Journeys Through Bookland Volume X Part 4

2. _The details._ The man, and his wife sitting in the wheelbarrow; the cobbled street, the sidewalk, the houses on one side of the street, the arch-way with the house above it, and the street showing through the arch-way; the man in the distance. A shop in the middle ground, with fruit and vegetables displayed outside the window. The man with the wheelbarrow is dressed in the fashion of the past, with tall hat, blue cut-a-way long-tailed coat, black breeches and blue stockings, white vest and white gloves. His neckerchief and shoes are orange color. His wife is also fashionably gowned. Her bonnet has blue and orange feathers, she has an embroidered shawl of orange color, with a blue overdress and a gray skirt; her blue parasol is in the air, dropped in the shock of the breaking of the wheelbarrow. Her arms are extended in effort to save herself. The wheel is bent under the barrow.

3. _The center of interest._ The center of interest of most pictures is found near the center of the picture. It is plainly so in this picture; the man with the wheelbarrow, and his bride engage our attention, while secondarily we note the rough cobbled pavement and the narrow street.

4. _The purpose._ The artist's intention is to show the dramatic moment when the wheelbarrow broke, and the bride got the fall.

5. _The artist's conception and its appropriateness._ In choosing the line "Down Tumbled Wheelbarrow," the artist selected the moment which was the climax of the adventure, and in so doing he shows the shock of surprise and alarm in the att.i.tude and expression of both bride and groom as contrasted with their very fine holiday costumes, which show how much care they had given to their preparation for their wedding journey. The artist has not overlooked the opportunity to show us a typical London street of the olden time, narrow and paved with cobble stones. The arch-way gives us the a.s.surance that the street was very narrow, so that the wheelbarrow had to go over the rough cobbles. The conception seems appropriate and true to the story in the simple rhyme.

6. _Elements of beauty._ There are two main elements in this picture, which contribute to the pleasure it gives us, aside from the story it tells. In the composition of the picture, the artist has placed the main figures in the foreground and drawn them in full detail. Note the contrast of the ma.s.ses of black with the open s.p.a.ces of white and light shadings. The walls of the houses are indicated by few lines which are sufficient but which do not draw the eye from the center. The rough street is skillfully indicated by a few deftly drawn round cobbles, leaving the larger white s.p.a.ce to give air and light to the central figures. The treatment of color is the second element of beauty to be noticed. Not all the picture is colored; in this cla.s.s of ill.u.s.tration, the white s.p.a.ces have the effect of giving background to the colors, and bringing out their best values.

Another profitable study can be made on the full-page ill.u.s.tration that appears on page 159, in Volume Five. Questions best induce interest in a picture, but the questions should be asked systematically. The following is a model on the picture named above, _Geraint hears Enid singing_.

1. _General view._ How many men are in the picture? What do they appear to be doing? What is the building at the right?

2. _Details._ Who is the man on horse-back? How is he dressed? What is hanging from a chain on his breast? What is he looking at? What is the expression on his face? What is the color of his horse? Have you ever seen a bridle and a harness like these in the picture? Do you think the man loved his horse and took good care of him? Who is the man standing beside the horse? How would you describe his garments? What has he in his right hand? What is its use, and what does it signify? What does the gesture with his left hand indicate? What do you think of the building on the right? Is it new or old? What seems to be growing on the walls?

What does this mean? What seems to be growing up between the stones of the pavement?

3. _The center of interest._ Are the men talking together? If so, why are they not looking at each other? Does the att.i.tude and expression of the man on the horse suggest an interesting topic? (Tell the story in part, and read the lines covering this episode, page 156. Is the center of interest now made clear?)

4. _Purpose._ What did the artist mean to do by means of this picture?

Did he select an important and interesting event in the story?

5. _Conception and appropriateness._ Has the artist followed the text truthfully in his conception? Do you think there is a dramatic interest in this scene, which made it appropriate for ill.u.s.tration? Would it have been as effective without the old man in the picture? Why? Does the man on the horse show his character in his bearing? Has the artist succeeded in portraying the old man in the character described in the text? Does the picture please you? Do you think it is a success?

6. _Elements of beauty._ Do you like the soft, even tones of the picture, the heavy touches of the pen in the main figures and the light touches in the background? Is the day bright or gloomy? Is the effect of light on the wall, balcony and doorway pleasing? From what direction does the light come? How does the artist indicate surfaces in shadow?

Does the outline of the castle through the arch add interest and beauty to the picture?

After the children have been taught to observe properly, you have in the pictures numberless interesting subjects for language exercises. A good, clear-cut description of a picture is worth reading, and to write one means thought and study. The exercise may be varied by asking the child to describe the picture before he has any knowledge of the subject and then asking him to call his imagination into play and write a story to fit the picture. Later you may read him the story the artist meant to ill.u.s.trate.

Besides the color plates and halftones which are found in their proper places in the several volumes, the following pen and ink drawings are good examples of the kind of pictures that best repay study:

Volume I, page 22.

Volume I, page 30.

Volume I, page 35.

Volume I, page 67.

Volume I, page 159.

Volume I, page 203.

Volume I, page 375.

Volume I, page 391.

Volume II, page 111.

Volume II, page 228.

Volume II, page 384.

Volume III, page 141.

Volume III, page 324.

Volume IV, page 452.

Volume V, page 97.

Volume V, page 253.

Volume VI, page 145.

Volume VI, page 361.

Volume VII, page 281.

Volume VII, page 439.

Volume VIII, page 160.

Volume VIII, page 321.

Volume IX, page 118.

Volume IX, page 248.

CHAPTER IV

TELLING STORIES

Before a child can read he develops a pa.s.sion for stories, and nothing delights him more than an interesting tale from the loving lips of father or mother. In good kindergartens and primary schools, there are teachers who tell stories to the little ones and do it well, but parents will not wish to delegate it entirely to teachers, for story-telling is the best way of getting at the hearts of children and planting those germs which later grow into refined taste in reading as well as ripen into real character. On the other hand, the teachers may neglect to tell stories to their pupils or are not skilled either in selection or in manner of telling. Parents who are interested in the welfare of their small boys and girls will wish to know what is being done and how it is accomplished, but may have little idea of the material it is wise to use or where to find good subjects for their tales.

Proper selection is highly important, for taste and appet.i.te for certain kinds of literature may be created long before the child can read for himself. Strong-minded, courageous little boys will love to hear of giants and ogres, and will revel in adventures that may terrify their more delicate sisters. George hates the fierce foes that Jack the Giant-Killer meets, and dreams of the time when he can overpower and slay his own ogres. Alice listens tremblingly, and when she goes to her little bed at night lies in fear and trembling, while hideous faces leer at her from out the shadowed recesses. George never wearies of our oldest poem, _Beowulf_, while Alice wants only _Cinderella_, or at most _Bluebeard_. It is nothing less than cruelty to fill the imaginations of sensitive children with deeds of violence and tales of sadness and woe.

Yet it is no less true that some young folks are the better for their giants, their knights and their battles. On the whole, it is wiser to keep the giants, the ogres and the suffering people in the background, or to dwell upon them only when there seems a demand for them; later, lead the young imaginations into the realms of history and real life where giants are very real and ogres yet remain to be subdued. Do not tell sad or exciting stories in the evening. Keep the quiet, peaceful things for bed-time stories.

Here, then, is the great opportunity for the parent. The teacher has thirty or more children of as many different temperaments from homes as varied in culture as the children are different in appearance, and to them she must tell her story as to one. The parent has but his own little flock, whom he has known every day of their lives, and whose souls are as transparent as gla.s.s to his watchful and sympathetic eye.

How certain may he feel in his selection of material, how powerful in his recital!

Perhaps, however, he may find the pleasant task an unaccustomed one, may have forgotten what he knew as a boy, and may not know where to turn for material. Here these books come to his a.s.sistance with material for every taste and suited to every occasion. In the beginning of the first volume are the nursery rhymes which children have enjoyed for ages, which are read, or far better told, to infants who rejoice in the pictures. Between the nursery rhymes and the literature that follows is quite a gap, intentionally left by the editor. There are no pretty little tales in words of one syllable for beginners to read, but there are good fables and stories to be told while the children are learning to read, and later, to be read by the young people themselves. No parent can go astray in selection if he knows his own children.

Do not be afraid to _tell_ the story--reading it aloud will not be half so effective. Select a fable or a short story first. Read it carefully, and then shut the book and think about it. Be sure you have the plot in your mind, make the hero and the other characters seem very real to yourself, picture the scenes vividly in your mind's eye, and you are ready to begin.

1. _Use Your Own Words._ Simple words, graphic, commonplace words, are the best. The older children will be just as much entertained, and the younger ones can understand better. On the other hand, do not talk _down_ to their level; they will resent the idea and laugh at you. _Keep on their level._ That means that you must be sure you know your audience before you begin to talk.

2. _Talk Naturally._ Forget that you are telling a story for the effect it will produce. Forget yourself. Tell the story as you would tell them an incident you have just seen.

3. _Look Your Children in the Eyes._ Find the responsive eyes and get your inspiration from them; seek out the dull and uninterested eyes and talk to them till they brighten up and respond to your enthusiasm. Let every child know that many times you have looked him square in the face and make everyone feel you are talking straight at him.

4. _Supply Many Details._ Children love them; their lives are made up of little things. Don't think you are ignoring the real story by your additions. The details you give are probably the very ones the author of the original story intended you to supply from your own imagination as you read. Under this head comes the giving of names to characters; descriptions of clothes, of facts, of feelings; the addition of new incidents.

The recital of a bare plot is not an interesting story. For instance: "A boy on his way to school found a yellowbird's nest with four little birds in it," is the recitation of a bare plot. Is it interesting? Would the story appeal to children? What do you think of the form following?

"John told me an interesting story this morning. As he was coming to school today he saw a little yellowbird fly from the bushes by the big tree at the corner of Mr. Brown's yard. He parted the leaves and looked into the bush, but for quite a while he could see nothing. At last, however, he spied a pretty little nest in the fork of a limb and so low that he could look right down into it. John must have made some noise, because when he looked in he saw four little, wide-open red mouths, and that was about all. Of course, there were little half-naked bodies under the gaping mouths, but he couldn't see them, for each little bird was shaking his head about, stretching it up higher and higher and opening his mouth wider and wider. You see, to each little bird a rustling sound meant that the mother bird had come back with a bit of tasty breakfast in her mouth. When the wee babies found that they had made a mistake they closed their mouths, drew down their heads and packed themselves away so tightly that I'm sure they can't be cold while their mother is away."

5. _Be Intimate and Personal with Your Audience._ Express your opinion now and then as your own; interrupt the story occasionally (not often enough to spoil the interest) by asking for the ideas of the children.

Let them guess, sometimes, at the outcome of the story. Make them feel that they are an important part of the exercise. Sometimes they will help you wonderfully.

6. _Use Direct Discourse Wherever Possible._ Make your characters speak in their own words. Say, "John said, 'I saw the nest,'" rather than, "John said that he saw the nest."

7. _Keep the Climax Out of Sight as Long as Possible._ Curiosity is a large factor in interest, and if the children know "how the story is coming out" you are liable to lose their attention. However, you will find that some stories will prove such favorites to young children that they will call for the tales again and again. Occasionally small children are very particular about the way in which a story is repeated--there must be no deviations from the way in which it was first told. You may congratulate yourself on having told the story well, if the children ask for its repet.i.tion; and if they criticise your second telling you may know you did very well in your first attempt.

8. _Be Enthusiastic; Be Dramatic._ Throw yourself into the tale; _see_ what you are describing; _feel_ what your characters feel, and _enjoy_ the story itself. Speak distinctly; use clear, sympathetic tones; speak slowly or rapidly as the action demands, and use pauses effectively.

Don't be in a hurry. See that your face expresses your feelings, that your att.i.tudes are easy and your gestures appropriate and graceful. Act your part.