Flora J. Cooke

“ The earth gave the tints of her fairest flowers, the sea brought great ribbons of silvery mist, the wind was the shuttle, the sky was the loom and the Sun himself was the weaver.
It is no wonder that the most beautiful thing in all the world is Iris’ bridge, the rainbow. ”

“ As the waves dashed the carriage against the shore Clytie awoke. She climbed out of the shell and sat down upon a large rock. She had never seen the trees and flowers.
She had never heard the birds chirping or the forest winds sighing.
[Pg 11] She had never known the perfume of the flowers or seen the dew on the grass.
In wonder, she saw a little boy and girl near her and heard them say, “Here it comes! Here it comes!”
As she looked away in the east she saw the glorious light that she had so longed for. In its midst, in a golden chariot, sat a wonderful king. ”

“ One day when Phaethon was telling his companions about his father, the sky king, they laughed and said, “How do you know that Helios is your father? You have never seen him. If, as you say, he cannot safely come nearer to the earth, why do you not sometimes go to his land.”
Phaethon answered, “My father’s throne is far away from this valley. My mother has promised that when I am stronger, I shall go to my father’s palace. I often watch his golden chariot roll by in its path and think perhaps some day I shall drive the glorious horses of the sun. ”

“ When the squirrel came to the forest and saw all the nuts she was much pleased.
She offered to carry the acorn to the very top of the tallest tree. The trees were all glad of this, for every one wanted to hear what he said.
When the acorn began to speak, even the wind stopped whispering and listened.
“Friends,” he said, “there must be no battle. The pine trees have only the same gift of fire that you have. To every tree that stretches out its arms the glorious sun gives this gift. ”

“ Demeter hastened to the great father Zeus, who could do all things.
She asked him to send to Hades for her daughter. Zeus called Hermes. He bade him go as swiftly as the wind to the home of Hades. Hermes whispered to everything on the way that he was going for Persephone so that all might be ready to welcome her back.
He soon arrived in the kingdom and gave Hades the message from Zeus. He told about the barren earth and of how Demeter was mourning for her child. He said she would not let anything grow until Persephone came back. The people must starve if she did not soon return. ”

“ When the morning star shone in the sky it was Daphne who awakened the birds and flowers.
With her golden hair flying behind her, she sped into the forest. Everything awoke when they felt the touch of her rosy fingers, and smiled as they saw her happy face.
[Pg 75] The trees and the forest animals were her playfellows, and she had no wish for other friends.
She learned their ways, and the deer could not run more swiftly than she, nor the birds sing more sweetly.
One day as she was running over the stones near the cave, King Apollo saw her.
“Ah, little maid,” said he, “You are very beautiful. ”

“ Shiva raised his hand, and the water rolled back from the shore. Safe among the rocks and seaweeds, the palm tree lay on dry land.
The little squirrel hastened to it; his tail was now high in the air. He found his wife and children dry and well in their house of woven grass-blades.
As they sang their welcomes to him, the geloori noticed with delight that each smooth little back was striped with marks of Shiva’s fingers.
This sign of love is still to be seen upon the back of chipmunks.
That is the reason why in India, good men never kill them. ”

“ She told the sorrowing Odin and his friends what she had done.
In their joy they found a new way to do Balder honor.
He stood in their midst while the most skillful heroes hurled their arrows at him.
At first, they threw only small twigs and pebbles.
Everything, however, had soon proved itself true to its promise.
Then the heroes lost all fear of harming him and threw their warlike weapons.
Balder stood unharmed and smiling among them.
Each day they met on the plain and in this sport proved the love of all things for him. ”

“ The Ocean said, “I cannot put a spring upon the mountain, but if you will follow my son, River, he will take you to a spring where he was born.”
The giant told the Ocean how the Sun ran away with White Cloud. The Sun heard him and was angry. He placed Sisyphus in the sea [Pg 35] saying, “You are far too strong to sit idly here upon the shore. You say you want a great work to do; you shall have it. You shall forever use your strength to push these stones upon the shore, and they shall forever roll back upon you.” ”

“ Nothing grew on the earth and all was dreary and barren.
Demeter said that she would do nothing until Persephone returned to her.
It was useless for the people to plow the soil.
It was useless to plant the seeds. Nothing could grow without the help of Demeter.
All the people were idle and sad.
When Demeter found no one on earth who could tell her about Persephone, she looked up toward the sky. There she saw Apollo in his bright chariot. He was not driving as high in the sky as he was wont to do. ”

“ She darted down to earth and carried his almost lifeless body to Zeus.
She begged the great king to promise that Tithonus should never die.
But alas, in her haste, she forgot to ask that he might forever remain young. Therefore he grew old and bent, and could no longer walk.
In misery, he begged to go back to the cool grass in the meadow where he had been so happy.
Aurora in pity said, “you shall go, my Tithonus. To make you happy is my dearest wish.
[Pg 23] “You shall be free from all care.
“You shall not be a man, lest you be compelled to work for your food in your old age. ”

“ NE summer night a great army of pine trees settled down in a quiet valley to rest. They were a tall, dark, grave-looking company.
They held their heads high in the air, for they were the only trees in the world who knew the wonderful secret of fire.
High above this valley, on the hillside, lived a little company of oaks.
They were young, brave, and strong-hearted.
When they saw the great band of pines marching into the valley, the tallest one said:
“Let us make them divide the gift of fire with us.”
“No,” said the oldest, wisest oak, “we must not risk, foolishly, the lives of our acorns. ”

“ Phaethon had always had one wish in his heart and said, “O, my father, let me drive the wonderful golden chariot of the sun for just one day.”
Helios shook his head sadly and said, “That is the one thing which you must not ask to do.
“You are my son, and I love you. For your own sake, I cannot let you do this. You have neither the strength nor the wisdom for the great work.
[Pg 41] “The first part of the way is very steep and rugged. In the middle part, even I dare not look below at the far stretching earth, and the last part is full of terrible dangers.” ”

“ The summer time came and the blossoms upon the cherry trees became rich, ripe fruit. But there was no joy in the emperor’s house.
His daughter, the gentle O Haru San, was ill. She grew paler and weaker each day. Physicians came from far and near, and shook their wise heads gravely.
When the emperor’s magician saw her, he said, “No one can heal such sickness. A charm falls upon her every night which steals away her strength. He alone can break the spell, who, with sleepless eyes, can watch beside her bedside until sunrise.” ”

“ THE PALACE OF ALKINOÖS.
N a high plain covered with flowers once lived good King Alkinoös and his gentle people, the Phaiakians.
They were great sailors and went about in silver ships without rudders or sails.
These wonderful ships went slowly or very fast just as the sailors wished.
For many years the Phaiakians were peaceful and happy.
Though they were as brave as they were gentle, they hated war.
Far below the Phaiakians, in a valley, lived a people larger, darker, fiercer than themselves.
These dark people cared for nothing so much as war and conquest. ”

“ They believed that long before they were born a race of giants had lived among the mountains.
At one time the giants grew angry with Zeus, their king, and wished to take his throne away from him.
There was a wise giant, named Prometheus, who begged them not to attempt to do this.
He tried to show them how foolish they were.
They would not listen to him. Zeus lived upon Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
The giants brought great rocks to this mountain and piled them up, higher and higher, until they reached the sky. ”

“ Wise men came from far and near, but they were never able to puzzle King Solomon.
He knew all the trees and plants.
He understood the beasts, fowls and creeping things almost as well as he did people.
The fame of his knowledge spread into all lands. In the south, the great Queen of Sheba heard of the wonderful wisdom of Solomon and said, “I shall test his power for myself.”
She picked some clover blossoms from the field and bade a great artist make for her, in wax, flowers, buds and leaves exactly like them. ”

“ And when we consider that here, too, is the key which unlocks so much of the best in art and literature, we feel that we cannot rank too highly the importance of the myth in the primary schoolroom.
For instance the child has been observing, reading, and writing about the sun, the moon, the direction of the wind, the trees, the flowers, or the forces that are acting around him. ”

“ We will all agree that myths and fables are usually beautiful truths clothed in fancy, and the dress is almost always simple and transparent.
Who can study these myths and not feel that nature has a new language for him, and that though the tales may be thousands of years old, they are quite as true as they were in the days of Homer. If the trees and the flowers, the clouds and the wind, all tell wonderful stories to the child he has [Pg 4] sources of happiness of which no power can deprive him. ”

“ The sky was full of beautiful pictures which were constantly changing.
The king had many daughters who were called swan maidens.
They were as graceful as swans and usually wore white featherlike dresses.
The swan maidens loved their good father and each one longed to help him in his work.
Sometimes the king saw that the grass was brown or the buds were not coming out.
Then he called the swan maidens to him and said, “My children, this must not be. There is nothing more beautiful in the kingdom than the [Pg 55] green grass and the trees. They need your care.” ”

“ She arose early in the morning and made ready the bread and butter for the little giants to eat while she was gone.
When she had finished her work it was not yet time to start upon her journey.
She said to herself, “My children are the best children in the world and they shall have a treat. I have many plums left from the Christmas feast. I will make them a plum pudding for a surprise.
The good woman brought together the plums which it had taken her many days to prepare with the help of all her children. Indeed she had emptied several mountain lakes to get water enough to wash them all. ”

“ No flowers breathed their perfumes into the air.
There was not a smile in all the world.
[Pg 87] Odin said, “This cannot be.
“Balder shall return. I, myself, will go and bring him from Hela’s dark regions.”
But Frigga had already sent a messenger to the spirit world to beg Queen Hela to release Balder.
While waiting for the messenger to return, the heroes were not idle.
For twelve days and nights they worked as only love can make men work. They did not pause for food nor rest. ”

“ They had a feast in the eagle’s honor, and healed his wounds with fairy magic.
On the mountain side, wherever the blood and [Pg 70] feathers fell, there sprang up trees with featherlike leaves and blood-red berries.
All the giants, fairies, plants and animals knew why they grew.
The unselfish love in the eagle’s blood could not die, but lived again in the beautiful trees.
But people who did not know how they came there, called them mountain ash trees.
[Pg 71]
PHILEMON AND BAUCIS.
N a high hill in Greece, long ago, lived Philemon and Baucis. ”

“ At the time of this story the people in the valley below them were very busy.
Zeus, their king, had sent word that he was about to visit them.
Hermes, his messenger, was to come with him.
The people were getting ready great feasts, and making everything beautiful for their coming. For miles out of the city, men were watching for the golden chariot and white horses of the king. ”

“ As she opened the gate for the children, the wise woman was seen to smile in the moonlight. The two little girls were never seen again at the foot of the hill. The next morning all over the hillside people saw beautiful, waving golden-rod and purple asters growing.
It has been said that these two bright flowers, which grow side by side, could tell the secret, if they would, of what became of the two little girls on that moonlight summer night.
[Pg 16]
THE WISE KING AND THE BEE.
ONG ago there lived in the East the greatest king in the world. ”

“ Many teachers, who firmly believe that reading should be something more than mere word-getting while the child’s reading habit is forming, are practically helpless without the use of a printing press. ”

“ She kindly advised her to accept her rare gift humbly.
“Be thankful that you are so fortunate, Arachne,” said she.
“You may give great happiness to others by your beautiful work.
“Queen Athena longs to help you.
“But I warn you. She can do no more for you until you grow unselfish and kind.”
Arachne scorned this advice and said again that [Pg 20] nothing would please her so much as to weave with Athena.
“If I fail,” she said, “I will gladly take the punishment, but Athena is afraid to weave with me.”
Then the old woman threw aside her cloak and said, “Athena is here. ”