Story telling, what to tell and how to tell it

Preface

^ MHE lost art of the troubadour has been *■■ revived in the present day art of the story teller; but the story teller, unlike his early brotherhood, may not devote all his time to the recital of tales merely because they entertain. The spirit of education has seized him and bound him to service, and the delight which all people feel when they listen to a story has been made to serve a secondary purpose in kindergartens and elementary, schools, in libraries and playgrounds.

The demand for stories has been carried by the children from the school and the library to the home, with the result that those who are not, like the poet, born to the art, have asked of any who would listen, " What shall we tell, and how shall we tell it? "

As will be gathered from the body of the

book, there is no desire or attempt either to

train or equip the person who expects to

become a professional story teller, or to give

vii

PREFACE

new ideas to those already familiar with this art. The book is intended for those who, untrained, must meet this demand for stories, and are at a loss where to find material or what to select, and who are limited by small library resources.

The literature on story telling concerns itself, for the most part, with the requirements of the kindergarten and earlier grades, and very little which is suggestive and helpful seems available for the child whose chief interest is in heroes and adventure. It is this child who has been chiefly considered in the suggestions for stories to tell which have been made in this volume.

The epic tales, of course, are familiar to every one, but their peculiar fitness for the needs of the hero-loving boy and girl has not been appreciated, and the fact that no general use has been made of them, except in the case of a few isolated stories, has led to the desire to bring them to the attention of people who are telling stories.

The enthusiasm with which the stories, one and all, have been greeted, as I have personally tested them in schools, libraries in

PREFACE

large cities and small towns, churches, settlements, and with children gathered together for social purposes or entertainment, has convinced me that they have more than local interest.

My thanks are due the several publishing houses who have courteously granted permission to use the copyrighted material in

chapters.

E. L.

Oak Park, III., July 1, 1910,

IX

Contents

Introduction xiii

CHAPTER PAGE

I Responsibility of Society for what

Chapter I Responsibility Of Society For What Children Read

npHE most potent influences in the devel- ^ opment of the Hfe of the child are exerted through the home, through educational institutions, and through social environment. For the first five years of the child's life the home has practically exclusive direction of his physical life, his moral training, his play, or his occupation. An educator of wide reputation recently stated that, if at the end of the sixth year the child has not acquired self-control and a fair ability to be an agreeable member of society, it is the fault of the home. A failure to arrive at such a happy state of affairs may be due to economic or social conditions back of the home, but normally this responsibility for the care and training of children lies with the parents. 19

At five the school steps in and for several hours each day assumes control of the discipline and occupation of the child, so that the home is no longer entirely responsible for its offspring, but divides the responsibility with this new agency. Neither school nor home alone can now be held accountable for what the child becomes, for each has its influence, felt not only during the hours of its specific environment, but quite as much during the period when the child has gone out from its immediate dictum. It is for this reason that any lack of the spirit of cooperation between parents and teachers is to be so greatly deplored. If the standards and ideals of home and school could be identical, no time would be lost in the work of their realization.

No sooner has the school entered into the life of the child as a factor in his development than we may logically say the third force of destiny begins its work. Contact with the elements which make the social environment of the child becomes an influence to be reckoned with as soon as he steps out of the home into the world.

The life of the street and the playground, the influence of employment or recreation, help to mould his character as definitely and often more unalterably than the precepts of the home or the teaching of the schools. It makes little difference that society does not recognize either its responsibility or its privilege in thus forming humanity; the charges which must be made for certain existent conditions materially modifying, sometimes altogether changing the outcome of the child's life, can be brought nowhere but to the door of society.

We recognize this fact when we pass laws dictating the limitations of employers of labor, and demanding the freedom from labor which is the child's right; in the same way society recognizes ats power to provide proper conditions for the physical development of its children when, through its municipalities, it establishes public playgrounds and public baths. Specific instances of this character seem to awaken the public, so called, to the fact that with it lies not only the cause for evil conditions, but also the remedy and the power to make real the ideals it cherishes. 21

We can no longer work upon a basis which assumes that the home has to do with one part of a child's life, the school with another, and which disregards society altogether. Society is responsible for the child, and must therefore recognize the interdependence of its various constituents.

We have suggested that the constituents of society are all accountable for the physical environment and condition of the child — that they must see to it that men and women are produced physically equal to the work of the coming generation. If we do not give our children proper conditions for living, — pure air, pure water, and pure food, — - they are not properly equipped to begin the real living which is before them. If we fail to recognize that play is an essential to their normal development, and that, as we cut off the opportunity for it, we dwarf the capabilities of mature life, we have ourselves to blame for the type of manhood we supply to the world.

The problem of the proper discipline of the child rests with the home while it cares for him exclusively, but the school takes 22 charge of him for a large per cent of his time during many years of his life, and the school must accept its share of the burden.

Once more, society at large is answerable for the manner in which the child learns to know his relationship to municipality, State, and country as they directly or indirectly touch his life, and is also to be held accountable for its methods of discipline where rights and laws have been disregarded. Each and all, as members of society, are our brothers' keepers ; and lawlessness, immorality, and crime may fairly turn to respectable, moral, and law-abiding citizenship to inquire why they exist.

In moments of sanity, we all admit that education has as its fundamental purpose to teach men to live, rather than to help them merely to acquire knowledge. Experience is the really valuable thing in life, and since it is necessary to begin living with a very small basis of experience, we gain much if we accept that of others, for at least an experimental basis.

It is the wonderful power which books have 23 of presenting experience, picturing life in its manifold relations and infinite variety, that gives their supreme value as a supplement to, I might almost say a substitute for, formal education.

The word books is used in the sense of literature, and not merely printed pages, and the time has come when it is necessary to distinguish in the minds of some between the two. As a people we have not outgrown the attitude of reverence which mere print inspires in the minds of the recently educated. We have made a fetish of printing ; we have pride in our education, but we have not arrived where culture takes education for granted and discriminates between the ephemeral output of the press and the book of permanent value.

The home has recognized the value of reading as a part of the education of the child, and has placed him under the jurisdiction of the school that he may acquire the mechanical ability to read. The question naturally arises. What shall he read when he has acquired the ability ? — and neither home nor school can settle the question finally, because once more the attitude of society enters into the answer to the question.

Society has accepted the public library as a solution of the matter and says, " Here is an agency which shall represent us, properly equipped to meet the problem of reading for children, not only by supplying the books, but also by making suggestions concerning such books, and influencing so far as possible the reading taste of the community."

This solution at first seems all that could be desired until we analyze the real conditions, and then we realize that it is impossible for the library alone fully to represent society in these respects, since at the same time society is equally responsible for the many other agencies for supplying books to the public. Under present conditions, the libraries are unable to master the situation, for they are limited as to funds not only for providing a proper number of books, but also for maintaining a staff of skilled workers with ability to select and recommend the books.

As long as children eager to read are greeted by empty shelves or meagre numbers of books in the libraries, society is defeat- 25 ing its own claims, and strengthening the defeat by offering through regular book houses, and other commercial sources, not only mediocre books, but books of a positively pernicious character. Society allows those who control the corner cigar store, the general supply store, the news stand, the commercial circulating library, and those seeking to make money by appealing to the lower instincts of boys and girls to supply reading matter for its children; meanwhile congratulating itself that the establishment of public libraries equipped to reach only a small per cent of the public cancels its obligations. Society is, after all, composed of individuals, and it is the attitude and indifference of individuals which create a condition so to be deplored. The home and the school are elements of organized society, and as such must bear their part of the humiliation for the present state of affairs; and parents and teachers are as much to be blamed for failing to provide inspiring, uplifting, and ennobling books, as for failing to supply pure milk for babies or proper open-air spaces in which children may play.

The children of the State are our children, without regard to the fact of parenthood. They are the greatest asset of any commonwealth, and as such are to be reared in such a physical, mental, and moral environment that they shall come to manhood and womanhood, strong and pure in body, in mind, and in soul.

The ideals which children gain from books are their constant associates and mould their characters even more than human companions. They live with them not only while they read, but while they are otherwise engaged; and suggestions so subtle as to pass almost unnoticed linger in the mind, to influence emotions and express themselves in actions.

Books are the backgrounds of their waking dreams, and as surely as children read, just as surely do they imitate the heroes whom they find in their books. Judgment they do not possess, life they do not know, experience is all before them, one book is as desirable as another, provided only it has the power to hold. If we tolerate books where moral cowardice takes the guise of physical courage, 27 trickery and dishonesty seem like cleverness, books in which opposition to law and order is made to look like heroism, and the great facts of life and love something to be concealed and misused instead of cherished and honored, how are we to expect the readers of these books to acquire high standards of honesty, moral courage, and true manliness?

If we tolerate even the commonplace type of books, lacking in strength and virility, poor in presentation, uncertain in moral tone, and insipid in character, we can expect nothing strong or fine as a result of its influence. We are loath to admit this. It is far easier to argue against the really evil book than against the kind commonly termed " harmless." But if surroundings either of a material character or of ideas really have any influence upon the human mind, then we may fairly agree that mediocrity will breed mediocrity with as great certainty as evil will produce evil.

Every year public schools are turning out thousands of children able to read. They may not be attracted to books in general, but read they will, sometime or somewhere, and when that time comes it is society that is responsible for what those children read.

The homes are not equipped to solve the matter. The school stands as a strong factor in influencing the character of what the child reads, but it is so occupied with the accomplishment of tasks that these come to be the significant thing. Many teachers are familiar only with the literature which relates to the grade they teach, and do not see how vital it is to make each grade a link in the great chain of what has gone before and what is to follow.

While parents remain unconcerned as to the relative importance of carefully selected clothes and thoughtfully selected books, while schools lay emphasis on the side of education which will bring the most rapid return in dollars and cents, it would seem that the library, that agency of society most alert to the necessity of cultivating a love of literature in children, must make a greater effort to solve the problem of reaching larger numbers and effectively introducing them to the world's great books.

The call of the child's need has been heard 29 by a very few ; by them it must be answered, while they in their turn cry aloud to the great body of society of which they are but a part, " Our children cry for bread ; will you give them a stone? "

Chapter II

Influence of reading aloud ; the " reading story hour " in the public library; suggestions for books and selections to read.

TN the good old days, to which occasionally ■*" we must hark back, in spite of the fact that the home was the field of more varied occupations than at present, and that it was impossible to command much assistance from outside, there must have been a leisure of mind which is almost unknown to us now. [Whether it is the greater ease with which we are conveyed fron^ one spot on the earth to a far distant one, and the rate of speed which is ours to command, that has affected our mental attitude so that we feel the necessity of equal rapidity in all we do, certain it is that things which once had a place in our lives are now crowded out on the plea that there is no time for them. It is to be greatly regretted that among the things which have 31 been pushed aside and almost entirely neglected is the gentle art of reading aloud.

Not long ago, a man who knows success gave me a glimpse into the not far distant past, when his father and mother were pioneers in our Middle West. Among the experiences of his boyhood which he recounted was that of reading aloud, when his mother chose some volume from the small hoard of books which she had brought from old Virginia, and together mother and son read and talked beside the fire in the old log cabin. There was no duty which her hands were not called upon to do, yet she found time to read aloud to her boy that so he might come to know the authors whom she prized. One could not but feel that something of the son's success was due to a mother who so truly recognized comparative values.

When speaking to a friend of the marvellous use of words which has made her son a lecturer of unusual eloquence, she replied without hesitation, " Yes, the poets that we read aloud together taught him words." In still another home it was not freedom from care and anxiety or the leisure that money can command which made the storj-hour one of the things which linger in the memory. There was no time for books that were trivial, but those which live from one generation to another found place for themselves, and ears eager to hear. Together, father and mother and children went slowly over the pages, which were not only a joy while the voice sounded the words, but have ever since had a glamour which no other literature can possibly possess.

To the most of us, children as well as grown-ups, the joy that is shared is twice joy, and nowhere is this more true than in the book which is read with some one of like taste.

If those who are seeking to influence the reading tastes of children could only realize how potent a means lies in this simple method, they would hasten to revive this long neglected art.

The search is for something new, and for that very reason there is a failure to recognize the efficiency of what is already possessed. Yet the child's eagerness to listen to anything we are willing to read ought to be a constant 33 reminder that here is our opportunity to make him familiar with the books which he himself would never open.

Much of the great literature of the world has failed to reach children because they have never come in contact with it, or if they have seen these books they have been titles merely. Every day of their lives a personal appeal comes from someone to read this or that book, thrilling in title, and set forth in graphic verbal picture by the recent reader's enthusiasm. When such books are made so alluring, why venture in untrodden paths?

Children are at heart conservatives; they prefer to do as generations before them have done. There must be a leader, then there will be numberless followers. Who of us has not witnessed the agony which the child feels who is forced to wear clothes unlike those of his mates ? What the " crowd " wears and does and reads is what each desires to wear and do and read in his turn.

If we can accept this condition as the basis

of our efforts ; if we can either catch the most

venturesome spirit long enough to gain his

interest, or win the crowd, as a crowd, and bring them to a knowledge of the real life which lies behind the titles of unfamiliar books, we shall in the end accomplish our purpose.

As we have suggested, the first appeal which reading aloud makes to children is doubtless the delight they feel in sharing a common interest. The feeling, though unanalyzed, is gratification and pleasure that the book appeals sufficiently to the older person, so that it is worth while to read word for word.

The appreciation of the reader adds to the grasp of the listener, unhampered by the mechanical difficulties of reading which usually beset him, and often the opportunity for a laugh together makes a bond of sympathy which no other contact could afford.

" Then read from the treasured volume

The poem of thy choice, And lend to the rhyme of the poet

The beauty of thy voice."

It is hardly necessary to say specifically that when the child has made the acquaintance of books of real merit and literary value they will unconsciously become the 35 standard by which he measures the books of his future choice. Personally, I have great faith in the unspoiled instincts of children, and I think, when once they have felt the beat of a great story of adventure or the charm of one of the genuine folk stories, they turn from the imitation, feeling its unreality for themselves. They instinctively feel what the boy tried to express when he turned away from ineffective rendering in prose of the Robin Hood ballads, and said, " No, I want the book about the real Robin Hood."

The influence of beautiful English is also worthy of consideration. Modern books are put together with little regard for style or use of words, and careless writing is followed by careless reading, so that there is little gain to the child from the time he has spent with many books. It is generally admitted that the child acquires his vocabulary much more rapidly by hearing the words than by seeing them. Here, then, is an added value which results from the practice of reading aloud to children. They become familiar with the use of the best English, with new 36 words and combinations to which they are unaccustomed.

The poverty of English found in the average home, the constant use of slang expressions on the street and the playground, the influence of the tide of immigration with its foreign tongues should make us realize that if we have any regard for one of the most beautiful and expressive languages in the world, we must take some positive stand to prevent its deterioration.

It has been well said, " What you make a child love and desire is more important than what you make him learn." It is as he loves noble English that he will use it; it is as he cherishes the books read to him that he will desire others of a similar character; it is as the reader'^ enthusiasm puts life and forcefulness, or cleverness and daring into the pages read, that they will captivate his emotions and stimulate him to imitation.

No argument is half so convincing as a little experience. On every side one hears confirming testimony which points to " the splendid influence of reading aloud to children. No one questions the value of time so 37 used. What then shall we say of the spirit of the modern home which finds no time to gratify or cultivate this taste? Something surely is wrong when clubs, or recreation, or philanthropy, or social intercourse, or business, or even household duties, are allowed to usurp the portion of time which should go to the training of the mental life of the child. There is a duty in this respect which parents owe their children that they cannot delegate to any one else. There are values to the child of a positive nature which come from associating this delightful practice with his home and his family circle, and for the loss of this there can be no possible compensation. This is a duty, and should be a pleasure, which fathers might well assume, since there is so small a realm where they can cultivate the spirit of companionship with their children. There has been much amusement over the old story of the child who referred to his father as " the man who stays here Sundays " ; yet there is ground for considering whether the fathers of this country should not have some other relation to their children than that of the source of financial support. 38

The school has already established to a certain extent the habit of reading aloud, sometimes as a reward for the accomplishment of tasks, and sometimes with the deliberate intention of giving the children a wider view of some subject or introducing them to outside reading.

The busy teacher who is wise enough to recognize the return she gets for this from the children in the spirit of companionship, enlarged interests, added force to think, and increased vocabulary is greatly to be congratulated. There is an unwise tendency among certain teachers to read to the children books not only of ephemeral character but those absolutely lacking in merit, when the child is entitled to the best. The eagerness of children to hear what one is willing to read is itself an opportunity for introducing something which requires thought instead of merely affording entertainment. It is worth while to ask this eager mind to reach up out of the trend of his ordinary thoughts, and to give him something to " ponder in his heart."

There should be a portion of the selections which are made to be read aloud that remain free from any connection with a task. There is material enough for reproduction without using this ; and half of the gain to the child, all of his real love for what he is hearing, will be lost in his sense of impending doom.

As far as libraries are concerned, it seems strange that with all their eagerness to bring the book and the child into successful contact they have so often disregarded this simplest of methods. They have been over-anxious, it would seem, to incorporate story telling as a regular feature of their work with children, and have failed to realize that a "story-hour " utilized for good reading has far better results than twice that time devoted to inferior story telling.

Man}^ people either on a library staff or outside are very acceptable readers, and have a wide knowledge of books, which might be put at the service of the library if only they were asked to do what they can do instead of required to do that for which they have no training.

It would seem wise in a library story-hour not to attempt to read an entire book as we 40 would naturally do at home or in school, but to take up such portions of it as will arouse the curiosity of the child, or get him well started on a long and difficult opening.

The greatest cause of the failures which are experienced in these special phases of library work are due to hasty preparation or to the lack of any preparation at all. One may occasionally reap the reward of inspiration, when out of the enthusiasm of a conversation or the appeal of a situation, at the psychological moment a group of boys and girls is gathered together and their attention is arrested by exactly the right story ; but ordinarily the carefully prepared plan carries much better.

It is not necessary to thrust the machinery of the drama into- view, but the actor who relies on principle rather than on inspiration is less likely to be overwhelmed when the inspiration is not there.

It may not be amiss to suggest how large an element the beauty of the voice is in the delight which people feel when listening to reading. Children are quite as sensitive as grown people to quality of tone and pitch, to 41 distinct enunciation, and to artistic expression. Judging from the examples of style which one hears, not only in the schoolroom but in the club and elsewhere, it would seem that foreigners are entirely justified in the criticism of what they term the " American voice." The disregard for punctuation and the habitual argumentative and dictatorial style of reading are extremely monotonous and inexpressive. Down go the voices like so many hammers, at every comma, semicolon, colon, or period. It would be impossible in most cases in this country to punctuate correctly from dictation as is the custom everywhere in France. A little thought as to the relation of punctuation and expression, and an effort to visualize the pictures as we read, will do much toward giving color and expression to our performance.

A knowledge of the community, and of the books which have been most read, is an indispensable background for effective work. One must know what he can take as his " point of contact " before he can successfully approach a group of children or young people.

It may be helpful to become familiar with the lists of books used by other libraries for reading aloud, but they ought always to be treated as suggestions, the success of which may be due somewhat to the modified conditions and environment in each particular case.

Two suggestive lists are the monthly Bulletin of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Vol. 12, No. 1, Jan. 1907, Reading Circles for Boys and Girls ; and Harriet E. Hassler's Graded List of Stories for Reading Aloud, Public Library Commission of Indiana, 1908, for including both whole books and selections, which will prove stimulating and helpful, particularly in the beginning of the effort to introduce children to books in this way. As growth comes through experience, there will be less need for following outlines and more ability to see independently what is worth using.

Librarians will find that the teachers will greatly appreciate familiarity with school courses of study and supplementary reading as well as the books which they desire to read to the children, so that the school work shall 43 not suffer from repetition and a consequent lack of freshness.

Not only must the story itself be considered, in making selections for reading aloud, but the form and beauty of the English as well, though there are occasions when a restless group of children who are unused to listening must be held merely by the interest of the plot.