a clear notion of the story, which shows itself
in the child's free re-telling of the story as a whole. He may want to
tell the story or he may not. Usually he enjoys re-telling it after
some lapse of time; perhaps he tells it to himself, meanwhile. With
the older child, who analyzes more definitely, this results in a
retelling which actually reproduces the teller's mode of thinking. If
persisted in, it gives to one's mode of thinking, the _story-mode_,
just as nature study gives to life the nature point of view. This mode
of thinking is the _mode of re-creation_, of realization. It
re-experiences the life, it reaches the processes of the mind, and
develops free mind movement. It is a habit of thinking, and is at the
basis of reading, which is thinking through symbols; at the basis of
the memorization of poetry, which must first see the pictures the poet
has portrayed; it is the best help toward the adult study of
literature, and the narration of history and geography. It is the
power to conceive a situation, which is most useful in science,
mathematics, and the reasoning of logic. "For," says Professor John
Dewey, "the mind which can make independent judgments, look at facts
with fresh vision, and reach conclusions with simplicity, is the
perennial power in the world."

This re-creative method of fundamental imitation was illustrated in the
telling of Andersen's _Princess and the Pea_, in a student-teacher's
class:

The story was told by the Professor. After the telling of
the story it was decided to have the story told again, but
this time in parts and by those who had listened, in such a
way that it would seem as if one person were telling the
whole story.

The Professor named the first part of the story. A student
was asked to tell the story from _the beginning_ to the end
of _the Prince's coming home again, sad at heart_. Another
student told the second part, beginning with _the storm_ and
ending with _what the old Queen thought_. A third student
told the third part, beginning with _the next morning_ and
ending with the close of the story, _Now this is a true
story_.

The Professor next asked students to think over the entire
story, to see if each student could find any weak places in
the remembering of the story. Several students reported
difficulty--one failed to remember the exact description of
the storm. A number