their knees around him, and with tears and lamentations besought him to
intercede with the robbers to save their town. Poor little Tomtit was
very much moved by their wild grief and despair. Tears came into his
eyes, and his little chest heaved with emotion; but he kept up a brave
heart, and stood true to his companions.
“It’s no use,” he said, “for you to be blubbering and crying. Your
houses have all got to be burned up, and the powder-magazine has got
to go off with a big bang, and your furniture and beds will all be
burned, and the babies’ cradles, and--and--I’m awful sorry for it,” and
here the tears rolled down his cheeks; “but we boys have got to stick
by each other, and you won’t have any homes, and I expect you will all
perish--boo-hoo! But it won’t do to back down--boo-hoo-hoo! And the
little babies will die; but the old thing has got to burn, you know.”
“Now, look here, Tomtit,” said Old Pluck, who, with the rest of the
boys, had drawn near, “don’t you be too hard on these people. I say let
the town stand.”
The boys agreed with one voice. And Tomtit, kicking one of his little
legs above his head, shouted in ecstasy: “Yes, sir, let the town stand,
babies and all.”
At this the women rushed up to the little fellow, and, seizing him in
their arms, nearly kissed him to death.
“I’d like to know what we are to do next,” sadly remarked Old Pluck.
“I’ll tell you,” cried Tomtit. “Let the chief steal a bride.”
The whole company stopped and looked at Tomtit. “Little boy,” said
they, “what do you mean?”
“Why, of course,” said Tomtit, “I mean for the chief to seize a fair
damsel and carry her off on his horse to be his bride, the wild hoofs
clattering amid the crags.”
“Hoot!” cried all the boys in derision. And the chief said to Tomtit:
“Little boy, I know of no fair damsel to steal, and, besides, I do not
want a bride.”
“It’s pretty hard,” said Tomtit, wiping his eyes with his little
sleeve. “I’ve done just what you fellows told me to, and now you won’t
order anything I want to see.”
That night the boys ordered the robbers to hold high revels in the
great hall. The flowing bowl was passed, and the great flagons were
filled high; wild songs were sung, and the welkin was made to ring, as
well as the robbers could do it, with jovial glee. The boys watched the
proceedings for some time, but they did not find them very interesting,
and soon went to bed.
The next morning Old Pluck called a meeting of his companions. “Boys,”
he said, “this robber life is a good deal stupider than anything we
left behind us. Let’s get back to school as fast as we can, and enjoy
what is left of the Christmas fun. We will all admit that we are sorry
for what we have done, and will promise not to run away again; and
Tomtit can go to the master and tell him so.”
“I’ll be the first one whipped,” ruefully remarked Tomtit; “but if you
boys say so, of course I’ll do it.”
The boys now took leave of the robbers, Tomtit having been first
presented with the piece of blue taffeta to make him a jerkin. When
they reached the school Tomtit told his tale, and he was the only one
who was not punished.
The next year these eleven boys were leaving school for a vacation,
and on their way home they thought they would stop and see their old
friends, the robbers. Much to their surprise, they found everything
changed at the castle. It was now a boys’ school; the chief was the
principal, and each of the other robbers was a teacher.
“You see,” said the principal to Old Pluck, “we never knew how stupid
and uninteresting a robber’s life was until we were forced to lead it
against our will. While you were here we learned to like boys very
much, and so we concluded to set up this school.”
“Do you have Christmas trees, and carols, and games?”
“Oh, yes,” answered the principal.
“So do we,” said Old Pluck.
“Yes, sir,” exclaimed Tomtit, standing up very straight. “No more fire
and tribute for us. We’ve grown out of that kind of nonsense.”
SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS
These suggestions and questions are prepared to aid the child in
getting food for thought. Many ethical questions are touched upon in
these stories, phases of the great problems of life which each citizen
must solve for himself. The school-room is a little community, of
which each child is a unit, and there he should get training for good
citizenship. Let him grapple, then, with these questions, for he would
better be striving after a large truth than altogether absorbing a
little one.
OLD PIPES AND THE DRYAD
This story is akin to the Greek and the Latin myths, and will lead
you back to the beginnings of literature, to the myth of Daphne and
her changing to a laurel-tree, the myth of Dryope, and Virgil’s
account of the transformation of Polydore (Æneid, Book III.)--all
of which are tree-myths. Conington’s metrical translation of Virgil
tells this story very musically.
These dryad stories have been the inspiration of poets and artists of
all ages. I hope you may some day see the beautiful picture of Daphne
changing to the laurel-tree that a French artist has painted.
It will add much to the value of the child’s study of literature if
the teacher will read or tell these myths to the children. They
may be found in Gayley’s “Classic Myths,” Murray’s “Mythology,”
Bulfinch’s “Mythology,” or any classical dictionary.
It is easy for us to see that, in this myth of Daphne, the Greek
people were telling us, in their poetic way, that the dawn ever flew
at the sun’s approach.
In this story the loving helpfulness of Old Pipes brought back his
strength and youth quite as much as the kiss of the Dryad; for are we
not always strong and happy when helping others?
What other pieces of literature teach this lesson?
Read Lowell’s poem, “Rhœcus.”
Compare the dryad in Stockton’s story with the dryads of the myths.
How do you think this idea of dryads originated?
Discuss the character of Old Pipes. Have you ever met another like
him in your reading?
Did the Dryad do right in not returning the money to the villagers?
THE BEE-MAN OF ORN
This story can be made a starting-point for interesting science
lessons. Children can easily observe the habits of bees. In ancient
times, when honey was a staple article of food, much was thought
and written about the care of bees. Read with the children John
Burroughs’ “Birds and Bees,” also bits from Virgil’s “Georgics,” Book
IV.
Lead the children to discuss the following points:
Why did the bees not sting the Bee-Man?
What is it that leads animals to like a person?
Did his ugly appearance hinder the bees from liking the Bee-Man?
Would it hinder you from liking him?
Do you think the Bee-Man had flowers growing in the little garden
outside his hut?
What kind of flowers? Why?
Do all flowers with perfume yield honey?
Which would derive more pleasure from watching the life and habits of
bees, a busy person or a lazy one?
Do bees make weather observations? Virgil says that bees do not go
far from the hive when an east wind is blowing.
What do you think was the Junior Sorcerer’s reason for thinking the
Bee-Man had been transformed?
Do you agree with the Junior Sorcerer in his opinion of the Bee-Man:
that he was a “miserable old man”?
When the Bee-Man first felt himself drawn toward the Lord of the
Domain, what was it that influenced him? Are appearances to be
trusted?
Do you ever meet people who, like the Languid Youth, dislike to face
duty alone, and would always rather have someone go with them?
The Bee-Man shrunk from entering the cavern, yet within it he found
that phase of life toward which he was most drawn; so the unpleasant
duties of life from which we so often shrink contain the best things
that life has in store for us.
Suppose the Languid Youth had found the baby in the cavern, what
would he have done?
If you had a chance to go back to your babyhood again, do you think
you would grow up to be the same person that you are now?
Which character in this story do you like best? Why?
THE CLOCKS OF RONDAINE
This story naturally leads to the history of clocks and time-pieces
of various kinds, from the crude hour-glass, the burning candle
graduated to last a certain time, the water-clock, much the same
as the hour-glass, and the dial on which the shadow of the sun is
traced, down to the clocks which we have now, and especially those
of finest mechanism and beautiful ornamentation.
The industry of clock-making is a very important one. In the United
States it has been built up almost entirely in the last sixty years.
Many years ago clock movements were made of wood; now they are made,
as every child knows, of metal, which is cheaper to manufacture and
more durable.
In the days of the Revolution many clocks were made in Connecticut,
using no machinery in their manufacture, but cutting the wheels and
teeth with a saw and jack-knife. Then the makers would travel to the
more recently settled country and sell these crude wooden clocks for
twenty-five dollars apiece.
A description and pictures of the Strasbourg Clock could be made
interesting here.
In what part of the world do you think Rondaine was?
What characteristics should you expect to find in the people of a
town containing so many clocks?
What particular occupations should you expect to find these people
following?
For which did the people care more, clocks or time?
We thought, in the early part of the story, that Arla was the only
person in all Rondaine who cared to know the correct time. Do you
still think so, after finishing the story?
Suppose we followed the reasoning of the little old lady with white
hair, saying that what was good enough for our grandfathers is good
enough for us, how would it affect the world?
Is there anything in this story that seems improbable, that is, does
it seem like a true story?
What truth does it leave with us?
THE GRIFFIN AND THE MINOR CANON
Lead pupils to discuss their ideas of griffins before reading the
story.
To what age of literature do griffin and dragon stories belong?
How could the Griffin know that the stone image was a good likeness
of himself?
What things do you think the Griffin told the Minor Canon about
minerals, metals, and the wonders of the world?
Stop at the point in the story just prior to the sending away of the
Minor Canon, and let the children discuss what _they_ would have done
under those circumstances.
Do you agree with the Griffin in his opinion of the only two good
things in the town?
What did the Griffin mean when he said, “If some things were
different, other things would be otherwise”?
Thus we learn that goodness, bravery, and honesty, even in a griffin,
demand for companionship, goodness, bravery, and honesty.
Ruskin says some very good things about dragons in the first few
pages of “The Queen of the Air.”
How do the things we see every day affect our characters?
Some very interesting and profitable comparisons may be made between
this story and Hawthorne’s story of the “Great Stone Face”; and since
comparison is such a mind-strengthener, the teacher should never lose
such an opportunity.
THE SCRIBNER SERIES _of_ SCHOOL READING
A uniform supplementary reading series, specially edited for use in
elementary schools and carefully graded in accordance with results
obtained from actual tests in the class room. The main purpose of
this series is to introduce into the class room the best literature,
particularly the writings of those contemporary American authors
who naturally appeal to young people, and to bring this excellent
literature within the reach of all schools by offering the books at
a very moderate price. The volumes are profusely illustrated, and
handsomely and durably bound.
=Fanciful Tales.= By FRANK R. STOCKTON. Edited by JULIA E. LANGWORTHY.
Illustrated.
=Hans Brinker.= By MARY MAPES DODGE. Illustrated.
=A Child’s Garden of Verses.= By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. Illustrated.
=Some Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.= By HOWARD PYLE. Illustrated by
the author.
=America First.= By FRANCES NIMMO GREENE. Illustrated.
=The Hoosier School Boy.= By EDWARD EGGLESTON. Illustrated.
=Krag and Johnny Bear.= Being the Personal Histories of Krag, Randy,
Johnny Bear, and Chink. By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON. Illustrated.
=Lobo, Rag, and Vixen.= Selections from “Wild Animals I Have
Known.” By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON. With 4 full-page and many other
illustrations from drawings by the Author.
=Hero Tales Told in School.= By JAMES BALDWIN. Illustrated.
=The Page Story Book.= Selections for School Reading by THOMAS NELSON
PAGE. Edited by FRANK E. SPALDING and CATHERINE T. BRYCE.
=The van Dyke Book.= Selections for School Reading. By HENRY VAN
DYKE. Edited by Professor EDWIN MIMS. A new edition, revised, with
an introduction by MAXWELL STRUTHERS BURT. Illustrated.
=The Howells Story Book.= By WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS. Selected and
arranged by MARY E. BURT. Illustrated by MISS HOWELLS.
=The Eugene Field Book.= Verses, Stories, and Letters for School
Reading. By EUGENE FIELD. Edited by MARY E. BURT and MARY L. CABLE.
With an Introduction by GEORGE W. CABLE. Illustrated.
=The Lanier Book.= Selections for School Reading. By SIDNEY LANIER.
Edited and arranged by MARY E. BURT, in co-operation with MRS.
LANIER. Illustrated.
=The Cable Story Book.= Selections for School Reading. By GEORGE W.
CABLE. Edited by MARY E. BURT and LUCY L. CABLE. Illustrated.
=The Roosevelt Book.= Selections from the writings of Theodore
Roosevelt, with an introduction by ROBERT BRIDGES. Illustrated.
=Things Will Take a Turn.= By BEATRICE HARRADEN. Illustrated.
=Around the World in the Sloop Spray.= By Captain JOSHUA SLOCUM.
Illustrated.
=Twelve Naval Captains.= With portraits. By MOLLY ELLIOTT SEAWELL.
=Poems of American Patriotism.= Chosen by BRANDER MATTHEWS.
=Children’s Stories of American Literature, 1660-1860.= By HENRIETTA
CHRISTIAN WRIGHT.
=Children’s Stories of American Literature, 1860-1896.= By HENRIETTA
CHRISTIAN WRIGHT.
=Children’s Stories in American History.= By HENRIETTA CHRISTIAN
WRIGHT.
=Children’s Stories in American Progress.= By HENRIETTA CHRISTIAN
WRIGHT.
=Herakles, the Hero of Thebes, and Other Heroes of the Myth.= By MARY
E. BURT and ZENAIDE RAGEZIN. Illustrated.
=Odysseus: The Hero of Ithaca.= By MARY E. BURT. Illustrated.
=The Boy General.= By MRS. GEORGE A. CUSTER and MARY E. BURT.
Illustrated.
=Don Quixote De La Mancha.= By MIGUEL DE CERVANTES. From the
translations of Duffield and Shelton. By MARY E. BURT and LUCY
LEFFINGWELL CABLE.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.
Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.