,transcriber's note3     ,obvious       
printer's errors have been corrected4   
,hyphenation    and accentuation have   
been made consistent4 ,all other        
inconsistencies are as in the original4 
,the author's    spelling has been      
retained4     x denotes macron above the
 letter x4     ,text in italics is      
enclosed by underscores 7italics74      
,,vocal ,,expression  ,a ,class-,book of
 ,voice ,training and ,interpretation   
by  ,,katherine ,,jewell ,,everts       
,author of ,the ,speaking ,voice        
,harper  ,brothers ,new ,york and       
,london ,,mcmxi          99       99    
99       99       99   ,,books ,,by     
,,katherine ,,jewel ,,everts  ,,vocal   
,,expression net #a4jj  ,,the ,,speaking
 ,,voice4 ,post #hvo net #a4jj  ,,harper
  ,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york              
,,copyright1 #aiaa1 ,,by ,,harper       
,,brothers  ,,printed ,,in ,,the        
,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america        
,,published ,,november1 #aiaa         99
       99       99       99       99    

,,plan ,,of ,,the ,,book   ,,to ,,the   
,,pupil  ,,introduction   ,,part ,i     
,,studies ,,in ,,vocal ,,interpretation 
,,preliminary ,,study3--,to ,establish a
 ,conscious ,purpose4                   
,,discussion3--,the ,relation of the    
,speaker to ,his        ,audience4      
,,material3--,direct ,appeal in ,prose  
and ,verse1 with          ,suggestive   
,analysis4    ,,selections ,,for        
,,interpretation4   ,,first             
,,study3--,to ,establish ,vitality in   
,thinking4    ,,discussion3--,action of 
the ,mind in ,reading ,aloud4           
,,material3--,the ,essay and ,didactic  
,poetry1 with         ,suggestive       
,analysis4    ,,selections ,,for        
,,interpretation4   ,,second            
,,study3--,to ,establish ,intelligence  
in ,feeling4                            
,,discussion3--,emotional ,response and 
,abandon4    ,,material3--,lyric        
,poetry1 with ,suggestive ,analysis4    
,,selections ,,for ,,interpretation4    
,,third ,,study3--,to ,develop the      

,whimsical ,sense4                      
,,discussion3--,humor and ,fancy4       
,,material3--,fairy ,story1 ,fable1 and 
,nonsense         ,rhyme1 with          
,suggestive ,analysis4    ,,selections  
,,for ,,interpretation4   ,,fourth      
,,study3--,to ,develop ,imaginative     
,vigor4    ,,discussion3--,the ,picture1
 the ,atmosphere1 the         ,action4  
,,material3--,short ,story and ,epic    
,poetry1 with         ,suggestive       
,analysis4    ,,selections ,,for        
,,interpretation4   ,,fifth             
,,study3--,to ,develop ,dramatic        
,instinct4                              
,,discussion3--,impersonation and       
,characterization4                      
,,material3--,monologue and ,play1 with 
,suggestive         ,analysis4          
,,selections ,,for ,,interpretation4    
,,part ,,ii  ,,studies ,,in ,,vocal     
,,expression   ,,introductory           
,,discussion3--,the ,vocal ,vocabulary4 
,,study ,,in ,,pause ,,and ,,change ,,of
 ,,pitch4    ,,study ,,in ,,inflection4 

,,study ,,in ,,tone ,,color4   ,,part   
,,iii  ,,studies ,,in ,,vocal           
,,technique   ,,introductory            
,,discussion3--,tuning the ,instrument4 
,,how ,,to ,,support ,,the ,,tone4      
,directions and ,exercises4    ,,how    
,,to ,,free ,,the ,,tone4               
,directions and ,exercises4    ,,how    
,,to ,,re-,,enforce ,,the ,,tone4       
,directions and ,exercises4     ,,to    
,,the ,,pupil   ,let me trace the       
evolution which has led to the plan of  
this text-book4 ,a class in elocution of
 which you are a member is given a      
paragraph from ,modern ,eloquence1 a bit
 from an oration or address of ,beecher 
or ,phillips or ,beveridge1 to study4   
,the passage appeals to you4 ,you are   
roused by it to an eager1 new           
appreciation of courage1 conservatism or
 of the character of some national hero4
 ,you look your interest4 ,you are asked
 to go to the platform4 ,you are glad4  
,you want to repeat the inspired word of
 the prophet4 ,you begin confidently to 

voice the words of the great orator--the
 words which you had lifted alive from  
the page--but in your voice they sound  
now formal1 cold1 lifeless4 ,you        
hesitate1 your emotion is killed1 your  
thought inhibited1 your eagerness gone1 
your impulse dead--but you have made a  
discovery4 ,you have become conscious of
 a great need1 and your teacher1 if she 
be wise1 has discovered the nature of   
that need4 ,you consult together and    
find three things have failed you1 and1 
through you1 the orator you wished to   
interpret4 ,these things are your mind1 
your vocabulary1 and your voice4 ,you   
find that your need is threefold--it is 
the need to feel intelligently and to   
think vitally on your feet2 the need to 
acquire a vocal vocabulary2 the need to 
train your instruments of               
expression--voice and body4  ,to help   
you and your teacher to meet this       
threefold need is the wish of this book2
 and the book's plan is the result of   
the author's experience with her own    

pupils in watching the evolution of     
their skill in vocal expression1 the    
development1 along natural lines1 of    
their ability to speak effectively4     
,,vocal ,,expression     ,,introduction 
,the strongest impulse of the human     
heart is for self-expression4 ,the      
simplest form of expression is speech4  
,speech is the instinctive use of a     
natural instrument1 the voice4 ,the     
failure to deal justly with this simple 
and natural means of expression is one  
of the serious failures of our          
educational system4 ,whether the student
 is to wait on another's table or be    
host at his own2 whether he is to sell  
goods from one side of a counter or buy 
them from the other2 whether he is to   
enter one of the three great professions
 of law1 medicine1 or theology2 go on   
the stage or platform2 become ,minister 
to ,france or ,president of the ,united 
,states1 it remains precisely true that 
to speak effectively will be essential  
to his success1 and should be as        

essential to his own happiness as it    
will be to that of all involved in his  
pursuit of success4  ,yet1 if we give   
heed at all to the question of voice and
 speech1 it is our last1 not our first1 
consideration4 ,we still look upon the  
mind as a storehouse instead of a       
clearing-house4 ,we continue to concern 
ourselves with its ability to take in1  
not its capacity to give out4 ,voice and
 speech are still left to shift for     
themselves during the period of school  
life when they should be guarded and    
guided as a most essential equipment for
 life after school days are over4 ,to   
convert the resultant hard1             
high-pitched1 nasal tone which betrays  
the ,american voice into the adequate   
agent of a temperament which            
distinguishes the ,american personality1
 and to help ,english speech in this    
country to become an efficient medium of
 lucid intercourse1 such is the object  
of this book4  ,in an address upon the  
,question of ,our ,speech delivered     

before a graduating class at ,bryn      
,mawr1 several years ago1 ,mr4 ,henry   
,james said3  ,no civilized body of men 
and women has ever left so vital an     
interest to run wild1 to shift1 as we   
say1 all for itself1 to stumble and     
flounder1 through mere adventure and    
accident1 in the common dust of life1 to
 pick up a living1 in fine1 by the      
wayside and the ditch4  ,the ,french1   
the ,germans1 the ,italians1 the        
,english1 perhaps1 in particular1 and   
many other people1 ,occidental and      
,oriental1 ,i surmise1 not excluding the
 ,turks and the ,chinese1 have for the  
symbol of education1 of civility1 a     
tone-standard2 we alone flourish in     
undisturbed and in something like       
sublime unconsciousness of any such     
possibility4  ,so searching an          
arraignment by so eminent a scholar     
before an audience of so high a degree  
of intelligence and culture seems to    
have been necessary to command an       
adequate appreciation of the condition  

of ,our ,speech and to incite an        
adequate effort toward reform4 ,since   
the arraignment was made and afterward  
published1 classes have been organized1 
books written1 and lectures delivered in
 increasing abundance1 forming a        
veritable speech crusade--and the books 
and the classes and the lectures have   
availed much1 but the real and only     
reliable remedy lies with the teacher in
 the public and private schools and     
colleges of the ,united ,states4 ,and it
 is to the teacher of ,english and      
,elocution that this ,class ,book on    
,vocal ,expression is offered4          
,learning to ,talk might have been a    
truer1 as it had been a simpler1 title1 
yet the more comprehensive phrase has   
justifiable significance1 and we have   
chosen it in the same spirit which      
discards for the text-book in ,rhetoric 
or ,english ,composition the inviting   
title ,learning to ,write4  ,there is a 
close analogy between the evolution of  
vocal and the evolution of verbal       

expression4 ,the method of instruction  
in the study of the less heeded subject 
of the ,spoken ,word throws an          
interesting light on the teaching of the
 more regarded question of the ,written 
,word4 ,an experience as teacher of     
expression and ,english in a normal     
school in ,minnesota has influenced the 
author of these pages to so large an    
extent in the formulation of her own    
method of study1 and so in the plan of  
this volume1 that it seems advisable to 
record it4 ,to the work of reading or   
expression to which she was originally  
called two classes in composition were  
added4 ,the former teacher of           
composition had bequeathed to the work  
as a text-book a rhetoric which         
consisted of involved theory plus one   
hundred and twenty-five separate and    
distinct rules for the use of words1 and
 the teacher of expression found1 to her
 amazed dismay1 that the students had   
been required to learn these rules1 not 
only by heart1 but by number1 referring 

to them as rule six or thirty-six or one
 hundred and twenty-five1 according to  
the demanded application4  ,a week1     
possibly a fortnight1 passed in silent  
struggle1 then the distracted teacher of
 expression went to the president of the
 school with these questions3 ,of what  
avail are one hundred and twenty-five   
rules for the use of words when these   
children have less than that number of  
words to use1 and no desire to acquire  
more8 ,could you make teachers of these 
normal students by giving a hundred and 
more laws for the governing of pupils   
and the imparting of the material of    
knowledge1 if you furnished neither     
pupils nor material upon which to test  
the laws8 ,certainly not6 was the       
restful reply of one of the wisest of   
the educators ,i have known4 ,may ,i lay
 aside the text-book and read with these
 students in ,english for a little8 ,you
 may teach them to write ,english in any
 way you can6  ,the next day the class  
in composition was discovered eagerly   

reading ,tennyson's ,holy ,grail1       
stopping to note this felicitous phrase1
 that happy choice of words1 the        
pertinent personnel of a sentence or    
paragraph4 ,the first examination of the
 term consisted in a series of single   
questions1 written on separate slips of 
paper and laid face down on the         
teacher's desk4 ,each student took one  
of these slips which read1 ,tell in your
 own words the story of ,the ,coming of 
,arthur1 the ,holy ,grail1 ,lancelot and
 ,elaine or ,guinevere1 as the chance of
 the chooser might allot a given idyl4  
,the experiment was a success4 ,the     
president was satisfied with the papers 
in ,english composition4 ,each student  
had had something to say and had said   
it4 ,each student had words at his      
command little dreamed of in his        
vocabulary before the meeting with the  
,knights of the ,round ,table4  ,the    
first step toward a mastery of ,verbal  
,expression had been successfully taken6
 ,the consciousness of need--the need of

 a vocabulary--had been awakened4 ,the  
desire to supply that need--to acquire a
 vocabulary--had been aroused4 ,a way to
 acquire a vocabulary had been made     
manifest4 ,out of such consciousness    
alone is born the willingness to work   
upon which progress in the mastery of   
any art depends4 ,to the teacher of     
expression it seemed no more advisable  
now than it had seemed before1 to ask   
the students to learn either by heart or
 by number the one hundred and          
twenty-five rules of technique4 ,but the
 great laws governing the use of a      
vocabulary she now found her students   
eager to study1 to understand1 and to   
apply4 ,she found her class willing to  
enter upon the drudgery which a mastery 
of technique in any art demands4  ,so in
 the teaching of ,vocal ,expression1 he 
who begins with rules for the use of    
this change of pitch or that inflection1
 this pause or that color of tone1      
before he has aroused in the pupil the  
desire to express a vivid thought1 and  

so made him conscious of the need to    
command subtle changes of pitch1 swift  
contrasts in tone and turns of          
inflection1 will find himself           
responsible for mechanical results sadly
 divorced from true and natural speech4 
,but let the teacher of expression      
begin1 not with rules of technique1 but 
with the material for inspiration and   
interpretation2 let him rouse in the    
pupil the impulse to express and then   
furnish the material and means for study
 which shall enrich the vocabulary of   
expression and he will find the         
instruments of the art--voice and       
speech--growing into the free and       
efficient agents of personality they are
 intended by nature to be4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,in      
,march1 #aijf1 the editor of ,harper's  
,bazar began a crusade in the interest  
of the ,american voice and speech4      
,through the issues of more than a year 
the magazine published arraignment1     
admonition1 and advice on this subject4 

,it was the privilege of the author of  
this volume to contribute the last four 
articles in that series4 ,in response to
 a definite demand from the readers of  
the ,bazar these articles were later    
embodied in a little book called ,the   
,speaking ,voice4 ,in a preface to this 
book the author confesses her deliberate
 effort to simplify and condense the    
principles fundamental to all recognized
 systems of vocal instruction1 making   
them available for those too occupied to
 enter upon the more exhaustive study   
set forth in more elaborate treatises4  
,the book was not intended for hours of 
class-room work in schools or colleges1 
but for the spare moments of a business 
or social life1 and its reception in    
that world was gratifying4 ,but1 to the 
author's delight1 the interest aroused  
created a demand in the schools and     
colleges for a real text-book1 a book   
which could be put into the hands of    
students in the departments of ,english 
and expression in public and private    

institutions and colleges1 and          
especially in normal schools4 ,it is in 
response to that appeal that this       
class-book in ,vocal ,expression is     
issued2 and it is to the teachers whose 
impelling interest and enthusiasm in the
 subject justify the publication of this
 volume that the author desires first to
 express her grateful appreciation4  ,to
 ,miss ,frances ,nash1 of the ,lincoln  
,high ,school in ,cleveland1 for her    
invaluable advice in determining the    
exact nature of the need which the book 
must meet1 and for her assistance in    
choosing the material for               
interpretation1 my gratitude and        
appreciation are especially due4  ,to   
others whose influence through books or 
personal instruction has made this task 
possible1 acknowledgment made in ,the   
,speaking ,voice is reiterated4         
,,part ,i  ,,studies ,,in ,,vocal       
,,interpretation     ,,preliminary      
,,study  ,,to ,,establish ,a ,,conscious
 ,,purpose       ,the orator must have  

something in his very soul he feels to  
be      worth saying4 ,he must have in  
his nature that kindly sympathy that    
connects him with his fellow-men and    
which so makes him a part of      the   
audience that his smile is their smile1 
his tear is their tear1      the throb  
of his heart the throb of the hearts of 
the whole      assembly4--,,henry ,,ward
 ,,beecher4   ,we have said that        
whatever part in the world's life we    
choose or are chosen to take1 it remains
 precisely true that to speak           
effectively is essential to fulfilling1 
in the highest sense1 that function4    
,whether the occupation upon which we   
enter be distinguished by the title of  
cash-girl or counsellor at law2         
dish-washer or dbutante2 stable-boy or  
statesman2 artist in the least or the   
highest of art's capacities1 crises will
 arise in that calling which demand a   
command of effective speech4 ,the       
situation may call for a slow1 quietly  
searching interrogation or a swift1     

ringing command4 ,the need may be for a 
use of that expressive vocal form which 
requires1 to be efficient1 the rugged or
 the gracious elements of your          
vocabulary2 the vital or the velvet     
tone2 the straight inflection or the    
circumflex2 the salient or the slight   
change of pitch2 the long or the short  
pause4 ,whatever form the demand takes1 
the need remains for command of the     
efficient elements of tone and speech if
 we are to become masters of the        
situation and to attain success in our  
calling4 ,how to acquire this mastery is
 our problem4 ,how to take the first    
step toward acquiring that command is   
the subject of this first study4  ,is   
there a student reader of these pages   
who has not already faced a situation   
requiring for its mastery such command8 
,listen to ,mr4 ,james again3  ,all     
life1 therefore1 comes back to the      
question of our speech1 the medium      
through which we communicate with each  
other2 for all life comes back to the   

question of our relations with each     
other4 ,these relations are possible1   
are registered1 are verily constituted  
by our speech1 and are successful in    
proportion as our speech is worthy of   
its human and social function2 is       
developed1 delicate1 flexible1 rich--an 
adequate accomplished fact4 ,the more we
 live by it1 the more it promotes and   
enhances life4 ,its quality1 its        
authenticity1 its security1 are hence   
supremely important for the general     
multifold opportunity1 for the dignity  
and integrity1 of our existence4  ,is   
there one among you whose relations with
 others would not have been rendered    
simpler1 truer1 clearer at some critical
 moment had your speech been more worthy
 of its great human and social function8
 ,then1 do you hesitate to enter upon a 
study which shall make for clarified    
relations and a new dignity and         
integrity of existence8 ,anticipating   
your reply1 ,i invite you to take a     
first step in ,vocal ,expression4 ,how  

shall we approach the subject8 ,how did 
you begin to master any one of the      
activities in which you are more or less
 proficient8 ,how did you learn to swim1
 or skate1 or play the violin8 ,not by  
standing on the shore and gazing at the 
water or ice6 ,not by looking at violins
 in shop windows6 ,no6 ,you began by    
leaping into the water1 putting on your 
skates and going out on the ice2 taking 
the violin into your hands and drawing  
the bow across the strings4 ,but you    
say3 ,we have taken the step which      
corresponds to these in speech6 ,we can 
talk6 ,exactly6 ,but what command of the
 art of skating or swimming or playing  
the violin would the artist in any of   
these activities have achieved had he   
been content to stop with the act of    
jumping into the water1 going out on the
 ice1 or drawing the bow across the     
violin8 ,the question's answer calls up 
an illuminating analogy4 ,are not most  
of us in regard to our mastery of speech
 in the condition of the skater1 the    

swimmer1 the fiddler in the first stage 
of those expressive acts8 ,are we not   
floundering in the water1 fallen on the 
ice1 or alienating the ears of our      
friends8 ,we are so6 ,we confess        
it6--every time we speak4  ,and so      
to-day we shall offer no argument       
against entering upon an introductory   
study--we shall take our first step in  
the ,art of ,vocal ,expression4 ,but we 
shall take it in a new spirit--the      
spirit of an artist bent upon the       
mastery of his art4 ,if we flounder or  
fall1 we shall not be more content in   
our ignominy than is the choking swimmer
 or the prostrate skater4 ,if we produce
 painful instead of pleasing sounds with
 our instrument1 we shall not persist in
 a merciless process of tone production2
 but we shall proceed to study          
diligently the laws governing the       
control of the instrument until we have 
mastered its technique and made it an   
agent of harmonious intercourse4 ,we    
shall take the first steps with a       

conscious purpose1 the purpose to make  
our speech worthy of its great social   
and human function4  ,then in this      
spirit ,i invite you to plunge4 ,i      
furnish as the material for your        
experiment these sentences3             
,,discussion ,,of ,,direct ,,appeal     
,do you ask me1 then1 what is this      
,puritan principle8       ,the ,puritan 
principle in its essence is simply      
individual      freedom6--,,curtis4     
,mind your own business with your       
absolute will and soul1 but see         
that it is a good business              
first4--,,ruskin4       ,back to the    
bridge and show your teeth again1       
,back to the bridge and show to ,god    
your eyes6--,,mackaye4       ,what news1
 and quickly6--,,mackaye4       ,do not 
pray for tasks equal to your powers4    
,pray for powers equal      to your     
tasks4--,,phillips ,,brooks4            
,hence6 home1 you idle creatures1 get   
you home4 ,is this a                    
holiday8--,,shakespeare4       ,and so1 

gentlemen1 at this hour we are not      
,republicans1 we are not                
,democrats1 we are                      
,americans6--,,curtis4  ,i shall not    
discuss the interpretation of these     
sentences with you4 ,i shall not        
interpret them for you4 ,such discussion
 and interpretation is your part in this
 study4 ,but you are not to discuss them
 with a pencil on paper2 you are to     
interpret them with your voice to       
another mind4  ,let us stop here and    
consider together for a few moments this
 act which we call ,vocal               
,interpretation 7which might be more    
simply designated as ,reading ,aloud71  
and with which these first studies are  
concerned4 ,what does it mean to vocally
 interpret a piece of literature--a     
poem1 a play1 a bit of prose2 a         
paragraph1 a sentence1 or even a single 
word8 ,it means that you1 the           
interpreter1 must transfer the thought  
contained in that word1 phrase1         
sentence1 or paragraph from the printed 

page to the mind of an auditor4 ,it     
means that you must take the thought out
 of the safety vault and put it into    
circulation4 ,that is your problem1 and 
it presents three factors4 ,you cannot  
slight any one of these factors and     
expect to successfully solve your       
problem4 ,these factors are3 your       
author's thought1 your own voice1 and   
your auditor's mind4  ,we shall concern 
ourselves in this first study with the  
last of these three factors--the mind of
 the auditor1 or1 to put it more        
definitely1 your attitude toward the    
mind of your auditor4 ,we shall make    
this our first concern1 not because it  
is more essential to successful delivery
 than the other two elements of the     
problem1 but because failure at this    
point is a fundamental failure4 ,such   
failure involves the whole structure in 
ruin4  ,let me make this point explicit4
 ,failure of the speaker to direct the  
thought toward a receiving mind--the    
mind of an auditor--results in blurred  

thought1 robs the voice of all aim1 and 
reduces the interpretation to a         
meaningless recital of words4 ,consider 
the first factor in the problem of      
interpretation--the thought of the      
author4 ,take these first two sentences3
       ,do you ask me1 then1 what is    
this ,puritan principle8       ,the     
,puritan principle in its essence is    
simply individual freedom6  ,a wholly   
satisfying interpretation of these lines
 involves a knowledge of the speech from
 which they are taken1 and a knowledge  
of the circumstances under which it was 
delivered4 ,complete possession of the  
thought1 which alone insures perfect    
expression1 requires a grasp of the     
situation out of which it was born and  
an appreciation of the mind which       
conceived it4 ,but with no context and  
no knowledge of these conditions1 and so
 only an approximate appreciation of the
 thought in all its fulness1 the        
interpreter1 under the stimulus of an   
intent to convince another of the truth 

contained in the detached sentence1 may 
deliver the lines convincingly6 ,and to 
carry conviction is the first and       
fundamental requisite of all good       
delivery4  ,so it is with the second    
factor in your problem4 ,your voice may 
fail at a dozen different points1 but   
directed thought can employ so skilfully
 even an inefficient instrument that the
 resultant expression1 while never      
satisfying1 may still carry conviction4 
,but let the one who speaks these lines 
feel no responsibility toward another1  
let him fail to direct the idea toward  
another mind1 and the most complete     
possession of the author's thought1 plus
 the most perfect control of the voice1 
will fail to make the interpretation    
convincing4 ,you must establish a       
relation with your auditor6 ,you must   
have an aim4 ,you must have something to
 say1 but you must also have some one to
 say it at4 ,you cannot hope to become  
an expert marksman by shooting into the 
air4  ,then once more ,i bid you        

approach the subject of ,vocal          
,interpretation in a new spirit4 ,let   
your study of the thought in these      
sentences hold in its initial impulse   
this idea3 ,i have something ,i must    
tell you6 ,try prefacing your           
interpretation with some such phrase as 
this3 ,listen to me6 or1 ,i want to tell
 you something4  ,i would suggest as a  
preliminary exercise that you should try
 shooting at a mark these single words3 
,no6 ,yes6 ,come6 ,go6 ,aim6 ,fire6     
,help6 ,what ho6       ,listen to me6   
,you will find the gayest castles in the
 air far better for comfort      and for
 use than the dungeons that are daily   
dug and caverned out      by grumbling1 
discontented people4--,,emerson4        
,let me tell you something6       ,might
 is right1 say many1 and so it is4      
,might is the right to bear      the    
burdens of the weak1 to cheer the faint1
 to uplift the fallen1      to pour from
 one's own full store to the need of the
      famishing4--,,napier4       ,it is

 the angel-aim and standard in an act   
that consecrates it4 ,he      who aims  
for perfection in a trifle is trying to 
do that trifle      holily4 ,the trier  
wears the halo1 and1 therefore1 the halo
 grows as      quickly round the brows  
of peasant as of king4--,,gannett4      
,think twice before you speak1 my son2  
and it will do no harm if you      keep 
on thinking while you                   
speak4--,,anonymous4      ,sweet friends
     ,man's love ascends1     ,to finer 
and diviner ends     ,than man's mere   
thought e'er comprehends4               
--,,lanier4   ,,suggestive ,,analysis   
,,hamlet',s ,,speech ,,to ,,the         
,,players       ,hamlet3 ,speak the     
speech1 ,i pray you1 as ,i pronounced it
 to you1      trippingly on the tongue3 
but if you mouth it1 as many of your    
players do1 ,i had as lief the          
town-crier spoke my lines4 ,nor do not  
saw the air too much with your hand1    
thus2 but use all gently3 for      in   
the very torrent1 tempest1 and1 as ,i   

may say1 whirlwind of your      passion1
 you must acquire and beget a temperance
 that may give it      smoothness4444   
,be not too tame1 neither1 but let your 
own discretion be your      tutor3 suit 
the action to the word1 the word to the 
action2 with      this special          
observance1 that you o'erstep not the   
modesty of      nature1 for anything so 
overdone is from the purpose of playing1
      whose end1 both at the first and  
now1 was and is1 to hold1 as            
'twere1 the mirror up to nature2 to show
 virtue her own feature1      scorn her 
own image1 and the very age and body of 
the time his form      and pressure4    
--,,shakespeare4  ,let us consider      
together the problem of vocally         
interpreting this speech of ,hamlet's1  
keeping the mind of the auditor         
constantly before us1 the special factor
 in our problem which is the concern of 
this study4 ,what is the first point to 
be determined8 ,the situation1 is it    
not8 ,remember1 in our previous         

discussion ,i have made it clear that it
 is not essential to our present purpose
 that we should know1 in determining our
 situation1 the exact conditions under  
which this speech was delivered4        
,neither is it essential to our present 
purpose that we should make an          
exhaustive study of the play of ,hamlet 
or of the character of the ,prince of   
,denmark4 ,lest you mistake me ,i must  
reiterate the fact that an              
interpretation of these lines1 looked   
upon as ,hamlet's speech1 would require 
just such exhaustive study of context   
and character--study which would lead to
 that complete possession which alone   
insures perfect expression2 but it is   
legitimate at this point in our study of
 vocal expression to use this text quite
 apart from its context as a perfect    
example of direct appeal4 ,it is        
legitimate to imagine a situation of our
 own in which this thought could be     
pertinently expressed4 ,we must then    
first determine what you1 the speaker1  

are to represent1 and the nature of the 
audience you are to address4 ,one word  
in the text more than any other1        
perhaps1 determines these points--the   
word players4 ,with this word as a key  
to a probable situation1 let us imagine 
that you1 the one who must speak this   
speech1 are a stage-director of your own
 play1 and that we1 the class to whom   
you must speak1 are a company of players
 7actors1 as we now call them7 which is 
about to present your play4 ,the fact   
that this is exactly the situation in   
,shakespeare's play from which this     
speech is taken is interesting1 but does
 not affect our attitude toward the     
text4 ,but that we should assume the    
state of mind which animated the author 
of the ,mouse-trap1 is vital to our     
problem4 ,hamlet was intent upon getting
 an effect incalculably potent from the 
delivery of the speech he had           
pronounced4 ,you must imagine that you  
have written not merely a play1 but a   
play which you intend shall have a      

powerful influence upon the lives of the
 people who are to hear it4 ,once more1 
then1 let us determine the exact        
situation4 ,you1 the author of a moving 
play--you1 its stage-director--have     
called us1 your actors1 together for    
rehearsal4 ,you know just how you wish  
the lines of your play delivered4 ,it is
 absolutely vital to the success of your
 venture that we1 the actors1 should    
grasp your ideal of delivery and act    
upon it4 ,you must convince us that this
 is the only way in which you will      
permit the text to be handled4 ,you are 
the orator as ,mr4 ,beecher has drawn   
him for us4 ,you will realize1 in       
thinking your way through this appeal1  
that1 while the stage-director is       
addressing the whole company of players1
 he has singled out from the others one 
who is to deliver a particular speech   
from his play4 ,it is well to follow    
this idea of the situation4 ,include us 
all1 then1 as a class in your chosen    
cast1 but single out one of us1 and     

speak directly at the mind of that one4 
,look him straight in the eye4 ,direct  
your thought in the main to his mind1   
even while your thought reaches out and 
draws us all into the circle of its     
enthusiasm4 ,now1 with this attitude and
 intent toward an audience1 try to      
vocally interpret1 to think aloud this  
thought4 ,what is the trouble8 ,speak   
the speech you say1 is a difficult      
combination of words to utter8          
',trippingly' trips up your tongue8 ,you
 don't understand the reference to a    
'town-crier'8  ,ah1 what discoveries we 
are making6  ,you feel that you should  
be able to illustrate your own ideal of 
delivery by delivering these directions 
after the very manner you ask your      
players to observe8 ,that might         
legitimately be expected of you1 ,i     
think4 ,but this you cannot do6 ,what a 
shocking confession6 ,yes1 but how good 
to have this new knowledge of your own  
ability1 or1 in this case1 disability4  
,how appalling to find that you cannot  

easily utter the simple combination of  
words1 ,speak the speech1 ,i pray you1  
without stumbling2 that any word1 a     
plain1 simple ,english word1 trips your 
tongue4 ,how appalling1 but how         
encouraging it is6 ,for the discovery of
 this fact1 the consciousness of these  
limitations1 constitutes half the battle
 before us4 ,it is a battle4 ,but you   
shall be equipped to meet it4 ,turn to  
the chapters on ,freeing the ,tone4     
,find the exercises for training the    
tongue4 ,faithful practice of these     
exercises 7even without direction1 but1 
if you are a member of the class in     
expression for which this book was made1
 under direction7 will very shortly     
conquer the unruly tongue for use in    
uttering any difficult combination of   
words4 ,and your teacher will patiently 
pick you up 7in this first study7 every 
time you trip over a word or phrase1 and
 she will patiently refer you to the    
corner of history which will explain any
 unfamiliar portions of your text if you

 will persistently try to do your part  
at this point4 ,that part is1 to think  
the thought before you directly at      
another's mind4 ,that is all we ask at  
this point4 ,make this direct appeal for
 simplicity in delivery straight to the 
mind of him whom you have chosen to     
receive1 and act upon it4 ,talk to me if
 ,i am your chosen player6 ,convince me6
 ,make me realize what you expect of me6
 ,make me want to meet your expectation6
 ,make me afraid to fail you6  ,with    
these suggestions and this direct appeal
 to you1 ,i leave you with your teacher 
and with the following material chosen  
for your preliminary study in ,vocal    
,interpretation4   ,,selections ,,for   
,,interpretation       ,there was once a
 noble ship full of eager passengers1   
straining at      full speed from       
,england to ,america4 ,two-thirds of a  
prosperous      voyage thus far were    
over1 and in our mess we were beginning 
to      talk of home4       ,suddenly a 
dense fog came1 shrouding the horizon1  

but1 as this was      a common          
occurrence in the latitude we were      
sailing1 it was hardly      mentioned in
 our talk4 ,a happier company never     
sailed upon an      autumn sea4 ,when a 
quick cry from the lookout1 a rush of   
officers      and men1 and we were      
grinding on a ledge of rocks off ,cape  
,race4 ,i      heard the cry1 ,every one
 on deck6 and knew what that meant--the 
masts were in danger of falling4 ,a     
hundred pallid faces were      huddled  
together near the stern of the ship     
where we were told to      go and wait4 
,suddenly we heard a voice up in the fog
 in the direction of the                
wheel-house ringing like a clarion above
 the roar of the waves4 ,as      the    
orders came distinctly and deliberately 
through the captain's      trumpet to   
,shift the cargo1 to ,back her1 to ,keep
 her steady1      we felt1 somehow1 that
 the commander up there in the thick    
mist      knew what he was about4       
,when1 after weary days of anxious      

suspense1 the vessel leaking      badly1
 we arrived safely in ,halifax1 old ,mr4
 ,cunard1 agent of the      line1 on    
hearing from the mail officer that the  
steamer had struck      on the rocks and
 been saved by the captain's presence of
 mind and      courage1 replied1 simply3
 ,just what ,i might have expected4     
,captain      ,harrison is always master
 of the situation4       ,no man ever   
became master of the situation by       
accident or      indolence4 ,he happened
 to succeed is a foolish1 unmeaning     
phrase4      ,no man happens to succeed4
 ,what do you mix your paints with8     
asked a visitor of ,opie1 the painter4  
,with brains1 sir1 was the      artist's
 reply4 99 99 99       ,there are men   
who fail of mastery in the world from   
too low an      estimate of human       
nature4 ,despise nothing1 my son1 was   
the      advice a mother gave to her boy
 when he went forth into the untried    
world to seek his fortune1 and that boy 
grew up into ,sir ,walter      ,scott4  

99 99 99       ,in case of great        
emergency it took a certain general in  
our      army several days to get his   
personal baggage ready4 ,sheridan       
rode into ,winchester without even a    
change of stockings in his              
saddle-bags4 99 99 99       ,all great  
leaders have been inspired with a great 
belief4 ,in nine      cases out of ten1 
failure is borne of unbelief4--,masters 
of the      ,situation1 ,,james ,t4     
,,fields4      ,once more unto the      
breach1 dear friends1 once more2     ,or
 close the wall up with our ,english    
dead6     ,in peace1 there's nothing so 
becomes a man     ,as modest stillness  
and humility2     ,but when the blast of
 war blows in our ears1     ,then       
imitate the action of the tiger3        
,stiffen the sinews1 summon up the      
blood1     ,disguise fair nature with   
hard-favoured rage3 99 99 99     ,hold  
hard the breath1 and bend up every      
spirit     ,to his full height6 ,on1 on1
 you noblest ,english1     ,whose blood 

is fet from fathers of war-proof6       
,fathers that1 like so many ,alexanders1
     ,have in these parts from morn till
 even fought1     ,and sheathed their   
swords for lack of argument4 99 99 99   
,i see you stand like greyhounds in the 
slips1     ,straining upon the start4   
,the game's afoot3     ,follow your     
spirit2 and1 upon this charge           
,cry--,god for ,harry6 ,england6 and    
,st4 ,george6--,henry ,v41 ,,shakespeare
       ,fourscore and seven years ago   
our fathers brought forth1 on this      
continent1 a new nation1 conceived in   
liberty1 and dedicated to the           
proposition that all men are created    
equal4 ,now we are engaged in a         
great civil war1 testing whether that   
nation1 or any nation so      conceived 
and so dedicated1 can long endure4 ,we  
are met on a great      battlefield of  
that war4 ,we have come to dedicate a   
portion of that      field1 as a final  
resting-place for those who here gave   
their lives      that that nation might 

live4 ,it is altogether fitting and     
proper      that we should do this4     
,but1 in a larger sense1 we cannot      
dedicate--we cannot      consecrate--we 
cannot hallow--this ground4 ,the brave  
men1 living      and dead1 who struggled
 here have consecrated it1 far above our
      power to add or detract4 ,the     
world will little note nor long         
remember what we say here1 but it can   
never forget what they did      here4   
,it is for us1 the living1 rather1 to be
 dedicated here to the      unfinished  
work which they who fought here have    
thus far so nobly      advanced4 ,it is 
rather for us to be here dedicated to   
the great      task remaining before    
us--that from these honored dead we take
      increased devotion to that cause  
for which they gave the last full       
measure of devotion--that we here highly
 resolve that these dead      shall not 
have died in vain--that this nation1    
under ,god1 shall      have a new birth 
of freedom--and that government of the  

people1 by      the people1 for the     
people1 shall not perish from the       
earth4--,address at ,gettysburg1        
,,abraham ,,lincoln4  ,from an address  
delivered in the ,auditorium1 at        
,chicago1 on the afternoon of ,february 
#bb1 #aijb1 on the occasion of the      
celebration of ,washington's ,birthday4 
,the meaning of ,washington in ,american
 history is discipline4 ,the            
message of ,washington's life to the    
,american people is discipline4         
,the need of ,american character is     
discipline4       ,washington did not   
give patriotism to the ,american        
colonies4 ,the      people had that as  
abundantly as he4 ,he did not give them 
courage4      ,that quality was and is  
in the ,american blood4 ,he did not even
 give      them resource4 ,there were   
intellects more productive than his4    
,but      ,washington gave balance and  
direction to elemental forces4 ,he was  
the genius of order4 ,he was poise      
personified4 ,he was the spirit of      

discipline4 ,he was the first ,great    
,conservative4 ,it was this      quality
 in him that made all other elements of 
the ,revolution      effective4 ,it was 
this that organized our nebulous        
independence      into a nation of      
liberty4 ,the parts of a machine are    
useless until      assembled and fitted 
each to its appropriate place4          
,washington was      the master mechanic
 of our nation2 so it is that we are a  
people4       ,but we are not yet a     
perfect people4 ,we are still in the    
making4 ,it      is a glorious          
circumstance4 ,youth is the noblest of  
,god's gifts4      ,the youth of a      
nation is like the youth of a man4 ,the 
,american      people are young8 ,yes6  
,vital8 ,yes6 ,powerful8 ,yes6          
,disciplined8 ,not      entirely4       
,moderate8 ,not yet1 but growing in that
 grace4 ,and      therefore on this1 his
 day1 ,i bear you the message of        
,washington--he1 whose sanity1          
orderliness1 and calm have reached      

through the century1 steadying us1      
overcoming in us the untamed            
passions of riotous                     
youth4--,conservatism2 the ,spirit of   
,national      ,self-,restraint1        
,,albert ,,beveridge4  ,we have noted in
 our introduction the close analogy     
which exists between the evolution of   
vocal expression and the evolution of   
verbal expression4 ,let us not fail to  
follow this analogy through the various 
studies which make up this one study of 
interpretation4 ,we have begun our work 
in vocal expression with the subject of 
direct appeal4 ,what corresponds to this
 step in the evolution of verbal        
expression8  ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,gardiner1 in 
his illuminating text for the student of
 ,english composition1 called ,the      
,forms of ,prose ,literature1#a         
discusses these forms first under the   
two great heads of the ,literature of   
,thought and the ,literature of         
,feeling1 and then under the four       
sub-titles which all instruction in     

rhetoric recognizes as the accepted     
divisions of literature3 ,exposition1   
,argument1 ,description1 and ,narrative4
 ,we do not find the exact parallel for 
our study in direct appeal under these  
subheads4 ,do we8 ,no4 ,in order to take
 the plunge in the study of ,english    
composition which shall correspond to   
our preliminary effort in               
interpretation1 we must set aside for   
the moment the question of exposition1  
to be entered upon as a first study in  
verbal expression corresponding to the  
question of vitality in thinking1 which 
is our first study in vocal expression1 
and look for a parallel preliminary     
study in composition4  #a ,the ,forms of
 ,prose ,literature1 courtesy of        
,messrs4 ,charles ,scribner's ,sons4    
,in his comparative study of exposition 
and argumentation ,mr4 ,gardiner says3  
,an exceedingly good explanation may    
leave its reader quite unmoved3 a good  
argument never does4 ,even if it does   
not convert him1 it should at least make

 him uncomfortable4 ,now1 when we say   
that argument must move its reader1 we  
begin to pass from the realm of pure    
thought1 in which exposition takes rise1
 to that of feeling1 for feeling is a   
necessary preliminary to action4 ,how   
large a part feelings play in argument  
you can see if you have ever heard the  
speech of a demagogue to an excited     
crowd4 ,it is simply a crass appeal to  
their lower passions1 aided by all the  
devices of oratory1 often1 perhaps1 also
 by a moving presence4 ,a better example
 is ,henry ,ward ,beecher's ,liverpool  
speech1 in which he won a hearing from a
 hostile mob by an appeal to their sense
 of fair play4 ,such cases show how far 
argument may get from the simple appeal 
to the understanding1 how little it may 
be confined to the element of thought4  
,the prime quality1 therefore1 of       
argument is persuasiveness4  ,not       
argument1 then1 but the element in      
argument1 called persuasion1 furnishes  
the study in composition which          

corresponds to direct appeal in         
interpretation4 ,and just as truly as   
your intent to convince another mind of 
the truth of your author's thought will 
often take care of all other elements in
 the problem of its vocal expression and
 result in convincing interpretation1 so
 the intent to persuade another mind of 
the truth of your own thought will often
 take care of all other elements in the 
problem of verbal expression and result 
in moving composition4  ,following ,mr4 
,gardiner a little further in his       
discussion of persuasion1 we find our   
study in interpretation in direct accord
 with his advice in the study of        
composition1 for he says3 ,this element 
of persuasion belongs to that aspect of 
literature which has to do with the     
feelings2 and1 as depending on the      
personal equation of the writer1 it is  
much less easy than the intellectual    
element to catch and generalize from1   
and almost impossible to teach4 ,all    
that ,i can do is to examine it in good 

examples1 and then make very tentatively
 a few suggestions based on these       
examples4 ,for it cannot too often be   
written down in such a treatise as this 
that the teacher of writing can no more 
make a great writer than the teacher of 
painting can turn out a new ,rembrandt  
or a ,millet2 in either case the most   
that the teacher can do is to furnish   
honest and illuminating criticism1 and  
to save his pupil unnecessary and       
tedious steps by showing him the methods
 and devices which have been worked out 
by the masters of the craft4  ,in       
treating the question of pure style1 as 
another division of the power of        
persuasion1 ,mr4 ,gardiner says3 ,it is 
almost impossible to give practical help
 toward acquiring this gift of an       
expressive style2 the ear for the rhythm
 and assonance of style is like an ear  
for music1 though more common1 perhaps4 
,it is good practice to read aloud the  
writing of men who are famous for the   
quality1 and1 when you read to yourself1

 always to have in mind the sound of    
what you read4 ,the more you can give   
yourself of this exercise1 the more when
 you write1 yourself1 will you hear the 
way your own style sounds4  ,with our   
idea for a combined study of the two    
great forms of expression reinforced by 
such authority1 let us1 in taking our   
next step in this preliminary study in  
vocal expression1 make it also a        
preliminary study in verbal expression  
by using as our next selection for      
interpretation1 not a fragment of an    
address or a part of an oration1 but a  
complete example of persuasive          
discourse4 ,such an example we find in  
this sermon of ,mr4 ,gannett's ,blessed 
be ,drudgery4 ,and1 as we try our       
growing powers of lucid interpretation  
upon this subject-matter1 let us stop to
 note its verbal construction and its   
obedience to the laws of persuasive     
discourse4 ,the interpretation must be  
made in the class-room1 because         
interpretation needs an immediate       

audience2 the analysis of the literary  
form may be made in your study3 the two 
processes should be carried on as far as
 possible together4       ,,blessed ,,be
 ,,drudgery#b  #b ,this sermon is       
published with the kind permission of   
the author and the publisher4       ,i  
,of every two men probably one man      
thinks he is a drudge1 and every        
second woman is sure she is4 ,either we 
are not doing the thing we      would   
like to do in life2 or1 in what we do   
and like1 we find so      much to       
dislike that the rut tires even when the
 road runs on the      whole1 a pleasant
 way4 ,i am going to speak of the       
,culture that      comes through this   
very drudgery4       ,culture through my
 drudgery6 some one is now thinking3    
,this      treadmill that has worn me   
out1 this grind ,i hate1 this plod that1
      as long ago as ,i remember it1    
seemed tiresome--to this have ,i owed   
'culture'8 ,keeping house or keeping    
accounts1 tending babies1      teaching 

primary school1 weighing sugar and salt 
at a counter1      those blue overalls  
in the machine shop--have these anything
 to do      with 'culture'8 ,culture    
takes leisure1 elegance1 wide margins of
      time1 a pocket-book2 drudgery     
means limitations1 coarseness1          
crowded hours1 chronic worry1 old       
clothes1 black hands1 headaches4        
,culture implies college3 life allows a 
daily paper1 a monthly      magazine1   
the circulating library1 and two        
gift-books at ,christmas4      ,our real
 and our ideal are not twins--never     
were6 ,i want the      books1--but the  
clothes-basket wants me4 ,the two       
children are      good1--and so would be
 two hours a day without the children4  
,i      crave an outdoor life1--and walk
 down-town of mornings to perch on      
a high stool till supper-time4 ,i love  
,nature1--and figures are my      fate4 
,my taste is books1--and ,i farm it4 ,my
 taste is art1--and ,i      correct     
exercises4 ,my taste is science1--and ,i

 measure tape4 ,i am      young and like
 stir1--the business jogs on like a     
stage-coach4 ,or ,i      am not young1  
,i am getting gray over my ears1 and    
like to sit down      and be still1--but
 the drive of the business keeps both   
tired arms      stretched out full      
length4 ,i hate this overbidding and    
this      underselling1 this spry1      
unceasing competition1 and would        
willingly give up a quarter of my       
profits to have two hours of my         
daylight to myself1--at least ,i would  
if1 working just as ,i do1 ,i      did  
not barely get the children bread and   
clothes4 ,i did not choose      my      
calling1 but was dropped into it--by my 
innocent conceit1 or by      duty to the
 family1 or by a parent's foolish pride1
 or by our hasty      marriage2 or a    
mere accident wedged me into it4 ,would 
,i could have      my life over again6  
,then1 whatever ,i should be1 at least  
,i would      not be what ,i am to-day6 
,have ,i spoken truly for any one here8 

,i know ,i have4 ,goes not the          
grumble thus within the silent breast of
 many a person1 whose pluck      never  
lets it escape to words like these1 save
 now and then on a      tired evening to
 husband or to wife8       ,there is    
often truth and justice in the grumble4 
,truth and justice      both4 ,still1   
when the question rises through the     
grumble1 ,can it be      that drudgery1 
not to be escaped1 gives culture8 the   
true answer      is--,yes1 and culture  
of the prime elements of life2 of the   
very      fundamentals of all fine      
manhood and fine womanhood4       ,our  
prime elements are due to our           
drudgery--,i mean that      literally2  
the fundamentals that underlie all      
fineness and      without which no other
 culture worth the winning is even      
possible4      ,these1 for instance--and
 what names are more familiar8 ,power of
      attention2 power of industry2     
promptitude in beginning work2 method   
and accuracy and despatch in doing work2

 perseverance2 courage      before      
difficulties2 cheer under straining     
burdens2 self-control      and          
self-denial and temperance4 ,these are  
the prime qualities2      these the     
fundamentals4 ,we have heard these names
 before6 ,when we      were small mother
 had a way of harping on them1 and      
father joined      in emphatically1 and 
the minister used to refer to them in   
church4      ,and this was what our     
first employer meant--only his way of   
putting      the matter was1 ,look      
sharp1 my boy6--,be on time1            
,john6--,stick      to it6 ,yes1 that is
 just what they all meant3 these are the
 very      qualities which the mothers  
tried to tuck into us when they tucked  
us into bed1 the very qualities which   
the ministers pack into their           
platitudes1 and which the nations pack  
into their proverbs4 ,and      that goes
 to show that they are the fundamentals4
 ,reading1      writing1 and arithmetic 
are very handy1 but these fundamentals  

of a      man are handier to have2 worth
 more2 worth more than ,latin and       
,greek and ,french and ,german and music
 and art-history and painting      and  
wax flowers and travels in ,europe added
 together4 ,these last      are the     
decorations of a man or woman3 even     
reading and writing are      but        
conveniences3 those other things are the
 indispensables4 ,they      make one's  
sit-fast strength and one's active      
momentum1 whatsoever      and           
wheresoever the lot in life be--be it   
wealth or poverty1 city      or country1
 library or workshop4 ,those qualities  
make the solid      substance of one's  
self4       ,and the question ,i would  
ask of myself and you is1 ,how do we get
      them8 ,how do they become ours8   
,high-school and college can give       
much1 but these are never on their      
programmes4 ,all the book      processes
 that we go to the schools for1 and     
commonly call our      education1 give  
no more than opportunity to win these   

indispensables of education4 ,how1 then1
 do we get them8 ,we get them           
somewhat as the fields and valleys get  
their grace4 ,whence is it      that the
 lines of river and meadow and hill and 
lake and shore      conspire to-day to  
make the landscape beautiful8 ,only by  
long      chiselings and steady         
pressures4 ,only by ages of glacier     
crush and      grind1 by scour of       
floods1 by centuries of storm and sun4  
,these      rounded the hills1 and      
scooped the valley-curves1 and mellowed 
the      soil for meadow-grace4 ,there  
was little grace in the operation1 had  
we been there to watch4 ,it was drudgery
 all over the land4 ,mother      ,nature
 was down on her knees doing her early  
scrubbing work6 ,that      was          
yesterday3 to-day1 result of            
scrubbing-work1 we have the             
laughing landscape4       ,now what is  
true of the earth is true of each man   
and woman on the      earth4 ,father and
 mother and the ancestors before them   

have done      much to bequeath those   
elemental qualities to us2 but that     
which      scrubs them into us1 the     
clinch which makes them actually ours1  
and      keeps them ours1 and adds to   
them as the years go by--that depends   
on our own plod1 our plod in the rut1   
our drill of habit2 in one      word1   
depends upon our drudgery4 ,it is       
because we have to go1      and go1     
morning after morning1 through rain1    
through shine1      through toothache1  
headache1 heartache1 to the appointed   
spot1 and      do the appointed work2   
because1 and only because1 we have to   
stick      to that work through the     
eight or ten hours1 long after rest     
would      be so sweet2 because the     
school-boy's lesson must be learned at  
nine o'clock and learned without a slip2
 because the accounts on      the ledger
 must square to a cent2 because the     
goods must tally      exactly with the  
invoice2 because good temper must be    
kept with      children1 customers1     

neighbors1 not seven1 but seventy times 
seven      times2 because the besetting 
sin must be watched to-day1 to-morrow1  
and the next day2 in short1 without much
 matter what our work be1      whether  
this or that1 it is because1 and only   
because1 of the rut1      plod1 grind1  
humdrum in the work1 that we at last get
 those      self-foundations laid of    
which ,i spoke1--attention1 promptness1 
accuracy1 firmness1 patience1           
self-denial1 and the rest4 ,when ,i     
think over that list and seriously ask  
myself three questions1 ,i      have to 
answer each with ,no3--,are there any   
qualities in the list      which ,i can 
afford to spare1 to go without1 as mere 
show-qualities8      ,not one4 ,can ,i  
get these self-foundations laid1 save by
 the weight1      year in1 year out1 of 
the steady pressures8 ,no1 there is no  
other      way4 ,is there a single one  
in the list which ,i cannot get in some 
degree by undergoing the steady drills  
and pressures8 ,no1 not one4      ,then 

beyond all books1 beyond all class-work 
at the school1 beyond      all special  
opportunities of what ,i call my        
education1 it is      this drill and    
pressure of my daily task that is my    
great      school-master4 ,my daily     
task1 whatever it be--that is what      
mainly educates me4 ,all other culture  
is mere luxury compared with      what  
that gives4 ,that gives the             
indispensables4 ,yet fool that ,i am1   
this pressure of my daily task is the   
very thing that ,i so growl at      as  
my drudgery6       ,we can add right    
here this fact1 and practically it is a 
very      important fact to girls and   
boys as ambitious as they ought to      
be1---the higher our ideals1 the more we
 need those foundation      habits      
strong4 ,the street-cleaner can better  
afford to drink and      laze than he   
who would make good shoes2 and to make  
good shoes      takes less force of     
character and brain than to make cures  
in the      sick-room1 or laws in the   

legislature1 or children in the nursery4
      ,the man who makes the head of a  
pin or the split of a pen all day       
long1 and the man who must put fresh    
thought into his work at every          
stroke1--which of the two more needs the
 self-control1 the method1      the     
accuracy1 the power of attention and    
concentration8 ,do you sigh      for    
books and leisure and wealth8 ,it takes 
more concentration to      use          
books--head tools--well than to use hand
 tools4 ,it takes more      self-control
 to use leisure well than workdays4     
,compare the      ,sundays and ,mondays 
of your city2 which day1 all things     
considered1      stands for the city's  
higher life1--the day on which so many  
men      are lolling1 or the day on     
which all toil8 ,it takes more          
knowledge1      more integrity1 more    
justice1 to handle riches well than to  
bear      the healthy pinch of the      
just-enough4       ,do you think that   
the great and famous escape drudgery8   

,the native      power and temperament1 
the outfit and capital at birth1 counts 
for      much1 but it convicts us common
 minds of huge mistake to hear the      
uniform testimony of the more successful
 geniuses about their      genius4      
,genius is patience1 said who8 ,sir     
,isaac ,newton4 ,the      ,prime        
,minister's secret is patience1 said    
who8 ,mr4 ,pitt1 the great      ,prime  
,minister of ,england4 ,who1 think you1 
wrote1 ,my imagination      would never 
have served me as it has1 but for the   
habit of      commonplace1 humble1      
patient1 daily1 toiling1 drudging       
attention8      ,it was ,charles        
,dickens4 ,who said ,the secret of a    
,wall ,street      million is common    
honesty8 ,vanderbilt2 and he added as   
the recipe      for a million 7,i know  
somebody would like to learn it71 ,never
 use      what is not your own1 never   
buy what you cannot pay for1 never sell 
what you haven't got4 ,how simple great 
men's rules are6 ,how easy      it is to

 be a great man6 ,order1 diligence1     
patience1 honesty1--just      what you  
and ,i must use in order to put our     
dollar in the      savings-bank1 to do  
our school-boy sum1 to keep the farm    
thrifty1      and the house clean1 and  
the babies neat4 ,order1 diligence1     
patience1 honesty6 ,there is wide       
difference between men1 but truly       
it lies less in some special gift or    
opportunity granted to one and          
withheld from another1 than in the      
differing degree in which these         
common elements of human power are owned
 and used4 ,not how much      talent    
have ,i1 but how much will to use the   
talent that ,i have1 is      the main   
question4 ,not how much do ,i know1 but 
how much do ,i do      with what ,i     
know8 ,to do their great work the great 
ones need more      of the very same    
habits which the little ones need to do 
their      smaller work4 ,goethe1       
,spencer1 ,agassiz1 ,jesus1 share1 not  
achievements1 but conditions of         

achievement1 with you and me4 ,and      
those conditions for them1 as for us1   
are largely the plod1 the      drill1   
the long disciplines of toil4 ,if we ask
 such men their      secret1 they will  
uniformly tell us so4       ,since we   
lay the firm substrata of ourselves in  
this way1 then1 and      only in this   
way2 and since the higher we aim1 the   
more1 and not      the less1 we need    
these firm substrata1--since this is so1
 ,i think      we ought to make up our  
minds and our mouths to sing a          
hallelujah      unto ,drudgery3 ,blessed
 be ,drudgery1--the one thing that we   
cannot      spare6       ,,ii       ,but
 there is something else to be said4    
,among the people who are      drudges  
there are some who have given up their  
dreams of what1 when      younger1 they 
used to talk or think about as their    
ideals2 and      have grown at last1 if 
not content1 resigned to do the actual  
work      before them4 ,yes1 here it    
is1--before us1 and behind us1 and on   

all      sides of us2 we cannot change  
it2 we have accepted it4 ,still1 we     
have not given up one dream1--the dream 
of success in this work      to which we
 are so clamped4 ,if we cannot win the  
well-beloved      one1 then success with
 the ill-beloved1--this at least is left
 to      hope for4 ,success may make it 
well-beloved1 too1--who knows8          
,well1 the secret of this success still 
lies in the same old word1              
drudgery4 ,for drudgery is the doing of 
one thing1 one thing1 one      thing1   
long after it ceases to be amusing2 and 
it is this one      thing ,i do that    
gathers me together from my chaos1 that 
concentrates me from possibilities to   
powers1 and turns powers into           
achievements4 ,one thing ,i do1 said    
,paul1 and1 apart from what his      one
 thing was1 in that phrase he gave the  
watchword of salvation4      ,that whole
 long string of habits--attention1      
method1 patience1      self-control1 and
 the others--can be rolled up and       

balled1 as it      were1 in the word    
concentration4 ,we will halt a moment at
 the      word3           ,i give you   
the end of a golden string3             
,only wind it into a ball1--            
,it will lead you in at ,heaven's gate1 
,built in ,jerusalem's wall4       ,men 
may be divided into two classes1--those 
who have a one thing1      and those who
 have no one thing1 to do2 those with   
aim1 and those      without aim1 in     
their lives3 and practically it turns   
out that      almost all of the success1
 and1 therefore1 the greater part of the
      happiness1 go to the first class4 
,the aim in life is what the            
backbone is in the body3 without it we  
are invertebrate1 belong to      some   
lower order of being not yet man4 ,no   
wonder that the great      question1    
therefore1 with a young man is1 ,what am
 ,i to be8 and that      the future     
looks rather gloomy until the life-path 
opens4 ,the lot      of many a girl1    
especially of many a girl with a rich   

father1 is a      tragedy of            
aimlessness4 ,social standards1 and her 
lack of true      ideals and of real    
education1 have condemned her to be     
frittered3      from twelve years old   
she is a cripple to be pitied1 and by   
thirty      she comes to know it4 ,with 
the brothers the blame is more their    
own4 ,the boys we used to play our      
school games with have found      their 
places2 they are winning homes and      
influence and money1 their      natures 
are growing strong and shapely1 and     
their days are filling      with the    
happy sense of accomplishment1--while we
 do not yet know      what we are4 ,we  
have no meaning on the earth4 ,lose us1 
and the      earth has lost nothing2 no 
niche is empty1 no force has ceased to  
play1 for we have got no aim1 and       
therefore we are still--nobody4         
,get your meaning first of all6 ,ask the
 question until it is      answered past
 question1 ,what am ,i8 ,what do ,i     
stand for8 ,what name      do ,i bear in

 the register of forces8 ,in our        
national cemeteries      there are rows 
on rows of unknown bodies of our        
soldiers1--men who      did a work and  
put a meaning to their lives2 for the   
mother and the      townsmen say1 ,he   
died in the war4 ,but the men and women 
whose      lives are aimless reverse    
their fates4 ,our bodies are known1 and 
answer in this world to such or such a  
name1--but as to our inner      selves1 
with real and awful meaning our walking 
bodies might be      labeled1 ,an       
unknown man sleeps here6       ,now1    
since it is concentration that prevents 
this tragedy of      failure1 and since 
this concentration always involves      
drudgery1      long1 hard1 abundant1 we 
have to own again1 ,i think1 that that  
is      even more than what ,i called it
 first1--our chief school-master2       
besides that1 drudgery is the gray      
,angel of ,success4 ,the main           
secret of any success we may hope to    
rejoice in is in that angel's           

keeping4 ,look at the leaders in the    
profession1 the solid men in            
business1 the master-workmen who begin  
as poor boys and end by      building a 
town in which to house their factory    
hands2 they are      drudges of the     
single aim4 ,the man of science1 and    
to-day more than      ever1 if he would 
add to the world's knowledge1 or even   
get a      reputation1 must be1 in some 
one branch at least1 a plodding         
specialist4 ,the great inventors1       
,palissy at his pots1 ,goodyear at      
his rubber1 ,elias ,howe at his         
sewing-machine1 tell the                
secret1--,one thing ,i do4 ,the         
reformer's secret is the same4 ,a       
one-eyed1 grim-jawed folk the reformers 
are apt to be3 one-eyed1                
grim-jawed1 seeing but the one thing1   
never letting go1 they have      to be1 
to start a torpid nation4 ,all these men
 as doers of the      single thing      
drudge their way to their success4 ,even
 so must we1      would we win ours4    

,the foot-loose man is not the enviable 
man4 ,a      wise man will be his own   
necessity and bind himself to a task1 if
      by early wealth or foolish parents
 or other lowering circumstances      he
 has lost the help of an outward        
necessity4       ,again1 then1 ,i say1  
,let us sing a hallelujah and make a    
fresh      beatitude3 ,blessed be       
,drudgery6 ,it is the one thing we      
cannot      spare4       ,,iii          
,this is a hard gospel1 is it not8 ,but 
now there is a pleasanter      word to  
briefly say4 ,to lay the firm           
foundations in ourselves1 or      even  
to win success in life1 we must be      
drudges4 ,but we can be      artists1   
also1 in our daily task4 ,and at that   
word things      brighten4              
,artists1 ,i say1--not artisans4 ,the   
difference8 ,this3 the artist      is he
 who strives to perfect his work1--the  
artisan strives to get      through it4 
,the artist would fain finish1 too2 but 
with him it is      to finish the work  

,god has given me to do6 ,it is not how 
great a      thing we do1 but how well  
we do the thing we have to1 that puts us
      in the noble brotherhood of       
artists4 ,my ,real is not my ,ideal1--is
      that my complaint8 ,one thing1 at 
least1 is in my power3 if ,i cannot     
realize my ,ideal1 ,i can at least      
idealize my ,real4 ,how8 ,by trying     
to be perfect in it4 ,if ,i am but a    
rain-drop in a shower1 ,i will      be1 
at least1 a perfect drop2 if but a leaf 
in a whole ,june1 ,i will      be1 at   
least1 a perfect leaf4 ,this poor one   
thing ,i do1--instead      of repining  
at its lowness or its hardness1 ,i will 
make it glorious      by my supreme     
loyalty to its demand4       ,an artist 
himself shall speak4 ,it was ,michael   
,angelo who said3      ,nothing makes   
the soul so pure1 so religious1 as the  
endeavor to      create something       
perfect2 for ,god is perfection1 and    
whoever      strives for it strives for 
something that is godlike4 ,true        

painting      is only an image of ,god's
 perfection1--a shadow of the pencil    
with      which he paints1 a melody1 a  
striving after harmony4 ,the great      
masters in music1 the great masters in  
all that we call artistry1      would   
echo ,michael ,angelo in this2 he speaks
 the artist essence      out4 ,but what 
holds good upon their grand scale and   
with those      whose names are known1  
holds equally good of all pursuits and  
all      lives4 ,that true painting is  
an image of ,god's perfection must be   
true1 if he says so2 but no more true of
 painting than of      shoemaking1 of   
,michael ,angelo than of ,john ,pounds1 
the cobbler4 ,i      asked a cobbler    
once how long it took to become a good  
shoemaker2      he answered1 promptly1  
,six years1--and then you must travel6  
,that      cobbler had the artist soul4 
,i told a friend the story1 and he      
asked his cobbler the same question3    
,how long does it take to      become a 
good shoemaker8 ,all your life1 sir4    

,that was still      better1--a ,michael
 ,angelo of shoes6 ,mr4 ,maydole1 the   
hammer-maker1      of central ,new      
,york1 was an artist3 ,yes1 said he to  
,mr4 ,parton1      ,i have made hammers 
here for twenty-eight years4 ,well1     
then1 you      ought to be able to make 
a pretty good hammer by this time4 ,no1 
sir1 was the answer1 ,i never made a    
pretty good hammer4 ,i make      the    
best hammer made in the ,united ,states4
 ,daniel ,morell1 once      president of
 the ,cambria ,railworks in ,pittsburgh1
 which employed      seven thousand men1
 was an artist1 and trained artists4    
,what is      the secret of such a      
development of business as this8 asked  
the      visitor4 ,we have no secret1   
was the answer2 we always try to        
beat our last batch of rails4 ,that's   
all the secret we have1 and we          
don't care who knows it4 ,the ,paris    
bookbinder was an artist1 who1      when
 the rare volume of ,corneille1         
discovered in a book-stall1 was         

brought to him1 and he was asked how    
long it would take him to bind      it1 
answered1 ,oh1 sir1 you must give me a  
year1 at least2 this      needs all my  
care4 ,our ,ben ,franklin showed the    
artist when he      began his own       
epitaph1 ,benjamin ,franklin1 printer4  
,and ,professor      ,agassiz1 when he  
told the interviewer that he had no time
 to make      money2 and when he began  
his will1 ,i1 ,louis ,agassiz1 teacher4 
,in one of ,murillo's pictures in the   
,louvre he shows us the interior      of
 a convent kitchen2 but doing the work  
there are1 not mortals in      old      
dresses1 but beautiful white-winged     
angels4 ,one serenely puts      the     
kettle on the fire to boil1 and one is  
lifting up a pail of      water with    
heavenly grace1 and one is at the       
kitchen dresser      reaching up for    
plates2 and ,i believe there is a little
 cherub      running about and getting  
in the way1 trying to help4 ,what the   
old      monkish legend that it         

represented is1 ,i hardly know4 ,but1 as
 the      painter puts it to you on his 
canvas1 all are so busy1 and working    
with such a will1 and so refining the   
work as they do it1 that      somehow   
you forget that pans are pans and pots  
pots1 and only think      of the angels1
 and how very natural and beautiful     
kitchen-work      is1--just what the    
angels would do1 of course4       ,it is
 the angel-aim and standard in an act   
that consecrates it4 ,he      who aims  
for perfectness in a trifle is trying to
 do that trifle      holily4 ,the trier 
wears the halo1 and therefore1 the halo 
grows      as quickly round the brows of
 peasant as of king4 ,this aspiration   
to do perfectly1--is it not religion    
practicalized8 ,if we use the      name 
of ,god1 is this not ,god's presence    
becoming actor in us8 ,no      need1    
then1 of being great to share that      
aspiration and that      presence4 ,the 
smallest roadside pool has its water    
from heaven1 and      its gleam from the

 sun1 and can hold the stars in its     
bosom1 as      well as the great ocean4 
,even so the humblest man or woman can  
live      splendidly6 ,that is the royal
 truth that we need to believe1--you    
and ,i who have no mission1 and no great
 sphere to move in4 ,the      universe  
is not quite complete without my work   
well done4 ,have      you ever read     
,george ,eliot's poem called            
,stradivarius8      ,stradivarius was   
the famous old violin-maker1 whose      
violins1 nearly      two centuries old1 
are almost worth their weight in gold   
to-day4      ,says ,stradivarius in the 
poem3                       ,if my hand 
slacked1          ,i should rob         
,god1--since ,he is the fullest good1-- 
,leaving a blank instead of violins4    
,he could not make ,antonio             
,stradivari's violins          ,without 
,antonio4       ,that is just as true of
 us as of our greatest brothers4 ,what1 
stand      with slackened hands and     
fallen heart before the littleness of   

your      service6 ,too little1 is it1  
to be perfect in it8 ,would you1 then1  
if you were ,master1 risk a greater     
treasure in the hands of such a         
man8 ,oh1 there is no man1 no woman1 so 
small that they cannot make      their  
life great by high endeavor2 no sick    
crippled child on its      bed that     
cannot fill a niche of service that way 
in the world4      ,this is the         
beginning of all gospels1--that the     
kingdom of heaven      is at hand just  
where we are4 ,it is just as near us as 
our work is1      for the gate of heaven
 for each soul lies in the endeavor to  
do      that work perfectly4       ,but 
to bend this talk back to the word with 
which we started3 will      this        
striving for perfection in the little   
thing give culture8      ,have you ever 
watched such striving in operation8     
,have you never      met humble men and 
women who read little1 who knew little1 
yet who      had a certain fascination  
as of fineness lurking about them8 ,know

      them1 and you are likely to find  
them persons who have put so much       
thought and honesty and conscientious   
trying into their common      work--it  
may be sweeping rooms1 or planing       
boards1 or painting      walls--have put
 their ideals so long1 so constantly1 so
 lovingly      into that common work of 
theirs1 that finally these qualities    
have      come to permeate not their    
work only1 but so much of their being   
that they are fine-fibred within1 even  
if on the outside the rough      bark   
clings4 ,without being schooled1 they   
are apt to instinctively      detect a  
sham1--one test of culture4 ,without    
haunting the      drawing-rooms1 they   
are likely to have manners of quaint    
grace and      graciousness1--another   
test of culture4 ,without the           
singing-lessons1 their tones are apt to 
be gentle1--another test of             
culture4 ,without knowing anything about
 ,art1 so called1 they know      and    
love the best in one thing1--are artists

 in their own little      specialty of  
work4 ,they make good company1 these men
 and      women1--why8 ,because1 not    
having been able to realize their       
,ideal1      they have idealized their  
,real1 and thus in the depths of their  
nature have won true culture4       ,you
 know all beatitudes are based on       
something hard to do or to be4          
,blessed are the meek3 is it easy to be 
meek8 ,blessed are the      pure in     
heart3 is that so very easy8 ,blessed   
are they who mourn4      ,blessed are   
they who hunger and thirst--who         
starve--after      righteousness4 ,so   
this new beatitude by its hardness only 
falls      into line with all the rest4 
,a third time and heartily ,i say       
it1--,blessed be ,drudgery6 ,for thrice 
it blesses us3 it gives us      the     
fundamental qualities of manhood and    
womanhood2 it gives us      success in  
the thing we have to do2 and it makes   
us1 if we choose1      artists1--artists
 within1 whatever our outward work may  

be4      ,blessed be ,drudgery1--the    
secret of all culture6  ,and now1 as a  
final step in this preliminary study1 a 
step which shall again give practice in 
both forms of expression1 you are to    
choose from your vital interests one    
concerning which you hold intense       
convictions4 ,first you are to set forth
 these convictions in the strongest     
piece of persuasive prose you can       
command3 this is work for your study4   
,second1 you are to summon all your     
vocal resources1 and1 with the one idea 
of persuading us of the truth of your   
convictions1 make to us for them a      
direct appeal3 this work is for the     
class-room4 ,so shall we have combined  
the preliminary study in vocal          
expression of direct appeal with the    
preliminary study in verbal expression  
of persuasion4     ,,first ,,study  ,,to
 ,,establish ,,vitality ,,in ,,thinking 
,among the axioms of our subject-matter 
already formulated stands this one3     
reading aloud is thinking aloud4 ,if    

reading aloud is thinking aloud the     
quality of the reading will depend1 of  
course1 upon the quality of the         
thinking4 ,but while clear thinking does
 not assure lucid reading 7since there  
are other elements in the problem71 the 
converse is true1 that good reading     
implies clear thinking4 ,for it is      
impossible to read convincingly unless  
one is thinking vitally1 which brings us
 to the object of this study3 ,to       
,establish ,vitality in ,thinking4  ,do 
you know what it means to think vitally 
in reading8 ,it means a concentration of
 your mind upon the thought before you  
until you1 yourself1 seem to be thinking
 that thought for the first time1--until
 you seem to be bringing forth a thought
 of your own conception instead of      
rethinking the conception of another's  
mind4 ,is this a familiar experience8   
,it must become one if you are to become
 a true interpreter4 ,for the true      
interpreter is first of all the keen    
thinker4  ,we do not say of the great   

actor1 after a performance of ,hamlet1  
,he played ,hamlet wonderfully6 ,we say1
 rather1 ,he was ,hamlet4 ,the great    
actor creates the part he plays each    
time he plays it4 ,he creates the part  
by living the part4 ,even in the same   
way the great interpreter creates the   
thought he voices through a             
concentration of mind which appropriates
 the thought and makes it his own to    
voice4  ,we have said that the greatest 
need of the human heart is for          
self-expression4 ,to satisfy the heart  
that act of expression must be a        
creative act4 ,true interpretation is   
creative expression4 ,the fundamental   
step toward creative expression is      
complete possession of the thought to be
 expressed4 ,complete possession depends
 upon your power to concentrate your    
mind upon a thought until it is your    
own4 ,the first step in interpretation  
is to establish vitality in thinking4   
,the new arithmetic trains the mind to  
see the relation behind the mathematical

 statement of the relation4 ,the child  
who says his tables to-day is not       
repeating by rote words and figures1 he 
is realizing vital relations1 he is     
developing a sense of proportion1 he is 
learning to think vitally4 ,the old     
method in arithmetic left the statement 
two times one is two a cold mathematical
 fact2 the new method makes it a key to 
living relations4 ,one in the tables of 
the child in mathematics to-day stands  
for a definite object1 and the statement
 two times one is two is an interesting 
and significant fact4 ,the statement    
through imaginative thinking1 which is  
vital thinking1 may be invested with    
personal significance and become a      
personally interesting fact4 ,try it6   
,say your tables of one up to ten times 
one is ten1 thinking vitally1 which     
means getting behind the statement of   
the relation to the relation itself1    
behind the sign to the thing signified4 
,let your one stand each time for       
something you desire--as a small boy    

might desire pieces of candy1 or a miser
 pieces of eight2 now think vitally in  
this way and say1 ,ten times one is ten6
 ,what has happened to the mathematical 
fact8 ,it has become a living           
expression6  ,this might be called      
interpreting our mathematics4 ,why not8 
,that is the surest way to master them6 
,it is the surest way to mastery of any 
subject1 of any art1 of ,life itself4   
,it is the only real way4 ,but we have  
leaped from the part to the whole1 from 
the study of a detail to an application 
of the law governing the whole subject4 
,back we must go to our special point4  
,if we can turn the statement of a cold 
mathematical fact into the expression of
 a living vital relation by thinking    
vitally1 so investing the fact with     
personal significance and making it our 
own1 what can we not do with the more   
easily appropriated thought which poets 
and philosophers and play-writers have  
given us1 and with which rests our      
especial concern as interpreters8 ,let  

us see what we can do6 ,but first there 
is one other point to be considered in  
this question of vital thinking4 ,we    
have spoken of one aspect of the process
 of the mind in thinking1--the          
concentration upon an idea until it is  
one's own4 ,but there is the passing of 
the mind from idea to idea to be noted4 
,this phase the psychologists name      
transition4 ,this alternate             
concentration and transition constitutes
 the pulsing of the mind in reading1    
which ,doctor ,curry discusses so       
vitally in his ,lessons in ,vocal       
,expression4 ,now transition is an      
inevitable result of concentration and  
follows it as naturally as expiration   
follows inspiration4 ,this being true1  
we need only note1 in our study of the  
process of the mind in reading aloud1   
the question of transition1 letting it  
follow naturally the fundamental act of 
concentration which is our chief        
concern4 ,if the intense concentration  
is accomplished the clean transition    

will follow4 ,in choosing material which
 shall require for adequate             
interpretation this intense             
concentration of the mind1 we find our  
source1 of course1 to be the literature 
of thought rather than the literature of
 feeling4 ,the literary form which seems
 to furnish the best examples for our   
purpose at this point is the essay where
 the appeal is1 primarily1 at least1 an 
intellectual appeal4 ,for my own        
suggestive analysis and for our         
preliminary study in vital thinking ,i  
have chosen paragraphs from ,emerson's  
essays because ,emerson's almost every  
paragraph is an essay in miniature4 ,the
 story is told of the gentle seer that  
once in the midst of a lecture he       
dropped all the pages of his manuscript 
over the front of the pulpit4 ,the      
incident disturbed his auditors greatly 
until they saw ,mr4 ,emerson gather up  
the leaves and without any effort at    
rearrangement in the old order begin to 
read as though nothing had happened4    

,every sentence was almost equally      
pertinent to the main theme1 and        
suffered not from a new juxtaposition4  
,so in printing extracts from this      
source we feel no sense of              
incompleteness4   ,,suggestive          
,,analysis  ,let us read this passage   
from ,emerson's ,experience3       ,to  
finish the moment1 to find the journey's
 end in every step of      the road1 to 
live the greatest number of good hours1 
is wisdom4 ,it      is not the part of  
men1 but of fanatics--or of             
mathematicians1 if      you will--to say
 that1 the shortness of life considered1
 it is not      worth caring whether for
 so short a duration we were sprawling  
in      want or sitting high4 ,since our
 office is with moments1 let us         
husband them4 ,five minutes of to-day   
are worth as much to me as      five    
minutes in the next millennium4 ,let us 
be poised1 and wise1      and our own1  
to-day4 ,i settle myself ever the firmer
 in the creed      that we should not   

postpone and refer and wish1 but do     
broad      justice where we are1 by     
whomsoever we deal with1 accepting our  
actual companions and circumstances1    
however humble or odious1 as      the   
mystic officials to whom the universe   
has delegated its whole      pleasure   
for us4  ,if you do not think your way  
through this paragraph clearly1         
concisely1 logically1 intensely1 when   
you read it aloud your voice will betray
 you4 ,in what way8 ,your tone will lack
 resonance1 your speech will lack       
precision1 your pitch will be           
monotonous1 your touch will be          
uncertain1 your inflections will be     
indefinite4 ,your reading will be       
unconvincing1 because it will fail in   
lucidity and variety4 ,in approaching   
this passage let us study first the     
question of proper emphasis4 ,what is   
emphasis8 ,the dictionaries tell us     
that1 in delivery1 it is a special      
stress of the voice on a given word4    
,but we must use it in a broader sense  

than this4 ,to emphasize a word is not  
merely to put a special stress of the   
voice upon that word4 ,such an attack   
might only make the word conspicuous and
 so defeat the aim of true emphasis4    
,true emphasis is the art of voicing the
 words in a phrase so that they shall   
assume a right relation to one another  
and1 so related1 best suggest the       
thought of which they are the symbols4  
,i do not emphasize one word in a phrase
 and not the others4 ,i simply vary my  
stress upon each word1 in order to gain 
the proper perspective for the whole    
sentence4 ,just so1 in a picture1 ,i    
make one object stand out1 and others   
fall into the background1 by drawing or 
painting them in proper relation to one 
another4 ,i may use any or all of the   
elements of vocal expression to give    
that proper relation of values to the   
words in a single phrase4 ,i may pause1 
change my pitch1 vary my inflection1 and
 alter my tone-color1 in order to give a
 single word its full value4 ,let us try

 experiments in emphasis with some      
isolated sentences before analyzing the 
longer passage4 ,here is one of ,robert 
,louis ,stevenson's beautifully wrought 
periods3      ,every man has a sane spot
 somewhere4  ,let us vary1 vocally1 the 
relative values of the words in this    
sentence1 and study the effect upon the 
character of the thought4 ,let us look  
upon the statement as a theme for       
discussion4 ,with a pause before the    
second word1 man1 a lift of the voice on
 that word1 a whimsical turn of the     
tone1 and a significant inflection1 we  
may convert an innocent statement of    
fact into an incendiary question for    
debate on the comparative sanity of the 
sexes4 ,a plea for endless faith and    
charity becomes a back-handed criticism 
of women4 ,now let us read the sentence1
 giving it its true meaning4 ,every man 
has a sane spot somewhere4 ,let your    
voice make of the statement a plea1 by  
dwelling a bit on the first word and    
again on the last word4 ,hyphenate the  

first two words 7they really stand for  
one idea74 ,compound also the words sane
 and spot4 ,lift them as a single word  
above the rest of the sentence4 ,now put
 somewhere a little higher still above  
the level of the rest of the sentence4  
,so1 only1 have we the true import of   
this group of words3                    
some                                    
where4                         sane-spot
      ,every-            man has a      
,analyze the rest of these sentences    
from ,stevenson in the same way1 and    
experiment with them vocally4           
,that is never a bad wind that blows    
where we want to go4       ,for truth   
that is suppressed by friends is the    
readiest weapon of      the enemy4      
,some strand of our own misdoing is     
involved in every quarrel4       ,drama 
is the poetry of conduct1 romance the   
poetry of circumstance4       ,you      
cannot run away from a weakness2 you    
must sometime fight it out      or      
perish2 and if that be so1 why not now1 

and where you stand8       ,an aim in   
life is the only fortune worth the      
finding2 and it is not      to be found 
in foreign lands1 but in the heart      
itself4       ,the world was not made   
for us2 it was made for ten hundred     
millions      of me1 all different from 
each other and from us2 there's no royal
      road1 we just have to sclamber and
 tumble4  ,now1 once more1 and this time
 with detailed analysis1 let us study   
the passage from ,experience4 ,let us   
first consider for a moment some of the 
words which make this passage powerful3 
finish1 journey's-end1 good hours1      
wisdom1 fanatics1 mathematicians1       
sprawling-in-want1 sitting-high1 firmer1
 poised1 postpone1 justice1 humble1     
odious1 mystic1 pleasure4 ,when spoken  
with a keen sense of its inherent       
meaning1 with full appreciation of its  
form1 and with delight in molding it1   
how efficient each one of these words   
becomes6 ,when shall we1 as a people1   
learn reverence for the words which make

 up our language--reverence that shall  
make us ashamed to mangle words1        
offering as our excuse that we are      
,westerners or ,southerners or from ,new
 ,york or ,new ,england or ,indiana4    
,the clear-cut thought calls for the    
clean-cut speech4 ,let us say these     
words over and over until they assume   
full value4 ,and now we pass from words 
to groups of words4 ,the mind and the   
tone must move progressively through the
 first three phrases which make up this 
first sentence3 ,to finish the moment1  
to find the journey's end in every step 
of the road1 to live the greatest number
 of good hours1 is wisdom4 ,the phrases 
must be held together by an almost      
imperceptible suspension and upward     
reach of the voice at the end of each   
group of words1 and yet each phrase must
 be allowed to be momentarily complete4 
,read the sentence1 making each phrase a
 conclusion1 and then again letting each
 phrase look forward to the next4 ,each 
phrase is really a substantive1 looking 

forward to its predicate through a      
second substantive which is a little    
more vital than the first1 and again    
through a third substantive which is a  
little more vital than either of the    
other two4 ,bring this out in reading   
the sentence4 ,the next sentence depends
 for its significance upon your         
contrasting inflections of the three    
words men1 fanatics1 and mathematicians2
 and again upon your sympathetic        
inflection of sprawling-in-want and     
sitting-high4 ,it is not the part of    
men1 but of fanatics--or of             
mathematicians1 if you will--to say     
that1 the shortness of life considered1 
it is not worth caring whether for so   
short a duration we were sprawling in   
want or sitting high4 ,in your utterance
 of these words can you make men ,,men1 
and fanatics fanatics1 and consign      
mathematicians to the cold corner of    
human affairs designed for them8 ,can   
you so inflect sprawling in want and    
sitting high as to suggest a swamp and a

 mountain-top1 or a frog and an angel8  
,let your voice leap from the swamp to  
the mountain-top4 ,let it climb4 ,now   
comes the swift1 concise1 admonitory    
sentence3 ,since our office is with     
moments1 let us husband them4 ,pause    
before you speak the word husband1 and  
husband it4 ,five minutes of to-day are 
worth as much to me as five minutes in  
the next millennium4 ,make five minutes 
of to-day one word1 and accent the last 
syllable1 thus3 five-minutes-of-to-day4 
,let the tone retard and take its time  
on the last seven words4 ,now poise your
 tone for the next sentence4 ,let us be 
poised1 and wise1 and our own1 to-day4  
,the paragraph closes with a more       
complex statement of the theme4 ,let    
your voice search out the meaning4 ,let 
it settle down into the conclusion1 and 
utter it convincingly4 ,give a definite 
touch to the words which ,i shall put in
 italics4 ,i settle myself ever firmer  
in the creed that we should not postpone
 and refer and wish1 but do             

broad-justice where we are1 by          
whomsoever we deal with1 accepting our  
actual companions and circumstances1    
however humble or odious1 as the mystic 
officials to whom the universe has      
dedicated its whole pleasure for us4    
,analyze vocally the following          
paragraph3       ,there is a time in    
every man's education when he arrives at
 the      conviction that envy is       
ignorance2 that imitation is suicide2   
that      he must take himself for      
better for worse as his portion2 that   
though the wide universe is full of     
good1 no kernel of nourishing      corn 
can come to him but through his toil    
bestowed on that plot of      ground    
which is given to him to till4 ,the     
power which resides in      him is new  
in nature1 and none but he knows what   
that is which he      can do1 nor does  
he know until he has tried4444 ,what ,i 
must do is      all that concerns me1   
not what the people think4 ,this rule1  
equally      arduous in actual and in   

intellectual life1 may serve for the    
whole      distinction between greatness
 and meanness4 ,it is the harder        
because you will always find those who  
think they know what is your      duty  
better than you know it4 ,it is easy in 
the world to live after      the world's
 opinion2 it is easy in solitude to live
 after our own2      but the great man  
is he who in the midst of the crowd     
keeps with      perfect sweetness the   
independence of                         
solitude4--,self-,reliance4             
,,selections ,,for ,,interpretation  ,by
 choosing as further material for vocal 
interpretation selections which shall   
also be good examples for examination as
 to their literary construction1 we     
shall serve the double purpose of       
adapting our studies in vocal           
interpretation to the uses of ,english  
composition4  ,the following selections 
are to be3 first1 read aloud 7in class72
 second1 examined as to their literary  
construction 7in class72 third1 analyzed

 and reported upon as specimens of      
exposition and argumentation 7in the    
study74       ,exposition is an         
explanation1 a setting forth1 or an     
expounding4 ,it      is an attempt to   
render something plain1 an effort to    
convey to the      reader a train of    
thought which represents the conclusions
 of the      writer upon a subject4 ,the
 writer1 it is at once evident1 must be 
acquainted with the subject with which  
he deals4 ,he is presuming to           
teach1 and must be in a position which  
justifies him in so doing4      ,he is  
prepared to write an exposition only    
when he is able1 in      regard to the  
topic in hand1 to take frankly and      
unreservedly the      attitude of a     
teacher4       ,a teacher must have many
 good gifts and graces2 and whoever else
      may fail to be well acquainted    
with a given lesson1 he must have       
mastered it thoroughly4 ,to teach he    
must first know4 ,whoever has           
taught understands how completely       

different is the attitude of the        
teacher from that of the pupil4 ,while  
the pupil is hardly expected      to be 
able to do more than reasonably well to 
understand the      subject in hand1 the
 teacher must be able to explain1 to    
justify1      to make clear relations1  
and to impart the whole matter4 ,the    
pupil      is excused with a sort of    
hearsay knowledge1 but the teacher must 
have a vital experience of what he      
teaches4 ,especially must he be         
able to comprehend and to represent a   
subject as a whole4 ,he is              
responsible for the student's being able
 in turn to co-ordinate      facts and  
theories so as to produce unity2 and it 
is therefore      essential that he     
himself have power to hold and to make  
clear a      continuous train of        
thought4       ,the teacher1 moreover1  
must have over his mind discipline so   
firm      that he is not dependent upon 
moods4 ,he must cover the wide          
difference between the train of thought 

which springs spontaneously      in the 
mind and that which is laboriously      
worked out as a logical      sequence of
 ideas relating to a subject forced upon
 the attention4      ,the pupil may1 to 
a certain extent1 indulge the vagaries  
of his      inclination1 but the teacher
 must respond to the need of the        
moment4 ,he must have trained his mind  
to give an intelligent      judgment    
upon any matter presented to it4 ,he is 
not equipped for      instructing--nor  
is any individual ready for life--until 
he can      command the resources of his
 inner self to the utmost4 ,the trained 
person is one who can take a subject    
which may not at the outset             
especially appeal to him1 which is full 
of complications1 which is      not in  
itself1 perhaps1 attractive1 and can    
insist with himself      that his mind  
shall master it thoroughly4 ,he is able 
so to expend      his whole mental      
strength1 if need be1 upon any necessary
 topic      that the subject shall be   

examined1 acquired1 assimilated1 and    
then      shall be so organized1 so     
illumined1 and so presented that others 
shall be instructed4 ,the mind of the   
teacher1 in a word1 is so               
disciplined that it will work when it is
 ordered4       ,the ideal state of mind
 for him who wishes to communicate      
knowledge      is that of being absolute
 master of all its resources4 ,many who 
possess no inconsiderable powers of     
thought are practically unable      to  
command the best powers of their        
intelligence4 ,they depend upon      the
 whim of the moment1 upon some outward  
pressure or inward      impulse1 to     
arouse their intellect4 ,they fail to   
reflect that while      any ordinary    
intellect naturally forms some opinion  
upon any      subject which interests   
it1 only the trained mind is able to    
judge      clearly and lucidly of an    
indifferent or uninteresting matter4 ,in
      this mastery of thought lies the  
difference between the sterile and      

the productive mind4 ,only one brain in 
a thousand has not the      disposition 
to shirk work if it is allowed1 and     
every student has      moments when his 
intelligence seems almost to act like a 
spoiled      child that hates to get up 
when called on a cold morning4 ,to      
establish the power of the will over the
 intellect is the object of             
education1 and the ability to exercise  
this power is what is meant      by the 
proper use of the word cultivation4     
,the mental process of the cultivated   
thinker when considering any            
subject is likely to be3 first1 to      
become sure of his terms2 then1         
clearly to set before his mind the facts
 and conditions2 and1      lastly1 to   
make the possible and resulting         
deductions and      conclusions4 ,this  
gives a hint1 and indeed practically    
affords a      rule for the writer of   
exposition4       ,an exposition1       
broadly speaking1 may be said to consist
 of three      steps which nearly       

correspond to the three steps of mental 
activity just set down3 the ,definition1
 the ,statement1 and the                
,inference4       ,definition is making 
clear to self or to the reader what is  
under      discussion4       ,statement 
is the setting forth of whatever is to  
be said of the      facts1 conditions1  
relations1 and so on1 which it is the   
object of      the exposition to make   
clear4       ,inference is the          
conclusion or conclusions drawn4        
,these three parts will seldom be found 
as formal divisions in any      ordinary
 exposition1 but in some sort they are  
always present2 and      the writer must
 at least have them clear in his mind if
 he hopes to      render his work well  
ordered1 comprehensive1 and symmetrical4
      ,together they are woven as the   
strands which give a firmness of        
texture to the whole4       ,to         
illustrate the bearing of this analysis 
on the composition of an                
exposition1 we may imagine that a       

student has been required to      write 
a theme on ,the ,influence of ,college  
,life4 ,he has first to      concern    
himself with definition4 ,he must decide
 what he means by      college life as a
 molding influence2 whether its         
intellectual1 its      social1 its moral
 aspects1 or all these4 ,he must        
consider1 too1      whether he is to    
deal with the effect upon specific      
characters or      upon types2 whether  
upon boys during the time they are in   
college      or as a training for after 
life2 whether at a special institution  
or as the result of any college4 ,if he 
limits himself to one phase      of     
influence1 he must in the same way      
decide fully in what sense      he      
intends to treat that phase4 ,if he is  
to consider the social      effect of   
college life1 for instance1 he has to   
define for himself      the sense in    
which he will use the word social4 ,is  
it to mean      simply formal society1  
adaptation to the more conventional and 

exclusive forms of human intercourse1 or
 to imply all that renders      a man   
more self-poised1 more flexible1 and    
more adaptable in any      relations    
with his fellows8 ,if1 on the other     
hand1 it is the      intellectual       
influence of college life which is to be
 studied1 the      first step is to     
decide what is to be considered for this
 purpose      the range of the term     
intellectual2 whether it is to be taken 
to      mean the mere acquirement of    
information2 whether it has relation    
to acquirement or to modification of    
mental conditions2 whether it      means
 change in the mind in the way of       
development or of      modification2    
whether it shall be applied to an       
alteration in the      student's        
attitude toward knowledge or toward life
 in general4 ,all      this is in the   
line of definition1 and it is naturally 
connected      with the statement of    
whatever facts bear upon the topic under
      discussion4       ,statement has  

largely to do with fact4 ,theory belongs
 rather to      whatever inference is   
part of an exposition4 ,in the statement
 will      come the observations of the 
writer2 whatever he knows of general    
conditions at college1 or such          
individual examples as bear upon the    
question in hand4 ,from these he will   
inevitably draw some      conclusions1  
and the value of the exposition will    
depend upon the      reasonableness and 
convincingness of these inferences1 as  
these      will1 in turn1 depend upon   
the clearness of the writer's original  
knowledge in regard to his intentions   
and the logic of his      statements4   
,composition1 it should be remembered1  
is the art of communicating      to     
others what is in the mind of the       
writer4 ,to write without      having   
the subject abundantly in mind is to    
invite the reader to a      ,barmecide  
feast of empty dishes4 ,the necessity of
 insisting upon      such particulars as
 those just given of the process of     

making an      exposition arises from   
the stubborn idea of the untrained      
student      that writing is something  
done with paper and ink4 ,it is1 on the 
contrary1 something which is done with  
brains2 it is less putting      things  
on paper than it is thinking things out 
in the mind4       ,before leaving the  
illustration of a theme on the influence
 of      college life we may glance a   
moment more at the difficulty1 even     
with so simple a subject1 of attaining  
perfect clarity of thinking4      ,one  
of the first things which must be       
determined is the essential             
difference of life in a college from    
ordinary existence4 ,if the      subject
 be given out to a class of students    
half the themes handed      in will     
begin with a remark upon the great      
change which comes to a      boy who    
finds himself for the first time freed  
from the restraints      of home4 ,the  
moment this idea is presented to the    
mind it is to be      looked at1 not as 

something with which to fill so much    
paper1 but      as a stepping-stone     
toward ideas beyond4 ,it is necessary1  
for      instance1 to determine the     
distinctions between freedom at college 
and freedom elsewhere2 to decide wherein
 lie the differences in      the        
conditions which surround a boy in a    
university and one who      escapes from
 the restrictions of home by going away 
to live in a      city or in a country  
village1 on shipboard or in the army4   
,to be of      value1 every thought in  
an exposition must have been tested by a
      comparison with allied ideas as   
wide and as exhaustive as the           
thinker is equal to making4       ,to   
learn to think is1 after all1 the prime 
essential in      exposition-writing1   
and the beginning of thought is the     
realization      of what is already     
known4 ,the student who patiently       
examines his      views on the subject  
of which he is to write1 who determines 
to      discover exactly how much he    

knows and what is the relative          
importance of each of his opinions1 is  
likely soon to come to find      that he
 is considering the theme chosen not    
only deeply1 but with      tangible     
results4 ,the value of any exposition1  
to sum the matter up      in a word1    
rests primarily and chiefly on the      
thoroughness of the      thought which  
produces it4--,,arlo ,,bates4#c       #c
 ,this selection from ,prof4 ,arlo      
,bates's ,talks on ,writing             
,english is printed by permission of the
 author and his publishers1             
,houghton ,mifflin ,company4       ,the 
,idylls of the ,king has been called a  
quasi-epic4 ,departing      from the    
conventional epic form by its lack of a 
closely continuous      narrative1 it   
has yet that lofty manner and underlying
 unity of      design which leads us to 
class it with the epics1 at least1 in   
the      essentials4 ,it consists of a  
series of chivalric legends1 taken      
chiefly from the ,morte d',arthur of    

,sir ,thomas ,malory1 grouped so      as
 to exhibit the establishment1 the      
greatness1 and the downfall of      an  
ideal kingdom of righteousness among    
men4 ,the ,coming of      ,arthur1 the  
ideal ruler1 shows us the setting up of 
this kingdom4      ,before this was     
disorder1 great tracts of wilderness1   
,wherein the beast was ever more and    
more1          ,but man was less and    
less4       ,arthur slays the beast and 
fells the forest1 and the old order     
changes to give place to new4 ,then the 
song of ,arthur's knights      rises1 a 
majestic chorus of triumph3             
,clang battle-axe and clash brand4 ,let 
the king reign4       ,in ,gareth and   
,lynette the newly established kingdom  
is seen doing      its work among men4  
,arthur1 enthroned in his great hall1   
dispenses      impartial justice4 ,the  
knights           ,ride abroad          
redressing human wrongs4       ,the     
allegory shows us1 in ,gareth's contests
 with the knights that      have no law 

nor ,king1 the contest of the soul with 
the temptations      that at different  
periods of life successively attack it3 
,the war of ,time against the soul of   
man4       ,then follow the ,idylls1    
which trace the entrance and growth of  
an      element of sin and discord1     
which1 spreading1 pulls down into ruin  
that fellowship of noble knights1 which 
are an image of the      mighty world4  
,the purity of the ideal kingdom is     
fouled1 almost at      its source1 by   
the guilty love of ,lancelot and the    
,queen4 ,among      some the contagion  
spreads2 while others1 in an extremity  
of      protest1 start in quest of the  
,holy ,grail1 leaving the duty at hand  
for mystical visions4 ,man cannot bring 
down heaven to earth2 he      cannot    
sanctify the mass of men by his own     
rapturous anticipations2      he cannot 
safely neglect the preliminary stages of
 progress      appointed for the race2  
he may not wander from the allotted     
field      before his work be done4     

,so by impurity and by impatience the   
rift in the kingdom widens1      and in 
,the ,last ,tournament1 in the stillness
 before the impending      doom1 we hear
 the shrill voice of ,dagonet railing at
 the ,king1 who      thinks himself as  
,god1 that he can make                  
,honey from hornet-combs          ,and  
men from beasts4       ,in ,guinevere1  
unequaled elsewhere in the ,idylls in   
pure poetry1      the blow falls2 at    
length1 in the concluding poem1 ,arthur 
passes to      the isle of ,avilion1 and
 once more           ,the old order     
changeth1 yielding place to new4        
,tennyson himself tells us that in this1
 his longest poem1 he has      meant to 
shadow sense at war with soul1 the      
struggle in the      individual and in  
the race1 between that body which links 
us with      the brute and the soul     
which makes us part of a spiritual      
order4      ,but the mastery of the     
higher over the lower is only obtained  
through many seeming failures4 ,wounded 

and defeated1 the ,king      exclaims3  
,for ,i1 being simple1 thought to work  
,his will1          ,and have but       
stricken with the sword in vain2        
,and all whereon ,i lean'd1 in wife and 
friend1          ,is traitor to my      
peace1 and all my realm          ,reels 
back into the beast1 and is no more4    
,but he also half perceives the truth   
which it is the poet's purpose      to  
suggest to us4 ,it is short-sighted to  
expect the immediate      sanctification
 of the race2 if we are disheartened1   
striving to      work ,his will1 it is  
because we see not the close4 ,it is    
impossible that ,arthur's work should   
end in failure--departing1 he           
declares1 ,i pass1 but shall not die1   
and when his grievous wound      is     
healed1 he will return4 ,the ,idylls of 
the ,king is thus the      epic of      
evolution in application to the progress
 of human society4      ,in it the      
teachings of ,in ,memoriam assume a     
narrative form4           ,move upward1 

working out the beast1       may be     
taken as a brief statement of its theme3
 and we read in it      the belief in   
the tendency upward and an assurance of 
ultimate      triumph3           ,oh1   
yet we trust that somehow good          
,will be the final goal of ill1         
,to pangs of nature1 sins of will1      
,defects of doubt1 and taints of blood2 
,that nothing walks with aimless feet1  
,that not one life shall be destroyed1  
,or cast as rubbish to the void         
,when ,god hath made the pile complete4 
--,,pancoast4#d   #d ,reprinted by      
permission from ,pancoast's             
,introduction to ,english ,literature4  
,copyright1 #aijg1 by ,henry ,holt and  
,company4  ,as an interlude study which 
shall look back to the step we have just
 taken1 and forward to the one we are   
about to take1 let us test our growth in
 vitality in thinking and our need of   
intelligence in feeling1 by voicing the 
following selections from didactic      
poetry4 ,this form affords the best     

exercise in both activities because it  
makes a double appeal1 and so a double  
demand upon the interpreter--an appeal  
through form to emotion1 through aim to 
intelligence1 and through message and   
atmosphere to both4 ,i have chosen      
examples of this form in which the      
beauty and fascination of meter1 rhythm1
 and rhyme1 and the didactic nature of  
the thought do not seem to overbalance  
each other4 ,if either should           
predominate you must1 by your           
interpretation1 strike the balance4 ,in 
reading ,robert ,browning's ,rabbi ,ben 
,ezra 7from which ,i shall quote but a  
few verses7 you must carry to your      
auditor the full import of the          
philosophy1 but in doing so you must not
 lose the beauty of the verse in which  
the poet has set it4      ,,rabbi ,,ben 
,,ezra      ,grow old along with me6    
,the best is yet to be1       ,the last 
of life1 for which the first was made3  
,our times are in ,his hand     ,who    
saith1 ,a whole ,i planned1       ,youth

 shows but half2 trust ,god3 see all1   
nor be afraid6      ,not that1 amassing 
flowers1     ,youth sighed1 ,which rose 
make ours1       ,which lily leave and  
then as best recall8     ,not that1     
admiring stars1     ,it yearned1 ,nor   
,jove1 nor ,mars2       ,mine be some   
figured flame which blends1 transcends  
them all6      ,not for such hopes and  
fears     ,annulling youth's brief      
years1       ,do ,i remonstrate3 folly  
wide the mark6     ,rather ,i prize the 
doubt     ,low kinds exist without1     
,finished and finite clods1 untroubled  
by a spark4             99       99     
99       99       99      ,then1 welcome
 each rebuff     ,that turns earth's    
smoothness rough1       ,each sting that
 bids nor sit nor stand but go6     ,be 
our joys three-parts pain6     ,strive  
and hold cheap the strain1       ,learn1
 nor account the pang2 dare1 never      
grudge the throe6      ,for thence--a   
paradox     ,which comforts while it    
mocks--       ,shall life succeed in    

that it seems to fail3     ,what ,i     
aspired to be1     ,and was not1        
comforts me3       ,a brute ,i might    
have been1 but would not sink i' the    
scale4             99       99       99 
99       99      ,now1 who shall        
arbitrate8     ,ten men love what ,i    
hate1       ,shun what ,i follow1 slight
 what ,i receive2     ,ten1 who in ears 
and eyes     ,match me3 we all surmise1 
,they1 this thing1 and ,i1 that3 whom   
shall my soul believe8      ,not on the 
vulgar mass     ,called work1 must      
sentence pass1       ,things done1 that 
took the eye and had the price2         
,o'er which1 from level stand1     ,the 
low world laid its hand1       ,found   
straightway to its mind1 could value in 
a trice3      ,but all1 the world's     
coarse thumb     ,and finger failed to  
plumb1       ,so passed in making up the
 main account3     ,all instincts       
immature1     ,all purposes unsure1     
,that weighed not as his work1 yet      
swelled the man's amount3      ,thoughts

 hardly to be packed     ,into a narrow 
act1       ,fancies that broke through  
language and escaped2     ,all ,i could 
never be1     ,all1 men ignored in me1  
,this1 ,i was worth to ,god1 whose wheel
 the pitcher shaped4         99       99
       99       99       99             
--,,browning4       ,,forbearance       
,hast thou named all the birds without a
 gun8     ,loved the wood-rose1 and left
 it on its stalk8     ,at rich men's    
tables eaten bread and pulse8           
,unarmed1 faced danger with a heart of  
trust8     ,and loved so well a high    
behavior1     ,in man or maid1 that thou
 from speech refrained1     ,nobility   
more nobly to repay8     ,o1 be my      
friend1 and teach me to be thine6       
,,each ,,and ,,all      ,little thinks1 
in the field1 yon red-cloaked clown     
,of thee from the hill-top looking down2
     ,the heifer that lows in the upland
 farm1     ,far-heard1 lows not thine   
ear to charm2     ,the sexton1 tolling  
his bell at noon1     ,deems not that   

great ,napoleon     ,stops his horse and
 lists with delight1     ,whilst his    
files sweep round yon ,alpine height2   
,nor knowest thou what argument     ,thy
 life to thy neighbor's creed has lent4 
,all are needed by each one2            
,nothing is fair or good alone4     ,i  
thought the sparrow's note from heaven1 
,singing at dawn on the alder bough2    
,i brought him home1 in his nest1 at    
even2     ,he sings the song1 but it    
cheers not now1     ,for ,i did not     
bring home the river and sky2--     ,he 
sang to my ear1--they sang to my eye4   
,the delicate shells lay on the shore2  
,the bubbles of the latest wave         
,fresh pearls to their enamel gave1     
,and the bellowing of the savage sea    
,greeted their safe escape to me4     ,i
 wiped away the weeds and foam1     ,i  
fetched my sea-born treasures home2     
,but the poor1 unsightly1 noisome things
     ,had left their beauty on the shore
     ,with the sun and the sand and the 
wild uproar4     ,the lover watched his 

graceful maid1     ,as 'mid the virgin  
train she strayed1     ,nor knew her    
beauty's best attire     ,was woven     
still by the snow-white choir4     ,at  
last she came to his hermitage1         
,like the bird from the woodlands to the
 cage2--     ,the gay enchantment was   
undone1     ,a gentle wife1 but fairy   
none4     ,then ,i said1 ,i covet truth2
     ,beauty is unripe childhood's      
cheat2     ,i leave it behind with the  
games of youth3--     ,as ,i spoke1     
beneath my feet     ,the ground-pine    
curled its pretty wreath1     ,running  
over the club-moss burrs2     ,i inhaled
 the violet's breath2     ,around me    
stood the oaks and firs2     ,pine-cones
 and acorns lay on the ground2     ,over
 me soared the eternal sky1     ,full of
 light and of deity2     ,again ,i saw1 
again ,i heard1     ,the rolling river1 
the morning bird2--     ,beauty through 
my senses stole2     ,i yielded myself  
to the perfect whole4                   
--,,emerson4  ,as a final step in this  

study which has for its aim an increase 
in your power to think vitally you are  
to choose from the great heap of your   
knowledge a subject about which you have
 sufficient understanding and enthusiasm
 to justify your discussion of it1 and  
with this as a topic you are to unmuzzle
 your wisdom in the form of exposition  
or argumentation4     ,,second ,,study  
,,to ,,establish ,,intelligence ,,in    
,,feeling  ,art is in bondage in this   
country3 its internal polity to the     
temperamental ideal2 its external polity
 to the commercial ideal4 ,business and 
social life are in the same bondage4 ,in
 music1 in drama1 in letters1 in        
society1 and in trade we permit         
personality to exploit itself for       
commercial purposes4 ,the result is     
either chaotic or calculated expression 
on every side4 ,when temperament seeks  
restraint in technique1 and policy1     
whether business or social1 seeks       
freedom in service1 then shall we have  
that balanced expression in art1 in     

society1 and in trade which should      
proceed from the ,american personality  
and distinguish ,american life4  ,it may
 seem a far cry from a comment upon     
,american life to the subject of this   
second study--intelligence in feeling4  
,carry the idea of balanced expression  
from the introduction to the body of    
this exposition and the transition is   
not difficult to make4  ,wonderful      
technique1 but no heart in her singing6 
,tremendous temperament1 but no         
technique6 ,she moves me profoundly1 but
 oh1 what a method6 ,her instrument is  
flawless1 but she leaves me absolutely  
unmoved4 ,have you ever heard such      
comment1 or made such comment1 or been  
the subject of like comment8 ,diagnosis 
of the case1 whether it be yours or     
another's1 should be the same--lack of  
poise in expression1 producing the      
undesirable effect upon the auditor of  
no emotion at all1 or of unintelligent  
emotion4 ,to determine just what we mean
 by intelligent emotion is our first    

problem for this study4  ,an experience 
,i had in visiting a class in           
interpretation in a well-known school of
 oratory some years ago will illustrate 
the point4 ,the selection for           
interpretation was the prelude to the   
first part of ,the ,vision of ,sir      
,launfal4      ,and what is so rare as a
 day in ,june8     ,then1 if ever1 come 
perfect days2     ,then ,heaven tries   
earth if it be in tune1     ,and over it
 softly her warm ear lays2 444  ,the    
work was well under way when ,i entered 
the class-room4 ,my entrance did not    
disturb the expression on the face of   
the student who was up before the class4
 ,a ,malvolio smile was never more      
deliciously indelible4 ,i thought at    
first my request to see some work in    
interpretation had been mistaken and ,i 
had been ushered into a class in facial 
gymnastics4 ,then ,i concluded that ,mr4
 ,lowell's poem was being employed as   
text for an exercise in smiling4        
,finally the awful truth came upon me   

that this teacher of interpretation was 
seriously attempting to secure from her 
pupils an expression which should       
suggest the spirit of the ,june day by  
asking them to assume the outward sign  
of joy known as smiling4 ,the result was
 a ghastly series of facial contortions1
 which left at least one auditor's day  
as bleak as the bleakest ,december4 ,no 
intelligent feeling can be induced in   
interpreter or auditor by assuming the  
outward sign of an inward emotion4 ,some
 of you are recalling ,mr4 ,james's talk
 to students1 on the reflex theory of   
emotion1 and are being confused at this 
point4 ,let us stop and straighten out  
the confusion4 ,mr4 ,james says3        
,action seems to follow feeling1 but    
really action and feeling go together2  
and by regulating the action1 which is  
under the more direct control of the    
will1 we can indirectly regulate the    
feeling1 which is not4  ,thus the       
sovereign voluntary path to             
cheerfulness1 if our spontaneous        

cheerfulness be lost1 is to sit up      
cheerfully1 to look round cheerfully1   
and to act and speak as if cheerfulness 
were already there4 ,if such conduct    
does not make you soon feel cheerful1   
nothing else on that occasion can4 ,so  
to feel brave1 act as if we were brave1 
use all our will to that end1 and a     
courage-fit will very likely replace the
 fit of fear4  ,the application of this 
principle to the reading of these lines 
would seem to justify the method the    
teacher was pursuing4 ,a smile is       
acceptedly the indication of happy      
emotion1 the outward symbol of inward   
rejoicing or joy4 ,the ,june day is full
 of joyful emotion1--the joy of         
awakening life4 ,applying ,mr4 ,james's 
theory1 a legitimate way to induce the  
inward emotion would seem to be to      
assume the outward sign4 ,but wait a    
moment4 ,let us look to our premises4   
,mr4 ,lanier1 who sings of ,nature with 
joyful understanding1 cries in ,sunrise3
      ,tell me1 sweet burly-bark'd1     

man-bodied ,tree     ,that mine arms in 
the dark are embracing1 dost know       
,from what fount are these tears at thy 
feet which flow8     ,they rise not from
 reason1 but deeper inconsequent deeps4 
,reason's not one that weeps4     ,what 
logic of greeting lies     ,betwixt dear
 over-beautiful trees and the rain of   
the eyes8  ,here is a great master of   
verbal expression whose inward joy finds
 its outward symbol not in a smile but  
in a tear4 ,so you and ,i may respond to
 ,mr4 ,lowell's high tide of the year   
with smiles or with tears1 with bowed   
head and closed eyes1 or with eyes wide 
and head raised to meet the returning   
flood of life4  ,the effect upon me of  
the beauty of this day as ,mr4 ,lowell  
has painted it1 my personal emotional   
response is interesting psychology1 but 
is not my concern as an interpreter4 ,my
 own emotion and its personal response  
belong to my preparatory interpretative 
efforts in the study2 but when the      
interpretation is ready for the         

audience-room1 the emotion must be      
assimilated into the interpretative act 
and appear only as part of the          
illumination of the bit of life ,i am   
presenting4  ,the object of all great   
art1 whether creative or interpretative1
 is not to exploit the personality of   
the artist1 but to disclose at some     
point the personality of the very ,god  
himself1 which is life4 ,the revelation 
not of personal emotion but of universal
 life is the legitimate aim of all      
artistic effort4  ,emotional response   
will accompany every vital mental       
conception4 ,abandonment to that        
response is a legitimate and necessary  
part of full comprehension4 ,but such   
abandonment1 as ,i have said1 belongs to
 our preparation for expression4 ,such  
abandonment must not be taken out of the
 study on to the stage4 ,no             
temperamental expression along any line 
is fit for the public until it is       
controlled by technique1 the technique  
which has been worked out by the masters

 of every art1 not excluding the art of 
living4  ,it is not the effect of ,june 
upon you ,i want from your              
interpretation1 it is the spirit of     
,june itself4 ,you must let me have my  
own emotion4 ,your emotional response   
was the result of your mental concept2  
mine1 to be intelligent1 must find the  
same impulse4 ,if you impose your own   
emotion upon me mine will be merely an  
unintelligent reflection of yours4      
,taking as our ideal of the interpreter1
 the absolutely pure medium1 bars out   
every manifestation which calls         
attention to the interpreter1 and so    
interferes with the direct message4     
,the natural form of expression which   
literature takes when it passes beyond  
the normal powers of prose1 is lyric    
poetry4 ,when your feelings rise beyond 
a certain degree of stress you need the 
stronger beat and vibration of verse2 to
 express the highest joy or the deepest 
grief poetry is your natural instrument4
 ,again corroborated in our choice of   

direction in study by ,mr4 ,gardiner1   
let us turn for material in the         
establishment of intelligence in        
emotion1 to the most intensive type of  
the literature of feeling1--lyric       
poetry4  ,every now and then a man will 
come who will reduce to words--as ,mr4  
,ruskin has done--some impression of    
vivid pleasure which has never been     
reduced to words before4 ,it is only the
 great master who makes these advances2 
by studying his works you may perhaps   
come somewhere near the mark that he has
 set4 ,this further word from the same  
paragraph should influence us to pause  
with ,mr4 ,ruskin's poetry in prose form
 for a brief study on our way to the    
lyrics of ,wordsworth and ,shelley and  
,keats1 a song from ,shakespeare1 and   
some few from the rare1 more modern     
lyricists4 ,i shall trust you to this   
by-path under the guidance of ,the      
,forms of ,prose ,literature1 where you 
will find passages from such masters of 
prose as ,mr4 ,ruskin and ,mr4          

,stevenson--passages of surpassing lyric
 beauty which shall furnish models for  
your correlated study in ,description4  
,,suggestive ,,analysis  ,i have chosen 
for suggestive analysis of the lyric1   
,shelley's ode ,to a ,skylark4 ,i shall 
analyze in detail only the first five   
stanzas3            ,hail to thee1      
blithe ,spirit6             ,bird thou  
never wert1           ,that from heaven1
 or near it             ,pourest thy    
full heart     ,in profuse strains of   
unpremeditated art4            ,higher  
still and higher             ,from the  
earth thou springest1           ,like a 
cloud of fire             ,the blue deep
 thou wingest1     ,and singing still   
dost soar1 and soaring ever singest4    
,in the golden lightning             ,of
 the sunken sun           ,o'er which   
clouds are brightening1                 
,thou dost float and run1     ,like an  
unbodied joy whose race is just begun4  
,the pale purple even             ,melts
 around thy flight2           ,like a   

star of heaven             ,in the broad
 daylight     ,thou art unseen1 but yet 
,i hear thy shrill delight4             
,keen as are the arrows             ,of 
that silver sphere           ,whose     
intense lamp narrows             ,in the
 white dawn clear1     ,until we hardly 
see1 we feel that it is there4  ,how    
shall we create an atmosphere for the   
reading of these verses6 ,how can we    
catch the spirit of the creator of them6
 ,shall we ever feel ready to voice that
 first line8 ,do you know ,jules        
,breton's picture ,the ,lark8 ,do you   
love it8 ,go1 then1 and stand before it1
 actually or in imagination4 ,let       
something of the spirit which informs   
that lovely child1 lifting her eyes1 her
 head in an attitude of listening       
rapture1 steal over you4 ,i know her    
power4 ,i have tested it4 ,in reading   
the ,skylark with a class of boys and   
girls from twelve to fourteen years old1
 ,i tried the experiment4 ,i happened to
 have with me a beautiful copy of       

,breton's picture4 ,i took it to the    
class-room4 ,i wrote on the blackboard  
verses of the poem and hung the picture 
over them4 ,the picture taught them to  
read the poem4 ,the eyes of the girl    
became their teacher4 ,i tried the      
experiment1 with a private pupil in my  
studio1 with a somewhat different       
result4 ,i had told her to bring a copy 
of ,shelley's poems to her next lesson4 
,do you know the ode ,to a ,skylark8 ,i 
asked4 ,yes1 she said4 ,a copy of       
,breton's picture hung on the wall4     
,before you open your book look at the  
picture1 ,i said4 ,she obeyed4 ,her     
expression1 always radiant1 deepened its
 radiance4 ,do you know what the girl is
 doing8 ,i asked4 ,oh yes1 she is       
listening to the skylark4 ,how do you   
know8 ,i have heard the skylark sing4 ,i
 never have1 ,i said4 ,read the poem to 
me4 ,now when ,i read the ,skylark1 ,i  
see the girl in ,jules ,breton's        
picture1 but ,i hear the voice of my    
,english pupil4  ,but if our            

apperceptive background fails to furnish
 a memory of the identical sight and    
sound for our inspiring1 it at least    
holds bird notes and bird flights of    
great beauty1 and we must call upon     
these for the impulse to voice          
,shelley's apostrophe3            ,hail 
to thee1 blithe ,spirit6                
,bird thou never wert1           ,that  
from heaven1 or near it                 
,pourest thy full heart     ,in profuse 
strains of unpremeditated art4  ,an     
early autumn number of the ,atlantic    
,monthly for #aijg published a poem by  
,mr4 ,ridgley ,torrence1 entitled ,the  
,lesser ,children1 or ,a ,threnody at   
the ,hunting ,season4 ,the poem is      
worthy1 in sentiment and structure1 to  
be set beside ,shelley's ode4 ,let us   
compare with the picture which the      
eighteenth-century poet has given us    
this one from our modern song-writer3   
,who has not seen in the high gulf of   
light     ,what1 lower1 was a bird1 but 
now     ,is moored and altered quite    

,into an island of unshaded joy8     ,to
 whom the mate below upon the bough     
,shouts once and brings him from his    
high employ4     ,yet speeding he forgot
 not of the cloud     ,where he from    
glory sprang and burned aloud1     ,but 
took a little of the day1     ,a little 
of the colored sky1     ,and of the joy 
that would not stay     ,he wove a song 
that cannot die4  ,now let us study     
closely the first verse of the older    
poem4 ,spirit and voice must soar in the
 first line1 ,hail to thee1 blithe      
,spirit6 ,the two words hail and blithe 
are swift-winged words4 ,let them fly4  
,give them their wings4 ,let them do all
 they are intended to do4 ,the rhythm of
 the whole poem is aspiring4 ,reverence 
the rhythm1 but keep the thought        
floating clear above it in the second   
line1 ,bird thou never wert4 ,with the  
next two lines the tone must gather head
 to be poured forth in the last line1   
,in profuse strains of unpremeditated   
art4 ,let us make another comparative   

study4 ,set on the other side of this   
picture ,lowell's description of the    
little bird in his prologue to ,sir     
,launfal's vision3      ,the little bird
 sits at his door in the sun1           
,atilt like a blossom among the leaves1 
,and lets his illumined being o'errun   
,with the deluge of summer it receives4 
,the second verse of the ,skylark       
demands a still higher flight of        
imagination and tone4 ,let us try it4   
,higher still and higher                
,from the earth thou springest1         
,like a cloud of fire             ,the  
blue deep thou wingest1     ,and singing
 still dost soar1 and soaring ever      
singest4  ,again all the words rise and 
float4 ,sing them over3 higher1 higher1 
springest1 fire1 wingest1 singing1 soar1
 soaring1 singest4 ,the reader must feel
 himself poised for flight in every word
 of the first three verses4 ,why does   
the poet say cloud of fire8 ,what is the
 color of the skylark8 ,and now the     
tone1 which has been of a radiant hue   

through these three verses1 must soften 
a little in the first three lines of the
 next verse--      ,the pale purple even
       ,melts around thy flight2--  glow
 gold again in the last three lines--   
,like a star of heaven             ,in  
the broad daylight     ,thou art unseen1
 and yet ,i hear thy shrill delight--   
and become the white of an incandescent 
light in the next verse--               
,keen as are the arrows             ,of 
that silver sphere           ,whose     
intense lamp narrows             ,in the
 white dawn clear1     ,until we hardly 
see1 we feel that it is there4  ,do you 
not see that the secret of its beauty   
lies1 for vocal interpretation1 in the  
color of tone and in the inflection of  
the words8 ,say unseen1 dwelling on the 
second syllable2 shrill delight1        
directing shrill over the head of       
delight2 keen1 making it cleave the air 
like an arrow2 silver sphere1 suggesting
 a moonlit path across water2 intense   
and narrows1 letting the tone recede    

into the white dawn2 see1 with a        
vanishing stress2 and feel1 with a      
deepening note carried to the end4 ,so  
we might go on through the twenty-one   
stanzas which make up the poem4  ,please
 analyze undirected the next two verses4
            ,all the earth and air      
,with thy voice is loud1           ,as1 
when night is bare1             ,from   
one lonely cloud     ,the moon rains out
 her beams1 and heaven is overflow'd4   
,what thou art we know not2             
,what is most like thee8           ,from
 rainbow clouds there flow not          
,drops so bright to see     ,as from thy
 presence showers a rain of melody4  ,in
 reading the first lines of the next    
four verses we must avoid monotony4     
,like a poet hidden             ,in the 
light of thought1           ,singing    
hymns unbidden1             ,till the   
world is wrought     ,to sympathy with  
hopes and fears it heeded not3          
,like a high-born maiden             ,in
 a palace tower1           ,soothing her

 love-laden             ,soul in secret 
hour     ,with music sweet as love1     
which overflows her bower3              
,like a glowworm golden             ,in 
a dell of dew1           ,scattering    
unbeholden             ,its aerial hue  
,among the flowers and grass1 which     
screen it from the view3                
,like a rose embower'd             ,in  
its own green leaves1           ,by warm
 winds deflower'd1             ,till the
 scent it gives     ,makes faint with   
too much sweet these heavy-winged       
thieves4  ,vary1 if only for variety1   
the pitch on which you begin each of    
these first lines4 ,let the first three 
words of the eighth verse1 like a poet1 
ascend in pitch4 ,keep the voice level  
in the first line of the ninth verse1   
like a high-born maiden4 ,let the pitch 
fall in the first words of the tenth    
stanza1 like a glowworm golden4 ,and    
again keep the tone level on the first  
line of the next stanza1 like a rose    
embower'd4 ,i leave to you the analysis 

of the rest of the poem3                
,sound of vernal showers             ,on
 the twinkling grass1                   
,rain-awaken'd flowers1             ,all
 that ever was     ,joyous1 and clear1  
and fresh1 thy music doth surpass4      
,teach us1 sprite or bird1              
,what sweet thoughts are thine3         
,i have never heard             ,praise 
of love or wine     ,that panted forth a
 flood of rapture so divine4            
,chorus hymeneal             ,or        
triumphal chaunt           ,match'd with
 thine1 would be all             ,but an
 empty vaunt--     ,a thing wherein we  
feel there is some hidden want4         
,what objects are the fountains         
,of thy happy strain8           ,what   
field1 or waves1 or mountains8          
,what shapes of sky or plain8     ,what 
love of thine own kind8 what ignorance  
of pain8            ,with thy clear1    
keen joyance             ,languor cannot
 be3           ,shadow of annoyance     
,never came near thee3     ,thou lovest2

 but ne'er knew love's sad satiety4     
,waking or asleep             ,thou of  
death must deem           ,things more  
true and deep             ,than we      
mortals dream1     ,or how could thy    
notes flow in such a crystal stream8    
,we look before and after1              
,and pine for what is not3              
,our sincerest laughter                 
,with some pain is fraught2     ,our    
sweetest songs are those that tell of   
saddest thought4            ,yet if we  
could scorn             ,hate and pride 
and fear2           ,if we were things  
born             ,not to shed a tear1   
,i know not how thy joy we ever should  
come near4            ,better than all  
measures             ,of delightful     
sound1           ,better than all       
treasures             ,that in books are
 found1     ,thy skill to poet were1    
thou scorner of the ground6             
,teach me half the gladness             
,that thy brain must know1              
,such harmonious madness                

,from my lips would flow1     ,the world
 should listen then1 as ,i am listening 
now6                                    
--,,shelley4   ,,selections ,,for       
,,interpretation  ,the following        
selections from lyric poetry are        
designed to give the voice exercise in  
the expression of varied emotions4  ,i  
,,the ,,daffodils      ,i wander'd      
lonely as a cloud       ,that floats on 
high o'er vales and hills1     ,when all
 at once ,i saw a crowd1       ,a host  
of golden daffodils1     ,beside the    
lake1 beneath the trees1     ,fluttering
 and dancing in the breeze4             
,continuous as the stars that shine     
,and twinkle on the milky way1     ,they
 stretch'd in never-ending line         
,along the margin of a bay3     ,ten    
thousand saw ,i at a glance     ,tossing
 their heads in sprightly dance4        
,the waves beside them danced1 but they 
,out-did the sparkling waves in glee3-- 
,a ,poet could not but be gay       ,in 
such a jocund company6     ,i gazed--and

 gazed--but little thought     ,what    
wealth the show to me had brought2      
,for oft1 when on my couch ,i lie       
,in vacant or in pensive mood1     ,they
 flash upon that inward eye       ,which
 is the bliss of solitude2     ,and then
 my heart with pleasure fills1     ,and 
dances with the daffodils4              
--,,wordsworth4  ,,ii      ,,by ,,the   
,,sea      ,it is a beauteous evening1  
calm and free2     ,the holy time is    
quiet as a ,nun     ,breathless with    
adoration2 the broad sun     ,is sinking
 down in its tranquillity2      ,the    
gentleness of heaven is on the ,sea3    
,listen6 the mighty ,being is awake1    
,and doth with his eternal motion make  
,a sound like thunder--everlastingly4   
,dear child6 dear girl6 that walkest    
with me here1     ,if thou appear       
untouch'd by solemn thought     ,thy    
nature is not therefore less divine3    
,thou liest in ,abraham's bosom all the 
year1     ,and worship'st at the        
,temple's inner shrine1     ,god being  

with thee when we know it not4          
--,,wordsworth4  ,,iii      ,,to ,,the  
,,cuckoo      ,o blithe new-comer6 ,i   
have heard1       ,i hear thee and      
rejoice3     ,o ,cuckoo6 shall ,i call  
thee ,bird1       ,or but a wandering   
,voice8      ,while ,i am lying on the  
grass       ,thy twofold shout ,i hear2 
,from hill to hill it seems to pass1    
,at once far off and near4      ,though 
babbling only to the vale       ,of     
sunshine and of flowers1     ,thou      
bringest unto me a tale       ,of       
visionary hours4      ,thrice welcome1  
darling of the ,spring6       ,even yet 
thou art to me     ,no bird1 but an     
invisible thing1       ,a voice1 a      
mystery2      ,the same whom in my      
school-boy days       ,i listen'd to2   
that ,cry     ,which made me look a     
thousand ways       ,in bush1 and tree1 
and sky4      ,to seek thee did ,i often
 rove       ,through woods and on the   
green2     ,and thou wert still a hope1 
a love1       ,still long'd for1 never  

seen6      ,and ,i can listen to thee   
yet1       ,can lie upon the plain      
,and listen1 till ,i do beget           
,that golden time again4      ,o blessd 
,bird6 the earth we pace       ,again   
appears to be     ,an unsubstantial1    
faery place1       ,that is fit home for
 ,thee6                                 
--,,wordsworth4  ,,iv      ,,ode ,,to   
,,the ,,west ,,wind      ,o wild ,west  
,wind1 thou breath of ,autumn's being1  
,thou1 from whose unseen presence the   
leaves dead     ,are driven1 like ghosts
 from an enchanter fleeing1             
,yellow1 and black1 and pale1 and hectic
 red1     ,pestilence-stricken          
multitudes6 ,o thou       ,who          
chariotest to their dark wintry bed     
,the wingd seeds1 where they lie cold   
and low1       ,each like a corpse      
within its grave1 until     ,thine azure
 sister of the ,spring shall blow       
,her clarion o'er the dreaming earth1   
and fill     7,driving sweet buds like  
flocks to feed in air7       ,with      

living hues and odours plain and hill3  
,wild ,spirit1 which art moving         
everywhere2       ,destroyer and        
,preserver2 ,hear1 oh hear6      ,thou  
on whose stream1 'mid the steep sky's   
commotion1       ,loose clouds like     
earth's decaying leaves are shed1       
,shook from the tangled boughs of heaven
 and ocean1       ,angels of rain and   
lightning6 there are spread     ,on the 
blue surface of thine airy surge1       
,like the bright hair uplifted from the 
head     ,of some fierce ,maenad1 ev'n  
from the dim verge       ,of the horizon
 to the zenith's height--     ,the locks
 of the approaching storm4 ,thou dirge  
,of the dying year1 to which this       
closing night     ,will be the dome of a
 vast sepulchre1       ,vaulted with all
 thy congregated might     ,of vapours1 
from whose solid atmosphere     ,black  
rain1 and fire1 and hail1 will burst3   
,oh hear6      ,thou who didst waken    
from his summer-dreams      ,the blue   
,mediterranean1 where he lay1           

,lull'd by the coil of his crystalline  
streams1       ,beside a pumice isle in 
,baiae's bay1     ,and saw in sleep old 
palaces and towers       ,quivering     
within the wave's intenser day1     ,all
 overgrown with azure moss1 and flowers 
,so sweet1 the sense faints picturing   
them6 ,thou     ,for whose path the     
,atlantic's level powers       ,cleave  
themselves into chasms1 while far below 
,the sea-blooms and the oozy woods which
 wear       ,the sapless foliage of the 
ocean1 know     ,thy voice1 and suddenly
 grow gray with fear     ,and tremble   
and despoil themselves3 ,oh hear6       
,if ,i were a dead leaf thou mightest   
bear2       ,if ,i were a swift cloud to
 fly with thee2     ,a wave to pant     
beneath thy power1 and share       ,the 
impulse of thy strength1 only less free 
,than ,thou1 ,o uncontrollable6 ,if even
       ,i were as in my boyhood1 and    
could be     ,the comrade of thy        
wanderings over heaven1       ,as then1 
when to outstrip thy skiey speed        

,scarce seem'd a vision1--,i would ne'er
 have striven       ,as thus with thee  
in prayer in my sore need4     ,oh6 lift
 me as a wave1 a leaf1 a cloud6       ,i
 fall upon the thorns of life6 ,i bleed6
     ,a heavy weight of hours has       
chain'd and bow'd     ,one too like     
thee--tameless1 and swift1 and proud4   
,make me thy lyre1 ev'n as the forest   
is3       ,what if my leaves are falling
 like its own6     ,the tumult of thy   
mighty harmonies       ,will take from  
both a deep autumnal tone1     ,sweet   
though in sadness4 ,be thou1 ,spirit    
fierce1       ,my spirit6 be thou me1   
impetuous one6     ,drive my dead       
thoughts over the universe1       ,like 
wither'd leaves1 to quicken a new birth2
     ,and1 by the incantation of this   
verse1       ,scatter1 as from an       
unextinguish'd hearth     ,ashes and    
sparks1 my words among mankind6         
,be through my lips to unawaken'd earth 
,the trumpet of a prophecy6 ,o ,wind1   
,if ,winter comes1 can ,spring be far   

behind8                                 
--,,shelley4  ,v      ,,to ,,the ,,night
      ,swiftly walk over the western    
wave1               ,spirit of night6   
,out of the misty eastern cave          
,where1 all the long and lone daylight1 
,thou wovest dreams of joy and fear     
,which make thee terrible and dear1--   
,swift be thy flight6      ,wrap thy    
form in a mantle gray                   
,star-inwrought2     ,blind with thine  
hair the eyes of ,day1     ,kiss her    
until she be wearied out3     ,then     
wander o'er sea and city and land1      
,touching all with thine opiate wand--  
,come1 long-sought6      ,when ,i arose 
and saw the dawn1               ,i      
sigh'd for thee3     ,when light rode   
high1 and the dew was gone1     ,and    
noon lay heavy on flower and tree1      
,and the weary ,day turn'd to his rest  
,lingering like an unloved guest1       
,i sigh'd for thee4      ,thy brother   
,death came1 and cried                  
,wouldst thou me8     ,thy sweet child  

,sleep1 the filmy-eyed1     ,murmur'd   
like a noon-tide bee     ,shall ,i      
nestle near thy side8     ,wouldst thou 
me8--,and ,i replied               ,no1 
not thee6      ,death will come when    
thou art dead1               ,soon1 too 
soon--     ,sleep will come when thou   
art fled2     ,of neither would ,i ask  
the boon     ,i ask of thee1 beloved    
,night--     ,swift be thine approaching
 flight1               ,come soon1 soon6
                                        
--,,shelley4  ,,vi      ,,ode ,,to ,a   
,,grecian ,,urn      ,thou still        
unravish'd bride of quietness1          
,thou foster-child of silence and slow  
time1     ,sylvan historian1 who canst  
thus express       ,a flowery tale more 
sweetly than our rhyme3     ,what       
leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy    
shape       ,of deities or mortals1 or  
of both1         ,in ,temp or the dales 
of ,arcady8     ,what men or gods are   
these8 ,what maidens loth8       ,what  
mad pursuit8 ,what struggle to escape8  

,what pipes and timbrels8 ,what wild    
ecstasy8      ,heard melodies are sweet1
 but those unheard       ,are sweeter2  
therefore1 ye soft pipes1 play on2      
,not to the sensual ear1 but1 more      
endear'd1       ,pipe to the spirit     
ditties of no tone3     ,fair youth1    
beneath the trees1 thou canst not leave 
,thy song1 nor ever can those trees be  
bare2         ,bold ,lover1 never1 never
 canst thou kiss1     ,though winning   
near the goal--yet1 do not grieve2      
,she cannot fade1 though thou hast not  
thy bliss1         ,for ever wilt thou  
love1 and she be fair6      ,ah happy1  
happy boughs6 that cannot shed          
,your leaves1 nor ever bid the ,spring  
adieu2     ,and1 happy melodist1        
unwearid1       ,for ever piping songs  
for ever new2     ,more happy love6 more
 happy1 happy love6       ,for ever warm
 and still to be enjoy'd1         ,for  
ever panting1 and for ever young2       
,all breathing human passion far above1 
,that leaves a heart high-sorrowful and 

cloy'd1         ,a burning forehead1 and
 a parching tongue4      ,who are these 
coming to the sacrifice8       ,to what 
green altar1 ,o mysterious priest1      
,lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the 
skies1       ,and all her silken flanks 
with garlands drest8     ,what little   
town by river or sea shore1       ,or   
mountain-built with peaceful citadel1   
,is emptied of this folk1 this pious    
morn8     ,and1 little town1 thy streets
 for evermore       ,will silent be2 and
 not a soul to tell         ,why thou   
art desolate1 can e'er return4      ,o  
,attic shape6 ,fair attitude6 with brede
       ,of marble men and maidens       
overwrought1     ,with forest branches  
and the trodden weed2       ,thou1      
silent form1 dost tease us out of       
thought     ,as doth eternity3 ,cold    
,pastoral6       ,when old age shall    
this generation waste         ,thou     
shalt remain1 in midst of other woe     
,than ours1 a friend to man1 to whom    
thou say'st1       ,beauty is truth1    

truth beauty1--that is all         ,ye  
know on earth1 and all ye need to know4 
--,,keats4  ,,vii      ,it was a lover  
and his lass       ,with a hey and a ho1
 and a hey nonino6     ,that o'er the   
green corn-field did pass     ,in the   
spring time1 the only pretty ring time1 
,when birds do sing hey ding a ding3    
,sweet lovers love the ,spring4         
,between the acres of the rye     ,these
 pretty country folks would lie3        
,this carol they began that hour1       
,how that life was but a flower3        
,and therefore take the present time    
,with a hey and a ho and a hey nonino6  
,for love is crownd with the prime      
,in spring time1 the only pretty ring   
time1     ,when birds do sing hey ding a
 ding3       ,sweet lovers love the     
,spring4                                
--,,shakespeare4  ,,viii      ,pack1    
clouds1 away1 and welcome day1          
,with night we banish sorrow2     ,sweet
 air blow soft1 mount larks aloft       
,to give my ,love good-morrow6          

,wings from the wind to please her mind 
,notes from the lark ,i'll borrow2      
,bird1 prune thy wing1 nightingale sing1
       ,to give my ,love good-morrow2   
,to give my ,love good-morrow           
,notes from them both ,i'll borrow4     
,wake from thy nest1 ,robin-red-breast1 
,sing1 birds1 in every furrow2     ,and 
from each hill1 let music shrill        
,give my fair ,love good-morrow6        
,blackbird and thrush in every bush1    
,stare1 linnet1 and cock-sparrow6       
,you pretty elves1 amongst yourselves   
,sing my fair ,love good-morrow2        
,to give my ,love good-morrow           
,sing1 birds1 in every furrow6          
--,,heywood4  ,,ix      ,,the           
,,passionate ,,shepherd ,,to ,,his      
,,love      ,come live with me and be my
 ,love1     ,and we will all the        
pleasures prove     ,that hills and     
valleys1 dale and field1     ,and all   
the craggy mountains yield4      ,there 
will we sit upon the rocks     ,and see 
the shepherds feed their flocks1     ,by

 shallow rivers1 to whose falls         
,melodious birds sing madrigals4        
,there will ,i make thee beds of roses  
,and a thousand fragrant posies1     ,a 
cap of flowers1 and a kirtle            
,embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle4 
,a gown made of the finest wool1        
,which from our pretty lambs we pull1   
,fair lind slippers for the cold1       
,with buckles of the purest gold4       
,a belt of straw and ivy buds     ,with 
coral clasps and amber studs3     ,and  
if these pleasures may thee move1       
,come live with me and be my ,love4     
,thy silver dishes for thy meat     ,as 
precious as the gods do eat1     ,shall 
on an ivory table be     ,prepared each 
day for thee and me4      ,the shepherd 
swains shall dance and sing     ,for thy
 delight each ,may-morning3     ,if     
these delights thy mind may move1       
,then live with me and be my ,love4     
--,,marlowe4  ,x      ,,hunting ,,song  
,waken1 lords and ladies gay1     ,on   
the mountain dawns the day2     ,all the

 jolly chase is here     ,with hawk and 
horse and hunting-spear2     ,hounds are
 in their couples yelling1     ,hawks   
are whistling1 horns are knelling1      
,merrily1 merrily mingle they1          
,waken1 lords and ladies gay4           
,waken1 lords and ladies gay1     ,the  
mist has left the mountain gray1        
,springlets in the dawn are steaming1   
,diamonds on the brake are gleaming2    
,and foresters have busy been     ,to   
track the buck in thicket green2        
,now we come to chant our lay           
,waken1 lords and ladies gay4           
,waken1 lords and ladies gay1     ,to   
the greenwood haste away2     ,we can   
show you where he lies1     ,fleet of   
foot and tall of size2     ,we can show 
the marks he made     ,when 'gainst the 
oak his antlers fray'd2     ,you shall  
see him brought to bay2     ,waken1     
lords and ladies gay4      ,louder1     
louder chant the lay     ,waken1 lords  
and ladies gay6     ,tell them youth and
 mirth and glee     ,run a course as    

well as we2     ,time1 stern huntsman6  
who can baulk1     ,stanch as hound and 
fleet as hawk2     ,think of this1 and  
rise with day1     ,gentle lords and    
ladies gay6                             
--,,scott4  ,,xi  ,besides the rivers   
,arve and ,arveiron1 which have their   
sources in the foot of ,mont ,blanc1    
five conspicuous torrents rush down its 
sides2 and within a few paces of the    
,glaciers1 the ,gentiana ,major grows in
 immense numbers1 with its flowers of   
loveliest blue4   ,,hymn      ,,before  
,,sunrise1 ,,in ,,the ,,vale ,,of       
,,chamouni      ,hast thou a charm to   
stay the morning-star     ,in his steep 
course8 ,so long he seems to pause      
,on thy bald awful head1 ,o sovran      
,blanc6     ,the ,arve and ,arveiron at 
thy base     ,rave ceaselessly2 but     
thou1 most awful ,form6     ,risest from
 forth thy silent sea of pines1     ,how
 silently6 ,around thee and above       
,deep is the air and dark1 substantial1 
black1     ,an ebon mass3 methinks thou 

piercest it1     ,as with a wedge6 ,but 
when ,i look again1     ,it is thine own
 calm home1 thy crystal shrine1     ,thy
 habitation from eternity6     ,o dread 
and silent ,mount6 ,i gazed upon thee1  
,till thou1 still present to the bodily 
sense1     ,didst vanish from my        
thought3 entranced in prayer     ,i     
worshiped the ,invisible alone4         
,yet1 like some sweet beguiling melody1 
,so sweet1 we know not we are listening 
to it1     ,thou1 the meanwhile1 wast   
blending with my thought1     ,yea1 with
 my life and life's own secret joy3     
,till the dilating ,soul1 enrapt1       
transfused1     ,into the mighty vision 
passing--there     ,as in her natural   
form1 swelled vast to ,heaven6          
,awake1 my ,soul6 not only passive      
praise     ,thou owest6 not alone these 
swelling tears1     ,mute thanks and    
secret ecstasy6 ,awake1     ,voice of   
sweet song6 ,awake1 my ,heart1 awake6   
,green vales and icy cliffs1 all join my
 ,hymn4      ,thou first and chief1 sole

 sovran of the ,vale6     ,o struggling 
with the darkness all the night1        
,and visited all night by troops of     
stars1     ,or when they climb the sky  
or when they sink2     ,companion of the
 morning-star at dawn1     ,thyself     
,earth's rosy star1 and of the dawn     
,co-herald3 wake1 ,o wake1 and utter    
praise6     ,who sank thy sunless       
pillars deep in ,earth8     ,who filled 
thy countenance with rosy light8        
,who made thee parent of perpetual      
streams8      ,and you1 ye five wild    
torrents fiercely glad6     ,who called 
you forth from night and utter death1   
,from dark and icy caverns called you   
forth1     ,down those precipitous1     
black1 jagged ,rocks1     ,forever      
shattered and the same forever8         
,who gave you your invulnerable life1   
,your strength1 your speed1 your fury1  
and your joy1     ,unceasing thunder and
 eternal foam8     ,and who commanded   
7and the silence came71     ,here let   
the billows stiffen1 and have rest8     

,ye ice-falls6 ye that from the         
mountain's brow     ,adown enormous     
ravines slope amain--     ,torrents1    
methinks1 that heard a mighty voice1    
,and stopped at once amid their maddest 
plunge6     ,motionless torrents6 silent
 cataracts6     ,who made you glorious  
as the gates of ,heaven     ,beneath the
 keen full moon8 ,who bade the ,sun     
,clothe you with rainbows8 ,who1 with   
living flowers     ,of loveliest blue1  
spread garlands at your feet8--         
,god6 let the torrents1 like a shout of 
nations1     ,answer6 and let the       
ice-plains echo1 ,god6     ,god6 sing ye
 meadow-streams with gladsome voice6    
,ye pine-groves1 with your soft and     
soul-like sounds6     ,and they too have
 a voice1 yon piles of snow1     ,and in
 their perilous fall shall thunder1     
,god6      ,ye living flowers that skirt
 the eternal frost6     ,ye wild goats  
sporting round the eagle's nest6     ,ye
 eagles1 play-mates of the              
mountain-storm6     ,ye lightnings1 the 

dread arrows of the clouds6     ,ye     
signs and wonders of the element6       
,utter forth ,god1 and fill the hills   
with praise6      ,thou too1 hoar       
,mount6 with thy sky-pointing peaks1    
,oft from whose feet the avalanche1     
unheard1     ,shoots downward1          
glittering through the pure serene      
,into the depth of clouds that veil thy 
breast--     ,thou too again--stupendous
 ,mountain6 thou     ,that as ,i raise  
my head1 awhile bowed low     ,in       
adoration1 upward from thy base         
,slow traveling with dim eyes suffused  
with tears1     ,solemnly seemest like a
 vapory cloud1     ,to rise before      
me--,rise1 ,o ever rise1     ,rise like 
a cloud of incense1 from the ,earth6    
,thou kingly ,spirit throned among the  
hills1     ,thou dread ambassador from  
,earth to ,heaven1     ,great hierarch6 
tell thou the silent sky1     ,and tell 
the stars1 and tell yon rising sun1     
,earth1 with her thousand voices1       
praises ,god4                           

--,,coleridge4  ,,xii      ,,jaun',s    
,,song ,,from ,,the ,,spanish ,,gypsy   
,memory1     ,tell to me     ,what is   
fair     ,past compare       ,in the    
land of ,tubal8      ,is it ,spring's   
,lovely things1     ,blossoms white1    
,rosy dight8       ,then it is ,pepita4 
,summer's crest     ,red-gold tressed1  
,corn-flowers peeping under8     ,idle  
noons1     ,lingering moons1     ,sudden
 cloud1     ,lightning's shroud1        
,sudden rain1     ,quick again          
,smiles where late was thunder8     ,are
 all these     ,made to please8         
,so too is ,pepita4      ,autumn's      
prime1     ,apple-time1     ,smooth     
cheek round1     ,heart all sound8--    
,is it this     ,you would kiss8        
,then it is ,pepita4      ,you can bring
     ,no sweet thing1     ,but my mind  
,still shall find       ,it is my       
,pepita4      ,memory     ,says to me   
,it is she--     ,she is fair     ,past 
compare       ,in the land of ,tubal4   
,,xiii      ,,pablo',s ,,song ,,from    

,,the ,,spanish ,,gypsy      ,spring    
comes hither1       ,buds the rose2     
,roses wither1       ,sweet spring goes4
         ,ojala1 would she carry me6    
,summer soars--       ,wide-winged day1 
,white light pours1       ,flies away4  
,ojala1 would he carry me6      ,soft   
winds blow1       ,westward born1       
,onward go       ,toward the morn4      
,ojala1 would they carry me6      ,sweet
 birds sing       ,o'er the graves1     
,then take wing       ,o'er the waves4  
,ojala1 would they carry me6            
--,,george ,,eliot4  ,,xiv              
,,memory#e  #e ,this and the following  
poem appear by special permission of    
,houghton ,mifflin ,company1 the        
publishers of ,mr4 ,aldrich's poems4    
,my mind lets go a thousand things1     
,like dates of wars and deaths of kings1
     ,and yet recalls the very hour--   
',twas noon by yonder village tower1    
,and on the last blue noon in ,may--    
,the wind came briskly up this way1     
,crisping the brook beside the road2    

,then1 pausing here1 set down its load  
,of pine-scents1 and shook listlessly   
,two petals from that wild-rose-tree4   
,,xv      ,,enamoured ,,architect ,,of  
,,airy ,,rhyme      ,enamoured architect
 of airy rhyme1         ,build as thou  
wilt2 heed not what each man says3      
,good souls1 but innocent of dreamer's  
ways1     ,will come1 and marvel why    
thou wastest time2     ,others1         
beholding how thy turrets climb         
',twixt theirs and heaven1 will hate    
thee all thy days2       ,but most      
beware of those who come to praise4     
,o ,wondersmith1 ,o ,worker in sublime  
,and ,heaven-sent dreams1 let art be all
 in all2       ,build as thou wilt1     
unspoiled by praise or blame1           
,build as thou wilt1 and as thy light is
 given3     ,then1 if at last the airy  
structure fall1       ,dissolve1 and    
vanish--take thyself no shame4          
,they fail1 and they alone1 who have not
 striven4                               
--,,thomas ,,bailey ,,aldrich4  ,,xvi   

,,love ,,in ,,the ,,winds#f  #f ,from   
,along the ,trail1 by ,richard ,hovey4  
,copyright1 #ahih1 by ,small1 ,maynard  
,co41 ,duffield  ,co41 successors4      
,when ,i am standing on a mountain      
crest1       ,or hold the tiller in the 
dashing spray1     ,my love of you leaps
 foaming in my breast1       ,shouts    
with the winds and sweeps to their      
foray2     ,my heart bounds with the    
horses of the sea1       ,and plunges in
 the wild ride of the night     ,flaunts
 in the teeth of tempest the large glee 
,that rides out ,fate and welcomes gods 
to fight4     ,ho1 love1 ,i laugh aloud 
for love of you1       ,glad that our   
love is fellow to rough weather1--      
,no fretful orchid hot-housed from the  
dew1       ,but hale and hardy as the   
highland heather1     ,rejoicing in the 
wind that stings and thrills1           
,comrades of ocean1 playmate of the     
hills4                                  
--,,richard ,,hovey4   ,,xvii           
,,candlemas#g  #g ,by permission of     

,houghton ,mifflin ,company4      ,o    
hearken1 all ye little weeds       ,that
 lie beneath the snow1       7,so low1  
dear hearts1 in poverty so low67        
,the sun hath risen for royal deeds1    
,a valiant wind the vanguard leads2     
,now quicken ye1 lest unborn seeds      
,before ye rise and blow4      ,o furry 
living things1 adream       ,on         
,winter's drowsy breast1       7,how    
rest ye there1 how softly1 safely rest67
     ,arise and follow where a gleam    
,of wizard gold unbinds the stream1     
,and all the woodland windings seem     
,with sweet expectance blest4      ,my  
birds1 come back6 the hollow sky        
,is weary for your note4                
7,sweet-throat1 come back6 ,o liquid1   
mellow throat67     ,ere ,may's soft    
minions hereward fly1     ,shame on ye1 
laggards1 to deny     ,the brooding     
breast1 the sun-bright eye1       ,the  
tawny1 shining coat6                    
--,,alice ,,brown4  ,mr4 ,gilbert       
,chesterton tells us that the real      

,robert ,browning of literary history   
arrived with the ,dramatic ,lyrics4 ,in 
,dramatic ,lyrics1 says ,mr4            
,chesterton1 ,browning discovered the   
one thing that he could really do better
 than any one else--the dramatic lyric4 
,the form is absolutely original2 he had
 discovered a new field of poetry1 and  
in the center of that field he had found
 himself4 ,the form is new1 but it obeys
 the fundamental law of lyric poetry1   
and so in our study belongs to this     
chapter4 ,the new element which the word
 dramatic suggests makes a new and a    
somewhat broader demand upon the        
interpreter2 therefore ,i have chosen   
this group of ,dramatic ,lyrics from    
,browning as the material for your final
 study of this form3      ,,my ,,star   
,all that ,i know       ,of a certain   
star     ,is1 it can throw       7,like 
the angled spar7     ,now a dart of red1
       ,now a dart of blue2     ,till my
 friends have said       ,they would    
fain see1 too1       ,my star that      

dartles the red and the blue6     ,then 
it stops like a bird2 like a flower1    
hangs furled3       ,they must solace   
themselves with the ,saturn above it4   
,what matter to me if their star is a   
world8       ,mine has opened its soul  
to me2 therefore ,i love it4            
,,cavalier ,,tunes      ,,marching      
,,along      ,kentish ,sir ,byng stood  
for his ,king1     ,bidding the         
crop-headed ,parliament swing4     ,and1
 pressing a troop unable to stoop       
,and see the rogues flourish and honest 
folk droop1     ,marched them along1    
fifty-score strong1     ,great-hearted  
gentlemen1 singing this song4      ,god 
for ,king ,charles6 ,pym and such carles
     ,to the ,devil that prompts 'em    
their treasonous parles6     ,cavaliers1
 up6 ,lips from the cup1     ,hands from
 the pasty1 nor bite take nor sup       
,till you're--     7,chorus7 ,marching  
along1 fifty-score strong1              
,great-hearted gentlemen1 singing this  
song4      ,hampden to hell1 and his    

obsequies' knell     ,serve ,hazelrig1  
,fiennes1 and young ,harry as well6     
,england1 good cheer6 ,rupert is near6  
,kentish and loyalists1 keep we not     
here1     7,chorus7 ,marching along1    
fifty-score strong1                     
,great-hearted gentlemen1 singing this  
song8      ,then1 ,god for ,king        
,charles6 ,pym and his snarls     ,to   
the ,devil that pricks on such pestilent
 carles6     ,hold by the right1 you    
double your might2     ,so1 onward to   
,nottingham1 fresh for the fight4       
7,chorus7 ,march we along1 fifty-score  
strong1                 ,great-hearted  
gentlemen1 singing this song6   ,,garden
 ,,fancies      ,,the ,,flower',s ,,name
      ,here's the garden she walked     
across1       ,arm in my arm1 such a    
short while since4     ,hark1 now ,i    
push its wicket1 the moss       ,hinders
 the hinges and makes them wince6       
,she must have reached this shrub ere   
she turned1       ,as back with that    
murmur the wicket swung2     ,for she   

laid the poor snail1 my chance foot     
spurned1       ,to feed and forget it   
the leaves among4      ,down this side  
of the gravel walk       ,she went while
 her robe's edge brushed the box3       
,and here she paused in her gracious    
talk       ,to point me a moth on the   
milk-white phlox4     ,roses1 ranged in 
valiant row1       ,i will never think  
that she passed you by6     ,she loves  
you1 noble roses1 ,i know2       ,but   
yonder1 see1 where the rock-plants lie6 
,this flower she stopped at1 finger on  
lip1       ,stooped over1 in doubt1 as  
settling its claim2     ,till she gave  
me1 with pride to make no slip1         
,its soft meandering ,spanish name4     
,what a name6 ,was it love or praise8   
,speech half-asleep or song half-awake8 
,i must learn ,spanish1 one of these    
days1       ,only for that slow sweet   
name's sake4      ,roses1 if ,i live and
 do well1       ,i may bring her1 one of
 these days1     ,to fix you fast with  
as fine a spell1       ,fit you each    

with his ,spanish phrase2     ,but do   
not detain me now2 for she lingers      
,there1 like sunshine over the ground1  
,and ever ,i see her soft white fingers 
,searching after the bud she found4     
,flower1 you ,spaniard1 look that you   
grow not1       ,stay as you are and be 
loved forever6     ,bud1 if ,i kiss you 
'tis that you blow not3       ,mind1 the
 shut pink mouth opens never6     ,for  
while it pouts1 her fingers wrestle1    
,twinkling the audacious leaves between1
     ,till round they turn and down they
 nestle--       ,is not the dear mark   
still to be seen8      ,where ,i find   
her not1 beauties vanish2       ,whither
 ,i follow her1 beauties flee2     ,is  
there no method to tell her in ,spanish 
,june's twice ,june since she breathed  
it with me8     ,come1 bud1 show me the 
least of her traces1       ,treasure my 
lady's lightest footfall6     --,ah1 you
 may flout and turn up your faces--     
,roses1 you are not so fair after all6  
--,,browning4  ,that the poet is born1  

not made1 is more and more an undisputed
 fact in every literary age4 ,but many a
 birthright of poetic power has been    
saved from sale for a mess of pottage by
 a wisely ordered meeting of the young  
bard1 while his gift was still latent1  
with the masters of lyric expression4   
,such an introduction is the object of  
this study1 so far as it can embrace in 
its aim the ends of both forms of       
expression1--interpretation and         
composition4 ,there is no thought of    
inducing even an aspirant to the        
poetical purple1 much less a ,shelley or
 a ,keats or an ,alice ,brown1 through  
this brief dwelling with their immortal 
songs2 but if this intensive            
interpretative study of the highest     
lyric expression does not result in a   
new sense of word values1 a new         
sensitiveness to the music of the       
,english language1 out of which the     
songs of ,america must be made1 then the
 study will have failed in its purpose  
toward you4 ,if from this suggestive    

analysis of ,shelley's ,skylark you     
receive no impulse to use words with a  
new delight in the fitting of sound to  
sense1 a new reverence for their        
harmonious arrangement to suggest and   
sustain an atmosphere2 if1 in short1    
your vocabulary is not enriched and your
 choice of words clarified through this 
study1 then your new acquaintance with  
lyric expression will have been in vain4
 ,and1 finally1 if some one of you at   
least is not impelled by these          
excursions into the world of song to use
 his enriched vocabulary in an attempt  
to create a bit of lyric description in 
prose or verse1 then the author of this 
study1 and the teacher under whose      
direction it is made1 must admit a      
failure to reach with the pupil the     
ultimate aim of such interpretative     
effort4  ,let us make the test4 ,as a   
final problem of this study ,i shall ask
 you to let your emotion find           
expression--lyric expression--in a bit  
of prose description4 ,don't be afraid6 

,use your vocabulary6 ,take as a        
subject3 the bit of earth and sky you   
have secretly worshiped2 the bird song  
or flight which has charmed your day2   
the memory of some illumined moment2 the
 effect of any one of these lyrics upon 
you4 ,don't be afraid6 ,and remember it 
is to be literature of feeling rather   
than thought2 description1 not          
exposition4     ,,third ,,study  ,,to   
,,develop ,,the ,,whimsical ,,sense     
,addressing the ,gentle ,reader in      
deliciously whimsical vein on the       
,mission of ,humor1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,arthur
 ,crothers declares3 ,were ,i appointed 
by the school board to consider the     
applicants for teachers' certificates1  
after they had passed the examinations  
in the arts and sciences1 ,i should     
subject them to a more rigid test4 ,i   
should hand each candidate ,lamb's      
essays on ',the ,old and ,new           
,schoolmaster' and on ',imperfect       
,sympathies4' ,i should make him read   
them to himself1 while ,i sat by and    

watched4 ,if his countenance never      
relaxed1 as if he were inwardly saying1 
',that's so1' ,i should withhold the    
certificate4 ,i should not consider him 
a fit person to have charge of innocent 
youth4 ,we can readily see from this    
extract that we need not go back to the 
early part of the last century to find  
material for our test of this sovereign 
quality1 a sense of humor4 ,mr4         
,crothers himself1 the ,charles ,lamb of
 our ,american ,letters to-day1 shall   
furnish our subject-matter4 ,bring your 
,gentle ,reader1 or ,the ,pardoner's    
,wallet1 or the essays collected with   
the ,christmas ,sermon1 to class        
to-morrow4 ,if these volumes are not in 
your personal library1 your library is  
sadly lacking4 ,read ,the ,honorable    
,points of ,ignorance1 ,how to ,know the
 ,fallacies1 or ,conscience ,concerning 
,witchcraft4 ,if any one of these fails 
to disclose in you the mental alertness 
and power of discrimination which their 
author considers to be requisite        

characteristics of a true sense of      
humor1 then you are sadly lacking in    
that coveted quality of mind and heart1 
and it behooves us to make an attempt to
 supply these deficiencies4  ,can a     
sense of humor be cultivated1 and if it 
can be cultivated1 is it safe to do so8 
some one asks--some one who has suffered
 at the hands of a clever jester        
perhaps4 ,by way of arriving at an      
answer1 let us examine a little further 
the category of qualities which ,mr4    
,crothers considers requisite to true   
humor4  ,we have already noted mental   
alertness and power of discrimination4  
,there can be no question as to the     
desirability or feasibility of          
developing these characteristics1 since 
such development belongs to the         
fundamental effort of education4 ,but   
these are but two characteristics of the
 quality we are considering1 and not the
 distinguishing ones4 ,humor1 continues 
the category1 is the frank enjoyment of 
the imperfect4 ,now we scent a danger6  

,for if1 as ,mr4 ,crothers admits1      
artistic sensibility finds satisfaction 
only in the perfect1 and since1 as we   
all admit1 artistic sensibility is an   
end in education devoutly to be desired1
 then is not a cultivation of the frank 
enjoyment of the imperfect1 oh dear and 
gentle humorist1 a dangerous indulgence8
 ,the conclusive answer comes3 ,one may 
have learned to enjoy the sublime1 the  
beautiful1 the useful1 the orderly1 but 
he has missed something if he has not   
also learned to enjoy the incongruous1  
the illusive1 and the unexpected4 ,it is
 a conclusive reply1 because we know    
that it is just as essential to         
achievement in the finest of the ,fine  
,arts1--the art of living1 as in every  
other form of ,art1 to recognize that   
the inrush of discord is for the final  
issue of harmony2 that only through our 
ability to recognize illusion shall we  
come to know reality2 that only through 
sensitiveness to the incongruous shall  
we develop a true sense of the fitness  

of things2 that only frank enjoyment can
 disarm imperfection and find           
satisfaction in the perfect4 ,so let us 
not hesitate to do all we can to        
cultivate a quality which ,thackeray    
defines as a mixture of love and wit2 to
 which ,erasmus ascribes such desirable 
characteristics as good temper and      
insight into human nature2 and for one  
grade of which1 in addition to all its  
other qualities1 ,mr4 ,crothers claims  
that it can proceed only from a mind    
free from any taint of morbidness4  ,if 
then we conclude that it is not only    
safe1 but possible and desirable1 to    
cultivate a sense of humor1 how shall we
 set about it8 ,to answer you1 as to one
 way at least1 and that a way of        
interpretation1 ,mr4 ,crothers is left  
alive1 not only to furnish new material 
for the exercise of the sense1 but to   
point a gently reminding finger toward  
the immortal sources of good            
humor1--,chaucer and ,cervantes and     
,montaigne2 ,shakespeare and ,bacon and 

,fielding and ,addison2 ,goldsmith1     
,charles ,lamb1 and ,walter ,scott1 and 
in our own country1 ,irving and ,dr4    
,holmes and ,james ,russell ,lowell4    
,whatever period of time your schedule  
grants to this phase of the work should 
be dedicated to a closer acquaintance   
with the flavor and atmosphere of these 
great-hearted humorists in their most   
genial moments4 ,let us also heed ,mr4  
,crothers' warning against the humor of 
the ,dean ,swifts which would be so     
irresistible were it not bad humor4 ,let
 us avoid more intimate acquaintance    
with the broad variety furnished by the 
,mark ,twains and ,mr4 ,dooleys1 which  
may be legitimately classed as good     
humor1 but which is so obvious as to be 
little conducive to that mental         
alertness and power of discrimination   
which we aim to acquire through this    
study4 ,instead1 let us seek the        
gracious company of ,william ,dean      
,howells in the whimsical mood he so    
often induces4  ,accepting1 then1 as a  

distinguishing characteristic of the    
humor we desire to cultivate1 ability to
 enjoy the incongruous1 the illusive1   
and the unexpected1 let us look to a    
master maker of these conditions for    
class-room guidance in this effort4 ,i  
suppose ,mr4 ,lewis ,carroll has done   
more to develop this distinguishing     
characteristic than any other           
contributor to our ,letters4 ,so we     
shall go on an excursion with his ,alice
 into the ,wonderland he made for her4  
,if her frank enjoyment and free        
acceptance of the incongruous and the   
unexpected does not prove infectious1 we
 must be forever written down among     
those who could not understand ,peter   
,pan4 ,we shall read and enjoy a chapter
 or two of ,alice together in class1 but
 for suggestive analysis along          
interpretative lines ,heaven forbid that
 ,i should lay violent hands on her     
text4 ,no one can teach you to interpret
 your ,alice save ,alice herself4 ,you  
may walk with her1 talk with her1       

dwindle and grow with her1 join her     
adventures in any way she will permit1  
but you may not analyze nor dissect her4
 ,you may learn to interpret her only by
 living with her and loving her4  ,now  
sop is another matter4 ,however long you
 may live with him1 however much you may
 love his fables1 there is a trick of   
interpretation to be learned in voicing 
his philosophy which will develop the   
whimsical side of your sense of humor   
and counteract the insistent moral tone 
attached to every fable4   ,,suggestive 
,,analysis  ,the danger in handling a   
fable does not lie1 as the interpreter  
seems so often to think1 in adopting too
 serious a tone4 ,all the literature of 
pure fancy1 from the humorous essays of 
,bacon through the ,arabian ,nights to  
the nonsensical rhymes of ,lear1 must be
 treated with great gravity of tone and 
temper by the interpreter4 ,it is not   
levity1 but only whimsicality of        
temperament1 ,i demand from one who     
would read from this particular lore to 

me4 ,i want my whimsical friend to      
interpret my ,chaucer and ,crothers1    
,peter ,pan and the ,pied ,piper1 ,hans 
,christian ,andersen1 ,carroll1 and     
,lear1 and all the rest of the genial   
host who minister to my most precious   
sense of nonsense4 ,and1 perhaps1 most  
of all1 it is he 7the whimsical friend7 
who must read fables to me1 for a fable1
 the dictionary tells us1 is a story in 
which1 by the imagined dealings of men  
with animals or mere things1 or by the  
supposed doings of these alone1 useful  
lessons are taught4 ,now a moral rubbed 
in is like an overdose of certain kinds 
of medicine1 where a little cures1 too  
much kills4 ,it is the presence of the  
lesson which the whimsical tone alone   
can offset4 ,the whimsical tone never   
falls into the monotone4 ,whimsicality  
always seeks variety of emphasis and    
movement4 ,let us apply this to the     
reading of the fable called        ,,the
 ,,crow ,,and ,,the ,,pitcher       ,a  
crow1 half dead with thirst1 came upon a

 pitcher which had once      been full  
of water2 but when the crow put his beak
 into the mouth      of the pitcher he  
found that only very little water was   
left in it1      and that he could not  
reach far enough down to get at it4 ,he 
tried1      and he tried1 but at last   
had to give up in despair4 ,then a      
thought      came to him1 and he took a 
pebble and dropped it into the pitcher4 
,then he took another pebble and dropped
 it into the pitcher4 ,then      he took
 another pebble and dropped that into   
the pitcher4 ,then he      took another 
pebble and dropped that into the        
pitcher4 ,then he took      another     
pebble and dropped that into the        
pitcher4 ,then he took      another     
pebble and dropped that into the        
pitcher4 ,at last1 at last1      he saw 
the water mount up near him2 and after  
casting in a few more      pebbles he   
was able to quench his thirst and save  
his life4       ,little by little does  
the trick4  ,how shall we avoid the     

monotony of the lines beginning ,then he
 took another pebble and dropped it into
 the pitcher8 ,note that this line is   
followed by one in which but two words  
are changed1 and then by a line with but
 one change1 and then by three lines    
with no change at all4 ,our only hope   
lies in a variation of emphasis and     
movement--a whimsical variation4 ,try   
it6 ,give another the particular stress 
in reading the first of these lines4    
,pause at the close of the line as if to
 study the effect of the pebble4 ,in the
 next line that1 of course1 takes the   
emphasis4 ,pause before the word and    
give it a salient stress4 ,the movement 
of the voice through these two lines has
 been deliberate4 ,on the next line     
hasten it a little1 and make the pause  
at the close of the line shorter4 ,with 
the fourth line let the tone settle down
 to work4 ,give each of the first five  
words equal stress4 ,with the fifth and 
last line let us feel that you may go on
 forever1 and surprise us with a very   

short pause and a joyful stress upon at 
last1 at last1 and don't fail to let the
 enthusiasm of your tone give us the    
full sense of the relief which comes    
with the mounting of the water1 and the 
delight in the conclusion--he was able  
to quench his thirst and save his life4 
,and now1 most whimsically1 let us voice
 the moral1 ,little by little does the  
trick4   ,,selections ,,for             
,,interpretation       ,,the ,,lion     
,,and ,,the ,,mouse       ,once when a  
lion was asleep a little mouse began    
running up and      down upon him2 this 
soon wakened the lion1 who placed his   
huge paw      upon him1 and opened his  
big jaws to swallow him4 ,pardon1 ,o    
,king1      cried the little mouse2     
forgive me this time4 ,i shall never    
forget      it2 who knows but what ,i   
may be able to do you a turn some of    
these      days8 ,the lion was so       
tickled at the idea of the mouse being  
able      to help him1 that he lifted up
 his paw and let him go4 ,some time     

after the lion was caught in a trap1 and
 the hunters1 who desired      to carry 
him alive to the king1 tied him to a    
tree while they went      in search of a
 wagon to carry him on4 ,just then the  
little mouse      happened to pass by1  
and seeing the sad plight in which the  
lion      was1 went up to him and soon  
gnawed away the ropes that bound the    
king of the beasts4 ,was ,i not right8  
said the little mouse4       ,little    
friends may prove great friends4        
,,the ,,wind ,,and ,,the ,,sun          
,the wind and the sun were disputing    
which was the stronger4      ,suddenly  
they saw a traveler coming down the     
road1 and the sun      said3 ,i see a   
way to decide our dispute4 ,whichever of
 us can cause      that traveler to take
 off his cloak shall be regarded as the 
stronger4 ,you begin4 ,so the sun       
retired behind a cloud1 and the         
wind began to blow as hard as he could  
upon the traveler4 ,but the      harder 
he blew the more closely did the        

traveler wrap his cloak      round him1 
till at last the wind had to give up in 
despair4 ,then      the sun came out and
 shone in all his glory upon the        
traveler1 who      soon found it too hot
 to walk with his cloak on4             
,kindness effects more than severity4   
,and1 now1 here is ,alice herself to    
play with a little4 ,go fearlessly into 
her ,wonderland and let her teach you   
how to meet the illusive1 the           
incongruous1 and the unexpected4 ,let   
her minister to your ability to enjoy   
the imperfect4 ,let her develop your    
sense of humor4 ,if she cannot do so no 
one can4        ,,down ,,the            
,,rabbit-,,hole#h       #h ,these       
following selections are taken from     
,harper  ,brothers'      edition of     
,alice in ,wonderland and ,alice        
,through the      ,looking-,glass4      
,alice was beginning to get very tired  
of sitting by her sister on      the    
bank1 and of having nothing to do2 once 
or twice she had peeped      into the   

book her sister was reading1 but it had 
no pictures or      conversations in it1
 and what is the use of a book1 thought 
,alice1 without pictures or             
conversations8       ,so she was        
considering in her own mind 7as well as 
she could1 for      the hot day made her
 feel very sleepy and stupid7 whether   
the      pleasure of making a           
daisy-chain would be worth the trouble  
of      getting up and picking the      
daisies1 when suddenly a ,white ,rabbit 
with pink eyes ran close by her4        
,there was nothing so very remarkable in
 that2 nor did ,alice think      it so  
very much out of the way to hear the    
,rabbit say to itself1      ,oh dear6   
,oh dear6 ,i shall be too late6 7when   
she thought it over      afterward1 it  
occurred to her that she ought to have  
wondered at      this1 but at the time  
it all seemed quite natural72 but when  
the      ,rabbit actually took a watch  
out of its waistcoat-pocket1 and        
looked at it1 and then hurried on1      

,alice started to her feet1 for      it 
flashed across her mind that she had    
never before seen a rabbit      with    
either a waistcoat-pocket1 or a watch to
 take out of it1 and1      burning with 
curiosity1 she ran across the field     
after it1 and      fortunately was just 
in time to see it pop down a large      
rabbit-hole      under the hedge4       
,in another moment down went ,alice     
after it1 never once considering        
how in the world she was to get out     
again4       ,the rabbit-hole went      
straight on like a tunnel for some way1 
and      then dipped suddenly down--so  
suddenly that ,alice had not a moment   
to think about stopping herself before  
she found herself falling      down a   
very steep well4       ,either the well 
was very deep1 or she fell very slowly1 
for she had      plenty of time as she  
went down to look about her1 and to     
wonder      what was going to happen    
next4 ,first1 she tried to look down and
      make out what she was coming to1  

but it was too dark to see              
anything2 then she looked at the sides  
of the well1 and noticed      that they 
were filled with cupboards and          
bookshelves2 here and      there she saw
 maps and pictures hung upon pegs4 ,she 
took down a      jar from one of the    
shelves as she passed2 it was labeled   
,,orange      ,,marmalade1 but to her   
great disappointment it was empty4 ,she 
did      not like to drop the jar for   
fear of killing somebody1 so managed    
to put it into one of the cupboards as  
she fell past it4       ,well6 thought  
,alice to herself4 ,after such a fall as
 this1 ,i      shall think nothing of   
tumbling down-stairs6 ,how brave they'll
 all      think me at home6 ,why1 ,i    
wouldn't say anything about it1 even if 
,i      fell off the top of the house6  
7,which was very likely true47          
,down1 down1 down4 ,would the fall never
 come to an end8 ,i wonder      how many
 miles ,i've fallen by this time8 she   
said1 aloud4 ,i must      be getting    

somewhere near the center of the earth4 
,let me see3 that      would be four    
thousand miles down1 ,i think-- 7for1   
you see1 ,alice      had learned several
 things of this sort in her lessons in  
the      school-room1 and though this   
was not a very good opportunity for     
showing off her knowledge1 as there was 
no one to listen to her1      still it  
was good practice to say it over7 --yes1
 that's about the      right            
distance--but then ,i wonder what       
,latitude or ,longitude ,i've      got  
to8 7,alice had no idea what ,latitude  
was1 or ,longitude either1      but     
thought they were nice1 grand words to  
say47       ,presently she began again4 
,i wonder if ,i shall fall right        
through the earth8 ,how funny it'll seem
 to come out among the      people that 
walk with their heads downward6 ,the    
,antipathies1 ,i      think-- 7she was  
rather glad there was no one listening  
this      time1 as it didn't sound at   
all the right word7 --but ,i shall have 

to ask them what the name of the country
 is1 you know4 ',please1      ma'am1 is 
this ,new ,zealand or ,australia8' 7and 
she tried to      courtesy as she       
spoke--fancy courtesying as you're      
falling      through the air6 ,do you   
think you could manage it87 ,and what an
      ignorant little girl she'll think 
me6 ,no1 it'll never do to ask2         
perhaps ,i shall see it written up      
somewhere4       ,down1 down1 down4     
,there was nothing else to do1 so ,alice
 soon began      talking again4         
,dinah'll miss me very much to-night1 ,i
 should      think6 7,dinah was the     
cat47 ,i hope they'll remember her      
saucer of      milk at tea-time4 ,dinah1
 my dear1 ,i wish you were down here    
with      me6 ,there are no mice in the 
air1 ,i'm afraid1 but you might catch a 
bat1 and that's very like a mouse1 you  
know4 ,but do cats eat bats1      ,i    
wonder8 ,and here ,alice began to get   
rather sleepy1 and went on      saying  
to herself1 in a dreamy sort of way1 ,do

 cats eat bats8 ,do      cats eat bats8 
and sometimes1 ,do bats eat cats8 for1  
you see1 as      she couldn't answer    
either question1 it didn't much matter  
which      way she put it4 ,she felt    
that she was dozing off1 and had just   
begun to dream that she was walking hand
 in hand with ,dinah1 and      saying to
 her very earnestly1 ,now1 ,dinah1 tell 
me the truth3 did      you ever eat a   
bat8 when suddenly1 thump6 thump6 down  
she came      upon a heap of dry leaves1
 and the fall was over4       ,alice was
 not a bit hurt1 and she jumped up on   
her feet in a      moment4 ,she looked  
up1 but it was all dark overhead2 before
 her was      another long passage1 and 
the ,white ,rabbit was still in sight1  
hurrying down it4 ,there was not a      
moment to be lost2 away went      ,alice
 like the wind1 and was just in time to 
hear it say1 as it      turned a corner1
 ,oh my ears and whiskers1 how late it's
 getting6      ,she was close behind it 
when she turned the corner1 but the     

,rabbit      was no longer to be seen2  
she found herself in a long1 low hall1  
which was lit up by a row of lamps      
hanging from the roof4       ,there were
 doors all round the hall1 but they were
 all locked2 and      when ,alice had   
been all the way down one side and up   
the other1      trying every door1 she  
walked sadly down the middle1 wondering 
how      she was ever to get out again4 
,suddenly she came upon a little        
three-legged table1 all made of         
solid glass2 there was nothing on it    
except a tiny golden key1 and           
,alice's first thought was that it might
 belong to one of the doors      of the 
hall2 but1 alas6 either the locks were  
too large or the key      was too small1
 but at any rate it would not open any  
of them4      ,however1 the second time 
round she came upon a low curtain she   
had      not noticed before1 and behind 
it was a little door about fifteen      
inches high4 ,she tried the little      
golden key in the lock1 and to      her 

great delight it fitted6       ,alice   
opened the door and found that it led   
into a small passage1      not much     
larger than a rat-hole4 ,she knelt down 
and looked along      the passage into  
the loveliest garden you ever saw4 ,how 
she longed      to get out of that dark 
hall1 and wander about among those beds 
of      bright flowers and those cool   
fountains1 but she could not even get   
her head through the doorway6 ,and even 
if my head would go      through1       
thought poor ,alice1 it would be of very
 little use      without my shoulders4  
,oh1 how ,i wish ,i could shut up like a
      telescope6 ,i think ,i could1 if  
,i only knew how to begin4 ,for1 you    
see1 so many out-of-the-way things had  
happened lately that ,alice      had    
begun to think that very few things     
indeed were really      impossible4     
,there seemed to be no use in waiting by
 the little door1 so she      went back 
to the table1 half hoping she might find
 another key on      it1 or1 at any     

rate1 a book of rules for shutting      
people up like      telescopes4 ,this   
time she found a little bottle on it    
7which      certainly was not here      
before1 said ,alice71 and round its neck
 a      paper label1 with the words     
,,drink ,,me beautifully printed on it  
in      large letters4       ,it was all
 very well to say ,drink me1 but the    
wise little ,alice      was not going to
 do that in a hurry4 ,no1 ,i'll look    
first1 she      said1 and see whether   
it's marked 'poison' or not2 for she had
      read several nice little histories
 about children who had got      burned1
 and eaten up by wild beasts1 and many  
other unpleasant      things1 all       
because they would not remember the     
simple rules      their friends had     
taught them3 such as1 that a red-hot    
poker will      burn you if you hold it 
too long2 and that1 if you cut your     
finger      very deeply with a knife1 it
 usually bleeds2 and she had never      
forgotten that1 if you drink much from a

 bottle marked poison1      it is almost
 certain to disagree with you1 sooner or
 later4       ,however1 this bottle was 
not marked poison1 so ,alice ventured   
to taste it1 and1 finding it very nice  
7it had1 in fact1 a sort of      mixed  
flavor of cherry-tart1 custard1         
pineapple1 roast turkey1      toffee1   
and hot buttered toast71 she very soon  
finished it off4         99       99    
99       99       99       ,what a      
curious feeling6 said ,alice4 ,i must be
 shutting up like a      telescope4     
,and so it was1 indeed3 she was now only
 ten inches high1 and her      face     
brightened up at the thought that she   
was now the right size      for going   
through the little door into that lovely
 garden4 ,first1      however1 she      
waited for a few minutes to see if she  
was going to      shrink any further3   
she felt a little nervous about this1   
for it      might end1 you know1 said   
,alice1 in my going out altogether1 like
      a candle4 ,i wonder what ,i should

 be like then8 ,and she tried to        
fancy what the flame of a candle is like
 after it is blown out1 for      she    
could not remember ever having seen such
 a thing4       ,after a while1 finding 
that nothing more happened1 she decided 
to      go into the garden at once1 but1
 alas for poor ,alice6 when she got     
to the door she found she had forgotten 
the little golden key1 and      when she
 went back to the table for it she found
 she could not      possibly reach it4  
,she could see it quite plainly through 
the      glass1 and she tried her best  
to climb up one of the table-legs1      
but it was too slippery2 and when she   
had tired herself out with      trying1 
the poor little thing sat down and      
cried4       ,come1 there's no use in   
crying like that6 said ,alice to        
herself1      rather sharply4 ,i advise 
you to leave off this minute6 ,she      
generally gave herself very good advice 
7though she very seldom      followed   
it71 and sometimes she scolded herself  

so severely as to      bring tears in   
her eyes2 and once she remembered trying
 to box her      own ears for having    
cheated herself in a game of croquet she
 was      playing against herself1 for  
this curious child was very fond of     
pretending to be two people4 ,but it's  
no use now1 thought poor      ,alice1 to
 pretend to be two people6 ,why1 there's
 hardly enough of      me left to make  
one respectable person6       ,soon her 
eye fell on a little glass box that was 
lying under the      table4 ,she opened 
it1 and found in it a very small cake1  
on which      the words ,,eat ,,me were 
beautifully marked in currants4 ,well1  
,i'll      eat it1 said ,alice1 and if  
it makes me larger ,i can reach the     
key1 and if it makes me smaller ,i can  
creep under the door2 so1      either   
way1 ,i'll get into the garden1 and ,i  
don't care which      happens6          
,she ate a little bit and said anxiously
 to herself1 ,which way8      ,which    
way8 holding her hand on the top of her 

head to feel which      way it was      
growing1 and she was quite surprised to 
find that she      remained the same    
size4 ,to be sure1 this generally       
happens when one      eats cake1 but    
,alice had got so much into the way of  
expecting      nothing but              
out-of-the-way things to happen that it 
seemed quite      dull and stupid for   
life to go on in the common way4        
,so she set to work1 and very soon      
finished off the cake4         99       
99       99       99       99           
,,the ,,pool ,,of ,,tears               
,curiouser and curiouser6 cried ,alice  
7she was so much surprised      that for
 the moment she quite forgot how to     
speak good ,english72      now ,i'm     
opening out like the largest telescope  
that ever was6      ,good-by1 feet6 7for
 when she looked down at her feet they  
seemed      to be almost out of sight1  
they were getting so far off74 ,oh1 my  
poor little feet1 ,i wonder who will put
 on your shoes and stockings      for   

you now1 dears8 ,i'm sure ,i sha'n't be 
able6 ,i shall be a      great deal too 
far off to trouble myself about you3 you
 must manage      the best way you      
can--but ,i must be kind to them1       
thought ,alice1      or perhaps they    
won't walk the way ,i want to go6 ,let  
me see2 ,i'll      give them a new pair 
of boots every ,christmas4       ,and   
she went on planning to herself how she 
would manage it4 ,they      must go by  
the carrier1 she thought2 and how funny 
it'll seem1      sending presents to    
one's own feet6 ,and how odd the        
directions will      look6--            
,alice's ,right ,foot1 ,esq4            
,hearthrug1                             
near the ,fender                        
7with ,alice's love74       ,oh dear1   
what nonsense ,i'm talking6       ,just 
then her head struck against the roof of
 the hall--in fact she      was now more
 than nine feet high--and she at once   
took up the      little golden key and  
hurried off to the garden door4         

,poor ,alice6 ,it was as much as she    
could do1 lying down on one side1       
to look through into the garden with one
 eye1 but to get through      was more  
hopeless than ever4 ,she sat down and   
began to cry again4       ,you ought to 
be ashamed of yourself1 said ,alice--a  
great girl      like you 7she might well
 say this71 to go on crying in this way6
      ,stop this moment1 ,i tell you6   
,but she went on all the same1          
shedding gallons of tears1 until there  
was a large pool all round      her1    
about four inches deep and reaching half
 down the hall4       ,after a time she 
heard a little pattering of feet in the 
distance1      and she hastily dried her
 eyes to see what was coming4 ,it was   
the      ,white ,rabbit returning1      
splendidly dressed1 with a pair of white
      kid gloves in one hand and a large
 fan in the other4 ,he came             
trotting along in a great hurry1        
muttering to himself as he came1        
,oh6 the ,duchess1 the ,duchess6 ,oh6   

won't she be savage if ,i've      kept  
her waiting6 ,alice felt so desperate   
that she was ready to      ask help of  
any one2 so1 when the ,rabbit came near 
her1 she began1      in a low1 timid    
voice1 ,if you please1 sir-- ,the       
,rabbit started      violently1 dropped 
the white kid gloves and the fan1 and   
scurried      away into the darkness as 
hard as he could go4       ,alice took  
up the fan and gloves1 and1 as the hall 
was very hot1      she kept fanning     
herself all the time she went on        
talking3 ,dear1      dear6 ,how queer   
everything is to-day6 ,and yesterday    
things went on      just as usual4 ,i   
wonder if ,i've been changed in the     
night8 ,let me      think3 was ,i the   
same when ,i got up this morning8 ,i    
almost think ,i      can remember       
feeling a little different4 ,but if ,i'm
 not the same1      the next question   
is1 ,who in the world am ,i8 ,ah1 that's
 the great      puzzle6 ,and she began  
thinking over all the children she knew 

that      were of the same age as       
herself1 to see if she could have been  
changed for any of them4       ,i'm sure
 ,i'm not ,ada1 she said1 for her hair  
goes in such long      ringlets1 and    
mine doesn't go in ringlets at all2 and 
,i'm sure ,i      can't be ,mabel1 for  
,i know all sorts of things1 and she1   
oh6 she      knows such a very little6  
,besides1 she's she and ,i'm ,i1 and--oh
      dear1 how puzzling it all is6     
,i'll try if ,i know all the things ,i  
used to know4 ,let me see3 four times   
five is twelve1 and four times      six 
is thirteen1 and four times seven is--oh
 dear6 ,i shall never      get to twenty
 at that rate6 ,however1 the            
,multiplication ,table      doesn't     
signify3 let's try ,geography4 ,london  
is the capital of      ,paris1 and      
,paris is the capital of ,rome1 and     
,rome--no1 that's all      wrong1 ,i'm  
certain6 ,i must have been changed for  
,mabel6 ,i'll try      and say ',how    
doth the little--' and she crossed her  

hands on her      lap as if she were    
saying lessons1 and began to repeat it1 
but her      voice sounded hoarse and   
strange1 and the words did not come the 
same as they used to do3           ,how 
doth the little crocodile               
,improve his shining tail1          ,and
 pour the waters of the ,nile           
,on every golden scale6           ,how  
cheerfully he seems to grin1            
,how neatly spread his claws1           
,and welcomes little fishes in          
,with gently smiling jaws6       ,i'm   
sure those are not the right words1 said
 poor ,alice1 and her      eyes filled  
with tears again as she went on3 ,i must
 be ,mabel1      after all1 and ,i shall
 have to go and live in that poky little
      house1 and have next to no toys to
 play with1 and oh6 ever so many        
lessons to learn6 ,no1 ,i've made up my 
mind about it2 if ,i'm ,mabel1          
,i'll stay down here6 ,it'll be no use  
their putting their heads down      and 
saying1 ',come up again1 dear6' ,i shall

 only look up and say1      ',who am ,i1
 then8 ,tell me that first1 and then1 if
 ,i like being that      person1 ,i'll  
come up2 if not1 ,i'll stay down here   
till ,i'm somebody      else4' ,but1 oh 
dear6 cried ,alice1 with a sudden burst 
of tears1      ,i do wish they would put
 their heads down6 ,i am so very tired  
of being all alone here6       ,as she  
said this she looked down at her hands1 
and was surprised to      see that she  
had put on one of the ,rabbit's little  
white kid gloves      while she was     
talking4 ,how can ,i have done that8 she
 thought4      ,i must be growing small 
again4 ,she got up and went to the table
      to measure herself by it1 and     
found that1 as nearly as she could      
guess1 she was now about two feet high1 
and was going on shrinking      rapidly4
 ,she soon found out that the cause of  
this was the fan she      was holding1  
and she dropped it hastily1 just in time
 to avoid      shrinking away           
altogether4       ,that was a narrow    

escape6 said ,alice1 a good deal        
frightened at      the sudden change1   
but very glad to find herself still in  
existence2 and now for the garden6 and  
she ran with all speed      back to the 
little door2 but1 alas6 the little door 
was shut again1      and the little     
golden key was lying on the glass table 
as before1      and things are worse    
than ever1 thought the poor child1 for  
,i      never was so small as this      
before--never6 ,and ,i declare it's too 
bad1 that it is6       ,as she said     
these words her foot slipped1 and in    
another moment1      splash6 she was up 
to her chin in salt water4 ,her first   
idea was      that she had somehow      
fallen into the sea1 and in that case ,i
 can      go back by railway1 she said  
to herself4 7,alice had been to the     
seaside once in her life1 and had come  
to the general conclusion      that     
wherever you go to on the ,english coast
 you find a number of                   
bathing-machines in the sea1 some       

children digging in the sand with       
wooden spades1 then a row of            
lodging-houses1 and behind them a       
railway station47 ,however1 she soon    
made out that she was in the      pool  
of tears which she had wept when she was
 nine feet high4       ,i wish ,i hadn't
 cried so much6 said ,alice1 as she swam
 about1      trying to find her way out4
 ,i shall be punished for it now1 ,i    
suppose1 by being drowned in my own     
tears6 ,that will be a queer      thing1
 to be sure6 ,however1 everything is    
queer to-day4       ,just then she heard
 something splashing about in the pool a
 little      way off1 and she swam      
nearer to make out what it was4 ,at     
first she      thought it must be a     
walrus or hippopotamus1 but then she    
remembered how small she was now1 and   
she soon made out that it was      only 
a mouse that had slipped in like        
herself4       ,would it be of any use1 
now1 thought ,alice1 to speak to this   
mouse8 ,everything is so out-of-the-way 

down here that ,i should      think very
 likely it can talk2 at any rate1       
there's no harm in      trying4 ,so she 
began3 ,o ,mouse1 do you know the way   
out of this      pool8 ,i am very tired 
of swimming about here1 ,o ,mouse6      
7,alice      thought this must be the   
right way of speaking to a mouse4 ,she  
had      never done such a thing before1
 but she remembered having seen in      
her brother's ,latin ,grammar1 ,a       
mouse--of a mouse--to a mouse--a        
mouse--,o mouse67 ,the ,mouse looked at 
her rather inquisitively1      and      
seemed to her to wink with one of its   
little eyes1 but it said      nothing4  
,perhaps it doesn't understand ,english1
 thought ,alice2 ,i dare say      it's a
 ,french mouse1 come over with ,william 
the ,conqueror4 7,for      with all her 
knowledge of history1 ,alice had no very
 clear notion      how long ago anything
 had happened47 ,so she began again3 ,ou
 est ma      chatte8 which was the first
 sentence in her ,french lesson-book4   

,the ,mouse gave a sudden leap out of   
the water1 and seemed to quiver      all
 over with fright4 ,oh1 ,i beg your     
pardon6 cried ,alice1      hastily1     
afraid that she had hurt the poor       
animal's feelings4 ,i      quite forgot 
you didn't like cats4       ,not like   
cats6 cried the ,mouse1 in a shrill1    
passionate voice4      ,would you like  
cats if you were me8       ,well1       
perhaps not1 said ,alice1 in a soothing 
tone4 ,don't be      angry about it4    
,and yet ,i wish ,i could show you our  
cat ,dinah3 ,i      think you'd take a  
fancy to cats if you could only see her4
 ,she is      such a dear1 quiet thing1 
,alice went on1 half to herself1 as she 
swam lazily about in the pool1 and she  
sits purring so nicely by      the fire1
 licking her paws and washing her       
face--and she is such a      nice soft  
thing to nurse--and she's such a capital
 one for catching      mice--oh1 ,i beg 
your pardon6 cried ,alice again1 for    
this time the      ,mouse was bristling 

all over1 and she felt certain it must  
be      really offended4 ,we won't talk 
about her any more1 if you'd rather     
not4       ,we1 indeed6 cried the       
,mouse1 who was trembling down to the   
end of      his tail4 ,as if ,i would   
talk on such a subject6 ,our family     
always hated cats--nasty1 low1 vulgar   
things6 ,don't let me hear      the name
 again6       ,i won't1 indeed6 said    
,alice1 in a great hurry to change the  
subject of conversation4 ,are you--are  
you fond--of--of dogs8 ,the      ,mouse 
did not answer1 so ,alice went on       
eagerly3 ,there is such a      nice     
little dog near our house ,i should like
 to show you6 ,a little      bright-eyed
 terrier1 you know1 with oh1 such long1 
curly brown      hair6 ,and it'll fetch 
things when you throw them1 and it'll   
sit up      and beg for its dinner1 and 
all sorts of things--,i can't remember  
half of them--and it belongs to a       
farmer1 you know1 and he says      it's 
so useful it's worth a hundred pounds6  

,he says it kills all      the rats     
and--oh dear6 cried ,alice in a         
sorrowful tone1 ,i'm      afraid ,i've  
offended it again6 ,for the ,mouse was  
swimming away      from her as hard as  
it could go1 and making quite a         
commotion in      the pool as it went4  
,so she called softly after it1 ,mouse  
dear6 ,do come back again1 and      we  
won't talk about cats1 or dogs either1  
if you don't like them6      ,when the  
,mouse heard this1 it turned round and  
swam slowly back to      her4 ,its face 
was quite pale 7with passion1 ,alice    
thought71 and it      said in a low1    
trembling voice1 ,let us get to the     
shore1 and then      ,i'll tell you my  
history1 and you'll understand why it is
 ,i hate      cats and dogs4       ,it  
was high time to go1 for the pool was   
getting quite crowded      with the     
birds and animals that had fallen into  
it3 there were a      ,duck and a ,dodo1
 a ,lory and an ,eaglet1 and several    
other curious      creatures4 ,alice led

 the way1 and the whole party swam to   
the      shore4        ,,the ,,walrus   
,,and ,,the ,,carpenter      ,the sun   
was shining on the sea1       ,shining  
with all his might2     ,he did his very
 best to make       ,the billows smooth 
and bright--     ,and this was odd1     
because it was       ,the middle of the 
night4      ,the moon was shining       
sulkily1       ,because she thought the 
sun     ,had got no business to be there
       ,after the day was done--        
,it's very rude of him1 she said1       
,to come and spoil the fun6      ,the   
sea was wet as wet could be1       ,the 
sands were dry as dry4     ,you could   
not see a cloud1 because       ,no cloud
 was in the sky2     ,no birds were     
flying overhead--       ,there were no  
birds to fly4      ,the ,walrus and the 
,carpenter       ,were walking close at 
hand2     ,they wept like anything to   
see       ,such quantities of sand--    
,if this were only cleared away1        
,they said1 it would be grand6      ,if 

seven maids with seven mops       ,swept
 it for half a year1     ,do you        
suppose1 the ,walrus said1       ,that  
they could get it clear8     ,i doubt   
it1 said the ,carpenter1       ,and shed
 a bitter tear4      ,o ,oysters1 come  
and walk with us6       ,the ,walrus did
 beseech4     ,a pleasant walk1 a       
pleasant talk1       ,along the briny   
beach2     ,we cannot do with more than 
four1       ,to give a hand to each4    
,the eldest ,oyster looked at him1      
,but never a word he said2     ,the     
eldest ,oyster winked his eye1          
,and shook his heavy head--     ,meaning
 to say he did not choose      ,to leave
 the oyster-bed4      ,but four young   
,oysters hurried up1       ,all eager   
for the treat2     ,their coats were    
brushed1 their faces washed1            
,their shoes were clean and neat--      
,and this was odd1 because1 you know1   
,they hadn't any feet4      ,four other 
,oysters followed them1       ,and yet  
another four2     ,and thick and fast   

they came at last1       ,and more1 and 
more1 and more--     ,all hopping       
through the frothy waves1       ,and    
scrambling to the shore4      ,the      
,walrus and the ,carpenter       ,walked
 on a mile or so1     ,and then they    
rested on a rock       ,conveniently    
low--     ,and all the little ,oysters  
stood       ,and waited in a row4       
,the time has come1 the ,walrus said1   
,to talk of many things3     ,of        
shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--     
,of cabbages--and kings--     ,and why  
the sea is boiling hot--       ,and     
whether pigs have wings4      ,but wait 
a bit1 the ,oysters cried1       ,before
 we have our chat2     ,for some of us  
are out of breath1       ,and all of us 
are fat6     ,no hurry6 said the        
,carpenter4       ,they thanked him much
 for that4      ,a loaf of bread1 the   
,walrus said1       ,is what we chiefly 
need2     ,pepper and vinegar besides   
,are very good indeed--     ,now1 if    
you're ready1 ,oysters dear1       ,we  

can begin to feed4      ,but not on us6 
the ,oysters cried1       ,turning a    
little blue4     ,after such kindness1  
that would be       ,a dismal thing to  
do6     ,the night is fine1 the ,walrus 
said4       ,do you admire the view8    
,it was so kind of you to come6         
,and you are very nice6     ,the        
,carpenter said nothing but1       ,cut 
us another slice4     ,i wish you were  
not quite so deaf--       ,i've had to  
ask you twice6      ,it seems a shame1  
the ,walrus said1       ,to play them   
such a trick4     ,after we've brought  
them out so far1       ,and made them   
trot so quick6     ,the ,carpenter said 
nothing but1       ,the butter's spread 
too thick6      ,i weep for you1 the    
,walrus said2       ,i deeply           
sympathize4     ,with sobs and tears he 
sorted out       ,those of the largest  
size1     ,holding his                  
pocket-handkerchief       ,before his   
streaming eyes4      ,o ,oysters1 said  
the ,carpenter1       ,you've had a     

pleasant run6     ,shall we be trotting 
home again8       ,but answer came there
 none--     ,and this was scarcely odd1 
because       ,they'd eaten every one4  
,we must not deny to humor and fancy the
 opportunity for creative effort offered
 to other faculties in our previous     
studies4 ,what form shall the effort    
take3 fable1 fairy tale1 a whimsical    
play of fancy in essay1 or merely a     
nonsense rhyme8 ,i think we must bar the
 limerick from our serious creative     
efforts in the study4 ,you may engage as
 a class in an extemporaneous contest in
 the making of this infectious form of  
verse if you like4  ,meanwhile1 there is
 still another class-room test of humor 
which should be made1--the test of the  
clever anecdote4 ,there is nothing which
 so effectually discloses the quality of
 your sense of humor as your attitude   
toward so-called funny stories4         
,judgment in such a case will rest upon 
three points3 ,what you think is funny  
enough to tell2 when you judge it       

apropos to tell2 and the manner of the  
telling4 ,three warnings are in order at
 this point4 ,if you find that you must 
preface your anecdote with the question 
too often heard1 ,do you think you can  
stand this story8--it really is clever1 
in the name of clean humor1 don't tell  
it6 ,if you find you must introduce your
 anecdote with the remark1 ,apropos of  
nothing1 or ,this is not apropos1       
but--in the name of sulphitic humor1    
don't tell it2 finally1 if you don't    
know how to tell it1 in the name of any 
and all humor1 don't tell it4  ,with    
these cautions in mind1 ,i shall ask you
 to bring to class to-morrow your best  
three funny stories4 ,conflicting choice
 is not likely to have appropriated all 
three of your favorite anecdotes4       
,should you find that it has done so1   
never mind4 ,your taste1 though it      
coincides with another's1 can be quite  
as well questioned or commended2 and the
 manner of your telling will be         
subjected to trial by comparison1 which1

 if not always comfortable1 is always   
helpful 7when met in the right spirit74 
,remember1 the serious creative work you
 are to produce is to take the form of a
 fable1 fairy story1 or humorous essay4 
,,fourth ,,study  ,,to ,,develop        
,,imaginative ,,vigor   ,in one of the  
great manufacturing towns of the        
,northwest there are some twenty-five   
thousand girls employed in factories4   
,the city permits conditions of work    
hostile to the physical life of these   
girls4 ,civic reform is trying to       
control these conditions4 ,in time it   
doubtless will succeed in doing so2     
meanwhile it makes efforts in other     
directions4 ,it establishes working     
girls' clubs4 ,a class in literature in 
one of these clubs enlisted the services
 of a comprehending young teacher1 who  
kept the girls interested for more than 
two years4 ,a little girl from a bag    
factory entered this class4 ,she came to
 every meeting of the first year4 ,she  
did not join in the discussions nor ask 

questions nor evince unusual            
intelligence or enjoyment1 but she came 
every night4 ,the class began its second
 year4 ,the little girl from the bag    
factory was the first to enroll4 ,the   
teacher could not cover the surprise in 
her question1 ,are you coming into the  
class again8 ,the girl's breathless ,oh 
yes sent her to investigate the case4   
,she went to the factory4 ,she found the
 child standing at a bench folding bags4
 ,eight hours a day she folded bags4 ,a 
swing back on her right foot with the   
stuff of which the bag was made grasped 
in her hands--a swing forward1 and her  
hands brought the edges of the stuff    
together evenly4 ,over and over a       
thousand times the single motion        
repeated made up the girl's day4 ,it    
used to make me tired1 she said1 simply4
 ,but it doesn't any more8 ,no1 because 
now ,i forget what ,i am doing          
sometimes4 ,i have my book1 you see4    
,they let me fasten it here4 ,there it  
was--a paper copy of ,shelley's poems4  

,the print was good2 the teacher had    
seen to that4 ,she had observed that    
factory girls' eyes are not always very 
strong4 ,the book was fastened to the   
front of the desk4 ,the child could     
catch a line from time to time without  
interrupting her bag-folding4 ,but ,i   
know most of the poems we have studied  
in class by heart4 ,so she had to recall
 but a line1 and then off she would go  
through the windows of the stifling     
factory into the open fields on the     
wings of her imagination4 ,she was a    
swift1 sure1 little workman2 her eye    
watched the stuff before her and        
measured it truly2 her hands obeyed her 
eye1 did her work efficiently1 and kept 
her job4 ,but the eye of her imagination
 had been opened in the literature class
 and kept her soul alive in spite of her
 job4 ,this is a true story4 ,it has    
significance for you and me4  ,if       
through the use of her imagination a    
little factory girl can escape from the 
monotony of bag-folding1 and find       

freedom and joy in the lyric world      
,shelley has created1 what limit need be
 set to our emancipation through the    
development of this faculty8  ,but      
emancipation is but one result of such  
development4 ,listen to ,david as he    
stands with his harp before the ,king in
 ,browning's story of ,saul4 ,already   
his song has released the monarch from  
the depths of his great despair1 but now
 comes the boy's cry3              ,what
 spell or what charm     7,for1 awhile  
there was trouble within me7 what next  
should ,i urge     ,to sustain him where
 song had restored him8444              
,then fancies grew rife     ,which had  
come long ago on the pasture1 when round
 me the sheep     ,fed in               
silence--above1 the one eagle wheeled   
slow as in sleep2     ,and ,i lay in my 
hollow and mused on the world that might
 lie     ',neath his ken1 though ,i saw 
but the strip 'twixt the hill and the   
sky3     ,and ,i laughed--,since my days
 are ordained to be passed with my      

flocks1     ,let me people at least1    
with my fancies1 the plains and the     
rocks1     ,dream the life ,i am never  
to mix with1 and image the show     ,of 
mankind as they live in those fashions  
,i hardly shall know6     ,schemes of   
life1 its best rules and right uses1 the
 courage that gains1     ,and the       
prudence that keeps what men strive for4
             ,and now those old trains  
,of vague thought came again2 ,i grew   
surer2 so1 once more the string     ,of 
my harp made response to my spirit4444  
,so the imagination of the young        
shepherd boy had not only disregarded   
the limits of his actual environment and
 escaped in fancy to the great world    
beyond1 but so vividly had he realized  
that world through his imagination that 
his sympathies had been made broad to   
comprehend a monarch's need and his song
 potent to meet it4 ,experience alone   
gives comprehension4 ,we are prone to   
think that experience is limited by our 
actual horizon4 ,we need to know that   

experience has no limit save that which 
is set by the limit of our imaginative  
insight4 ,no door of life is closed to  
the imaginative mind and heart4 ,the    
world is its playground to wander in at 
will4 ,experience1 and thorough         
experience1 comprehension of life is at 
the command of imagination4  ,life can  
be intelligently apprehended on the     
material plane through trained senses4  
,life can be vividly realized on the    
spirit's plane only through a trained   
imagination4 ,it is only vivid          
realization of life at every point which
 makes it worth living4 ,you may see the
 lark long after he is lost to my duller
 eye in our common sky1 you may hear the
 song when my less keen ear no longer   
catches a faintest thread of melody2 but
 unless the eye and ear of your         
imagination match mine you shall not    
vividly realize flight or song1 and so  
,i shall follow both long after they are
 lost to you4 ,your skylark will pass   
with the moment of his rapturous        

song-flight1 while mine shall remain    
forever a spirit of joy to be recalled  
at will for my spirit's refreshing4     
,looking then upon imagination as a key 
to that comprehension of life which     
clarifies and constitutes its worth1 let
 us eagerly enter upon the cultivation  
of such power4 ,we have left this       
question of imaginative development as a
 definite exercise to a fifth place in  
our interpretative study1 not because it
 is less vital to effective expression  
than the first four subjects we have    
considered1 but because balanced        
expression is our aim1 and imagination  
once given free play may easily impair  
that harmonious development of all our  
faculties which makes for balance in    
expression4 ,of course there is no phase
 of the study of interpretation which1  
when rightly conducted1 does not        
indirectly or directly involve the      
training of the imagination4 ,on the    
other hand1 training of the imagination 
wisely conducted may comprehend and     

carry on development along all other    
lines of evolution in expression4 ,a    
sensitive imagination trained and       
controlled to its highest power of      
apprehension must make for sympathy and 
intelligence in thought and feeling1    
keep humor sane1 and give direction to  
purpose4 ,but imaginative vigor set free
 to the uses of thought and emotion     
already disciplined1 to conscious       
purpose and to good humor1 becomes a    
safe master of expressive living4  ,the 
material through which we are to        
exercise the imagination and develop    
imaginative vigor is the narrative form 
of discourse4 ,narration is successful  
when it records or has the effect of    
recording actual experience4 ,a story   
7according to the authority we so often 
invoke1--,mr4 ,gardiner71 whether it be 
as simple as those of the ,book of      
,genesis or as complex as ,mr4 ,james or
 ,mr4 ,meredith1 must carry the effect  
of the concreteness1 and1 as it were1   
the solidity of life4 ,the plot1 the    

characters1 the setting of a story which
 is to live1 must have the vividness of 
real experience4 ,this does not mean    
that the creator of the story must have 
actually experienced the plot1 the      
people1 and the pictures which together 
make up his tale--they may be the       
product of actual experience or of      
imagination--but it does mean that while
 he is putting these elements together  
and creating his narrative he must      
realize as though it were actual        
experience the incident of his plot with
 the characters and in the atmosphere of
 his creation4 ,such realization can    
only come through vivid imagination4    
,exactly the same demand is made upon   
the imagination of the interpreter4     
,when you retell the tale of a master   
creator of stories your interpretation  
will be convincing1 exactly as was his  
creation1--through the lucid play of a  
vivid imagination4 ,you must make me    
feel that ,i am in the presence of      
incidents1 characters1 pictures which   

you yourself have experienced4 ,nay1    
more1 you must make me feel that ,i     
myself am actually meeting these people1
 seeing these pictures1 taking part in  
these incidents1 as you relive for me in
 imagination at the moment of your      
interpretation the tale you are         
retelling to me4   ,,suggestive         
,,analysis  ,we shall use for suggestive
 analysis in this study not a complete  
specimen of narration1 but several      
examples illustrating two of the three  
elements necessary to the personnel of a
 good story4 ,these three recognized    
elements are the setting or situation   
which the pictures compose1 the         
atmosphere which the characters create1 
and the plot or the action in which the 
characters engage4 ,we shall leave the  
question of the plot to class work upon 
the selections from epic poetry to be   
considered later in this study4         
,suppose we test our imaginations in the
 analysis of a situation or setting     
before we attempt a character study4    

,remember the situation is to be        
realized through imagination as though  
it were actual experience4 ,it is to be 
recreated4 ,give your imagination full  
play in this opening chapter of ,george 
,eliot's ,mill on the ,floss4 ,let us   
read the first sentence3       ,a wide  
plain1 where the broadening ,floss      
hurries on between its      green banks 
to the sea1 and the loving tide1 rushing
 to meet it1      checks its passage    
with an impetuous embrace4  ,can you see
 and feel the elements of this picture6 
,you have never experienced a tide      
river8 ,never mind6 ,there is enough in 
the picture which is familiar to your   
actual senses through experience to     
brace your imagination for a grasp of   
the unfamiliar elements4 ,the wide      
plain1 the river hurrying between green 
banks--no apperceptive background fails 
thus far in the picture4 ,what do we    
mean by apperceptive background8 ,let us
 investigate for a moment the psychology
 involved in the art of making pictures4

 ,let us get back of this word-picture4 
,rather let us stay this side of it4    
,look at the page before you not with   
the inner eye of your imagination1 but  
with the outer eye--the eye which is    
merely the organ of the sense of sight4 
,use your eye as a physical sense only4 
,what does your eye carry to your mind  
when you look at this page8 ,black      
letters grouped into words on a white   
surface4 ,did you get all these         
qualities at once8 ,yes1 because you    
have seen other printed pages4 ,can you 
wipe out of your mind your knowledge of 
paper1 print1 and words8 ,can you       
imagine looking on such a page as this  
for the first time--perceiving it for   
the first time8 ,if you can do this you 
will arrive at an understanding of      
apperceptive background through its     
elimination4 ,you will realize1 that all
 that is in the back of your mind1      
stored there by its previous            
acquaintance with other printed pages1  
makes up the apperceptive background by 

which you get a conception of this page4
 ,that conception comes first through   
your physical sense of sight4 ,you may  
perceive also through touch1 through    
feeling1 for instance1 the quality of   
paper4 ,but all that you perceive in    
this initial process1--the stimulus     
which comes through the physical senses1
 yields little to the complete          
conception as compared with the yield of
 your so-called mental senses4 ,it is   
when you have fully apperceived the     
object that your conception is complete4
 ,it is when you have brought to bear   
upon this page 7still looked upon1      
remember1 merely as a printed page      
regardless of the matter behind the     
print7 all your previous knowledge1--it 
is when you have observed that the paper
 is of good quality1 that the page is   
closely set1 that the print is          
excellent1 that the margin is wide1--it 
is when you have compared it in memory  
with other pages in other books1--it is 
when you have not only perceived but    

apperceived it that you have really     
gained a conception of it4 ,of course1  
if you are a type-setter1 or a          
proof-reader1 or a printer1 or an       
editor1 or one connected with           
book-making in any least or last        
capacity1 you will see a printed page   
quite lost to me1 because your          
apperceptive background will outmatch   
mine as to paper1 print1 margin1 and    
type4 ,good6 ,i yield to you from       
type-setter to editor6 ,but ,i challenge
 you to another contest over the same   
page4 ,match with me now conceptions    
gained from another view of this same   
printed matter4 ,forget now type1 paper1
 margins1 and words--yes1 forget the    
words as printed words--look back of    
them with me4 ,what do you see now on   
the page8 ,still words8 ,look behind    
them at the pictures6 ,now1 what do you 
see8 ,a wide plain1 a river1 green      
banks1 the sea6 ,yes1 but ,i see more   
than that6 ,and you do1 too8 ,the river 
flows between green banks8 ,you have    

missed a point4 ,how does she flow8 ,ah1
 yes1 ,she hurries on4 ,where8 ,to the  
sea6 ,yes6 ,and what meets her8 ,the    
tide6 ,yes1 the loving tide meets her6  
,but how8 ,rushing1 he checks her       
passage in an impetuous embrace6 ,you   
see all this6 you say4 ,yes1 but do you 
hear it1 smell it1 taste it1 feel it8   
,are you1 too1 caught up in that        
impetuous embrace8 ,no8 ,ah1 then your  
imagination is only half awake4 ,no1 it 
is not a question of background or      
actual experience now4 ,there are enough
 familiar elements1 as ,i have said     
before1 to rouse your senses to vividly 
realize the picture as a whole if you   
will not shut the door to such          
realization--that door is your          
imagination4 ,open it6 ,open it6 ,now ,i
 shall close the book and ask the class 
to do likewise1 while you read once more
 to us these first sentences1 paint for 
us this picture4 ,yes1 now you are using
 your imagination to stimulate my senses
 and awake my imagination1 but you must 

take heed4 ,you must let me enjoy this  
picture as a whole4 ,you must let me    
see1 feel1 taste1 smell1 all in the same
 breath4 ,remember it is a picture4     
,don't disregard its perspective4 ,let  
all the elements rest in proper relation
 one to another and to the whole--as    
,george ,eliot placed them when she made
 the setting4 ,the atmosphere is on the 
whole full of peace4 ,the river hurries1
 but the plain is wide2 the tide rushes1
 but it is a loving tide1 even though   
its embrace be impetuous4 ,try it once  
more6 ,is there not the joy of creation 
in such interpretation8 ,let us read on6
 ,you read to us still4       ,on this  
mighty tide the black ships--laden with 
the fresh-scented      fir-planks1 with 
rounded sacks of oil-bearing seed1 or   
with dark      glitter of coal--are     
borne along to the town of ,st4 ,ogg's1 
which      shows its aged1 fluted red   
roofs and the broad gables of its       
wharves between the low wooded hill and 
the river-brink1 tingeing      the water

 with a soft purple hue under the       
transient glance of this      ,february 
sun4 ,far away on each hand stretch the 
rich pastures and      the patches of   
dark earth1 made ready for the seed of  
broad-leaved1      green crops1 or      
touched already with the tint of the    
tender-bladed      autumn-sown corn4    
,there is a remnant still of the last   
year's      golden clusters of beehive  
ricks rising at intervals beyond the    
hedgerows2 and everywhere the hedgerows 
are studded with trees3 the      distant
 ships seem to be lifting their masts   
and stretching their      red-brown     
sails close among the branches of the   
spreading ash4 ,just      by the        
red-roofed town the tributary ,ripple   
flows with a lively      current into   
the ,floss4 ,how lovely the little river
 is1 with its      dark1 changing       
wavelets6 ,it seems to me like a living 
companion      while ,i wander along the
 bank and listen to its low1 placid     
voice1      as to the voice of one who  

is dear and loving4 ,i remember these   
large1 dipping willows4 ,i remember the 
stone bridge4       ,and this is        
,dorlcote ,mill4 ,i must stand a minute 
or two here on the      bridge and look 
at it1 though the clouds are            
threatening1 and it is      far on in   
the afternoon4 ,even in this leafless   
time of departing      ,february it is  
pleasant to look at--perhaps the chill1 
damp season      adds a charm to the    
trimly kept1 comfortable dwelling-house1
 as      old as the elms and chestnuts  
that shelter it from the northern       
blast4 ,the stream is brimful now1 and  
lies high in this little      withy     
plantation1 and half drowns the grassy  
fringe of the croft in      front of the
 house4 ,as ,i look at the full stream1 
the vivid grass1      the delicate      
bright-green powder softening the       
outline of the great      trunks and    
branches that gleam from under the bare 
purple boughs1 ,i      am in love with  
moistness1 and envy the white ducks that

 are      dipping their heads far into  
the water here among the withes1        
unmindful of the awkward appearance they
 make in the drier world      above4    
,the rush of the water and the booming  
of the mill bring a dreamy              
deafness1 which seems to heighten the   
peacefulness of the scene4      ,they   
are like a grand curtain of sound1      
shutting one out from the      world    
beyond4 ,and now there is the thunder of
 the huge covered      wagon coming home
 with sacks of grain4 ,that honest      
wagoner is      thinking of his dinner1 
getting sadly dry in the oven at this   
late      hour2 but he will not touch it
 till he has fed his horses--the        
strong1 submissive1 meek-eyed beasts1   
who1 ,i fancy1 are looking      mild    
reproach at him from between their      
blinkers1 that he should      crack his 
whip at them in that awful manner1 as if
 they needed that      hint6 ,see how   
they stretch their shoulders up the     
slope toward the      bridge1 with all  

the more energy because they are so near
 home6      ,look at their grand shaggy 
feet1 that seem to grasp the firm earth1
      at the patient strength of their  
neck1 bowed under the heavy      collar1
 at the mighty muscles of their         
struggling haunches6 ,i      should like
 well to hear them neigh over their     
hardly earned feed      of corn1 and see
 them1 with their moist necks freed from
 the      harness1 dipping their eager  
nostrils into the muddy pond4 ,now they 
are on the bridge1 and down they go     
again at a swifter pace1 and      the   
arch of the covered wagon disappears at 
the turning behind the      trees4      
,now ,i can turn my eyes toward the mill
 again1 and watch the      unresting    
wheel sending out its diamond jets of   
water4 ,that little      girl is        
watching it too3 she has been standing  
on just the same      spot at the edge  
of the water ever since ,i paused on the
 bridge4      ,and that queer white cur 
with the brown ear seems to be leaping  

and      barking in ineffectual         
remonstrance with the wheel2 perhaps he 
is      jealous1 because his playfellow 
in the beaver bonnet is so rapt in      
its movement4 ,it is time the little    
playfellow went in1 ,i think2      and  
there is a very bright fire to tempt    
her3 the red light shines      out under
 the deepening gray of the sky4 ,it is  
time1 too1 for me to      leave off     
resting my arms on the cold stone of    
this bridge4       ,ah1 my arms are     
really benumbed4 ,i have been pressing  
my elbows on      the arms of my chair  
and dreaming that ,i was standing on the
 bridge      in front of ,dorlcote      
,mill1 as it looked one ,february       
afternoon many      years ago4 ,before  
,i dozed off1 ,i was going to tell you  
what ,mr4 and      ,mrs4 ,tulliver were 
talking about as they sat by the bright 
fire in      the left-hand parlor on    
that very afternoon ,i have been        
dreaming      of4  ,if1 in your         
interpretation of this passage1 a       

sensitive imagination free1 but         
controlled by vital thought and         
intelligent feeling1 has found in       
trained instruments a lucid channel for 
expression1 then1 at the close of your  
reading1 we1 your auditors1 shall find  
our arms really benumbed from pressing  
our elbows on the arms of our chairs as 
we dream with you that we are standing  
on the bridge in front of ,dorlcote     
,mill--the ,mill on the ,floss1 which we
 find on awakening is but the title and 
setting of a great author's great story4
  ,we turn now to the second element of 
,narration--the characters4 ,the setting
 we have just analyzed has introduced us
 to the main characters of a great      
story4 ,our interest is already awake to
 the little girl who has been watching  
with us the unresting wheel of the mill4
 ,why not take ,maggie ,tulliver for our
 character study8 ,to follow ,maggie but
 a little way is to find ,tom4 ,this is 
well for us1 because we need to study   
both types4 ,let us read from the       

chapter called ,tom ,comes ,home in the 
life of the boy and girl4   ,,tom       
,,comes ,,home       ,tom was to arrive 
early in the afternoon1 and there was   
another      fluttering heart besides   
,maggie's when it was late enough for   
the      sound of the gig-wheels to be  
expected2 for if ,mrs4 ,tulliver had a  
strong feeling1 it was fondness for her 
boy4 ,at last the sound      came--that 
quick light bowling of the              
gig-wheels--and in spite of      the    
wind1 which was blowing the clouds      
about1 and was not likely to            
respect ,mrs4 ,tulliver's curls and     
cap-strings1 she came outside the       
door1 and even held her hand on         
,maggie's offending head1 forgetting    
all the griefs of the morning4          
,there he is1 my sweet lad6 ,but ,lord  
ha' mercy6 he's got never a      collar 
on2 it's been lost on the road1 ,i'll be
 bound1 and spoiled      the set4       
,mrs4 ,tulliver stood with her arms     
open2 ,maggie jumped first on one       

leg and then on the other2 while ,tom   
descended from the gig1 and      said1  
with masculine reticence as to the      
tender emotions1 ,hallo6                
,yap--what6 are you there8              
,nevertheless1 he submitted to be kissed
 willingly enough1 though      ,maggie  
hung on his neck in rather a strangling 
fashion1 while his      blue-gray eyes  
wandered toward the croft and the lambs 
and the      river1 where he promised   
himself that he would begin to fish the 
first thing to-morrow morning4 ,he was  
one of those lads that grow             
everywhere in ,england and at twelve or 
thirteen years of age look      as much 
alike as goslings--a lad with           
light-brown hair1 cheeks of      cream  
and roses1 full lips1 indeterminate nose
 and eyebrows--a      physiognomy in    
which it seems impossible to discern    
anything but      the generic character 
of boyhood2 as different as possible    
from      poor ,maggie's phiz1 which    
,nature seemed to have molded and       

colored      with the most decided      
intention4 ,but that same ,nature has   
the deep      cunning which hides itself
 under the appearance of openness1 so   
that simple people think they can see   
through her quite well1 and      all the
 while she is secretly preparing a      
refutation of their      confident      
prophecies4 ,under these average boyish 
physiognomies that      she seems to    
turn off by the gross1 she conceals some
 of her most      rigid1 inflexible     
purposes1 some of her most unmodifiable 
characters2 and the dark-eyed1          
demonstrative1 rebellious girl may      
after all turn out to be a passive being
 compared with this      pink-and-white 
bit of masculinity with the             
indeterminate features4       ,maggie1  
said ,tom1 confidentially1 taking her   
into a corner as      soon as his mother
 was gone out to examine his box1 and   
the warm      parlor had taken off the  
chill he had felt from the long drive1  
you don't know what ,i've got in my     

pockets1 nodding his head up      and   
down as a means of rousing her sense of 
mystery4       ,no1 said ,maggie4 ,how  
stodgy they look1 ,tom6 ,is it marls    
7marbles7 or cobnuts8 ,maggie's heart   
sank a little1 because ,tom      always 
said it was no good playing with her at 
those games--she      played so badly4  
,marls6 no2 ,i've swopped all my marls  
with the little fellows1 and            
cobnuts are no fun1 you silly1 only when
 the nuts are green4 ,but      see here6
 ,he drew something half out of his     
right-hand pocket4       ,what is it8   
said ,maggie1 in a whisper4 ,i can see  
nothing but a      bit of yellow4       
,why1 it's 444 a 444 new 444 guess1     
,maggie4       ,oh1 ,i can't guess1     
,tom1 said ,maggie1 impatiently4        
,don't be a spitfire1 else ,i won't tell
 you1 said ,tom1 thrusting      his hand
 back into his pocket and looking       
determined4       ,no1 ,tom1 said       
,maggie1 imploringly1 laying hold of the
 arm that      was held stiffly in the  

pocket4 ,i'm not cross1 ,tom2 it was    
only      because ,i can't bear         
guessing4 ,please be good to me4        
,tom's arm slowly relaxed1 and he said1 
,well1 then1 it's a new                 
fish-line--two new uns--one for you1    
,maggie1 all to yourself4 ,i            
wouldn't go halves in the toffee and    
ginger-bread on purpose to      save the
 money2 ,gibson and ,spouncer fought    
with me because ,i      wouldn't4 ,and  
here's hooks--see here6 ,i say1 won't we
 go and fish      to-morrow down by     
,round ,pool8 ,and you shall catch your 
own fish1      ,maggie1 and put the     
worms on1 and everything--won't it be   
fun8       ,maggie's answer was to throw
 her arms around ,tom's neck and hug    
him1 and hold her cheek against his     
without speaking1 while he      slowly  
unwound some line1 saying1 after a      
pause3       ,wasn't ,i a good brother1 
now1 to buy you a line all to yourself8 
,you know1 ,i needn't have bought it if 
,i hadn't liked4       ,yes1 very1 very 

good4 ,i do love you1 ,tom4       ,tom  
had put the line back in his pocket1 and
 was looking at the      hooks one by   
one1 before he spoke again4       ,and  
the fellows fought me because ,i        
wouldn't give in about the      toffee4 
,oh1 dear6 ,i wish they wouldn't fight  
at your school1 ,tom4 ,didn't      it   
hurt you8       ,hurt me8 no1 said ,tom1
 putting up the hooks again1 taking out 
a      large pocket-knife1 and slowly   
opening the largest blade1 which he     
looked at meditatively as he rubbed his 
finger along it4 ,then he      added3   
,i gave ,spouncer a black eye1 ,i       
know--that's what he got by wanting     
to leather me2 ,i wasn't going to go    
halves because anybody      leathered   
me4       ,oh1 how brave you are1 ,tom6 
,i think you're like ,samson4 ,if there 
came a lion roaring at me1 ,i think     
you'd fight him--wouldn't you1          
,tom8       ,how can a lion come roaring
 at you1 you silly thing8 ,there's no   
lions only in the shows4       ,no2 but 

if we were in the lion countries--,i    
mean1 in ,africa1 where      it's very  
hot--the lions eat people there4 ,i can 
show it to you in      the book where ,i
 read it4       ,well1 ,i should get a  
gun and shoot him4       ,but if you    
hadn't got a gun--we might have gone    
out1 you know1 not      thinking1 just  
as we go fishing2 and then a great lion 
might run      toward us roaring1 and we
 couldn't get away from him4 ,what      
should      you do1 ,tom8       ,tom    
paused1 and at last turned away         
contemptuously1 saying3 ,but      the   
lion isn't coming4 ,what's the use of   
talking8       ,but ,i like to fancy how
 it would be1 said ,maggie1 following   
him4      ,just think what you would do1
 ,tom8       ,oh1 don't bother1 ,maggie6
 you're such a silly--,i shall go and   
see      my rabbits4       ,maggie's    
heart began to flutter with fear4 ,she  
dared not tell the      sad truth at    
once1 but she walked after ,tom in      
trembling silence as      he went out1  

thinking how she could tell him the news
 so as to      soften at once his sorrow
 and anger2 for ,maggie dreaded ,tom's  
anger      of all things--it was quite a
 different anger from her own4          
,tom1 she said1 timidly1 when they were 
out-of-doors1 how much      money did   
you give for your rabbits8       ,two   
half-crowns and a sixpence1 said ,tom1  
promptly4       ,i think ,i've got a    
great deal more than that in my steel   
purse      up-stairs4 ,i'll ask mother  
to give it you4       ,what for8 said   
,tom4 ,i don't want your money1 you     
silly thing4      ,i've got a great deal
 more money than you1 because ,i'm a    
boy4 ,i      always have half-sovereigns
 and sovereigns for my ,christmas boxes1
      because ,i shall be a man1 and you
 only have five-shilling pieces1        
because you're only a girl4       ,well1
 but1 ,tom--if mother would let me give 
you two half-crowns      and a sixpence 
out of my purse to put into your pocket 
to spend1      you know1 and buy some   

more rabbits with it8       ,more       
rabbits8 ,i don't want any more4        
,oh1 but1 ,tom1 they're all dead4       
,tom stopped immediately in his walk and
 turned round toward ,maggie4      ,you 
forgot to feed 'em1 then1 and ,harry    
forgot8 he said1 his      color         
heightening for a moment1 but soon      
subsiding4 ,i'll pitch      into        
,harry--,i'll have him turned away4 ,and
 ,i don't love you1      ,maggie4 ,you  
sha'n't go fishing with me to-morrow4 ,i
 told you to go      and see the rabbits
 every day4 ,he walked on again4        
,yes4 ,but ,i forgot--and ,i couldn't   
help it1 indeed1 ,tom4 ,i'm so      very
 sorry1 said ,maggie1 while the tears   
rushed fast4       ,you're a naughty    
girl1 said ,tom1 severely1 and ,i'm     
sorry ,i      bought you the fish-line4 
,i don't love you4       ,oh1 ,tom1 it's
 very cruel1 sobbed ,maggie4 ,i'd       
forgive you if      you forgot          
anything--,i wouldn't mind what you     
did--,i'd forgive      you and love you4

       ,yes1 you're a silly2 but ,i     
never do forget things--,i don't4       
,oh1 please forgive me1 ,tom2 my heart  
will break1 said ,maggie1      shaking  
with sobs1 clinging to ,tom's arm1 and  
laying her wet cheek      on his        
shoulder4       ,tom shook her off1 and 
stopped again1 saying in a peremptory   
tone3      ,now1 ,maggie1 you just      
listen4 ,aren't ,i a good brother to    
you8       ,ye-ye-es1 sobbed ,maggie1   
her chin rising and falling             
convulsively4       ,didn't ,i think    
about your fish-line all this quarter1  
and mean to      buy it1 and saved my   
money o' purpose1 and wouldn't go halves
 in      the toffee1 and ,spouncer      
fought me because ,i wouldn't8          
,ye-ye-es 444 and ,i 444 lo-lo-love you 
so1 ,tom4       ,but you're a naughty   
girl4 ,last holidays you licked the     
paint off      my lozenge-box1 and the  
holidays before that you let the boat   
drag      my fish-line down when ,i set 
you to watch it1 and you pushed your    

head through my kite1 all for nothing4  
,but ,i didn't mean1 said ,maggie2 ,i   
couldn't help it4       ,yes1 you could1
 said ,tom1 if you'd minded what you    
were doing4      ,and you're a naughty  
girl1 and you sha'n't go fishing with me
      to-morrow4       ,with this       
terrible conclusion1 ,tom ran away from 
,maggie toward the      mill1 meaning to
 greet ,luke there1 and complain to him 
of ,harry4       ,maggie stood          
motionless1 except from her sobs1 for a 
minute or two2      then she turned     
round and ran into the house1 and up to 
her attic1      where she sat on the    
floor1 and laid her head against the    
worm-eaten shelf1 with a crushing sense 
of misery4 ,tom was come      home1 and 
she had thought how happy she should    
be--and now he was      cruel to her4   
,what use was anything1 if ,tom didn't  
love her8 ,oh1 he      was very cruel6  
,hadn't she wanted to give him the      
money1 and said      how very sorry she 
was8 ,she knew she was naughty to her   

mother1 but      she had never been     
naughty to ,tom--had never meant to be  
naughty      to him4       ,oh1 he is   
cruel6 ,maggie sobbed aloud1 finding a  
wretched pleasure      in the hollow    
resonance that came through the long    
empty space of      the attic4 ,she     
never thought of beating or grinding her
 ,fetish2 she      was too miserable to 
be angry4       ,these bitter sorrows of
 childhood6 when sorrow is all new and  
strange1 when hope has not yet got wings
 to fly beyond the days and      weeks1 
and the space from summer to summer     
seems measureless4  ,this text furnishes
 an easier exercise in interpretation1  
does it not8 ,it does not require a     
great stretch of imagination to slip    
back five1 ten1 a dozen years to play   
with these children4 ,but ,i cannot let 
you play with them4 ,we want to meet and
 know them4 ,the task for your          
imagination is not so simple as you     
think4 ,it is called upon to engage in  
character interpretation4 ,you cannot be

 allowed to merely watch ,maggie and    
,tom play1 or even to play with them4   
,you must use your imagination to get   
inside the minds1 hearts1 souls of this 
boy and girl and reveal them to us4 ,you
 must relive this scene for us1 becoming
 first ,maggie and then ,tom4 ,this     
exercise of your imagination belongs in 
its final and complete stage to the next
 and last of our studies1 and to work on
 the drama2 so we shall not demand too  
much of you along this line here1 and ,i
 shall confine my suggestive analysis of
 the text to the following questions3   
,define the relation existing between   
this brother and sister indicated by    
this scene4  ,is this scene typical of  
their relation8  ,is it a relation      
likely to obtain throughout their lives8
 ,why8  ,define the dispositions of     
these two children by applying to each  
three adjectives4  ,will ,maggie or ,tom
 make the sacrifices inevitable to such 
a relation8  ,characterize as to        
inflection and tone-color ,maggie's     

voice and ,tom's4 7,if your use of this 
book has been intelligently directed you
 have already made a study of these two 
elements of a vocal                     
vocabulary--inflection and tone-color47 
,answer these questions and re-read the 
scene4   ,,selections ,,for             
,,interpretation  ,the following        
selections were chosen for this study   
with a double concern in the            
choice1--concern for the development of 
imaginative vigor in vocal              
interpretation2 concern for the         
development of a sense of plot in       
narrative composition4 ,the demand upon 
the interpreter of any of these poems1  
for sensitive progressive play of       
imagination1 in carrying an auditor     
through a series of events up to a      
critical issue1 cannot fail to develop1 
with imaginative vigor1 a new           
sensitiveness of creative instinct to   
the third element in narrative1--action4
  ,your imagination given free play can 
no more carry the good news from ,ghent 

to ,aix on this wild ride1 and in the   
feat fail to outgrow all its former     
dimensions1 than could the heart of     
,roland's master remain untouched in    
actually performing the feat itself4    
,,how ,,they ,,brought ,,the ,,good     
,,news ,,from ,,ghent ,,to ,,aix#i      
#i ,the ,good ,news is that of the      
,pacification de ,gant1      concluded  
in #aegf4 ,it was a treaty of union     
between ,holland1      ,zealand1 and the
 southern ,netherlands1 against ,spain1 
under      tyrannical ,philip ,,ii4 ,the
 treaty was greeted rapturously by the  
frontier cities1 because it was expected
 to free the ,netherlands      from     
,spanish power4       ,there is1 writes 
,mr4 ,browning1 no sort of historical   
foundation      about ',good ,news from 
,ghent4' ,i wrote it under the bulwark  
of a      vessel off the ,african coast1
 after ,i had been at sea long enough   
to appreciate even the fancy of a gallop
 on the back of a certain      good     
horse ',york1' then in my stable at     

home4 ,it was written in      pencil on 
the fly-leaf of ,bartoli's ,simboli1 ,i 
remember4       ,while there is1 then1  
no historical foundation for the gallop1
      the verisimilitude of the         
situation is perfect4 ,aix might easily 
have resolved to set herself on fire at 
a given hour1 rather than      submit   
herself and her citizens piecemeal to   
the torch of the      persecutor4 ,the  
horse without peer might possibly have  
galloped      the ninety-odd miles      
between ,ghent and ,aix1 but the feat   
would be a      marvelous one4          
,this poem and ,herv ,riel1 with the    
accompanying notes1 are      reprinted  
from ,select ,poems of ,robert          
,browning1 edited by ,william           
,rolfe1 ,a4,m41 and ,hloise ,e4 ,hersey1
 and published by ,harper               
,brothers4      ,i      ,i sprang to the
 stirrup1 and ,joris1 and he2     ,i    
galloped1 ,dirck galloped1 we galloped  
all three2     ,good speed6 cried the   
watch1 as the gate-bolts undrew2        

,speed6 echoed the wall to us galloping 
through2     ,behind shut the postern1  
the lights sank to rest1     ,and into  
the midnight we galloped abreast4       
,,ii      ,not a word to each other2 we 
kept the great pace     ,neck by neck1  
stride by stride1 never changing our    
place2     ,i turned in my saddle and   
made its girths tight1     ,then        
shortened each stirrup1 and set the     
pique right1     ,rebuckled the         
check-strap1 chained slacker the bit1   
,nor galloped less steadily ,roland a   
whit4      ,,iii      ',twas moonset at 
starting2 but while we drew near        
,lokeren1 the cocks crew and twilight   
dawned clear2     ,at ,boom1 a great    
yellow star came out to see2     ,at    
,duffeld1 'twas morning as plain as     
could be2     ,and from ,mecheln        
church-steeple we heard the half chime1 
,so ,joris broke silence with1 ,yet     
there is time6      ,,iv      ,at       
,aerschot1 up leaped of a sudden the    
sun1     ,and against him the cattle    

stood black every one1     ,to stare    
through the mist at us galloping past2  
,and ,i saw my stout galloper ,roland at
 last1     ,with resolute shoulders1    
each butting away     ,the haze1 as some
 bluff river headland its spray2      ,v
      ,and his low head and crest1 just 
one sharp ear bent back     ,for my     
voice1 and the other pricked out on his 
track2     ,and one eye's black         
intelligence1--ever that glance         
,o'er its white edge at me1 his own     
master1 askance6     ,and the thick     
heavy spume-flakes which aye and anon   
,his fierce lips shook upwards in       
galloping on4      ,,vi      ,by        
,hasselt1 ,dirck groaned2 and cried     
,joris1 ,stay spur6     ,your ,roos     
galloped bravely1 the fault's not in    
her1     ,we'll remember at ,aix--for   
one heard the quick wheeze     ,of her  
chest1 saw the stretched neck and       
staggering knees1     ,and sunk tail1   
and horrible heave of the flank1     ,as
 down on her haunches she shuddered and 

sank4      ,,vii      ,so we were left  
galloping1 ,joris and ,i1     ,past     
,looz and past ,tongres1 no cloud in the
 sky2     ,the broad sun above laughed a
 pitiless laugh1     ',neath our feet   
broke the brittle bright stubble like   
chaff2     ,till over by ,dalhem a      
dome-spire sprang white1     ,and       
,gallop1 gasped ,joris1 for ,aix is in  
sight6      ,,viii      ,how they'll    
greet us6--and all in a moment his roan 
,rolled neck and croup over1 lay dead as
 a stone2     ,and there was my ,roland 
to bear the whole weight     ,of the    
news which alone could save ,aix from   
her fate1     ,with his nostrils like   
pits full of blood to the brim1     ,and
 with circles of red for his            
eye-sockets' rim4      ,,ix      ,then  
,i cast loose my buff-coat1 each holster
 let fall1     ,shook off both my       
jack-boots1 let go belt and all1        
,stood up in the stirrup1 leaned1 patted
 his ear1     ,called my ,roland his    
pet-name1 my horse without peer2        

,clapped my hands1 laughed and sang1 any
 noise1 bad or good1     ,till at length
 into ,aix ,roland galloped and stood4  
,x      ,and all ,i remember is1 friends
 flocking round     ,as ,i sat with his 
head 'twixt my knees on the ground2     
,and no voice but was praising this     
,roland of mine1     ,as ,i poured down 
his throat our last measure of wine1    
,which 7the burgesses voted by common   
consent7     ,was no more than his due  
who brought good news from ,ghent4      
--,,browning4        ,,lochinvar        
,oh1 young ,lochinvar is come out of the
 west1     ,through all the wide border 
his steed was the best2     ,and save   
his good broadsword he weapon had none1 
,he rode all unarmed1 and he rode all   
alone4     ,so faithful in love1 and so 
dauntless in war1     ,there never was  
knight like the young ,lochinvar4       
,he stayed not for brake and he stopped 
not for stone1     ,he swam the ,esk    
river where ford there was none2        
,but1 ere he alighted at ,netherby gate1

     ,the bride had consented1 the      
gallant came late3     ,for a laggard in
 love and a dastard in war     ,was to  
wed the fair ,ellen of brave ,lochinvar4
      ,so boldly he entered the         
,netherby ,hall1     ',mong bride's-men1
 and kinsmen1 and brothers1 and all2    
,then spoke the bride's father1 his hand
 on his sword1     ,for the poor craven 
bridegroom said never a word1--     ,oh1
 come ye in peace here1 or come ye in   
war1     ,or to dance at our bridal1    
young ,lord ,lochinvar8      ,i long    
woo'd your daughter1 my suit you denied2
     ,love swells like the ,solway1 but 
ebbs like its tide2     ,and now am ,i  
come1 with this lost love of mine1      
,to lead but one measure1 drink one cup 
of wine4     ,there are maidens in      
,scotland more lovely by far     ,that  
would gladly be bride to the young      
,lochinvar4      ,the bride kissed the  
goblet1 the knight took it up2     ,he  
quaffed off the wine1 and he threw down 
the cup2     ,she looked down to blush1 

and she looked up to sigh1     ,with a  
smile on her lip1 and a tear in her eye4
     ,he took her soft hand1 ere her    
mother could bar1--     ,now tread we a 
measure6 said young ,lochinvar4      ,so
 stately his form1 and so lovely her    
face1     ,that never a hall such a     
galliard did grace2     ,while her      
mother did fret1 and her father did     
fume1     ,and the bridegroom stood     
dangling his bonnet and plume1     ,and 
the bride-maidens whispered1 ',twere    
better by far     ,to have matched our  
fair cousin with young ,lochinvar6      
,one touch to her hand1 and one word in 
her ear1     ,when they reached the hall
 door1 where the charger stood near2    
,so light to the croup the fair lady he 
swung1     ,so light to the saddle      
before her he sprung6     ,she is won6  
we are gone1 over bank1 bush1 and scaur2
     ,they'll have fleet steeds that    
follow6 quoth young ,lochinvar4         
,there was mounting 'mong ,graemes of   
the ,netherby clan3--     ,fosters1     

,fenwicks1 and ,musgraves1 they rode and
 they ran2     ,there was racing and    
chasing on ,cannobie ,lea1--     ,but   
the lost bride of ,netherby ne'er did   
they see4     ,so daring in love1 and so
 dauntless in war1     ,have ye e'er    
heard of gallant like young ,lochinvar8 
--,,walter ,,scott4        ,,king       
,,volmer ,,and ,,elsie       ,after the 
,danish of ,christian ,winter           
,where1 over heathen doom-rings and gray
 stones of the ,horg1     ,in its little
 ,christian city stands the church of   
,vordingborg1     ,in merry mood ,king  
,volmer sat1 forgetful of his power1    
,as idle as the ,goose of ,gold that    
brooded on his tower4      ,out spake   
the king to ,henrik1 his young and      
faithful squire3     ,dar'st trust thy  
little ,elsie1 the maid of thy desire8  
,of all the men in ,denmark she loveth  
only me3     ,as true to me is ,elsie as
 thy ,lily is to thee4      ,loud       
laughed the king3 ,to-morrow shall bring
 another day1     ,when ,i myself will  

test her2 she will not say me nay4      
,thereat the lords and gallants1 that   
round about him stood1     ,wagged all  
their heads in concert and smiled as    
courtiers should4      ,the gray lark   
sings o'er ,vordingborg1 and on the     
ancient town     ,from the tall tower of
 ,valdemar the ,golden ,goose looks     
down3     ,the yellow grain is waving in
 the pleasant wind of morn1     ,the    
wood resounds with cry of hounds and    
blare of hunter's horn4      ,in the    
garden of her father little ,elsie sits 
and spins1     ,and1 singing with the   
early birds1 her daily task begins4     
,gay tulips bloom and sweet mint curls  
around her garden-bower1     ,but she is
 sweeter than the mint and fairer than  
the flower4      ,about her form her    
kirtle blue clings lovingly1 and1 white 
,as snow1 her loose sleeves only leave  
her small1 round wrists in sight2       
,below the modest petticoat can only    
half conceal     ,the motion of the     
lightest foot that ever turned a wheel4 

,the cat sits purring at her side1 bees 
hum in sunshine warm2     ,but1 look6   
she starts1 she lifts her face1 she     
shades it with her arm4     ,and1 hark6 
a train of horsemen1 with sound of dog  
and horn1     ,come leaping o'er the    
ditches1 come trampling down the corn6  
,merrily rang the bridle-reins1 and     
scarf and plume streamed gay1     ,as   
fast beside her father's gate the riders
 held their way2     ,and one was brave 
in scarlet cloak1 with golden spur on   
heel1     ,and1 as he checked his       
foaming steed1 the maiden checked her   
wheel4      ,all hail among thy roses1  
the fairest rose to me6     ,for weary  
months in secret my heart has longed for
 thee6     ,what noble knight was this8 
,what words for modest maiden's ear8    
,she dropped a lowly courtesy of        
bashfulness and fear4      ,she lifted  
up her spinning-wheel2 she fain would   
seek the door1     ,trembling in every  
limb1 her cheek with blushes crimsoned  
o'er4     ,nay1 fear me not1 the rider  

said1 ,i offer heart and hand1     ,bear
 witness these good ,danish knights who 
round about me stand4      ,i grant you 
time to think of this1 to answer as you 
may1     ,for to-morrow1 little ,elsie1 
shall bring another day4     ,he spake  
the old phrase slyly as1 glancing round 
his train1     ,he saw his merry        
followers seek to hide their smiles in  
vain4      ,the snow of pearls ,i'll    
scatter in your curls of golden hair1   
,i'll line with furs the velvet of the  
kirtle that you wear2     ,all precious 
gems shall twine your neck2 and in a    
chariot gay     ,you shall ride1 my     
little ,elsie1 behind four steeds of    
gray4      ,and harps shall sound1 and  
flutes shall play1 and brazen lamps     
shall           glow2     ,on marble    
floors your feet shall weave the dances 
to and fro2     ,at frosty eventide for 
us the blazing hearth shall shine1      
,while1 at our ease1 we play at         
draughts1 and drink the blood-red wine4 
,then ,elsie raised her head and met her

 wooer face to face2     ,a roguish     
smile shone in her eye and on her lip   
found place4     ,back from her low     
white forehead the curls of gold she    
threw1     ,and lifted up her eyes to   
his1 steady and clear and blue4      ,i 
am a lowly peasant1 and you a gallant   
knight2     ,i will not trust a love    
that soon may cool and turn to slight4  
,if you would wed me henceforth be a    
peasant1 not a lord2     ,i bid you hang
 upon the wall your tried and trusty    
sword4      ,to please you1 ,elsie1 ,i  
will lay keen ,dynadel away1     ,and in
 its place will swing the scythe and mow
 your father's hay4     ,nay1 but your  
gallant scarlet cloak my eyes can never 
bear2     ,a ,vadmal coat1 so plain and 
gray1 is all that you must wear4        
,well1 ,vadmal will ,i wear for you1 the
 rider gaily spoke1     ,and on the     
,lord's high altar ,i'll lay my scarlet 
cloak4     ,but mark1 she said1 no      
stately horse my peasant love must ride1
     ,a yoke of steers before the plow  

is all that he must guide4      ,the    
knight looked down upon his steed3      
,well1 let him wander free1--     ,no   
other man must ride the horse that has  
been backed by me4     ,henceforth ,i'll
 tread the furrow and to my oxen talk1  
,if only little ,elsie beside my plow   
will walk4      ,you must take from out 
your cellar cask of wine and flask and  
can2     ,the homely mead ,i brew you   
may serve a peasant-man4     ,most      
willingly1 fair ,elsie1 ,i'll drink that
 mead of thine1     ,and leave my       
minstrel's thirsty throat to drain my   
generous wine4      ,now break your     
shield asunder1 and shatter sign and    
boss1     ,unmeet for peasant-wedded    
arms1 your knightly knee across4        
,and pull me down your castle from top  
to basement wall1     ,and let your plow
 trace furrows in the ruins of your     
hall6      ,then smiled he with a lofty 
pride3 right well at last he knew       
,the maiden of the spinning-wheel was to
 her troth-plight true4     ,ah1 roguish

 little ,elsie6 you act your part full  
well3     ,you know that ,i must bear my
 shield and in my castle dwell6         
,the lions ramping on that shield       
between the hearts aflame     ,keep     
watch o'er ,denmark's honor1 and guard  
her ancient name4     ,for know that ,i 
am ,volmer2 ,i dwell in yonder towers1  
,who plows them plows up ,denmark1 this 
goodly home of ours6      ,i tempt no   
more1 fair ,elsie6 your heart ,i know is
 true2     ,would ,god that all our     
maidens were good and pure as you6      
,well have you pleased your monarch1 and
 he shall well repay3     ,god's peace6 
,farewell6 ,to-morrow will bring another
 day6      ,he lifted up his bridle     
hand1 he spurred his good steed then1   
,and like a whirl-blast swept away with 
all his gallant men4     ,the steel     
hoofs beat the rocky path2 again on     
winds of morn     ,the wood resounds    
with cry of hounds and blare of hunter's
 horn4      ,thou true and ever         
faithful6 the listening ,henrik cried3  

,and1 leaping o'er the green hedge1 he  
stood by ,elsie's side4     ,none saw   
the fond embracing1 save1 shining from  
afar1     ,the ,golden ,goose that      
watched them from the tower of          
,valdemar4      ,o darling girls of     
,denmark6 of all the flowers that throng
     ,her vales of spring the fairest1  
,i sing for you my song4     ,no praise 
as yours so bravely rewards the singer's
 skill2     ,thank ,god6 of maids like  
,elsie the land has plenty still6       
--,,whittier4        ,,herv ,,riel#aj   
#aj ,this spirited poem was sent to the 
,cornhill1 because      ,browning was   
asked for a subscription to the fund for
 sending food      to ,paris after the  
siege by the ,germans in #ahgj-ga4      
,though he      condemned ,louis        
,napoleon's war1 he wished to help the  
,french in      their distress1 and he  
sent to the fund the #ajj pounds that   
,mr4      ,george ,smith gave him for   
',herv ,riel4' ,the subject of the poem 
and      its generous treatment surely  

manifolded the good-will of the gift4   
,an ,english poet restored to ,france   
its ',forgotten ,worthy4' ,an           
,englishman sang the praises of a       
,french sailor's balking the            
,english fleet4 ,one of the nation whose
 boast it is that her heroes      need  
no other motive for their noble deeds   
than ',england expects      every man to
 do his duty' showed that in ,france1   
too--whose      citizens were accused of
 seeking glory and vainglory as their   
dearest gain--was a man who could act   
out ,nelson's words with no      thought
 of ,nelson's end--a 'peerage or        
,westminster ,abbey'--but just      do  
his duty because it lay before him1 and 
put aside with a smile      the reward  
offered him for doing it2 a real man1 an
 honor to the      nation and the navy  
of which he was part4       ,the facts  
of the story had been forgotten and were
 denied at ,st4      ,malo1 but the     
reports to the ,french ,admiralty at the
 time were      looked up and the facts 

established4 ,browning's only alteration
 is      that ,herv ,riel's holiday to  
see his wife1 ',la ,belle ,aurore1' was 
to last1 not a day only1 but his        
lifetime4       ,herv ,riel was written 
at ,le ,croisic1 the home of the hero4  
,it is      a small fishing village near
 the mouth of the ,loire4      ,i       
,on the sea and at the ,hogue1 sixteen  
hundred ninety-two1       ,did the      
,english fight the ,french--woe to      
,france6     ,and1 the thirty-first of  
,may1 helter-skelter thro' the blue1    
,like a crowd of frightened porpoises a 
shoal of sharks pursue1       ,came     
crowding ship on ship to ,st4 ,malo on  
the ,rance1     ,with the ,english fleet
 in view4      ,,ii      ',twas the     
squadron that escaped1 with the victor  
in full chase2       ,first and foremost
 of the drove1 in his great ship1       
,damfreville3         ,close on him     
fled1 great and small1                  
,twenty-two good ships in all2     ,and 
they signaled to the place1     ',help  

the winners of a race6       ,get us    
guidance1 give us harbor1 take us       
quick--or1 quicker still1       ,here's 
the ,english can and will6'      ,,iii  
,then the pilots of the place put out   
brisk and leapt on board2       ',why1  
what hope or chance have ships like     
these to pass8' laughed           they3 
',rocks to starboard1 rocks to port1 all
 the passage scarred and scored1        
,shall the ,formidable here with her    
twelve and eighty guns       ,think to  
make the river-mouth by the single      
narrow way1     ,trust to enter where   
'tis ticklish for a craft of twenty     
tons1         ,and with flow at full    
beside8         ,now1 'tis slackest ebb 
of tide4       ,reach the mooring8      
,rather say1     ,while rock stands or  
water runs1       ,not a ship will leave
 the bay6      ,,iv      ,then was      
called a council straight4     ,brief   
and bitter the debate3     ',here's the 
,english at our heels2 would you have   
them take in tow     ,all that's left us

 of the fleet1 linked together stern and
 bow1     ,for a prize to ,plymouth     
,sound8     ,better run the ships       
aground6'       7,ended ,damfreville his
 speech74     ,not a minute more to     
wait6       ',let the captains all and  
each       ,shove ashore1 then blow up1 
burn the vessels on the beach6          
,france must undergo her fate4      ,v  
,give the word6' ,but no such word      
,was ever spoke or heard2     ,for up   
stood1 for out stepped1 for in struck   
amid all these--     ,a captain8 ,a     
lieutenant8 ,a mate--first1 second1     
third8         ,no such man of mark1 and
 meet         ,with his betters to      
compete6         ,but a simple ,breton  
sailor pressed by ,tourville for the    
fleet1     ,a poor coasting-pilot he1   
,herv ,riel the ,croisickese4      ,,vi 
,and1 ',what mockery or malice have we  
here8' cries ,herv ,riel3       ',are   
you mad1 you ,malouins8 ,are you        
cowards1 fools1 or rogues8     ,talk to 
me of rocks and shoals1 me who took the 

soundings1 tell     ,on my fingers every
 bank1 every shallow1 every swell       
',twixt the offing here and ,grve1 where
 the river disembogues8     ,are you    
bought by ,english gold8 ,is it love the
 lying's for8         ,morn and eve1    
night and day1         ,have ,i piloted 
your bay1     ,entered free and anchored
 fast at the foot of ,solidor4          
,burn the fleet and ruin ,france8 ,that 
were worse than fifty ,hogues6          
,sirs1 they know ,i speak the truth6    
,sirs1 believe me there's a way6        
,only let me lead the line1       ,have 
the biggest ship to steer1       ,get   
this ,formidable clear1     ,make the   
others follow mine1     ,and ,i lead    
them1 most and least1 by a passage ,i   
know well1       ,right to ,solidor past
 ,grve1         ,and there lay them safe
 and sound2       ,and if one ship      
misbehave1         ,keel so much as     
grate the ground1     ,why1 ,i've       
nothing but my life--here's my head6'   
cries ,herv ,riel4      ,,vii      ,not 

a minute more to wait4     ',steer us   
in1 then1 small and great6       ,take  
the helm1 lead the line1 save the       
squadron6' cried its chief4             
,captains1 give the sailor place6       
,he is ,admiral in brief4     ,still the
 north wind1 by ,god's grace6     ,see  
the noble fellow's face     ,as the big 
ship1 with a bound1     ,clears the     
entry like a hound1     ,keeps the      
passage as its inch of way were the wide
 sea's profound6       ,see1 safe thro' 
shoal and rock1       ,how they follow  
in a flock1     ,not a ship that        
misbehaves1 not a keel that grates the  
ground1       ,not a spar that comes to 
grief6     ,the peril1 see1 is past1    
,all are harbored1 to the last1     ,and
 just as ,herv ,riel hollas             
',anchor6'--sure as fate     ,up the    
,english come1 too late6      ,,viii    
,so1 the storm subsides to calm3        
,they see the green trees wave       ,on
 the heights o'erlooking ,grve4         
,hearts that bled are stanched with     

balm1       ',just our rapture to       
enhance1         ,let the ,english rake 
the bay1       ,gnash their teeth and   
glare askance         ,as they cannonade
 away6     ',neath rampired ,solidor    
pleasant riding on the ,rance6'     ,how
 hope succeeds despair on each captain's
 countenance6     ,out burst all with   
one accord1       ',this is ,paradise   
for ,hell6       ,let ,france1 let      
,france's ,king1       ,thank the man   
that did the thing6'     ,what a shout1 
and all one word1       ',herv ,riel6'  
,as he stepped in front once more1      
,not a symptom of surprise       ,in the
 frank blue ,breton eyes1     ,just the 
same man as before4      ,,ix      ,then
 said ,damfreville1 ',my friend1     ,i 
must speak out at the end1       ,though
 ,i find the speaking hard4     ,praise 
is deeper than the lips2     ,you have  
saved the ,king his ships1       ,you   
must name your own reward4     ,faith   
our sun was near eclipse6     ,demand   
whate'er you will1     ,france remains  

your debtor still4     ,ask to heart's  
content and have6 or my name's not      
,damfreville4'      ,x      ,then a beam
 of fun outbroke     ,on the bearded    
mouth that spoke1     ,as the honest    
heart laughed through     ,those frank  
eyes of ,breton blue3     ',since ,i    
needs must say my say1       ,since on  
board the duty's done1       ,and from  
,malo ,roads to ,croisic ,point1 what is
 it but a run8--     ,since 'tis ask and
 have1 ,i may--       ,since the others 
go ashore--     ,come6 ,a good whole    
holiday6       ,leave to go1 and see my 
wife1 whom ,i call the ,belle ,aurore6' 
,that he asked and that he got--nothing 
more4      ,,xi      ,name and deed     
alike are lost3     ,not a pillar nor a 
post       ,in his ,croisic keeps alive 
the feat as it befell2     ,not a head  
in white and black     ,on a single     
fishing smack1     ,in memory of the man
 but for whom had gone to wrack         
,all that ,france saved from the fight  
whence ,england bore the bell4     ,go  

to ,paris3 rank on rank       ,search   
the heroes flung pell-mell     ,on the  
,louvre1 face and flank6       ,you     
shall look long enough ere you come to  
,herv ,riel4     ,so1 for better and for
 worse1     ,herv ,riel1 accept my      
verse6     ,in my verse1 ,herv ,riel1 do
 thou once more     ,save the squadron1 
honor ,france1 love thy wife the ,bell  
,aurore6   ,your imagination can no more
 follow the flight of the ,formidable1  
steered by ,herv ,riel1 with the ,french
 fleet close following her guidance and 
the ,english at her heels past the rocks
 and shoals of ,grve to safe harbor at  
,solidor1 and remain creatively         
unsensitive to the pulse of progressive 
action1 than could the actual rescue of 
his country's squadron leave unmoved    
toward the man who did the deed the     
heart of her ,captain ,damfreville4     
,and when your imagination has not only 
carried you through such adventure1 but 
stimulated my imagination to like       
activity1 there is no limit to be set to

 the development which may result for us
 both4  ,suggestive analysis can be of  
little help at this point1 the work must
 be done in the class-room under        
direction4  ,to such stimulating        
exercise in the vocal interpretation of 
these poems of action1 ,i leave you and 
your imagination4 ,i shall hope to find 
difficulty in recognizing either of you 
at our next meeting4 ,like ,mr4         
,rhoades's#aa pupil when he emerged from
 the ,ninth book of ,paradise ,lost1 you
 ought to have outgrown all your present
 intellectual clothes in the study of   
these stories in verse4  #aa ,read ,the 
,training of the ,imagination1 by ,james
 ,rhoades2 ,john ,lane ,publishing      
,company4  ,as further material for this
 study there is no better choice to be  
made than ,tennyson's great quasi-epic1 
,the ,idylls of the ,king1 from which   
but for lack of space we should have    
printed selections4 ,the following      
suggestions for work in composition at  
this point are based on the ,idylls4    

,describe in your own words ,camelot4   
,write an imaginary scene between       
,gareth and his mother4  ,tell the story
 of ,elaine4  ,make the ,holy ,grail    
into the form of a miracle play4        
,,fifth ,,study  ,,to ,,develop         
,,dramatic ,,instinct   ,our final study
 in interpretation has for its concern  
the development of dramatic instinct4   
,the work just finished should have left
 no doubt in your mind as to the nature 
or value of this final step in the      
training1 since it has anticipated both4
 ,development of imaginative vigor      
should arouse a latent dramatic instinct
 and release histrionic power4 ,the     
choice of place in these studies for    
this phase of the training was made to  
insure cumulative evolution resulting in
 balanced expression4 ,as imagination   
needs to safeguard her freedom with     
sympathetic thought and intelligent     
emotion1 so dramatic instinct needs the 
guidance of a vigorous but trained      
imagination4 ,dramatic instinct so      

directed should achieve skill in        
interpreting drama and lead to          
distinction in the art of acting4 ,the  
immediate evolution should be a         
clarified vision of life4 ,your final   
attainment from this theory should be   
distinction in the art of living4  ,with
 dramatic instinct capable of such      
achievement1 let us proceed to exercise 
it in the material chosen for this      
study1--dramatic literature4 ,the       
natural transition from story to play1  
from narrative to drama1 is by way of   
the monologue4 ,some discussion with    
suggestive analysis of this form is     
necessary in order to impress upon you  
the difference between suggestive       
impersonation and actual impersonation  
or characterization1 leading to a clear 
understanding of the difference between 
reading a play and acting in one2 but   
the final evolution of interpretative   
power must come through acted           
drama1--through taking part in a play4  
,the dictionary in defining the         

monologue authorizes three forms3 7#a7  
when the actor tells a continuous story 
in which he is the chief character1     
referring to the others as absent2 7#b7 
when he assumes the voice or manner of  
several characters successively2 7#c7   
more recently1 when he implies that the 
others are present1 leading the audience
 to imagine what they say by his        
replies4 ,browning created this more    
recent form1 which is the most vital of 
the three4 ,i have chosen for your study
 of the monologue examples from         
,browning alone4 ,to interpret          
effectively any one of the ,browning    
monologues will call into play every    
element of power in voice and expression
 which you have gained in your study of 
previous forms4 ,you must think vividly1
 feel intelligently1 realize and suggest
 an atmosphere1 sustain a situation1 and
 keep the beauty of the poetic form4    
,and you must do all this in the person 
of another4 ,the new demand which the   
monologue makes is impersonation4 ,let  

us see just what we mean by             
impersonation4 ,it is the art of        
identifying one's self with the         
character to be portrayed4 ,it is the   
art of losing one's self in the         
character and the situation the         
dramatist has created4 ,this means that 
the spirit of the character must take   
possession of the impersonator1 and     
inform his every thought and feeling1   
and so his every motion and tone4       
,remember1 it is the spirit of the      
character that must determine the nature
 of the tone and gesture4 ,the great    
danger in entering upon the study of    
impersonation lies in emphasizing the   
outward manifestation instead of the    
inward spirit of the character to be    
portrayed4 ,if you really sense the     
soul1 mind1 heart quality of the        
character you are to present1 and have  
made your voice and body free agents for
 the manifestation of those qualities1  
your impersonation will be convincing4  
,if the spirit of the ,patriot or       

,andrea del ,sarto or ,fra ,lippo ,lippi
 or ,pompilia or ,caponsacchi or ,guido 
obsesses you1 the outward manifestation 
will take care of itself--always        
provided your instruments are           
responsive4 ,don't begin with the       
outward manifestation4 ,don't say ,i    
think this man would frown a great deal1
 or fold his arms over his breast1 or   
use an eyeglass1 or strut1 or stoop1 or 
do any one of a hundred things which1 if
 repeated a half-dozen times during an  
impersonation1 may become a mannerism   
and get between the audience and the    
spirit of the character4 ,when you are  
studying a character for the purpose of 
impersonation determine first to what   
type it belongs4 ,then study that type1 
wherever you are4 ,daily life becomes   
your teacher and studio4 ,when you enter
 upon this art there are no longer dull 
moments in railroad stations or trains1 
in shops or in the social whirl4        
,everywhere and always you are the      
student seeking to know and understand  

types of people better1 that you may use
 your knowledge in presenting to an     
audience an individual4 ,when you have  
caught the spirit of the individual you 
must realize the situation out of which 
this particular individual speaks4  ,let
 us make a special study of the ,tale   
7,browning's epilogue to ,the ,two      
,poets of ,croisic74 ,it is perhaps the 
most exquisite of the poet's creations  
in this field4 ,the situation reveals a 
young girl recalling to her poet lover  
an old ,greek tale he had once told her4
 ,there is a suggestion from some       
critics that ,browning has drawn his    
wife in this portrait1 and through it   
pays his tribute to her4 ,this          
immediately affords us a clue to the    
type of character to which the speaker  
belongs4 ,we cannot hope 7nor do we     
wish7 to impersonate ,mrs4 ,browning1   
but a knowledge of ,mrs4 ,browning and  
her relation to her poet lover1 gained  
through a study of her ,letters and     
,sonnets1 will lead us more quickly to a

 comprehension of the speaker and       
situation in the ,tale4  ,obsessed by   
the spirit of the character and fully   
realizing the situation1 our next step  
is1 in imagination1 to set the stage4   
,this is an important point in          
presenting a monologue4 ,the            
impersonator must have a clear idea of  
his position on his imaginary stage     
relative to his imaginary interlocutor4 
,but he must remember that imaginary    
stage-setting admits of only delicately 
suggestive use4 ,this is true of the    
handling of a monologue at every point4 
,it must be suggestive4 ,the actor      
carries to completion the action which  
the monologuist suggests4 ,the art of   
interpreting a monologue depends upon   
the discrimination of the impersonator  
in drawing his line between suggestion  
and actualization in gesture4 ,the      
business of the monologuist is to make  
an appeal to the imagination of the     
audience so vivid that the imagination  
of the audience can actualize the       

suggestion4 ,and the illusion is        
complete4 ,what are the relative        
positions of the girl and her lover in  
the ,tale8 ,there is nothing in the     
lines to make our choice arbitrary4 ,it 
is only important that we determine a   
relation and keep it consistently       
throughout the reading4 ,here is a      
possible setting4 ,they are in the      
poet's study2 he is working at his desk2
 she is sitting in a great chair before 
the fire1 a book in her hand1 which she 
does not read2 she is gazing into the   
flames4 ,she begins dreamily1 more to   
herself than to him--,what a pretty tale
 you told me4 ,at what point does her   
tone lose its reflective quality and    
become more personal8 ,where does she   
turn to him8 ,how do we know that he    
leaves his chair and comes over to sit  
on the arm of her chair8 ,what calls him
 to her8 ,what two qualities of feeling 
run through her mood and determine the  
color of her tone and the character of  
her movements4 ,if your study of ,mrs4  

,browning has been intelligent1 this    
interplay of the whimsical and serious  
in her nature cannot have escaped you1  
and it will illumine now your           
impersonation of this girl4 ,it is the  
secret of the peculiar charm of this    
creation4 ,the story she tells is an old
 and well-known one4 ,it is the manner  
of the telling through which we come in 
touch with an exquisite woman's soul    
that holds us spellbound4 ,unless the   
interpreter catches this secret and     
reveals it to his audience1 he will miss
 the distinctive feature of the         
monologue and reduce it to a narrative  
poem4       ,a ,,tale      ,i      ,what
 a pretty tale you told me      ,once   
upon a time     --,said you found it    
somewhere 7scold me67      ,was it prose
 or was it rhyme1     ,greek or ,latin8 
,greek1 you said1     ,while your       
shoulder propped my head4      ,,ii     
,anyhow there's no forgetting           
,this much if no more1     ,that a poet 
7pray1 no petting67       ,yes1 a bard1 

sir1 famed of yore1     ,went where such
 like used to go1     ,singing for a    
prize1 you know4      ,,iii      ,well1 
he had to sing1 nor merely      ,sing   
but play the lyre2     ,playing was     
important clearly      ,quite as        
singing3 ,i desire1     ,sir1 you keep  
the fact in mind     ,for a purpose     
that's behind4      ,,iv      ,there    
stood he1 while deep attention          
,held the judges round1     --,judges   
able1 ,i should mention1       ,to      
detect the slightest sound     ,sung or 
played amiss3 such ears     ,had old    
judges1 it appears6      ,v      ,none  
the less he sang out boldly1            
,played in time and tune1     ,till the 
judges1 weighing coldly       ,each     
note's worth1 seemed1 late or soon1     
,sure to smile ',in vain one tries      
,picking faults out3 take the prize6'   
,,vi      ,when1 a mischief6 ,were they 
seven      ,strings the lyre possessed8 
,oh1 and afterward eleven1      ,thank  
you6 ,well1 sir--who had guessed        

,such ill luck in store8--it happed     
,one of those same seven strings        
snapped4      ,,vii      ,all was lost1 
then6 ,no6 a cricket       7,what       
'cicada'8 ,pooh67     --,some mad thing 
that left its thicket       ,for mere   
love of music--flew     ,with its little
 heart on fire1     ,lighted on the     
crippled lyre4      ,,viii      ,so that
 when 7,ah1 joy67 our singer       ,for 
his truant string     ,feels with       
disconcerted finger1       ,what does   
cricket else but fling     ,fiery heart 
forth1 sound the note     ,wanted by the
 throbbing throat8      ,,ix      ,ay   
and1 ever to the ending1       ,cricket 
chirps at need1     ,executes the hands 
intending1       ,promptly1             
perfectly1--indeed     ,saves the singer
 from defeat     ,with her chirrup low  
and sweet4      ,x      ,till1 at       
ending1 all the judges       ,cry with  
one assent     ',take the prize--a prize
 who grudges       ,such a voice and    
instrument8     ,why1 we took your lyre 

for harp1     ,so it shrilled us forth  
,f sharp6'      ,,xi      ,did the      
conqueror spurn the creature1           
,once its service done8     ,that's no  
such uncommon feature       ,in the case
 when ,music's son     ,finds his       
,lotte's power too spent     ,for aiding
 soul-development4      ,,xii      ,no6 
,this other1 on returning               
,homeward1 prize in hand1     ,satisfied
 his bosom's yearning3       7,sir1 ,i  
hope you understand67     --,said ',some
 record there must be     ,of this      
cricket's help to me6'      ,,xiii      
,so1 he made himself a statue3          
,marble stood1 life-size2     ,on the   
lyre1 he pointed at you1       ,perched 
his partner in the prize2     ,never    
more apart you found     ,her1 he       
throned1 from him1 she crowned4         
,,xiv      ,that's the tale3 its        
application8       ,somebody ,i know    
,hopes one day for reputation           
,thro' his poetry that's--oh1     ,all  
so learned and so wise     ,and         

deserving of a prize6      ,,xv      ,if
 he gains one1 will some ticket1        
,when his statue's built1     ,tell the 
gazer '',twas a cricket       ,helped my
 crippled lyre1 whose lilt     ,sweet   
and low1 when strength usurped          
,softness' place i' the scale1 she      
chirped8      ,,xvi      ,for as victory
 was nighest1       ,while ,i sang and  
played--     ,with my lyre at lowest1   
highest1       ,right alike1--one string
 that made     ,love sound soft was     
snapt in twain1     ,never to be heard  
again1--      ,,xvii      ,had not a    
kind cricket fluttered1       ,perched  
upon the place     ,vacant left1 and    
duly uttered       ,love1 ,love1 ,love1 
whene'er the bass     ,asked the treble 
to atone     ,for its somewhat somber   
drone4'      ,,xviii      ,but you don't
 know music6 ,wherefore       ,keep on  
casting pearls     ,to a--poet8 ,all ,i 
care for       ,is--to tell him that a  
girl's     ',love' comes aptly in when  
gruff     ,grows his singing4 7,there1  

enough67       ,,incident ,,of ,,the    
,,french ,,camp      ,i      ,you know1 
we ,french stormed ,ratisbon3       ,a  
mile or so away1     ,on a little mound1
 ,napoleon       ,stood on our          
storming-day2     ,with neck out-thrust1
 you fancy how1       ,legs wide1 arms  
locked behind1     ,as if to balance the
 prone brow       ,oppressive with its  
mind4      ,,ii      ,just as perhaps he
 mused ',my plans       ,that soar1 to  
earth may fall1     ,let once my        
army-leader ,lannes       ,waver at     
yonder wall1'--     ,out 'twixt the     
battery smokes there flew       ,a      
rider1 bound on bound                   
,full-galloping2 nor bridle drew        
,until he reached the mound4      ,,iii 
,then off there flung in smiling joy1   
,and held himself erect     ,by just his
 horse's mane1 a boy3       ,you hardly 
could suspect--     7,so tight he kept  
his lips compressed1       ,scarce any  
blood came through7     ,you looked     
twice ere you saw his breast       ,was 

all but shot in two4      ,,iv          
',well1' cried he1 ',emperor1 by ,god's 
grace       ,we've got you ,ratisbon6   
,the ,marshal's in the market-place1    
,and you'll be there anon     ,to see   
your flag-bird flap his vans            
,where ,i1 to heart's desire1           
,perched him6' ,the chief's eye flashed2
 his plans       ,soared up again like  
fire4      ,v      ,the chief's eye     
flashed2 but presently       ,softened  
itself1 as sheathes     ,a film the     
mother-eagle's eye       ,when her      
bruised eaglet breathes2     ',you're   
wounded6' ',nay1' the soldier's pride   
,touched to the quick1 he said3         
',i'm killed1 ,sire6' ,and his chief    
beside1       ,smiling the boy fell     
dead4       ,,my ,,last ,,duchess       
,,ferrara      ,that's my last ,duchess 
painted on the wall1     ,looking as if 
she were alive4 ,i call     ,that piece 
a wonder1 now3 ,fr ,pandolf's hands     
,worked busily a day1 and there she     
stands4     ,will 't please you sit and 

look at her8 ,i said     ',fr ,pandolf' 
by design2 for never read     ,strangers
 like you that pictured countenance1    
,the depth and passion of its earnest   
glance1     ,but to myself they turned  
7since none puts by     ,the curtain ,i 
have drawn for you1 but ,i7     ,and    
seemed as they would ask me1 if they    
durst1     ,how such a glance came      
there2 so1 not the first     ,are you to
 turn and ask thus4 ,sir1 t'was not     
,her husband's presence only1 called    
that spot     ,of joy into the ,duchess'
 cheek3 perhaps     ,fr ,pandolf chanced
 to say ',her mantle laps     ,over my  
lady's wrist too much1' or ',paint      
,must never hope to reproduce the faint 
,half-flush that dies along her throat'3
 such stuff     ,was courtesy1 she      
thought1 and cause enough     ,for      
calling up that spot of joy4 ,she had   
,a heart--how shall ,i say8--too soon   
made glad1     ,too easily impressed2   
she liked whate'er     ,she looked on1  
and her looks went everywhere4     ,sir1

 'twas all one6 ,my favor at her breast1
     ,the dropping of the daylight in   
the ,west1     ,the bough of cherries   
some officious fool     ,broke in the   
orchard for her1 the white mule     ,she
 rode with round the terrace--all and   
each     ,would draw from her alike the 
approving speech1     ,or blush1 at     
least4 ,she thanked men1--good6 but     
thanked     ,somehow--,i know not       
how--as if she ranked     ,my gift of a 
nine-hundred-years-old name     ,with   
anybody's gift4 ,who'd stoop to blame   
,this sort of trifling8 ,even had you   
skill     ,in speech--7which ,i have    
not7--to make your will     ,quite clear
 to such an one1 and say1 ',just this   
,or that in you disgusts me2 here you   
miss1     ,or there exceed the          
mark'--and if she let     ,herself be   
lessoned so1 nor plainly set     ,her   
wits to yours1 forsooth1 and made       
excuse1     --,e'en then would be some  
stooping2 and ,i choose     ,never to   
stoop4 ,oh sir1 she smiled1 no doubt1   

,whene'er ,i passed her2 but who passed 
without     ,much the same smile8 ,this 
grew2 ,i gave commands2     ,then all   
smiles stopped together4 ,there she     
stands     ,as if alive4 ,will 't please
 you rise8 ,we'll meet     ,the company 
below1 then4 ,i repeat1     ,the ,count 
your master's known munificence     ,is 
ample warrant that no just pretense     
,of mine for dowry will be disallowed2  
,though his fair daughter's self1 as ,i 
avowed     ,at starting1 is my object4  
,nay1 we'll go     ,together down1 sir4 
,notice ,neptune1 though1     ,taming a 
sea-horse1 thought a rarity1     ,which 
,claus of ,innsbruck cast in bronze for 
me6                                     
--,,browning4  ,our last form for       
interpretative vocal study is the play4 
,we shall discover that the presentation
 of the play makes the same demands upon
 the interpreter as the monologue with  
the new element of transition4 ,we are  
still studying the monologue1 because we
 are to read1 not act1 the play4 ,it is 

still suggestive1 not actualized        
impersonation4 ,but instead of one      
character to suggestively set forth we  
have two1 three1 a dozen to present4    
,the transition from character to       
character becomes our one new problem4  
,as we have said before1 in making the  
transition from character to character1 
voice1 mind1 and body must be so        
volatile that the action of the play    
shall not be interrupted4 ,i know of no 
better way to enter upon the study of a 
play for reading 7or acting7 than to    
treat each character as the speaker in a
 monologue of the ,browning type4 ,the  
danger in transition from character to  
character centers in the instant's pause
 when one speaker yields to another4    
,the unskilful reader loses both        
characters at this point and becomes    
conscious of himself2 the action of the 
play stops2 and the illusion of scene   
and situation is lost4 ,the great reader
 of the play 7in that instant's pause71 
as he utters the last word of one       

character1 becomes the interlocutor     
listening to the words which he as the  
other character has just uttered4 ,in   
that instant he must show the effect of 
the speech he has just uttered upon the 
character he has just become4 ,which is 
the greater art3 to read a play1 or to  
act in it8  ,use for your study of the  
play the ,shakespearian drama4 ,begin   
with scenes from ,as ,you ,like ,it and 
,the ,merchant of ,venice2 but begin    
with actualized impersonation of the    
characters4 ,no discussion more6 ,no    
analysis more6 ,the play--the play's the
 thing through which to complete this   
evolution in ,vocal ,expression4   ,a   
,,final ,,word ,,on ,,interpretation    
,looking back over these studies in     
interpretation1 let us review in true   
scholastic fashion the main points thus 
far discovered4 ,we say looking back1   
but as far as the arrangement of our    
text goes this review involves looking  
forward too4 ,the division of the book  
into three parts is purely a matter of a

 necessary separation in discussing the 
three activities involved in vocal      
expression4 ,if your use of this book   
has been intelligent1 each study in     
interpretation has revealed your need to
 strengthen your vocal vocabulary or to 
perfect your vocal technique1 and you   
have turned at once for the required    
help to the studies in ,part ,,ii and   
the exercises in ,part ,,iii4  ,omitting
 a review of the preliminary plunge1    
which was intended to show up all your  
peculiar powers and all your especial   
needs at once1 and so furnish a basis   
for the main work1 let us see what      
happened in the five following studies4 
,it will simplify our statement in each 
case to base the analysis of our        
discoveries on the form of literature   
employed in each study4  ,you found then
 7or ought to have found7 in ,study     
,one3 that the essay and didactic poem  
make a fundamental appeal to the mind2  
that the demand upon the interpreter of 
this form is for clear1 concise         

thinking2 that your need is for a       
command of unerring emphasis and        
purposeful inflection4 ,you turned to   
the studies in pause1 change of pitch1  
and inflection to meet that need4       
,returning to the main study1 you tested
 your vocal skill on the essay to find  
the essay so read might persuade an     
auditor to some readjustment of his     
ideas1 values1 discriminations1 or      
strengthen him in convictions already   
held4  ,study ,two revealed that in     
lyric poetry the primary appeal is to   
emotion2 that its vocal demand upon the 
interpreter is for a mastery of         
tone-color1 a sense of rhythm1 and the  
power to suggest a background of musical
 sound4 ,having supplied as far as      
possible any lack in your vocabulary or 
technique by supplementary work in      
,parts ,,ii and ,,iii1 returning you    
found that a lyric rightly read could   
release in the auditor pity1            
forgiveness1 forbearance1 endurance1    
understanding1 love4  ,the ,third ,study

 should have convinced you that a sense 
of good humor is a safe and desirable   
thing to cultivate2 that the whimsical  
tone in interpretation will leaven      
almost any lump of sheer learning and   
counteract a serious overdose of        
sentiment2 that fable1 fairy tale1 and  
nonsense rhyme depend too for successful
 interpretation upon this element of    
whimsicality in the reader2 that the    
secret of the whimsical element in vocal
 expression lies in a use of pause and  
inflection4  ,study ,four should have   
discovered to you that the three        
elements of the short story can only be 
realized through imagination2 that      
imaginative vigor dealing with action   
requires sustained vitality of tone4    
,such discovery should have resulted in 
many hours of work on the exercises for 
support and freedom of tone4  ,when you 
reached the ,fifth and last ,study1 the 
work in monologue and drama should have 
easily awakened your dramatic instinct  
and quickly released your histrionic    

power4 ,you should have learned through 
monologue and drama to understand       
various types of persons2 to see more   
clearly the relations of men and events2
 to more intelligently comprehend life  
itself4  ,finally1 we have discovered   
that to become a true interpreter of    
literature means to become a lucid      
channel for the message of an author to 
the mind of an auditor1--nay1 that it   
means more than that4 ,in final         
evolution the interpreter of literature 
becomes a revealer of life4 ,the final  
effect of literature worth interpreting 
is to enlarge the world's knowledge of  
life's beauty1 truth1 or power4 ,your   
final concern as an interpreter is to   
let life find through you uninterrupted 
revelation on one of these planes2 to   
become a pure medium between the beauty1
 truth1 and power of life and the       
seeking soul4 ,the author need not be   
considered in this final analysis1      
because you1 the interpreter1 first     
became identified with the author1 and  

then both of you are lost in the vision1
 save only as either personality may    
enlarge or clarify the revelation4  ,a  
personal experience may help you to     
realize this ideal of the interpreter's 
art4  ,with a sense of protest1 ,i had  
presented a play ,i loved to an audience
 with which ,i felt little sympathy4 ,by
 chance there was in that audience one  
of our best teachers and critics4 ,after
 my recital ,i sought his criticism4    
,beginning1 as the true critic always   
should1 with a noting of some point of  
power1 he said1 ,i congratulate you upon
 your illumined moments1 but--they are  
too infrequent4 ,you must multiply them4
 ,what do you mean by my illumined      
moments8 ,i asked4 ,the moments when you
 do not get between your audience and   
the thought you are uttering--the       
moments when you become a revealer of   
life to them4 ,your attitude toward your
 audience is not sustained in the       
simplicity and clearness of some of its 
moments4 ,you suddenly ring down the    

curtain in the middle of the scene4     
,that spoils the scene1 you know4 ,you  
seem to feel a revolt against the giving
 of your confidence to the audience1 and
 thereupon you immediately shut them    
away4 ,you become conscious of yourself1
 and we1 the audience1 lose the vision  
and become conscious of you and the way 
you are reading or reciting or acting4  
,then he added1 ,adelaide ,neilson1 at  
first1 had illumined moments in her     
playing of ,juliet1 but finally her     
impersonation became one piece of       
illumination4 ,that delightful teacher1 
reader1 and critic1 the late ,mr4       
,howard ,ticknor1 suggested the same    
ideal in comparing a ,juliet of to-day  
with ,miss ,neilson's ,juliet4 ,when    
,miss ---- is on the balcony1 he said1  
you hear all around you3 ',how lovely   
she looks6' ',isn't that robe dear8'    
',how beautiful her voice is6' ,when    
,miss ,neilson lived that little minute1
 a breathless people prayed with        
,juliet1 ',i would not for the world    

they found thee here1' and sighed with  
,romeo--',o blessed1 blessed night6 ,i  
am afeard1 being in night1 all this is  
but a dream4' ,miss ,neilson was        
,juliet4 ,they1 the audience1 lived with
 these lovers one hour of lyric rapture1
 and could never again be quite so      
commonplace in their attitude toward the
 deathless passion4 ,they may not now   
remember ,adelaide ,neilson1 but they   
remember that story1 and forever carry a
 new vision of life and love1 because   
the actress lost herself in the life of 
the play4 ,she did not exploit her      
personality and let it stand between the
 audience and the drama4 ,when some one 
says to you--the reader or actress1 ,i  
shall never forget the way you raised   
your eyebrow at that point1 don't stop  
to reply1 but fly to your study and read
 the lines at that point over and over1 
with level brows1 until you understand  
the meaning1 and can express the thought
 so effectively by a lift of your voice 
that you no longer need the help of your

 eyebrow4 ,every gesture1 every tone1   
must call attention1 not to itself1 but 
to the hidden meaning of the author4 ,it
 must illumine the text of the character
 portrayed4 ,that is it3 if we would be 
artists 7and there is not one among us  
who would not be an artist7 we must     
cease to put our little selves in front 
of our messages4 ,in the home1 in the   
office1 in the houses of our friends1 in
 the school-room1 on the platform1 on   
the stage1 let us be simple1 natural1   
sincere4 ,let us lay aside our          
mannerisms4 ,let us seek to know and    
reveal life4 ,then shall we be          
remembered--not1 for a queer way of     
combing our hair1 or lifting our eyes1  
or using our hands1 or shrugging our    
shoulders1 but for some revelation of   
truth or of beauty which we have brought
 to a community4     ,,part ,,ii        
,,studies ,,in ,,vocal ,,expression     
,,studies ,,in ,,vocal ,,expression     
,,the ,,vocal ,,vocabulary   ,there is a
 theory that it is dangerous to go      

beyond the mere freeing of the          
instrument in either vocal or physical  
training4 ,in accordance with this      
theory ,i was advised by a well-known   
actress to confine my study for the     
stage1 so far as the vocal and          
pantomimic preparation was concerned1 to
 singing1 dancing1 and fencing4 ,get    
your voice and body under control1 she  
said4 ,make them free1 but don't connect
 shades of thought and emotion with     
definite tones of the voice or movements
 of the body2 don't meddle with         
,delsarte or elocution4 ,this advice    
seemed good at the time4 ,it still seems
 to me that it ought to be the right    
method4 ,but ,i have grown to distrust  
it4 ,one of the chief sources of my     
distrust has been the effect of the     
theory upon the art of the actress who  
gave the advice4 ,she is perhaps the    
most graceful woman on the stage to-day1
 and her voice is pure music4 ,but her  
gestures and tones fail in lucidity2    
they fail to illumine the text of the   

part she essays to interpret4 ,one grows
 suddenly impatient of the meaningless  
grace of her movements1 the meaningless 
music of her voice4 ,one longs for a    
swift--if studied--stride across the    
stage in anger instead of the unstudied 
grace of her glide in swirling-robed    
protest4 ,one longs to hear a staccato  
declaration of intention instead of the 
cadenced music of a voice guiltless of  
intention4 ,no6 ,after the body has been
 made a free and responsive agent1 a    
mastery of certain fundamental laws1 a  
mastery of certain principles of gesture
 in accordance with the dictates of     
thought and emotion1 is necessary to its
 further perfecting as a vivid1         
powerful1 and true agent of personality4
 ,the action must be suited to the word1
 the word to the action1 through a study
 of the laws governing expression in    
action4  ,so with the voice3 to become  
not only a free instrument1 but a       
beautiful and powerful means of         
expression and communication it must    

learn to recognize and obey certain     
fundamental laws governing its          
modulations4 ,a master of verbal        
expression is distinguished by his vast 
vocabulary of words1 and his skill and  
discrimination in its use4 ,a master of 
vocal expression must acquire what we   
may call a vocal vocabulary1 consisting 
of changes of pitch1 varieties of       
inflection and variations in tone color1
 and must know how to use these elements
 with skill and discrimination4 ,our    
need for such a vocabulary was          
discovered to us at every step of the   
work in interpretation4 ,the suggestions
 and exercises of the following studies 
aim to supplement the work in           
interpretation by meeting that need4    
,before making a detailed study of each 
element of this vocal vocabulary let us 
make a quick study with the four        
elements in mind4 ,remember1 in the last
 preliminary exercise1 as in the final  
complete interpretative endeavor1 the   
material we employ is to be chosen from 

real literature4 ,it is to be worth     
interpreting whether it be a single line
 or phrase or a complete poetical drama4
 ,we have agreed to consider literature 
as real literature1 and so worth our    
interpretative efforts1 when it         
possesses one or combines all of the    
three qualities1--beauty1 truth1 and    
power4  ,this passage from ,emerson's   
,friendship surely meets that           
requirement4 ,it is truth beautifully   
and powerfully expressed4 ,it will      
serve4       ,our friendships hurry to  
short and poor conclusions because we   
have      made them a texture of wine   
and dreams instead of the tough fiber   
of the human heart4  ,having read this  
passage cursorily 7as is the custom in  
reading to one's self to-day71 will you 
now study it for a moment very closely4 
,now1 once more1 please1 read it        
silently1 noting the action of your mind
 as you read4 7,watch its pulsations1   
,dr4 ,curry would say47 ,and now1 aloud1
 although without an auditor1 read it1  

this time noting the effect of the      
action of the mind upon your voice4 ,did
 its pitch change8 ,where and why8 ,how 
did you inflect the words wine and      
dreams8 ,how did the inflection of these
 words differ from that of the last six 
words1 tough fiber of the human heart1  
with which they are contrasted in       
thought8 ,did your tone change color at 
any point8 ,why8 ,where8 ,but now1 once 
more1 let us approach the passage1 this 
time with a different intention4 ,let us
 study it with the idea of interpreting 
it for another mind4 ,now the method of 
attack is very different4 ,not that it  
ought to be different4 ,but it is4      
,intense concentration ought to         
characterize all our reading1 whether   
its object be to acquire knowledge or   
pleasure for one's self1 or to impart   
either to another4 ,but the day of      
reading which maketh a full man seems to
 be long past1 so far as the general    
public is concerned4 ,the necessity of  
skimming the pages of a dozen           

fourth-rate books of the hour in order  
to be at least a lucid interlocutor1 and
 so a desired dinner guest1 is making   
our reading a swift gathering of        
colorless impressions which may remain a
 week or only a day1 and which leave no 
lasting effect of beauty or truth upon  
the mind and heart of the reader4       
,should it not be rather an intense     
application of the mind to the thought  
of a master mind1 until that thought1 in
 all its power and beauty1 has broadened
 the boundaries of the reader's mind and
 enlarged the meaning of all his        
thoughts8 ,i wonder if a much smaller   
proportion of time spent in such reading
 might not result in a less bromidic    
social atmosphere1 even though its      
tendency were a bit serious4 ,i think it
 might be both safe and interesting to  
try such an experiment4  ,but now we    
must return to ,emerson on ,friendship4 
,in studying a passage for the purpose  
of vocal interpretation you have learned
 that the concentration of attention    

upon the thought must be intense1 you   
must make the thought absolutely your   
own before you can present it to your   
auditor1 it must possess you before you 
can express it2 that the thought must   
seem in the moment of its expression to 
be a creation of your own brain1 it must
 belong to you as only the thing you    
have created can1 and until you have so 
recreated the thought it is not yours to
 give4 ,having recalled these precepts1 
read the passage silently again4 ,pour  
upon it the light of your experience1   
your philosophy1 your ideals1 your      
perception of truth4 ,comment upon it   
silently as you read4 ,now read it aloud
 and let your voice do this commenting4 
,but wait a moment4 ,let me quote for   
you the paragraph following this        
statement4       ,the laws of friendship
 are austere and eternal1 of one web    
with the      laws of nature and morals4
 ,but we have aimed at a swift and petty
      benefit to suck a sudden          
sweetness4 ,we snatch at the slowest    

fruit      in the whole garden of ,god1 
which many summers and many winters     
must ripen4  ,this is ,emerson's        
paraphrase of his original statement4   
,how much of it did your mental         
commentary include8 ,how did your silent
 paraphrase resemble this8 ,read the    
original passage again to yourself in   
the light of this paraphrase4 ,i shall  
ask you now to repeat the first sentence
 from memory1 for you will find1 after  
this concentrated contemplation of a    
thought1 that its form is fixed fast in 
your mind4 ,that is a delightful        
accompaniment of this kind of reading4  
,the form of the thought1 if it be      
apposite 7which it must be to be        
literature1 and we are considering only 
literature71 the form of a thought so   
approached stays with us in all its     
beauty4  ,let us then repeat the        
original statement1 having read the     
passage in which ,emerson has elaborated
 it4 ,now1 what you must demand of your 
voice is this3 that it shall so handle  

the single introductory sentence as to  
suggest the rest of the paragraph4 ,in  
other words1 your voice must do the     
paraphrasing1 by means of its changes in
 pitch1 its inflections1 and its        
variations in tone-color2 by means1 in  
short1 of its vocal vocabulary4   ,i    
,,study ,,in ,,pause ,,and ,,change ,,of
 ,,pitch  ,it is asserted that1 the last
 word has not been said on any subject4 
,mr4 ,hamilton ,mabie seemed to me to   
achieve a last word on the subject of   
pause when he casually remarked3        
,emerson was a master of pause2 he would
 pause1 and into the pool of expectancy 
created by that pause drop just the     
right word4 ,there seems little to be   
added to complete the exposition of that
 single sentence4 ,it surely leaves no  
doubt in our minds as to the effect to  
be desired from the use of this element 
of our vocabulary4 ,how to use it to    
gain that effect is our problem4 ,first 
of all1 we must cease to be afraid to   
pause4 ,we hurry on over splendid       

opportunities to elucidate our text     
through a just use of this form of      
emphasis1 beset by two fears3 fear that 
we shall seem to have forgotten the     
text2 fear that we shall actually forget
 it if we stop to think4 ,think of being
 afraid to stop to think lest we should 
stop thinking6 ,that is precisely what  
the fear indicates4 ,it arises1 of      
course1 from a confusion as to the real 
nature of pause4 ,we confuse pause with 
its ghost1 hesitation4 ,dr4 ,curry makes
 the difference clear for us in his     
definition of hesitation as an empty    
pause4 ,empty of what8 you ask4 ,empty  
of thought6 ,of course1 an empty pause  
is a ghastly as well as a ghostly thing 
to experience4 ,if you have ever faced  
an audience in one of those awful       
moments when your voice has ceased      
because your thought has stopped1 and   
when you are painfully aware of a pool  
of embarrassed sympathy into which you  
know there is no word to drop1 then you 
have learned the meaning of an empty    

pause4  ,on the other hand1 if you shall
 ever face an audience in one of those  
fateful moments when your voice pauses  
because your thought is so vital1 that  
you realize both your audience and you  
must be given time to fully grasp it1   
and when you are serenely conscious of  
that pool of expectancy into which you  
know you have just the right word to    
drop1 then you will learn the meaning of
 a true pause4  ,some one has called    
inflection a running commentary of the  
emotions upon the thought4 ,emphasis    
might well be defined in the same way4  
,the definition would need to be a bit  
more inclusive1 since emphasis includes 
inflection4 ,emphasis then may be       
defined as a running commentary of the  
thought and emotion of the reader upon  
the thought of the text he interprets4  
,the words reveal the thought2 your     
valuation of that thought1 as you       
interpret it1 is revealed through your  
vocal vocabulary in voicing it4 ,we1    
your auditors1 can only gather from your

 emphasis your valuation of the truth or
 importance of what you are uttering4   
,you may use one or all of the elements 
of your vocal vocabulary to bring out   
the thought of a single phrase4 ,the    
elements of the vocal vocabulary are all
 forms of emphasis4  ,since pause is a  
cessation of speech it can hardly be    
called an element of a vocal vocabulary2
 but it may rightly be called the basis 
of our vocabulary because it determines 
our use of the other elements4 ,it      
behooves us then to make a study of     
pause before testing our vocabulary as  
to its other elements4  ,here are two   
texts to be valued by our use of the    
pause4        ,,extract ,,from ,,the    
,,diary ,,of ,a ,,boarding-,,school     
,,girl       ,at midnight1 the magic    
hour as every girl knows for affairs of 
a      purely private and personal      
nature1 when far away at the end of a   
corridor you can almost hear ,miss      
----'s peaceful snore1 when as      the 
poet aptly put it in this morning's     

,english stunt1 darkness      clears our
 vision which by day is sun-blind--7,i  
thought ,jane and ,i      would die     
laughing and give it all away when we   
came to that line      in ,mr4 ,lanier's
 stupid poem71--well1 as ,i say1 exactly
 at that hour      my heart began to    
beat so hard ,i thought it would wake   
,madge      without the punch ,i had    
promised to give her when it was time to
      begin preparations for our grand  
spread4   ,from ,sidney ,lanier's       
,crystal4      ,at midnight1 death's and
 truth's unlocking time4     ,when far  
within the spirit's hearing rolls       
,the great soft rumble of the course of 
things--     ,a bulk of silence in a    
mask of sound1--     ,when darkness     
clears our vision that by day     ,is   
sun-blind1 and the soul's a ravening owl
     ,for truth and flitteth here and   
there about     ,low-lying woody tracts 
of time and oft     ,is minded for to   
sit upon a bough1     ,dry-dead and     
sharp1 of some long-stricken tree       

,and muse in that gaunt place1--'twas   
then my heart1     ,deep in the         
meditative dark1 cried out3 444  ,the   
same hour1 midnight1 is designated by   
both girl and poet2 the same two words1 
at midnight1 open the confession and the
 poem4 ,a pause must follow these words 
in the reading of either text1 and      
another pause must be made after the    
qualifying phrase which immediately     
follows the opening words of either     
text4 ,but what a difference in the     
comparative length of the pauses        
demanded by the two readings6 ,a very   
different atmosphere attends an hour    
when it is the time chosen for a        
school-girl's escapade or set apart for 
a poet's meditation4 ,and the voice by  
its use of pause can preserve or destroy
 either atmosphere4 ,try it4 ,make your 
pauses in reading the school-girl's text
 of equal length with the pauses the    
reading of ,lanier's poem demands4 ,you 
will find the result is that            
overemphasis which has brought such     

discredit upon the name of elocution4 ,i
 once heard a much-advertised reader    
strain all the elements of her vocal    
vocabulary in announcing a simple change
 in her programme4 ,i have heard more   
than one reader give the stage          
directions1 indicate the scene setting1 
and introduce the characters in exactly 
the same voice and with the same use of 
emphasis which were afterward employed  
in the most dramatic passages4 ,of      
course all the ammunition had been used 
up before the real battle began1 and no 
one was in the least affected by the    
firing during the rest of the           
engagement4  ,we have said that the use 
of pause determines the use of all other
 elements of the vocabulary4 ,this is   
particularly true of the change of pitch
 which immediately follows pause4 ,we   
pause before a new idea to get          
possession of it2 in that pause we      
measure the idea1 and the pitch of the  
voice changes to accord with that       
measure4 ,every change of thought causes

 a change of pitch1 but the degree and  
direction of change in pitch of the     
voice depends upon the degree and       
direction of change in thought values4  
,in the pause the mind takes time to    
value the new thought1 and tells the    
voice what change it must make4 ,robert 
,browning affords the best material for 
a study in change of pitch1 because of  
his sudden and long parentheses1 which  
can be handled lucidly by a voice only  
after it has mastered this element of   
the vocal vocabulary4 ,abt ,vogler      
offers the voice an excellent           
opportunity for exercise in change of   
pitch4 ,i print the first stanza and    
first line of the second stanza of this 
poem for your use4      ,would that the 
structure brave1 the manifold music ,i  
build1       ,bidding my organ obey1    
calling its keys to their work1         
,claiming each slave of the sound1 at a 
touch1 as when ,solomon willed          
,armies of angels that soar1 legions of 
demons that lurk1     ,man1 brute1      

reptile1 fly--alien of end and of aim1  
,adverse1 each from the other           
heaven-high1 hell-deep removed1         
,should rush into sight at once as he   
named the ineffable ,name1       ,and   
pile him a palace straight1 to pleasure 
the princess he loved6      ,would it   
might tarry like his1 the beautiful     
building of mine--  ,remember1 you are  
to confine your consideration to the one
 point1 change of pitch1 not the change 
of pitch within a word1 which is        
inflection and belongs to another       
chapter1 but to the broad changes of    
pitch from word to word1 phrase to      
phrase1 sentence to sentence1 following 
the intricate changes of the thought4   
,i leave you to blaze a trail through   
this forest of ideas4 ,you must find the
 main road1 and then trace the by-paths 
which lead away from that main road1 and
 in this case1 fortunately1 come back to
 it again--which does not always happen 
in ,mr4 ,browning's woody tracts of     
thought4 ,to employ a better figure for 

vocal purposes1 you must cut off the    
stream1 the voice1 and trace the bed of 
this river of thought1 following the    
main channel1 and then its branches4    
,you will find the main channel cut by  
the first and last lines3      ,would   
that the structure brave1 the manifold  
music ,i build1             99       99 
99       99       99      ,would it     
might tarry like his1 the beautiful     
building of mine--  ,all between1       
beginning with the second line1 ,bidding
 my organ obey1 and including the last  
words of the eighth line1 the princess  
he loved1 is a branch channel1 leading  
away from and coming back to the main   
river's bed4 ,but this branch channel is
 interrupted in turn by its own branch  
leading away from it and returning with 
it to join the main bed with the last   
line we quote4 ,this second branch      
begins in the middle of the third line  
with the words1 ,as when ,solomon       
willed1 wanders in this course for five 
lines1 and1 rejoining the first         

offshoot1 returns to the main channel   
with the last line4 ,now turn on the    
stream1 the ,voice1 and watch it flow   
into the course as traced4 ,analyze the 
reading as to the use of pause and      
change of pitch4   ,,ii  ,,study ,,in   
,,inflection  ,to me1 the most notable  
among the many notable elements in      
,madame ,alla ,nazimova's acting is her 
illumination of the text of her         
impersonations through inflection4 ,to  
an ear unaccustomed to the broken music 
of her speech1 a word may now and then  
be lost because of her still faulty     
,english1 but of her attitude toward the
 thought she is uttering1 or the person 
she is addressing1 or the situation she 
is meeting1 there can never be a        
moment's doubt--so illuminating is the  
inflectional play of her voice4 ,the    
tone she uses is not to me pleasing in  
quality4 ,it does not fall in liquid    
alluring cadences upon the ear as does  
,miss ,marlowe's1 for instance4 ,it is  
always keyed high1 whether the          

child-wife ,nora1 or ,hedda1 omnivorous 
of experience1 is speaking4 ,but this   
high-pitched tone is endlessly volatile4
 ,it is restless4 ,it never lets your   
attention wander4 ,it is never          
monotonous4 ,it is a master of          
inflection4 ,madame ,nazimova's emotion 
is always primarily intellectual4 ,it   
always proceeds from a mind keenly alive
 to the instant's incident4 ,this       
intensely intellectual temperament      
reveals itself through her voice in a   
rare degree of inflectional agility4    
,recall the revelation of ,nora's soul  
in her cry3 ,it is not possible6 ,it is 
not possible6 ,madame ,nazimova's       
conception of the mistress of ,the      
,doll's ,house is concentrated in these 
four words--in her inflection of the    
last word1 ,i may almost say4 ,when ,i  
close my eyes and think of ,madame      
,nazimova's voice ,i see a grove of soft
 maples in early ,october with the sun  
playing upon them1 while ,miss          
,marlowe's tone carries me at once into 

the pine woods1 where a white birch now 
and then shimmers its yellow leaves4    
,again1 the voice of the ,russian       
actress suggests a handful of diamonds1 
and the ,american instrument a set of   
turquoise in the matrix4 ,the difference
 in these two agents of two compelling  
personalities is1 of course1 the result 
of a difference in the two temperaments2
 but undoubtedly it also arises from a  
difference in methods of training4      
,whatever the temperament1 light and    
shade can be developed in the voice     
through practice of inflection2 and     
whatever the temperament1 a pure tone   
can be secured through a mastery of     
support of breath and freedom of vocal  
conditions4 ,the voices of these two    
actresses vividly illustrate these two  
points4 ,we shall study how to secure   
,miss ,marlowe's tone4 ,we are now to   
work for ,madame ,nazimova's light and  
shade1 so far as a mastery of inflection
 will secure it4 ,how shall we proceed8 
,all my life1 writes ,ellen ,terry1 in  

her entrancing memoirs1 the thing which 
has struck me as wanting on the stage is
 variety4 ,some people are tone-deaf1   
and they find it physically impossible  
to observe the law of contrasts4 ,but   
even a physical deficiency can be       
overcome by that faculty of taking      
infinite pains4 ,that is the secret of  
successful acquisition in any direction1
 is it not--the faculty of taking       
infinite pains8 ,with ,ellen ,terry it  
resulted in a voice which in its prime  
estate suggested1 it is said1 all the   
riotous colors of all the autumns1 or   
,henry ,ward ,beecher's most varied     
collection of precious stones4 ,we can  
secure an approximate result by         
employing the same method4 ,let us      
proceed with infinite pains to practise1
 practise1 practise inflection4  ,let us
 first examine this change of pitch     
within a word which we call inflection4 
,how does the pitch change1 and why1 and
 what does the change indicate8 ,we have
 discovered that a change of thought    

results in a broad change of pitch from 
word to word1 phrase to phrase1 sentence
 to sentence1 and we shall discover that
 a change in emotion results in a change
 in the color of the tone we are using2 
but this element of our vocal           
vocabulary1 inflection1 is subtler than 
either of the other two4 ,while change  
of pitch is an intellectual modulation1 
and variation in tone-color is an       
emotional modulation1 inflection1 in a  
degree1 combines both4 ,it is a change  
in both color and key within the word4  
,it is primarily of intellectual        
significance1 but it also reveals       
certain temperamental characteristics   
which cannot be disassociated with      
emotion4 ,for instance1 the staccato    
utterance of ,mrs4 ,fiske is technically
 the result of her use of straight1     
swift-falling inflections1 but it is    
temperamentally the result of thinking  
and feeling in terms of ,becky ,sharp4  
,let us see how inflections vary4 ,they 
rise and fall swiftly or slowly4 ,they  

move in a straight line from point to   
point1 or make a curve4 7,the latter we 
call circumflex inflection47 ,they make 
various angles with the original level  
of pitch1 rising or falling abruptly or 
gradually4 ,these are some of the       
variations1 each indicating an attitude 
of the mind and heart of the speaker    
toward the thought1 or toward the one   
spoken to1 or toward the circumstances  
out of which the speech arises4 ,all    
must be mastered for use at will if     
light and shade are to be developed in  
the voice4  ,now let us take a phrase or
 sentence1 and voice it under a certain 
condition1 noting the inflection of the 
word or words which hold the thought of 
the phrase or sentence in solution4     
,then let us change the condition and   
again voice the thought1 noting the     
change in inflection4 ,let me propound a
 profound question1--,do you like       
growing old8 ,the answers will all be   
yes or no4 ,but what of the inflection  
of those monosyllabic words8 ,sweet     

,sixteen will employ a straight1        
swift-falling inflection on the         
affirmative 7unless some untoward       
influence1 such as ,love the ,destroyer1
 has embittered her life1 when she may  
give us one of ,may ,iverson's adorable 
replies1 masked in indifference and     
circumlocution74 ,twenty will employ the
 straight-falling inflection without the
 swiftness of ,sweet ,sixteen's slide4  
,with twenty-five we detect a faint sign
 of a curve in the more gradual fall4   
,twenty-eight to thirty-five employs    
various degrees of circumflex1 according
 to the desire--or possibility--of      
concealing the real facts4 ,forty to    
forty-five1 if in defiant mood1 employs 
the abrupt-falling inflection1 or1 if   
quite honest1 changes to the negative   
with as swift and straight a fall4 ,this
 lasts through sixty-five1 and at       
seventy we hear a new and gentle        
circumflex of the no1 until the pride of
 extreme old age sets in at eighty-five 
with the swift fall of sixteen's        

affirmative4 ,were it not expedient to  
maintain friendly relations with one's  
printer1 ,i should venture to diagram   
these changes of tone within a word4 ,as
 it is1 ,i shall content myself with    
advising you to do so4  ,it is my       
privilege to have had acquaintance with 
a woman who was a personal friend of    
,emerson4 ,among the incidents of his   
delightful talk with her1 retold to me1 
,i recall one which bears upon our      
present problem4 ,they were discussing  
mutual ,friends on the ,shelf4 ,have you
 ever read ,titan8 asked the gentle     
seer4 ,yes1 replied the lady4 ,read it  
again6 said he4 ,query to the class3    
,how did the lady inflect the word ,yes 
to call forth the injunction1 ,read it  
again8 ,what did her inflection reveal8 
,however inclined we may be to quarrel  
with ,bernhardt's conception of the     
,duke of ,reichstadt1 we can never      
forget her disclosure of the ,eaglet's  
frail soul through inflection as she    
crushes letter after letter in her hand 

and tosses them aside1 uttering the     
simple words1 ,je dchire1 and the final 
revelation in the quick1 thrilling curve
 of her wonderful voice on the same     
words as the little cousin leaves the   
room at the close of this episode of the
 letters4  ,no better material can be   
chosen for a study of inflection than   
the paragraph from ,emerson's           
,friendship1 quoted in a preceding      
chapter4 ,let us repeat the first       
sentence again4 ,our friendships hurry  
to short and poor conclusions because we
 have made them a texture of wine and   
dreams instead of the tough fiber of the
 human heart4 ,study1 in voicing this1  
how to illumine the thought by your     
contrastive inflection of the words wine
 and dreams and tough fiber of the human
 heart4 ,a lingering circumflex cadence 
in uttering the first two words will    
suggest the unstable nature of a        
friendship woven out of so frail a      
fabric as wine and dreams1 while a      
swift1 strong1 straight-falling         

inflection on each of the last six words
 indicates the vigorous growth of a love
 rooted in the tough fiber of the human 
heart4  ,in ,monna ,vanna ,maurice      
,maeterlinck gives the actress a superb 
opportunity to show her mastery of      
inflection4 ,let us turn to the scene in
 ,prinzivalle's tent3#ab  #ab ,from     
,monna ,vanna4 ,by ,maurice             
,maeterlinck4 ,published by ,harper     
,brothers4       ,,prinzivalle4 ,are you
 in pain8       ,,vanna4 ,no6           
,,prinzivalle4 ,will you let me have it 
her wound dressed8       ,,vanna4 ,no6  
7,pause47       ,,prinzivalle4 ,you are 
decided8       ,,vanna4 ,yes4           
,,prinzivalle4 ,need ,i recall the terms
 of the--8       ,,vanna4 ,it is        
useless--,i know them4                  
,,prinzivalle4 ,your lord consents4     
,,vanna4 ,yes4       ,,prinzivalle4 ,it 
is my mind to leave you free4444        
,there is yet time should you desire to 
renounce4444       ,,vanna4 ,no6  ,and  
so the seeming inquisition proceeds4 ,to

 each relentlessly searching            
interrogation from ,gianello comes      
,vanna's unfaltering reply1 in a single1
 swift monosyllable1 ,yes or ,no4 ,the  
same word1 but1 oh1 the revelation which
 may lie in the inflection of that word6
 ,let us try it4 ,let us read the scene 
aloud1 first giving as nearly as        
possible the same inflection to each of 
,vanna's answers1 then let us voice it  
again1 putting into the curve of the    
tone within the narrow space of the two 
or three lettered monosyllables all the 
concentrated mental passion of ,vanna's 
soul in its attitude toward the terrible
 situation and toward the man whom she  
believes to be her enemy4 ,this is a    
most difficult exercise1 but if a man's 
reach should exceed his grasp1 it will  
not retard our progress toward the goal 
of a vocal vocabulary to attempt it now4
 ,apart from all aim in its pursuit1    
there is no more fascinating study than 
this study of inflection4 ,in this day  
of artistic photography there is an     

endless interest for the artist of the  
camera in playing with a subject's      
expression by varying the light and     
shade thrown upon the face4 ,so for the 
student of vocal expression there is    
endless interest in this play with the  
thought behind a group of words by      
varying the inflection of those words4  
,lady ,macbeth's1 ,we fail6 or          
,macbeth's1 ,if it were done when 'tis  
done1 then 'twere well it were done     
quickly1 occurs to us1 of course1 as    
rich material for this exercise4  ,in   
her analysis of the character of ,lady  
,macbeth ,mrs4 ,jameson gives us an     
interesting study in inflection1 based  
on ,mrs4 ,siddons's interpretation of   
the words ,we fail4 ,a foot-note reads3 
,in her impersonation of the part of    
,lady ,macbeth ,mrs4 ,siddons adopted   
successively three different intonations
 in giving the words 'we fail4' ,at     
first a quick1 contemptuous             
interrogation--'we fail8' ,afterward    
with the note of admiration--'we fail6' 

and an accent of indignant astonishment 
laying the principal emphasis on the    
word we--'we fail6' ,lastly1 she fixed  
on what ,i am convinced is the true     
reading--'we fail'--with the simple     
period1 modulating the voice to a deep1 
low1 resolute tone which settled the    
issue at once1 as though she had said3  
',if we fail1 why then we fail1 and all 
is over4'  ,think how vitally the total 
impersonation is affected by your choice
 of inflections at this point4 ,compare 
the effects of the three1 ,mrs4 ,siddons
 tested4 ,are there other possible      
intonations of the words8 ,what are     
they8 ,do you realize the vital effect  
upon the voice of such vocal analysis   
and experimentation8 ,devote ten minutes
 of the time you take for reading each  
day to this phase of vocal              
interpretation1 and at the end of a week
 note its effect upon your silent       
reading and upon your voice4  ,remember1
 with inflection1 as with every other   
phase of the training1 the greatest     

immediate benefit will come from holding
 the question of its peculiar           
significance constantly in mind4 ,study 
the temperament of the people about you 
by noting this element in their speech4 
,study the attitude of every            
interlocutor you face1 by studying the  
inflection of his replies to the        
questions of life and death you         
propound4 ,but1 above all1 study your   
own use of this element4 ,do not let    
your own attitude go undetected4 ,it may
 help you to alter an unfortunate       
attitude to realize its effect upon your
 own voice4   ,,iii  ,,study ,,in       
,,tone-,,color  ,and now we must turn to
 our last point of discussion1          
tone-color4 ,what is the nature of this 
element of our vocabulary--this         
,klangfarbe1 this ,timbre8 ,upon what   
does it depend8 ,you will say1 ,it is a 
property of the voice depending upon the
 form of the vibrations which produce   
the tone4 ,true6 ,and physiologically   
the form of the vibrations depends upon 

the condition of the entire vocal       
apparatus4 ,tone-color1 then1 is a      
modulation of resonance4 ,but what      
concerns us is the fact that it is an   
emotional modulation of resonance4 ,what
 concerns us is the fact that1 as a     
change of thought instantly registers   
itself in a change of pitch1 so a change
 of emotion instantly produces a change 
in the color of the tone--if the voice  
is a free instrument4 ,and so1 as       
before1 ,i want you not to think of the 
physiological aspect1 but to yield to   
the emotion1 noting the character of the
 resultant tone1 regardless of what has 
happened in the larynx to produce that  
result4  ,as ,browning affords us the   
best material for our study in change of
 pitch1 so the poems of ,sidney ,lanier 
offer to the voice the richest field for
 exercise in tone-color4 ,musician and  
poet in one1 ,lanier's peculiar charm   
lies in his unerring choice of words1   
which suggest in their sound1 when      
rightly voiced1 the atmosphere of the   

scene he is painting4 ,lanier uses words
 as ,corot uses colors4 ,this gives the 
voice its opportunity to bring out by   
subtle variations in timbre the         
variations in light and shade of an     
atmosphere4 ,to read aloud1             
sympathetically1 once a day1 ,lanier's  
,the ,symphony is the best possible way 
to develop simultaneously all the       
elements of a vocal vocabulary4 ,we     
shall use this poem to-day as a text for
 our study in tone-color4 ,let us omit  
the message of the violins and heavier  
strings1 and take the passage beginning 
with the interlude upon which the       
flute-voice breaks3      ,but presently 
,a velvet flute-note fell down          
pleasantly     ,upon the bosom of that  
harmony1     ,and sailed and sailed     
incessantly1     ,as if a petal from a  
wild rose blown     ,had fluttered down 
upon that pool of tone     ,and boatwise
 dropped o' the convex side     ,and    
floated down the glassy tide     ,and   
clarified and glorified     ,the solemn 

spaces where the shadows bide4     ,from
 the warm concave of that fluted note   
,somewhat1 half song1 half odor1 forth  
did float1     ,as if a rose might      
somehow be a throat2 444  ,what an ideal
 for tone-color6 ,dare we think to make 
it ours8 ,we must4 ,we must adopt it    
with confidence of attainment4 ,let me  
quote a little further3      ,when      
,nature from her far-off glen           
,flutes her soft messages to men1       
,the flute can say them o'er again2     
,yea1 ,nature1 singing sweet and lone1  
,breathes through life's strident       
polyphone     ,the flute-voice in the   
world of tone4  ,read this passage aloud
 as a mere statement of fact1 employing 
a matter-of-fact tone4 ,gray in color1  
is it not8 ,now let your voice take the 
color ,lanier has blended for you4 ,let 
your tone1 like a thing half song1 half 
odor1 float forth on these words and    
linger as only a perfume can about the  
thought4 ,now let the tone change in    
color to clarify and glorify the        

following message from the flute3#ac    
#ac ,the extracts on pp4 #bgi-bhg are   
from ,mr4 ,sidney ,lanier's volume of   
,poems1 published by ,charles           
,scribner's ,sons4      ,sweet friends1 
,man's love ascends     ,to finer and   
diviner ends     ,than man's mere       
thought e'er comprehends4  ,i cannot1   
for lack of space1 reprint the whole    
flute message1 but you will get the     
poem1 if you have it not1 and voice     
every word of it1 ,i am sure4 ,here are 
some of the most telling lines for our  
present purpose3      ,i speak for each 
no-tongued tree     ,that1 spring by    
spring1 doth nobler be1     ,and dumbly 
and most wistfully     ,his mighty      
prayerful arms outspreads     ,above    
men's oft-unheeding heads1     ,and his 
big blessing downward sheds4     ,i     
speak for all-shaped blooms and leaves1 
,lichens on stones and moss on eaves1   
,grasses and grains in ranks and        
sheaves2     ,broad-fronded ferns and   
keen-leaved canes1     ,and briery mazes

 bounding lanes1     ,and marsh-plants1 
thirsty-cupped for rains1     ,and milky
 stems and sugary veins2     ,for every 
long-armed woman-vine     ,that round a 
piteous tree doth twine2     ,for       
passionate odors1 and divine            
,pistils1 and petals crystalline2       
99       99       99       99       99  
,all tree-sounds1 rustlings of          
pine-cones1     ,wind-sighings1 doves'  
melodious moans1     ,and night's       
unearthly undertones2     ,all placid   
lakes and waveless deeps1     ,all cool 
reposing mountain-steeps1               
,vale-calms and tranquil lotos-sleeps2--
     ,yea1 all fair forms1 and sounds1  
and lights1     ,and warmths1 and       
mysteries1 and mights1     ,of ,nature's
 utmost depths and heights1     --,these
 doth my timid tongue present1          
,their mouthpiece and leal instrument   
,and servant1 all love-eloquent4  ,you  
see1 to voice this message a mood born  
of all the warmths and mysteries and    
mights of ,nature's utmost depths and   

heights must take possession of you1 and
 you must yield your instrument to the  
expression of that mood4 ,then watch1   
watch1 watch the color of the tone      
change as the voice1 starting with the  
clear flute-note1 follows               
sympathetically the varying phases of   
,nature's face which the poet has so    
sympathetically painted4 ,and now1 after
 a thrilling calm1 the flute yields its 
place to a sister instrument1 and the   
tone must change its timbre to the reed 
note of the clarionet4 ,in the melting  
message of that instrument we find two  
passages which afford the voice chance  
for a most vivid contrast in color4     
,beginning with the line1 ,now comes a  
suitor with sharp1 prying eye1 read the 
two descriptions which follow1 lending  
your voice to the atmosphere of each3   
444 ,here1 you ,lady1 if you'll sell    
,i'll buy3     ,come1 heart for heart--a
 trade8 ,what6 weeping8 why8     ,shame 
on such wooer's dapper mercery6     ,i  
would my lover kneeling at my feet      

,in humble manliness should cry1 ,o     
sweet6     ,i know not if thy heart my  
heart will greet3     ,i ask not if thy 
love my love can meet3     ,whate'er thy
 worshipful soft tongue shall say1      
,i'll kiss thine answer1 be it yea or   
nay3     ,i do but know ,i love thee1   
and ,i pray     ,to be thy knight until 
my dying day4  ,the first two lines1    
which set forth a suit in terms of      
trade1 demand a hard1 calculating tone1 
suggestive of large silver dollars4     
,call this color dull steel gray4 ,this 
tone flashes out for a moment in the    
white indignation of the third line1    
softens and warms with the next two     
lines1 then grows and glows until it    
reaches a crimson radiance in the last  
two lines4 ,try it6  ,and now1 with     
heartsome voice of mellow scorn1 let us 
sound the message of the bold           
straightforward horn4      ,now comfort 
thee1 said he1       ,fair ,lady4       
,for ,god shall right thy grievous      
wrong1     ,and man shall sing thee a   

true-love song1     ,voiced in act his  
whole life long1     ,yea1 all thy sweet
 life long1       ,fair ,lady4          
,where's he that craftily hath said4    
,the day of chivalry is dead8     ,i'll 
prove that lie upon his head1     ,or ,i
 will die instead1       ,fair ,lady4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,now by each knight that e'er hath      
prayed     ,to fight like a man and love
 like a maid1     ,since ,pembroke's    
life as ,pembroke's blade1     ,i' the  
scabbard1 death was laid1     ,i dare   
avouch my faith is bright     ,that ,god
 doth right and ,god hath might4        
,nor time hath changed ,his hair to     
white1     ,nor ,his dear love to spite1
       ,fair ,lady4      ,i doubt no    
doubts3 ,i strive1 and shrive my clay1  
,and fight my fight in the patient      
modern way     ,for true love and for   
thee--ah me6 and pray     ,to be thy    
knight until my dying day1       ,fair  
,lady4      ,made end that knightly     
horn1 and spurred away1     ,into the   

thick of the melodious fray4  ,remember 
your key is set for you1--the color of  
the tone is plainly chosen for you by   
,mr4 ,lanier4 ,not red nor yellow1 but a
 blending of the two4 ,orange1 is it    
not8 ,will not an orange tone give us   
the feel of heartsome confidence behind 
and through the mellow scorn of the     
knight's message8 ,try it6 ,let the two 
primary colors1 red and yellow1 enter in
 varying degrees according to1 or       
following1 the emotional variation in   
the thought1 as the knight or the lover 
dominates in the message4 ,in the first 
seven lines the tone glows with the love
 radiance and the orange deepens toward 
red4 ,with the next five lines the lover
 yields to the knight1 and the tone     
flashes forth a golden1 keen-edged      
sword4 ,with the thirteenth line the    
tone begins in the orange on ,now by    
each knight that e'er hath prayed1      
flashes into yellow in to fight like a  
man1 softens and deepens toward red in  
and love like a maid1 and returns to the

 orange to finish the horn motif4  ,next
 in this poem which affords such a      
wonderful study for tone-color we have  
the hautboy's message4 ,the color is    
mixed and laid on the palette ready for 
use as before1 with the introductory    
lines3      ,and then the hautboy played
 and smiled1     ,and sang like any     
large-eyed ,child1     ,cool-hearted and
 all undefiled4  ,don't let the words   
large-eyed ,child mislead you4 ,don't1  
,i beseech you1 make the mistake of     
adopting the ,little ,orphan ,annie tone
 with which the elocutionist too often  
insults the pure treble of a child's    
undefiled instrument4 ,that is the      
keynote to us for our choice of         
color--cool-hearted and all undefiled4  
,almost a white tone1 is it not8 ,with a
 little of the blue of the ,june sky8   
,try it4 ,let the blue be visibly       
present in the first three lines3       
,huge ,trade6 he said1     ,would thou  
wouldst lift me on thy head     ,and run
 where'er my finger led6  turning to    

pure white in the next three lines3     
,once said a ,man--and wise was ,he--   
,never shalt thou the heavens see       
,save as a little child thou be4  ,the  
last voice comes from the ancient wise  
bassoons4 ,again there is danger4 ,do   
not1 oh6 do not fall afoul of the       
conventional old man's quavering tone4  
,there is nothing conventional about    
these weird1 gray-beard old harpers     
sitting on the high sea-dunes1 chanting 
runes4 ,the last words of these         
introductory lines safeguard us--chanted
 runes4 ,there is only one color of tone
 in which to chant runes4 ,gray1 is it  
not8 ,yes1 but a silver gray1 not the   
steel gray of the clarionet when she    
became for the moment a commercial      
lover4 ,then in the silver-gray tone of 
the philosopher1 voice this last motif3 
,bright-waved gain1 gray-waved loss1    
,the sea of all doth lash and toss1     
,one wave forward and one across3       
,but now 'twas trough1 now 'tis crest1  
,and worst doth foam and flash to best1 

,and curst to blest4  ,the importance of
 a right use of tone-color in vocal     
interpretation was impressed upon a     
,browning class last winter4 ,we were   
reading the ,dramatic ,lyrics4 ,the poem
 for the hour was ,meeting at ,night4   
,the tone with which the first student  
attacked this exquisite love-lyric was  
so businesslike1 so matter of fact1 so  
utterly out of key1 that we who listened
 saw not the lover hastening to his     
beloved1 but a real-estate agent out to 
buy a farm4 ,the gray sea1 the long     
black land1 the yellow half-moon large  
and low1 the startled little waves that 
creep in fiery ringlets from their      
sleep1 the pushing prow of the boat     
quenched in the slushy sand1 the warm1  
sea-scented beach1 and the three fields 
all assumed a merely commercial value4  
,they were interesting exactly as would 
be a catalogue of properties in a deed  
of real estate4 ,if you are not a very  
intense member of a ,browning society   
you will1 ,i think1 enjoy the test of   

tone-color involved in reading this poem
 from the contrasted standpoints of the 
business man and the lover4 ,of course1 
in the first instance you must stop     
where ,i1 in desperation1 stopped the   
student on the words1 a farm appears4   
,for ,i defy any one to read the last   
two lines in a gray1 matter-of-fact     
tone4  ,as was the case in our          
consideration of inflection1 so in this 
study of tone-color there is an         
embarrassment of rich material for the  
exercise of this element4 ,lanier's     
,sunrise and ,corn2 ,browning's prologue
 to ,the ,two ,poets of ,croisic1 with a
 vivid contrast of color in each verse2 
,swinburne's almost every line2 ,dante  
,gabriel ,rossetti1 ,wordsworth1 ,keats1
 ,tennyson--but why enumerate8 ,all the 
colorists among the poets will reward   
your search of a text for the           
development of timbre4  ,for a final    
brief study of the three elements we aim
 to acquire1 with especial emphasis in  
thought upon the last one1 let us take  

this prologue to ,the ,two ,poets of    
,croisic1 with its color-contrast in    
each verse3      ,such a starved bank of
 moss       ,till that ,may morn1       
,blue ran the flash across3             
,violets were born6      ,sky--what a   
scowl of cloud       ,till1 near and    
far1     ,ray on ray split the shroud3  
,splendid1 a star6      ,world--how it  
walled about       ,life with disgrace  
,till ,god's own smile came out3        
,that was thy face  ,the vocal treatment
 of the first two verses will be very   
much alike4 ,the voice starts in minor  
key1 a gray monotone1 in harmony with   
the absence of color in the bare bank of
 dull moss4 ,the inflection of the word 
starved must emphasize the grayness4 ,it
 must be a dull push of the tone on the 
first syllable1 with little1 if any1    
lift above the level of the low pitch on
 which the whole line is spoken4 ,with a
 swift1 salient1 rising inflection on   
the opening word of the second line1 an 
inflection which creates expectancy of  

change1 the voice lifts the thought out 
of the minor into the major key4 ,i must
 call your attention to the vital       
significance of the use of pause at this
 point by simply asking you to indulge  
in it4 ,stop after uttering the word    
till and study the effect of the pause4 
,it is the pause quite as much as the   
inflection1 you see1 which induces the  
expectant attitude you desire to create 
in the mind of your auditor4 ,with the  
next three words1 that ,may morn1 the   
tone takes on a bit of the warmth of    
early summer4 ,a lingering cadence on   
the word ,may will help the suggestion4 
,with the third line the voice begins to
 shine4 ,i know no other way to express 
it4 ,the inflections are swift and      
straight1 but not staccato1 because they
 must suggest a growth1 not a burst of  
color4 ,the tone on which the words are 
borne must be continuous4 ,it must not  
be broken off definitely with each word1
 as is to prove most effective1 we shall
 find1 in handling the third line of the

 second verse4 ,the fourth line brings  
the full1 glowing1 radiant tone on the  
first word1 violets4 ,this tone must be 
held in full volume on the last two     
words4 ,the law for beautiful speech    
must be observed here4 7,but where      
should it not be observed87 ,let us     
recall the law1 ,beautiful speech       
depends upon openness of vowels and     
definiteness of consonants4 ,the vowels 
give volume to a word1 the consonants   
form4 ,slur your consonants and squeeze 
your vowels in the three words of this  
line1 ,violets were born1 and what      
becomes of this miracle of spring8 ,the 
voicing of the second verse is very like
 that of the first4 ,the opening line   
demands the same gray monotone4 ,but the
 three words1 sky1 scowl1 and cloud1 if 
clear-cut in utterance1 as they should  
be1 will break the level of the line    
more than the single word starved in the
 first line of the first verse can do1  
or was meant to do4 ,there is the same  
swift lift of the voice in the opening  

word of the second line1 the same change
 to the major key1 the same growing glow
 in the tone on the third line1 and the 
same radiant outburst of color sustained
 through the last line4 ,the only       
difference lies in the suffusion of     
radiance in the tone to suggest the     
coming of color to the bank1 in the     
first verse1 and the outburst of        
radiance to suggest the sudden splitting
 of the clouds and the star's swift     
birth1 in the second verse4 ,with the   
emotional change of thought in the last 
verse1 from a travail and birth in      
nature to a human soul's struggle and   
rebirth1 the deepening color which      
creeps into the tone indicates the      
entrance of personal passion4 ,the key  
does not change4 ,the inflections are   
still and straight4 ,the tone simply    
deepens and glows in the last two lines1
 as a prayerful ecstasy possesses the   
one who reads4     ,,part ,,iii         
,,studies ,,in ,,vocal ,,technique      
,,studies ,,in ,,vocal ,,technique      

,,the ,,uninterrupted ,,tone   ,when a  
rich1 dramatic temperament seeks for its
 instrument of expression the control of
 faultless technique the result ought to
 be art of the highest order4 ,such is  
the art of ,gracia ,ricardo4 ,she has   
translated her ,english name into       
musical ,italian1 but does her country  
the honor to announce her beautiful     
voice as an ,american soprano4  ,every  
tone of ,gracia ,ricardo's singing voice
 is as absolutely free from effort as   
the repeated note of the hermit thrush's
 song1 and her tone as pure tone has the
 effect of that liquid call4 ,but could 
you freight the thrush note with        
knowledge of human passion1--with throb 
of joy or pulse of pain1 you would get  
from it the effect of ,gracia ,ricardo's
 singing of a ,heine-,schubert song1 a  
,schumann1 ,brahms1 or ,franz lied1 or  
one of our ,english ballads4 ,it must   
always be a song1 for ,gracia ,ricardo  
does not exploit her voice in           
astonishing vocal feats4 ,she simply    

sings her song4 ,it was her wish to     
interpret the lieder of all countries   
that sent her in search of a method     
which would free her voice to that high 
use4 ,she found that method1 not in her 
own country1 alas1 but in ,germany1     
where for twelve years she has used it  
in the guidance of her own voice and    
that of many others4 ,she finds the     
,american pupil difficult1 because ,you 
are so impatient of a long1 quiet       
preparation4 ,you wish to try your skill
 at every step of the way--and not in   
the privacy of your study1 but in a     
public's hearing4 ,poor ,american       
public6 ,how it has suffered from this  
impatience4 ,it is true1 is it not1 we  
are not willing to take time to         
establish a right condition for tone    
before using the tone in what should be 
final efforts of the perfected          
instrument4 ,blessed be drudgery has not
 become a beatitude in the gospel of the
 ,american artist4 ,when it is so       
recognized by the student of vocal      

expression perhaps we can reclaim this  
great singer and teacher1 ,madame       
,ricardo4 ,this book would further that 
end4  ,it has been my good fortune while
 making this book for you to do some    
brief but intensive studying under      
,madame ,ricardo4 ,it is by her gracious
 consent that ,i shall leave with you as
 an incentive toward the ideal for which
 we are striving the two watchwords of  
her teaching which were most potently   
suggestive to me4 ,the exercises which  
constitute her method require personal  
supervision1 but the active principle of
 those exercises for both tone          
production and breath control is clearly
 indicated by the two phrases the       
uninterrupted tone and the constant     
mouth-breath4 ,these two ideas fully    
sensed by a voice will work swift       
wonders in its use4  ,like ,mr4 ,mabie's
 pool of expectancy1 these watchwords of
 the ,ricardo method suggest their own  
application2 but let us consider them   
somewhat more closely4 ,think then with 

me of an uninterrupted tone--a tone     
which is not interfered with at any     
point in its production4 ,think of a    
breath that flows freely on and on1     
constantly reinforced1 but never        
interrupted--a breath that is allowed to
 enter the vocal box1 pass between the  
vocal chords1 where it is converted into
 tone2 yield itself to the organs of    
speech and controlled by the speech     
process1 issue from the mouth in        
beautiful speech forms1 in the words    
which constitute a language6  ,tracing  
the process of tone production in this  
way1 we find that three distinct steps  
are involved4 ,even as ,i write the     
words distinct and steps ,i realize     
their inharmony with the idea of flowing
 tone4 ,rather then let us say three    
phases in the evolution of speech3      
breath1 tone1 speech4 ,in using the word
 speech to designate the final phase in 
this evolution ,i am thinking of it in  
its broadest sense--really in a sense   
identical with language4 ,with this     

final phase beyond its mere initiation  
this book cannot deeply concern itself4 
,for work along this line ,i must refer 
you to ,prof4 ,t4 ,r4 ,lounsbury's      
,standard of ,pronunciation in ,english2
 to the article on ,the ,acquiring of   
,clear ,speech by ,john ,d4 ,barry1     
published in ,harper's ,bazaar for      
,august1 ,september1 and ,october1      
#aijg2 to ,the ,technique of ,speech1 by
 ,dora ,duty ,jones4  ,not technique of 
speech1 but technique of tone is our    
study4 ,not how to make beautiful speech
 forms1 but how to make beautiful       
speech-tones2 not how to distinguish one
 speech from another in a language1 or  
the speech forms of one language from   
those of another1 but how to distinguish
 interrupted speech-tone from           
uninterrupted speech-tone--such is our  
problem4  ,but tone is breath before it 
becomes speech1 so our first concern is 
with the initial stage4 ,the process of 
breath control in the ,ricardo method of
 tone production 7as in my own7 is      

analogous to the process of pumping     
water4 ,let your chest with its lungs   
represent the reservoir1 your diaphragm1
 the great muscle at the base of the    
lungs1 becomes the piston and your mouth
 the mouth of the pump4 ,if the mouth of
 the pump runs dry the pump itself runs 
down and has to be primed4 ,priming a   
pump is precisely analogous to catching 
your breath in speech4  ,the active     
principle of breath control in the      
,ricardo method is the idea of a        
constant mouth-breath4 ,a sense of      
uninterrupted breath is as essential to 
a knowledge of correct tone as a sense  
of uninterrupted tone is to a knowledge 
of correct speech and song4  ,in        
breathing to speak or sing there must be
 such perfect diaphragmatic control that
 the mouth shall never be out of breath4
 ,you must learn in speaking and reading
 to take easily and quietly breath      
enough and often enough to supply the   
tone which is to be made into a single  
word1 a phrase1 a sentence1 or a series 

of sentences1 and leave the mouth-breath
 unexhausted1 even unaffected4 ,you must
 never catch your breath2 the breath    
must pass continuously1 the mouth-breath
 remaining a constant quantity4  ,it was
 gratifying in my work with this master 
of tone production to find that my own  
method in the training of the speaking  
voice was in accord at almost every     
point with her method in the training of
 the singing voice4 ,in reprinting for  
you the exposition of my own method1 as 
set down in ,the ,speaking ,voice1 ,i   
have found it necessary to make but few 
changes4 ,i have altered entirely the   
method of handling the tongue4 ,i have  
added a word as to the part the lips    
play in the production of speech4 ,in   
the few exercises it is safe to offer   
under the reinforcing of tone ,i have   
used the e instead of the 1 convinced   
that it is the more effective vowel     
sound through which to work for         
uninterrupted tone4  ,it was also a     
pleasure to find my own instrument1     

through its training for speech1        
adequately prepared for the work in     
song4 ,the studies which constitute     
,part ,three of this book1 if faithfully
 attended1 will fit your voices for     
higher work in either art4   ,,learning 
,,to ,,support ,,the ,,tone  ,before    
attempting the exercises involved in the
 first step1 let us examine a tone in   
the making1 or1 rather1 let us feel how 
it is made--for the process of tone     
production1 so far as it concerns us1 is
 not of physiological1 but rather       
psychological1 significance4 ,the huge  
tomes on the physiology of the voice    
which are of vital interest to the      
student of anatomy are not only of no   
use1 but are apt to be a positive       
hindrance to the student of vocal       
training4 ,a vivid picture of the larynx
 or vocal cords1 a cross-section of the 
trachea1 or a highly illuminated image  
of any of the cavities concerned in the 
production of that most wonderful thing 
in the world1 a pure tone of the human  

voice1 is a source of delight to the    
physiologist1 but will only interfere   
with that feel for the free1 full volume
 of sound which the student of voice as 
an instrument of thought and emotion is 
to make1 as a first step in vocal       
training4 ,then1 not as anatomists or   
physiologists1 but as makers of music1  
let us look at1 let us feel for1 a tone4
  ,i am stung by the splendor of a      
sudden thought2 ,i desire to share it   
with you2 the desire causes me to take a
 deep breath1 a column of air rises1 is 
converted into tone1 passes into the    
mouth1 and is moulded into the words    
which symbolize my thought4 ,let us1    
without further analysis1 try this4     
,close your eyes1 think of some line of 
prose or poetry which has moved you     
profoundly2 let it take possession of   
you until you are seized by the desire  
to voice it4 ,still with closed eyes1   
feel yourself take the breath which is  
to be made into tone1 and then into the 
words which stand for the thought4 ,hold

 that sensation1 and study it with me   
for a moment4 ,but1 you say1 the desire 
to voice the thought does not seize me4 
,very well1 let me ask you a question4  
,do you believe in examinations8 ,now   
your thought was converted so swiftly   
into speech that you had no time to     
study the conversion4 ,once more1       
whether your answer be ,yes or ,no1     
close your eyes and feel for the tone   
you are to use in making the single     
word4  ,now1 a little more in detail1   
let us see what happens4 ,a thought full
 of emotion meets the question1 the     
desire to answer is born2 the need of   
breath to meet the desire contracts the 
diaphragm 7the pump72 the chest 7the    
reservoir7 fills2 a column of air1      
pumped and controlled by the diaphragm1 
and reinforced in the chest1 rises1     
strikes the vocal cords 7the strings of 
the instrument71 the strings vibrate1   
converting the air into sound1 into     
tone2 the tone1 reinforced in all the   
chambers of the head1 passes into the   

mouth1 and is there moulded by the      
juxtaposition of the organs of speech   
7lips1 teeth1 tongue7 into the word1 the
 single1 monosyllabic word1 ,yes or ,no1
 which frames the thought4 ,now1 once   
more1 with closed eyes1 sense the       
process and hold the sensation1 but do  
not speak the word4 ,now1 still once    
more1 and this time1 speak4 ,alas6 did  
we say we were makers of music8 ,is this
 harmony1--this harsh1 hard1 breathy1   
strident note8 ,what is the trouble8    
,first of all1 fundamental to all1 and  
beyond a doubt the secret of the        
dissonance1 you did not breathe before  
you spoke or as you spoke4 ,i mean1     
really breathe4 ,and that is the first  
point to be attacked4 ,breathe1 breathe1
 breathe6 you must learn how to breathe2
 you must get your pump1 your diaphragm1
 into working order1 you must master it1
 you must control it1 you must not      
fetter it1 you must give it a free      
chance to do its work4 ,if you are a    
man1 you have probably at least been    

fair in not tying down your pump2 you   
have not incased yourself in steel bands
 and drawn them so tight that your      
diaphragm could not descend and perform 
its office4 ,yes1 and if you are the    
athletic girl of to-day1 you have       
probably learned the delight and benefit
 of free muscular action4 ,but you may  
still be suffering from the effect of   
your mother's crime in this direction4  
,it may have sent you into the world    
with weakened muscles in control of the 
great pumping-station upon which must   
depend the beauty of your voice4  ,but  
whatever the condition or the cause1 it 
must1 if wrong1 be made right4 ,we must 
learn to breathe properly1 freely1      
naturally4 7,do not confuse naturally   
and habitually4 ,in this connection     
these terms are opposites rather than   
synonyms47 ,to breathe naturally we must
 do away with all constriction4 ,we must
 choose between the alleged beauty of a 
disproportionately small waist and the  
charm of a beautiful and alluring voice4

 ,we cannot have both4 ,then1 off with  
tight corsets6 ,thank ,heaven6 they are 
the exception and not the rule to-day4  
,please note that ,i distinctly do not  
say1 ,off with corsets1 but only ,off   
with ill-fitting corsets1 for which     
tight is but another name4 ,i believe1  
to digress a moment1 with our present   
method of dress1 a properly fitted      
corset is an absolute necessity1 except 
in the rare instances where a perfectly 
proportioned and slender figure is also 
under the control of firm1 well-trained 
muscles4 ,in a first flush of rapture   
over the vision of the gentle ladies of 
,mr4 ,howell's ,altruria1 seen ,through 
the ,eye of the ,needle1 we feel that we
 can take a step toward that paradise by
 discarding the strait-laced tailored   
torture the present-day costume         
prescribes1 for the corsetless grace of 
the ,altrurian garment2 but our         
enthusiasm is short-lived1 as we realize
 that we are in modern ,america and must
 make as inconspicuously gracious an    

appearance as possible without violating
 the conventions4 ,so1 as ,i say1 do not
 discard the corset1 which is1 for the  
majority of women1 the saving grace of  
the present fashion in dress2 only see  
that your corset brings out what is best
 in the figure ,god gave you1 instead of
 disfiguring it1 as undue constriction  
of any part of your body will inevitably
 do4 ,incidentally1 by this precaution1 
save your voice as well4  ,but until we 
can be refitted1 or readjust the corsets
 we already wear1 and the gowns made    
over them1 we must avoid the            
discouraging effect of trying to work   
against the odds of a costume which     
interferes with our breathing1 by making
 a practice of taking the breathing     
exercises involved in the first step1 at
 night and in the morning4 ,five minutes
 of deep1 free breathing from the       
diaphragm1 lying flat on your back in   
bed at night and before you rise in the 
morning1 will accomplish the desired    
result4 ,the point in lying flat on your

 back is that in that position alone you
 can be sure you are breathing          
naturally1 which is diaphragmatically4  
,indeed1 you cannot1 without great      
effort1 and sometimes not even then1    
breathe any other way than naturally4 ,i
 cannot tell you why4 ,i can only say1  
try it and see4  ,our first exercise1   
then1 is to lie flat on the back at     
night and in the morning1 when you are  
perfectly free1 and1 with closed eyes1  
take deep1 long breaths1 letting them go
 slowly1 and studying the accompanying  
sensation until it is fixed fast and you
 feel you cannot lose it1 but can       
reproduce1 under any condition1 the     
action which resulted in that sensation4
 ,the incidental effect of this exercise
 is to make one very sleepy4 ,indeed1   
nothing will so quickly and effectually 
put to flight that foe of the society   
woman and business man of to-day1       
insomnia1 as the practice of deep1      
regular natural breathing4 ,add counting
 each respiration1 and it is an almost  

unfailing remedy4 ,the only trouble for 
our purpose is that it is sometimes so  
swiftly soporific that we are asleep    
before the sensation is fixed fast and  
noted in consciousness3 which is one    
object of the exercise4 ,however1 should
 we find the prescribed five minutes at 
night interfered with by coming         
drowsiness1 we may yield in sleepy      
content1 sustained and soothed by the   
thought that we shall be in splendid    
shape for the morning practice1 with    
which nothing must interfere1 not       
headache1 or sciatica1 or leprosy1 or   
thunder-stroke4  ,we are ready now for  
the third exercise4 ,when1 for five     
minutes in the morning1 lying flat on   
your back1 with closed eyes1 you have   
taken deep1 long breaths1 letting them  
go slowly1 yielding your whole body to  
the act of respiration1 noting the      
effect and fixing fast the sensation1 as
 a next step you are to stand up and    
repeat the operation4 ,still holding the
 sensation 7not by tightening your      

muscles1 or clenching your fists1 or    
setting your teeth1 but simply by       
thinking the sensation1 letting it      
possess you71 in this attitude of mind  
breathe naturally1 standing instead of  
lying down4 ,that is all4 ,don't be     
discouraged if the test prove           
unsatisfactory at first4 ,try an        
intermediate step4 ,sit on the side of  
your bed1 or in a straight-back chair1  
and1 closing your eyes and relaxing all 
your muscles except those governing the 
diaphragm1 breathe4 ,now stand1 well    
poised4 ,by well poised1 of course1 you 
know ,i mean with the weight perfectly  
balanced about the center of gravity1   
which1 in turn1 means that a            
perpendicular dropped from the highest  
point of the lifted chest without       
encountering any part of your body1 and 
especially not your abdomen 7which      
should be held always back1 so that it  
is flat1 if not actually concave7 will  
fall unobstructed to the floor1 striking
 a point just between the balls of your 

feet4 ,standing thus1 well poised1 place
 the right hand on your body1 just below
 your ribs at the base of the lungs1 and
 your left hand on your back1 just      
opposite your right hand2 then breathe1 
and feel the diaphragm1 as it descends1 
cause the torso1 in turn1 to expand from
 front to back1 pressing against either 
hand4 ,let the breath go slowly1        
controlling its emission by controlling 
the diaphragm4  ,so the three exercises 
stand progressively thus3               
,first4--,breathe naturally1 which is   
diaphragmatically1 five minutes at      
night4 7,at first you can be sure of    
doing this only by lying flat on your   
back47  ,second4--,breathe naturally1   
which is diaphragmatically1 for five    
minutes in the morning1 and note the    
sensation4  ,third4--,stand and test    
your newly acquired power by trying to  
breathe diaphragmatically while on your 
feet4  ,these three exercises constitute
 the first step in the first stage of   
vocal training1 and that step is called 

,learning to ,support the ,tone4  ,i    
know a little girl who1 in the beginning
 of her career1 alarmed her parents by  
refusing to utter a syllable or the     
semblance of a syllable until she was   
three years old1 when she evidently     
considered herself ready for her maiden 
effort at speech4 ,prepared she proved1 
for1 sitting at the window in her       
high-chair one day1 watching people     
pass1 she remarked quietly and with     
perfect precision1 ,there goes ,mrs4    
,tibbets4 ,i find myself secretly       
wishing it were possible for you to     
refrain from speech1 not for three      
years1 but for three weeks1 while you   
quietly prepare for speech by practising
 these three breathing exercises4 ,it is
 quite the customary thing 7or ought to 
be7 for the teacher of voice as an      
instrument of song to require of the    
student a period of silence--that is1 a 
period in which only exercises are      
allowed1 and songs1 even the simplest1  
are forbidden4 ,however1 our only way to

 secure this condition would be to go   
into retreat2 but1 after all1 one of the
 most encouraging things about this work
 is the remarkable effect upon the      
speaking voice of simply holding the    
thought of the right condition for tone1
 thinking the three exercises ,i have   
given you4 ,it is not so remarkable1    
perhaps1 in the light of the experiment 
recently made 7,i am told7 in one of our
 great colleges1 when three men daily   
performed a certain exercise1 and three 
other men simply thought it intensely1  
and the resultant effect upon the       
muscles used in the act was marvelously 
similar4 ,i am half afraid to have      
recalled this1 lest you take advantage  
of the suggestion and relax your effort1
 or1 out of curiosity1 make the         
experiment4 ,please don't4 ,i offer it  
only as an incentive to you1 to think at
 least of the desired condition1 if you 
cannot every day indulge in an active   
effort to attain it4  ,please test at   
once the immediate effect of this third 

exercise4 ,take the attitude ,i have    
defined1 and try once more any          
full-voweled syllable4 ,i think you will
 find the tone already improved4        
,,learning ,,to ,,free ,,the ,,tone  ,we
 have worked1 so far1 for support of    
tone4 ,we must now free the supported   
tone1 by freeing the channel for the    
emission of the breath as it is         
converted into tone and moulded into    
speech4 ,we shall find that in learning 
to support the tone we have gone far    
toward securing that freedom2 but the   
habit of years is not easily overcome1  
and every time you have spoken without  
proper support of breath you have forced
 the tone from the throat1 by tightening
 the muscles and closing the channel1   
thus making conditions which must now be
 reformed by steady1 patient effort4    
,yet it is not effort ,i want from you  
now2 it is lack of effort4 ,it is       
passivity2 it is surrender4 ,i want you 
to relax all the muscles which govern   
the organs concerned in converting the  

breath into tone and moulding the tone  
into speech1 all the muscles controlling
 the throat and mouth1 including the    
lips and jaw4 ,i want utter passivity of
 the parts from the point where the     
column of breath strikes the vocal cords
 to where1 as tone1 it is moulded into  
the word ,no4 ,surrender to the desire  
to utter that word4 ,concentrate your   
thought on two things3 the taking of the
 breath and the word it is to become4   
,now1 lying down1 or sitting easily1    
lazily1 in a comfortable chair1 or      
standing leaning against the wall1 with 
closed eyes1 surrender to the thought   
,no1 and1 taking a breath1 speak4 ,still
 hard and unmusical you find8 ,yes1 but 
,i am sure not so hopelessly hard as    
before4 ,what shall we do to relax the  
tense muscles1 to release the throat and
 free the channel8 ,at the risk of being
 written down a propagandist1 in the    
ranks of the extreme dress-reformers1 ,i
 shall say1 first of all1 take off those
 high1 tight collars4 ,again1 as with   

the corset1 it is a case of a misfit    
rather than too tight a fit4 ,if your   
collar is cut to fit1 it need not be too
 high nor too tight for comfort1 and it 
will still be becoming4 ,you want it to 
cling to the neck and keep the line4    
,cut it to fit1 and it will keep the    
line2 then put in pieces of whalebone1  
if necessary1 or resort to some of the  
many other devices now in vogue for     
keeping the soft collar erect1 but don't
 choke yourself1 either by fastening it 
too tight or cutting it too high4 ,but  
how simple it would be if we could relax
 the tension by doffing our ill-fitting 
corsets and collars4 ,alas6 the trouble 
is deeper seated than that4  ,it is an  
indisputable and most unfortunate fact  
that nervous tension registers itself   
more easily in the muscles about the    
mouth and throat than anywhere else4    
,so1 if we live as do even the children 
of to-day1 under excitement1 and so in a
 state of nervous tension1 the habit of 
speaking with the channel only half open

 is quickly formed1 and the voice       
becomes shrill and harsh4 ,you have     
noticed that the more emphatic one grows
 in argument the higher and harder the  
voice becomes1 and1 incidentally1 the   
less convincing the argument4 ,this is  
true of all excitement2 the nervous     
tension accompanying it constricts the  
throat1 and the result is a closed      
channel4 ,to learn instinctively to     
refer this tension for registration not 
to the throat1 but to the diaphragm1 is 
a part of vocal training4 ,this can be  
easily accomplished with children1 and  
the habit established of taking a deep  
breath under the influence of any       
emotion4 ,this breath will cause the    
throat to open instead of shut1 and the 
tone to grow full1 deep1 and round1     
instead of high and harsh4 ,the full1   
deep1 round tone will carry twice as far
 as the high1 harsh1 breathy one4 ,the  
one deep breath resulting in the full1  
deep tone may--nay1 will--often serve   
the same purpose as ,tattycoram's ,count

 five-and-twenty1 and save the angry    
retort4  ,it is useless to regret1 on   
either ethical or aesthetic grounds1    
that we were not taught in childhood to 
take the deep breath and make the deep  
tone4 ,but let us look to it that the   
voices and dispositions of our children 
are not allowed to suffer4 ,meanwhile1  
in correcting the fault in the use of   
our own instruments1 we shall go far    
toward establishing the proper condition
 with the next generation1 since the    
child is so mimetic that1 to hear sweet1
 quiet1 low tones about him will have   
more effect than much technical training
 in keeping his voice free and musical4 
,in the same way1 the child who hears   
good ,english spoken at home seems less 
dependent upon text-books in grammar and
 rhetoric to perfect his verbal         
expression than the child who is not so 
fortunate in this respect4  ,to insure  
the registration of nervous tension in  
the muscles controlling the diaphragm   
and not the throat--that is1 to form the

 habit of breathing deeply when speaking
 under the influence of emotion1 is our 
problem4 ,the present fault in          
registration will be found to be        
different with each one of us1 or1 at   
least1 will cause us to flock together  
according to the place of registration4 
,each must locate for himself his own   
difficulty1 or go to a vocal specialist 
and have it located4 ,the tension may be
 altogether in the muscles governing the
 throat1 or it may be in those about the
 mouth4 ,there is the resultant1 breathy
 tone1 the hard tone1 the nasal tone1   
the guttural tone1 the tone that issues 
from a set jaw or an unruly tongue4 ,all
 mean tension of muscles somewhere1 and 
must be met by relaxation of these      
muscles and the freeing of the channel4 
,how to relax the throat shall be our   
initial point of attack4 ,a suggestion  
made by my first teacher proved most    
helpful to me1 a suggestion so simple   
that ,i did not for the moment take it  
seriously4 ,think1 she said1 how your   

throat feels just before you yawn4 ,yes1
 ,i replied1 irrelevantly1 and just     
after you have eaten a peppermint--that 
cool1 delicious1 open sensation4 ,this  
impressed her as significant1 but not so
 effective as her suggestion to me1     
which ,i felt to be true when ,i began  
to think of it seriously1 and so1 of    
course1 to yawn furiously4 ,try it4     
,think of the yawn4 ,close your eyes and
 feel how the deep breath with which the
 yawn begins 7the need of which1 indeed1
 caused it7 opens the throat1 relaxing  
all the muscles4 ,now1 instead of       
yawning1 speak4 ,the result will be a   
good tone1 simply because the condition 
for tone was right4 ,the moment the yawn
 actually arrives1 the condition is     
lost1 the throat closes2 but in that    
moment before the break into the yawn1  
the muscles about the throat relax and  
the channel opens1 as the muscles       
controlling the diaphragm tighten and   
the deep breath is taken4  ,these1 then1
 are the first exercises in the second  

step in vocal training4 ,this step is   
called ,freeing the ,tone4              
,first4--,yawn1 noting the sensation4   
,second4--,just before the throat breaks
 into the yawn1 stop1 and1 instead of   
carrying out the yawn1 speak4 ,repeat   
this fifty times a day1 or ten times1 as
 often as you will4 ,only1 keep at it4  
,take always a single full-voweled      
monosyllable2 one1 or four1 or no1 or   
love1 or loop1 or dove1 etc4  ,we       
cannot1 in a printed consideration1     
touch more in detail upon individual    
cases1 but must confine ourselves to    
these simple exercises1 which will1 in  
general1 be swiftly and effectively     
remedial4  ,but we must not stop with   
the throat1 which is but part of the    
channel involved in the emission of     
breath as speech4 ,there is the tense   
jaw to be reckoned with--the jaw set by 
nervous tension1 the jaw which refuses  
to yield itself to the moulding of the  
tone into the beautiful open vowel and  
the clean-cut consonant which make our  

words so interesting to utter4 ,it is   
the set jaw which1 forcing the tone to  
squeeze itself out1 causes it to sound  
thin and hard4 ,again1 it is surrender  
and not effort ,i want4 ,just as ,i     
should try to secure the relaxation of  
your arm or hand by asking you to       
surrender it to me1 drop it a dead      
weight at your side for me to lift as ,i
 choose1 so now ,i ask you to surrender 
your lower jaw to yourself4 ,let it go4 
,drop your head forward1 resting your   
chin on your chest4 ,then raise your    
head1 but not your chin4 ,let your mouth
 fall open4 ,assume for the moment that 
mark of the feeble-minded1 the idiotic1 
the dropped-open mouth1 just long enough
 to note the sensation4 ,place your     
fingers on either side of your head     
where the jaws conjoin1 and open your   
mouth quickly and with intention4 ,note 
the action under your finger-tips4 ,now 
let the mouth fall open1 by simply      
surrendering the lower jaw1 and note    
this time the lack of action under your 

fingers1 at the juncture of the jaws4   
,it is this passive surrender which we  
must learn to make1 if we find1 on      
investigation1 that we are speaking     
through a half-open mouth held fast by a
 set jaw4 ,the set jaw resists and      
distorts the mould1 and the beauty of   
the form of the word which flows from   
the mould is lost2 the relaxed jaw      
yields to the moulding of the perfectly 
modeled word4  ,in practising this      
relaxation there is very little danger  
of going too far1 since the set jaw is  
the indication of a tense habit of      
thought1 of a high-strung temperament1  
and this habit of thought will never    
become1 through the practise of an      
outward mechanical exercise1 the slack  
habit of thought which is evidenced by  
the loose dropping of words from a too  
relaxed jaw--a habit which must be met  
by quite the opposite method of         
treatment4 ,there are many exercises    
involved in vocal training which must be
 directed very carefully for a time     

before the student can be trusted to    
practise them alone2 so ,i am confining 
myself in this1 as in every step we take
 together1 to the simple1 fundamental1  
and at the same time perfectly safe     
ones4  ,to review those for relaxation  
of the lower jaw3  ,first4--,drop the   
head until the chin rests upon the      
breast4 ,raise the head1 but not the    
lower jaw4  ,second4--,with eyes devoid 
of intelligence and the mouth dropped   
open1 shake the head until you feel the 
weight of the lower jaw--until the lower
 jaw seems to hang loosely from the     
upper jaw and to be shaken by it1 as    
your hand1 when you shake it from the   
wrist1 seems to be commanded by the arm1
 and to have no volition of its own4    
,third4--,test your ability to surrender
 the jaw by placing your fingers on     
either side your head in front of the   
ears at the conjunction of the jaws1 and
 first open your mouth with intention1  
noting the action2 then think the word  
,no1 and surrender the jaw to the       

forming of the word1 noting the action  
or absence of action again4  ,so much   
for the set jaw4 ,ten or fifteen minutes
 a day--yes1 even five minutes a day of 
actual practice with the constant       
thought of surrender1 will reward you4  
,try it4  ,and still the channel is not 
open4 ,there remains that most unruly   
member1 the tongue4 ,dora ,duty ,jones  
refers all faults of technique in speech
 to failure in the management of the    
tongue4 ,miss ,jones bases her entire   
system upon the three words1 ,on the    
tongue1 in ,hamlet's injunction to the  
players3 speak the speech 444 trippingly
 on the tongue4 ,that this organ plays a
 vital part in the presentation of      
speech is not to be questioned2 that it 
is the chief actor may be disputed4 ,but
 whether the tongue is to play a main or
 a minor part the training to which     
,miss ,jones would subject it is most   
interesting1 and ,the ,technique of     
,speech#ad should belong to the library 
of every student of expression4 ,the    

only danger of this training lies in    
that of making the tongue a             
self-conscious actor4 ,what we require  
of the tongue is that it shall act as a 
free agent in modeling the perfect word4
 ,many of the exercises given by ,miss  
,jones can be safely attempted only     
after the preparatory freeing of the    
organ has been accomplished1 but all of 
them will eventually repay              
investigation4  #ad ,the ,technique of  
,speech1 by ,dora ,duty ,jones1         
published by ,harper  ,brothers4        
,meanwhile the following drill for      
freeing the tongue ought to develop the 
agility we desire3  ,first4--,combine l 
7which may be called the tongue's pet   
consonant7 with  and repeat the syllable
 la with constantly increasing speed to 
form the following groups3 l' 444 l l l'
 444 l l l' 444 l' 444 l'4              
,second4--,change the accent over the   
vowel and repeat the exercise until all 
the sounds of a are exhausted in        
combination with the l4                 

,third4--,change the vowel and repeat   
the exercise until all the vowels have  
been used in combination with l4        
,fourth4--,change the consonant to d1   
then to t1 then n1 and repeat the       
exercise4  ,fifth4--,follow these       
exercises on groups of syllables with   
work on groups of words of one syllable 
beginning with l1 such as3 late1 lade1  
lane1 lame2 last1 lack1 lank1 lapse1    
laugh2 lean1 least1 leak1 leap1 lead1   
etc4  ,remember1 we are considering     
primarily speech-tone and not speech    
form1 and that our aim in the exercise  
of the tongue is to keep it from        
interrupting the tone4  ,and now a word 
must be said as to the part the lips    
take in speech4 ,it must be only a word1
 because here more than at any other    
point the work needs the careful        
supervision of a trained ear and trained
 eyes4 ,madame ,ricardo yields to the   
lips control of the tongue1 as she gives
 to the diaphragm control of the breath4
 ,i think she would make easily on the  

lips rather than trippingly on the      
tongue the controlling principle in tone
 and speech4 ,i shall give you but one  
exercise3  ,combine the speech process m
 with the vowel e and let the tone      
explode easily on the lips in the       
repeated syllable1 me1 me1 me4          
,,learning ,,to ,,reinforce ,,the ,,tone
  ,and now we turn from the second step 
in the training to the third and last   
step--the reinforcing of the supported  
and freed tone4 ,it is again a freeing  
process4 ,this time we are to free the  
cavities now closed against the tone2 we
 are to use the walls of these cavities 
as sounding-boards for tone1 as they    
were designed to be1 so reinforcing the 
tone and letting it issue a resonant1   
bell-like note with the carrying power  
resonance alone can give1 instead of the
 thin1 dull1 colorless sound which      
conveys no life to the word into which  
it is moulded by the organs of speech4  
,how shall we free these cavities8 ,i   
find myself now impatient of the medium 

of communication we are using4 ,i want  
to make the tone for you4 ,i want1 for  
instance1 to shut off the nasal cavity  
and let you hear the resultant nasal    
note1 thin1 high1 unresonant1 which     
hardly reaches the first member of my   
audience2 then ,i want you to hear the  
tone flood into the nasal cavity1 and1  
reinforced there by the vibration from  
the walls of the cavity1 grow a         
resonant1 ringing1 bell-like note1 which
 will carry to the farthest corner of   
the room without the least increase in  
loudness4 ,but we must be content with  
the conditions imposed by print4        
,first1 you must realize that so-called 
talking through the nose is not talking 
through the nose at all1 but rather     
failure to do so--that is1 instead of   
letting the tone flood into the nasal   
cavity1 to be reinforced there by       
striking against the walls of the       
cavity1 which act as sounding-boards for
 the tone confined within that cavity1  
we shut off the cavity1 and refuse the  

tone its natural reinforcement4 ,it     
takes on1 as a result1 a thin1          
unresonant quality which we call nasal1 
although it is thin and unpleasing      
because it lacks true nasal resonance4  
,the only remedy lies in ceasing to shut
 off the cavity4 ,think the sound oo4   
,let the tone on which it is to be borne
 grow slowly in thought1 filling1       
filling1 and1 as it grows1 flooding the 
whole face4 ,let it press against your  
lips 7in thought only as yet71 feel your
 nostrils expand1 your face grow alive  
between the eyes and the upper lip1 that
 area so often inanimate1 lifeless1 even
 in a mobile1 animated countenance4 ,now
 let the sound come1 but let it follow  
the thought1 flood the face1 let the    
nostrils expand1 feel the nasal cavity  
fill with sound2 let it go on up into   
the head and strike the forehead and the
 eye-sockets and the walls of all the   
cavities so unused to the impact of     
sound1 which should never have been shut
 out4 ,now begin1 with lips closed1 a   

humming note1 m-m-m4 ,let it come       
flooding into the face1 until it presses
 against the lips1 demanding the open   
mouth4 ,now let it open the mouth into  
the e4 ,repeat this over and over--m-e1 
m-e1 m-e4 ,don't let the tone drop back 
as the mouth opens4 ,keep it forward    
behind the upper lip1 which it has made 
full1 and which1 playing against1 it    
tickles until we must let the tone      
escape4 ,just as much of the day as     
possible1 think the tone in a flood into
 the face1 and as often as possible hum 
and let it escape1 noting its increasing
 resonance4 ,it will increase in        
resonance1 ,i promise you4 ,it will lose
 its thin1 high-pitched nasal quality1  
and grow mellow and rich and ringing4   
,and so1 with chest lifted1 diaphragm at
 work1 throat open1 tongue free1 jaws   
relaxed1 and all the cavities concerned 
in vocalization open to the tone1 as you
 breathe and yawn and hum1 let it issue 
a full1 round1 resonant1 singing note to
 add itself to the music of the world4  

,a ,,last ,,word ,,to ,,the ,,pupil     
,mr4 ,william ,james tells us that we   
learn to swim in winter and to skate in 
summer4 ,the principle underlying this  
statement is of immense comfort in      
approaching a class in vocal expression4
 ,the hope of satisfying results is     
fostered by the knowledge that a mere   
statement of the fundamental facts of   
right tone production will do much      
toward inducing a right condition for   
tone4 ,but ,i know1 too1 that immediate 
results depend upon immediate and       
faithful putting into practice of the   
principles set forth4 ,a little practice
 every day will work swift wonders with 
the voice4 ,and so1 in leaving with you 
,madame ,ricardo's watchwords1 ,i also  
commend you to ,ellen ,terry's infinite 
pains4 ,when it means1 as it does in    
pursuing this ideal1 that we must be on 
guard every waking instant--for a time2 
when it means a watch set 7for a time7  
upon every organ involved in            
expression--lips1 teeth1 tongue1 jaw1   

mouth1 throat1 chest1 diaphragm1 and all
 the muscles governing these organs2    
when it means a watch set 7for a time7  
upon one's every thought and emotion    
lest it make false demands upon the     
sensitive instruments of their          
expression--then it becomes a daring    
device1 indeed1 to wear upon one's      
crest4 ,let us not hesitate to carve it 
there1 when we realize that to follow it
 means culture1 true culture1 the       
culture which can only come through     
control and command of one's self4      
,,to ,,the ,,teacher  ,when ,i consider 
how much depends in the training of a   
voice upon listening to the made tone1  
how little depends upon knowing how it  
was made1 ,i realize that it is your    
ear1 not my book1 which must become the 
real guide in this ,study of ,vocal     
,expression4