guide the teacher, the mother, the father, and the librarian, in
choosing the tale for the little child.

Fairy tales must contain what interests children. It is a well-known
principle that selective interest precedes voluntary attention;
therefore interest is fundamental. All that is accomplished of
permanent good is a by-product of the enjoyment of the tale. The tale
will go home only as it brings joy, and it will bring joy when it
secures the child's interest. Now interest is the condition which
requires least mental effort. And fairy tales for little children must
follow that great law of composition pointed out by Herbert Spencer,
which makes all language consider the audience and the economy of the
hearer's attention. The first step, then, is to study the interests of
the child. We do not wish to give him just what he likes, but we want
to give him a chance to choose from among those things which he ought
to have and, as good and wise guardians, see that we offer what is in
harmony with his interests. Any observation of the child's interest
will show that he loves the things he finds in his fairy tales. He
enjoys--

_A sense of life_. This is the biggest thing in the fairy
tales, and the basis for their universal appeal. The little
child who is just entering life can no more escape its
attraction than can the aged veteran about to leave the
pathway. The little pig, Whitie, who with his briskly
curling tail goes eagerly down the road to secure, from the
man who carried a load of straw, a bit with which to build
his easily destructible house; Red Riding Hood taking a pot
of jam to her sick grandmother; Henny Penny starting out on
a walk, to meet with the surprise of a nut falling on her