eager to try their hands at the writing of fables. And when they really succeed, as almost all children can, in writing very creditable fables, oftentimes fables that will bear favorable comparison with the classic ones of the books, it is an invaluable experience for them, a wonderful achievement in the process of learning really to use ideas and language in the creation of literature. They begin to see what real use they can make of language. They are invariably enthusiastic in the use of their newborn power they want to write fables and still more fables, to make whole books of fables.

This is the teacher's opportunity not merely to train the pupil in the effective expression of his own ideas, but equally in the use of correct form. How? Very easily. First of all, enter heartily into the enthusiasm of your pupils. They want to write fables; you must want them to write fables. They want to make books of fables-class books, group books, individual books; you want them to make such books. They want to write fables as good as, or better than, the printed fables in their books; you want them to write such superior fables. And all that you have to do is to help them and guide them sympathetically, appreciatively, in their efforts. It will not now be necessary to beat into them with endless repetitions a few correct language forms and a few words for the enrichment of their vocabularies; they are in a

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position to appreciate the value of correct forms and of appropriate words; they want to know what such forms and words are because they want to use them; they want them for what they really are — they want them as means to an end in which they are interested. A single use of a language form or of a new word under such conditions is more effective than scores of formal, uninteresting repetitions. Similarly, information that the pupil needs to use and no little information is necessary to the writing of good fables- is grasped and assimilated through use most effectively.

After you have helped your children sympathetically to study the first lesson in their books, to which two periods may well be devoted, they should understand at least these three simple characteristics of fables, that usually they are short stories, that they are about animals, and that each teaches some lesson about conduct. It may be of interest to them to know the probable reason why fables are usually about animals.

In the long ago when fables originated, men lived in much closer relations to the various beasts of forest and field than they do to-day; they knew the beasts then knew them as friends, enemies, rivals - much more intimately than we do to-day. They were impressed with the peculiarities of the different beasts, the busyness of the bee, the slyness of the fox, the boldness of the lion, the timidity and fleetness of

the deer; they spoke of these peculiarities, exaggerated them, and told stories illustrating them. These stories were the early fables. Later fables, based on the older ones, continued to use animals as their chief characters.

The lessons of some fables are not easy to state. Hence the first ones chosen for study with the children should teach lessons not too difficult to formulate in words. The keenest insight and the most skillful work of the teacher is required at this point. She must help her pupils to see, to understand and to feel the lesson, and she must help them to express it effectively in good language. Such help does not consist in telling them what the lesson is; if they cannot be led to grasp it without telling, they can hardly understand the telling of it. No more does such help consist in formulating the lesson for them in language. The skillful help demanded consists here as almost everywhere else in getting the pupil to do all he possibly can for himself and in doing the least that will suffice for him. He must think for himself and think earnestly what the lesson of a fable is, he must summon the best language at his command in his effort to express that lesson. When he has done this, he is in the best possible condition to appreciate the bit of help that the teacher may give, to receive and make his own. the word or turn of phrase that the teacher may suggest.

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You will note that the grasp of the lesson of a fable consists in seeing a general truth in a concrete embodiment—a mental process of some difficulty, but a process which is fundamental to growth in mental power, in capacity to think. Hence, in the study of fables as here suggested, the child is not merely learning words and the correct use of them in writing, he is not merely "making up" stories, an exercise that narrow, shortsighted, falsely self-styled "practical" people are inclined to disapprove, he is developing mental fiber and alertness, he is using and so strengthening his power to think, an exercise that too many pupils in all grades of schools for reasons that cannot be here discussed-altogether miss. Most of the fables whose lessons the pupils are asked in their book to state have already been given. and studied. Any that they may not have clearly in mind should be told, either by you or by pupils who are familiar with them.

Supplementary Work

Have pupils read fables numbered 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11, in Chapter Twelve (p. 276), and try to tell the lesson that each one teaches.

II (174). The Study of the Fable, "The Wise Boar"

In this and similar study lessons the teacher should conduct the work in a way to enlist the active attention and effort of every child and to

accomplish the most possible in a given time. This means not merely efficiency in the study of a given lesson, but, what is more important, it means practice in forming the habit in every pupil of concentration and efficient work. It is not usually consistent with efficient treatment of a study exercise like the one under discussion to allow one child to answer questions at length, for instance all questions on a topic. It is far better to have a large number of children answer a question each and in order. For example, the study of the second paragraph of the fable, The Wise Boar (p. 176), might well be something like this.

First Pupil: Reads paragraph.

Second Pupil: Tells number of sentences in it.
Third Pupil: Tells why A is a capital letter.

Fourth Pupil: Tells why the comma is used.

Fifth Pupil: Tells where and why quotation marks are used. Sixth Pupil: Tells why Why begins with a capital letter. Seventh Pupil: Tells where and why the question mark is used. Eighth Pupil: Tells why There begins with a capital letter. Ninth Pupil: Tells where and why the period is used.

Here nine children take part in the recitation, and it should not consume more than two or three minutes. Not a moment should be wasted by the teacher in unnecessary talk or comment. If the pupils are allowed to recite in order, standing a row at a time, it will be quite unnecessary to call them by name and still more unnecessary to deliberate about who shall be called upon.