Stories to Tell Children | Page 5

the children laughed very heartily over the story, and evidently liked it much. About an hour later, one of them was sent to the board to do a little problem. It happened that the child made an excessively foolish mistake, and did not notice it. As he glanced at the teacher for the familiar smile of encouragement, she simply raised her hands, and ejaculated, "'For the law's sake!'"
It was sufficient. The child took the cue instantly. He looked hastily at his work, broke into an irrepressible giggle, rubbed the figures out, without a word, and began again. And the whole class entered into the joke with the gusto of fellow-fools, for once wise.
It is safe to assume that the child in question will make fewer needless mistakes for a long time because of the wholesome reminder of his likeness with one who "ain't got the sense he was born with." And what occurred so visibly in his case goes on quietly in the hidden recesses of the mind in many cases. One Epaminondas is worth three lectures.
I wish there were more of such funny little tales in the world's literature, all ready, as this one is, for telling to the youngest of our listeners. But masterpieces are few in any line, and stories for telling are no exception; it took generations, probably, to make this one. The demand for new sources of supply comes steadily from teachers and mothers, and is the more insistent because so often met by the disappointing recommendations of books which prove to be for reading only, rather than for telling.
For the benefit of suggestion to teachers in schools where story-telling is newly or not yet introduced in systematic form, I am glad to append the following list of additional stories which will be found to be equally tellable and likeable. The list is not mine, although it embodies some of my suggestions. I offer it merely as a practical result of the effort to equalise and extend the story-hour throughout the schools. The list is roughly graded in four groups. Stories in the present volume have been excluded.
STORIES FOR REPRODUCTION
FIRST GROUP
The Lion and the Mouse, ?sop The Fox and the Crow, ?sop The Hare and the Tortoise, ?sop The Wolf and the Kid, ?sop The Crow and the Pitcher, ?sop The Fox and the Grapes, ?sop The Dog and his Shadow, ?sop The Hare and the Hound, ?sop The Wolf and the Crane, ?sop The Elf and the Dormouse[1] The Three Little Pigs[1] Henny Penny The Three Bears[1] Why the Woodpecker's Head is Red[2] Little Red Riding-Hood The Cat and The Mouse, Grimm Snow White and Rose Red, Grimm
SECOND GROUP
The Boasting Traveller, ?sop The Wolf and the Fox, ?sop The Boy and the Filberts, ?sop Hercules and the Wagoner, ?sop The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf, ?sop The Star Dollars[1] The Pied Piper[1] King Midas[1] Raggylug[1] Peter Rabbit, B. Potter The Tar-Baby, Joel Chandler Harris (from _Uncle Remus_) The Tailor and the Elephant The Blind Men and the Elephant (_Harrap's Dramatic Readers_, Book II.) The Valiant Blackbird, Wm. Canton (from _The True Annals of Fairyland_) The Wolf and the Goslings, Grimm The Ugly Duckling, Andersen The Old Woman and Her Pig[1] The Cat and the Parrot[1]
THIRD GROUP
Little Black Sambo Why the Bear has a Short Tail[2] Why the Fox has a White Tip to his Tail[2] Why the Wren flies low[2] Jack and the Beanstalk The Golden Fleece[3] The Pig Brother[1] The Ugly Duckling, Andersen How the Mole became Blind[2] How Fire was brought to the Indians[2] Echo[4] Why the Morning Glory Climbs[1] The Bay of Winds[3] Pandora's Box[4] The Little Match Girl, Andersen The Story of Wylie[1]
FOURTH GROUP
Arachne[4] The Nürnberg Stove[3] Clytie[3] Latona and the Frogs[4] Dick Whittington and his Cat Proserpine[4] The Bell of Atri[5] The Land East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Edgar (from _Stories from the Earthly Paradise_) The Guardians of the Door, Wm. Canton (from _A Child's Book of Saints_) The Little Lame Prince, Mrs Craik Narcissus[5] The Little Hero of Haarlem[6] The Bar of Gold[5] The Golden Fish[5] Saint Christopher[5] The Four Seasons[7]
A further source for excellent stories put into a form which is suggestive for purposes of retelling to children is the series of graded reading books known as _Harrap's Dramatic Readers_.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] _How to Tell Stories to Children._
[2] In How to Tell Stories to Children, page 145.
[3] _How to Tell Stories to Children._
[4] Nature Myths, Florence Holbrook.
[5] Favourite Greek Myths, Lilian S. Hyde.
[6] Legends of Greece and Rome, G.H. Kupfer.
[7] Folk Tales from Many Lands, Lilian Gask.

STORY-TELLING IN TEACHING ENGLISH
I have to speak now of a phase of elementary education which lies very close to my warmest interest, which, indeed, could easily become an active hobby if other interests did not beneficently tug at my