The Goose Quill By Louise Robinson First Assistant in Charge, Louisa M. Alcott School PREFACE A COMMITTEE of Boston teachers was appointed by the Superintendent for the purpose of suggesting and contributing material for a Third Grade Syllabus. About fifteen hundred copies of the Syllabus were printed. As chairman of the English committee and as editor of the Syllabus, it has been my wish that this contribution to the teaching of English might find its way outside of Boston and into the hands of many teachers throughout the country. In order to extend the work still further, I have adapted and enlarged the lessons contained in the Syllabus, and I have made numerous additions and some changes with the idea of creating a book that can be used independently by the children. I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to Miss Katharine H. Shute, Head of the English Department of the Boston Normal School, for her advice and inspiration, and to the following authors and publishers for the use of copyrighted material: C. W. Bardeen for "There's a Wonderful Tree" from "The Arbor Day Manual"; Little, Brown and Company for "September" and "October's Bright Blue Weather" by Helen Hunt Jackson; Houghton Mifflin Company for "The Wise Fairy" by Alice Cary, and for "The Vision of Sir Launfal" by James Russell Lowell; Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for "The Spotted Turtle" from "Our Dumb Animals"; Mary E. McDowell for "The Civic Creed." THE AUTHOR. THE GOOSE QUILL ONCE there were no steel pens. When a person wished to write, he borrowed a long feather from the old gray goose, sharpened the feather at one end to a fine point, and dipped it into the ink! The The goose feather, or quill, was not an easily managed tool, but people took pride to form their letters carefully · and neatly. It was necessary then, as it is now, and always will be, to think well and to talk well, before trying to write well. Writing is more difficult than talking, for in writing you must watch your spelling and penmanship, and you must remember to use capitals, margins, and punctuation marks. I have named this book "The Goose Quill." Through its pages I hope you may learn to see the beautiful everywhere; to listen to what others may say; to remember what you hear; and to share your thoughts with those about you; for the more you practice the art of talking correctly, the earlier will you gain the power to use language well. In |