Careful instruction in the use of the printed and card catalogs and of indexes had preceded this assignment. We were fortunate in possessing quite a large number of issues of the Cumulative index unbound. It was thus possible to place one of these in the hands of each student during instruction on the subject. This was a considerable aid. There was too much work with the less-used ready-reference books. Next year the number will be largely reduced. A study of fairy stories was made. An attempt was made to find a philosophical basis for the love of children for fairy stories. An attempt was made to discriminate between the good and the bad fairy story. Felix Adler's "Moral instruction of children" was helpful here, but the study of the fairy stories at first hand is still more helpful. The following books were read by the whole class: (1) Alcott's "Little Women." Lessons were given on reading it with the children. (2) Mara L. Pratt's "History stories," vol. 3. (3) Eggleston's "First lessons in American history." The Pratt and Eggleston books were read in succession for the purpose of contrasting them. A yet better contrast would have been Baldwin's "Fifty famous stories." (4) Frau Spyri's "Heidi." Some of our girls read this story in the original German but most in the translation published by Ginn & Co. It is a charming story of a breezy little maiden whose home was in the Swiss Alps, and one of the rather scarce desirable books for the fourth grade. (5) Mrs. Burnett's "Sara Crewe." This was read as a type of the "child novel" and for the sake of a study of the charms, dangers and benefits of this class of books. (6) Howard Pyle's "Men of iron" was read as a study of the worthy historical story. The following outline was given the students as an aid in judging the books read: _Outline to aid in estimating a juvenile book_. 1. Written when? By whom? For children or adults? [e.g., "Robinson Crusoe" and "Gulliver's travels" were written for adults.] If for children, of what age? (Consider both manner and matter.) 2. Essential purpose of the book: Recreative? Instructive? Moral? Is the recreation afforded wholesome? The instruction reliable? The moral lessons sound? 3. Style: Is it clear? Correct? Beautiful? Suitable? 4. If a story, What is the strongest character in it? The most effective passage? Give reasons for thinking so. Is it true to life? 5. Is the book a creator of ideals? How so? Along what lines? An effort was made that there should be no formal adherence to this outline. Papers on the books read were required in which the outline could not be used. For example, after reading "Men of iron" the students were required to write, in class, a paper on "The education of a boy in chivalry" based on the story of Myles Falworth. The oral discussions of these books were often very animated.