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。
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