ct, may be grouped under the two
general heads of poetry and prose. At first thought the difference
between the two seems wide and unmistakable. Poetry differs from prose
not only in form, but also in rhythm, music, beauty and sentiment. The
former is usually more figurative, and aims to stimulate the imagination
more keenly and to enthral the feelings more completely. Upon a closer
consideration it is seen that poetry and good prose have much in common,
and that often it is really but a question of form, for lyric beauty
glows in the phrases of our finest prose, and both heart and soul are
moved by its powerful appeals.

There are narratives and arguments in both poetry and prose, and essays
in the form of both. For this reason our general method of study may be
the same for both, except when form alone is considered.

The simplest and most universal form of literature is found in the
catchy little nursery rhymes which the children of the nation learn at
their cradles from the lips of their elders. In these, if careful search
be made, may be found most of the elements which in broader and more
complex forms appear in the favorite selections of maturer years.
Following the nursery rhymes appear the fables, fairy tales, myths and
legends that have formed the literature of earlier races and have come
down to us to be amplified and placed in modern form for the children of
this age.

It has been said that in every child is seen the history of the race,
and that from infancy to manhood he typifies every stage of progress the
race has seen. In early years he loves the fables where animals speak,
feel and act like human beings; for in former times mankind believed the
fables to be truth. A child peoples his world with fairies, good and
bad, and believes in the limitless power of magic. A little later he
loves the deeds of the legendary heroes and revels in the marvelous acts
of the more than human beings in whom the ancients believed. Later the
stirring adventures of the real heroes of discovery and exploration, the
heroic exploits of warriors on land and sea, and the courageous acts of
noble men and women in every walk in life appeal to him; while still
later, real history seizes the imagination of the youth, who now looks
for the causes of things and learns to trace out their effects. He
learns to reason and to separate truth from falsehood. Casting aside
the wild tales of boyhood, he gathers up instead the facts of life