This book is intended for use in all grades of elementary schools, the method of presentation varying with the age of the pupils. It has been welcomed even by pupils in higher schools, because easily familiarizing them with myths and characters that figure so largely in the literary texts with which they are to deal.

In the first and second grades the teachers should read or tell some of the stories to the pupils, thus satisfying the demand of children for a story, and preparing the way for an appreciation of literature. The pupils should retell the stories, thus enriching their vocabulary and learning to express thought clearly, easily, consecutively, and confidently,—a power so much needed and so valuable to citizens of a republic.

Some of the poems, as “Daybreak,” “The Moss Rose,” “Forget-me-not,” “Sweet and Low,” “The Child’s World,” etc., should be memorized. If this work has been well done in these grades, the pupils of third and fourth grades will enjoy reading the stories, continuing the reciting of myth and poem. The pictures that so well illustrate the myths should be studied and described. In these classes and in the grammar grades the stories should be written and the poems reproduced accurately, serving as valuable lessons in form, in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The reproduction of the myth and poem both orally and in written papers is an exercise whose value cannot be overestimated.

Ä´bou bĕn Äd´hem (ä´bōō)
A c̵hĭl´lēs̝
A dō´nis
Æ ō´li a
Æ ō´li an Īs´lands̝
Æ´o lus
A pŏl´lo
Aq´ui lo (ăk´wi lo)
A răc̵h´ne
A ri´on
Ăth´ens̝
Au rō´ra

Bō´re as

Cæ´s̝ar Au gŭs´tus
C̵al lï´o pe
Cẽr´be rus
Cē´rēs̝
C̵hā´ron
C̵lē´on
C̵lī´o
C̵lȳ´tie
C̵ŏl i sē´um
C̵ŏr´inth
C̵ō´rus
C̵ū´pid
Cȳ´c̵lops
Cy̆g´nus
Cy̆n´thi a

Dăph´ne
Di ā´na
Drȳ´ads̝

Ec̵h´o
En dy̆m´i on
Ep i mē´the us
Ĕr´a to
Ē´ris
Ĕt´na
Eu rō´pa
Eū´rus
Eu ry̆d´i ce
Eu tẽr´pe

Flō´ra
Flŏr´ence
Frĭg´ga

Găn y mē´de

Hā´dēs̝
Hē´be
He li´a dēs̝
Hẽr´c̵u lēs̝
Hẽr´mēs̝
Hes pē´ri a
Hes pĕr´i dēs̝
Hēs´pe rus
Hi a wä´tha
Hō´mer

Ī´ris
Ĭt´a ly
Ĭth´a c̵a
Ī´da

Jā´nus
Jōve
Jūli us Cæ´s̝ar
Jū´no
Jū´pi ter

Kä´be yun
Ka bi bon ŏk´ka

La tō´na
Lē´da
Lĭp´ar i Īs´lands̝
Louvre (lōōvr)

Mā´i a
Märs̝
Mē´los
Mel pŏm´e ne
Mĕm´non
Mẽr´cu ry
Mĭ nẽr´va
Mud je kēē´wis

Nā´iads̝ (yādz)
Nar cĭs´sus
Nĕp´tūne
Nē´re ids̝
Nĭ´o be
No kō´mis
Nō´tus

O ce ăn´ids̝ (she)
Oc tā´vi us Cæs̝ar
Ō´din
O ly̆m´pus
Ō´re ads̝
O rī´on
Ôr´phe us

Păl´las A thē´ne
Pan dō´ra
Păr´is
Par năs´sus
Pär´the non
Per i ăn´der
Per sĕph´o ne
Phā´ë thon
Phœ´bus (fē)
Pi ĕr´ i dēs̝
Pī´e rus
Plē´ia dēs̝ (yȧ)
Plū´to
Pō
Pol y hy̆m´ni a
Po mō´na
Pro mē´the us
Psȳ´c̵he (sȳ´)

Rōme

Sæ´ter
Sha won dä´see
Sĭb´y̆ls
Sĭc´i ly
Sĭ´rens̝
Sty̆x

Ta rĕn´tum
Tẽrp sĭc̵h´o re
Tha lĭ´a
Thēbes̝
Thē´tis
Thôr
Ti thō´nus
Tiw (tū)
Tri´tons̝
Troy

U ly̆s´sĕs̝
U rā´ni a

Val´en tīne
Vē´nus
Vẽr´gil
Vĕs´ta
Vŭl´c̵an

Wa bäs´so
Wä´bun
Wä´bun-An´nung
Wō´den

Zĕph´y̆ rus (zĕf´)

The Greeks lived much in the open air, and dearly loved the trees, the flowers, the birds, the sea and sky.

They watched the clouds floating in the beautiful azure dome, sometimes in long lines like soldiers, sometimes looking like great curly white feathers, and sometimes piled high like mountains of snow.

They saw the sun rise, coloring the clouds and awakening all things on the earth; and they watched him sink in the western sky, flooding the heavens with brilliant hues.

In the quiet night, they saw the lovely stars come, one by one at first, and then in such numbers that their eyes were dazzled, and they thought of God and of the beauty of His works.

They listened to the carols of the birds and they believed that the brooks, the trees, and the flowers could talk to men.

In addition to its four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the year is divided into twelve months. Long ago, there were but ten months, and the first month was March. But when January and February were added, the year had twelve months, and January, the second month of the winter season, is now called the first month of the year.

“Month” and “moon” come from a word which means “to measure.” It takes the earth three hundred and sixty-five days, or a year, to revolve around the sun. The moon revolves around the earth about twelve times in one year; so the moon is the measurer of the year, and the twelve periods we call months.

From Janus, a Roman god, comes the name of the first month of the year. Janus is the two-headed god. A temple of this divinity was placed at the city gate of Rome. His statue had one face looking toward the city and one beyond the gate. The month of January stands at the gateway of the year, with one face looking toward the past and one toward the future.

Our second month, February, receives its name from a Latin word which means “to purify,” for in this month the people used to purify their homes and offer sacrifices to the gods, who love order and cleanliness.