LITERATURE 



CHAPTER I 



GENERAL THOUGHTS ON LITERATURE FOR ELE- 

 MENTARY SCHOOLS 



To prepare the child for life is the aim of education. He 

 who knows how to read, and who desires to read valuable 

 and instructive books has gained a great part of his educa- 

 tion. 



A course in literature for grammar grades should tend to 

 produce in the pupil the desire to read, the ability to under- 

 stand accurately what is read, a familiarity with books that 

 will result in discrimination in buying or in selecting reading 

 from the shelves of libraries. None of these aims may be 

 actually attained, but as potentialities they are worth striv- 

 ing for long and earnestly. 



In this education there are three personal factors: the 



parent, the teacher, the child. The parent in the home is 



the mainspring. Where it is possible for 



Factors ^im to provide suitable books for his child, 



to direct his selections, and to encourage 



acquisitions in various lines of thought, there need be little 



fear for the future reading. Home impulses and training, 





