JOURNEYS THROUGH BOOKLAND--ITS CONTENTS AND PLAN
_Journeys Through Bookland_ is what the title signifies, a series of
excursions into the field of the world's greatest literature.
Accordingly, the base of the work is laid in those great classics that,
since first they found expression in words, have been the education and
inspiration of man. But these excursions are taken hand-in-hand with a
leader, whose province it is to explain, to interpret, to guide and to
direct. Suiting his labors to the age and acquirement of the readers he
helps them all, from the child halting in his early attempts to
interpret the printed page to the high school or college student who
wishes to master the innermost secrets of literature. In no small sense
is this leadership a labor of love, for it follows an experience of
twenty years of personal instruction in the public schools and among the
teachers of the country.
_Journeys Through Bookland_ must be considered as a unit; for one plan,
one purpose, controls from the first page of the first volume to the
last page of the tenth. The literary selections were not chosen
haphazard nor were they graded and arranged after any ordinary plan. In
this respect they differ in character and arrangement from the
selections in any other work now upon the market.
Moreover, the notes, interpretations, original articles and multifarious
helps are an integral part and are inseparable. In this respect, again,
is the work original and unique.
Further, the pictures, of which there are many hundreds, were drawn or
painted expressly for _Journeys Through Bookland_ and are as much a part
of the general scheme as any other help to appreciation. Again, the type
page, the decorations, the paper, binding and endsheets, all combine to
give an artistic setting to literary masterpieces and a stimulating
atmosphere for literary study.
The masterpieces which make the field of the _Journeys_ naturally fall
into three classes. First, there is the literature of culture, those
things which you and I and everybody must know if we expect to be
considered educated or to be able to read with intelligence and
appreciation the current writings of the day. To this class belong all
those nursery rhymes, lyrics, classic myths, legends and so on to which
allusion is constantly made and which are themselves the legal tender of
polite and cultured conversation. Next, there are those selections whose
power lies in the profound influence they exert upon the unfolding
character of boy or girl. As a child readeth so is he. Masterpieces of
this type abound in the books and it is by means of them that the author
hopes and expects to exert his greatest influence upon his unknown
friends among the children. The third group consists of the masterpieces
which lend interest to school work and make it pleasanter, easier and
more profitable. It is what some may call the practical side of
literature. It is what, at first, appeals most strongly to those who
have read little, but which ultimately appears of less value than the
influence of cultural and character-building literature.
Any treatment of _Journeys_ that is worthy of the name must consider the
masterpieces themselves in their three great functions, as well as the
devices by which the selections are made effective.
_1. The Masterpieces_
The table of contents at the beginning of each volume shows a wide
selection of the best things that have ever been written for
children--not always the new things, but always the best things for the
purpose. The masterpieces are the tried and true ones that have long
been popular with children and have formed a large part of the literary
education of the race.
There are a host of complete masterpieces and many selections from other
works which are too long to print here or which are otherwise
unavailable. It has often happened that something written for older
heads and for serious purposes has in it some of the most charming and
helpful things for the young. For instance, _Gulliver's Travels_ is a
political satire, and as such it is long since dead. Yet parts of it
make the most fascinating reading for children. Moreover, Swift and many
other great writers defiled their pages with matter which ought to be
unprintable. To bring together the good things from such writers, to
reprint them with all the graces of style they originally possessed, and
yet so carefully to edit them that there can be no suggestion of
offense, has been the constant aim of the writer.
The books contain, too, many beautiful selections translated from
foreign languages and made fresh, attractive and inspiring. Many of the
old fables and folk stories have been rewritten, but others which have
existed long in good form have been left untouched. In the great
masterpieces no liberties have been taken with the text without making
known the fact, and in every case the most reliable edition has been
followed. It is hoped that children will have nothing to "unlearn" from
the reading of these books.
There are not a few old things in the set that are really new, because
they have heretofore been inaccessible to children except in musty books
not likely to be met.
This is no haphazard collection made hastily, and largely at the
suggestion of others. Everything in the books has been read and reread
by the writer. True, he has availed himself of the help of others, and
to many his obligations are deep and lasting; but in the end the
responsibility for selection and for the quantity and quality of the
helps is wholly his.
_2. Arrangement and Grading_
The contents of the books have been graded from the nursery rhymes in
the first volume to the rather difficult selections in the ninth volume.
In the arrangement, however, not all the simplest reading is in the
first volume. It might be better understood if we say that one volume
overlaps another, so that, for instance, the latter part of the first
volume is more difficult than the first part of the second volume. When
a child is able to read in the third volume he will find something to
interest him in all the volumes.
What has been said, however, does not wholly explain the system of
arrangement. Fiction, poetry, essays, biography, nature-study, science
and history are all fairly represented in the selections, but no book is
given over exclusively to any subject. Rather is it so arranged that the
child who reads by course will traverse nearly every subject in every
volume, and to him the different subjects will be presented logically in
the order in which his growing mind demands them. We might say that as
he reads from volume to volume, he travels in an ever widening and
rising spiral. The fiction of the first volume consists of fables, fairy
tales and folk stories; the poetry of nursery rhymes and children's
verses; the biography of anecdotal sketches of Field and Stevenson; and
history is suggested in the quaintly written _Story of Joseph_. On a
subsequent turn of the spiral are found fiction from Scott and Swift;
poetry from Homer, Vergil, Hay, Gilbert and Tennyson; hero stories from
Malory; history from Washington Irving.
If, however, some inquiring young person should wish to read all there
is on history, biography or any other subject, the full index in the
tenth volume will show him where everything of the nature he wishes is
to be found.
Another valuable feature of arrangement is the frequent bringing
together of selections that bear some relation to one another. A simple
cycle of this sort may be seen where in the eighth volume the account of
Lord Nelson's great naval victory is followed by _Casabianca_; a better
one where in the fifth volume there is an account of King Arthur,
followed by tales of the Round Table Knights from Malory, and _Geraint
and Enid_ and _The Passing of Arthur_ from Tennyson. By this plan one
selection serves as the setting for another, and a child often can see
how the real things of life prove the inspiration for great writers.
Again, in the fourth volume is _The Pine Tree Shillings_, a New England
story or tradition for girls; this is followed immediately by _The
Sunken Treasure_, a vivid story for boys; next comes _The Hutchinson
Mob_, a semi-historical sketch, followed in turn by _The Boston
Massacre_, which is pure history. The cycle is completed by _The Landing
of the Pilgrims_ and _Sheridan's Ride_, two historical poems.
_Graphic Classification of Masterpieces_ on page 14 will show more
clearly what is meant by the overlapping of subjects. In the column at
the left are given the names of the subjects under which the selections
have been classified, running from _Fables_ to _Drama_, and _Studies_,
the last name including all the varied helps given by the author. Across
the top of the table the Roman numerals, I to X, indicate the numbers of
the ten volumes. The shading in the squares shows the relative quantity
of material. In using the _Classification_, "read across to learn in
which volume the subjects are treated; read down to find what each
volume contains." Thus: The first volume contains (reading down), a
great many fables, many fairy stories and much folk lore, a few myths
and old stories, a little biography, some biblical or religious
material, selections that may be classified under the heads of nature,
humor and poetry; but there is no account of legendary heroes, no travel
and adventure, no history, nothing of a patriotic nature and no drama.
On the other hand (reading across), there are many fables in the first
volume, a few in the second but none thereafter; a few myths and some
classic literature are found in the first three volumes, more in the
fourth and fifth, but the number and quantity decrease in the sixth and
do not appear thereafter; nature work is to be found in all the volumes
but is strongest in the seventh; drama appears in the eighth and the
ninth. Biography has a place in all volumes, but is strongest in the
seventh; while the Studies, appearing in all volumes, reach their
highest point in the tenth.
_3. The Studies and Helps_
As has been said, the chief factors in making _Journeys Through
Bookland_ unique and of greatest value are the many helps that are given
the readers, young and old. These helps are varied in character and are
widely distributed through the volumes. They must be considered one at a
time by the person who would assist others to use them to the best
purpose. These helps consist of what are technically known as studies,
notes, introductory notes, biographies, pronouncing vocabularies,
pictures, tables of contents and index. The following comments will make
clear the purpose of each.
GRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION OF MASTERPIECES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Analysis | I | II |III | IV | V | VI |VII |VIII| IX | X |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |
| |++++|----| | | | | | | | |
| Fables |++++|----| | | | | | | | V |
| |++++|----| | | | | | | | o |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ l |
| Fairy Stories |++++|++++|----| | | | | | | u |
| Folk Lore |++++|++++|----| | | | | | | m |
| |++++|++++|----| | | | | | | e |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |
| Stories Old |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++|++++|----|----| X |
| and New |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++|++++|----|----| |
| |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++|++++|----|----| i |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ s |
| Myths and |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++| | | | |
| Classic |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++| | | | a |
| Literature |----|----|----|++++|++++|++++| | | | |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ G |
| Legendary | | |----|++++|++++|++++| | | | u |
| Heroes | | |----|++++|++++|++++| | | | i |
| | | |----|++++|++++|++++| | | | d |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ e |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++|----| |
| Biography |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++|----| f |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++|----| o |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ r |
| Travel and | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|----| |
| Adventure | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|----| P |
| | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|----| a |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ r |
| | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|++++| e |
| History | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|++++| n |
| | | | |----|----|----|----|++++|++++| t |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ s, |
| Biblical, |----|----| |----|----|----|----| |----| |
| Moral, |----|----| |----|----|----|----| |----| T |
| Religious |----|----| |----|----|----|----| |----| e |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ a |
| | | |----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++| c |
| Patriotism | | |----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++| h |
| | | |----|----|----|----|----|++++|++++| e |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ r |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|----|----| s |
| Nature |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|----|----| |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|++++|----|----| a |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ n |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| d |
| Humor |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| S |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ t |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| u |
| Poetry |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| d |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| e |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ n |
| | | | | | | | |----|----| t |
| Drama | | | | | | | |----|----| s |
| | | | | | | | |----|----| |
----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|++++| |
| Studies |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|++++| |
| |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|++++| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Read across to learn in which volumes the subjects are treated;
read down to find what each volume contains.
_a. Studies._ Every volume contains a large number of helps of different
kinds for young people. Usually these are in connection with some
selection and are adapted to the age of the boy or girl most likely to
read the piece. As each study is presented in an interesting and
informal manner and does not cover many points, it is felt that young
people will enjoy them only less than the masterpieces themselves.
The studies are arranged as systematically as the selections, and are
graded even more carefully. Their scope and method will be more fully
explained in subsequent sections of this volume.
_b. Notes._ These consist of explanatory notes, that are placed wherever
they seem to be needed. They explain words not usually found readily in
the dictionaries, foreign phrases, and such historical or other
allusions as are necessary to an understanding of the text by youthful
readers. These notes are placed at the bottom of the page that needs
explanation, and so are immediately available. In such a position they
are more liable to be read than if gathered together at the end of the
volume. They are neither formal nor pedantic, and are as brief as is
consistent with clearness. Their purpose is to help the reader, not to
show the writer's knowledge.
_c. Introductory Notes._ At the heads of selections from longer
masterpieces are introductory notes which give some little account of
the larger work and enough of the context so that the selection may not
seem a fragment. In some instances this note gives the historical
setting of a masterpiece or tells something of the circumstances under
which it was written, when those facts help to an appreciation of the
selection. Sometimes an acquaintance with the personality of an author
is so necessary to a clear understanding of what he writes that a brief
sketch of his life or a few anecdotes that show his character are given
in the note preceding what he has written. These notes are printed in
the same type as the text, especially in the first four volumes, for
they are felt to be worthy of equal consideration.
_d. Biographies._ Besides the biographical notes appended to selections,
there are not a few more pretentious sketches that have been given
prominent titles in the body of the books. These have been prepared
expressly for this work, either by the editor or by some one fully
acquainted with the subject and accustomed to writing for young people.
These biographies are written from the point of view of young people,
and contain the things that boys and girls like to know about their
favorite authors or some of the noble men and women whose lives have
made this world a better and a happier place in which to live. In the
earlier volumes they are brief, simple, and largely made up of
anecdotes; later they are more mature, and show something of the reasons
that make the lives interesting and valuable material for studies. There
are, also, in the books a few lengthy extracts from some of the world's
great biographies. Care has been exercised in the selection of these, so
that in each case, while the extract is of interest to young people, it
is also fairly representative of the larger work from which it has been
taken.
_e. Pronouncing Vocabularies._ Children often find difficulty in
pronouncing proper names, and not many have at hand any books from which
they can obtain the information. At the end of every volume is a list of
the important proper names in that book, and after each name the
pronunciation is given phonetically, so that no dictionary or other
reference work is necessary. Since each volume has its own list, it is
not necessary even to lay down the book in hand and take up the last
volume.
_f. Pictures._ The illustrations in the several volumes form one great
feature in the general plan. They alone will do much to interest
children in the reading, and if attention is called to them they will be
found to increase in value. The color plates in each volume, the
numerous fine halftones of special design, and the hundreds of pen and
ink drawings that illuminate the text have been painted and drawn for
these books, and will be found nowhere else. More than twenty artists
have given their skill and enthusiasm to make the books brighter,
clearer, and more inspiring. The initial letters and the many fine
decorations also belong exclusively to the set, and combine to give it
esthetic value. Everything of this nature will command attention and
hold interest.
_g. Tables of Contents._ Beginning each volume is a table showing the
contents of the volume and the names of authors. It forms a means of
ready reference to the larger divisions of the work and is a handy
supplement to the index.
_h. Index._ At the end of the tenth volume is an index to the whole ten
volumes. There may be found not only each author and title in
alphabetical order, but also a complete classification of the
selections in the set. To find the history in this series, look in the
index under the title "History." When a topic has as many sub-divisions
as has "Fiction," for instance, or "Poetry," cross references are given.
_4. The Nursery Rhymes_
When a child is taught the little nursery rhymes which to us may seem to
be meaningless jingles, he is really peeping into the fields of
literature, taking the first steps in those journeys that will end in
Shakespeare, Browning and Goethe. When his infantile ear is caught by
the lively rhythm and the catchy rhymes, he is receiving his first
lessons in poetry. That the lessons are delightful now he shows by his
smiles, and in middle life he will appreciate the joy more keenly as he
teaches the same little rhymes to his own children.
Most children know the rhymes when they come to school and they will
like to read them there. A child's keenest interest is in the things he
knows. Later, perhaps in the high school or the grammar grades, he will
be interested again in learning that the rhymes are not wholly frivolous
and that there may be reasons why these rhymes should have survived for
centuries in practically unchanged forms. Some of the facts that may be
brought out at various times are the following:
I. There is a hidden significance in some of the nursery rhymes. For
instance:
_a. Daffy-Down-Dilly_ (page 47). In England one of the earliest and most
common of spring flowers is the daffodil, a bright yellow, lily-like
blossom, with long, narrow green leaves all growing from the bulb. The
American child may know them as the big double monstrosities the florist
sells in the spring, or he may have some single and prettier ones
growing in his garden. The jonquil and the various kinds of narcissus
are nearly related white or white and pink flowers. This picture on page
47 of _Journeys Through Bookland_ shows a few daffodils growing. Miss
Daffy-Down-Dilly, then, in her yellow petticoat and her green gown, is
the pretty flower; and the rhyme so understood brings a breath of spring
with it.
_b. Humpty Dumpty_ (page 55). This is really a riddle of the
old-fashioned kind. There are many of them in English folk lore. Usually
a verse was repeated and then a question asked; as, "Who was Humpty
Dumpty?" The artist has answered the question for us in the picture.
Possibly many people who learned the rhyme in childhood never thought of
Humpty as an egg.
What answer would you give to the question, Who was Taffy (page 54)? For
similar riddles, see _Nancy Netticoat_ (Vol. I, p. 72), _The Andiron_
(page 245) and _St. Ives_ (page 202).
II. Some were intended to teach certain facts. For instance:
_a._ When children were taught the alphabet as the first step to
reading, _The Apple Pie_ (page 43) gave the letters in their order,
including the obsolete "_Ampersand_."
_b._ As children grew a little older and could begin to read what they
already knew, things in which the same words were many times repeated
were helpful. Two examples are _The House that Jack Built_ (page 56)
and _There Is the Key of the Kingdom_ (page 45).
_c._ The numbers from one to twenty were taught by _One, Two_ (page 41).
_d._ The days of the week were taught by _Solomon Grundy_ (page 42),
which with its amusing provision for repetition is sure to catch the
fancy of a child and keep his thoughts on the words.
III. Some of them teach kindness to animals:
_a. Dapple Gray_ (page 22).
_b. Ladybird_ (page 12). This is sometimes known as ladybug, and the
_bug_ is the little, round, reddish beetle whose wings are black dotted.
It is a pretty, harmless beetle that gardeners like to see around their
plants. Children repeat the rhyme when they find the beetle in the house
and always release it to "fly away and save its children."
_c. Poor Robin_ (page 16).
_d._ Old Mother Hubbard's amusing adventures with her dog (page 24)
leave a very kindly feeling toward both.
IV. Some are philosophical, or inculcate moral precepts or good habits,
in a simple or amusing way.
_a. Early to Bed_ (page 34).
_b. Little Bo-Peep_ (page 9). Is it not better to let cares and worries
alone? Why cry about things that are lost?
_c. Three Little Kittens_ (page 13) suggests care for our possessions.
_d. There Was a Man_ (page 60) has the same idea that we often hear
expressed in the proverb "A hair from the same dog will cure the
wound."
_e. Rainbow in the Morning_ (page 48) has some real weather wisdom in
it.
_f. There Was a Jolly Miller_ (page 47), gives a good lesson in
contentment.
_g. A Diller, A Dollar_ (page 59).
_h. See a Pin_ (page 59) suggests in its harmless superstition a good
lesson in economy.
_i. Little Boy Blue_ (page 33) makes the lazy boy and the sluggard
unpopular.
_j. Come, Let's to Bed_ (page 34) ridicules sleepiness, slowness and
greediness.
V. Mother's loving care, at morning and evening, when dressing and
undressing the baby or when putting the little folks to bed, has
prompted several of the rhymes:
_a. This Little Pig_ (page 5) the mother repeats to the baby as she
counts his little toes.
_b. Pat-a-Cake_ (page 4) is another night or morning rhyme; and here
mother "marks it with" the initial of _her_ baby's name and puts it in
the oven for her baby and herself. Another of similar import is: _Up,
Little Baby_ (page 7).
_c. Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling_ (page 7) has kept many a little boy awake
till he was safely undressed.
_d._ What an old rhyme must _Bye, Baby Bunting_ be (page 6)! It goes
back to the days when "father went a-hunting, to get a rabbit skin to
wrap Baby Bunting in." Some one, more recently, has added the idea of
_buying_ the rabbit skin.
_e._ The simple little lyric, _Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star_ (page 44)
has filled many a childish soul with gentle wonder, and many a
night-robed lassie has wandered to the window and begged the little
stars to keep on lighting the weary traveler in the dark.
VI. Some of the rhymes are pure fun, and even as such are worthy of a
place in any person's memory:
_a. There Was an Old Woman_ (page 36); _Great A_ (page 14); _Jack Be
Nimble_ (page 28); _To Market, to Market_ (page 6), and _There Was a
Monkey_ (page 14); _Goosey-Goosey_ (page 21); _Hey, Diddle, Diddle_
(page 23); _There Was a Rat_ (page 14), and others, belong to this
category.
_b. Three Blind Mice_ (page 12) is an old-fashioned _Round_. Many a band
of little folks has been divided into groups and has sung the
nonsensical rhymes until every boy and girl broke down in laughter. Do
you poor modern people know how it was done? The school was divided into
a half-dozen sections. The first section began to sing and when its
members reached the end of the first line, the second section began; the
third section began when the second reached the end of the first line,
and so on till all sections were singing. When any section reached the
word "As--" they began again at the beginning. The first line was
chanted in a low, slow monotone, the others were sung as rapidly as
possible to a rattling little tune on a high pitch. Imagine the noise,
confusion and laughter. Many a dull afternoon in school has been broken
up by it, and countless children have returned to their little tasks
with new enthusiasm. The old things are not always to be scorned.
_c. Old King Cole_ (page 52) is a jolly rhyme, and the illustration is
one of the finest in the books. Everybody should study it.
VII. Two, at least, of the rhymes are of the "counting out" kind. Often
children want to determine who is to be "It" in a game of tag, who is to
be blinded in a game of hide-and-seek, or who takes the disagreeable
part in some other play. They are lined up and one begins to "count out"
by repeating a senseless jingle, touching a playmate at each word. The
one on whom the last word falls is "out," safe from the unpleasant task.
One at a time they are counted out till only the "It" remains.
_Wire, brier_ and _One-ery, Two-ery_ (page 51) are examples. The artist
has shown a group being counted out, in her very lifelike picture on
pages 50 and 51.
VIII. There are some errors in grammar in the rhymes, many words you
cannot find in a dictionary, and some of the rhymes may seem a little
coarse and vulgar; but they have lived so long in their present form
that it seems almost a pity to change them. Encourage the older children
to find the errors and to criticise and correct as much as they wish.
Probably they will not like the rhymes in their new form and correct
dress any better than we would.
IX. There is really a practical value, too, in a knowledge of the
nursery rhymes. Allusions to them are found in all literature and many a
sentence is unintelligible to him who does not recognize the nursery
rhyme alluded to. It would be safe, almost, to say that not a day passes
in which the daily papers do not contain allusions to some simple little
lines dear to our childhood. They are not to be sneered at; they are to
be loved in babyhood and childhood, understood in youth, and treasured
in middle life and old age.
_5. Discussion of Each Volume_
Our _Journeys Through Bookland_ contains a wealth of material and a host
of studies and helps. It is not an easy matter to get even the plan of
it into one's mind in a few minutes. The object of this volume is to
guide the parent, teacher or student and to show as many of the
important phases of _Journeys_ as is possible. In other chapters we take
up different methods of reading or show ways in which the books can be
used to accomplish certain definite purposes, and how to select the
material needed for any occasion. By means of cross references to the
other books this volume serves as a key to them all.
_Volume One._ The first sixty pages of this volume are given over to the
best known of the old nursery rhymes. That they are old is one of their
great merits. That all cultured people know them is proof of their value
and interest. The words are old words but the pictures are new. Every
one was drawn expressly for _Journeys_ and all show the conception of
artists who have not lost the appreciation of childhood. Little children
love the rhymes and will learn them and repeat them at sight of the
pictures long before they can read. Elsewhere in this volume are
suggestions which show how the rhymes may be used profitably.
_Journeys_ does not pretend to teach reading in the sense in which it is
understood in the kindergarten and the early primary grades. Rather it
begins to be of service as a reader only after the child has been
taught how to read for himself. Children in the third grade will read
many stories for themselves; from the fourth grade on they are nearly
all independent readers. Every teacher knows, however, that children
like to listen to stories which it would be utterly impossible for them
to read, and that later they best love to read the things which they
have heard from the lips of parent or teacher. Therefore, the literature
of the first volume forms a treasure house from which the parent may
draw many a good story to tell, and where he may find more that will be
excellent for him to read aloud. The taste for the best literature is
often formed in early childhood. So no child is too young for _Journeys_
and no child is too old. The real things we read over and over with
increasing interest as the years go on. Elsewhere in this volume are
directions for story-telling, and many especially good selections are
named. What the parent shall read aloud is best left to him to
determine; at first he will do well not to read aloud any of the
comments with which the books are fitted. If he finds that the interest
warrants it he can use the comments for himself and ask questions that
will lead to thoughtful consideration of what is being read, even by
very young children. The only thing necessary is that the reading should
be taken seriously and that the parent should be as much interested as
the youthful listener.
There are stories and poems, fairy tales and folk lore, biography in
simple anecdotes of the great favorites of children and toward the end
of the volume a few rather difficult selections for older children. In
this volume as in all of them it is hoped that parents will look over
the table of contents again and again, select the things that seem best
and suit them to the occasion. How beautiful the lullabies are for the
babies, and how much the older boys and girls will enjoy them when read
at baby's side! When the children are interested in the whimsical rhymes
of Stevenson, his biography should be read; and Eugene Field's life is
interesting when his sweet poems are lending their charm to the evening
by the fireside. Some of the fables contain deep lessons that may be
absorbed by the older children while the younger ones are interested in
the story only.
_Volume Two._ The selections in the first part of the second volume are
intentionally simpler than the last ones in the first volume. It is a
good thing for a child to handle books, to learn to find what he wants
in a book the greater part of which is too difficult for him. Oliver
Wendell Holmes thought it was an excellent thing for himself that he had
had the opportunity to "tumble around in a library" when he was a
youngster. Every student who has had the opportunity so to indulge
himself has felt the same thing. There are so many books published every
month and so much reading to be done that a discriminating sense must be
cultivated. No one can read it all or even a small part of it. Older
people will discriminate by reading what they like. Children must learn
to handle books and to find out what they are able to read. To put into
their hands all they can read of the simple things they like is not
wise. Most children read too much. Fairy stories are all right in their
way, but to give a child all the fairy tales he can read is a serious
mistake. Hundreds of pretty, inane, senseless stories in attractive
bindings with pretty, characterless illustrations tempt the children to
vitiate their taste in reading, long before they are able by themselves
to read the best literature.
Because they are valuable, there are fairy stories in _Journeys_;
because their use may be abused, there are few of them; because
something else should be read with them, they are not all in one volume
nor in one place in a volume. The same rule of classification applies to
other selections than fairy tales.
This is the volume in which the myths appear in the form of simple
tales: three from the northland, two from Greece. Each story is
attractive in itself, has some of the interest that surrounds a fairy
tale and serves as the fore-shadowing of history. That they are
something more than fairy tales is shown in the comments and elementary
explanations that accompany them.
Little poems, lullabies, pretty things that children love are dropped
into the pages here and there. Children seem to fear poetry after they
have been in school a little while, largely because they have so much
trouble in reading it aloud under the criticisms of the teacher and
because the form has made the meaning a little difficult. It is,
however, a great misfortune if a person grows up without an appreciation
of poetry when it is so simple a matter to give the young an abiding
love for it. A little help now and then, a word of appreciation, a
manifestation of pleasure when reading it and almost without effort the
child begins to read and love poetry as he does good prose.
The beginnings of nature study appear in the second volume in the form
of beautiful selections that encourage a love for birds and other
animals, and _Tom, The Water Baby_, is a delightful story, half fairy
tale, half natural history romance.
In this volume also is found _The King of the Golden River_, perhaps the
best fairy story ever written.
_Volume Three._ A glance at the table of contents in the third volume
will show the general nature of the selections. Fairy stories or tales
with a highly imaginative basis predominate. There are some that are
humorous, as for instance the selections from the writings of Lewis
Carroll, and one or two of the poems.
The long selection from _The Swiss Family Robinson_ is a good
introduction to nature literature and contains all of the book that is
worth reading by anyone. The two tales from _The Arabian Nights_ are
among the best in that collection and are perhaps the ones most
frequently referred to in general literature and in conversation. The
story of Beowulf and Grendel is a prose rendering of the oldest poem in
the English language, and valuable for that reason. While it is rather
terrifying in some of its details its unreality saves it from harmful
possibilities. Parents and teachers are inclined rather to overestimate
the unpleasant consequences of reading terrifying things when they are
of this character. Few, if any, children will read the story if it
displeases them and those who do will not retain the disagreeable
impression it makes for any great length of time.
In this volume we begin our acquaintance with the legendary heroes of
the great nations. _Frithiof_, _Siegfried_, _Robin Hood_ and _Roland_
are all in this book, to be followed by _Cid Campeador_ in Volume IV.
_Volume Four._ In this volume, with many fine poems and tales
interspersed, is found the continuation of the legendary hero stories
begun in Volume III, also as a natural sequence, a cycle of history that
begins with a story and ends in a narrative of an actual historical
occurrence. These may be found in the six selections beginning with _The
Pine-Tree Shillings_. The article on _Joan of Arc_, the story of
_Pancratius_ and the account of _Alfred the Great_, though not related
in any way, yet still serve to carry out the idea that this volume is
largely an introduction to readings in history.
_The Attack on the Castle_ is a stirring account of a mediæval battle.
It prepares the way to the mediæval spirit made more prominent in the
next volume. In _The Arickara Indians_ the boys will begin to find the
interest that the aborigines always have for our youth.
_Volume Five._ The legendary great, the half-historical personages that
have been for so many centuries the inspiration of youths of many lands
are found again in this volume in the person of the Greek heroes and, at
much greater length, in England's famous King Arthur. The story of his
Round Table and its knights is told in an extremely interesting way. The
spirit of Sir Thomas Malory is retained in his quaint accounts and
Tennyson's noble poems show how great a factor the legends of Arthur
have been in literature. Besides the articles that are instructive there
are a few that are highly entertaining or merely humorous, for every
child has a right to read sometimes for amusement only. It will be seen
that some classes of literature have ceased to appear and that others
are coming into view. The "spiral arrangement" is nicely illustrated in
the reappearance of history and the legendary heroes and in the
disappearance of myths and fairy tales, for which there is, however,
some compensation in the highly imaginative _Gulliver's Travels_, an
extract from Dean Swift.
In this volume are also included a little cycle on one of the great
heroes of the Scotch, Robert Bruce. These carry on the series of
selections on legendary heroes, begun in Volume Three. These are
followed by stories of adventure, of frontier life in the Central West,
tales from the early history of our country. _Reminiscences of a
Pioneer_, _The Buccaneers_, _Captain Morgan at Maracaibo_, and
_Braddock's Defeat_ are examples of this kind of literature. These
selections are authentic accounts from original sources and are among
those things which boys really like, but which have not heretofore been
accessible to them. Patriotic Poems, somewhat in the same vein, are
given where they will be noticed and read.
_Volume Six._ In this volume the series of legendary and semi-historical
selections is completed. It includes the best of the legends concerning
the national hero of Persia, also the story of _The Tournament_ from
_Ivanhoe_, inserted here as a fitting introduction to Scott's novels.
There are several examples of nature studies in literature and several
fine stories that have their place in the education of everyone. The
best of these stories and one of the finest ever written is _Rab and His
Friend_. A cycle of a religious nature is found in those selections
which are named _The Imitation of Christ_, _The Destruction of
Sennacherib, Ruth_, and _The Vision of Belshazzar_.
The longest and best story in this book is _A Christmas Carol_ by
Charles Dickens. This is a model in construction and furnishes the basis
for all the studies that would naturally accompany the most elaborate
piece of fiction.
The sixth volume is one of interest and one that will give plenty of
opportunity for study to those who have the inclination to follow out
the suggestions that accompany the selections. Close study should be
upon those things which are already somewhat familiar. The high school
student will find his time more profitably spent in working on the
things in this volume than in poring over the more difficult
masterpieces that are sometimes prescribed in courses of study. What we
desire is power to read, understand and appreciate, and that is obtained
by study upon those things that interest us and about which we know
enough to enable us to use our minds to best advantage.
_Volume Seven._ On the whole, this is a more mature volume than any that
has preceded it and yet there are some selections of a simple character
inserted for the purpose of interesting those who cannot yet read very
heavy literature. From this point on, however, there is little
difference in the grade of the volumes. The way in which the literature
is studied marks the difference in rank. In fact, when a person can read
intelligently and with appreciation such selections as appear in this
volume he can read anything that is set before him. There may be some
things that will require effort and perhaps explanation, but it is
merely a question of vocabulary and parallel information. Besides the
stories, there are selections in every department of literature except
those that have been passed in the progress of the plan of grading. The
legendary heroes, the myths and the stories of classic literature are no
longer to be found. In their place are more selections on nature, more
of biography and history and the real literature of inspiration. Some of
the last group appear in the form of fine lyrics which everyone loves
but which are made more attractive and inspiring by proper setting and
helpful interpretations.
In this volume biography, which has had its share of attention in every
volume, becomes a strong feature, especially in the fine sketches that
are given of famous writers. It is a fact that most writers have lived
so quietly and in such comparative seclusion that their lives are devoid
of the exciting events that make the liveliest appeal to young people,
yet every one has done so much for the world and in such varied ways
that there are things in their lives that interest and enthrall the mind
if only they are properly presented. Our great American writers have
been noble men and women and their lives are models worthy of imitation.
That is the thing for us to glory in and for our young people to know,
for it is not by any means a universal fact that people who wrote
inspiring literature have lived inspiring lives. The literature of
nature is probably stronger in this volume than in any other and the
selections are of the most absorbing kind. It is not expected to give a
vast amount of information but to create a love for reading about the
great facts in nature and an appreciation of the beauties in the
writings of those who love it. This is the last volume in which there is
much fiction and it marks the beginnings of the really fine essays which
form a large part of the succeeding volume. The history is of a higher
type and includes excerpts from the writings of some of our greatest
historians.
_Volume Eight._ The notable feature of the eighth volume is the
selection from the plays of Shakespeare. Nothing is more important in
the literary education of a child than his proper introduction to the
greatest of our great writers, and this has been accomplished in the
following manner. _The Tempest_ was selected as the play, because it is
simple and lively in its style, appeals to young people and has in it
just enough of the marvelous, the beautiful and the terrible to make a
decided impression on one who reads it for the first time. There are
other plays that are greater but none that may be taught so easily to
juvenile readers. In this volume there is a brief article on the reading
of Shakespeare; this is followed by the inimitable tale of _The Tempest_
by Charles and Mary Lamb; this by the play, _The Tempest_, practically
as it was written; and this, in turn, by a long series of interesting
studies on the drama. The whole is attractive from start to finish and
the studies are certain to lead the reader to think.
The drama, then, is the new feature of the ninth volume, but this is
also the volume of fine essays, the highest type of prose. The essays
are best represented by the following titles, all of which may be found
in the table of contents of the eighth volume: _The Alhambra_ by Irving,
_A Bed of Nettles_ by Allen, _Dream Children_, by Charles Lamb. These
titles, too, show how broad is the field covered by the essay and how
delightful a variety there may be in the one style of composition. The
departments of Travel and Adventure, Patriotism and History have not
been neglected. On the whole it is a serious volume, one which will give
the high school student and the older members of the family a plentiful
supply of good reading material and a suggestion of study for the
evenings of many a winter day.
_Volume Nine._ Most of the selections in this volume are rather
difficult reading for young people but there are helps enough to make
the task a pleasant one. The series of essays, begun in Volume Eight is
here continued, with _The Ascent of the Jungfrau_ by Tyndall, _A
Dissertation upon Roast Pig_ and _The Praise of Chimney Sweepers_ by
Charles Lamb, and two representative essays by Sir Francis Bacon. The
studies are of an advanced nature and if carried out as intended will be
of decided service to high school students. In a few cases the
selections are simple, like _Robert of Lincoln_, for instance, but the
studies that accompany it are the more complete. It is hoped by such an
arrangement to show how inexhaustible a field for study literature
offers and how many things there are to be known about the least of our
fine lyrics. _The Ode on a Grecian Urn_ is of a different type. This
poem makes no direct appeal to sentiment or to the knowledge of the
average young person, yet by study it is seen to be a lyric of
exquisite beauty. This volume introduces the writings of several authors
who have not before appeared because of their slight appeal to young
people. Among them may be mentioned particularly Addison, Boswell, and
Bacon. The volume contains also orations that should be studied as
models, viz: _The Gettysburg Address_, _The Fate of the Indians_ and
_The Call to Arms_. Each has a series of studies following it. As a
relief from the serious work of the volume there are included an extract
from _Pickwick Papers_; that fascinating story, _The Gold-Bug_; and the
delightful essay, _Modestine_, an extract from _Travels with a Donkey_,
by Stevenson.
_Volume Ten._ At the end of this volume are given two tables; the first
arranges the leading English writers chronologically, and the second
follows a similar plan with the American authors. The index with which
the book closes is for the entire series and enables the reader to find
the selections readily, if he knows either the title or the name of the
author; to find all the selections on any given topic; and to find the
studies quickly if they are wanted. The index should prove as useful as
any of the devices with which the books are filled.