riters have tried to recapture some of the power of the folk tale by
imitating its method. In many cases they have had a fair degree of
success: in one case, that of Hans Christian Andersen, the success is
admittedly very complete. As a rule, however, the sharpness of the sense
of wonder has been blunted, and many imitators of the old fairy tale
succeed in keeping only the shell. Another class of modern fantastic
tale is that of the _pourquoi_ story, which has the explanation of
something as its object. Such tales grow out of the attempt to use the
charm of old stories as a means of conveying instruction, somewhat after
the method of those parents who covered up our bitter medicine with some
of our favorite jam. Even "Little Red Riding Hood," as we saw, has been
turned into a flower myth. So compelling is this pedagogical motive that
so-called nature myths have been invented or made from existing stories
in great numbers. The practical results please many teachers, but it may
be questioned whether the gain is sufficient to compensate children for
the distorting results upon masterpieces.

_Wide range of the modern fairy tale._ The bibliography will suggest
something of the treasures in the field of the modern fanciful story.
From the delightful nonsense of _Alice in Wonderland_ and the
"travelers' tales" of _Baron Munchausen_ to the profound seriousness of
_The King of the Golden River_ and _Why the Chimes Rang_ is a far cry.
There are the rich fancies of Barrie and Maeterlinck, at the same time
delicate as the promises of spring and brilliant as the fruitions of
summer. One may be blown away to the land of Oz, he may lose his shadow
with Peter Schlemihl, he may outdo the magic carpet with his
Traveling-Cloak, he may visit the courts of kings with his Wonderful
Chair; Miss Muffet will invite us to her Christmas party, Lemuel
Gulliver will lead us to lands not marked in the school atlas; on every
side is a world of wonder.

_Some qualities of these modern tales._ Every age produces after its own
fashion, and we must expect to find the modern user of the fairy-story
method expressing through it the qualities of his own outlook upon the
world. Interest in the picturesque aspects of landscape will be
emphasized, as in the early portions of "The Story of Fairyfoot" and,
with especial magnificence of style, throughout _The King of the Golden
River_. There will appear the saddened mood of the modern in the face of
the human m