FOR THE

EIGHTH GRADE

BY

CLARENCE F. CARROLL

FORMERLY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

AND

SARAH C. BROOKS

FORMERLY PRINCIPAL OF THE TEACHERS' TRAINING SCHOOL,

PREFACE

WHILE preparing this book, the authors have made a serious effort to maintain a certain standard of literary excellence which would, at the same time, not transcend the ability of the eighth-grade pupil. In the earlier books of this series, the student has come into frequent contact with specimens of the best writing, and the acquaintance thus formed should now become a more discriminating appreciation of the masterpieces of our language. Many of the leading English and American writers, and a few foreign authors, are represented in this book by characteristic extracts from their works. The contents include a wide range of topics, and it is safe to assert that the student who makes an intelligent study of this Reader will develop a true appreciation of the real beauties of literature. Moreover, in view of the character of the selections used, it is only reasonable to expect that this Reader should prove an adequate introduction to the more mature study of English and American literature which the High School course will afford. At the same time, literary excellence has in no case been subordinated to interest. Each selection, it is hoped, will not only satisfy those literary instincts already developed, but cultivate new tastes and broader sympathies.

In pursuance of their desire to make this Reader as valuable as possible, the authors have included, in addition to the customary explanatory notes of difficult words and phrases, "interpretative hints, " which are designed to assist the pupil in gaining an intelligent understanding of the less obvious meanings and of literary and historical

allusions. A feature which, it is believed, should enhance the interest, as well as the value of the book, is the characterization of the author preceding each selection. These passages aim to give, though necessarily within a small compass, a short biographical sketch and a brief appreciation of each author's place in literature.

For the use of copyright material in this Reader, the authors take pleasure in acknowledging their indebtedness to the following: Messrs. Little, Brown and Company for "The Death of the Dauphin," by Alphonse Daudet, from "Letters from My Mill" (Copyright, 1899, 1900, by Little, Brown and Company); Messrs. Charles Scribner's Sons for "Plain Fishing," by Frank R. Stockton, from "Amos Kilbright"; Houghton Mifflin Company for "The Singing Leaves," by James Russell Lowell; "Centennial Hymn," by John Greenleaf Whittier; "Dislikes," by Oliver Wendell Holmes, from "The Poet at the Breakfast Table"; "The Ladder of St. Augustine," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; "The Snow Storm," by Ralph Waldo Emerson; Messrs. Dodd, Mead and Company for "The Road-Waterer," by Jerome K. Jerome, from "Three Men on Wheels"; Messrs. Doubleday Page and Company for "War," by Carl S. Schurz, from his "Reminiscences"; John Lane Company for "The Roman Road," by Kenneth Grahame, from "The Golden Age"; Thomas Y. Crowell Company for "The Good Bishop and Jean Valjean," by Victor Hugo, from "Les Miserables," translated by Isabel F. Hapgood.

THE AUTHORS.