The contrast between the two lists of favorite books is very evident, especially between the columns of first favorites.

With but few exceptions the books chosen by the boys deal with physical activities of various sorts. Religion, love, homelife, are practically ignored. Courage and daring are almost the only moral qualities which appeal to the boys. The emotions concerned are those connected with quick and daring action.

The girls, on the other hand, choose books which appeal to the emotions, especially the sombre emotions, as pity; to the social, religious, and moral interests. On the whole, the boys' list appeals to one as more wholesome.

In the girls' list ten male authors are represented: Henty having five books, the others one each. In the boys' list are found but four female authors, with one book each. The girls' list contains 29 authors; the boys 19. In both respects the boys' tastes are less catholic, or rather, perhaps, more specialized.

Lobsien, in his "Kind und Kunst," obtains similar results. He had his subjects write down the names of the books they had read and also the names of their favorite books. In both lists he finds that the girls surpass the boys considerably in the number of books. (44:61.)

He showed his subjects a picture of a boy with a bird and its young ones. The girls were touched because the boy does not harm the bird, because he looks so pitifully, because the mother bird begs so hard for its poor young ones, because they are not able to see the anxiety of the mother bird. The boys are rather enthusiastic because the little bird has courage, that it defends the little ones from the big boy, that it does not fly away, that it dares to abuse the enemy. (41:85.)

In the same picture the girls see a bird begging; and the boys, a bird abusing. The difference is evidently one of habitual apperception, based probably on the fundamental emotional life.

The following is his list of favorite books, leaving out those which received only one or two choices and do not seem sig

nificant. The figures for the different grades will be left out except where they seem specially significant. The figures for the girls are to be found on the right; for the boys on the left.

The German children are younger than the children or rather youths of this study, so we cannot expect to find exact correspondence. It will be noticed that Robinson Crusoe is a greater favorite with the former. It might seem surprising that the girls here surpass the boys. The liking is, however, probably based on different interests, the boys probably on love of adventure and travel to distant countries, the girls, perhaps, to their pity for one left alone. It will be seen that this is a strong feminine trait. "Seeabenteur," it will be noted, appeals to four boys, but none of the girls.

The love of the "Märchenbuch" is stronger with the girls than the boys and decreases much faster with age in the case of the latter. Is interest in the occult, mysterious, the differentiating factor?

The love of "Indiangeschichte" increases as preference for "Märchen" decreases with the boys. The girls show no liking for Indiangeschichte." It is the same with "Sagen," "Burenkrieg," and "Seeabenteur."

Three times as many girls as boys prefer the Bible.

In general it will be seen that the interests of the boys are predominantly motor, and strenuously so. The love of "Realienbuch" would also seem to be characteristic. (41:52.)

Lillian H. Chalmers, in her question as to the favorite literature in childhood, got the following results, leaving out nonessentials. (16.)

The motor character of the boys' interests is here evident. It is hard to explain the preponderance of nature stories in the girls' selections. The entire absence of adventure stories from the girls' list may have something to do with it.

3. TESTS OF INTERESTS BY TITLES OF STORIES.

In this test each subject was asked to write out a list of three titles for stories they would like to write. This was given after they had written two series of stories, in the expectation that stories would be written with these titles.

The results are presented above in tabular form (pp. 178-179): The main points gleaned from these tables may be stated thus:

1. The boys' interests centre largely about hunting, fishing, war and the sea. Under these rubrics the boys have 33 titles,

the girls, 10.

2.

The girls' interests centre about subjects under the rubrics lost, left alone, picnics. Here they surpass the boys 23 to 3. Other stories should be classed with this, such as those headed "Escaped."

3. The girls have a tendency to use proper names of persons as titles for their stories. In these lists they do so six times, the boys, once.

Bravery

In general the boys' interests centre about action. is the moral quality that appeals to them. The girls' interests centre about such emotions as pity and joy after sorrow, about moral questions and social pleasures. The boys are much more specialized than the girls.

For the purposes of comparison a list of the titles of stories actually written, throughout a period of six months, and on subjects chosen by the pupils themselves, is given below: