THE

AMERICANNORMALREADERS

BY

MAY LOUISE HARVEY

FIFTH BOOK

(REVIEWED AND APPROVED)

SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANYBOSTON NEW YORK

TO THE TEACHERS

Thouhastmade usfor Thyself; a nd w e ca nnotfind restuntilw efindit in Thea — Sr . AUGUSTINE .

THE SE familia r w ords, w hich show the purpose of our c reation and

the true goa l of life, a lso point to the end and aim of allsound education . Education is complete and idea l only as it tra ins and

develops the w hole being in the manner intended by the Crea tor.

True education w ill embrace instruction and guidance in Religion,Sc ience, History, Literature and Art, for these represent the child

’s

entire nature and so cover the full range ofhis possibilities.

In securing for the child this symmetricaldevelopment, Reading isa most potent factor. It supplies the correlative materia l w hichthe Christian teacher needs to reenforce and supplement her regularinstruction in alldepa rtments. In the preparation of this book the

utmost ca re has been taken to select from the w orld’s best literatureinteresting and w ell- graded reading matter bea ring upon the five

great subjects of study. The c lassification of the selec tions and thepurpose of each w ill readily be understood by the teacher.

The literary form that espec ially appeals to the child is the story,a na rration offa ct in w hich is portrayed a great characte r w hom he

can admire and imitate , a story of imagination, of travel or of lifew ith w hich he is familiar . The choice of the story is a serious mat

ter,for its pow er is a lmostunlimited, and the impression made w el l

nigh inefl’aceable .

There should be an occa sional story of fancy. We need more

than a know ledge offacts, how ever important they may be . Ima gi

nation, the ability to see in the mind that w hich is invisible to theeye, must be cultivated.

No faculty of the mind 13 more useful in everyday life than this.

The c ivil engineer, the a rchitect, the shipbuilder, must first form the

structure in his mind, the sculptor must in imagination see the

statue, the pa inter must see the picture, before any w ork w ith ham

mer,chisel or brush is a ttempted ; the domposer must hear w onder

5

6 TO THE TEACHERS

fulmelodies in his soul before the instrument is touched ; and theinventor must w onder and dream and fancy before the invention isbegun .

Even the scientist is very dependent upon his ability to make

menta l pictures. It is said that w hen Agassiz sta rted for the Southto study the structure of the Florida Reefs, he took w ith him a Copyof Shakespeare

’s“Tempest,

”so that by reading it his imagination

mightbe stirred to suggest allpossible explanations ofreefformation .

Imagination is indeed w ellw orth cultivating, and the means of

cultivation most natura l for a child is the reading ofmythica l storiesw hich are an expression ofthe childhood of the ra cea nd the rightfulheritage of every child. They bring beautifulthoughts and poeticfanc ies, and they also teach many

‘

a sound lesson of justice, fa ithfulness and patr iotism .

Another form ofliterature w hich bestow s both pleasure and profitis the poem . In its v ery na ture it is more difficult for a child than

prose . The old fam ilia r order of w ords is changed, and the w ords

themselves a re often very unl ike those of his everyday speech .

With poems therefore, even more than w ith prose, the child needs

explanation a nd guidance from the teacher . Poetry appea ls to theea r rather than to the eye, so ifyouw ould have children love poetry,read it to them and show by your reading that youlove it yourself.“ Lend to the rhyme of the poet the beauty of thy voice,

” for the

pupils w ill thus gain the pleasure of poetic thought and the added

en joyment ofmelody and rhythm .

In the study of reading and in creating a taste for the best in lit

c raturs, the interest and enthusiasm of the teacher herself w ill becontagious. Like the general of an a rmy she must be filled w ith thespirit w hich she w ishes to inspire in her follow ers ; otherw ise she

cannot expect to lead them to victory . Pupils in this grade are oldenough to begin to share the teacher’s pleasure in the various formsof w riting . A clear, directnarrative, a vivid description or a natura l,spirited conversa tion if pointed out to children w illoften make a

deep impression upon them . To a rouse their interest in finding

such bits of treasure w illv italize their present and future reading .

The educa tiona l va lue of~choice pictures also can hardly be over

TO THE TEACHERS -7

estimated. Masterpieces of great artists have been here introduced

and draw ings illustrative of the text w hich w ill,it is hoped, prove

not only interesting but truly instructive .

Phonetic exerc ises should be used frequently to secure distinct

articulation, c lea r enunciation and a pleasing qua lity of voice ; and

careful a ttention should be givento pauses, inflection, emphasis a nd

force . Definite mechan ica l rules for these, how ever, a re useless.

They should be the outcome of a full apprec iation of the thought

and the feeling of the w riter. Good ora l reading can result onlyfrom comprehension of w hat is read, a nd from such sympathy w ith

it that the reader, w hile conveying the thought of the author, seems

to be expressing his ow n thoughts and feelings upon the subject.'

If this book should prove to be a sourc e of pleasure to the children and a help to the tembere in leading their pupils to think of

those things w hich are true, of those things w hich a re just and of

those things w hich are lovely, then the purpose of the book and the

dearest w ish of the author w ill be fulfi lled.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THE author w ishes to express to the follow ing publishers and authors her

grate ful apprec ia tion of their courte sy in allow ing the use of copyright

selec tions found in their publica tions:D . Appleton 8:Co . for “ Robe rt of

Lincoln,” byWilliam Cullen B ryant ; the Bobbs-MerrillCompa ny for The

Circus-day Pa rade”from “ Child Rhymes,

” by James Whitc omb Riley ,copyright 1899 ; Mr . J. G . Cupples for A Builder ’s Lesson,

”by John Boyle

O’

Reilly ; Hon . Maurice Fra nc is Ega n for“The Shamrock ;

”Alice R.

Ha rvey for“ Coraland CoralRe efs ;

"

the Houghto n , Mifilin Compa ny forthe selections from Aldrich, Dana , Haw thorne , Longfellow , Low ell a nd

Harriet Beecher Stow e ; J. P. Kenedy 8:Sons for Literature of the MiddleAges,

” by B rothe r Aza rine, a nd for“ Bette r tha n Gold,

”by Fa ther Rya n ;

H. L . Kilner Sr Co . a nd Eleanor C. Donnelly, for“The Se cret of the

King ;”the J. B . Lippincott Company for the selec tion from “ A Dog of

Fla nders,” by Louise de la Ramée ; G . P. Putnam ’

s Sons fo r the selec tion

from Holland,”by Edmondo de Amic is ; Cha rles Sc ribner

’

s Sons for the

stanza from Dear La nd of allmy Love ,”by Sidney La nier ; the Frederick

A . Stokes Company for“Sw eethea rtTra velers inWinterWoodla nd,

”by S. R.

Crockett ; a nd the Misses Ya rdley for Time to Go," by Susa n Coolidge .

CONTENTS

OUR Counr nr

Se n sunnn

A FABLETm:GREAT SCHO LAR

Ga me on Tno no nr

Tun Ta m-I

Bums IN Suzan na

Tenn . Cam

VIc ro nrTa x Court Sous

Wa nn nn’s A nnnsss

GRATITUDE ro Go o Ca rdinalGibbons

T1 113 ro Go

DOWN TO St e e r

Tun Los'

r CAME L

Tun SHELL

Tm:Conn . Gnova

Oc ro nnn

RIP VANW INK LE

SKAT ING INHonmun .

Tnn Ra c e

A Doc o r F LANDERSTun Honsnsnoa

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

F IFTH BOOK

WE HONOR OUR COUNTRY

Brea thes there the ma n w ith soulso dead ,

Who never to himselfhath said,

“This is my ow n ,

my native land ?WALTER SCOTT

E cannot honor our coun try with a

reverence too deep ; w e cannot love

her with an affec tion too pure and

fervent ; w e cannot serve her with

an energy of purpose or a faithful

ness of zeal too steadfast and ar

dent .

And what is our country ? It isnot the East,

“with her hills and her

valleys, with her countless sails and the rocky ramparts of

her shores. It is not the North , with her thousand villages

and her harvest home , with her frontiers of lake and ocean .

It is not the West, with her forest- sea and her inland- isles,with her luxuriant expanses c lothed in verdan t corn ,

her

beautiful Ohio and her majestic M issouri. Nor is it yet theSouth, opulent in vthe mim ic snow of cotton

,in the rich plan

tations of rustling ca ne, and in the golden robes of rice- fields.

These are but groups of sister states loyally bound to

gether into one large united country . 03 mm

11

12 FIFTH BOOK

OUR COUNTRY

Such is the pa triot’s boast w here

’er he roam ,

His first, best country ever is a t home .

OLIVER GOLDSNITII

ONno country have the cha rms of nature been more prodi

gally lavished than on our ow n land . Her mighty lakes

bright aeria l tints ; her valleys teeming with wild fertility ;her tremendous catara c ts, thundering in their so litudes ; her

boundless plains, waving with spontaneous verdure ; her

broad,deep rivers, ro lling in solemn silence to the ocean ;

her trackless forests where vegeta tion puts forth allits m ag

nificence ; her skies, kindling with the magic of summer

c louds and glorious sunshine no, never need an American

look beyond his ow n country for the sublime and beautiful

ofnatural scenery .

WASHINGTON IRmm

SEPTEMBER

SWEET is the voice that ca llsFrom babbling waterfalls

In meadow s where the dow ny seeds are flyingAnd soft the breezes blow,

And eddying come and go,

In faded gardens where the rose is dying.

Among the stubbled corn ,

The blithe quail pipes a t morn ,

The merry partridge drums in hidden places ;

FIFTH BOOK 13

Above the reedy stream

At eve, cool shadows fa llAcross the garden wall,

And on the clustered grapes to purple turning ;And pearly vapors lieAlong the eastern sky ,

Ah, soon on field and hill

The winds sha ll whistle chill,

And patria rch sw allow s ca lltheir flocks together,To fly from frost and snow ,

And seek for lands where blowThe fairer blossoms ofa ba lmier weather.

The pollen -dusted beesSearch for the honey- lees

That linger in the last flowers ofSeptember ;

Coo sadly to their loves

Ofthe dead summer they so well remember.

The cricket chirps allday ,“0 fairest Summer, stay I

”

The squirrel eyes askance the chestnuts brow ning ;The wild fow l fly afa rAbove the foamy ba r,

And hasten southw ard ere the skies a re frow ning .

GEORGE ARNOLD

THE GRIZZLY G IANT

D g tzed by G oogle

FIFTH BOOK 15

A TRIP TO THE YOSEMI'

IE

The Big Trees

LL day long w e have been traveling on

up into the moun tains, the Sierra

Nevada , from the railway station a t

Merced . With many tw ists and bendsthe road c limbs the wooded foothills,and a t length as the sunset hour

draws near w e reach the last stage for the day . The coach

draws up at a long low wooden building with a veranda

running its entire length . Opening on this vera nda a re tiny

bedrooms.

The next morning the coach ca rried its heavy load deeper

into the mountains, and before midday w e came to another

resting point seven thousa nd feet above the level of the sea .

Here ponies were in waiting, and those of the passengers

who wished to visit the B ig Trees that day set out for a

farther six miles through the thick woods.

This Californian forest rea ches here its most ma gnificent

proportions. At an elevation varying from six to nine

thousand feet, thesemightymonarchsofthewoodland have sat

throned for thousands ofyea rs. Notonly a re there the giants,the

“ Big Trees,”but fa r and near splendid pines, almost as

gigantic , shadow thero lling sides of these beautiful Sierras.

High above, between the far - rea ching tree tops, glimpses of

bluest sky are to be seen,while below, the horses

’knees brush

away the blossoms of the azalea that c luster thickly along

16 FIFTH BOOK

the pathway. Under these hoary giants that have stood

since Rome w as founded grows some tender fern of last

week’s shower, blooms some bright flower whose life is but a

summer . There is no dust here ; neither is there gloom all

is freshness, sense ofhea lth, sense of the ever recurring life

of nature .

The place seemed like a vast cathedral , dim vistas of

arches and pillars stretching before us, the blue vault of

heaven over our heads, a carpet of green beneath our feet,and the afternoon sunlight glowing through the trees like

the so ft tones ofcolored w indows.

On beneath the gian t trees the ponies amble in single file,and a t last there is seen a little way ahead a dark russet tree

trunk of girth surpassing anything w e have yet come to .

Assuredly a big tree, but is it one of the“B ig Trees,

”the

Sequoias ? Yes,it is the first of the Big Trees, and others

are seen at short interva ls. These giants are the largest and

the oldest trees in the world . Spec ial names have been given

to many of them . One , which is said to be the largest, is

called “General Gran t ” ; another ninety feet around, two

fee t above the ground, is called .

“Grizzly Giant . ” One,

thirty feet in diameter, has a carriage road through its trunk,and the stump of another, twenty- four feet in diameter,forms a dancing floor . One immense tree has been hollowed

by fire to the very top and through this tall, da rk funnel the

sta rs m ay clearly be seen at midday .

But the age of these patriarchs is more remarkable even

than their size . They are the oldest living things on the

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18 FIFTH BOOK

heads, the change could not have been more abrupt . Allat

once the trees in front vanish, the earth dips down into

an abyss, and in a blaze of noonday light w e find ourse lves

grouped upon a bare rock , which, projec ting out into space,has beneath it at one sweep ofthe eye the who le Yosemite .

This rock has been named “ Inspiration Point ,”but a

more fitting title would be “The Rock of Silence. For

as the grandeur and beauty of the sc ene mee ts our eyes,w e are filled with wonder and aw e, and our lips are hushed

into silence .

Standing on this rock and looking towa rd the northeast,the traveler sees a deep chasm or rent like ho llow extending a

distance of eight miles, between nearly perpendicular rocks

so high that here the lofty trees below look like waving ferns.

This chasm is formed not by mountains, but by single

rocks. Right in front as w e look a cross the chasm ,there

sta nds a mighty rock , a single front of solid granite . The

top of this rock lies nearly level with the top of the rock onwhich the observer stands ; the base rests amid green grass

and dark pines far be low . From base to summit , it is thirty

one hundred feet . This is the “Chief ofthe Va lley ” ofthe

Indians, ElCapitan” of

“

the White M an .

Looking up along the line of the southern rim , the great

Half Dome ” is seen . Six thousa nd feet it towers above

the valley . The“Cap of Liberty ” is another of these

wonderful single rocks. From the Nevada Fall it rises to

the height of four thousand six hundred fee t, smoo th, seam

less, and glistening .

EL CAPITAN

D g tzed byGOO3

20 FIFTH BOOK

But it is time to begin our descent into the valley . It is a

continuous zigzag . The ponies know it well,and the sure

footed beasts go steadily down . We are now on the level

ground again , and push out from the base of the c liff in to

the more open meadow land .

The evening is coming on . We hurry along a level sandy

tra ck ; a round usare pine trees, flowers, and ever recurring

glimpses of rills,c lear

,green ,

sparkling ; a noise of falling

water fills the air ; the sun light is streaming across the valley

high above our heads. We are in the shadow as w e ride ;but it is not sun nor shadow ,

pine tree nor a za lea blossom ,

stream nor waterfall on which our eyes are riveted ; it is the

rocks. Cathedral , Sentinel, The Three Brothers, ElCapita n,Domes, Ramparts, callthem wha t youwill , they rise around

118 c lear out against the blue Ca lifornia n sky , filling the earth

and heaven with the mystery of their grandeur .

The Wa terfalls

Those mighty rocks are indeed grand and aw e- inspiring,but the most beautiful feature of the Yosemite is its wa ter

falls.

When that first party of explorers returned to tell the

settlers at Mariposa of the wonderful va lley which they had

discovered , they spoke of a waterfa l l one thousand feet in

height . In reality, the Yosemite catara c t is nearly twenty

five hundred feet high , more than twice as high as Niagara,

and is the highest waterfa l l in the world .

It is a powerful stream ,the M erced River, thirty- five feet

FIFTH BOOK 2 1

broad tha t makes this plunge from the brow of the awful

prec ipice . At the first leap , it c lears fourteen hundred and

nin ety- seven feet ; then it tumbles down a series of steep

stairways four hundred and tw o fee t, and then makes a

jump to the meadows, five hundred and eighteen feet more .

But it is the uppermost and highest catarac t tha t is most

wonderful to the eye and most musical to the ear . The clifl'

is so sheer that there is no break in the body ofwa ter during

the whole of its descent of more than a quarter of a mile .

From the summit it pours down nea rly fifteen hundred feet

to the basin that hoards it but a moment for the cascades

be low .

The catarac t is comparatively narrow at the top of the

precipice, but widens as it descends and curves a little on one

side so that before it reaches its first bowl ofgranite, it shapes

itse lf into’

the figureof a comet . More beautiful than the

comet, however, w e ca n see the substance of this watery

loveliness ever renew itself and ever pour itself away .

“The Bridal Veil

,

”called by the Red M an

“The Spirit

of the Evil Wind,”is another marvelous waterfall . It casts

its wa ters from a smooth ledge into a bouquet of pine tree

tops nine hundred and forty feet be low. Another beautiful

cascade is the “Vernal ,”the

“Wild Wa ter ” of the Indians.

You forget the B ridal Veil in the new loveliness of this

broad sheet of water which in most exquisite curve drops

three hundred and fifty feet .

We ride on now higher up and all at once a re fa ce to fac e

with the Nevada Fall . Close beside it, steep as the face ofa

22 FIFTH BOOK

wall , rises . the Cap of Liberty, a single so lid rock, thirty

B R IDAL VEIL FALLS

eight hundred feet above

the edge of the fall . Can

w e put before the reader

even a faint idea of the

scene

From a sheer, c lean,seamless rock seven hun

dred feet above the spec

tator’s head , a great body

of water leaps out into

space . As soon as it has

taken the spring,innumer

able jets of snowy spray

like bouquets of white lilies

a re cast forward from the

mass, lengthening out as

they quicken their descent

into rockets of crystal .

This wonderful fall has

many companions . There

are few places in the entire

va lley from which the eye

ca nnot discern the sheen of

water falling perpendicu

larly grea t distances, no

pla ce in which the ear does

not catch the roar or the murmur ofcatarac t or rill ; and the

FIFTH BOOK 23

music of these waterfa lls is one of the charms of the Yosemite .

Truly the Valley of the Yosemite is a marvelous pla ceone of the grea test wonders ' of American natural scenery .

WILLIAM FRANCIS B UTLER (Ada pted)

A FABLE

HE mountain and the squirrelHad a qua rrel ,

And the former ca lled the latter Little prig ;Bun replied,“Youa re doubtless v ery big ;But allsorts ofthings and weather

Must be taken in togetherTo make up a year,And a sphere .

To occupy my place .

If I’m not so large as you,Youa re not so small as I ,And not half so spryI’llnot deny youmake

A very pretty squirrel track .

Talents differ ; allis w ell and w isely put;IfI cannot carry forests on my ba ck,Neither can youcrack a nut.

”

RALPH w oo EMERSON

The four g rea test w onders of na ture in Americ a a re the Yellow stone

Na tionalPa rk, the Gra nd Ca tion of the Colorado , Niag a ra Falls a nd the

Yosemite Valley .

24 FIFTH BOOK

HERE w as once - a little boy named Leon who w as always

at the head of his c lass at schoo l . In every competition

of scholarship, he w as sure to gain the prize the arith

metic prize, the geography prize, the gramma r prize , the

history prize . On examina tion days he would go home with

a great pile of booksunder his arm and so many badges and

bouquets about him that you could hardly see the boy

himself. He seemed quite like a conquering hero with

laurel wrea ths upon his head , or like a vic torious genera l

Prize competitions were very good things for the other

children , for they encouraged them to do their best . But

unfortunately Leon soon began to consider himself a great

scholar, and to be very vain and proud of his successes at

school ; and this brought him into much trouble , as youshall

straightwa y see .

There w as a little gir l named Rose living in the neighbor

hood w ho often played with Leon, a nd many a happy hour

they spent at their games and their books. Rose could not

learn so easily and quickly as Leon , though she studied very

hard ; but nevertheless she w as a sweet Winsome little child ,gentle a nd loving to every one , and always obedient to her

parents. And every night before she wen t to sleep she prayed

with all her heart tha tGod would m ake her wise a nd good .

However , the“ great scholar ” bega n to look down on dear

little Rose a nd to give himsel f fine a irs of superiority. One

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26 FIFTH BOOK

through her tears when her godmother suddenly entered

the room .

This old lady w as grea tly respec ted by every one, and w as

much loved and esteemed by allwho really knew her . There

were, however , some vain and foolish people who did not

seem to c a re for her acquaintance, and this would at first

seem strange, but when I tellyouher name youwill not be

surprised . She w as ca lled Lady M odesty .

Dea r LadyModesty, though so gentle and quiet, w as now

very indignant to see her favorite godchild in tea rs, and she

resolved to punish the proud a nd sil ly boy .

“And so,my dea r little Rose, she began, youare very

ignorant , are you? Well, can youtel l me what w e must do

to lead a good life ?”

“Oh

, godmother , yes indeed . We must obey God and

be kind like Him to every one .

”

“That is knowing something, but not enough, I suppose ,

to make youa fit companion for Leon . Come with me,sir

,

”

said she , turnin g to the boy .

“Youknow too much to as

soc ia te with boys and girls. Youshould be in the companyofscholars and authors.

”

The good lady w as seldom as sa rcastic as that,but as you

can readily see, she had rea son to feel much annoyed .

Hardly had'

she finished speakin g, when to Leon’s great

surprise he found himself transported with the old lady to a

great observa tory, where a m an of im posing appearance

sat busily writing . There were piles of manuscript before

him , and near by a telescope and many instruments and

LADY MODES“ AND LEON VIS IT THE GREAT ASTRONOMER

Dg zed by

28 FIFTH BOOK

appliances, of which Leon had not the least knowledge .

He looked about him in wonder .

This man w as really a grea t scholar . He had taken the

measure of the earth , a task muchmore difi cult than a sum in

fractions. By theuse ofcurious instruments, he could trace

the c ourse of the heavenly bodies through the boundless space

that surrounds us, and he could,calculate how many years

it would ta ke for light which travels one hundred eighty- six

thousand miles per second to reach us from the sta rs.

This learned man w as very well acquainted with Modesty .

He rose respectfully as she entered and bow ing courteously ,came forward to meet her .

“Good morning, master , said she .

‘Here is a scholar

who desires to talk with youupon Astronomy.

”

“ Indeed , a scholar a t your a ge 1”

exc laimed the grea t

man , giving his hand to the little boy. I congratulate you,sir . It is wonderful . Come to the telescope and let us

look for the comet which will be visible this m onth after a n

absence ofseventy- five years .

To look for comets w as rather beyond Leon who w as

still at work on decima ls. He blushed, anddropped his head

in Shame and confusion .

“Well, let us talk of optics or acoustics if youprefer,said the master .

The poor humbled child could hardly restrain his tears .

Finally he said hesitatingly tha t he knew nothing about those

things, but that he could change a common frac tion to a .

decimal.

FIFTH BOOK 29

At this the learned man looked at Modesty in some sur

prise , and w as a bout to a sk why she had brought this kind

of scholar to him ,but she hastened to speak . Master,

said she ,“ I know a little girl who says that to lead a

good life w e must obey God and be kind — like Him to

every one . Do youknow anything more important than

tha t 7“God forbid that I should think so , Madam ,

”he replied .

If the dear child has learned tha t great truth she has learned

the most important thing to know .

”

“ Come, Leon ,”said Lady Modesty, shall w e go back to

school now‘

I and very quietly the boy put his hand in hers

a nd followed her .

h om e/um of JEANMa cs

DEAR LAND OF ALLMY LOVE

G as thine art shalllove true love,as thy sc ience truth sha ll kn ow ,

Long as thine eagle ha rms no dove ,Long as thy law by law sha ll grow ,

Long as thy god is God above,Thy brother every man below,

So long, dear land ofallmy love,Thy name shall shine, thy fame shall glow .

SIDNE Y LANIER

30 FIFTH BOOK

HENI think of all the truth which still remains for meto lea rn , of all the good I yet m ay do

,of all the

friends I still may serve , of allthe beauty I may see, life

seems very fresh and fair a nd full ofpromise .

When w e have learned to love work,to love honest work ,

work well done , excellently well done , w e have within our

selves the most fruitful prin ciple ofeduca tion .

To do well it is necessary to believe in the worth ofwhat

w e do . The power which upholds a nd leadsus on is faith

faith in God, in ourselves, in educa tion, in life .

To be God’s workman , to strive,to endure , to labor, even

to the end, for truth and righteousness:this is life .

He w ho makes himself the best man is the most success

fulm a n, while he w ho ga ins most money or notoriety may

Think not with complacency upon anything youhave, o r

have achieved , but address yourself ea ch day like a simple

hearted child to the task God sets you; a nd remember ,when the last hour comes, youcan carry nothing to Him but

faith in ms mercy and goodness. B ISHOP SPA ULD ING’

FIFTH BOOK 31

MINE HOST OF THE GOLDENAPPLE

A GOODLY host one day w as mine ,

A Golden Apple his only sign ,

That hung from a long branch, ripe and fine.

My host w as the bountifulapple tree ;He gave me shelter and nourished me

To his leafy inn and sipped the dew ,

And sang their best songs ere they flew .

I slept at night on a downy bed

Ofmoss, and my host benignly spreadHis ow n cool shadow over my head.

When I asked w hat reckoning there might beHe shook his broad boughs cheerilyA blessing be thine green Apple Tree

JOHANN LUDWI G UHLAND

FIFTH BOOK

THETree

’s early leaf buds w ere bursting their brown

Shall I take them away sa id the Frost, sw eeping down .

No,leave them a lone

Till the blossoms have grown ,Prayed the Tree, while he trembled fromrootlet to crown .

The Tree bore his blossoms, and allthe birds sung“Shall I take them away ?” said the Wind as he swung.

No, leave them a loneTillthe berries have grow n ,

Said the Tree, while his lea flets quivering hung.

The Tree bore his fruit in the midsummer glow ;Said the girl, May I gather thy berries now

‘

I

Yes, allthen c anst see ;

Take them :alla re for thee ,Said the Tree, while he bent down his laden boughs low .

sfbazvsusmvs BJ‘

ORNSON

BIRDS INSUMMER

HOW pleasant the life ofa bird must be,Flitting about in ea ch leafy tree ;

In the lea fy trees so broad and tall,Like a green and beautiful pala ce ha ll,With its airy chambers light and boon ,

That open to sun and stars and moon ;

That open to the bright blue sky ,And the frolicsome w inds as they wander by.

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FIFTH BOOK

To spread out the w ings for a w ild, free flightWith the upper c loud winds oh, w hat delight

Oh, what would I give like a bird, to go

Right on through the arch of a sunlit bow ,

And see how the w a ter dr0ps are kissed

In to green and yellow and amethyst !

How pleasant the life of a bird must be,Wherever it listeth there to flee ;To go when a joyfulfancy calls,Dashing adow n

’mong the waterfalls ;

Then to w heel about w ith their m ates at play,Above and below and among the spray,

As the laughing mirth of a. rosy child I

What joy it must be , like a living breeze ,To flutter about ’

mid the flow ering trees ;Lightly to soar , and to see beneathThe w astes ofthe blossoming purple heath ,And the yellow furze , like fields ofgold,That gladdened some fairy region old

On the mounta in tops, on the billowy sea ,On the leafy stems ofa forest tree ,How pleas ant the life of a bird must be I

MARY HOWI TT

FIFTH BOOK 35

ANOLD- FASHIONED SCHOOL

In good oldColony tirnesWhen w e livedunder the king .

OW im agine yourselves,my children

,in M aster Ezekiel

Cheever’s schoolroom . It is a large,dingy room

,with a

sanded floor, and is lighted by windows that turn on hinges

and have little diamond- shaped panes of glass. The schol

a rs sit on long benches, with desks before them . At one

end of the room is a great fireplace, so very spacious that

there is room enough for three or four boys to stand in each

of the chimney corners. This w as the good old fashion of

fireplaces when there w as wood enough in the forests to

keep people warm without their digging into the bowels

of the earth for coal .

It is a winter’s day when w e take our peep into the school

room . See wha t great logs ofwood have been rolled into

the firepla ce, and what a broad, bright blaze goes leaping

up the chimney ! And every few moments a vast c loud

of smoke is pulled in to the room , which sails slowly over

the heads of the scholars, until it gradually settles upon the

walls and ceiling . They are blackened with the smoke of

many years already .

Next look at the master’s big arm chair ! It is placed in

the most comfortable part of the room , where the generous

glow of the fire is sufficiently felt without being too intensely

hot . The old schoolma ster is stately and dignified,a nd

36 FIFTH BOOK

somewhat severe in a spec t . What boy would dare

to play or whisper or even gla nce a side from his book,while Master Cheever is on the lookout behind his spec tac les

For such offenders, if any such there be , a rod of birch is

hanging over the fireplace, and a heavy ferule lies on the

And now school is begun . What a murmur of m ulti~

tudinous tongues, like the whispering leaves of a wind

stirred oak, as the scholars con over their various tasks !

Buzz ! buzz ! buzz ! Amid just such a murmur has Master

Cheever spent over sixty years ; and long habit has made

it as pleasant to him as the hum of a beehive when the in

sec ts are busy in the sunshine .

Now a c lass in La tin is called to recite . Forth steps a

row of queer- looking little fellows, wearing square- skirted

coats and sma llc lothes, with buttons a t the knee . They

look like so many grandfa thers in their second childhood .

These lads are to be sent to Cambridge a nd educated for

the learned professions. Old Master Cheever has lived so

long, and seen so many generations of schoolboys grow upto be men , that now he can almost prophes y wha t sort of a

man each boy will be !

One urchin sha ll herea fter be a doctor, and administer

pills and po tions, and stalk gravely through life perfumed

w ith asafetida . Another shall wrangle a t the bar, and

fight his w ay to wealth and honors, a nd in his declining age

shall be a worshipful member of his M a jesty’s council . A

third a nd he is the master ’s fa vorite shall be a school

AN OLD- FASHIONED SCHOOL

0 g tzed byG e og

38 FIFTH BOOK

master himself and a worthy suc cessor to the one who now

rules with an iron hand .

But, as they are m erely schoo lboys a t present, their

business is to construe Virgil . Poor Virgil ! whose verses,which he took so much pains to polish , have been misparsed

and misinterpreted by so many generations of idle school

boys. There,sit down, ye Latinists. Tw o or three of y ou,

I fear,are doomed to feel the master’s ferule .

Next comes a class in arithmetic . These boys are to be

the merchants, shopkeepers and mecha nics of a future

period . Hitherto they have traded only in ma rbles and

apples. Herea fter some w ill send vesse ls to England for

broadc loths and all sorts of ma nufactured wares,and to

the West Indies for sugar, spices and coffee . Others will

stand behind counters and m easure tape and ribbon and

cambric by the yard . Others will uphea ve the blacksmith’s

hammer , or drive the plane over the carpenter ’s bench, or

take the lapstone and the awl and learn the trade of shoe

making . M any will follow the sea , and become bold, rough

sea captains.

This c lass of boys,in short

,must supply the world with

those ac tive skill ful hands and c lear sagacious heads, with

out which the affairs of life would be thrown into confusion .

Wherefore, tea ch them their multiplication table well,good M aster Cheever , and whip them soundly when they

deserve it ; for much of the country’s welfare depends on

these boys.

But, alas ! while w e have been thinking of other ma tters,

FIFTH BOOK 39

Master Cheever’s watchful eye has caught two boys at

pla y . Now w e sha ll see awful times. The two malefa c

tors are summoned before the master’s cha ir, wherein he

sits w ith the terror of a judge Upon his brow. Ah, he has

taken down that terrible birch rod ! Short is the trial

the sen tence quickly passed and now the judge prepares

to execute it in person . Thwack ! thw ack lthw a ck l In

these good old times, a schoo lmaster ’s blows were well

laid on .

See , the birch rod has lost several of its tw igs, and w ill

hardly serve for another execution . Mercy on us, wha t an

uproar the youngsters make I My ea rs are almost deafened,though the c lamor comes through the fa r length of two

hundred years. There, go to your seats, poor boys.

And thus the forenoon passes away . Now it is twelve

o’c lock . The master looks at his great silver wa tch, a nd

then , With tiresome deliberation , puts the ferule into his

desk . The little multitude await the word of dismissal

w ith almost irrepressible impatience .

“You are dismissed ,

”says Master Cheever . The boys

retire, treading so ftly until they have passed the threshold ;but fa irly out ofthe schoolroom ,

10, what a joyous shout

Wha t a scampering and trampling of feet ! what a sense of

recovered freedom expressed in the merry uproar of all

their voices ! Wha t ca re they for the ferule a nd birch rod

now ? Were boys crea ted merely to study Latin a nd arith

m etic No ; the better purposes of their being are to sport,to leap , to run , to shout, to slideupon the ice, to snowball.

40 FIFTH BOOK

Happy boys ! Enjoy your playtime now , and come

again to study andto feelthe birch rod and the ferule to

Now the master has set everything to rights and is ready

to go home to dinner . Yet he goes reluc tantly. The old

man has spent so much ofhis life in the smoky, noisy, buzz

ing schoolroom that when he has a holiday he feels as if

his place were lost and himself a stranger in the world . But

forth he goes ; and there stands his old chair va cant and

solitary till good Master Cheever resumes his sea t in it

NATHANIELHAWTHORNE

TUBAL CA IN

OLD Tubal Cain w as a man ofmightIn the days when earth w as youn g ;

By the fierce red light ofhis furna ce brightThe strokes ofhis hammer rung ;

And he lifted high his braw ny hand

On the iron glow ing c lear,

Till the sparks rushed out in scarlet showersAs he fashioned the sw ord and spear .

And he sang“Hurrah for my handiwork !

Hurrah for the Spear and Sword !Hurrah for the hand that shall wield them well,For he sha ll be king and lord

To Tuba l Cain came m any a one,

As he w rought by his roaring fire,

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42 FIFTH BOOK

And bared his strong right arm for w ork,

While the quick flames mounted high.

And he sang— “Hurrah for my handiw ork

As the red sparks lit the air ;Not a lone for the blade w as the bright steel made,

As he fashioned the First Plow share .

And men,taught wisdom from the Past,

In friendship joined their hands,Hung the sw ord in the hall , the spear on the wa ll,And plow ed the w illing lands ;

And sang Hurrah for Tuba l Cain l

Our stench good friend is be .

And for the Plow share and the PlowTo him our pra ise sha ll be .

But w hile Oppression lifts its head,Or a tyrant w ould be lord,

Though w e may thank him for the Plow,We

’ll not forget the Sw ord l

”

ca naLBs MAOKAY

VICTORY

THEY only the victory w in ,Who have fought the good fight and have vanquished thedemon tha t temptsus w ithin ;

Who have held to their fa ith unseduced by the prize tha t theworld holds on high ;

Who have dared for a high cause to suffer,resist, fight, ifneed be ,

WILLIAM W. STORY

FIFTH BOOK 43

HEAP high the farmer’s wintry hoard !

Heap high the golden corn

No richer gift has Autumn poured

From out her lavish horn !

Let other lands,exulting , glean

The apple from the pine,

The orange from its glossy green,

We better love the hardy gift

To cheer us when the storm sha ll driftOur harvest fields with snow .

Through vales ofgrass and meads offlowers,Our plow s their furrows made,

Of changeful April played.

We dropped the seed o’

er hill and plain,Beneath the sun ofMay ,

And frightened from our sprouting gra inThe robber crow s aw ay.

Allthrough the long , bright days ofJuneIts leaves grew green and fair,

And w aved in hotmidsummer’s noonIts soft and yellow hair .

INTHE CORN F IELD

FIFTH BOOK 45

And now w ith autumn ’

s moonlit eves,Its harvest time has come ;

We pluck away the frosted leaves,And bear the treasure home .

There richer tha n the fabled giftApollo l showered ofold,

Fair hands the broken grain shall sift,And knead its mea l ofgold.

t 0 t

Then sham e on allthe proud and vain ,Whose folly laughs to scorn

Our wealth ofgolden corn !

Let mildew blight the rye ,Give to the w orm the orcha rd’s fruit,The w heat field to the fly :

But let the good oldcrop adornThe hills our fathers trod ;

Still letus for His golden corn ,

Sendup our thanks to God !JOHN GREENLEAF w a rr rnm

1 A pollo , the Grec ia n g od of the sun . The reference is to the story tha t

b e c overed the isle ofDelos, his na tive plac e , w ith flow ers ofgold.

46 FIFTH B OOK

ONthe evening of Thanksgiving Day , Grandfather w as

walking to and fro a cross the carpet , listening to the

rain which bea t'

ha rd against the curtained windows. The

riotous blast shook the casement, as if a strong ma n were

striving to force his entrance into the comfortable room .

With every pufi'

of the wind the fire leaped upward from the

hearth, laughing and rejoicing at the shrieks of the storm .

Grandfather’s chair stood in its customary place by the

fireside . The bright blaze gleamed upon the fan tastic

figures of its oaken back, and shone through the openwork

so tha t a complete pattern w as thrown upon the Opposite

side of the room . Sometimes for a moment or two the

shadow remained immovable, as if it were pain ted on the

wall . Then all at once it began to quiver and lea p and

dance with a frisky motion .

“Only see how Grandfa ther ’s chair is dancing, c ried

little A lice .

And she ran to the wa ll and tried to catch hold of the

flickering shadow, for to little children a shadow seems

almost as rea l as a substance .

The children had been joyous all through that day of

festivity, m ingling together in allkinds of play, so that the

house had echoed with their airy mirth . Now , somewha t

tired with their wild sport,they came and stood in a semi

circ le around Grandfather’s chair , ea ger for the quiet eu

joyment ofa story .

FIFTH BOOK 4?

As for Cousin Lawrence, he w as very much engaged in

looking over a volume of engraved portraits of eminen t

and famous people of all countries, which Grandfather had

just given him . Among them he found several who he knew

were noted men in the early history of our ow n country,and he tried in imagination to call up these great charac ters

and place them like living figures in the room .

“Will younot tell us about these famous men, Grand

father he asked .

So Grandfather bade him draw the table nea rer to the

fireside and they looked over the portraits together while

Clara and Charlie likewise lent their attention, and little

A lice c limbed into Grandfather’s lap and gazed at the pic

tures, as if she could see the very men whose fa ces were

Turning over the volume,Lawrence came to the portrait

of a stern,grim - looking man in plain attire ofmuch more

m odern fashion than that of the old Puritans . But the

face might well have befitted one of those iron- hearted

men . Beneath the portrait w as the name of Samuel Adams.

“He w as a man of grea t note in all the doings tha t brought

a bout the Revolution,”

said Grandfather ;“an earnest

pa trio t and a fearless leader ofmen . He, better than any

one else , may be taken as a representa tive of the people of

New England, and of the spirit with which they engaged in

the revolutionary struggle . He w as a poor man , and earned

his brea d by a humble oc cupa tion ; but with his tongue

and pen he made the king of England tremble on his throne .

48 FIFTH BOOK

G/W

Remember him ,my children, as one of the strong men of

our country .

Here is one whose looks show a very different chara c ter,observed Lawrence, turning to the portrait ofJohn Hancock.

“ I should think, by his splendid dress and courtly aspec t,that he w as one ofthe king’s friends.

”

“There never w as a greater contrast than between Samuel

Adams and John Hancock,”

said Grandfather .

“Yet

they were of the same side in politics, and had an equal

a gency in the Revolution . Hancock w as born to the inher

itance of the largest fortune in New Engla nd . His tastes

and habits were a ristoc ratic . He loved gorgeous attire,a splendid mansion ,

magnificent furniture,sta tely festivals,

and allthat w as glittering and pompous in externa l things.

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50 FIFTH BOOK

He sent another young man also , William Dawes, by a

difl'

erent road , so tha t if either should be ca ptured by the

B ritish the other might reach Lexington and warn Samue l

Adams and John Ha ncock tha t the B ritish were coming , a nd

then go on to Concord , rousing the people alla long the way .

General Gage , the B ritish commander in Boston ,intended

to seize the military stores which the pa triots had con

cealed in Concord , and he hoped to capture Adams and

Ha ncock and send them to England to be tried as traito rs .

“But when in the early dawn the B ritish rea ched Le xing

ton and drewup in ba ttle line on the village green ,they found

,

to their grea t surprise , the minutemen , armed and ready to

defend the town ,a nd oppose the further progres s of the red

coa ts.

“The patriots were too few , however , to risk a ba ttle

then , so they dispersed for the time being, but the militia

and the minutemen were collec ting from all direc tions, and

at Concord Bridge they made a stand , and obliged the

British to withdraw . The redcoa ts returned to Boston

at night , utterly worn out and exhausted , not at allas they

marched forth in the morning, playing Yankee Doodle and

no doubt making many a jest at the expense of the pa

triots.

”

“What became of Paul Revere asked Clara .

He a nd Dawes were both captured on their way to

Concord and led back to Lexington , but they were soon

released .

“General Wa rren lost his life a few weeks later in the

FIFTH BOOK 51

Jam .

first great battle of the Revo lution , the battle of Bunker

Hill . He w as on the field , aiding and encouraging the sol

diers here and there , when he w as shot by a B ritish ba ll .

Y oumay see the spot a few rods from Bunker Hill Monu

m ent where this brave ma n fell .“Here w e see the most illustrious Boston boy that ever

lived,”

said Grandfather . “This is Benj amin Franklin .

But I will not try to compress into a few sentences the

c haracter of the sage , who , as a Frenchman expressed it,sn atched the lightning from the sky and the scepter from a

tyrant .”

The book likewise contained portraits of James Otis

52 FIFTH BOOK

and Josiah Quincy . Both of them , Grandfa ther observed ,were men of wonderful talents and true patriotism . Their

voices were like the stirring tones of a trumpet arousing

the country to defend its freedom . Hea ven seemed to have

provided a greater number ofeloquentmen than had appeared

at any other period , in order tha t the people might be fully

instruc ted as to their wrongs and the method of resistanc e .

“ It is ma rvelous,”said Grandfather,

“ to see how many

powerful writers, ora tors and soldiers started up just at

the time when they were wan ted . There w as a man for

every kind of work .

“Many a young American who had spent his boyhood in

obscurity, afterward a ttained to a fortune which he never

could ha ve foreseen even in his most ambitious dreams.

John Adams, the second President of the United States and

the equa l of c rowned kings, w as once a schoo lmaster and

country lawyer . Hancock , the first signer ofthe Declaration

of Independence , served his apprenticeship with a merchant .

Samuel Adams, afterwards governor of Massachusetts,w as a small tradesman . General Warren w as a physician .

General Nathana el Greene, the best so ldier except Washing

ton in the revolutionary army, w as a Quaker and a black

smith . Allthese became illustrious men , and can never be

forgotten in American history. And it is wonderful that

men of such different characters were allmade to unite in the

one objec t of establishing the freedom and independence of

America . There w as an overruling Providence above them .

”

NA THANIELHAWTHORNB

FIFTH BOOK 53

STAND the ground’s your ow n , my braves !

Will ye give itup to slaves

Will ye look for greener graves ?Hope ye mercy still ?Wha t’s the mercy despots feel ?Hea r it in that battle pea lRead it on youbristling steel !Ask it

, ye w ho w ill l

Fear ye foes w ho kill for hire ?

Will ye to your homes retireLook behind you they’re afire I

And, before you, see

Who have done it From the va leOn they come ! and w ill ye quail ?

Let their welcome be

In the God ofbattles trust

But, oh where can dust to dustB e consigned so w ell ,As w here heaven its dew sha ll shed

On the m artyred patriot’s bed,

And the rocks sha ll ra ise their head,Ofhis deeds to tell ?

JOHN PIERPONT

54 FIFTH BOOK

GRATlTUDE TO COD

T. PAUL, the Apostle of the Gentiles, is never weary of

giving thanks to God. In his Epistle to the Romans, in

both of his Epistles to the Corinthians, in his Epistle to the

Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, in the tw o

to the Thessalonia ns, in bo th of those addressed to Timothy,

and in his letter to Philemon ,he pours forth his thanks for

the spiritual blessings bestowed on himself and his disc iples.

And in every instance his expressions of gratitude oc cur

in the opening chapter a s if to a dmonish us tha t all our

prayers and good works should be inaugurated by thanks

giving .

The Church is not less zea lous than the Apostle in ful

filling this sa cred duty . Our Sa viour w as once sacrificed

for our Redemption on the a ltar of the Cross. And from

the rising to the setting of the sun , she da ily comm emorates

this great event on ten thousand alta rs by the great Eucharis

tic Sa crifice , which , as the very name implies, is a Sacrifice

of Thanksgiving .

Every devout Christian should rejoice tha t the Chief

Executive of this na tion, as well as the Governors of the

different sta tes, are a c customed once a year to invite the

people of the United States to return thanks to God for His

blessings to us. It is a healthy sign to see our Chief M agistrate officia lly proc la iming the supreme dominion and

Fatherly supervision ofOur Creator.CARDINAL amaozvs

FIFTH BOOK

TIME TO GO

THEY know the time to go

The fairy c locks strike their mandible hourIn field and woodland, and ea ch punctua l flower

And hastes to bed.

The pale Anemone

Glides on her w ay with sc arcely a good night ;The Violets tie their purple nightc aps tight ;Hand c lasped in hand, the dancing Columbines,

In blithesome lines,

Flit from the scene , and couch them for their rest ;The Meadow Lily folds her scarlet vest

And hides it’nea th the Grasses’ lengthening green ;

Her sister Lily floats

On the blue pond, and raises golden eyesTo court the golden splendor ofthe skies

The sudden signa l comes , and dow n she goes

In the cool depths below .

A little la ter, and the Asters blue

Depa rt in crow ds, a brave and cheery crew ;While Goldenrod, stillwide awake and gay ,

FIFTH BOOK

And, like a little hero , meets his fate .

The Gentians, very proud to situp late ,Next follow . Every Fern is tucked and set

’Neath coverlet,

Dow ny and soft andwarm .

No little seedling voice is heard to grieveOr make complaints the folding w oods benea th ;No lingerer da res to stay

,for well they know

The th e to go .

Teach us your patience brave,Dear flowers, tillw e shall dare to part like you,Willing God

’s will , sure that His clock strikes true ;

Tha t His sweet day augurs a sweeter morrow,“fith sm iles, not sorrow .

NOVEMBER woods a re ba re and still

November days a re c lea r and bright '

Ea ch noon burnsup the morning’

s chillThe morn ing

’

s snow is gone by n ightEa ch day my steps grow slow , g row light,As through the w oods, I reverent c reep ,Watching allthings lie

“ dow n to sleep .

”

HELEN HUNT JACKSON

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INWINTER WOODLAND

FIFTH BOOK 59

in alltheir plenitude of foliage , have stood for ages on the

slopes above . And in this place all the summer you can

listen to the noise of their rustling branches.

Now they are bare and stark, but the winds have swept

the russet and orange leaves into this narrow defile . They

are matted together on the surface with frost , but under

neath is a whole underground world of dorman t living

things which w e must explore some day .

But it is notuntil w e get fairly into the woods and leave

the sha llow frozen snow of the fields behind us tha t w e see

any signs of life . The silence of these winter woods is their

main cha rac teristic . But that is chiefly owing to the ob

server . It strikes the wayfarer, tramping along at a goodsteady policeman ’

s pace to keep himself warm , that there is

not a single sign of life in allthe frosty woodla nds. And this

is natural, for sylvan eyes and ears are exceedingly acute .

The stamp of a leather- shod foo t can be heard many

hundreds of yards. Then , at once, every bird and beast

w ithin the radius stands at attention , to judge of the direc

tion of the noise . Crack goes another rotten branch . In

a se cond all the woodland folk a re in their ho les in the

deepest shrubberies or in the upper branches of the trees.

The twang of the broken twig tells them tha t the intruder

is off the beaten path , and is therefore probably a dangerous

But Sweethea rt a nd I a re wa rm ly wrapped up . So w e

can c rouch a nd watch in the lee ofa dike , or stand wrapped

in one great c loak behind a tree trunk . It is not of muchuse

60 FIFTH BOOK

to go abroad at noon . In the morning when the birds are

a t their brea kfast is the time . Or better still , in the early

aftera when the low red sun has yet about an hour and

a half to travel tha t is the time to ca ll upon the bird

fo lk in the winter season . They are busy, and have less

time to give to their suspicions.

“The sun is like one big cherry, says Sweetheart , sud

denly , looking up between the boughs ;“ like one big cherry

in streaky jelly .

”

And it is so precisely. He lies low down in the south in

a ruby haze of winter frost . The reflec tions on the snow

are red a lso,and the shadows purple . The glare of the

morning’s white and blue is taken off by the level beams .

Sweetheart has something to sa y on this subject . “Father,

I thought the first day that the snow w as prettier, but then

itkeepsus from seeing a great many pretty things.

”

Never mind , Sweetheart . It will also let .us see a suf

ficient number of pretty things,if w e only wait and look

closely enough . But it is certainly true that snow does

not help the color of a la ndscape . Still , as a compensation ,there is brilliant color above our heads. The cherry- tinted

sun ,shining on the holes of the Scotch firs in the plantation ,

turns them into red gold, and causes their crooked branches

to stand out aga inst the dullindigo sky like veins of white

hot metal .

But look down , Sweetheart see the tra cks on the snow.

Can youtellm e what all these a re ? There is the broad

spurred arrow oftha t bla ck vagra nt ,Mr . Rook, who is every

FI FTH BOOK 61

Where . We need not mind him . See, a little farther on,

the regular loping of the rabbits as they cross the beaten

path down from the bank, and go into the hedgerows for

tender shoots and lea f- pro tec ted grasses.

Here is a hare’s track a wounded one, too . See, he has

been carrying one foo t 06 the ground . Only here and there

do w e see where it has just skimmed the snow . His trail

goes dot and dash, like a . Morse telegram . Swee thea rt

does not know w ha t that is, but she is brimming over with

pity for the poor lame hare . Would it not be possible to

find him and get his poor foot tied up , like the robin red

breast of prec ious memory , whose wounded leg w e once

doctored and healed ?

Ah,I reply, but this is quite a different matter . You

see, Mr . Hare unfortunately omitted to leave his card in

passing . We really do not know where he lives, and besides,even if w e did, it is hardly likely that w e could catch him .

For he would run a great deal faster on three legs, even

with a spare one to carry, tha n Sweetheart and I on ourwhole equipm ent of four between us. Sweetheart thinks

with a sigh that this most fascina ting ambulance work must

be given up .

Yet it is a pity . A wounded and grateful hare coming to

the back door every morning would just fillher cup of joy to

the brim . But I remind her tha t there a re tw o dogs at the

-back door , and that it is possible theymight receive the v isitor

with quite a nother sort of gra titude . Why , oh , why,thinks the little maid , will things turn out so contrary ?

62 FIFTH BOOK

But here is the pla c e where w e must turn off the pa th

and go softly down into the thicker woods. Let us watch

our feet carefully, a nd tread on no brittle branches. For

the birds will surely hear, and then w e m ay say good- by

to our cha nce of seeing them .

Presently w e a re behind the giant hole of the beech ,whose tender gray sa tin skin gives a dainty exp ression to

its winter beauty . Now, w rapped closely in our one c loak ,and w ith the pa ir of field glasses ready in hand, w e abide

warm a nd eager . There are birds all around us, w e can

hear them .

“See — see — see ,

” from above . Chip - chip, from

somewhere underground . Sweetheart ’s quick eye catches

the flash of the first bird . She points an eager finger through.

the folds ofthe cloak, and looksup to me with a hushed a nd

aw e- struck fa ce .

“Oxeye ,”she whispers.

Oxeye it is — the grea t titmouse , with his yellow breast

flashing like a lemon- colored sunbeam , and above it his

bold black- and- white hea d .

How he darts and dashes Now he is lost to view, now

he is out aga in . He ha s a bit of ba rk in his bill , and he

shakes it furiously . We stand brea thlessly silent . This

oxeye has enough energy in him to decimate a coun tryside .

If he were only as big as a horse , he would not lea ve man ,

woma n or child a live between Pentland a nd Solway . As

it is, he makes it hot indeed for the bark- boring beetles.

Tap , tap shake , shake , he goes. And out tumbles from

a hole in the ba rk a wicked little gentleman Sco lytus, the

FIFTH BOOK 63

Destroyer by name , a very Attila ofbeetles. Oxeye winks,a nd there is an end ofScolytus.

But the victor is a t it again . He is up on the elm ,c ling

ing , head dow n exac tly like a Creeper, though he does not

run so quickly up the trunk as tha t darling little bird . But

w hat he does is to w alk around the trunk till he finds some

thing to suit him , and then he has it dow n on the ground in

a moment to inquire in to its na ture . There are several

o xeyes now ,and they are giving

'

Sco lytus the Destroyer

a nd all his cla n a warm time ofit. Without doubt they a re

doing much good to the growing trees.

Now there is a wren among the tits, only one little Jenny.

But she is in the best of spirits. She also is hunting among

the leaves,and

,what is very curious, carrying them in her

b illto a hollow in a tree stem which is nearly as full of them

a lready as it ca n hold . We examine this ca vity before w e

lea ve, and agree that if Jenny nestles in there a t night, she

h as not so poor a dwelling place, except perha ps when the

w ind is in the north .

D ropping the leaves, Jenny makes overtures of friend

ship to a very handsome but sadly misanth'

ropic robin ,

c la d in a splendid scarlet vest, who ismoping listlessly about ,ta king an occasional aimless peek a t nothing, watching us

a llthe while furtively w ith a sha rp and shining eye . But

R obin takes not the slightest notice ofher . Wherea t Jenny

j erks her saucy tail , and with a quite perceptible snifl , flies

o fl'

contemptuously to the nea rest birch tree .

So alltoo soon it comes time to go home . As w e march

64 FIFTH BOOK

along, there are a thousand things that Sweetheart wants

to know , and“Whys” and

“But, Fathers

” hurtle through

the tortured air . She has not been able to speak for a whole

hour, and is therefore well- nigh full to bursting of marksof interroga tion . On the whole , I do as wellas can be ex

pected, and receive an honor certificate .

The crows also are going home to tea , and fly c langing

and circling overhead,playing at “

Tag” to keep them

selves wa rm . Sweetheart watches them , cogitating the

while . I point out to her how the brackens, be ing thin a nd

poor in blood, have all dried dow n brown a nd rusty ; but

how the stronger and sturdier ferns still keep their greenness,though they have grown a little tired standingup , andso have

laid themse lves dow n to sleep under the plaid of the snow.

But now w e must hurry homeward . It is sad indeed,but after allthere are such things as colds

,and the couse

quences would be unutterable if, even in the interests of

science, w e were to take home one of these between us.

“ I like so much to come out with you,” observes Sw eet

heart, because younever say ,‘Youmustn’t,

’ at the n ice

plac es, nor‘You’re going to get your boots w et I

’ at the

dear little pools l”

I . w as, in fac t, upon the poin t of ma king the latter remark

at that moment , but in face of such sweet flattery, how

could the thing be done“Do youknow I think it

’s very kind of youto take me

out walking with you, Father ,”is the next statement , also

made in the interests of the future .

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66 FI FTH BOOK

THE LOST CAMEL

Cha racters:A DERVISH, Tw o MERCHANTS,A JUDGE

SCENE I

The Desert ofSaha ra

(Enter the dervish and the tw o merchants.)

DERVISH . Good day, my friends. Ye are

in trouble , I see .

FIRST MERCHANT . Thou speakest truth .

We a re in grea t trouble .

DERVISH. Your camel has wandered away and is lost .

SECOND MERCHANT . True , good dervish , hast thou

seen him ?

DERVISH . That camel of yours w as blind in the right eye .

FIRST MERCHANT . Aye , aye, thouhast seen him then .

DERVISH . And lame in the left foreleg .

SECOND MERCHANT . It is true , 0 dervish , thoumust

have met him in the desert . Tell us where w e ma y find

him .

DERVISH. And he had lost a front tooth .

FIRST M ERCHANT . Aye , truly, the camel that thou

sawest w as surely ours. Where is he now

DERVISH. He w as laden with whea t on one side .

SECOND M ERCHANT . True , true , good dervish . Tell

us quickly what has become of him .

A CAM EL Ol’ THE DESERT

D g tzed byGo oglc

68 FIFTH BOOK

DERVISH. And he w as laden with honey on the other side .

FIRST MERCHANT . Indeed he w as . New surely, good

friend, thoudost not doubt tha t the camel is ours.

SECOND MERCHANT . How fortunate tha t w e met thee

FIRST MERCHANT. We are most grateful to thee , O

dervish, w e will retrace our steps. No doubt w e shall soon

overtake him . Thank thee kindly, good friend . Fare thee

DERVISH. Hearken , my good friends. I have never seen

FIRST MERCHANT. Never seen him l Tha t is impossible.

SECOND M ERCHANT . Who,then , has told thee about him ?

DERVISH. No one has told me about him , and I have

FIRST MERCHANT . A likely story, truly ! Thou hast

stolen our camel. Thouintendest to rob us. Base caitifl'

,

thousha lt sufl'

er for this

SECOND MERCHANT . Let us seize the rasca l . Let us

take him before the judge . He shall restore our jewels.

He shall give us back our treasure .

SCENE II

The Court ofJustice

(Enter the judge, the dervfsh a nd the tw o mercha nts.)FIRST MERCHANT. O learned judge , w e bring . thee a

prisoner w ho is guilty of theft . He has stolen our camel and

has robbed us of our jewels. Of that w e are sure .

FIFTH BOOK 69 '

JUDGE . Hold,my good friends . Ye say tha t ye have

lost your camel and your jewels, of tha t ye are sure . Ye

ac cuse this dervish ofstea ling them ,of tha t ye a re not sure .

Ye must first prove him guilty . Produce your evidence .

FIRST MERCHANT. That w e will do , most righteous

judge .

SECOND MERCHANT . We can readily prove that he is

JUDGE . Very well . Ye may tell your story .

FIRST MERCHANT . My friend here a nd I were crossing

the desert on our w ay to Bagdad, where w e intended to sell

some valuable jewels at the bazaa r . As thouknowest right

well,most upright judge, the desert is infested with robbers,

so to conceal the great treasure in our possession w e loaded

our camel with simme stores ofhoney and whea t , hiding thej ewels in the sacks ofwheat .

At midday, w e rested under some palms near a wel l of

w ater , and being warm a nd weary w e fell asleep . On awak

ing , w e found that our camel w as missing, but w e suspected

no evil, thinking tha t he had wandered a short distance .

D iligently w e searched for the anima l , but could find no

trace of him . At length , 0 judge , w e met this dervish , who

to ld us at once that w e had lost a camel and hestraightway

described him minutely, sa ying tha t he w as blind in one eye,

lam e in one leg a nd tha t he had lost one tooth . Ye can

readily see , most learned judge, that the dervish must have

seen him .

SE COND MERCHANT . And the villa in even told us that

70 FIFTH BOOK

our camel w as laden with wheat and honey. How could he

know all this ifhe had not seen him ,and wherefore doth he

not restore him ifhe ha th not stolen the jewels ?

FIRST MERCHANT. Have w e not shown him to be guil ty ,0 judge

JUDGE . I have heard your ac cusations and your eviden ce .

I will listen now to the prisoner . Come forward , dervish .

What hast thouto say in thy defense ? If thouhadst nev er

seen this camel, how w as it that thouknewest so much about

him

DERvI SH.

‘

Gladly, O judge, will I answer thy just in

quiry . From my youth up , I have been ac customed to

notice carefully everything that came in my way. This

habit of c lose observa tion is ofmore value to me than allthe

j ewels ofthe merchants. It ha th been ofgreat service m a ny,many times

, and this tim e only ha th it been the cause of

trouble . But I can ea sily show tha t I am innocent of the

charge brought against me .

As I walked a long, I sa w footprints in the sand which I

knew at once to be the tra cks of a camel . There were no

footprints ofa man beside those ofthe camel , so I conc luded

that the animalhad strayed from his driver .

JUDGE . But, good dervish , how couldst thoutell tha t the

camel w as blind and lame,tha t he had lost a tooth and tha t

his burden w as whea t a nd honey

DERVISH . I knew he w as blind, for I saw that the grass

w as cropped on one side of the path only . In every plac e

where he had grazed, there w as a little tuft of grass left

FIFTH BOOK 71

standing . This showed that the a nimd had lost a front

too th . The prin t in the sand m ade by one foo t w as a fainter

impression than the others. By this I knew that he w as

lam e in one foo t .

FIRST MERCHANT . One question more, 0 judge . How

could he know that the camel w as ! laden with honey a nd

wheat

D ERVISH. I noticed that a co lony of ants w as busy carry

ing away grains of whea t on one side of the path, and that

flies were c lustering thick along the other side .

JUDGE . Thou art very observant and very wise , O

dervish . I pronounce thee innocent . Thou art free . Go

in peace . As for ye , merchants, be not so hasty in your con

elusions in future . Moreover, ifye willmake as gooduse of

your eyes as this dervish, ye wil l doubtless find your camel .

Tw o men w alk along the same road:one notices the

blue depths of the sky , the floating clouds, the opening

lea vesupon the trees, the green grass, the yellow buttercups,a nd the far stretch of the open fields ; the other has precisely

the same pictures on his retina, but pays no a ttention to

them . One sees a nd the other does not see ; one enj oys an

unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses tha t pleasure

which is as free to him a s the a ir .

CHARLES WI LLI AM ELIOT

72 FI FTH BOOK

LEARNING BY OBSERVlNG

THE grea t use ofa school education is notso much to teach

youthings, as to teach youhow to learn — to give youthe

noble art of learning, which youca n use for yourselves in after

life on any ma tter to which youchoose to turn your mind .

And what does the art of learning consist in ? First and

foremost , in the art ofobserving . That is, the boy w ho uses

his eyes best onhis book, and observes the words and letters

ofhis lessonmost ac curately and carefully, that is the boywho learns his lesson best .

As youwell know , one boy will sit staring at his book for

an hour , without know ing a word about it, while another will

learn the thing in a quarter of an hour ; and why Because

one has ac tually not seen the words. He ha s been thinking

of something else , looking out of the window,repeating the

words to himself like a parrot . The other has simply, as w e

say , kept his eyes open .

” He has looked a t the lesson w ith!

his whole mind, seen it and seen into it, a nd therefore knows

all about it.

Therefore I say that everything which helps a boy’s

power of observation helps his power of lea rning ; and I

know from experience that nothing helps that so much as the

study of the world about us, and especia lly of natural his

tory:to be accustomed to watch for curious objec ts, to

know in a moment when youhave come upon a nything new

which is observation ; to be quick a t seeing when things

are like and when unlike which is c lassifica tion . All

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74 FIFTH BOOK

is, and has seen a woodpecker and a wheatea r, and has

gathered strange flowers off the heath, and hunted a pew it,because he thought its wing w as broken, till of course it

led him into a hog , and w et he got ; but he did not mind,for in the bog he fell in w ith an old man cutting turf, who told

him all about turf cutting ; and then he went up a hil l, and

saw a grand prospect, and because the place w as called

Campmount he looked for a Roman camp,and found the

ruins of one ; and then he went on and saw many other

things, and so on and so on, til l he had brought home curiosi

ties enough and thoughts enough to last him a week .

“Mr . Andrew s,w ho seems a sensible old gentlema n ,

tells

him all about his curiosities ; and then it turns out that

Master William has been over exac tly the same ground as

Master Robert, who saw nothing at all.

Whereon saysMr . Andrews, wisely enough , in his so lemn,old~fashioned way:‘

So it is:one man walks through the

world with his eyes open, and another with them shut ; and

upon this depends allthe superiority of knowledge which

one acquires over the other . I have know n sailors who had

been in allquarters of the world, and could tell younothing

but the names of the hotels, and the price and quality of

toba cco . On the other hand, Franklin could not cross the

English Channel without making observations useful to

While ma ny a vacant, thoughtlessp erson is whirled

through Europe without gaining a single idea worth crossing

the street for, the observing eye and inquiring mind findma t

FIFTH BOOK 75

ter of improvement and delight in every ramble . Do you

then , William , continue to ma ke use of your eyes ; and you,Robert, learn that eyes were given youto use .

’

And when I read that story, as a little boy , I said to myself, I w illbe Mr . Eyes ; I will notbe Mr . No Eyes ; andMr .

Eyes I have tried to be ever since ; and Mr . Eyes I advise

you, every one of you, to be, if youwish to be happy and

suc cessful . Ah 1my dear boys, ifyouknew the idle, va can t,useless life which many young men lead when their day’s

work is done, continually tempted to sin and shame and

ruin by their ow n idleness, while they miss opportunities of

making va luable discoveries, of distinguishing themselves

and helping themselves forward in life then youwould

make it a duty to get a habit of observing, and of havingsome healthy and rational pursuit with which to fillup your

CHARLES KINGSLE Y

Tl-lE SHELL

SEEw hat a lovely shell ,Sm a ll and pure as a pea rl

,

Lying close to my foot,Frail, but a w ork divine,M ade so fairily wellWith delicate spire andwhorl,How exquisitely minute,A miracle ofdesign !

FIFTH BOOK

What is it? a learned man

Could give it a c lumsy name .

Let him name it w ho c an ,

The beauty w ould be the same .

The tiny shell is forlorn ,Void ofthe little living willThat made it stir on the shore .

Did he stand at the diamond door

Ofhis house in a rainbow frill ?

Did he push, w hen he w as un curled,A golden foot or a fairy horn

Through his dim w a ter world?

Slight, to be crushed with a tap

Ofmy finger- na il on the sand 1Sma ll

,but a work divine

Fra il, but offorce to withstand,Yea r upon yea r, the shock

Ofc atara ct seas tha t sn apThe three-decker’s oaken spine

Athw art the ledges ofrock,Here on the B reton strand l

A LFRED TENN rsozv

FI FTH BOOK 77

CORALS AND CORAL REEFS

Whatever mine ea rs can hear ,Wha tever mine eyes can see

,

In Nature so bright w ith beauty and lightHas a message oflove for me .

”

EREVER w e look in this great, wide, beautiful,world

, w e can find glories unspeakable,marvelous things to admire and to enjoy. Here is this bit

ofcoral . What is it and where does it come from ?

Coral is, next to the pearl, the most precious jewel of the

sea . It is very beautiful and is va luable for ornaments.

Even from the most ancient times it has been used for this

purpose . In the B ible, w e find it mentioned in connec tion

with emeralds and other precious stones, and w e a re to ld by

the old writer Pliny tha t weapons and costly vesse ls were

embellished with branches of this beautiful substance .

Red coral is obtained chiefly from the Mediterranean Sea .

In the adjoining countries, espec ia lly in Southern Ita ly,

the busines s of ga thering and cul ling it a nd making

it into ornam en ts forms a flourishing and important indus

try. It is still a favorite material for necklaces and other

Cora l is drawn up from the sea in nets by divers or by

fishermen . These nets are atta ched to a vessel and loweredover the rocks where the coral branches are found . Thenthe boatmen hoist the sails

, and as the vessel slowly drifts

78 FIFTH BOOK

before the w ind, the choice treasures a re collec ted and

dragged up from their home in the deep sea .

And wha t is this beautiful material ? It is a so lid struc

ture of carbonate of lime, and is made in a very curious and

wonderful way by tiny creatures c alled po lyps. As w e'

know ,

all anim als and plants are able to appropriate from the

water or the a ir in which they live, whatever properties they

need for their ow n life and growth . So the little coral

polyps take up lime from the sea water anduse it in making

their wonderful building .

Great numbers of these tiny beings living in colonies and

working together, deposit within their bodies minute par

ticles of lime. It hardens into a solid frame or skeleton, and

this is the beautiful coral tha t w e admire so much .

In early life the coral polyp has a soft transparent body

like a lump of jelly. Sometimes it sw ims around freely in

the water, but itsoon a ttaches itself to the ground or perhaps

to a rock, and henceforth remains fixed to that place . Its

form immediately changes, becoming star- shaped, a nd

tentac les or arms appear, which bring to its mouth‘

bits of

food and partic les of lime .

From ea ch ray- like point of its body another tiny po lyp

soon appears, like another little star . Some of these drop

off into the water and some remain and begin to build .

Again from these tiny star points, other polyps start forth,and so as time goes on ,

millions upon millions are added to

the colony, and the building of the busy little architec ts

grows larger and larger .

80 FIFTH BOOK

There are several kinds of cora l, and all are very curiousand beautiful . Sometimes the stony substance is rounded

in form with a rough wrinkled surface, sometimes it is in

shapes of branching shrubs or trees, sometim es it is fan

Butwhatever the form , the coral which w e see in museums

is only the limestone struc ture, very difl'

erent in appea rance

from the'

coralgardens in the sea . As w e look down through

the c lear water at these wonderfulsea gardens they do in

deed present a lovely and fairylike scene .

The tenta cles of the little polyps are of ma ny bright

olors, and each one ofthe millions of beings composing the

community is enveloped in a perfec t wreath of them . When

all these tiny tentac les, white or green or rose~colored , arefully exp a nded , moving about in the water, they look like a

bed of the most brilliant flowers.

Indeed, for a long time it w as supposed that they really

were flowers. Learned men , notw ithstanding all their re

search and careful observation , have made many mistakes

in trying to understand these marvelous little creatures.

But at last, by long and patient study with the aid of the

microscope, their real nature has been discovered . They be

long to the sam e class ofanimals as the lovely sea anemones,which indeed are sometimes called the

“cousins of the

The work of all kinds of coral polyps is very interesting,but that of the reef- building spec ies fillsus with the greatest

wonder. It seems absolutely impossible tha t those mighty

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82 FIFTH BOOK

po lyp like a tiny flower peeping out. Think of a garden

filled with beautiful flowers of every shape and color that you

have ever seen . Nothing could be more gorgeous and bril‘

liant , down in the deep sea .

A cora l reef is the home ofa grea t va riety of small a nima ls

which work their w ay' for shelter into every little nook and

cranny . Imagine, growing in among the corals, and c rawl

ing over them , sea anemones , shellfish, starfish, sea slugs

a nd sea cucumbers with tiny fea thery gills, shrimps, c rabs,a nd hundreds of other animals with curious forms a nd gay

colors, a nd shoals of fish playing in a nd out as strange and

gaudy as the rest . Youmay let your fancy run wild a nd you

can never picture anything ha lf so stra nge or so gay as these

wonderful things all alive a t the bo ttom of the ocea n .

The coral polyps cannot build above the high tide m a rk,

so do younot wonder how a ree f ca n rise above the surfa ce,and how such islands as the Florida Keys can be made

This is accomplished by the aid ofthe winds and the waves.

D ay and night , week after week , yea r a fter year , the trade

wind , blowing steadily in the same direc tion toward the

equa tor , is constantly hurling mighty billows a ga inst the

reef . Grea t lumps of cora l a re thus broken off a nd thrown

into the sea , often being ground into a fine sand by the force

ofthe water .

The waves beating furiously aga inst the reef pile up the

sand a nd broken hits, as a sea bea ch is piled up by the surf,pounding and pounding them , until the pile, ever growing

larger and larger , is firm a nd so lid . Then , as lime always

FIFTH BOOK 83

does, it sets and hardens, just as youhave seen mortar set ;and so a little island is formed above the water .

GREAT BARRIER CORAL REEF OF AUSTRALIA

On the top of the reef soil soon collec ts, made of the

coral sand and of the rocks and the mud washed from the

neighboring land a nd brought hither by tide and by storms.

Now the little island is ready for vegetation .

Seeds from other islands are floated in on the tide, and

am ong them there is almost always the coconut , which often

grows by the seashore ; so groves of coco pa lms a re sta rted

on the lonely island, and soon also other trees, such as bread

84 FI FTH BOOK

fruit andmangrove , andmany shrubswhich belong to tropica l

c limates, for coralreefs a nd coral islands are found only in

tropica l regions.

Sea birds come to res t , and perhaps they build their homes

there, and other birds that have been caught in a storm and

blown out to sea find shelter in a little coco or breadfruit

grove . Then the winds may bring in trees and bushes,

with eggs and cocoons of insec ts entangled in their roots ;and so a few butterflies and beetles set up for themselves

upon the island and a little new world is begun ; but a world

in which there a re no four- footed beasts, no snakes, nor

liza rds, nor frogs,nor anything that cannot cross the

sea .

On some of these islands anima ls have existed so long that

probably their forms have changed somewhat to fit them for

the place in which they live . Here youmay find creatures

a s strange and unique as the coconut crab,which walks a

foo t high upon the tips of his toes . Often he ha s nothing

to ea t but c oconuts, a nd so coconuts he ha s learned to

ea t and tha t with a relish . The way in which he gets the

meat out of the nut seems very ingenious.

When he finds a coconut fallen to the ground, he beginsto tear away the husk and fiber with his long claws, and he

understands perfectly wellwhich end it is better to open ;tha t is, the one where the three eyeholes are, from one of

which , as youknow, the young coconut tree would burst

forth . So with his strong c law he punches a hole through

one of these eyes.

FIFTH BOOK 85

But how is he to get out the meat He cannot suck the

coco milk as a bee sucks honey, for he has no probosc is.

He is in asmuch ofa dilemma as the fox in the old fable when

the stork invited him to dinner and served the repast in a

long- necked bo ttle . But our crab is not to be daunted by

trifles. He turns around a nd thrusts in his hind feet , which

are long and slender, and so he feeds himself in his ow n pe

culiar fashion .

And even the husk ofthe coconut he ha s lea rned to use

for his advantage . He lives in a deep burrow like a rabbit,and liking the luxury of a soft warm bed he takes pains to

line the nest carefully with a mass ofthe woody fibers picked

out clea n and fine . And every night he goes dow n to the

sea and takes a refreshing ba th ; thus he is as comfortable

and ha ppy on his isla nd as a crab ca n wel l be . So much for

the coc onut crab .

There are in the Southern Pa cific a great many islands,each one of which is encirc led by a fringe of cora l . And

there are many entirely of coral , among them hundreds of

ring islands, or a tolls, as they a re called . An atoll is a

complete ring or a nearly complete ring of cora l inc losing a

beautiful sheet of smooth water . If there is a break in the

ring allow ing a passa ge from the open sea , the a toll furnishes

a safe shelter for ships, a delightful ha rbor in midocean .

It w as a long time before scientists could a ccount for the

fac t that these islands a re in the form of a ring . The first

to expla in the riddle w as Charles Da rwin .

“Suppose ,

”said he,

“one of those beautiful South Sea

86 FIFTH BOOK

Islands with its ring of coral reef all a round its shore , should

begin to sink slowly under the sea . The land, a s it sa nk,

would be gone out of sight for good and all; but the coral

reef a round it would not sink , because the coral po lyps

would build up a nd up continually until they reached the

surfa ce of the water. And when the island had sunk com

pletely beneath the surface of the sea what would be left ?

Wha t could be left but a ring of cora l reef around the spot

where the last moun tain pea k sank under the wa ter ?”

It is easy to understand this when w e know tha t the

bottom ofthe Pacific Ocean has been very gradua lly cha nging

through many centuries. Geo logists tel l us tha t there w as

once a great continent in this ocean joined perha ps to Aus

tralia, while now nothing is left but c ora l reefs to m a rk the

mountain peaks of tha t sunken world .

And in other parts of the world , land which w a s once

covered by the sea has been liftedup above the surfa c e of

the water by the power of volcanoes a nd ea rthquakes.

In m any places w e find w ide sheets of limestone , even moun

tain ranges ofcora l form a tion which were once at the bottomofthe sea .

Great and marvelous are His works. Everyw here

they Show forth the wisdom and power and goodness of

God, tea ching us on land and sea, on the moun ta in top and

far down in the depth Of the o cea n where prec ious jewelsare hidden , tha t nothing is impossible with Him a nd thatHis love is infinite .

ALI CE REBECC’A HARVE Y

FIFTH BOOK 87

sea is His and He made it; a ndHis ha nds

formed the dry la nd.

”

Wonderfula re the surges ofthe sea w onderfulis theLord on high.

”

“For in His ha nds are all the ends of the

earth ; and the heights ofthe mounta ins a re His.

Wha tever the Lord plea sed He hath done , in hea ven , in

ea rth, in the sea,and in all the deeps. He bringeth up clouds

from the end of the ea rth:He ha th made lightningsfor the ra in .

He bringeth forth w inds out ofHis stores.

“In the beginning , 0Lord, Thoufoundedst the earth; and

the hea vens a re the w orks ofThy ha nds.

”

“Thine a re the hea vens and Thine is the earth ; the w orld and

the fullness thereof Thouhastfounded.

”

Thourulest the pow er ofthe sea :a nd appea sest the motion

of the w a ves thereof.

The hea vens show forth the glory ofGod, a nd thefirmament

decla reth the w ork of His ha nds . Da y to da y uttereth speech,

a nd nig ht to night show eth know ledg e.

”

He loveth mercy a ndjudgment the ea rth is fullofthe mercyof the Lord.

THE CORAL GROVE

DEEP in the w ave is a cora l grove,Where the purple mullet and the goldfish rove,

Where the sea flow er spreads its leaves ofblueThat never a re w et w ith fa lling dew ,

FIFTH BOOK

But in bright and changeful beauty shineFar dow n in the green and glassy brine .

The floor is ofsand like the moun tain drift,And the pearl shells spangle the flinty snow ;From cora l rocks the sea plants lift

Their boughs, where the tides and billow s flow .

The w ater is calm and still below ,

For the waves and w inds a re absent there ;And the sands are as bright as the stars that glowIn the motionless fields ofupper air .

it it

There, w ith a light and easy motion ,

The fan cora l sweeps through the c lear , deep sea ;And the yellow and sca rlet tufts ofoc eanAre bending like corn on the upland lea .

And life in rare and beautiful formsIs sporting amid those bow ers ofstone ,And is safe w hen the w rathful spirit ofstormsHas made the ts p ofthe w ave his ow n .

JAMES m s PERCIVAL

IT is no joy to me to sit

On dreamy summer eves,

When silently the timid moonKisses the sleeping leaves,And allthings through the fair hush

’d

Love , rest but nothing grieves.

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90 FIFTH BOOK

RIP VANWlNKLE

l. Rip'

s Life a t Home

HOEVER has made a voyage up the Hudson must re

member the K aa tskillM ountains . They are a dis

membered branch ‘of the grea t Appa la chian family, and a re

seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble

height and lording it over the surrounding coun try .

Every change of season,every change of weather , in

deed every hour of the day , produces some change in the

magical hues and shapes of these mounta ins, a nd they a re

regarded by allthe good wives fa r and near as perfec t ba

rometers. When the wea ther is fa ir a nd settled, they a re

c lothed in blue and purple , and print their bold outlin es on

the evening sky . But sometimes when the rest of the l and

scape is c loudless, they will gather a hood of gra y vapor

about their summits, which , in the last rays of the se tting

sun , will glow and light up like a c loud of glory .

FI FTH BOOK 91

At the foot of thes e fairy mountains, the voyager may have

desc ried the light smoke cur ling up from a village whose

shingle roofs gleam among the trees just where the blue tints

of the upla nd melt away into the fresh green of the near

landscape . This is Tarrytown , a village of grea t antiquity,having been founded by some of the Dutch colonists in the

ear ly times of the province . Some of the houses of the

origina l settlers were standing w ithin a few years,built of

small yellow bricks brought from Holland, having la tticed

w indows and gabled fronts,surmounted with wea thercocks.

In tha t same village and in one ofthese very houses, which,to tellthe exa c t truth, w as sadly timeworn and wea ther

bea ten , there lived, many years since, while the country w as

yet a province ofGrea t B ritain , a simple, good- natured fel

low by the name ofRip Van Winkle . He w as a descendan t

ofthe Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the old w a r

like days, but he inherited very little of the martia l charac ter

of his ancestors.

I have observed that he w as a simple, good - natured man ;

he w as,moreover , a kind neighbor and a great favorite

among allthe villagers. The children would even shout for

joy whenever he approached. He assisted a t their sports,m ade their playthings, taught them to fly kites and to play

m arbles, and to ld them long stories of ghosts, w itches and

Indians. Whenever he went dodging about the village, he

w as surrounded by a troop of them, hanging on his skirts,c lambering on his ba ck and playing a thousand tricks on

him ! with impunity .

IN THE CATSK ILLS

FI FTH BOOK 93

The great error in Rip Van Winkle’s composition w as a

strong a version to all kinds of profita ble labor . It couldnot be from the want ofperseverance , for he would sit on aw et ro ck w ith a long heavy rod in his hand and fish all day

without a murmur even though he should not be encouraged

by a single nibble . He would carry a gun on his shoulder

for hours together,trudging through woods and swamps,up

hill a nd dow n dale, to shoot a few squirrels or wild pigeons .

He would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the

roughest toil , and w as a foremost man at all country frolics

for husking Indian corn or building stone fences. The

women of the village used to employ him to run their er

rands a nd to do many little odd jobs. In a word , Rip w as

ready to attend to anybody’s business but his ow n ; but as

to doin g family duty and keeping his farm in order, he

found it im possible .

In fac t, he declared it w as ofno use to work on his farm

it w as the poorest little piece ofground in the who le country ;everything about it went wrong and would go wrong in

spite of him . His fences were continually fa lling to pieces ;his cow would either go astray or get among the ca bbages ;weeds were sure to grow more quickly in his field than any

where else ; the ra in a lways made a poin t of setting in just

as he’ had some outdoor work to do :so tha t , though his

esta te had dwindled away under his ma nagement acre by

acre , until there w as little more left tha n a mere pa tch of

Indian corn a nd potatoes, yet it w as the worst conditioned

fa rm in the neighborhood .

94 F1FTH BOOK

ll. Rip'

s Children , his Dog and his Friends

His children , too , were a s ragged a nd as wild as if they

belonged to nobody. His son Rip , an urchin born in his

ow n likeness, promised to inherit the habits, with the , old

c lothes, ofhis father . He w as generally seen trooping like

a colt a t his mother’s hee ls, in a pair ofhis father’s cast- off

trousers, which he had much ado to hold up w ith one ha nd,

as a fine lady does her train in bad wea ther .

Rip Van Winkle, however, w a s one of those happy mor

tals w ho take the world easy, ea t white brea d or brown,

whichever can be gotwith lea st thought or trouble , and who

would ra ther sta rve on a penny tha n work for a pound .

If left to himself, he would have whistled life awa y in per

foot contentment ; but his wife , Dame Winkle, kept con

tinually dinning in his ea rs about his idleness, his careless

ness and the ruin he w as bringing on his family . Morning,

noon and night,her tongue w as in cessantly going , a nd

everything he said or did w as sure to . produce a torren t of

household eloquence .

Rip had but one w ay of replying to all lectures of this

kind , and tha t , by frequen t use , had grow n in to a habit .

He shrugged his shoulders,shook his head , ca st up his eyes,

but sa id nothing . This,however, a lways provoked a fresh

volley from his wife , so tha t he w a s fa in to draw Off his

forces a nd take to the outside of the house the on ly w ayin truth which w as left for him .

Rip’s sole domestic adherent w as his dog Wo lf ; Dame

FIFTH BOOK 95

Van Winkle regarded them as companions in idleness, and

even looked upon Wolf with an evil eye , as the cause of

hismaster’s going so much astray . True it is, in allpoints of

spirit befitting an honorable dog ,Wolf w as as courageous an

animal as ever scoured the woods ; but the moment he en

tared the house his crest fell , his tail drooped to the ground

or curled between his legs, he sneaked about with a gallows

air, casting ma ny a sidelong glance at Dame Van Winkle,and at the least flourish of a broomstick or ladle he would

fly to the door with yelping precipita tion .

Times grew worse a nd worse with RipVanWinkle as yea rsrolled on . For a long while he used to console himse lf, when

driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual c lub

of the sages, philosophers and other idle personages of the

village , w hich held its sessions on a bench before a small in

designated by a portrait of his M a jesty, George the Third .

Here theyused to sit in the shade through a long summer’s

day,ta lking listlessly over the village gossip or telling end

less sleepy stories about nothing . But it would have been

worth any sta tesman’s money to ha ve hea rd the profound

discussions tha t sometim es took pla ce when , by chance,an old newspaper fell into their hands from some passing

traveler . How solemnly they would listen to the contents,as drawled out by Derrick Van Bummel , the schoolmaster,a dapper, lea rned little man , w ho w as not to be daunted by

the most giga ntic word in the dic tiona ry ; and how sagely

they would deliberate upon public events some months

after they had taken pla ce .

96 FI FTH BOOK

The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by

Nicho las Vedder , a pa tria rch of the village and landlord of

the inn ,at the door ofwhich he took his seat from morning

till night, just moving sufficiently to a void the sun and keep

in the shade ofa large tree ; so that the neighbors could tell

the hour by his movements as accurately as by a sundia l .

It is true , he w as rarely heard to spea k, but smoked his

pipe incessantly . His adherents, however (for every great

man ha s his adherents), perfec tlyunderstood him , and knew

how to ga ther his opinions. When anything that w a s read

or related displeased him ,he w as observed to smoke his pipe

vehemently, and to send forth short , frequent and a ngry

puffs ; but when pleased , he would inha le the smoke slowly

a nd tranquilly, and emit it in light a nd plac id c louds ; a nd

sometim es, taking the pipe from his mouth and letting the

fragrant vapor curl about his nose, would gravely nod his

head in token of perfect approba tion .

From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip w as at last

routed by his wife, w ho would suddenly break in upon the

tranquillity of the a ssemblage and ca ll the members allto

naught ; nor w as the august personage , Nicholas Vedder

himself, sac red from the daring tongue of this terrible scold ,w ho charged him outright with encouraging her husband

in habits ofidleness.

Poor Rip w as a t la st reduced a lmost to despa ir, a nd his

only alternative to escape from the labor of his farm and

the c lamor of his wife w as to take his gun in hand , and to

stroll away into the woods. Here he would sometimes seat

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98 FIFTH BOOK

himself at the foot ofa tree , and share his lunch with Wolf,with whom he sympathized as a fellow- sufferer in persecu

tion .

“ Poor Wolf,”he would say ,

“ thy mistress“

leads

thee a dog’s life of it ; but never mind , my la d ; whilst I

live thousha lt never want a friend to sta nd by thee l Wolf

would wag his tail, look wistfully in his master’s face and,

if dogs can feel pity, I verily believe he reciprocated the

sentiment with all his heart .

lll. Rip in the Mounta ins

In a long ramble of the kind, on a fine autumna l da y ,Rip had unconsciously sc rambled to one ofthe highest pa rts

of the Ka a tskillM ountains. He w as after his favorite spo rt

of squirr el shooting, and the stillso litudes had echoed a nd

reechoed with the reports ofhis gun . Panting and fatigued,he threw himself, la te in the afternoon, on a green kno ll

covered with mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of

a precipice .

From an opening between the trees he could overlook all

the lower country for many a mile of rich woodland . He

saw at a dista nce the lordly Hudson, far, far below him ,

moving on its silent a nd majestic course , with the reflec tion

ofa purple cloud, or the sa il ofa lagging ba rk here and there

sleeping on its glassy bosom , a nd a t last losing itself in the

blue highlands.

On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain

glen, w ild, lonely and shagged , the bottom filled with frag

ments from the impending cliffs, a nd sca rcely lighted by

FI FTH BOOK 99

the reflec ted rays of the setting sun . For some time Riplay musing on this scene ; evening w as gradually advanc

ing the mountains began to throw their long blue shad

ow s over the va lleys ; he sa w tha t it would be dark long

before he c ould reach the village, and he heaved a heavy

sigh when he thought of encountering Dame Van Winkle .

As he w as about to descend, he heard a voice from a

dista nc e,hallooing, Rip Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle l

”

He looked round, but could see nothin g but a crow winging

its solitary flight across the mountains . He thought his

fancy-

must ha ve deceived him, and turned again to descend,

when he heard the same c ry ring through the still evening a ir“Rip Van Winkle ! Rip Va n Winkle l

”At the sam e time

Wolf bristled up his ba ck, and giving a low growl skulked

to his master’s side, looking fearful ly dow n into the glen .

Rip now felt a vague apprehension stealing over him ; he

looked a nxiously in the same direc tion,and perceived a

strange figure slowly toiling up the rocks a nd bending under

the weight of something he carried on his back . He w as

surprised to see any human being in this lonely,unfrequented

pla ce ; but, supposing it to be some one ofthe neighborhood

in need of assistance, he hastened down to yield it.

On nearer approach , he w as still more surprised at the

singula rity of the stranger’s appearance . He w as a short,square - built old fellow, w ith thick, bushy hair and a grizzled

beard . His dress w as of the antique Dutch fashion — a

c lo th jerkin strapped round his waist , sev eral pairs of

breeches, the outer one of ample volume, decorated with

100 FIFTH BOOK

rows of buttons down the sides a nd bunches at the . knees.

He bore on his shoulder a,

stout keg , that seemed full of

liquor, and he made signs for Rip to approach and help him

with the load . Though rather shy and distrustful of this

new acquaintance, Rip complied with his usual ala crity ;a nd, mutually relieving one another, they c lambered up a

narrow gully, apparently the dry bed of a mountain torrent .

As they ascended, Rip every now and then heard long roll

ing pea ls, like distant thunder, that seemed to issue out of

a deep,

ravine, or rather c left between lofty rocks, toward

which their rugged path conducted . He paused for an in

stant, but supposing it to be the muttering of one of those

transient thunder showers which often take pla ce in moun

tain heights, he proceeded . Passing through the ravine,they came to a hollow, like a sm all amphithea ter, surrounded

by perpendicular prec ipic es.

During the whole time,Rip and his companion had la

bored ouin silence ; for, though the former marveled grea tly

wha t could be the object of ca rrying a keg of liquor up this

wild mountain, yet there w as something strange and in

comprehensible about the unknown that inspired aw e and

checked familiarity.

On entering the amphitheater, new objec ts of wonder

presented themselves. On a level spot in the center w as a

company ofodd- looking personages playing ninepins . They

were dressed in quaint, outlandish fashion ; some wore short

doublets,others jerkins, w ith long knives in their belts, and

most of them had enormous breeches, of similar style with

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102 FI FTH BOOK

trembling ; they quafi'

ed the liquor in profound silence ,

As Rip wa tched them he became drowsy and finally fel l

into a deep sleep .

On waking, he found himself on the green knoll whence

he had first seen the old man of the glen . He rubbed his

eyes it w as a bright sunny morning . The birds were

hopping and twittering among the bushes, and the eagle w as

whee ling aloft and breasting the pure moun tain breeze .

“Surely,

” thought Rip , I have not slept here allnight . ”

He recalled the occurrences before he fell asleep the

strange man with a keg of liquor, the mounta in ravine,the wild retrea t among the rocks, the woebegone pa rty at

ninepins. “Oh l” thought Rip , wha t excuse sha ll I make

to Dame Van Winkle l”

He looked round for his gun , but in place of the c lean ,well oiled fowling piece , he found an old firelock lying by

him , the barrel incrusted with rust, the lock falling off,

and the stock worm - eaten . He now suspec ted that the

grave roysters of the mounta in had put a trick upon him,

and had robbed him ofhis gun . Wol f, too ,had disappeared.

but he might have strayed away for a squirrel or a partridge .

He whistled a fter him a nd shouted his name , but all in vain ;the echoes repeated his whistle and shout

,but no dog w as

to be seen .

FIFTH BOOK 103

He determined to revisit the scene of last evening’s gam

bol, and, if he met with any of the party, to demand his

dog and gun . As he rose to walk, he found himself stifl'

in the jo ints a nd wanting in his usual ac tivity.

“These

mountain beds do not agree with me,

” thought Rip ,“and

if this frolic should lay me up with a fit of rheumatism , I

shallhave a blessed time with Dame Van Winkle .

”

Wi th some difficulty he got down into the glen ; he found

the gully up which he and his companion had ascended the

prec eding evening, but to his astonishment a mountain

stream w as now foaming dow n it, lea ping from rock to rock

Again he called and whistled after his dog ; he w as only

answered by the cawing of a flock of idle crows, sporting

high in air, who, secure in their elevation , seemed to look

down and scoff at the poor man’s perplexities.

What w as to be done The morning w as passing away,and Rip felt famished for the want of his breakfast . He

grieved to give up his dog and gun ; he dreaded to mee t

his wife ; but it would not do to starve among the moun

tains. He shook his head , shouldered the rusty firelock,and with a hea rt full of trouble and anxiety turned his

steps homeward .

V . The Return

As he approached the village he met a number ofpeople ,but none whom he knew,

which somewhat surprised him ,

for he had thought himself acquainted w ith every one in

104 FIFTH BOOK

the country round . Their dress, too , w as of a different

fashion from that to which he w as accustomed . They all

stared at him with surprise , and whenever they cast their

eyes upon him , invariably stroked their chins. The con

stant recurrence of this gesture induced Rip involuntarily

to do the same, when , to his astonishment, he found his

beard had grown a foot long .

He had now entered the skirts ofthe village . The very vil

lage w as altered ; it w as larger and more populous. There

were row s of houses which he had never seen before, a nd

those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared .

Strange names were over the doo rs, strange faces at the w in

dows — everything w as stra nge . His m ind now misgave

him . Surely this w as his native village , which he had left

but the day before . There stood the K a a tskillMountains ;there ra n the silver Hudson a t a distance ; there w as every

hill and dale precisely as it had always been . Rip w a s

sorely perplexed .

It w as with some difficulty that he found the way to his

ow n house , w hich he approached with silent aw e , exp ec t

ing every moment to hea r the shrill voice of Dame Va nWinkle . He found the house gone to decay, the roof fal len

in , the windows shattered , a nd the doors off the hinges.

A ha lf sta rved dog tha t looked like Wolf w as skulking a bout

it. Rip called him by name , but the cur snarled , showed

his teeth and passed on . This w as a n unkind cut indeed .

“My very dog ,”sighed poor Rip ,

“has forgotten me l”

He entered the house which, to tell the truth , Dame

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106 FIFTH BOOK

Van Winkle had always kept in neat order. It w as empty,

forlorn and apparently abandoned . This deso lateness over

came allhis fears he called loudly for his wife and chil

dren ; the lonely chambers rang for a moment with his voice ,and then all again w as silence .

He now hurried forth and hastened to his old resort,the village inn but it w as gone too . A large, rickety

wooden building stood in its place, with great gaping w in

dows, some of them broken and mended with old hats

and petticoa ts, and over the door w as painted ,“The Union

Hotel , by Jonathan Doolittle .

”

Instea d of the great tree that used to shelter the quiet

little Dutch inn ofyore , there w as now reared a tall , naked

pole, with something on the top that looked like a red night

cap , and from it w asfluttering a flag, on which w as a singu

la r assemblage of stars and stripes ; all this w as strange

and incomprehensible . He recognized on the sign , however,the ruby fac e of King George

,under which he had sm oked

so many a peaceful pipe ; but the red coat w as changed

for one ofblue and buff, and a sw ord w as held in the hand

instead of a scepter ; the head w as decorated with a cocked

hat, and underneath w as pain ted in large charac ters,“Gen

eral Washington .

”

There w as, as usual , a crowd of folk about the door, but

none that Rip recollected . The very cha racter of the peo

ple seemed changed . There w as a busy , bustling tone

about it instead of the a c customed drowsy tranquillity.

He looked in vain for the sa ge Nicholas Vedder , with his

FIFTH BOOK 107

broad face , double chin and fair,long pipe, uttering c louds

of tobac co smoke instead ofidle speeches ; or Van Bummel ,the schoolmaster, doling forth the contents of an ancient

newspaper . In place of these a lea n, bilious looking fellow,

with his pockets full of handbills, w as ha ra nguing about

rights of citizens elec tions members of Congressliberty Bunker’sHill heroes ofseventy- six and other

words which were a perfec t jargon to the bew ildered Van

The appearance of Rip , w ith his long grizzled beard , his

rusty fowling piece and his uncouth dress, soon attracted

the attention of the tavern po liticians. They crowded

round him , eying him from head to foo t with grea t curiosity .

The orator bustledup to him , and drawing him partly aside,inquired on which side he voted . Rip stared in va ca nt

stupidity .

Another busy little fellow pulled him by the arm , and

rising on tiptoe , inquired in his ear whether he w as Federal

or D emocrat . Rip w as equally a t a loss to comprehend

the question,when a know ing, self- importa nt old gentle

ma n , in a sharp cocked hat,made his way through the

crowd, putting them to the right and the left with his

elbows as he passed. Pla nting himself before Van Winkle

with one arm akimbo , the other resting on his cane, his

keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating as it were into his very

soul , he demanded , in a n austere tone , wha t brought him

to the elec tion w ith a gun on his shoulder and a mob a t his

heels, and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village .

108 FI FTH BOOK

A las ! gen tlemen , c ried Rip , somewhat dism ayed ,

I am a poo r, quiet man , a na tive of the plac e , and a loyal

subjec t ofthe king, God bless him

Here a general shout burst from the bystanders A

tory ! a tory ! a spy ! a refugee ! hustle him ! away with

him l” It w as w ith grea t difficulty that the self- im portant

m an in the cocked ha t restored order ; and, ha ving assuined

a tenfold austerity of brow, he demanded again of the un

known culprit what he came there for a nd whom he w as

seeking ? The poor ma n humbly a ssured him tha t he

mea nt no ha rm , but merely cam e there in search of some

of his neighbors.

“Well , w ho a re they ? Name them .

Rip bethought himself a moment , and inquired ,“Where

’s

Nichola s Vedder ?”

There w as a silence for a little while, when an old m an

replied ,“Nicholas Vedder ! why he is dead and gone these

eighteen yea rs l ”

“Where ’s B rom Dutcher ?

Oh, he went off to the army in the beginning of the

w a r ; some say he w as killed at the storming of Stony Point ;others say tha t he w as drowned in a squa ll at the foot of

Anthony’s Nose . I don’t know he never came backagain .

”

“Where ’sVa n Bummel , the schoolmaster ?He went off to the wars, too w as a grea tm ilitia gen

era l , and is now in Congress.

Rip ’s hea rt died away at hea ring of these sad changes in

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110 FIFTH BOOK

Judith Gardenier .

And your father’s name

Ah, poor man , Rip Van Winkle w as his name ; but it’s

twenty years since he went away from home with his gun ,

and never has been heard of since . His dog came home

without him ; but whether he shot himself, or w as carried

away by the Indians,nobody can tell . I w a s then but a

little girl .

Rip had but one question more to ask, but he put it with

a faltering voice“Wh ere’s your mother ?

She died but a short time since .

The honest man could conta in himself no longer . He

caught his daughter and her child in his arms.

“ I am your

father ! ” cried he .

“Young Rip Van W'

mkle once — old

Rip Van Winkle now Does anybody know poor Rip VanWinkle

Allstood ama zed , until an old woma n , tottering out from

among the crowd , put her hand to her brow,and, peering

under it in his fa ce for a moment, exc la imed ,“Sure enough

it is Rip Van Winkle ; it is himself Welcome home aga in ,

old neighbor ! Why , where have youbeen these twen tylong years

Rip’

s story w as soon told,for the whole twenty years had

been to him as but one night . The neighbors sta red when

they hea rd it ; some were seen to wink a t each other and

put their tongues in their cheeks and the self- im portan t

man in the co cked hat, who , when the a la rm w as over, had

FIFTH BOOK 111

returned to the field , sc rewed dow n the corners of his mouth

and shook his head upon which there w as a genera l shak

ing ofthe head throughout the assemblage .

It w as determined , however, to take the opinion of old

Peter Vanderdonk, who w as seen slowly advancing up the

road . He w as a descenda nt of the historian of that name,

who w rote one of the ear liest ac counts of that province .

Peter w as the most ancient inhabitant of the village, and

well versed in all the wonderful events a nd traditions of

the neighborhood. He recollec ted Rip at once, and corrobo

rated his story in the m ost sa tisfac tory manner. He a s~

sured the compa ny that it w as a fac t , handed down from

his ancestor the historia n ,that the Kaa tskillMountains

had always been haunted by strange beings ; that it w as

affirmed that the great Hendrick Hudson , the first discov

erer of the river and country, kept a kind of vigil there

every twenty years with his crew of the Half M oon ; that

his father had once seen them in their old Dutch dresses

playing at ninepins in a hollow of the mountain ; and that

he himself had heard, one summer afternoon , the sound of

their balls, like distant pea ls of thunder .

To make a long story short , the company broke up , a nd

returned to the more important concerns of the election .

Rip’s daughter took him home to live with her ; she had a

snug, well furnished house , and a stout , cheery farmer for a

husband, whom Rip recollected for one of the ur chins that

used to climb upon his back . As to Rip’s son and heir,who w as the ditto of himself, seen leaning aga inst the tree , he

112 FIFTH BOOK

w as employed to work on the farm , butevin ced an heredita ry

disposition to attend to anything else but his ow n business .

Rip now resumed his old walks a nd ha bits ; he soon found

many of his former cronies, though all rather the worse for

the wear and tear of time,and preferred making friends

among the rising generation , with whom he soon grew into

great favor.

Having nothing to do at h ome, and being at that happy

age when a ma n ca n be idle with impunity, he took his place

once more on the bench at the in door, and w as reverenced

as one of the patriarchs of the village and a chronic ler ofthe

old times “ before the w ar .

It w as some time be fore he could get in to the regular trackof gossip , or could be ma de to comprehend the strange

events that had taken place during his torpor how there

had been a revolutionary w a r ; tha t the country had throw n

off the yoke of old Engla nd ; and that instead of being a

subjec t of his Majesty George the Third , he w as now a free

citizen ofthe United States. Rip , in fac t , w as no politician :the changes of sta te and empire made but little impression

upon him .

He used to te llhis story to every stranger tha t arrived

at M r . Doolittle’s hotel . He w a s observed , a t first, to vary

on some points every time he told it which w as , doubt

less,owing to his having so recently awakened . It w as at

la st settled down precisely to the ta le I ha ve rela ted , and

not a man, woma n or child in the neighborhood but knew

it by heart .

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114 FIFTH BOOK

A BUILDER'

S LESSON

OW shall I a habit break ?As youdid tha t habit make .

As yougathered, youmust lose ,As youyielded, now refuse .

Thread by thread the strands w e twist,’Till they bindus neck and wrist ;Thread by thread the patient hand

As w e builded, stone by stone,We must toil unhelped, alone

But remember, as w e try ,

I

Wading in , the stream grows deepTow ard the center

’s dow nward sw eep,

B a ckw a rd turn , ea ch step ashore

Sha llow er is than that before .

Ah, the prec ious years w e w aste

Doing w hat must be undone,Ere content or love be w onFirst a cross the gulf w e c astKite - bo rne threads, till lines a re passed,And habit builds the bridge at last.

1orm BOYLE O’

RE ILLY

FIFTH BOOK 115

SKATING INHOLLA ND

KATING in Holland is not only a pleas

ant pastim e, but it is the ordinary way

of getting about . In times of hard frost,the canals are transformed into streets

where skating takes the place of the riding

or driving in other cities.

The housewives skate to market , the laborers to their

work, the shopkeepers to their business. Entire families

skate from the country to the city with bags a nd baskets on

their shoulders, or drive in sledges. Skating is as easy and

natural with them a s walking, and they skim along with

such rapidity that they are almost invisible .

In former years wagers were frequently made among the

best Dutch skaters as to which of them could keep up with

the railway train that ra n along the edge of the cana l ; and

often the skater not only kept up with the train but even

B ut the rapidity of their skating is not the only remark

able thing about it ; another feature very much to be

admired is the security with which they traverse long dis

tances. People sometimes ska te from The Hague to Amster

dam and back in the same day ; university students who

lea ve Utrecht in the morning, dine at Amsterdam and get

ba ck to college before night . Many of the farmers ska te

from one city to another a t night ; Sometimes walking

along the canal yousee a human figure pass and disappear

116 FI FTH BOOK

like a n arrow it is a peasant girl carryingmilk to some house

in the c ity.

When the snow is hard comes the turn of the sledges.

Every family has one , and at the usual hour they come out

by hundreds. They fly by in a long file, tw o and three to

gether ; some shaped like shells, some like swans,dragons,

boats or coaches, gilded and pa inted in different co lors,and

drawn by horses in magnificent trappings of rich furs, their

hea ds ornamented by feathers and ta ssels and their harness

studded with glittering points. They toss their hea ds in a

cloud of vapor from their bodies, their manes sparkling with

frost ; the sleighs leap forward, and the sp lendid pagean t

passes and disappears.

Sometimes ice ships in full sail are seen skimming over

the frozen cana ls,going so fast that the faces of the few who

dare try the adventure a re' terribly cut by the wind .

The most beautiful fetes in Ho lland a re given on the ice .

When the M euse is frozen,Rotterdam becomes a place of

reunions and amusements. The snow is brushed away nu

tilthe ice is as c lean as a c rystalfloor ; restaura nts, coffee

houses, pavilions a nd benches for specta tors a re set up ,

a nd at night all is illumina ted . During the day a throng

ofskaters ofa llages a nd c la sses crowds the river .

In other towns, especia lly in Friesla nd , which is the c lassic

land of the art , there a re so c ieties of skaters w ho institute

public ra ces for prizes. Stakes a nd fla gs a re setup all a long

the ca na ls ; ra ilings and stands a re ra ised ; imm ense c rowds

assemble from the villages a nd the countryside ; bands

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1 18 FI FTH BOOK

THE RACE

A Story ofHolland

!Hilda v an Gleck w as the daughter of a rich burgomaster in a little

noble, kind- hearted girlw ho loved to do allshe could for others.

One w inter w hen the ice w as ha rd and smooth on the canalshe invited

allthe boys and girls in the village to take part in a grand skating match,

to be held as a little celebration ofh er mother’s birthday, the tw entieth

ofDec ember.

A handsome prize w as to be aw a rded to the bestska ter among the girls,and among the boys also:for the girls a Splendid pair ofsilver skates w ith

dainty little bells and buckles,and for the boys silver skates also

,w ith

beautiful arrow s engravedupon the sides.

Among the ma ny fleet ska ters w ho competed for these splendid prizes

w ere Hilda ’s friends, Rychie Korbes and Katrinka Fla ck,also Annie

Bouman,a pretty peasant girl, and little GretelB rinker, the youngest

of them all. She w as called a little goose girl, for in summer time she

tended geese for the neighboring fa rmers.

Gretel’s good brother Hans entered the list among the boys. Hans

and Gretelw ere both fine skaters,but they had not expected to join

the ra ce, for the money required to purchase an outfit w as needed much

more at home. But they w ere helped over allthese difficulties by thekind- hea rted Hilda and other friends w ho w ere not w illing that they

should miss this grand sh'

a ir, the gayest event ofthe w inter.

Other boys in the race especially mentioned w ere Lambert van Mounen,

Carl Schummel , Benjamin Dobbs, a visitor from England, and Peter van

Holp . Peter’s sister, young Madame van Gend, had come all the w ay

from The Hague to attend the race, bringing bouquets ofbeautifulflow ersfor the w inners. No w onder Peter w ould like to w in

,w ith his sister

’s lov

ing , eager eyes upon him. !

FIFTH BOOK 119

THE twentieth of December came at last ,

wea ther . All over the level landscape la y the

warm sunlight . It tried its power on lake, canal

and river ; but the ice flashed defia nce and

showed no sign of melting . The very weather

cocks stood still to enjoy the sight .

This gave the windmills a ho liday. Nearly all

the past week they had been whirling briskly ;now being ra ther out of brea th they rocked lazily

in the c lea r, stillair . Catch a windmill working when the

wea thercocks have nothing to do !

There w as an end to grinding, crushing and sawing for

tha t day . It w as a good thing for the rnillers. Long be

fore noon , they conc luded to take in their sails and go to the

race . Everybody would be there . Already the north side

of the frozen Y w as'

bordered with eager spectators ; the

news of the great skating match had traveled far and wide .

Men , women and children ,in holiday attire, were flocking

towa rd the spot .

The site selected for the race w as a faultless plain of ice

near Amsterdam , on tha t grea t a rm of the Zuyder Zee,which Dutchmen , of course , must call the Eye .

The townspeople turned out in la rge numbers. Stran

gers in the city deemed it a fine cha nce to see wha t w as

to be seen . Many a pea sa nt from the northward had

w isely chosen the twentieth as the day for the next c ity

trading . It seemed that everybody, young and old, who

120 FIFTH BOOK

had wheels, skates, or feet at command , had hastened to

the scene .

There were the gentry in their coaches, dressed like

Parisians fresh from the Bouleva rds ; Amsterdam children

in charity uniforms ; girls from the Roma n Ca tho lic Orphan

House in sa ble gowns and white headbands ; boys from the

Burgher Asylum with their black tights and short- skirted

ha rlequin coa ts.

There were old- fashioned gentlemen in velvet knee

breeches old- fa shioned ladies, too , in stiff, quilted skirts

and bodices ofda zzling brocade . These were ac companied

by servants bea ring foot stoves and c loaks. There were

the pea sa nt folk arrayed in every possible Dutch costume ;

simple'

village ma idens concea ling their flaxen hair under

fillets of gold ; women whose long, narrow aprons were

stiff with embroidery ; women with short corkscrew cur ls

hanging over their foreheads ; women with shaved heads

a nd c lose - fitting caps ; and women in striped skirts a nd

windmill bonnets ; men in lea ther , in homespun , in ve lvet

a nd broadc loth ; burghers in m odel Europea n attire , a nd

burghers in short ja ckets, wide trousers a nd steeple- crowned

ha ts ; beautiful Friesla nd girls in wooden shoes and solid

gold crescents enc irc ling their heads, finished at each temple

with a golden rosette and hung with la ce a century old. The

children o ften were as qua int a nd odd- looking as their e lders.

In short, one third of the c rowd seemed to have stepped

bodily from a c ollec tion ofDutch pa intings.

Look a t those boys and girls on stilts ! That is a good

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122 FIFTH BOOK

to be sure that all is firm . Hilda is speaking pleasan tly to

a graceful little creature in a red jacket a nd a new brow n

Why, it is Gretel Wha t a difference those pretty shoes

make, and the skirt , and the new cap ! Annie Bouman is

there, too . Even Janzoon K olp’

s sister has been admitted ;but Janzoon himself has been vo ted out by the direc to rs

bec ause he killed the stork , and only last summer w as caught

in the a ct of robbing a bird’s nest a legal offense in Hol

la nd .

The ra ce is about to begin . Twenty girls are formed

in a line . The music has ceased .

A ma n , whom w e shall ca l l the crier, stands between

the co lumns and the first judges’sta nd . He reads the rules

in a loud voice“The girls and boys a re to ra ce in turn , untilone girla nd

one boy ha ve bea ten tw ice. They a re to sta rt in a line from the

united columns, ska te to the fla gstaffline, turn and then come

back to the sta rting point; thus making a mile a t ea ch run .

”

A flag is waved from the judges’ stand . Madam e v an

Gleck rises in her pavilion . She leans forward with a white

ha ndkerchief in her hand . When she drops it, a bugler

is to give the signal for them to start .

The handkerchief is fluttering to the ground . Hark !They a re off

No . Back again Their'

line w as not true in passing

the judges’ sta nd .

The signal is repea ted .

FIFTH BOOK 123

Off again . No mistake this time . Whew ! how fast

they go The multitude is quiet for an instant , absorbed

in eager , brea thless watching .

Cheers spring up along the line of spectators. Huzza !

five gir ls are ahead . Who comes flying bac k from the

boundary mark ? We cannot tell . Something red, that is

all. There is a blue spot flitting near it and a dash ofyellow

nearer still . Spectators at this end of the line strain their

eyes, and w ish they had taken their post nearer the flagstaff.

The wa ve of cheers is coming ba ck again . Now w e can

see. Katrinka is ahead .

She passes the van Holp pavilion . The next is Madame

van Gleek’s. That leaning figure ga zing from it is a magnet .

Hilda shoo ts past Katrinka , waving her hand to her mother

as she passes. Tw o others a re close now , whizzing on like

arrows. Wha t is that flash of red and brown ? Hurrah ,it is Gretel 1 She , too , waves her hand , but toward no gay

The crowd is cheering ; but she hears only her father’s

voice — “Wel l done, little Gretel ! ” Soon Ka trinka ,

with a quick , merry laugh , shoots past Hilda . The girl

in yellow is gaining now . She passes them all all except

Gretel. The judges lean forward without seeming to lift

their eyes from their watches . Cheer a fter cheer fills theair:the very columns seem rocking . Grete l has passed

them . She has w on .

“GretelB rinker , one mile ! shouts the crier . The judges

D g tzed byG o ogle

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126 FIFTH BOOK

would be first . Carl Schummel is next, then Ben , and the

youth w ith the red cap . The others are pressing close .

A tall figure da rts from among them . He passes the red

cap , he passes Ben , then Carl . Now it is an even rac e

between him and Hans. M adam e van Gend ca tches her

It is Pete He is ahead l Hans shoots past him . Gretel

ga zes with c lasped hands:four strokes more will take her

brother to the columns.

He is there ! Yes ; but so w as young Schummel just

a second before . At the last instant, Ca rl , ga thering his

powers, had whizzed between them , and passed the goal .“Ca rlSchummel, one mile !

”shouts the crier .

Soon Madame v an Gleck rises again . The fa lling hand

kerchief starts the bugle ; and the bugle , using its voice as

a bowstring , shoots off twenty girls like so many arrows.

It is a beautiful sight ; but one has not long to look:before w e can fair ly distinguish them , they are fa r in the dis

tance . This time they are close upon one another . It is

hard to say , as they come speeding back from the fla gstaff,which wil l reach the columns first . There are new faces

among the foremost — ea ger , glowing fa ces, unnoticed be

fore . Katrinka is there , and Hilda ; but Gretel and Rychie

a re in the rear . Gretel is wavering ; but when Ry chie

passes her she sta rts forward afresh . Now they a re nearly

beside Katrinka . Hilda is still in advance:she is almost

home . Like an a rrow,she is speeding toward the goal .

Cheer after cheer rises in the air .

“Huzza Huzza

FIFTH BOOK 127

The crier’s voice is heard again“Hilda van Gleck

,one mile !

”

A loud murmur of approval runs through the crowd ,catching the music in its course , till all seems one sound,with a glad , rhythmic throbbing in its depths . Whenthe flag wa ves, all is still.

Once more the bugle blow s a terrific blast . It sends

offthe boys like chaff before the wind .

They whisk around at the flagstaff,driven faster yet

by the cheers and shouts along the line . We begin to see

what is coming . There are three boys in advance , this

time, and allabreast Hans, Peter and Lambert . Carl

soon breaks the ra nks, rushing through with a whiff. Fly ,

Hans ; fly, Peter:don’t let Carlbeat again l

'

Van Mounen

is flagging, but youare as strong as ever . Hans and Peter,Peter a nd Hans:which is foremost ? Hilda , Annie and

Gretel, seated upon the long crimson bench , can remain

quiet no longer . They spring to their feet, so difierent,

and yet one in eagerness.

“Peter va n Holp , one mile ! calls the c rier .

The sam e buzz of excitement as be fore , while the judges

take notes, the same throbbing of music through the din ;but something is different . A little crowd presses close

about some objec t near the column . Ca rl has fa llen . He

is not hurt, though somewha t stunned . If he were less

sullen, he would find more sympathy in these warm young

hearts. As it is, they forget him as soon a s he is fairly on

his feet again .

128 FIFTH BOOK

The girls are to ska te their third mile .

How reso lute the little maidens look as they stand in a

line ! Some a re solemn with a sense of responsibility ;some wear a smile, ha lf bashful , half provoked ; but one

a ir of determination pervades them all .

This third mile may dec ide the race . Still , if neither

Gretel nor Hilda wins, there is yet a chance among the rest

for the silver skates .

Each girl feels sure tha t this time she will accomplish

the distance in one half the time . How they stamp to try

their runners ! How nervously they examine ea ch strap !

How erec t they stand at last, every eye upon Madame van

Gleck

The bugle thrills through them again . With quiver

ing eagerness they spring forward, bending, but in perfec t

ba lance . Ea ch fla shing stroke seems longer than the last .

Now they are skimming off in the distan ce .

Again the eager straining of eyes ; again the shouts and

cheering ; again the thrill of excitement, as after a few

moments four or five in advance of the rest come speeding

back , nearer, nearer , to the white columns.

Who is first ? Not Rychie , Ka trinka, Annie nor Hilda,

nor the girl in yellow, but Gretel Gretel , the fleetest

sprite of a girl tha t ever skated . She w as but playing in

the earlier race:now she is in earnest , or rather, somethingwithin her has determined to w in . That lithe little form

makes no effort ; but it cannot step - not until the goal

is pa ssed

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130 FIFTH BOOK

Hans slipped his strap into Peter’s skate , and implored

him to put it on .

“Come, Peter !

”cried Lambert from the line ; w e are

waiting for you.

”

“For Madame’

s sake,” plea ded Hans, “

be quick ! She

is motioning to youto join the racers. There, the ska te

is almost on ; quick, mynheer, fasten it. The ra ce lies

between Master Schummel and yourself.”

“Youare a noble fellow,Hans ! ” cried Peter, yielding

at last . He sprang to his post just as the handkerchief

fell to the ground . The bugle sends forth its blast , loud,

Off go the boys“ Just look l” cries a tough old fellow from Delft . “

They

beat everything these Amsterdam youngsters. See

them l”

See them ,indeed ! They are winged Mercuries, every

one ofthem . Wha t mad errand a re they on Ah, I know:

they are hunting Peter van Holp . He is some fleet- footed

runaway from Olympus. Mercury and his troop of winged

cousins a re in full chase . They will ca tch him ! Now

foremost !

The cha se turns in a cloud of mist . It is coming this

way . Who is hunted now ? Mercury himsel f . It is

Peter , Peter v an Holp ! Fly , Peter ! Hans is watching

you. He.

is sending allhis fleetness, allhis strength , in to

your feet . Your mother and sister are pale w ith eagerness.

FIFTH BOOK 13 1

Fly, Peter ! The crowd has not gone deranged ; it is only

cheering . The pursuers a re close upon you. Touch the

white column . It beckons ; it is ree ling before you; it

Huzza l Huzza l Peter has w on the silver skates !

Peter van Holp ! shouted the crier. But who heard

him? Peter va n Ho lp l” shouted a hundred voices ; for

he w as the favorite boy of the place .

“Huzza ! Huzza l”

Now the music w as reso lved to be heard . It struck upa lively air

,then a tremendous march . The spec tato rs,

thinking something new w as about to happen, deigned to

listen and to look .

The racers formed in single file . Peter , being ta llest,stood first . Gretel , the smallest of all, took her place at

the end. Hans, who had borrowed a strap from the cake

boy, w as near the head .

Three gayly tw ined arches were pla ced at intervals uponthe river , fa cing the v an Gleck pa vilion .

Ska ting slowly and in perfec t time to the music , the boys

and girls moved forward, led on by Peter . It w a s beautifulto see the bright procession gliding along like a living crea~

ture. It curv ed and doubled and drew its gra ceful length

in and out among the arches:whichever w ay Peter thehead went , the body w as sure to follow . Sometimes itsteered direct for the center arch ; then , as if seized with

a new impulse , turned away, and curled itsel f about

the first one ; then unwound slowly,and bending low ,

with

quick snakelike curv ings, crossed the river , passing at

length through the farthest arch .

132 FIFTH BOOK

When the music w as slow, the procession seemed to c rawl

like a thing a fraid ; it grew livelier , a nd the creature darted

forward with a spring, gliding rapidly among the arches,twisting, turning, never losing form , until, at the call of

the bugle, it suddenly resolved itself into boys and girls

standing in double semicirc le before Madame van Gleek’s

pavilion .

Peter and Gretelstand in the center , in advan ce of the

others. Madame van Gleck rises majestically . Gretel

trembles,but fee ls tha t she must look at the beautiful lady .

She cannot hear what is sa id . She is thinking tha t she

ought to make a courtesy, when sudden ly something so

dazzling is placed in her hand that she gives a cry of joy .

Then she ventures to look about her . Peter , too ,has

something in his hands.

“Oh, oh ! how splendid ! ” she

cries, and“Oh ! how splendid ! ” is echoed as far as people

can see .

M eantime the silver skates flash in the sunshine, throw

ing dashes of light upon those two happy faces. M adame

van Gend sends a little messenger with her bouquets

one for Hilda, one for Ca rl a nd others for Peter and Gretel .

At the sight of the flowers, the Queen of the Skaters be

comes uncontro llable . With a bright look of gratitude ,she ga thers ska tes and bouquets in her apron , hugs them to

her bosom , and darts off to sea rch for her father and m other

in the scattering crowd . MARY MAPES DODGE

From Ha ns Brinker , or The Silver Skates.

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134 FIFTH BOOK

A DOG OF FLANDERS

ELLO and Patrasche were friends in a

friendship c loser than brotherhood . They

were of the same age by length of years, yet one

w as still young and the other w as already old.

Their home w as a rude little hut on the

edge of a tiny villa ge , a Flemish village a league

from Antwerp , set amidst fla t breadths of pasture and com

lands, with long lines of poplars and alders bending in the

breeze, on the edge of the great canal . There were about a

score of houses and homesteads with shutters of bright

green or sky - blue, and roofs rose - red or bla ck and white,and walls whitewashed until they shone in the sun like

snow .

In the center of the village stood a w indmill pla ced on a

little moss- grown slope ; and opposite the windmill an old

gray church with its conical steeple whose single bell rang

morning, noon and night with that strange hollow sadness

which every bell tha t hangs in the Low Countries seems to

gain as a part of its melody .

Within sound of this little melancholy bell, almost from

their birth upward they had dwelt together, Nello and

Patrasche, in the little hut on the edge of the village, with

the cathedral spire of Antwerp rising in the northeast be

yond the great green plain of seeding grass and spreading

corn that stretched away from them like a tideless, change

less sea .

FIFTH BOOK 135

It w as indeed a very humble little hut, but c lea n andwhite

as a seashell, standing in a small plot ofgarden ground that

yielded beans and herbs and pumpkins . This w as the home

ofJehan Daas, a very old ma n . When he had reached his

full eighty years, his daughter had died a nd left him her

tw o- yea r—old son . Little Nello , which w as but a pet name

for Nicholas, throve with him ,a nd the old man and the

little child lived content in the tiny cottage together .

The old grandfather w as very gentle and good to the boy,and the boy w as a beautiful , truthful , tender - natured little

creature ; and though they were very poor , they were happy,and they asked nothing more except indeed that Pa trasche

should always be with them , since without Pa trasche where

w ould they have been ? For Jeban Daas w as old and a

cripple and Nello w as but a child ; and Patrasche w as their

dog . He w as body, brains, hands, head and feet to both of

A dog of Flanders — yellow of hide, large of head a nd

limb,and with strong legs made stronger by hard work .

Patrasche had been born of parents that had labored ha rd

all their days over the sharp- set stones of the va rious cities

and the long, shadowless, weary roads of Flanders.

He had been born to no other heritage than that of pa in

and toil . Before he w as fully grown he had know n the bitter

ga ll of the cart and the collar . Before he had entered his

thirteenth month he had become the property of a hard

ware dealer w ho w as accustomed to wa nder over the land ,north and south, from the blue sea to the green mounta ins.

136 FIFTH BOOK

This man w as a sullen , brutal fellow who heaped his cart

full with pots and pans and flagons and buckets and other

wares of crockery and brass and tin , a nd left Patrasche to

draw the load as best he might while he himself lounged

idly by his side .

Happily for Pa tra sche he w as very strong, so that he

did not die, but managed to drag on a wretched exist

ence under the brutal burdens, the hunger , the thirst, the

blows and'

the exhaustion which were the only wages

with which his cruel owner repaid the pa tient, hard- working

victim .

One day Pa trasche w as going on asusual along one of the

straight, dusty, unlovely roads tha t lead to the city ofAnt

w erp . It w as full midsummer a nd very warm . His cart

w as heavy, piled high with goods in meta l and ea rthenware .

His owner sauntered on without noticing him otherwise

than by urging him to go fa ster .

At last, overcome by hea t a nd fatigue , poor Pa trasche

staggered , and in the middle of the white dusty road in the

full glare ofthe sun he fell, sick unto death and motionless.

His ma ster, a fter vainly attempting to m ake him rise , con

c luded tha t he w as dead. He struck off the lea thern ba nds

of the harness, drew Patra sche aside into the grass, a nd

muttering sa vagely to himself began to push the cart along

up the hill .

It w as the last day before Kermess a t Louvain , a nd hun

dreds ofpeople passed on their w ay thither , some on mules

or in ca rts, others on foot tramping quickly and joyously

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138 FIFTH BOOK

When first he w as wel l enough to essay a loud, hollow,

broken bay, they laughed a loud, and almost wept together

for joy at such a sign of his sure restoration ; and little

Nello in delighted glee hung round his rugged neck

chains of marguerites, a nd kissed him with fresh and ruddylips.

So then when Patrasche a rose , himself again, strong, big ,gaunt, powerful , his grea t wistfuleyes had a gentle astonish

ment in them that there were no blows to rouse and drive

him ; and his heart awakened to a mighty love which never

wavered once in its fidelity whilst life abode with him .

Long he lay pondering , and with those grave tender brown

eyes watching the movements ofhis friends.

Now ,the oldm an could do nothing for his living but limp

about a little with a sma ll cart with which da ily he carried

away into the town ofAn twerp the milk cans of those happier neighbors w ho owned ca ttle . But it w as becoming

hard work for him . He w as eighty- three, and Antwerp w as

at leas t a league away .

Patrasche wa tched the milk cans go and come that day

when he had got well and w as lying in the sun with the

wrea th of marguerites a round his tawny neck . The next

morning, before old Jehan had touched the cart , the dogarose, and walking to it, placed himself between its handles.

Wagging his ta il , he looked up into his master’s fa ce

,testify

ing as plainly as dumb show could do , his desire and his

ability to work in return for the bread of charity that he

had ea ten .

A DOG CART INFW DEBS

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140 FI FTH BOOK

The old man resisted long, for, a lthough it is the custom

in Ho lland, he w as one ofthose w ho think it a shame to bind

dogs to labor for which na ture never formed them . But

Pa trasche would not be gainsaid ; finding they did not

harness him , he tried to draw the cart onward with his teeth .

At length Jehan D aa s gave way, vanquished by the persist

ence and gra titude of this creature that he had suc cored .

He fashioned his cart so that Pa trasche could run in it, a nd

this the faithful dog did every morning of his life thence

When the winter came, the old man thanked the blessed

fortune that had brought him to the dying dog in the ditch

that day of the Kermes s ; for he w as very old and he would

hardly have known how to get his load ofmilk cans over

the snows if it had not been for the strength and industry

of the animal he had befriended .

As for Patrasche , it w as bliss to him . After the frightful

burdens tha t his former master had compelled him to strain

under , it seemed nothing to him but amusement to step out

with this little light green cart with its bright brass cans, by

the side of the gentle old man,w ho always paid him with a

tender caress and a kindly word . B esides, his work w as

over by three or four in the day, and a fter that he w as free

to do as he would to stretch himself to sleep in the sun,to wander in the

,fields, to ros ip w ith the young child or

to play with his fellow dogs. Patrasche w as indeed very

happy.

A few yea rs later, old Jehan Daas, w ho had always been

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142 FI FTH BOOK

THE; HORSESHOE.

N the village of Westmal, some tw o or three miles

from Antwerp , on the road toward Turnhout , stood

a little smithy in which four men the master and

- his three journeymen were busy at various work

in the way oftheir trade ; and a t the same time were

conversing— a smuch,that is

,a s the noise ofhammers

and fileswould let them ofNapoleon and his mighty deeds

of w a r . One ofthe j ourneymen , who had lost two fingers of

his left hand, w as just beginning a story of the Ita lian wars

when two horsemen pulled up before the door a nd one

of them ca lled out,“Hola

,my men 1 my horse wants

shoeing .

”

The journeymen looked curiously at the strangers, who by

this time had dismounted . They were evidently both m ili

tary men . One of them had a grea t scar right across his

face a nd wore a red ribbon in his buttonhole the other,though dressed like a gentleman , seemed in some sort h is

subordina te ; he held the horse by the bridle, and asked ,“Which shoe, colonel ?

“The near forefoot, lieutenant , w as the reply.

One ofthe journeymen took the horse a nd led it into the

shed ; and meanwhile the colonel entered the smithy,

looked about him and took up first one, then another , of the

tools, as if looking out for an old acqua inta nce . At las t he

seemed to have found wha t he wanted ; in one hand he held

a heavy pair of tongs, in the other a hammer, both of which

THE SMITH !

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144 FIFTH BOOK

he surveyed with so peculia r a smile that the three

journeymen stood round, gaping and staring in no little

Meanwhile the iron w as in the fire, the be llows panted

away and a garland of sparks spurted from the glowing ,

coa ls.

The journeymen stood by the anvil, hammers in ha nd ,till the master took the iron from the fire ; then began the

work of.

forging.

The colonel evidently took a lively interest in what w a s

going on ; his features lighted up , as they might have done

at the finest music .

But when the shoe w as taken from the anvil , as ready for

putting on , he eyed it a moment not a little disdainfully ,took the tongs which held it from the master smith’s hand

and put it back into the fire .

“Tha t will never, never do ,”sa id he ; the shoe ’s too

c lumsy by half, master . Now , my lads ! look alive ! blow

away 1”

And while one of the journeymen,with a n a ir of grea t

respect, obeyed his direc tions, he threw off his coa t a nd

bared his sinewy arms . Soon the iron w as at a white hea t ;he turned it tw ice or thrice in the fire with allthe air of a n

experienced hand , la id it on the anvil a nd then called to the

journeymen in a cheerful tone“Now ,

my men ! look out ! I’ll give the tune , and we’ll

turn out a shoe fit for the Emperor ’s nags. So now , a t

tention

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146 FIFTH BOOK

Well , said the master, I never in my life knew but

one ma n who could knock offa shoe like tha t so light and

nea t, and so handily ; and I must be grea tly mistaken if

the colonel isn’t just the grea t general, Karl v an M ilgem

himself ; he, youknow but to be sure youdon’t know

he that the folksused always to call‘Rikketikketoo .

’

HENRI CONSCIENCE

THE MOUNTA IN BOY

HE shepherd ofthe Alps am I ;The castles far beneath me lie ;

Here first the ruddy sunlight gleams,Here linger last the parting beams,

The mounta in boy am I 1

Here is the river’s fountainheadI drink it from its stony bed ;As forth it leaps w ith joyous shout,I seize it ere it gushes out,

The mountain boy am I l

The mounta in is my ow n domain ;

It ca lls its storms from sea and plain ;From north to south they how l afar ;My voice is heard amid their w ar ,

The mountain boy am I

The lightnings far beneathme lie ;High stand I here in clear blue sky ;

FI FTH BOOK 147

I know them , and to them I ca ll,In quiet leave my Fa ther

’

s ha ll,The mountain boy am I 1

And when the tocsin sounds a larms,And mountain balefires c a ll to a rms,

Then I descend - I join my king ,My sword I wave, my lay I sing ,

The mountain boy am I

A LEGEND OF BREGENZ

IBT round with rugged mountains

The fair Lake Constance lies ;In her blue hea rt reflected,

Shine ba ck the starry skies ;And, w atching each w hite c loudlet

Floa t silently and slow ,

Youthink a piece ofHeaven

Lies on our earth below !

Enthroned in Heaven , looks downUpon her ow n c a lm mirror,

For B regenz , that quaint cityUpon the Tyrol shore ,

A thousand years and more .

FIFTH BOOK

Her battlemen ts and towers,From off their rocky steep,

Have cast their trembling shadow

For ages on the deep .

Mounta in and lake and va lley

A sa cred legend know,

Ofhow the town w as saved one night

Far from her home and kindred

A Tyrol ma id had fled,To serve in the Swiss valleys,And toil for da ily bread ;

And every yea r that fleeted

So silently and fast

Seemed to bear farther from her

The m emory ofthe Past .

She Spoke no more ofBregenz

Her Tyrol home seemed fadedIn a deep mist ofyears ;

Yet, w hen her mas ter’s children

Would clustering round her stand,She sang them an cient ba llads

Ofher ow n n ative land

And w hen at morn and eveningShe kn elt before God’

s throne,The a ccents ofher childhood

Rose to her lips alone .

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FIFTH BOOK

Before her eyes one vision ,And in her heart one cry

That said,“Go forth ! save Bregenz ,

And then , ifneed be , dieWith trembling haste and brea thless,With noiseless step she sped ;

Horses and w eary c attle

Were standing in the shed ;

She loosed the strong white charger

That fed from out her hand ;She mounted

,and she turned his head

Tow ards her na tive land.

Out out in to the darknessFaster, and still more fast ;

The smooth grass flies behind her,The chestnut w ood is past ;

She looks up ; c louds are heavy ;Why is her steed so slow ?

Sc a rcely the w ind beside them

Faster she cries, oh, faster !Eleven the church bells chimeO God,

”she cries,

“help B regenz,

And bring me there in time !”

But louder than bells’ ringing ,

Grow s nea rer in the m idnightThe rushing ofthe Rhine .

FIFTH BOOK 151

She strives to pierce the bla ckness,And looser throw s the rein ;

Her steed must breast the w a ters

That dash above his mane .

How gallantly, how nobly,He struggles through the foam

And see in the far distance

Shine out the lights ofhome lUp the steep bank he hears her,

Tow ards the heights ofB regenzThat tow er above the plain .

They reach the gates ofB regenzJust as the midnight rings,

And out come serf and soldierTo meet the new s she brings.

B regen z is saved Ere daylightHer battlements are manned ;

Defiance greets the armyTha t ma rches on the land.

And yetupon the hillAn old stone gatew ay risesTo do her honor still .

And there , w hen B regenz w omen

The Charger and the M aid.

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Andwhen , to guard old B regenz

By ga tew ay , street and tower,The w arder pa ces allnight longAnd calls each passing hour:Nin e,

” “ten,

” “eleven ,

”he cries aloud,

And then (Oh, c row n ofFame

ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER

FROST- WORK

THESE winter nights, against my window pane

Of ferns and blossoms a nd fine spray ofpines,Oak- lea f and acorn a

nd fantastic vines,

Which she will m ake when summer comes again,

Quaint arabesques in a rgedt, flat and cold,Like curious Chinese etchings.

— By and by,Wa lking my leafy garden as ofold,

These frosty fantasies sha ll cha rm my eye

In azure, damask, emera ld and gold.

THOMAS BAI LE Y ALDRI CH

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154 FIFTH BOOK

east around the rim of the sky , not even dipping below the

horizon at all. This is “The La nd of the M idnight Sun ”

as it is sometimes c a lled, or“The Land of the Long Night .

Fa rther south , in Norway, in Sweden ,in Denma rk and in

northern Germany, the c limate is still very cold , the summers

short and the winters long and severe .

In this northern land lived ma ny years ago a bold, hand

some , vigorous race of men , rugged and strong like their

ow n mounta ins. The northern tribes were ca lled North

men or Norsemen , those farther south Teutons or Germans.

These men were the ancestors of all the German and the

English speaking peoples, a nd were ofthe same stock as the

Celtic rac es a lso . They were brave, warlike, energetic ,proud , often c ruel , I am sorry to say , but honest and

truthful .

It is difficult to take the mind ba ck to a time when these

countries in northern Europe , now so progressive a nd far

advanced in civiliza tion and culture, contained no cities,possessed few industries and no art, when the people knew

nothing ofbooks, music or pic tures.

They lived in mud huts sca ttered about in fields or groves

where sma ll c learings had been made in the forests. Much

of their time they spent in hunting and in fishing, but they

herded sheep and c a ttle , a nd they tilled the la nd to some

extent , for they had learned to raise whea t,which as you

know is the best grain for cold c limates.

But a t heart they were fighters. Wa r w as their chief

delight and pastime , and they were often in fierce ba ttles,

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156 FIFTH BOOK

carrying on raids and expeditions, one tribe against an

other . They loved the wild mountains and the ragingtempests and the sea ; and they loved to venture forth on

the stormy waters in their rude little ships. Some of these

old vikings were so daring tha t they sailed across the broa d

Atlan tic . They were the first Europeans to see this continen t .

The boys in the Northland,like those of Sparta, were in

ured from their earliest years to strenuous exercise and hardship, and like the Spartan youth , they gloried in their physical

strength a nd courage . In the following stanzas from a

famous poem by Longfellow, w e have a very vivid pic ture

of the boyhood life of the Norsemen . An old viking is tell

ing ofhis childhood by the wild B a ltic ’s strand .

Far in the Northern Land,

By the w ild Baltic’s strand

,

I,w ith my childish hand

,

Tamed the gerfalcon ;And, w ith my ska tes fast bound,

Trembled to w alk on .

Oft to his frozen lairTra cked I the grisly bea r

Fled like a shadow ;

Oft through the forest dark

Follow ed the w erew olf’s bark,

Untilthe soa ring la rkSang from the meadow .

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158 FIFTH BOOK

ripening the grain and fruits. But sometimes the heat w as

fierce and burning, a nd then they said ,“He is shooting us

with his arrows.

”

In order therefore to gain his favor and to avoid his dis

pleasure, they must sacrifice to him , so they thought . Some

one must light a fir e just before they wanted him to rise , a nd

the priests, w ho were ca lled Druids, must stand fa cing the

east a nd be ready to worship him as soon as he should break

over the horizon .

Many were the weird stories told of the gods ; of their

dwelling among the impenetrable bran ches of the o ldest

trees a nd in the caverns of the shaggy mountains, of their

riding on the horses of the wind and hurling spears of light

ning against their foes.

The world w as full of strange beings. Gian ts were rolling

huge stones down the hillsides, or tossing the waves of the

restless sea . Elves and fa iries danced on the green hills

under the summ er moon , and dwarfs a nd kobolds were

busily m ining in the mountains, their little hammers

going Tink, Tank, all day and all night, deep down in

the earth . Wood sprites were hiding in the lea fy thickets,and nymphs and water kelpies were peeping up out of

the cool bright wa ters. as they gla nced and dimpled in the

Myths and folk tales are very , very old, a nd they are

found in every part of the world . Each country has its

ow n pa rticula r fund of stories which were believed and re

pea ted for hundreds of years. And yet there is a strange

FIFTH BOOK 159

resemblance among them . It is not unusua l even to find

the same story in countries thousands of miles apart . In

the fo lklore of“ Unc le Remus,

”in the Greek and Roman

myths and in those of northern Europe which w e are now

studying, w e ca n often trace the same quaint thoughts of

primitive peoples .

These ta les a lways embody in their poetical fanc ies some

truth or fa c t in na ture, so tha t they lead directly to the

study of nature and to sympa thy w ith all its forms. For

this reason,they have an immense advantage over sto ries

ofmere fa ncy, and they are so interesting a nd so different

from other sto ries that almost every one wishes to know them

and enjoys reading them .

The ancient myths have a lways been prime favorites

with the poets and with o ther writers, w ho frequently allude

to them in their works. As w e rea d more a nd more of the

world’s best litera ture , w e shall find the mythica l tales

running allthrough it, and w e must know the stories ifw e

wish to apprecia te and enjoy the litera ture .

B esides allthis, mythology teachesus many things about

the people w ho lived so long ago . In o rder really to under

sta nd the history of a ny country w e must know wha t the

people thought and believed as well as what they did. For

wha t people think and believe will a lways determ ine very

la rgely what they do .

And as w e learn about ea ch country, w e sha ll find that

just a s St. Paul cam e to Greece to preach Christianity to

the people , so sometime in the midst of hea then da rkness,

160 FIFTH BOOK

some grea t , noble- hearted missionary has always come to

bring the glorious light of the Gospel of Christ . We ha ve

read of St. Pa trick in Ireland , St. Columba in Scotla nd,

St. Augustine in England ; and to these illustrious names

w e will now add that of the great St. Boniface, the Apostle

to the Germans.

But before w e read of his coming, let us spend a little

more time with the old Germans and Northmen , and letus

listen to some of their queer old stories. In this way w e

shall learn to know them better and w e shall also be tter

understand many of our ow n customs, manners, laws and

institutions, and our literature as well , for the foundations

of all these were la id by this fine old race of men .

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FI FTH BOOK

And, like the w ater’s flow

Under Dec ember’s snow ,

Came a dull voice ofw oe

From the heart’s chamber.

I w as a Viking old

My deeds, though“

manifold,

No Ska ld in song has told,NO Saga 2 taught thee

Take heed, that in thy verseThoudost the ta le rehearse ,Else dread a dead m an

’s curse,

For this I sought thee .

Fa r in the Northern Land,By the w ild B a ltic

’s strand,

I,w ith my childish hand,Tamed the gerfa lcon ;

And, w ith my skates fast bound,Skimmed the half- frozen Sound,That the poor w himpe ring houndTrembled to walk on .

Oft to his frozen la irTracked I the grisly bear,While from my path the ha reFled like a shadow ;

1 Skald, a ha rd or poet ofthe a ncientNorthmen

Sa’

ga , a Norse tale or tradition

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Oft through the forest darkFollow ed the w erewolf’s 1 bark,Until the soaring larkSang from the meadow.

But when I older grew ,

Joining a corsair’s crew ,

O’er the dark sea I flew

With the marauders.

Wild w as the life w e ledMany the souls tha t sped,

Many the hearts that bled,By our stern orders.

Many a w assail -bout 2

Wore the long w inter out ;

Set the cocks crow ing ,As w e the Berserk’s ta leMeasured in cups of ale,

Once as I told in gleeTa les ofthe stormy sea ,Soft eyes did g a ze on me,

w ere'w olf. a person transformed into a w olf,

stitious belief3 w as

'

sail- bout, a c a rousal, or dr inking time

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FIFTH BOOK

B lew the foam lightly.

She w as a Prin ce ’s child,I but a Viking w ild,And though she blushed and smiled,I w as discarded !

Should not the dove so whiteFollow the sea mew’

s flight,Why did they lea ve tha t nightHer nest ungua rded

Sc a rce had I put to sea,

Bea ring the m a id w ith m e

Fairest ofallw as she

When on the w hite sea strand,Waving his a rmed hand,Saw w e old Hildebrand

,

With twenty horsemen .

Then launched they to the blast,Bent like a reed ea ch m ast,

Yet w e w ere g a ining fast

When the w ind failedus ;And wi th a . sudden flaw

Came round the gusty Skaw ,

So that our foe w e sawLaugh as he hailedus.

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And as to catch the ga le

Round veered the flapping sa il,‘Death w as the helmsman

’s hail,

‘Death w ithout qua rter

M idships with iron keel

Struck w e her ribs ofsteel ;Dow nher black hulk did reel

Through the bla ck w ater !

As w ith his w ings aslant,Sails the fierce cormorant,

With his prey laden

So toward the openma in ,

B eating to sea again ,

Through the w ild hurricane,Bore I the maiden .

Three w eeks w e w estw ard bore ,Andwhen the storm w as o

’er

,

Cloudlike w e saw the shore

There for my lady’s bow er

Built I the lofty tow er ,Which, to this very hour ,Stands looking seaward.

There lived w e m any yea rs ;Time dried the maiden

’

s tears ;

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She had forgot her fears,She w as a mother ;

Death clomd her mild blue eyes,Under tha t tow er she lies ;Ne

’

er sha ll the sun arise

Still grew my bosom then ,Still as a stagnant fen !Hateful to me w ere men ,

The sunlight ha tefulIn the vast forest here,Clad in my warlike gear,Fell I upon my spear ,Oh, death w as grateful

Thus, seamed with many sc ars,

My soul ascended !

There from the flowing bowl

Skoal! to the Northland ! shoal!Thus the ta le ended.

LONGFELLOW

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170 FI FTH BOOK

This wonderful old book constitutes a grea t wea lth of

poetic litera ture . In its quaint songs a nd ballads w e find

stories of legendary Norse heroes whom the people lovedto glorify, and ancient myths of gods and goddesses, which

embody for us the life a nd re ligion of our ancestors.

The home of the gods, as w e’

read in these old poems,w as

Asgard, a beautiful city on Ida Plain at the top of a very high

mountain . This mountain rose out of the center of the

earth , and w as so high tha t it overlooked all lands a nd seas.

The city w as pleasantly shaded from the fierce hea t of

the sun and shielded from the bitter blasts ofwinter by an

immense tree called Yggdrasil , the roo ts ofwhich encirc led

the earth and extended far below even to Jotenheim , the

home ofthe Jdtens or frost gia nts. Around alllay the deep,deep sea .

In this lovely city there were beautiful palaces for all

the gods, but those belonging to King Woden were the finest

and most splendid One of them w as called Valhalla,

“the

house of the slain . This w as the home to which Woden

welcomed all men who had died in battle fighting bravely,for he w as the god of valor a nd the friend of heroes. Val

halla is thus described in one ofthe old songs:

Five hundred doors

And forty more

Methinks a re in Valhalla .

Eight hundred heroes through each door

Sha ll issue forthAgainst the foe to combat.

FIFTH BOOK 17 !

Among the gods and goddesses there were several besides

Woden who were espec ially interested and active in the

afl'

airs of men . They were Queen Frigga the Generous,goddess of the earth ; B a lder the Beautiful , god of the sun ;Freya the Good , goddess of spring ; Frey the Kind , god of

summ er ; Thor the Terrible , god of thunder and lightning ;Tyr the B rave , god of courage, and Loki the M ischievous,

god of fire .

These were all very wise and very good too , as those w ho

are really wise always are , except Loki, the fire god . He w as

unre liable and often very troublesome . It w as probable ,so the people thought, that he w as not a true divinity of

Asgard like the others, but that he originally came from

the earth . However that might have been , he w as invited

by Woden , w ho had made his acquaintan ce in some

w ay , to come to Asgard and take up his permanent abode

At first they all liked him very much , and Woden espe

cially w as delighted with his presence , and would not even

give a banquet w ithout him . Loki w as extremely useful

on these oc casions, for he w as very genial in helping to eu

tertain the guests, and he probably assisted in the prepara

tion ofthe food .

But a sorry day it w as for the gods when Loki came to

the city . He had to be wa tched constantly or he would

get them allin to trouble . If a nything went wrong in As

ga rd , the one°

ofwhom they.

thought first and the one w ho

w asusually to blame w as Loki, the fire god .

172 FIFTH BOOK

Tyr the Brave, the god ofcourage , w as always a help a nd

a comfort . At one time when the city w as in grea t danger,Tyr alone w as bra ve and unse lfish enough to save it from

destruction . This is the story:

There were upon the earth a great many monsters and

demons of all kinds, who by enchantmen t could change

themselves into any form they chose . One of these evil

ones in the form of a young wolf once found his way even

into the city ofthe gods.

The little wo lf seemed perfec tly harmless and at first the

gods fed and petted him every day, but as he grew la rger

he became very fierce,and at length they realized that he

must be bound securely or he would certainly destroy them

all . So they tied him with hea vy chains again a nd again ,but again and again he broke them .

Finally, by dint of great care and effort , they'

succeeded

in making a chain large a nd strong enough to hold him .

But even then the wolf would not a llow them to wind it

around him , unless he were permitted to take the right

hand of one of the gods be tween his savage teeth . Whoamong the gods would be willing to lose his right hand for

their common welfare ?

In this terrible emergency Tyr the Brave stepped

forward, and nobly offered to make the great sacrifice .

So the savage beast w as chained at last, and the gods

were safe .

Can youthink what this story m eant to the people ? It

meant that one hateful sin, however small it might seem ,

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174 FIFTH BOOK

Indeed , so persistently did they cling to their belief in

Thor that when finally Christianity overcame paganism in

these northern countries, this w as the most stubborn of all

superstitions, and the most diflicult for the missionaries

thoroughly to eradicate from the hea rts of the people .

The memory of some of these ancient gods is still pre

served in quaint old folk stories, and especially in names of

things which date back to hea then tim es. In Denma rk ,Sweden and Iceland there is a beautifulwhite wild flower

fair as the sun ” which is called “Balder ’s B row,

”and in

Norway the smooth wedge- sha ped stones found in the earth

are stillcalled “Thor ’swedges.

”The people used to believe

tha t Thor often threw these stones a t gnomes a nd giants

when they w ere too troublesome .

Our names for the days ofthe week also remind us ofthe

old pagan divinities, for Tuesday is Tyr’s Day , Wednesday

Woden ’s Day , Thursday Thor

’s D ay and Friday Frey’s

Day . We shall find ma ny such references to these old gods

in our reading and even in the la nguage which w e use every

day .

Woden , w ho w as the king ofall gods, w as also the god of

wisdom , and he w as always glad to bestow this treasure on

allw ho rea lly deserv ed it. He himse lf had not been able to

obtain w isdom except through grea t effort and sa c rifice .

When the world w as still young and there were m a ny

things which even the gods did notunderstand , Woden had

sought counsel of a very wise old giant named M emory .

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This giant w as so very old that he could remember every

thing that had ever happened . His eyes were as c lear and

steady as the stars, and his face w as always calm and peace

ful. D ay and night he kept guard over a deep well which

w as called the Well ofWisdom . It w as said that whoever

drank the c lear sparkling wa ter of this well would straight

w ay become wonderful! y wise .

“0Memory,

”said Woden eagerly, as he gazed down into

the quiet depths,“ I pray you, give me to drink from your

precious well ofw isdom .

’

“Ah

,

”sa id Memory, gravely, this water ca n be obtained

only at great cost . I never give it to those w ho simply

askfor it. Are youable a nd willing to pay the price

Now Woden wanted to be wise and good very much in

deed, so he answered ea rnes tly,“Yes, I am able and I am

w illing . I will pay youwha tever you ask.

”

At this Memory looked intently atWoden for a moment,and then said,

“Are youwilling to give up a part of yourself

Are youwilling to sacrifice one ofyour eyes to gain wisdom

I am willing,” replied Woden .

Then M emory gave a great draught of tha t c lear pure

w ater to Woden, who drank deeply and went away rejoicing . He could richly afford, he thought, to sa crifice even so

precious a thing as one ofhis eyes in order to obta in wisdom .

In these modern times, Memory never requires us to give

up one of our eyes, but he does dem a nd from us much timeand effort . If w e will give these , w e may draw from his well

ofw isdom just as much as w e can drink .

THOR AND m m m K ING or m FROST G IANTS

Dgt zed byG o ogle

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178 FIFTH BOOK

of Cloudland, tumbling and tossing the big black c louds

about and peeping and prying behind each mass, but allin

vain . The hammer w as nowhere to be found .

Then Thor’s eyes flashed like fire a nd his voice trembled

With anger , for a thought ofthe giants came into his mind .

“ Loki, Loki,”he ca lled,

“come here . My hammer is

gone . The giants must have stolen it. They have come

like thieves in the night and have carried it away.

”

“What I” exc laimed Loki,“the hamm er gone ? That

will make us trouble enough , and what will the little earth

people do w ithout the thunder ? The giants would give it

up ifFreya , the goddess of spring would gently a sk them for

it. But it is ofno use to talk about tha t , for Freya would

never go to Jotenheim ; she is far too timid . However,I willte ll you, Thor , what I could do . If Freya would only

lend me her fa lcon guise , I could flydown to the giants’cave

a nd sna tch the hammer out of their hands.

”

Freya w as very glad indeed to do anything in her power

to please Thor, and especially to help him get back the pre

cious hammer, w hich they all needed so much . She wen t

at once for the ma gic dress of feathers with which she w as

a c customed to cover herse lf and to fly like a grea t beautiful

bird all over the world .

Loki w as soon fully dressed in the plumage , a nd sprea ding

his great wings, he flew like the wind out of Asgard and

down ,down over the fresh green fields, on and on towa rd

the grea t ocean . The fa rmers, looking up , sa w the broad

shadows as he passed , which were like the shadows of the

FIFTH BOOK 179

c louds on the waving grass, and they said,“Some grea t

bird is flying seawa rd,or it may be tha t Freya is going

Loki at last rea ched Jdtenheim , and taking off the falcon

guise , be .went at once in search ofThrym , the king of the

frost giants. He soon found him under a fir tree playing

with his dogs.

“Good morning, little Loki,

”shouted the giant in his

big bass voice, which he always tried to make as heavy as

Thor’s « thunder .

“How is everything in Asgard and Elf

la nd“Things are going very badly with us, replied Loki.

Thor is out ofsorts because some one has stolen his magic

hammer . It must ha ve been you, Thrym ,for no one else is

bold and strong enough to do it. Youare more powerful

than Thor himself .”

This he sa id to flatter the giant, wa tching him slyly the

while .

“But come , Thrym ,

”he added ,

“let Thor have his

precious toy . He is so unhappy without it,and youare

so strong, youdo not need it.

”

Then the giant threw ba ck his big head , and laughed as I

suppose only a giant can laugh .

“Yousha llnot have it,

he sa id a t last . “ I have hidden it where none ofyougods

could ever find it, down , down below the white- capped waves,many fa thoms deep . However , I will get it myself and

send it back to Asgard on one condition that youwill

give me Freya the beautiful to be my wife . On that condition

alone will I ever give up Thor’s hamm er .

180 FI FTH BOOK

Loki sa w tha t it w as of no use to argue, for the gian t

looked as ifhe meant what he said . So once more donning

the falcon guise, he flew w ith all speed ba ck to Asga rd .

“Put on your bridal gown , Freya ,

”he said,

“and come

with me to J6tenheim . The king of the giants says he wil l

return the hammer ifyouwill be his w ife .

But Freya had not the least idea of wedding a giant even

to get back the precious thunder hammer. How could the

sweet, gentle spring marry the cruel frost Of course she

would have nothing to do with the affair,and she told Loki

as much . Indeed , that he should even suggest such a thing

threw her into passiona te tears, and at the same time she

could not help smiling, for she knew the gods would never

allow her to go .

No, the godswould not part with Freya, but wha t should

they do ? Asga rd w as in great danger ; the frost giants

might come at any time a nd seize the city. Something

must be done at once . They held counse l together dayafter day, but could form no plan for safety .

At length Heimda l,the watchman ,

who always sa t on

guard at the gate of the city, sa id ,“Of course w e cannot

pa rt with Freya ; that is quite impossible . But I have a

suggestion ; let Thor be dressed in brida l robes, and let him

go himself for the hammer . He alone is able to cope with

these giants.

”

Then Thor’s face flushed angrily . Wha t ! dress me uplike a girl ?” he asked indign antly . I should be the jest

of gods and men . Never should I hear the last ofit.”

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182 FI FTH BOOK

were very fleet , and in good time the wedding party arrived .

When Thrym hea rd the sound of approaching wheels, he

w as filled with excitement and pleasure .

“Wha t ho l” he shouted to his serva nts.

“My bride

is here . Bring silken cushions to the banquet table , and be

ready, all ye giants, to welcome her .

”

Then he c alled six dwarf kings in magnificent livery to

throw open the doors andusher in the bridal party. These

kings had come from the cen ter of the ea rth a t his bid

ding to be present . on this joyful oc ca sion ,the Gold King

splendidly attired in yellow, the Silver King in sparkling

white, the Lead King in gray, the Iron King in black, the

Copper King in flaming bronze and the Tin King in gleaming

tinsel .

Bowing politely, they allhastened forward to let down the

chariot steps and to escort their new mistress in to the pa!

a ce . But she , stepping forth , sta lked to the door as if she

w as in no need of assistance , and the servants meekly fol

lowed in astonishment .

It w as now evening, and in the banquet hall the

feast w as a lready spread to celebrate the wedding . On

a golden throne King Thrym took his seat with his

lovely bride beside him ,her veil drawn modestly over

her fa ce . Loki, with his hands meekly folded like a

girl,sat nea r , for he wished to be ready with excuses

and exp lanations which he knew would be needed for

Thor’s mistakes.

All the giants ate enormously, as youwould na turally

FI FTH BOOK 183

suppose , but Thor’s conduc t a t table w as certainly most

surprising in a dainty maiden . For , first of all , as it w as

reported, a whole roasted ox gradually disappeared under

the film y veil , then eight la rge salmon, which were appa r

ently very,much to the lady’s taste , then a large pla teful

of cakes and sweetmea ts.

This story w as probably much exaggerated , but Thor

certainly did ea t very heartily after his long journey, and

it is no wonder that the guests stole sly glances at one an

other in their astonishm ent .

The bridegroom w as a t first too po lite to speak of this or

seem to notice it, but at length he could contain himself no

longer, andhe burst out, exc laiming,“Did anybody ever see

such an appetite in a maiden before , or know a bride who

could drink so much mead

At this, Loki who w as on the a lert to atone for any mis

takes interposed hastily.

“Freya w as so happy, Thrym ,

at the thought of being your bride that she has eaten noth

ing for eight whole da ys.

”

Thrym w as greatly pleased a t this mark of afl'

ection , and

in his delight he leaned forward to lift the corner ofFreya’s

veil,in order to ca tch a glimpse of her lovely face . But

so fiery a look met his tha t he dropped the veil instantly .

Turning once more to Loki, he whispered in great a gitation ,“What makes Freya’s eyes so sharp ? They flash like

ligh tning and burn like fire .

”

“Oh,

” replied the cunning bridesmaid ,“do not be sur

prised if Freya’s eyes are sharp . The truth is, she w as so

184 FIFTH BOOK

delighted to come that she has not slept for more than a

week .

”

All the guests looked on in silence, and no one envied

Thrym . They were very much a fraid tha t the new queen

w as not especially sunny and pleasant in her disposition .

At last the giant grew impa tient in spite of Loki’s

soothing words.

“Bring in the wedding gift,

”he cried ;

“ bring in the hammer, and I will present it to Freya as I

Oh, then , if youcould ' have seen Thor’s eyes flash under

the white veil ! How he longed to feel the hammer on ce

more in his strong right hand But he sa t demurely beside

Thrym , w ith ha nds folded and head bowed like a bashful

bnda

The hammer w as brought, a nd now every one expec ted

to see the marria ge ceremony, but they saw something en

tirely different . No sooner did that gentle bride touch the

prec ious weapon with the tips of her fingers than she gave

a most unma idenlike roar. Freya’s beautiful robe and the

brida l veil were torn off and trampledunder foot, and there

stood Thor the Terrible, the enemy of allgiants, the veryone whom they most dreaded to see .

“Thief,

”he cried to the frightened Thrym . Did you

suppose youcould conquer the gods? Let this be a lesson

to youand to all the ra ce of frost gian ts.

” He swung his

terrible hammer above his head , there w as a flash oflightnin g

a nd a pea l of thunder, and the walls of the castle shook

and trembled .

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186 FIFTH BOOK

THE DEATH OF BALDER

ALDER , the god of the sun, w as the most beau

tiful of allthe gods and the most be loved ,because he w as the noblest and the best .

Wherever Ba lder went he w as hailed with delight

,for his com ing w as like the coming of

sunshine, bringing joy and happiness to gods and men .

It w as Ba lder w ho sent back to earth soft winds a nd gentle

skies, green fields, babbling brooks and warbling birds. It

w as Balder w ho made the flowers to bloom and fruit and

grain to ripen . Everything in earth and sea and sky seemed

to smile and to glow with pleasure when Balder the Beautiful

came ba ck aga in .

And the hea rts ofmen were full of gentleness and peace .

As they looked up in to the c lea r blue sky , they forgot all

hatred and ma lice, and they wished they could lead such

lives as Ba lder ’s, bright and pure and lovely.

Now B a lder w as always alllife and gayety, so sunny and

happy that it seemed as ifno darkness nor sorrow could ever

come near him . But one day a shade of sadness c rept

over his bright fa ce , his eyes grew dim and his joyous smile

faded .

It w as a perfect day in early autumn . The fields yellow

with ripened grain lay sleeping in the sun ; the fiords were

flashing a nd spa rkling in the light ; the hillsides were glow

ing with go ldenrod , asters and gentians, a nd the rea pers

were singing blithely as they went forth to their work . All

FI FTH BOOK 187

the world w as basking in light and sunshine, and stillthere

w as a touch of sadness about the peace ful scene , a shadow

of something which made Ba lder the Beautiful very quiet

and thoughtful . The a ir w as full ofa va gue foreboding. It

seemed to whisper so ftly, furtively, of some change, some

grief in store for him .

That night a strange dream disturbed his rest . He

dreamed that a dark c loud c rept up over the sun , hiding it

from sight . He looked to see it pass away as it had come,

but it did not pass. It covered the bright face of the sun

like a black veil ; there w as no cheer, no light, no wa rmth .

The flowers faded and died ; the birds and brooks hushed

their music ; the beasts crept softly away to their mountain

dens ; the trees shivered with cold , tossing their na ked

bran ches against the leaden sky , and all the fair fields lay

grief stricken a nd deso la te . There w as weeping and wa iling

through allthe world , and Balder heard the sad cry :“The

sun has gone, the summer is past , winter and cold and

darkness have come . Balder the Beautifulis dead .

”

Then B a lder awoke with a sta rt and a cry of pain . But

the skies were blue, the a ir soft and balmy in this lovely

Oc tobe r weather. Allnature w as rejoicing in warmth and

beauty . The dream could not be true , but nevertheless a

strange sadness fel l on Balder ’s bright spirit . He could

bear it no longer , so he went forth to find the gods and tell

them of his terrible dream . Perhaps they could do some

thing to p revent its fulfillment .

In wonder and dism a y the gods listened to the story, and

188 FIFTH BOOK

every fa ce grew heavy with anxiety and sadness. Wha t if

a nything should rea lly happen to B a lder , their ow n beauti

fulBa lder ? It would be like the going out of the sun and

the death of all things. What could they do to avert a

catastrophe so terrible

At length Queen Frigga, B a lder’s mother, bethought her

of this plan :she would travel all over the wide world, her

ow n domain , and from everything on the ea rth she would

exa ct a promise never to harm Ba lder in any way . This,she said , would certain ly be a great precaution . He would

then be perfectly safe .

So she set forth on her journey. First she went to all

beasts in forest,field, a ndmounta in ,

and begged them never

with c laws, horns, or hoo fs to do any in jury to B a lder .

“What I’ they exc laimed ,“do any in jury to Balder ? Cer

tainly not. We love him too well for that . He is a lways

kind and gentle to us . No , indeed , w e would never ha rm

Balder. ”

Then Frigga spoke to the birds and insec ts, to fishes and

reptiles, imploring ea ch one to give her the promise , and al l

readily gave it.

“Harm Ba lder 1” they cried ;“why, he is

the best friend w e have in allthe world . Our ta lons, stings,teeth , and fangs are to protec t us from our enemies, not to

injure our friends.

”

So the anxious mother journeyed on ,all over the earth ,

step by step, a nd allthings ea gerly pledged themse lves, all

trees, shrubs and vines, a ir, fire and water, stone , iron a nd

all meta ls, each in turn willingly, gladly, gave the promise .

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190 FIFTH BOOK

He envied all the gods because they were good and

happy,and he w as wicked and miserable . He envied

Woden for his wisdom ,Tyr for his courage , Thor for his

strength , and Balder for his beauty . And now as he saw

so much honor paid to B a lder he w as more than ever

jealous and envious, and he went about thinking how he

might destroy him . So while all the other gods were

ea gerly joining in the game , Loki stole away unseen , plot

ting evil a nd mischief .

Now it happened that at this time Queen Frigga sa t at

home busily spinning the fleecy c louds, and a pleased

smile w as on her face as the soft breeze through the open

window brought her the sounds of merry shouts and

Suddenly an old woman appeared in the doorway . Lean

ing upon her staff she paused , and thus she began to

speak“Good morrow, my lady, do youknow what they are

doing out on Ida Plain They are throw ing stones and all

kinds of missiles at Balder, and, wonderful to relate , nothing

hurts him in the least . He stands there as bright and sm il

ing as the sunlight .”

Yes,” answered Frigga, joyfully, nothing will ever

ha rm him ; for I have made everything on the earth prom

ise me never to injure my dear son .

g

“Well , well exc la im ed the old woman , and has every

thing, every single thing in the whole world given youthat

promise

192 FI FTH BOOK

Yes, replied Frigga, everything, that is, except one

tiny little'

shrub , very small and harm less, and I didn’t take

the trouble to visit it.

”

“And what is that harmless little shrub , my dear ?

asked the old woman ,her eyes tw inkling with wicked de

light .

It is the mistletoe that grows on an oak tree over in the

mea dow east ofValha l la,” answered Frigga .

“Well , well , surely tha t . could do no harm, said the

old woman .

“ I will go ba ck now a nd watch them at

their play . Good day, my lady,”andwith that she hobbled

But no sooner w as she out of sight than she sudden ly

became erec t . She shook off her old bonnet and shawl ,and there in place of a poor old woman , feeble and ben t,stood wicked Loki himsel f.

Hurrying away to the meadow east of Valhalla, he

picked a sprig ofmistletoe and in a trice w as back again

on Ida Plain , where the gods were still at their merry

game .

’

Going up to Hfider, the blind bro ther of B alder,he sa id ,

“Why do younot throw something in honor of

dea r Balder“A las,

”replied poor Hoder, I haven

’t anything to throw,

and besides I can’t see where Balder stands.

“ I will find something for you,” '

sa id wicked Loki, and

I w ill'

guide your hand . Here is a tiny green twig . That

wil l make a fine little arrow .

”

Hoder, thinking no evil , took the twig from Loki’s hand

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194 FIFTH BOOK

And then as the custom w as , the grea t funeral pyre

w as lighted , a sudden gleam of brightness flashed out

over the water, the flames rose higher and higher, until

the horizon w as bla zing and the heavens were filled with a

Slowly the grea t ship moved out to sea , and at last it sank

benea th the waves, just as w e have seen the sun slip below

the western horizon on some still November evening, leav

ing a faint glow of brightness to lighten the world for a

little while . So B alder’s ship sank into the sea . He w as

gone, the beautiful summer w as ended, and the long cold

winter wa ited at the doors.

THE birds have flow n away,

The flow ers are dead and gone,

The clouds look cold and grayAround the setting sun .

The c louds look c old and grayAround the setting sun .

The trees with solemn sighs

Their naked branches swing ;The winter w inds a rise,And mournfully they sing .

The w inte r w inds arise ,And mournfully they sing .

ELIZA

FIFTH BOOK 195

YULETIDE CUSTOMS

OU have noticed in the early

winter that the sun seems to

sink lower and lower in the south .

We do not see it so high up in the

sky as in the glad summer time,

when the fields and meadows are

fresh and green , when fruit and

berries are on trees and bushes, a nd

when grain and nuts are ripening .

Day by day it drops lower and

lower towa rd the south , and the days

grow shorter and shorter. Then it

seems to hesitate . Will it turn and come back, or will it

sink out of sight forever ? We know that itwillreturn and

will bring again the joyous summer , but the people long

ago were afraid that it had gone forever . They thought

the gods were angry with them and were taking away the

light and warmth of the sun .

Oh, how cold and cruel w as the winter ! How hard it

was to get food How terrible it would be ifspring should

never come again

But perhaps they could appease the gods. Perhaps if

they should do certain things on the shortest days of the year ,the sun god would turn back and begin to c reep a little

higher in the sky , until at last the beautiful summer should

come once more .

196 FIFTH BOOK

So , old and young, men , women and children , must hasten

to the forest, and there under the sa cred oak, Thor’

s ow n

tree , w ith the mistletoe twining about it, they must worship

the godswith sa crifices, feasting andmirth .

They must hail the oak w ith reverence and delight, and

if the Druid priest so proc laimed, they must be willing to

sacrifice even the one nearest and dearest to them . This

w as a solemn duty with our ancestors, a duty which they

must perform ,for only thu

’

s, a c cording to their belief, could

the cruel gods be propitiated .

And they must let these gods understand in some way

just what it w as they wanted . They must show them by

signs how cold and hungry the people were and how they

longed for the summ er . And so , they counterfeited sunshine

and warm th by lighting tapers a nd by burning in the fire

pla ce a huge log of sa cred oak. They brought into their

houses the evergreen trees of the woodland and decked them

with nuts and apples, a nd they hung there long garlands

ofholly a nd mistletoe ,°

for in these the spirits ofthe growing

things had taken refuge, they thought, against the c ruel

blasts of winter .

The last sheaf of whea t w as left standing in the fields,not to feed the hungry birds as the custom ‘

now is,but

to give the grain to King Woden ’

s horse . Allthese things

and more were to appease the anger of the gods and to

gain their favor .

But w ith the coming ofChristianity,allthis w as cha nged,

a nd now the Old customs have for us a very different sig

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FI FTH BOOK

DRUID stood in the dark oakwood

Ofa distant northern land,And he seemed to hold a sickle ofgold

In the g a p ofhis withered hand ;And he moved him slow ly round the girth

Of an aged oak, to see

If an orphan plant ofw ondrous birth

Had clung to the old oak tree .

And anon he knelt, and from his beltUnloosened his golden blade,

Then rose and culled the mistletoe

O blessed bough, meet emblem thouOfalldark Egypt knew ,

Of allforetold to the wise ofold,

And long , God grant, time- honored plant,Live w e to see thee hung

In cottage small , as in baron’s ha ll,

B anner and shield among 1

Thus fitly rule the mirth ofYuleAloft in thy place ofpride,

Still usher forth in each land ofthe North,The solemn Christmas Tide

FRANCIS sn w arm MAHON?

FIFTH BOOK 199

From fa r and near, on mead and moor,

Sw ell out and fail , as ifa door

TENNYSON

OLD CHRISTMAS

OW he w ho know s old ChristmasHe know s a carle ofw orth ;

For he is as good a fellow

He comes warm c loaked and coated,And buttonedup to the chin

,

CHRISTMAS

E time draw s near the birth ofChrist ;

is still ;The Christmas bells from hill to hill

FIFTH BOOK

And soon as he comes a - nigh the door,

We know that hew ill not fail us,So w e sw eep the hearth up c lean ;

And a cushion Whereon to lean .

And w ith sprigs ofholly and ivyWe make the house look gay ,

Just out ofan old regard to him ,

For it w as his ancient w ay .

And he te lls us witty old stories,And singeth with might andmain ;

And w e ta lk ofthe old m an’s visit,

'

fi llthe day that he comes again .

He must be a rich old fellow

Wha t money he gives aw ay 1There is not 9. lord in England

Could equa l him any day .

Good luckunto old Christmas,

And long life, letus sing ,For he doth more goodunto the poorThan many a crow ned king l

MARY HOWI TT

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202 FIFTH BOOK

AT m ENTRANCE OF A VILLAGE

coachman , to whom , Whenever an oppo rtunity presen ted ,they addressed a host of questions and pronoun ced him

one of the best fellows in the world . Indeed , I could not

but notice the more than ordina ry air of hustle and impor

tance ofthe coachman,w ho wore his hat a little on one side

and had a large bun ch ofChristma s greens stuck in the but

tonhole of his coat .

Perhaps it might be owing to the pleasing serenity tha t

reigned in my ow n mind that I fancied I saw cheerfulness

in every coun tenance throughout the journey . A stage

coach , however , ca rries animation always with it, and puts

the world in mo tion as it whirls along .

The horn sounded at the entrance of a villa ge produces

a genera l bustle . Some hasten forth to meet friends ; some

with bundles a nd ba ndboxes to secure places, and in the

hurry of the moment can hardly take leave of the group that

FI FTH BOOK 203

accompanies them . In the mea ntime the coachman has a

world of small commissions to execute . Sometimes he de

livers a ha re or phea sant , and sometimes jerks a sma ll par

celor newspaper to the doo r.

ofa public house .

As the coach rattles through the village , every one runs

to the window,and youha ve glances on every side of fresh

country faces and blooming, giggling girls. At the corners

are assembled village idlers and wise men , who take their

stations there for the impo rtant purpose of seeing company

pass ; but the sa gest kno t is generally a t the bla cksmith’s, to

whom the passing of the coa ch isan event fruitful ofmuch

The smith , with the horse’s heel in his lap , pauses as the

vehic le whirls by, the ma n a t the a nvil suspends his ringing

blows and suffers the iron to grow coo l , and the one at the

bellow s lea ns on the handle for a moment and permits the

pan ting instrument to heave a long- draw n sigh , while he

glares through the murky smoke a nd sulphureous gleams of

the smithy.

Perhaps the impending holiday might have given a more

than usua l a nima tion to the country, for it seemed to me

a s if everybody w as in good looks and good spirits. Game ,poultry and o ther luxuries of the table were in brisk c ir

culation‘

in the villages, and the grocers’, butchers’a nd

fruiterers’ shops were thronged with customers. The

housewives were stirring briskly about , putting their dwell

ings in order , and the glossy branches of holly, with their

bright red berries, began to appea r at the windows .

204 FIFTH BOOK

Absorbed in watching these festive preparations, I w as

suddenly roused by a shout from my little traveling com

panions. They had been looking out of the coach windows

for the la st few miles,recognizing every tree and co ttage as

they approached home, and now there w as a general burst

of joy.

“There’s John ! and there’s Carlo and there ’

s

Ban tam ! ” cried the happy little rogues, c lapping their hands.

At the end of the lane there w as an old,sober- looking

servant in livery waiting for them . He w as a ccompanied

by a superannuated pointer, and by the redouta ble Bantam ,

a little old rat ofa pony, with a shaggymane and long, rustyta il

, w ho stood dozing quietly by the roadside, little dream

ing of the bustling times tha t awaited him .

I w as pleased to see the fondness w ith which the little

fellows lea ped about the steady old footman , and hugged the

pointer, who wriggled his whole body w ith joy. But B an

tam w as the great objec t of interest . Allwan ted to moun t

at once, and it w as w ith some difficulty tha t John arranged

that they should ride by turns,a nd the eldest should ride

first .

Off they set at last ; one on the pony, with the dog bound

ing a nd barking before him ,a nd the others holding John’

s

hands ; both talking a t once a nd overpowering him with

questions about home , and with school anecdotes . I looked

after them with a fee ling in which I do not know whether

pleasure or melancholy predomina ted ; for I w as reminded

ofthose days when , like them , I had neither known care -

no r

so rrow, a nd a holiday w as the summit of earthly fe lic ity.

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206 FIFTH BOOK

Tha t only night in allthe yearSaw the sto led priest the cha lice rear.The damse l donned her kirtle green ;The ha llw as dressed in holly green ;Forth to the w ood didmerry men go

To gather in the m istletoe .

’

Then opened w ide the ba ron’s ha ll

To vassal , tenant, serf and all.

Pow er la id his rod ofrule aside,

And ceremony dof’fed his pride .

The heir w ith roses in his shoes,

That night might village partner choose ;The lord, underoga ting , share

The vulgar game of“Post and pair .

Allhailed with un controlled delightAnd general voice the happy night,That to the cottage , as the crow n ,

B rought tidings ofsa lvation dow n .

WALTER SCOTTFrom Ma rmion

FIFTH BOOK 207

HOW ST. BONIFACE KEPT CHRISTMAS EVE

T w as the day before Christmas in the year of our Lo rd

seven hundred and twenty- four. How pea ceful and quiet

w as the valley oftheWeser that cold winter a fternoon ! Along

the banks ofthe river flowing so silentlyunder its fringesofice ,broad snow fields lay glistening white , touched here and there

to pa le blue , rose color or purple by the crimson glory of

the setting sun . The steep , rugged hills, with their mantles

of pine a nd fir, threw long shadows down their eastern

slopes, while just above the forest treetops a pale young

moon w as beginning to show against the c lea r evening sky .

Along the edge of the forest a lrea dy in deep shadow, for

saken by the sun , a little company ofmen might have been

seen slowly wending their way through the deep snow . A t

the hea d of the band w as a ta l l stalwart figure c lad in the

long black c loak a nd the broad hat ofa priest , the bishop’

s

cross upon his breast . His tunic w as fastened high to his

belt so as not to hinder his stride , his strong heavy boots

were bound tight about his legs with strips of skin and in

his hand he carried a stout stafi'

.

His ha ndsome young fa ce w as. earnest a nd thoughtful,his c lear blue eyes keen and fearless, his cheeks, ruddy and

‘

brown from exposure to the sun a nd wind , we re glowingwith health a nd his step even on the rough pa th w a s firm

and sure . He w as evidently a traveler of exp e r ie n c e , a

ma n ofstrength , of‘

courage a nd determ ination .

This w as the great Wilfred of England , w ho h a d la tely

208 FIFTH BOOK

been consec rated B ishop by Pope Gregory II , receiving the

name of Boniface,“Good Doer. ” With the grea t commis

sion from the Pope to christianize the Germans,he w as now

on his way northward .

He w as a grea t scholar , a n able sta tesman , an eloquen t

prea cher, a bold and daring soldier of the Cross. Never

since the days ofSt. Paul , the great Apostle ofthe Gentiles,ha ve men known a missionary more eminent in labors, in

perils and in splendid se lf- sac rifice than St. Boniface , the

Apostle of the Germans.

He had left his dearly loved home and his rich esta te to

become a monk in the monastery ofNutescelle , nea r Winchester . But a life of study

,prayer and medita tion in the

c loister w as not for him . He would not rem ain there ,although they had chm n him as the abbot . He had re

fused grea t honors a nd responsibilities, even episcopal

dignity a t the court ofCha rlesMartel,the king ofthe Franks .

Nothing could sa tisfy his burning zea l for the Master ’s

cause but to become a missionary ofthe Cross, to go out into

the wilderness and preach to the heathen . So for five yea rs

he had been traveling with a few compan ions up and down

through the forests of Thuringia, Saxony andHesse ; toiling

through deep snows, over mountains and a cross turbulen t

streams, sleeping on the ground in summer and in winter ,cold , hungry, fatigued , but never repining nor discouraged.

always eager to do and to suffer all things for Christ’

s sake .

And now he had been appointed B ishop and had come with

letters from the Pope to CharlesM artel and to all the clergy

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210 FIFTH BOOK

and rulers among the neighboring Franks who could aid

him and advance his cause .

On this eventful day he had been journeying since ea rly

morning with a few young monks w ho had la te ly come from

Nutescelle, his old abbey, to join him in his labors . There

were also in the little company severa l a rmed woodmen ,for

in those days it w as not sa fe to travel unpro tec ted, and

there were teamsters to take charge of the horses and the

sledge which w as loaded w ith provisions .

As they were slovvly toiling on their w ay , Bonifa ce to ld

his young companions many stories ofhis life in the wilder

ness. How thrilling and marvelous were those tales of

long wanderings through the da rk forests, offierce encoun ters

with wolves and bears, of narrow escapes from bands of

savages, a nd of the weird rites and terrible sa crifices of the

heathen ! “We must never forget, my brothers,”sa id he,

that ifSt. Augustine had not been sen t to England by the

grea t Pope Gregory I , w e, too , might still be in the darkness

of hea thenism w e, too , might still be worshiping fa lse

pagan gods. How great should be our love and our gra titude

to God, and how fervent our zeal to bring the sam e glorious

mes sage to our fellow men that w as once brought to us“And fo llowing the example of St. Augustine and his

monks in our ow n land, w e will not only prea ch Chr istianity

to the heathen , but w e will tea ch them how to live . We will

establish schoo ls and monasteries, w e will c lea r the la nd,drain swamps, till the soil a nd carry on trades. Here as

elsewhere c iviliza tion willfollow the coming ofChristianity .

FIFTH BOOK 2 11

But youare weary, my brothers, with this day’s hard

tramp , and I know that your hearts are turning toward home

in England, where those youlove are keeping the birth feast

of Our Lord this night . The men and the horses too are

weary . We will draw up the sledge into the border of the

woods and willea t and rest for a while, but w e must press

on soo n . I wish to reach Geismar at least an hour befor e

midnight .“A la rge assembly of the tribes willbe there to- night

under the grea t thunder oak which is sacred to Thor the

Wa r God. People from allthe surrounding villages are to

mee t a nd offer sa crifices, for this is the Eve ofYule, the grea t

nature festivalofthe heathen . But w e will teach them that

these gods are nothing, merely crea tures of their ow n im

agina tion . We will teach them that Alm ighty God is their

on ly refuge and strength . Henceforth they shall trust,not in Thor’s hammer, but in the Cross of Christ for their

safety a nd salvation .

”

After an hour’s rest the travelers were once more toiling

bravely forward over the frozen fields and through the

starlit aisles of the forest . The short winter twilight w as

ended , a nd now the moon shone out bright and c lear, light

in g them on their w ay .

At long intervals they passed sma ll villages of the tribes,which were simply groups of rude huts huddled together,with now and then a la rger log dwelling inc losed in a court

yard . But there were no lights in these dwellings ; allw as

da rk and silent except for the distant barking of dogs, a nd

2 12 FI FTH BOOK

far away they could hear the howling ofwo lves in the forest .

At last they came out into a larger opening, where once more

they could look down upon the river below, with its wide

meadows now deep in snow. Nearer them , on the edge of

the woods, w as a knoll on which , standing almost alone , w as

an immense oak tree with w ide- sprea ding branches, towering

high above all other trees, the stern a nd lonely monarch of

the forest .“That, said Boniface, pointing to the tree , is the thunder

oak of Geismar , and there the heathen ceremonies are to be

performed at midnight . We will leave the men and the

horses here in the shadow ofthe trees and w e will go forward

to the knoll . B rother Aida n and B rother Columba, do you

take axes and be ready to help me . It is my purpose this

night to hew down tha t mighty oak before the eyes of the

heathen . And may their fa ith in the ancient gods fall w ith

the tree

They had barely time to reach the knoll and conceal

themselves behind a thicket when at some distance they

sa w a large company ofpeople , with lighted torches, ascend

ing the slope towa rds them .

Leading the ceremonious procession w as the king, a stal

wart Hessian wa rrior . He w as a rrayed ln true kingly

trappings ; a pointed cap of gay striped c loth surmounted

his yellow ha ir ; a rich ma ntle of sable hung over a purple

tunic and lea thern bree ches, bound tight to his legs, reached

to high skin shoes on his feet . Around his neck w as a mas

sive gold cha in and a t his side a long shining sword . He

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214 FIFTH BOOK

Wherefore I callupon you, Druids, get ye to your duties,which ye know so well , and here under the beneficent tree ,build ye an altar for a fitting sac rifice on this propitious

day .

While he w as yet speaking, the Druids had hastened away ,

and were now hurrying hither a nd thither over the hillside,searching for la rge fla t stones. They soon returned , and

in a very short time they had erec ted a rough altar in front

of the tree fa cing the east .

With a go lden knife the chief Druid then cut off the tw igs

ofm istletoe a nd placed them upon the a lta r ready for the

sacrifice . Meantime two large white bullocks had been

led forward a nd bound with leathern thongs to the tree ,a nd a huge fire had been kindled . As the flames leaped

a nd flickered they cast a weird light upward in to the gnar led

branches ofthe old oak and around on the pale aw e- stricken

faces of the people standing silent and expec tant .

The chief Druid now beckoned to a bard , who stepped

forward , his rude harp in his hand , and began the

incantation to the god, Thor

0 Thor, the Thunderer,M ighty and Terrible

Wha t shallw e give thee ?Bullocks w e offer,Sheep w e w illbring thee ,

Allour possessions freely w e profi'

er.

Come w ith thy hammer,

Protectus and save us.

FIFTH BOOK 2 15

Oh, bring us the summer.Letus not suffer,Keep us from sta rving ,

Spa re us and sa ve us.

Mighty Thor, sa ve us I

The song ceased, and the singer returned to his place .

The old Druid with bowed head had been ga zing upon the

ground . He now raised his eyes to the people and began

to speak slowly a nd sadly:“A las ! the gods will not be satisfied with any of these

things. They c laim our dearest and best gift , and w e

must not refuse to offer it. We must appease them at

any cost , for they a re grieved and angered at the dea th

of Balder the Beautiful , and they will take vengeance upon

us. To - night a child must be chosen to go to Va lha lla,

the house of gods and heroes. He must bear a message

to Woden , and he must carry with him a sprig of mistle

toe , for it w as the fatal mistletoe that brought death to

Balder .

”

He paused and looked around at the group of children

who had been eagerly wa tching the bright flames as they

darted higher and higher . The women shuddered and

shrank backward , the strong warriors leaned heavily upon

their spea rs and every face blanched with fea r .

Sudden ly a clear commanding voice rang sha rply out into

the night, breaking the aw ful stillness tha t seemed to hang

like a pal! over every heart .

216 FI FTH BOOK

Hail , ye Druids, a nd allye people of the forest, hail !

A messenger has come w ho would speak with you.

”

The old Druid whirled with the swiftness of lightning ,while a long deep sigh of relief burst from every lip . All

eyes turned toward the newcomer as with one consent the

people fell ba ck, and Boniface with his companions entered

their midst .“Who are you demanded the Druid,

“and what

business brings youhere ? This is no time for idle parley .

Speak, wha t is your errand ?“ I am your kinsman , an Anglo - Saxon from England

a cross the sea , and I have come to bring yougood tidings

ofgreat joy which sha ll be to all the people . It is a message

from the King ofHeaven , whom I serve .

”

“Wha t ! a message from Woden ?” demanded the Arch

druid .

“No,not from Woden , nor from Thor, for they a re fa lse

gods. I bring youa message from the only true and living

God, the Fa ther Almighty .

”

“Tell us then ,

”interposed the king, what is this message

that you bring from the Almighty, for w e will listen and

heed it. Is it not so ?”he asked , turning to his chieftains,

w ho clashed their shields in assent to his words.

“This is the divine message ,

”answered Boniface . This

is the word which He sends to you. Not a drop of blood

sha ll be shed here to - night, not one life sha ll be paid a s a

forfeit , not one of your dea r ones sa crificed for your sins.

For Christ, the Son ofGod, came into the world to redeem

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218 FIFTH BOOK

gashes in the trunk grew wider a nd wider, a nd deeper and

deeper , and the big chips flew thick a nd fast .

At length the ta ll branches trembled , the massive limbs

wavered , the grea t tree seemed to hesita te a nd totter for

a moment , and then with a rush and roa r like thunder it

fell ba ckwa rd to the ground , crashing and groaning in its

fa ll as if the anc ient gods themselveswere frenzied at their

ow n discomfiture .

“And such , my children,”said Boniface, turning to the

people,

“sha ll be the end of allfa lsehood and delusion

,for

Christ has come to reignuntil He sha ll bring allthingsunder

His feet . All things sha ll show forth His glory and shall

pra ise HisName . Even this oak tree itself, so long dedica ted

to pa gan superstition, sha ll now be consecra ted to the gloryof God. With these planks w e will build a church to

Almighty God a nd will name it in honor ofHis servant St.Peter. And likewise this hea then festiva l ofYule shall be

changed to the Christian feast ofChristmas .

“Christmas — what is that ?” asked one of the Druids.

Christmas is the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord,

replied Bonifa ce .

“Christ w as born on this Holy Night .

In Christmas,”he added, gazing tenderly at the children ,

“the little ones a re redeemed,

”and he told them the story

ofthe manger .

“In Christmas the mothers are redeemed ,

”

a nd he pictured to their m inds the Virgin Mother .

“In

Christmas the whole world is redeemed . Henceforth y ousha ll worship a Father who loves you, and Christ shall be

your High Priest forever.”

m s:818M B MADONNA

220 FI FTH BOOK

In Christmas all things sha ll become new . There is

not a truth nor a beauty in the world but Christmas will

hallow it and give it a blessed significance . The Yule logshall burn in the chimney ; the holly, the mistletoe and the

evergreens of the woodland sha ll hang in your houses, n ot

as signs of helplessness and fear, but as heralds of go od

news bidding the world a ‘Merry Christmas.

’

And here, he added as his eyes fell on a young fir tree

growing straight and tall beside the fallen oak,“ here is . a

tree which is forever green . It shall be a sign to youof your

new religion . Do yousee how it points to the sky ? D o

yousee the cross on every twig ? Let us call it the tree ofthe Christ Child .

“Youshall go no more into the shadows of the forest to

keep your cruel feasts, but youshall keep the blessed birth

feast of Our Lord in your ow n homes with mirth and music

and danc ing . And at every fireside the little children

shall gather a round the green fir tree to rejoice because

Christ is born, who takes away the sins of the

Then B rother Aidan and B rother Co lumba took up the

little fir and bore it away to the kin g’s house,the people

follow ing subdued and silent,but fil led with a holy joy a nd

gladness . The doors ofthe grea t banquet ha ll were thrown

open,and in the center of the room the little tree w as setup

a nd decked with fruits and tapers.

“Come, te ll us once

more the wonderful story,”said the king, as he placed B oni

face beside him on the dais. Tell us again of the ‘Prince

of

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222 FI FTH BOOK

forGermany as for all the world . A nd now Germany had

heard the good tidings of grea t joy , and would henceforth

rejoice in the knowledge of the Gospel, blessing the name of

the one w ho brought it to them , who lighted the first Christ

mas Tree in the Fatherland, and w ho taught the people to

love it and to understand its meaning, St. the

grea t Apostle of the Germa ns.

O’er the c radle ofa King ,

Hea r the song the angels sing ,I n excelsis gloria .

On this holy night beginsGod

’

s ow n sac rifice for sins.

From His Father’s home on high,Lo , for usHe came to die .

OfHis ow n free w illHe came,

Lord Emmanuel His name .

I n excelsfs gloria .

FIFTH BOOK 223

THE CRATCHITS’

CHRISTMAS DINNER

N the city streets that Christmas morning, the

people were making a rough but brisk and not

unpleasant kind ofmusic , in sc raping the snow

from the pavement in front of their dwellings

and from the tops of their houses, whence it w as mad

delight to the boys to see it come plumping down into the

road below, and splitting into artificial little snowstorms.

The people who were shoveling away on the housetops

were jovial and full of glee, calling out to one another from

the parapets, and now and then exchanging a facetious

snowball, laughing hea rtily if it went right and not less

heartily ifit went wrong.

The poulterers’ shopswere still half open , and the fruiterers’

were radiant in their glory . There were great round bas

kets of chestnuts lolling at the doors and tumbling out into

the street . There were ruddy, brown - faced Spanish onions

shining in the fatness of their growth a nd seeming to smile

from their shelves at the girls as they went by, glancing

demurely at the hung-up mistletoe .

There were pears and apples,c lustered high in blooming

pyramids ; there were bunches ofgrapes, made , in the shop

keeper’s benevo lence , to dangle from conspicuous hooks that

people’

s mouths m ight water gra tis as they passed ; therew ere piles of filberts, mossy and brown , recalling in their

fragrance ancient wa lks among the woods and pleasa ntshufflings ankle deep through withered leaves ; there were

224 FIFTH BOOK

oranges and lemons in the grea t compactness of their juicy

persons, urgently entreating a nd beseeching to be carried

home in paper bags and ea ten after dinner .

The gro cers’ ! oh, the grocers’

lnearly c losed , with per

haps tw o shutters down , or one ; but through those ga ps

such glimpses It w as not a lone that the scales desc ending

on the counter made a merry sound, or that the twine a nd

ro ller pa rted company so briskly, or tha t the canisters were

rattled up and down like juggling tricks, or even tha t the

blended aroma oftea and coffee w a s so pleasing, or even that

the raisins were so plentiful and rare , the almonds so ex

tremely white , the sticks ofcinnamon so long a nd straigh t,

the other spices so delicious.

But the customers were all so hurried and so eager in the

hopeful promise of the day , that they tumbled up against

each other at the door, crashing their wicker baskets wildly,and left their purchasesupon the counter, and came running

ba ck to fetch them , and committed hundreds of like mis

takes in the best humor possible ; while the grocer and his

people were so frank and fresh tha t the po lished hea rts

with which they fastened their aprons behind might have

been their ow n worn outside for genera l inspec tion .

But soon the steeples called good people all to church and

chapel , and away they came flocking through the streets in

their best c lothes and with their gayest faces . And a t the

same time there emerged from scores of by - stree ts, lanes

and nameless turnings, innumerable people carrying their

dinners to the bakers’ shops.

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226 FIFTH BOOK

skies,while he , not proud , a lthough his collars nea rly choked

him,blew the fire until the slow po ta toes

,bubbling up ,

knoc ked loudly at the saucepa n lid to be let out a nd

What has become of your precious father , then

said Mrs. Cratchit . “And your brother , Tiny Tim ! And

M artha wasn’t as late last Christmas Day by half an hour !“Here

’

s Martha, Mother,”

said a girl , appearing as she

spoke .

“Here’s Martha ,

Mother, cried the two young Cratc h

its“Hurrah There ’s such a goose, Martha .

”

Why , bless your heart alive , my dear, how late youaresaid

'

Mrs. Cratchit, kissing her a dozen times, and taking

off her shawl and bonnet for her with officious zeal .“We

’

d a deal of work to finish up last night ,” replied the

girl , and had to c lear away this morning, Mother .

“Wel l never mind so long as youhave come,”said M rs.

Cratchit . “Sit ye down before the fire , my dear, and have a

warm , Lord bless yel”

“ No, no ! There’s Father com ing, cried the tw o,

young

Cra tchits, who were everywhere at once .

“Hide,M ar tha

,

hide ! ”

So Martha hid herself, and in came little Bob the father ,with a t least three feet ofcomforter , exc lusive of the fringe ,hanging down before him ; and his threadbare clothes darned

up and brushed to look sea sonable ; a nd Tiny Tim upon

his shoulder . Alas for Tiny Tim , he bore a little c rutch , a nd

had his limbs supported by a n iron frame

BOB CRATCH IT AND TI NY

Dg tzed byGqc‘

228 FIFTH BOOK

Why, where’s our Martha cried Bob Cratchit, looking

round .

“Not coming, sa id Mrs. Cratchit .

Not coming l”

said Bob , with a sudden dec lension in

his high spirits ; for he had been Tim’

s blood horse allthe

way from church, a nd had come home rampant .“Not

coming upon Christmas Day !”

Martha didn ’t like to see him disappointed, if it were

only in joke ; so she came out prema turely from behind the

c lose t door, and ra n into his arms,while the . tw o young

Cra tchits hustled Tiny Tim , and bore him off into the wash

house, that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper .

“And how did Tiny Tim beha ve ? asked Mrs. Cra tchit ,

when she had ra llied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had

hugged his daughter to his heart’s content .“As good as gold,

”sa id Bob,

“and better. Somehow

he gets thoughtful , sitting by himself so much, and thinks

the strangest things you'

ever hea rd . He to ld me, coming

home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, be

cause he w as a cripple and it might be pleasa nt to them to

remember upon Christmas Day w ho made lame beggars

walk and blind men see .

”

Bob’s voice w as tremulous when he told them this and

trembled more when he said that Tiny Tim w as growing

strong and hea rty .

His a ctive little crutch w as hea rd upon the floor and back

came Tiny Tim before another word w as spoken ,escorted

by his brother and sister to his stool beside the fire . Then

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230 FIFTH BOOK

a tom of a bone upon the dish , they hadn’t eaten it allat

last ! Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest

Cra tchits, in particula r, were steeped in sag e and onion to the

eyebrows ! But now the pla tes being changed by lVIissB elinda , M rs. Cratchit left the room a lone , too nervous to

bea r witnesses, to take the pudding up and bring it in .

Suppose it should not be done enough Suppose itshould

break in turning out ! Suppose somebody should have

got over the wa ll of the back yard and stolen it, while

they were merry with the goose , a supposition a t which the

tw o young Cratchits became livid ! All sorts of horrors

were supposed .

Ha l lo ! A grea t dea l of steam ! The pudding w as out

of the copper . In half a minute M rs. Cra tchit entered ,flushed but smiling proudly, with the pudding like a speckled

cannon ba l l, so hard a nd firm , and bedight with Christmas

holly stuck into the top .

Oh,a wonderful pudding ! Bob Cratchit said and calm ly

too , tha t he rega rded it a s the grea test success achieved by

M rs. Cra tchit since their ma rriage . M rs. Cra tchit said

tha t now the weight w as off her mind she would confess

she had her doubts about the quantity offlour . Everybody

had something to sa y about it,but nobody sa id or thought

it w as a t alla sma ll pudding for a la rge fam ily. It would

have been flat heresy to do so . Any Cra tchit would have

blushed to hint a t such a thing .

At last the dinner w as alldone , the c loth w as c lea red,the

hea rth swept and the fire made up . Apples and oranges

FI FTH BOOK 23 1

were put upon the table and a shovelful of chestnuts on

the fire . Then all the Cra tchit family drew round the

hearth , in wha t Bob Cratchit called a circle , meaning ha lf

a one . Then Bob exc la imed. i‘A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God blessus

Which allthe family reechoed.

“God bless us, every one sa id Tiny Tim , the last of all.Then Bob Cratchit to ld them how he had a situation in

his eye for Master Peter , which would bring in , ifobta ined ,full five a nd sixpence weekly. The tw o young Cratchits

laughed tremendously a t the idea ofPeter’s being a man of

business ; and Peter himself looked thoughtfully a t the fire

from between his co llars, as if he were delibera ting what

pa rticula r investments he should favor when he came intothe receipt of tha t bewildering income .

M artha, w ho w as a poo r apprentice at a milliner’s,then

to ld them what kind ofwork she had to do , and how many

hours she worked a t a stretch , a nd how she meant to lie inbed to -morrow morning for a good long rest

,to - morrow

being a ho liday she passed at home . Also how she had

seen a countess and a lord some days before , and how the

lord “w as about as ta ll as Peter ;

”at w hich Peter . pulled

up his collars so high tha t you couldn ’t have seen his hea d

if youhad been there . All this time the chestnuts and

the apples went round and round,a nd by and by they had a

song, about a lost child traveling in the snow,from Tiny

Tim , w ho had a plaintive little voice, and sa ng it very well

indeed .

232 FIFTH BOOK

After a while they played at forfeits and then at blind

man ’

s buff, and if youhad on ly seen Bob scramble about

that kitchen , knocking down the fire irons, tumbling over the

chairs, bumping up a ga inst the cupboard , youwould have

shouted with laughter as did the two young Cratchits.

Then there w as a game of“Yes andNo ,

” where Peter had to

think of something and the rest must findout what, he onlyanswering to their questions yes or no as the case w as.

Petermust have thought of something exceedingly funny, for

at every fresh question that w as put to him ,he burst into

a roar of laughter and w as so inexpressibly tickled that

he w as obliged to getup from his chair and stamp .

There w as nothing of high mark in all this. They were

not a handsome family ; they were not well dressed ; their

shoes were far from being waterproof ; their c lothes were

scanty . But they were happy, grateful , pleased with one

another and contented with their lot. They knew how to

keep Christmas well , and may that be truly said ofus, and

all of us ! And so, as Tiny Tim observed , God bless us,

Ievery oneam azes nros s

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many

shadows,’said St. Francis, he w ho hailed the sun w ith

delight and who laid upon his followers the duty of cheer

fulness.

”

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FIFTH BOOK

And the people answered, Youask in vain ;We know ofno king but Herod the Grea t l

”

They thought the Wise Men w ere men insane ,

As they spurred their horses across the plainLike riders in haste w ho c annot wait .

Herod the Grea t, w ho had heard this thing ,Sent for the Wise Men and questioned them ;And said,

“Go dow n unto Bethlehem ,

So they rode a w ay, and the sta r stood still,

The only one in the gray ofmorn ;

Yes, it stopped, it stood still of its ow n free will,Right over Bethlehem on the hill,The city ofDavid w here Christ w as born .

And the Three Kings rode through the ga te and the gua rd,Through the silent street, till their horses turned,

And neighed as they entered the great inn yard ;But the w indow s w ere c losed, and the doors w ere barred,And only a light in the stable burned .

And cradled there in the scented hay ,In the air m ade sw eet by the breath ofkine,

The little child in the m anger lay ,

The Child that w ould be K ing one dayOf a kingdom not human , but div ine .

FIFTH BOOK

His mother, Ma ry ofNa za reth,Sat w a tching beside this pla ce ofrest,Wa tching the even flow ofHis breath,For the joy oflife and the terror ofdeathWere ming led together in her breast.

THEY LAID THEIR OFFERINGS A ‘I‘ B IB FEET

They laid their offerings at His feet ;The gold w as their tribute to a King

The frankincense , w ith its odor sw eet,Was for the Priest, the Pa racleteThe myrrh for the body

’s burying .

FIFTH BOOK

And the mother w ondered and bow ed her head,And sa t as still as a statue ofstone

Her hea rt w as troubled yet comforted,Remembering w hat the angel had sa id

Of an endless reign and ofD avid’s throne .

Then'

the kings rode out ofthe city gate ,With a clatter ofhoofs in proud array ;

But they went not back to Herod the Great,For they knew his ma lice and feared his hate ,And returned to their homes by another w ay .

HENRY w xnsw oa ra LONGFELLOW

BLOW, BLOW,

‘

THOU WINTER WIND

LOW, blow , thouw inter w ind !

As man’s ingratitude !

Thy tooth is not so keen ,

Bec ause thouart not seen ,Although thy brea th be rude .

Freeze , freeze, thoubitter sky 1Thoudost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgotThough then the w aters w arp ,Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remembered not.

WI LLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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238 FI FTH BOOK

my horse and I are ready to perish , the sto rm is so fierce .

Tell me , then , where I can find shelter .

”

“Shelter ! ” sa id Ra lph ,

“ I know ofnone , sa ve in my ow n

cottage , and that is fa r hence in the forest . But to tha t youa re welcome ifyouca re to come with me .

The king w as right glad to hea r these words.

“Tha t is

w e sa id he ;“God reward youfor your goodness.

”

“Nay ,” answered the churl ,

“keep your tha nks till theyhave been earned . As yet youhave had from me nothing,neither fire, nor mea t

,nor dinner, nor resting pla ce . To

morrow when yougo youcan thank me, ifyoube so m inded,

with better reason . To pra ise first and maybe to blame

a fterwa rds - tha t is contra ry to sense .

”

So shall it be , sa id the king . So they went their w ay ,ta lking a s they went .

When they were come to the house Ralph ca lled w ith a

loud voice to his wife,“Are youwithin , dame ? Come out,

open the door without delay . My guest and I a re shiver

ing with cold such evil wea ther I,

have never seen .

”

The goodwife , when she heard her husband’s vo ice ,made allhaste to the door, knowing tha t he w as a m of

a hasty temper .

“You a re welcome home ,

”sa id she to

Ra lph ; and to the stranger ,“Youare welcome also .

Kindle a great fire ,”sa id Ra lph

,

“a nd take tw o capons

ofthe best tha t w e may have good cheer ; and he to ok the

king by the hand a ndwould have him go before him into the

house . But the king stood ba ck by the door and would

have the charcoal burner pass in before him .

“That is but

FIFTH BOOK 239

poor courtesy, said the man , and took him by the neck

and pushed him in .

When they had warmed themse lves awhile by the fire ,which w as bla zing in right roya l fashion , Ra lph cried to

his wife ,“Letus ha ve supper, Gillian , a s quickly as may be ,

and of the best, for w e have had a toilsome day andmay well

ha ve a merry night . Never ha ve I suffered worse - weather

or been so near to losing my way as when I met with this

stran ger here .

”

In no long time, when they had washed themse lves, the

supper w as ready .

“Now ,friend ,

”sa id Ra lph ,

“ take the

dam e by the ha nd , and lead her to the board . And when

the king held ba ck, he c ried ,“Now this is the second time ,’

and smo te him suddenly under the ea r with his right hand,

so strongly that he staggered half across the chamber, and

fellto the ground .

When the king rose , and indeed he could scarcely stand,

Now , Gillian,”sa id Ra lph,

“ take him by the hand and go

to the table .

”To his guest he said ,

“Now this is the seco nd

time that youhave been la cking in courtesy, first by the

door and then by the table . Will younot do as you"

a re

bid? Am I not the master ofmy ow n house ?”

The king said to himself:“These are stra nge do ings.

Never have I been so dealt with in allmy life .

” Nevertheless, fo r the sake of peace he did as he w a s bid, a nd giving

his ha nd to the dame,led her to the table . So they sa t,

the cha rcoal burner on one side of the table,a nd the king

and dame Gillian on the other . Right good cheer they had,

240 FIFTH BOOK

fat capons and bread and cheese of the best . Truly theywanted for nothing.

Said the churl to the king, Sir, the foresters in this place

threaten me much about the deer. They say that I am ever

bringing down the fattest of the herd . They will hale me ,

they say , to Paris, and bring me before the king, and make

complain t against me . Say what they will, why should I

not have enough for myself, aye , and to set before a guest

And now , my friend , spare not ; there is enough and more .

”

When they had well eaten ,they sa t by the fire , and the

cha rcoa l burner to ld many merry tales. When it grew late ,he said to the king,

“Tell me now where youlive .

“ I live at Co urt, sa id he ,“where I have an office with

the queen .

”

“And what is your name ?

My name is Wymond. And now ,if youwil l come to

Court , I can doubtless serve you, for I will see that youhave

a good sale for your fuel . ”

Said Ralph , I know not where the Court of which you

speak ma y be .

But Char les urged him , saying that the king and queen

would be in Pa ris to spend Yuletide together, and that

there would be much merryma king, and that without

doubt he would sell his fuel to grea t advantage .

“Youseem to talk reason ,

”said Ralph ;

“ I willcome .

And now let us to bed.

”So the collier and the dame led

him to a nother chamber , where there w as a bed handsomely

furnished , and c losed in with curtains. When they saw

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242 FIFTH BOOK

him . They had come forth to search for him, and right glad

were they to find him . So they turned their horses’ hea ds

and journeyed back to Paris. When they were near the

town,Turpin the Archbishop came forth from the gates to

meet them ,with a grea t company of bishops and priests

and others,giving thanks to God that their lord the king

Andwhen they had come to Paris they went to the Church

of St. Denis where mass w as celebra ted. And after ma ss

they went to the pa la ce, and kept their Yule feast with much

mirth and plenty ofgood things. For one and twenty days

did they feast . Never had such a Yuletide been kept in the

land of France .

Mean time King Charles had not forgotten the ma tter .

He ca lled Roland to him , for indeed there w as no man whom

he trusted more, and said to him ,

“To- morrow morning

take your horse a nd your harness,and watch well the roa d

by which w e went on the day tha t I w as lost, and if yousee

a ny one coming this w ay , whatever his errand may be,

bring him with youto this pla ce and take care tha t he sees

no one before he sees me .

”

Roland took his horse and his harness and rode forth

early in the morning, and wa tched the roads as he had

been commanded .

For a long time he saw nothing, either far or nea r ; but alittle past midday he saw the charcoa l burner come driving

his mule before him , with tw o panniers filled w ith coa ls.

So he rode up tohim with allthe speed that he could .

FIFTH BOOK 243

The man saluted him courteously, and Roland in his

turn also saluted him . Their greetings ended, he sa id to the

man,“Come now to the king ; let nothing hinder you.

“Nay ,”said Ralph,

“ I am not so foolish . This is a j est,Sir Knight, and it is illcourtesy for a knight to jest with a

comm on ma n .

”

“This is but foo lishness, said Roland ; the king has

straightly c omma nded tha t youshould be brought to him .

”

“Nay , answered Ralph ,“ I am on my way according

to promise made to one Wymond, and to him I will go andto none other .

”

So they wrangled a long time,and still the churl w a s

firmly set that he would go to Wymond and to none other .

Then Roland rode ba ck to the king . By this time,mass w as ended

,and the king had put on his robes. You

are well come, Sir Roland,”sa id he ;

“have youdone myerrand

“Sire , answered Sir Roland ,

“ I went as yougave me

comma ndm ent and watched the ways, but saw no man , but

one only .

”

“And who w as this one ? asked the king .

He,

”said Roland,

“w as but a churl that had with him

two panniers of coa ls.

”

“Vt’hy did younot bring this said churl to me, as I bid

you? It may be youdurst not.

”

Roland saw tha t the king w as wroth , and w as not a little

glad to go forth from his presence . Going forth he met a

porter,“Whither go thou, lazy loon said he .

244 FIFTH BOOK

Said the porter,“There is one a t the gate, a churl that

has a mule and two panniers of coa ls, and he clamors to be

let in at the gate .

”

“Whom does he want ?” said Roland .

The porter answered,“He asks for. one Wymond.

Then Roland sa id,

“Go ba ck to your pla c e, porter, and

open the ga te and bid him en ter . But say tha t it does not

lie within your office to go to thisWymond, but that he must

himself seek him .

”

So the porter went back to the ga te and opened it, sa ying

to the charcoal burner,“Enter, man , but I have no leisure

to seek for thisWymond. Youmust seek him youree

Said Ralph,“ If youwillnot seek the man , I must needs

do itmyself see youthen that no harm come to the mule and

the coals, and I w ill look forWymond, for certainly it w as hethat bade me come hither .

”

So the charcoa l burner went his way through the pala c e ,asking forWymond. There w as not one tha t knew the m an

,

or had so much as heard the nam e .

After he had passed thr ough many chambers, he came to

one that w as more splendid than alltha t he had seen be fore .

It w as a great hall, finely painted a nd hung about w ith tapes

tries,a nd there the king sat at dinner in grea t state .

Atlast, a fter not a little trouble, he came nea r to the king,where he sa t in state a t the table “

See,”he cried ,

“ tha t

is Wymond, yonder, the man whom I seek . Wel l do I

know him ,though indeed he is otherwise c lad tha n w hen I

last saw him . Now he is in c loth of gold . Truly he must

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FI FTH BOOK

RING OUT, WILD BELLS

ING out, w ild bells, to the w ild sky ,

The flying cloud,the frosty light ;

The year is dying in the night ;out, w ild bells, and let him die .

Ring out the old,ring in the new ,

Ring , happy bells, across the snow ;The year is going , let him go

Ring out the grief that saps the mindFor those tha t here w e see no more ;Ring out the feud ofrich and poor,

Ring in redress to allm ankind.

Ring out a. slow ly dying cause,And an cient forms ofparty strife ;Ring in the nobler modes of life,

And sw eeter mann ers, purer law s .

Ring out fa lse pride in pla ce and blood,The c ivic slander and the spite ;Ring in the love oftruth and right

Ring in the valiant and the free ,The larger heart, the kindlier hand ;

0

Ring out the da rkness ofthe land ;Ring in the Christ that is to be .

ALFRED TENNYSON

From the pa inting by Bla ohficld.

THE B ELLS

Dg zed byG or

FIFTH BOOK

THE SECRET OF THE KING

Saint ofthe long ago ,

One w inter night, his footsteps bentThe ev er B lessedSacramentTo visit through the snow .

Absorbed in prayer the holy kingFelt not the bitter blastSo keen it forced the servitorWho with the lantern wa lked beforeTo groan a loud at last.

Art suffering ?” “

Yea , sire , my bloodIs freezing while I ta lk.

”

“So quoth the king ;

“then ifinclined, .

Good kn ave, thoumayst fa ll behind,And in our footprints w a lk.

”

And so they go:the roya l headBent low , the strong a rms crossed ;And, follow ing close upon his hee ls,The kn ave , Dear Lord Wha t w armthHath summer vanquished frost ?

A breath as of celestia l fire ,From out the king escapes

A perfume pure , an odorous

A scent ofsac rificial w heat,Ofblood ofblessed grapes I

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250 FIFTH BOOK

THE SEASONS INSWEDEN

E must not forget the sudden cha nging seasons

of the northern c lime . There is no long and

lingering spring, unfo lding leaf a nd blossom

one by one ; no long and lingering autumn ,

pompous with ma ny- co lored leaves and the glow of Indian

summers.

But winter a nd summer a re wonderful , and pass into ea ch

other . The qua il has ha rdly ceased piping in the co rn when

winter, from the fo lds oftrailing c louds, sows broadca st over

the land snow, icic les and rattling hall. The days wa ne

apa ce . Erelong the sun hardly rises above the horizon ,o r

does not rise a t all.

The moon andthe sta rs shine through the day only at noon

they a re pa le and w a n , a nd in the southern sky‘a red fiery

glow, as of sunset, burns a long the horizon and then goes

out. And pleasa ntly under the silver moon and under the

silent , solemn stars, ring the hee ls of the skaters on the

frozen sea , and voices and the sound ofbells.

And now the northern lights begin to burn ; faintly at

first, like sunbeams playing in the waters of the blue sea .

Then a so ft crimson glow tinges the hea ven s. There is a

blush on the check ofnight . The co lors come a nd go and

change from c rimson to go ld , from go ld to crimson .

The snow is stained with rosy light . Two fo ld from the

zenith , east a ndwest , flames a fiery sword a nd a broad ba nd

passes athwa rt the hea vens like a summer sunset . So ft

FIFTH BOOK 251

purple c louds come sa iling over the sky , a nd through their

vapory folds the winking sta rs shine as white as silver.

And now the glad , leafy midsummer , full ofblossoms and

the song of nightingales, is come . Sa int John has taken

the flowers and the festival of hea then B a lder ;“

and in

SWED ISH CHKLDREN IN HOLIDAY DRESS

every village there is a Maypole fifty feet high , with wreaths

and roses and ribbons streaming in the wind , and a noisy

weathercock on top to tell the village whence the wind cometh

and whither it goeth .

The sun does not set till ten o’

c lock at night ; and the

252 FIFTH BOOK

children are at play in the streets an hour later . The

windows and the doors are allopen , and youmay sit a nd

read till midnight without a ca ndle .

Oh, how beautiful is the summer night, which is not night

but a sun less yetunclouded day , descendingupon earth with

dew s and shadows and refreshing coolness !

How beautiful the long, mild twilight, which like a silver

c lasp unites to - day with yesterday !

How beautiful the silent hour when Morning and Evening

sit together, hand in hand , beneath the starless sky of

midnight 1

From the church tower in the public square the bell tolls

the hour, with a soft musica l chime ; and the watchman ,

whose watchtower is the belfry, blows a blast on his born for

each stroke of the hamm er .

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW

HARK ! HARK ! MY SOUL

ARK ! hark ! my soul ; Angelic songs are swelling

O’er earth’s green fields, andocean

’sw ave-bea t shore .

How sweet the truths those blessed strains are tellingOf that new life when sin shall be no more .

Angels ofJesus, Angels of light,Singing to w elcome the pilgrims ofthe night .

Onw ard w e go , for still w e hear them singmg ,‘Come, weary souls, for Jesus bids youcome

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254 FIFTH BOOK

AN ICEBERG

T twelve o ’c lock w e went below, and had just

got through dinner when the cook put his head

down the companionway and to ldus to come on

deck and see the finest sight w e had ever seen .

Where away, cook ?” asked the first ma n who came up .

On the port bow.

And there , floating in the ocean , several miles ofi'

, lay an

immense irregular mass, its tops and points covered with

snow and its center of a deep indigo color. This w as an

iceberg, and of the largest size , as one ofour men said who

had been in the Northern Ocean .

As fa r as the eye could reach , the sea in every direc tion

w as ofa deep blue color , the waves running high and fresh

and sparkling in the light and in the midst lay this imm ense

FIFTH BOOK 255

mounta in island , its cavities and valleys thrown in to deep

shade a nd its poin ts and pinnac les glittering in the sun .

Allha nds were soon on deck, looking a t it and admiring its

beauty and grandeur .

But no description can give any idea of the strangeness,Splendor and really the sublimity of the sight . Its grea t

size for it must have been tw o or three miles in circum

feren ce , and several hundred feet in height ; its slow motion,

as its base rose a nd sank in the water and its high po ints

nodded aga inst the c louds ; the da shing of the waves upon

it, which , brea king high with foam ,lined its base with a

white crust ; and the thundering sound of the crackling

mass, a nd the breaking and tumbling down of huge pieces,as well as its nearness and approa ch , which added a slight

elemen t of fear — allcombined to give it the character of

The main body of the mass w as, as I have said , of a n

indigo color, its base crusted with frozen foam ; and as it

grew thin and transparent toward the edges and top , its

color shaded off from a deep blue to the whiteness of snow.

Unfo rtunately there w as no moon ; but it w as a c lear

night, and w e could pla inly ma rk the long, regular, heaving

mass, a s its edges moved slowly against the stars, now re

vea ling them and now shutting them in . Severa l times

in our wa tch loud c racks were hea rd , which sounded as

though they must have run through the who le length of

the iceberg, and severalpieces fel l down with a thundering

crash , plunging hea vily into the sea .

256 FIFTH BOOK

No pencil has ever yet given anything like the true effec t

of an iceberg . In a picture they are huge,un couth massestucked in the sea ; while their chief beauty and grandeur

their slow sta tely motion , the whirling of the snow about

their summits and the fearful crackling and groaning oftheir

RI CHARD HENRY DANA

TO DAY

LO, here hath been dawningAnother blue day

Think, w ilt thoulet it

Slip useless aw ay

This new day is born ;

At night w ill return .

Behold it aforetimeNo eye ever did

So soon it foreverFrom alleyes is hid.

Here hath been daw ningAnother blue day :

Think, w ilt thoulet it

THOMAS CARLYLE

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FI FTH BOOK

LIFE ONTHE OCEAN WAVE

A LIFE on the ocean w ave ,A home on the rolling deep ,

Where the scattered waters rave,And the w inds their revels keep I

Like an eagle caged I pine

On this dull, unchanging shoreOh give me the flashing brine ,The spray and the tempest

’s roar I

Once more on the deck I stand

Set sa il farew ell to the landThe gale follow s fair abaft.

We shoot through the sparkling foamLike an ocean bird set free

Like the ocean bird, our homeWe

’ll find far out on the sea .

The land is no longer in view ,

The clouds have begun to frow n ;But w ith a stout vessel and crew,

We’ll say let the storm come dow n I

And the song ofour hearts shallbe ,While the w inds and the w aters rave,

A home on the rolling sea IA life on the ocean w ave .

sp as sa aoezvr

an um ! ruzn u. 10 m m LAND !

D g tzed byG o c

260 FIFTH BOOK

TALES OF A GRANDFATHER

How Sc otland and Engla nd c ame to be Sepa ra te Kingdoms

NOLAND is the southern and Scotland is the

northern pa rt ofthe celebra ted isla nd ca lled G reat

Brita in . Engla nd is greatly larger than Scotla nd,

a nd the land is much richer and produces be tter

crops . Scotland, on the contrary,is full of hills

and huge moors, which bear no corn and which afi'

ord but

little food for flocks or herds. But the levelground tha t

lies along the grea t'

rivers is more fertile and produc es

better crops.

The na tives of Scotland are a c customed to live more

hardily in general tha n those of England . The c ities a nd

towns are fewer , smaller a nd not so wealthy and populous,

but as Scotland possesses great quarries of stone, the houses

are commonly built of tha t material, which is more lasting

and has a gra nder efl'

ec t to the eye than the bricks used in

England .

Now , as these tw o nations live in the different ends ofthe

same island, a nd a re sepa ra ted by large a nd stormy seas

from all other pa rts of the world, it seems natural tha t they

should have been“ friendly to ea ch other a nd that they should

have lived as one people , under the same government . And

this is now the case, for about tw o hundred'

years ago the

king of Scotland became king of England , a nd the tw o

na tions have ever since been joined in one great kingdom ,

which is ca lled Grea t B rita in .

l

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262 FIFTH BOOK

the country which had been conquered by the Romans .

These people of the northern parts of Scotland were

of tw o tribes ; the Scots w ho had come from Ireland,and the Pic ts. They often fought against each other

,

but they always joined together against the Romans and

the B ritons.

At length the Romans thought they would prevent these

Picts and Scots from coming in to the southern part ofBrita in

and laying it waste . For this purpose they built a very

long wallbetween one side of the island and the other, so

that none of the Scots or Pic ts should come into the coun try

on the south side of the w all. And they made towers on

the wa lland camps with so ldiers, from pla ce to pla ce, so

that a t the least ala rm the so ldiers might hasten to defend

any part of the wa llwhich w as a ttacked .

This Roman wall w as built between the tw o great friths

of the Clyde and the Forth , just where the island ofB rita inis narrowest . It protec ted the B ritons for a time, and the

Scots and Pic ts were shut out from the fine rich land a nd

inc losed within their ow n mounta ins. But they were very

much displeased with this, and assembled themse lves in

grea t numbers and c limbed over the wall in spite of all

that the Romans could do to oppose them .

The Romans, finding that the wa ll could not keep out

the barba rians, for so they term ed the Pic ts and the Scots,thought they would give up a large portion -

of the coun try

to them and perhaps it might make them quiet . So they

built a new wall , and a much stronger one than the first,

FIFTH BOOK 263

sixty miles farther south . This the Scots and Picts could

not break through , but they sometimes came down by

sea in boats made of oxhides stretched upon hoops,landed in the Britons

’ territory and grea tly ha rassed the

people .

Now a t this time bitter quarrels and confusion and civil

wars took place a t Rome . The Roman Emperor sent to

the so ldiers whom he had ma in tained in B ritain and ordered

that they should immediate ly return to their ow n country.

So they took to their ships and left the island .

After the departure of the Romans, the Britons were

quite unable to protec t the w all against the barbarians.

So the Picts and the Scots broke through at several points,wasted and destroyed the country, took away the boys and

girls to be slaves, seized upon the sheep and ca ttle , burnt

the houses and did all the damage they could .

Thus a t last the B ritons, finding themselves no longer

able to resist these ba rbarous people , invited into B rita in

to their assistance a number of men from the north ofGer

many, w ho were called AngIo- Saxons. Now these were a

very brave and warlike people, a nd they came in their ships

from Germany, landed in the south of B rita in , and

helped the Britons to fight with the Scots and Pic ts. (A .O .

They drove these nations again into the hills and

fastnesses of their ow n country, to the north of the wa ll

which the Roma ns built, and they were never a fterwa rds

so troublesome to their neighbors.

But the Britons were not much the better for the defeat

264 FIFTH BOOK

of their northern enemies ; for the Saxons, when they had

come into B rita in and sa w wha t a beautiful, rich country

it was , resolved to take the land to themselves and to make

the Britons their slaves and servants. The Britons were

very unwilling to have their country taken from them by

the people they had ca lled in to help them ,and so strove to

oppose them . But the Saxons were stronger and more w ar

like than they and defeated them so often that they at last

got possession of allthe level and flat land in the south of

However,the bravest of the Britons fled into a very hilly

part of the country, which is called Wa les, and there theydefended themse lves against the Saxons for a grea t manyyears. Their descendants still speak the ancient B ritishlanguage, c a lled Welsh . In the mea ntime, the Anglo

Saxons spread throughout allthe south of Britain , and the

name of the country w as changed . It w as no longer ca lled

B ritain , but England, or Angleland, the land of the Anglo

Saxons .

While the Saxons and Britons were thus fighting together ,the Scots and Picts, a fter they had been driven ba ck behind

the Roman wall, also quarre led between themse lves ; and

at last after a grea t many battles, the Scots got complete ly

the better ofthe Picts.

They gave their ow n name to the north part ofB ritain , as

the Anglo- Saxons did to the south part ; a nd so came the

name Scotland, the la nd ofthe Scots, and England, the land

of the English .

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266 FI FTH BOOK

vassals to the English kings and rendering for this territorythe homage and services which were dema nded of them .

The English kings, however, sometimes took oc casion to

insinuate that this homage w as paid not only for the

provinces but also for the kingdom of Scotland .

But Scotland had always been absolutely independen t,never under the dominion of any English king, and the

Scottish kings positively refused to admit or to allow any

one to suppose that they were subjec t to any c laim of

homage for their ow n kingdom,of Scotland .

’

This dis

pute arose about the middle of the eleventh century and

w as not finally settled until after many years. It w as

the principal cause of the terrible wars between the tw o

coun tries.

Now it happened that at one time the king of Scotland

when attended only by a small body of men w as seized and

made prisoner by the English . In order to obtain his re

lease , the Scottish nobles a t last consented to a llow this

old pretension of the English a nd to a cknowledge the kin g

as their rea l sovereign .

A few yea rs a fter this, Richard Gaeur deLion ,who w as then

king of England , generously gave up the a nc ient c laim for

homage a nd service , the a cknowledgment of which had

been so unjustly extorted from the Scots ; a nd this c lemency

on his pa rt a lmost put a n end to the wa rs and quarre ls

between the tw o countri es for more than a hundred

yea rs .

But there came a time when unfortunately the throne

FIFTH BOOK 267

ofScotland w as left without a direc t heir , and many of the

grea t nobles w ho were more or less distantly rela ted to theroya l family prepared each to assert his right to the crown .

To prevent serious trouble among themselves they re

so lved to refer the settlement ofthe question to the English

king, Edward I, asking him to dec ide w ho should be king

ofScotland .

This opened the w ay for Edward to revive the old conten

tion that he w as Lo rd Pa ramount of Sco tland , a nd these

noblemen, rather tha n ha za rd their ow n prospec ts by offend

ing the king, sa id tha t they would be willing to rec eive

a nd hold the crown as awarded by him in the chara cter of

Sovereign Lord . Thus they basely co nsented to resign the

independence of their country, which had been so long and

so bravely defended . King Edwa rd then dec la red John

B a lio l the vassal king .

However, the people w ho lived among the mountains

were a free and independent race , a nd they would not ao

knowledge the foreign king as their sovereign . King John

himself, perceiving that King Edward in tended gradually

to destroy his power , renounced his a llegia nce to him and

dec lared w ar . Then Edward at the head of a powerful

army marched through Scotland , compelling all c lasses of

people to submit to him , and sending King John as a

prisoner to England .

Among the trophies of w a r which Edward seized a t this

time w as the great stone a t Scone ca lled “The Stone of

Destiny .

”For centuries it had been the custom for the

268 FI FTH BOOK

Scottish mona rchs to stand on this stone when they were

crowned . It w as held in grea t reverence , fo r there w as a

superstition tha t wherever this sac red stone should go ,

there the monarchy ofSco tland would go also .

King Edwa rd ca rried the stone in triumph to the Abbey

Church at Westminster , and inc losed it in the coronation

chair of the English’

kings, where it has ever since remained .

To this day the English monarchs are sea ted upon it a t

the time of their corona tion .

King Edward sta tioned English soldiers in all the castles

and strongho lds ofScotland a nd a ppointed English gover

nors in most of the provinces, w ho ruled the people with

much rigor . Those w ho would not take the oath of al le

giance to the king were fin ed, deprived oftheir estates a nd

otherwise severely punished . They were obliged to pa yto the English treasurer very heavy taxes, much larger

sums of money than their ow n good kings had ev er de

manded, and they became exceedingly dissa tisfied.

Moreover the English soldiers in the different ca stles

trea ted the Sco ts with grea t contempt , took by main force

whatever they chose , and if the ow ners offered any resist

ance,they abused them , beat, wounded and sometimes

killed them .

The people , therefore , were in great distress and were

extremely enraged . They only waited for a leader to com

mand them ,when they would rise up in a body against

the English and fight for the liberty a nd independen ce of

their country .

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270 FI FTH BOOK

meet the English . The grea ter part ofhis soldiers were on

foo t,a rmed with long spea rs, while King Edward had the

finest cava lry in the world . There were among the Scots

some good archers from the Forest ofEttrick, but they were

not equa l in numbers to the English archers w ho were more

over very celebra ted for their skill .

The Scots fought long and bravely, but King Edward

possessed so much wea lth, and could co llec t so many so ldiers,tha t he sen t a rmy a fter army into the poor oppressed country ,and he obliged its leaders one a fter a nother to submit . Sir

William Wallace'

alone with a sma ll band of followers re

fused to a cknowledge the usurper . He continued to main

tain himself among the woods and moun ta ins for more than

a yea r a fter allthe other leaders had laid down their arms .

At last be ' was shamefully betrayed, delivered up to the

English and w as executed . Thus perished “The Champion

of Scotland ,”the stanch hero and defender of the liberty

of his countrymen . The deep reverence a nd love which

the Scottish people bear his memory has been immortalizedin verse by their na tiona l poet Robert Burns.

‘

Hail to thee, mighty Walla ce,so proud is thy fame

And w hen cycles a nd cycles oftime may have fled,They

’

d but heighten the glory enw reathing thy head.

When legions offoemen like dire inundationsStrove to blot Scotland

’

s name from the rollofthe na tions,

Then didst thouarise, as the tow er ofher might,To rally her sons and to lead them to fight,

For Scotland to conquer or for her to die .

”

FIFTH BOOK 271

BQB Cl M O'NS' FOllN CRS‘

Rise Robert Bruc e

Other patriots now arose to support the cause ofliberty .

The people were determined that they would no longer

endure the foreign yoke , and they began to look for a king

under whom they might unite themse lves to fight for the

deliveran ce of their country . Therefore all the grea t nobles

w ho believed they had a right to the crown came forward to

claim it.

Among them w as Robert Bruce who resolved that he

would do all in his power to restore the independence of

Scotland . He w as a remarkably brave and strong man ;there w as no man in Scotland that w as thought a match for

him except Sir William Wa lla ce ; a nd now tha t Wa llace

w as dead , B ruce w as considered the best warrior in tha t

country . He w as very wise and prudent and an excellent

272 FI FTH BOOK

general; he knew how to conduct an a rmy and place the

so ldiers in order for ba ttle as well as any man of his tim e .

And he w as generous, too , and courageous by nature ; but

he had some faults which perhaps belonged as much to the

fierce period in which he lived as to his ow n chara c ter .

He now drew his ow n followers together , summoned to .

meet him such ba rons as were ready to join him , and w as

crowned king a t the Abbey ofScone , theusua l place wherethe kings assumed their authority . Everything relating

to the ceremony w as hastily performed . A smallc irc let of

gold w as hurriedly made to represent the ancient crow n of

Scotland , which Edwa rd had ca rried off to England .

The English king w as dreadfully incensed when he hea rd

tha t the Scots were making this new a ttempt to shake off

his authority, and he marched against Bruce a t the head ofa

powerful a rmy .

The commencement of King Robert ’s undertaking w as

most disastrous. Only a few months a fter his coronation

a t Scone he w as entirely defea ted by the English nea r

M ethven . His horse w as killed under him in the a ction ,

and he w as for a moment a prisoner, but in the hurry and

turmoil of the battle he broke away from his capto rs

and made his escape .

Bruce , with a few brave adherents, among whom w as the

young Lo rd of Douglas, good Lord James,”

retired into

the Highland mounta ins where they were chased from one

place of refuge to another , often in peril , suffering many

hardships. At last dangers increased so much around the

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274 FI FTH BOOK

their ow n forlorn condition , and the grea t loss that had

taken place among their friends since they had last parted .

But they were stout- hearted men and looked forward to free

ing their country, in spite of allthat had happened .

The Bruce w as‘

now in sight ofScotland , and not distan t

from his ow n family possessions, where the people were most

likely to be attached to him . He began immediately to

form plans with Douglas how they might best renew their

enterprise against the English . They decided that Dougla s

should go disguised to his ow n country and raise his ad

herents, while Bruce should open communication with the

Opposite coast of Carrick by means of one of his followers

called Cuthbert . This person had direc tions that , if he

should find the countrymen in Carrick disposed to take uparms against the English , he w as to make a fire on a head

land,or lofty cape , called Turnberry, on the coast of Ayr

shire opposite to the island of Arran . The appearance of

a fire on this place w as to be a signal for B ruce to put to sea

with such men as he had, w ho were not more than three

hundred in number , for the purpose of landing in Carrick

and joining the insurgents.

B ruce a nd his men wa tched ea gerly for the signal , but for

some time in vain . At length a fire on Turnberry hea d

became visible, a nd the king and his follow ers merrily he

took themselves to their ships a nd galleys, concluding their

Carrick friends were allin a rms and ready to join with them .

They landed on the bea ch a t midnight, where they found

their spy Cuthbert , a lone in Waiting for them ,with very

FIFTH BOOK 275

bad news. The English commander, he said, w as in the

country with tw o or three hundred Englishmen, and had

terrified the people so much, both by threats and actions,tha t none of them da red to think of rebelling against King

But why did youmake the signal asked Bruce .

Alas,”replied Cuthbert,

“the fire w as not made by me ,

but by some other person , for wha t purpose I know not ;

but as soon as I sa w it burning, I knew tha t youwould comeover, thinking it my signa l , and therefore I ‘

came down to

wait for youon the bea ch to tell you how the ma tter

stood .

”

King Robert’s first idea w as to return to Arran after this

disappointment, but his brother Edward refused to go ba ck.

He w as a man daring, even to rashness.

“ I will not leavemy na tive land,

”he sa id ,

“now tha t I am so unexpec tedly

restored to it. I will give freedom to Scotland or leave mybody in the land which gave me birth .

B ruce , also , a fter some hesita tion, determined that sincehe had been thus brought to the ma inla nd of Scotland he

would rema in there a nd take such adventure a nd fortuneas Heaven should send him . Accordingly he began to

skirmish with the English so successfully tha t they were

obliged to quit Ca rrick .

In the present day it is not necessa ry that genera ls or

great officers should fight with their ow n hand , because itis only their duty to direc t the movements a nd exertions of

their followers. The artillery a nd the soldiers shoot at the

276 FIFTH BOOK

enemy, and men seldom mingle together and fight hand

to hand . But in ancient times kings and great lords w ere

obliged to put themselves into the very front of the ba ttle , fl

and fight like ordinary soldiers with the lance and other

weapons. It w as, therefore, of great consequence that theyshould - be strong men and dexterous in the use of their

arms. Rober t B ruce w as remarkably ac tive and powerful.

Bruc e is chased by a Bloodhound

About the time when the B ruce w as yet at the head of a

few men only, the Ear l ofPembroke and John ofLorn , tw o

ofhis enemies, cam e into Galloway, each being at the head

ofa large body of men .

John of Lorn had a bloodhound with him, which, it w as

said, had formerly belonged to Robert Bruce himse lf ; a nd

having been fed by the king with his ow n hands it bec am e

attached to him and would follow his footsteps anywhere ,as dogs are well known to trace their master’s steps, whether

they be bloodhounds or not. By means of this hound John

of Lorn thought he should certainly find out B ruce .

When these tw o armies advanced upon King Robert,he at first thought of fighting with the English earl ; but

becoming aware that John of Lorn w as moving round w ith

another large body to attack him in the rear, he resolved

to avoid fighting at that time, lest he should be oppressed

by numbers. For this purpose, the king divided the men

he had with him into three bodies, and commanded them

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278 FI FTH BOOK

foster brother a nswered that he w as ready to do his best .

So these tw o turned on the five men ofJohn ofLorn a ndkil led

them all. It is to be supposed they were better a rmed than

the others, as well as stronger and more desperate .

But by this time B ruce w as very much fa tigued, and y et

they da red not sitdow n to take any rest ; for whenever theystopped for an instant, they heard the cry of the blood

hound behind them and knew by that that their enemies

were coming up fast after them . At length they came to a

wood,through which ran a sma ll river .

Then B ruce said to his foster brother, Letus wade down

this stream for a grea t way , instead of going straight ac ross,and so thisunhappy hound will lose the scent ; for ifw e were

once c lear of him , I should not be afraid of getting away

from the pursuers.

”

Ac cordingly the king and his attendan t walked a grea t

w ay dow n the stream , taking care to keep their feet in the

wa ter,which could not retain any scent where they ha d

stepped. Then they came ashore on the further side from

the enemy , andwent deep into the wood before they stopped

to rest . In the meanwhile the hound led John of Low

straight to the pla ce where the king went into the water, but

there the dog bega n to be puzzled, not know ing where to go

next ; for youa re well aware that the running water could

not reta in the scent of a man’s foot

,like tha t which remains

on turf . 80 John of Lorn,seeing the dog had lost the

tra ck of tha t which he pursued , gave up the chase and

returned to join the Earl of Pembroke .

FIFTH BOOK 279

Bruce and the LoyalScotch Dame

It w as now near night , and the pla ce of meeting being a

farmhouse , Bruce went bo ldly into it, where he found the

mistress, a true- hearted old Scotswoman , sitting alone .

Upon seeing a stranger enter, she asked him w ho and what

he w as . The king answ ered tha t he w as a traveler who w as

journeying through the country .

“Alltravelers,

”answered the good woman, are welcome

here,for the sa ke ofone .

“And w ho is that one , asked the king,

“for whose sake

youmake alltravelers welcome“ It is our rightful king, Robert the B ruce, answered the

mistress,

“w ho is the lawful lord of this country ; and al

though he is now pursued and hunted a fter with hounds

and horns, I hope to live to see him king over all Scot

land .

“Since youlove him so well, dame, said the king,

“ know

tha t yousee him before you. I am Robert the Bruce .

“You! ” sa id the good woma n , in grea t surprise ; and

wherefore are youthus alone — where are all your men ?”

“ I have none with me a t this moment,” answered B ruce,

and therefore I must travel a lone .

”

“But that shall not be ,

”said the bra ve old dame ,

“ for

I have tw o stout sons, ga lla nt a nd trusty men,w ho sha ll be

your servan ts for life a nd dea th .

”

So she brought her tw o sons, and though well knowing

the dangers to which she exposed them , she made them swear

280 FI FTH BOOK

fidelity to the king and they afterwards became high officers

in his service .

Now the loyal old woman w as getting everything readyfor the king’s supper, when suddenly there w as a great

trampling of horses heard round the house . They though t

it must be some of the English or John ofLorn’s men ; a nd

the goodwife called upon her sons to fight to the last for

King Robert. But shortly after, they heard the voices of

the good Lord James ofDouglas and ofEdwa rd Bruce, the

king’s brother, w ho had come w ith a hundred and fifty home

men to this farmhouse , ac cording to the instruc tions that the

king had left with them a t parting .

Robert the B ruce w as right joyful to meet his brother and

his faithful friend, Lo rd James. Forgetting hunger and

weariness, he began to inquire where the enemy who had

pursued them so long had taken up their abode for the night .

For, said he ,“as they must suppose us totally sc attered

a nd fled, it is likely they will think themselves quite secure

and keep careless watch“That is very true , answered James of Douglas , for

I passed a village where there were two hundred of them

quartered who had pla ced no sentinels ; and if youhave a

mind to make ha ste, w e may surprise them this very night,

and do them more mischief tha n they have been able to do

us during all this day’

s chase .

Then there w as nothing but mount and ride ; a nd as the

Scots came by surprise on the body of English whom D ouglas

had mentioned, and rushed suddenly into the village where

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282 FIFTH BOOK

King Robert summ oned allhis nobles and barons to join

him . His whole army did not very much exceed thirty thou

sa nd.men , a nd they were not so well armed as the wea lthy

Englishmen . But Robert w ho w as at their head w as one of

the most expert genera ls ofthe time ; his officers were brave

and experienced leaders ; and the so ldiers were hardy men

accustomed to fight and gain the vic tory under every dis

advantage ofsituation and numbers.

The Scottish army w as drawn up in line of battle between

Stir ling a nd the brook ca lled Bannockburn . B ruce reviewed

his troops and addressed the so ldiers, expressing his fixed

purpose to gain the vic tory or to lose his life on the ba ttle

ground . He desired allto lea ve the field who were not will

ing to fight to the last, a nd only those to remain w ho were

determined to take the issue of vic tory or dea th as Godshould

send it.

Bruce to his Men a t Bannockbum

Scots w ha hae w i’Walla ce bled

,

Sc ots w ham Bruce has aften led,Welcome to your gory bed,Or to victory !

Now’s the day a nd now

’s the hour

See the front 0’battle lour

See approa ch proud Edw ard’

s pow er

Chains a nd slavery !

Wha w ill be a traitor knaveWha can filla cow ard

’

s grave

FI FTH BOOK 283

Wha sae base as be a sla ve ?

Ig t him turn and flee l

Wha,for Scotland

’s king andla w ,

Freedom’s sw ord w illstrongly dra w ,

Freeman stand, or freeman fa

’

,

Let him follow me I

By your sons in servile cha ins !

But they shallbe free !

Lay the proudusurpers low lTyrants fallin every foe l

Liberty’s in every blow l

Letus do or die

ROBERT B URNS

In this grea t battle at Bannockburn the Scots tota lly

defea ted the English , who were now no longer in a condition

to support their pretensions as masters of Scotland . They

became for a time hardly able to defend their ow n frontier

Thus did Robert Bruce arise from the condition of an

exile to the rank of an independent sovereign universa lly

acknowledged as one ofthe wisest and bravest kings of that

time . And his beloved Scotland w as raised likewise from

the situa tion of a distressed and conquered province to that

ofa free and independent nation governed by its ow n laws

and subjec t to its ow n kings.

284 FI FTH BOOK

The Scots never afterw ards lost the freedom for whic h

Wallace had laid down his life and which King Robert had

recovered, not less by his wisdom than by his weapons. It

is therefore most just tha t while the country of Scotla n d

retains any reco llec tion of its history,the memory of those

brave warriors and faithful patriots should be remembered

with honor and gra titude .

scor r

MY HEARTS INTHE HIGHLANDS

Y heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here ;My heart

’s in the Highlands a - chasing the deer ;

Chasing the w ild deer, and following the roe ,My heart

’s in the Highlands wherever I go .

Farewellto the Highlands, farewell to the NorthThe birthplace ofva lor, the coun try ofworth

Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,The hills ofthe Highlands forev er I love .

Farewell to the mountains high covered w ith snow ;Farewell to the straths and green va lleys below ;Farewell to the forests andwild-hanging w oods ;

Fa rewell to the torrents and loud- pouring floods.

My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My hea rt’s in the Highlands a - chasing the deer ;

Chasing the w ild deer , and follow ing the roe,My heart

’s in the Highlands w herever I go .

ROBERT B URNS

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286 FIFTH BOOK

companions. At length he would make a sudden turn ,seize one of them and tumble him in the dust ; thengivin g

a glance a t us as much as to sa y,“Yousee, gentlemen

, I

can ’t help giving away to this nonsense ,” would resume his

gravity and jog oni

as before .

Scott amused himse lf with these peculiarities. I make

no doubt sa id he,

“when M aida is a lone w ith these young

dogs, he throws gra vity aside and plays the boy as much as

any of them ; but he is ashamed to do so in our company,and seems to say ,

‘Ha ’ done with your nonsense , youngsters,wha t will the laird a nd the other gentleman think of me if

I give w ay to such

Scott amused himself with the peculiarities of another of

his dogs, a little shamefaced terrier with large glassy eyes,one of the most sensitive little bodies to insult and indignity

in the world . If he ever whipped him , he said, the little

fellow would snea k OH and hide himself from the light of

day in a lumber garret , whence there w as no drawing him

forth but by the sound ofthe chopping knife, as if chopping

up his food, when he would“

steal forth with humbled a nd

dow ncast look, but would skulk away again if any one re

ga rded him .

While w e were discussmg the humors and peculiaritiesof our canine compa nions

,some object provoked their

spleen and produced a sha rp and petulant barking from the

smaller fry ; but it w as some time before Maida w as suffi

ciently aroused to romp forward tw o or three bounds and

join in the chorus with a deep -mouthed bow —w ow !

em WALTER BOOT? AND

D g tzed byG o ogle

288 FI FTH BOOK

It w as but a transient outbreak and he returned instantly,wagging his tail and looking dubiously in his master’s face ,uncertain whether he would censure or applaud .

“Aye, aye, old boy !

”cried Scott ,

“youhave done w on

ders. Youhave shaken the Eildon hills with your roaring ;

youmay now lay by your artillery for the rest of the da y .

Maida is like the grea t gun a tConstan tinople,” he continued

“it takes so long to get it ready that the sma ll guns can fire

ofi a dozen times first, but when it does go 03 it makes the

very earth tremble .

At dinner, Scott had laid by his half rustic dress, a nd

appea red c lad in black . The girls, too , in completing their

toilet, had twisted in their hair the sprigs of purple heather

which they had ga thered on the hillside, and they looked

allfresh and blooming from their breezy wa lk .

There w as no guest to dinner but myself. Around the

table were tw o or three dogs in attendance . Maida, the

old staghound, took his sea t at Scott’s elbow, looking upwistfully in his master’s eye, while Finette, the pet spanie l,pla ced herself near Mrs. Scott

,by whom I soon perceived

she w as completely spoiled .

The conversa tion happened to turn on the merits of his

dogs, and Scott spoke with grea t feeling and affec tion of

his favorite Camp . He ta lked of him as a rea l friend whom

he had lost . It is this dog , Camp, w ho is depicted by his

master’s side in many of the early engravingsof Sir Wa lter

Scott .w a snm a row 1 3mm

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290 FIFTH BOOK

and invented long dramas a nd conversations in which the

chara c ters performed imaginary parts. It would not have

appea red to the child in the least degree surprising either

to have met an angel in the woods or to have form ed an

intima cy with some talking wo lf or bear such as she rea d

ofin“fEsop

’

s Fables.

One day as she w as exploring the garret, she found in a n

oldbarrel ofcast- offrubbish a bit ofreading which she begged

of her grandmother for her ow n . It w as the play of “The

Tempest,” torn from an old edition of Shakespeare , and

w as in that delightfully fragmentary condition ' w hich most

particularly pleases children .

Little Mara would lie for hours stretched out on the

pebbly bea ch with the broad open ocea n before her and the

whispering pines and hemlocks behind her, and pore over

this poem from which she co llec ted dim , delightful images

of a lonely island,an old enchan ter, a beautiful gir l and

a fairylike spirit . As for old Ca liban ,the slave

,she fan cied

him with a face much like that of a huge skate fish she had

once seen drawn ashore in one of her grandfa ther ’s nets ;and then there w as the beautiful young Prince Ferdinand,very much like wha t Moseswould be when he w as grown up .

Tha t it w as allofit as much authentic fa c t as the Roma n

history, she did not doubt,but whether it had happened on

Orr’s Island or some of the neighboring ones

,she had not

exactly made up her mind . She resolved a t her earliestleisure to consult Capta in Kittridge on the subjec t, wisely

considering tha t it much resembled some ofhis experiences .

FIFTH BOOK 291

Many.‘

of the little songs fixed themse lves in her memory,and she would hum them to herse lf as she wandered up and

down the beach .

Full fathom five thy father lies ;Ofhis bones are coralmade ;

Those are pea rls that w ere his eyesNothing ofhim tha t can fade,

But doth suffer a sea change

Into something rich and strange ;

Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell.

Hark ! now I hear them ding dong , bell .

These words she pondered v ery long, gravely revolving

in her little head whether they described the usual course

of things in the mysterious underworld tha t la y benea th

that blue spangled floor of the sea , whether everybody’s

eyes changed to pear l and their bones to coral, if they sunk

dow n there, and whether the sea nymphs spoken of were

the same as the mermaids tha t Captain Kittridge had to ld

about in his famous stories to the children . Had he not

said that the bell rung for church on a Sunday morning

down under the water ?

One bright afternoon, when the sea lay asleep and the

long steady respiration of its tides scarcely disturbed the

glassy tranquillity of its bosom ,M rs. Pennel sa t a t her

kitchen door spinning, when Capta in Kittridge appea red.

“Good afternoon ,

Mrs. Pennel , how a re you getting

along ?

292 FI FTH BOOK

Oh, pretty well , Captain ; won

’t youwa lk in and ha ve

a glass of lemonade ?

Well, thank you, sa id the captain,raising his hat and

wiping his forehead .

“ I am pretty thirsty, tha t’s a fac t . ”

Mrs. Pennel hastened to the pantry and soon returned

bearing a huge pitcher of lemonade . Filling a tumbler w ith

the fresh coo ling beverage,she presented it to the captain

who sa t dow n in the doorway anddiscussed it in leisurely sips.

“Well,I suppose it’s almost time to be looking for them

home,isn

’t it he asked .

“ I am looking every day, replied Mrs. Pennel , glancin g

out at the sea .

Just then the vision of little Mara appeared, rising like a

spirit from a dusky corner where she had been reading.

“Why , little Ma ra,”

exc laimed the captain,“you rise

up like a ghost all ofa sudden I I thought youwere out a t

play. I came down on purpose for you. . Mrs. Kittridg e

has gone to B runswick shopping, and has left Sally a t her

sewing with' a ‘

stent ’ to do, and I promised her if she woul d

hurry and do it, I’d go up and fetch youdow n, and w e

’d

have a play in the cove .

”

Mara ’s eyes brightened , as they always did at this pros

peet, and M rs. Pennel said, Well , I’m glad to have the

child go ; she seems so still and lonesome since Moses went

away ; rea lly one feels as ifthat boy took allthe noise there

w as with him . I get tired myself sometimes hearing the

clock tick . M ara , when she is alone, takes to her book m ore

tha n is good for a child .

”

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294 FI FTH BOOK

of loose stones a nd to put together chips and shavings for

the fire, in which work little M ara eagerly assisted ; but

the fire w as c rac kling and burning cheerily long before Sally

appeared with her c lams ; and so the capta in , with a pile of

hemlock boughs by his side,sa t on a stone feeding the fire

leisurely from time to time with crackling branches. Noww as the time for M ara to make her inquiries.

“Captain Kittridge,

”she bega n ,

“ do the mermaids to ll

any bells for people when they a re drowned

Now the captain had never been known to indicate the

least ignorance on any subjec t in the w ide world on which

any one wished his opinion . He therefore leisurely poked

another. great crackling bough of green hemlock into the

fire, and, Yankee- like,answered one question by askin g

another. “What put that into your curly head he asked.

“A book I ’ve been reading says tha t mermaids toll the

bells under the sea — tha t is, sea nymphs do . Are sea

nymphs and mermaids the same thing ?”

‘Well , I guess they a re pretty much the same thing,said the ca pta in

,rubbing down his pantaloons “

yes, they

a re,”he added after reflec tion .

“And when people are drowned, how long does it take for

their bones to turn into cora l and their eyes into pearl ?”

asked Mara .

“Well, that depends upon circumsta nces, answered the

captain,w ho would never allow himself to be posed ; but

let me just see that book from which youhave been reading

allthese things.

FIFTH BOOK 295

I found it in a barrel up garret a nd Grandma gave it to

m e,sa id Mara, unrolling her ha ndkerchief.

“It

’s a beauti

ful book — w it tells about an isla nd and an old encha n ter

w ho lived there . This enchanter had one daughter, and

there w as a spirit they called Ariel whom a wicked old witch

fastened i n a split in a pine tree . And the enchanter got

him out. He w as a beautiful spirit , and he rode in the curled

c louds and hung in flowers because he could make himself

big or little, yousee .

Ah yes, I see, to be sure , said the capta in, nodding his

hea d .

“Well, tha t about sea nymphs ringing his knell is here,said M ara

,beginning to read the passage with grea t em

phasis.

“Yousee ,

”she went on , speaking very fast,

“ this

encha nter had been a prince . M any years ago a wicked

brother of his had contrived to send him to s ea with his

poor little daughter in a ship so leaky tha t the very rats

had left it.

B ad business tha t l” sa id the captain ,sententiously.

Well,”said Mara ,

“ they were cast ashore on this deso

la te island, where they lived together . But once when a

ship w as passing by in which were his wicked brother , the

king ofNaples a nd his son, a real good, handsome young

prince , w hy ,‘

then the enchanter made a storm on the sea by

ma gic arts.

”

.

“ Just so , said the capta in . I suppose tha t has often

been done .

”

“And the ship w as wrecked and allthe people were c ast

296 FIFTH BOOK

ashore, but none ofthem were drowned . And the handsome

prince heard Ariel, the beautiful spirit ofwhich I told you,singing a song about the king, his father , and so he thought

he must be dead .

”

“Well , wha t ,

became of Sally, w ho

had come up with her pan of c lams in time to hear the storyto which she listened with brea thless interest .

“Oh

, the beautiful young prince married the beautiful

young lady,”answered Mara .

“Well,I tell you,

”said the captain , who by this time had

found his bearings,“ tha t is what people ca l l ‘a play.

’ I

saw them a ct it in a theater once when I w as in Liv erpocl.

I know all about it. Shakespeare wrote it, and he w as a

great English poet .”

“But did it ever really happen ?” asked Mara, trembling

between hope and fear. Is it like the stories in the B ib le

and Roma n history“Why , no , replied Captain Kittridge

,not exa c tly, but,

he added, a lways ready touse his ima gination for the benefit

ofthe children ,“ things do happen like it, youknow. Mer

men and mermaids are common in foreign countries. They

are a kind ofpeople tha t have their world just like ours, only it

is down on the bottom of the sea ; for the bottom of the sea

has its mountains and its valleys, its trees and its - bushes,and it sta nds to reason there should be people down there,too .

“Once when I w as at the Bahamas it w as one Sunday

morning in June, the first Sunday in the month w e cast

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298 FI FTH BOOK

gentleman , I wanted to oblige him . It shows youhow im

portant it is always to be polite .

”

“But,”said Mara,

“did youever see an

who could make storms“No, Mara, I can

’t say that I ever did, but I have hearda great dea l about witches and 00a w ho, they said ,could make storms . A sa ilor once to ld me that one tim e

when he w as crossing the equator about twelve o’c lock at

night, an old man with a long white beard that shone like

silver came and stood at the masthead . He had a pitch

fork in one hand and a lantern in the other, and there were

great balls of fire as big as a man ’s fist al l around in the rig

ging . And that night there w as a terrible thundersto rm .

”

“Why ! exc laimed Mara, her eyes staring with excite

ment,“ that w as just like this shipwreck . It w as Arielw ho

made those balls of fire ; he says so ; he said he ‘fiamed

amazement all over the ship .

”

The ca ptain now began leisurely to open the c lams, sep

arating from the shells the con tents which he threw in to

a pan ,mea nwhile pla cing a black pot over the fire , in which

he had previously arranged certain pieces of salt pork which

soon began to frizzle in the hea t .“Now , Sally, you peel those po ta toes, and mind you

slice them thin, said he ; a nd Sa lly w as soon busy with

her work .

“Yes, sa id the captain , going on with his pa rt of this

wonderful story ,“ people used to tell about old witches

w ho could brew storms and w ho went to sea in sieves .

”

THE CAPTAIN BEGAN 1. 3 1808s 10 OPEN THE CLAMS

D g t zed byG o ogle

300 FIFTH BOOK

Went to sea in sieves l exc laimed both children . Why ,

a sieve couldn ’t swim l”

“No , it couldn’t,

”said the captain ; but tha t w as to show

what great witches they were .

”

“But this w as a good enchanter, said Mara, and he

did it allby a book and a rod.

Yes, yes,”said the captain, that is the way in which

they said ma gicians alwaysused their enchantmen t .”

“Well,”

said Mara,“my enchanter w as a king ; and

when he had done allhe wanted , and his daughter w asma r

ried to the beautifulyoung prince, he said he would brea k

his staff and would bury his book in the sea ,‘deeper than

plumm et sounded .

“ It w as pretty much the best thing he could do, . said

the captain , w ho w as now quite ready to return to prac tical

life . He now commenced arranging the c lams and sliced

pota toes in alternate layers with sea biscuit , strew ing in

sa lt and pepper as he went on . In a few moments,a sm ell

fragrant to hungry senses began to steam upward . Sally

meanwhile had washed and prepared some mammoth clam

shells to serve as ladles and pla tes for the future chowder .

“Capta in Kittridge,

” burst out Ma ra,

“wha t did you

mean by saying you had seen them a ct tha t in a

thea ter ?“Why

,they make it allseem real ; and they have a ship

wreck, and youcan see it alljust right before your eyes .

”

“And the enchanter and Ariel a nd Caliban and all

a sked Mara .

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302 FI FTH BOOK

THE TEMPEST

HERE w as a certain island in the sea , the only

inhabitants of which were an old man , whose

name w as Prospero , and his daughter Miranda,a very beautiful young lady . She came to this

island so young tha t she had no memory of

seeing any human face but her fa ther’s.

They lived in a cave, or cell , made out ofa rock . It w as

divided into several apartments, one of which Prospero

called his study . There he kept his books,which chiefly

treated ofm agic,a study at tha t time much affec ted by all

The knowledge of this a rt he found very use ful to him .

For, . being thrown by a stra nge chan ce upon this island ,which had been enchanted by a witch ca lled Sycorax, he

w as able to release many good spirits that Sycorax had im

prisoned in the bodies of la rge trees because they had re

fused to execute her wicked demands. These gentle spirits

were ever a fter obedient to the will of Prospero . Of these ,Ariel w as the chief .

The lively little sprite , Ariel , had nothing mischievous in

his nature, except that“

he took ra ther too much p leasure in

tormenting an ugly monster ca lled Caliban ,the son of his

old enemy, Sycorax . This Caliban , Prospero found in the

woods, a stra nge misshapen thing . He took him home to

his c ell , taught him to speak , a nd would have been very

kind to him , but Caliban’

s bad nature would not let him

FIFTH BOOK 303

learn anything good or useful . Therefore he w as employed

like a slave , to fetch wood and to perform the most laborious

offices ; and Ariel had the charge of compe lling him to do

When Ca liban w as la zy and neglec ted his work,Ariel

would come slyly and pin ch him . Sometim es he would

tumble him down in the mire and then in the likeness ofan

ape would make faces at him . Then , swiftly changing his

shape to the likeness of a hedgehog, the sly spirit would

lie tumbling in Caliban ’s w ay , w ho feared the hedgehog

’

s

sha rp quills would prick his bare fee t .

Ha ving these powerful spirits obedient to his will, Prospero

could by their m eans comm a nd the w inds a nd the wa ves of

the sea . By his ordersthey raised a vio len t storm , in the

midst of which , struggling with the wild sea waves tha t

every moment threa tened to swa llow it up , he showed his

daughter a fine la rge ship , which he told her w as full ofhuman

beings like themselves.

“0 my dear father, said she, if by your a rt youhave

raised this dreadful storm , have pity on their sad distress !

See ! the vessel wil l be dashed to pieces. Poor souls ! they

will perish . If I had power, I would sink the sea benea th the

earth rather than the good ship should be destroyed with

allthe precious souls on board .

”

“Be not frightened, Miranda ,

”sa id Prospero,

“ there is

no harm done .

“ I have so ordered it tha t no person in the

ship sha ll receive any hurt . What I have done has been

in care of thee , my dear child . Youa re ignorant w ho you

304 FIFTH BOOK

a re,or where youcame from ; and youknow no more ofme

but tha t I am your father and live in this poor cave . Can

youremember a time before youcame to'

this cell“Certain ly I can , sir ,

”replied M iranda .

By wha t ? asked Prospero ;“by any other house or

person ? Tell me what youcan remember, my child .

”

Miranda said,“ It seems to me like the recollec tion of a

dream . But had I not once four or five women w ho a t

tended upon me ?”

Prospero answered , You had , and more . How is it

tha t this still lives in your mind ? Do youremember how

youcame here ?”

“No , sir ,”said M iranda, I remember nothing more .

Twelve years ago , Miranda,”continued Prospero ,

“ I

w as a duke of M ilan . Youwere a princess and my on lyheir . I had a younger brother, whose name w as An tonio ,to whom I trusted everything . And as I w as fond of re

tirement and deep study, I commonly left the managemen t

of my state affairs to your unc le, my false brother, for so

indeed he proved .

“ I, neglecting allworldly things, buried among my books,devoted my whole time to the improvement of my mind .

My brother Antonio , being thus in possession of my power ,began to think himself the duke indeed . The opportunityI gave him ofmaking himself popular among my subjec ts

awakened in his bad nature a proud ambition to deprive m e

ofmy dukedom . This he soon effected by the aid of the

king ofNaples, a powerful prince who w as my enemy .

”

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306 FI FTH BOOK

Ariel gave a lively description of the storm and of the

terrors ofthe ma riners. The king’s son ,Ferdina nd

,he sa id

,

w as the first w ho lea ped into the sea,and his fa ther

thought he sa w his only son swallowed up by the wa ves

a nd lost .“ But he is sa fe

,said Ariel

,

“ in a corner ofthe isle,sittin g

with his arms folded , sadly lamen ting the loss of the king ,his father, w ho thinks he is drowned . Not a hair of his

head is in jured, and his prin cely garm en ts, though drenched

in the sea“

waves, look fresher than before .

”

Tha t’s my delica te Ariel,”

said Prospero . B rin g

him hither ; my daughter must see this young prin ce . Where

is the king, and my brother ?”

“ I left them,

”said Ariel

,

“sear ching for Ferdinand

,

whom they have little hope of finding, thinking they sa w

him perish . Of the ship’s crew not one is missing, though

ea ch one thinks himself the only one sa ved ; and the ship,

though invisible to them ,is sa fe in the ha rbo r .

”

“Ariel ,

”sa id Prospero ,

“ thy cha rge is faithfully per

formed but there is more work yet.

”

“Is there stillmore work ?” asked Ariel . Let me remin d

you, master, youhave promised me my liberty . I pra y,

remember I have done youworthy service, to ld youno lies,made no mistakes, served youwithout grudge or grumbling .

But pa rdon me , dear master ,”he added , ashamed to seem

ungra teful ;“ I willobey your commands.

”

“Do so , my gentle spirit ,”

sa id Prospero , and I will

set youfree .

”He then gave orders what further he would

FIFTH BOOK 307

have him do . Away went Ariel, first to where he had left

Ferdinand, and found him still sitting on the grass in the

O my young gentlema n sa id Ariel , when he saw him ,

I willsoon move you. Youmust be brought, I find, to the77

then began singing

“Fullfathom five thy fa ther lies

t is bones a re coralmade ;

Those a re pea rls tha t w ere his eyes

Nothing ofhim tha t doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea change

Into something rich and strange

Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell.

Hark ! now I hear them ding — dong ,

This strange new s ofhis lost fa ther soon roused the prince .

He fo llowed in ama zement the sound of Ariel ’s voice, till

it led him to Prospero a nd M ira nda, w ho were sitting under

the shade of a la rge tree . Now M iranda had never seen a

man be fore except her ow n fa ther .

“M ira nda sa id Prospero ,“ tell me what youa re looking

at yonder .

“0 Fa ther said Mira nda ,

“surely tha t is a spirit . How

it looks about Believe me , sir, it is a wonderful crea ture .

Is it not a spirit ?“No

,child

,

”a nswered the fa ther ; it ea ts, a nd sleeps

and has senses such as w e have . This young man you

308 FIFTH BOOK

see w as in the ship . He is somewha t a ltered by grie f, or

youmight ca ll him a handsome person . He ha s lost his

companions, and is wandering about to find them .

”

Mira nda , w ho thought allmen had grave fa ces and gra y

beards like her fa ther, w as much surprised at the appea r

ance of this beautiful young prin ce . And Ferdinand , see

ing so lovely a maiden in this desert place, a nd from the

strange sounds he had heard expecting nothing but wonders,thought he w asupon a n encha nted isla nd , and tha t Miranda

w as a goddess ; and as such he began to address her .

She timidly answered tha t she w as no goddess, but a sim

ple maid . She w as then going to give him an accoun t of

herself, when Prospero interrupted her . He w aswe ll pleased

to find tha t they admired ea ch other ; but to try Ferdina nd’s

constancy, he resolved to throw some difficulties in their

w ay . Therefore coming forwa rd, he addressed the prin ce

with a stern air, telling him he came to the island a s

a spy .

“No , said Ferdinand,“ I have no such evil purpose .

And he drew his sword to defend himse lf . But Prospero ,

waving his magic wa nd , fixed him to the spot where h estood , so tha t he had no power to move .

Mira nda , throwing her arms around her father , said,

Why a re youso ungentle ? Have pity, sir ; I will be hissurety . This is the second man I ever sa w , and to me he

seems a true one .

“Silence , child , sa id her fa ther . Wha t ! an advoca te

for an irnpostor ! You think there a re no more such fine

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310 FIFTH BOOK

by them invisible . He smiled as he listened to a long speec h

of Ferdinand’s in which he professed to love her above all

the ladies he ever saw .

In answer to his pra ise of her beauty, which he sa id ex

ceeded that of all the women in the world, she replied ,“ I

do not remember the fa ce of any woman , nor have I seen

any men except you, my good friend, and my dear fa the r .

How faces a re elsewhere I know not ; but believe me,sir

,

I should not wish any companion in the world but you,nor can my imagina tion form any shape but yours tha t I

should like . But,sir

,I fea r I talk to youtoo freely, a nd m y

father’s precepts I forget .”

At this Prospero smiled , and nodded his head , as muc h

as to say ,“This goes on exa c tly as I could wish ; my girl

will be queen ofNaples.

”

And then Ferdinand , in another fine long speech , fo r

young princes speak in courtly phrases, told the innocen t

M iranda tha t he w as heir to the crown ofNaples and tha t

she should be his queen .

Prospero now in terrupted their talk by appearing invisible form be fore them .

“Fea r nothing,my child, said he

,

“ I have overheard and

approve ofall that youhave been saying. And, Ferdinan d ,if I have trea ted youtoo severely, I will make you rich

amends by giving youmy daughter . Allyour vexa tionswere but trials ofyour love, a nd youhave nobly stood thetest . Then , as my gift, which your true love has worthily

purchased , take my daughter, and do not smile if I boa st

FIFTH BOOK 3 11

tha t she is above all praise . He then , te llin g them tha t he

had importan t business that required his presence , desired

tha t they would sit dow n and ta lk together until he re

turned .

When Prospero left them , he ca lled his spiri t Ariel , who

quickly appea red before him , eager to rela te what he had

done w ith Prospero’s brother and the king ofNaples. Ariel

sa id he had left them almost out of their senses with fea r

at the strange things he had caused them to see and hear .

When they were fa tigued with wandering about and fam

ished for want of food,he had suddenly set before them a

delic ious banquet, and then just a s they were going to ea t,

he a ppeared visible before them in the shape of a ha rpy, a

vora cious monster with wings, and the feast va nished .

Then , to their utter amazement , this seeming ha rpy spoke

to them ,reminding them oftheir cruelty in driving Prospero

from his dukedom , and leaving him and his little daughter

to perish in the sea ; saying that for this cause these mis

fortunes were sent to afflic t them .

The king of Naples and Antonio , the false brother , re

pented the injustice they had done to Prospero ; and Ariel

told his master he w as certain their repentance w as sincere,

and that he, though a spirit , could not but pity them .

Then bring them hither , Ari el ,”said Prospero “ ifyou,

w ho a re but a spiri t , feel for their distress, sha ll not I,w ho am a huma n being like themselves, have compassion

on them ? B ring them quickly, my dainty Ariel .”

Ariel soon returned , bringing the king, An tonio and old

3 12 FIFTH BOOK

Gonzalo in their tra in, w ho followed the spirit , wonderingat the wild music which he played in the air to draw them

on to his master’s presence . This Gonzalo w as the same

that had so kindly provided Prospero with books and pro

visions when his wicked brother left him , as he thought, to

perish in a n open boa t in the sea .

Grief and terror had so stupefied their senses that they

did not know Prospero . He first revealed him self to the

good old Gonzalo , calling him the preserver of his life ; and

then his brother and the king knew that he w as the in jured

An tonio, with tears and sad words of sorrow and true

repentance, implored his brother’

s forgiveness ; and the

king expressed his sincere remorse for ha ving a ssisted Antonio

to depose his brother . Prospero forgave them ; and upon

their engaging to restore his dukedom,he said to the king

of Naples,

“ I have a gift in store for you,”and openin g a

door, showed him his son Ferdinand playing a t chess with

M iranda .

Nothing could exceed the joy of the father and the son

a t this unexpected meeting, for each had thought the other

drowned in the sea .

Oh,wonder exc la imedMiranda,“what noble creatures

these are ! It must surely be a fine world that has such

people in it.

The king of Naples w as almost as much astonished a t

the beauty and excel lent gra ces of the young Miranda as

his son had been . Who is this maid ?” said he ;“she

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3 14 FIFTH soak

Before Prospero left the island , he dismissed Ariel from

his service,to the great joy of that lively little spiri t ; w ho

,

though he had been a faithful servant to his master , w as

always longing to enjoy his free liberty, to wander uncon

trolled in the air like a wild bird , under green trees, among

pleasant woods and sweet- smelling flowers .

“My quain t Ariel ,”

said Prospero to the little sprite

when he made him free,“ I shall miss you; yet youshall

have your freedom .

”

“Thank you, my dear master, said Ariel ;

“but give

me leave to attend your ship home with prosperous gales,before youbid farewell

.

to the assistance of your fa ithful

spirit ; and then ,master, when I am free , how merrily shall

I live

Here Ar iel sang this pretty song

Where the bee sucks, there suck I

In a cow slip’s hellI lie ;

There I couch w hen ow ls do cry .

On the bat’s back I do fly

After stunmer merrily .

Merrily , merrily shallI live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough .

CHARLES AND MARY LAMB

FI FTH BOOK 3 15

THE LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES

HAT are the sources whence our modern litera

ture derives its life and sustenance Looking

through the Middle Ages, w e may discern

three distinc t literary streams .

Fi rst,there is the stream of spiritual life and spiritua l

thought . The Middle Ages were preeminently “Ages of

Faith .

”They were not ages in which perfec tion w as at

ta ined by society at la rge . They were ages deficient in

many of the comforts and conveniences oflife that w e en joy

to—day . They were ages in which war w as carried on with

barbarous cruelty, and men became no less distinguished for

their vices than others became distinguished for their virtues.

These were ages in which great holiness frequently w as

found side by side with enormous crime , and sometimes

the very men w ho had sinned became repentant and humble

and devout children of the Church in later yea rs. Religion

presided over the genera l routine of life . People prayed

much .

It w as a common pra ctice for laymen busily engaged in

the affairs of life to devote a certain number ofhours daily

to the recita tion of the Divine Office . Feast days were

numerous and were observed with all the pomp of religious

cerem onial . Men lived , so to speak , in intima te communion

with the wor ld beyond the grave . Heaven and the heavenly

hosts, helland purgatory, were to the people of those days

greater realities than the very earth they trod upon .

3 16 FIFTH BOOK

And so w e find many sources whence they drew spiritual

sustenan ce . Sermons were prea ched and listened to with

aw e and reverence and an attention tha t only the greatest

orators can command to- day .

In every language w e find hymns in honor ofthe B lessed

Virgin and of the sa in ts. These hymns abounded in England as wellas in other countries ofEurope ; and England

on accoun t of her grea t devotion to the B lessed Virgin w a s

known in Ca tholic days a s“Our Lady’s Dowry.

”One of

those hymns tha t w as sung by the people speaks the same

language that the hymns of Fa ther Faber or any of our

modern poets spea k upon the same subjec t

Blessed be thou, Lady ,So fair and so bright ;

Allmy hepe isupon thee

By da y a nd by night.

”

So sang one ofthe Ca tholic bards in the reign ofHenry III .

Aga in,there were spiritua l books in those days teaching

the practices and principles ofascetic life . The flower of all

these is the “ Imita tion of Christ,” written by Thomas a

Kempis in the fourteenth century .

But there were other means of instructing the people

besides books. The paintings, the pictured windows, the

sculptured statues, the bronze doors, the carvings around

the pulpit,were allso many means of conveying some spirit

ualtruth or other and ofmaking known some scene or even t

in the life of a pa tron sa int .

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3 18 FI FTH BOOK

THE NOBLE SI! HUNDRED

BOUT the m iddle ofthe nineteenth century there w a s a

terriblewar betweenEngland andRussia . It w as known

as the Crimean War because the ma in battle ground w as

the Peninsula of Crimea . At a place c alled B a laklava a

grea t ba ttle w as fought, which has become especia lly famous

on ac count of a remarkable deed of va lor performed bythe

“Light B rigade,” a company of six hundred English

so ldiers.

Through some great mistake they received the order to

go forwa rd a mile and a ha lf, and a tta ck a part of the Rus

sia n a rmy,which w as greatly superior to them in numbers

and well protec ted by hea vy ba tteries of artillery . The

soldiers knew tha t such an undertaking w as rash and foolish ,

but not one of them w as dismayed ; they knew tha t som e

one had blundered , but it w as not their part to question th e

wisdom ofthe order ; itw as their duty to obey, and ga llantlythey rode forwa rd .

With a ba ttery of artillery in front of them ,on the righ t

hand and on the left , these splendid heroes rushed upon the

enemy, and plunging into the very midst of the can on

smoke they a ttacked the Russians so fiercely tha t they

were utterly routed and driven ba ck . But it w as a victorydea rly bought, for out of the six hundred horsemen w ho so

bravely rode forward only one hundred a nd ninety- eigh t

were left to return .

FIFTH BOOK 3 19

This w as the gallant charge ofthe Noble Six Hundred on

w hich the world loc ked with wonder a nd admira tion, and

which has become famous in the history of heroic deeds.

The story of their bravery should never be forgotten . It

has been told very vividly by A lfred Tennyson , one oftheir

ow n countrymen , in his well- know n poem ,The Charge of

the

CHARGE

Forw a rd, the Light B rigadeCharge for the guns 1

”he sa id

Into the valley ofDeath

Rode the six hundred.

Forw ard, the Light B rigadeWas there a man dismayedNot though the soldiers kn ewSome one had blundered

Theirs not to make‘

reply,Theirs not to reason w hy ,

Theirs but to do and die ;

Into the va lley ofDea thRode the six hundred.

OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

ALF a league , halfa league,Ha lfa league onw ard,

Allin the valley ofDeath

FIFTH BOOK

Cannon to right ofthem ,

Cannon to left ofthem ,

Flashed alltheir sabers bare,Flashed as they turned in air,

Sab’ring the gunners there,Charging an a rmy, w hileAllthe w orld w ondered

Plung ed in the battery smoke,Right through the line they broke ;Cossa ck and Russian

Reeled from the saber stroke,Shattered and sundered.

Then they rode ba ck, but not

Cannon to right ofthem ,

Cannon to left ofthem ,

Cannon behind themVolleyed and thundered .

Stormed at w ith shot and shell,While horse and hero fell ,They that had fought so w ell

Volleyed and thundered ;Stormed at w ith shot and shell,Boldly they rode, and w ell ;Into the j aw s ofDeath,Into the mouth ofHell

,

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322 FIFTH BOOK

A Lady w ith a Lamp shallstandIn the great history ofthe land

Heroic.w omanhood.

name ofFlorence Nightingale has long since

become a househo ld word . It is she ofwhom

the poet writes these beautiful lines. She it is

who , he says, sha ll stand in histo ry as a mode l

ofheroism and sacrifice .

It w as a true prophecy . Florence Nightinga le does in

deed stand as a bright and noble example of devotion to

duty and forgetfulness of se lf,in her efforts to relieve the

suffering of the soldiers in the terrible Crimea n War . She

deserves all the praise which w e give the bra vest so ldier

w ho risks his life on the field of battle . Her spirit w a s a s

dauntless, her courage as fearless, as any ofthe famous“Six

Hundred ” who went dow n “into the jaws ofDeath ” in this

When w e know how she devoted her life to deeds ofmercy,

w e expec t to find that in her childhood she w as thoughtful

and kind to every one ; and in this w e are not disappoin ted .

She w as also very gentle always in her treatment of animals,and would never let one suffer pain , hunger or thirst if she

could prevent it.

It is interesting to know tha t her first attempt at nursing

FIFTH BOOK 323

w as in the ca re ofan old Scotch shepherd dog whose leg had

been in jured . Her success w as so good tha t from tha t time

whenever any one in the village had a cut or a bruise,or

when a ny animal w as sick,“M iss Florence ” w as sen t for .

She seemed to have a perfec t genius, a real aptitude for

Floren ce Nightingale w as born in Florence,Ita ly

,the

City ofFlowers,”and for this fair city she w as given her

name of Florence . Her father w as a wea lthy English

gentleman and scho lar . He be lieved tha t girls as well as

boys should have the best educa tion possible,and he gave

his daughters ma ny adva nta ges a nd opportunities for im

provement . Before Florence w as seven teen she w as pro

ficient in many branches of study, w as a fair a rtist , a good

music ia n and an ac complished schola r in English , French ,Germ a n a nd Italian.

She and her sister were presented a t the court ofQueen

Victo ria , but gay society had little cha rm for her . She had

hea rd the hea venly ca ll ,“Come up higher ,

”and she now

reso lved to devote her whole lifeto work among the sick and

After visiting many hospita ls in London and Dublin , she

began a course of instruc tion in Germa ny . Later she com

pleted her training by study with the Sisters of St. Vincent

de Paul in Pa ris. Thus, after ten yea rs ofsuch prepa ra tion ,

she w as well fitted for her life work, a nd when the ca ll cameit found her ready .

The cruel w ar between England and Russia w as then

324 FI FTH BOOK

going on in the Far East . Wa r a t alltimes is a terrible thin g .

Many valuable lives must be lost and untold misery be

brought upon innocent men , women and little children .

But when the sick and wounded must lie unca red for, b e

cause there a re no doc tors or nurses, when supplies of foo d,

warm c lothing, bedding, medicines a nd all comforts for the

sick are wanting, the suffering is grea tly increased .

In spite of the most cruel priva tion and hardship , the

brave English soldiers fought on . Worn out with hung er

and fa tigue ,“stormed at with shot and she in the midst

of cold fogs and darkness, they fought and conquered aga in

and aga in , and allthe world rang with the praises of tho se

splendid heroes.

Florence Nightinga le, far away in her happy English

home, heard ofthe horrors ofthis dreadful w ar . She wro te

to the head of the War Department in London , oflering h er

services to the sick andwounded at Scuta ri, where the need

w as grea test . This offer w as gladly a ccepted , a nd she w as

at once appointed to take charge of a band of thirty- eigh t

nursesw ho were to leave for the East in eight days. Am on g

these devoted women were ten Sisters of Cha rity from St.

Stephen’s Hospital in Dublin , several English nuns a nd

fourteen hospital nurses.

The“ angel band ” a rrived at Scutari just after a grea t

ba ttle , in time to care for the wounded w ho were brough t

from the field . The hospita l arrangements were very poor ,and everything w as in the greatest confusion . The gen tle

missionaries must set themselves at once to the difficult

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326 FI FTH BOOK

every poor fellow’s face softened with gra titude , a nd his

eyes followed her until she w as out ofsight .“To see her pass w as happiness,

”sa id one of them .

As she passed by the beds, she would nod to one and smile

at another . We lay there by hundreds. She could not see

us allevery time, but w e could kiss her shadow as it fe ll

and would lay our heads upon the pillow again , conten t .

When allthe medical officers had retired for the night, a nd

silence and darkness had settled down over those long lin es

of sick and wounded men , the“Soldiers’ Friend ” m ig h t

have been seen a lone with a little lamp in her hand makin g

her solitary rounds.

Lo in tha t house ofmisery

A lady w ith a lamp I see

And flit from room to room .

We can hardly imagine the priva tions a nd hardships tha t

were endured by this whole band of Sisters and nurses at

Scutari. Ma ny of them never returned to England, but lie

in their quiet graves on the shores of tha t far - offsea . They

spent themselves freely in labor and in sacrifice, but the labo r

seemed light and the sacrifice sweet when they thought of the

affection and the gra titude ofthe poor suffering soldiers.

One day the honored“Queen of the Nurses w as obliged

to pass in front ofthe army drawn up in line ofba ttle . As

soon as the men of the regiment saw tha t the slight lady in

bla ck w as the‘Soldiers’ Friend ,

” they sent up cheer a fter

FIFTH BOOK 327

cheer, until the sound echoed miles away and startled the

Russians in their camp .

But soon the so ldiers sadly bore the slender form of

Florence Nightinga le up the hill to one of the rude sheds

used as a hospita l . She had been stricken with fever and

now lay for many days between life and dea th . When she

recovered she refused to go home for rest , but insisted upon

re turning to her work . Notuntil pea ce w as conc luded and

the army withdrawn would she leave those terrible ba ttle

fie lds.

Queen Victoria had already sent to M iss Nightinga le a

letter in her ow n hand and a jeweled cross ofSt. George with

the w ords,“B lessed are the Merciful,

”inscribed in letters

of go ld . The army and the na tion now wished to present

her with some token of their apprec iation ofher noble work .

It cam e in the form of a large sum ofmoney, about two hun

dred thousand dollars. This grea t fortune w as expended at

Miss Nightinga le’s request in founding a School for Training

Nurse s .

A fter her return to England she gave much time a nd

atten tion to improvements in a rmy hospitals, and her ad

vice w as eagerly sought both by the American and English

governments. She assisted in forming the Red Cross

Society , whose members are now to be seen on every battle

field in the world .

So this w as the life work of Florence Nightinga le , the dea r

Lady ofthe Lamp ,”the

“Queen ofNurses” a nd the“So !

diers’ Friend .

”She has left us a bright example and an

328 FIFTH BOOK

honored name to which every tender and loya l heart wil l

gladly pay its homage .

“B lessed are the merciful , for they

SANTA PHILOMENA

!Florence Nightingale has been called a“true daughter of St. Philo

mena ,” for like her she devoted her life to the sick and w ounded.

There is a famous picture ofSt. Philomena over the altar in a chape ldedicated to her in the Church ofSt. Francis at Pisa . She is represented

as a beautiful nymph- like figure floating dow n from Heaven attended b y

tw o angels, w ho are hearing the palm, the lily and the Spear . The palm

is the emblem ofvictory and martyrdom, the lily that ofpurity and th e

spear show s the instrument by w hich the saint met her death . In the

foreground of the picture are the sick and w ounded w ho w ere healed b y

her care and intercession . It is this picture to w hich Longfellow refe rs

HENE’ER a noble deed is wrought,

Whene’er is spoken a noble thought,Our hearts in glad surpriseTo higher levels rise .

Honor to those Whose w ords or deedsThus help us in our da ily needs,And by their overflowRa ise us from w hat is low

Thus thought I, as by night I read

Of the great a rmy ofthe dead,The trenches cold and dampThe starved and frozen c amp

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330 FIFTH BOOK

TWO PORTS OF IRELAND

I

Franc is Sylvester Mahony

RANCIS SYLVESTER MAHONY,a ce le

bra ted author of books of travel and ofmany

beautiful poems, w as born in 1804 a t Cork ,Ireland . From early youth it w as his great

desire to become a priest . While still very

young he entered college , studied at Rome and Paris and in

due time w as ordained to the priesthood .

It w as soon very evident that the young priest had a great

talent for writing and tha t a distinguished literary career

w as in store for him . Under an assum ed name he com

m enced writing for English periodicals, and ere long became

very celebra ted as a witty a nd brilliant author both of prose

and poetry .

At this tim e he w as living in London , where he w as readily

admitted to a circ le of prominent men of letters, who prized

his friendship very highly . His learning, w it, vivacity and

genia l , companionable nature made him a great favorite with

them all.

In this group of authors were severa l with whose writings

w e a re already somewhat familiar B ryan Procter , w ho

wrote under the pen name Barry Cornwall , James Hogg ,known as

“The Ettrick Shepherd ,

”and Charles Dickens .

After several years in London with these congenial friends

FI FTH BOOK 33 1

Fa ther M ahony traveled upon the continent for a long time,a nd during all this period ofhis life abroad, he w as a va lued

foreign correspondent to Lo ndon journa ls .

But though a wa nderer from home for many many years,Fra ncis Mahony never forgot his native pla ce, nor ceased to

thin k ofIrela nd with tenderness and affection . Allthe m ag

nificen ce of splendid foreign cities were as nothing to him

compa red with the dear little city of his childhood, to which

his mind often turned with longing .

The chiming of church bells would always make him

think of home . He w as charmed and delighted with their

gladdening tumult, w ith their music which has been called“the singing of the city .

“The effect,

”he sa ys

,

“of the

ringing together of all the bells in all the steeples in the

grea t city of Paris on some feast day or time of public

rejoicin g is most enchanting, and the harmony most

surprisingly beautiful . But after all there is nothing like

the association which early infancy attaches to the well

know n and long- remembered chim es of our ow n parish

steeple .

”

In the charming poem,The Bells ofSha ndon , which of

allhis works is perhaps the most genera lly known and ad

mired, w e can see this intense longing of the poet for home ;w e can detec t the feeling of homesickness for his dear na tive

place . The poem w as written while he w as in Rome as a

studen t , and it is said that some lines ofit a re still to be seen

scra tched on the walls of his old room .

The famous bells ofSha ndon were hung in the steeple of

332 FI FTH BOOK

the Church ofSt. Ann at Cork . This lofty spire built on the

ruinsofold Shandon Castle w as one hundred and twenty feet

high . Standing upon an eminence , it w as a prominen t

objec t in the town , and it could be seen at a dista nce

of many miles. To the weary traveler , returning home

after long absence in foreign lands, it w as a welcome

sight .

As he approached the city by the charming river which

Thomas Moore calls “its noble sea avenue,

”the tower of

St. Ann’s would come into view, and the melody of Shandon

bells would reach his c ar . No sound in allthe world, he

thought,could ever be so sw eet ; no music could be so en

trancing . For in the ma gical chiming of those bells, fond

memories came back to him ,memories of his childhood in

the dear old city, and ofmany happy days beside the pleasant

wa ters of tha t beautiful river, the River Lee .

The Bells ofShandon

WITH deep affection and recollection ,

I often think ofthose Shandon bells,Whose sound so wild w ould, in days of childhood,Fling round my cradle their magic spell .

On this I ponder w here’er I w ander,And thus grow fonder, sw eet Cork, ofthee ;With thy bells ofShandon ,That sound so grand on

The pleasant w aters ofthe River Lee .

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334 FI FTH BOOK

II

William Allingham

WILLIAM ALLINGHAM , born in 1828 a t Ballyshan

don, Ireland, w as a distmgurshed poet and essayist,

whose writings constitute a va luable addition to our store of

good literature . We may associa te his name with tha t of

Tennyson , Ruskin , Carlyle and Rossetti, for they were hisintima te and lifelong friends in the literary world .

A llingham ’

s grea t ambition w as to become a poet ; this beaccomplished throughmuch effort and perseverance . Whenon ly fourteen years old, he w as obliged to lea ve schoo l a ndto begin work as a c lerk in the town bank . But in spite of

all difficulties and discoura gements, the courageous boy kepton with his study a nd reading

,persistently working alone

year after year until he had mastered Greek,La tin , Fren ch

and German . He seemed to have a constant craving forknowledge .

The ea rly home of our poet w as in the delightful old

town ofB allyshandon , a nd in this he w as fortunate, for hew as a rea l child of nature a nd loved all things bright a nd

beautiful . Letus read wha t he himself says of his cotta gehome and of the clear little village in Coun ty Donega l .

Opposite the hall door, a good sized w alnut tree leaned its w rinkledstem tow a rds the house

,and brushed one of the second story w indow s

w ith its broad fragrant leaves. To sit a t that little upper w indow w hen

it w as open to a summer tw ilight, and the grea t tree rustled gently and

sent oneleafy spray so far tha t it even touched my face, w as an enchant

FI FTH BOOK 335

ment beyond all telling . Killa rney , Sw itzerla nd, Venice, could not in

later life come near it.

On three sides the cottage looked on flow ers and bran ches, w hich I

count as one ofthe fortunate chances ofmy childhood, the sense ofna tural

beauty thus receiving its due share ofnourishment of a kind suitable to

The little old tow n w here I w as born has a voice of its ow n, low ,

solemn , persistent, humming through the air day and night, summer and

w inte r . Whenever I think of tha t tow n I seem to hea r the voice . The

river w hich makes it rolls over rocky ledges into the tide .

“Before , spreads a grea tocea n in sunshine o r storm ; behind, stretches

a many - islanded lake . On the south runs a w avy line ofbluemountains,and on the north over green rocky hills rise peaks ofa more distant range .

The trees hide in glens or cluster nea r the river ; gray rocks and bow lderslie sca ttered about the w indy pastures. The sky a rches w ide over all

,

giving room to multitudes ofsta rs by night, andlong processions ofcloudsblow n from the sea , but also , in the childish memory w here these pictures

live, to deeps ofcelestialblue in the endless days ofsummer.

An oddout- of- the- w ay little village ours, on the extreme w estern edge

ofEurope , our next neighbors sunset w ay being citizens ofthe great new

republic w hich indeed to our imag ina tion seemed little ifa t allfarther off

than England in the opposite direction .

”

In his evening walks through the quiet town ,Allingham

often heard the village girls at their cottage doors singing

the old ballads ofErin . He w as a lw ays interested in these

fo lk songs, songs which expressed the rea l thoughts and

feelings of the people, and which were lea rned by rote and

passed dow n from generation to generation .

These old ba llads had never been printed , a nd some lineshad been forgotten and lost . The missing words were now

336 FIFTH BOOK

supplied by the young poet , verses and poems of his ow n

were added and the songs printed on single slips of pa per

with little pictures at the top to illustrate the verses, espe

cially if they were about the sea .

These slips of paper were then given away or sold in the“

neighborhood , and afterwa rds as the poet took his eveningstrolls through the village he had the pleasure ofhea ring his

ow n ballads sung at the cottage doors by those same lassies

who were quite unaware that the author w as passing by .

Wi lliam Allingham w as a real poet by nature . A lthough

he w as obliged all through his life to spend much of his

time in business pursuits, yet he“ heard in his soul the music

of wonderful melodies,”

and“his songs gushed from his

heart like showers from the clouds of summ er .

” There is

the cha rm of sincerity in his thought , a nd there is a quain t

ness and beauty in his expression which have made him

a great favorite with his countrymen and which w e who

are“ their next neighbors sunset way ” cannot fail to admire .

The delightful songs a nd essays of this gifted wri ter have

given him an enviable pla ce among the authors of the world ’s

best literature .

The Abbot of Inisfalen

I

THE Abbot of InisfalenAw oke ere daw n ofday ;

Under the dew y green leavesWent he forth to pray.

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FI FTH BOOK

II

The Abbot ofInisfalen

He heard a sma ll bird singing ,

And, oh, but it sang sw eet 1

He heard a w hite bird singing well

Within a holly tree ;A song so sw eet and happyNever before heard he .

It sang upon a hazel,It sang upon a thorn ;

He had never hea rd such music

Since the hour tha t he w as born .

It sang upon a syc amore ,

It sang upon a brier ;To follow the song and hearkenThis Abbot could never tire .

Till at la st be w ell bethought himHe m ight no longer stay ;

So he blessed the little w hite singingAnd gladly w ent his w ay .

III

But w hen he came to his Abbey w a lls,He found a w ondrous change ;

He saw no friendly fa ces there,For every face w as strange .

FI FTH BOOK 339

And he heard from alland each

The foreign tone ofthe Sassenach,

Then the oldest monk came forward,In Irish tongue spake he ;Thouw ea rest the holy Augustine

’s dress,

And w ho hath given it to thee

I w ear the holy Augustine’s dress,

And Corm ac is my name,

The Abbot ofthis good AbbeyBy gra ce ofGod I am .

I w ent forth to pray, at the daw n ofthe day

And w hen my prayers w ere sa id,I hearkened aw hile to a little birdTha t sang above my head .

”

The monks to him made answ er,“Tw o hundred years have gone o

’er,

Since our Abbot Corm ac w ent through the gate,And never w as heard ofmore .

Matthias now is our Abbot,And tw enty have passed aw ay.

The stranger is lord ofI reland ;

FI FTH BOOK

IV

Now give me abso lution ;For my time is come,

’said be.

And they gave him absolution ,

Then , close outside the window,The sw eetest song they hea rd

That ever yet since the world beganWasuttered by any bird.

The monks looked out and saw the bird,Its feathers allw hite and clean ;

And there in a moment, beside it,Another w hite bird w as seen .

Those tw o they sang together ,Waved their w hite w ings, and fled ;

Flew aloft, and vanished ;But the good old man w as dead .

A carven cross above his head,A holly bush at his feet ;

Where spreads the beautiful w a terTo gay or cloudy skies,

And the purple peaks ofKillarneyFrom ancient woods arise .

WILLI AM ALLINGHAM

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342 FIFTH BOOK

the southern part, which w as their main sea t,obtained the

name of England . And now they had proceeded forward

nea rly as far as they could go, unless they were prepared to

look a cross the great ocean, and anticipate the discovery of

the world which lies beyond it.

What, then , w as to happen to this restless race, which

had sought for ha ppiness and peace across the globe,and

had not found it ? Did its Maker and Lord see any good

thing in it, of which, under His divine nurture, profit might

come to His elect and glory to His Name ?

There w as nothing there to .merit any visitation ofHis

grace,but the Almighty Lover of souls saw in that poor

,

forlorn and ruined nature, which he had in the beginning

filled with grace and light, He saw in it, not what merited

His favor, not what would adequately respond to His influ

ences, notwhat w as a necessary instrument of His purposes,but what would illustrate and preach abroad His grac e .

He saw in it a natural nobleness, a simplicity, a frankness

of character, a love oftruth, a zea l for justice, an indignation

at wrong, an admira tion of purity, a reverence for law , a

keen appreciation of the beauty andmajesty of order, nay ,further, a tenderness and an affectionateness of heart, which

He knew would become the glorious instruments of His

high will,when illuminated and vivified by His supernatural

gifts .

And so He w ho , did it so please Him , could raise up chil

dren to Abraham out ofthe very stones ofthe ea rth, never

theless determined in His free mercy to unite what w a s

FIFTH BOOK 343

beautiful in nature with what w as radiant in grac e ; a nd,

a s ifthose poor Anglo- Saxons had been too fair to be hea then,therefore did He rescue them

,and bring them in to the

h ouse ofHis holiness and the mountain of His rest .

It is an old story and a familiar , and I need not go through

it. I need not tell youhow ,suddenly, the word of truth

c ame to our an cesto rs in this island and subdued them to its

gentle rule ; how the grac e of God fell on them , and with

out compulsion , as the historian tells us, the multitude he

came Christia n ; how , when allw as tempestuous and hope

less and dark, Christ like a vision of glory came walking

to them on the waves of the sea .

Then suddenly there w as a grea t ca lm . A change came

over the pagan people in tha t quarter of the country where

the gospel w as first prea ched to them ; and from thence the

blessed influence went forth . It w as poured out over the

whole land till, one and all, the Anglo- Saxon people were

converted by it. In a hundred years the work w as done ;the idols, the sa crifices

,the mummeries of paganism , fiitted

away a nd were not, a nd the pure doctrine and heavenly

worship ofthe Cross were found in their stead .

The fair form of Christianity rose up and grew and ex

panded like a beautiful pag eant from north to south it w as

ma jestic , it w as solemn, it w as bright, it w as beautiful a nd

pleasan t, it w as soothing to the griefs, it w as indulgent to

the hopes of man ; it w as at once a tea ching and a worship .

It had a dogma , a mystery, a ritua l of its ow n ; it had a

hierarchalform .

344 FIFTH BOOK

A brotherhood of holy pastors, with miter and crosier

and uplifted hand, walked forth and blessed and ruled a

joyful people . The crucifix headed the proc ession , a nd

learned monks were there with hearts in prayer, and swee t

chants resounded , and the holy Latin tongue w as heard ,and boys came forth in white , swinging censers, and the

THE ANGLO - SA! ON PEO PLE WERE CONVERTED

c loud arose, and Mass w as sung and the saints

were invoked .

And day after day, and in the stillnight , and over the

woody hills and in the quiet plains, as constantly as sun and

moon and stars go forth in heaven ,so regular and so lemn

w as the stately march of blessed services on ea rth , high

festival and gorgeous procession and soothing dirge and

passing bell a nd the familia r evening call to prayer ; till

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346 FIFTH BOOK

Da ne and Norman overran the land . And yet all alon g

Christ w as upon the wa ters and if they rose in fury, y e t

a tHis word they fell again and were in calm .

CARDINAL NEWMAN

LEAD. KINDLY LIGHT

Lead Thoume on 1

The night is dark, and I am far from homeLe ad Thoume on l

K eep Thoumy feet, I do not ask to see

distant scene one step enough for me .

I w as not ever thus,nor pray

’d tha t Thou

Shouldst lead me on .

I loved to choose and see my path, but now

Lead Thoume on !I loved the garish day , and, spite offears,Pride ruledmy w ill remember not past years.

So long Thy pow er hath blest me, sure it stillWill lead me on ,

O’

er moor and fen , o’er crag and torrent

,till

The night is gone ;And w ith the mom those angel fa ces sm ileWhich I have loved long sin ce, and lost aw hile .

CARDINAL NEWH AN

THE LO ST SHEEPEm w a fi nouho m’

llof your Father w ho io in ff'

m hatm o/than liak onucMuld pa iah — Sfr . Msm w

FIFTH BOOK

THE. BELL OF ATRI

ALRA trLimAbruzzo , a small townOf ancient Roman date but sc ant renow n

,

One ofthose little places that have runHalfup the hill, beneath a blazing sun ,And then sat dow n to rest, as ifto say ,

I c limb no fartherupw ard, come w hatm a y

The B e Giovanni, now unknow n to fame ,So many monarchs since have borne the n am e ,

Had a great bell hung in the market pla ceBenea th a roof, projecting some smallspaceBy w ay ofshelter from the sun and rain .

Then rode he through the streets w ith allhis train,And, w ith the blast oftrumpets loud and long,Made proclama tion that w henever w rongWas done to any man he should but ringThe great bell in the square, and he, the king,Would c ause the Syndic to decide thereon .

Such w as the proc lamation ofKing John .

How sw ift the happy days in Atri sped,

What w rongs w ere righted, need not here be said.

Suffice it that, as allthings must de cay,

The hempen rope at length w as w orn aw ay,Unraveled at the end, and, strand by strand,Loosened and w asted in the ringer

’s hand,

Till one w ho noted this in passing byMended the rope w ith braids ofbryony,So that the leaves and tendrils ofthe vineHung like a votive garland at a shrine .

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FI FTH BOOK

The Syndic started from his deep repose ,Turned on his couch, andlistened, and then roseAnd donned his robes, and w ith reluctant paceWent panting forth into the market place,Where the great bell upon its crm beams swung,

In half- articulate jargon , the old song ,

Some one ha th done a w rong , hath done a wrong !

But ere he reached .the belfry’s light arcadeHe saw , or thought he saw , beneath its shade,No shape ofhum an form ofwoman born,But a poor steed dejec ted and forlorn,Who w ith uplifted head and eager eye

Was tugging at the vines ofbryony.

Meanw hile from street and lane a noisy crowdHad rolled together like a summer c loud,And to ld the sto ry ofthe wretched beastIn five and tw enty different w ays at least,With much gesticula tion and appea lTo heathen gods, in their excessive zeal .The knight w as ca lled and questioned ; in replyD id not confess the fa ct

, did not deny ;Treated the matter as a pleasant jest,And set at naught the Syndic and the rest,Mainta ining , in an angry undertone,That he should do w hat pleased him w ith his ow n .

And thereupon the Syndic gravely readThe proclamation ofthe king ; then sa id

FIFTH BOOK 351

Pride goeth forth on horseba ck grand and gay ,

But cometh back on foot, and begs its w ayFame is the fragrance ofheroic deeds,

Offlow ers of chivalry and not ofw eeds lThese are familiar proverbs ; but I fearThey never yet have rea ched your knightly ea r .

What fair renow n , w hat honor, w hat repute

Can come to youfrom sta rving this poor brute ?

He w ho serves w ell and speaks not, merits moreThan they w ho clamor loudest at the door .

Therefore the law dec rees that as this steedServ ed youin youth, henceforth yousha ll take heedTo comfort his old age, and to provideShelter in sta ll, and food and field beside .

The knight w ithdrew abashed ; the people all

The king heard and approved, and laughed in glee,And cried a loud:“

Right Well it pleaseth me 1Church bells at best but ring us to the door ,But go not in to Mass; my belldoth more:

It cometh into court and pleads the causeOf creatures dumb andunknow n to the law s ;And this shall m ake, in every Christian clime ,

The Bell ofAtri famous for alltime .

”

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW

352 FIFTH BOOK

THE BOBOLINK

HE happiest bird of our spring, and one tha t

rivals the European lark in my estimation , is

the boblincoln or bobolink, as he is commonly

called. He arrives at tha t choice portion of our yea r

which, in this latitude, answers to the description of the

month of M ay so often given by the poets. With us it

begins about the middle of May , and lasts until nea rly the

middle of June . Earlier than this, winter is apt to return

on its traces, and to blight the opening beauties of the yea r ;and later than this begin the patching and panting and

dissolving hea ts of summ er . But in this genial interval

Nature is in allher freshness and fragrance:“the rains a re

over and gone, the flowers appear upon the earth, the tim e

of the singing of birds is come and the voice of the turtle

is heard in the land .

”

The trees are now in their ful lest foliage and brightest

verdure ; the woods are gay with the c lustered flowers of

the laurel ; the air is perfumed with the sweetbrier and the

wildrose ; the meadow s are enameled with c lover blossoms

while the young apple, the peach and the plum begin to

swell , and the cherry to glow among the green leaves.

This is the chosen season ofrevelry of the bobo link . He

comes amid the pomp and fragran ce of the season ; his life

seems allsensibility and enjoyment, all song and sunshine .

He is to be found in the soft bosoms ofthe freshest and swee t

est meadows, and is most in song when the c lover is in

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354 FI FTH BOOK

schoolboy would not fling a stone at him , andwould pause to

listen to his strain .

But mark the difference . As the yea r adva nces, as the

c lover blossoms disappear a nd the spring fades into sum

mer, he gradua lly gives up his elegant tastes and habits,

doffs his poetica l suit ofblack, assumes a russet, dusty garb

a nd sinks to the gross enjoyment of common , vulgar birds .

His notes no longer vibrate on the ca r ; he is stuffing himself

with the seeds of the ta ll weeds on which he la tely swung

and chanted so melodiously . In a little while he grows tired

of plain, homely fare, and is off on a gastronomic tour in

quest offoreign luxuries.

We next hear of him , with myriads of his kind, banqueting

among the reeds ofthe Delaware , and grow n corpulent w ith

good feeding. He has changed his name in traveling .

Boblincoln no more ; he is the reedbird now , themuch sought~

for tidbit -

of Pennsylvanian epicures, the rival in unlucky

fame of the ortolan !

Again he wings his flight . The rice swamps of the South

invite him . He gorges himself among them almost to burst

ing he ca n scarcely fly for corpulency. He has once more

cha nged his name, and is now the famous ricebird of the

Carolinas. La st stage of his career:behold him sp itted,with dozens ofhis corpulent companions, and served up ,

a

vaunted dish, on some Southern table .

Such is the story ofthebobolink ; once spiri tual, musical,admired, the joy of the meadow s and the favorite bird of

spring ; finally, a gross little gormand .

WASHINGTON IRVING

FIFTH BOOK 355

A SONG OF CLOVER

WONDER w hat the Clover thinksIntim a te friend ofB ob- o

’- links,

Lover ofDa isies slim andwhite ,Waltzer w ith Butte rcups at night ;Keeper of Inn for tra veling Bees,Serving to them wine dregs and lees,Left by the Roya l Humming B irds,Who sip and pay w ith finespun words ;

Fellow w ith allthe lowliest,Peer ofthe gayest and the best ;Comrade ofw inds

,beloved ofsun ,

Kissed by the Dewdrops, one by one ;Prophet ofGood- luck mysteryBy sign offour w hich few may see ;

Symbol ofNature’s magic zone ,One out ofthree , and three in one

Emblem of comfort in the speechWhich poor men

’s babies early rea ch ;

Sweet by the roadsides, sw eet by rills,Sweet in the meadow s, sw eet on hills,Sw eet in its w hite , sw eet in its redOh, half its sw eetness c annot be sa id ;Sweet in its every living breath,Sweetest, perhaps, at last, in death !Oh ! w ho know s w hat the Clover thinks ?No one l un less the B ob- o

’- links

saxs y our

FIFTH BOOK

ROBERT or LINCOLNERRILY sw inging on brier and w eed,

Near to the nest ofhis little dame,

Over the mountain side or mead,

Snug and safe is that nest ofours,Hidden among the summer flowers.

Chee , chee , chee .

Robert ofLincoln is gay ly dressed,Wea ring a bright bla ck w edding coat ;White are his shoulders and w hite his crest,

Hea r him ca ll in his merry noteBob-o

’- link

, bob- o’-link

,

Look, w ha t a nice new coat is mine,Sure there w as never a bird so fine .

Chee , chee , chee .

Robert ofLin coln ’s Quaker w ife,

Pretty and quiet, with plain brown wings,Passing at home a patient life,B roods in the grass w hile her husband sings

B ob—o’- link, bob- o

’- link,

Spink, spank, spink

B rood, kind c reature ; youneed not fearThieves and robbers w hile I am here .

Chee, chee, chee .

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FIFTH BOOK

Sober w ith w ork, and silent w ith care ;

3

Bob—o’- link, bob- o

’- link,

Spink, spank, spink

Nobody know s but my mate and IWhere our nest and our nestlings lie .

Chee , chee, chee .

Fun and frolic no more he know s ;Robert ofLincoln’

s a humdrum crone ;

Offhe flies, and w e sing as he goes:

When youcan pipe that merry old strain ,

Chee, chee, chee .

FIFTH BOOK 359

THE SHAMROCK

April rains make flow ers bloomAnd Johnny - jump-ups come to light,A nd clouds of color and perfume

Float from the orcha rds pink and white,I see my shamrock in the rain ,An emera ld spray w ith ra indrops set,

Like jew els on Spring’s coronet ,

So fair, and yet it breathes ofpain .

The shamrock on an older shoreSprang from a rich and sacred soil,Where saint and hero lived ofyore,And w here their sons in sorrow toil ;

And here , transplanted, it to me

Seems w eeping for the soil it leftThe diamonds that allothers see

Are tea rs draw n from its heart bereft .

And sparkles on their tiny budsTha t in June nights w ill overblowAnd fillthe w orld w ith scented floods

,

The lonely sham rock in our land,80 fine among the clover leaves,For the old springtime often grieves.

I feel its tears upon my hand.

MA URI CE FRANCI S EGAN

360 FIFTH BOOK

THE. BOYHOOD or BENJAMINFRANKLIN

N the year 1716, or about that period, a boy used to be

seen in the streets ofBoston, w ho w as know n among his

schoo lfellows a nd playmates by the name of Ben Franklin .

B en w as born in 1706 ; so tha t he w as now about ten years

old. His father,who had come over from England

,w a s a

soap boiler and tallow chandler, and resided in Milk Stree t ,not far from the Old South Church .

Ben’s face w as already pretty well known to the inhabit

ants of Boston . The selec tmen and other people of note

often used to visit his fa ther, for the sake of talking about

the affairs of the town or province . Mr . Franklin w as

considered a person of great wisdom and integrity, and w a s

respected by all who knew him , although he supported his

family by the humble trade of boiling soap a nd makingtallow candles .

While his fa ther and the visitors were holding deep con:

sulta tions about public affairs, little Ben would sit on his

stoo l in a corner, listening with the grea test interest, as if

he understood every word .

Mr . Franklin finally found it so difficult to provide

bread for his family tha t when the boy w as ten years old,

it became necessa ry to take him from school . Ben w as then

employed in cutting c andlewicks into equal lengths and

filling the molds w ith ta llow ; a nd many families in Boston

spent their evenings by the light of the ca ndles which he

had helped to make . Thus, yousee , in his ea rly days as

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362 FI FTH BOOK

Boys, cried he,“ I have thought of a scheme whic h

w ill be greatly for our benefit a nd for the public benefit .”

It w as queer enough, to be sure , to hea r this little chap

this rosy- checked, ten - yea r - old boy talking about schemes

for the public benefit ! Nevertheless, his companions were

ready to listen, being assured that Ben’

s scheme, whatever

it w as, would be wellworth their attention . They remem

bered how saga ciously he had conducted all their enterprises

ever since he had been old enough to wear trousers.

They remembered his wonderful contrivance of sailing

across the mill pond by lying fla t on his back in the water

and allowing himself to be drawn along by a paper kite .

If Ben could do tha t , he might certain ly do anything .

“Wha t is your scheme , B en ? what is it?” cried they

all .

It so happened tha t they had now come to a spot of ground

where a new house w as to be built . Scattered round a bout

lay a grea t ma ny la rge stones, which were to be used for

the cella r and founda tion . Ben mounted upon the highest

of these stones, so tha t he might speak with the more au

thority .

“Youknow, lads,

”sa id he,

“what a plague it is to be

forced to stand in the quagmire yonder — over shoes and

stockings in mud and wa ter . See ! I am bedaubed to the

knees ofmy trousers ; and youa re allin the same pickle .

Unless w e can find some remedy for this evil, our fishing

business must be entirely given up . And,surely, this

would be a terrible misfortune .

”

FIFTH BOOK 363

That it would ! that it would ! ” sa id his companions.

Now , I propose , continued Master B enjamin,tha t

w e build a wharf, for the purpose ofcarrying on our fisheries.

Yousee these stones . The workmen mean to use them for

the underpinning ofa house ; but that would be for only one

ma n’s advantage . My plan is to take these same stones and

carry them to the edge of the wa ter and build a wharf with

them . This will not only enable us to carry on the fishing

business with comfort and to better advantage, but it will

likewise be a great convenience to boatspassingup and dow n

the stream . Thus, instead of one man , fifty, or a hundred,or a thousand besides ourselves, may be benefited by these

stones. Wha t say you, lads ? Shall w e build the wharf

B en’s proposa l w as received with one of those uproarious

shouts wherewith boysusually express their delight at what

ever completely suits their views. Nobody thought of

questioning the right and justice of building a wharf with

stones tha t belonged to another person“Hurrah hurrah shouted they. Let’s set about it.

It w as agreed tha t they should allbe on the spot that

evening and commence their grand public enterprise by

moonlight . Accordingly, a t the appointed time the whole

gang of youthful laborers assembled , and eagerly began to

remove the stones. They had not ca lcula ted how much

toil would be requisite in this important pa rt oftheir under

taking . The very first stone which they laid ho ld ofproved

so heavy that it almost seemed to be fastened to the ground .

364 FI FTH BOOK

Nothing but B en Franklin ’s cheerful and resolute spirit

could have induced them to persevere .

Ben , a s might be expec ted , w as the soul ofthe enterprise .

By his mechanica l genius, he contrived methods to lighten

the la bor of transporting the stones so that one boy, under

his directions, would perform as much ashalf a dozen ifleft to themselves. Whenever their spiri ts flagged

,he had

some joke ready, which seemed to renew their strength bysetting them allinto a roar of laughter . And when ,

after

an hour or tw o of hard work,the stones were transported

to the waterside , Ben Franklin w as the engineer to superin

tend the construc tion ofthe wha rf .

The boys by their multitude , like a co lony of an ts, per

formed a grea t dea l of labor , though the individual strength

of each could have ac complished but little . Fina lly, just as

the moon sank below the horizon , the grea t work w as fin ished .

“Now ,boys

,

”cried Ben

,

“ let’s give three cheers and go

home to bed. To -morrow w e may catch fish at our c ase .

”

“Hurrah ! hurrah ! hurrah ! ” shouted his comrades.

Then they allwent home in such an ecstasy of delight tha t

they could hardly get a wink ofsleep .

In the morning, when the early sunbeams were gleamin g

on the steeples and roofs of the town and gilding the water

that surrounded it, the masons came , rubbing their eyes,to begin their work a t the foundation of the new house .

But on rea ching the spot , they rubbed their eyes in conste r

nation . Wha t had become of their heap ofstones

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366 FI FTH BOOK

But the master ma son did no t seem to enjoy the joke .

Sam ,sa id he

,

“

go ca ll a constable .

”

So Sam called a constable, and inquiries were set on foo t

to discover the perpetrators of the theft . In the course of

the day warrants were issued , with the signature of a justice

of the pea ce , to take the bodies of Benjam in Franklin and

other evil disposed persons who had stolen a hea p ofstones.

If the owner ofthe stolen property had not been more merci

ful than the master mason ,it might have gone hard with

our friend Benjamin and his fellow laborers. But, luckily

for them , the gentlema n had a respect for Ben’s father, and

moreover, w as amused with the spirit of the whole afi'

air .

He therefore let the culprits off pretty easily .

But when the constables were dismissed , the poor boys

had to go through another tria l, receive sentence and suffer

punishment, too , from their ow n fa thers. M any a rod, I

grieve to say , w as brought out of its resting place on that

unlucky night .

As for Ben , he w as less afra id of a whipping than of his

father’s disapproba tion . M r . Franklin ,a s I have mentioned

before, w as a sa ga cious man , and a lso an infiexibly upright

one . He had read much for a person in his rank of life, and

had ponderedupon the ways ofthe world ,un til he had gained

much wisdom . Ben had a grea ter reverence for his fa ther

than for a ny other person in the world , a s well on accoun t

of his spotless integrity as of his pra c tical sense and deep

view of things.

Consequently, a fter being relea sed from the c lutches

FIFTH BOOK 367

ofthe law ,Ben came into his fa ther’s presence with no small

perturba tion ofmind .

Ben jamin , come hither, began Mr . Franklin , in his

customa ry so lemn and weighty tone .

The boy approached and stood before his father’s chair,

w a iting reverently to hea r wha t judgment this good man

would pass upon his late offense . He felt that now the

right and wrong of the whole ma tter would be made to

appear.“Benjamin ,

sa id his fa ther, wha t could induce youto

take property which did not belong to you?“Why , Fa ther ,

”replied Ben , ha nging his head at first,

but then lifting his eyes to Mr . Franklin ’

s fa ce,“if it had

been merely for my ow n benefit, I never should have dreamed

of it. But I knew tha t the wha rf would be a public con

venience . If the owner of the stones should build a housewith them , nobody would enjoy any advantage except him

se lf . Now ,I made use of them in a way tha t w as for the

adva ntag e ofmany persons. I thought it right to a im at

doing good to the grea test number .

”

“My son,

”sa id M r . Franklin ,

solemn ly, so far a s it

w as in your power, youhave done a grea ter harm to thepublic tha n to the owner ofthe stones.

“How ca n that be , Father ?”asked Ben .

Because ,”answered his fa ther ,

“in building your wha rf

with stolen materia ls, youhave committed a mora l wrong .

There is no more terrible mistake than to viola te what is

368 FI FTH BOOK

eterna lly right for the sake ofa seeming expediency. Those

w ho ac tupon such a principle do theutmost in their power to

destroy allthat is good in the world .

”

“Hea ven forbid ! ” said Benjamin .

No a ct, con tinued Mr . Franklin , can possibly be for

the benefit of the public generally which involves in justice

to any individua l . It would be easy to prove this by ex

amples. But, indeed , can w e suppose that our all- wise

and just Creator would have so ordered the affairs of the .

world . tha t a wrong a ct should be the true method ofattain

ing a right end ? It is impious to think so . And I do verily

believe,Benjamin , that almost all the public and private

misery ofmankind a rises from a neglec t of this great truth

tha t evil can produce only evil that good ends must be

wrought out by good means.

”

“ I willnever forget it again, said Benjamin , bowing his

head.

“Remember, concluded his father, that wheneve r

w e vary from the highest rule of right, just so far w e do an

in jury to the world . It may seem otherwise for the momen t

but, both in time and in eternity, it will prove so .”

To the c lose of his life Ben Franklin never forgot this

conversation with his father ; and w e have reason to suppose that in most of his public and priva te career he eu

deavored to a ct upon the principles which tha t good and

wise man had then taught him .

A fter the grea t event of building the wharf, Ben con

tinued to cut wick yarn and fillcandle mo lds for about tw o

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370 FIFTH BOOK

youth until, at the age of seventeen ,he left his native town

and went to Philadelphia . He landed in the latter city,

a homeless and hungry young man,and bought threepence

FRANKLIN ENTERS PHI LADELPHIA

worth ofbread to satisfy his appetite . Not know ing whereelse to go, he entered a Quaker meetinghouse , sa t down and

fell fast asleep .

He has not told us whether his slumbers were visited by

any dreams . But it would have been a strange dream ,in

deed, and an incredible one, that should have foretold how

FIFTH BOOK 371

grea t a man he w as destined to become, and how much he

would be honored in tha t very city where he w as now friend

So here w e finish our story of the childhood ofBen jaminFranklin . One of these days, if youwould know wha t hew as in his manhood, youmust rea d his ow n works and thehistory ofAmerican independence .

It would require a whole volume to tell youall that is

worth know ing about Benjamin Franklin . There is a pretty

anecdote ofhis flying a kite in the midst of a thunderstorm ,

and thus draw ing dow n the lightning from the clouds and

proving that it w as the same thing as electricity. His

whole life would be an interesting story, if w e had time to

There are statues of Franklin in many of our cities ; and

towns, ships of w a r, steamboa ts, banks, schools and children

His philosophical discoveries were very importa nt and his

services most valuable, but a fter all I question

whether these would have given him all the fame he a o

quired . It appea rs to me tha t Poor Richa rd’

s Alma nac

did more than anything else towards making him familiarly

known to the public . As a writer of those proverbs which

Poor Richard w as supposed to utter, Frana became the

counselor and household friend of almost every family

in America . Thus it w as the humblest ofallhis la bors tha t

has done the most for his fame .

NATHANIEL w rnoruvs

372 FI FTH BOOK

THE REPUBLIC A PRECIOUS HEIRLOOM

CONSIDER the republic of the United States one of

the most precious heirlooms ever bestowed on mankind

down the ages. And it is the duty, and should be the de

light, of every citizen to strengthen and perpetuate our

government by the observance of its laws a nd by the

integri ty of his priva te life .

“Righteousness,

”says the

Book of Proverbs,“exalteth a nation

,but sin is a reproa ch

to the people .

”

When the framers of our immorta l Constitution were in

session, Benjamin Franklin complained to his colleagues of

the sma ll progress they had made after severa l weeks of

delibera tion . He used thes e memorable words:“We have

spent many days in fruitless discussion . We have beengroping in the dark because w e have not sought light fromthe Fa ther ofLight to illumine our understanding. I havelived,

”he continued,

“for many years,and the longer I

live, the more convincing proofs I have tha t God governsin the affairs ofmen . And if a spa rrow ca nnot fa ll to the

ground without His notice, is it probable that an empirecan rise without His a id and cooperation ? We are told inthe same Sa cred Writings tha t ‘unless the Lord build thehouse, he laboreth in va in w ho buildeth it. ’

Thank God, the words ofFranklin did not fa ll on ba rrensoil . They have borne fruit . Our government

,from its

dawn to the present time, has been guided by Christia nidea ls. It has recognized the existence of a superintending

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374 FIFTH BOOK

THE WAY TO WEALTH

Being the Prefac e to Poor Richa rd'

s Almanac fo r l758

!The next da y after rea ching Philadelphia , Benjamin Franklin obtained

a position as journeyman to a printer, and in the coume of a few yea rs

set up a printing ofi ce ofhis ow n . He edited a new spaper, The Phila

delphia Gazette, a rid under the fictitious name ofRicha rd Saunders com

menced the publica tion of an almanac called Poor Richa rd’

s Alma na c .

In this pamphlet allthe little spaces betw een the remarkable days ofthe

calendar w ere filled w ith w itty sayings and w ise ma xims w hich for ma ny

years w ere a source ofmuch entertainment and of realinstruction to its

The preface to the Almanac , entitled“TheWay toWea lth

,

” is the most

w idely know n of all the w ritings of this cheerful philosopher. It w as

written at a time of illfortune in w a r,heavy taxes and poor business ;

and its homely advice is sa id noticeably to ha ve promoted thrift, economy

and cheerfulness among the people, w ho bought it by the thousands !

Com m ons READER,I have heard tha t nothing gives an author so grea t pleasure

as to find his works respectfully quoted by others. Judge

then how much I must have been gra tified by an incident

I am going to rela te to you. I stopped my horse la te ly

where a grea t number of people were collected at an auc tion

of merchant’s goods. The hour of sale not ha ving come,

they were conversing on the badness ofthe times ; and one

of the company ca lled to a plain, c lean old man , with white

locks,“ Pray, Fa ther Abraham ,

wha t think you of the

times ? Won’t these heavy taxes quite ruin the coun try ?

Wha t would youadvise us to do

FIFTH BOOK 375

Fa ther Abraham stood up , a nd replied , If you’d have

my advice , I’ll give it youin short ; for a w ord to the w ise is

enough, as Poor Richard says.

”They joined in desiring him

to speak his mind, a nd he proceeded as fo llows“Friends

,

”said he

,

“the taxes are indeed very heavy,

a nd if those laid on by the Government were the only onesw e had to pay , w e might more easily discha rge them ; butw e have many others and much more grievous to some of

us. We are ta xed tw ice as much by our idleness,three

tim es as much by our pride , and four times as much by our

fo lly . And from these taxes the commissioners cannot ease

nor deliver us by allowi ng an aba tement . However , let us

hearken to good advice , and something may be done forus;God helps them tha t help themselves, as Poor Richard says

,

in his A lmanac of 1733 .

“ It would be thought a hard government tha t should

tax the people a tenth part of their time to be employed in

its service , but idleness taxes many of us much more . If

time be ofall things the most precious, wasting time must be,a s Poor Richard says, the greatest prodigality, since, as he

e lsewhere tells us, lost time is never found a ga in ; a nd w ha t

w e calltime enough, alw ays proves little enough.

“Sloth makes all things difficult, lw l industry all easy ;

a nd he tha t riseth la te must “

trot allda y , a nd shallsca rce ever

ta ke his business at night. While la ziness travels so slow ly

tha t Poverty soon overtakes him,a s w e read in Poor Richard

,

w ho adds, Drive thy business, letnottha tdrive thee ; andEa rlyto bed, a nd ea rly to rise, makes a ma n healthy, w ealthy a nd w ise.

376 FIFTH BOOK

So wha t signifieswishing for better times . We may make

these times better if w e bestir ourselves . I ndustry need

not w ish, as Poo r Richard says. There a re no ga ins w ithout

pa ins, and, as Richard likewise observes, he that hath a trade

ha th a n esta te a nd he tha tha th a calling ha th an ofi’ice of profit

a nd honor, but then the trade must be worked at, a nd the

ca lling well followed , or neither the esta te nor the ofiice

will enable us to pay our taxes. If w e are industrious w e

sha ll never sta rve ; for a t the w orking ma n’s house hunger

looks in, butda res not enter .

“Wha t though youhave found no treasure, nor has any

rich rela tion left youa legacy, diligence is the mother ofgood

luck, a s -Poor Richard says. Work w hile it is called to- da y ,

for youknow nothow much youma y be hindered to-morrow .

“Methinks I hear some of yousay ,‘Must a ma n afford

himself no leisure ? ’ I w ill te ll thee , my friend, what

Poor Richard says. Employ thy time w ellif thoumea nest

to ga in leisure ; and, since thou a rt not sure of a minute ,throw not a w ay a n hour . Leisure is time for doing something

useful; this leisure the diligent man will obtain , but the

la zy man never .

“But with our industry w e must also be steady, settled

and careful , even in the smallest matters, because some

times a little neglect may breed grea t mischief. For w ant

of a na il the shoe w as lost; for w a nt of a shoe the horse

w as lost; for w ant of a horse the rider w as lost, being over

taken and sla in by the enemy, allfor want of c are a bout

a horse- shoe nail .

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378 FI FTH BOOK

When youhave bought one fine thing, youmust buyten more that your appearancemay be all of a piece , but

’Tis

easier to suppress the firstdesire tha n to satisfy alltha tfollow it.“And a fter all, of wha tuse is this pride of appearance , for

which so much is risked, so much is suffered ? It cannot

promote hea lth , nor ease pa in ; It makes no increase of

merit in the person , it creates envy, it hastens misfortune .

Wha t is a butterfly ? A t bestHe

’

s but a ca terpilla r drest.

The gaudy fop’

s his picture just.

Allofwhich is well said by Poor Richard .

But wha t madness must it be to run in debt for these

superfluities ! We a re offered,by the terms of this sale ,

six months’ credit ; and tha t perhaps has induced some of

us to a ttend it,bec ause w e cannot spare the ready money

,

and hepe now to be fine without it. But, ah ! think what

youdo when yourun in debt ; yougive to another power

over your liberty . If y oucannot pay at the time, youwill

be ashamed to see your creditor ; youwill be in fear when

cuses, and by degrees come to lose your veracity, and sink

into base downright lying ; for, as Poor Richard says, the

second vice is lying , the first is running in debt. Whereas

a free- born man ought not to be ashamed or afra id to see or

speak to a ny man living .

“This doctrine , my friends, is reason and wisdom ; but

after alldo not depend too much on your ow n industry a nd

FI FTH BOOK 379

frugality and prudence , though excellent things ; for they

m ay all be blasted without the blessing of Heaven ; and

therefore ask that blessing humbly, and be notuncharitable

to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort and

help them . Remember Job sufi'

ered and w as a fterwards

p rosperous.

“And now to conc lude, Experience keeps a dea r school, but

fools w illlea rn in no other,a nd scar cely in that; for it is true,

We ma y give advice, but w e ca nnot give conduc t, as Poor Rich

a rd says:however, remember this, They that w on’t be coun

seled, ca n’t be helped, as Poor Richard says.

”

Thus the old gen tleman ended his harangue . I found the

good man had thoroughly studied my Almanacs, and di

gested all I had dropped on those topics during the course

of fiv e and twenty years. The frequent mention he made

ofm e must have tired any one else , but my vanity w as w on

derfully delighted with it, though I w as conscious tha t not a

tenth part of this wisdom w as'

my ow n which he ascribed to

me , but rather the glea nings I had m ade of the sense of all

ages and na tions .

However, I reso lved to be the better for the echo of it and

though I had at first determined to buy stuff for a new coa t,

I wen t away resolved to wear my old one a little longer .

Reader, if thouwilt do the same, thy profit wil l be as great

I am ,as ever,Thine to serve thee,

RICHARD SA UNDERSJuly 7. 1 757.

FIFTH BOOK

UP THE BROOK

THE BROOK

I COMEfrom haunts of coot and hem ,

I make a sudden sa lly,And sparkle out among the fernTo bicker dow n a. va lley.

By thirty hills I hurry dow n ,

Or slip betw een the ridges,By tw enty thorps, a little town ,And half a hundred bridges .

Till last by Philip’s farm I flow

To join the brimming river,

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FIFTH BOOK

But I go on forever.

FI FTH BOOK 383

DR. PRIMROSE ONTHE VANITY OF DRESS

HE place ofour retrea t w as in a little neighborhood con

sisting offarmers w ho tilled their ow n grounds andwere

equa l strangers to opulen ce and poverty . As they possessed

almost all the convenien ces oflife , they se ldom visited towns

or cities in search ofsuperfluities.

Remote from the gay world , they still retained the prime

val simplicity ofmanners and fruga l by habit, they sca rcely

knew tha t temperance w as a virtue . They wrought with

cheerfulness on days of labor, but observed festivals as

intervals of rest and pleasure . They kept Up the Christ

ma s carol, sen t true- love knots on Valentine morning, ate

pancakes on Shrovetide , showed their w it on the first of

April and cra cked nuts on Michae lma s eve .

Being apprised of our approa ch , the whole neighborhood

came outto meet their minister, dressed in their finest c lothes,and preceded by a pipe a nd tabor . A feast also w as pro

vided for our reception , at which w e sa t cheerfully dow n ;and wha t the conversa tion wanted in w it w as made up inlaughter .

J

Our little habitation w as situated at the foot of a slop

ing hill, sheltered with a beautiful underwood behind a nd a

pra ttling river before ; on one side a meadow, on the other

a green . My fa rm consisted of about twenty a cres ofexcel

lent land,and nothing could exceed the nea tness of my little

pressible beauty. My house w as of one sto ry on ly, and w as

384 FIFTH BOOK

covered with thatch , which gave it an air ofgrea t snugness .

The walls on the inside were nicely whitewashed, a nd mydaughters undertook to adorn them with pic tures of their

ow n designing . Though the same room served us for par

101‘ and kitchen , that only made it the warmer . Besides,as it w as kept w ith the utmost neatness, the dishes, pla tes

and coppers being w ellscoured , and alldisposed in bright

row s on the shelves, the eye w as agreea bly relieved a nd did

not want richer furniture .

The little republic to which I ga ve la w s w as regula ted in

the following manner . By sunrise w e were allassembled

in our common apa rtmen t , the fire being previously kindled

by the servant ; a fter w e had saluted one another with

proper ceremony, for I a lways thought fit to keep up some

mechanica l forms of good breeding, without which freedom

ever destroys friendship , w e all bent in gratitude to that

Being w ho gave us another day.

This duty being performed , my son and I went to pursue

ourusua l industry out ofdoors, while my wife and daughters

employed themselves in providing breakfast , which w as

always ready a t a certa in time . I allowed half an hour for

this mea l,a nd an hour for dinner .

As w e rose with the sun ,so w e never pursued our labors

after it w as gone down ,but returned home to the expecting

family ; where smiling looks awa ited us a nd a neat hearth

and a pleasa n t fire were prepa red for our reception . Norwere w e without guests ; sometimes Farmer Flamborough

,

our talka tive neighbor, and often the blind piper, w ould

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386 FI FTH BOOK

In this exigence , therefore , my only resource w as to order

my son, w ith an impo rtant a ir, to call our coach . The girls

were ama zed at the command, but I repea ted it with more

Surely, my dear, youjest, cried my wife, w e can walk

perfec tly well ; w e want no coach to carry us now .

”

“Youmistake, child,

”returned I,

“w e do wan t a coa ch ,

for ifw e walk to church in this trim ,the very children will

laugh at us.

”

“ Indeed, replied my wife, I a lways imagined tha t myCharles w as fond of seeing his children nea t and handsom e

about him .

”

Youmay be as neat as youplea se, interrupted I,“and

I shall love youthe better for it ; but allthis is not nea tness

will only make us ridiculous to allour neighbors. No , mychildren ,

”continued I , more gravely,

“ these gowns may be

a ltered into something of a plainer cut ; for finery is veryunbecoming in us, w ho wan t the means to assume it.

”

This remonstra nce had the proper effect ; they went w ith

grea t composure, tha t very instant, to change their dress ;and the next day I had the sa tisfaction of finding my daugh

ters, a t their ow n request , employed in cutting up their

tra ins into Sunday waistcoats for Dick and B ill , the tw o

little ones ; and, wha t w as still more satisfa c tory, the gowns

seemed improved by this curtailing .

oura a aow sm m

FI FTH BOOK

THE rich ma n’s son inherits lands,

And piles ofbrick and stone, and gold,And he inherits soft w hite hands,And tender flesh that fea rs the co ld,Nor da res to wear a garment old ;

A herita ge, it seems to me,One sca rce wouldwish to hold in fee .

The rich man’s son inherits ca res ;

The bank may break, the fac tory burn ,A breath may burst his bubble shares,And soft white hands could hardly earn

A living that w ould se rve his turn ;A heritage , it seems to me,

One sc arce w ould w ish to hold in fee .

The rich man’s son inherits wants,

His stoma ch craves for dainty fa re ;With sated heart, he hears the pantsOftoiling binds w ith brow n arms ba re,

A heritage, it seems to me,

One sc a rce w ould w ish to hold in fee .

What doth the poor m an’s son inherit

Stout musc les and a sinew y heart,A hardy frame, a hardier spirit ;

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390 FI FTH BOOK

In merely being rich and greatToil only gives the soul to shine

A heritage , it seems to me,Worth being poor to hold in fee .

Both, heirs to some six feet ofsod,

Both, children ofthe same dea r God,

Prove title to your heirship v astBy record ofa w ell- filled past ;

A heritage , it seems to me,Well worth a life to hold in fee .

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

THE CIRCUS- DAY PARADE

H, the Circus- day Parade How the bugles played andplayed 1Andhow the glossy horses tossed their fioseymanes andneighed

As the rattle and the rhym e ofthe tenor drummer’s time

Filled allthe hungry hearts ofus with melody sublime 1

How the grand band w agon shone with a splendor allits ow n ,

And glittered w ith a glory that our dreams had never know n l

And how the boys behind, high andlow ofevery kind,Marched in un conscious capture, w ith a rapture undefined !

How the horsemen , tw o and tw o, with their plumes ofwhite and

blue,And crimson , gold and purple, nodding by at me and you,

FI FTH BOOK 391

Waved the banners tha t they bore, as the knights in days ofyore,Till our glad eyes gleamed and glistened like the spangles that they

w ere 1

How the gra celess-

graceful stride ofthe elepha nt w as eyed,And the ca pers ofthe little horse tha t cantered at his side 1

How the shamn camels, tame to the plaudits oftheir fame,With listless eyes c ame silent, masticating as they came .

How the cages jolted past, with each w agon battened fast,And the myste ry w ithin it only hinted ofat lastFrom the little grated square in the rear, and nosing there

The snout ofsome strange anima l that sn iffed the outer air 1

And, last ofall, the Clow n , making mirth for allthe tow n,With his lips curv ed everupw ard and his eyebrow s ever down .

And his chief attention paid to the little mule that playedA ta ttoo on the dashboard w ith his heels, in the parade .

Oh l the Circus-day Parade l How the bugles played and playedlAnd how the glossy horses tossed their flosey manes and neighed

As the rattle and the rhyme ofthe tenor drummer’s timeFilled allthe hungry hearts ofus w ith melody sublime

JAMES WHI TC'OMB RI LEY

392 FIFTH BOOK

THE FRANCISCANMISSIONS INCALIFORNIA

N the Pac ific Coa st, between the magnificent Sierra

Nevada and the ocea n , there lies a land which is like a

great garden , in which flowers bloom throughout the year

and in which stretch miles oforchards and vineyards.

B LUE c ation is m s SIERRA NEVADA

It is a land of contrasts. Birds that have spen t the sum

mer in the highlands need fly no farther away than the

pleasant valleys of Southern California to find a genial

winter home shielded from cold winds by lofty mountains

and warmed by soft breezes from the ocean . Grains and

fruits of the temperate zone are growing here side by side

with the olive, grape , fig , lemon, orange and banana of a

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394 FIFTH BOOK

possession of this fertile region with its excellen t harbors,

some ofthem the finest in the world, they would never have

been willing to relinquish it. The people of the Atlantic

Coast little knew at the time of the Dec lara tion of Inde

pendence tha t across the wide continent, on the distan t

shore of the Pa cific Ocean , events were taking place tha t

would prove so momentous to the welfare of the new Re

public , events tha t would lead to the union of the East

and the West in one grea t na tion stretching from ocean to

ocean .

But in bringing the good news ofsa lvation to the people

of this coast, these faithful and zea lous followers of St.

Francis achieved a far greater and more glorious work than

in acquiring territory. At one time there were twenty- one

missions a long the coast of California, where thousands

and thousands of Indians living under the guidance of the

Fa thers were taught the truths of Christianity and the arts

ofciviliza tion .

The soldiers w ho came to represent the Spanish govern

men t built forts for the protection ofthe settlements,beauti

fulchurches were erected , flocks and herds grazed upon the

hills,grain and fruit grew in the well - cultivated valleys,

and as years passed by, this wild country w as transformed

into a veritable garden .

Trade w as established with the outside world , the mission

settlements were formed into towns and ere long grew in to

large cities. San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa B arbara, SanLuis Obispo , Monterey, San Ra fael , San Francisco and

FIFTH BOOK 395

many others were founded in this way . Nearly all the

importan t towns a long the co ast bea r the names ofmissions

which were established in those places long be fore there were

cities. These names are full of significa nce to us, for they

suggest to ourminds the deep religious purpose ofthe Spanish

missionaries, and they also remind us of the great benefit

to our country that has resulted from the missions.

Junipero Serra , Knight of the Cross”

The name of Fa ther Junipero Serra stands out most

prominently in the history of the missions. The boyhood

and youth ofthis grea t missiona ry were passed in his na tive

place , the village ofPetra , on the island of Majorca . Whena boy he w as a chorister in the conven t of San Bernardino ,and there he received his first instruc tion . From early

youth it w as his greatest desire to be a missionary, and at

the age of sixteen he entered the Franciscan Order and

began the preparation for what he hoped would be his life

w ork .

Among his fellow students at the convent were three

young men ,Pa lou, Verger and Crespi, his in timate com

panions, w ho became his lifelong friends and associa tes in

missionary labors. These four friends earnestly desired

to go to the New World and preach the Gospel to the Ih

dians. Many were the talks they had together andmany the

plans they made in antic ipa tion of a time when perhaps

this dearest wish of their hearts would be granted .

396 FI FTH BOOK

At last they received permission to go , and joyft theyset sail for New Spain . On the long voyage provisions

fell short and storms nearly wrecked the vesse l, but Father

Junipero never lost courage . Remembering the end for

which they had come, he felt no fear.

For many years after their arriva l in Mexico, the friends

were kept at work there in preaching and founding missions.

But in 1767 it w as decided to send a company of monks to

Lower California under Junipero as Father President, to take

charge ofmissionswhich some years before had been founded

by the Jesuit Fathers.

At this appointment Father Junipero w as filled with deep

emotion and could hardly speak for j oy. From boyhood

he had eagerly longed to preach the Gospel to the Indians

on the western coast of America, and now after fifty - six

years of his life had passed this great desire w as to be ful

filled .

No one better than he could have been selected for this

important work . His ardent zeal and his rare execu

tive ability made him a most efficient worker and leader .

He w as an eloquent preacher , a man of unusual mental

power , a nd he might have passed his life surrounded by the

comforts of civilization among enlightened and cultivated

people w ho would have delighted in his brilliant talents,but he chose ra ther to endure hardship as a good soldier of

Christ, to suffer privation and danger in the wilderness

that he might carry the Gospel to the heathen .

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398 FIFTH BOOK

The company w as to go in four divisions, two by land

and tw o by sea , for in this way a knowledge of both routes

would be gained . Fa ther Junipero with characteristic se lf

denial insistedupon taking the land journey, which he knew

would be fa tiguing anddangerous. The milita ry comm ander

ofhis division w as Captain Portola, w ho is so highly honored

to- day for his discovery ofSan Francisco Bay .

The land journey to San Diego w as a slow and difficult

march . Tolling over vast plains, the travelers came some

times to great trac ts of ca ctus thickets through which they

were obliged to hew a pathway with their axes. Some

times they found themselves hemmed in by mountains and

were forced to wait until scouts could find a pass. For

days they were without water except that in their casks,and at other times they were drenched to the skin in co ld

After a long and perilous journey the first land party

reached a point of high ground from which they could see

the B ay ofSan Diego in the distance and could just discern

the masts of the vessels lying at anchor in the harbor,

“which sight , writes Fa ther Crespi, w ho w as in this divi

sion,“w as a grea t joy and consolation to us all . They

fired a sa lute,which w as immedia tely answ ered

’

from the ships.

The weary band now went on courageously, and all

hearts were filled w ith joy ; but their joy w as turned to sor~

row when they reached the shore and saw the pitiable con

dition of their friends. With poor charts and rude vessels

the ship division had been a long time at sea . Many had

FI FTH BOOK 399

died, many were very ill and all had sufl'

ered much from

co ld and hunger .

Several weeks later, after the arrival of Father Junipero

and Captain Portola in the second land party, it w as de

cided to send a vesse l ba ck to M exico for supplies. Then

a cross w as setup , the grand hymn Veni Creator , in whichthe Church invokes the assistan ce of the Holy Spirit upon all

herundertakings, w as sung, and in a rude booth ofbranches

the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass w as offered . Thus the first

m ission w as founded , and thus w as laid the corner stone of

the civilization of California, July 16, 1769.

Month after month the little company bravely struggled

for existence in this wild country, anxiously awaiting the

supply ship from Mexico . Win ter passed, and still it did

not come . At last, when their provisions were nearly gone

and it seemed almost impossible to remain longer, Captain

Portola announ ced his determina tion to abandon the mis

sion and to return to Mexico . He finally fixed upon the

twentieth ofMarch as the last day that he would wait for

On the morning of tha t day Father Junipero , who had

been prayin g day a nd night for divine help in their distress,celebra ted High M ass with a specia l supplica tion for relief .

They were alleagerly wa tching for the vessel when lo , on

the distant horizon,a faint white speck appear ed . Their

prayers had been a nswered . It w as the sa il of the long

looked - for ship , and soon she came into port laden with

bountiful stores ofeverything needed .

400 FIFTH BOOK

The Second Mission in

Allwere now full of courage , and tw o companies set oh'

at once to establish a mission a t Monterey, one division

going by sea and one by land . The overland party reached

the Point ofPines, the headla nd at the entrance ofthe B ay

of Monterey, severa l days before the ship arrived . As

soon as she came in sight, bonfires were lighted on shore

and the company on shipboard responded by discha rging

cannon .

Joyfully they met on land and took forma l possession

of the pla ce , first for the Church with religious cere

monies, and secondly for the king of Spain by planting

the royal standard in the ground side by side with the

Cross.

“Our joy increased, writes Father Junipero , when

on holy Pentecost Day , June third , close by the same oak

tree where the Fa thers ofVizca ino ’

s expedition in 1602 had

celebrated holy Mass, after w e had built an altar , sung theVeni Crea tor , hung and rung the bells, I ra ised and blessed

the great cross, and sang the High Mass,during which I

preached to the officers and men of both the sea a nd la nd

expeditions . Afterwards w e sa ng the Salve Regina to the

B lessed Virgin before her image ; and w e c losed the cere

monies with the singing of the Te Deum . The officers

thereupon took forma l possession of the land in the n ameof the king.

”

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402 FIFTH BOOK

When the news of this second mission in the new land

reached the City ofMexico , there w as great re joicing. Bells

were rung, people ran up and down the streets telling the

good new s, a ndprinted a c counts ofitwere circulated through

out Mexico and were sent to Spain . It w as indeed good

news, for now the occupa tion of the country w as really

accomplished and the great work of converting the Indians

The Life Work ofFa ther Serra Completed

The next few years were years of struggle and hardship

and years ofheroic a chievement,a lso . These devoted m en ,

far from home in a strange land, laboring earnestly for the

salvation ofthe heathen , endured priva tion and encountered

dangers with pa tience a nd courage and with a firm faith

that God would crown their efforts with succes s.

Fa ther Junipero went up and dow n the country founding

missions, and cheering and helping his brother monks. In

the face of most appa lling discouragement and suffering,his a rdor w as never chilled

,his courage never daunted .

His joy and enthusia sm on the beginning of a new mission

were vividly described by one w ho w ent'

w ith him to esta b

lish the M ission ofSan An tonio .

They had wandered off into the wilderness in search of

a suitable loca tion , eagerly looking for rive r va lleys whichwould promise fertility . Fa ther Serra , catching sight of

a beautiful oak- shaded plain , ordered a ha lt . He seized the

FIFTH BOOK 403

bells, and hanging them on an oak bough , began to ring

them vigorously, meantime ca lling a loud,“Hea r , bear , 0

ye Gentiles ; come to the Holy Church , come to the Faith

of Jesus Christ .” On being reminded that not one Indian

w as in sight, he said,“Let me unburden my heart which

could wish tha t this be ll might be heard by all in these

mountains and by allthe world .

In founding a mission it w as the custom first to setup a

cross and then to make’

a shelter ofbranches ca lled a Ramada ,where Mass could be celebra ted . The Indians were sum

moned to the pla ce by the ringing of bells, and presents

of cloth and trinkets were given to inspire them with fa ith

in the strangers. Tw o monks were left in charge of each

mission and a few soldiers remained to help and defend

them .

The priests were forbidden to carry arms, and mantles

of deerskin were their only protec tion against the arrows

of hostile Indians, yet they went about unharmed even

amongunknown tribes. Ma ny ofthese tribes were friendly,but some were fea rful and distrustful . The Fa thers, how

ever , were very patien t and con tinued to trea t allwith the

greatest kindness, and in time they w on their deepest love

and confidence . To show their gra titude and devotion to

the friars, the Indians had a beautiful custom of sca tteringchoice grain on the ground before their feet .

The San Carlos Mission a t Monterey w as Father Serra ’s

ow n especial cha rge . When not called away as President

of the Missions, he Spent his time here, tea ching the Indians

404 FIFTH BOOK

and working side by side with them , making adobe for the

buildings, digging in the field, doing in fac t every kind of

THE STANFO RD MONUMENT TO JUNIPERO SERRA AT MON KEY

work that be required of them . He devoted the remaining yea rs of his life to untiring efforts for the poor In

dians of California , and their inconsolable grief at his death

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D g tzed by ( 300316

FIFTH BOOK 407

a square , and the other buildingswere at right angles. The

dormitories of the monks and the steward’s room , the

traveler’s room and schoo lroom ,the workshop and store

house, allopenedupon the court . In'

this court and in the

famous wa lled gardens a t each mission there were beautiful

trees and sparkling fountains.

As the missions became la rger , better and finer buildings

were made . In severa l places massive stone churches were

erected , with pillars, ai'ched aisles and domes. These

churches have become models for the a rchitec ts ofto- day .

From the simple brush shelters which were at first used

by the Fathers to these beautiful and sta tely churches it

w as a wonderful change indeed . Even to rear such strue

tures w as a grea t a c complishment, but to design a form

of architecture so ma jestic and so symmetrica l w as an

achievement still more wonderful .

In this work of building and decora ting churches, the

Fathers were animated by the same spirit of devotion which

inspired the monks of the Middle Ages. Like them they

gave their best thought and their finest workmanship in an

effort to make a fit dwelling pla ce for the Most High .

The Influenc e of the Missions

As years passed , the missions grewmore andmore prosperous. Immense tra cts of land extending over hill and va lley

were in cluded in their productive farms . La rge herds of

ca ttle and horses a nd flocks ofsheep gra zed in the pastures,

408 FI FTH BOOK

a nd grain fields a nd fruit orcha rds covered the plains . By

incessant toil the wilderness had been converted into a

beautiful ga rden . And a change as truly great a nd wonder

fulhad been wrought in the condition of the people . They

had been brought out of heathen darkness in to the light

of Christianity and civilization .

At the end of sixty years the missions had become large

communities. The Spanish government now decided to

form them in to pueblosor towns which should be under civil

authority, for this w as a part of their original plan of col

onization .

But this purpose w as executed in such a way that it broughtabout the m in of the missions . Much of the rich land

belonging to the Fa thers w a s taken away and turned over

to the government . During the revolutions in Mexico

they were plundered and defrauded by dishonest officials

until they were much impoverished . On ly a small fraction

of their va luable property remained , and some of their

finest churches were in ruins.

But though stones may crumble and buildings decay ,the influen ce of these men will never die . The memory . of

their heroism , sel f- sa crifice and religious zeal will be forever

cherished by the American people, a nd they wil l be honored

as the first Apostles of Christianity, and as the founders of

a grea t civilization in this beautiful western land .

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410 FIFTH BOOK

ADDRESS AT GE I IYSBURG

OURSCORE and seven years ago , our fathers brought

forth upon this continent a new na tion , conceived in

liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that allmen are

created equal . Now we are engaged in a great civil w ar , test

ing whether tha t nation , or any nation so conceived and so

dedicated , can long endure . We are met on a great battle

field of that w ar . We have come to dedicate a portion of

tha t field as a final resting place for those who here gave their

lives that the nation might live . It is a ltogether fitting

a nd proper that w e should do this. But in a larger sense w e

cannot dedicate, w e cannot consecrate, w e cannot hallow,

this ground . The brave men , living and dead, who struggled

here have consecrated it far above our power to add or

detrac t . The world will little note, nor long remember,what w e say here, but it can never forget wha t they did

here . It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here

to the unfinished work which they who fought here have

thus far so nobly advanced . It is rather for us to be here

dedica ted to the great task remaining before us that

from these honored dead w e take increased devotion to

tha t cause for which they gave the last full measure ofde

v otion tha t w e here highly resolve that these dead shall

not have died in vain tha t this nation , under God, shall

have a new birth of freedom and tha t government of

the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish

from the earth . ABRAHAM LINCOLN

FI FTH BOOK 41l

CENTENNIAL PRAYER

!A Prayer ofGratitude to Almighty God for His great mercies to our

country , and ofSupplication for His continued Protection and Guida nce .

Offered by James, CardinalGibbons at the opening of the Centennial

Exposition in Philadelphia July first, eighteen hundred seventy- six

,one

hundred years after the Declaration of Independence !

E pray thee, O God of might, wisdom and justice,

through whom authority is rightly administered, laws

a re enac ted and judgment dec reed, a ssist with Thy Holy

Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United

States, tha t his administration maybe conducted in righteousness, and

be eminently useful to Thy people

over whom he presides, by encour

aging due respect for virtue and

religion , by a faithful execution of

the laws, in justice and mercy, a nd

by restraining vice a nd immora lity.

Let the light of Thy divine w is

dom direct the deliberations of

Congress, and shine forth in all

their proceedings and laws framed

for our rule and government, so

that they may tend to the preserva tion of peace, the pro

motion of na tiona l happiness, the increase of industry,

sobriety, and usefulknowledge, and may perpetua te to us

the blessings ofequal liberty.

JAMES. CARDINAL G IBBONS

412 FIFTH BOOK

We pray Thee for all judges, magistrates, a nd other officers w ho are appointed to guard our

' political welfare , tha t

they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protec tion , to dis

cha rge the duties of their respective sta tions with honesty

and ability .

We pray Thee, especially, for the Judges of our Supreme

Court, tha t they may interpret the laws with even- handed

justice . May they ever be the faithful guardians of the

temple of the Constitution, whose construction and so lemn

dedica tion to our country’s liberties w e commemora te to

day ! May they sta nd as wa tchful and incorruptible sen

tinels at the po rta ls ofthis temple, shielding it from profana

tion and hostile invasion .

M ay this glorious charter of our civil rights be deeply

imprinted on the hearts and memories ofour people I M ay

it foster in them a spirit of patriotism ! May it weld to

gether and assimila te in national brotherhood the diverse

ra ces tha t come to seek a home among us. M ay the rever

ence paid to it constitute the promotion of soc ial stability

and order,a nd ma y it hold the zegis of its protection over

us and genera tions yet unborn, so that the temporal bless

ings which w e enjoy may be perpetua ted .

Grant, 0 Lord, tha t our Republic , unexampled in materia l

prosperity and growth of popula tion, may be also , under

Thy overruling providence, a model to all nations, in upholding liberty without license

,and in wielding authority

without despotism !

Finally, w e recomm end to Thy unbounded mercy allour

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LIST OF PROPER NAMES

Vebste r’s Inte rna tionalDictiona ry ,” edition of 1912, is the authority follow ed inthe ac centua tion a nd syllabica tion .

Abruzzo (it-briiit’so) old dept. conta ining severalprovinces, I taly .

Adrian a’dri- Jin) Roma n Emperor.

A dria n s Mole , the Castle of St.

Angelo, w hich is the remodeledmausoleum ofthe Em ror.

A idan (i’dan ) a n e y Eng . missiona ry .

Alaska ti-las ’kzi) ter . belonging to U. S.

Amste am (lim'sw r-darn) a c ity,

Holland.

A ntw erp (iint'w erp) a c ity, B elg ium.

A ’ri—el(A

'ri- él) a fa iry in

“ The Te rn$ 1

A rra n fir'an) is! . w . coast ofSc otla nd.

As’ (as’gard) home of the gods,

myth .

A 'tri (a’tre) a tow n , Italy .

Attila (aun t) king of Huns (a sav

age tribe ) , 406- 453 .

Augustine (8—gus’tin) Bishop ofHippo,354- 480.

Balakla va (bi - lb kla'va) a se aport,Crimea .

Bannockbnrn (ban'nk-burn) a brook,

Scotland.

Bagdad (bag'dad) a tow n ,

Arabia .

Ital'der (bOl’der) god oflight, myth.

Bal- ta 'sar (bal- ta’ZAr) mass. proper

name .

Ber’se rk ibfir’sfirk) a w ild w arrior

among the Northmen.

B in'nen- hof (bin'nen - h i

‘

if) a palace at

The Hague, now used for keepingarch ives .

lljtirnson (bjiirn mi n) a Norw egianw riter.

B regenz (hrs-

génls') a tow n , Austria .

a~lus (bu- set xi-liia) the cele

bra ted w ar horse of Alexa nder the

Grea t.

Cal’i- ba n (kal’i- ban) a sa vage slave of

Prospe ro in The Tempest."

Carrick (kiir'ik) a pm v. , Sco tland.

Cc - loe'sian (kc- lbsh’an) an inha bitantofColosse .

Columba (kt-liim’ba) St521- 597 .

Constantinople (kone tlin - ti a

c ity, Turkey .

Con -sti- tu’tien (ken- sti The

fundam ental princ iples of govern

ment ofa nation, state or soc iety.

Cc - tin'th i- an (kt- rin’thi- iin) an inha b

fra nt ofCorinth.

Cor'pus Chris'ti (cer’piis kris

'ti ) a festivalin honor ofthe Eucha rist.

Crespi an assoc ia te of Serra .

Crimea (kri-mé'é) a peninsula , Russia .

Daas, Je'ha n (das, ya'an) Nello

’s

grandfa ther .

Dom'i- nie

$d6m’i - né) spec if. a pastor

ofthe re ormed Dutc h Church .

E ildon (el'don) hills, ScotlandE- phe

'sians (e- fe'zha nz) inhabitants ofEphesus.

E'rin (e’rin) I reland, an early and now

a poetic name .

Eu- cha - ris’tic (ii-ka- tie'tie) perta in ingto the Eucharist.

Fan 'euil (fan"el) a market building,

ton,conta ining a public hall.

Fed'er-al (fed'er- al) spec if. a political

party .

Flem'ish (flém’ish) perta ining to

Flanders .

Franks (franks) a people w ho foundedthe French mona rchy .

Frey (fra) god ofsummer , myth .

ale , senate , ci te , 5m ,decount, firm ,Ask, soil ; eve . event, end, recdnt maker ; ice, ill; old, Obey , orb,

414

FIFTH

Frey’a (fra

'a) goddess ofspring , myth.Friesla nd (free

'land) a prov. , Netherlands .

Galvez , J086 (gal'veth , h6-say

’) Spa nishVisitor- General, w ho represented the

king .

Gas'

pa r (gas'par ) masc . proper name .

Ge ism a r (gis'mat) an anc ient tow n ,

Ger.

(jen’til) spec if. neither a Jew

nor a Christian.

Gon- za'lo (gen - w it) a charac ter in

“ The Tempest.”

Hague, The (hag ) a c ity , Holland.

Hecla (hék'la) a mt. , I celand.

Heim'dal(him'dal) A sga rd w a tc hman,

myth.

Henry II I, king ofEng , 1216 - 1272.

Hesse (hes) a region in centralGe r.

Hil'de- brand (hil'de- briind) prince in

The Skeleton in A rmor.”

Hd’de r (hit’der) a brother of B alder,

myth .

Inh is -fa olen (in'is- fa -len) a poetic

name for Ireland.

Jo’ten- heim (yo'tEn - him) home of

g ia nts, myth.

Kaatskill(kO'terz- kfl ) CatskillMts.

K empis, a (kem'pis, a) Thomas, Ger.

ecclesiastic a nd author.K er'mess (kiir

'mis) a fa ir.K illarney (ki-léir

’ni) lakes and tow n ,

Ireland.

Leif (iii) an early Northern voyager .

Lo'ki (lo'ké) fire god, myth .

Los A ngeles (lés an'jel-és) a c ity, Cal.

Louva in (lm- van') a c ity , Belg ium .

Low Countries, The Netherlands.

Macé, Jean (ma- sa’, zhan)French storyw riter .

Mahony (ma'lib- n! ) Irish author.

BOOK 415

Ma i'da (ma'da) Scott

’s dog .

Majorca ml- jOr’lnt) isl. Med. sea .

Ma rtel, C a rles (mar- tel', sharl) a rulerofthe Franks.

Mat- thi’as (ma- thi’as) masc . propername .

Mel'chi-or (mél'kI-or) masc . proper

name .

Mer’cu- ry (mer’ch- ry) the messenger

among theMethven (meth

'ven) a tow n , Scotland

Meuse (mus) a river, Holla nd.

Monterey (men - te- ra') a c ity , Cal.Moscow (mos

'co) a city , Russia .

Morse (more) Am. inventor (telegraph) , 1791- 1872 .

Myn -hee r’ (min -har') Mr . or Sir

(Dutch) .

aples a city , Italy .

Notre Dame a

ca thedral, Par is.Nutescelle (nil’tés- cél) a tow n , Eng .

Oberammergau (b- ber - a'

m'mer -gon) a

v illage , Ba varia .

Olympus (o a mt. in Greece,believed by the Greeks to be thehome ofthe Gods.

Palou(pace-

s) an assoc i

Par'a - clete (par’a-klet) a term applied

to the Holy Sp irit.Pa - ri'sien (pa- rizh'an) a native ofParis.

Passion Play , a mystery play in w hichthe scenes connec ted w ith the Pas

sion of Christ are represented ; as

tha tgiven every ten years atOberamme u.

Pa - tra sche (pi t rii’shé) name ofa dog .

Pen’te - c ost (pen'te- kost) a festival

commemorating the desc ent of theHoly Spiritupon the A postles.

Pe

lgtlalnd (pEnt

'IEind) a county, Scotn

Phi-le'mon (fi—lé’mon) one ofthe early

stilt, ednnect ;use ,unite ,urn,up, clrotis,menii ;mod, ram; out, oil Ink ;men, thin ; mere, verdg ro.

416

Phi-lip’pi- nu(ii -llp

’i-ah ) an inhabitantofPhilippi.

Pliny plln’l) a Latin w riter.

Porto (per- to-la’) a Spanish ca pta in.

Post and Pa ir, an old game at cards.Pros'pe- ro (pros

'pé- ro) a charac te r in

“The Tempest."

Bachria (rac ’rin) a tow n, Ireland.

Ite

t

(

ail

le- van

’ni (ta jO- va’ne) King John,

I

Rossetti (no-mun) an English w riter .

Rotte rdam (rot’er-diIm) a c ity ,Holland.

Saamnnd (se'miind) an anc ient poet,Iceland.

Sa ’ga sa'ga) Norse tale or tradition .

Sa int enis (dc- ne') the pa tron sa int

ofFrance .

Sa int Philomena (fiI-o-mé’na) one ofthe ea rly mart rs .

Saint Sophia 41's) ch . Constanti

nople, now used as a mosque .

Sa intVincentde Paul(van -san'de p61)founder of Sisters ofChar ity .

”

San Carlos (sari kar'los) a.m ission , Cal.

San D iego (sari deo a’gO) a c ity , Cal.

Sa n Luis Obispo (can Io‘

o’is 6- bis’p6)

a c ity, Cal.San Rafael(sari rti- fél

') a tow n, Cal.

a -ce n (sar’a sen a Mohammedan .

Sas'sa - nac h (sas'e k) Saxon.

Sa xony (sak'eo-ui) prov. , Ger .

Scol'y . tus (skol’l- tiis) a kind ofbeetle .

Sc one (skOn) a tow n, Sc otland.

Scuta ri(skm-ta're) a to w n , Turkey .

Serra , unipero (sér’ra, j il- nip’e- rfl)

Spanish missiona ry .

Shrove 'tide (slirov'tid) the days imme

dia tely before A sh Wednesday .

Sierra Nevada (si- ér'a né- vii'da) mts.

Cal.Skald (skald) a hard ofthe Northmen .

Skaw (ska) a promontory (Icelandic) .Skoal(skol) Ha ill ( Icelandic ) .Solw ay (sol

’w a) a rive r, Scotla nd.

Spa rta (spar’ta) a c ity , Greece .

ille , senAte , c a’

ire . rim ,account, firm , Ask, sofa ; Eve . event. 6nd. recent. maker ; ice , ill

,FIFTH BOOK

Stony Point, a fort, N. Y . , taken byGen. Wayne, 1779.

Syn'dic (sin

'dic) a magistra te .

Te Deum té de'lim) an anc ient a nd

celebra Christian hymn .

Teu'ton (tu’tbn) a Ge rman tribe.

Thes -as—lo 'ni- an (thés- sri- lb 'nI- an)inhabitant ofThessalonica .

Thor (thOr) god ofthunder, myth .

Thrym (thrlm) the king offrost giants.

Thuringia (thu- rin'd ) a prov. , Ger .

Tiber (ti'ber) a r iver, I taly .

Tim’o- thy (tim

’fi- thy) a c olleague ofSt. Paul

Tu'balCa in (tu’b’lcan) a tea cher of

w orkers in iron a ndbrass , Gen . iv, 22.

Tur'pin (tilr'pin) a celebra ted arch

bishop.

Ty r ter) god of courage , myth .

Tyre (tir'bl) a prov . , Austria .

Uhland Ger. poet, 1787- 1862.

Utrecht (u'trekt) a c ity , Holland.

Val- halla (vol- ham) the a hallofthesla in .

"

Vat’i-c a n (vat'i -kan) the papalpalace .

Verger (var -har') an assoc iate ofSe rra .

Vizc alno (veth-kii-é’nb) an ea rly Span

ish explorer.

Welsh w elch) inhabita nts ofWales .

Wences a ns (w en'ces- IOs) king of B 0

hemia 186 1- 1419 .

Westmai (w est'mal) B elgium .

Wren , Jenny (ren) a popular name

g iven to a w ren .

Ygg'dra - sil(Ig

’dr it- sll) the tree w hich

suppo rted the un iverse , myth .

Yule (ya il) the name of a w inter

month, now Dec . or Jan .

Yuletide (ycTol'tid) the time ofYule .

Zuyder Zee' (xi-dEr 260a gulf, Netherlands.

Obey , orb,eon , connec t;use ,unite ,urn, hp, c irc r

'

is, m enii ;mm . feet; out, o il; ink ; the n, thin ; neg ro, verg,18