"Tried and convicted traitor!" Who says this? Who'll prove it, at his peril, on my head? Banished! I thank you for't. It breaks my chain! this hour; I held some slack allegiance till But here I stand and scoff you! here I fling Your Consul's merciful; - for this, all thanks. -- "Traitor!" I go; but, I return! This trial! Here I devote your Senate! I've had wrongs To stir a fever in the blood of age, Or make the infant's sinews strong as steel. For there, henceforth, shall sit, for household gods, I go; but not to leap the gulf alone. Of ocean in the earthquake, rolling back In swift and mountainous ruin. Fare you well! I will return. -Arranged from GEORGE CROLY, Catiline. CALLING A BOY IN THE MORNING Calling a boy up in the morning can hardly be classed under the head of pastimes, especially if the boy has taken a great deal of active exercise the day before. And, it is a little singular that the next hardest thing to getting a boy out of bed is getting him into it. There is rarely a mother who is a success at rousing a boy. All mothers know this; so do their boys; and yet the mother seems to go at it in the right way. She opens the stair door and insinuatingly calls, "Johnny." There is no response. "Johnny." Still no response. Then there is a short, sharp "John," followed a moment later by a long and emphatic "John Henry." A grunt from the upper regions signifies that an impression has been made, and the mother is encouraged to add: "You'd better be down here to your breakfast, young man, before I come up there, an' give you something you'll feel." This so startles the young man that he immediately goes to sleep again. This operation has to be repeated several times. A father knows nothing about this trouble. He merely opens his mouth as a soda bottle ejects its cork, and the "John Henry " that cleaves the air of that stairway goes into that boy like electricity, and pierces the deepest recesses of his nature. He pops out of that bed and into his clothes, and down the stairs, with a promptness that is commendable. It is rarely a boy allows himself to dis regard the paternal summons. About once a year is believed to be as often as is consistent with the rules of health. He saves his father a great many steps by his thoughtfulness. -J. M. BAILEY. THE POWER OF HABIT I remember once riding from Buffalo to the Niagara Falls. I said to a gentleman, "What river is that, sir?" “That,” he said, “is Niagara River." "Well, it is a beautiful stream," said I; "bright and fair and glassy. How far off are the rapids?" 66 ‘Only a mile or two," was the reply. "Is it possible that only a mile from us we shall find the water in the turbulence which it must show near the falls?" "You will find it so, sir.' And so I did find it; and the first sight of Niagara I shall never forget. Now launch your bark on that Niagara River; it is bright, smooth, beautiful, and glassy. There is a ripple at the bow; the silver wake you leave behind adds to your enjoyment. Down the stream you glide, oars, sails, and helm in proper trim, and you set out on your pleasure excursion. Suddenly some one cries out from the bank, "Young men, ahoy!" "What is it?" "The rapids are below you." "Ha ha! we have heard of the rapids; but we are not such fools as to get there. If we go too fast, then we shall up with the helm, and steer to the shore; we will set the mast in the socket, hoist the sail, and speed to the land. Then on, boys; don't be alarmed, there is no danger." "YOUNG MEN, AHOY THERE!' "What is it?" "THE RAPIDS ARE BELOW YOU." "Ha! ha! we will laugh and quaff; all things delight us. What care we for the future! No man ever saw it. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. We will enjoy life while we may; we will catch pleasure as it flies. This is enjoyment; time enough to steer out of danger when we are sailing swiftly with the current." "BEWARE! BEWARE! THE RAPIDS ARE BELOW YOU! Now you see the water foaming all around. See how fast you pass that point! Up with the helm! Now turn! Pull hard! Quick! QUICK! QUICK! pull hard for your lives! pull till the blood starts from your nostrils, and the veins start like whipcords upon your brow! Set the mast in the socket! hoist the sail! ah! ah! it is too late! Shrieking, HOWLING, BLASPHEMING, over they go.” 66 Thousands go over the rapids of intemperance every year through the power of habit, crying all the while, "When I find out that it is injuring me, I will give it up!" - JOHN B. GOUGH. CHAPTER IX ENUNCIATION HOWEVER expressive or charming the vocal delivery, it will fail to interest the audience unless they can both hear and understand what is said. Mere loudness may result only in confusion of sound, especially if there is an echo in the room. Distinctness is attained more by purity of tone and precision of utterance than by volume. The vowel sounds of the English language are as follows, the order being from that made with the highest position of the tongue (e) to that with the lowest position of the tongue (ä) and the roundest shape of the lips (ōō): — ē-in mē, sēē, ēēl. ĭ—in ill, it, in, pity. ā — in pãy, sāy (notice the "vanish" e sound, which is always heard except when a precedes e, as in aerial). â—in care, fair, wherefore. ĕin pět, lět, sět, end. ǎ"short" or "flat" in at, hat, cat; slightly broader in mặn, căn a "obscure" as in unaccented syllables, or the article a when unemphatic. Say neither man, u horse, nor ā man, ā horse, unless you wish to emphasize the article. ȧ-intermediate between ǎ and ä (a little like short Ŏ) ask, task, fast, dance; not fast nor fäst. Generally |