首页 >出版文学> How To Tell Stories To Children>第1章
  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。