AT A TIME WHEN HUMANITIES COURSES ARE UNDERGOING REEVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT, THEY MUST NOT BE SUFFOCATED BY INCORPORATING INTO THEM TOO MANY LITERARY WORKS AND TOO MANY APPROACHES. SELECTION OF WORKS IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE, AND PERHAPS THE BEST PRINCIPLE UPON WHICH TO BASE SELECTION IS ONE WHICH ENCOURAGES "ENLIGHTENED CHERISHING"--THE COMMITMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO CERTAIN VALUES AND TO THE STANDARDS BY WHICH HE JUSTIFIES HIS COMMITMENT. THE HUMANITIES COURSE CAN OFFER TO THE STUDENT, FOR STUDY AND POSSIBLE EMULATION, THE BEST EXEMPLARS OF THE HUMAN IDEAL. IN CHOOSING MATERIALS AND AN APPROACH, SCHOOLS MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT HABITS OF ENLIGHTENED CHERISHING TAKE TIME TO ESTABLISH, AND THAT IT IS MORE EFFECTIVE TO CONCENTRATE ON A FEW WORKS WHICH HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR INTERESTING THE STUDENT AND DEMONSTRATING THE MEANING OF THE HUMAN QUEST FOR HUMANITY. BY CONCENTRATING ON THOSE WORKS WITH GREAT ARTISITC MERIT, THE APPROACH USED IN TEACHING CAN BE THAT OF AESTHETIC ANALYSIS, WHICH TEACHES STUDENTS TO READ KNOWINGLY AND INTELLIGENTLY AND TO RESPOND RATIONALLY AND IMAGINATIVELY. (THIS ADDRESS WAS DELIVERED AT THE CONFERENCE FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, CONDUCTED BY THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, JULY 1966, AND IS REPRINTED IN "JOURNAL OF AESTHETIC EDUCATION," VOL. 1 (AUTUMN 1966), 17-27.) (DL)