VIII.

The next stanza requires soft tones, smocth median stress, vowel sounds prolonged, pure quality:

With eyes upraised, as one inspired,
Pale MELANCHOLY sat retired,
And, from her wild, sequestered seat,

In notes by distance made more sweet,
Poured through the mellow horn her pensive soul;

And, dashing soft from rocks around,

Bubbling runnels joined the sound;

Through glades and glooms the mingled measure stole : Or o'er some haunted stream with fond delay,

Round a holy calm diffusing,

Love of peace and lonely musing,

In hollow murmurs died away.

IX.

Cheerfulness is characterized by an expression not unlike that used in hope, except that the speed seems a little more rapid:

But, oh! how altered was its sprightlier tone,
When CHEERFULNESS, a nymph of healthiest hue,
Her bow across her shoulder flung,

Her buskins gemmed with morning dew,

Blew an inspiring air, that dale and thicket rung,—
The hunter's call, to Faun and Dryad known;
The oak-crowned sisters, and their chaste-eyed queen,
Satyrs and sylvan boys, were seen

Peeping from forth their alleys green;

Brown EXERCISE rejoiced to hear,

And SPORT leaped up, and seized his beechen spear.

X.

Joy requires the intensifying of the characteristics of cheerfulness. Also a lengthening of the emphatic vowels :

Last came Joy's ecstatic trial:

He, with viny crown advancing,

First to the lively pipe his hand addressed;
But soon he saw the brisk, awakening viol,
Whose sweet entrancing voice he loved the best.
They would have thought, who heard the strain,
They saw, in Tempe's vale, her native maids,
Amidst the festal-sounding shades,

To some unwearied minstrel dancing:

While, as his flying fingers kissed the strings,

LOVE framed with MIRTH a gay fantastic round—

Loose were her tresses seen, her zone unbound:

And he, amidst his frolic play,

As if he would the charming air repay,

Shook thousand odors from his dewy wings.

XI.

Repeat here the directions for the first stanza, and apply them to the eleventh and twelfth stanzas:

O MUSIC! sphere-descended maid,
Friend of PLEASURE, WISDOM's aid,
Why, goddess! why, to us denied,
Lay'st thou thy ancient lyre aside?
As in that loved Athenian bower,
You learned an all-commanding power,
Thy mimic soul, O Nymph endeared,
Can well recall what then it heard.
Where is thy native simple heart,
Devote to virtue, fancy, art?

XII.

Arise, as in that elder time,
Warm, energetic, chaste, sublime!
Thy wonders in that godlike age
Fill thy recording sister's page;
'Tis said, and I believe the tale,
Thy humblest reed could more prevail,
Had more of strength, diviner rage,
Than all which charms this laggard age;
E'en all, at once together found,
Cecilia's mingled world of sound.
Oh! bid our vain endeavors cease;
Revive the just designs of Greece;
Return in all thy simple state;
Confirm the tales her sons relate.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.

In order that one may adequately express what he is reading, the vocal organs must be trained. These organs, like all the other organs of the body, require exercise to impart to them the highest efficiency. Every class should, therefore, have a daily exercise in vocal gymnastics. For the strengthening of the voice, the exercises on the preceding pages are admirably adapted. But in order to be efficient they must be engaged in earnestly, vigorously, and persistently. The voice must be tasked to its utmost, for a short time, every day. Only thus can its power be increased. During this exercise the lungs should be kept filled with pure air. Indeed, a part of the exercise should consist in vigorous

breathing. Sound is made of air or breath, and there should be a large supply of the material kept constantly on hand.

But undue and sudden violence should be carefully avoided, and those exercises requiring the highest force should be practiced only a little while at a time. The vocal organs are often permanently injured by too severe a strain upon their power, caused either by entering too suddenly upon violent exercise, or continuing it too long. Great vocal power can not be suddenly acquired.

THE USE OF BOOKS FOR REFERENCE.

Among the things in which every pupil in our schools ought to be instructed is the use of books of reference. Of these, the unabridged dictionary is the first in rank. Every child should become acquainted with the notation of Webster and Worcester, and be able to consult either of them intelligently.

Pupils need also to acquire a power over books,—the ability to select from them whatever is requisite to the purpose in hand. Independence of thought is promoted by the habit of consulting books as the information they contain is wanted. To read a treatise on any topic, even if it is understood, is only to follow out another's thought; but to gather up the facts contained in books, and to put them into new relations, is to think for one's self.

This Reader, if properly used, will require much practice in consulting books on history, language, and science. Of course, such work, like all other, should be done thoroughly and understandingly. At first, the teacher should indicate the topics on which the pupil is to inform himself in this way. But the latter ought soon to acquire the power of determining for himself the points that need to be cleared up, and of selecting the material for that purpose.

In the notes appended to this book will be found much valuable information, very much more than is usually acquired in connection with reading lessons. But thorough teachers will wish to give their pupils a more extended knowledge of men and things than is there presented. For the use of such the following books are recommended. Many others might be justly named, but the few here given are of sterling character and quite sufficient for the wants of most schools.

Webster's Dictionary, new illustrated edition.
Worcester's Dictionary.

Anthon's Classical Dictionary.

New American Cyclopædia, with annual volumes.
Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World.

Sparks's American Biography.

Bancroft's and Hildreth's Histories of the United States.

Hume's and May's Histories of England.*

Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.*

Greeley's American Conflict.

Duyckinck's History of the Rebellion.

Cleveland's Compendium of English Literature.

Cleveland's Compendium of American Literature.

Barnard's American Journal of Education.

Harper's Monthly, from the beginning, also contains much useful information on practical matters.

* Abridged editions of Gibbon and IIume have been prepared, under the names of "The Student's Gibbon," and "The Student's Hume." For ordinary schools these would be more convenient than the full histories; and they are much cheaper.