TO THE STORY-TELLER
TO THE STORY-TELLER
This volume, though intended also for the children's own reading and for reading aloud, is especially planned for story-telling. The latter is a delightful way of arousing a gladsome holiday spirit, and of showing the inner meanings of different holidays. As stories used for this purpose are scattered through many volumes, and as they are not always in the concrete form required for story-telling, I have endeavored to bring together myths, legends, tales, and historical stories suitable to holiday occasions.
There are here collected one hundred and twenty stories for seventeen holidays—stories grave, gay, humorous, or fanciful; also some that are spiritual in feeling, and others that give the delicious thrill of horror so craved by boys and girls at Halloween time. The range of selection is wide, and touches all sides of wholesome boy and girl nature, and the tales have the power to arouse an appropriate holiday spirit.
As far as possible the stories are presented in their original form. When, however, they are too long for inclusion, or too loose in structure for story-telling purposes, they are adapted.
Adapted stories are of two sorts. Condensed: in which case a piece of literature is shortened, scarcely any changes being made in the original language. Rewritten: here the plot, imagery, language, and style of the original are retained as far as possible, while the whole is moulded into form suitable for story-telling. Some few stories are built up on a slight framework of original matter.
Thus it may be seen that the tales in this volume have not been reduced to the necessarily limited vocabulary and uniform style of one editor, but that they are varied in treatment and language, and are the products of many minds.
A glance at the table of contents will show that not only have selections been made from modern authors and from the folklore of different races, but that some quaint old literary sources have been drawn on. Among the men and books contributing to these pages are the Gesta Romanorum, Il Libro d'Oro, Xenophon, Ovid, Lucian, the Venerable Bede, William of Malmesbury. John of Hildesheim, William Caxton, and the more modern Washington Irving, Hugh Miller, Charles Dickens, and Henry Cabot Lodge; also those immortals, Hans Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Horace E. Scudder, and others.
The stories are arranged to meet the needs of story-telling in the graded schools. Reading-lists, showing where to find additional material for story-telling and collateral reading, are added. Grades in which the recommended stories are useful are indicated.
The number of selections in the volume, as well as the references to other books, is limited by the amount and character of available material. For instance, there is little to be found for Saint Valentine's Day, while there is an overwhelming abundance of fine stories for the Christmas season. Stories like Dickens's “Christmas Carol,” Ouida's “Dog of Flanders,” and Hawthorne's tales, which are too long for inclusion and would lose their literary beauty if condensed, are referred to in the lists. Volumes containing these stories may be procured at the public library.
A subject index is appended. This indicates the ethical, historical, and other subject-matter of interest to the teacher, thus making the volume serviceable for other occasions besides holidays.
In learning her tale the story-teller is advised not to commit it to memory. Such a method is apt to produce a wooden or glib manner of presentation. It is better for her to read the story over and over again until its plot, imagery, style, and vocabulary become her own, and then to retell it, as Miss Bryant says, “simply, vitally, joyously.”
CONTENTS
GOOD STORIES FOR GREAT HOLIDAYS
THE FAIRY'S NEW YEAR GIFT
THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL
THE TWELVE MONTHS
THE MAIL-COACH PASSENGERS
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY
HE RESCUES THE BIRDS
LINCOLN AND THE LITTLE GIRL
TRAINING FOR THE PRESIDENCY
WHY LINCOLN WAS CALLED “HONEST ABE”
A STRANGER AT FIVE-POINTS
A SOLOMON COME TO JUDGMENT
GEORGE PICKETT'S FRIEND
LINCOLN THE LAWYER
THE COURAGE OF HIS CONVICTIONS
MR. LINCOLN AND THE BIBLE
HIS SPRINGFIELD FAREWELL ADDRESS
SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY
A PRISONER'S VALENTINE
A GIRL'S VALENTINE CHARM
MR. PEPYS HIS VALENTINE
CUPID AND PSYCHE
THE TRIAL OF PSYCHE:
WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY
I. THE CHERRY TREE
II. THE APPLE ORCHARD
III. THE GARDEN-BED
YOUNG GEORGE AND THE COLT
WASHINGTON THE ATHLETE
WASHINGTON'S MODESTY
WASHINGTON AT YORKTOWN
RESURRECTION DAY (EASTER)
A LESSON OF FAITH
A CHILD'S DREAM OF A STAR
THE LOVELIEST ROSE IN THE WORLD
MAY DAY
THE SNOWDROP [1]
THE THREE LITTLE BUTTERFLY BROTHERS
THE WATER-DROP
THE SPRING BEAUTY
THE FAIRY TULIPS
THE STREAM THAT RAN AWAY
THE ELVES
THE CANYON FLOWERS
CLYTIE, THE HELIOTROPE
HYACINTHUS
ECHO AND NARCISSUS
MOTHERS' DAY
CORNELIA'S JEWELS
QUEEN MARGARET AND THE ROBBERS
THE REVENGE OF CORIOLANUS
THE WIDOW AND HER THREE SONS
MEMORIAL DAY
BETSY ROSS AND THE FLAG
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER
THE LITTLE DRUMMER-BOY
A FLAG INCIDENT
TWO HERO-STORIES OF THE CIVIL WAR
II. THE BRAVERY OF RICHARD KIRTLAND
THE YOUNG SENTINEL
THE COLONEL OF THE ZOUAVES
GENERAL SCOTT AND THE STARS AND STRIPES
INDEPENDENCE DAY
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE BOSTON TEA-PARTY
A GUNPOWDER STORY
THE CAPTURE OF FORT TICONDEROGA
WASHINGTON AND THE COWARDS
LABOR DAY
THE SMITHY
THE NAIL
THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER
THE HILLMAN AND THE HOUSEWIFE
HOFUS THE STONE-CUTTER
ARACHNE
THE METAL KING
THE CHOICE OF HERCULES
THE SPEAKING STATUE
THE CHAMPION STONE-CUTTER
BILL BROWN'S TEST
COLUMBUS DAY
COLUMBUS AND THE EGG
COLUMBUS AT LA RABIDA
THE MUTINY
THE FIRST LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD
HALLOWEEN
SHIPPEITARO
HANSEL AND GRETHEL
BURG HILL'S ON FIRE
THE KING OF THE CATS
THE STRANGE VISITOR
THE BENEVOLENT GOBLIN
THE PHANTOM KNIGHT OF THE VANDAL CAMP
THANKSGIVING DAY
THE FIRST HARVEST-HOME IN PLYMOUTH
THE MASTER OF THE HARVEST
SAINT CUTHBERT'S EAGLE
THE EARS OF WHEAT
HOW INDIAN CORN CAME INTO THE WORLD
THE NUTCRACKER DWARF
THE PUMPKIN PIRATES
THE SPIRIT OF THE CORN
THE HORN OF PLENTY
CHRISTMAS DAY
THE STRANGER CHILD
SAINT CHRISTOPHER
THE CHRISTMAS ROSE
THE WOODEN SHOES OF LITTLE WOLFF
THE PINE TREE
THE CHRISTMAS CUCKOO
THE CHRISTMAS FAIRY OF STRASBURG
THE THREE PURSES
THE THUNDER OAK
THE CHRISTMAS THORN OF GLASTONBURY
THE THREE KINGS OF COLOGNE
THE CHILD
HOW THEY CAME TO COLOGNE
ARBOR DAY
THE LITTLE TREE THAT LONGED FOR OTHER LEAVES
WHY THE EVERGREEN TREES NEVER LOSE THEIR LEAVES
WHY THE ASPEN QUIVERS
THE WONDER TREE
THE PROUD OAK TREE
BAUCIS AND PHILEMON
THE UNFRUITFUL TREE
THE DRYAD OF THE OLD OAK
DAPHNE
BIRD DAY
THE OLD WOMAN WHO BECAME A WOODPECKER
THE BOY WHO BECAME A ROBIN
THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW
THE QUAILS—A LEGEND OF THE JATAKA
THE MAGPIE'S NEST
THE GREEDY GEESE
THE KING OF THE BIRDS
THE DOVE WHO SPOKE TRUTH
THE BUSY BLUE JAY
BABES IN THE WOODS
THE PRIDE OF THE REGIMENT
THE MOTHER MURRE
THE END
REFERENCE LISTS FOR STORY-TELLING AND COLLATERAL READING
REFERENCE LISTS FOR STORY-TELLING AND COLLATERAL READING
NEW YEAR'S DAY
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY
SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY
WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY
RESURRECTION DAY (EASTER)
MAY DAY
MOTHERS' DAY
MEMORIAL AND FLAG DAYS
INDEPENDENCE DAY
LABOR DAY
COLUMBUS DAY
HALLOWEEN
THANKSGIVING DAY
CHRISTMAS DAY
ARBOR DAY
BIRD DAY