Napoleon shouted to him: "Beat a retreat." The boy did not stir. "Gamin, beat a retreat." The boy stopped, grasped his drumsticks, and said; "I do not know how to beat a retreat. Desaix never taught me that. But I can beat a charge. Oh! I can beat a charge that would make the dead fall into line. I beat that charge at the Pyramids; I beat that charge at Mt. Tabor; I beat it again at the bridge of Lodi. May I beat it here?" Thou, too, sail on, O ship of State! With all its hopes of future years, -Longfellow. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, for whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengethened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. -Ephesians 3:14-19. Three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. A WELCOME TO ALEXANDRA Alexandra! Saxon and Norman and Dane are we, Welcome her, thunders of fort and of fleet! Make music, O bird, in the new-budded bowers! Flags, flutter out upon turrets and towers! Rush to the roof, sudden rocket and higher Roll and rejoice, jubilant voice, Roll as a ground swell dashed on the strand, Bride of the heir of the kings of the sea- We are each all Dane in our welcome of thee, Alexandra! -Tennyson. Alexandra was daughter of the king of Denmark, and was coming to England as the bride of King Edward VII. LESSON LVI When the speaker is stirred by exalted feeling and his purpose is not to arouse and uplift the hearers to some noble action, but rather to sweep away every obstacle by the irresistible momentum of his resolute will, we have an example of a powerful and sustained force of will moving with tremendous energy. This we may call Majestic Volition. It has breadth, grandeur, steadiness; it has the magnificence of strength and the smoothness of invincible power. Such volition occurs only as the culmination of deep and prolonged emotion; like iron melting white-hot and pouring out like a tide of fire. It can scarcely be given in short passages. This type of volition is larger, grander, more stupendous than uplifting volition, and is expressed by full resonant tones, giving largeness as well as loudness, expanded by continuous and strong pressure. Body, intellect, emotion, will all swell to their full size, and then the voice sweeps irresistibly onward in majestic tones. This cannot be imitated in cold blood, or it will become cheap and shallow rant. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord God, the Omnipotent reigneth.-Revelations 19:6. You remember the story that Russell Lowell tells of Webster when we in Massachusetts were about to break up the Whig party. Webster came home to Faneuil Hall to protest, and four thousand Whigs came out to meet him. He lifted up his majestic presence before that sea of human faces, his brow charged with thunder and said, "Gentlemen, I am a Whig; a Massachusetts Whig; a Revolutionary Whig; a Constitutional Whig; a Faneuil Hall Whig; and if you break up the Whig party where am I to go?" And says Lowell, "We all held our breath, thinking where he could go." "When my eyes shall be turned" etc. (Page 76). Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.-Philippians 3:13-14. When the speaker is upset by agitated feeling so that his will cannot gain full control, but is half submerged in violent passion we may call it Tumultuous volition. The passionate agitation obstructs the will's action, so that it causes a violent, interrupted movement of will,-a tumult. Wherefore rejoice? What conquests brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? King And darest thou then To beard the lion in his den The Douglas in his hall? For I shall never hold that man my friend Hotspur Revolted Mortimer! King He never did fall off Sirrah, henceforth Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer. Hotspur And if the devil come and roar for them, Zounds, I will speak of him, and let my soul dust, But I will lift the down-trod Mortimer In tumultuous volition the speaker's whole mind and body and voice is shaken by the violence of his passion; and the tumult is increased by his spurts of determination that are almost choked by their conflict with his emotion. LESSON LVII 1. Bring in an example of each kind of volition. 2. Mark the kinds of volition in the following passages. I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.-Exodus 20:2-3. The eternal God is thy dwelling-place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.-Deut. 33:27. Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.-I Sam. 17:44. NATHAN REBUKES KING DAVID a And Nathan came to David and said, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds; which he had brought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him and with his children. And there came traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock, but took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David said, As Jehovah liveth the man that hath done this is worthy to die. And Nathan said to David, Thou are the man. -II Sam. 12:17. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. -Rev. 2:7. And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah; of David and Samuel and the Prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. -Hebrews 11:32-34. You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, As full of grief as age; wretched in both! |