No subject in the curriculum of the Horace Mann Elementary School receives more attention, from the first grade through the seventh, than that variously called "reading" and "literature." This seems right and natural to both pupils and teacher. The children regard reading as the open sesame, not only to the stories in which they delight, but also to a great variety of useful information. The teacher sees in it something more than this: in her eyes it is her strongest ally in carrying on the work of education. By its aid she hopes to lay the foundation of that true culture which the study of literature pre-eminently gives the broadening of the mind, the development of the sympathies, the establishment of high ideals.

If the influence of literature is so potent, it is obviously our duty to give our children, as early as possible, the means to acquaint themselves with good books, and to place in their hands the right good books at the right time. If this latter is done, they will quickly grow to a truer appreciation of what is really fine, and will develop an ever-increasing love for it. Which books are the "right" ones for our sixth grade children is one of our problems. How we attempt to solve this problem-the principles that guide us in our selection of material, and the ways and means that we employ to carry out these principlesis the subject of this paper.

The reading books of a few years ago offered for the delectation of children of this age among other things such selections as Milton's "Invocation to Light" and Addison's essay "On

Immortality." No fault can be found with these as literature, but in the fuller knowledge of to-day they are hardly regarded as the best means of inspiring the twelve-year-old child with the "joye of books." Instead we introduce him to the old border ballads and to the epics and romances of the middle ages The Arthurian legends and the tales of Charlemagne. These appeal to his interest, follow naturally upon the myths and fables of his earlier years, and pave the way for the tale that the child of this age craves-the true story of action and heroism.

The same general principles guide us both in the poetry and in the prose selections. In the former it is especially important that a wise choice be made, for the children have reached a stage where they are inclined to discountenance verse and there is danger that they will grow up with the distaste for poetry that is only too general. If poetry is, as Matthew Arnold says, "simply the most beautiful, impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things," it is well worth while to cultivate a love for it. This may be accomplished not alone by the choice of the poems to be studied but by the method of study as well. A recent writer1 says that the dislike for poetry is due to our treatment of it—"we try to extract instruction from what was meant to give us joy." If then our choice be a wise one, and if we read the selected poem for its beauty, its music, its sentiment, it will not only consciously give us pleasure but it will unconsciously quicken the imagination as nothing else can do.

Besides the principles of selection outlined above, that of relating the work in literature to the other work of the grade enters as one of the determining factors. In fact, much of the literature of this year is suggested by the course of study in history which begins with the decline and downfall of the Roman Empire and the migration of the German tribes, and follows with a study of medieval Europe, including the period of exploration which resulted in American colonization. This is historically a period full of idealism and of heroic achievement, and as such has been the inspiration of many a work of literature. Thus an opportunity is given to correlate the reading with other subjects naturally, without sacrificing the higher interests of literary study. Of course historical novels and poems are not regarded

1 Samuel Crothers in The Gentle Reader.

as history, but are studied from a purely literary point of view. During the early part of the school year several of Macaulay's "Lays of Ancient Rome" are read. In stirring verse such as that of "Horatius" no so-called "devices" need be resorted to on the part of the teacher-every child will thrill at the picture of the "dauntless three" keeping the bridge against the hordes of invaders: every child will hold his breath when the hero plunges "headlong in the tide." There are innumerable methods of approach in taking up a poem of this kind. One is as follows: The work in history has already recalled the situation of Rome and the enemies that threatened it during the later years of the Empire. The children are now ready to compare this condition with the earlier one described in "Horatius." A few words on the part of the teacher, perhaps a rapid sketch on the board, will put the setting clearly before the class. The poem naturally divides itself into parts. The teacher may read the first part aloud-the picture of the great Etruscan army marshalling under its proud leader-and after the reading discuss its incidents with the children. They may then take the book home and read the second part to themselves and discuss it with the teacher the following day. When the poem has been read through it is often briefly outlined with the class as follows:

How they assembled their forces.

II-The Romans.

How they prepared for defence.

III The Combat.

IV-The Escape of Horatius.

Then the different scenes are compared and re-read. The group of stanzas that "draws the clearest picture," "the most exciting stanza 'the most beautiful one," are in turn selected and read until the whole poem is familiar by frequent repetition. The children are then asked to commit to memory two or three of their favorite stanzas. The easy rhythm, the meter, and familiarity with the piece make this a surprisingly simple task, and by the time the various favorites have been recited, the children know much of the poem by heart. Thereafter throughout the year a frequent request is "Let us see how much of 'Horatius' we can recite!" and it is rehearsed with never-flagging

enthusiasm. Here is a lesson in patriotism that does not need to have its moral pointed by the teacher. The children are in perfect accord with the sentiment—

"And how can man die better

Than in facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,

And the temples of his gods."

They have now reached a period in history that is particularly rich in legendary lore; and while the time possible to devote to its literature in school is too limited to give more than a glimpse of its charms, this glimpse is so full of promise that many of the children are inspired to continue this line of reading at home. Two or three of the legends of King Arthur, and the story of Roland are usually selected for this work. Here again the chivalrous sentiments of the knights, their loyalty, and their courage impress themselves unconsciously upon the impressionable reader. Sometimes the teacher reads one of these stories to the class, sometimes one of the children, having prepared himself beforehand, reads to the rest, and again the story is read at sight in the classroom and talked over then and there. As these tales are read for the interest of the incidents and for simple character study, rather than for the subtler points of structure and style, no special preparation is needed, except in cases such as that referred to above, when a child reads in order to give pleasure to his classmates.

Children of this age will read stories of adventure, good ones if they are brought into contact with them, indifferent or poor ones if the good are not at hand. This is the opportunity for the introduction of Sir Walter Scott's romances. If the child once falls under the spell of this master, he will no longer be content with the tales of boyish bravado and mock heroics with which the market is flooded. Some teachers feel that Ivanhoe is difficult reading for sixth grade pupils. It is true that the paragraphs are long, the sentences often involved, and the vocabulary replete with unfamiliar words, but these are after all minor details. The characters are so real, so human, the pictures so vivid, the scenes so dramatic, that all difficulties of technique are forgotten in the fascination of the story. We