Chapter VII · Memorizing
Reading edition
Whenever children are interested in any selection, it is well to encourage them to commit it to memory, if it be brief, or if they find in it phrases or sentences which seem to them beautiful or filled with meaning. If, however, the young people are driven to memorizing selections of any kind, the practice is of little value, and it is likely to create a prejudice against the very things for which they should feel admiration. By a show of interest, however, the parents may, without difficulty, lead the children to learn a great deal of the best literature, and thus not only strengthen their knowledge but improve their style of writing as well, for unconsciously the young will follow the style of those whom they admire. Moreover, it frequently happens that some of the inspiring thoughts which children have learned become rules of action to them in after life. If the practice is begun early enough children will form the habit of learning those things which they like, and such a habit is of greatest value. In many schools, during certain years, the learning of “memory gems” is a daily practice; it should be no less a practice at home.
Some of the many things in these books which may well be learned in their entirety are the following:
Volume I, page 66. A Thought.
Volume I, page 67. The Swing.
Volume I, page 83. Singing.
Volume I, page 110. Rain.
Volume I, page 133. Little Blue Pigeon.
Volume I, page 144. The Land of Counterpane.
Volume I, page 204. Sleep, Baby, Sleep.
Volume I, page 246. Norse Lullaby.
Volume I, page 262. Wynken, Blynken and Nod.
Volume I, page 339. The Owl and the Pussy Cat.
Volume I, page 340. Time to Rise.
Volume I, page 410. The Reaper and the Flowers.
Volume II, page 11. The Baby.
Volume II, page 32. Lullaby.
Volume II, page 123. Windy Nights.
Volume II, page 121. Shuffle-Shoon and Amber-Locks.
Volume II, page 87. Picture Books in Winter.
Volume II, page 119. Seven Times One.
Volume II, page 403. The First Snowfall.
Volume II, page 481. In Time’s Swing.
Volume III, page 347. Barbara Frietchie.
Volume IV, page 82. Footsteps of Angels.
Volume IV, page 126. Nearer Home.
Volume IV, page 127. Pictures of Memory.
Volume V, page 396. The American Flag.
Volume V, page 399. Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Volume VI, page 119. Annie Laurie.
Volume VI, page 122. Sweet and Low.
Volume VI, page 133. The Bugle Song.
Volume VII, page 1. The Daffodils.
Volume VII, page 4. To the Fringed Gentian.
Volume VII, page 340. Those Evening Bells.
Volume VII, page 395. To a Waterfowl.
While usually it is better to allow each person to learn the lines that most appeal to him, yet some help should be given children. No two people will select all of the same things, though probably all would agree on some few things as being of the highest excellence. Some lines should be learned because of their beauty in description, others because of beauty in phraseology, and still others because of beauty in sentiment. Search should be made, too, for those things which are inspirational, and which will be strong aids in the building of character.
We append a few pages of quotations taken at random from the volumes. They will prove handy when the parent or teacher is pressed for time, and the references to volume and page will enable the busy person readily to find the context, if that seems desirable.
The quotations below are arranged in the order of their appearance in Journeys Through Bookland. This will enable anyone to locate them easily. The lines cover a wide range of thought and will furnish an endless variety of material for stories, comment, question and conversation. Some of them cannot be appreciated without a knowledge of their setting in the original poem or prose selection, while others are complete and perfect as they stand.
One of the best ways to teach a poem or selection is to begin by creating an interest in a quotation from it. For instance, “Write me as one who loves his fellow men,” will lead the way to an acquaintance with the old favorite Abou Ben Adhem. In fact, only after the poem has been read and appreciated will a person get the full force of the idea, “Write me as one who loves his fellow men.”