Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, No more shall feel the victor's tread, Oh, better that her shattered hulk And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale! -Oliver Wendell Holmes You will be interested in other poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Here is one that shows his charming humor. THE HEIGHT OF THE RIDICULOUS And thought, as usual, men would say They were so queer, so very queer, Albeit, in the general way, I called my servant, and he came; To mind a slender man like me, "These to the printer," I exclaimed, He took the paper, and I watched, At the first line he read, his face He read the next; the grin grew broad, He read the third; a chuckling noise The fourth; he broke into a roar; The fifth; his waistband split; The sixth; he burst five buttons off, Ten days and nights, with sleepless eye, And since, I never dare to write As funny as I can. -Oliver Wendell Holmes Preparation work. Choose one of the poems listed below and be prepared to read it, or such parts of it as your teacher may designate, before the class. 1. The Chambered Nautilus 2. Lexington 3. The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay 5. The Last Leaf 6. Contentment 7. The Old Man Dreams 8. The Boys Lexington, The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay, and The Ballad of the Oysterman tell interesting stories. There are a great many poems which tell stories. Here is a list. It will be interesting if various members of the class will read some of these poems and tell the class about them. Always read the poem aloud before you come to class. See if you have emphasized the important words. Guard carefully against a singsong effect. And, above all, pronounce your words clearly, particularly those that end with consonants. 1. Paul Revere's Ride.. 2. King Robert of Sicily. 3. The Bell of Atri.... 4. Little Breeches. 5. The Enchanted Shirt 6. Danny Deever.. 7. The Little Peach.. 8. The Yarn of the Nancy Bell.. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 9. How Brer Tarrypin Learned to Fly 10. Horatius at the Bridge.. 11. The Leak in the Dyke.. 12. Lochinvar.. 13. The Little Black-Eyed Rebel. 14. Incident of the French Camp.. 15. Sheridan's Ride.... 16. The Pied Piper of Hamelin.. 17. Bishop Hatto and the Mouse Tower. 18. The Glove and the Lions. 19. Lord Ullin's Daughter... Books to be read to pupils: The Story of the Other Wise Man.. A Perfect Tribute. With Cortés, the Conqueror. Tales of a Grandfather.. John Hay John Hay Rudyard Kipling William Schwenck Gilbert Sir Walter Scott Will Carleton .Robert Browning Thomas Buchanan Read .Robert Browning Robert Southey .Leigh Hunt Thomas Campbell Henry van Dyke John Burroughs Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews Paul Revere, the Torchbearer of the Revolution. .Nathaniel Hawthorne ...Belle Moses I have no books. 7. Common Errors Corrected SELECTION FOR MEMORIZING WHO HATH A BOOK Who hath a book At his command; Who bath a book. Who hath a book Has but to read All this is his Who hath a book. -Wilbur D. Nesbit 45. CARTOONS I UNCLE SAM During the American War of Independence one of the provision inspectors was Samuel Wilson, a tall, lanky, goodnatured fellow who was called, by his employees and others, "Uncle Sam." The supplies which came to Samuel Wilson bore the initials "E. A. U. S.," meaning Elbert Anderson, United States. The soldiers formed the habit of reading this, "Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam." Samuel Wilson was more than a willing worker; he was efficient. When there was doubt about getting supplies to or from a certain point the soldiers would say, "Trust Uncle Sam to get that done." Some persons thought that the soldiers meant the United States. The joke was too good to die. Before the war had ended Uncle Sam became synonymous with U. S.-The United States. Study a cartoon of Uncle Sam carefully and see if you can account for the way he is dressed. Do you think he would represent the United States better if he were short and fat? Give one or two reasons for your answer. What qualities does Uncle Sam represent? Look through several old magazines for cartoons of Uncle Sam. Tell in a few words what each one means. Written work. Write a paragraph telling about the attitude of Uncle Sam toward those in distress? You may choose one of the following topics, or something which happened more recently: 1. How Uncle Sam Helped the Russian Children After the World War. 2. What Uncle Sam Did for the Japanese After the Terrible Earthquake of 1924. II OTHER CARTOONS You can scarcely find a magazine of current events that does not contain several cartoons. The cartoonist can often express more in one little drawing than a |