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God. Flesh and blood did not reveal this, but the spirit of the Father which is in heaven; and, looking only on the mortal side, this command would appear the very perfection of nonsense: "Go ye into all the world."

5. Yonder to the east lay Parthia, Media, and Farthest India; and here upon the north, Syria, Armenia, and all the regions stretching to the pole; upon the south, Arabia, Egypt, and Ethiopia; and westward, the lesser Asia, and Europe to the Pillars of Hercules. "Go into all these tracts, all these realms, and preach without means, without auxiliaries, and, not only that, but without all helps of earthly mold and shape.

6. "Go in spite of the angry bitterness of the Jews; in spite of them that have crucified and put me to death; in spite of all the persecutions which they shall visit continually upon your heads; despite the sneer, the contempt, the unutterable scorn of Greeks and Romans; despite, when attention has been challenged and their interest in some sort awakened, the strong and glittering sword of imperial persecution; go in spite of dungeon, gibbet, and rack; in spite of thong and scourge and stake; in spite of the cross and amphitheater; go wherever a human creature is found, whether in civilization or in barbarism, and preach my gospel." I say, is it not either sublimity or absurdity? Is it not the loftiest word that e'er was spoken upon the earth, or the merest nonsense?

7. Had we been there, we should probably have thought it nonsense. Which do we now declare it to be-the word of an idle prater, of a well-meaning but weak enthusiast, or the word of the Son of God? One or the other it must be; which is it?

8. It has been well observed that the best evidence in favor of Christianity is Christendom. Here you have a popular argument which adapts itself to the comprehension and

acceptance of all. Christendom is the best argument for Christianity. That Jewish peasant on the mountain's summit, surrounded by his handful of despised and persecuted followers, now separated from them, and rising in opposition to the laws of gravitation,―rising gradually and easily by his own impulsion, until hidden from their longing, wistful gaze -set in motion causes and influences which have come down the centuries, and which have enshrined themselves in the affections, and embodied themselves in the activity, of the world, until its face is entirely changed, and His name, then the sport of scorn and hate, is now the august, enthroned, and revered name of the highest, purest, and noblest part of the human race. Around that name, to-day, clusters all that hath worth, excellency, and power; all that hath vigor, adaptive facility; all that hath energy and resistless might, in what we style the civilization of the time;—around that name it is all gathered. The word which was spoken upon the summit of that mountain, "Go," has been obeyed; and in virtue of the speaking of that word and the obedience rendered to it, the world is what it is.

Questions.

Where do we find the words with which this selection

begins? What "mountain is meant? Meaning of "patois"? What language did the Jews, at this time, speak? [Not the Hebrew, but a dialect of the Aramæan, or Chaldaic, learned in their captivity.] Let the pupil find on the map all the places named here, as Parthia, &c. What is meant by the "strong and glittering sword of imperial persecution"? Who persecuted the Christians in early times? [See Notes.] What is "Christendom"? Who are the most civilized nations now upon the earth?

Give the character of this piece, and show with what qualities of voice it should be read.

VIII. THE HERITAGE.

J. R. LOWELL.

1. The rich man's son inherits lands,

And piles of brick, and stone, and goid; And he inherits soft, white hands,

And tender flesh that fears the cold;

Nor dares to wear a garment old;

A heritage, it seems to me,
One would not care to hold in fee.

2. The rich man's son inherits cares;

The bank may break, the factory burn: Some breath may burst his bubble shares: And soft, white hands would hardly earn A living that would suit his turn;

'A heritage, it seems to me,
One would not care to hold in fee.

3. The rich man's son inherits wants;
His stomach craves for dainty fare;
With sated heart, he hears the pants

Of toiling hinds with brown arms bare,
And wearies in his easy chair;

A heritage, it seems to me,

One would not care to hold in fee.

4. What does the poor man's son inherit? Stout muscles and a sinewy heart;

A hardy frame, a hardier spirit;

King of two hands, he does his part
In every useful toil and art;

A heritage, it seems to me,
A king might wish to hold in fee.

5. What does the poor man's son inherit?
Wishes o'erjoyed with humble things;
A rank adjudged by toil-won merit;
Content that from employment springs;
A heart that in his labor sings;
A heritage, it seems to me,

A king might wish to hold in fee.

6. What does the poor man's son inherit?
A patience learned by being poor;
Courage, if sorrow comes, to bear it;
A fellow feeling that is sure

To make the outcast bless his door;

A heritage, it seems to me,
A king might wish to hold in fee.

7. Oh! rich man's son, there is a toil That with all other level stands; Large charity doth never soil,

But only whitens, soft, white hands; That is the best crop from the lands; A heritage, it seems to me,

Worth being rich to hold in fee.

8. Oh! poor man's son, scorn not thy state; There is worse weariness than thine,

In merely being rich and great;

Work only makes the soul to shine,
And makes rest fragrant and benign;
A heritage, it seems to me,
Worth being poor to hold in fee.

9. Both, heirs to some six feet of sod, Are equal in the earth at last;

Both, children of the same dear GOD,
Prove title to your heirship vast,

By record of a well-filled past;
A heritage, it seems to me,

Well worth a life to hold in fee.

ANALYSIS OF THE HERITAGE.

What is the difference between prose and poetry? To which class does this selection belong? Is it amusing or serious? Is it about lofty or common-place subjects? Does it express a high degree of feeling? [It is not lofty or sublime or grand, but sensible and earnest, aiming at instruction, and in some parts touched with a gentleness that greatly heightens the effect. It has less of the true poetic element than many other selections.] With what tone to be read, therefore? [With the tone used in earnest conversation, and with moderate speed.] What lesson is taught in the piece?

First Stanza.

What "rich man's son" is meant here? What then is the force of the word "the"? What are meant by "piles of brick, and stone, and gold"? Suppose it had been punctuated thus, "piles of brick and stone, and gold"; how might the meaning have differed from what it now is? Are the hands of the rich man's son softer or whiter, simply on account of his descent, than those of the poor man? Suppose the rich man's son should become a laborer- - would his hands be white and soft then? What does he really "inherit," then? Does it require courage "to wear a garment old"? Why? What other meaning has "wear," and how are the two connected in thought? What is the heritage that "one would not care to hold in fee"? What is it "to hold in fee"? Meaning of the word "care" in the last line? How comes it to have this meaning? What does "it" stand for in the last line but one? Meaning and etymology of inherit? tender? wear? garment? fee? Are there many or few words of foreign origin here?

Is a positive statement made in the first line? What inflection then? What words emphatic? [Those expressing the important thoughts,-"rich man's son" and "lands,"

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