AIDS TO STUDY Hezekiah Butterworth (1837-1905), a writer of stories and poetry, was born in Warren, R. I. He has published a number of books chiefly descriptive of countries which he has visited, and is the author of two collections of musical verse: Songs of History, and Poems of Christmas, Easter, and New Year's. confidential (konʼfí děnʼshăl), se cret. commission (ko mish'un), a writ ten warrant. D'Auville (D'ô'vil). dastard (dǎs'tard), a coward. effigy (ĕf'I ji), an image or a rep resentation of a person. episode (ěp'i sōd), an event, an occurrence. Hezekiah (Hěz'ê kî'ȧ). involuntary (în vòl'un tă ri), unwilling. loyalist, one who adheres to his sovereign. ominous (om'I nus), ill-omened, menacing. oppressive (Ŏ prěs'Iv), hard to bear, unjustly severe. oration (o ra'shun), a speech, an address. palpitate (păl'pi tat), to quiver, tremble. paramount, supreme, great, important. patriotism (pā'tri ot Iz'm), love of country. pompous (pom'pus), overbearing, boastful, ostentatious. proffer (prof'er), an offer. menace (men'ās), a threat, indi- relinquish (rẻ liŋ'kwish), to yield, cation of evil to come. myrmidons (mûr'mi donz), sol diers or civil officers who execute orders of a superior without protest. give up. revenues (rev'ê nooz), incomes, an 1. Why is it well to recall to mind the patriotic deeds of those who fought for the freedom of this country? 2. What was the subject of Joseph Warren's address? 3. Do you know the facts of that event? 4. How did Boston town look on the morning of March 5, 1770? 5. Tell of the agreement between the English officer and the boy Rodney. 6. What did the people who could not gain admission sing? 7. When the orator had not put in an appearance at the appointed time, what did the audience think? 8. How did Warren enter the church? 9. Give the opening words of his oration. 10. When Rodney tried to throw the egg, describe what happened. 11. What did the British officer do? 12. How did Warren counteract its evil effect? Expressions for study: a day of crisis broke gray and cool chorus of song the dread of a fray the glitter of arms the palpitating air their faces were electric vice-regal way 1. Read Warren's Address by John Pierpont. 2. Write a short story and tell what you would have done were you in the boy Rodney's place. ADVERSITY Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. ALFRED TENNYSON More than a hundred years ago, in 1810, Alfred Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire. He had the good fortune of having a very pleasant home with eleven brothers and sisters. All the children were of a literary turn of mind. One of the family games, we are told, was to place their poems and stories under the dishes at table. From a very early age, Alfred wrote verses. liked this kind of work much better than anything else he had to do. Before he had reached his eighteenth year, he and his older brother published a book of poetry called Poems by Two Brothers. A few years later, two other volumes were given to the public. He After this Tennyson published nothing for ten years. During all that time the young poet was not idle. He was busy retouching old poems and writing new ones. It was during this time of study and painstaking work that he laid the foundation for the exquisite verses that have come from his pen. When in 1842 his old and new poems were published in two volumes, his readers were charmed beyond measure. There was then no doubt of his high rank as a poet; and on the death of Wordsworth, he was appointed poet laureate of England. There is no trait in this great poet's character more beautiful than the sympathy he has manifested in his poems for the world's toilers. His love of nature was a devotion; and in his chivalric poems he has set forth brilliant ideals for the guidance of future generations. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE In 1853, the Czar of Russia thought the time was ripe to seize a portion of the Turkish empire. At that very time, there happened to be ill feeling among the different religious denominations living at Jerusalem. Using this as a pretext, the Czar of Russia claimed a protectorate over all the Greek Christians in the Turkish empire. The Sultan of Turkey, however, would not agree to this. So he appealed to England, France, and Sardinia to help him against the Russians. These three countries came to the rescue of the Sultan, so that the Czar of Russia was forced to give up his scheme for extending his dominion. It was during this struggle, called the Crimean War, that the famous Charge of the Light Brigade took place on October 25, 1854, at Balaklava, a small port on the Black Sea. The Light Brigade was a well-known English regiment commanded by the Earl of Cardigan. On that occasion, it numbered six hundred men, while the Russians had as many as thirty-six hundred. Notwithstanding these great odds, the Light Brigade fought their way through the Russian heavy cavalry; and when the contest was over more than one-half the English soldiers lay dead on the field. This poem was first published in a London paper in 1854. When it later appeared in book form, it was changed considerably by the author. This will account for the different versions. This is the original version. |