of life. The material used should appeal strongly to the imaginative powers. It should be literary in its character.

The important thing about a nation is the tone of its spiritual life, its point of view on the great problems connected with human existence. Never before has there been more concern for the general welfare, a clearer recognition of the necessity of making human brotherhood more of a fact and less of an airy sentiment. And this increasing characteristic promises untold possibilities for the future. One of the main forces for training in healthiness of mental tone and sanity of outlook is the literature of the world. By wise choice and skillful use we not only secure the needed powers of language mastery but at the same time fill the mind at its most impressionable period with images that are powerful for future good. Hence it has been the aim to make a set of reading books full of the vigor and red blood of life; books that hold up high ideals of thinking and conduct, that cheer and brighten life and give us more faith in our fellow men and in ourselves; books that help us realize that courtesy and heroism have not departed from the earth, but are found even in lowly and unexpected places; above all, books that may serve to point our own high destiny as the responsible citizens of a greater future.

SELECTION OF MATERIAL

The material used in this Seventh Reader is selected with special regard to its capacity for interesting and helping the boys and girls who are to read it. The selections are of great variety and of good quality; they are chosen from a wide range of authors; texts have been carefully prepared, no liberties being taken that would in any way change an author's meaning, and, finally, the forming of good taste and correct habits of thought has been constantly kept in mind. The old favorites will be found, and much new material has been drawn upon.

The marked interests of young readers of this grade have been carefully considered and kept in mind as a basis for deciding what material should be included. Their interest in hearing the experiences of men who have succeeded in various fields of the world's work has led to the inclusion of passages chosen from four autobiographies; their interest in what is far away in time or place or custom is fed by passages from Melville's adventures in the South Sea, Catlin's observations among the Indians, and Pliny's famous letters on the disaster that buried Pompeii; their splendid and healthful delight in the eloquence that grows from

the everlasting demand for freedom will find satisfaction in the speeches of Spartacus, Emmet, Curtis, and Henry; their faith in the reality of the principle that a man reaps what he sows will be strengthened by "The Story of Macbeth" and "Featherstone's Doom"; their continual delight in good stories has led to the inclusion of the whimsical "Mending the Clock" and that fine mingling of fairyland and reality, "Rip Van Winkle." Here also are stories of heroes who do things, from Theseus who cleared his world of the destroyers of men, and Locksley who could hit the mark when he chose, to those representatives of the common man, the nameless carrier of the overland mail and David Fraser the stonecutter. That human brotherhood is wider than national limits is evidenced by "Hands Over Sea" and by the fact that the stories which move us are not bounded by the countries which produced them. Readers of this grade are seriously questioning life and nature as to their meaning, and this brooding spirit needs proper stimulus and guidance. Such it finds in "The Chambered Nautilus," "Say not the Struggle Naught Availeth," "A Last Will," "Truth," "Work," and many others. The charms and teachings of nature find expression in selections such as "The Rhodora," "Thanatopsis," and "A Dream of the South Wind.” Finally, one of the most inclusive interests of this period is a keen interest in the eternal conflict of folly and wisdom, and this Seventh Reader is rich in selections dealing with that theme, from those that simply make folly ludicrous, such as, "An Apple Story" and "Mending the Clock," to those that awaken scorn and contempt for folly, as in "The Deserter from the Cause," "The Gradgrind Idea," or "The Fool's Prayer." It is not merely by accident that the closing selection in the book voices an aspiration for that sane and balanced outlook in which real happiness consists.

Of course such a list of interests cannot be made exhaustive nor mutually exclusive, but it indicates clearly that the material for this book has been chosen in the light of principles and not at random. Due regard has of course been had for difficulties of language and thought, and it is confidently believed that the years of experiment resulting in this choice have given an arrangement and an ease of grading that will justify themselves in the actual practice of other teachers.

APPARATUS

For convenience, the lines of selections have been numbered, thus making it easy to direct the attention to any passage required. At the end of each selection a group of the words most

likely to need explanation is given. These are placed in the order in which they are found in the lesson. All terms used in these lists are explained in the general glossary on page 310 et seq. Under the heading "Study," following each lesson, is a brief series of suggestive questions designed to direct the attention to some of the more important features or problems to be considered in mastering the author's meaning. These questions serve as a general assignment for the pupil in preparing his work.

GLOSSARY

The general glossary (p. 310) gives the correct pronunciation, where necessary, of all the terms listed at the end of each selection The phonetic equivalents, where given, are those used in Webster's New International Dictionary. The definitions given are those which the words have in the context. The object is to put the pupil in possession of what he needs for his purpose with the least expenditure of time and energy on his part. Drill in the work of picking out the one meaning needed from the many often given in the dictionary is important, but it should not be allowed to usurp the more important work of concentrating the mind upon the larger meaning of the selection. Geographical, mythical, historical, and other allusions are explained wherever it is thought that such explanation may be needed. This glossary, therefore, becomes a dictionary and encyclopedia for the purpose of explaining just those difficulties that arise in the study of the selections in this book. No legitimate opportunity should be missed to fill the mind of the reader with the more common illustrations from myth, legend, and story. These are the commonplaces of literary reference, and the general reader is sadly handicapped if he does not recognize them at once.

In this Seventh Reader there is a great richness of allusive material. Many of the names and places of classical mythology appear, particularly in the story of Theseus, while important names and terms belonging to history and literature are frequent. The following brief list taken at random from the glossary of this volume will indicate its helpfulness in this direction: Acropolis, Adonis, Esculapius, Amazons, Arnold von Winkelried, Bonnivard, brazen bull, Britomartis, Cathay, centaur, chimera, Damodara, Demeter, Elysian Fields, Furies, Gorgon, Goth, Haravansa, Helicon, Heracles, Hun, Hyades, Hydra, Iago, Jupiter, Marathon, Minotaur, Olympus, Pluto, Son of Liberty, Thermopylæ, Triton, Veda, William of Deloraine, Woden, Xerxes, Zeus.

STUDY HINTS

The questions and suggestions found under the heading "Study" are to put the pupil to work at once on the definite problems of the lesson. This definiteness in assignment is quite as necessary in a reading lesson as it is in any other subject. Haziness is the bane of the classroom. The clear understanding of what is read is the main object always to be kept in mind. Much work in reading is ineffective because it has no object and leads nowhere. These study hints require the pupils to do specific things. While these hints are all simple and their purpose clear, a few observations on them may be helpful to the teacher. Their main purpose is to lead the pupil to visualize or image clearly what he reads. To that end very many of the questions are so worded as to bring about a close observation of the details of the story or scene, to lead to clear seeing. The following are such questions:

What fact about the flower is indicated by the expression, "slipped her bud"? (P. 1.)

What point did Jack want to argue with the farmer? Why would the farmer not listen to him? What means did the farmer take to be sure that Jack did not escape? (P. 39.)

Give an account of the meeting with the witches. What effect did they have on Macbeth? (P. 18.)

Other questions are to lead to seeing and to stating the plainer inferences or conclusions that can be drawn from the more obvious points brought out by the sort of questions noted above:

How do these lines indicate that “pride goeth before a fall"? (P. 1.) Are you surprised that he [the farmer] could not appreciate Jack's philosophy? (P. 44.)

Do you think more or less of her [Lady Macbeth] for being unable to carry out her project? (P. 22.)

Do you find this speech full of dignified courage, or terror at the prospect before the speaker? (P. 92.)

A simple "Why?" or "What makes you think so?" will be enough to lead the pupils on to full answers if you find them inclined to answer any question with a mere "Yes" or "No."

Some questions lead to larger inferences connecting what is read with the larger problems of life or literature:

Do you think Franklin could have served any higher purpose than the one he sets forth? Are industry and frugality of any special value in a new and undeveloped country? (P. 8.)

Does the writer's way of looking at things make you think more or less of the worth of living? (P. 49.)

Where it has seemed proper to do so, direct suggestions are made to help the pupil. These are generally mere hints, and at all times the object is to call out the greatest amount of mental activity by stimulating the "intellectual curiosity" of the reader.

While these study hints have been kept within the smallest possible compass, great care has been taken to make them serve the purpose of definiteness in the proper preparation of work. In answering these questions it is important that pupils be encouraged, in pointing out their conclusions, to read the specific passages that have led to these conclusions. Where differences of opinion arise this will lead to a rivalry of skill in the interpretation that will often lead to the discovery of important points that would otherwise be passed over.

EXPRESSION

All intelligent expression is the result of having something to express. The way a person reads orally is a test of his understanding of what he reads. To think the thought clearly and to feel the emotion genuinely is therefore the basis of all good oral reading. The pupil should be encouraged to select and read those passages that seem to say what he agrees with or to express the emotion that he also feels. But it very often happens that the meaning of a passage is vague until one hears it properly read, and the teacher has a large field of usefulness at this point. It is wise on the part of the teacher to do a great deal of reading for and with the pupils. All "discussion" of the meaning is often hopelessly inadequate, while its reading by the teacher will often at once furnish the key.

The value of a trained voice is not easily overestimated, even if one considers the matter from a merely practical point of view. To speak with effective clearness, to put what one believes in the simplest and most forcible way, to think on one's feet to get rid of the self-consciousness that oppresses the unpracticed-these are all ends to be earnestly sought.

EXPRESSION EXERCISES

Lack of clearness in knowing what one speaks is not the only cause of bad speaking and reading. The more mechanical element in expression often needs attention, and as habits of expression are lasting, the teacher must be alert in the effort to correct defects as soon as they become evident. The skillful use of the