writing.

If the story is brief there may be but one scene. Everything may happen
in one place, and none of the surroundings may change. For instance, in
the fable of _The Dog and His Shadow_ (Volume I, page 63) there is but
one incident, which happens in one place. Such a simple story, however,
furnishes the material for a good picture, and in bringing it out to a
child who reads or hears the fable for the first time, the parent is
giving good service that will lead to keener appreciation and higher
power of interpretation in his child's later years. What can be made out
of this picture, and how should it be done? Let us see:

The fable is told in simple words, and only plain facts are stated. What
are the elements of our picture? We can find only six, viz.: a big dog;
a big piece of meat; day; a river; a narrow bridge; the dog's image. Now
if we were to draw a picture to illustrate this fable we would begin
with a general sketch. Should we show a level country, or are there
hills about? Is it barren and desolate, or are there trees? Are there
houses near? Where did the dog get his meat? Is it a large river, or
only a small one? The bridge is narrow; has it a railing along the side?
Would the dog be liable to see his image if it was a wagon bridge? Was
it then a mere foot bridge? Would a single plank across a small stream
answer the purpose? The dog is big; is it a dog that knows and likes the
water? Would you think it could be a Newfoundland dog? What kind of a
dog is it? It is day time; is the sun shining? Do you imagine it is
morning or noon, or that it is toward evening? In making your pictures
would you draw the trees to show the leaves blown by the wind? If the
dog sees his image, is the water smooth or rough? Is the stream rapid
and rough, or smooth and placid?

While such questioning is going on both speaker and listener are seeing
more clearly every minute. Besides, in order to see accurately they are
drawing on their own previous knowledge and experience, and are
reasoning just as truly as though they were solving a problem in
arithmetic.

In every picture we form in our reading there are certain elements that
we must accept and include because the writer gives them to us. Other
elements suggest themselves, and we accept them and put them in place or
reject them entirely. In the fable just discussed we are told that the
dog is big, the piece of meat is big, and the bridge is narrow. We may
not see a smal