Schlegel says of Shakespeare, his "comic talent is equally wonderful with that he has shown in the pathetic and tragic; it stands at an equal elevation and possesses equal extent and profundity.... Not only has he delineated many kinds of folly, but even of sheer stupidity he has contrived to give a most diverting and entertaining picture." The inability to appreciate the ludicrous and farcical, and especially of witty conceits, is felt to be a mark of dulness and heaviness, and in dealing with children and young people a versatile perception of the humorous is very helpful. Many of the pupils possess this quality of humor in a marked degree, and the teacher should at least have sufficient insight to appreciate this peculiar bent of mind and turn of wit. A brief retrospect will make plain the profitableness of classics to the teacher. They show a deep perspective into the spirit and inner workings of history. The social life and insight developed by the study of literature give tact and judgment to understand and respect the many-sided individualities found in every school. The teacher's own moral and æsthetic and religious ideals are constantly lifted and strengthened by the study of classics. Such reading is a recreation and relief even in hours of weariness and solitude. It is an expansive spiritual power rather than a burden. Literary artists are also a standing illustration of the graphic, spirited manner of handling subjects. Finally, this rich and varied realm of classic thought and expression is the doorway by which we enter again into the moods and impulses and fancies of childhood. We thus revive our own youth and fit ourselves for a quick and appreciative perception of children's needs. It is the best kind of child study. * * * * * A few of the books which are suggestive, and illustrate the value of literature for teachers, and in some cases even lay out lines of profitable and stimulative reading, are as follows:-- Newell Dwight Hillis. Great Books and Life Teachers. (Fleming H. Revell Co.) George Willis Cooke. Poets and Problems. (Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.) The Schoolmaster in Literature. (The American Book Co.) Representative Essays. (G. P. Putnam's Sons.) Hamilton Wright Mabie. Books and Culture. (Dodd, Mead, & Co.) James Baldwin. The Book Lover. (A. C. McClurg & Co.) The Schoolmaster in Comedy and Satire. (The American Book Co.) Emerson's Essays. Schlegel's Dramatic Art and Literature. (Bohn's Libraries.) Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies, and Seven Lamps of Architecture. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Book and Heart. (Harper & Brothers.) Carlyle's Heroes and Hero-Worship. Counsel upon the Reading of Books. Van Dyke. (Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.) Literary and General Essays. Charles Kingsley. (Macmillan & Co.) CHAPTER VII LIST OF BOOKS