Produced by David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) LITERATURE IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Agents THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON AND EDINBURGH THE MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA TOKYO, OSAKA, KYOTO KARL W. HIERSEMANN LEIPZIG THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY NEW YORK LITERATURE IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BY PORTER LANDER MACCLINTOCK, A.M. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS COPYRIGHT 1907 BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO All Rights Reserved Published November 1907 Second Impression October 1908 Third Impression September 1909 Fourth Impression November 1910 Fifth Impression March 1912 Sixth Impression October 1913 Seventh Impression November 1914 Composed and Printed By The University of Chicago Press Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. TO W. D. M. TO A. C. D. AND TO MY DEAR FRIENDS AND FELLOW-STUDENTS LANDER PAUL HILDA ELIZABETH HERMANN JOSEPHINE ISABEL BETH ALBERT IRENE HENRY RUTH THIS LITTLE BOOK, THE OUTCOME OF OUR COMMON STUDIES, IS MOST LOYALLY AND LOVINGLY DEDICATED PREFACE This book had its origin in several years of experience and experiment in teaching classes in literature in the Laboratory School of the University of Chicago, when that fruitful venture in education was being conducted by Professor John Dewey; in many years of private reading with children; and in many years of lecturing to teachers of children. Indeed, all the material bears the unconcealable marks of its origin as lectures, it being extremely difficult to turn into decorous chapters in a book, stuff which first took shape as spontaneous and informal lectures. The central matter of the book was published as a series of articles in the _Elementary School Teacher_ of October, November, and December, 1902, and a synopsis of the whole book was printed and widely circulated in January, 1904. These facts may partially account for a certain familiarity that many readers will perceive. May I venture to hope that this sense of familiarity may also be partly accounted for by the fact that the views expressed are consonant with those arrived at independently by many recent students of literature and of children? Were it not a matter of mere justice, this would be scarcely the place to mention my debt of many kinds to Professor W. D. MacClintock of the University of Chicago; the incalculable value of Professor Dewey's influence and sympathy; and the unforgettable stimulation of Mrs. Dewey's criticism. Neither is it more than justice to express my gratitude for the patience of my publishers, which has endured both much and long. P. L. M. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO June, 1907 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. LITERATURE IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 1