B. The Persons.

Question. Can a Fox talk, or a Crow sing?

Answer. No.

Q. Do they seem like persons in this story?

A. Yes.

Q. Let us think of them as persons, and see what kind of people they are. We will talk about the Fox, first. What do you think he looked like?

A. Like a saucy little dog with bright eyes, a long sharp nose, and a bushy tail.

Q. When he said, "That's for me," what did you learn about him?

A. That he was hungry; that he was greedy; that he meant to get the cheese.

Q. When he began to flatter the Crow, what did you think of him?

A. That he was sharp; that he was trying to fool the Crow.

Q. What did you think of him when he said that her voice was finer than the voices of the other birds, just as her coat was?

A. He was really flattering. Before, he was telling some truth, for her feathers were glossy and her eyes were bright.

Q. Did he really think she could sing?

A. No. He knew she could only caw. He was lying, then.

Q. What did he say after she had dropped the cheese?

A. "That was all I wanted."

Q. And then?

A. "Do not trust flatterers."

Q. Did the Fox mean it?

A. Yes. But he was plaguing her, sneering at her. He wasn't really sincere.

Q. Now tell me what you've learned about the Fox.

A. He was a lively animal that looked like a dog, with a long nose and bushy tail. He was smart, wise, knew how to flatter and get what he wanted. But he was a liar and a mean fellow all around.

Q. Now, let us study the Crow. What did she look like?

A. She was a big black bird with glossy feathers and a bright eye. She had a big black bill and black wings.

Q. Did she have a good voice for singing?

A. No. She could only say "caw, caw, caw," in a hoarse, croaking voice.

Q. Where was she?

A. On the limb of a tree.

Q. Could the Fox reach her?

A. No. She was safe.

Q. What did she think of herself?

A. She thought she was pretty and smart and could sing.

Q. What would you say of her manners?

A. She was proud and conceited and foolish, silly.

Q. Now, tell me what you have learned of the Crow.

A. She was a big black bird with glossy feathers and a bright eye. She thought she could sing, but she was silly and proud and conceited. She was too easily fooled by the lies and flattery of the fox.

C. The Scene.

Question. Where were the Fox and the Crow?

Answer. Outdoors, somewhere.

Q. Were they near a house?

A. I think so, because the Crow had cheese in her mouth.

Q. Was it a prairie country?

A. Perhaps, but there was one tree near.

Q. Was it day, or night?

A. Daytime, I think. Crows do not hunt at night, but foxes do.

Q. Tell me all you know or can guess about the place where the bird and fox were.

A. I think they were on the edge of the woods, not very far away from a farmhouse. One tree stood out by itself, and the Crow flew from the farmhouse to the lone tree.

D. and E. The Lesson and the Author's Purpose.

Question. This is an old, old story, and it has been told in many languages. We cannot be sure who first wrote it. But what do you suppose the writer meant the story to do?

Answer. He meant it to teach a good lesson, I think.

Q. What is the lesson?

A. That foxes are tricky animals; that crows are silly birds; that flattery and lying are bad; that it is foolish to trust anyone who flatters you.

Q. Does that mean you do not trust people who praise you?

A. Oh, no. Praise is all right. Everybody likes to be praised.

Q. What is the difference between praise and flattery?

A. When a person praises you he tells the truth, and tells it because he likes you, and wants to help you; but when he flatters you, he lies and deceives you, and does it to fool you, because he wants you to do something for him, or to get something you have.

Q. How can we tell whether we are being praised or flattered?

A. We must be sharp and know ourselves and what we really can do. Then we will know whether others are speaking the truth about us.

F. The Method and Style of the Author.

Question. What do you call a story like this?

Answer. A fable.

Q. Why is it a fable?

A. Because it's short; because animals talk and act like human beings; because it teaches a good lesson.

Q. Do you call this story "slow"?

A. No. It's a quick, lively one.

Q. What do you think makes it so?

A. There are not too many words; the Fox and the Crow are interesting; there is a lot of talking; we can see the Fox and the Crow; they act like human beings.

Q. Are there any good sentences you would like to remember?

A. Yes: "Do not trust flatterers."

G. Emotional Power.

Question. How did the Fox feel when he saw the Crow with the cheese in her mouth?

Answer. He was hungry; he wanted the cheese; he made up his mind to get it.

Q. How did he feel when he was flattering the Crow?

A. He felt jolly; he thought it was fun to fool the Crow.

Q. How did he feel when he got the cheese?

A. He was pleased; he was happy; he did not pity the Crow; he laughed at the Crow when he gave her advice.

Q. How did the Crow feel when she flew off with the cheese?

A. She was happy.

Q. How did she feel while the Fox was flattering her?

A. She was proud and vain and felt sure she could sing.

Q. When she dropped the cheese?

A. She was disappointed; she was sorry she had tried to sing; she knew she had been fooled, and was ashamed.

Q. Did she like the advice the Fox gave her?

A. No, but she thought it was good advice.

Q. Do you think the Fox could fool her again?

H. Conclusion.

Now, read the fable all through just as well as you can. (It is read.) Now, Harry, you be the Fox, and read just what he says. Clara, be the Crow, and read just what she says. Tom may be the story teller, and read just the descriptions. Now, watch your parts so there will be no delay, and try to speak just as though you are really what you are representing. Tom may read the first paragraph, and the fourth, but may omit entirely those words that are not spoken in the other paragraphs. Begin, Tom.

The Drummer

(Volume I, page 303)

The fairy stories of the brothers Grimm are inferior to those of Andersen in plot, lesson and style. The plots are more monotonous and sometimes unnecessarily coarse and rough; the lessons are more obscure and sometimes are of doubtful value; and the style is much less forcible, in fact is often labored and inelegant. Yet many of the stories are attractive and harmless. They may be used to make the transition from fairy tales to more elevated literature. Their very imperfections can be utilized to discourage the reading of fairy tales and by criticism and gentle ridicule a child can be led away from that type of stories which though harmless when read in moderation have been made so attractive by modern writers that children fancy them too much and cling to them long after they should be reading things of much greater value. If children are led to study fairy stories, absurdities in them soon become tiresome. Ordinarily they read merely for the excitement in the tale, for the effect it has upon their naturally vivid imaginations. If they are led to think, to analyze, their intelligence will quickly call for something more substantial, more nearly true to life.

The Drummer is one of the best of the Grimm stories and yet some of their weaknesses are evident. It is inadvisable to talk to small children of studying a story. They are always delighted to see their parents interested and will be very glad to "talk over" the story. In this particular tale there are many points of interest that may be brought up by skilful questioning and many places where comments may be made, comments that will show the attitude of the adult mind without raising opposition on the part of the juvenile reader. Some of the subjects suggested by a reading of The Drummer are the following:

I. Characters. Taken in the order of their appearance in the story the characters are:

1. The Drummer 2. The King's Daughter 3. The First Giant 4. The Second Giant 5. The Third Giant 6. The Two Men Quarreling 7. The Witch 8. The Drummer's Parents 9. The Maiden

II. What the Characters Do.

1. The Drummer finds the piece of cloth, goes to the mountain of glass, deceives the two quarreling men, flies to the top of the mountain, visits the witch, performs the three tasks, throws the witch in the fire, goes to his home, kisses his parents on their right cheeks, forgets the princess, gives her jewels away, gets ready to marry the maiden, remembers the princess, rewards the maiden and marries the princess.

2. The King's Daughter asks for her dress, tells the Drummer where she is confined, helps the Drummer in his three tasks, advises the Drummer how to destroy the witch, takes the Drummer to his parents, waits in the field for the Drummer, sings her song three times, forgives and marries the Drummer.

3. The First Giant talks with the Drummer and carries him through the woods on his back.

4. The Second Giant carries the Drummer in his button hole.

5. The Third Giant carries the Drummer on his hat.

6. The Two Men quarrel, talk with the Drummer, race to the white staff and lose the saddle.

7. The Witch gives the Drummer food and shelter, assigns three tasks, requires the log to be brought from the fire, tries to carry off the King's Daughter, and dies in the flames.

8. The Drummer's Parents welcome their son, accept the jewels of the King's Daughter, build a palace, choose a maiden for their son's wife, but receive the princess in her place.

9. The Maiden is willing to marry the Drummer but is satisfied with his presents instead.

III. The Good and the Bad Characters.

1. The Drummer was brave, kind to his parents and loved the princess, but he tricked the two quarreling men, and disobeyed and forgot the princess.

2. The King's Daughter was always helpful, faithful and lovable.

3, 4 and 5. The Three Giants were usually cruel but were afraid of the Drummer and so behaved very well.

6. The Two Men were very unwise to quarrel and perhaps deserved to lose their saddle.

7. The Witch was cruel, deceitful and always bad, deserving her awful fate.

8. The Drummer's Parents were good people, for they knew nothing of the princess when they tried to marry their son to another.

9. The Maiden was a commonplace person who did not really love the Drummer.

IV. The Unreal and Magical Things.

1. There are no glass mountains, but an iceberg resembles one.

2. There never were giants as big as fir trees.

3. There never was a saddle that could itself carry anyone anywhere.

4. There never was an old woman who could enchant a maiden.

5. There never was a magic ring that could grant wishes. Fish never jumped from water and sorted themselves, wood never cut itself nor piled itself.

6. Never was a princess enchanted into a log and no log ever became a king's beautiful daughter.

7. It never made any difference in a young man's fortunes if he did kiss his parents on the right instead of the left cheek.

8. No castle such as this was ever built in a day.

V. Things that Happen in Threes.

How absurd it is that in fairy stories things so often happen in sets of three! In this one short story we find:

1. The Drummer saw three pieces of white linen.

2. The Drummer met three giants.

3. The mountain looked as high as if three mountains had been placed one upon another.

4. On the plain are three things, an old stone house, a large fish pond and a dark, dreary forest.

5. The Witch did not appear till the Drummer had knocked three times.

6. The Drummer wanted three things, admission, food and a night's lodging.

7. The Witch assigned three tasks.

8. There were three conditions to the first task, to scoop out the water, sort the fish, and finish by night.

9. There were three parts to the second task, to cut the trees, to split them into logs and to stack them.

10. The Witch gave the Drummer three tools with which to accomplish the second task, an ax, a chopper and a wedge.

11. In the third task there were three steps, to place the wood in a heap, to set fire to it and to burn it.

12. The Drummer supposed he had been gone three days but it was three years.

13. The wedding was to take place in three days.

14. The princess sang her song three times.

Tom, the Water Baby

(Volume II, page 215)

"This is all a fairy tale, and only fun and pretense; and therefore, you are not to believe a word of it, even if it is true."

But what a wonderful tale it is; so interesting a story, such a mixture of fact and fancy, so brimming full of fun and laughter, so touching in pathos, and so rife with good lessons. Though "you are not to believe a word of it, even if it is true," there is so much truth in it that you really cannot keep from believing a great deal of it.

A better comprehension of Tom, the Water Baby among parents will mean a greater popularity for it among children. The tale is too long for a full interpretation, but we can offer an analysis which will help to keep the story in mind, and some illustrations of different meritorious features.



I. Analysis. At first Tom is a real boy, a little grimy, ignorant chimney sweep, next a water baby or eft, in which character, under the tutelage of the fairies, he gains his education. Briefly at the end he is a man, an engineer, but all that is delightfully vague, for he has ceased to be the little Tom we like so thoroughly.

Chapters I and II.

Tom, the Chimney Sweep, Works for Mr. Grimes; Summoned to sweep the chimney at Hartover Place; Overtakes the poor Irishwoman, who Walks with Tom; Asks about his prayers and makes him sad; Tells about the sea and makes him wish to be clean; Helps him pick flowers; Frightens Grimes for beating Tom, Warns them both to be clean; Promises to see them again; Disappears. Meets the keeper who warns Grimes against poaching; Walks up the avenue; Sees the deer, trees, bees, and makes friends with the keeper; Enters the house and sweeps chimneys; Comes out in a beautiful room and sees the little white lady; Sees himself for the first time and cries; Escapes from the nurse by window and tree; Is chased by everybody; Is lost in the woods; Scales a wall; Is followed by the Irishwoman, who throws the pursuers off the scent; Crosses the river, climbs a mountain; Descends Lewthwaite Crag; Drags himself to the cottage; Begs for water of the dame; Is given milk, and put in an outhouse; Is feverish and out of his mind; Thinks he must be clean; Drags himself to the stream, looks into the clear water, and undresses; Does not see the Irishwoman transform herself to the queen of the fairies; Tumbles himself into the stream; Falls asleep in the water; Is turned into a water-baby by the fairies; Is mourned as dead by the people who find his poor dirty body.

Chapters III and IV.

Tom, the Water Baby, Watches the caddis-flies build their homes (page 262) and go into the chrysalis state (page 262); Sees the metamorphosis of the dragon-fly (pages 263-264); Meets and makes friends with the otters (pages 270-274); Travels towards the sea after the storm; Finds the salmon and witnesses the death of Grimes (pages 278-286); Passes the sleeping villages and reaches the sea; Greets the seal and looks for water babies; Plays with the lobsters (pages 292-294); Is caught by Professor Ptthmllnsprts and shown to Ellie, the little white lady, who flies away (pages 296-299). (Can you make out what Kingsley had in mind, by filling in the vowels of the Professor's name?)

Chapter V.

Tom, the Water Baby, Has an adventure in the lobster pots (pages 300-303); Joins the water babies; Is met by Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid, who Examines Tom; Rewards the good children; Punishes those who know no better, viz.: Tom, The doctors, The foolish ladies, The careless nurserymaids, The cruel school teachers, Tells Tom about those who knew better. Sees Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby, who Mothers Tom; Tells him the story.

Chapter VI.

Tom, the Water Baby, Steals the candy from the cabinet; Becomes prickly and ugly from sin; Confesses to Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid; Goes to school to rid himself of his ugliness; Is taught by the beautiful little girl; Gains his own smooth, clean skin; Recognizes the little white lady, Ellie; Learns how to join Ellie in the beautiful place; Loses her by being unkind; Hears the history of the Doasyoulikes;

Chapter VII.

Tom, the Water Baby, Starts to go where he does not like, to find Mr. Grimes; Inquires of the King of the Herrings; Visits the last of the Gairfowl on the Allalonestone; Follows Mother Carey's chickens; Struggles with the water dog; Is carried by the mollymocks from Jan Mayen's land to Shiny Wall; Dives under the great white gate that never was opened yet; Reaches Peace-pool with the dog; Finds Mother Carey at work making new creatures from sea water; Is given passport to the Other-End-of-No-where; Goes backward in safety.

Chapter VIII.

Tom, the Water Baby, Comes to the place called Stop; Is blown through the Sea; Finds himself in the claws of the bogy; Sees the metals made; Slides down the whirlpool; Swims to the shore of the Other-End-of-No-where; Finds Gotham; Comes to the isle of Tomtoddies; Hears of their great idol, Examination; Gives information to the nimblecomequick turnip; Stumbles over the respectable old stick; Faces Examiner-of-all-Examiners; Arrives at Oldwivesfabledom; Comes to the quiet place called Leaveheavenalone; Sees the prison; Offers the passport to the truncheon; Searches for chimney No. 345; Finds Grimes stuck in the chimney; Tries to light Grimes' pipe and to release him; Learns that the old dame teacher was the mother of Grimes; Sees Grimes' tears effect his release; Recognizes Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid as the Irishwoman; Hears Grimes sentenced to sweep out Aetna; Is blindfolded and taken up the back stairs; Recognizes St. Brandon's Isle and hears the song; Rejoices with Ellie and goes with her Sundays; Becomes a man of science and knows everything; And, it may be, marries Ellie.

II. Fact and Fancy. The story begins with a vivid description of the little sweep and his master, and it is not till we have read several pages that we have reason to suspect that we are reading a fairy story. In fact the "poor Irishwoman" might be a veritable Irishwoman till we have read page 247. From this point on, the work of the fairies is seen occasionally to the end.

The facts of the natural history are mingled with the fancies of the author's brain in the most natural manner. The description of the house-building of the caddis larvae (page 262) is accurate enough for a scientist, who might, however, be shocked by the whimsical notion of the rivalry told in the last sentence of the paragraph. The otters behave like otters, the salmon like salmon, the lobster like the lobster he is. The dragon "splits" at the call of nature, the ephemerae dance in the sunlight, and game-keepers kill poachers in real life as in the story. The great auk is extinct and the right whale is still hunted, but Peace-pool is as fancifully portrayed as is the creation of world-pap. It appears that as Kingsley proceeded with his story he let his imagination play more freely and drew farther away from facts as his fancies came plentifully. So the story furnishes food for thought by old and young, and parts of it can be understood only by those who have had considerable study and experience.

III. Fun and Humor. A more entertaining story is hard to find. There are many amusing situations and funny doings, besides which, Kingsley's style of writing abounds in a rich humor that is not always evident to the hasty and careless reader. Not a little of the humor is ironical and sometimes we are inclined to think that the writer may be having a little quiet fun at the expense of his readers.

Children are inclined to read Tom, the Water Baby as they do many another tale, for the story only. They want to know what happens to Tom, whether or no Grimes is punished, what becomes of Ellie, and how it "all comes out." But when attention is called to the fun in the tale children will read it more than once, for they like to laugh even better than their elders, and curiosity prompts them to watch to "see the joke."

The humorous twist to things begins in the second sentence of the story and it does not disappear permanently till the very last sentence of the Moral. See how it shows in these few extracts: "His master was so delighted at his new customer that he knocked Tom down out of hand" (page 219).

After Tom's pathetic discovery of his own dirtiness (page 232), comes this: "With a noise as of ten thousand tin kettles tied to ten thousand mad dogs' tails." Humor and pathos are both strengthened by the violent contrast.

On page 232 begins the long humorous paragraph descriptive of the chase after Tom.

"The birches birched him as soundly as if he had been a nobleman at Eton, and over the face too (which is not fair swishing, as all brave boys will agree)" (page 235).

What could you imagine more amusing in its way than the extremely absurd "argument" the author makes for the existence of water babies (page 254): "You never heard of a water baby? Perhaps not. That is the very reason why this story was written. There are a great many things in the world which you never heard of; and a great many more which nobody ever heard of; and a great many things, too, which nobody ever will hear of. No water babies, indeed! Why, wise men of old said that everything on earth had its double in the water; and you may see that that is, if not quite true, still quite as true as most other theories which you are likely to hear for many a day. There are land babies, then why not water babies? Are there not water rats, water flies, water crickets, water crabs, water tortoises, water scorpions, water tigers and so on without end? To be sure, there must be water babies. Am I in earnest? Oh dear no!"

Read the account of the policemen, beginning on page 306, for an example of a broader humor.

Page 347: "And the sun acted policeman, and worked round outside every day, peeping just over the top of the icewall, to see that all went right; and now and then he played conjuring tricks, or had an exhibition of fireworks, to amuse the sea fairies. For he would make himself into four or five suns at once, or paint the sky with rings and crosses and crescents of white fire and stick himself in the middle of them, and wink at the fairies; and I dare say they were very much amused, for anything's fun in the country."

Do not think of "skipping" the Moral. No more attractive "moral" was ever written for fable or fairy tale!

IV. Pathos. Tom, the Chimney Sweep is always pathetic. He enlists our sympathies wholly from the time we meet him where there was "plenty of money for Tom to earn and his master to spend," until he "pulled off all his clothes in such haste that he tore some of them, which was easy enough with such ragged old things," "put his poor, hot, sore feet into the water," "tumbled himself as quick as he could into the clear, cool stream" and in two minutes "fell fast asleep, into the quietest, sunniest, coziest sleep that he had ever had in his life and—dreamt of nothing at all." It is only as Tom the Water Baby that he does not make us sad.

Poor little, dirty, ignorant Tom! Little enough to climb up the sooty chimney flues; so dirty that he knew not what cleanliness meant; so ignorant that he "never had heard of God, or of Christ, except in words which you never have heard," and his idea of happiness was to "sit in a public house with a quart of beer and a long pipe," to play cards for silver money, to "keep a white bull dog with one gray ear, and carry her puppies in his pocket just like a man," to have apprentices and to bully them, to knock them about and make them carry soot sacks while he "rode before them on his donkey, with a pipe in his mouth and a flower in his button hole, like a king at the head of his army!" "Yes, when his master let him have a pull at the leavings of his beer, Tom was the jolliest boy in the whole town."

To him who reads understandingly, there is pathos on nearly every page of the first two chapters. Sometimes it is seen in hints and shown by indirection but in other instances it is direct, positive, powerful.

Just read (page 231), how Tom learns that he is naught but a "little black ape," an "ugly, black, ragged figure with bleared eyes and grinning white teeth."

In his terrible race for life he "thought he heard church bells ringing a long way off" and thought "where there is a church there will be houses and people," and perhaps someone will give him a "bit and a sup." So he follows the ringing in his ears till he comes to the top of the great crag and sees "a mile off and a thousand feet down" the old dame in her garden. We lose our own breath in following him down that awful descent, find ourselves panting, and at last, suddenly, "b-e-a-t, beat!" After the old dame has given him the old rug and bidden him sleep off his weariness, comes the fever with the ringing of the church bells and the persistent, agonizing thought, "I must be clean, I must be clean." It is this that drives him out to the "clear, clear limestone water, with every pebble at the bottom bright and clean" the cool, cool, cool water for his weary feet.

Then when it is too late, just to add to the pathos of the sad little tale, comes the Squire, conscious of the terrible mistake and ready to put Tom in the way of cleanliness, knowledge and happiness; Tom, of whom there remained only the husk and shell which made the Squire think the poor sweep was drowned.

To close the chapter and the sad part of the story, the dame sings the old, old song which the children could not understand but which they liked nevertheless, "for it was very sweet and very sad and that was enough for them." We know what it means.

"When all the world is old, lad, And all the trees are brown; And all the sport is stale, lad, And all the wheels run down; Creep home, and take your place there, The spent and maimed among; God grant you find one face there, You loved when all was young."

V. Beauty. Tom, the Water Baby has in it much more of real beauty both in sentiment and expression than most prose and more than many a charming poem. There is little of ugliness in the story, and what there is, is so softened in the way in which it is presented that the impression is neither repulsive nor lasting. Kingsley's work is highly artistic and this story is real literature.

Some of his descriptions are like beautiful pictures in color. Here is one from page 220:

"But soon the road grew white, and the walls likewise; and at the wall's foot grew long grass and gay flowers, all drenched with dew; and instead of the groaning of the pit engines, they heard the skylark saying his matins high up in the air, and the pit bird warbling in the sedges as he had warbled all night long."

Beginning at the bottom of the same page (220): "For old Mrs. Earth was still fast asleep; and, like many pretty people she looked still prettier asleep than awake. The great elm trees in the gold-green meadows were fast asleep above, and the cows fast asleep beneath them; nay, the few clouds which were about were fast asleep likewise, and so tired that they had lain down on the earth to rest, in long white flakes and bars, among the stems of the elm trees, and along the tops of the alders by the stream, waiting for the sun to bid them rise and go about their day's business in the clear blue overhead." Was there ever more attractive description of the mist patches that lie across the earth waiting for the morning sun to dissipate them?

The poor Irishwoman followed Tom in this manner: "She went along quite smoothly and gracefully, while her feet twinkled past each other so fast that you could not see which was foremost."

The dragon-fly is described in this way: "It grew strong and firm; the most lovely colors began to show on its body—blue and yellow and black, spots and bars and rings; out of its back rose four great wings of bright brown gauze; and its eyes grew so large that they filled all its head and shone like ten thousand diamonds."

This is Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby: "She was a very tall woman, as tall as her sister; but instead of being gnarly, and horny, and scaly, and prickly, like her, she was the most nice, soft, fat, smooth, pussy, cuddly, delicious creature who ever nursed a baby—and all her delight was to play with babies—and therefore when the children saw her, they naturally caught hold of her, and pulled her till she sat down on a stone, and climbed into her lap, and clung round her neck, and caught hold of her hands, and then they all put their thumbs into their mouths and began cuddling and purring like so many kittens."

And this is a scene in Peace-pool: "There were moths with pink heads and wings and opal bodies, that flapped about slowly; moths with brown wings that flapped about quickly; yellow shrimps that hopped and skipped most quickly of all; and jellies of all the colors in the world that neither hopped nor skipped, but only dawdled and yawned."

Here are a few descriptive phrases taken at random: "Two great, grand blue eyes, as blue as the sea itself"; "his little whirl-about of a head"; "long curls floating behind her like a golden cloud, and long robes floating all round her like a silver one"; "came paddling and wriggling back to her like so many tadpoles"; "the shadows of the clouds ran races over the bright blue sky"; "the river widened to the shining sea"; "such enormous trees that the blue sky rested on their heads."

VI. Good Lessons. Through all the fun, the burlesque, the amusing exaggerations and the bombastic humor runs a scheme of advice and instruction. Sometimes it takes the form of a direct caution to the reader, again it may be shown by inference, and lastly the events speak for themselves and give their own lesson. The author meant to teach adults as well as children. The graphic history of the Doasyoulikes is rather a clear-cut study in degeneracy for older people, as well as a lively warning for youngsters. But what is the author's main theme? Is his real text in the advice the poor Irishwoman gives to Grimes and Tom? "Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be. Remember." (page 225). Perhaps a second text or at least a corollary to this is expressed in the name of the cuddly lady, Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby. This may mean the same as the advice she gives on page 328: "Those who go there must go first where they do not like, and do what they do not like, and help somebody they do not like." Besides these leading ideas there are several others that run through the story. Meanness and wickedness are made unattractive and bring punishment. The punishment grows logically out of the offense and has a direct relation to the misdeed. Persons are not rewarded for their good deeds but they are happy in being good. It is not a credit to do right, but wrongdoing is discreditable. Little meannesses stand in the way of happiness though they may not bring any definite punishments. Evil is ugliness, goodness is beauty. Friendship is made attractive and filial love is strongly inculcated. The strong appeal made to the sympathy of the reader by the very real and very human Tom, the chimney sweep, is a strong influence for good, and progress toward character in the clever little water baby is a continuous refining influence on the reader.

The bits of advice, the little asides, are slipped into the text so naturally that they are never repulsive or calculated to raise antagonism in the minds of those who naturally dislike advice. Taken from the text they seem more formal and less helpful, but here are a few of them as illustrations:

"Let well alone, lad, and ill too at times."

"You must expect to be beat a few times in your life, little man, if you live such a life as a man ought to live."

"Ah, first thoughts are best, and a body's heart'll guide them right, if they will but hearken to it."

"It was not quite well bred, no doubt; but you know, Tom had not finished his education yet."

"For salmon, like other true gentlemen, always choose their lady and love her, and are true to her, and take care of her, and work for her, and fight for her, as every true gentleman ought."

"What has been once can never come over again."

"No more to be bought for money than a good conscience or the Victoria cross."

"You see, experience is of very little good unless a man, or a lobster, has wit enough to make use of it."

"It is not good for little boys to be told everything, and never to be forced to use their own wits."

"And so if you do not know that things are wrong, that is no reason why you should not be punished for them; though not as much, my little man (and the lady looked very kindly, after all), as if you did know."

"I am quite sure that she knows best. Perhaps she wishes people to learn to keep their fingers out of the fire by having them burned."

"I always forgive people the minute they tell me the truth of their own accord."

"But even they were no foolisher than some hundred scores of papas and mamas; who fetch the rod when they ought to fetch a new toy, and send to the dark cupboard instead of to a doctor."

VII. Life-like Characters. The great storyteller makes his characters seem like human beings. The reader can almost see them; at any rate, he feels that he knows them and that they are real, not merely life-like. It is hard to understand how the author accomplishes the wonderful feat (for it is the most wonderful thing about story writing), and it is much more difficult to tell how it is done. One word here, a clear descriptive phrase there, and Tom, or the Squire, or the old schoolmistress, or Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid with her awkward name, has become so much of a personality that you cannot forget if you would. Certainly one of the fine things about Tom, the Water Baby is the living reality of its characters, which appeals universally to young and old, even in the first reading of the story.

VIII. The Writer's Art. It will add something to a child's interest in the story if his attention is called to the skilful way in which Kingsley handles his plot. It is high art to throw into the early part of the story the conversation between the keeper and Grimes. It shows that Grimes is a poacher and known to be one. The keeper is inclined to wink at the offense, but still he feels that a warning is necessary. Nothing more is said about poaching till much later, where Tom, the Water Baby, sees Grimes meet a poacher's death.

Again, it is early evident that Grimes has done other wicked things and that the poor Irishwoman knows of one at least. She even mentions Vendale, but the reader attaches no importance to it. Tom flees to Vendale and is pitied and kindly treated by the old Schoolmistress, but it is not until Tom finds Grimes suffering his punishment in the chimney flues that the reader learns what the poor Irishwoman knew about Grimes, and that the schoolmistress was Grimes's poor ill-treated mother.

Once more, Kingsley's art is seen in the selection of incidents and the arrangement of influences which bring to Tom the conviction of his dirtiness and create in him the overpowering desire to be clean.

But this interpretation of Tom, the Water Baby has already reached the limits of space and we must forego the pleasure of pointing out other examples of artistic treatment. Probably it is better to leave the story to plead its own cause.

The Passing of Arthur

(Volume V, page 237)

While the outline differs in form from those we have been using, it is a helpful variation, and shows that while a narrative poem must be studied first in the same manner as a story, there are still other points that need careful examination.

Tennyson's The Passing of Arthur is one of the noble things in literature, solemn, impressive, inspiring. In order to appreciate a careful study of it, one should have read at least those selections which appear in the fifth volume, beginning with page 113 and extending to page 236. With this preliminary setting there should be no difficulty in feeling a sufficient interest in King Arthur to be appreciative of Tennyson's work from the very beginning.

a. Characters. Three characters appear in this poem, viz: King Arthur; Sir Bedivere, the knight first made and last surviving of all those who sat about King Arthur's table; Modred, Arthur's traitorous nephew. Besides these three human characters, the ghost of Gawain, the three queens who came in the barge, and even Excalibur itself are of so much interest that they may be considered as almost human.

King Arthur is shown in his old age, when wife and friend are traitor to his peace, and all his realm has sunk back into disorder and is rapidly approaching extinction.

Bedivere, oldest of the knights, now in the white winter of his age, when he himself was really no more than a voice, is supposed to tell the story to those with whom he dwelt, new faces, other minds.

Modred is seen retreating league by league before King Arthur. At Lyonnesse, after a fierce battle in which confusion reigned and friends and foes were shadows in the mist, he meets his king. The false knight strikes Arthur hard upon the helmet, and gives the wound that finally proves fatal; while the king, with the last stroke of Excalibur, slays his traitorous nephew.

The dead Gawain appears, a ghost blown along a wandering wind, and on the eve of the battle warns King Arthur of approaching death, but intimates that somewhere is an isle of rest for him.

b. The Incidents. 1. Arthur mourns for his departed kingdom.

2. Gawain warns Arthur of his approaching death; Arthur is depressed by the warning.

3. Bedivere warns Arthur that he must rise and conquer Modred; Arthur hesitates to make war against his people.

4. He moves his host to Lyonnesse: the last weird battle is fought.

5. Arthur thinks himself king only among the dead.

6. Bedivere professes affection, and calls Arthur's attention to the traitor, Modred.

7. The king promises one last act of kinghood.

8. Modred wounds the king; the king kills Modred.

9. Bedivere carries the wounded Arthur to the ruined chapel.

10. The dying Arthur directs Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the mere; Bedivere twice deceives Arthur and is twice reproved.

11. Bedivere throws Excalibur into the mere, and tells King Arthur what happened.

12. Bedivere bears Arthur to the margin of the mere.

13. The three black-hooded queens with crowns of gold come in the dusky barge.

14. Arthur is placed in the barge and speaks his last words to Bedivere; the barge moves swan-like from the brink.

15. Bedivere watches the speck that bears the king move down the long water opening on the deep.

c. Scenes. 1. Arthur in his tent among the slumbering host.

2. The march to the sunset bound of Lyonnesse, and the moving pageant to the battlefield.

3. The dark strait of barren land with the ocean on one side and on the other the great water; the ruined chapel with its broken chancel and broken cross, and, near at hand, the place of tombs with its bones of ancient mighty men; athwart all shines the moon, and over all the chill wind with flakes of foam sings shrilly. Zigzag paths lead around jutting points of rock down to the shining levels of the lake, where the ripple washes softly in the reeds, the wild water laps the crags, and many-knotted water-flags whistle stiff and dry. Frozen hills, barren chasms with icy caves, the bare black cliff and slippery crag wall, and the level lake gleaming in the glories of the winter moon.

d. Descriptive Passages. Besides those passages which relate especially to the scenes, there are other beautiful and powerful bits of description that will well repay examination. For instance:

1. Of King Arthur's dream the poet says,

"And fainter onward, like wild birds that change Their season in the night and wail their way From cloud to cloud, down the long wind the dream Shrill'd."

Note the figure of speech (simile), beginning with the word like.

2. The description of the last, dim, weird battle in the west, beginning at the bottom of page 240 with the line "A death-white mist slept over land and sea," is one of the most stirring things in the poem, and deserves particularly close reading. The pictures are crowded, the figures vivid, the phrases full of force.

3. Tennyson has used his highest art in the composition, and makes the sound of his lines imitate in no feeble way the noise of battle. For instance:

"Shocks, and the splintering spear, the hard mail hewn, Shield-breakings, and the clash of brands, the crash Of battle-axes on shatter'd helms, and shrieks After the Christ, of those who falling down Look'd up for heaven, and only saw the mist."

4. The brilliancy of description corresponds well with the glittering marvel of Excalibur:

"For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks, Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work Of subtlest jewelry."

".....the wonder of the hilt, How curiously and strangely chased,"

"The great brand Made lightnings in the splendor of the moon, And flashing round and round, and whirl'd in an arch, Shot like a streamer of the northern morn, Seen where the moving isles of winter shock By night, with noises of the Northern Sea."

5. King Arthur, as he lay in the barge with his weary head upon the lap of the fairest and tallest of the three queens, is described as follows:

"a brow Striped with dark blood: for all his face was white And colorless, and like the wither'd moon Smote by the fresh beam of the springing east; And all his greaves and cuisses dash'd with drops Of onset; and the light and lustrous curls— That made his forehead like a rising sun High from the dais-throne—were parch'd with dust, Or, clotted into points and hanging loose, Mix'd with the knightly growth that fringed his lips. So like a shatter'd column lay the king; Not like that Arthur, who, with lance in rest, From spur to plume a star of tournament, Shot thro' the lists at Camelot, and charged Before the eyes of ladies and of kings."

e. Character Study—King Arthur. The best estimate of King Arthur's character is made from his own words and those of Bedivere, not from Tennyson's description.

1. He has been a devout man. He has fought for Christ and searched for Christ and

"found Him in the shining of the stars, Mark'd Him in the flowering of His fields."

2. He is now discouraged. He has not found Him in His ways with men, and now it seems to him,

"As if some lesser god had made the world, But had not force to shape it as he would."

"My God, thou hast forgotten me in my death."

3. Yet he is hopeful, and he feels that perchance the world is wholly fair, and that his doubts come because he has not the power to see it as it is, and may not see it to the close.

4. He desires to be just, and feels that in the coming battle in the west he may not have the right on his side:

"Ill doom is mine To war against my people and my knights. The king who fights his people fights himself."

5. Yet courage and confidence are not all gone:

"Yet let us hence, and find or feel a way Thro' this blind haze."

6. After the battle, he grows more confused:

"I know not what I am, Nor whence I am, nor whether I be King. Behold, I seem but King among the dead."

7. He must be noble, kingly, to have inspired such devotion as Bedivere shows. Hear what the latter says:

"My King, King everywhere! and so the dead have kings, There also will I worship thee as King."

8. He is a warrior to the last. Listen to his reply to Bedivere:

"King am I, whatsoever be their cry; And one last act of kinghood shalt thou see Yet, ere I pass."

9. He is resigned: "Let what will be, be."

10. He is faithful to the trust imposed upon him when he acquired Excalibur. Three times he sends Bedivere to cast the sword into the mere. The last time he says:

"But, if thou spare to fling Excalibur, I will arise and slay thee with my hands."

11. He loves truth and reveres it:

"This is a shameful thing for men to lie."

12. Though he appears to fear death, rather is his fear that he shall die before he reaches the water where he expects something.

13. At the last his philosophy bears him up, though still he calls for devotion from his faithful knight. The whole speech is matchless. Note these fine passages:

"The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways."

"And that which I have done May He within himself make pure!"

"More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day."

"The whole round earth is everyway Bound by gold chains about the feet of God."

14. His faith rises triumphant:

"I am going a long way ... Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns And bowery hollows crown'd with summer sea, Where I will heal me of my grievous wound."

f. Beauty. All the elements of poetic beauty join to make The Passing of Arthur a masterpiece. Sublime sentiment thrills through the stanzas. A stately meter gives a solemn, rhythmic swing to the noble lines. Sonorous words add to the grandeur. Apt phrases and beautiful figures of speech seize the imagination and enchain the fancy. Rare and choice diction gives artistic finish to every sentence.

Most beautiful are such phrases as the following:

"The phantom circle of a moaning sea."

"Some whisper of the seething sea."

"Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful."

"Let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day."

"And looking wistfully with wide blue eyes As in a picture."

"Clothed with his breath."

"A cry that shiver'd to the tingling stars."

Note how the following phrases give color to the poem:

"that day when the great light of heaven Burn'd at his lowest in the rolling year."

"Among the mountains by the winter sea."

"The winter moon, Brightening the skirts of a long cloud."

Observe the pictorial power of these quotations:

"Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight."

"Straining his eyes beneath an arch of hand."

"One black dot against the verge of dawn."

Most forceful are the following phrases:

"And the days darken round me, and the years, Among new men, strange faces, other minds."

"From the great deep to the great deep he goes."

"Authority forgets a dying king."

"An agony Of lamentation, like a wind that shrills All night in a waste land, where no one comes, Or hath come, since the making of the world."

There never was a more beautiful comparison than the following:

"Like some full-breasted swan That, fluting a wild carol ere her death, Ruffles her pure cold plume, and takes the flood With swarthy webs."

FOOTNOTES:

[189-1] Haec fabula docet means This fable teaches. It is with these words that the "Morals" of the old Latin fables begin.



CHAPTER IX

CLOSE READING OR STUDY

It is largely because story reading may so easily become careless reading, that prejudice against fiction is found in many minds. In the preceding pages there have been suggested many ways by which story reading may be made profitable, and yet all these methods may be used without calling for that close, intensive reading which we usually call study. You may lead a child to read Rab and His Friends for all the purposes we have suggested, and yet he may have passed over without understanding them many a word, phrase or even sentence. It is possible that there are whole paragraphs that convey little meaning to him. This is certainly not an unmixed evil, for it is well that a child should not exhaust the possibilities of such a masterpiece when he first reads it. In fact, it is a good thing for children frequently to read great literature even when much of it is quite beyond their comprehension. It will pique their curiosity, and some time they will return with wiser minds and broader experience to interpret for themselves the things that once were obscure. It is no sin for a child sometimes to pass over a word he cannot pronounce or does not understand. There could be few more certain ways of destroying his taste for reading than to require him to stop and find the meaning of every new word he meets. Sometimes the meaning will become evident a little later from the context, and in other instances he will understand well enough without the troublesome word.

What has been said does not signify that the habit of skipping new words or of avoiding difficult paragraphs is a good one. It does mean, however, that sometimes the practice should be tolerated, and that close reading should be required at the proper time and in the proper way. In the arithmetic or geography lesson the young must always read very closely, and in their perusal of the classics there are many fine opportunities for exercises of the same character, that should not be neglected. Descriptive passages, arguments, and essays of all kinds require to be read with exceeding care, and often there are passages even in light fiction that repay this kind of study.

Words and phrases are the subjects of consideration in close reading, and the mastery of thought is the object to be attained. The study of words may be made very interesting, and gathering the meaning of phrases may become a fascinating pastime.

An illustration may prove the case. Take the paragraph from Rab and His Friends (Volume VI, page 99) in which death approaches Ailie: "The end was drawing on: the golden bowl was breaking; the silver cord was fast being loosed—that animula blandula, vagula, hospes comesque was about to flee. The body and the soul—companions for sixty years—were being sundered and taking leave. She was walking, alone, through the valley of the shadow, into which one day we must all enter—and yet she was not alone, for we knew whose rod and staff were comforting her."

A cursory reading will suggest to any young person that the paragraph says Ailie is going to die, and that she does not fear death; but how much more it means to him who can understand it all. The end was drawing on—Ailie was going to her death. The golden bowl was breaking; the silver cord was fast being loosed. Turn to your Bible (Ecclesiastes xii, 3-7), and read what is said. That "animula blandula, vagula, hospes comesque" was about to flee. That sweet but fleeting life, friend, companion and sojourner with her, was about to leave. She was walking alone through the valley of the shadow. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Into which one day we must all enter. May we be equally fearless of evil! She was not alone. Her God was with her every moment, and in her hours of consciousness she knew Him to be present. We knew whose rod and staff were comforting her. "Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."

Like the Psalmist of old she leaned upon the arm of her God and as she thus approached the dark valley, the light of her faith shone into our souls.

The Latin quotation and the allusions to the Bible are skilfully used to give solemnity to the idea of death, to show how inevitable it is, and how for long ages it has been met with the same serene faith and deep religious feeling that made Ailie beautiful in the face of death. Yes, there is more in the paragraph than the statement that Ailie was going to die and that she was not afraid.

To illustrate a different style of close reading and a method of securing it by questioning, we will quote part of a paragraph from Braddock's Defeat (Volume V, page 379) by Benjamin Franklin: "Our Assembly apprehending, from some information, that he [Braddock] had conceived violent prejudices against them, as averse to the service, wished me to wait upon him, not as from them, but as postmaster-general, under the guise of proposing to settle with him the mode of conducting with most celerity and certainty the despatches between him and the governors of the several provinces with whom he must necessarily have continual correspondence, and of which they proposed to bear the expense."

The questions designed to bring out the meaning of the above paragraph, to which the answers are usually quite obvious, might be as follows:

Is "our Assembly" the Albany convention mentioned in the note at the head of the selection, or is it the Assembly of Franklin's own colony? What is the meaning of apprehending? Do you like it better than thinking? What do you suppose was the nature of the "information" the Assembly had received? Do you think that someone had told them that Braddock was prejudiced, or did they infer it from actions of Braddock which had been described to them? Who was averse to it? What is the meaning of "wait upon him"? Do we use that phrase frequently now? What might we say now? What do you understand by "not as from them"? Can you put into that phrase one word that will make its meaning clear? Was Franklin then postmaster-general of his colony? Was he ever postmaster-general of the United States? What is the meaning of guise? What is meant by "under the guise"? Does celerity mean more than quickness? Is there any shade of difference in the meanings of the two words? Do you think Franklin used the best word he could find when he wrote celerity? What are "despatches"? What kind of despatches would pass between Braddock and the governors of the different provinces? How many different provinces were there for Braddock to help defend? What were they? Who proposed to pay the expense? Does propose in this case have a different or larger meaning than that in which you are in the habit of seeing it used? Of what did they propose to pay the expense?

If a young person can answer all the questions in the preceding paragraph, he undoubtedly understands the passage upon which they are based. The questioner must watch the answers and be ready to detect mistakes. Often the answer shows why the person fails to understand, and a different question will then bring out the correct reply. The questions always should be so worded that they do not anticipate the answer, yet so the person questioned will thoroughly understand what is expected. A little help now and then is appreciated by anyone, certainly by those who are being led to think.

Carried to excess, close reading is wearisome; and parents, remembering this, should be discriminating in their selections for study and not too exacting in their requirements. Everything may be lost by dwelling too long upon even the most delightful selections. Left to himself, almost every child will be fond of The Village Blacksmith, but it may be read and "studied" till the very thought of it is obnoxious to the young reader.

Industry and Sloth

(Volume I, page 300)

To bring out the thought in this selection, study it as follows:

What is the meaning of jocosely? (Flippantly.) What is a court? (A place where disputes between persons are settled by a judge, or by a judge and jury.) What is a jury? (A company of men, usually six or twelve, who hear the evidence and decide on the facts.) What are cases? (The dispute or disagreement is called a case, when it is brought to court to be decided or settled.) What are damsels? (Young girls.) What were the names of the young damsels the young man said he saw? Why do the words "Industry" and "Sloth" begin with capital letters? (Because they are the names of girls.) Were they real girls? What does industry mean? (Work.) What does sloth mean? (Laziness.) Were these real girls? Then what does this mean? (The young man thinks of fondness for work and fondness for idleness as though they were girls.) When we write of qualities, or feelings, as though they were human beings, the words become proper nouns and we begin them with capital letters. Do you know what we call this process of lifting something that is lower to the level of human beings? No? We call it personification. Here industry and sloth are personified and made the equals of human beings. What does entreats mean? What does persuades mean? (That means teases or begs.) Which is the stronger word, entreats or persuades? (Entreats means begs strongly; persuades means begs and makes me believe what is said. I think the latter is really the stronger word.) What does alternately mean? (First one and then the other.) What does impartial mean? (Fair; without any favoritism.) What does detained mean? (Kept.) What does pleadings mean? (Where a case is tried in court the lawyers on each side try to persuade the court or jury to decide in favor of the man [client] who has hired them. The written papers and the speeches the lawyers make are called pleadings.)

Do you think the young man was really serious? Do you think he really tried to decide anything as he lay in bed, or was he just trying to make up an excuse for his laziness? Was there any reason why the young man should lie in bed? Did he think there was? Could you find any better reason than he gave? Do you think he was a bright young man? If you had listened to him would you have taken his excuse? Why? Was it really truthful? Did you ever lie in bed and think, "Well, I must get up; no, I'll lie a little longer. But I must get up. What's the use? But I ought to get up. Yes, I really ought to get up," etc., etc., and finally discover that you had wasted a great deal of time without really intending it? Were Industry and Sloth pleading with you then? Do you think that some people waste much time trying to decide useless questions? Does it sometimes happen that men and women waste so much time in this way that they never accomplish a great deal of anything?

Why the Sea Is Salt

(Volume II, page 484)

In this pleasing fairy story Mary Howitt has told the tale of the curious explanation offered by the peasants of Denmark and Norway for the saltness of the sea. It naturally raises in a child's mind the question, why is the sea salt? The question can be answered in this manner:

The rain falls down in little drops, some of which soak into the ground, while others make rivulets that run into brooks that in time join the rivers that flow into the sea. Much of the water that soaks into the ground finds its way again to the surface in springs that feed the brooks and keep them alive when no rain is falling. Of course the sun when it shines turns some of the water into vapor that rises again to the sky. Sometimes on a cool morning you can see the mist or vapor too heavy to rise out of sight and too light to fall as rain. Wherever there is water, some of it is rising into the air, especially when the sun shines and it is warm and the wind blows. The sea is so big that great quantities of vapor are rising from it all the time and being blown over the land to be cooled, to gather into rain and to fall again where it will refresh the earth and make the plants grow.

So you see water is traveling through the air all the time, up from the earth, the streams and the seas, through the air, back to the earth and through it into the sea again in a great series of everlasting circuits. We are hardly ever conscious of the moisture except when it falls as rain or snow and spoils our plans.

When the water is passing through the land it dissolves and gathers up various substances, especially salt, which "melts" in water very easily. This salt and the other bitter and brackish substances are carried little by little, sometimes pausing, but always on and on till they reach the sea, beyond which they cannot go, for the sea is in the lowest parts of the earth. Now come the sun, the heat and the winds and evaporate the water; that is, draw up the vapor to start on its new circuit. But, notice this, the vapor that rises is pure water. The salt and other substances are left in the sea. At first it was only a little that was left, then more, always a little more till the water couldn't hold it all and it sank to the bottom and made deposits of salt and other things. But the streams always bring more sediment and the heat and the winds carry off pure water and leave the rest salty and bitter. And that is the real reason why the sea is salt.

Faithless Sally Brown

(Volume III, page 92)

It is a thankless task to try to explain a joke, but some of the fun in these jolly old rhymes depends upon facts that are not generally known or that may have been forgotten. A few words here may help to answer questions.

Stanza II. "Fetched a walk." This is an application of a nautical term, as in "to fetch headway."

"Press Gang." To secure recruits for her navy, England at one time permitted her men to be seized and forcibly carried on board ship, where they were compelled to perform sailors' duties on long cruises. The bands of cruel men who captured the recruits were known as "press gangs."

Stanza III. A boatswain is one of the minor officers of a ship. He usually has charge of one of the small boats, such as would carry off a recruit to the big ship.

Stanza VIII. John Benbow was a famous English Admiral who died in 1702 from wounds received in a four days' fight with the French fleet in the West Indies. His captains refused to obey orders and Benbow was unable to win the battle. When his right leg was shot off he refused to go below but continued to direct the conflict from the deck. "I had rather have lost both legs," he said, "than have seen this dishonor brought on the English nation. But, hark ye—if another shot should take me off, behave like men and fight it out." Two of his captains were tried, convicted and shot. The Admiral himself died after three or four months of suffering.

Stanza IX. A tender is a ship that carries supplies or conveys messages from one to another of the ships in a squadron.

Stanza XI. "The Virgin and the Scales." The Virgin (Virgo) and the Scales (Libra) are two constellations known to the ancients. A person born while these constellations were to be seen in the sky (from near the end of August to near the end of October) was said to be born under them and was believed to have certain characteristics. In the case of Sally Brown the stars were cruel. She could not follow her beau, Ben, but must walk about raising her voice in wailing.

Stanza XV. "To pipe his eye" is a slang phrase meaning to look sharply.

Stanza XVI. "All's Well," the usual cry of a watchman, not the name of a song.

"Pigtail" was a kind of chewing tobacco much used by sailors. It was twisted in hard rolls.

The Definition of a Gentleman

(Volume IV, page 170)

There is nothing in Journeys Through Bookland that will better repay thought, especially for the boys, than this extract from the writings of the great Cardinal Newman. It affords, however, a host of little tests of character that everyone can apply to himself; for "gentleman," here, is used in its generic sense and applies with equal force to both sexes.

It is not to be read hastily and then laid aside, for no one can get its full meaning from a single perusal. Every word is a chapter, every sentence a volume. Read properly, each sentence must carry with it a personal application, which can be seen as the reader asks, "Is this what I am?"

Am I then, one who never gives pain?

Am I mainly occupied in removing the obstacles that hinder the action of my friends and acquaintances? Am I the easy chair that gives them bodily comfort, the good fire that dispels the cold and makes them comfortable and free to act?

Do I try always to make everyone at ease and at home?

Am I

—tender toward the bashful?

—gentle toward those who are cold and reserved?

—merciful to those whose actions draw ridicule upon themselves?

In conversation, do I recollect those to whom I am speaking, avoid irritating them, keep myself in the background, talk little myself and listen attentively to them?

If I can put to myself each of the tests Cardinal Newman offers in these few pages and can feel myself ring true under each, then may I hope to call myself a gentleman.

Adventures in Lilliput

(Volume V, page 8)

In Gulliver's Travels Swift has given us a wonderful work in constructive imagination. As has been said elsewhere, the imagination works with the ideas which are present in the mind. It creates nothing, but it may enlarge, diminish or recombine ideas with an infinity of form. In Adventures in Lilliput Swift has used largely the reducing power of his imagination. If he has been accurate, he has reduced everything in the same proportion. An interesting study of this phase of the story may be made by means of questions, which may be answered by reading the text, or by reasoning from the facts given.

In the following exercise, questions and comments are combined in such a way as to assist a boy or girl to verify or disprove the accuracy of Swift's work. A similar exercise, to illustrate the opposite extreme, may be based upon Adventures in Brobdingnag (page 54). It is hoped, too, that the questions may suggest a method for interpreting other selections.

When Gulliver awoke and found himself bound (page 10), he felt something alive moving on his body. Bending his eyes downward as much as he could he saw it was a human creature not six inches high. We are at liberty to suppose that Gulliver was a man of ordinary height, that is to say, not six feet high. If the Lilliputian was "not six inches high," what was the ratio of height between Gulliver and his miniature captors? If, then, Gulliver is twelve times the size of one of his captors, we have a standard of comparison.

How long a bow would a man use? How long would be the arrow that fitted that bow? How long would the bows and arrows of the Lilliputians be? Would an arrow that size, fired with the force a Lilliputian could give, "prick like a needle," and if there were many of them would they set a man "a-groaning with grief and pain"?

If a man were lying flat on his back could he turn his eyes down so as to see a pencil, not six inches high, placed upright on his breast? When a man's face was turned two inches to the left, how much of the ground would be concealed from his sight by his shoulder?

How far can a man shoot an arrow? How far could a Lilliputian shoot an arrow? Would an arrow the size of a Lilliputian's falling from the height to which he could shoot it pierce the skin of a man?

How long were the spears of the Lilliputians? Is it reasonable to suppose that a leather jerkin would be proof against their spears? How tall was the page that held up the train of the "principal person." (page 12)?

How many times the height of a Lilliputian was the body of Gulliver as he lay on the ground? How many rounds would there be in one of the ladders on which they climbed? "Above one hundred inhabitants" mounted the ladders and walked toward Gulliver's mouth. They carried baskets filled with meat. Would the quantity of meat be too large for Gulliver to eat? Would the shoulders, legs and loins of a sheep one-twelfth the height of an ordinary one be "smaller than the wings of a lark"? Would loaves of bread the "bigness of musket balls" be one-twelfth the size of ordinary loaves?

In the case of two vessels of the same proportions, but of different heights, do the capacities vary according to the heights, or according to the cubes of the heights? If one of our hogsheads contain from one hundred to one hundred and forty gallons, how much should a Lilliputian hogshead contain to be in proportion?

Is it a fact that being one-twelfth the height of a man a Lilliputian should have one-twelfth of a man's strength? If a man is reduced to one-twelfth of his height what should his weight be?

When they wished to move Gulliver, five hundred carpenters and engineers were set to work to prepare a frame of wood, which was raised three inches from the ground, was about seven feet long, four feet wide, and moved upon twenty-two wheels. What was the diameter of the wheels that would raise the body three inches from the ground? Would it be an easy matter to move wheels of that size when they bear a weight such as Gulliver's must have been?

Knowing what we know of the Lilliputians could nine hundred of them using pulleys with cords "the bigness of pack-thread" lift Gulliver upon the engine in less than three hours?

Does Swift keep the correct proportions when he says that Gulliver's bullets are about the size of the heads of the Lilliputians? Would "an hundred and fifty of their beds sewn together make up the breadth and length" of a bed large enough for Gulliver?

How large would a Lilliputian horse be? Does it seem wonderful that Gulliver's hat could be brought from the seashore with "only five horses"?

It is unnecessary to carry the questioning any further. Anyone who reads the stories will find an infinity of questions suggesting themselves to him, and he will doubtless get no little pleasure and profit from attempting to answer them. As will be seen, some of the questions are not simple. If Swift has been wise he has not reduced everything arbitrarily on a horizontal scale to one-twelfth of its apparent size, capacity, weight, or strength, but has properly apportioned all. The reader may find that he will be called upon for some nice discrimination, before he can judge correctly as to the accuracy with which Swift has used his scale of reduction.

The Heart of Bruce

(Volume V, page 316)

1. What is meant by "frost lay hoar"? "Hoar" means "white" or "gray." (It was early in the morning before the sun had melted the frost.)

2. What kind of armour did they wear? What kind of "ships" rode in the bay? (Remember this happened about six hundred years ago.)

3. What caused the foam that was swept away? Why did they gaze back in silence?

4. Why does the poet call them purple hues, and why does he say they decayed? (Recall the lines: "'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, and clothes the mountain in its azure hue." Did you ever notice the purple on distant hills? What causes it?)

5. What is the "battle-van"? (The front rank.)

6. What is a "freit"? (A superstitious notion or an omen as to right or wrong. Lord Douglas felt a superstitious dread, a chill of foreboding.)

7. What did Robert say on his dying day?

8. What did Robert want his followers to do with his heart?

9. Who dreamed this dream? What was a Pilgrim? (A pilgrim is a wanderer. We think first of the Puritan fathers when we speak of Pilgrims, but the Pilgrim who appeared to Lord Douglas was a palmer who showed by his garb and his olive branch that he had been to the Holy Land.) See picture, page 319.

10. What kind of a Cross did Saint Andrew bear? Who was Saint Andrew? (Saint Andrew was one of the twelve apostles, and is believed to have suffered martyrdom on a cross shaped something like the letter X, that is, one made of two beams of equal length crossing in the middle at an angle.)

11. What is a "belted brand"? (A sword fastened to a belt.)

12. What was "Galilee"? What was the "Holy Mount" and why was it so called?

13. What is "Scotland's heart"? (The heart of Robert Bruce, so called because of the reverence in which he is held by the Scotch.) Where can you read about the great angel that calls the dead to rise?

14. What is meant by "mark my rede"? (Listen to my advice or counsel.)

15. What was the prediction the Pilgrim seemed to make to Lord Douglas? What did Lord Douglas ask of Sir Simon of the Lee?

16. Why should Scotland's earth be called "kindly"?

17. What does "betide" mean? Tell in your own words what Sir Simon replied. ("Whatever happens to me, I'll do as you command.")

18. What does Sir Simon promise?

19. What does "aye" mean? (In this place it means "for a long time.") What is meant by on our "lee"? (The wind blew toward Spain, and across the course of the ship; hence the coast appeared on the lee side of the vessel.) Why should the poet say the coast rose "grimly"?

20. What are "atabals"? (Tabors or kettledrums used by the Moors.)

21. Who asks the question about the Eastern music and the crowd of armed men?

22. What was Castile? (A province of Spain.) Who answers the question asked in the twenty-first stanza?

23. What is meant by the "Cross in jeopardie"? (The Spaniards were a Christian nation fighting under the symbol of the Cross. The Moors were the infidels or Moslems whose success would destroy the Christian religion in Spain. Their symbol was the crescent.)

24. What does "Have down" mean? (It means "Let us land.")

25. Who speaks in the twenty-fifth stanza?

26. Explain what is said in the twenty-sixth stanza. (Do you come because you have promised to fight the pagans or do you come to fight for money? Are you French or Burgundians?)

27. What is a "belted peer"?

28. What is the meaning of "died upon the tree"?

29. What is a "weltering wave"? (To "welter" is to tumble over. The "weltering wave" is the sea.)

30. Does the word "pilgrim" mean the same here as in the ninth stanza?

31. What King is this who speaks in the thirty-first stanza?

32. What do the words "full well" express?

33. Is the word "amain" in use nowadays? What does it mean?

34. What is a high glance?

35. What does this speech by Douglas show us of his character?

36. What were "cross-bolts"? (Short, blunt arrows fired from the cross-bows.)

37. What is a Saracen? (Here the word means merely a Mohammedan hostile to the Christians.) What does "rode like corn" mean? (We rode through their ranks as we would ride through corn.)

38. What is the meaning of "fain"? (Willing.)

39. What does "fell" mean? (Deadly.)

40. What is meant by "Make in"? (Here it means, "Gather together.")

41. What was the "rain"? What was the "swarm"?

42. What had happened to Saint Claire?

43. What was James's purpose in holding aloft the heart of Bruce?

44. Why did he throw the sacred relic before him? What does "wert wont of yore" mean? ("As you used to do.")

45. What is the meaning of "stour"? (Battle or combat.) Why are the spears said to come in "shivering"?

46. Who speaks in the forty-sixth stanza?

47. Who replies in the forty-seventh stanza? What does "dree" mean? (Suffer, endure.)

48. What does "stark" mean?

49. What is the meaning of "lyart"? (Gray. The word was usually applied to a horse.)

50. What is this "heaviest cloud" that is bound for the banks of Bothwell?

51. What is this "sorest stroke" that has fallen upon Scotland?

52. What was to be carried back to the ship and laid in hallowed ground in Scotland?

53. Who is the "Lord King" referred to in the fifty-third stanza?

54. Does the line "so stately as he lay" seem a natural way of expressing the fact?

55. What does the speech of the Spanish King show of his character?

56. Why does the poet say that we steered the ship "heavily"?

57. Does "no welcome greeted our return" mean that none of the Scotch met the returning soldiers?

58. What were "Douglas Kirk" and "fair Melrose"? (The church of the Douglas clan and the stately abbey of Melrose. The latter may still be seen in beautiful ruins in southern Scotland.)

Annie Laurie

(Volume VI, page 119)

The Scotch dialect in this old favorite is one of its charms, but some readers may require explanation of a few of the terms.

"Braes" are hillsides or slopes. "Bonnie" is the Scotch way of spelling "bonny," which, here, means "beautiful."

"Fa's" is the Scotch spelling of "falls."

"Gie'd" is Scotch for "gave."

The last line of the first stanza rendered into English would read, "I'd lay me down and die."

"Snaw" is "snow."

"Ee" is "eye."

The "gowan" is the mountain daisy of Scotland.

"Fa'" is "fall."

Like many another simple lyric of love and devotion this owes much of its popularity to the sweet melody of the music to which it is usually sung.

The Lost Child

(Volume VII, page 409)

1. Where did the poet wander? Is the picture on page 409 a beautiful one? Is it your idea of a sunny glade? On what or on whom was the poet musing? Where his thoughts pleasant? To what does he liken his thoughts? What are guideless thoughts? Do you think his "love" is a person, or is it his work, his calling?

2. What chanced to go astray? Did Lowell sometimes fear for the future? How does he express the fear? Who brought back the wandering thoughts? Where did the thoughts rest? Who had the "snowy arms"? If Lowell feared the future at any time, what was it that brought calm to him again?

3. What is the "soft nest"? Who is the "happy one"? Whose hair "shone golden in the sun"? How could a thought of fear seem like a "heavenly child"? Was it Hope that thus transformed all his thoughts?

4. Upon what did Hope's eyes smile mildly down? What was blessed with so deep a love? What clasped the neck of Hope? What was it that fell asleep? What was the lost child?

David Crockett in the Creek War

(Volume VIII, Page 37)

Almost any child who is able to read for himself will know as soon as he has read a few sentences from David Crockett's Autobiography that the man was uneducated, and wrote in what could not be called "good English." However, when the reader has gone a little farther he will realize that Crockett shows his own character in his writings, and that his language is picturesque and entertaining. Moreover, it is language that was characteristic of the early settlers in the region where the frontiersman lived, and hence is of some historical interest to us.

No apology is needed for including the selection in these volumes, although it has no fine literary merit; for it is the plain, direct story of a strong man with a clear brain, who accomplished whatever he undertook, whether it was building a home, fighting the Indians, or writing a book.

The story will speak for itself, and as it is a truthful account of things that actually happened, it will appeal strongly to the imagination of all young readers. However, it is worth while to call specific attention to some of the faults in style and actual errors in grammar, in order that the reader may not be affected unfortunately by the language, or be led to approve it as a style to be followed in these modern days. This can be done by means of questions, and as an illustration of the method we will consider the first four paragraphs of the selection, beginning on page 37.

"There had been no war among us for so long that but few who were not too old to bear arms knew anything about the business." Does the phrase among us mean that the settlers had not fought among themselves, or that they had not been in conflict with the Indians? What was Crockett's exact meaning? Does he convey it clearly? Does the word business seem dignified enough to be applied to war?

"I couldn't fight at all." Does the abbreviation of the words could not make Crockett's style dignified or familiar? Do you often see similar abbreviations in what is known as "good literature," except as they are found in conversation, where the tendency is always to use abbreviated forms and familiar terms? Does not the use of such abbreviations in this selection make it seem as though Crockett were talking to his readers in a free and easy manner, rather than as though he were writing a formal book?

"When I heard of the mischief." In the first sentence of this paragraph, Crockett speaks of a "most bloody butchery" at Fort Mimms. Now he refers to it as the mischief. Is the word mischief strong enough?

"In a few days a general meeting of the militia was called." Who were the militia? Why could not the militia be sent out as a body instead of calling for volunteers? Does he mean the organized militia, or simply the able-bodied men in that vicinity?

"Began to beg me not to turn out." Is turn out a slang phrase here, or is it a term commonly used in speaking of the assemblage of the militia?

"It was mighty hard to go against her arguments." Does the word mighty show refinement? What word would be better? Does the phrase go against look well in a book?

"Told her that if every man would wait till his wife got willing to let him go to war, there would be no fighting done until we would all be killed in our houses." Is the word would as it appears the first time used properly? Is should the right word to use? Is got willing correct English? Does the word until express the meaning Crockett intends to convey? If "there would be no fighting done until they were all killed in their houses," could there be any fighting done afterward? What words should be used in place of until? Is the word would used properly the second time it appears in the sentence?



"Seeing I was bent on it." Can you find authority for using the phrase bent on it to mean determined to do it?

"The truth is my dander was up and nothing but war should bring it right again." What does the dictionary say about the use of the word dander? Do you suppose it was a common word among Crockett's friends? Is the word should properly used in this sentence? Is the proper word would? Is it a common mistake even now to use would for should and should for would? How may we know which word to use?

"When the men were paraded, a lawyer by the name of Jones addressed us, informing us he wished to raise a company, and that then the men should meet and elect their officers." Who were the men that were paraded? Was Crockett among them? Whom did Jones address? When Crockett uses the word men and the word us, twice in the same sentence is his meaning perfectly clear?

"I believe I was about the second or third man that stepped out, but on marching up and down the regiment a few times we found we had a large company." Who were marching up and down? Does this mean that they marched up and down in front of the regiment? What was this regiment before which they marched up and down? Does regiment here mean the same as militia in the paragraph before?

"We received orders to start on the next Monday week." What is the meaning of next Monday week? If they assembled on Wednesday, how many days would elapse before they were to start, and on what day would they start?

"Mounted my horse and set sail to join my company." How can a man set sail when he is mounted on a horse? Is such a mixing of figures evidence of good writing?

"All mounted volunteers and all determined to fight, judging from myself, for I felt wolfish all over. I verily believe that the whole army was of the real grit." Is felt wolfish all over a fine phrase? Is it an expressive phrase? What was to be judged from himself—that all were determined to fight, or that the whole army was of the real grit? Does the fact that Crockett felt wolfish all over show that he was determined to fight, or that he had real grit? What is the literal meaning of grit? What does it mean as Crockett uses it here? Is it proper to use the word as Crockett uses it?

Probably it is not worth while to push this critical study any farther. It will be seen by this time that Crockett wrote as he talked, and accordingly, his story lacks the polish and literary beauties that men trained to write could have given it.

The Impeachment of Warren Hastings

(Volume IX, page 32)

Words are interesting things, and people who have never tried the experiment will be surprised to learn how much pleasure there is to be found in the use of the dictionary. We consult the dictionary only when we wish to know the meaning of a word, or its pronunciation, but there are numberless other facts in the volume that are more interesting, if not more valuable, than the definitions and marks of pronunciation. In the history and derivation of words may be found many interesting and surprising facts which, if they are known, give increased force and meaning to the words.

There is a great difference among writers in the kinds of words they use. Some naturally use simple words of Anglo-Saxon origin, while others use longer and more sonorous words which come from the Latin and the Greek. It is interesting to take paragraphs from different writers, say, for instance, from Hawthorne, Lamb, Longfellow, Tennyson, Macaulay and Irving, make a list of the leading words in the paragraphs, and then look up their derivations and see how many Anglo-Saxon, how many Latin and how many Greek words are found in each paragraph.

It will be seen that it is a characteristic of Macaulay to use numerous many-syllabled words, most of which come directly from the Latin. His essay on the Impeachment of Warren Hastings shows this trait.

Probably that furnishes as good an illustration as anything in the books of the kind of literature from which studies in words may best be made. Taking two paragraphs at random, let us look them over and see what interesting facts may be gleaned from the dictionary concerning the words we find:

"The Opposition was loud and vehement against him. But the Opposition, though formidable from the wealth and influence of some of its members, and from the admirable talents and eloquence of others, was outnumbered in Parliament, and odious throughout the country. Nor, as far as we can judge, was the Opposition generally desirous to engage in so serious an undertaking as the impeachment of an Indian Governor. Such an impeachment must last for years. It must impose on the chiefs of the party an immense load of labor. Yet it could scarcely, in any manner, affect the event of the great political game. The followers of the coalition were therefore more inclined to revile Hastings than to prosecute him. But there were two men whose indignation was not to be so appeased, Philip Francis and Edmund Burke.

"Francis had recently entered the House of Commons, and had already established a character there for industry and ability. He labored indeed under one most unfortunate defect, want of fluency. But he occasionally expressed himself with a dignity and energy worthy of the greatest orators. Before he had been many days in Parliament, he incurred the bitter dislike of Pitt, who constantly treated him with as much asperity as the laws of debate would allow. Neither lapse of years nor change of scene had mitigated the enmities which Francis had brought back from the East. After his usual fashion, he mistook his malevolence for virtue, nursed it, as preachers tell us we ought to nurse our good dispositions, and paraded it, on all occasions, with Pharisaical ostentation."

In the two brief paragraphs given, there are, among others, the following words of more than passing interest:

1. Vehement. This word is derived from two Latin words, meaning to carry and the mind; hence a vehement speech is one that is supposed to carry the mind away by force. We use the word furious when we wish to speak of anger or other passions, but the word vehement when we speak of zeal, love, expression. In this paragraph the Opposition was loud and tried to carry the minds of others by force.

2. Formidable. Synonyms of formidable are dreadful, terrible and shocking, yet it is rarely the case that two words are exact synonyms. In this case, formidable means something that excites fear, but it is neither sudden nor violent in its action. A dreadful thing would excite fear or dread, and might act violently, but not suddenly. A shocking thing would startle us because it was both violent and sudden. Does formidable appear to be the right word by which to characterize the Opposition?

3. Influence. This word is derived from two Latin words which mean flowing over, and consequently an influence brings about change by gradual process. There is no idea of right in the word influence as there is in the word authority. Does it seem that influence is the right word here?

4. Talents. The history of this word is an interesting one. In origin it is Greek, and there it was the name of a weight, which in silver had a certain money value. The same word appearing in Hebrew had a similar meaning. A Hebrew talent in silver would be worth something over seventeen or nineteen hundred dollars of our money. In the New Testament (see Matthew XXV, 14 to 30), Christ utters the parable of the talents. We now use the word to mean intellectual ability or capacity, or skill in accomplishing things, or some special gift in some art or science. It is probable that this figurative meaning of the word has originated from the parable, and although many writers have criticised the use of talent in our sense, it has become well established in the language.

5. Odious. The Latin word from which odious is derived means hatred. An odious thing is a thing to be hated. Our word odium differs slightly in use from our word hatred. We exercise hatred, but we endure odium.

6. Desire. The origin of this word is not certain, but it was probably derived from the French words which mean literally from the stars or constellations.

7. Immense. This word is derived from two Latin words which mean cannot be measured.

8. Coalition. The two Latin words from which coalition is derived mean to grow with; consequently, a coalition is a thing composed of several elements which have grown together. We should not expect a coalition to be suddenly formed; it must come about by process of growth.

9. Appease. Literally, appease means to make peace. It also means to satisfy, and is derived directly from the Latin. We try to appease those who are in passion and try to calm those who are in trouble or apprehension. Does Macaulay use the word properly when he speaks of appeasing indignation?

10. Fluency. The Latin word from which fluency is derived means to flow. Accordingly, a fluent person is one from whom speech flows smoothly and readily. To lack fluency Macaulay considers an unfortunate defect in Francis.

11. Asperity. The Latin word asper means rough or harsh, and was applied to things which had a rough surface. Macaulay uses the word as we now know it, in the same figurative sense in which we now sometimes use the word roughness.

12. Lapse. This word from the Latin means sliding or following. In speaking of the lapse of years Macaulay intimates that they gradually slid away.

13. Pharisaical. The Pharisees were a sect of the Jews who were noted for the strict way in which they followed the rites and ceremonies that had been handed down to them by tradition, and who believed themselves superior in sanctity to the other Jews. They held themselves apart and were charged with being hypocrites. The word Pharisaical has now come into common English use, and means hypocritical.