STORY-TELLING 



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STORY-TELLING 



manner, and they resent passively, if not ac- 

 tively, the honeyed voice and the "Now my 

 dear little children" attitude. 



Be Graphic. The story-teller should have 

 vividly before her mind the pictures in the 

 story, and should present these as clearly and 

 directly as possible. Too much thought of the 

 words in which the story is being told works 

 against this graphicness. 



Watch the Audience. Anyone who watches 

 her audience, particularly if that audience be 

 composed of children, can tell instantly whether 

 or not she is pressing her points home. If the 



eyes cling to hers and every expression of her 

 face is mirrored unconsciously in theirs, she 

 has no need to fear she is in a fair way to 

 become a successful story-teller and is going to 

 enjoy her experiences. 



Will to Succeed. There exists between the 

 teller of the story and the listeners an unex- 

 plainable subtle connection which seems almost 

 hypnotic. If the teller thoroughly enjoys a 

 story herself and wills with all her might that 

 her hearers shall enjoy it, she is likely to see 

 a responsive, satisfied look appearing in the 

 faces of the listeners. A.MCC. 



Stories to Tell 



The following stories have all been found to 

 appeal to children. They cover a wide range 

 the fable, the nature story, the supernatural 

 tale but they all possess that something which 

 children love. The arrangement is by seasons 

 four for spring telling, three for summer, four 

 for autumn and three for winter. At the close 

 is given a supplementary list of stories, simi- 

 larly grouped. 



SPRING STORIES 

 The Wind and the Sun 



One spring day a dispute arose between the 

 Wind and the Sun as to which was the stronger. 

 As they were quarreling they saw a traveler walk- 

 ing along the road, with a great cloak thrown 

 about his shoulders. 



"Now we may make trial of our strength," de- 

 clared the Wind ; "let us both try with all our 

 might, and the one who can compel the traveler 

 to take off his coat shall be acknowledged the 

 more powerful." 



"Agreed," said the Sun. "Let the contest be- 

 gin." 



The Wind began by sending a furious blast 

 that nearly snatched the coat away, but the shiv- 

 ering traveler clutched it the more tightly and 

 drew it about him. The Wind puffed and tugged, 

 and even brought a storm of rain and hail to 

 help him, but the more it stormed, the more 

 closely did the traveler wrap his cloak around 

 him. Finally the Wind admitted that he could 

 not get it away, and sank down, defeated. 



Then the Sun took his turn. He drove away 

 the clouds the Wind had scattered and shone with 

 all his brightest beams on the man's shoulders. 

 Hotter and hotter it grew until the traveler was 

 really uncomfortable. He unfastened his coat, 

 and then, as the sun never stopped shining, he 

 threw it back, and finally took it off and ran 

 hastily into the shade. The Sun had won by gen- 

 tleness what the Wind could not win by force. 



The Ugly Duckling 



It was glorious in the country ; it was summer ; 

 the cornfields were yellow, the oats were green, 

 the hay had been put up in stacks in the green 

 meadows, and the Stork went about on his long, 



red legs, and chattered Egyptian, for this was 

 the language he had learned from his mother. 

 All around the fields and meadows were great 

 woods, and in the midst of these woods, deep 

 lakes. Yes, it was right glorious in the country. 



In the midst of the sunshine there lay an old 

 farm, with deep canals about it ; and from the 

 wall dawn to the water grew great burdocks, so 

 high that little children could stand upright under 

 the tallest of them. It was just as wild there as 

 in the deepest wood, and here sat a Duck upon 

 her nest ; she had to hatch her Ducklings ; but 

 she was almost tired out before the little ones 

 came, and she seldom had visitors. The other 

 ducks liked better to swim about in the canals 

 than to run up to sit under a burdock and gabble 

 with her. 



At last one eggshell after another burst open. 

 "Pip ! pip !" each cried, and in all the eggs there 

 were little things that stuck out their heads. 



"Quack ! quack !" said the Duck, and they all 

 came quacking out as fast as they could, looking 

 all around them under the green leaves ; and the 

 mother let them look as much as they liked, for 

 green is good for the eye. 



"How wide the world is !" said all the young 

 ones ; for they certainly had much more room 

 now than when they were inside the eggs. 



"D'ye think this is all the world?" said the 

 mother. "That stretches far across the other 

 side of the garden, quite into the parson's field ; 

 but I have never been there yet. I hope you 

 are all together," and she stood up. "No, I have 

 not all. The largest egg still lies there. How 

 long is that to last? I am really tired of it." 

 And so she sat down again. 



"Well, how goes it?" asked an old Duck who 

 had come to pay her a visit. 



"It takes a long time for this one egg," said 

 the Duck who sat there. "It will not open. Now, 

 only look at the others ! They are the prettiest 

 little Ducks I ever saw. They are all like their 

 father ; the rogue, he never comes to see me." 



"Let me see the egg which will not burst," 

 said the old Duck. "You may- be sure it is a 

 turkey's egg. I was once cheated in that way, 

 and had much care and trouble with the young 

 ones, for they are afraid of the water. Must I 

 say it to you? I could not make them go in. I 

 quacked, and I clacked, but it was no use. Let 



