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CHISWICK PRESS :-C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO, TOOKS COURT,

CHANCERY LANE.

PREFACE.

THIS, the first of a series of three books of poetry compiled for use in the elementary schools, is intended for children between the ages of seven and nine.

Though specially designed for children of the elementary schools, it will, I think, be found in the main suitable to children of all classes.

I have found great difficulty in collecting poetry of merit for this book. Few writers of note have descended to the intellectual level of children of such an age as I have specified, and I have been debarred, either by a question of copyright or otherwise, from including the work of some of these. I regret that I have not been able to preserve greater uniformity as regards the standard of merit my excuse is, that I have, in some cases, been obliged to sacrifice style to matter, whilst in others I have reluctantly been compelled to reject poetry of considerable merit, because it contained thoughts, images, or expressions beyond the comprehension of such children as those I have had in view. I have been guided in my choice by children's appreciation of the difficulties and general sense of a poem.

My aims have been to interest and amuse the reader, and to cultivate the faculties of sympathy and imagination: bearing in mind, however, the pressing need which exists in the elementary schools for facilitating

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the acquirement of fluency in reading, and adding to the child's vocabulary, I have subordinated the firstmentioned aims to the last, in the belief that the best way of insuring progress in reading is, to create in the child's mind a desire to read certain books on account of the pleasure to be derived therefrom. It is hoped that this book may be acceptable as a class-book, and that thus more variety may be afforded in readinglessons.

and

The poems are arranged in order of difficulty, with regard to variety of subject: all poems of a purely religious character are placed together at the end of the book. I have taken the liberty of omitting portions of certain poems which would otherwise have been too long, or not suited to the purpose of the collection.

I would here tender my thanks to those who have given me permission to include in this selection certain of their poems (the authorship of which is acknowledged in the book), and to Messrs. G. Routledge and Sons, Thomas Nelson and Sons, Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Messrs. Murby, and Messrs. W. and R. Chambers, for their courtesy in granting me permission to include pieces of which they have the copyright.

London, September, 1881.

E. A. HELPS.

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