A reference to the different trades and callings that Crusoe assumes

will show us that he is not dealing with rare and unusual events, but

with the common, simple employments that lie at the basis of society in

all parts of the world. The carpenter, the baker, the farmer, the

shoemaker, etc., are at work in every village in every land. Doubtless

this is one reason why the story acquires such a hold in the most

diverse countries. The Arab or the Chinese boy, the German or American

child, finds the story touching the ordinary facts of his own

surroundings. Though the story finds its setting in a far-away, lonely

island in tropical seas, Crusoe is daily trying to create the objects

and conditions of his old home in England. But these are the same

objects that surround every child; and therefore, in reading "Robinson

Crusoe," the pupil is making an exhaustive and interesting study of his

own home. The presence of a tropical vegetation and of a strange climate

does not seriously impair this fact. The skill of a great literary

artist appears in his power to create a situation almost devoid of

common comforts and blessings and then in setting his hero to work to

create them by single-handed effort.

It will hardly be questioned that the study of the home and home

neighborhood by children is one of the large and prominent problems in

education. Out of their social, economic, and physical environment

children get the most important lessons of life. Not only does the home

furnish a varied fund of information that enables them to interpret

books, and people, and institutions, as they sooner or later go out into

the world, but all the facts gathered by experience and reading in

distant fields must flow back again to give deeper meaning to the labors

and duties which surround each citizen in his own home. But society with

its commerce, education, and industries, is an exceedingly complex

affair. The child knows not where to begin to unravel this endless

machinery of forms and institutions. In a sense he must get away from or

disentangle himself from his surroundings in order to understand them.

There are no complex conditions surrounding Crusoe, and he takes up the

labors of the common trades in a simple and primitive manner. Physical

and mental effort are demanded at every step, from Crusoe and from the

children. Many of his efforts involve repeated failure, as in making

pottery, in building a boat, while some things that he undertakes with

painful toil never attain success. The lesson of toil and hardship

connected with the simple industries is one of great moment to children.

Our whole social fabric is based on these toils, and it is one of the

best results of a sound education to realize the place and importance of

hard work.

It scarcely needs to be pointed out that Crusoe typifies a long period

of man's early history, the age when men were learning the rudiments of

civilization by taking up the toils of the blacksmith, the

agriculturist, the builder, the domesticator of animals and plants. Men

emerged from barbarism as they slowly and painfully gained the mastery

over the resources of nature. Crusoe is a sort of universal man,

embodying in his single effort that upward movement of men which has

steadily carried them to the higher levels of progress. It has been said

with some truth that Robinson Crusoe is a philosophy of history. But we

scarcely need such a high-sounding name. To the child he is a very

concrete, individual man, with very simple and interesting duties.

In a second point the author of "Robinson Crusoe" shows himself a

literary master. There is an intense and naive realism in his story.

Even if one were so disposed, it would require a strong effort to break

loose from the feeling that we are in the presence of real experiences.

There is a quiet but irresistible assumption of unvarnished and even

disagreeable fact in the narrative. But it is useless to describe the

style of a book so familiar. Its power over youthful fancy and feeling

has been too often experienced to be doubted. The vivid interest which

the book awakens is certain to carry home whatever lessons it may teach

with added force. So great is this influence that boys sometimes imitate

the efforts of Crusoe by making caves, building ovens, and assuming a

style of dress and living that approximates Crusoe's state. This

supplies to teachers a hint of some value. The story of Crusoe should

lead to excursions into the home neighborhood for the purpose of a

closer examination of the trades and occupations there represented. An

imitation of his labors may also be encouraged. The effort to mould and

bake vessels from potter's clay, the platting of baskets from willow

withes, the use of tools in making boxes or tables may be attempted far

enough to discover how lacking in practical ability the children are.

This will certainly teach them greater respect for manual skill.

From the previous discussion it might appear that we regard the story of

Crusoe as technological and industrial rather than moral. But it would

be a mistake to suppose that a book is not moral because it is not

perpetually dispensing moral platitudes. Most men's lives are mainly

industrial. The display of moral qualities is only occasional and

incidental. The development of moral character is coincident with the

labors and experiences of life and springs out of them, being manifested

by the spirit with which one acts toward his fellow-men. But Crusoe was

alone on his island, and there might seem to be no opportunity to be

moral in relation to others. Society, to be sure, was conspicuous by its

absence. But the intense longing with which he thought of the home and

companionships lost is perhaps the strongest sentiment in the book. His

loneliness brings out most vividly his true relation to home and

friends.

His early life, till the shipwreck, was that of a wayward and reckless

youth, disobedient to parents and seemingly without moral scruples. Even

during the first months upon the island there appears little moral

change or betterment. But slowly the bitter experiences of his lonely

life sober him. He finds a Bible, and a fit of sickness reveals the

distresses that may lie before him. When once the change has set in, it

is rapid and thorough. He becomes devout, he longs to return to his

parents and atone for his faults. A complete reformation of his moral

disposition is effected. If one will take the pains to read the original

"Robinson Crusoe" he will find it surprisingly serious and moral in its

tone. He devotes much time to soliloquizing on the distresses of his

condition and upon the causes which have brought him to misery. He

diagnoses his case with an amount of detail that must be tedious to

children. The fact that these parts of the book often leave little

direct impression upon children is proof that they are chiefly engaged

with the adventure and physical embarrassments of Crusoe. For the

present it is sufficient to observe that the story is deeply and

intensely moral both in its spirit and in the changes described in

"Crusoe."

We are next led to inquire whether the industrial and moral lessons

contained in this story are likely to be extracted from it by a boy or

girl who reads it alone, without the aid of a teacher. Most young

readers of "Crusoe" are carried along by the interesting adventure. It

is a very surprising and entertaining story. But children even less than

adults are inclined to go deeper than the surface and draw up hidden

treasures. De Foe's work is a piece of classic literature. But few

people are inclined to get at the deeper meaning and spirit of a

classical masterpiece unless they go through it in companionship with a

teacher who is gifted to disclose its better meaning. This is true of

any classical product we might mention. It should be the peculiar

function of the school to cultivate a taste, and an appreciative taste,

for the best literature; not by leaving it to the haphazard home reading

of pupils, but by selecting the best things adapted to the minds of

children and then employing true teaching skill to bring these

treasures close to the hearts and sympathies of children. Many young

people do not read "Robinson Crusoe" at all; many others do not

appreciate its better phases. The school will much improve its work by

taking for its own this best of children's stories, and by extending and

deepening the children's appreciation of a classic.

The story of Robinson Crusoe is made by the Herbartians the nucleus for

the concentration of studies in the second year. This importance is

given to it on account of its strong moral tone and because of its

universal typical character in man's development. Without attempting a

solution of the problem of concentration at this juncture, we should at

least observe the relations of this story to the other studies. Wilmann

says: "The everywhere and nowhere of the fairy tale gives place to the

first geographical limitations. The continents, the chief countries of

Europe, come up, besides a series of geographical concepts such as

island, coast, bay, river, hill, mountain, sea, etc. The difference in

climate is surprising. Crusoe fears the winter and prepares for it, but

his fear is needless, for no winter reaches his island." We have already

observed its instructive treatment of the common occupations which

prepare for later geographical study, as well as for natural science.

Many plants and animals are brought to notice which would furnish a good

beginning for natural science lessons. It is advisable, however, to

study rather those home animals and plants which correspond best to the

tropical products or animals in the lessons. Tropical fruits, the

parrot, and the goat we often meet at home, but in addition, the sheep,

the ox, the mocking-bird, the woodpecker, our native fruits and grains,

and the fish, turtles, and minerals of the home, may well be suggested

and studied in science lessons parallel with the life of Crusoe.

Following upon the oral treatment and discussion of "Robinson Crusoe"

the children are easily led to like efforts at construction, as, for

instance, the making of a raft, the building of the cave and stockade,

the making of chairs and tables, the moulding of jars and kettles out of

clay, the weaving of baskets, the preparation and cooking of foods, the

planting of grains, the construction of an oven or house, boat building,

and other labors of Crusoe in providing for his wants.

It is quite customary now in second grade to set the children to work in

these efforts to solve Crusoe's problems, so that they, by working with

actual materials, may realize more fully the difficulties and trials to

which he was subjected. In close connection with these constructive

efforts are the drawings of the scenes of the story, such as the

shipwreck, the stockade, the boat, the map of the island, and some of

the later events of the story. A still further means of giving reality

to the events is to dramatize some of the scenes between Friday and

Crusoe, and to dress and equip these and other persons in the story in

fitting manner. The children gladly enter into such dramatic action.

These various forms of drawing, action, and constructive work are in

close connection with the home studies of industries and

occupations,--farming, gardening, carpenter and blacksmith shops,

weaving, cooking, bakeries, and excursions to shops--which follow the

Crusoe story in the study of home geography in the third grade.

Although the story should be given and discussed orally, the children

should also read it later as a part of the regular reading exercise of

the course. Instead of suffering from this repetition, their interest

will only be increased. Classical products usually gain by repetition.

The facts are brought out more clearly and the deeper meaning is

perceived. To have the oral treatment of a story precede its reading by

some weeks or months produces an excellent effect upon the style of the

reading. The thought being familiar, and the interest strong, the

expression will be vigorous and natural. Children take a pride in

reading a story which they at first must receive orally for lack of

reading power.

The same advantageous drill in the use of good English accrues to the

Crusoe story that was observed in the fairy tales. There is abundant

opportunity for oral narrative and description.

The use of the pencil and chalk in graphic representation should be

encouraged both in teacher and in pupils. Thus the eye becomes more

accurate in observation and the hand more free and facile in tracing the

outlines of the interesting forms studied. The use of tools and

materials in construction gives ideas an anchorage, not only in the

brain, but even in the nerves and muscles.

In thus glancing over the field we discover the same many-sided and

intimate relation with other school studies, as in the previous grade.

In fact, "Crusoe" is the first extended classical masterpiece which is

presented to the children as a whole. Such parts of the story as are of

most pedagogical value should be simplified and woven together into a

continuous narrative. That part of the story which precedes the

shipwreck may be reduced to a few paragraphs which bring out clearly his

early home surroundings, his disobedience and the desertion of his

parents, and the voyage which led to his lonely life upon the island.

The period embraced in his companionless labors and experiences

constitutes the important part for school uses. A few of the more

important episodes following the capture of Friday and his return home

may be briefly told. We deem it a long step forward to get some of our

great classical masterpieces firmly embedded in the early years of our

school course. It will contribute almost as much to the culture and

stimulation of teachers as of pupils.

The method of handling this narrative before the class will be similar

to that of the fairy tales. A simple and vivid recital of the facts,

with frequent questions and discussions, so as to draw the story closer

to the child's own thought and experience, should be made by the

teacher. Much skill in illustrative device, in graphic description, in

diagram or drawing, in the appeal to the sense experiences of the

pupils, is in demand. The excursion to places of interest in the

neighborhood suggested by the story begins to be an important factor of

the school exercises. As children grow older they acquire skill and

confidence in oral narrative, and should be held to greater independence

in oral reproductions.

One of the best school editions of "Robinson Crusoe" is published by

Ginn & Co.

A simple edition for second grade is published by the Public School

Publishing Co.

The teacher should be supplied with one of the larger, fuller editions

of "Robinson Crusoe," like that of Houghton, Mifflin, & Co., in the

Riverside Literature Series. It furnishes a much fuller detail of

knowledge for the teacher's use. It will also be of great advantage for

classroom use to possess an illustrated edition like that of George

Routledge & Sons.

The full treatment of this story, first in simple, oral narrative, later

by its use as a reading book, and later still by the child reading the

complete edition for himself in private, illustrates the intensive

concentration of thought and constructive activity upon a great piece

of literature as opposed to a loose and superficial treatment. Such a

piece of work should remain for life a source of deeper thought,

feeling, and experience.

OTHER EDITIONS

Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. American Book Co.

Robinson Crusoe. Lee and Shepard.

Robinson Crusoe for Youngest Readers. Educational Pub. Co.

Robinson Crusoe. University Publishing Co.

De Foe's Robinson Crusoe (Hale). Ginn & Co.

De Foe's Robinson Crusoe. Maynard, Merrill, & Co.

"HIAWATHA"

The story of Hiawatha has been much used for oral treatment in primary

grades, and as a basis for exercises in learning to read. Later the

complete poem has been much read in third, fourth, or fifth grade as a

piece of choice literature.

A story which is growing so rapidly in favor with primary teachers may

explain our effort to determine its educational value.

That the story begins with the early childhood of Hiawatha and describes

his home and early training at the feet of Nokomis, is at least one

point in its favor.

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea-Water,

Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

There the wrinkled, old Nokomis

Nursed the little Hiawatha,

Rocked him in his linden cradle,

Bedded soft in moss and rushes,

Safely bound with reindeer sinews.

The traditions and stories he learned from the lips of Nokomis will

remind children of their own home life, while his companionship with

birds and animals will touch them in a sympathetic place.

Then the little Hiawatha

Learned of every bird its language,

Learned their names and all their secrets,

How they built their nests in Summer,

Where they hid themselves in Winter,

Talked with them whene'er he met them,

Called them "Hiawatha's Chickens."

The games and exercises of his youth will remind them of their own

sports and introduce them to Indian life. This home of Hiawatha, and the

description of his childhood, are a happy introduction to the simple

surroundings of Indian life on the shores of the northern sea.

Primitive Indian modes of life, traditions and myths, appeal naturally

to children, and the whole story has this setting of early simplicity

which adapts it in many ways to child study. The Indian nature myths,

which in themselves are attractive, are here woven into a connected

series by their relation to Hiawatha in the training of his childhood

and in the exploits of his manhood.

The number of pure fairy tales scattered through the story adapts it

especially for young children, while the descriptions of home customs,

feasts, weddings, merrymaking, and games, show the happier side of their

life.

Ye who love a nation's legends,

Love the ballads of a people,

That like voices from afar off

Call to us to pause and listen,

Speak in tones so plain and childlike,

Scarcely can the ear distinguish

Whether they are sung or spoken;--

Listen to this Indian Legend,

To this song of Hiawatha!

Ye whose hearts are fresh and simple,

Who have faith in God and Nature,

Who believe, that in all ages

Every human heart is human,

That in even savage bosoms

There are longings, yearnings, strivings

For the good they comprehend not,

That the feeble hands and helpless,

Groping blindly in the darkness,

Touch God's right hand in that darkness,

And are lifted up and strengthened;--

Listen to this simple story,

To this Song of Hiawatha!

The description of husking time is such a pleasing scene, while the

picture writing of the Indians, their totems and rude drawings, are in

harmony with their traditions and religion.

On the border of the forest,

Underneath the fragrant pine-trees,

Sat the old men and the warriors

Smoking in the pleasant shadow.

In uninterrupted silence

Looked they at the gamesome labor

Of the young men and the women;

Listened to their noisy talking,

To their laughter and their singing,

Heard them chattering like the magpies,

Heard them laughing like the blue jays,

Heard them singing like the robins.

And whene'er some lucky maiden

Found a red ear in the husking,

Found a maize-ear red as blood is,

"Nushka!" cried they all together,

"Nushka! you shall have a sweetheart,

You shall have a handsome husband!"

"Ugh!" the old men all responded

From their seats beneath the pine-trees.

And the Jossakeeds, the Prophets,

The Wabenos, the Magicians,

And the Medicine-men, the Medas,

Painted upon bark and deer-skin

Figures for the songs they chanted,

For each song a separate symbol,

Figures mystical and awful,

Figures strange and brightly colored;

And each figure had its meaning,

Each some magic song suggested.

One of the most striking features of this story is its setting in

nature. More than any other piece of literature now used in the school,

it is redolent of fields and forest.

Should you ask me, whence these stories,

Whence these legends and traditions,

With the odors of the forest,

With the dew and damp of meadows,

With the curling smoke of wigwams,

With the rushing of great rivers,

With their frequent repetitions,

And their wild reverberations,

As of thunder in the mountains?

I should answer, I should tell you,

"From the forests and the prairies,

From the great lakes of the Northland,

From the land of the Ojibways,

From the land of the Dacotahs,

From the mountains, moors, and fenlands,

Where the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,

Feeds among the reeds and rushes."

Should you ask where Nawadaha

Found these songs, so wild and wayward,

Found these legends and traditions,

I should answer, I should tell you,

"In the birds'-nests of the forest,

In the lodges of the beaver,

In the hoof-prints of the bison,

In the eyry of the eagle!

All the wild-fowl sang them to him,

In the moorlands and the fenlands,

In the melancholy marshes;

Chetowaik, the plover, sang them,

Mahng, the loon, the wild-goose, Wawa,

The blue heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,

And the grouse, the Mushkodasa!"

This description of primitive man is as complete an absorption into his

natural surroundings as is possible. His food and clothing, his tents

and boats, his weapons and war gear, are drawn directly from nature's

first supplies, and man, in this case, seems almost a part of nature, so

completely are his thoughts and activities determined and colored by his

environment. Like the animals, in their protective coloring, he becomes

an undistinguishable part of his surroundings. His nature myths and

superstitions are but phases and expressions of the contact of his crude

mind with forces and objects in nature. In this respect there are many

interesting suggestions of similar interpretations among the Norse and

Greek mythologies.

The close and friendly contact of Hiawatha with trees and animals, his

companionship with the squirrel, the woodpecker, and the beaver, his

talking acquaintance with trees of the forest, with the fishes in the

Big-Sea-Water, and with the masters of the winds, the storm, and the

thunder, make him an interesting guide for the children among the realms

of nature.

Ye who love the haunts of nature,

Love the sunshine of the meadow,

Love the shadow of the forest,

Love the wind among the branches,

And the rain-shower and the snow-storm,

And the rushing of great rivers

Through their palisades of pine-trees,

And the thunder in the mountains,

Whose innumerable echoes

Flap like eagles in their eyries;--

Listen to these wild traditions,

To this Song of Hiawatha!

A happy, sympathetic love for the sights and sounds in nature is a

fortunate beginning of nature lore. The imaginative interpretations are

common to all the early races and in full harmony with the temper of

childhood. Even from the standpoint of nature study, this early poetic

joy in nature descriptions is profitable. The matter-of-fact, analytic

study of natural science in succeeding years need not begrudge the

children this happiness, this interpretative play of the imagination,

this music of field and forest. In early childhood, nature and poetry

are one, and as Lowell says, "Let us not go about to make life duller

than it is."

The simplicity and beauty of the language and figure of speech make many

parts of this poem especially appropriate for children.

Young and beautiful was Wabun;

He it was who brought the morning,

He it was whose silver arrows

Chased the dark o'er hill and valley;

He it was whose cheeks were painted

With the brightest streaks of crimson,

And whose voice awoke the village,

Called the deer, and called the hunter.

He meanwhile sat weary waiting

For the coming of Mondamin,

Till the shadows, pointing eastward,

Lengthened over field and forest,

Till the sun dropped from the heaven,

Floating on the waters westward,

As a red leaf in the Autumn

Falls and floats upon the water,

Falls and sinks into its bosom.

And the pleasant water-courses,

You could trace them through the valley,

By the rushing in the Spring-time,

By the alders in the Summer.

By the white fog in the Autumn,

By the black line in the Winter.

The simple music and rhythm of the poetic form is so delightful to

children that they absorb whole passages into their memory without

conscious effort. The mere re-reading of parts of the poem to little

children under six years will often produce this happy result. A little

girl of three years picked up, among others, this passage:--

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

The repetitions of the same or similar passages, so common throughout

the poem, is a successful appeal to children's favor. It gives the story

a sort of Mother Goose flavor which is delightful.

While the story centres in Hiawatha, it has a variety of interesting

personalities, giving expression to the striking features of this

primitive society. Hiawatha's loved ones, Minnehaha and old Nokomis,

stand first, and his chosen friends are next.

Two good friends had Hiawatha,

Singled out from all the others,

Bound to him in closest union,

And to whom he gave the right hand

Of his heart in joy and sorrow;

Chibiabos, the musician,

And the very strong man, Kwasind.

And these two, as I have told you,

Were the friends of Hiawatha,

Chibiabos, the musician,

And the very strong man, Kwasind.

Long they lived in peace together,

Spake with naked hearts together,

Pondering much and much contriving

How the tribes of men might prosper.

In connection with these persons is a most pleasing series of

adventures, bringing to notice those heroic qualities which children

love to witness. The very strong man, Kwasind, is a fitting companion

in their thoughts to Samson and Hercules; and Chibiabos,

He the best of all musicians,

He the sweetest of all singers,

has had many a prototype since the days of Orpheus.

Pau-Puk-Keewis, with his dancing and tricks, will also prove a curious

character, something like Proteus of old.

You shall hear how Pau-Puk-Keewis

He, the handsome Yenadizze,

Whom the people called the Storm Fool,

Vexed the village with disturbance;

You shall hear of all his mischief,

And his flight from Hiawatha,

And his wondrous transmigrations,

And the end of his adventures.

The character of Hiawatha, as of the benefactor, of one devoted, with

high purpose, to the welfare of his people, may be regarded as the

deeper motive of the author. It is the thought of ideal good in Hiawatha

which gives tone and meaning to the whole poem.

You shall hear how Hiawatha

Prayed and fasted in the forest,

Not for greater skill in hunting,

Not for greater craft in fishing,

Not for triumphs in the battle,

And renown among the warriors,

But for profit of the people,

For advantage of the nations.

The views of geography and history at the beginning and close of the

poem not only give a broad scope to the story, but have an interesting

bearing upon the study of geography and history in those years of school

which immediately follow. The narrative reaches from the Vale of

Tawasentha in New York, across the great lakes and shining Big-Sea-Water

to Minnehaha and the Upper Mississippi, and even to the prairies and the

distant Rocky Mountains beyond. In the summoning of the tribes at the

Great Pipe Stone Quarry there is a broad survey of the Indian tribes of

the United States.

From the vale of Tawasentha,

From the Valley of Wyoming,

From the groves of Tuscaloosa,

From the far-off Rocky Mountains,

From the Northern lakes and rivers

All the tribes beheld the signal,

Saw the distant smoke ascending,

The Pukwana of the Peace-Pipe.

Down the rivers, o'er the prairies,

Came the warriors of the nations.

A map of North America is necessary for showing the meaning of this

description to the children.

In the last part the coming of the white man and the prophecy of his

spreading over the land, and the dwindling of the native tribes to the

westward, are given.

Iagoo's description of the white men, their ships and appearance, to his

people on the return from his travels, will greatly please the children.

He had seen, he said, a water

Bigger than the Big-Sea-Water,

Broader than the Gitche Gumee,

Bitter so that none could drink it!

At each other looked the warriors,

Looked the women at each other,

Smiled, and said, "It cannot be so!

Kaw!" they said, "It cannot be so;"

"O'er it," said he, "o'er this water

Came a great canoe with pinions,

A canoe with wings came flying,

Bigger than a grove of pine-trees,

Taller than the tallest tree-tops!"

And the old men and the women

Looked and tittered at each other;

"Kaw!" they said, "we don't believe it!"

The story of Hiawatha has been used sufficiently in primary grades to

show how many are its suggestions for drawing and constructive work.

Little children take delight in drawing the Indian tents, bows and

arrows, pine forests, Indian warriors and dress, the canoe, the

tomahawk, the birds and animals. The cutting of these forms in paper

they have fully enjoyed.

Pictures of Indian life, collections of arrow-heads, the peace-pipes,

articles of dress, cooking utensils, wampum, stone hatchets, red

pipe-stone ornaments, or a visit to any collection of Indian relics are

desirable as a part of this instruction. The museums in cities and

expositions are rich in these materials, and in many private collections

are just the desired objects of study.

It is well known that children love to construct tents, dress in Indian

style, and imitate the mode of life, the hunting, dancing, and sports

of Indians. Teachers have taken advantage of this instinct to allow them

to construct an Indian village on a small scale, and assume the dress

and action of Hiawatha and his friends, and even to dramatize parts of

the story.

It is only certain selected parts of the "Hiawatha" that lend themselves

best to the oral treatment with children, and that, at first, not in the

poetic form. In fact, the oral treatment of a story in beautiful poetic

form demands a peculiar method.

For example, in treating the childhood of Hiawatha as he dwelt with old

Nokomis in the tent beside the sea, the main facts of this episode, or a

part of it, may be talked over by means of description, partly also by

development, question, and answer, and when these things are clear, let

this passage of the poem be read to the children. The preliminary

treatment and discussion will put the children in possession of the

ideas and pictures by which they can better appreciate and assimilate

the poem. This mode of introducing children to a poem or literary

masterpiece is not uncommon with children in later years, at least in

the middle grades.

It has been customary to use nearly the whole poem in fourth or fifth

school year for regular reading, and it is well suited to this purpose.

Its use in primary grades for such oral treatment as we have described

will not interfere with its employment as reading matter later on, but

rather increase its value for that purpose.

The method of handling such a poem as reading has been discussed in the

Special Method in the Reading of Complete English Classics.

A number of books have been written by practical teachers on the use of

"Hiawatha" in primary grades:--

"The Hiawatha Primer." Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

"Hints on the Study of Hiawatha" (Alice M. Krackowizer). A. Flanagan,

publisher.

The best edition of the "Hiawatha" is "Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha,"

which is well illustrated. Published by Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

Other editions are "The Song of Hiawatha." The Educational Publishing

Co.

"Longfellow's Hiawatha." The Macmillan Co.

"Song of Hiawatha." University Publishing Co.

CHAPTER V

THIRD GRADE STORIES

THE MYTHICAL STORIES

In the third grade we wish to bring a number of the mythical stories

vividly before the children. The classical myths which belong to the

literature of Europe are the fund from which to select the best. Not

all, but only a few of the simple and appropriate stories can be chosen.

Only two recitation periods a week are usually set apart for the oral

treatment of these old myths. But later in the progress of the reading

lessons other similar stories should be treated. The few recitation

periods used for oral work are rather designed to introduce children to

the spirit of this literature, to get them into the appreciative mind.

This body of ancient myths comes down to us, sifted out of the early

literature of the active-minded Greeks. They have found their way as a

simple and charming poetry into the national literature of all the

European countries. Is this the material suited to nine- and

ten-year-old children? It will not be questioned that these myths belong

to the best literary products of Europe, but are they suited to

children?

It is evident that some of our best literary judges have deemed them

appropriate. Hawthorne has put them into a form designed especially for

the young folk. Charles Kingsley wrote of the Greek myths for his

children: "Now I love these old Hellens heartily, and they seem to me

like brothers, though they have all been dead and gone many a hundred

years. They are come to tell you some of their old fairy tales, which

they loved when they were young like you. For nations begin at first by

being children like you, though they are made up of grown men. They are

children at first like you--men and women with children's hearts; frank,

and affectionate, and full of trust, and teachable, loving to see and

learn all the wonders around them; and greedy also, too often, and

passionate and silly, as children are."

Not a few other authors of less note have tried to turn the classical

myths of the old Greek poets into simple English for the entertainment

and instruction of children. Scarcely any of these stories that have not

appeared in various children's books in recent years. Taken as a whole,

they are a storehouse of children's literature. The philosopher,

Herbart, looked upon poems of Homer as giving ideal expression to the

boyhood of the race, and the story of Ulysses was regarded by him as the

boy's book,--the Greek Robinson Crusoe. For the child of nine years he

thought it the most suitable story.

Kingsley says in his Introduction: "Now you must not think of the Greeks

in this book as learned men, living in great cities, such as they were

afterwards, when they wrought all their beautiful works, but as country

people, living on farms and in walled villages, in a simple,

hard-working way; so that the greatest kings and heroes cooked their own

meals and thought it no shame, and made their own ships and weapons, and

fed and harnessed their own horses. So that a man was honored among

them, not because he happened to be rich, but according to his skill and

his strength and courage and the number of things he could do. For they

were but grown-up children, though they were right noble children too,

and it was with them as it is now at school, the strongest and cleverest

boy, though he be poor, leads all the rest."

In the introduction to the "Wonder Book" we find the following:

"Hawthorne took a vital interest in child life. He was accustomed to

observe his own children very closely. There are private manuscripts

extant which present exact records of what his young son and elder

daughter said or did from hour to hour, the father seating himself in

their playroom and patiently noting all that passed. To this habit of

watchful and sympathetic scrutiny we may attribute in part the

remarkable felicity, the fortunate ease of adaptation to the immature

understanding, and the skilful appeal to the fresh imaginations which

characterize his stories for the young." Hawthorne himself says: "The

author has long been of the opinion that many of the classical myths

were capable of being rendered into very capital reading for

children.... No epoch of time can claim a copyright on these immortal

fables. They seem never to have been made, and so long as man exists

they can never perish; but by their indestructibility itself they are

legitimate subjects, for every age to clothe with its own garniture of

manners and sentiment, and to imbue with its own morality.... The author

has not always thought it necessary to write downward in order to meet

the comprehension of children. He has generally suffered the theme to

soar, whenever such was its tendency. Children possess an unestimated

sensibility to whatever is deep or high in imagination or feeling so

long as it is simple likewise. It is only the artificial and the complex

that bewilder them."

A brief analysis of the qualities which render these myths so attractive

will help us to see their value in the education of children.

The astonishing brightness of fanciful episode and of pure and clear-cut

imagery has an indestructible charm for children. They can soar into and

above the clouds on the shining wings of Pegasus. With Eolus they shut

up the contrary winds in an ox-hide, and later let them out to plague

the much-suffering Ulysses. They watch with astonishment as Jason yokes

the fire-breathing oxen and strews the field with uprooted stumps and

stones as he prepares the soil for the seed of dragon's teeth. Each

child becomes a poet as he recreates the sparkling brightness of these

simple pictures. And when a child has once suffered his fancy to soar

to these mountain heights and ocean depths, it will no longer be

possible to make his life entirely dull and prosaic. He has caught

glimpses of a bright world that will linger unfading in the uplands of

his memory. And while they are so deep and lofty they are still, as

Hawthorne says, very simple. Some of the most classic of the old stories

are indeed too long for third grade children; too many persons and too

much complexity, as in the "Tales of Troy." But on the other hand, many

of the most beautiful of the old myths are as plain and simple to a

child as a floating summer cloud. High in the sky they may be or deep in

the reflection of some lake or spring, but clear and plain to the

thought of a little child. These stories in their naive simplicity

reflect the wonder and surprise with which a person first beholds grand

and touching scenery, whether it be the oppressive grandeur of some

beetling mountain crag, or the placid quiet of a moonlit stream. The

stories selected for this grade should be the simplest and best: "The

Golden Touch," "Perseus," "The Chimaera," of Hawthorne, the episodes of

the "Golden Fleece," with others similar.

In one form or another they introduce us to the company of heroes, or,

at least, of great and simple characters. Deeds of enterprise and

manliness or of unselfishness and generosity are the climax of the

story. To meet danger and hardship or ridicule for the sake of a high

purpose is their underlying thought. Perseus and Jason and Ulysses are

all ambitious to prove their title to superior shrewdness and courage

and self-control. When we get fairly into the mythical age, we find

ourselves among the heroes, among those striving for mastery and

leadership in great undertakings. Physical prowess and manly spirit are

its chief virtues. And can there be any question that there is a time in

the lives of children when these ideas fill the horizon of their

thought? Samson and David and Hercules, Bellerophon and Jason, are a

child's natural thoughts or, at least, they fit the frame of his mind so

exactly that one may say the picture and the frame were made for each

other. The history of most countries contains such an age of heroes.

Tell in Switzerland, Siegfried in Germany, Bruce in Scotland, Romulus

and Horatius at Rome, Alfred in England, are all national heroes of the

mythical age, whose deeds are heroic and of public good. The Greek

stories are only a more classic edition of this historical epoch, and

should lead up to a study of these later products of European

literature.

Several forms of moral excellence are objectively realized or

personified in these stories.

As the wise Centaur, after teaching Jason to be skilful and brave, sent

him out into the world, he said: "Well, go, my son; the throne belongs

to thy father and the gods love justice. But remember, wherever thou

dost wander, to observe these three things:

"Relieve the distressed.

"Respect the aged.

"Be true to thy word."[6]

[6] _Jason's Quest_ (Lowell), p. 55.

And many events in Jason's life illustrate the wisdom of these words.

The miraculous pitcher is one whose fountain of refreshing milk bubbled

always because of a gentle deed of hospitality to strangers. King Midas,

on the other hand, experiences in most graphic form the punishment which

ought to follow miserly greed, while his humble penitence brought back

his daughter and the homely comforts of life. Bellerophon is filled with

a desire to perform a noble deed that will relieve the distress of a

whole people. After the exercise of much patience and self-control he

succeeds in his generous enterprise. Many a lesson of worldly wisdom and

homely virtue is brought out in the story of Ulysses' varied and

adventuresome career.

These myths bring children into lively contact with European history and

geography, as well as with its modes of life and thought. The early

history of Europe is in all cases shrouded in mist and legend. But even

from this historically impenetrable past has sprung a literature that

has exercised a profound influence upon the life and growth of the

people. Not that children are conscious of the significance of these

ideas, but being placed in an atmosphere which is full of them, their

deeper meaning gradually unfolds itself. The early myths afford an

interesting approach for children to the history and geography of

important countries. Those countries they must, sooner or later, make

the acquaintance of both geographically and historically, and could

anything be designed to take stronger hold upon their imagination and

memory than these charming myths, which were the poetry and religion of

the people once living there?

It is a very simple and primitive state of culture, whose ships, arms,

agriculture, and domestic life are given us in clear and pleasing

pictures. Our own country is largely lacking in a mythical age. Our

culture sprang, more than half-grown, from the midst of Europe's

choicest nations, and out of institutions that had been centuries in

forming. The myths of Europe are therefore as truly ours as they are the

treasure of Englishmen, of Germans, or of Greeks. Again, our own

literature, as well as that of European states, is full of the spirit

and suggestion of the mythical age. Our poets and writers have drawn

much of their imagery from this old storehouse of thought, and a child

will better understand the works of the present through this contact

with mythical ages.

In method of treatment with school classes, these stories will admit of

a variation from the plan used with "Robinson Crusoe." One unaccustomed

to the reading of such stories would be at a loss for a method of

treatment with children. There is a charm and literary art in the

presentation that may make the teacher feel unqualified to present them.

The children are not yet sufficiently masters of the printed symbols of

speech to read for themselves. Shall the teacher simply read the stories

to children? We would suggest first of all, that the teacher, who would

expect to make use of these materials, steep himself fully in literature

of this class, and bring his mind into familiar acquaintance and

sympathy with its characters. In interpreting classical authors to

pupils, we are justified in requiring of the teacher intimate knowledge

and appreciative sympathy with his author. Certainly no one will teach

these stories well whose fancy was never touched into airy flights--who

cannot become a child again and partake of his pleasures. No

condescension is needed, but ascension to a free and ready flight of

fancy. By learning to drink at these ancient fountains of song and

poetry, the teacher might learn to tell a fairy story for himself. But

doubtless it will be well to mingle oral narrative and description on

the part of the teacher with the fit reading of choice parts so as to

better preserve the classic beauty and suggestion of the author.

Children are quite old enough now to appreciate beauty of language and

expressive, happy turns of speech. In the midst of question, suggestion,

and discussion between pupil and teacher, the story should be carried

forward, never forgetting to stop at suitable intervals and get such a

reproduction of the story as the little children are capable of. And

indeed they are capable of much in this direction, for their thoughts

are more nimble, and their power of expression more apt, oftentimes,

than the teacher's own.

We would not favor a simple reading of these stories for the

entertainment of pupils. It should take more the form of a school

exercise, requiring not only interest and attention, but vigorous effort

to grasp and reproduce the thought. The result should be a much livelier

and deeper insight into the story than would be secured by a simple

reading for amusement or variety. They should prepare also for an

appreciative reading of other myths in the following grades.

After all, in two or three recitation periods a week, extending through

a year, it cannot be expected that children will make the acquaintance

of all the literature that could be properly called the myth of the

heroic age in different countries. All that we may expect is to enter

this paradise of children, to pluck a few of its choicest flowers, and

get such a breath of their fragrance that there will be a child's desire

to return again and again. The school also should provide in the

succeeding year for an abundance of reading of myths. The same old

stories which they first learned to enjoy in oral recitations should be

read in books, and still others should be utilized in the regular

reading classes of the fourth and fifth grades. In this way the myths of

other countries may be brought in, the story of Tell, of Siegfried, of

Alfred, and of others.

In summarizing the advantages of a systematic attempt to get this simple

classic lore into our schools, we recall the interest and mental

activity which it arouses, its power to please and satisfy the creative

fancy in children, its fundamental feeling and instincts, the virtues of

bravery, manliness, and unselfishness, and all this in a form that still

further increases its culture effect upon teacher and pupil. It should

never be forgotten that teacher and pupil alike are here imbibing

lessons and inspirations that draw them into closer sympathy because the

subject is worthy of both old and young.

In addition to the earlier Greek myths we may mention the following

subjects as suitable for oral treatment:

The story of Ulysses has been much used in schools with oral

presentation, and is one of the best tales for this purpose in all

literature. A somewhat full discussion of the value of this story for

schools is found in the Special Method in Reading of Complete English

Classics.

The Norse mythology has also received much attention from teachers who

have used the oral mode of treatment. Several of the best books of Norse

mythology are mentioned in the appended list. Also the great story of

Siegfried.

Some of the old traditional stories in the early history of Rome, of

France, Germany, and England, have been used for oral narration and

reading to children.

The "Seven Little Sisters" and its companion book "Each and All," and

the "Ten Boys on the Road from Long Ago to Now," by Jane Andrews,

published by Ginn & Co., have been employed extensively for oral and

reading work in the third and fourth years of school. The "Seven Little

Sisters" is valuable in connection with the beginnings of geography.

BOOKS FOR THIRD YEAR OF SCHOOL

The Wonder Book of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The following stories are especially recommended: The Gorgon's

Head, The Golden Touch, The Miraculous Pitcher, and The Chimaera.

One should preserve as much as possible of the spirit and

language of the author. Perhaps in classes with children the

other stories will be found equally attractive: The Paradise of

Children and the Three Golden Apples. Published by Houghton,

Mifflin, & Co., Boston.

Kingsley's Greek Heroes.

The stories of Perseus, the Argonauts, and Theseus, especially

adapted to children. It may be advisable for the teacher to

abbreviate the stories, leaving out unimportant parts, but

giving the best portions in the fullest detail. Published by

Ginn & Co.; The Macmillan Co.

Story of the Iliad and Story of the Odyssey (Church).

Simple and interesting narrative of the Homeric stories. The

Macmillan Co.

Jason's Quest (Lowell).

The story of the Argonauts with many other Greek myths woven

into the narrative. This book is a store of excellent material.

The teacher should select from it those parts specially suited

to the grade. Published by Sibley & Ducker, Chicago.

Adventures of Ulysses (Lamb).

A small book from which the chief episodes of Ulysses' career

can be obtained. Published by Ginn & Co., Boston.

The Story of Siegfried (Baldwin). Published by Scribner's Sons.

Peabody's Old Greek Folk Stories.

Simple and well written. A supplement to the Wonder Book.

Published by Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

Tales of Troy (De Garmo).

The story of the siege of Troy and of the great events of

Homer's Iliad. This story, on account of its complexity, we deem

better adapted to the fourth grade. Published by the Public

School Publishing Co., Bloomington, Ill.

Stories of the Old World (Church).

Stories of the Argo, of Thebes, of Troy, of Ulysses, and of

AEneas. Stories are simply and well told. It is a book of 350

pages, and would serve well as a supplementary reader in fourth

grade. Published by Ginn & Co.

Gods and Heroes (Francillon).

A successful effort to cover the whole field of Greek mythology

in the story form. Ginn & Co.

The Tanglewood Tales (Nathaniel Hawthorne).

A continuation of the Wonder Book.

Heroes of Asgard.

Stories of Norse mythology; simple and attractive.

Macmillan & Co.

The Story of Ulysses (Agnes S. Cook).

An account of the adventures of Ulysses, told in connected

narrative, in language easily comprehended by children in the

third and fourth grades. Public School Publishing Co.,

Bloomington, Ill.

Old Norse Stories (Bradish).

Stories for reference and sight reading. American Book Co.

Norse Stories (Mabie).

An excellent rendering of the old stories. Dodd, Mead, & Co.

Myths of Northern Lands (Guerber). American Book Co.

The Age of Fable (Bulfinch). Lee and Shepard.

Readings in Folk Lore (Skinner). American Book Co.

National Epics (Rabb). A. C. McClurg & Co.

Classic Myths (Gayley). Ginn & Co.

Bryant's Odyssey. Complete poetic translation. Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

Bryant's Iliad. Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

Butcher and Lang's prose translation of the Odyssey. The Macmillan Co.

The Odyssey of Homer (Palmer). Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.

A prose translation.

Myths and Myth Makers (Fiske).

Moral Instruction of Children (Felix Adler).

Chapter X. D. Appleton & Co.

THE BIBLE STORIES

The stories of early Bible history have been much used in all European

lands, and in America, for the instruction of children. Among Jews and

Christians everywhere, and even among Mohammedans, these stories have

been extensively used. They include the simple accounts of the

patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and his brethren, Moses,

Joshua, Samson, Samuel, and David. It may be seen at a glance that no

more famous stories than these could be selected from the history of any

country in the world. They stand preeminent as graphic descriptions of

the modes of life which prevailed in the early period of civilized

races. The old patriarchs lived in what is usually called the pastoral

age, when men dwelt in tents and moved about from place to place with

their flocks in search of pasture. The patriarch at the head of the

family, and even of a whole tribe, is the father, ruler, priest, and

judge for the little community over which he presides. In his person

there is a simple union of all the important powers of the later Hebrew

state. The dignity and authority which centre in the person of Abraham,

together with a marked gravity and strength of character, lend a

distinct grandeur to his personality, so that he has been recognized in

all ages as one of the great figures in the history of the world; the

foremost of the old patriarchs,--the father of the faithful. A similar

respect and dignity attaches to all these old Bible characters, and in

the case of Moses, rises to a supreme height, while in David the

warrior, statesman, and poet are united in one of the most pronounced

and pleasing characters in the world's history. These old stories are

also unparalleled in the simplicity and transparent clearness with which

the life of the pastoral age is depicted. Human nature comes out in a

series of pictures most striking and individual, and yet unmistakably

true to life and reality. And yet while this life was so small in its

compass, it is almost wholly free from narrowness and provincialism. The

universal qualities of human nature, common to men in all ages and

countries, stand out with a clearness which even little children can

grasp. The story of Joseph and his brethren is probably the finest story

that was ever written for children from eight to ten years of age. The

characters involved in this family history are striking and impressive,

and the strength of the family virtues and affections has never been set

forth with greater simplicity and power.

The heroic qualities which appear in the old Bible stories, especially

in Moses, Samson, and David, would bear a favorable comparison with the

men of the heroic age in all countries. Strength of character combined

with faith in high ideals, pursued with unwavering resolution, is a

peculiar merit of these narratives. The heroes of the Hebrew race should

be compared, later on, with the most renowned heroes of England,

Scotland, Germany, and Greece, and even of America, for they have common

qualities which have like merit as educative materials for the young.

This early literature of the Bible stories will be found to contain a

large part of the universal thought of the world, that is, of the

masterly ideas which, because of their superior truth and excellence,

have gradually worked their way as controlling principles into the life

of all modern nations. It need hardly be said that these stories have a

peculiar charm and attractiveness for children. The simplicity of a

patriarchal age, the strong interest in persons of heroic quality, the

descriptions of early childhood, the heroic deeds of bold and

high-spirited youth,--these things command the unfaltering interest of

children, and at the same time give their lives a touch of moral

strength and idealism which is of the highest promise.

The oral treatment of these stories in the third or fourth year of

school is the only mode of bringing them before the children in their

full power, and they are well adapted to easy oral narrative and

discussion. The language is the genuine, simple, powerful old English,

and the teacher should become thoroughly saturated with these simple

words and modes of thought. The dramatic element is also not lacking in

many parts, and can be well executed in the classroom. Many

opportunities will be furnished to the children for drawing pictures

illustrating the stories. Many of the most famous masterpieces of

painting and sculpture represent the persons and scenes of these tales.

The great heroes of Christian art have exhausted their skill in these

representations, which are now being furnished to the schools by the

large publishing houses. Even the costumes and modes of life are thus

brought home to the children in the most realistic yet artistic way.

An acquaintance with such early stories of Hebrew history is an

introduction to some of the finest literature of the English language.

First, that dealing with the Hebrew scriptures themselves, as the books

of Moses, the psalms of David, and second, a number of the great poems

of English masters, as the "Burial of Moses" and Milton's "Samson

Agonistes." In short, we may say that these stories are the key to a

large part of our best English thought.

Adler, in his "Moral Instruction of Children," says: "The narrative of

the Bible is fairly saturated with the moral spirit; the moral issues

are everywhere in the forefront. Duty, guilt, and its punishment, the

conflict of conscience with inclination, are the leading themes. The

Hebrew people seem to have been endowed with what may be called 'a moral

genius,' and especially did they emphasize the filial and fraternal

duties to an extent hardly equalled elsewhere. Now it is precisely these

duties that must be impressed upon young children, and hence the

biblical stories present us with the very material we require. They

cannot, in this respect, be replaced; there is no other literature in

the world that offers what is equal to them in value for the particular

object we now have in view."

If we could only contemplate the patriarchal stories as a part of the

great literature of the world, on account of its typical yet realistic

portraiture of men and women, we might use this material as we use the

very best derived from other sources. Mr. Adler remarks that "this

typical quality in Homer's portraiture has been one secret of its

universal impressiveness. The Homeric outlines are in each case

brilliantly distinct, while they leave to the reader a certain liberty

of private conception, and he can fill them in to satisfy his own ideal.

We may add that this is just as true of the Bible as of Homer. The

biblical narrative, too, depicts a few essential traits of human nature,

and refrains from multiplying minor traits which might interfere with

the main effect. The Bible, too, draws its figures in outline, and

leaves every age free to fill them in so as to satisfy its own ideal."

Moreover, their use is not a matter of experiment. For hundreds of years

they have held the first place in the best homes and schools of Germany,

England, and America, and their educative influence has been profoundly

felt in all Christian nations.

We have several editions of the stories adapted from the Bible for

school use. In the Bible itself they are not found in the simple,

connected form that makes them available for school use. One of the best

editions for school is that published by Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.,

called, "Old Testament Stories in Scriptural Language." A free and

somewhat original rendering of the stories is given by Baldwin in his

"Old Stories of the East," published by the American Book Co. Both of

these books have been extensively used in the schools of this country.

The oral treatment of the Bible stories in the schools has not been

common in this country, but it has all the merits described by us in the

chapter on oral instruction. In fourth and fifth grades these books may

serve well for exercises in reading.

In a great many schools of this country they can be used and are used

without giving offence to anybody, and where this is true, they well

deserve recognition in our school course because of their superior

presentation of some of the great universal ideas of our civilization.

BOOKS FOR TEACHERS OF BIBLE LITERATURE

The Modern Reader's Bible, twenty-one volumes (Richard Moulton).

The Macmillan Co.

Children's Series. Old Testament and New Testament Stories.

In two volumes. The Macmillan Co.

Stories from the Bible (Church). The Macmillan Co.

Story of the Chosen People (Guerber). The American Book Co.

The Literary Study of the Bible (Moulton). D. C. Heath & Co.

STORIES OF ROBIN HOOD

In the latter part of third grade or beginning of fourth, the stories of

Robin Hood are likely to prove exhilarating to children.

These stories of the bold, manly, good-natured outlaw, with his band of

trusty men in Sherwood Forest, have been famous throughout England these

five hundred years, and the stories themselves, and the ballads

accompanying them, are a genuine part of the treasures of the older

English literature. They have been worked by Howard Pyle into the stout,

hearty English style which is so appropriate to the rendering of the

deeds of this sturdy English yeoman and his band.

Their careless life and woodland sports under the Greenwood Tree, and

their merry adventures and shooting matches, have been the delight of

many a generation of English children. But even their woodland sports

were a severe and rugged training in hardy endurance and manly spirit.

Pyle says well in his preface: "For honest purposes manfully followed

and hard knocks courageously endured must always interest the wholesome

boy; while nature is so closely akin to man in the golden days of his

green youth that tales of the Greenwood, where the leaves rustle and the

birds sing, and all the air is full of sweet savors of growing things,

must ever have a potent charm for the fresh imagination of childhood."

One phase of this training, as manifested in the stories, is not only

the ability to take hard knocks and keep a stiff upper lip, as the old

saying goes, but to master chagrin and anger and endure fun and gibes at

one's own expense; indeed, even with aching bones and buzzing ears, to

join in the merriment over one's own discomfiture. This is an unusual

accompaniment of even good stories, which makes them truly wholesome.

The fun of the stories also is of a light and rollicking sort which

children should have a chance to thoroughly enjoy. In fact it is

excellent material upon which to cultivate their early sense of the

comic and humorous. The literature used in early school years has,

unfortunately, too little of the sportive and laughable, and the Robin

Hood adventures will help in no small degree to remedy this defect.

It is interesting to note, also, that brute strength is not at a

premium, but skill and quick-wittedness. Not the least attractive and

forcible part of Robin Hood's character is the shrewd-witted versatility

and boldness with which he plays any part which circumstances require

him to assume. His foes are circumvented by his shrewdness and keen wit

even as much as by his unfailing skill in archery or dexterous strength

in personal contest.

Robin Hood's relation to the British government was known as that of the

outlaw, although the visit of King Richard to him in Sherwood Forest and

his service under that prince and others gave him a certain legal

status. He has always been regarded as a popular hero representing the

rights of the common people.

After describing Robin Hood's first adventure with the foresters and his

outlawry, Howard Pyle says: "But Robin Hood lay hidden in Sherwood

Forest for one year, and in that time there gathered around him many

others like himself, outlawed for this cause and for that.

"So, in all that year, five score or more good, stout yeomen joined

themselves to him, and chose him to be their leader and chief. Then they

vowed that even as they themselves had been despoiled they would despoil

their oppressors, whether baron, abbot, knight, or squire, and that

from each they would take that which had been wrung from the poor by

unjust taxes, or land rents, or in wrongful fines; but to the poor folk

they would give a helping hand in need and trouble, and would return to

them that which had been unjustly taken from them. Besides this, they

swore never to harm a child, nor to wrong a woman, be she maid, wife, or

widow; so that, after a while, when the people began to find that no

harm was meant to them, but that money or food came in time of want to

many a poor family, they came to praise Robin and his merry men, and to

tell many tales of him and of his doings in Sherwood Forest, for they

felt him to be one of themselves."

When we consider the stories which tradition has handed down relative to

the exploits of Robin Hood, the Old-English ballads which celebrate them

in song, the stories of King Richard's visit to him in Sherwood, and

Robin's visit to the court of Eleanor and King Henry at London town, to

share in the great shooting-match, and the story of Locksley in Scott's

"Ivanhoe"--we might almost say that Robin Hood would bear favorable

comparison with any Englishman of his time. At any rate it would be

difficult to find among the kings and great lords of that age one who

had so much regard for justice and fair dealing among men, to say

nothing of his kindness to the poor and needy.

He stands distinctly for those rights of the common people which were

constantly violated by the powerful and influential in that

half-barbarous age of feudalism. It is from this instinct for popular

rights that the body of English liberties has gradually developed, and

it is not strange that Robin Hood has always been regarded as a hero

among a people who have preserved this instinct for liberty and justice.

The foresters of Robin Hood's band were lovers of forest and glade; the

song of the bird and fragrance of wild flowers were sweet to them. In

Pyle's introductory chapter is this description of their retreat under

the Greenwood. "So turning their backs upon the stream, they plunged

into the forest once more, through which they traced their steps till

they reached the spot where they dwelt in the depths of the woodland.

There had they built huts of bark and branches of trees, and made

couches of sweet rushes spread over with skins of fallow deer. Here

stood a great oak tree with branches spreading broadly around, beneath

which was a seat of green moss where Robin Hood was wont to sit at feast

and at merrymaking, with his stout men about him. Here they found the

rest of the band, some of whom had come in with a brace of fat does.

Then they built great fires, and after the feast was ready they all sat

down, but Robin Hood placed Little John at his right hand, for he was

henceforth to be the second in the band."

Little John's bout with the tanner of Blyth is introduced thus:--

"One fine day, not long after Little John had left abiding with the

Sheriff and had come back to the merry Greenwood, Robin Hood and a few

chosen fellows of his band lay upon the soft sward beneath the Greenwood

Tree where they dwelt. The day was warm and sultry, so that whilst most

of the band were scattered through the forest upon this mission and upon

that, these few stout fellows lay lazily beneath the shade of the tree,

in the soft afternoon, passing jests among themselves and telling merry

stories, with laughter and mirth.

"All the air was laden with the bitter fragrance of the May, and all the

bosky shades of the woodlands beyond rang with the sweet song of

birds,--the throstle-cock, the cuckoo, and the wood-pigeon,--and with

the song of birds mingled the cool sound of the gurgling brook that

leaped out of the forest shades, and ran fretting amid its rough gray

stones across the sunlit open glade before the trysting-tree."

This delight in the beauty and music of all nature about them is a sort

of atmosphere which gives tone to all the stories of this group.

The language in which the stories are narrated is rich in the quaint and

vigorous phrases of Old English, reminding one of the times of

Shakespeare and before. One could hardly give the children a better

introduction to the riches of our mother tongue.

The description of English customs, the popular festivities, the booths

of the market town, the parade of feudal lords and retainers, the

constraints placed upon hunting by kings and lords, and the hardships of

the poor are touched upon in significant ways. The stories give an

insight into the English character, their love of rude sports, their

ballad literature, and their respect for honesty and courage and

shrewdness.

The ballads associated with the Robin Hood legends are often beautiful

and striking expressions of the English spirit, and have a special charm

for children. They should be read in connection with the later reading

of the stories in the third and fourth school years.

The bearing of these tales upon early feudal history and the general

literature of that age is of importance. This is well illustrated in

"Ivanhoe" in the use by Richard of Robin Hood and his archers in the

attack upon Torquilstone, and in various exploits of the men of the

Greenwood when brought in contact with knights on horseback. There is

also a kinship in these narratives with some of the best stories and

novels of early English history, as Scott's "Tales of a Grandfather,"

Kingsley's "Hereward the Wake," Jane Andrew's "Gilbert the Page," and a

number of Scott's novels.

In the oral treatment of the stories in the third or fourth school year,

the teacher will find her powers of presentation taxed in a peculiar

way. The quaint language and humorous tone, the occasional witty

conceits, will need to be appreciated and enjoyed, and the mode of

presentation suited to the thought. Let the teacher first of all

thoroughly enjoy the stories and in rendering them to children in the

classroom lose herself in the tone and spirit of the account. It

requires great freedom and flexibility of body and mind to do this well,

but that is what a teacher most of all needs. The humorous part,

especially, will require a certain unbending of the stiff manners of a

teacher, but no harm is done in this.

The large volume of Robin Hood stories by Pyle should be in the hands of

the teacher, if possible, although it is an expensive book. It is much

fuller in the special details of the stories needed by the teacher,

though the smaller book is far better adapted as a reading book for

schools.

To illustrate the place which the Robin Hood legends hold in English

history and literature, the following selections, quoted from Tennyson's

"The Foresters" and one of the old ballads, are given. They are taken

from "English History told by English Poets," published by The Macmillan

Company, where the passage from "The Foresters" is given at greater

length.

KING RICHARD IN SHERWOOD FOREST

LORD TENNYSON

(From "The Foresters")

Robin Hood and Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and George-a-Green, Will Scarlet,

Midge the Miller's Son, Little John, and the rest are legendary

characters loved and sung from the fourteenth century to modern times.

The charm of these light-hearted highwaymen was felt by Shakespeare

himself: "They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and a many

merry men with him: and there they live like the old Robin Hood of

England; they say many young gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet

the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world."--("As You Like

It," I, I.) Tennyson adopts the tradition that the generous outlaws

dwelt in Sherwood Forest in Cumberlandshire, and that their leader,

Robin Hood, was the banished Earl of Huntingdon. The plot of the "The

Foresters" turns upon the sudden return of Richard from his Austrian

captivity and the consequent collapse of the intrigues conducted by his

crafty and cruel brother John.

_Robin Hood._ Am I worse or better?

I am outlaw'd. I am none the worse for that

I held for Richard and I hated John.

I am a thief, ay, and a king of thieves.

Ay! but we rob the robber, wrong the wronger,

And what we wring from them we give the poor.

I am none the worse for that, and all the better

For this free forest-life, for while I sat

Among my thralls in my baronial hall

The groining hid the heavens; but since I breathed,

A houseless head beneath the sun and stars,

The soul of the woods hath stricken thro' my blood,

The love of freedom, the desire of God,

The hope of larger life hereafter, more

Tenfold than under roof.

True, were I taken

They would prick out my sight. A price is set

On this poor head; but I believe there lives

No man who truly loves and truly rules

His following, but can keep his followers true.

I am one with mine. Traitors are rarely bred

Save under traitor kings. Our vice-king John,

True king of vice--true play on words--our John,

By his Norman arrogance and dissoluteness,

Hath made me king of all the discontent

Of England up thro' all the forest land

North to the Tyne: being outlaw'd in a land

Where law lies dead, we make ourselves the law.

_King Richard_ (to _Robin_). My good friend Robin, Earl of Huntingdon,

For Earl thou art again, hast thou no fetters

For those of thine own band who would betray thee?

_Robin._ I have; but these were never worn as yet,

I never found one traitor in my band.

* * * * *

Our forest games are ended, our free life,

And we must hence to the King's court. I trust

We shall return to the wood. Meanwhile, farewell

Old friends, old patriarch oaks. A thousand winters

Will strip you bare as death, a thousand summers

Robe you life-green again. You seem, as it were,

Immortal, and we mortal. How few Junes

Will heat our pulses quicker! How few frosts

Will chill the hearts that beat for Robin Hood!

_Marian._ And yet I think these oaks at dawn and even,

Or in the balmy breathings of the night,

Will whisper evermore of Robin Hood.

We leave but happy memories to the forest.

We dealt in the wild justice of the woods.

All those poor serfs whom we have served will bless us,

All those pale mouths which we have fed will praise us--

All widows we have holpen pray for us,

Our Lady's blessed shrines throughout the land

Be all the richer for us. You, good friar,

You Much, you Scarlet, you dear Little John,

Your names will cling like ivy to the wood.

And here perhaps a hundred years away

Some hunter in day-dreams or half asleep

Will hear our arrows whizzing overhead,

And catch the winding of a phantom horn.

_Robin._ And surely these old oaks will murmur thee

Marian along with Robin. I am most happy--

Art thou not mine?--and happy that our King

Is here again, never I trust to roam

So far again, but dwell among his own.

Strike up a stave, my masters, all is well.

HOW ROBIN HOOD RESCUED THE WIDOW'S THREE SONS

Robin Hood and his followers were bandits and outlaws, but the people

loved them because they defied the hateful forest laws and made light of

the sheriff. The king's officers were responsible for the maintenance of

order, but in these lawless times they often used their power for their

own advantage, imposing heavy fines and penalties on the poor, and

extorting bribes from the rich. The following is one of the oldest and

rudest of the many Robin Hood ballads:--

There are twelve months in all the year,

As I hear many say,

But the merriest month in all the year

Is the merry month of May.

Now Robin Hood is to Nottingham gone,

With a link a down and a day,

And there he met a silly[7] old woman,

Was weeping on the way.

"What news? what news, thou silly old woman?

What news hast thou for me?"

Said she, "There's my three sons in Nottingham town

To-day condemned to die."

"O, have they parishes burnt?" he said,

"Or have they ministers slain?

Or have they robbed any virgin?

Or other men's wives have ta'en?"

"They have no parishes burnt, good sir,

Nor yet have ministers slain,

Nor have they robbed any virgin,

Nor other men's wives have ta'en."

"O, what have they done?" said Robin Hood,

"I pray thee tell to me."

"It's for slaying of the king's fallow-deer,

Bearing their long bows with thee."

"Dost thou not mind, old woman," he said,

"How thou madest me sup and dine?

By the truth of my body," quoth bold Robin Hood,

"You could not tell it in better time."

Now Robin Hood is to Nottingham gone,

With a link a down and a day,

And there he met with a silly old palmer,

Was walking along the highway.

"What news? what news, thou silly old man?

What news, I do thee pray?"

Said he, "Three squires in Nottingham town

Are condemned to die this day."

"Come change thy apparel with me, old man,

Come change thy apparel for mine;

Here is forty shillings in good silver,

Go drink it in beer or wine."

Now Robin Hood is to Nottingham gone,

With a link a down and a down.

And there he met with the proud sheriff,

Was walking along the town.

"O Christ you save, O sheriff!" he said;

"O Christ you save and see;

And what will you give to a silly old man

To-day will your hangman be?"

"Some suits, some suits," the sheriff he said,

"Some suits I'll give to thee;

Some suits, some suits, and pence thirteen,

To-day's a hangman's fee."

Then Robin he turns him round about,

And jumps from stock to stone:

"By the truth of my body," the sheriff he said,

"That's well jumpt, thou nimble old man."

"I was ne'er a hangman in all my life,

Nor yet intends to trade;

But curst be he," said bold Robin,

"That first a hangman was made!

"I've a bag for meal, and a bag for malt,

And a bag for barley and corn;

A bag for bread, and a bag for beef,

And a bag for my little small horn.

"I have a horn in my pocket,

I got it from Robin Hood,

And still when I set it to my mouth,

For thee it blows little good."

"O, wind thy horn, thou proud fellow,

Of thee I have no doubt.

I wish that thou give such a blast,

Till both thy eyes fall out."

The first loud blast that he did blow,

He blew both loud and shrill;

A hundred and fifty of Robin Hood's men

Came riding over the hill.

The next loud blast that he did give,

He blew both loud and amain.

And quickly sixty of Robin Hood's men

Came shining over the plain.

"O, who are these," the sheriff he said,

"Come tripping over the lea?"

"They're my attendants," brave Robin did say;

"They'll pay a visit to thee."

They took the gallows from the slack,

They set it in the glen.

They hanged the proud sheriff on that,

Released their own three men.

[7] simple

ROBIN HOOD BOOKS

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Howard Pyle). Finely

illustrated, $3.00. Scribner's Sons.

Some Adventures of Robin Hood (Pyle). Small school edition,

illustrated; Scribner's Sons.

Tennyson's The Foresters.

The Robin Hood ballads are found in many of the ballad books.

Ivanhoe contains several scenes from the life of Robin Hood

(Locksley).

CHAPTER VI

PRIMARY READING THROUGH INCIDENTAL EXERCISES AND GAMES

BASED ON SCHOOL MOVEMENTS, STUDIES, AND GAMES

Before entering upon the discussion of the usual methods of introducing

children to the art of reading we will give a treatment of the

incidental opportunities offered by the other studies, by school

movements and games in primary classes, for introducing children to the

written and printed forms.

It is assumed that the more closely the written or printed words and

sentences are related to the children's activities, or the more

dependent these activities are made upon a knowledge of the word-forms,

the quicker and more natural will be their mastery. To put it briefly,

the teacher abstains from the use of oral speech to a considerable

extent and substitutes the written forms of the words on the blackboard

in giving directions, in games, and in treating topics in literature and

science. The following chapter is taken wholly from the lessons given by

Mrs. Lida B. McMurry in the first grade. Many other similar lessons were

worked out, but these are probably sufficient to fully illustrate the

plan.

The teacher's aim in the beginning reading is to lead the child to look

to the lesson, either word or sentence or paragraph, to find what it has

to say to him--to present the lesson in such a way that the child shall

quicken into life in its presence--shall reach forward to grasp this

much-desired thing. The attention of the child is centred on the

thought; he grasps the symbols because he must reach, through them, the

thought.

Much of the early reading can be taught in a purely incidental way--in

the general exercises of the school and in the literature and

nature-study recitations.

READING TAUGHT INCIDENTALLY

(a) _In the General Management of the School._ The directions which are

at first given to children orally, _e.g._, _rise_, _turn_, _pass_,

_sit_, _skip_, _fly_, _march_, _run_, _walk_, _pass to the front_, _pass

to the back_, are later written upon the board. When the children seem

to have become familiar with the written direction, the order in which

the directions are given is sometimes changed, as a test, _e.g._, the

following directions are usually given in this order--_turn_, _rise_,

_pass_. Instead of writing _turn_ first, the teacher writes _pass_. If

the children understand, they will rise at once and pass without waiting

to turn.

The names of the children, instead of being spoken, are often written;

in this way the children become familiar with the names of all the

children in the school. The teacher, writing _Clarence_ upon the board,

says, "I would like this boy to erase the boards to-night." The first

time it is written the teacher speaks the name as she writes it. It may

be necessary to do this several times. The teacher does not look at

Clarence as she writes his name. If he does not recognize his name after

it has appeared repeatedly, his eyesight may well be tested. If

heedlessness is the cause of the failure, another name is written at the

board, and Clarence loses the opportunity to do the service. No drill

should be given on these names. The repetition incident to the frequent

calling upon the child is all that is necessary to fix the name.

The names of the songs and of the poems which the children are

memorizing are written upon the board as needed. The teacher says, "We

will sing this song this morning." If the children do not recognize its

title as the teacher points to it, she gives it. After a while the

children will recognize the names of all the songs and the poems which

are in use in the room.

The children become familiar with the written form of the smaller

numbers in this way--the number of absent children is reported at each

session and written on the board. On Friday the teacher records upon the

board some facts of the week, or of the month, which the children

learned from their weather charts--viz., the number of sunny and the

number of cloudy days. The number of children in each row is ascertained

and written at the board that the monitors may know how many pairs of

scissors, pieces of clay, or pencils to select.

The poems, after being partially committed to memory, are written upon

the board; when the pupils falter, reference is made to the line in

question as it appears upon the board.

The teacher sometimes writes her morning greeting or evening farewell at

the board--thus: "Good morning, children," or, "Good-by for to-day." The

children read silently and respond with, "Good morning, Miss Eades," or,

"Good night, Miss Farr."

Often she communicates facts of interest at the board. If the pupils are

unable to interpret what she has written, she reads for them, _e.g._,

the teacher writes, "We have vacation to-morrow." Quite likely some

child, unable to read at all, will say, "We have _something_, but I

can't tell what it is." (These same words will occur again, when needed

to express a thought, and it is a waste of energy to drill upon them.)

When the children have interpreted the above sentence at the board, the

teacher writes, "Do you know why?" The children read the question

silently and give the answer audibly, and say, "It is Decoration Day."

We too often allow children to treat a question in their reading as if

its end were reached in the asking. To lead the children to form a

habit of answering questions asked in writing or in print, such

questions as the following are, from time to time, written at the board:

"Did you see the rainbow last night?" "What color was it?" "Did you see

any birds on Saturday?" "What ones?" "Have you been to the woods?" "What

did you find there?"

(b) _In Connection with the Literature._ The name of the story which the

teacher is about to tell is placed upon the board. At the first writing

the teacher tells the pupils what it is, if necessary, _e.g._, the

teacher says, "We shall have a story about '_The Three Bears_,'"

pointing to the title upon the board. The next day she says, "I would

like you to tell me all you can about this story"--writing its name upon

the board.

In the final reproduction of the story the teacher assigns topics,

_e.g._: Chauncey may tell me about this (writing at the board):

_Silver-Hair going to the woods_. Eva may tell about this: _Silver-Hair

going into the kitchen_. Jennie may tell about this: _Silver-Hair going

into the sitting room_. Willie may tell about this: _Silver-Hair going

upstairs_. Should the child go beyond the limited topic, the teacher

points to the board and asks about what he was to tell.

At the close of each story that can be dramatized, the teacher assigns

at the board the part which each is to take, thus: After the story of

"The Old Woman and the Pig" is learned, the teacher writes in a column

each child's name opposite the animal or thing which he is to represent,

in this way.

_Agnes_--the old woman.

_Glenn_--the pig.

_Sadie_--the dog, etc.

(c) _In Connection with the Nature Study._ In the spring the children

are looking for the return of the birds, the first spring blossoms, and

the opening of the tree buds. The teacher often makes her own

discoveries known through writing, upon the board, _e.g._, "I saw a

robin this morning," or "I found a blue violet yesterday," or "I saw

some elm blossoms last night."

The class, by the aid of the teacher, make a bird, a flower, and a

tree-bud calendar, on which are recorded the name and date of the first

seen of each. These names are put on the calendars in the presence of

the children, and they frequently "name their treasures o'er."

The mode of travelling is written beside the name of each familiar bird

as the children make the discoveries, thus:--

{ hops. { walks.

Robin { runs. Crow {

{ flies. { flies.

Questions arise during the recitation which the children will answer

later from observation. That the children may not forget them they are

placed high up on the board where they can be preserved. Frequent

reference is made to them to see if the pupils are prepared to answer

them. When a question is answered it is erased, making room for another.

THE READING RECITATION

For the early reading, Games, Literature, and Nature Study may form the

basis.

* * * * *

(I) _Games as a Basis for the Reading._ The child enters school from a

life of play. It is our purpose, so far as possible, to make use of this

natural bent of the child to insure interest in his reading, as well as

to give him the free exercise, which he needs, of his muscles. It may be

urged as an argument against the use of the games, that they are too

noisy and attract the attention of the children who are busy at their

seats. Often it would be a good thing for these children to watch the

younger ones at their games. It would rest them and put them into closer

sympathy with the little ones. In a short time they will not care so

much to watch them. The little children should be thoughtful of the

older ones and move about as quietly as is possible.

The following are some of the games which we have used in our primary

school. They are given in the way of suggestion only. They are played at

first by following spoken directions. When the children are perfectly

familiar with the oral direction, the written direction is gradually

substituted. The children do not stay long enough on one game to become

tired of it. Two or three or even more are played at a single

recitation. It is not the plan to drill the pupils upon the written

directions, but by frequent repetitions to familiarize them with them.

The games are most suitable for the very earliest reading lessons. The

plan for teaching one of them, the first one given here, will be written

out quite fully. The others will be given with less detail.

THE RING GAME

_Material._--Six celluloid rings, red, white, blue, yellow, green, and

black. Surcingle rings can be painted the colors desired.

_Directions._--Take the red ring, Jennie.

Take the blue ring, Eva.

Take the yellow ring, Wallace.

Take the green ring, Chauncey.

Take the black ring, Gregory.

Take the white ring, Lloyd.

When the children are ready to hide the rings this direction is given to

the remainder of the class:--

Close your eyes.

This to the pupils who hold the rings:--

Hide the rings.

When the children have all the rings hid they announce it by lightly

clapping their hands, upon which the children open their eyes.

Directions are then given to those who did not hide rings, for finding

the rings, _e.g._:--

Find the red ring.

Find the blue ring, etc.

No notice is taken of any ring but the one called for. A limited time is

given for the finding of each. At the close of that time, if the ring is

not discovered, the one who hid it gets it. When the written directions

are first used the whole sentence need not be put upon the board,

_e.g._, the teacher need write only--_the red ring_. She says to the

child, "find _this_"--pointing to the board; or _red_, alone, may be

written, in which case the teacher points to the word, saying, "You may

find _this ring_." There is considerable rivalry to see who will find

the most rings.

When the children seem to know the written directions perfectly, a test

is made of their ability, actually, to read them; thus, instead of

writing, "_Take_ the red ring," the teacher writes, "_Find_ the red

ring." She writes "Hide the rings," before she writes, "Close your

eyes." If the children recognize what is written they will set the

teacher right.

BALL AND CORD

_Material._--Small, soft rubber balls with short rubber cords attached.

The cords have a loop for the finger.