ol and Society_. University of Chicago Press.

"Fairy Tales," _Public Libraries_, 1906, vol. 11, pp. 175-78.

Palmer, Luella: "Standard for Kindergarten Training,"
_Kindergarten Review_, June, 1914.

Welsh, Charles: _Right Reading for Children_. Heath.

CHAPTER II

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION FOR FAIRY TALES

All our troubles come from doing that in which we have no
interest.--EPICTETUS.

That is useful for every man which is conformable to his own
constitution and nature.--MARCUS AURELIUS.

Genuine interest means that a person has identified himself
with, or found himself in, a certain course of activity. It
is obtained not by thinking about it and consciously aiming
at it, but by considering and aiming at the conditions that
lie back of it, and compel it.--JOHN DEWEY.

I. THE INTERESTS OF CHILDREN

Now that the value of fairy tales in education has been made clear,
let us consider some of those principles of selection which should
guide the teacher, the mother, the father, and the librarian, in
choosing the tale for the little child.

Fairy tales must contain what interests children. It is a well-known
principle that selective interest precedes voluntary attention;
therefore interest is fundamental. All that is accomplished of
permanent good is a by-product of the enjoyment of the tale. The tale
will go home only as it brings joy, and it will bring joy when it
secures the child's interest. Now interest is the condition which
requires least mental effort. And fairy tales for little children must
follow that great law of composition pointed out by Herbert Spencer,
which makes all language consider the audience and the economy of the
hearer's attention. The first step, then, is to study the interests of
the child. We do not wish to give him just what he likes, but we want
to give him a chance to choose from among those things which he ought
to have and, as good and wise guardians, see that we offer what is in
harmony with his interests. Any observation of the child's interest
will show that he loves the things he finds in his fairy tales. He
enjoys--

_A sense of life_. This is the biggest thing in the fairy
tales, and the basis for their universal appeal. The little
child who is just entering life can no more escape its
attraction than can the aged veteran about to leave the
pathway. The little pig, Wh