Poems Every Child Should Know: The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library | Page 2

J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY we are indebted for the use of
"Sheridan's Ride," from the complete works of T. Buchanan Read.
To HARPER & BROTHERS for the use of "Driving Home the Cows,"
by Kate Putnam Osgood.
To LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY, of Boston, "How the Leaves
Came
Down," by Susan Coolidge.
To the WHITAKER & RAY COMPANY, of San Francisco,
"Columbus,"

by Joaquin Miller, from his complete works published and copyrighted
by that company.
To D. APPLETON & COMPANY for "The Planting of the
Apple-Tree"
and "Robert of Lincoln," from the complete works of William Cullen
Bryant; also for "Marco Bozzaris," from the works of Fitz-Greene
Halleck.
To the MACMILLAN COMPANY for "The Forsaken Merman," by
Matthew
Arnold, from the complete volume of his poems published by that
company.
To the HOWARD UNIVERSITY PRINT, Washington, D.C., for
Jeremiah
Rankin's little poem, "The Babie," from "Ingleside Rhaims."
To the heirs of MARY EMILY BRADLEY for "A Chrysalis."
To HENRY HOLCOMB BENNETT for "The Flag Goes By."
PREFACE
Is this another collection of stupid poems that children cannot use? Will
they look hopelessly through this volume for poems that suit them?
Will they say despairingly, "This is too long," and "That is too hard,"
and "I don't like that because it is not interesting"?
Are there three or four pleasing poems and are all the rest put in to fill
up the book? Nay, verily! The poems in this collection are those that
children love. With the exception of seven, they are short enough for
children to commit to memory without wearying themselves or losing
interest in the poem. If one boy learns "The Overland Mail," or "The
Recruit," or "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," or "The Song in Camp," or
"Old Ironsides," or "I Have a Little Shadow," or "The Tournament," or

"The Duel," nine boys out of ten will be eager to follow him. I know
because I have tried it a dozen times. Every boy loves "Paul Revere's
Ride" (alas! I have not been able to include it), and is ambitious to learn
it, but only boys having a quick memory will persevere to the end.
Shall the slower boy be deprived of the pleasure of reading the whole
poem and getting its inspiring sentiment and learning as many stanzas
as his mind will take? No, indeed. Half of such a poem is better than
none. Let the slow boy learn and recite as many stanzas as he can and
the boy of quick memory follow him up with the rest. It does not help
the slow boy's memory to keep it down entirely or deprive it of its
smaller activity because he cannot learn the whole. Some people will
invariably give the slow child a very short poem. It is often better to
divide a long poem among the children, letting each child learn a part.
The sustained interest of a long poem is worth while. "The Merman,"
"The Battle of Ivry," "Horatius at the Bridge," "Krinken," "The
Skeleton in Armour," "The Raven" and "Hervé Riel" may all profitably
be learned that way. Nevertheless, the child enjoys most the poem that
is just long enough, and there is much to be said in favour of the
selection that is adapted, in length, to the average mind; for the child
hesitates in the presence of quantity rather than in the presence of
subtle thought. I make claim for this collection that it is made up of
poems that the majority of children will learn of their own free will.
There are people who believe that in the matter of learning poetry there
is no "ought," but this is a false belief. There is a duty, even there; for
every American citizen ought to know the great national songs that
keep alive the spirit of patriotism. Children should build for their
future--and get, while they are children, what only the fresh
imagination of the child can assimilate.
They should store up an untold wealth of heroic sentiment; they should
acquire the habit of carrying a literary quality in their conversation;
they should carry a heart full of the fresh and delightful associations
and memories, connected with poetry hours to brighten mature years.
They should develop their memories while they have memories to
develop.
Will the boy who took every poetry hour for a whole school year to

learn "Henry of Navarre" ever regret it, or will the children who
listened to it? No. It was fresh every week and they brought fresh
interest in listening. The boy will always love it because he used to love
it. There were boys who scrambled for the right to recite "The
Tournament," "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "The Star-Spangled
Banner," and so on. The boy who was first to reach the front had the
privilege. The