It will be noted that there have been mentioned the fairy, the witch, and the giant. The first represents beauty and goodness, the second wickedness, and the third brute strength. In the average fairy tale these three concomitants are so blended that the dominating character is the fairy, who eventually prevails over the machinations of the wicked witch and the brutal giant. As the fairy represents love and kindness, a most important lesson is impressed upon the mind of the child. There is also a good reason for the witch and the giant. The child is not born already civilized, but with natural and savage instincts. Civilization, which is only a veneer, is an acquired thing, and it needs only a scratch to bring the savage instinct to the surface. The witch and the giant, then, do their part in appeasing the desire for violence; and the fact that these disturbing elements are finally overcome by the good fairy is a great factor in the early education of the child. The best collection of tales for very young children is that known as “Mother Goose Nursery Tales,” gathered together by Charles Perrault. The origin of most of these tales is lost in the shades of antiquity. Every parent should have in mind the great importance to the child of the literature he reads. Much good or much harm may be the result of the early impressions gained. The safest way is to procure books from one who specializes, and who knows the general trend of the contents of a book. There are authors and publishers who may be relied upon for the wholesomeness of their productions, and with these the book-buyer will soon become familiar; but the general output is so large, the authors and publishers so many, and the tastes so varied, that the wise book-buyer will rely to a great extent upon the bookseller in the matter of selection. There is a period in the life of almost every boy when the desire for the sensational is paramount. Then must the parent be most watchful, because somehow the boy will secure reading material which may possibly be decidedly harmful. How often do we read of a boy in possession of a cheap revolver or a bloodthirsty-looking knife being apprehended while on his way to slay Indians, or to become a bandit or a pirate. His actions are almost always directly traceable to the dime novel or the penny dreadful so easily procured. Happily there are plenty of books on the market which will satisfy the boy’s craving for the wild and adventurous, and which will at the same time be of some benefit to him in leading him to become interested in certain periods of history or in implanting a desire for information regarding the geography of this and other countries.