the fine Homeric heroes. His
achievement of a home is a mastery that pleases children. And the
message of the tale, which after all, is its chief worth--that there
ought to be room in the world for the aged and the worn out, and that
"The guilty flee when no man pursueth"--appeals to their compassion
and their good sense. The variety of noises furnished by the different
characters is a pleasing repetition with variation that is a special
element of humor; and the grand chorus of music leaves no doubt as to
the climax. We must view life with these four who are up against the
facts of life, and whose lot presents a variety of contrast. The
Donkey, incapacitated because of old age, had the courage to set out
on a quest. He met the Dog who could hunt no longer, stopping in the
middle of the road, panting for breath; the Cat who had only stumps
for teeth, sitting in the middle of the road, wearing an unhappy heart
behind a face dismal as three rainy Sundays; and the Rooster who just
overheard the cook say he was to be made into soup next Sunday,
sitting on the top of the gate crowing his last as loud as he could
crow. The Donkey, to these musicians he collected, spoke as a leader
and as a true humorist.

In a simple tale like _The Bremen Town Musicians_ it is surprising how
much of interest can develop: the adventure in the wood; the motif of
some one going to a tree-top and seeing from there a light afar off,
which appears in _Hop-o'-my-Thumb_ and in many other tales; the
example of cooeperation, where all had a unity of purpose; an example
of a good complete short-story form which illustrates introduction,
setting, characters and dialogue--all these proclaim this one of the
fine old stories. In its most dramatic form, and to Jacobs its most
impressive one, it appears in the Celtic tales as _Jack and His
Comrades_. It may have been derived from _Old Sultan_, a Grimm tale
which is somewhat similar to _The Wolf and the Hungry Dog_, in
Steinhowel, 1487. _How Jack Sought His Fortune_ is an English tale of
cooeperation which is similar but not nearly so pleasing. A Danish tale
of cooperation, _Pleiades_, is found in Lansing's _Fairy Tales_. _How
Six Traveled Through the World_ is a Grimm tale which, though suited
to older children, contains the same general theme.

Very many of the tales suited to kindergarten children which have been
mentioned in various chapters, contain a large element of humor. The
nonsense drolls are a ty