^0 M» J- - 7 * • * •» ^ %& .V „ N a "Pl ^*3 ^ -%, .-Js^/°* "'/'V" (A ^ « l >4 *** -& v^ > ^ » i *» A New Reading Note-Book Comprising explanatory notes, questions and sug- gestions for study, biographical notes and reading lists, pronouncing list, and other material, design- ed for use in connection with the Howe Readers BY CHARLES MADISON CURRY Professor of Literature in The Indiana State Normal School 1909 THE INLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY Terre Haute, Indiana V Copyright 1909 By CHARLES M. CURRY ©CI. A 253975 c PREFACE This little book is just what the title indicates, a f *note-book.'" ; The .story of its making is somewhat as follows : Ten years ago while one of the editors of a teachers' magazine, the author hit upon the idea of preparing such a work, to be published as a special number of that magazine. Its purpose was to help teachers who did not have hamby access to libraries of reference books, by furnishing explanations of difficult points and by giving biographical and other notes. In the process of writing the material grew far bej^ond the original intention, and the suggestions for study took the main place in the notes. It met with a success that was not anticipated, and in book form has had a sale of over 50,000 copies. .Recently "The Howe Readers" (Scribners) were adopted in Indiana for a term of years and numerous letters from teachers over the State and request from the publishers have induced the compiler to write a new work on a larger scale, based upon the material used in those readers. All the features of importance in the old work have been retained and some new ones added. Particularly, the questions and suggestions for study have been emphasized, as that seemed the feature of the book that gave most help to teachers. Important titles and biographies of the authors, from whom selections in the readers are taken, have been given so that much supplementary reading is suggested for both the teacher and the pupil. An informal tone has been used throughout as best adapted to the purpose in view. The aim is to be help- ful rather than profound, to be suggestive rather than to interfere in any way with the teacher's own methods of procedure. Where- so many questions of fact, so many dates and III. detail?, such a variety of material, are included in a /small compass it is impossible to expect that no errors have crept in. It is believed, however, that a fair de- gree of accuracy has been maintained, and that teachers m ay rely upon the book. At any rate much effort has been expended by both compiler and publisher to that end. The reference books drawn upon are altogether too numerous for special mention. However, this note should not close without an expression of thanks to my friend, Professor Thomas H. Briggs, for his gracious permission to include his fine study of Burns' "Honest Poverty/' nor should it close without stating that I am indebted to my wife for many of the best things in the book. C. M. C. Terro Haute, Ind. November 1, 1909. IV. CONTENTS 1. Preface Page III 2. Eeal Reading " VI 3. Introductory $ VII 4. Pronouncing list ■. . . . " X 5. Note Book Paaes^l-248 (The "Note-Book" is arranged alphabetically, all the authors and selections in the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Eeaders being included under a single alphabet. Following the notes on each author will be found a reference telling in which Eeaders and on what pages selections from his work are located. Eoman numerals refer to number of the Eeader, Arabic numerals refer to pages. At the beginning of the note on any particu- lar selection will be found an indication of the author, the Eeader in which found, and the page, thus: (Long- fellow— IV— 60) . V. REAL READING "I am sure that a man ought to read as he would grasp a nettle; do it lightly., and you get molested; grasp it with all your strength and you feel none of its asperities. There is nothing so horrible as languid study, when you sit looking at the elock, wishing the time was over, or that somebody would call on you and put you out of your misery. The onl}- way to read with any efficacy is to read so heartily that dinner-time comes two hours before you expected it. "To sit with your Livy before you, and hear the geese cackling that saved the Capitol; and to see with your own eyes the Carthagenian sutlers gathering up the rings of the Roman knights after the battle of Cannae, and heaping them into bushels; and to be so intimately present at the actions you are reading of that when anybody knocks at the door it will take you two or three seconds to deter- mine whether you are in your own study, or in the plains of Lombarcly, looking at Hannibal's weather-beaten face, admiring the splendor of his single eye, — this is the only kind of study which is not useless, this is the knowledge which gets into the system, and which a man carries about and uses like his limbs, without perceiving that it is ex- traneous, weighty, or inconvenient." —SIDNEY SMITH. VI. INTRODUCTORY This work does not in any sense undertake to develop a theory of how to teach reading in the abstract. It is based upon the conception that a piece of literature is an organism containing within itself the laws of its own be- ing, and that any method of procedure that brings the student face to face with what is characteristic is a good method. In general the best way to teach a child how to read is to interest him vitally in the thing he is reading about. PRIMARY READING However, in primary work the' teacher faces the prob- lem of making the child able to use and to understand the language symbols for ideas. In the beginning he has more ideas than he has the language symbols for. In a day not far distant the plan was to begin with the in- dividual letters of the alphabet and later move to com- binations of these letters into words, — the so-called '"al- phabetic method." But at present one would go far to find a skilful primary teacher using such a plan. Through a long process of theorizing and experimenting we have passed through the various stages of the. "word method," the "phonic method," the "sentence method," and others, to the view that probably no one of these alone offers the best mode of approach tc the problem. The conclusion seems to be that some kind of a "combination method" m which elements of each of these are found, works out best in practice. The primary books of the Howe series are not method books, the teacher being left free to put his own ideas on that subject into practice. For those who need help on how to teach beginners in reading the following list is given: i. Briggs and Coffman: Reading in the Public Schools. — Row, Peterson & 'Co., Chicago. This book covers in a sane and interesting way the whole subject of reading in the grades, and is recommended as one of the very best of the recent works on the subject. VII. 2. McMurry: Special Method in Primary Reading. — The Macmillan Co., New York. 3. Ward: Rational Readers.— Silver, Bnrdett and Co., Boston. In these and the following, methods of teaching primary reading arc worked out in great detail. 4. The A Mine Readers. — Newsom and Co., New York. LITERATURE The use of real literature as a basis of all the work in reading has come to be regarded as settled. From "'Mother Goose" to Milton, our readers are now made up, as nearly as possible, of what is regarded as possessing literary quality. While mastering the more mechanical elements in learning to read, the. child is introduced to a great variety of material that, has artistic value, and thus to the great field of books. The forming of a literary iaste, the introduction to great books, is an object never lost sight of. Particularly in the more advanced grades, reading books are made up of masterpieces, or extracts from them, and information books are relegated to their proper places. This makes it necessary that the teacher should know books from the inside, that he should have a good literary taste, based upon real acquaintance with literature and not upon mere "chatter" about books. The works in this particular field are legion and only a few can be mentioned as among those that are, at least, prac- tically helpful: 1. Cox: Literature in the Common Schools. — Little, Brcwn and Co., Boston. This book contains a brief and suggestive discussion of the nature of literature and has extended lists of books classified by grades. 2. MacClintock Literature in the Elementary School. — University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 111. 3. Colby: Literature and Life. — Houghton, Mirrlin and Co., Boston. 4. Bates: Talks on Teaching Literature. — Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. VIII. 5 McMurry: Special Method in Reading English Clas- sics. — The Macmillan Co., New York. 6. Woodberry: The Appreciation of Literature. — The Baker and Taylor Co., New York. Many publishing houses issue in cheap form selections for use in the grades as well as in high schools, often ac- companied by notes and other valuable aids for under- standing them. THE GENERAL PROBLEM Few subjects have been given as great emphasis in modern educational- literature as the teaching of English in all of its phases. The necessity of effectively using the mother tongue is recognized as never before, and a few helpful books are suggested, covering this whole field: i. Chubb: The Teaching of English. — The Macmil- lan Co.. New York. 2. Carpenter, Baker and Scott: The Teaching of Eng- lish. — Longmans, Green and Co., New York. 3. Baker and Carpenter: The Language Readers. — The Macmillan Co., New York. This series of books develops a method of carrying along together, all through the grades, the various phases of English work; reading, grammar, composition, etc. FINALLY In conclusion it may be allowable to suggest that in the various studies of the selections enumerated in this book may be found a concrete and definite way of dealing profitably with literary selections. Some of the studies have been developed with more detail than others with the thought that they may serve to stimulate teachers to do a more intensive kind of work than usual. The fol- lowing half-dozen may serve to illustrate this point: "Honest Poverty," "In School Days," "Ulysses," Rip Van Winkle," "A Psalm of Life," "The Barefoot Boy." IX. PRONOUNCING LIST OF WORDS (This list includes a number of proper names of persons, places and authors, together with a few other words that occur in the readers. No attempt is made to be exhaustive, but only to select a few words that teachers may be glad to have an approximate pronunciation of along with the notes. In the attempt at a phonetic respelling Webster's "New International Dictionary" has been followed in the main, though other authorities have been drawn upon. In the French words the nasal sound is indicated simply by the letter "n".) Abou ben Adhem Achilles Acre Aequians Agincourt Ah-ni-ghi-to Alba Longa Albert de Malvoisin Algid us Algiers Amiiias Apollyon Appalachian Ariel Aslaug Audubon Aurora Austerlitz Avilion Azores Babylonish Balmung Barbecue Beaumanoir Bedivere Benledi Bernard Berlin (or English,) (or,) (or,) (or,) a/-boo ben ad'-hem a-kil'-ez a'ker e'-kwi-ans a'-zhan-koor' aj'-in-kort ah-nr'-ghi-to al'-ba leng'-ga al-beV de mal-vwa'-san al'-gl-dus al-jerz' a-mil'-i-as a-pol'-i-on a-pol'-yon ap-a-lach'-i-an ap-a-la'-chi-an a'-ri-el as'-loug a'-doo-bon a-ro'-ra ous'-ter-lits a-vil'-i-on a-vil'-ySn a-zorz' bab-i-lo'-nish bal'-moSng bar'-be-ku bo-man-war' bSd'-I-ver ben-ledM b£r-nar' b8r-len' X Be^h-Iehem-judah Blucher Boaz Bois de Boulogne Brian de Bois-Guilbert Braine 1'Alleud Briareus Britannia Broek Bucephalus Burgundy Cadi Cadiz Caeso Casse Ca.ssius Chanticleer Chilion C lan-AJpine Cleges (Sir) Clough Clyrnene CGilantogle Comanche Coups Cowper (V/illiam) Coyote Cressy Croisic Crusoe Cuirassiers Dasent (G. W.) Deborah Read Delrnonico Delord Devoir Diana Diedrich Knickerbocker Don Quixote (or,) (or,) bethMe-hem-joo'-da blii'-ker bo'-az bwa'-de-boo-lon'-y bre-an'-de-bwa-gel'-ber' bran'-lal-luh' brl-a'-re-us brirtan'-i-a brok (o as in move.) bu-seT-a-lus bur'-gun-di ka'-di ka'-diz se'-zo ka-sa' kash'-i-us chan'-ti-kler kil'-i-on klan-al'-pin cle'-jez kluf klim'-e-ne coil'-an-to'~gl ko-man'-che" kooz koo'-per • kou'-per kl'-ot cres -i krwa-zek' kroo'-so kwe-ra-ser' da/-sent deb'-o-ra reed del-mon'-i-co de-lor' deV'-wor dl-an'-a di-a'-na de'-drik mk'-er-bok'-er don kwiks'-ot Druids Dubois Duicinea Egypt Eichao Elimelech (or Spanish,) don ke-ho'-ta droo'-idz dii-bwa' dul'-si-ne'-a e'jipt i-ka'-o e-llm'-e-lek XI Epaphus Epatke Eskimo Excalibur Ezel Frischemont Fujiyama Gael Gallia Gawaine . Genappe Genie Gessler Gibraltar Gingerbernooster Gitche Gumee Gloucester Goh Bang Greenwich Gretel Grim a Grinnell (G. B.) Grouchy Hamelin Hammerfest Hans Hayerhill Heliades Helvetia Hemans (Mrs.) Hercules Hesperides Hiawatha Hispania Hoang-Ho Hoti Hyades Hyla Hyungbo Igloo Iktomi Indostan Ingelow (Jean) Iris Ishkoodah Italia ep'-a-fus e-pat'-ka es'-ki-mo eks-kal'-i-bur e'-zel frish-mon' foo'-je-ya'-ma gal gal'-i-a ga'-wan zhe-nap' je'-m gess'-ler ji-brol'-ter jin'-jer-ber-noos'-ter gltch'-e gu'-me glos-ter go'-bang' grin'-rj grSt'-el grlm'-a grm-nel' groo-she' ham'-e-lm ham'-mer-fest hans ha'-ver-il he-ll'-a-dez hSl-ve'-shi-a hSm'-anz her'-ku-lez hgs-pSr'-I-dez hl-a-wath'-a (or,) he-a-wath'-a hls-pa'-nl-a hwang'-ho' ho'-tl' hi'-a-dez hlMa hl'-ung-bo' TgMoo Ik-to'-m? In-do-stan' m'-je-lo l'-rts 3fsh'-ko6-dah' e-tal'-ya XII Joaquin (Miller) Joan Guthierez Jackal Kaatskill Ko-Chung-Kee Kremlin La Haie Saint e Laissez Aller Lanier (Sidney) Lannes Launcelot Letitia Lilliput Lucius Pella Lucius Tarquinius wa-ken' jon' goo-te-ar'-reth jak'-al cSts'-kill (same as, c&ts-kill.) ko'-chung'-ke' krem'-lm la-a/-san' le-sa' za-la la-neV Ian lan'-se-15t le-tish'-I-a hTI-put lu'-shus pgl'-la Mackay (Charles) Mahlon Malory (Thomas) Malplaquet Mandarin Maraposa Mars Marseilles Merced Mercury Mesha Mevrouw Midas Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Milhaud Mimer Moab Moabitess Monadnock Monteuil Mont-Fichet Mont Saint Jean Moscow Muir (John) Mynheer van Gleck Myrmidons Nahl bo Nan Kin Naomi Nautilus lu'-shus tar-kwm'-i-us ma-kl' ma'-15n mal'-o-ri mal-pla-ka' man'-da-rin ma-re-po'-sa marz mar-salz' mer-sad' mer'-ku-r! me'-sha mev-roo' ml'-das me-gel' da ser-van'-tez sa-a- va'-dra me-lo' me'-mer mo'-5,b mo-ab-It'-Ss m6-n&d'-n5k mon-twg'-I mon'-fich-a' mon s&n zhan' mSs'-ko mur mln-har' van glSck' mur'-ml-donz nal'-bo' n&n' kin' na-o'-ml no'-tl-lus XIII Nivelles Ney Nokomis Nottingham Ocklawaha Octavius Ohain Olympus Ophelia O'Reilly (John Boyle) Orpah Palatine Pandora Patroclus Patti Pawnee Peary Phaethon Pharos Phoebus Phyllis Pierre Loti Plutus Plymouth Poitiers Qui vive Ragnar Ramielles Ratisbon Remus Reynard Roche (James Jeffrey) Roderick Dhu Romulus Rossetti Rozinante Samarcand Samoa Schwatka (Frederick) St. Helena Saint Vincent Sancho Panza Saracen Sherwood Siegfried Sierra ne-yel' na no-ko'-mis nSt'-ing-am ok-la-wa'-ha ok-ta'-vi-us o-an' o-lim'-pus 6-ieV-ya. o-rl'-li or'-pa pal'-a-tm pan-do'-ra pa-tro'-klus pat'.-e po-ne' pe'-ri fa'-e-thon fa'-ros fe'-bus fil'-is pe-air' lo'-te ploo'-tiis piim'-Qth pwa-tya/ ke-vev' rag'-nar ra-me'-ye' rat/-is-bon re'-mus ra'-nard roch rod'-er-ik doo' rom'-u-lus ros-set'-te roz'-i-nan'-te sam'-ar-kant' sii-mo'-a shwoV-ka sant he-le'-na sant vm'-sent san'-ko pan'-za sar'-a-sen sher'-wood seg'-fred si-er'-a XIV Siren sr-ren Soignes swan-ye' Southey (Robert) siith'-i Styx Switzerland stix swit'-zer-land Syrian sir'-i-an Templestowe tem'-pl-sto Tevsotdale te'-vi-ut-dal Tiber ti'-bur Ti-ra-wa ti-ra'-wa Trafalgar traf-al-gar' (or) tra-fal'-gar Triton -tri'-ton Trowbridge (J. T.) tro'-brij Tsi Ann tse' an' Tuscurnbia tus-kum'-bi-a Ulysses u-lis'-ez Ute ut Van Diemen's (Land) van de'-menz Vailima va-e-le'-ma Vive Piimpereur veV lan-prur' Vulcan vui'-kan Wacrras eit wa-choo'-set Wah-wah-taysee wa'-wa-ta'-se Waldemar ' val'-de-mar Wathier va-ti-a' Wawona wa-wo'-na Wyss (Johann Rudolf) vis Yokohama vo-ko-ha'-ma Yorkshire / 1 * yon-: -shir Yosemite yo-seni'-i-te Zamor za'- nior Zeus zus Zodiac zo'-di-ak Zitkala Sa zit-ka'-la sha' Zuyder-Zee (Di zl'-der-ze' itch) zoi'-der-za' XV A NEW READING NOTE-BOOK ABBEY, HENRY Lives at Rondout, New York, where he was born in 1842. Journalist and contributor to various periodicals and magazines. Poet of easy style and considerable suggestiveness. Collected edition of his works published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. "The Critic," speak- ing of his work, said: "He tells a story well, finds a poetic moral in more than one classic theme, and discovers much that belongs to poetry in plain wayside life. One would wish sometimes for a little more rigid exclusion of material which can be treated better in prose than in verse." ABOU BEN ADHEM AND THE ANGEL (Hunt — IV — 165.) Written after the manner of an ori- ental fable. What impression do you have of Ben Adhem from such expressions as "May his tribe increase!" "Awoke from dream of peace," "exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold"? What was the angel doing? What two questions did Ben Adhem ask? Was he dis- appointed at the second answer? Can you tell why he "spoke more low" in answering? Would it take much courage to speak "cheerily"? What did Ben Adhem learn when the angel' came again? Note that love of the Lord is tested by love of our fellow men. He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small. —Coleridge. Deep dream of peace. . .exceeding peace. Both ex- pressions suggtfsl quiel and repose of spirit, easy or clear conscience. So powerful is this feeling in Abou that it Lakes away the fear of the supernatural.— Sweet accord. Perfecl harmony. A unity with the divine will which expresses itself in the angelic look.— Ben. This word, which is seen so often in Oriental names, means "sun of." The following helpful suggestion by Prof. Clark is taken from "The inland Educator" for August,i8o9. It may be practiced in connection with almost any piece of lit- erature and is given here because he illustrated his idea from this poem, "The purpose of paraphrasing expansively is to make the thoughl and feeling clearer and more real by dwelling upon the words of the author. A very common habit in school and ""I of it, is to read without thinking-. To overcome this habit, and consequently to improve the oral expression, the pupil should take each thoughl and hold it I" fore the mind until the picture stands out clearly, li is remarkable how many details will t;row clearer and clearer, and further, how the feeling will be increased, as the ideas gel possession of us . . . Let ns take .in illustration, to show how the paraphrase will assist us to gel the Eeeling . . . The Angel wrote and vanished The next night It came again with a greal wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blest, Ami lol Ben Adluin's name led all the rest. "The average child will be likely to read the con- clusion as if it contained a simple statement of fact. But we know it should contain' far more than this. It should in. Mill, i .1 certain joy and elevation of feeling. growing out of our sympathy with Abou. How shall we make this clear to the child? Shall we tell him to be joyful? Shall we tell him to raise his voice? Under favorable circumstances such suggestions may be help- ful, but they are certainly not educative. Let US, SO to speak, open out the thought ^i the lines for him, and lei ns endeavor to reach his feeling in this way, striving thus to develop thai true principle which must lie at the basis of .'ill emotional expression. "Let us first get the child to grasp clearly Alton's dis- appointment upon discovering thai his name was not, on the occasion of tlic angel's first visit, written in the book of gold. Let him understand that even he, the pupil, appreciates the nobility of good deeds, and in this way arouse a certain sympathy for Ben Adhem, This by way of preparation. Then comes the second visit. I low in- tently the good man regards the angel, and how earnestly he Scans the angel's list! Mas his life been a failure? [las lie misunderstood God's message to men? P,ut, see! at the head of the list is Ben Adhem's name. Oh! the joy of it to Ren Adhem; and the joy to us, who sympa- thize with him. It is this joy that gets into the voice as we read the last two lines, and this joy mifcht be ex- pressed in the paraphrase 'And lo! — and how I rejoice to tell it! — Ben Adhem's name, — the name of this lovable man whose life had been devoted to well doing, his name, think of it! Should his life not be an encouragement to us? — his name led all the rest.' "Such practice as that suggested above should be a part of OUr teaching from the beginning and should be continued until the pupils form correct habits of inter- pretation." ADDISON, JOSEPH T.orn May t, 1672, at Milston, in Wiltshire, England. Educated at Charter Mouse, and at Queen's College, Ox- ford, with a notable reputation as a classical scholar. In 1600 he was granted a pension of 300 pounds by the Crown, the object being to allow him to prepare, by menus of travel, for participation in state affairs. Tin- loss of power by the whigs upon the accession <>f Queen Anne in 1702, caused Addison's pension lo cease, and left him in the position of a mere literary "hack." Mis oppor- tunity came, however, with the famous victory of Marl- borough at Blenheim, which Addison, by in vit ;it ion, cele- brated in the poem called "The Campaign." From this time on he was a great central figure in the intellectual and political life of his time. An opera, "Rosamund," and a tragedy, "Cato," were famous in his day though little read at present. Addison's fame, however, rests secure upon his famous periodical, "The Spectator." The age of Queen Anne was the age of pamphleteering. The modern newspaper, with its marvelous facilities for gathering and disseminat- ing what was going on in the world was still far in the future. "The Spectator," the best representative of its class, was made up of essays upon the topics of the day somewhat resembling the editorials found in the better class of our newspapers. Richard Steele and other noted writers of the day were associated with Addison in writ- ing the material included in it. Their great object seemed to be to serve as critics of the morals and man- ners of their time. Addison states this object in these words: "Since I have raised to myself so great an audience, I shall spare no pains to make their instruction agreeable and their diversion useful. For which reason I shall endeavor to enliven morality with wit, and to tem- per wit with morality. . . . And to the end that their virtue and discretion may not be short, transient, inter- mitting starts of thought, I have resolved to refresh their memories from day to day till I have recovered them out of that desperate state of vice and folly into which the age has fallen. ... It was said of Socrates that he brought philosophy down from Heaven to in- habit among men; and I shall be ambitious to have it said of me that I have brought philosophy out of closets and libraries, schools and colleges, to dwell' in clubs and assemblies, at tea-tables and in coffee-houses." Benjamin Franklin in his "Autobiography" tells at length how he endeavored to master somewhat of Addi- son's fine, clear, prose style. This style is hardly ener- getic enough to satisfy the twentieth century, but Addi- son's place among the really great prose writers in our language is safe. The group of papers known as the "Sir Roger de Cov- erly Papers" is the means by which most readers make acquaintance with Addison. "It is perhaps not too sweeping to say that no writer between Shakespeare and Fielding has portrayed so real or so delightful a charac- ter as Sir Roger." Addison died June 17, 1719, and was buried in West- minster Abbey. A convenient and reliable guide for the main outlines of Addison's life and works is Courthope's "Life of Addi- son," in the English Men of Letters series. Macaulay's "Essay on Addison" is very stimulating. Selection: V, 227. AESOP The most popular collection of fables handed down from the past are those which are ascribed to the (sup- posed) Greek slave Aesop. His history (even his exist- ence) is uncertain, but he is said to have been born in Phrygia about 620 B. C; it is also reported that he was unusually ugly but so full of a certain droll wisdom that he practically ceased to be a slave and was employed as a. confidential adviser. The traditional story still further relates that he lost his life on a mission with which he had been entrusted by King Croesus, of ancient fame. He was to distribute a large sum of silver to the citizens of Delphi, but unable to find any plan of distribution that 1 would suit the jealous Delphians, he became disgusted with the whole affair and sent the money back to the king. The enraged Delphians threw him over a high cliff, and thus he perished about 564 B. C. The fables were net written down by Aesop but passed along by word of mouth. This accounts for the great variety in versions and in the number of the fables found m different collections. The wide influence of fables is not hard to account for. "Truth embodied in a tale shall enter in at lowly doors." Selections; II, 12: III, 56. AFTER THE SHIPWRECK (Defoe — IV — 42.) This selection is made up of most of the sixth chapter of "Robinson Crusoe", with a few- paragraphs from the opening of the seventh chapter. Children should be encouraged to read the entire story, and generally all that is necessary is to put the book somewhere within their reach. A good text is that in the Riverside Literature series (sixty cents) which has a splendid introduction, setting forth the genesis of the story in terms that anyone can understand. "The truth is, Defoe was filled with the grand conception of a man stripped almost bare and set to reinstating himself." By common consent this story ranks as one of the masterpieces of fiction, and its simplicity and fundamen- tal quality render it peculiarly adapted to educational purposes. In fact the Herbartian school of pedagogy makes this book the central fact in the work of the sec- ond grade, and in the fourth chapter of Prof. Charles A. ]\lcMurry's "Special Method in Primary Reading" the qualities of the book that make it thus useful and the best methods of bringing them before the children are fully and clearly presented. (The teacher interested in the problem of oral stories in the grades should have this book. He will find it possible to use the interest awak- ened by this episode given in the reader as a starting point for many interesting stories of other things in Crusoe's career.) In Crusoe's story the child pushes be- yond the boundary of the fairy world and comes into touch with the world of fact. The quoted passage from Prof. McMurry suggests some phases of the Crusoe problem: "He is cut off from help and left to his own resources. The interest of the story is in seeing how he will shift for himself and exercise his wits to insure plenty and comfort. With few tools and on a barbarous coast, he undertakes what men in society, by mutual exchange and by division of labor, have much difficulty in performing. Crusoe becomes a carpenter, a baker and cook, a hunter, a potter, a fisher, a farmer, a tailor, a boatman, a stock- raiser, a basket-maker, a shoe-maker, a tanner, a fruit- grower, a mason, a physician. And not only so, but he grapples with the difficulties of each trade or occupation in a bungling manner because of inexperience and lack of skill and exact knowledge. He is an experimenter and tester along many lines. The entire absence of helpers centers the whole interest of its varied struggle in one person. It is to be remembered that Crusoe is no genius, but the ordinary boy or man. He has abundant variety of needs such as a child reared under civilized conditions has learned to feel. The whole range of activities, usu- ally distributed to various classes and persons in society, rests now upon his single shoulders. If he were an ex- pert in all directions, the task would be easier, but he has only vague knowledge and scarcely any skilL The child, therefore, who reads this story, by reason of the slow, toilsome, and bungling processes of Crusoe in meet- ing his needs, becomes aware how difficult and laborious are the efforts by which the simple, common needs of all children are supplied. * * * The lesson of toil and hardship connected with the simple industries is one of great moment to children. Our whole social fabric is based on these toils, and it is one of the best results of a sound education to realize the place and importance of hard work. * * * Crusoe is a sort of universal man, embodying in his single effort that upward movement of men which has steadily carried them to the higher levels of progress. * * * Such parts of the story as are of most pedagogical value should be simplified and woven together into a continuous narrative. That part of the. story which precedes the shipwreck may be re- duced to a few paragraphs which bring out clearly his early home surroundings, his disobedience and the de- sertion of his parents, and the voyage which led to his lonely life upon the island. The period embraced in his companionless labors and experiences constitutes the im- portant part for school uses. A few of the more impor- tant episodes following the capture of Friday and his re- turn home may be briefly told." These quotations are given with the hope that they may lead the teacher to do more with this great book than is possible v/ith the brief passage in the reader. Keeping clearly in mind the fact that Crusoe had been cast upon the island with nothing, notice how he "used his wits" to get what he needed most from the wrecked ship. How did he get to the ship? How did he get on board? What did he get together to take ashore? How did he get it all ashore? Did he use good judgment at all points? What of his clothes? How did he remedy his error? AGREED TO DISAGREE (Dayre — III — 200.) What agreement is made in the first stanza? What was the cricket's idea of a fine place in which to live? What objection did the mouse make? What did the bumbleebee suggest? Why did this not suit the cricket? What was the mouse's ideal of a home? W T ho found fault with this? So, what did each do? We're they better off this way? (Notice how much wiser they are than human beings sometimes are. Did you ever hear of a person who wanted others to do as he did, and think as he thought, and who was very "intolerant" of those who disagreed with him? Human beings are not alike. Each one has his own individuality and this must be respected. The mouse, the cricket and the bumble- bee, did not go about telling mean stories about each other's unreasonableness. Each "lived his own life" in the true -meaning of that expression and they all "re- joiced in the sweet spring weather.") ALCOTT, LOUISA MAY Born November 29, 1832, at Germantown, Pa. Daugh- ter of Amos Bronson Alcott, widely known in his day as a philosopher of the transcendental school. Louisa was a teacher and the author of some stories of "harmless sensation" in her younger days. During the war she was an army nurse. Her first important book was "Little Women," published in 1868, and this has remained the most popular, as it is perhaps the best, of her stories. Other books, with which she followed up that great suc- cess, are "Little Men," "An Old-Fashioned Girl," and "Jo's Boys." Her books have always appealed strongly to young people, particularly to girls. They are full of the fine, hopeful qualities that do so much to instill high ideals of life and character in the young, and abundantly justify the wide reading they have received. Her later life was full of suffering from ill health. She died at Boston, March 6, 1888. Selection; V, 70. ALDRICH, THOMAS BAILEY Born November 11, 1836, at Portsmouth, N. H. His boyhood was spent partly in New England, and partly in Louisiana. After a few years in business in New York, he devoted himself to journalism and literature. From 1881 to 1890 he was the editor of "The Atlantic Monthly." His fame perhaps rests mainly on his poetry, which is peculiarly graceful and finished, though it lacks certain larger qualities that appeal to the multitude. Aldrich has, therefore, always appealed to a smaller audience than Longfellow and Lowell. Among the best known of his poems may be mentioned "The Ballad of Babie Bell" and "Judith." This latter, the story of the famous heroine of the apocrypha Aldrich made into a drama in 1903 and it met with considerable success on the stage. Aldrich was also the author of several prose works distinguished by the same 'delicacy which marks his poetry. Best known of these is "Marjorie Daw." Another is the "Story of a Bad Boy," one of the most successful attempts to record the real life of a boy. Aldrich died at Boston in 1907. Selection: V, 9. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Carroll— IV — 149.) This selection comprises the first half of the fifth chapter of "Through the Looking Glass," called "Wool and Water," with a few adaptations. The title given is misleading as it seems to suggest that the passage is from the more famous book called "Alice in Wonderland." Lewis Carroll is the pseudonym of the greatest nonsense writer in the language, and the tre- mendous cleverness upon which nonsense depends for its charm was partly indicated by the writer in the frequent use of italics. It is sometimes very difficult to read the speeches correctly without the aid of some such guide. The following-, printed as originally written, will illustrate: "Well, I don't want any to-day, at any rate." "You couldn't have it if you did want it," the Queen said. "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday — but never jam to-day." "It must come sometimes to 'jam to-day.' " Alice ob- jected. "No, it can't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day; to-day isn't any other day, you know." It will be an interesting experiment to try to locate these emphatic words throughout the selection, and the ability to do so will depend upon one's ability to catch clearly the whimsical idea that pervades it. Why was Alice so confused? Notice that the opening passage takes the reader easily from this world with its known laws into the realm of Wonderland where there is a reversal that keeps one more than guessing. Name in order the items about which Alice was "mixed up" beginning with the pun on the word "addressing." A selection like this stimulates the fancy and is good to remove the "crinkles" that come from the too great tyranny of facts. (Since both of Carroll's famous books can be had in very cheap editions, encourage children to read them outside of class.) AMERICAN FLAG, THE (Drake — IV — 242.) This selection consists of the first twelve lines of the poem entitled as above. Its object is to express the splendid significance of the flag and in order to do this imagery of a high-flown order is used, — imagery that suggests that the heart of the whole uni- verse itself is bound up in the combinations that make the flag. Notice the personification in the opening line. Where does Freedom dwell? This conception of Freedom as a mountain nymph is common in poetry. How were the stars arranged? the white stripes? the red? Read these lines over and over until the splendid color scheme of the heavens is vividly before the eye. Note the color 10 words, — azure, milky, etc. Into whose hands was the flag given? Do you see why Jupiter is indicated by calling him the "eagle bearer" instead of by naming him? If you have a manual of mythology at hand and will read what it says of Jupiter (Zeus) you may be able to see why he is called "mighty" and why he is a fit bearer of "the symbol of her chosen land." See if you can determine the special fitness of expressions like "robe," "gorgeous dyes," "milky baldric" (why is that better than "milky way"?), "streakings." ANDERSEN, HANS CHRISTIAN Born at Odense, Denmark, April 2, 1805; was very poor as a youth and was educated at the public expense, showed great talent early as a writer, and is the author of several romances of merit. He is, however, known to the world mainly as the author of a collection of tales for children which have been translated into many lan- guages. He is called "the children's friend." A splendid collection of his stories for children is found in the River- side Literature series published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass. Died in Copenhagen, August 4, 1875. Selections: II, 108; III, 32, 237; IV, 25. ANDREWS, MARY RAYMOND SHIPMAN A writer of fiction living at Syracuse, N. Y. Among longer stories she has written "Bob and the Guides" and "The Militants." She is most widely known as the author of "The Perfect Tribute,." most of which is given in the fifth reader (page 347). ARBUTUS, THE (Mulets— III— iQ2.) Can you tell, after reading the story through, in what part of the United States this lit- tle girl lived? Why was the arbutus an appropriate gift for Phyllis? If von have never seen the Arbutus, try to determine from the picture and from the text just how it looks. In what kind of places does it grow? Why do you suppose Whittier called these flowers "The first sweet smiles of May"? 11 ARIEL'S SONG (Shakespeare— IV — 4.) Ariel was the ethereal spirit by means of whom Prospero brought about his deeds of magic in the play called "The Tempest." This song is found in Act V, scene I, and expresses Ariel's sense of pleasure on hearing Prospero's promise to give him his freedom as soon as one more important event is brought about. It is hard to reduce it to meaning, in fact it con- tains one or two passages about which there has been much dispute. Commit it to memory and try to read it in the light, airy, happy manner that a being like Ariel would use as he sings. Notice that Ariel's idea of hap- piness is to rest in the midst of the blossoms of a per- petual summer, and that he proposes to follow Summer as it moves to other regions, using "the bat's back" as his vehicle for travel. Point out the expressions in the song that show the above is true. (Scientists tell us that bats do not migrate, but become torpid in winter. Do you suppose Shakespeare didn't know this, or didn't care?) If the teacher is familiar enough with "The Tempest" to tell the children some of the chief doings of Ariel, it will help them get into the spirit of this song. ARNOLD, MATTHEW Born at Laleham, near Staines, England, December 24, 1822. His father was the famous Dr. Arnold, head-master of Rugby. He was educated at Rugby and at Oxford. In 1851 he was appointed to an inspectorship of schools and held the position until 1885. In this trying position he gave much energy to setting examinations and grading papers, that might have gone into better work for the human race if he had not been under the necessity of such drudgery in order to make a living. He was Pro- fessor of Poetry at Oxford for a time, lectured in the United States, and was finally granted a pension for his services to literature. He died suddenly of heart-failure, April 15, 1888. Many of Arnold's papers on school matters were model reports and are yet stimulating reading. His poetry is 12 limited both in amount and in the scope of its subject- matter. It is pervaded by a melancholy tone, and lacks the bouyant tone of a Tennyson, or the energy of a Browning. The little poem called "Dover Beach" is often regarded as his masterpiece. Other well-known poems are "The Forsaken Merman," "Sohrab and Rus- tum," "The Scholar Gypsy," "Resignation." Arnold's authority as one of the sanest critics of mod- ern times is almost universally recognized. A number of volumes written in a very fine prose style contain his opinions on literature and on life. Among them may be mentioned "Essays in Criticism" (First and second series), "Literature and Dogma," "Culture and Anarchy." Selection: V, 321. ARROW AND THE SONG, THE (Longfellow — IV — 60.) In Longfellow's journal, under date of November "16, 1845, appears this entry: "Before church, wrote 'The Arrow and the Song,' which came into my mind as I stood with my back to the fire, and glanced onto the paper with arrowy speed. Literally an improvisation." The poem was published in Longfel- low's fourth volume, "The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems," which appeared in the latter part of 1845. The poem is a splendid embodiment of the idea that the most unconsidered and aimless deeds may have the most im- portant and far-reaching consequences. In it Longfellow uses that favorite device of the poets, the presentation of truth by means of analogy. The first stanza tells of the sending forth of the arrow and what the poet thought became of it. The second, under the imagery of the arrow, tells of the sending forth of the song, or poem, and what happened to it. The third stanza indicates the error made, and tells what actually happened to both the arrow and the song. What four things are stated about the arrow in stanza 1? [(1) Sent forth into the air, (2) flew swiftly, (3) passed out of sight, (4) fell to earth.] What made the poet think the arrow fell to earth? Ob- serve that the order in which the above items are stated 13 is not the order in which they are given in the stanza. What points given in stanza 2 about the song, parallel those already given about the arrow? Is it natural to suppose that under the circumstances the song "fell to earth," that is, had no effect of any kind? After read- ing stanza 3, what correction must be made in the points given .about both the arrow and the song? What had happened to the arrow? to the song? Do you think all deeds, however aimless, have consequences if we could but know? Ar>d if so, ought a recognition of that fact to increase our sense of responsibility? ARTHUR'S PRAYER (Hughes — IV — 141.) This selection is a portion of the first chapter of the second part of "Tom Brown's School Days," with some editorial adaptations. Thoma.3 Hughes' "Tom Brown's School Days" and "Tom Brown at Ox- ford" are two of the most noted books for boys of the last century and if accessible should be recommended for complete reading. The first is particularly fine for a pic- ture of the life at a large public school for boys in Eng- land, as it used to be, a life that is very foreign to any- thing that is found in America. The book also gives a splendid account of the wonderful influence exerted upon his boys by the great Head Master, Dr. Thomas Arnold. Notice that he is referred to in the selection given in the reader. The chapter quoted from has as its title, "How the Tide Turned," and sets forth a crisis and a turning point in Tom Brown's life. This is indicated by the mottoes selected by the author for the second part and for the first chapter. The motto for Part II is from Tennyson and is given in this form: "I (hold) it truth, with him who sings To one clear harp in divers tones, That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things." The chapter motto is from Lowell's "The Present Crisis": 14 "Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side: Then it is the brave man chooses, while the coward stands aside, Doubting in his abject spirit, till his Lord is crucified." Study these two quotations carefully and then try to state their connection with the events told in the selec- tion. Describe the scene at the beginning. Do you know how Arthur felt? Try to make it clear. What appeal did he make to Tom? What especially centered the atten- tion of the boys on Arthur? What roused Tom to in- dignant action? After all had retired why could Tom not go to sleep? Try to state the terms of his problem or conflict. What was the result of all his thinking? Did he do a very difficult thing? Why was it difficult? What was the great lesson he learned? Jackets. A short coat. Jackets for boys throughout the first half of the nineteenth century came only to the waist. — Snivelling. Whining. Used as a term of the ut- most contempt. — Sixth form. The word "form" refers to a class or rank of pupils, somewhat as our word "grade" does. — Rugby. One of the most famous of the preparatory schools of England. — Arnold. Thomas Arnold (1795- 1842) was head-master at Rugby from 1828 until his death. — A still, small voice. See I Kings, 19, 12. — Words of the publican. See Luke, 18, 10-14. — Conquered his own cow- ard spirit. See Proverbs, 16, 32. AT MORNING (Stevenson — IV — 155.) One of the best known and most suggestive of the prayers composed by Robert Louis Stevenson for the family altar in his far-away home in the Southern Pacific. Commit to memory and try to make its brave spirit your own. W T hat are the things that are peti- tioned for? 15 AT THE MONUMENT (Nicholson — V — 210.) This poem is a good example of the sonnet. A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines, with a certain arrangement of the rimes. The lines are arranged in two groups: (1) A major group of eight lines, called the octave, made up of two quatrains, (2) a group of six lines, called the sextette, made up of two tercets, or three- line groups. The rime scheme is as follows: abba, abba; cdcdcd. The octave tells a little story, or presents a situation. The sextette draws a conclusion, or indicates the signifi- cance of the situation. What is the story told in the opening lines? What kind of monument is referred to? The events that are commemorated mean no more to the child than "some fable of the skies"; why? The sextette answers this question. Why is the speaker moved by what he notices? The inability of the child to realize the realities, the tragedy, of human life, shows that she is akin to Wordsworth's "little cottage maid" who could not realize the fact of death. With years will come the disillusionment. She is now in "sweet ignorance of wounds and scars." What does the monument mean to her? BALDWIN, JAMES An American author and compiler of text-books. Born in Hamilton County, Indiana, 1841. Educated in the com- mon schools, teacher, and superintendent of schools at Huntington, Ind. Was connected with the educational department of Harper & Bros., 1887-90; assistant editor of Harper's Magazine, 1890-93; school-book editor for the American Book Co., 1893 — . In addition to various books of an educational nature he compiled two of the most widely known series of readers, Harper's Readers and the Baldwin Readers. Selections: II, 152; IV, 158. BANKS, GEORGE LINNAEUS An English poet, orator, and journalist, born in 1821, died in 1881. He published several volumes of verse, some 16 plays and burlesques, many popular songs, and a well- known poem, entitled "What I Live For," one stanza of which is given in the third reader (151). This poem has often been ascribed (wrongly) to other authors. BARBAULD, ANNA LETITIA An English poetess of some note, and the author of several books for children. She was born in Leicester- shire, June 20, 1743, and died at Stoke Newington, March 5, 1825. Selection: IV, 152. BAREFOOT BOY, THE (Whit tier— IV— 224.) This is one of the best known of Whittier's poems, simple m style, and throwing a halo of wonder and romance about the simple joys of boyhood. Who is ihe speaker? Is the poem written from the stand- point of the boy or from that of a man who has long passed beyond his childhood? The poem certainly re- flects the feelings of a man of middle-age, who, in the midst of his trials and troubles, comes across a happy youngster, as yet innocent of the difficulties of life. If so, why have this poem in a book for children? It is a well established fact that we do not always realize our blessings at the moment of possession, and the poem ought to stir the reader to a fuller consciousness of the joys that are really his. Ere it passes, barefoot boy!" "Ah! that thou couldst know thy joy, Describe the boy as he appears in the first paragraph. Dees the poet make you see him clearly? What is meant by "kissed by strawberries"? Note that the second para- graph asserts the superiority of the boy's situation to that of the "grown-up" and to the millionaire possesor of this world's goods. The grown-up man is only one among many equals; the boy is free from limitations, — a prince. In what does he surpass the "million-dollared"? In the third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs the speaker expresses his longings for the splendid possessions of the boy, and in a way realizes his desires by losing himself in 17 the joys mentioned. The third paragraph points out that the boy is "part and parcel" of the joy of nature. What four gifts are mentioned under this head? (i. Play, what kind? 2. Sleep. Explain "that wakes in laughing day." 3. Health. How does it mock "the doctor's rules"? 4. Knowledge. What kind of knowledge?) Do you know all the things that this boy knew, as, for instance, "how the tortoise bears his shell"? or how the hornet's nest is built? If you do not, maybe by a little closer attention and observation you could get closer to nature than you are. The fourth paragraph expresses the sense of owner- ship on the part of the boy toward everj'thing around him. The world is a "complex Chinese toy" made for him. To what month of the year is the period when this feel- ing exists likened? Why? Mention the experiences which contributed to this sense of complete ownership? (Apples of Hesperides. A reference to one of the twelve labors of Hercules, in which he secured the golden ap- ples from the garden guarded by the hundred-headed ser- pent. Read the story in Hawthorne's "Wonder Book.") The fifth paragraph describes the glories attending the close of the day of busy enjoyment, — the feast and its joyous pomp. Picture the scene clearly. Where is the boy? What is he doing? Notice the sunset colors. In- dicate the parts of the "regal tent." Notice that all this pomp, — the banquet, purple curtains, orchestra, brilliant illumination is explained by the presence of the "mon- arch." Notice that the speaker has gradually lost sight of the fact that he is "grown-up" and has lost himself in the remembered experiences of his boyhood. In the final paragraph are certain exhortations and good wishes. Certain unpleasant experiences that are sure to come are hinted at. Have you ever tried to walk over a "flinty slope" or a "new-mown sward"? Can you think of things in life that such experiences may typify? What is meant by "prison cells of pride"? Would one who had never gone barefooted realize the meaning of this? The hope is expressed in closing that these feet may never 18 be on "forbidden ground" and may not sink in "quick and treacherous sands of sin." Try to put in your own lan- guage what these expressions mean. This poem has no regular stanza structure. The lines are four measures in length, the measure used being trochaic. The last measure lacks the unaccented syllable. The rhythm is indicated by the following: Bless'ing | on' thee, | lit'tle | man' Bare'foot I boy', with I cheek' of I tan' ! BATTLE OF THE ANTS, THE (Thoreau— V— 34.) This passage is from "Walden," the most widely read of Thoreau's books. The book gets its name from the pond on the shores of which Thoreau lived for a time. The record of his experiences, the facts of his every day life, but especially of his thoughts and feelings, constitute the material of his book. "Walden'* was published in 1854. The Battle of the Ants is one of the familiar pasages and has been used in many readers with slight changes, as in this case, from the original. "The style of this piece is an imitation of the heroic style of Homer's Tliad,' and is properly a 'mock-heroic' The description of the affairs of the ants with the same elevated style that one would treat the affairs of men gives the effect of a 'quiet humor.' This is, in fact, often a characteristic of Thoreau's style. His 'A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers' borrows its grandeur of style from Homer's 'Odyssey' to describe the unromantic incidents of a ride in a small boat down a small, slug- gish river, for a few miles. The intention of the author is twofold: half seriously endowing the incidents of every- day life with epic dignity, in the belief that there is noth- ing mean and trivial to the poet and philosopher, and that it is the man that adds dignity to the occasion, and not the occasion that dignifies the man; half-satirically treating the human events alluded to as though they were non- heroic, and only fit to be applied to the events of animal life." 19 Follow carefully all the happenings told of. Have you ever studied the habits of ants? It is worth while to spend some time when you have accidentally disturbed an ant hill, in watching the tremendous energy displayed as the members of the tribe hurry about, each one appar- ently with some important work to do. It will not be difhcult to get to the point where you can say with Thoreau: "I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference." Duellum. A Latin word meaning a fight between two persons. — Bellum. The Latin for war, and as the context here shows, meaning a fight between two nations, or par- ties. — Myrmidons. According to legend the warlike race over which Achilles ruled. They accompanied him to Troy. — Internecine. Terribly destructive. — Red republic- ans . . . black imperialists. Thoreau alludes to the French Revolution. The first were the revolutionists, the second those in favor of the Empire. Red has always been the symbol of freedom. — To go by the board. A term borowed from sea life, meaning to go over the side of the ship. What does it mean here? — With his shield or upon it. The Spartan mother, the legend goes, gave her son a shield when he was ready to start to war, with these instructions. It suggests that no disgrace was greater than to return alive, having lost the battle. — Achilles. In the "Iliad" we are told that Achilles sulked in iiis tent on account of what he deemed an injustice at the hands of the Greek commander. When he heard that his dear friend Patroclus had been killed, he vented his wrath and fury on Hector and the Trojans. — Austerlitz or Dresden. Two of the great battles of the Napoleonic wars, the first fought in Dec. 1805, and the second in Aug. !8i3- — Concord Fight. For numbers and carnage, as Thoreau indicates, not to be mentioned as a parallel. The names are those of participants in the Concord fight; Davis and Hosmer the two men killed, Butterick, the commander. — Three-penny tax. Review the history of the Boston Tea Party. — Carbuncles. His protruding eyes 20 glistened like the stone of that name.— Trophies at his saddlebow. Whittier in "Snow Bound" tells of a certain band of Greeks, who, during the war against Turkey, in 1821, rode with "A Turk's head at each saddle bow." Thoreau refers to some such story. BEECHER, HENRY WARD .Born in Litchfield, Conn., June 24, 1813. He was edu- cated for the ministry and after pastorates at Lawrence- burg and Indianapolis, Indiana, was called to Brooklyn, where he labored the rest of his life. During the Civil War he did the nation great service in England. In ad- dition to his published sermons and newspaper writings he wrote a novel called "Norwood" from which two or three passages have often been used in readers. An adap- tation of one of these passages is found in the second reader, page 58. Beecher died March 8, 1887. BEHIND TIME (Hunt — V — 20.) A good example of a concrete sermon. What catastrophe is told of in the first paragraph? To what was it due? What was the situation in the great battle referred to in the second paragraph? What was the result? State the commercial catastrophe told of in the third paragraph? What caused it? What is the con- clusion from these illustrations of what is constantly taking place in life? What is the positive virtue that should be cultivated? Comment on the statement: "Five minutes in a crisis is worth years." BENNETT, HENRY HOLCOMB A magazine writer living in Chillicothe, O., where he was born in 1863. Has written extensively in regard to army life in the West, where he lived for several years, and also on bird and animal topics. He is a water color- ist of merit and illustrates his own articles. Selection: HI, 157. BETTER WAY, THE (Anon. — III — 182.) A very simple little poem, that should be committed to memory. The first four lines in 21 each stanza state the point at issue without any figura- tive language. The last two lines in each stanza use very- suggestive images to picture the thought. The unkind thing has the same effect upon the spirits as the gather- ing clouds upon the sunny day. Why use the word "leaden"? The pleasant report is compared in its effects to the lighting up of the cloudy day. Why use the word "golden"? Do you agree with what the poem says about good and evil report? If you know of anyone who needs the lesson of this poem you might try to take it to him. BIG GAME (Murry-Aaron — IV — 85.) An information lesson in study of which certain facts about alligators are brought out. What are these facts? The selection is written on a familiar plan, that of having some young folks who do not know much take a trip with a wise man who lectures to them and demonstrates the truth of his propositions. The Doctor uses the word "jiffy" in one of his speeches. What does it mean? Would it be correct outside of col- loquial language? BILL OF FARE, THE (Field— II— 40.) What is a "bill of fare"? Why do we always have such good things to eat on Thanksgiving? What time of year is this holiday? Why do we always have a turkey? What is the day really for? Why should we be very happy on that day? Should we try to give enough thanks then to last a whole year? BINGHAM, MADGE A. Author of "Mother Goose Village," a splendidly illus- trated book for children, published by Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago. Selection: III, 1. BIRD KING'S GIFTS, THE (Anon.— Ill— 13.) The growth of interest in Japan, since that country has taken her place as one of the powers of the world, has extended to all phases of her 22 life. The many striking fairy stories familiar to the peo- ple there have been used as the basis for translations and adaptations for children of the western world. Many of these can be used by the teacher on account of the sim- ple and direct art of the narrative, and on account of the value of the moral teaching so plainly suggested. As in mcst fairy stories this moral concerns itself with rewards that come for kindly deeds done towards birds and ani- mals and human beings, as well as toward the fairies themselves. One of the best of these collections is called "Japanese Fairy Tales," compiled by Yei Theodora Ozaki, and published in a cheap form by A. L. Burt Company, New York. In the study of such a narrative as this under consid- eration the main thing to do is to cultivate the power of the child to grasp all the essential points in the story and to see the justice meted out to all parties concerned. As usual it is clear here that riches do not bestow either kind- liness or happiness upon their possessor, and that sel- fishness is likely to bring about its own undoing. Con- trast the situations of the two brothers in possessions and in happiness. What gave the elder brother a chance to show how mean he was? What gave the younger brother and his family a chance to show how good they were? What reward was sent them? Do you suppose they expected any. reward? What wonderful surprise re- sulted from the seed? When he heard of this, what did the elder brother do? Tell what came of it? Do you think he ought to have been punished so severely? Do you like the fortunate brother any better for the way he treated the cruel brother? Do you know what it means "to heap coals of fire" on another's head? Is this story a good example of that? (Read Proverbs, xxv. 21, 22.) BIRD OF WASHINGTON, THE (Butterworth — IV — 71.) John James Audubon was a noted ornithologist, born at New Orleans in 1780, and died at New York in 1857. His chief work was called "Birds of America" and is famous for its fine drawings. 23 It was published at $1,000.00 a copy. As the selection in- dicates he was unsuccessful in establishing himself in business and gave his life finally to pursuing the strong bent of his nature, — interest in birds. The selection deals with his efforts — finally successful — to secure a specimen of the American Eagle. Where did he first see one? What made him think of it as a good symbol of the Re- public? What failure is told of? When he finally secured a specimen what did he decide to call it? Why? Where had eagles been used as national emblems before? Do you know why Franklin objected to the common eagle as the symbol? (He said it was a thief, and dirty.) BIRD'S NEST, A (Hurdis — IV — 216.) These few lines from a practically forgotten poet of the eighteenth century express well the wonder that must impress itself upon any one who really notices the perfect work which the bird does by instinct. Notice that the first sentence expresses the result of his observation. The second sentence asks you to look at the nest from his point of view, — as a result achieved with the beak alone. To make this result stand out the more prominently he calls attention to what the bird did not have. Name these and tell what each could have done. What word in the final clause of this second sentence ex- presses the cause of his admiration? Notice as final reason for his wonder the fact that human ingenuity could not equal the bird's efforts, even if (1) the work- man were skilled, (2) had every possible appliance, and (3) had had twenty years experience. Does this last sentence really ask a question? (It is that form of figura- tion expression called an "interrogation," in which an affirmation is emphasized by putting it in the form of a question.) BIRD VILLAGE, THE (Given— II— 132.) Why did the boys wish to finish their work by spring. Would not any time do as well? How did they know when spring came? Why did they not make all three houses alike? What did they show by 24 their manner of fashioning the house? Why did they take the trouble to make their bird houses? What reward did they hope for? What rent did the blue bird pay? Did he know he was paying rent when he sang to his mate? Commit his song. BLAKE, WILLIAM Born in London, November 28, 1757; died there August 12, 1827. His "Songs of Innocence" were published in 1787, and the "Songs of Experience," designed as a com- panion volume, in 1794. Blake was both poet and painter. An engraver by profession, he hit upon the method of giving his books to the world by a new process. He engraved both text and illustrations in a single scheme of ornamental design and enough copies were printed from these plates to supply the very limited demand. The lack of appreciation in his own day made this a necessary plan of publication. Blake's genius was a strange one. He worked only in the simplest material of life, and his outlook has the directness ancl simplicity of a child. He dreamed dreams and saw visions and was pretty generally regarded as more or less insane by his contemporaries. At the present the critical tendency is to regard Blake as one of the first embodiments of the so-called Romantic spirit which, at the close of the Eighteenth Century, was breaking down the formal standards of the classical school and coming back to Na- ture. He was a thorough mystic, and his later produc- tions belonged to the class of Prophetic books. Four or five of his short poems are widely known: "Piping Down the Valleys Wild," "The Lamb," "Night," and "The Tiger." The last is the selection found in the Fourth Reader, page 50. BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT, THE (Saxe — IV — 16.) This is one of Saxe's finest satires. It presents one of the commonest of human shortcomings, the tendency to feel sure that our own limited under- standing of things is really the whole truth, which in turn, is pretty sure to lead to a stubborn intolerance of 25 other views. What led the six men to go to see the elephant? (Notice the conventional expression, "It was" with which ballads and naratives often begin. What is it equivalent to?) Tell what experience each had in regard to the elephant, and what conclusion each drew. Observe that the last two lines of each stanza are of the nature of a conclusion. Is it important to be sure you have all points of view before drawing definite conclusions? What lesson ought this story to teach us? (To add interest and bring out the idea more prominently, try the experi- ment of taking some irregularly shaped object, which the children have not observed, have them shut their eyes, touch it, in turn, and then try to describe it. Then let them look at the object and see if they have done any better than the blind man with the elephant.) BLUE AND THE GRAY, THE (Finch — V — 211.) This poem has been and is justly popular because of its beautiful appeal to the generous impulses of humanity. It grew out of a news item in the "New York Tribune" and when first published in "The Atlantic Monthly" in September, 1867, it had this item prefixed: "The women of Columbus, Mississippi, ani- mated by nobler sentiments than are many of their sisters, have shown themselves impartial in their offerings, made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederate and of the National Soldiers." Why is the poem called "The Blue and the Gray?" Notice that the news item explains the opening lines, the reference to the Mississippi (the inland river), and the gun boats that plied its waters during the war. What is the idea which the refrain constantly emphasizes? Notice the order of development: Stanzas 1 and 2, the waiting armies asleep. What contrasts? What likeness? Stanza 3, the deed and the. doers. What hints of their state of mind? Stanzas 4 and 5, nature's impartiality. Stanza 6, the quality of the deed. The 2nd and 6th stanzas are closely connected. Would the natural tend- ency be toward "upbraiding"? Why? Why was it a 25 "generous" deed? "Storm of the years that are fading" refers to the four years' strife of the war. What figure? "No braver battle was won;" do you agree? Stanza 7, the effect of such a deed. Nowadays we have reunions of Blue and Gray. BLUEBIRD, THE (Miller— II— 196.) The bluebird, one of the earliest that comes in the spring, may be regarded as the mes- senger or forerunner of that season, and as such is here introduced. Spring being the period of new life and regeneration is pre-eminently a time of cheer, and the bird voices that sentiment in its song. Why is he a "brave little fellow?" What is meant by line five? Lowell, speaking of the bird in "The Vision of Sir Launfal," says "And lets his illumined being o'errun." The flowers addressed in the last stanza, it may be noted, appear in the early spring. Each is individualized by a special appeal. What about the crocus causes the reference to its "eyes?" The color of the violet is thought of as a "mantle of purple and gold," a metaphor. The joy of living should be the experience produced by this song. BOASTING BAMBOO, THE (Peltier — III — 1S8.) Have you noticed in Japanese pictures how often you see the sacred mountain of Fujiyama- This little story starts with a picture domi- nated by that mountain. Describe the scene. What was the way in which the message was brought to the poet? What was the lesson? The story begins with the con- clusion and then goes back to the earlier events upon which that depends. In what way are the trees like hu- man beings you have known? The language in this little fable is especially attractive. Select some of the finer passages. For instance: "Lady Moon could lay no silver path over the water." Did you ever look across a body of water toward the moon? Notice those details that give characteristic touches of Japanese life. 27 BOATS SAIL ON THE RIVERS. (Rossetti — III — 81.) A simple expression of the super- iority of the beauties of nature to those of the works of man. What contrasts are set forth in stanza I? In stanza 2? BOB WHITE (Cooper — III — 253.) A breezy little poem, with a poetic explanation of the quail's joyful whistle. Can you imitate his call? Where does he sit? Why is the word "zigzag" used? What tells you the season? What explanation is proposed in the second stanza? How is it corrected by the third? In reading the refrain of each stanza try to utter the words to the tune used by the quail. BOLTON, SARAH T. Through an evident confusion of similar names the poem on "Indiana" in the fifth reader is attributed to Sarah K. Bolton instead of the. above. The biographical note in the back of the reader also refers to the wrong author. Sarah T. Bolton was born in Newport, Ky., in 1820, the family soon after moving to Madison, Ind. Here she married the editor of a local paper to which she had become a contributor. After the panic of 1837, the Boltons, for a time, kept a tavern on the National road, west of Indianapolis. Mr. Bolton was afterward cus- todian of the old State House and Mrs. Bolton had leisure to devote herself to poetry. Her best known poem is "Paddle Your Own Canoe." She died at her home in Indianapolis in 1893. BOYHOOD OF FRANKLIN, THE (Gordy — IV — 100.) Every boy should read Franklin's "Autobiography," of a portion of which this selection is a simplified version. It is not only one of the greatest autobiographies from the standpoint of its style, but it is especially valuable for inculcating the more common and necessary principles of everyday living. Tell the in- cidents, one after the other, that are given. What traits of character are brought out most prominently? Which 28 ones, do you think, are especially worthy of emulation? What were some of Franklin's rules of conduct? What was "Poor Richard's Almanac"? Quote the maxims given from it? Can you quote any others not given here? What achievements of Franklin can you mention in the fields of statesmanship, diplomacy and invention? BOY'S SONG, A (Hogg — III — 186.) What kind of boy do you think it is that speaks? What was his "chum's" name? Were they together much? What kind of things were they in- terested in? What, characteristics in some other boys that he knew was he unable to understand? Do you like the music in this poem? BREAK, BREAK, BREAK. (Tennyson — V — 191.) This is one of the most beautiful lyrics in the language. A lyric is the expression of some powerful emotion that possessed the writer. In this case Tennyson is giving expression to the blighting grief that came with the sudden death of his friend Arthur Hallam. He has sung this grief in many ways. The most notable is found in his long lyric sequence called "In Memoriam." "Break, Break, Break" was published in the volume of 1842, and the poet says it was "made in a Lincolnshire lane at 5 o'clock in the morning between blossoming hedges." Commit the poem and try by many repetitions to come into touch with its power. Imagine clearly the situation, — a man bowed down with grief at the awful visitation of death which has taken away his dearest friend, standing on the shore of the ocean with its steady, deadening roar as it monotonously breaks on the rocks. "The sound of the sea upon the shore is melancholy when it is not terrifying. The sense of the unutterable oppresses great hearts, at times; especially in the presence of mountains, the sea, death. Shakespere makes Cleo- patra in her last hour have 'immortal yearnings.' Ma- dame Roland on the scaffold wishes for a pen to write down the thoughts that arose in her. The pictures so 29 deftly suggested of the children on the shore, the merry- sailor in his boat, the procession of tall ships with tiering canvas, bring out by contrast the infinite sadness of the sea, — the sea, that separates like death." (MacMechan.) Notice how the speaker's sense of dumbness in his great grief is expressed in stanza I. Notice how the climax comes with the cry of agony at the close of stanza 3, the joyful pictures of ordinary activity in the world serving to impress the terrible sense of loss by contrast. And then notice how the poem shades off in the final stanza into lines of grace and tenderness equal to the clay that is gone forever. BROOK, THE (Tennyson — V — 59.) This poem was first published in a volume called "Maud and other Poems," in 1855. The stanzas given here are portions of a much longer poem, although they are a unit in themselves and are generally printed by themselves in readers and other compilations. Their setting, in brief, is as follows: Lawrence Aylmer, after an absence of twenty years in India, has returned to the scene of his early life in England. Sitting by the side of the familiar brook and recalling certain events of his youth, he saj'.s that here he parted from his poet friend Edmund, who went to Italy in a vain search for health. Edmund had made a song in which the brook expressed itself, and as Lawrence goes on with his remi- niscences he quotes this song in groups of stanzas, four in number. These groups are easily recognized as each one closes with the line "But I go on forever." Thus the brook flows through the poetic landscape as through the real one, adding music and a background to an idyllic story. Notice that the brook speaks. — Haunts. Places much visited. — Coot and hern. Kinds of waterfowl — Sally. Dart forth. — Bicker. "Originally meant to 'skirmish,' and here expresses the tremulous agitation of the stream." — Thorps. Clusters of houses. — Philip's farm. In ths story 30 Philip is the talkative old farmer whose daughter Katie is the center of an interesting love affair. — Chatter. The fourth stanza is a line example of sound echoing sense. — Sharps and trebles. High notes. — Fret. Wear away. — Fallow. "Ploughed land left untilled." — Fairy foreland. A small projection of land, — Willow-weed and mallow. Names of plants which grow in marshy places. — Grayling. A kind of fish. — Waterbreak. Ripple. — Covers. Under- growth, forming shelter for game. — I gloom, I glance. "Pass into shadow and then suddenly into sunlight." — Netted. "Forming a network as it shines through the overhanging branches." — Shingly. Of coarse gravel. The first three stanzas give in general the course of the stream. In what kind of place does it rise? How can you tell? What kind of country does it flow through? Do you suppose there were just thirty hills? or twenty thorps? or half a hundred bridges? (These are examples of the use of a definite for an indefinite number.) What comparison with men is made in the third stanza? How many times is this repeated in the poem? The second group of three stanzas deal mainly with the noise made by the brook and seem to center around the word "chatter." Pick out all the expressions that in- dicate sounds, or that give any characteristic trait of the brook. The third group of three stanzas tell what the brook carries along with it on its winding way. Name these things. The fourth group of four stanzas follow, in the com- plete poem, the happy culmination of the love affair. Do they seem to be in keeping with that idea? How does the brook make the sunbeams dance? What causes the stream to "linger" and "loiter?" "His (Tennyson's) descriptions of nature exhibit two qualities distinct in essence, though sometimes combined. One appears in his landscape-painting: it is the gift of selecting salient features and composing them into an artistic picture.... His other great quality as a nature-poet is seen in the treatment of detail — in vignettes where the result of 31 minute and keen insight is made to live before us in some magical phrase.. ..(His) English is always pure and idiomatic.. . .One of his aims was to recall expressive words which had fallen out of common use. (For in- stance, the word "thorps"). . .His melody, in its finer secrets, eludes analysis; but one element of it, the delicate management of vowel-sounds can be seen" in such lines as "I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles." BROTHER FOX'S TWO DINNERS (Harris — III — 50.) Who tells this story? What in- vitations were received by Mr. Rabbit and Brother Fox? How did Mr. Rabbit make up his mind which to accept? What state of mind was Brother Fox in as to where he would go? Tell how Mr. Rabbit passed Brother Fox. Give an account of Mr. Rabbit's experiences at the bar- becues. Did he find out why Brother Fox did not ap- pear at either? Why was it? Do you find anything "funny" about the way Brother Fox acted? Flave you ever known anybody like him? (Contrast Mr. Rabbit and Brother Fox as types of character.) — Notice the many familiar and colloquial expressions. Consider especially the meaning of these: "once upon a time," "barbecue," "stroke of work," "passed the time of day," "shote," "giblets," "to settle my dinner," "two hours by sun," "a-frying," "licking his chops" — A canebrake is a thicket of canes. BROWN, ABBIE FARWELL A well-known writer for children, living in Boston, Mass. Among her books are "The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts," "In the Days of Giants," "The Flower Princess," "Brothers and Sisters." Selection: II, 64. BROWNING, ELIZABETH BARRETT Probably the greatest woman poet the world has pro- duced. She was born near Durham, in the north of Eng- 32 land, March 6, 1806. While still a child she wrote verses, and could read Homer in the original at eight years old. At fifteen she met with an accident while saddling her pony which made her practically an invalid for life. The Barretts moved to London in 1835. In 1846 Elizabeth married the poet Robert Browning and this marriage proved one of the happiest on record, and those poems written by each in honor of the other are among the noblest expressions of love in the language. The Brown- ings went to Italy in 1847, and lived at Florence until Mrs. Browning's death, — June 29, 1861. "Her purely lyrical utterances, like the 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' and such poems as 'The Sleep/ 'Cowper's Grave/ 'A Musical Instrument/ 'The Cry of the Children' — to name a few of the chief — form perhaps her greatest achievement.. But learned poems — if we may so call them — like 'Wine of Cyprus' and 'A Vision of Poets/ novel-poems like 'Lady Geraldine's Courtship' and 'Aurora Leigh,' and romantic ballad poems like the 'Rhyme of the Dutchess May,' are all in their kind of the very greatest excellence." (Elizabeth Lee.) "The Sonnets from the Portuguese" — ■ a great sonnet-sequence — place her along with Shakes- peare, Milton and Wordsworth, as a master of that most difficult form of poetry. She was interested in all the great problems and reforms of her day and her "Cry of the Children" remains to this day the clarion voice calling the world to a neglected duty. In recognition of her great services in behalf of the Italian struggle for liberty the municipality of Florence placed a tablet on the house she occupied with this inscription by the Italian poet Tommaseo. Here lived and died Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who in her woman's heart reconciled the science of learning with the spirit of poetry and made of her verse a golden ring between Italy and England. Grateful Florence places this tablet, 1861. BROWNING, ROBERT Born in Camberwell, London, May 7, 1812, was well educated and early developed a liking for books, and 33 especially for the acquirement of out of the way knowl- edge. It is probably the introduction of this ma- terial into his poetry that has so often given rise to the charge of wilful obscurity. He married, in 1846, Eliza- beth Barrett, the poet, and they lived, until her death in 1861, chiefly in Florence, Italy. Browning's work is voluminous, the most convenient form in which it is to be had probably being the Cambridge edition in one volume published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass. His favorite form of composition seemed to be the dramatic monologue. Died in Venice, December 12, 1889, on the same day that his last volume, "Asolando," was published in London. Mrs. Orr's Life and Letters of Browning is a standard authority, while Sharp's Life in the English Men of Letters series is a briefer and handier volume for the ordinary reader. Berdoe's "Browning Cyclopaedia" is a valuable explanatory handbook. Selec- tions: II, 30; IV, 131; V, 7, 206, 310, 317. BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN Born at Cummington, Mass., November 3, 1794; showed skill early in composing verses; studied law; wrote "Thanatopsis" in his eighteenth year; became connected with "The Evening Post," New York City, in 1825; made editor-in-chief in 1828, which position he held until his death, June 12, 1878. The authorized edition of his poetry is published by D. Appleton & Company, New York City. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are pub- lished by Houghton, Mifflin & Company, Boston, Mass. The authoritative memoir is by his son-in-law, Parke Godwin, while a briefer and more readable life is found in the American Men of Letters series by John Bigelow. Selections: V, 18. BUILDER'S LESSON, A (O'Reilly — V — 84.) What is the question asked at the beginning of the poem? What is the general answer? All the rest of the poem is an elaboration of the idea in the second line. State the comparison to the threads. To the building. What principle is stated in the second 34 paragraph about the ease with which we can back out of a habit? What comparison is used to illustrate the prin- ciple? Does the waste in wrong habits consist merely in the forming of them or partly, at any rate, in the use of great stores of energy in order to break them? (See last paragraph.) What end in life makes necessary this great effort? What final illustration makes clear the method? This is a splendid little poem to set forth the tyranny of habit, and thus to impress a sense of the importance of proper direction of effort. Probably the saddest fact about humanity is not its lack of energy, but its tremen- dous waste of energy. BUNNER, HENRY CUYLER Born at Oswego, New York, August 3, 1855, entered journalism in 1873, later became editor of "Puck," which position he retained until his death at Nutley, New Jersey, May 11, 1896. One of his poems, "One, Two, Three," has found its way into numerous collections intended for children, and appears in the second reader, p. 164. BUNYAN, JOHN The author of the greatest prose allegory in our language. He was born in 1628, at the little village of Elstow; in Bedfordshire, England. His father was a tinker, a mender of pans and pots, and the boy was brought up for the same humble occupation. His educa- tion was apparently confined to the merest rudiments and the Bible and Foxe's "Book of Martyrs" seemed to com- prise his reading, even in later life. A vivid and morbid conscience led him, upon conversion, to believe himself the most terrible of sinners. Visions of the miserable fate awaiting him took possession of his mind. With a sin- cerity and directness posssessed by few men he became one of the most effective of preachers. The homely illustration and the simple style of the Bible gave his writings a power as great as his spoken word,— with the additional advantage that they are available for the world at large. Shortly after the Restoration, in 1660, Bunyan was arrested for preaching without authority and spent 35 about twelve years in Bedford jail. A second and shorter period of imprisonment took place in 1675, and during this later period "Pilgrim's Progress" was probably written. It is the story of a journey from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City. Under the "similitude of a dream" this wonderful book tells of the experiences that come to all who attempt to live the larger life. Bunyan lived in a period when the matter of "salvation" was of supreme importance in men's minds, and when the conflict between the ways of the "world" and the demands of "righteousness" seemed in irreconcilable opposition. ''Pilgrim's Progress," next to the Bible, has been the most widely read of books, and it survives all changes and fashions of theology, because its power is in the genius with which it portrays what every reader recognizes as the essentials of his own struggle. Other books by Bunyan are, "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners," "The Holy War," and "The Life and Death of Mr. Bad- man." He died in August, 1688. Selection: V, 41. EURNETT, FRANCES HODGSON Born at Manchester, England, in 1849. The family moved to Knoxville, Tenn., in 1865. After her marriage, Mrs. Burnett removed to Washington, where she has lived mainly since. She is the author of a large number of stories and plays that have enjoyed great popularity. Of books for younger people there are "Little Lord Fauntleroy," "Sara Crewe," "Little Saint Elizabeth." Other titles are "That Lass of Lowrie's," "A Lady of Quality," "The Dawn of a Tomorrow." Selection: IV, 61. BURNING OF MOSCOW, THE This descriptive sketch is one of the striking passages in Mr. Headley's "Napoleon and his Marshals." It has the qualities of exaggeration in language, the melodra- matic, which have made the book popular, and which are perhaps necesary in order to make much impression on the ordinary reader. The account refers to the burning 36 of Moscow by the Russians at the time the city was lying helpless before the all-conquering armies of Napoleon in September 1812. This ev.ent made necessary the dis- astrous retreat of Napoleon's forces. The Kremlin is the famous citadel of Moscow. The four paragraphs given present the scene from two points of view. First, two paragraphs tell what one in the city itself might see. Second, two paragraphs tell- how it looked from Napoleon's position. Enumerate the features mentioned in the opening paragraphs. Pick out the expressions that emphasize the terrible nature of the fire. What were the features that would impress one from the position occupied by Napoleon? Where was he located? What did he afterward say about it? How could such a scene of "woe and fear" be "sublime." BURNS, ROBERT Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, January 25, 1759. Though his family was poor, Burns was fairly well educated and his miscellaneous reading was considerable. His life was a grim fight with poverty, ill-luck, and the well-known weaknesses of character which beset him. Various unfor- tunate attempts at farming and some years spent as ex- ciseman in the revenue service comprise the main outward features of his life. Burns early began to write poetry and his reputation rests upon the fact that his lyrics are the direct outpourings of a heart essentially noble, full of pride and independence, and a wide, abundant sympathy for all things both great and small. It would require a long list to name all of his poems that have become as household words, but the list would certainly include "Tarn O'Shanter," "The Cotter's Saturday Night," "Honest Pov- erty," "Highland Mary/' "To Mary in Heaven," "Of a' the airts," "Sweet Afton," "John Anderson," "To a Mouse," "To a Mountain Daisy." Burns's health and spirits gave way under the hard stress of his experiences and he died at Dumfries, July 21, 1796, in his 37th year. Among the best brief discussions of his life and work may be men- tioned Shairp's life in the English Men of Letters, and Carlyle's famous essay. Selection: V, 108. BURROUGHS, JOHN One of the most delightful of American essayists, born at Roxbury, N. Y., April 3, 1837. His early life was spent in teaching, journalism, and as an official of the Treasury Department at Washington. For many years he has lived quietly in retirement at Esopus, N. Y., devoting himself to his favorite pursuit of observing nature and recording his conclusions. These conclusions embody as much of his own personality as of mere nature, and give his many essays that fine flavor that distinguishes them. Emerson, Whitman, and Matthew Arnold are the masters who have influenced him most. His works, in collected form, now number fifteen volumes, published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. Among them are "Wake Robin," "Locusts and Wild Honey," "Fresh Fields" and "Sharp Eyes." Selection: V, 126. BUTTERFLY HUNTERS, THE (Murray-Aaron — V — 85.) A science lesson cast in the form of a story in which the Doctor makes clear some very interesting things to some boys who see, but do not understand what they see, until shown how. Where did these observations take place? What did the boys see that they did not understand? Tell all that they found out. — Pestiferous. Annoying. — Such a lesson as this ought to stir up greater enthusiasm in the matter of studying the many facts in the natural world around us, and can be used as the starting point in much effective elementary science work. BUTTERWORTH, HEZEKIAH Born at Warren, R. I., in 1839. He was a well-known writer of books and poetry for young people. For many years he was a prominent member of the editorial staff of "The Youth's Companion." Among his popular books 38 are "Zigzag Journeys," "A Knight of Liberty," and "The Boyhood of Lincoln." tie died in 1905. Selections: IV, 71; V, 144. BUTTS, MARY F. Selections: II, 46; III, 20. BYRON, GEORGE NOEL GORDON, LORD Born in London, June 22, 1788. Was lame as the result of deformed feet and this fact had much to do in making him morbid throughout his life. His whole career was eccentric, wild, and turbulent. While at Cambridge he wrote "Hours v of Idleness" and in retaliation for the severe criticism which appeared in the Edinburg Review he wrote his famous satire called, "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" is the most famous of his longer poems, while the "Prisoner of Chillon" is perhaps the best known of his briefer poems. He was much interested in the Greek war for independ- ence, and went to that country to espouse its cause. He died at Missolonghi, Greece, April 19, 1824. His life by Nichol is found in the English Men of Letters series. Selections: V, 51, 257. CABIN IN THE FOREST, THE (Butterworth — V — 144.) This selection tells an incident in the life of the famous naturalist Audubon. Observe that it is practically all in Audubon's own words. Tell the story in detail. What features of the country im- pressed the speaker? What customs and habits of life are mentioned that belong to pioneer life ? What part did the wounded Indian play in the story? The dog? What led to the naturalist's escape? Jerked buffalo meat. Long strips of meat cured by drying over a fire or in the sun. — Flints .... primings. Did you ever see an old flint-lock? You can find a picture, maybe, in the dictionary or in an encyclopedia. CALLING THE QUAIL (Sharp— IV--250.) What facts about the life history of the quail are brought out in the first paragraph? What 39 one in the rest of the selection? Tell clearly what the observer noticed. Probably some member of the class has seen the same thing. Can you make the sounds de- scribed? Does this selection make you sympathize more or less with quail hunting? — Bevy. This word suggests an interesting study in synonyms. The following is from the Century dictionary: "Flock is the popular term for birds of many sorts; it is applied by sportsmen especially to wild ducks, geese, and shore-birds. Herbert applies gaggle to geese; Colquhoun applies it to geese swimming; it is not used in the United States. Covey is applied to several kinds of birds, especially partridges and pinnated grouse. Pack is applied to the pinnated grouse in the late season when they go in "packs" or large flocks. Gang is applied to wild turkeys, wisp to snipe, bevy to quail, sedge to herons. Brood applies to the mother and her young till the latter are old enough for game." CAMEL AND THE PIG, THE (Anon. — II — 82.) What sort of a feeling prompted the camel to pride himself on his height? Did the pig likely have the same feeling when he expressed pleasure at being short? What agreement did they come to? How did the camel prove being tall was a great advantage? How did the pig prove being short was an advantage? If they had kept their word what would have happened after the camel had his breakfast over the wall? What would have happened after the pig had his breakfast under the gate? Had they after all proven anything? Why was it a foolish agreement? CANDLE-MAKING AT THE COOLIDGES' (Stone -Fickctt— TV — 186.) This selection enables the child to understand a bit of domestic economy that be- longs to a past time. Interesting comparisons may be instituted between present methods of lighting and those of the past. We can buy candles at the store, but they are not made of tallow nor by the methods described in this selection. They are made from the products of petroleum. Why was Patience so interested in the 40 matter? Follow the process closely and be able to tell just what steps were necessary. Why do you suppose Governor Winthrop had more light at his house than the Coolidges had? Why did they need a '"snuffer tray and snuffers"? What satisfaction did Patience have from her candle? CAREFUL OBSERVER, THE (Colton — IV — 75.) This passage is taken from the noted old book called "Lacon, or Many Things in Few Words." It is clear that Sherlock Holmes had his pro- totype in far-a-way times and lands. What made the mer- chants think the dervish had stolen their camel? What did they do with him? What was the result of the trial? If he was neither a liar nor a thief, how could his certain knowledge be accounted for to the minds of the mer- chants? What explanation did he give of the mystery? Was it any mystery at all? What trait of mind does his explanation show he possessed? Does it seem reasonable to you? Do you observe things as carefully as the dervish did? Dervish. A Mohammedan monk. — Cadi. A Turkish village-judge. — Sorcerer. A magician, one pos- sessing supernatural powers. CARLYLE, THOMAS One of the greatest and strangest of original writers and ethical teachers. He was born in the little Scottish village of Ecclefechan, in 1795. As the eldest of nine sons he was intended by his parents for the church and was brought up under the strict conditions of the life of his day. He was a hard student, apt in the classics and, especially, in mathematics. He tried teaching and dis- liked it. He found himself out of sympathy with the orthodoxy of his day and soon gave up any plans for the ministry. His intense, sham-hating mind tended toward gloominess, and this was intensified by his dyspepsia, "gnawing like a rat at his stomach." He became in- terested in German literature and translated Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister" and other representative selections 41 from modern writers. In 1826, Carlyle married Jane Welsh and they settled on a lonely farm at Craigenput- toch. Here for six years he lived and toiled at his great masterpiece, "Sartor Resartus." His unusual and uncouth style at first shut him off from the public, but the vitality of his message soon forced the world to listen. In 1834 the Carlyles moved to Chelsea, a surburb of London, and here he lived until his death in 1881. His "History of the French Revolution" in 1837 gave him an assured place among our great writers. Other books by Carlyle are "On Heroes and Hero Worship, " "Past and Present," "Cromwell's Letters and Speeches," "History of the Life and Times of Frederick, commonly called the Great." (The chief biographer of Carlyle is the historian, J. A. Fronde. Shorter and reliable accounts are those in the English Men of Letters series by- J. Nichol, and in the Great Writers Series by Richard Garnett.) Carlyle was not a poet, and hence the little verses (V, 22) do not give much idea of his real qualities. CARROLL, LEWIS (See Dodgson, Charles L.) CARY, ALICE Born near Cincinnati, Ohio, April 20, 1820; began to write at an early age; removed in 1852 to New York where she resided, until her death, February 12, 1871, with her sister — Phoebe, who was born September 24, 1824, and died July 31, 1871. The work of the two sisters was very closely connected, Phoebe, however, writing less than her sister, the care