e.

Improbable stories and those presenting impossible or unreal things are
not necessarily bad; in fact they are often good and distinctly
serviceable. No matter how true they appear to a child, the time comes
when he rejects them as impossible, although he may always be indebted
to them for keen pleasure and the awakening of his imagination. Belief
in the myth of Santa Claus never destroyed a child's love and respect
for his parents; faith in the unlimited power of good fairies never
made a child less able to recognize the laws of nature. It is the
halfway truths that are troublesome; it is the little misrepresentations
not liable to be detected that may permanently deceive.

To understand the good and the true, to discriminate between the bad and
the false, to find pleasure that shall awaken, enliven and inspire, to
arouse curiosity and interest in wider, more thoughtful and helpful
study, are some of the important aims of story-reading.

Purposeful reading on the part of children may be brought about by
direct instruction from parent or teacher or it may be acquired by the
child through his own efforts. Manifestly the former is the really
efficient way and its efficiency may be increased if it is carried on
systematically. The following outline will assist those who have
children in charge to do their part easily and in the best manner.

In reading any story there are several things to be considered if one is
to get the most out of it. These things are mentioned in natural order
in the outline, each item of which will be treated at length in the
pages immediately following.

In reading stories consider:

Primarily,
A. The Plot.
B. The Persons.
C. The Scenes.
Secondarily,
D. The Lesson.
E. The Author's Purpose.
F. The Method and Style of the Author.
G. Emotional Power.

In the volumes of _Journeys Through Bookland_, intended as they are for
reading by children, it was not thought wise to make the studies
extensive nor to attach much comment to the selections, lest the young
readers weary of the task or neglect it entirely. In this volume a
different case confronts us and we put the discussions on a higher
plane. If these suggestions are used in the instruction of children,
some care in adaptation will be necessary. The age and sex of the
children, their advancement in their studies, their surroundings at home
and in school, will all need to be taken into account in determi