Concerningthefundamentalpointsofmethodintellingastory,IhavelittletoaddtotheprincipleswhichIhavealreadystatedasnecessary,inmyopinion,inthebookofwhichthisis,inaway,thecontinuation。Butinthetwoyearswhichhavepassedsincethatbookwaswritten,I
havehadthehappinessofworkingonstoriesandthetellingofthem,amongteachersandstudentsalloverthiscountry,andinthatexperiencecertainsecondarypointsofmethodhavecometoseemmoreimportant,oratleastmoreinneedofemphasis,thantheydidbefore。Assooftenhappens,Ihadassumedthat"thosethingsaretakenforgranted;"whereas,tothebeginnerortheteachernotnaturallyastory—teller,thesecondaryorimpliedtechniqueisoftenofgreaterdifficultythanthemasteryofunderlyingprinciples。Thefewsuggestionswhichfollowareofthispractical,obviouskind。
Takeyourstoryseriously。Nomatterhowriotouslyabsurditis,orhowfullofinanerepetition,remember,ifitisgoodenoughtotell,itisarealstory,andmustbetreatedwithrespect。Ifyoucannotfeelsotowardit,donottellit。Havefaithinthestory,andintheattitudeofthechildrentowarditandyou。Ifyoufailinthis,theimmediateresultwillbeatouchofshame—
facedness,affectingyourmannerunfavorably,and,probably,influencingyouraccuracyandimaginativevividness。
PerhapsIcanmakethepointclearerbytellingyouaboutoneofthegirlsinaclasswhichwasstudyingstorieslastwinter;Ifeelsureifsheoranyofherfellowstudentsrecognizestheincident,shewillnotresentbeingmadetoservethegoodcause,evenintheunattractiveguiseofawarningexample。
Afewmembersoftheclasshadpreparedthestoryof"TheFishermanandhisWife。"Thefirstgirlcalledonwasevidentlyinclinedtofeelthatitwasratherafoolishstory。Shetriedtotellitwell,buttherewerepartsofitwhichproducedinherthetouchofshamefacednesstowhichIhavereferred。
Whenshecametotherhyme,——
"Omanofthesea,come,listentome,ForAlice,mywife,theplagueofmylife,Hassentmetobegaboonofthee,"
shesaiditratherrapidly。Atthefirstrepetitionshesaiditstillmorerapidly;thenexttimeshecametothejingleshesaiditsofastandsolowthatitwasunintelligible;
andthenextrecurrencewastoomuchforher。Withablushandahesitatingsmileshesaid,"Andhesaidthatsamething,youknow!"Ofcourseeverybodylaughed,andofcoursethethreadofinterestandillusionwashopelesslybrokenforeverybody。
Now,anyonewhochancedtohearMissShedlocktellthatsamestorywillrememberthattheabsurdrhymegavegreatopportunityforexpression,initsveryrepetition;
eachtimethatthefishermancametothewater’sedgehischagrinandunwillingnesswasgreater,andhissummonstothemagicfishmirroredhisfeeling。ThejingleIS
foolish;thatisapartofthecharm。ButifthepersonwhotellsitFEELSfoolish,thereisnocharmatall!Itisthesameprinciplewhichappliestoanyaddresstoanyassemblage:ifthespeakerhastheairoffindingwhathehastosayabsurdorunworthyofeffort,theaudiencenaturallytendstofollowhislead,andfinditnotworthlisteningto。
Letmeurge,then,takeyourstoryseriously。
Next,"takeyourtime。"Thissuggestionneedsexplaining,perhaps。Itdoesnotmeanlicensetodawdle。Nothingismuchmoreannoyinginaspeakerthantoogreatdeliberateness,orthanhesitationofspeech。Butitmeansaquietrealizationofthefactthatthefloorisyours,everybodywantstohearyou,thereistimeenoughforeverypointandshadeofmeaningandnoonewillthinkthestorytoolong。Thismentalattitudemustunderliepropercontrolofspeed。Neverhurry。Abusiness—likeleisureisthetrueattitudeofthestoryteller。
Andtheresultisbestattainedbyconcentratingone’sattentionontheepisodesofthestory。Passlightly,andcomparativelyswiftly,overtheportionsbetweenactualepisodes,buttakeallthetimeyouneedfortheelaborationofthose。Andaboveall,donotFEELhurried。
Thenextsuggestioniseminentlyplainandpractical,ifnotanalltooobviousone。
Itisthis:ifallyourpreparationandconfidencefailsyouatthecrucialmoment,andmemoryplaysthepartoftraitorinsomeparticular,if,inshort,youblunderonadetailofthestory,NEVERADMITIT。Ifitwasanunimportantdetailwhichyoumisstated,passrighton,acceptingwhateveryousaid,andcontinuingwithit;ifyouhavebeensounfortunateastoomitafactwhichwasanecessarylinkinthechain,putitin,later,asskillfullyasyoucan,andwithasdeceptiveanappearanceofitsbeingintheintendedorder;butnevertakethechildrenbehindthescenes,andletthemhearthecreakingofyourmentalmachinery。
Youmustbeinfallible。Youmustbeinthesecretofthemystery,andadmityouraudienceonsomewhatunequalterms;
theyshouldhavenocreepingdoubtsastoyourcompleteinitiationintothesecretsofthehappeningsyourelate。
Plainly,therecanbelapsesofmemorysocomplete,soall—embracing,thatfrankfailureistheonlyoutcome,butthesearesofewasnottoneedconsideration,whendealingwithsosimplematerialasthatofchildren’sstories。Therearetimes,too,beforeanadultaudience,whenaspeakercanaffordtolethishearersbeamusedwithhimoverachancemistake。Butwithchildrenitismostunwisetobreakthespelloftheentertainmentinthatway。Consider,inthematterofadetailofactionordescription,howabsolutelyunimportantthemereaccuracyis,comparedwiththeeffectofsmoothnessandtheenjoymentofthehearers。Theywillnotrememberthedetail,forgoodorevil,halfsolongastheywillrememberthefactthatyoudidnotknowit。So,fortheirsakes,aswellasforthesuccessofyourstory,coveryourslipsofmemory,andletthembeasiftheywerenot。
AndnowIcometotwopointsinmethodwhichhavetodoespeciallywithhumorousstories。Thefirstisthepowerofinitiatingtheappreciationofthejoke。Everynaturalhumoristdoesthisbyinstinctandthevalueofthepowertostory—tellercanhardlybeoverestimated。Toinitiateappreciationdoesnotmeanthatonenecessarilygiveswaytomirth,thougheventhatissometimesnaturalandeffective;onemerelyfeelstheapproachofthehumorousclimax,andsubtlysuggeststothehearersthatitwillsoonbe"timetolaugh。"Thesuggestionusuallycomesintheformoffacialexpression,andinthetone。Andchildrenaresomuchsimpler,andsomuchmoreaccustomedtofollowinganother’sleadthantheirelders,thattheexpressioncanbemuchmoreoutrightandunguardedthanwouldbepermissiblewithamatureaudience。
Childrenliketofeelthejokecoming,inthisway;theylovetheanticipationofalaugh,andtheywillbegintodimple,often,atyourfirstunconscioussuggestionofhumor。Ifitislacking,theyaresometimesafraidtofollowtheirowninstincts。
Especiallywhenyouarefacinganaudienceofgrownpeopleandchildrentogether,youwillfindthatthelatterareveryhesitantaboutinitiatingtheirownexpressionofhumor。Itismoredifficulttomakethemforgettheirsurroundingsthen,andmoredesirabletogivethemahappylead。Oftenatthefunniestpointyouwillseesomesmalllistenerinanagonyofendeavortocloakthemirthwhichhe——poormite——
fearstobeindecorous。Lethimseethatitis"thething"tolaugh,andthateverybodyisgoingto。
Havingsostimulatedtheappreciationofthehumorousclimax,itisimportanttogiveyourhearerstimeforthefullsavorofthejesttopermeatetheirconsciousness。
Itisreallyrobbinganaudienceofitsrights,topasssoquicklyfromonepointtoanotherthatthemindmustloseanewoneifitlingerstotakeintheold。Everyvitalpointinatalemustbegivenacertainamountoftime:byananticipatorypause,bysomeformofvocalorrepetitiveemphasis,andbyactualtime。Butevenmorethanothertalesdoesthefunnystorydemandthis。Itcannotbefunnywithoutit。
Everyonewhoisfamiliarwiththetheatremusthavenoticedhowcarefulallcomediansaretogivethispauseforappreciationandlaughter。Oftentheopportunityiscrudelygiven,ortooliberallyoffered;
andthatoffends。Butinareasonabledegreethepracticeisundoubtedlynecessarytoanyformofhumorousexpression。
Aremarkablygoodexampleofthetypeofhumorousstorytowhichtheseprinciplesofmethodapply,isthestoryof"Epaminondas。"
Itwillbeplaintoanyreaderthatalltheseveralfunnycrisesareoftheperfectlyunmistakablesortchildrenlike,andthat,moreover,thesefunnyspotsarenotonlyeasytosee;theyareeasytoforesee。Thetellercanhardlyhelpsharingthejokeinadvance,andthetaleisanexcellentonewithwhichtopracticeforpowerinthepointsmentioned。
Epaminondasisavaluablelittlerascalfromotherpointsofview,andImeantoreturntohim,topointamoral。ButjusthereIwantspaceforawordortwoaboutthematterofvarietyofsubjectandstyleinschoolstories。
Therearetwowhollydifferentkindsofstorywhichareequallynecessaryforchildren,Ibelieve,andwhichoughttobegiveninabouttheproportionofonetothree,infavorofthesecondkind;Imaketheratiounevenbecausethefirstkindismoredominatinginitseffect。
Thefirstkindisrepresentedbysuchstoriesasthe"PigBrother,"whichhasnowgrownsofamiliartoteachersthatitwillserveforillustrationwithoutrepetitionhere。
Itisthetypeofstorywhichspecificallyteachesacertainethicalorconductlesson,intheformofafableoranallegory,——itpassesontothechildtheconclusionsastoconductandcharacter,towhichtheracehas,ingeneral,attainedthroughcenturiesofexperienceandmoralizing。Thestorybecomesapartoftheoutfitofreceivedideasonmannersandmoralswhichisaninescapableandnecessarypossessionoftheheirofcivilization。
Childrendonotobjecttothesestoriesintheleast,ifthestoriesaregoodones。
Theyacceptthemwiththerelishwhichnatureseemstomaintainforalltrulynourishingmaterial。Andthelittletalesareoneofthemediathroughwhichweeldersmaytransmitsomeveryslightshareofthebenefitreceivedbyus,inturn,fromactualortransmittedexperience。
Thesecondkindhasnopreconceivedmoraltooffer,makesnoattempttoaffectjudgmentortopassonastandard。Itsimplypresentsapictureoflife,usuallyinfableorpoeticimage,andsaystothehearer,"Thesethingsare。"Thehearer,then,consciouslyorotherwise,passesjudgmentonthefacts。Hismindsays,"Thesethingsaregood;"or,"Thiswasgood,andthat,bad;"or,"Thisthingisdesirable,"
orthecontrary。
Thestoryof"TheLittleJackalandtheAlligator"isagoodillustrationofthistype。Itisacharacter—story。Inthenaiveformofafolktale,itdoubtlessembodiestheobservationsofaseeingeye,inacountryandtimewhenthelittlejackalandthegreatalligatorwereevenmorevividimagesofcertainhumancharactersthantheynoware。Againandagain,surely,theauthororauthorsofthetalesmusthaveseentheweak,small,cleverbeingtriumphoverthebulky,well—accoutred,stupidadversary。Againandagaintheyhadlaughedatthediscomfitureofthelatter,perhapsrejoicinginitthemorebecauseitremovedfearfromtheirownhouses。Andprobablyneverhadtheyconcernedthemselvesparticularlywiththebasicethicsofthestruggle。
Itwassimplyoneofthethingstheysaw。Itwaslife。Sotheymadeapictureofit。
Thefolktalesomade,andofsuchcharacter,comestothechildsomewhatasanunprejudicednewspaperaccountofto—
day’shappeningscomestous。Itpleadsnocause,exceptthroughitscontents;itexercisesnointentionedinfluenceonourmoraljudgment;itisthere,aslifeisthere,tobeseenandjudged。Andonlythroughsuchseeingandjudgingcantheindividualperceptionattaintoanythingofpowerororiginality。Justasacertainamountofreceivedideasisnecessarytosanedevelopment,soisadefiniteopportunityforfirst—handjudgmentsessentialtopower。
Inthisepochofwell—trainedmindswerunsomeriskofaninundationofacceptedethics。Themindwhichcanmakeindependentjudgments,canlookatnewfactswithfreshvision,andreachconclusionswithsimplicity,istheperennialpowerintheworld。Andthisisthemindwearenotnoticeablysuccessfulindeveloping,inoursystemofschooling。Letusatleasthaveitsneedsbeforeourconsciousness,inourattemptstosupplementtheregularstudiesofschoolbysuchside—activitiesasstory—telling。Letusgivethechildrenafairproportionofstorieswhichstimulateindependentmoralandpracticaldecisions。
Andnowforabriefreturntoourlittleblackfriend。"Epaminondas"belongstoaverylarge,veryancienttypeoffunnystory:thetaleinwhichthejestdependswhollyonanabnormaldegreeofstupidityonthepartofthehero。Everyracewhichproducesstoriesseemstohavefoundthisthemeanaturaloutletforitschildlikelaughter。ThestupidityofLazyJack,ofBigClaus,oftheGoodMan,ofCleverAlice,allhavetheircounterpartsinthefollyofthesmallEpaminondas。
Evidently,suchstorieshaveservedapurposeintheeducationoftherace。Whiletheexaggerationoffamiliarattributeseasilyawakensmirthinasimplemind,itdoesmore:itteachespracticallessonsofwisdomanddiscretion。Andpossiblythelessonwastheoriginalcauseofthestory。
Notlongago,Ihappeneduponaninstanceoftheteachingpowerofthesenonsensetales,soamusingandconvincingthatIcannotforbeartoshareit。A
primaryteacherwhoheardmetell"Epaminondas"
oneevening,toldittoherpupilsthenextmorning,withgreateffect。A
youngteacherwhowasobservingintheroomatthetimetoldmewhatbefell。
Shesaidthechildrenlaughedveryheartilyoverthestory,andevidentlylikeditmuch。Aboutanhourlater,oneofthemwassenttotheboardtodoalittleproblem。
Ithappenedthatthechildmadeanexcessivelyfoolishmistake,anddidnotnoticeit。Asheglancedattheteacherforthefamiliarsmileofencouragement,shesimplyraisedherhands,andejaculated"`Forthelaw’ssake!’"
Itwassufficient。Thechildtookthecueinstantly。Helookedhastilyathiswork,brokeintoanirrepressiblegiggle,rubbedthefiguresout,withoutaword,andbeganagain。Andthewholeclassenteredintothejokewiththegustooffellow—fools,foroncewise。
Itissafetoassumethatthechildinquestionwillmakefewerneedlessmistakesforalongtimebecauseofthewholesomereminderofhislikenesswithonewho"ain’tgotthesensehewasbornwith。"
Andwhatoccurredsovisiblyinhiscasegoesonquietlyinthehiddenrecessesofthemindinmanycases。One"Epaminondas"
isworththreelectures。
Iwishthereweremoreofsuchfunnylittletalesintheworld’sliterature,allready,asthisoneis,fortellingtotheyoungestofourlisteners。Butmasterpiecesarefewinanyline,andstoriesfortellingarenoexception;ittookgenerations,probably,tomakethisone。Thedemandfornewsourcesofsupplycomessteadilyfromteachersandmothers,andisthemoreinsistentbecausesooftenmetbythedisappointingrecommendationsofbookswhichprovetobeforreadingonly,ratherthanfortelling。Itwouldbeadelighttoprintalistoffifty,twenty—five,eventenbookswhichwouldbefoundfullofstoriestotellwithoutmuchadapting。
ButIamgratefultohavefoundevenfewerthantheten,towhichIamsuretheteachercanturnwithrealprofit。Thefollowingnamesare,ofcourse,additionaltothelistcontainedin"HowtoTellStoriestoChildren。"
ALLABOUTJOHNNIEJONES。ByCarolynVerhoeff。
MiltonBradleyCo。,Springfield,Mass。Valuableforkindergartnersasasupplyofrealisticstorieswithpracticallessonsinsimplestform。
OLDDECCANDAYS。ByMaryFrere。JosephMcDonough,Albany,NewYork。AsplendidcollectionofHindufolktales,adaptableforallages。
THESILVERCROWN。ByLauraE。Richards。
Little,Brown&Co。,Boston。Poeticfableswithbeautifulsuggestionsofethicaltruths。
THECHILDREN’SHOUR。BYEvaMarchTappan。
Houghton,Mifflin&Co。,Boston,NewYork,andChicago。Aclassifiedcollection,intenvolumes,offairy,folktales,fables,realistic,historical,andpoeticalstories。
FORTHECHILDREN’SHOUR。BYCarolynBaileyandClaraLewis。MiltonBradleyCo。,Springfield。
Ageneralcollectionofpopularstories,welltold。
THESONSOFCORMAC。ByAldisDunbar。Longmans,Green&Co。,London。RathermaturebutveryfineIrishstories。
Forthebenefitofsuggestiontoteachersinschoolswherestory—tellingisnewlyornotyetintroducedinsystematicform,Iamgladtoappendthefollowinglistofstorieswhichhavebeenfound,onseveralyears’trial,tobeespeciallytellableandlikable,incertaingradesoftheProvidenceschools,inRhodeIsland。Thelistisnotmine,althoughitembodiessomeofmysuggestions。Iofferitmerelyasapracticalresultoftheefforttoequalizeandextendthestory—hourthroughouttheschools。Itsmakerswouldbethelasttoclaimidealmeritforit,andtheyareconstantlyimprovinganddevelopingit。IamindebtedfortheprivilegeofusingittotheprimaryteachersofProvidence,andtotheirsupervisor,MissEllaL。Sweeney。
STORIESFORREPRODUCTION
FIRSTGRADE
ChickenLittleTheDogandhisShadowBarnyardTalkTheHareandtheHoundLittleRedHenFiveLittleRabbitsLittleGingerbreadBoyTheThreeBearsTheLionandtheMouseTheRed—headedWood—
TheHungryLionpeckerTheWindandtheSunLittleRedRiding—HoodTheFoxandtheCrowLittleHalf—ChickTheDuckandtheHenTheRabbitandtheTurtleTheHareandtheTortoiseTheShoemakerandtheTheThreeLittleRobinsFairiesTheWolfandtheKidTheWolfandtheCraneTheCrowandthePitcherTheCatandtheMouseTheFoxandtheGrapesSnow—WhiteandRose—RedSECONDGRADE
TheNorthWindTheLarkandherLittleTheMousePieOnesTheWonderfulTravelerTheWolfandtheGoslingsTheWolfandtheFoxTheUglyDucklingTheStarDollarsTheCountryMouseandtheTheWater—LilCityMouseTheThreeGoatsTheThreeLittlePigsTheBoyandtheNutsDiamondsandToadsTheHonestWoodmanTheThriftySquirrelThePiedPiperHowtheRobin’sBreastKingMidasbecameRedTheTownMusiciansTheOldWomanandherRaggylugPigPeterRabbitTheSleepingAppleTheBoywhocried"Wolf"TheCatandtheParrotTHIRDGRADE
TheCraneExpressHowtheMolebecameLittleBlackSamboBlindTheLanternandtheFanHowFirewasbroughttoWhytheBearhasaShorttheIndiansTailEchoWhytheFoxhasaWhitePiccolaTiptohisTailTheStoryoftheMorning—
WhytheWrenflieslowGlorySeedJackandtheBeanstalkTheDiscontentedPineTheTalkativeTortoiseTreeFleetWingandSweetVoiceTheBagofWindsTheGoldenFleeceTheFoolishWeather—VaneTheLittleBoywhowantedTheShut—upPosytheMoonPandora’sBoxBenjyinBeastlandTheLittleMatchGirlTomtit’sPeepattheWorldFOURTHGRADE
ArachneTheFirstSnowdropThePorcelainStoveTheThreeGoldenApplesMoufflouAndroclusandtheLionClytieTheOldManandhisTheLegendoftheTrailingDonkeyArbutusTheLeakintheDikeLatonaandtheFrogsKingTawnyManeDickWhittingtonandhisTheLittleLamePrinceCatAppleseedJohnDora,theLittleGirloftheNarcissusLighthouseWhytheSeaisSaltProserpineTheLittleHeroofHaarlemTheMiraculousPitcherTheBellofJusticeSTORY—TELLINGINTEACHINGENGLISH
Ihavetospeaknowofaphaseofelementaryeducationwhichliesveryclosetomywarmestinterest,which,indeed,couldeasilybecomeanactivehobbyifotherinterestsdidnotbeneficentlytugatmyskirtswhenIammindedtomountandridetoowildly。Itisthehobbyofmanyofyouwhoareteachers,also,andIknowyouwanttohearitdiscussed。ImeanthegrowingefforttoteachEnglishandEnglishliteraturetochildreninthenaturalway:byspeakingandhearing,——orally。
Wearecomingtoarealizationofthefactthatourability,asapeople,touseEnglishispitifullyinadequateandperverted。ThoseAmericanswhoarenotblindedbyalimitedhorizonofculturedacquaintance,andwhohavegiventhemselvesopportunitytohearthenaturalspeechoftheyoungergenerationinvaryingsectionsoftheUnitedStates,mustadmitthatitisnoexaggerationtosaythatthiscountryatlargehasnostandardofEnglishspeech。Thereisnogeneralsenseofresponsibilitytoourmothertongue(indeed,itisinanoverwhelmingdegreenotourmothertongue)andnogeneralappreciationofitsbeautyormeaning。Theaverageyoungpersonineverydistrictsaveahalf—dozenjealouslyguardedlittleprecinctsofgoodtaste,usesinexpressive,ill—
bredwords,spokenwithoutregardtotheirjustsound—effects,andinavoicewhichisaninjurytotheearofthemind,aswellasatormenttothephysicalear。
ThestructureofthelanguageandthechoiceofwordsaredarkmatterstomostofouryoungAmericans;thishaslongbeenacknowledgedandstruggledagainst。Butevendarker,andquiteequallydestructivetoEnglishexpression,istheirstateofmindregardingpronunciation,enunciation,andvoice。ItistheessentialconnectionoftheseelementswithEnglishspeechthatwehavebeensoslowtorealize。Wehavefeltthattheywereexternals,desirablebutnotnecessaryadjuncts,——prettytagsofanexceptionalgiftorculture。Manyanintelligentschooldirectorto—daywillsay,"Idon’tcaremuchaboutHOWyousayathing;itisWHAT
yousaythatcounts。"Hecannotseethatvoiceandenunciationandpronunciationareessentials。Buttheyare。Youcannomorehelpaffectingthemeaningofyourwordsbythewayyousaythemthanyoucanpreventtheexpressionsofyourfacefromcarryingamessage;themessagemaybepervertedbyanuncouthhabit,butitwillnolesssurelyinsistonrecognition。
Thefactisthatspeechisamethodofcarryingideasfromonehumansoultoanother,bywayoftheear。Andtheseideasareverycomplex。Theyarenotunmixedemanationsofpureintellect,transmittedtopureintellect:theyarecompoundedofemotions,thoughts,fancies,andareenhancedorimpededintransmissionbytheuseofword—symbolswhichhaveacquired,byassociation,infinitecomplexitiesinthemselves。Themoodofthemoment,theespecialweightofaturnofthought,thedesireofthespeakertosharehisexactsoul—conceptwithyou,——theseseekfarmoresubtlemeansthanthemererenderingofcertainvocalsigns;theydemandsuchvariationsanddelicateadjustmentsofsoundaswillinevitablyaffectthelisteningmindwiththeresponsedesired。
Thereisno"what"withoutthe"how"
inspeech。Thesamewrittensentencebecomestwodiametricallyoppositeideas,givenopposinginflectionandaccompanyingvoice—effect。"Hestoodinthefrontrankofthebattle"canbemadepraisefulaffirmation,scornfulskepticism,orsimplequestion,byasimplevaryingofvoiceandinflection。Thisisthemoreunmistakablewayinwhichthe"how"affectsthe"what。"
Justastrueisthelessobviousfact。Thesamewrittensentiment,spokenbyWendellPhillipsandbyamanfromtheBoweryoranuneducatedranchman,isnotthesametothelistener。Inonecasethesentimentcomestothemind’searwithcertaincompletingandenhancingqualitiesofsoundwhichgiveitaccuracyandpoignancy。
Thewordsthemselvesretainalltheirpossiblesuggestivenessinthespeaker’sjustandclearenunciation,andhaveaborrowedbeauty,besides,fromtheassociationsoffinehabitbetrayedinthevoiceandmannerofspeech。And,further,theimmensepersonalequationshowsitselfinthebeautyandpowerofthevocalexpressiveness,whichcarriesshadesofmeaning,unguesseddelicaciesofemotion,intimationsofbeauty,toeveryear。Intheothercase,thethoughtiscloudedbyunavoidablesuggestionsofignoranceandugliness,broughtbythepronunciationandvoice,eventoanunanalyticalear;themeaningisobscuredbyinaccurateinflectionanduncertainorcorruptenunciation;but,worstofall,thepersonalatmosphere,thearoma,oftheideahasbeenlostintransmissionthroughaclumsy,ill—fittedmedium。
Thethingsaidmaylookthesameonaprintedpage,butitisnotthesamewhenspoken。Anditisthespokensentencewhichistheoriginalandtheusualmodeofcommunication。
ThewidespreadpovertyofexpressioninEnglish,whichisthusamatterof"how,"
andtowhichweareawakening,mustbecorrectedchiefly,atleastatfirst,bythecommonschools。Thehomeistheidealplaceforit,buttheaveragehomeoftheUnitedStatesisnolongerapossibleplaceforit。Thechildofforeignparents,thechildofparentslittleeducatedandbredinlimitedcircumstances,thechildofpowerfulprovincialinfluences,mustalldependontheschoolforstandardsofEnglish。
Anditistheelementaryschoolwhichmustmeettheneed,ifitistobemetatall。
FortheconceptionofEnglishexpressionwhichIamtalkingofcanfindnomodeofinstructionadequatetoitsmeaning,saveinconstantappealtotheear,atanagesoearlythatunconscioushabitisformed。Norules,noanalyticalinstructioninlaterdevelopment,canaccomplishwhatisneeded。
Hearingandspeaking;imitating,unwittinglyandwittingly,agoodmodel;itistothismethodwemustlookforredemptionfrompresentconditions。
IbelieveweareontheeveofarealrevolutioninEnglishteaching,——onlyitisarevolutionwhichwillnotbreakthepeace。
Thenewwaywillleaveanoverwhelmingpreponderanceoforalmethodsinuseuptothefifthorsixthgrade,andwillintroducealargerproportionoforalworkthanhaseverbeencontemplatedingrammarandhighschoolwork。ItwillrecognizethefactthatEnglishisprimarilysomethingspokenwiththemouthandheardwiththeear。
Andthisrecognitionwillhavegreatestweightinthesystemsofelementaryteaching。
ItisasanaidinoralteachingofEnglishthatstory—tellinginschoolfindsitssecondvalue;ethicsisthefirstgroundofitsusefulness,Englishthesecond,——andafterthese,theothers。Itis,too,fortheoralusesthatthesecondaryformsofstory—tellingaresoavailable。BysecondaryImeanthosedeviceswhichIhavetriedtoindicate,asusedbymanyAmericanteachers,inthechapteron"SpecificSchoolroomUses,"
inmyearlierbook。Theyarere—telling,dramatization,andformsofseat—work。
Alloftheseareagreatpowerinthehandsofawiseteacher。Ifcombinedwithmuchattentiontovoiceandenunciationintherecitalofpoetry,andwithmuchgoodreadingaloudBYTHETEACHER,theywillgofartowardsettingastandardanddevelopinggoodhabit。
Buttheirprovincesmustnotbeconfusedoroverestimated。ItrustImaybepardonedforofferingacautionortwototheenthusiasticadvocateofthesemethods,——cautionstheneedofwhichhasbeenforceduponme,inexperiencewithschools。
AteacherwhousestheoralstoryasanEnglishfeaturewithlittlechildrenmustneverlosesightofthefactthatitisanaidinunconsciousdevelopment;notafactorinstudied,consciousimprovement。Thistruthcannotbetoostronglyrealized。
Otherexercises,insufficiency,givetheopportunityforregulatedeffortfordefiniteresults,butthestoryisoneoftheplay—
forces。ItsuseinEnglishteachingismostvaluablewhentheteacherhasakeenappreciationofthenaturalorderofgrowthintheartofexpression:thatartrequires,astheoldrhetoricsusedoftentoputit,"anaturalfacility,succeededbyanacquireddifficulty。"Inotherwords,thepowerofexpressiondepends,first,onsomethingmorefundamentalthantheart—element;
thebasisofitissomethingtosay,ACCOMPANIEDBYANURGENTDESIRETOSAYIT,andYIELDEDTOWITHFREEDOM;onlyafterthisstageisreachedcantheart—phasebeofanyuse。The"why"and"how,"theanalyticalandconstructivephases,havenonaturalplaceinthisfirstvitalepoch。
Preciselyhere,however,doesthedramatizingofstoriesandthepaper—cutting,etc。,becomeuseful。Afineandthoughtfulprincipalofagreatschoolaskedme,recently,withrealconcern,aboutthegrowinguseofsuchdevices。Hesaid,"Paper—cuttingisgood,butwhathasittodowithEnglish?"
Andthenheadded:"Thechildrenuseabominablelanguagewhentheyplaythestories;canthatdirectlyaidthemtospeakgoodEnglish?"Hisobservationwascloseandcorrect,andhisconservatismmorevaluablethantheenthusiasmofsomeofhiscolleagueswhohaveadvocatedsweepinguseofthesupplementarywork。Buthispointofviewignoredthebasisofexpression,whichistomymindsoimportant。
Paper—cuttingisexternaltoEnglish,ofcourse。Itsonlyconnectionisinitspowertocorrelatedifferentformsofexpression,andtoreactonspeech—expressionthroughsense—stimulus。ButplayingthestoryisacloserrelativetoEnglishthanthis。Ithelps,amazingly,ingivingthe"somethingtosay,theurgentdesiretosayit,"andthefreedomintrying。Nevermindthecrudities,——atleast,atthetime;workonlyforjoyousfreedom,inventiveness,andnaturalformsofreproductionoftheideasgiven。Lookforverygradualchangesinspeech,throughthepermeatingpowerofimitation,butdonotforgetthatthisisthestageofexpressionwhichinevitablyprecedesart。
Allthiswillmeanthatnocorrectionsaremade,exceptinflagrantcasesofslangorgrammar,thoughallbadslipsarementallynoted,forintroductionatamorefavorabletime。Itwillmeanthattheteacherwillrespectthecontinuityofthoughtandinterestascompletelyasshewouldwishanaudiencetorespectheroccasionalprosyperiodsifshewerereadingareport。Shewillremember,ofcoursethatsheisnottrainingactorsforamateurtheatricals,howevertemptinghershow—materialmaybe;
sheissimplylettingthechildrenplaywithexpression,justasagymnasiumteacherintroducesmuscularplay,——forpowerthroughrelaxation。
Whenthetimecomesthattheactorslosetheirunconsciousnessitistheendofthestory—play。Drilledwork,thebeginningoftheart,isthenthenecessity。
Ihaveindicatedthatthechildrenmaybeleftundisturbedintheircruditiesandoccasionalabsurdities。Theteacher,ontheotherhand,mustavoid,withgreatjudgment,certainabsurditieswhichcaneasilybeinitiatedbyher。Thefirstdirefulpossibilityisinthechoiceofmaterial。Itisverydesirablethatchildrenshouldnotbeallowedtodramatizestoriesofakindsopoetic,sodelicate,orsopotentiallyvaluablethatthematerialisindangeroflosingfuturebeautytothepupilsthroughitspresentcrudehandling。MotherGooseisahardyoldlady,andwillnotsufferfromthegraspoftheseven—year—old;andthefamiliarfablesandtalesofthe"Goldilocks"
varietyhaveafirmnessofsurfacewhichdoesnotlettheglamourruboff;butstoriesinwhichthereisahintofthebeautyjustbeyondthepalpable——orofadignitysuggestiveofdevelopedliterature——aresorelyhurtintheirmetamorphosis,andshouldbeprotectedfromit。Theyarefortellingonly。
Anotherpointonwhichitisnecessarytoexercisereserveisinthedegreetowhichanystorycanbeacted。Inthejustifiabledesiretobringalargenumberofchildrenintotheactiononemustnotlosesightofthesanityandproprietyofthepresentation。
Forexample,onemustnotmakearidiculouscaricature,whereapicture,howevercrude,istheintention。Personallyrepresentonlysuchthingsasaredefinitelyanddramaticallypersonifiedinthestory。Ifanaturalforce,thewind,forexample,isrepresentedastalkingandactinglikeahumanbeinginthestory,itcanbeimagedbyapersonintheplay;butifitremainsapartofthepictureinthestory,performingonlyitsnaturalmotions,itisacaricaturetoenactitasarole。ThemostpowerfulinstanceofamistakeofthiskindwhichIhaveeverseenwilldoubtlessmakemymeaningclear。Inplayingaprettystoryaboutanimalsandchildren,somechildreninaprimaryschoolweremadebytheteachertotakethepartofthesea。Inthestory,theseawassaidto"beatupontheshore,"asaseawould,withoutdoubt。Intheplay,thechildrenwereallowedtothumpthefloorlustily,asapresentationoftheirwateryfunctions!Itwasunconscionablyfunny。Fancypresentingeventhecrudestimageofthemightysea,surgingupontheshore,byarowofinfantssquattedonthefloorandpoundingwiththeirfists!Suchpitfallscanbeavoidedbythesimpleruleofpersonifyingonlycharactersthatactuallybehavelikehumanbeings。
Acautionwhichdirectlyconcernstheartofstorytellingitself,mustbeaddedhere。Thereisadefinitedistinctionbetweentheartsofnarrationanddramatizationwhichmustneverbeoverlooked。Donot,yourself,halftellandhalfactthestory;anddonotletthechildrendoit。Itisdoneinverygoodschools,sometimes,becauseanenthusiasmforrealisticandlivelypresentationmomentarilyobscuresthefacultyofdiscrimination。AmuchlovedandrespectedteacherwhomI
recentlylistenedto,andwhowilllaughifsherecognizesherblunderhere,offersagood"badexample"inthisparticular。Shesaidtoanattentiveaudienceofstudentsthatshehadatlast,withmuchdifficulty,broughtherselftothepointwhereshecouldforgetherselfinherstory:whereshecould,forinstance,hop,likethefox,whenshetoldthestoryofthe"sourgrapes。"Shesaid,"Itwashardatfirst,butnowitisamatterofcourse;ANDTHECHILDRENDOITTOO,WHENTHEYTELLTHESTORY。"Thatwasthepity!
Isawtheillustrationmyselfalittlelater。
Thechildwhoplayedfoxbeganwithastory:hesaid,"Oncetherewasanoldfox,andhesawsomegrapes;"thenthechildwalkedtotheothersideoftheroom,andlookedupatanimaginaryvine,andsaid,"Hewantedsome;hethoughttheywouldtastegood,sohejumpedforthem;"atthispointthechilddidjump,likehisrole;
thenhecontinuedwithhisstory,"buthecouldn’tgetthem。"Andsoheproceeded,withaconstantalternationofnarrativeanddramatizationwhichwasenoughtomakeonedizzy。
Thetroubleinsuchworkis,plainly,alackofdiscriminatinganalysis。Tellingastorynecessarilyimpliesnon—identificationofthetellerwiththeevent;herelateswhatoccursoroccurred,outsideofhiscircleofconciousness。Actingaplaynecessarilyimpliesidentificationoftheactorwiththeevent;hepresentstoyouapictureofthething,inhimself。Itisadifferencewideandclear,andtheleastfailuretorecognizeitconfusestheaudienceandinjuresbotharts。
Intheprecedinginstancesofsecondaryusesofstory—tellingIhavecomesomedistancefromthegreatpoint,thefundamentalpoint,ofthepowerofimitationinbreedinggoodhabit。Thispowerislessnoticeablyactiveinthedramatizingthaninsimplere—telling;inthelisteningandthere—
telling,itisdominantforgood。Thechildimitateswhathehearsyousayandseesyoudo,andthewayyousayanddoit,farmorecloselyinthestory—hourthaninanylesson—period。Heisinamoreabsorbentstate,asitwere,becausethereisnopreoccupationofeffort。Hereisthegreatopportunityoftheculturedteacher;hereistheappallingopportunityofthecarelessorignorantteacher。FortheimplicationsoftheoraltheoryofteachingEnglishareevident,concerningtheimmenseimportanceoftheteacher’shabit。Thisiswhatitallcomestoultimately;theteacherofyoungchildrenmustbeapersonwhocanspeakEnglishasitshouldbespoken,——purely,clearly,pleasantly,andwithforce。
Itisahardidealtoliveupto,butitisavaluableidealtotrytoliveupto。Andoneofthebestchancestoworktowardattainmentisintellingstories,forthereyouhavedefinitematerial,whichyoucanworkintoshapeandpracticeoninprivate。
Thatpracticeoughttoincludeconsciousthoughtastoone’sgeneralmannerintheschoolroom,andintelligentefforttounderstandandimproveone’sownvoice。IhopeIshallnotseemtoassumethedignityofanauthoritywhichnopersonaltastecanclaim,ifIbegahearingforthefollowingelementsofmannerandvoice,whichappealtomeasessential。Theywill,probably,appearself—evidenttomyreaders,yettheyareoftenfoundwantinginthepublicschool—teacher;itissomucheasiertosay"whatweregoodtodo"thantodoit!
Threeelementsofmannerseemtomeanessentialadjuncttothepersonalityofateacheroflittlechildren:courtesy,reposevitality。Reposeandvitalityexplainthemselves;
bycourtesyIspecificallydoNOT
meanthehabitofmindwhichcontentsitselfwithdrillingchildrenin"Good—
mornings"andinhat—liftings。Imeantheattitudeofmindwhichrecognizesintheyoungest,commonestchild,thepotentialdignity,majesty,andmysteryofthedevelopedhumansoul。Genuinereverenceforthehumanityofthe"otherfellow"
marksadefinitedegreeofcourtesyintheintercourseofadults,doesitnot?Andthesamequalityofrespect,temperedbythedemandsofawisecontrol,isexactlywhatisneededamongchildren。Againandagain,indealingwithyoungminds,theteacherwhorespectspersonalityassacred,nomatterhowembryonicitbe,winsthevictorieswhichcountfortrueeducation。Yet,alltoooften,weforgettheclaimsofthisreverence,inthepresenceoftheannoyancesandtheneededcorrections。
Asforvoice:workinschoolroomsbringstwoopposingmistakesconstantlybeforeme:oneistherepressedvoice,andtheother,theforced。Thebestwaytoavoideitherextreme,istokeepinmindthattheidealisdevelopmentofone’sownnaturalvoice,alongitsownnaturallines。
A"quiet,gentlevoice"isconscientiouslyaimedatbymanyyoungteachers,withsogreatzealthatthetonebecomespainfullyrepressed,"breathy,"andtimid。Thisisquiteasunpleasantasaloudvoice,whichis,inturn,afrequentresultofearlyadmonitionsto"speakup。"Neitherisnatural。
Itiswisetodeterminethenaturalvolumeandpitchofone’sspeakingvoicebyanumberoftests,madewhenoneisthoroughlyrested,atease,andalone。Findoutwhereyourvoicelieswhenitislefttoitself,underfavorableconditions,byreadingsomethingaloudorbylisteningtoyourselfasyoutalktoanintimatefriend。Thenpractisekeepingitinthatgeneralrange,unlessitprovetohaveadistinctfault,suchasanervoussharpness,orhoarseness。A
quietvoiceisgood;ahushedvoiceisabnormal。Acleartoneisrestful,butaloudoneiswearying。
Perhapsthecommon—sensewayofsettingastandardforone’sownvoiceistorememberthatthe,purposeofaspeakingvoiceistocommunicatewithothers;theirearsandmindsarethereceiversofourtones。Forthispurpose,evidently,avoiceshouldbe,firstofall,easytohear;next,pleasanttohear;next,susceptibleofsufficientvariationtoexpressawiderangeofmeaning;andfinally,indicativeofpersonality。
Isittooquixotictourgeteacherswhotellstoriestolittlechildrentobearthesethoughts,andbetteronesoftheirown,inmind?Not,Ithink,ifitbefullyacceptedthatthestoryhour,asaplayhour,isatimepeculiarlyopentoinfluencesaffectingtheimitativefaculty;thatthisfacultyisespeciallyvaluableinformingfinehabitsofspeech;andthatanincreasinglyhighandgeneralstandardofEnglishspeechisoneofourgreatestneedsandourmostinstantopportunitiesintheAmericanschoolsofto—day。
Andnowwecometothestories!
STORIESTOTELLTOCHILDREN
TWOLITTLERIDDLESINRHYME[1]
[1]TheseriddlesweretakenfromtheGaelic,andarecharmingexamplesofthenaivebeautyoftheoldIrish,andofDr。
Hyde’saccurateandsympatheticmodernrendering。From"BesidetheFire"(DavidNutt,London)。
There’sagardenthatIken,Fulloflittlegentlemen;
Littlecapsofbluetheywear,Andgreenribbons,veryfair。
(Flax。)
Fromhousetohousehegoes,Amessengersmallandslight,Andwhetheritrainsorsnows,Hesleepsoutsideinthenight。
(Thepath。)
THELITTLEPINKROSE
OncetherewasalittlepinkRosebud,andsheliveddowninalittledarkhouseundertheground。Onedayshewassittingthere,allbyherself,anditwasverystill。Suddenly,sheheardalittleTAP,TAP,TAP,atthedoor。
"Whoisthat?"shesaid。
"It’stheRain,andIwanttocomein;"
saidasoft,sad,littlevoice。
"No,youcan’tcomein,"thelittleRosebudsaid。
ByandbysheheardanotherlittleTAP,TAP,TAPonthewindowpane。
"Whoisthere?"shesaid。
Thesamesoftlittlevoiceanswered,"It’stheRain,andIwanttocomein!"
"No,youcan’tcomein,"saidthelittleRosebud。
Thenitwasverystillforalongtime。Atlast,therecamealittlerustling,whisperingsound,allroundthewindow:RUSTLE,WHISPER,WHISPER。
"Whoisthere?"saidthelittleRosebud。
"It’stheSunshine,"saidalittle,soft,cheeryvoice,"andIwanttocomein!"
"N——no,"saidthelittlepinkrose,"youcan’tcomein。"Andshesatstillagain。
Prettysoonsheheardthesweetlittlerustlingnoiseatthekey—hole。
"Whoisthere?"shesaid。
"It’stheSunshine,"saidthecheerylittlevoice,"andIwanttocomein,I
wanttocomein!"
"No,no,"saidthelittlepinkrose,"youcannotcomein。"
Byandby,asshesatsostill,sheheardTAP,TAP,TAP,andRUSTLE,WHISPER,RUSTLE,allupanddownthewindowpane,andonthedoor,andatthekey—hole。
"WHOISTHERE?"shesaid。
"It’stheRainandtheSun,theRainandtheSun,"saidtwolittlevoices,together,"andwewanttocomein!Wewanttocomein!Wewanttocomein!"
"Dear,dear!"saidthelittleRosebud,"iftherearetwoofyou,Is’poseIshallhavetoletyouin。"
Sosheopenedthedooralittleweecrack,andintheycame。Andonetookoneofherlittlehands,andtheothertookherotherlittlehand,andtheyran,ran,ranwithher,rightuptothetopoftheground。Thentheysaid,——
"Pokeyourheadthrough!"
Soshepokedherheadthrough;andshewasinthemidstofabeautifulgarden。
Itwasspringtime,andalltheotherflowershadtheirheadspokedthrough;andshewastheprettiestlittlepinkroseinthewholegarden!
THECOCK—A—DOO—DLE—DOO[1]
[1]From"TheIgnominyofbeingGrownUp,"byDr。SamuelM。Crothers,intheAtlanticMonthlyforJuly,1906。
Averylittleboymadethisstoryup"outofhishead,"andtoldittohispapaIthinkyoulittlestoneswilllikeit;Ido。
Onceuponatimetherewasalittleboy,andhewantedtobeacock—a—doo—dle—dooSohewasacock—a—doo—dle—doo。Andhewantedtoflyupintothesky。Sohedidflyupintothesky。Andhewantedtogetwingsandatail。Sohedidgetsomewingsandatail。
THECLOUD[2]
[2]AdaptedfromtheGermanofRobertReinick’sMaarchen,Lieder—undGeschichtenbuch(VelhagenundKlasing,BielefeldandLeipsic)。
OnehotsummermorningalittleCloudroseoutoftheseaandfloatedlightlyandhappilyacrossthebluesky。Farbelowlaytheearth,brown,dry,anddesolate,fromdrouth。ThelittleCloudcouldseethepoorpeopleoftheearthworkingandsufferinginthehotfields,whilesheherselffloatedonthemorningbreeze,hitherandthither,withoutacare。
"Oh,ifIcouldonlyhelpthepoorpeopledownthere!"shethought。"IfIcouldbutmaketheirworkeasier,orgivethehungryonesfood,orthethirstyadrink!"
Andasthedaypassed,andtheCloudbecamelarger,thiswishtodosomethingforthepeopleofearthwasevergreaterinherheart。
Onearthitgrewhotterandhotter;thesunburneddownsofiercelythatthepeoplewerefaintinginitsrays;itseemedasiftheymustdieofheat,andyettheywereobligedtogoonwiththeirwork,fortheywereverypoor。SometimestheystoodandlookedupattheCloud,asiftheywerepraying,andsaying,"Ah,ifyoucouldhelpus!"
"Iwillhelpyou;Iwill!"saidtheCloud。
Andshebegantosinksoftlydowntowardtheearth。
Butsuddenly,asshefloateddown,sherememberedsomethingwhichhadbeentoldherwhenshewasatinyCloud—child,inthelapofMotherOcean:ithadbeenwhisperedthatiftheCloudsgotooneartheearththeydie。Whensherememberedthissheheldherselffromsinking,andswayedhereandthereonthebreeze,thinking,——thinking。Butatlastshestoodquitestill,andspokeboldlyandproudly。
Shesaid,"Menofearth,Iwillhelpyou,comewhatmay!"
Thethoughtmadehersuddenlymarvelouslybigandstrongandpowerful。Neverhadshedreamedthatshecouldbesobig。
Likeamightyangelofblessingshestoodabovetheearth,andliftedherheadandspreadherwingsfaroverthefieldsandwoods。Shewassogreat,somajestic,thatmenandanimalswereawe—struckatthesight;thetreesandthegrassesbowedbeforeher;yetalltheearth—creaturesfeltthatshemeantthemwell。
"Yes,Iwillhelpyou,"criedtheCloudoncemore。"Takemetoyourselves;Iwillgivemylifeforyou!"
Asshesaidthewordsawonderfullightglowedfromherheart,thesoundofthunderrolledthroughthesky,andalovegreaterthanwordscantellfilledtheCloud;down,down,closetotheearthsheswept,andgaveupherlifeinablessed,healingshowerofrain。
ThatrainwastheCloud’sgreatdeed;
itwasherdeath,too;butitwasalsoherglory。Overthewholecountry—side,asfarastherainfell,alovelyrainbowsprangitsarch,andallthebrightestraysofheavenmadeitscolors;itwasthelastgreetingofalovesogreatthatitsacrificeditself。
Soonthat,too,wasgone,butlong,longafterwardthemenandanimalswhoweresavedbytheCloudkeptherblessingintheirhearts。
THELITTLEREDHEN
ThelittleRedHenwasinthefarmyardwithherchickens,whenshefoundagrainofwheat。
"Whowillplantthiswheat?"shesaid。
"NotI,"saidtheGoose。
"NotI,"saidtheDuck。
"Iwill,then,"saidthelittleRedHen,andsheplantedthegrainofwheat。
Whenthewheatwasripeshesaid,"Whowilltakethiswheattothemill?"
"NotI,"saidtheGoose。
"NotI,"saidtheDuck。
"Iwill,then,"saidthelittleRedHen,andshetookthewheattothemill。
Whenshebroughttheflourhomeshesaid,"Whowillmakesomebreadwiththisflour?"
"NotI,"saidtheGoose。
"NotI,"saidtheDuck。
"Iwill,then,"saidthelittleRedHen。
Whenthebreadwasbaked,shesaid,"Whowilleatthisbread?"
"Iwill,"saidtheGoose"Iwill,"saidtheDuck"No,youwon’t,"saidthelittleRedHen。
"Ishalleatitmyself。Cluck!cluck!"Andshecalledherchickenstohelpher。
THEGINGERBREADMAN[1]
[1]Ihavetriedtogivethisstoryinthemostfamiliarform;itvariesagooddealinthehandsofdifferentstory—tellers,butthisissubstantiallytheversionIwas"broughtupon。"TheformoftheendingwassuggestedtomebythestoryinCarolynBailey’sFortheChildren’sHour(MiltonBradleyCo。)。
Onceuponatimetherewasalittleoldwomanandalittleoldman,andtheylivedallaloneinalittleoldhouse。Theyhadn’tanylittlegirlsoranylittleboys,atall。Sooneday,thelittleoldwomanmadeaboyoutofgingerbread;shemadehimachocolatejacket,andputcinnamonseedsinitforbuttons;hiseyesweremadeoffine,fatcurrants;hismouthwasmadeofrose—coloredsugar;andhehadagaylittlecapoforangesugar—candy。Whenthelittleoldwomanhadrolledhimout,anddressedhimup,andpinchedhisgingerbreadshoesintoshape,sheputhiminapan;thensheputthepanintheovenandshutthedoor;andshethought,"NowIshallhavealittleboyofmyown。"
WhenitwastimefortheGingerbreadBoytobedonesheopenedtheovendoorandpulledoutthepan。OutjumpedthelittleGingerbreadBoyontothefloor,andawayheran,outofthedooranddownthestreet!Thelittleoldwomanandthelittleoldmanranafterhimasfastastheycould,buthejustlaughed,andshouted,——
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
Andtheycouldn’tcatchhim。
ThelittleGingerbreadBoyranonandon,untilhecametoacow,bytheroadside。
"Stop,littleGingerbreadBoy,"saidthecow;"Iwanttoeatyou。"ThelittleGingerbreadBoylaughed,andsaid,——
"Ihaverunawayfromalittleoldwoman,"Andalittleoldman,"AndIcanrunawayfromyou,Ican!"
And,asthecowchasedhim,helookedoverhisshoulderandcried,——
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
Andthecowcouldn’tcatchhim。
ThelittleGingerbreadBoyranon,andon,andon,tillhecametoahorse,inthepasture。"Pleasestop,littleGingerbreadBoy,"saidthehorse,"youlookverygoodtoeat。"ButthelittleGingerbreadBoylaughedoutloud。"Oho!oho!"hesaid,——
"Ihaverunawayfromalittleoldwoman,"Alittleoldman,"Acow,"AndIcanrunawayfromyou,Ican!"
And,asthehorsechasedhim,helookedoverhisshoulderandcried,——
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
Andthehorsecouldn’tcatchhim。
ByandbythelittleGingerbreadBoycametoabarnfullofthreshers。WhenthethresherssmelledtheGingerbreadBoy,theytriedtopickhimup,andsaid,"Don’trunsofast,littleGingerbreadBoy;youlookverygoodtoeat。"ButthelittleGingerbreadBoyranharderthanever,andasheranhecriedout,——
"Ihaverunawayfromalittleoldwoman,"Alittleoldman,"Acow,"Ahorse,"AndIcanrunawayfromyou,Ican!"
Andwhenhefoundthathewasaheadofthethreshers,heturnedandshoutedbacktothem,——
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
Andthethresherscouldn’tcatchhim。
ThenthelittleGingerbreadBoyranfasterthanever。Heranandranuntilhecametoafieldfullofmowers。Whenthemowerssawhowfinehelooked,theyranafterhim,callingout,"Waitabit!waitabit,littleGingerbreadBoy,wewishtoeatyou!"ButthelittleGingerbreadBoylaughedharderthanever,andranlikethewind。"Oho!oho!"hesaid,——
"Ihaverunawayfromalittleoldwoman,"Alittleoldman,"Acow,"Ahorse,"Abarnfullofthreshers,"AndIcanrunawayfromyou,Ican!"
Andwhenhefoundthathewasaheadofthemowers,heturnedandshoutedbacktothem,——
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
Andthemowerscouldn’tcatchhim。
BythistimethelittleGingerbreadBoywassoproudthathedidn’tthinkanybodycouldcatchhim。Prettysoonhesawafoxcomingacrossafield。Thefoxlookedathimandbegantorun。ButthelittleGingerbreadBoyshoutedacrosstohim,"Youcan’tcatchme!"Thefoxbegantorunfaster,andthelittleGingerbreadBoyranfaster,andasheranhechuckled,——
"Ihaverunawayfromalittleoldwoman,"Alittleoldman,"Acow,"Ahorse,"Abarnfullofthreshers,"Afieldfullofmowers,"AndIcanrunawayfromyou,Ican!
"Run!run!asfastasyoucan!
"Youcan’tcatchme,I’mtheGingerbreadMan!"
"Why,"saidthefox,"IwouldnotcatchyouifIcould。Iwouldnotthinkofdisturbingyou。"
Justthen,thelittleGingerbreadBoycametoariver。Hecouldnotswimacross,andhewantedtokeeprunningawayfromthecowandthehorseandthepeople。
"Jumponmytail,andIwilltakeyouacross,"saidthefox。
SothelittleGingerbreadBoyjumpedonthefox’stail,andthefoxswamintotheriver。Whenhewasalittlewayfromshoreheturnedhishead,andsaid,"Youaretooheavyonmytail,littleGingerbreadBoy,IfearIshallletyougetwet;jumponmyback。"
ThelittleGingerbreadBoyjumpedonhisback。
Alittlefartherout,thefoxsaid,"Iamafraidthewaterwillcoveryou,there;jumponmyshoulder。"
ThelittleGingerbreadBoyjumpedonhisshoulder。
Inthemiddleofthestreamthefoxsaid,"Oh,dear!littleGingerbreadBoy,myshoulderissinking;jumponmynose,andIcanholdyououtofwater。"
SothelittleGingerbreadBoyjumpedonhisnose。
Theminutethefoxgotonshorehethrewbackhishead,andgaveasnap!
"Dearme!"saidthelittleGingerbreadBoy,"Iamaquartergone!"Thenextminutehesaid,"Why,Iamhalfgone!"
Thenextminutehesaid,"Mygoodnessgracious,Iamthreequartersgone!"
Andafterthat,thelittleGingerbreadBoyneversaidanythingmoreatall。
THELITTLEJACKALSANDTHELION[1]
[1]ThefourstoriesofthelittleJackal,inthisbook,areadaptedfromstoriesinOldDeccanDays,acollectionoforallytransmittedHindufolktales,whicheveryteacherwouldgainbyknowing。IntheHinduanimallegendstheJackalseemstoplaytheroleassignedinGermanicloretoReynardtheFox,andto"Bre’rRabbit"inthestoriesofourSouthernnegroes:
heisthecleverandhumoroustricksterwhocomesoutofeveryencounterwithawholeskin,andturnsthelaughoneveryenemy,howevermighty。
Oncetherewasagreatbigjungle;andinthejungletherewasagreatbigLion;andtheLionwaskingofthejungle。Wheneverhewantedanythingtoeat,allhehadtodowastocomeupoutofhiscaveinthestonesandearthandROAR。Whenhehadroaredafewtimesallthelittlepeopleofthejungleweresofrightenedthattheycameoutoftheirholesandhiding—placesandran,thiswayandthat,togetaway。
Then,ofcourse,theLioncouldseewheretheywere。Andhepouncedonthem,killedthem,andgobbledthemup。
HedidthissooftenthatatlasttherewasnotasinglethingleftaliveinthejunglebesidestheLion,excepttwolittleJackals,——alittlefatherJackalandalittlemotherJackal。
Theyhadrunawaysomanytimesthattheywerequitethinandverytired,andtheycouldnotrunsofastanymore。AndonedaytheLionwassonearthatthelittlemotherJackalgrewfrightened;shesaid,——
"Oh,FatherJackal,FatherJackal!I
b’lieveourtimehascome!theLionwillsurelycatchusthistime!"
"Pooh!nonsense,mother!"saidthelittlefatherJackal。"Come,we’llrunonabit!"
Andtheyran,ran,ranveryfast,andtheLiondidnotcatchthemthattime。
ButatlastadaycamewhentheLionwasnearerstillandthelittlemotherJackalwasfrightenedabouttodeath。
"Oh,FatherJackal,FatherJackal!"
shecried;"I’msureourtimehascome!
TheLion’sgoingtoeatusthistime!"
"Now,mother,don’tyoufret,"saidthelittlefatherJackal;"youdojustasItellyou,anditwillbeallright。"
ThenwhatdidthosecunninglittleJackalsdobuttakeholdofhandsandrunuptowardstheLion,asiftheyhadmeanttocomeallthetime。Whenhesawthemcominghestoodup,androaredinaterriblevoice,——
"Youmiserablelittlewretches,comehereandbeeaten,atonce!Whydidn’tyoucomebefore?"
ThefatherJackalbowedverylow。
"Indeed,FatherLion,"hesaid,"wemeanttocomebefore;weknewweoughttocomebefore;andwewantedtocomebefore;buteverytimewestartedtocome,adreadfulgreatlioncameoutofthewoodsandroaredatus,andfrightenedussothatweranaway。"
"Whatdoyoumean?"roaredtheLion。
"There’snootherlioninthisjungle,andyouknowit!"
"Indeed,indeed,FatherLion,"saidthelittleJackal,"Iknowthatiswhateverybodythinks;butindeedandindeedthereisanotherlion!AndheisasmuchbiggerthanyouasyouarebiggerthanI!Hisfaceismuchmoreterrible,andhisroarfar,farmoredreadful。Oh,heisfarmorefearfulthanyou!"
AtthattheLionstoodupandroaredsothatthejungleshook。
"Takemetothislion,"hesaid;"I’lleathimupandthenI’lleatyouup。"
ThelittleJackalsdancedonahead,andtheLionstalkedbehind。Theyledhimtoaplacewheretherewasaround,deepwellofclearwater。Theywentroundononesideofit,andtheLionstalkeduptotheother。
"Helivesdownthere,FatherLion!"
saidthelittleJackal。"Helivesdownthere!"
TheLioncamecloseandlookeddownintothewater,——andalion’sfacelookedbackathimoutofthewater!
Whenhesawthat,theLionroaredandshookhismaneandshowedhisteeth。Andthelioninthewatershookhismaneandshowedhisteeth。TheLionaboveshookhismaneagainandgrowledagain,andmadeaterribleface。Butthelioninthewatermadejustasterribleaone,back。
TheLionabovecouldn’tstandthat。Heleapeddownintothewellaftertheotherlion。
But,ofcourse,asyouknowverywell,therewasn’tanyotherlion!Itwasonlythereflectioninthewater!
SothepooroldLionflounderedaboutandflounderedabout,andashecouldn’tgetupthesteepsidesofthewell,hewasdrowneddead。AndwhenhewasdrownedthelittleJackalstookholdofhandsanddancedroundthewell,andsang,——
"TheLionisdead!TheLionisdead!
"WehavekilledthegreatLionwhowouldhavekilledus!
"TheLionisdead!TheLionisdead!
"Ao!Ao!Ao!"
THECOUNTRYMOUSEANDTHECITYMOUSE[1]
[1]Thefollowingstoryofthetwomice,withthesimilarfablesofTheBoywhocriedWolf,TheFrogKing,andTheSunandtheWind,aregivenherewiththehopethattheymaybeofusetothemanyteacherswhofindtheover—familiarmaterialofthefablesdifficulttoadapt,andwhoareyetawareofthegreatusefulnessofthestoriestoyoungminds。Acertaindegreeofvividnessandamplitudemustbeaddedtothecompactstatementofthefamouscollections,andyetitisnotwisetochangethestyle—effectofafable,wholly。Iventuretogivetheseversions,notasperfectmodels,surely,butasrenderingswhichhavebeenacceptabletochildren,andwhichIbelieveretaintheoriginalpointsimplyandstrongly。
OncealittlemousewholivedinthecountryinvitedalittleMousefromthecitytovisithim。WhenthelittleCityMousesatdowntodinnerhewassurprisedtofindthattheCountryMousehadnothingtoeatexceptbarleyandgrain。
"Really,"hesaid,"youdonotlivewellatall;youshouldseehowIlive!Ihaveallsortsoffinethingstoeateveryday。Youmustcometovisitmeandseehowniceitistoliveinthecity。"
ThelittleCountryMousewasgladtodothis,andafterawhilehewenttothecitytovisithisfriend。
TheveryfirstplacethattheCityMousetooktheCountryMousetoseewasthekitchencupboardofthehousewherehelived。There,onthelowestshelf,behindsomestonejars,stoodabigpaperbagofbrownsugar。ThelittleCityMousegnawedaholeinthebagandinvitedhisfriendtonibbleforhimself。
Thetwolittlemicenibbledandnibbled,andtheCountryMousethoughthehadnevertastedanythingsodeliciousinhislife。HewasjustthinkinghowluckytheCityMousewas,whensuddenlythedooropenedwithabang,andincamethecooktogetsomeflour。
"Run!"whisperedtheCityMouse。
Andtheyranasfastastheycouldtothelittleholewheretheyhadcomein。ThelittleCountryMousewasshakingalloverwhentheygotsafelyaway,butthelittleCityMousesaid,"Thatisnothing;shewillsoongoawayandthenwecangoback。"
Afterthecookhadgoneawayandshutthedoortheystolesoftlyback,andthistimetheCityMousehadsomethingnewtoshow:hetookthelittleCountryMouseintoacorneronthetopshelf,whereabigjarofdriedprunesstoodopen。Aftermuchtuggingandpullingtheygotalargedriedpruneoutofthejarontotheshelfandbegantonibbleatit。Thiswasevenbetterthanthebrownsugar。ThelittleCountryMouselikedthetastesomuchthathecouldhardlynibblefastenough。
Butallatonce,inthemidstoftheireating,therecameascratchingatthedoorandasharp,loudMIAOUW!
"Whatisthat?"saidtheCountryMouse。TheCityMousejustwhispered,"Sh!"andranasfastashecouldtothehole。TheCountryMouseranafter,youmaybesure,asfastasHEcould。AssoonastheywereoutofdangertheCityMousesaid,"ThatwastheoldCat;sheisthebestmouserintown,——ifsheoncegetsyou,youarelost。"
"Thisisveryterrible,"saidthelittleCountryMouse;"letusnotgobacktothecupboardagain。"
"No,"saidtheCityMouse,"Iwilltakeyoutothecellar;thereissomethingespecialthere。"
SotheCityMousetookhislittlefrienddownthecellarstairsandintoabigcupboardwherethereweremanyshelves。Ontheshelveswerejarsofbutter,andcheesesinbagsandoutofbags。Overheadhungbunchesofsausages,andtherewerespicyapplesinbarrelsstandingabout。ItsmelledsogoodthatitwenttothelittleCountryMouse’shead。Heranalongtheshelfandnibbledatacheesehere,andabitofbutterthere,untilhesawanespeciallyrich,verydelicious—smellingpieceofcheeseonaqueerlittlestandinacorner。
HewasjustonthepointofputtinghisteethintothecheesewhentheCityMousesawhim。
"Stop!stop!"criedtheCityMouse。
"Thatisatrap!"
ThelittleCountryMousestoppedandsaid,"Whatisatrap?"
"Thatthingisatrap,"saidthelittleCityMouse。"Theminuteyoutouchthecheesewithyourteethsomethingcomesdownonyourheadhard,andyou’redead。"
ThelittleCountryMouselookedatthetrap,andhelookedatthecheese,andhelookedatthelittleCityMouse。"Ifyou’llexcuseme,"hesaid,"IthinkIwillgohome。I’dratherhavebarleyandgraintoeatandeatitinpeaceandcomfort,thanhavebrownsugaranddriedprunesandcheese,——andbefrightenedtodeathallthetime!"
SothelittleCountryMousewentbacktohishome,andtherehestayedalltherestofhislife。
LITTLEJACKROLLAROUND[1]
[1]BasedonTheodorStorm’sstoryofDerKleineHawelmanu(GeorgeWestermann,Braunschweig)。VeryfreelyadaptedfromtheGermanstory。
Onceuponatimetherewasaweelittleboywhosleptinatinytrundle—bednearhismother’sgreatbed。Thetrundle—bedhadcastorsonitsothatitcouldberolledabout,andtherewasnothingintheworldthelittleboylikedsomuchastohaveitrolled。Whenhismothercametobedhewouldcry,"Rollmearound!rollmearound!"Andhismotherwouldputoutherhandfromthebigbedandpushthelittlebedbackandforthtillshewastired。