is familiar does not imply that every action must be laid in the backyard or the street. Deserts are only sand piles Deserts are only sand piles grown large. From bits of his own experience the child forms the mosaic which is his vision of the wide world.

The difficulty comes when the extreme narrowness of life gives no hint of outer reaches. A widely read woman who had worked among Southern negroes said it was very difficult to find stories for which they cared. There is little literature dealing with life in the negro cabin and they know no other. "Up from Slavery" they asked for. There was a man who had lived as they did. Any intelligent appreciation of literature presupposes an ability "to put yourself in the other fellow's place." Many pictures were shown to some Japanese women. The first they manifested any interest in was Christ bending beneath the cross. Labor was all they knew and the pain that followed it was all they had felt.

A rule for selecting stories? Find some about the life your pupils live, then lead from that in as many ways and as far as you can.

Teacher's Preparation

Organization of material is one of the main points to be emphasized in teaching the children composition. It is, then, of greatest importance that the teacher organize well. After reading a story she should be able to summarize it in very few words. If the might of the infant Hercules be the theme she should reduce the narrative to statements something like this:

"The serpent attacked Hercules." "Hercules strangled the serpent.'

This is not a story; it is the bare frame-work on which one is to be constructed, but as no house can be true and firm unless the frame be well built, so can no story be well developed unless the plot is clear and complete.

Knowing this outline does not mean that one is ready to tell the tale. It must be filled in with well-chosen details. While this analysis should be made some time before, it is well to give a last reading as short a time as possible before the hour of telling.

The reason for this is that one's choice of words is inevitably influenced by the author. If the book is well written the teacher's narrative will retain something of the same quality.

This leads to a selection of the text and suggests the answer. It is almost a pity that so many versions of the famous old tales have been prepared. Some of them are of doubtful merit and are carried solely by the fame of the title.

This does not necessarily imply that the original version of a story is to be taken. Some of these are not suitable. As an example of this, take the Arthurian legends. We might go back to Mallory, who made the first complete collection of the tales in English. They are wonderful,

story which is suited to children, retaining the spirit of the master and as much of the wording as might be.

Is this definite? In choosing the book from which you prepare a story select first that modern version which is the greatest literature and then, if that be too difficult, take for immediate use that simple form which is most like the original.

From the author through us to the children. There must be enough of loss in any case. Let us see that what we pass on is as great as it may be.

Reproduction

The question has been raised as to whether there is a strong enough motive back of reproduction to make the telling by the child more than a perfunctory exercise. Mere pleasure in the story will help children on. Don't you grown-ups talk over the books you like?

Our methods in conversation give a hint as to procedure in class. We discuss a book in sections, so let the children tell the story.

Let us use Wilde's "Happy Prince" for an example. Ask the children questions like these:

"Why did the little sparrow not go to Egypt?"

"What was the first kind deed the little bird did for the Prince?"

"Who was the next person the Prince wanted to help?" Run on with your questions, handling each part separately until the children are thoroughly familiar with the story, not with the wording.

We might lay down, as one of the few unalterable rules of English work: Never ask that the exact wording be learned unless the statement is so wonderfully well made that the form is in itself of value. In most cases the thought is of chief importance and that is made clearer by various expressions as different children recite.

How long do you continue to ask for reproductions of a story? So long as the interest is strong and the expression varies. When the tale comes in the same form from all the children there may be memory training going on, but there is no composition, and we, as English teachers, are through with that material.

Thoroughness an End?

Yes, thoroughness in expression, not necessarily in mastery of tales. There are thousands of stories, one more or less is not fatal to a child's culture. Plan to use only what the children can assimilate, but don't worry if something is overlooked.

Next month Dramatization as a Means of Reproduction will be discussed and a list of stories suggested.

impossible. Those who bewail the immorality of modern novels might get a little consolation from seeing how much more refined our present day language is than the words used by our hardy ancestors. The form of the story has changed as much as the language.

Follow the various accounts of Galahad. According to Mallory he is clad in red, the color of courage. Tennyson, a modern, sees Galahad the type of purity, "clad always in white armor," "wearing the white flower of a blameless life." This is only a chance reference, but it serves to show the difference between the two. Tennyson, the writer of our own century, has cast the story in a form pleasing to modern readers. There is no better source than the "Idylls of the King" from which to draw material for narration.

If, however, there is little time, the adaptation required might be too tedious. In "King Arthur and His Court," Frances Nimmo Greene tried to do with the stories what each teacher wants to accomplish, to tell that part of the

the Closed Gentian

The closed gentian is a flower that seems to reserve its nectar especially for the bumblebee, and is always closed to the plundering butterflies and thieving crawlers. But the bumblebee is cute; he has found the secret door and has the strength to open it. Watch him as he lights on one of these closed blossoms and you will see an amusing performance. First he thrusts his tongue into the folding door at the top of the flower, then, prying it open, in goes his head, followed by his body, until he is nearly lost to sight, nothing but his hind legs and the tip end of his abdomen sticking out, while his beeship sips the sweets within a just reward for his ingenuity. But after all his efforts to get in, his stay is brief, and shortly, with a lot of kicking and commotion, he backs out and departs, the flower closing after him. - From St. Nicholas

Suggestive Method of Study

What do you see in this picture? Are the kittens on a table? Why do you think so? What is on top of the books? What are the cat and kittens watching? What does the long slender tail lead you to think may be under the paper? What about the paper makes you also think the mouse may be there? Is the mouse wise to leave his long tail out from under cover of the paper? What is the object near the kittens? Of what is it made? What may happen to the ink if the kittens suddenly jump to catch the mouse? What is on the table back of the ink-well? What is back of the black kitten? Are these new books? What is on top of the books? Are the books sliding? What causes them to slide? Can you see the cat's whiskers sticking out very straight? Why does the cat have these whiskers? What is inside of the cat's soft cushioned feet

with which she will surely catch the mouse if the kittens miss it? Do you like these pretty kittens? How does a kitten point its ears when very attentive? Have you a pet kitten?

Tell us about it. Should these kittens be on the table? What has led them to climb up there? In what way are cats valuable pets? Do you like this picture? Why? Why? Have you studied another picture of cats? What was the name of the picture? By whom was it painted?

The Story of the Picture

This mother cat and her two pretty kittens have wandered into the library, where they have been playing on the floor. They were quite alone when suddenly the mother's quick ears heard a rustling noise on the library table. Quick as a flash, and without making a noise, she led the kittens into a chair and on to the table. The kittens have just come around the end of the stack of books, but the mother cat has cautiously come over the top of them searching for the cause of the noise. In our picture the three have just discovered the long, slender tail showing from under a rumpled sheet of paper. The noise that the mother cat heard must have been made by the little mouse now hiding under the paper. The kittens think this may be a new plaything. They look as though they would spring, cuff it and roll about in play at any second, but the mother cat knows exactly what is under the paper. She intends to teach her kittens how to catch this naughty mouse. Call attention to the expression or light in the eyes of the cat and kittens, drawing careful comparisons.

The large ink-well of carved wood is very likely to be upset, the books may be stained with the ink, and the papers scattered and torn when the scuffle for the mouse begins, but we are quite sure that all this will be overlooked if only the mouse can be caught.

A kitten's whiskers are very useful. It is said that the whiskers are always as wide as the widest part of the kitten's body, so that when she wants to go through a hole in a fence, or through a narrow place, she can tell whether the opening is large enough. If her whiskers just touch, she can go through all right; but if they are pushed back, then it is of no use for her to try, for there will not be room enough to pass.

Little kittens' eyes are nearly always blue when the kittens are very young but turn yellow as they grow older. Their eyes are very different from ours, for they can see in the dark as well as in the daytime. Little kittens have very sharp teeth and claws. Sometimes they bite and scratch.

The kittens in the picture will find their sharp teeth and claws very useful in catching the naughty mouse.

The Story of the Artist

Men and women who paint and draw great and famous pictures are called artists. The artist who painted "A Fascinating Tale" was named Madame Henriette Ronner (ron-ner'), whose father was a Dutch artist named Knip. Her only teacher was her blind father, whom she supported by means of her work. The first painting which she exhibited, when she was only sixteen, was entitled "Cats at the Window." It was sold immediately. Following this she painted dogs for a number of years. After her father's death she married and moved to Brussels. For many years she has devoted herself to the painting of cats. In order glass cage with a wire top. Here she can readily see them that she may the better study them, she places them in a at play or asleep and they may have considerable freedom, yet they cannot get away while she is painting their pictures.

Another very interesting picture painted by Madame Ronner is called the "Correct Time" or "Cat, Kittens and Clock." For the benefit of those teachers who have copies of this picture at hand we will give the method and story.

Suggestive Method of Study

Since there are so many story-telling features in this picture one must successfully exercise a degree of caution in questioning the class. After the children have had an opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the picture in a very free way ask if they can find the mother cat. What is she doing? Where is she? What is the object in front of her? How do you know? What has happened to the glass of the clock door? What is one kitten doing to the hands of the clock? What is one doing to the frame of the door? Who is just ready to jump on to the table, or do you think this kitten is climbing down from the table? Can you find another kitten behind the clock? How many kittens are there in the picture? What kind of a curtain do you see back of the mother cat? What has climbed up on the curtain? What will probably happen to the curtain? What covers the table? Is the cloth smooth? Why not? What will soon fall from the table? What is on the handle of the fan? Can you see another piece of furniture aside from the table? Is it large or small? Does it look like the furniture in your home? Is the clock a simple or an elaborate one? Too elaborate, do you think? (The taste manifested in Madame Ronner's selections of still life may be improved upon, but it was probably quite in keeping with the spirit of the day.) Are these kittens well behaved? What would your own mother say if you should climb upon a table and thus play with the clock? Are the kittens apparently having a good time? In spite of the fact that the kittens are very naughty, do you like this picture? Why? This picture is called "The Correct Time."

The Story of the Picture

There is very little that can be told as a story aside from what has been brought out in questioning the class. The mother cat with her five kittens has been having a nap. They are family pets, trusted in the living room. Kittens are always ready for a frolic after a good nap. The mother

I

'N the old school readers there was the story of a boy who found a keyflower, which opened a door into fairy-land, filled with gold and silver and many wonderful and beautiful things. Just such a keyflower is the birthright of every little child, and this wonderful talisman is the ability to read, which opens to the child all the beauties and wonders of the land in which he lives.

Sometimes it takes the child so long to acquire this ability that one might be tempted to believe that teachers are ogres, guarding this sacred possession. School teachers are not ogres, but very conscientious persons; the reason for their failure is that many of them have not discovered that the quickest, easiest and best way to help the child gain this ability is to give him the rock foundation of reading, which is a true knowledge of phonics.

In an over-anxiety for speed, and with a desire to give the child pleasant reading, beautifully devised and adapted stories have been given to first grade children. These have been taught by the word and sentence methods, with the result that many children can read as well with their books upside down as right side up.

In the effort to offer literary gems many of the authors of many of our primers have apparently forgotten that literature is the last step in the racial development of language, and that it cannot be made first in the individual develop ment of the child. He must first be taught the mechanics of reading. He cannot grasp the thought until he can master the word.

The claim has been made that primers based on phonics are uninteresting, and that the child should be given stories to arouse his interest, lest he think that learning to read is drudgery. The real student of little children knows that this is not true. There is nothing in the world which so stirs the interest of the child in reading as the consciousness of power to master words by himself. Then his interest is accompanied by pleasure. When he has thoroughly When he has thoroughly mastered the mechanics of reading, there need be no fear about his comprehending the thought and giving good expression.*

Nearly everyone now agrees that a certain amount of phonetic knowledge should be taught in the first grades. Why, to use an inelegant expression, should it be taught by putting the cart before the horse? That is, by teaching the ending of the word first. For example, in teaching the word "fat," the phonogram "at" is taught. Then the child is asked to go back and get "f" and blend the two and make the word "fat." Why not teach the child that the first two letters are "fa"? Then almost unconsciously he will follow on and sound "t" and know that the word is "fat." It is in this matter of trying to teach the child to go against the law of nature and search for the last end of the word first that phonics has failed to attain its highest efficiency, except in the hands of the most experienced

teacher.

soon.

Another prolific cause of failure in teaching reading is trying to have the child apply his phonetic knowledge too The work in phonics should be done separately from the reading class. The first ten weeks the child should read from a chart by the word and sentence methods. At the end of that time he will have a phonetic knowledge which he can apply, and the first time he is given his primer he will be able to read and experience that delight which comes from the power to do. It dulls the interest of the child to own a book before he can read.

*The value of good literature must not, of course, be lost sight of; the point is that literary content should not supersede or interfere with the important task of laying a solid phonic foundation.

From a list of 2396 words taken from the vocabularies of the first three grades of school work an analysis has been made and it has been found that 861% of these words are phonetic and 13% are unphonetic. From an analysis of the 86% it was found that 61% had short vowel sounds. It naturally follows that it is safe to teach that all vowel sounds are short unless modified by position or by addition of final "e." Now since 61% of the phonetic words the child meets contain these short vowels, why should there be any hesitation about teaching the short sound of the vowel first?

In accordance with this idea the following plan of teaching phonics has been successfully tried in both city and country schools. Those who have tried it say they have found it the simplest method they have ever used and that it gives the quickest and best results. The gain in the knowledge of spelling is phenomenal as the gain in reading. The following letters should be taught in the order named: the short sounds of a, s, f, h, t, p, n, m.

The interest of the child should be secured by telling a story about each letter. The following stories have been used:

"A" Baby George sees his sister have a nice, red apple. He wishes to have the apple. Sister tries to get him to say "apple," but all he can say is "a, a, a," giving the

short sound.

"S" A little girl once visited her grandmother who had a fine flock of geese. The little girl wore some pretty red shoes. She went out to see the geese, but soon came running in with tears in her eyes, telling her grandmother that the geese said just what this letter says, "s, s, s, s." Her grandmother told her not to be afraid, that the geese were only trying to say, "See my new shoes! They look just like yours.' "F". Frank went to visit his aunt. He always liked to play with the big cat, but this time when he found her in the barn, instead of purring and being glad to see him, she said what this letter says, "f, f, f, f." He found that the reason she did this was that she had three dear little kittens and was afraid he might harm them.

Similar stories may be made up on the following subjects: The boy who ran after the doctor for his sick little brother and when he arrived at the doctor's was so out of breath he could only say, "h, h, h."

The little boy who had the present of a watch, which was different from any gift he had ever had, because it could say something. It said just what this letter says, "t, t, t, t."

The engine on the track waiting for Mary and her mother to get in the train with all their bundles says, "p, p, p." The big saw getting wood ready for next winter says, "n, n, n."

The greedy little boy at the birthday party filled his mouth so full of candy that when he was asked if he had had a good time, he could only nod his head and say, "m, m, m, m."

The dog eating a bone does not want to be bothered, so he says, "r, r.'

After these have been thoroughly taught, tell the children that sometimes "s" and "a" go out walking together and then they say, "sa," giving short sound. Cards can be used to show this. Do not mark the short sound of vowels, but teach as though they had no other sound. Later it can be shown that sounds are modified by position and by the adding of final "e." Next show card containing "ha" and tell them what these two say when they are together, and so on until sa, ha, fa, ma, pa, na, ra, ta have been taught.

The children should be taught to go up and down the left-hand column as up and down a ladder. When that column has been thoroughly mastered, teach the words on the right-hand side by covering the last letter with a yard stick. They will readily recognize their friends, "fa, pa, ra." Then uncover the last letter and they will give the blend. There may be a slight hesitation, but review work corrects this. The keynote of this work is that of all first grade work-frequent reviews.

Next teach the short sound of “i” and the sound of “b." With cards teach: bi, hi, pi, si, ni, mi, ri, ti, fi. Then from a chart teach:

Nearly all children need much drill to learn to distinguish between "d" and "b" so this page should be reviewed often:

bat but bag dot dug doll bog rob boss dug mud bit big sun bill dog din cod cud dim beg pod bell den bog dell bug nod hid dip bed (etc.)

The next page in the chart should contain such words ass mist best nest sand band hand fond pond tent bent lint damp pump jump lump milk silk bulk sulk gift soft loft hint fist fond fund felt must mend melt belt best bump bulk land lost lent lamp lift hunt pump hump

The child should be taught to separate these so that he will see the words, "sand," "bump," "milk," etc., as san-d, bum-p, mil-k, etc. The yard-stick may again be used to good advantage to cover part of the word.

The following consonant combinations should be taught with cards: sh, nk, ng, ck, ch, tch, using these words to illustrate:

sash rang sank cock dish wing sang catch fish ring sick peck back long such pink tack dong dish patch neck much deck rock bank ditch rich sank hush wish wink sunk

The next step is to give the following consonant combinations: th, wh, sl, dr, sp, tu, fl, cl. This should be followed by the combinations of the two consonants with a vowel such as thi, whi, sla, dra, spi, twi, fla, cla, scu, tri. These combinations should be well drilled before the next words are given:

thin thick thud then this than them that whip when flag drag spill skill clad glad slap clap flap trap snap plum slip trip skip blot slot spot plan flit

The attention of the child should be called to the modification in the words "this," "that," etc.

Having taught and thoroughly reviewed at least one day