why not .'' The law of gravitation was not 
 discovered until 150 years later than Columbus's voyage. 
 
 With such a preparation for the reading, the pupils will be 
 ready to understand the difficulties Columbus had with his men, 
 and what indomitable will and courage he displayed. After the 
 lesson, the later history of Columbus himself might be briefly told. 
 It might be worth while, also, to remind the class that Columbus 
 was an Italian, and to tell them how many of the very greatest 
 men in Europe have come from the little strip of land known as 
 the Italian peninsula. 
 
 There are, then, three main objects to be aimed at in reading 
 this selection : 
 
 1. To feel the spirit of adventure and the curiosity that drove 
 men out, in frail vessels, upon perilous and unknown seas. 
 
 2. To appreciate the difficulties Columbus had in holding his 
 men to the course. 
 
 3. To see how fine are Irving's descriptions of the mood of the 
 men, the resolution of Columbus, the signs of land, the sighting 
 of the island, and the landing itself. 
 
 Columbus, by Joaquin Miller (32) 
 
 This poem is declamatory, oratorical, rather than poetic. But 
 it voices well the spirit of Columbus, and the value everywhere of 
 that kind of spirit. Notice the use of repetition, and of the climactic 
 effect as the story proceeds. The class may be asked to point out 
 this accumulation of the trials of the hero. Remind the class that 
 Miller was one of the first poets of our own far west, and that, like 
 Bret Harte, he has done much to express the pioneer spirit. 
 Robert Service, the Canadian poet of the Alaska regions, might be 
 brought to their attention. 
 
12 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 The Indians (34) 
 
 This group of selections should be preceded by calling to the 
 minds of the pupils the information they have learned and the 
 stories they have read of Indian life. A great deal of information 
 regarding the habits of the Indians in the early period of the settle- 
 ments of the whites can be found in the books referred to in the 
 comments on " The Skeleton in Armor." If the teacher can, 
 fortunately, find a copy of John Smith's account, the title of which 
 is commonly shortened to " A True Relation," it may interest the 
 pupils to hear more at first hand from this very interesting, but 
 none too accurate, account of his travels. Beverly's History of 
 Virginia and Fiske's Old Virginia and Her Neighbors, tell of the 
 early days there. In the story of the Apostle to the Indians, 
 John Eliot, and in that of the great Liberal of Puritan days, Roger 
 Williams, we may learn how those magnanimous men saw the 
 Indian side of the conflict with the whites, and pleaded for justice. 
 So, also, the relations of William Penn with the Indians should 
 interest the pupils — though John Fiske says, in his Beginnings 
 of New England, that the reason for the long peace between Penn's 
 settlers and the Indians was that the latter had been beaten into a 
 subdued condition by their more powerful Indian neighbors. 
 
 Nothing but an exhaustive study of the history of colonial 
 days can determine all the questions of right and wrong in the 
 long struggle between the white man and the red. But we know 
 that the white races of Europe have in the past too often exploited 
 the natives of the uncivilized lands to which they came as colonists. 
 In this country the English, the French, and the Spaniards, the 
 nations that did the colonizing, all pushed the red man back deeper 
 into the forests, or kept him in a subordinate state. It is this 
 story of the hardships of the Indians, rather than the cruelty and 
 treachery often displayed by them, of which Sprague and Story, 
 Irving, and Phillips are thinking, in the selections here given. 
 These selections are to be taken as imaginative and sympathetic 
 portrayals of the red man's wrongs, and as being entirely sincere. 
 
 In reading these rather declamatory passages, make the reading 
 aloud important. Have them read well enough to bring out their 
 
BOOK SEVEN 13 
 
 stateliness and resonance of diction. The real spirit of this p:roup 
 of selections will be grasped better in this waj" than by much asking 
 and answering of questions on their content. This does not mean, 
 of course, that there will be no thought of the content; it will, 
 in fact, be necessary to read these things thoughtfully, and to look 
 up some of the words in the Glossary. It means only that greater 
 emphasis than usual is to be put on the oral reading. All of them 
 except Irving's are, either in fact or in spirit, speeches. 
 
 Call the attention of the class to a story of present-day Indian life, 
 Stewart Edward White's The Magic Forest, and compare the deline- 
 ation of Indian character in Irving's sketch with that in " Hia- 
 watha." Parkman's The Oregon Trail will give the teacher a good 
 deal of valuable material for this and the next group of selections. 
 
 In these sketches the dominant interests will be : 
 
 1. A greater interest in the Indians as they actually were 
 when the whites first came. 
 
 2. The imaginative tribute to their finer qualities, and regretful 
 reference to the fact that they had been exterminated or driven 
 back from land that once was theirs. 
 
 3. The oral reading; for, as speeches, three of these selections 
 require oral rendering to get their full effect. 
 
 Leatherstocking Tales, by James Fenimore Cooper (55) 
 
 The teacher must not let her own literary culture remove her 
 too far from the tastes of her pupils. Most well-educated adults 
 will agree with Mark Twain in his essay, " Fenimore Cooper's 
 Literary Offences," that Cooper's style is turgid and inaccurate, 
 his inventions often incredible and childish, his favorite situations 
 overworked, his characters unreal. And when he talks of young 
 women (whom he commonly calls " females ") he is at his clumsiest. 
 But it is well for us to remember what Cooper meant to us if we 
 were fortunate enough to read him when we were between twelve 
 and sixteen. His forests were an enchanted land, his heroes 
 brave and capable, his situations thrilling. The mystery of the 
 great woods, the simple and hardy virtues of pioneers, the physical 
 dangers and physical toil that tested virility, may, after all, be a 
 
14 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 better thing for the child to wonder at and admire than the 
 oversmart achievements of the city-bred hero of some modern 
 fiction. And whatever failures in mental keenness or in literary- 
 craftsmanship we may find in Cooper, — and such failures are 
 indeed both numerous and gross, — he could hardly have won 
 and held the place he has here and in Europe, unless he had high 
 creative imagination. He does give the poetry of the woods, the 
 poetry of action, the poetry of danger. 
 
 Read parts of Whitman's " Pioneers, O Pioneers " to the class. 
 Have in the school library Mark Twain's Roughing It, Paine's 
 Life of Mark Twain, Stewart Edward White's Gold, The Blazed 
 Trail, and The Silent Places, Bret Harte's stories and poems, and 
 the poems of Robert Service. 
 
 These selections should be read rapidly, and probably not more 
 than once. If time allows and inclination favors, have other good 
 scenes from Cooper read in class, and encourage the pupils to read 
 some of the novels on their own account. Recommend only his 
 best stories, the Leatherstocking series, here represented, and The 
 Spy and The Pilot. If the selections here ofi"ered do not make 
 some of the pupils want to read more of Cooper, they will have 
 failed of one of the purposes in including them. 
 
 Consider these stories : 
 
 1. As vivid pictures of hardy pioneers, in an out-of-door life 
 that called constantly for the fundamental qualities of keenness, 
 courage, and hardiness. 
 
 2. As good examples of the poetry of the woods, and the 
 poetry of rude and primitive conditions of life. 
 
 3. As a portrayal of the kind of men that made this nation; 
 for this sort of rough work and danger has to precede the making of 
 a civilization in a new country. 
 
 4. As an introduction to the pleasure of more reading of Cooper 
 and other stories of life in the great wildernesses. 
 
 The Courtship of Miles Standish, by Longfellow (in) 
 
 This is perhaps the most pleasing of all Longfellow's longer 
 poems. Its rhythm is varied, flowing, and quaint; its pictures of 
 
BOOK SEVEN 1 5 
 
 Puritan life are vivid and sympathetic; its liumor Is gentle and 
 refreshing. If possible, have a complete edition in the school 
 library, and encourage the luipils lo read the portions not included 
 in the Reader. 
 
 Begin the study of it b\' refreshing tlir imniorit-s of ijie class upon 
 the Puritan settlement, - their reasons for leaving l"-ngland, the 
 landing of the Mayilower, their first struggles with climate and 
 soil, their hardships, their courage, and their faith. For historical 
 material Bradford's History of Plyviouth (containing first-hand 
 material), and Fiske, Channing, and other later historians may 
 be consulted. Alice Morse Earle's books contain much concrete, 
 definite information about the early colonial days, though most 
 of it is about a period later than the date of this poem. Eggleston's 
 The Transit of Civilization is an able analysis of the ideas and 
 aspirations which these splendid English exiles brought over with 
 them, and tried to carry out here. A particularly tine chapter on 
 the first New Englanders and their contribution to our civilization 
 is found in Tyler's History of American Literature, vol. I, and 
 another in Lowell's essay, " New England Two Hundred ^ ears 
 Ago." See also Andrews's The Colonial Period (Home L'niversity 
 Library). 
 
 In presenting material from these sources the teacher must use 
 care. Much of it deals with political and religious ideas not yet 
 interesting to seventh-grade pupils; but there is much of it that 
 they can understand well enough. 
 
 The verse form might receive attention at the outset. The 
 teacher might begin by reading aloud a dozen or more lines, 
 emphasizing the metrical divisions enough to let the pupils hear 
 the swing of the lines. Then the pupils might try it ; they can 
 learn to read verse only by reading it, and by reading it as verse, 
 not as prose. It is not important to study it as dactylic hexameter, 
 or to burden them with distinctions about dactyls and spondees, 
 though these terms may be used for convenience. W hat is 
 important is that they should know that there are six feet, and six 
 beats, in every line, and be able to make these beats come out 
 right as they read. 
 
 Some interesting human touches are introduced. John .Mden, 
 
l6 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 at least, had come to America for other than religious reasons, 
 and his conscience reproached him when his wooing first went 
 awry. The peppery Captain is really more interested in Julius 
 Caesar's wars than in the Puritan religion ; at any rate, he chooses 
 Caesar as the book to read, rather than the Bible. He praises 
 Caesar for acting on the principle that " if you want a thing 
 well done you must do it yourself," — and, having sent his friend 
 to do his wooing for him, blames his friend and not himself because 
 it was not done right. He admits that he is more afraid of a 
 woman's No than of a cannon shot. Later he thinks more fairly 
 of the whole matter, and is quite the manly soldier and good 
 friend when he appears at the wedding. Priscilla, with her 
 laughing retort to the Captain's messenger, is of course the most 
 charming figure in the whole story. She is devout and self- 
 reliant, but there is little of the grim and ascetic Puritan in her. 
 Perhaps the only unconvincing thing in the character is the long 
 speech she makes about how the Captain — and men in general — 
 blunder in wooing a woman. 
 
 In reading the poem, three or four things may be singled out 
 for special comment : 
 
 1. The background of early colonial life, its bleakness and hard- 
 ships, and its strong religious and political faith. 
 
 2. The clearly drawn characters of the Captain, John Alden, 
 and Priscilla. 
 
 3. The outstanding pictures, such as the scene where the Cap- 
 tain sends John on his errand, the interview with Priscilla, and 
 the wedding scene at the end. 
 
 After reading this poem pupils might be advised to read Evange- 
 line and The Tales of a Wayside Inn, and some of Hawthorne's 
 Twice Told Tales, especially " The Gentle Boy," and " The 
 Maypole of Merry Mount." 
 
 The Gray Champion, by Nathaniel Hawthorne (137) 
 
 This story presents a picture more than sixty years later than 
 the last. The scene is Boston, and the theme is one of the early 
 struggles of the colonists to maintain their rights as English citizens, 
 
ROOK SEVEN 1 7 
 
 though living out of England. For nearly fifty years the conflict 
 between the people and their kings had been going on in England 
 itself, with the people in the main victorious. For three years 
 before the date of this story, however, England had on the throne 
 the last, and the most treacherous, of her Stuart kings. He had 
 extended his tyranny over some of the colonists, as George III 
 did seventy-five years later, and they were in no mood to endure 
 it. In this short, dramatic sketch Hawthorne has introduced 
 one of the regicides who had passed sentence of death on Charles 
 I, father of the present king. Some of these ex-members of the 
 Puritan Parliament were in hiding in this countrj-, and had once 
 or twice before come out and led the people in a great crisis. Upon 
 this tradition, and upon these conditions of political tension, 
 Hawthorne has built his story. 
 
 Three things at least must be made clear if the story is to be 
 appreciated : 
 
 1. The historical conditions both in the colonies and in 
 England. 
 
 2. The peculiar grim earnestness of the Puritans in defending 
 the political and religious freedom which they had come here to 
 make secure. 
 
 3. The impressive scene in the square: the contrast between 
 the Colonists and the English, in costume, speech, ideas. 
 
 Then comes the rapid and brief action, lit up by the level 
 rays of the setting sun : the advance of the soldiers, with guns 
 ready; the sudden appearance of the mysterious, patriarchal 
 figure, the comments upon him, his ringing and defiant command 
 (the climax of the story), and the victory that he wins by his 
 courage and his moral force. 
 
 Then we note two things common in Hawthorne: (i) He pur- 
 posely fails to make clear whether the appearance of the old 
 man was real or imaginary; (2) he interprets his story, making 
 the central figure a symbol of the spirit of New England's love of 
 liberty. See, in this connection again, Lowell's essay, " New 
 England Two Hundred Years Ago." 
 
 As this story is rather difficult, by reason of the many big words, 
 the reading of it might be deferred to a later period, perhaps until 
 c 
 
l8 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 near the end of the book, when it could be read along with the 
 last four or five selections. Its general tone and spirit would fit 
 in logically at that place. 
 
 Patrick Henry's Speech (150) 
 
 This ringing patriotic utterance thrilled its first hearers, and 
 has ever since ranked as a great speech. Pupils should know just 
 what events preceded and provoked it, and the circumstances under 
 which it was delivered. A picture post card of the old church 
 (still standing in Richmond and still visited by travelers) would 
 add a touch of interest. 
 
 The speech should, of course, be read aloud : clearly, earnestly, 
 but without ranting, as its solemn and weighty meaning demands. 
 Have the pupils try to condense into a few sentences the main 
 points that the speech presents. 
 
 Here would be an appropriate place to bring to the attention of 
 the class some other notable pre-Revolutionary utterances, 
 especially Thomas Paine's pamphlets, Common Sense and The 
 Crisis. An interesting account of the great influence of the 
 former pamphlet may be found in Trevelyan's American Revolution. 
 Trevelyan is an Englishman, and a nephew of Lord Macaulay. 
 Pupils should be reminded, also, of the notable contributions that 
 the state of Virginia made to the cause of freedom in big men 
 and big deeds. 
 
 Defense of American Rights, by Burke (154) 
 
 This selection from Burke's great speech in which he pleaded 
 before the English Parliament for justice to their English subjects 
 in the Colonies, should be known to every American boy and girl. 
 Our school history has erred badly in the general treatment of 
 the Revolution. A natural pride in our successful struggle for 
 freedom has expressed itself too often in a shallow jingoism ; 
 has too much ignored the fact that the Revolutionary War was 
 provoked by a dull, bigoted tyrant and a subservient Parliament, 
 and did not have the sympathy of the English people themselves. 
 What one brilliant and liberty-loving Englishman thought of 
 
BOOK SEVEN I9 
 
 George III tlie reader may see by turning to Byron's " Vision of 
 Judgment." Burke is speaking the sentiments of the English 
 people, voicing the conceptions of fairness and justice in which 
 they believed and for which they had steadily struggled for cen- 
 turies. It is very important that our own conceptions of liberty 
 be understood as the result of a long development of Anglo- 
 Saxon ideals ; ideals which were later stimulated and supported 
 by the French. Throughout the long struggle for liberty which 
 the English have successfully made, the struggle has been sup- 
 ported by their great writers, such as, Milton, Burns, Words- 
 worth, Coleridge, and Shelley. 
 
 No European nation had as yet accepted the general principles 
 in dealing with its own foreign colonies which Burke here lays 
 down. But dating from the success of the American Revolution, 
 such standards began to be accepted. Slowly the great nations 
 have come to think of colonies not merely as means of wealth but 
 as the outposts of their own ideals of civilization. Such colonial 
 regions as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are now as free 
 and independent as the United States. 
 
 This selection is rather difficult reading; but not too difficult 
 if it is taken as a thing to be studied, — as it should be. It deals 
 with political ideas in general terms, terms that mean nothing 
 until translated into the concrete and particular. For example, 
 how is liberty tied up with the problem of taxation .'' How many 
 pupils will see, unassisted, that if a government can tax as it 
 pleases, it can keep the people in bondage through poverty, dis- 
 tress, humiliation .'' 
 
 Note the definite steps in the arguments which Burke makes. 
 Try to sum up his main points in, say, a half dozen statements. 
 
 Do any members of the class know Kipling's poem in which he 
 speaks of " The White Man's Burden " .'' And how closely do 
 its ideas agree with those of Burke ^ 
 
 England and America in 1782, by Tennyson (160) 
 
 This poem expresses Tennyson's pride in his countrj', not 
 because it holds great possessions, but because it is one of the 
 
20 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 leaders in freedom and justice. The poem was written in 1832, 
 fifty years after the close of the American Revolution. Compare 
 with it these stanzas from another poem of the same author : 
 
 You ask me why, tho' ill at ease, 
 
 Within this region I subsist. 
 
 Whose spirits falter in the mist, 
 And languish for the purple seas. 
 
 It is the land that freemen till. 
 That sober-suited Freedom chose. 
 The land, where girt with friends or foes 
 
 A man may speak the thing he will; 
 
 A land of settled government, 
 A land of just and old renown, 
 Where Freedom broadens slowly down 
 
 From precedent to precedent. 
 
 The last two lines are often quoted. Just what do they mean f 
 And how far would they be true of the United States ^ What 
 reforms in our laws do you know that would be a case of " freedom 
 broadening slowly down " f 
 
 To Lafayette at Bunker Hill, by Webster (162) 
 
 The class should try to realize what it meant to the great 
 audience, gathered at the dedication ceremony of the monument 
 at Bunker Hill, to have the aged Lafayette there as the nation's 
 guest of honor. France, more than all other nations, has been 
 ready to fight to right the wrongs of other nations ; she has been 
 clear-sighted, liberty-loving, and generous. The class may like 
 to hear what General Pershing, the leader of our army in France 
 in 1917, said when he made a visit to the statue of Lafayette. 
 Baring his head reverently, he said, " Lafayette, we are here." In 
 its way, this was as fine and dramatic as Webster's great tribute. 
 
 It is not easy to reduce Webster's address to " points." It is 
 not the intellectual, but the emotional, element in it that tells. 
 
n(X)K SEVEN 21 
 
 The speech should be read aloud, and the important references 
 made clear. If the pupils have imagined the scene and the deep 
 feeling appropriate to the occasion, they will get the real value of 
 the selection. 
 
 The verses from Mrs. Browning which follow Webster's remarks 
 are a fine tribute to the unselfish idealism of the French, who, at 
 the time she was writing of, were helping the Italians in their 
 struggle for liberty against Austria. 
 
 Life in Old New York, by Washington Irving (167) 
 
 Colonial times were not all a struggle for living and liberty. 
 The colonists had their pleasures and their business, as any people 
 must have; and these things, too, have sometimes been thought 
 material for literature. Irving's humorous History of New York 
 by Diedrich Knickerbocker was from the outset a very successful 
 book. Some of the aristocratic families in New York rather 
 resented it because it made fun of their ancestors; but this only 
 meant that there were some members of these families who had 
 more family pride than sense of humor. Certainly it is hard 
 to see why any one should object to humor so kindly and genial 
 as that of Irving. 
 
 The book was introduced to the public by a clever advertising 
 device. In the Evening Post of October 26, 1809 appeared the 
 following notice : 
 
 Distressing 
 
 Left his lodgings, some time since, and has not since been heard of, a 
 small elderly gentleman, dressed in an old black coat and cocked hat, 
 by the name of Knickfrbocker. As there are some reasons for believing 
 he is not entirely in his right mind, and as great anxiety is entertained 
 about him, any information concerning him left either at the Columbian 
 Hotel, Mulberry Street, or at the office of this paper, will be thankfully 
 received. 
 
 P.S. Printers of newspapers would be aiding the cause of humanity 
 in giving an insertion to the above. 
 
22 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 On November 6, 1809, the Evening Post had this letter: 
 
 To the Editor of the Evening Post: 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Having read in your paper of the 26th of October last, a paragraph 
 respecting an old gentleman by the name of Knickerbocker, who was 
 missing from his lodgings; if it would be any relief to his friends, or 
 furnish them with any clue to discover where he is, you may inform them 
 that a person answering the description given was seen by the passengers 
 of the Albany stage, early in the morning, about four or five weeks since, 
 resting himself by the side of the road, a little above King's Bridge. He 
 had in his hand a small bundle, tied in a red bandana handkerchief; he 
 appeared to be travelling northward, and was very much fatigued and 
 exhausted. 
 
 A Traveller. 
 
 On November 16, appeared this letter: 
 
 To the Editor of the Evening Post: 
 
 Sir, 
 
 You have been good enough to publish in your paper a paragraph 
 about Mr. Diedrich Knickerbocker, who was missing so strangely some 
 time since. Nothing satisfactory has been heard of the old gentleman 
 since ; but a very curious kind of a written book has been found in his room, 
 in his own handwriting. Now I wish you to notice him, if he is still 
 alive, that if he does not return and pay off his bill for boarding and 
 lodging, I shall have to dispose of his book to satisfy me for the same. 
 
 I am, sir, your humble servant, 
 
 Seth Handaside, 
 Landlord of the Independent Columbian Hotel, Mulberry Street. 
 
 Finally this quaint little scheme for bringing the book at once 
 to public notice was rounded off with this announcement in the 
 same paper, of November 28. 
 
 Literary Notice 
 Inskeep and Bradford have in press and will shortly publish 
 
BOOK SEVEN 23 
 
 A History of New "^'ork 
 
 In two volumes, duodecimo. Price Three Dollars. Containing an 
 account of its discovery and settlement, with its internal policies, manners, 
 customs, wars, etc., etc., under the Dutch government, furnishing many 
 curious and interesting particulars never before pubiislud, and which 
 are gatiured from various manuscript and other authenticated sources, 
 the whole thing being interspersed with philosophical speculations and 
 moral precepts. 
 
 This work was found in the chamber of Mr. Diedrich Knickerbocker, 
 the old gentleman whose sudden and mysterious disappearance has been 
 noticed. It is published in order to discharge certain debts he has left 
 behind. 
 
 A pretty good advertising scheme, was it not .'* Especially 
 when we remember that New York was then a very small city — 
 just an overgrown village In fact. And we all know how such 
 local sensations attract attention in a small place. 
 
 The mock-serious tone of the book comported well with the 
 humor of the advertising device; and any of its first readers with 
 intelligence and a sense of humor must have chuckled delightedly 
 over it. The Father Knickerbocker in black coat and cocked hat, 
 who figures in cartoons as the presiding spirit of New York City, 
 is based upon this quaint figure created by Irving's imagination. 
 It is not often that an advertisement has so long a life. 
 
 Can the pupils recall any advertisement that is both humorous 
 and lasting.^ Do they know how books are "launched" now- 
 adays ? Are they, after reading this chapter from the book, 
 enough interested to want to read the rest of The History of 
 New York, by Diedrich Knickerbocker? 
 
 For further information about this period, the teacher may 
 turn to the books of Alice Morse Earle, already cited. She 
 has told a good deal about old New York. Children living in 
 or near New York City might go to see the old Van Cortlandt 
 mansion, in Van Cortlandt Park, and the old Dyckman (pro- 
 nounced Dik'man) house, at 204th St. and Broadway. Both 
 these houses are now the property of the city, open to the public 
 as museums, and are furnished just as houses were in the eighteenth 
 century. 
 
24 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 The selection is to be read, not for information, but for 
 fun. The children cannot, and need not, discriminate between 
 humor and fact in it; though such things as the scrupulous 
 cleanliness of the Dutch and their huge consumption of heavy 
 food have so long been commonly known as to have passed into 
 tradition. 
 
 In this connection, those children who have not yet read them 
 might be told of Mary Mapes Dodge's two delightful books on 
 the Dutch in their original home : Hans Brinker and The Land 
 of Pluck. 
 
 A Tribute to Irving, by Thackeray (173) 
 
 It is pleasant to know that two of the finest spirits among 
 English men of letters, Scott and Thackeray, highly admired 
 Irving both as a man and as a writer. Both these men were not 
 only famous authors, but also fine gentlemen, whose friendship 
 was an honor. This extract on Irving was part of an essay under 
 the title Nil nisi bonum (short for De mortuis nil nisi bonum, say 
 nothing but good of the dead). The essay was called forth by 
 the fact that Macaulay and Irving had just died, and the other 
 part of the essay was a tribute to Macaulay. 
 
 Have the pupils notice the quality of kindliness, the gentle- 
 ness, and ease, with which Thackeray writes. Tell them of 
 Thackeray's own two visits to this country on lecturing tours ; — 
 both of which, by the way, were highly successful. Great throngs 
 went to hear Thackeray whenever he lectured. The two books 
 he made of these lectures are the English Humorists and The 
 Four Georges. A few of the passages in the former, particularly 
 about Goldsmith, and some of the passages about George III, 
 would be within the range of appreciation of Seventh Grade 
 pupils ; but the teacher is warned that she must choose care- 
 fully. 
 
 Thackeray was for many years a weekly contributor to the 
 London humorous paper. Punch. Do the children ever see it, 
 in the public library, or elsewhere f Some of the best humorous 
 things produced in our language have appeared there. 
 
ROOK SEVEN 25 
 
 Ichabod Crane, by Washington Irving (179) 
 
 This is, of course. The Legend of Sleepy //o//o«', slightly abridged. 
 It is, like Rip Van fVinkle, a classic wherever the English language 
 is spoken. The story of the headless horseman, or the wild, 
 haunted night-rider, is found, in one form or another, in many 
 legends. Scott has a ballad called " The Wild Huntsman," 
 and a translation of Goethe's " Erl-King," of the same type ; 
 read both to the class. 
 
 In the treatment of this selection the following points may be 
 emphasized : 
 
 1. The crude, primitive tjpe of school. See the portrayal 
 of various schools in Book Six, of this series. 
 
 2. The' crude and entirely ridiculous schoolmaster. In 
 colonial times the schoolmaster was often a humble and in- 
 competent sort of person, — sometimes a bonded servant. Look 
 up any history of education in America for facts of this sort. 
 Suggest to the class the reading of Eggleston's The Hoosier School- 
 master. Read to the class the descriptions of a school in the 
 west of pioneer days in some of the chapters of Hamlin Garland's 
 J Son of the Middle Border. 
 
 3. The beauty and quiet of the autumn landscape. 
 
 4. The evidences of plenty (and of Herculean appetites) 
 found on this typical Dutch farm. 
 
 5. Indications of Ichabod's motives in making love to Katrina, 
 and of her coldness towards his suit. 
 
 6. Brom Bones, — his part in the story. 
 
 7. The midnight ride : points that show Ichabod's terror and 
 his speed. 
 
 8. The disappearance and later career of Ichabod. 
 
 9. Irving's own attitude towards Ichabod : Is he sorry for 
 him at all .'' Are you ? If not, how has Irving kept you from 
 being so .'' 
 
 10. The diction of the story: somewhat Johnsonian, mock- 
 solemn, to add to the humor. Have the pupils pick out some of 
 these high-pitched phrases, put them into homelier English, and 
 see what is lost thereby. 
 
26 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving (196) 
 
 Irving got most of his material — apart from his biographies — 
 from the legendary stories of three places : Spain, England, and 
 New York. This story belongs, of course, to the latter group. 
 The story itself is, in one form or another, very old and wide- 
 spread, — the story of a miraculous absence or of a miraculously 
 long sleep. The Sleeping Beauty is one form of it ; the legend of 
 Ogier the Dane (told in Morris's Earthly Paradise) another; the 
 long sleep of Frederick Barbarossa is another ; " The White Stag " 
 (see William Morris's translation. Old French Romances) has the 
 same theme ; even in Japanese fairy lore the story appears in 
 the legend of a boy carried down to the sea-king's palace and living 
 there four hundred years, which seemed to him only a few weeks. 
 The form that Irving heard, and upon which he based this tale, 
 was probably brought from Europe by the Dutch settlers. 
 
 In Irving's hands, however, it is thoroughly localized. It is 
 interesting to note just what is Irving's view toward the theme: 
 not the marvelous sleep itself, but the experiences Rip has on his 
 return. This, it will be remembered, is the point that Jefferson 
 made most of when he wrote the play based upon the story. 
 Jefferson's Autobiography will give the teacher some information 
 and some stories about the play that will help the class to appre- 
 ciate how much of a universal and everyday classic both story and 
 play have become. 
 
 The points to be emphasized in taking up the story with a class are : 
 
 1. The sleepy village, remote from all the currents of the world's 
 life. 
 
 2. The character of Rip, shown in reference to his farm, his 
 relations to his cronies and to all the other people of the village, 
 to his wife and family and to his dog. 
 
 3. His visit to the mountains, and his wonderful experience 
 there. The old myth of the reappearance of Hendrik Hudson 
 and his crew. Rip's habit of tippling, and how it overcame him. 
 
 4. The awakening and the descent from the mountains. 
 
 5. Rip's bewilderment at the totally new sort of village he finds. 
 What public events have taken place since he fell asleep .^ What 
 
BOOK SEVEN 27 
 
 other periods in history can the pupils think of that would equally 
 puzzle a man who came to life again ? 
 
 6. His rough treatment by the crowd, his pathetic struggle to 
 find himself and to get identified. 
 
 7. Mis later life as the wonder-hero of the village. 
 
 George William Curtis, in the Essays from the Easy Chair, has a 
 delightful essay on the play of Rip Fan Winkle, in which he raises 
 the question whether Rip's lack of sobriety might make him a 
 bad example for boys. His answer is, that no boy is tempted to 
 imitate those whom he does not admire; and no boy makes a hero 
 if a hen-pecked husband ! 
 
 The Arsenal at Springfield, by Henry W. Longfellow (220) 
 
 The division of the book which begins here and ends with 
 Lowell's " The Heritage " is an attempt to present some of the 
 ideals of personal and national life in which we Americans believe. 
 
 This first poem is a powerful denunciation of war, and of the 
 greedy, aggressive rulers who make war. Its method is merely 
 to picture the appalling misery with which war has filled the world. 
 The remedy suggested is education, meaning, of course, education 
 of the right sort. As these words are written, the world is in the 
 agony of the worst war it has ever had, a war deliberately brought 
 on by a government that has been giving to its people an education 
 of the wrong sort, — educating them to think of all their neighbors 
 as their enemies and of war as an inevitable thing; and the duty 
 this nation has imposed upon itself is to help the side that did 
 not want the war; its purpose is to help end not only this war, 
 but all war. 
 
 Can the class think of other forms of the waste and destruction 
 of war, besides that of human life.'' What other literature de- 
 nouncing war have the pupils read .'' What things of this sort 
 can they find in current newspapers and magazines .'' Two 
 collections of poems called forth by the great war are published, 
 one by The Macmillan Co., and one by Houghton Mifflin Co. 
 Some portions of the Journal of John Woolman, the Quaker (Mac- 
 millan Pocket Classics), would interest the class. 
 
28 • THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 The Chambered Nautilus, by Hohnes (223) 
 
 Holmes was a scientist, — a physician, — as well as a poet. 
 Hence the appropriateness of the origin of the inspiration of this 
 poem. Two other literary men of our day were also physicians : 
 Weir Mitchell, recently dead, and Conan Doyle, still living. The 
 latter will certainly be known to the class for his great creation, 
 Sherlock Holmes. 
 
 The theme of the poem is the important thing : the soul growing 
 into more stately mansions ; that is, outgrowing narrow beliefs 
 and ideas and coming into bigger and better ones. Have the 
 class think of some particular instance of this in their own expe- 
 rience. 
 
 For a' That, by Robert Burns (225) ■ 
 
 Though not an American poem, this may well stand as one in 
 its spirit; indeed, it is the spirit of British democracy, French 
 democracy, any democracy whatsoever. If its tone seems rather 
 defiant, remember that it was written in the eighteenth century, 
 when the contrast between the classes was sharper than now. 
 
 Encourage the class to commit to memory as much of this as 
 they will. Make it a beginning of their reading of Burns. If the 
 teacher can command any fair imitation of the Scotch dialect 
 (in the collected edition of Stevenson's poems there is a key to the 
 pronunciation of Scotch), she might read aloud to the class " Tam 
 o' Shanter," " Twa Dogs," " To a Mouse," " Scots wha ha^e 
 wi' Wallace Bled," and some more of the best-known things. 
 The children will care more for the humorous and shrewd poems 
 than for the sentimental love poems. 
 
 Two famous essays on Burns, for the teacher's satisfaction, 
 are those by Carlyle and Stevenson, Scotchmen both. The 
 latter has some views of Burns not commonly held. 
 
 A Rill from the Town Pump, by Hawthorne (229) 
 
 Considering that the crusade against alcohol, in the Prohibition 
 movement, arose and grew in the United States when it was still 
 
BOOK SEVEN 29 
 
 ridiculed in Europe, the general spirit of this paean upon the 
 virtues of cold water may be taken as fairly American. (Perhaps 
 it is not out of place to mention that there are also more bath- 
 tubs in the United States than in any other country.) It is, of 
 course, not as a " teetotaller's " harangue that this was written, 
 though it has often been used in " temperance tracts." It was 
 written in praise of one of the good things of life, one of the simple 
 and universal blessings. Perhaps Hawthorne, who reflected a 
 good deal and was prone to moralize occasionally, thought some 
 such admonition necessary. But it may be left to be conveyed 
 by implication. 
 
 Read the selection for its pictures, its spirited diction, its 
 humor, and its sound wisdom. Observe the Town Pump's 
 history, its sense of its value Lo the community, the different 
 creatures to whom it gives pleasure. Note whether it falls into 
 any natural divisions ; has separate topics and a sequence. 
 
 If the teacher will turn to Hawthorne's American Note-Book 
 she will find there many other instances of his observing common- 
 place things and the literary material they might become. She 
 might read aloud to the class " David Swan " in the Twice-Told 
 Tales as another illustration of literature made out of ordinary 
 materials. 
 
 The Heritage, by Lowell (239) 
 
 Certainly this poem is American in spirit. So often do we hear 
 of the rise to wealth and power of the poor boy, that we sometimes 
 wonder if any rich man's son has a chance in the world at all ; 
 and Lowell's poem is in this same vein. Of course this is partly 
 true, and partly an optimistic exaggeration. A good many rich 
 men's sons have turned out very well indeed ; have much more 
 than made good their right to start with all the advantages on 
 their side. 
 
 Yet there is truth in the ideas of this poem. The pupils may be 
 asked : 
 
 I. To sum up the advantages of the poor boy and the handicaps 
 of the rich boy. 
 
30 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 2. To select those lines in the poem which they think the truest 
 expression of democracy. 
 
 3. To note the use of certain repeated phrases, and see how they 
 make for emphasis. 
 
 What other literature expressing this idea has the class read .'' 
 Do they know Jacob Riis's The Making of an American, and John 
 Muir's The Story of My Boyhood a^id Youth? Or the biographies 
 of some of our leaders who come from humble homes ? Besides 
 Lincoln, Webster, Jackson, what others can they think of ? Was 
 Edison one of them ? 
 
 In a new and undeveloped country, as ours still was fifty years 
 ago, there were fewer inequalities of wealth, and perhaps a greater 
 degree of opportunity; but the big leaders of our intellectual and 
 industrial life keep telling us to-day that they cannot find enough 
 young men of industry and ability to fill the good places that need 
 to be filled. So the " heritage " of the poor man's son is still 
 before him ; so, too, is that of the rich man's son. 
 
 The Boys, by Oliver Wendell Holmes (242) 
 
 Beginning with this poem and ending with the imaginary speech 
 of Spartacus, we have a group of selections whose general theme 
 is love of home and loyalty to friends. 
 
 Holmes is the best writer of familiar and " occasional " verse 
 that we have produced. His lines run smoothly, are clear and easy 
 to read, have a dash of merry humor, and often a touch of deeper 
 feeling. For many years, when his class at Harvard (that of 1829) 
 had its annual reunion, it was taken for granted that Holmes should 
 read a poem written for the occasion. In his collected poems we 
 may find them all, one for every year, from 1851 to 1889. The 
 best of them are this one (1859), and " Bill and Joe " (1851). 
 
 The theme here is the denial of the flight of time, a sort of defiant 
 challenge to the years, which, though they may roll on and bring 
 white hairs and distinction, cannot make of these college boys 
 anything really different from what they were on the day they left 
 college. It was a theme that Holmes himself lived in his own 
 long life ; he retained his youthful, jolly spirit to the end. 
 
IJOOK SEVEN 31 
 
 The poem is not to be studied ; that would spoil the spirit of 
 it. Read it for pure enjoyment. 
 
 Contentment, by Oliver Wendell Holmes (245) 
 
 Many fine things have been said about " love in a cottage," 
 the " joys of simple life," " plain living and high thinking," 
 and " honest poverty." Most people believe in these fine senti- 
 ments, in a way ; and yet most people like beautiful and ex- 
 pensive things and go on working hard to earn the money to buy 
 them. Holmes sees the funny side of this inconsistency, and pre- 
 sents it in mock-serious fashion. We have all known people 
 who have a modest and polite way of asking and insisting on the 
 best of everything for themselves; seeming somehow to think it 
 their right to have them. 
 
 Holmes was himself not a grasping, mercenary man. He did 
 enjoy simple things as well as luxuries. He set the highest value, 
 indeed, upon the things with which money has nothing to do, old 
 friendships and intellectual pleasures. 
 
 Rogers's poem, " A Wish," is appended here as one of the best- 
 known expressions of love of simplicity ; the kind of sentiment that 
 Holmes is playfully ridiculing. 
 
 Snow-Bound, by John Greenleaf Whittier 
 
 In this poem we have Whittier at his best and highest. The 
 theme was congenial to him ; he looked back lovingly and longingly 
 to the days of his childhood, and saw there the elements that had 
 made him the sort of man he was. He saw also in this simple farm 
 life the same elements that had given New England its high place 
 in our history : the genuineness of feeling, the energy, the in- 
 tellectual keenness, and the high ideals. The poem is, indeed, a 
 sort of epitome of New England life. 
 
 It is worth very careful reading. We have : 
 
 I. The physical scene. The realistic description of the storm, 
 the beauty of its fanciful forms, the faithful pictures of the life 
 of the people indoors, and out. Read to the class some passages 
 from Lowell's essay, " A Good Word for Winter." 
 
32 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 2. The family life : the intimate friendliness, the various types. 
 
 3. The intellectual background: the talk of the father, the 
 mother, the uncle, and the schoolmaster. Then we see the keen 
 interest in getting back to the news of the outside world, both 
 the local news and that from more distant sources. 
 
 4. The many passages of rare poetic beauty. Let the pupils 
 pick out from the poem as they read it the passages which they 
 particularly admire, and encourage them to commit some of 
 these passages to memory. 
 
 The Old Folks at Home, by Foster (272) 
 
 This is a good example of the familiar lyric on homely themes. 
 Of course it is not to be studied. Read it, memorize it, sing it (if 
 not in school, at least somewhere). It is submitted here, not 
 only because, as a song, it is a classic already of wide fame, but 
 because it voices so well those feelings that make patriotism possible 
 even in the humblest citizens. Wordsworth once expressed his 
 fear that the crowding into the cities and the deserting of the 
 country homesteads would have a bad effect on the national char- 
 acter, because, he said, the domestic affections attached them- 
 selves around the visible, material objects of early memory. 
 
 What other poems celebrating the memory of the childhood 
 home does the class know .? Read to the class John Masefield's 
 poem " The West Wind " (in Salt Water Ballads) and Kipling's 
 " For to Admire." 
 
 Maud MuUer, by John Greenleaf Whittier (274) 
 
 Read this for the story. It is a poem of regret, of lost possi- 
 bilities. But is it so certain that the marriage of the Judge and 
 the heroine would have been the best thing for them ^ Is it 
 certain that the girl could have fitted herself into the different 
 life .? That would have depended — upon what ^ 
 
 But do not moralize too long on the situation ; take it simply 
 as it is, — a romantic possibility. Compare Tennyson's little 
 poem " The Beggar Maid." The theme of love overleaping the 
 barriers of class and rank is an old one in the realm of romantic 
 
BOOK SEVEN 33 
 
 poetry and story. The class may recall other instances that they 
 have read of. Does it ever happen in real life to-day .'' Does it 
 ever get into the newspapers? Has the class ever reflected that a 
 chivalrous deference to women of every rank and condition of 
 life is a well-marked American ideal .'' 
 
 Spartacus to the Gladiators, by Kellogg (2S0) 
 
 This old favorite has been declaimed by at least three generations 
 of schoolboys. It is rather flamboyant in style, almost turgid; 
 but it has dramatic force and deep feeling. It should, of course, 
 be read aloud for the proper effect. The situation should be 
 imagined as clearly as possible ; and the long gap between such 
 forms of public entertainment (scenes of blood and horror) and 
 our own milder tastes be realized. 
 
 How many of the pupils know who Elijah Kellogg was ? A 
 brilliant young minister who took a small church in a small town 
 on the coast of Maine, and spent his life there because the people 
 wanted him and liked him ; the author of a large number of books 
 for boys, now mostly forgotten, but worth reading still. 
 
 Thanatopsis, by William CuUen Bryant (285) 
 
 The group of familiar poems, beginning with this and ending 
 with the parody on " Hiawatha," covers a number of moods and 
 themes, and may be added to by introducing others equally 
 familiar and equally good. 
 
 In reading " Thanatopsis," try to get the pupils to feel the stern 
 dignity and the sense of awe, that broods over it. Do not discuss 
 it more than enough to make clear the pictures and the meaning. 
 Let the solemn lines carry their own message and their own spirit. 
 
 A Day in June, by James Russell Lowell (289) 
 
 This is ihc most familiar passage from " The Vision of Sir 
 Launfal." The teacher might end the study of this selection by 
 reading the whole poem to the class. She might begin it by reading 
 parts of Lowell's " Su'ihin' in the Pastoral Line " (from The 
 
 D 
 
34 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Biglow Papers, and some of the things from Wordsworth that 
 show the same spirit: for example, " Stanzas Written in March," 
 " To a Butterfly," " The World Is Too Much with Us," and parts 
 of the " Ode on Immortality." 
 
 The Death of the Flowers, by Bryant (294) 
 
 In reading this poem have the pupils give the free, long swing 
 of the lines, and note how the effect of melancholy autumn is 
 attained by the accumulation of images. Compare the first 
 stanza of Longfellow's " A Rainy Day," for an example of the 
 same effect by the same method. 
 
 The melancholy of autumn is a literary tradition rather than a 
 fact. Our poets have taken it from the literature of England, 
 where it has some truth. But the fall is really our most beautiful 
 and invigorating season, in spite of the many forms of dying life 
 in the plant world. Our autumn foliage is brilliant, our air clear, 
 or opalescent with pearly mists. 
 
 Compare Lowell's " An Autumn Reverie," and Whittier's " The 
 Huskers." 
 
 To the Frmged Gentian, by Bryant (296) 
 
 Perhaps this poem has helped as much as the beauty of the 
 flower itself to make the fringed gentian thought of as one of the 
 most lovely of the wild flowers. It is seldom abundant; and 
 the teacher will do well to tell the children to pluck it sparingly 
 when they find it. It is not to be treated like the daisy. 
 
 There are other poems in praise of particular flowers that the 
 children should know: Burns's "To a Mountain Daisy," Emer- 
 son's " The Rhodora," Bryant's " The Yellow Violet," Lowell's 
 " The Dandelion," and Wordsworth's " Daffodils." 
 
 Rain in Summer, by Longfellow (297) 
 
 Read this for the clear pictures and the effects of life and motion 
 in the movement of the verse. Does Longfellow moralize the 
 theme anywhere .^ It will be interesting to compare other sketches 
 
HOOK SEVEN 35 
 
 of tlic rain in prose and verse; a good one occurs in Hawthorne's 
 " Siglus from a Steeple " in the Twice Told Tales ; another of 
 great beauty i< AKlrich's " Before tlie Rain." 
 
 The Snow Storm, by Emerson (299) 
 
 A good picture ol the storm viewed from the study. How 
 does it differ from, and how does it resemble, W'hittier's descrip- 
 tions .'' What important element in W'hittier's poem is touched 
 upon here in only a line or two .^ 
 
 The Song of the Chattahoochee, by Lanier (301) 
 
 A justh- famous poem, this " song " has delighted thousands 
 of young readers. Do they notice the singing quality in it? 
 Can they read it so as to bring out this quality ? Do they get 
 the onomatopoetic effects, — the suggestion of the sound and 
 movement of the river in the sounds of the words } Do they 
 note that the divisions of the poem correspond to the stages of 
 the downward progress of the stream .'' Do they feel, as they 
 read, that the poet has succeeded in creating the illusion that the 
 •stream is endowed with conscious life ? — If they do these things, 
 they are reading the poem understandingly. 
 
 The Humble-Bee, by Emerson (303) 
 
 We have already had a number of instances in this book of 
 " the poetry of common things." Sometimes these poems have 
 been wholly serious, sometimes partly playful. To which type 
 does " The Humble-Bee " belong .'' What other poems on common 
 things, not in Book Seven, can the class recall .' 
 
 It will be interesting to see whether the poem indicates that 
 Emerson was a close observer of nature ; whether he stops with a 
 description of the bee, or whether he goes on to draw a moral, or 
 an application. Emerson was, as we know, a " moralist "; that 
 is, a man fond of moral speculations and philosophical observations. 
 
 In John Burroughs's book, Pepaclon, there is a very interesting 
 chapter on hunting the wild honey-bee. 
 
36 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 The Corn Song, by Whittier (308) 
 
 This poem and the next belong to a group called by Whittier 
 " Songs of Labor." He celebrates also the labors of the lumber- 
 men and the builders. As we have seen in " Snow Bound," he 
 could, like Burns, see beauty and dignity in the life of humble 
 people. Like Burns he was prone, also, to make comparisons 
 between the rich and the poor, to the disparagement of the former; 
 his gentle Quaker spirit was, probably, not wholly without resent- 
 ment at the inequalities of life. 
 
 The theme of the poem is really the life-history of the corn ; its 
 planting, cultivation, harvesting, and consumption, along with the 
 praise of it as one of the finest of the gifts of Providence. His 
 manner is occasionally somewhat academic; classical and other 
 allusions detract somewhat from the simplicity of style that the 
 subject would seem to demand. 
 
 The Huskers, by Whittier (310) 
 
 Read this with reference to the beauty of the autumn scene 
 (comparing it with Bryant's " The Death of the Flowers," and 
 Lowell's " An Autumn Reverie "), and to the gayety and social 
 spirit of the gathering. Later, Hamlin Garland's chapter, called 
 here " A Western Farm Scene," may be compared with this 
 poem ; the two have certain points in common which the pupils 
 will see. 
 
 The Courtin', by Lowell (314) 
 
 If the pupils do not know the New England dialect, help them to 
 feel the smooth and flowing quality of it, and its quaint perversions 
 and archaisms by reading part of the poem to them. It is not 
 pronounced ruggedly or sharply, but slips along with a blending 
 of slouchiness and clipping distinctness that cannot be described. 
 
 Try to get the pupils to realize definitely : 
 
 I. The scene in the old farm kitchen, with its cleanliness and 
 comfort, and " Huldy " as the central point of its charm. 
 
BCX)K SEVEN 37 
 
 2. The embarrassment of both " Huldy " and " Zekle." 
 
 3. His sudden rush of feeling and resolution, and the happy out- 
 come of the " courtin'." 
 
 4. The narrator's quaint comments, his apt and beautiful 
 figures and comparisons drawn from nature as he had observed it; 
 such as, 
 
 " The side she breshed felt full o' sun, 
 Ez a south slope in Ap'il." 
 
 Hiawatha's Mittens (319) 
 
 Serious-minded people sometimes shake their heads doubtfully 
 over parodies. The best answer to their fears is that the poets 
 themselves have liked and written parodies. A teacher of English 
 ought to own such a collection as Carolyn Wells's Parody Anthology. 
 
 My Visit to Niagara, by Hawthorne (320) 
 
 American scenery presents great varieties, from level prairies to 
 massive mountains like the Rockies. A good deal has been written 
 in the attempt to describe the more striking scenes ; but description 
 in never quite adequate. The two selections under the head of 
 American Scenes are widely difTerent things, but each very char- 
 acteristic : the one, the greatest spectacle of nature in the East ; 
 the other, a scene of busy labor on a farm in the West. 
 
 If the pupils can get hold of John Muir's books, particularly 
 The Yosemiie and The Mountains of the Sierras, they will sec how 
 the grandeur of American scenery stirred a man who was both a 
 scientist and a writer. 
 
 Hawthorne, the reader will notice, not only hung back in a 
 strange hesitation about going to the Falls, but is reluctant about 
 describing them. Most of his sketch is on the effect of the Falls 
 upon himself and his fellow travelers. He seems to have felt a 
 sort of humility, as one feels before a thing too overwhelmingly 
 big. Alice Brown, in her short story, " Farmer Eli's X'acation," 
 has put the same feeling into the shy and inarticulate old farmer 
 who sees the ocean for the first time. 
 
38 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 A Western Farm Scene, by Garland (330) 
 
 The title of this chapter in Garland's book is " The Last Thresh- 
 ing in the Coulee." 
 
 The outstanding merit in the selection and in the entire book 
 is that the author has taken the memories of his youth and out 
 of them made a picture of pioneer life in the Middle West that 
 is at once realistic and full of poetry. The teacher is advised to 
 get the book and turn the pupils loose on it. 
 
 In this selection the pupils will note certain characteristic 
 things : the pride of the men in their work, their cheerfulness 
 under long hours of severe labor, the neighborly good feeling, 
 the simplicity, and friendliness of it all. It would be a pity if 
 the young people of this generation should think of their ancestors 
 who subdued the wilderness and made it rich and pleasant, as 
 merely rough and crude people ; they should think rather of the 
 stark strength, the fortitude, the rigid labor, that showed these 
 pioneer ancestors to be of heroic stuff, — the women not less than 
 the men. And they should realize that these plainly dressed, 
 simple-mannered people had in them strafns of poetry and music, 
 ideals of character, reverence, and self-restraint. Have Owen 
 Wister's The Virginian, Churchill's The Crossing, Eggleston's 
 The Hoosier Schoolmaster and The Circuit Rider, and John 
 Muir's The Story of my Boyhood and Youth, in the school library. 
 
 American Achievements (341) 
 
 The list of things in this article could be further extended. Such 
 books, for example, as Ray Stannard Baker's Boy^s Book of In- 
 ventions and Second Boy''s Book of Inventions, Cleveland Moffatt's 
 Careers of Danger and Daring, and Roosevelt's The Making of 
 the West, give interesting accounts of the energy and ingenuity 
 that have gone into the building up of our country. Periodicals 
 that discuss the scientific, industrial, agricultural, and political 
 aspects of the nation's life are interesting and should be accessible 
 to pupils of the later grades and high school. 
 
BOOK SEVEN 39 
 
 How the Atlantic Cable Was Laid, by Field (345) 
 
 This account first appeared in The Youth's Companion. Seldom 
 has a great achievement been more vividly or more modestly told 
 by the man who carried it through. The pupils will see that the 
 man who conceives such a plan must be imaginative, a dreamer, 
 just as truly as the man who invents a story; all great men of 
 action have been dreamers in this sense. 
 
 Can the pupils think of other great schemes to be imagined and 
 carried out ? What things remain to be done — what things 
 remain, perhaps, yet to be imagined — for the further development 
 of our country ? What things are now talked of, or actually in 
 progress ? What feats of engineering, of construction, of rec- 
 lamation, of conservation ? 
 
 A Tribute to Lincoln, by Lowell (357) 
 
 When Memorial Hall, in the Harvard "^'ard, was given to the 
 University and dedicated to the memory of the former students 
 who had died in the Civil War, Lowell read his " Commemoration 
 Ode," of which this passage on Lincoln is the best and best 
 known part. 
 
 It is rather difficult reading. It needs to be studied. Set the 
 pupils to working out its meaning patiently and thoroughly. 
 Paraphrase with familiar terms, illustrate with familiar things, 
 wherever they need such help. Note the emphasis Lowell gives 
 to the essentially democratic nature of Lincoln, both in his origin 
 and his character. Interesting parallel ideas may be found in 
 Lowell's essay, " Democracy." 
 
 O Captain, My Captain, by Whitman (360) 
 
 All the " study helps " that this poem needs arc found in the 
 notes in the Reader. But the study may be supplemented by 
 fuller information about Whitmanjs experiences as a nurse in the 
 hospitals at Washington during the war. Two biographies of 
 him, one by Bliss Perry, the other by George Rice Carpenter, 
 will give the material needed. 
 
40 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Bivouac of the Dead, by O'Hara (364) 
 
 The occasion of this poem is given in the Helps to Study in the 
 Reader. It lacks the clearness and the force of great poetry ; and 
 yet is one of the patriotic poems every one is supposed to know. 
 One careful reading should suffice. From this reading the pupil 
 should get a clear sense of the solemn glory of the sacrifice of life 
 for one's country. 
 
 The Confederate Soldier, by Grady (368) 
 
 This is from a speech on " The New South " which was made 
 not many years ago, but which has already taken its place as 
 one of the classic speeches of our country. The clear and moving 
 picture of the courage and fortitude of the Southern soldiers 
 appeals strongly to our admiration. The reading might well be 
 supplemented by further information on " The New South." 
 Henry Sydnor Harrison's Queed is a picture of this new South, 
 and a very interesting story. 
 
 The American Flag, by Drake (371) 
 
 The spirit, rather than the literary merit, of this poem has given 
 it wide currency. As a rule, only the first stanza is quoted or 
 remembered. But young readers should at least have the chance 
 to see the whole poem. Have the first stanza committed to 
 memory and its symbolism explained. 
 
 The Song of the Camp, by Taylor (374) 
 
 In its melody and its sentiment this is a true lyric. Its charm 
 lies not in the fact that it Is a song sung by soldiers on the eve of 
 battle, but in the fact that their singing is an expression of their 
 thoughts of home and of love. The poet's own verdict on the 
 scene is in the last stanza. The poem is worth committing to 
 memory. 
 
 The historic circumstances do not particularly matter, though 
 they are indicated in the poem itself; it is the universality of the 
 theme that appeals to us. 
 
BOOK SEVEN 4I 
 
 Learning the Use of Liberty, by Macaulay (376) 
 
 This and ihc remaining selections of Book Seven are grouped 
 under the general head of " national ideals " ; that is, the ideals 
 we hold of what our nation sliould be. 
 
 Though an Englishman, NLicaulay speaks for all the Anglo- 
 Saxon civilizations in this selection. It is by the use of liberty 
 that they have learned to use it wisely, and have come to believe in 
 it for all peoples. Our own liberation of Cuba and our sympathy 
 with all democratic forms of government are evidence of our 
 belief in the principles Alacaulay here expresses. 
 
 In reading the selection, remind the class that Macaulay was a 
 staunch Whig in politics ; that is, a believer that the real power in 
 his government should belong to the people and their Parliament, 
 and not to the king, Since the days of George III no English 
 king has possessed more than an advisory power. And even in 
 giving advice the king must go cautiously and tactfully. In all 
 important matters he is expected merely to assent to the decisions 
 of his ministers and his Parliament, who in turn must carry out 
 the wishes of the people or resign their powers. This is the con- 
 ception of liberty which is accepted by the English-speaking 
 nations everywhere ; though the details of the plan may differ. 
 In our own case, we put the government up before the decision 
 of the voters at certain stated periods, and not when we are dis- 
 satisfied. 
 
 The Battlefield, by Bryant (378) 
 
 Famous for one stanza in it, this whole poem is nevertheless 
 worth a careful reading. Full and final truth is not yet reached ; 
 the world is the battlefield on which it is being fought out; in 
 the long run we go forward nearer and nearer to the truth : — 
 this is the general idea the class should get from the reading of the 
 poem. 
 
 What Constitutes a State, by Jones (380) 
 
 Read this with special reference to the stateliness of the lines, 
 and for the contrast of two conceptions of the state. Do the 
 
42 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 pupils know of any modern country that thinks greatness lies in 
 military power ? Any country that thinks that greatness lies 
 in magnanimity and fair-dealing with other nations ? Which 
 ideal do they more admire ? Does Sir William Jones think that 
 war may sometimes be necessary in defense of the right? 
 
 The True Grandeur of Nations, by Sumner (381) 
 
 Charles Sumner was a pacifist in the better sense of that term. 
 He believed that there ought to be the same principles of justice 
 between nations as between individuals in a nation. He saw only 
 brutality and robbery in wars of conquest; and he believed a 
 time would come when the whole world would put an end to 
 them. 
 
 The pupils may be reminded that he was with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Longfellow in the Arsenal at Springfield when the idea of the peace 
 poem was suggested by seeing the weapons there. 
 
 What Is an American, by CreveccEur (386) 
 
 The Everyman Library edition of The Letters of an American 
 Farmer, from which this selection is taken, has an Introduction 
 that the teacher should read. Crevecoeur's life, his connection 
 with France when the " rights of man " were being thought of and 
 talked of seriously and with high confidence, his coming to America 
 and finding here such chances open to the common man as Europe 
 never gave, — all these are an interesting background to this 
 selection. 
 
 In reading this, the children will have to be reminded that cer- 
 tain things that he says were quite true when the book was written, 
 and are no longer true : — that was nearly a hundred and fifty 
 years ago. Which of these changes are good I Which not so 
 good .^ 
 
 Note particularly what the author says of the blending of races 
 into one people. Has this continued 1 Or have we sometimes 
 found alien strains from Europe a little too hard to assimilate .^ 
 Is it their fault, or ours .^ Are these foreign-born guests willing 
 
Ba^K SEVEN 43 
 
 and ready to become really American ? If so, what are we to do to 
 help them ? These and other like questions the pupils will see 
 discussed in our newspapers and magazines. 
 
 Democracy and Kindliness, by Bryce (394) 
 
 James Bryce, now Viscount Bryce, long British minister to 
 \\ ashington, a distinguished scholar even in his university days at 
 Oxford, and a man of unimpeachable personal and intellectual 
 integrit>-, wrote one of the best books in existence on America, 
 her life, customs, government, and ideals. That book is The 
 American Commomvealth, from one of the later chapters of which 
 the present extract is taken. 
 
 If he is right — and we like to think he is — the spirit of fair 
 play and of fundamental equality in the rights of men is one of 
 our national ideals. If in any measure it is not true, to that 
 measure we have an ideal yet to strive for. 
 
 Note the two ideas of the extract, — one in each paragraph — 
 and the transition from one to the other. Fill out, with the pupils, 
 illustrations in concrete of the general assertions which he makes. 
 
 Address to Congress, by President Wilson (397) 
 
 This is the most momentous address delivered in this country 
 for more than a half century. Its occasion, and the gravity of 
 the consequences, are known to all. Its marvelous clearness of 
 statement, its deep earnestness, its high principles, are equalh- 
 known. The best way to study it is to read it with sure and care- 
 ful attention to its meaning. For the teacher's help, a reprint of 
 the entire speech, with full details of the meaning in the shape of 
 notes by Professor Davis of the University of Minnesota, would 
 be valuable. This reprint is sent free by the Committee on Public 
 Information, Washington, D.C. Pupils should also read others 
 of the President's letters and addresses made since the beginning 
 of the war, particularly his letters to the German Government on 
 the sinking of the Lusitania and other unarmed ships. Taken in 
 connection with the German replies they form an interesting con- 
 trast in honesty and in national ideals; a contrast plain enough 
 to any person of intelligence. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 
 
 The Eighth Book is, even more than any of its predecessors, an 
 introduction to literature. Like the other books in the series it 
 is a collection of classics, selected because of their proved interest 
 and suitability for younger readers. It aims to give to its readers 
 glimpses of the great heritage of our race through an acquaintance 
 with the books and poems that have become both famous and 
 familiar. Its distinctive feature, however, is its purpose to guide 
 the pupil in the understanding and appreciation of the best litera- 
 ture. 
 
 In some of the earlier books the teacher was advised to place 
 more stress on the story or its persons, or on the matter and the 
 moral of the selection than on its literary quality. In the Eighth 
 Book there is opportunity to interest the boys and girls in the 
 forms and purposes of literature and to cultivate their taste by a 
 study and interpretation of its masterpieces. Since the Seventh 
 Book is devoted largely to American literature, this book draws 
 little from our own country. Its selections come from many 
 languages and many ages, and, although of course they are in the 
 main from English writers, it is fairly representative of the best 
 in the world's literature. 
 
 We often hear it said that boys and girls are no longer given 
 to reading, and indeed that their elders, even their teachers, no 
 longer read the best books. Though we know that there never 
 was a time in the world's history when so many persons read, so 
 many books were printed, and so much time was spent in reading; 
 yet we may admit that there is to-day, as in every period, a tendency 
 to pass over the best which is old for the trivial which is new. The 
 Everyday Classics, as has often been repeated, are dedicated to 
 the principle that acquaintance with the best literature should begin 
 
 44 
 
BOOK EIGHT 45 
 
 early and should be encouraged by the school course in reading. 
 Whatever attractions the writings of the moment may have, they 
 certainly should not have the basic place in the training of our 
 youth. Let the children grow into their preparation for life 
 through their knowledge of the best that men have thought and 
 written. Moreover, it may also be repeated, the old books arc 
 new to the boys and girls. 
 
 PREPARATION' FOR THE IIICII SCHOOL COURSE 
 
 There sometimes occurs an unnecessary break between the 
 methods of teaching literature in the grades and in the high school. 
 The pupil jumps from short selections, used mainly for exercise 
 in reading aloud, to long books often difficult to comprehend and. 
 too often studied in tedious detail rather than as units. The 
 Seventh and Eighth Books aim to continue the reading methods 
 of the earlier grades and combine these with the kind of study of 
 literature that should be carried on in the high schools. The 
 selections are longer and whenever possible present entire poems 
 or unabridged stories. The Helps to Study aim to guide the pupil 
 to a more independent study and to encourage him in extending 
 his reading outside of the textbook. Many of the selections are 
 among those recommended for secondary schools. Junior High 
 Schools will find these books adapted to their purpose of integrating 
 the seventh and eighth years of school with the four that are to 
 follow. But wherever used, the Seventh and Eighth Books will 
 both complete the purpose of this series of basic readers and also 
 prepare the way directly for the further study of literature. They 
 are called " Books " instead of " Readers " because each is more 
 than a reader, it off'crs a carefully integrated course of study. 
 
 ARRAXCF.MF.XT OF THF SFI.FCTIOXS 
 
 The arrangement of selections in groups has been determined 
 by the purpose of the book as an introduction to literature. The 
 first group, Forms of Literature, consists of selections illus- 
 trating some of the more important forms of prose and verse, such 
 
46 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 as lyric, drama, description, the short story, etc., with Helps to 
 Study giving information and guidance as to these forms. The 
 pupils are thus provided with some knowledge of the purposes 
 and methods and forms which literature has always followed. 
 The second and third groups, while giving further illustrations of 
 these forms, show the interest of literature as opening the windows 
 on the past and supplying a record of human civilization. These 
 groups are drawn from the masterpieces of Greece, Rome, and 
 the Middle Ages, and from the description of those past epochs 
 by such modern masters as Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Tenny- 
 son, and Macaulay. 
 
 The fourth group is designed especially as an introduction to 
 the appreciation of poetry. It consists of twelve short poems, 
 and it would be difficult to find twelve poems in our language 
 that are nobler in sentiment and expression or twelve that have 
 been better loved by both old and young. The remaining groups 
 illustrate other kinds and purposes of literature. The fifth 
 group contains chapters about boys and girls from famous novels. 
 The sixth group supplies several long poems of different kinds 
 and exemplifies methods of studying poetry somewhat different 
 from those recommended in the case of short lyrics. The final 
 group contains prose selections varying in tone from the solemn 
 to the humorous and illustrating some of the different purposes 
 which prose may serve. It will be seen that the plan of the 
 book first provides the pupil with the essentials for the classi- 
 fication and interpretation of literature and then in its succeeding 
 groups offers abundant and varied illustration of the greatest 
 literary achievements. 
 
 ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS 
 
 Although the arrangement by groups has been carefully planned, 
 to further a gradual progress in understanding, yet many teachers 
 will probably wish to change the order of selections to suit the 
 particular needs and interests of their classes. The arrangement 
 permits a ready interchange of entire groups. Group 7 might, 
 for example, come after Group i. Or the selections can be re- 
 
BOUk LiGlll 47 
 
 arranged to suit the teacher and class. \'arious specific changes 
 will be suggested in the notes that follow. Two general suggestions 
 may be made here. 
 
 In some classes it may seem desirable to carry out more closely 
 the method of study of literary forms in Group i. In that case, 
 after a study of " Young Lochinvar " as a narrative poem, the 
 class could take up the other narrative poems that come later in 
 the book, as " Sir Patrick Spens," " Horatius," " The Prisoner 
 of Chillon." Similarly the study of " Ring Out, Wild Bells ' 
 could lead directly to the numerous other lyrics in the book. Or, 
 the study of " The Great Stone Face " as a short story could be 
 followed immediately by the other short stories and by the 
 selections from longer prose narratives. 
 
 In other cases the teacher may find it useful to vary the methods 
 of the groups, b)' bringing together the works of a single author. 
 There are, for example, several poems by Wordsworth, several by 
 Tennyson, and two dramatic selections from Shakespeare. Any 
 one of these authors might be studied in the selections here, with 
 a review of the selections in earlier readers, and with suggestions 
 for further reading in the class or at home. Homer, Sir Walter 
 Scott, Shelley, Byron, Dickens, and Hawthorne are other authors 
 who are well represented both in this book and in the preceding 
 readers. 
 
 BIOGRAPHY 
 
 This Book follows the general method of the series in giving full 
 attention to the lives of only a few of the writers represented. 
 Fortunately there are no inferior writers, with whose biograpiiics 
 school readers are often heavily burdened. But even where all 
 the authors are famous and deserve attention, it has still seemed 
 best to win the interest of the pupils for seven or eight rather 
 than to lose this interest by scattering it among fifty. Moreover, 
 in these biographies attention has been paid less to the facts and 
 dates than to how the authors lived and what manner of men they 
 were. We wish to make the children understand that these were 
 real men and that they were great men. Of most of the authors 
 represented in this volume for whom special notices are not 
 
48 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 supplied, portraits and biographies have appeared in the other 
 books of the series. References to these and brief notes on the 
 others are provided. At the end of this manual the teacher will 
 find a list of all the authors represented in the Everyday 
 Classics with lists of their selections given and suggestions for 
 further reading and study. 
 
 LITERARY APPRECIATION 
 
 The question is sometimes raised, " Can literature be taught ^ " 
 This book is an attempt to answer that question in part, but more 
 depends upon the teacher than upon the book. A book must be 
 the same for all, the teacher suits her instruction to the particular 
 class and to the individual pupil. The book presents the selec- 
 tions from literature and offers the guides and suggestions likely to 
 aid the pupil's understanding and arouse his interest; the teacher 
 is able to correct his understanding and quicken his interest from 
 day to day. She is the personal interpreter of literature. 
 
 Of general methods, much has been said in the Manual in connec- 
 tion with the earlier books, but a few matters may be re- 
 emphasized here. 
 
 1. Every care should be taken that the pupil understands 
 what he reads. It would not be amiss occasionally to take a 
 page or two and quiz the class on minute details of sentences, 
 words, and even of type in order to give them training in using 
 their eyes observingly. The Helps to Study offer questions on 
 the content and words for study in the Glossary and dictionary ; 
 and though this kind of discipline should not be made monotonous, 
 it should be thorough. 
 
 2. Interest should be added to understanding by the free and 
 full discussion of all questions arising from the selections or the 
 Helps to Study. The persons and events, the historical back- 
 ground, the moral application, the life of the author — these and 
 many other topics should be treated so that the selection itself 
 becomes the focus of many interests. The teaching of literature 
 involves the teaching of history, biography, geography, morality, 
 science, current events, and much besides. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 49 
 
 3. Reading aloud is one of the best means of appreciating 
 literature. The sympathetic voice is the real medium for poetry; 
 and the intelligent reading of prose aloud is the best test of the 
 pupil's understanding of the passage. The selections offer a 
 choice for practice in various kinds of reading aloud. There are 
 the poems that especially demand the sympathetic and expressive 
 voice; there are the dramas and the narratives with dialogue in 
 which the pupils can be given parts and the reading made a social 
 exercise ; and there are the long selections of both prose and poetry 
 where, after study, the class should be exercised in rapid reading 
 so that the selection can be heard as a whole. 
 
 4. The appreciation of literature is a search for excellence. 
 What is best ^ — is the issue. What do you like about the poem .'' 
 What lines do you like best .^ What picture does it bring to your 
 mind .'' Why have men and women admired this I It is with 
 questions like these that the teacher may guide the children's 
 likings in the right direction. Here are four hundred pages of 
 good literature. What makes it excellent, noble, beautiful ? 
 No one can answer these questions precisely, but the right ap- 
 preciation of literature begins with their consideration. The 
 pupils' likings should be respected, whether they agree with 
 the teacher's or not; they should be taken as the starting points 
 for progress. 
 
 5. It is difficult to propose methods for teaching literature 
 without seeming to be mechanical. There is no single method. 
 The only sure rule is to have more than one method. Constant 
 drill on details will spoil interest in the larger meanings of the 
 selections; and too much talk about the selections will leave 
 little time for actual reading. The class in the Eighth Book 
 ought not to be a drill ; it ought to come to both teacher and 
 pupils as a kind of refuge and relief. It is here that we live with 
 the heroes and dream with the poets. Close the door on the daily 
 tasks, and here you are partaking of what has been the delight of 
 ages. If the teacher can help the pupils to feel that, she will have 
 gone far toward teaching them literature. 
 
 It will be observed that this book oflFers many approaches to 
 the study of literature, but there are some methods that will not 
 
 E 
 
50 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 be found here. Literary history, elaborate styHstic analysis, and 
 detailed biography have no place in the eighth year of schooling. 
 For a full discussion of the Helps to Study provided in the 
 Everyday Classics the teacher is directed to the Manual for the 
 Fifth and Sixth Readers. In the Eighth Book much matter is 
 put before the pupil in the Introductions and the Helps to Study 
 which in the earlier readers would have been reserved for the 
 teacher. The notes for the teacher on the separate selections 
 are consequently briefer. 
 
 I. FORMS OF LITERATURE 
 
 This group includes selections studied as representative of 
 various literary forms, — of narrative, lyrical, and reflective 
 poetry, of prose description, of the short story, and of the drama. 
 It is not intended to carry this treatment of literary forms very 
 far ; but enough material is provided in the Helps to Study, to 
 enable the pupil to become acquainted with the chief divisions of 
 literature, and to supply starting points for further study. These 
 forms should be kept in mind as the class advances through the 
 book, and the information gained in these lessons may be made 
 the subjects of frequent review. 
 
 What Is Literature? (ii) 
 
 An attempt has been made here to give in a few words some idea 
 of what literature has been and now is. A text is furnished which 
 the teacher may amplify in class discussion and to which she may 
 return from time to time as the book proceeds. 
 
 Young Lochinvar, by Sir Walter Scott (14) 
 
 This selection offers little difficulty. Can the class read it 
 clearly and vigorously ^ The study of narrative poetry gives a 
 good opportunity at the beginning of the school year to find out 
 how much the class knows of literature. A large part of the prose 
 
H{X)K KIGIIT 51 
 
 and poetry that they have read is doubtless narrative. What do 
 they remember? What poems have impressed them? What do 
 they know about Sir Walter Scott ? 
 
 Ring Out, Wild Bells, by Alfred Tennyson (18) 
 
 This poem gives a further opportunity to test the pupil's memory 
 — this time of lyric poetry. 
 
 Attention may also be paid to poetic phrasing. Make sure 
 that the class understands such expressions as " the fuller min- 
 strel," "civic slander." The phrases in the fourth stanza deserve 
 careful discussion in the class. " Flower in the Crannied \\ all 
 is for memorizing. 
 
 Sunrise, attributed to Corot (21) 
 
 This and the following description offer some difficulties to 
 language and require careful reading. Descriptions of nature 
 abound in literature, but they are not always greatly appreciated 
 by younger readers. But the effectiveness of this word painting 
 of a sunrise is very striking. Photographs of Corot's paintings 
 should be shown to the class, if possible. 
 
 The River Rhone, by John RusMn (24) 
 
 This famous description by Ruskiii is a brilliant example of 
 his eloquent and vivid style, and it treats of some very potent 
 elements of beauty — rapid movement and changing light. How 
 many of the class have ever found water beautiful ? Where ? on 
 the ocean, river, lake, or brook ? How many have seen a rapidly 
 moving current or a cataract ? How many have watched the 
 effect of sunlight on water? Why is it beautiful ? 
 
 The Solitary Reaper, by William Wordsworth (27) 
 
 A poem for reflection and memory. An account of Words- 
 worth's life is given on page 250. No biographies are given with 
 the first group of selections in order that attention may be kept 
 on the forms of literature. 
 
52 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 The Great Stone Face, by Nathaniel Hawthorne (29) 
 
 This selection is a model as a short story and also as a moral 
 allegory. Its structure is clear and can be grasped readily by the 
 class, and it teaches a definite lesson of idealism. After the story 
 has been studied and discussed, it might be read aloud rapidly 
 in the class by six or more of the pupils. This will afford a test 
 in reading and will serve to bring the entire story as a whole 
 before the class. 
 
 The analysis and suggestions in the Helps to Study may be 
 useful in the study of other prose narratives in the book. Short 
 stories from Hawthorne, Miss Sarah Orne Jewett, Stevenson, 
 Bret Harte, Kipling, and other authors may be assigned for home 
 reading. If time permits, brief analyses of these may be prepared 
 by the pupils. 
 
 Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (55) 
 
 This is one of the most amazing scenes in all dramatic literature, 
 and should be read as a whole. In addition to the questions in the 
 Helps to Study, notes are provided to explain the obsolete and 
 unusual words and constructions. These notes are for the pupil's 
 information so that he may be able to understand the text ; but 
 they should not be made the matter for drill and recitation. A 
 boy or girl of the eighth grade should not be expected to master 
 Elizabethan usage and vocabulary. He can get the meaning 
 and force of this scene without much attention to the niceties 
 of language. 
 
 If the class is well advanced in reading, it might be well in the 
 case of this selection to vary the usual method and to begin by 
 reading the scene aloud in the class as drama with parts assigned. 
 The splendid movement of the verse may prove the best incentive 
 to further study. After this initial reading, the scene may be 
 studied with more care; the nature and methods of drama dis- 
 cussed as suggested in the Helps to Study; and finally the whole 
 scene presented by the class as a drama. For suggestions as 
 to dramatization see Manual for the Sixth Reader, pp. 92, 93. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 53 
 
 Hamlet is sometimes read as early as the eighth grade, but it 
 may perhaps better be reserved for later years. The story of 
 the play, however, might be told to the class and certain portions 
 read by the teacher or the pupils. Hamlet's interviews with the 
 ghost, Act I, scene ii, lines 160-257, and scenes iv and v directly 
 supplement our selection. Further information in regard to the 
 play can be had in any good edition, as the Tudor Shakespeare 
 (one volume for each play). An account of Shakespeare, his 
 time, and his theater is given in Neilson and Thorndike's The 
 Facts About Shakespeare (Macmillan). 
 
 Topics for Oral and Written Composition. M\- Favorite 
 Narrative Poem. A Description of a Sunset. A Description of a 
 River. Tennyson. Hawthorne. The Best Story I Have Read. 
 The Story of Hamlet. 
 
 H. THE WORLD'S MASTERPIECES: THE ANXIENT 
 
 WORLD 
 
 In the preceding group literature has been studied through its 
 forms; in this and the following group it is to be read as a record 
 of the past. It is indeed a record both of the progress of civiliza- 
 tion and of its future promise. • But we cannot understand the 
 present or look forward into the future without a sympathetic 
 knowledge of past achievement. In a great democracy like our 
 own, detached geographically from the centers of past civilization, 
 it is a special duty of our schools to bring the children in contact 
 with the great traditions on which we are building for the future. 
 
 With all the attention which training for the present demands, 
 and with all the requirements for practical knowledge, the schools 
 must still find time to initiate the pupils into an acquaintance 
 with those things in the past which have provided us with standards 
 for greatness and beauty. But the interest in these selections 
 is far from being mcrch' historical. The " Book of Ruth " and 
 " Nausicaa " tell of primitive peoples but they also tell of human 
 emotions and ideas that are alive to-day. All of these selections 
 open windows not only on past times but on the lives and char- 
 
54 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 acters that we are forming in the present. They are full of mean- 
 ing for us and they are records carved with an enduring beauty 
 which is one of the great gifts of the past to the present. 
 
 These selections deal with the people of the Old Testament, with 
 Greece, and with Rome, thus presenting a brief survey of the 
 world of antiquity. Pupils of the Eighth Grade (especially 
 those who have studied the Sixth Reader) have already had some 
 acquaintance with this world. There is now an opportunity to 
 review and enlarge their acquaintance by class discussion, by 
 photographs of places and works of art, and by further reading. 
 But there should be no lack of attention to the literary form and 
 the noble beauty of each selection. 
 
 Literature a Window into the Past (64) 
 
 This note serves as an introduction to the reading of the group 
 and as a sort of text for further discussion in the class. It may 
 be correlated with the selection " What is Literature ? " on 
 page II. 
 
 The Nineteenth Psalm (66) 
 
 Explain to the class that this is really a poem, though the 
 translation is in prose. It may be committed to memory. Selec- 
 tions from the Bible should be studied precisely like other selections, 
 as examples of great literature which has profoundly influenced 
 the race. 
 
 The Spacious Firmament, by Joseph Addison (67) 
 
 This is a companion piece for the foregoing selection. It 
 affords a good test of distinct and animated reading aloud. 
 
 The Book of Ruth (69) 
 
 This wonderful story is given in its entirety, although some of 
 the references to primitive customs of selling land and marriage 
 may require explanation. Together with the story of Nausicaa 
 
BOOK EIGHT 55 
 
 it makes up a vcr\' charming picture both of simple primitive 
 conditions of life and of the virtues which flourished under those 
 conditions. 
 
 The stanza quoted from Keats should be memorized as one 
 of the most famous and beautiful stanzas in our poetry. 
 
 Homer (79) 
 
 An attempt is made here to bring both the conditions of Homer's 
 life and the meaning of his poems for us vividly before the class. 
 The note may be made the basis of further study of Homer and 
 the story of Troy. Cf. the Sixth Reader, pp. 34-75, Manual, 
 pp. 61-66. 
 
 Nausicaa, from the Odyssey (84) 
 
 How do kings and queens live to-day ^ What comforts and 
 luxuries does a princess enjoy.'' What comforts and luxuries have 
 the average American boys and girls .' With electricity, steam, 
 and modern sanitation, with food and clothes brought to your house 
 from every part of the world, with schools, entertainments', and 
 churches, the average girl to-day has many privileges and comforts 
 that a princess of two hundred years ago could not have dreamt 
 of. Here is a story of a princess who lived thousands of years ago 
 in a time when life was as simple and primitive as in the most 
 remote country village to-day, a time when men had only just 
 begun to accumulate the knowledge and skill which have gone on 
 growing and adding to men's comforts and wealth down to the 
 present. It is also the story of a brave man driven about from 
 peril to peril on the ocean and rescued through the kindness and 
 courage of our princess. Let us read the story to see how kings 
 and princesses lived in those simple days so long ago and also to 
 see what virtues developed in that primitive time. For Odysseus 
 the hero, you will find wise, brave, and adventurous, and we shall 
 hardly find anywhere a truer and finer type of womanhood than 
 Nausicaa, the princess. 
 
 Through some such introduction as the foregoing, the teacher 
 may prepare the class for the Sixth Book of The Odyssey, one of 
 
56 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 the imperishable masterpieces of the world's literature. For 
 further reading see A. J. Church's Story of the Iliad and Story of the 
 Odyssey, and the Butcher-Lang Translation of the Iliad or Lang, 
 Leaf, and Myers' Translation of the Odyssey (all in the Macmillan 
 Pocket Classic Series). 
 
 Ulysses, by Alfred Tennyson (96) 
 
 To many readers this is the most nearly perfect poem that 
 Tennyson wrote. It interprets the Greek hero with fine sympathy 
 and with an application of his temper to modern feeling and con- 
 duct. 
 
 The Death of Socrates, by Plato (99) 
 
 There was a time not so many years ago when every person 
 with a pretense to education knew something of the lives and works 
 of the Greek historians, statesmen, poets, and teachers. Our 
 education and our culture were built on their examples and expe- 
 rience, and they were the watchwords by which our actions and 
 ideas were tested. For better or worse, however, the study of the 
 Greek language has ceased to occupy the mass of our students. 
 It will be a pity indeed if the knowledge of Greek civilization is 
 thereby shut off from our republic. The prevention for this evil is 
 the teaching through translation of what was most worthy in 
 Greek life to our youth, and this teaching should begin in the 
 early grades and continue through the universities. Of all Greeks, 
 no one was more worthy of admiration than Socrates. The main 
 facts of his life and- character should be made known to the class. 
 His piety, benevolence, and temperance were praised by all his 
 associates, and it was his zeal as a reformer in politics, education, 
 and morals that led to his condemnation. In many ways 
 his teachings foreshadow the Christian doctrine of self-denial and 
 renunciation. "To want nothing is divine," said Socrates, "to 
 want as little as possible is the nearest possible approach to the 
 divine life." Grote's History of Greece (Ixviii) and his Plato and 
 Other Companions of Sokrates, and Jowett's Translation of Plato's 
 Dialogues are valuable books for the teacher. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 57 
 
 Horatius, by Thomas B. Macaulay (105) 
 
 This long poem is given entire except for the omission of the 
 few stanzas indicated, which do not aflfect the course of the story 
 and offer especial difficulties in proper names. Though the poem 
 is long it is rapid, and the mistake is sometimes made of spending 
 too much time in the classroom over its detailed study. After 
 a little talk on Rome and its early history, the poem may be 
 assigned for study. Then, when the poem is taken up again in 
 the class it should be read straight through if possible, in order 
 that the vigor and swing of the verse may ha\-c full effectiveness. 
 
 Mark Antony at CsBsar's Funeral, by William Shakespeare (127) 
 
 There is so much to be said about Rome that the main question 
 must be of limitation. An hour will perhaps be enough for re- 
 viewing what the class knows about Rome, in coordinating and 
 strengthening their information, in sketching the greatness of the 
 Romans' achievements, and in indicating the facts in Caesar's 
 career. 
 
 As drama the scene is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's 
 power in presenting human passion, and aflfords the best of oppor- 
 tunities for training in dramatic reading. Let the class act the 
 scene if they wish to, and by all means encourage them to enter 
 fully and freely into the characters of the speakers. It is far 
 better for them to give an exaggerated and crude interpretation 
 than to give an expressionless reading. 
 
 William Shakespeare (138) 
 
 It is hoped that the discussion of authors in this Book, like 
 that of Homer on page 79 and this of Shakespeare, may prove 
 suggestive to the teacher. This account of Shakespeare should 
 be read in the class and made the basis of a review of such plays 
 of Shakespeare as the class has read. Julius Casar, As You Like 
 It, A Midsuvimer Night's Dream, Henry /', The Tempest, and 
 The Merchant of f'enice may be especially recommended for 
 young readers. The Facts About Shakespeare (Macmillan Co.) 
 
58 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 will supply the teacher with full information on Shakespeare's 
 life and time. 
 
 Topics for Oral or Written Composition. The Story of Odysseus. 
 The Life of a Homeric Princess. Homer. The Bible as Literature. 
 Rome the Capital of the World. The Characters of Brutus and 
 Mark Antony. Shakespeare's Boyhood. Shakespeare's Theater. 
 Why We Read Homer and Shakespeare To-day. 
 
 HI. THE WORLD'S MASTERPIECES: THE MIDDLE 
 
 AGES 
 
 We now come to a view of the great expanse of history known as 
 the Middle Ages through some famous poems and novels. If the 
 class has for any reason become fagged with the procession of 
 masterpieces, it may be well to break in on the arrangement of 
 the book and read some of the poems in Group IV or some of the 
 stories in Group V before proceeding with those selections about 
 the Middle Ages. If, however, the interest of the class has been 
 aroused in literature through the reading of Homer and 
 Shakespeare, it will be interesting to continue to follow the course 
 of history, and those selections which tell of knights, battle, and 
 adventure will afford ample change and variety. 
 
 The most interesting thing to boys and girls in the Middle Ages 
 is chivalry, and this group of selections sets forth both its ideals 
 and its realities. If the pupils have used the Sixth Reader they 
 are already familiar with many stories of chivalry, and the teacher 
 may recall Miss Hunt's account of the Age of Chivalry on page 
 179. If the class has not had that reader, that selection may be 
 read in class and the teacher is also referred to the Manual, pages 
 74-80. Three points of view are there suggested. The first is 
 the historical, and our selections give glimpses of the life and 
 manners of the peoples of Western Europe through many centuries. 
 The historical point of view can be applied notably in the study of 
 Ivanhoe. The second point of view is the moral, and that can be 
 applied to the entire group. The great moral conception which 
 chivalry introduced was that of noblesse oblige, the obligation of 
 duty and kindness which is required of men of rank and privilege. 
 
BCX3K EIGHT 59 
 
 Or, translated into modern terms, it is the duty to help those 
 less fortunate than ourselves. The third point of view is the 
 literary, the enjoyment of these selections as literature, and 
 our group furnishes for appreciation the great narratives of 
 Scott and Cervantes and such different poems as the old ballad 
 of Sir Patrick Spens and the richly decorated verse of the Faery 
 Queenc. 
 
 For the teacher, J. II. Robinson's Introduction to the History 
 of Western Europe and Lynn Thorndike's History of the Middle 
 Ages (especially Chapters XIII, XVT, and XXI) will be useful. 
 
 Roland and His Horn (142) 
 
 The Song of Roland is the earliest and one of the most important 
 poems in the literature of chivalry. Indeed it may fairly be said 
 to mark the beginning of literature in Western Europe. In its 
 glorification of a national hero, in its mixture of history and im- 
 probable legend, and in its depiction of a chivalric ideal, it had 
 scores of followers, but no superior. 
 
 The prose version used makes easy reading. The pupils should 
 be able to read it aloud clearly and rapidly without special study. 
 
 A word may be added in regard to the pronunciation of proper 
 names. In the book the foreign pronunciation is usually indicated 
 as well as may be with the ordinary diacritical marks. The 
 teacher may well use her own judgment as to whether an approxi- 
 mately French or a frankly Anglicized pronunciation be required 
 from the class. For many proper names more than one pro- 
 nunciation is permissible; the main thing is to avoid indistinct- 
 ness and mumbling. 
 
 The lists on page 159 provide Topics for Oral and Written 
 Composition and Questions for Brief Oral Debates. There arc 
 niaiu' similar lists in both the book itself and in this Manual. 
 Two suggestions may be offered: (l) a topic for class discussion 
 can often be put in the form of a question which can be debated 
 pro and con; (2) oral discussion and composition should generally 
 precede and prepare the way for written composition. 
 
6o THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Sir Patrick Spens, Old Ballad (i6o) 
 
 The Song of Roland and the many chansons and romances 
 which followed it were written for the nobles and knights and 
 their ladies. The old ballads were not written at all but were 
 composed to be sung and memorized by the common people. 
 They were long preserved by oral tradition before they were 
 put into writing and print. The ballad, however, though pop- 
 ular in form and tone, tells the story of a knight who showed 
 the qualities so highly prized in chivalry, personal bravery and 
 loyalty to his lord. 
 
 For suggestions as to the study of ballads, see the Fifth Reader, 
 page 43, and the Manual^ pp. 17-19. 
 
 Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott (165) 
 
 The four selections from Ivanhoe are chosen so as to form a 
 fairly continuous narrative and to include some of the most 
 famous scenes from that great novel. Each selection tells a 
 story by itself and may be treated as a separate lesson ; but taken 
 together they make a moving picture of brilliantly painted medieval 
 scenes. The third and fourth selections with their description of 
 the tournament and the siege of the castle are among the greatest 
 of Scott's picture gallery. Another selection from Ivanhoe, " The 
 Archery Contest " has been given in the Fifth Reader, page 54. 
 
 The teacher who has used the preceding readers has had experi- 
 ence with the presentation of continued or connected stories, as 
 with "The Childhood of David Copperfield " in the Sixth Reader 
 and " Leatherstocking Stories " in the Seventh. For other 
 teachers, it may be noted that each selection is to be treated (i) 
 as a unit and (2) as part of the whole. It is important that the 
 children understand the first selection before they go on with the 
 second, but it is also important that at the conclusion they have 
 the whole group of selections in mind. These continued selections 
 should give a kind of training too often lacking in school readers, 
 that in continuous reading of rather long narratives. It should 
 prepare them for the intelligent reading of fiction and indeed often 
 
BOOK EIGHT 6i 
 
 result directly in sending tiiem from the continued selections to 
 the book itself from which they are taken. 
 
 For the iiistorical background the pupil may be referred to 
 Dickens's Child's History of England. The teacher will find that 
 Green's Short History of the English People affords many passages 
 which could be read to the class. Scott's Talisman and Hewlett's 
 Richard Yea and Nay both deal with Richard I. Among the 
 other novels of Scott best suited to young readers arc Rob Roy, 
 Ouentin Durward, The Abbot, The Monastery. S. R. Crockett's 
 Red Gap Stories simplify the novels for more immature readers. 
 The pupils should be encouraged to read Ivanhoe. If the school 
 program calls for a study of that novel in the ninth grade, there 
 will be much gained by anticipating it in the eighth. 
 
 The indications of French pronunciation on page 214 are only 
 approximate, being limited to the usual diacritical marks. The 
 teacher may Anglicize the pronunciations freely if she prefers. 
 
 The Red Cross Knight, by Edmund Spenser (216) 
 
 The Faery Queen is the last great poem as the Song of Roland 
 was the first great poem of Chivalry. Five centuries and more 
 intervened between the two; and by the time of Spenser the 
 practices of chivalry were passing, though its ideals were still 
 the inspiration of poets. These opening stanzas of the Faery 
 Queen should be read chiefly for their poetic beauty. 
 
 A good biography of Spenser is by Dean Church in the Men of 
 Letters Series. The Globe and the Cambridge are one-volume 
 editions of his poems. Lowell's essay and Ruskin's analysis of 
 the Faery Queen, Book I, in Stones of Venice, and Dean Church's 
 introduction in Ward's English Poets will be of interest to the 
 teacher. 
 
 Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes (220) 
 
 Cervantes (i 547-1616) was a contemporary of Spenser and 
 Shakespeare and wrote his immortal novel not long after Spenser 
 died, leaving the Faery Queen incomplete, and at the very time 
 that Julius CcBsar and Hamlet were receiving their first perform- 
 
62 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 ances in London. The Middle Ages were past, and the modern 
 age of commerce and trade was being ushered in. Catholic Spain 
 was still the most powerful nation in Europe, but the defeat of 
 her great Armada a few years before had marked the decline of 
 her power and the rise of Protestant England to a great position 
 in European affairs. The new America was still Spain's, but in a 
 year or two the first English colony was to be established in Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 The Age of Chivalry was over and the practices of knighthood 
 were passing, but Cervantes like Spenser found knightly adventure 
 the theme for his imagination. Spenser had seen the ideals of 
 knighthood, Cervantes saw its absurdities or rather the absurdities 
 and artificialities of some of the popular romances. He started 
 to write a satire of these chivalric tales, but he ended by creating 
 one of the first and perhaps the greatest of modern novels and one 
 of the most remarkable characters in the whole realm of the 
 imagination. Don Quixote is ridiculous and the practices that he 
 clings to are absurd ; but he is sincere and no wholly sincere 
 man can be wholly ridiculous. The reader of the novel comes to 
 feel with its author a respect and sympathy for the Don who follows 
 so sincerely the standard of noblesse oblige. 
 
 The selections are taken from the opening chapters of the novel 
 and exhibit the Don at the beginning of his adventures. They 
 should be read by the class chiefly for their fun and absurdity. 
 Don Quixote makes amusing pictures in comparison with Roland, 
 Ivanhoe, or the Red Cross Knight; but after his absurdities are 
 recognized, it may be well to call attention again to the ideals of 
 chivalry, to which the Don was a loyal, if half-crazed, devotee. 
 
 The first eight lines of Dobson's sonnet are : 
 
 Behind thy pasteboard, on thy batter'd hack, 
 Thy lean cheek striped with plaster to and fro, 
 Thy long spear levelled at the unseen foe, 
 And doubtful Sancho trudging at thy back, 
 Thou went a figure strange enough, good lack ! 
 To make wiseacredom, both high and low, 
 Rub purblind eyes, (and, having watched thee go) 
 Despatch its Dogberries upon thy track. 
 
BCX)K EIGHT 63 
 
 I\'. A GROUP OF SHORT POEMS 
 
 From prose narratives of considerable length, we now turn to a 
 group of short poems. They present no stories and are too short 
 to require much attention to structure, and they have little or 
 no historical background. They are pure poetry. Their reading 
 is a matter of sympathetic appreciation and they are grouped 
 together here not so much that they may all be read at one time, 
 but so that they may be set apart from the rest of the book as 
 peculiarly for the lover of literature. 
 
 The Appreciation of Poetry (239) 
 
 This introduction indicates that the usual methods of teaching 
 reading may be changed here. Let the class read this introduction, 
 talk to them a little about poetry, and about your and their 
 favorite poems, and assign the first six for the next day's lesson, 
 with the request that each pupil select a favorite and come pre- 
 pared to read or recite that poem as well as possible. Let the 
 next lesson be informal. The poems may be read or recited 
 and talked about. Then pass on to some account of the poets 
 Milton and \\ordsworth. It is not to be expected that the class 
 will at once understand the full meaning of this discussion of 
 " The Appreciation of Poetry " ; but it affords a theme to which 
 the teacher may return from time to time. 
 
 Three Sonnets, Lead Kindly Light, Say Not the Struggle Naught 
 Availeth, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways (242-250) 
 
 The preceding note has proposed one way of considering these 
 poems. Of course, many other ways could be used, and there is 
 no need of taking all the poems together. The essential thing is 
 to read them simply, without too much method or fuss. 
 
 John Milton (245) 
 
 The study of most of Milton's poems must be postponed until 
 later years of school, but it is desirable that the class should know 
 something of the life and character of this great man. The Lift 
 
64 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 by D. Masson (6 vols.) is the standard source of information ; 
 good brief biographies are by Mark Pattison (Enghsh Men of 
 Letters) and by Sir Walter Raleigh. The Globe and The Cam- 
 bridge are good single-volume editions of Milton's poetry. 
 
 William Wordsworth (250) 
 
 Good one-volume editions of Wordsworth are the Oxford Press, 
 the Cambridge, and the Globe. There are excellent essays by 
 Lord Morley, Matthew Arnold, Walter Pater, Arthur Hugh 
 Clough, and a good life by Myers (English Men of Letters). 
 
 Break, Break, Break (253) Apostrophe to the Ocean (254) 
 
 These two poems on the ocean may be grouped together. It 
 would be unfortunate to mar the beauty of Tennyson's lyric by 
 attempts at analysis ; let the class read it, and memorize it. 
 Byron's " Apostrophe " has a less exquisite but more robust 
 beauty, and will not be injured by a little study and analysis. These 
 two poems and the two that follow, it should be noted, draw their 
 subjects from nature. 
 
 The pupils may notice the solecism of lay for lie in the last line 
 of the second stanza of the " Apostrophe." 
 
 To a Skylark, by Shelley (257) To Autumn, by Keats (263) 
 
 "The Skylark" should first be read as a whole and read with 
 appreciation. Then it may be studied for its detailed beauties of 
 expression. Few poems afford a better opportunity for initiating 
 the class into poetic imagery, the comparisons, the pictures, the 
 images in which the poet clothes his thought. The teacher may 
 wish to read in connection with this poem the prose selection from 
 Charles Reade (p. 357) which describes an English skylark in 
 Australia. The beauty of Keats's perfect ode to Autumn is more 
 quiet and may be less appealing to the class. There is no need of 
 forcing it upon them, but make sure that some one — the teacher 
 if no one else— reads it aloud with sympathy. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 65 
 
 The Burial of Sir John Moore, Prospice, Crossing the Bar 
 
 (266-269J 
 
 These three poems treat of death in very different ways. The 
 first has long endeared itself as the fitting memorial of a brave 
 soldier. In the other two we hear the characteristic expressions 
 of two great poets as they neared the close of life. A few words 
 on the subject of death as treated in poetry is sufficient intro- 
 duction. 
 
 It has seemed best not to interfere with the appreciation of 
 these two poems by detailed explanations and questions in the 
 book. There are, however, various words and phrases in " Pros- 
 pice " which should be studied in the Glossary. In " Crossing the 
 Bar " the second stanza will require explanation for those readers 
 who are not familiar with the ocean. The great full tide is sound- 
 less. 
 
 In this group there have been poems from Shakespeare, Milton, 
 and from most of the leading English poets of the nineteenth 
 century. Some account has been given of Milton, Wordsworth, 
 and Shelley. Byron is discussed on page 337, and portraits and 
 lives of Tennyson and Browning have appeared in the Sixth 
 Reader (p. 222) and the Fifth Reader (p. 236). From time to 
 time during the year, come back to these poets. Have one of 
 the poems of the group read or recited, and then read another 
 by the same author. 
 
 Topics for Oral and Written Composition. A poem on the 
 ocean. A poem on some aspect of nature. A talk on your 
 favorite poet. A reading from your favorite poet. 
 
 W STORIES ABOUT BOYS AND GIRLS 
 
 In this group we are in another division of literature — that of 
 the best English fiction. A good deal of the best literature has 
 been written for boys and girls, ever since the days that Homer 
 composed the story of Nausicaa. But especially within the last 
 
66 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 century, writers of genius have added much to the literature about 
 boys and girls and for boys and girls. Attention has elsewhere 
 been called (Sixth Reader, p. 372) to the number of children in 
 Dickens's novels, and selections have been given from David 
 Copperfield (Sixth Reader, pp. 336-372). Here we meet another 
 of his much-loved children, Little Nell. Thackeray also wrote a 
 great deal about boys and girls, although his novels are for adult 
 rather than for young readers. Much of Stevenson's fiction and 
 verse was for younger readers, and the selection here given is from 
 the opening of his most popular novel. Occasion should be taken 
 to give some suggestions as to reading good fiction. 
 
 These selections can be read as stories without too much stress 
 on their literary values. To what extent do your pupils read 
 novels } What novels do they read 1 Here is a brief list suitable 
 to boys and girls from ten to fourteen. Burnett's The Secret 
 Garden; Johnston's The Little Colonel; Martin's Emmy Lou; 
 Alcott's Little Womeyi, An Old-fashioned Girl ; Wiggins's Rebecca 
 of Sunnybrook Farm; Adams's Toby Tyler; Aldrich's The Story 
 of a Bad Boy ; Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer ^ Huckleberry Finn; 
 White's The Count of Boyville ; Hughes's Tom Brown at Rugby; 
 Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales; Jackson's Ramona; White's 
 The Magic Forest; Stevenson's Treasure Island, Kidnapped; 
 Defoe's Robinson Crusoe; Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues 
 under the Sea; Kipling's Captains Courageous ; Dickens's David 
 Copperfield, The Tale of Two Cities. For a full reading list see 
 Baker and Thorndike's Everyday English, Book II, pp. 327-336. 
 
 To the selections in this group may be applied the method of 
 analysis suggested for the short story on page 51 of the Reader; 
 for though they are chapters from novels, each is virtually a short 
 story by itself. 
 
 Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson (271) 
 
 After they have read this selection, how many boys in the 
 class read the novel .^ How many also read Stevenson's Kid- 
 napped? An interesting book about real pirates is Frank Stock- 
 ton's Pirates and Buccaneers of Our Coast. 
 
BCK^K KICIIT 67 
 
 In Mrs. Jarley's Caravan, by Charles Dickens (280) 
 
 The selection is practically the whole of Chapter \X\ II, 
 Thr Old Curiosity Shop. If time permits, read to the class parts 
 of the preceding and following chapters which tell of Nell's wander- 
 ings about the countryside with her grandfather and of their 
 further experience with Mrs. Jarley. Nell's wanderings with her 
 grandfather begin with Chapter XV', continue through Chapter 
 XIX, are resumed in Chapter XXV, continue in Chapter XXV'I, 
 where the wanderers meet Mrs. Jarley, and after our selection 
 continue through Chapter XXXIII, and are resumed again in 
 Book II, Chapter VI, when the grandfather's mania for gambling 
 forces them to flee from Mrs. Jarley's. There is a great deal in 
 The Old Curiosity Shop, as in many of Dickens's novels, which is 
 melodramatic and sensational, but the account of the wanderings 
 of little Nell is among the most wonderful products of his amazing 
 invention. 
 
 Farewell to School, by William Makepeace Thackeray (291) 
 
 This and the following selection tell of school life. The young 
 ladies who arc leaving the Misses Pinkerton's establishment are 
 older than the girls of the eighth grade but not so much older that 
 there will be any difficulty in appreciating their sentiments and 
 behavior. In the Fifth Reader are a series of selections entitled 
 "School Days," and the Manual (pp. 15-16) contains some sug- 
 gestions for further reading. 
 
 The account of Thackeray on pages 300-303 may be supple- 
 mented by a talk about a few of the leading novels and novelists 
 of the nineteenth century. 
 
 Tom Brown's Last Days at Rugby, by Tom Hughes (303) 
 
 In the Fifth Reader (p. 31) we made the acquaintance of Tom 
 Brown on his first day at Rugby, when he took part in a game of 
 football. Now as captain of the cricket eleven he is playing his 
 last game before he leaves school for the university. Before he 
 
68 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 goes he has an interesting talk with one of the masters which 
 brings out much of value for Tom and for all schoolboys. 
 
 Topics for Oral and Written Composition. My First Day at 
 School. Good-by to our School. When I Played at Being a 
 Pirate. The Whole Story of Little Nell at the Waxworks. The 
 Story of Treasure Island. The Book about Boys that I Like Best. 
 What Qualities Make a Boy or Girl Liked by their Schoolmates. 
 
 VI. THREE LONGER POEMS 
 
 These poems are of considerable length and are grouped together 
 as illustrating different methods of studying longer poems. They 
 may be read as a group or they may be distributed among the 
 selections in Groups V and VII. There is a certain advantage in 
 varying from prose to verse ; but as a preparation for a further 
 study of literature it should prove helpful to take these three 
 poems together. 
 
 The Prisoner of Chillon, by Lord Byron (322) 
 
 This poem offers little more difficulty than " Horatius " (p. 105) 
 and should be read as a whole. It calls, however, for skillful and 
 sympathetic reading aloud, and is a fine example of a sustained 
 and appealing narrative. In connection with the selection the 
 subject of narrative poetry should be reviewed. What other 
 narrative poems have been read since " Young Lochinvar " ? Some 
 long narrative poems that can be recommended to the class are 
 Arnold's " Sohrab and Rustum," Byron's " Mazeppa," Scott's 
 " Lady of the Lake," Tennyson's " Lancelot and Elaine," 
 " Geraint and Enid." 
 
 The account of Byron on pages 337-340 gives, perhaps, about 
 all that is worth while for boys and girls in the eighth grade. The 
 teacher will find the essays on Byron by Macaulay and Matthew 
 Arnold and Nichol's Life in the English Men of Letters Series 
 good introductions to the study of the life, character, and poetry of 
 this astonishing man. 
 
BOOK EIGHT 69 
 
 The Forsaken Merman, by Matthew Arnold ( ^40) 
 
 Arnold's beautiful phantasy is to be read with imagination. 
 What can the teacher do to help secure this ? There might be 
 some talk of the fairies, witches, and other supernatural persons 
 that the class has encountered in poetry. There have been many 
 of them in our readers. In the Third Reader there were the 
 "Fairies" of Allingham, in the Fourth Reader, the "Fairies of 
 Caldon-Low," in the Fifth Reader, Goethe's " Erl King," and 
 Shakespeare's "Tempest," and in the Sixth Reader, the "Lady 
 of Shallot " belongs to a land of enchantment. If we turn from 
 poetry to prose, we have had many tales of fairies, giants, 
 genii, magic, and marvels. But so far no story of a mermaid, 
 except the Lorelei, and nothing about a merman. What can you 
 imagine about a merman that would make beautiful poetry.'' 
 How would you describe his home in the sea ^ Would )'Ou give 
 him human feelings and associations ^ 
 
 With some such introduction the pupils may be directed to the 
 poem. It should be read for its beauty rather than for any sup- 
 posed moral or lesson. 
 
 Other poems v/hich have some resemblance to this in feeling 
 and imagination are Tennyson's " Lady of Shallot," Coleridge's 
 " Ancient Mariner," Rossetti's " Blessed Damosel." 
 
 Elegy, Written in a Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray (347) 
 
 No poem In the book requires more study than Gray's " l'",lcu\ ," 
 and consequently great care has been taken in the Notes and 
 Questions to guide the pupil. The poem may be connected with 
 the poems in Group IV' which treat of Death ; and it should also 
 be studied in connection with the suggestions given for reflective 
 poetry under the " Solitary Reaper " (p. 28). 
 
 The exquisite beauty of its verse should also be brought to the 
 consideration of the class. Let each pupil select a passage or two 
 from the poetry in this book which seem to them of special 
 excellence. Then compare and discuss these passages in the 
 classroom. 
 
yo THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 VII. PROSE IN DIFFERENT KEYS 
 
 These selections illustrate some of the varied melodies that can 
 be played on the instrument of English prose. They represent 
 different forms and purposes in prose literature, and they require 
 a wide range of expression in reading aloud. They present different 
 subjects as well as forms and suggest many topics for discussion. 
 
 A Sunday in Australia, by Charles Reade (357) 
 
 The beauty of this brief selection needs no exposition. It 
 gives an opportunity to review the pupil's impressions of Shelley's 
 " Skylark." Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth is his 
 best novel. It is a fine example of historical fiction giving a com- 
 prehensive view of Europe in the fifteenth century. 
 
 Doubting Castle, by John Bunyan (360) 
 
 A generation ago most boys and girls would have made the 
 acquaintance of Pilgrim's Progress before reaching the eighth 
 grade ; but it may be doubted if the majority of the pupils in 
 that grade to-day have read it, and doubtless some have never 
 even heard of it. Yet for more than two centuries Pilgrim's 
 Progress has been eminently an everyday classic, one of the most 
 read books in the world. If time permits, further extracts should 
 be read, and the purpose and character of the whole book called 
 to the attention of the class. Froude's Life of Bunyan, Men of 
 Letters Series, Venable's Life in the Great Writers Series, and 
 Macaulay's essays on John Bunyan (Encyclopaedia Britannica) 
 and on Pilgrim's Progress are valuable for the teacher. There 
 is a good edition of Pilgrim's Progress in the Pocket Classics 
 (Macmillan), and in other series for the schools. 
 
 A Dissertation upon Roast Pig, by Charles Lamb (368) 
 
 The concluding portion of this essay has been omitted because 
 both the language and the humor offer difficulties, but the teacher 
 who is fond of the Essays of Elia will read some portions of it to 
 
BCX)K EIGHT 7 1 
 
 the class. The Essays of Elia arc available in the Pocket Classics. 
 Lamb's complete works can be found in editions by Alfred Ainger 
 and by E. V. Lucas. There is a two-volume life by Lucas which 
 is excellent. Lamb's Letters afford most delightful reading, and 
 the teacher who enjoys them will scarcely be able to refrain from 
 trying some of them on the class. 
 
 With Mr. Pickwick on Christmas, by Charles Dickens (374) 
 
 How man}' hours of laughter the good Mr. Pickwick has caused ! 
 How many a boy or girl has read the book through in almost 
 continuous spasms of giggles; and then read it through again and 
 again ! In its own way Pickwick Papers is as firmly fixed in our 
 literary tradition as Pilgrim^s Progress. Every boy or girl ought 
 to have a chance at it. You can't force humor on any one any 
 more than you can force literature. But the humor of the Pick- 
 zvick Papers is simple, apparent, and likel}' to win its own way. 
 H any one doesn't like it, let him go back to Pilgrim'' s Progress 
 where indeed there is some humor as well as much seriousness. 
 
 For some reason the duty of being humorous minded is not 
 much insisted upon in school. Here is a brief list of books which 
 might encourage it. Dickens's Pickzvick Papers ; Alark Twain's 
 Innocents Jbroad and Life on the Mississippi; Lamb's Essays of 
 Elia, and Letters; Addison's Sir Roger de Coverley Papers ; Carroll's 
 Alice iff Wonderland; Mrs. Gaskell's Cranford, Shakespeare's 
 / Henry If, and Tzvelfth Night. 
 
 Impressions of Travel, by Charles Darwin (384) 
 
 Charles Darwin was a great scientist, and some of his writings 
 are notable for their literary as well as for their scientific value. 
 The Voyage of the Beagle is a most interesting book of travel, and 
 the selection given here presents some valuable reflections on the 
 value of traveling. How much have the members of the class 
 traveled f Where have they been .'' What have they seen ? 
 Why do they like to travel .'' What books of travel have they read } 
 What did they like best .' What part of the world would they 
 
72 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 most like to see? Why? In all volumes of the Everyday 
 Classics there are many selections about foreign places and 
 peoples. What do the class remember ? Why is it worth while to 
 learn something about remote places ? Who are some of the 
 most famous travelers ? 
 
 It would be easy to carry on the discussion of travel almost 
 indefinitely, and Darwin's impressions raise some further interest- 
 ing questions. It should also be noted that they are presented 
 in clear, careful, and interesting language. 
 
 The Great Winter, by Richard Blackmore (390) 
 
 This selection is largely descriptive, and the class should review 
 the discussion of description on pages 22 and 23. In Lorna Doone, 
 Chapters VII, VIII, and IX are suggested for additional reading. 
 
 Two Laborers, by Thomas Carlyle (397) 
 
 The selection from Carlyle's Sartor Resartus is worth memorizing 
 for declamation. Carlyle did not write for boys and girls, and 
 most of his books are clearly beyond the eighth grade ; but the 
 pupils should know that he was one of the great forces in English 
 literature through the nineteenth century. This selection may 
 be said to be one of the earliest expressions of the intense sympathy 
 with the working man and the feeling that in his welfare is bound 
 up the welfare of a nation. 
 
 Books and Reading, by John Ruskin (402) 
 
 Ruskin's eloquent words set forth the purpose of this Eighth 
 Reader. He summons young people to an acquaintance through 
 the great books with the great minds of the world. This is not 
 to disparage the information and interest to be found in much 
 current reading which is not good literature. It is simply to insist 
 that true education calls for a familiarity with the best in litera- 
 ture. In closing the work in the Eighth and last volume of the 
 Everyday Classics, it will not be amiss to recall some of the 
 
BOOK EIGHT 
 
 73 
 
 great writers whom we have studied and to ask what further ac- 
 quaintance we desire with them. The Index of authors appended 
 gives their names and their writings included in the series. A 
 few of their books read each summer with tlie same care that 
 the selections have been studied will add both to the pleasure 
 and the education of the reader. The habit of keeping a good 
 book or two at hand by which one may occupy a spare moment 
 is a good habit to form early. 
 
 Topics for Oral and Written Composition. Pilgrim's Progress. 
 Charles Lamb's Letters. Charles Dickens. A Skating Party. 
 .\ Play in which Several Characters from Dickens Appear. An 
 Interview between Don Quixote and Mr. Pickwick. A Travelogue. 
 My Favorite Book of Travels. The Most Amusing Book I Know. 
 The Selections I Have Liked best in the Eighth Book. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 In Bonks Three, I'our, Fi\(\ Six, Seven, and Eight of The 
 E\ ery(hi.\ ( lassies. 
 
 Tho rcfcrenrp iniinliers give the book and the page ; cq-, 6, 251, refers to the Sixth 
 Reader, pane l!.jl. Both selections and the account of the author's life are indexed. 
 
 Abbott, John S. C. (1805-1877). 
 The Early Life of Washington 
 CLife of Washington), 6, 251. 
 
 Addison. Joseph (1672-1710). 
 The Spaeious Firmament, 8, 67. 
 
 JEsop ((>th eentiiry B.C.). The 
 Shepherd-Boy and the Wolf, 
 3, 16. The Dog in the Man- 
 ger, 3, 18. The Fox and the 
 Grapes, 3, 10. The Dog and 
 the Shadow, 3, lil. The Ihuv 
 and the Tortoise, 3, L'.!. The 
 Wind anfi the Sun, 3, 2 1. The 
 Lion's Share, 3, 27. The Goo.se 
 with the Golden Eggs, 3, 28. 
 The Miller, His Son, and Their 
 Donkey, 3, 20. The Bundle 
 of Sticks, 3, ;52. The .\ss in the 
 Lion's Skin, 3, :',{. Th.- Milk- 
 maid and Her Pail, 3. .'55. The 
 Fox and the ("at, 3, '47. The 
 Wolf and the Lamh, 3. 10. 
 The Lion and the Mou.se, 3, 41. 
 
 Town Mouse and Country 
 Mouse, 3, 43. The Ants and 
 the Grasshopper, 3, 45. The 
 Fox and the ("row, 3, 47. 
 
 Aldrich, Thomas Bailey (1836- 
 1007). The Crui.se of the 
 Dolphin. (The Story of a Bad 
 Boy), 4, 286. The Theater in 
 our Barn (The Story of a Bad 
 Boy), 5, 208. 
 
 Alexander. Cecil F.. Mrs. (1818- 
 1S<)5). The Burial of Mo.ses, 
 6, 118. 
 
 Allingham, William (1S22-1889). 
 The Fairies, 3, (i;{. 
 
 Andersen, Hans Christian (1805- 
 1875). The Prineess and the 
 Pea, 3, 80. The EmptTor's 
 New Clothes (adapted), 3, 
 177. Tlie Little Match Girl 
 (adapted), 3, 18S. Fi\e Peas 
 in a Pod. 3. 108. The Ugly 
 Duckling. 3. 207. 
 
 75 
 
76 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Anonymous. Old Gaelic Lul- 
 laby, 3, 96. Bruce and the 
 Spider, 3, 229. King Alfred 
 and the Cakes, 3, 231. The 
 Leak in the Dike, 3, 240. 
 Washington and The Cherry 
 Tree, 3, 245. The Story of 
 Grace Darling, 4, 162. Cap- 
 tain Smith and Pocahontas, 
 4, 171. The Jack O'Lantern, 
 4, 175. Hiawatha's Mittens, 
 7, 319. 
 
 Arabian Nights (The Thousand 
 and One Nights). Sindbad's 
 Second Voyage, 4, 34. Sind- 
 bad's Fifth Voyage, 4, 46. 
 Aladdin and the Wonderful 
 Lamp, 5, 286. The Story of 
 the Fisherman (Translation by 
 E. W. Lane), 6, 298. 
 
 Arnold, Matthew (1822-1888). 
 The Forsaken Merman, 8, 347. 
 
 Baker, Emilia Kip. Myths of the 
 Northland (Stories of Northern 
 Myths), 6, 129. Sif's Golden 
 Hair and the Making of the 
 Hammer, I, II (Stories of 
 Northern Myths), 6, 133. 
 
 Ballads. Robin Hood Rescues 
 the Widow's Three Sons, 5, 43. 
 Sir Patrick Spens, 8, 160. 
 
 Bible. The Twenty-third Psalm. 
 6, 96. In Bible Lands, 6, 97. 
 
 Joseph and His Brethren, I, II, 
 III, 6, 99. Belshazzar's Feast, 
 
 6, 122. The Nineteenth Psalm, 
 8, 66. The Book of Ruth, 8, 
 69. 
 
 Blackmore, Richard Doddridge 
 (1825-1900). The Great Win- 
 ter (Lorna Doone), 8, 390. 
 
 Boult, Katherine F. Siegfried 
 the Volsung (Heroes of the 
 Norseland), 6, 160. Siegfried 
 and Brynhild (Heroes of the 
 Norseland), 6, 170. 
 
 Brown, John, Dr. (1810-1882). 
 Rab (Rab and His Friends), 5, 
 188. 
 
 Browning, Elizabeth Barrett 
 (1806-1861). To a Soldier 
 from France (A Court Lady), 
 
 7, 164. 
 
 Browning, Robert (1812-1889). 
 Life and Portrait, 5, 235. 
 How They Brought the Good 
 News from Ghent to Aix, 5, 
 184. The Pied Piper of Hame- 
 lin, 5, 222. Prospice, 8, 268. 
 
 Bryant, William Cullen (1794- 
 1878). Life and Portrait, 5, 
 193-194. Robert of Lincoln, 4, 
 143. Song of Marion's Men, 
 5, 190. The Death of Hector 
 (Translation of the Iliad), 6, 
 56. To a Waterfowl, 6, 311. 
 Thanatopsis, 7, 285. The 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 11 
 
 Death of the Flowers. 7, 294. 
 To tlie Fringed Gentian, 7, 
 296. The Battlefield, 7, 378. 
 Bryce, James (ISiiS- ). How 
 Democracy Makes Kindliness 
 (American Commonwealth), 7, 
 
 ;^9i. 
 
 Bulfinch, Thomas (1790-1807). 
 Robin Hood and Little John 
 (Legends of King Arthur), 5, 
 50. 
 
 Bunner, Henry Cuyler (18o5- 
 1890). One, Two, Three, 3, 
 19.-1. 
 
 Bunyan. John (c. 1028-1688), 
 Life, 8, 307. Doubting Castle 
 (The Pilgrim's Progress), 8, 300. 
 
 Burke, Edmund (1729-1797). 
 Defense of American Rights 
 (Speech on Conciliation), 7, 154. 
 
 Burns, Robert (1759-1796). 
 Life and Portrait, 7, 227-228. 
 For A' That and A' That, 7, 
 225. 
 
 Byron, George Noel Gordon, 
 Lord (17SS-1S24). Life and 
 Portrait, 8, 337-339. The De- 
 struction of Sennacherib, 6, 
 127. Apostrophe to the Ocean, 
 8, 254. The Prisoner of Chil- 
 lon, 8, 322. 
 
 Campbell, Thomas 11777-1844). 
 Hohenlinden, 5, 1 19. 
 
 Carlyle. Thomas (1795-1881). 
 Life and Portrait, 8, 399. Two 
 Laborers (Sartor Resartus), 8, 
 3!)7. 
 
 Carroll, Lewis (1832-1898). Pig 
 and Pepper (Alice's Adventures 
 ill Wonderland), 3, 201. .\ 
 Mad Tea-Party (Alice's Ad- 
 ventures in Wonderland), 4, 
 337. 
 
 Cervantes, Miguel de (1547- 
 1016). Don Quixote, I, H, 
 III (Don Quixote), 8, 220. 
 
 ChUd, Lydia Maria (1802-1880). 
 Thanksgiving Day, 3, 107. 
 
 Church, Alfred J. Hector niid 
 Andromache (The Story of 
 the Iliad), 6, 38. The Duel of 
 Hector and Ajax (The Story 
 of the Iliad), 6, 48. Ulysses 
 and the Cyclops, I, II (The 
 Story of the Odyssey), 6, 02. 
 The Story of iEneas, I, II (The 
 .(Eneid for Boys and Girls), 6, 
 80. The Ad\enture of Sir 
 Gareth, I, II, III, IV (Heroes 
 of Chivalry and Romance), 6, 
 1S3. 
 
 Clough, Arthur Hugh (1819- 
 1861). Say Not the Struggle 
 Xaught .\\iiil<-th, 8, 249. 
 
 Collins. William (1721-1759). 
 How Sleep the Bra\<", 5, 
 195. 
 
78 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Cooper, James Fenimore (1789- 
 1851). Life and Portrait, 7, 
 107-108. Leatherstocking 
 
 Stories, 7, 54; I, II, III, TV, 
 V, 7, 55. 
 
 Coppee, Franfois (1842-1908). 
 The Sabot of Little Wolff, 5, 
 278. 
 
 Cornwall, Barry (1787-1874). 
 The Sea, 4, 31. 
 
 Corot, Jean Baptiste Camille 
 (1796-1875). Sunrise, 8, 21. 
 
 Cox, George William (1827- 
 1892). Roland and His Horn 
 (Popular Romances of the 
 Middle Ages), 8, 142. 
 
 Craik, Dinah M. (Miss Mulock) 
 (1826-1887). Brownie on the 
 Ice, 4, 75. The New Year, 4, 
 1 12. John Halifax (John Hali- 
 fax, Gentleman), 5, 238. 
 
 Crevecoeur, Hector Saint- John 
 (1731-1813). Wliat is an 
 American ? (Letters of an 
 American Farmer), 7, 386. 
 
 Cunningham, Allan (1784-1842). 
 A Song of the Sea, 4, 11. 
 
 Dana, Richard Henry (1815- 
 1882). Robinson Crusoe's 
 Island (Two Years Before the 
 Mast), 6, 289. 
 
 Darwin, Charles Robert (1809- 
 1882). Impressions of Travel 
 
 (A Naturalist's Voyage), 8, 
 384. 
 
 Daudet, Alphonse (1840-1897). 
 The Last Lesson, 5, 26. 
 
 Defoe, Daniel (1661-1731). The 
 Day After the Shipwreck (Rob- 
 inson Crusoe), 5, 89. Robin- 
 son Crusoe and His Man Friday 
 (Robinson Crusoe), 6, 281. 
 
 Dickens, Charles (1812-1870). 
 Life and Portrait, 6, 371. 
 Squeers's School (Nicholas 
 Nickleby), 5, 19. The Crat- 
 chits' Christmas Dinner (A 
 Christmas Carol), 5, 269. The 
 Childhood of David Copper- 
 field, I, II, III, IV (David 
 Copperfield), 6, 336. In Mrs. 
 Jarley's Caravan (The Old 
 Curiosity Shop), 8, 280. With 
 Mr. Pickwick on Christmas 
 (Pickwick Papers), 8, 374. 
 
 Dodge, Mary Mapes (1831-1905). 
 The Skating Race (Hans 
 Brinker, or The Silver Skates), 
 4, 308. 
 
 Drake, Joseph Rodman (1795- 
 1820). The American Flag, 
 7, 371. 
 
 Editors. What Are the Greeks 
 to Us? 6, 34. Our Country, 
 6, 247. In Bible Lands, 6, 97. 
 Discovery and Adventure, 7, 18. 
 
INDKX OK Al TIIORS 
 
 79 
 
 America II AchicNciiUMits, 7, ol 1 . 
 What is LitcratiMT? 8, II. 
 Literatur«> a Wiiulow into tlic 
 Past, 8, ()4. Ap|)rcciati(>ii of 
 Poetry, 8, 2:^!). 
 
 Eggleston, Edward (1837-1902). 
 Till' New TcacluM- (The Hoosier 
 Sehoohnaster), 5, 21. 
 
 Eliot. George (1820-1881). Life, 
 5, 2()4. iNIa^^'ie and the Gyp- 
 sies (The Mill on the Floss), 
 4, 2lo. Tom and Maggie, 
 I, II. Ill (The Mill on the 
 Floss). 5, 2.51. 
 
 Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803- 
 1882). Life and Portrait, 7, 
 306. The Mountain and the 
 Squirrel, 4, 91. The Concord 
 Hymn, 6, 262. The Snow 
 Storm, 7, 299. The Humble- 
 Brv, 7, :i03. 
 
 Everett, Edward (1794-1865). 
 Kin^^ Philii) to the White 
 Settler, 7, ol. 
 
 Ewing, Juliana H. (1841-1885). 
 •lackanapes and the Pony, 4, 
 269. 
 
 Field, Cyrus West (1819-1892). 
 
 How the .\tlantic Cable Was 
 
 Laid. 7. .Tl.'). 
 Field. Eugene (1850-1895). 
 
 Wynkiri, Hl\iikcii. anfl Nod. 
 
 3, II. 
 
 Finch. Francis Miles (1827- 
 1!)()7). The Hiiie and the 
 (irax , 4, I IS. 
 
 Follen. Eliza Lee (1787-1860). 
 The ^L)oii, 3. 123. 
 
 Foster. Stephen Collins (1826- 
 ISdl). The Old Folks at 
 Home. 7, 272. 
 
 Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790). 
 Life and Portrait. 4. 179-180. 
 Franklin's First Day in Phila- 
 delphia (Autobiography), 4, 
 181. Turning the Grindstone, 
 4, 185. Too Dear for the 
 Whistle. 4, 187. 
 
 Garland. Hamlin (1860- ). A 
 Western Farm Scene (A Son 
 of the Middle Border). 7, 
 330. 
 
 Goethe. Johann Wolfgang (1749- 
 1S;!2). The FH-Kiiig, 5, 346. 
 
 Goldsmith. Oliver (I72S-1774). 
 Life and Portrait. 5. 219. 
 The \'illage Selioolmaster 
 (The D(;.serted Village), 5, 
 17. Mose.s Goes to the Fair 
 (The Viear of Wakefield). 5, 
 214. 
 
 Gould. Hannah F. (1789-1865). 
 Jaek Frost. 4. til. 
 
 Grady. Henry W. (1851-1889). 
 The Confederate Soldier, 7, 
 368. 
 
8o 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Grant, Ulysses S. (1822-1885). 
 The Boyhood of General Grant 
 (Personal Memoirs), 5, 139. 
 
 Gray, Thomas (1716-1771). 
 Elegy Written in a Country 
 Churchyard, 8, 347. 
 
 Grimm, Jakob (1785-1863), and 
 Wilhelm (1786-1859). Little 
 Red Riding Hood (Fairy 
 Tales), 3, 54. Snow White 
 and Rose Red, 5, 83. Mother 
 Frost, 3, 98. The Sleeping 
 Beauty, 3, 124. The Town 
 Musicians, 3, 145. 
 
 Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804- 
 1864). Life and Portrait, 5, 75 ; 7, 
 171. Little Daffy do wndilly, 4, 
 321. An Old-fashioned School 
 (Grandfather's Chair), 5, 11. 
 The Pine Tree Shillings (Grand- 
 father's Chair), 5, 69. The 
 Sunken Treasure, I, II (Grand- 
 father's Chair), 5, 77. Her- 
 cules and the Golden Apples I, 
 II, III (The Wonder Book), 
 
 6, 11. The Gray Champion 
 (Twice Told Tales) 7, 137. A 
 Rill from the Town Pump, 
 
 7, 229. My Visit to Niagara, 
 7, 320. The Great Stone Face, 
 I, II, III, IV, V, VI (Twice 
 Told Tales), 8, 29. 
 
 Hemans, Felicia Dorothea (1794- 
 1835), Casabianca, 4, 332. The 
 Landing of the Pilgrims, 5, 
 199. 
 
 Henry, Patrick (1736-1799). 
 Speech before the Virginia 
 Convention, 7, 150. 
 
 Herodotus (c. 484-424 B.C.). 
 The Happiest Man, I, II, 5, 
 150. 
 
 Hogg, James (1772-1835). A 
 Boy's Song, 4, 68. 
 
 Holmes, OUver Wendell (1809- 
 1894). Life and Portrait, 6, 
 330-332. Old Ironsides, 4, 
 160. Union and Liberty, 6, 
 273. The Deacon's Master- 
 piece, 6, 324. The Chambered 
 Nautilus, 7, 223. The Boys, 
 7, 242. Contentment, 7, 245. 
 
 Homer. Life and Portrait, 8, 
 79-81. Hector and Androm- 
 ache (from Church's The 
 Story of the Iliad), 6, 38. The 
 Duel of Hector and Ajax (from 
 Church's The Story of the 
 Iliad), 6, 48. The Death of 
 Hector (from W. C. Bryant's 
 Translation of the Iliad), 6, 56. 
 Ulysses and the Cyclops, I, II 
 (from Church's The Story of 
 the Odyssey), 6, 62. The 
 Story of Mneas, I, II (from 
 Church's The iEneid for Boys 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 8i 
 
 and Girls), 6, 7G. Xauskaa 
 
 (from the Butcher-Lang Trans- 
 lation of the Odyssey), 8, 84. 
 Hood, Thomas (1708-1845). I 
 
 lU'nu'inl)cr, I Remember, 3, 
 
 159. 
 Houghton, Lord, Richard Monck- 
 
 tonMilnes (lSUi)-lSS5). Lady 
 
 Moon, 3, 227. 
 Howitt, Mary (1S04-1SS8). The 
 
 Fairies of the Caldon-Low, 4, 
 
 193. 
 Howitt, William (1795-1879). 
 
 The Wind in a Frolic, 4, 70. 
 Hughes, Thomas (1822-189G). 
 
 Football at Rugby, I, II (Tom 
 
 Brown's School Days), 5, 31. 
 
 Tom Brown's Last Day at 
 
 Rugby (Tom Brown's School 
 
 Days), 8, 303. 
 Hugo, Victor (1802-1885). 
 
 Cosette (Les Miserables), 4, 
 
 227. 
 Hunt, Leigh (1784-1859). Abou 
 
 Bi'ii A(lh(>ni, 5, 155. 
 Hunt, Mary Leland. The Age 
 
 of Chivalry, 6, 179. 
 
 Ingelow. Jean (1820-1897). 
 Seven Times One, 4, 137. 
 
 Irving, Washington (1783-1859). 
 Life, 7, 171. ("olumbus Dis- 
 covers Land (Life of Columbus), 
 7,20. Death of King Philip of 
 
 Pocanoket (The Sketch Book), 
 7, 47. Life in Old New York 
 (History of New York by Die- 
 drich Knickerbocker), 7, 107. 
 Life, 7, 171, and Portrait, fron- 
 tispiece, 7. Ichabod Crane, 
 I, II (The Legend of Sleejjy 
 Hollow), 7, 179. Rip Van 
 V^inkle, I, II, 7, 196. 
 
 Jefif arson, Thomas (1743-1826). 
 
 The Character of Washington, 
 
 6, 258. 
 Jeffries, Richard (1848-1887). 
 
 A Happy Boy, 4, 125. 
 Jones, William, Sir (1746-1794). 
 
 What Constitutes a State, 7, 
 
 380. 
 Jonson, Ben (1573-1637). The 
 
 Xoblc Nature, 6, 156. 
 Jowett, Benjamin (1817-1893). 
 
 The Death of Socrates (Trans- 
 lation of Plato), 8, 99. 
 
 Keary, Annie (1827-1879). How 
 
 Thor Went to the Land of 
 
 Giants, I, II (The Heroes of 
 
 .\sgard), 6, 145. 
 Keats, John (1795-1821). Sweet 
 
 Peas, 3, 206. To Autumn, 8, 
 
 264. 
 Kellogg, Elijah (1S1;{-1901). 
 
 Spartacus to tiu- Gladiators, 7, 
 
 280. 
 
82 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Kingsley, Charles (1819-1875). 
 The Lost Doll, 3, 78. Tom and 
 the Lobster (Water Babies), 4, 
 93. Jason and the Golden 
 Fleece, I, II, III (Greek 
 Heroes), 5, 301. 
 
 Kipling, Rudyard (1865- ). 
 Recessional, 6, 279. 
 
 Knowles, Sheridan (1784-1862). 
 William Tell, Scene I, II, 5, 
 107. 
 
 Krout, Mary Hannah (1857- ). 
 Little Brown Hands, 5, 267. 
 
 Lamb, Charles (1775-1834). A 
 Dissertation on Roast Pig, 8, 
 368. 
 
 Lamb, Mary (1764-1847). The 
 Tempest, I, II, III (Tales 
 from Shakespeare), 5, 350. 
 
 Lang, Andrew (1844-1912). 
 Joan of Arc, I, II (The Red 
 True Story Book), 5, 157. 
 
 Lanier, Sidney (1842-1881). 
 Song of the Chattahoochee, 7, 
 301. 
 
 Larcom, Lucy (1826-1893). The 
 Brown Thrush, 4, 113. 
 
 Lear, Edward (1812-1888). The 
 Owl and the Pussy-Cat, 3, 49. 
 
 Lee, Robert (1807-1870). Gen- 
 eral Lee and Traveler (Recol- 
 lections and Letters of General 
 Lee), 5, 146. 
 
 Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865). 
 Portrait, 6, 276. Address at 
 Gettysburg, 6, 275. 
 
 London, Jack (1876-1917). How 
 Jack Saved His Master (The 
 Call of the Wild), 5, 178. 
 
 Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 
 (1819-1892). Life and Por- 
 trait, 4, 200-201. Hiawatha's 
 Childhood (The Song of Hia- 
 watha), 3, 234. Hiawatha's 
 Fasting (The Song of Hia- 
 watha), 4, 204. The Village 
 Blacksmith, 4, 265. The 
 Wreck of the Hesperus, 5, 64. 
 The Bell of Atri, 5, 172. Paul 
 Revere's Ride, 5, 201. The 
 Children's Hour, 5, 212. The 
 Ship of State, 6, 249. A Psalm 
 of Life, 6, 308. The Skeleton 
 in Armor, 7, 11. The Court- 
 ship of Miles Standish, 7, 111. 
 The Arsenal at Springfield, 7, 
 220. Rain in Summer, 7, 
 297. 
 
 Lowell, James Russell (1819- 
 1891). Life and Portrait, 7, 
 292. The Fountain, 4, 110. 
 Aladdin, 5, 299. The Heritage, 
 7, 239. A Day in June (The 
 Vision of Sir Launfal), 7, 289. 
 The Courtin', 7, 314. A Trib- 
 ute to Lincoln (Commemora- 
 tion Ode), 7, 357. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 83 
 
 Macaulay. Thomas Babington 
 
 (1800 18o9). Life. 8. 125. 
 
 Learning the Use of Liberty 
 
 (Essay on Milton), 7, MCk 
 
 Horatius, 8. 10.'). 
 Macdonald, George (1S21 100.")), 
 
 Little White Lily, 3, 121. 
 Mackay, Charles (1814-1S89). 
 
 The Miller of the Deo, 4, 190. 
 Malory, Thomas, Sir (e. 1430-c. 
 
 1470). The Pas.sing of Arthur 
 
 (Morte Darth\ir). 6, 22."). 
 Miller, Joaquin (1841-191:5). 
 
 ('oliiinl)us. 7, ;i2. 
 Milton, John (lf)08-1674). Life 
 
 and Portrait, 8, 244. On His 
 
 Blindness, 8. 242. 
 Montgomery, James (1771-18.")4). 
 
 Arnold of Winkelried, 6, 103. 
 Moore, Clement C. (1779-18()3). 
 
 A \isit from St. Xieholas, 3, 
 
 140. 
 Morris. George P. (1802-18fi4). 
 
 \No()(lnian, Spare That Tree, 
 
 4, :>>v.). 
 Motley, John Lothrop (1814- 
 
 1S77). The Sic|,'c of Leyden, 
 
 I, II (The Ri.se of the Dutch 
 
 Repulijie), 5, 125. 
 Mulock, Dinah M. See Craik. 
 
 Newman, John Henry (1801- 
 1890). l^ad, Kindly Light. 8. 
 248. 
 
 New York Observer. The SoL 
 dier's R(>pri«'\-e, 4, l.")2. 
 
 O'Hara. Theodore (1820-1867). 
 The Bivouac of the Dead, 7, 
 364. 
 
 Old English Tales. Cinderella, 
 3, 66. Tom Tit-Tot, 3, 110. 
 The Husband Who Kept 
 House, 3, 134. When I Was a 
 Bachelor, 3, 139. The Three 
 Wishes, 3, l5o. Jack and the 
 Bean.stalk, 3, Kil. DiekWhit- 
 tington and His ("at, 3, 250. 
 
 Payne, John Howard (1791- 
 
 1852). Home, Sweet Home, 4, 
 
 335. 
 Plato (c. 429-347 B.C.). The 
 
 Death of Socrates (from 
 
 Jowett's Translation of the 
 
 Phfpdo), 8. 99. 
 Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849). 
 
 Life and Portrait, 6. 321 . The 
 
 liells. 6. 316. 
 
 Raspe. Rudolph Eric (1737 1794). 
 
 .\ Munchausen Adventure, 4, 
 
 58. 
 Reade. Charles (1814 18,84). A 
 
 Sunday in .Australia (It is Never 
 
 Too I^te to Mend), 8, 357. 
 Rogers. Samuel (1763-18.55). A 
 
 Wish. 7. 2 IS. 
 Roland. Song of. Sec G W Cox. 
 
84 
 
 THE TEACHING OF READING 
 
 Rossetti Christina (1830-1894). 
 The Wind, 3, 26. The Rose, 3, 
 95. 
 
 Ruskin, John ( 1 8 1 9- 1 900) . Life, 
 8, 345. The King of the Golden 
 River, I, II, III, IV, 5, 319. 
 The River Rhone (Prseterita), 
 8, 24. Books and Reading 
 (Sesame and Lilies), 8, 402. 
 
 Saxe, John G. (1816-1887). The 
 Blind Men and the Elephant, 
 6, 333. 
 
 Scott, Walter, Sir (1771-1832). 
 Life and Portrait, 5, 61. Hunt- 
 ing Song (The Lady of the 
 Lake), 5, 40. The Archery 
 Contest (Ivanhoe), 5, 54. Love 
 of Country, 5, 198. The 
 Knight and the Saracen (The 
 Talisman), 6, 237. Lochinvar, 
 8, 14. Ivanhoe, I, II, III, IV, 
 8, 165. 
 
 Shakespeare, William (1564- 
 1616). Life, 8, 138 and por- 
 trait, frontispiece, 8. Ingrati- 
 tude (As You Like It), 5, 237. 
 The Tempest, I, II, III (Tales 
 from Shakespeare, by Charles 
 and Mary Lamb), 5, 350. 
 Portia's Suitors, Scenes I-V 
 (Merchant of Venice), 6, 376. 
 Hamlet, Act I, Sc. 1, 8, 55. 
 Mark Antony at Caesar's 
 
 Funeral (Julius Caesar), 8, 127. 
 A Lover's Thoughts (Sonnets), 
 8, 242. 
 
 Shelley, Percy Bysshe (1792- 
 1822). Life and Portrait, 8, 
 262-263. The Cloud, 6, 313. 
 To a Skylark, 8, 257. 
 
 Smith, John, Captain (1579- 
 1631). The Indians of Vir- 
 ginia, 7, 34. 
 
 Smith, Samuel F. (1808-1895). 
 America, 3, 247. 
 
 Southey, Robert (1774-1843). 
 The Battle of Blenheim, 5, 135. 
 
 Spenser, Edmund (c. 1522-1599). 
 The Red Cross Knight (The 
 Faery Queen), 8, 216. 
 
 Sprague, Charles (1791-1875). 
 American Indian, I, 7, 41. 
 
 Spyri, Johanna (1827-1901). 
 Heidi's First Day on the 
 Mountain (Heidi), 4, 243. 
 Heidi's Return to the Moun- 
 tain (Heidi), 4, 255. 
 
 Stevenson, Robert Louis (1845- 
 1894). Life and Portrait, 4, 
 50. Bed in Summer, 3, 38. 
 Singing, 3, 77. My Shadow, 3, 
 174. Windy Nights, 3, 228. 
 Whole Duty of Children, 3, 
 270. Travel, 4, 54. Treasure 
 Island (Treasure Island), 8, 271. 
 
 Story, Joseph (1779-1845). The 
 American Indian, I, II, 7, 43. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS 
 
 Sumner. Charles (1811-1S74). 
 
 The True Grandeur of Nations, 
 
 7,381. 
 Swift, Jonathan (1G()7-I74.j). 
 
 Gulli\er in Lilliput (Gulli\er's 
 
 Travels), 4, 13. 
 
 Taylor. Bayard (1825-1878). The 
 .Son^' of the ("ani[). 7, 374. 
 
 Tennyson. Alfred. Lord (1809- 
 1892). Life and Portrait, 6, 
 222-224. What does Little 
 Birdie Say? 3, 76. Sweet and 
 Low, 3, 132. The Brook, 4, 
 139. The Owl, 4, 142. The 
 Charge of the Light Brigade, 
 5, 122. Bugle Song, 6, 285. 
 The Lady of Shalott, 6, 214. 
 Sir Galahad, 6, 2.33. Ring Out, 
 Wild Bells, 8, 18. Ulysses, 8, 
 96. England and America in 
 1782, 7, 160. Break, Break, 
 Break, 8, 253. Crossing the 
 Bar, 8, 2(i9. 
 
 Thackeray, William Makepeace 
 (1811-18(33). An Englishman 
 in Praise of Irving 7, 173. Life 
 and Portrait. 8. 300. Farewell 
 to School (Vanity Fair), 8, 291. 
 
 Thaxter, Celia (1835-1894). The 
 Sandpiper, 4, 106. 
 
 Webster, Daniel (1782-1852). 
 Life and Portrait, 7, 165-166. 
 
 Printed io the United States of .\mcrica. 
 
 Supposed Speech of John 
 .\danis, 6, 264. Liberty and 
 Union, 6, 270. To Lafayette 
 at Bunker Hill (First Bunker 
 Hill Oration), 7, 162. 
 
 Whitman, Walt (1819-1892). 
 Life and Portrait, 7, 362. O 
 Captain, My Captain ! 7, 360. 
 
 Whittier, John Greenleaf (1807- 
 1892). Life and Portrait, 4, 
 1 16. The Fish I Didn't Catch, 
 4, 64. The Barefoot Boy, 4, 
 119. Snow Bound, 7, 249. 
 Maud Muller, 7, 274. The 
 Corn Song, 7, 308. The 
 Huskers. 7. 310. 
 
 Wilson, Woodrow (1856- ). 
 From the Address to Congress, 
 April 2. 1017, 7, 397. 
 
 Wolfe, Charles (1791-1823). The 
 Burial of Sir John Moore, 8, 
 266. 
 
 Woodworth, Samuel (1785-1842). 
 The Old Oaken Bucket, 5, 196. 
 
 Wordsworth, William (1770- 
 1850j Life and Portrait, 8, 
 250. The Daffodils, 4, 103. 
 The Solitary Reaper, 8. 27. 
 Westminster Bridge, 8, 243. 
 She Dwelt Among the Un- 
 trodden Ways, 8, 250. 
 
 Wyss, Johann David (1781-1830). 
 A Shipwrecked Family (The 
 
 Swiss Familv Rol)in.son), 5, 06. 
 
MAR 13 192e 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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