1. Explain the following references in the first stanza: "the North"; "wild news"; "boreal light"; "first oath of Freedom's gun"; "Concord . . . forgot her old baptismal name."2. Where does this story begin? What is the purpose of the first stanza? Where is the scene laid? What is the date of the action? Who was Berkeley? What occurs?3. What other dramatic Revolutionary War episodes do you know? Name three other Revolutionary War poems.4. Thomas Buchanan Read (1822-1872) was a Pennsylvanian by birth. His interests in art and literature took him abroad, and he spent several years in Italy. A number of his poems and paintings are highly esteemed.
1. Explain the following references in the first stanza: "the North"; "wild news"; "boreal light"; "first oath of Freedom's gun"; "Concord . . . forgot her old baptismal name."
2. Where does this story begin? What is the purpose of the first stanza? Where is the scene laid? What is the date of the action? Who was Berkeley? What occurs?
3. What other dramatic Revolutionary War episodes do you know? Name three other Revolutionary War poems.
4. Thomas Buchanan Read (1822-1872) was a Pennsylvanian by birth. His interests in art and literature took him abroad, and he spent several years in Italy. A number of his poems and paintings are highly esteemed.
There is a land of every land the pride,Beloved of Heaven o'er all the world beside,There brighter suns dispense serener lightAnd milder moons imparadise the night.O land of beauty, virtue, valor, truth,5Time-tutored age, and love-exalted youth!There is a spot of earth supremely blest,A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest,Where man, creation's tyrant, casts asideHis sword and scepter, pageantry and pride,10While in his softened looks benignly blendThe sire, the son, the husband, brother, friend.Where shall that land, that spot of earth, be found?Art thou a man, a patriot? Look around!O thou shalt find, howe'er thy footsteps roam,15That land thy country and that spot thy home.
1. Make a list of songs whose theme is love of country. Name the national hymns of the chief countries of the world. What songs have love of home as their theme?2. Write the meaning of the above poem in a few short sentences.3. Select five unusual words from the poem, give a brief definition of each, and use each in a sentence.4. Find out the following facts about the life of Montgomery: dates of birth and death; nationality; business or profession; chief writings.
1. Make a list of songs whose theme is love of country. Name the national hymns of the chief countries of the world. What songs have love of home as their theme?
2. Write the meaning of the above poem in a few short sentences.
3. Select five unusual words from the poem, give a brief definition of each, and use each in a sentence.
4. Find out the following facts about the life of Montgomery: dates of birth and death; nationality; business or profession; chief writings.
In March, 1775, a month before Lexington, Patrick Henry electrified the Virginia convention with the speech that here follows. A resolution was before the convention "that the colony be immediately put in a state of defence." Speaking to that resolution, Henry thrilled the delegates with his review of British mistreatment and his climax of "give me liberty or give me death."
In March, 1775, a month before Lexington, Patrick Henry electrified the Virginia convention with the speech that here follows. A resolution was before the convention "that the colony be immediately put in a state of defence." Speaking to that resolution, Henry thrilled the delegates with his review of British mistreatment and his climax of "give me liberty or give me death."
Mr. President, it is natural for man to indulge inthe illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyesagainst a painful truth, and to listen to the song of thesiren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part ofwise men engaged in the great and arduous struggle for5liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of thosewho, having eyes see not, and having ears hear not, thethings which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I amwilling to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to10provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided and thatis the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging ofthe future but by the past. And judging by the past, Iwish to know what there has been in the conduct of the15British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopeswith which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselvesand the House. Is it that insidious smile with whichour petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir;it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves20to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how thisgracious reception of our petition comports with thosewarlike preparations which cover our waters and darken ourland. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love andreconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwillingto be reconciled that force must be called in to win backour love?5
Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implementsof war and subjugation, the last argument to whichkings resort. I ask, sir, what means this martial array,if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Cangentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has10Great Britain any enemy in this quarter of the world tocall for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No,sir, she has none. They are meant for us. They can bemeant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivetupon us those chains which the British ministry have been15so long forging.
And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument?Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years.Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing.We have held the subject up in every light of which it is20capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort toentreaty and supplication? What terms shall we find thathave not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseechyou, sir, deceive ourselves longer. Sir, we have doneeverything that could have been done to avert the storm25that is now coming on. We have petitioned, we have remonstrated,we have supplicated, we have prostratedourselves before the throne and have implored its interpositionto arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministryand Parliament.30
Our petitions have been slighted, our remonstranceshave produced additional violence and insult, our supplicationshave been disregarded, and we have been spurnedwith contempt from the foot of the throne. In vain, afterthese things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace andreconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. Ifwe wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate these5inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending,if we mean not basely to abandon the noblestruggle in which we have been so long engaged, and whichwe have pledged ourselves never to abandon until theglorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must10fight! I repeat, sir, we must fight! An appeal to armsand to the God of hosts is all that is left us.
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope withso formidable an adversary. But when shall we bestronger? Will it be the next week or the next year?15Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when aBritish guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall wegather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall weacquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinelyon our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom, hope,20until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those meanswhich the God of Nature hath placed in our power.
Three millions of people armed in the holy cause ofliberty, and in such a country as that which we possess,25are invincible by any force which our enemy can sendagainst us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone.There is a just God who presides over the destinies ofnations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battlesfor us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to30the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we haveno election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is nowtoo late to retire from the contest. There is no retreatbut in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged.Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!The war is inevitable, and let it come! I repeat, sir, letit come!5
It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen maycry Peace, peace! But there is no peace. The war isactually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the Northwill bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Ourbrethren are already in the field! Why stand we here10idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would theyhave? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchasedat the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,Almighty God! I know not what course others may take,but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!15
1. The following outline sets forth the major topics of the speech. Find the paragraphs each includes. What did Henry say on each point?
1. The following outline sets forth the major topics of the speech. Find the paragraphs each includes. What did Henry say on each point?
I. Introduction1. The speaker is willing to face factsII. Body1. The past acts of the British ministry are notfavorable to present hope2. The present assembly of British armies and naviesmeans subjugation for the colonists3. The colonists cannot meet this force with petitions,fora. Petitions have been tried and are useless4. The colonists can meet the British only with force ofarms, fora. It is the only means left, andb. The colonists have the strength to fightIII. Conclusion1. Therefore, let us make ready for battle.
Executive Mansion, Washington.November 21, 1864.
Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Massachusetts.
Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the WarDepartment a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts5that you are the mother of five sons who havedied gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weakand fruitless must be any words of mine which shouldattempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming.But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the10consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republicthey died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father mayassuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave youonly the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and thesolemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a15sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,Abraham Lincoln.
1. Undoubtedly the most difficult kind of letter to write is the letter of sympathy, expressing sorrow for loss by death. Why? Lincoln's little letter to Mrs. Bixby has long been considered a classic of its kind. It is sincere, sympathetic, and helpful. What makes it so?2. How did Lincoln come to write this letter? What does the fact that he wrote it show about the man? What was his object in writing it? Do you think he succeeded? What consolation did he offer the mother?
1. Undoubtedly the most difficult kind of letter to write is the letter of sympathy, expressing sorrow for loss by death. Why? Lincoln's little letter to Mrs. Bixby has long been considered a classic of its kind. It is sincere, sympathetic, and helpful. What makes it so?
2. How did Lincoln come to write this letter? What does the fact that he wrote it show about the man? What was his object in writing it? Do you think he succeeded? What consolation did he offer the mother?
What flower is this that greets the morn,Its hues from heaven so freshly born?With burning star and naming bandIt kindles all the sunset land:Oh, tell us what its name may be,—5Is this the Flower of Liberty?It is the banner of the free,The starry Flower of Liberty!In savage nature's far abodeIts tender seed our fathers sowed;10The storm winds rocked its swelling bud,Its opening leaves were streaked with blood,Till lo! earth's tyrants shook to seeThe full-blown Flower of Liberty!Then hail the banner of the free,15The starry Flower of Liberty!Behold its streaming rays uniteOne mingling flood of braided light,—The red that fires the Southern rose,With spotless white from Northern snows,20And, spangled o'er its azure, seeThe sister stars of Liberty!Then hail the banner of the free,The starry Flower of Liberty!The blades of heroes fence it round,Where'er it springs in holy ground;From tower and dome its glories spread;It waves where lonely sentries tread;It makes the land as ocean free,5And plants an empire on the sea!Then hail the banner of the free,The starry Flower of Liberty.Thy sacred leaves, fair Freedom's flower,Shall ever float on dome and tower,10To all their heavenly colors true,In blackening frost or crimson dew,—And God love us as we love thee,Thrice-holy Flower of Liberty!Then hail the banner of the free,15The starry Flower of Liberty.
1. What is "The Flower of Liberty?" Does Holmes gain anything by calling it a flower? Substitute its real name and read the poem through thus, to test your answer.2. Interpret the following passages: "hues from heaven"; "burning star"; "flaming band"; lines 9-14, page 348; lines 19-20, page 348; "blades of heroes"; "empire on the sea"; "thrice-holy."3. What other poems on the flag have you read? Which do you like best? How does this one compare in quality with the others?4. Bring to class another poem by Holmes and read an interesting extract from it.
1. What is "The Flower of Liberty?" Does Holmes gain anything by calling it a flower? Substitute its real name and read the poem through thus, to test your answer.
2. Interpret the following passages: "hues from heaven"; "burning star"; "flaming band"; lines 9-14, page 348; lines 19-20, page 348; "blades of heroes"; "empire on the sea"; "thrice-holy."
3. What other poems on the flag have you read? Which do you like best? How does this one compare in quality with the others?
4. Bring to class another poem by Holmes and read an interesting extract from it.
Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was the twenty-third President of the United States; the grandson of President William Henry Harrison; and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison, Sr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was well qualified to speak on the subject of real patriotism as against mere loyalty to political party.
Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was the twenty-third President of the United States; the grandson of President William Henry Harrison; and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison, Sr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was well qualified to speak on the subject of real patriotism as against mere loyalty to political party.
Let us exalt patriotism and moderate our party contentions.Let those who would die for the flag on thefield of battle give a better proof of their patriotism and ahigher glory to their country by promoting fraternity andjustice. A party success that is achieved by unfair methods5or by practices that partake of revolution is hurtful andevanescent, even from a party standpoint. We shouldhold our different opinions in mutual respect; and, havingsubmitted them to the arbitrament of the ballot, shouldaccept an adverse judgment with the same respect that we10would have demanded of our opponents if the decision hadbeen more in our favor.
No other people have a government more worthy of theirrespect and love, or a land so magnificent in extent, sopleasant to look upon, and so full of generous suggestion15to enterprise and labor. God has placed upon our heada diadem, and has laid at our feet power and wealth beyonddefinition or calculation. But we must not forget thatwe take these gifts upon the condition that justice andmercy shall hold the reins of power, and that the upward20avenues of hope shall be free for all the people.
I do not mistrust the future. Dangers have been infrequent ambush along our path, but we have uncoveredand vanquished them all. Passion has swept some of ourcommunities, but only to give us a new demonstration thatthe great body of our people are stable, patriotic, and law-abiding.5No political party can long pursue advantageat the expense of public honor, or by rude and indecentmethods, without protest and fatal disaffection in its ownbody. The peaceful agencies of commerce are more fullyrevealing the necessary unity of all our communities, and10the increasing intercourse of our people is promoting mutualrespect. We shall find unalloyed pleasure in the revelationwhich our census will make of the swift development of thegreat resources of some of the states. Each state willbring its generous contributions to the great aggregate of15the nation's increase. And when the harvests from thefields, the cattle from the hills, and the ores from the earth,shall have been weighed, counted, and valued, we will turnfrom all to crown with the highest honor the state that hasmost promoted education, virtue, justice, and patriotism20among its people.
1. When was Benjamin Harrison President? What did he know about the party defeats he mentions? Was he ever a defeated candidate?2. What are the leading political parties of our country at present? Are they essential to our form of government? Support your answer by reasons.3. Explain what Harrison meant by: "A party success . . . achieved by unfair methods"; "the arbitrament of the ballot"; "justice and mercy shall hold the reins of power"; the last sentence.
1. When was Benjamin Harrison President? What did he know about the party defeats he mentions? Was he ever a defeated candidate?
2. What are the leading political parties of our country at present? Are they essential to our form of government? Support your answer by reasons.
3. Explain what Harrison meant by: "A party success . . . achieved by unfair methods"; "the arbitrament of the ballot"; "justice and mercy shall hold the reins of power"; the last sentence.
O beautiful for spacious skies,For amber waves of grain,For purple mountain majestiesAbove the fruited plain!America! America!5God shed His grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea!O beautiful for pilgrim feet,Whose stern, impassioned stress10A thoroughfare for freedom beatAcross the wilderness!America! America!God mend thine every flaw,Confirm thy soul in self-control,15Thy liberty in law!O beautiful for heroes provedIn liberating strife,Who more than self their country loved,And mercy more than life!20America! America!May God thy gold refineTill all success be noblenessAnd every gain divine!O beautiful for patriot dreamThat sees, beyond the years,Thine alabaster cities gleamUndimmed by human tears!America! America!5God shed His grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea!
1. The author mentions many ways in which America is beautiful. Which of these are real, matter-of-fact? Which are not?2. To whom is the reference in lines 9-10 applicable? Explain lines 14-16. Paraphrase line 19. What is meant by line 7, page 353?3. Memorize at least one stanza of the poem.
1. The author mentions many ways in which America is beautiful. Which of these are real, matter-of-fact? Which are not?
2. To whom is the reference in lines 9-10 applicable? Explain lines 14-16. Paraphrase line 19. What is meant by line 7, page 353?
3. Memorize at least one stanza of the poem.
This is a part of Lowell's "Commemoration Ode" written in honor of the heroes of Harvard College, killed in the Civil War. Lowell here imagines America as a beautiful woman—a Goddess of Liberty—now fully restored to her worshipers.
This is a part of Lowell's "Commemoration Ode" written in honor of the heroes of Harvard College, killed in the Civil War. Lowell here imagines America as a beautiful woman—a Goddess of Liberty—now fully restored to her worshipers.
O beautiful! My Country! ours once more!Smoothing thy gold of war-disheveled hairO'er such sweet brows as never other wore, . . .What were our lives without thee?What all our lives to save thee?5We reck not what we gave thee;We will not dare to doubt thee,But ask whatever else, and we will dare!
The following is extracted from the inaugural address of President Roosevelt, delivered March 4, 1905. It is of special interest to read it in connection with Mr. Hughes's speech (page 356) and to compare the ideas of citizenship and of our country as expressed in the two. In reading this speech you should bear in mind that the era was one of peace, long undisturbed by war. Our problems then were the ordinary problems of everyday living.
The following is extracted from the inaugural address of President Roosevelt, delivered March 4, 1905. It is of special interest to read it in connection with Mr. Hughes's speech (page 356) and to compare the ideas of citizenship and of our country as expressed in the two. In reading this speech you should bear in mind that the era was one of peace, long undisturbed by war. Our problems then were the ordinary problems of everyday living.
Modern life is both complex and intense, and thetremendous changes wrought by the extraordinaryindustrial development of the half century are felt in everyfiber of our social and political being. Never before havemen tried so vast and formidable an experiment as that of5administering the affairs of a continent under the form of ademocratic republic. The conditions which have told forour marvelous material well-being, which have developedto a very high degree our energy, self-reliance, and individualinitiative, also have brought the care and anxiety10inseparable from the accumulation of great wealth inindustrial centers.
Upon the success of our experiment much depends, notonly as regards our own welfare, but as regards the welfareof mankind. If we fail, the cause of free self-government15throughout the world will rock to its foundations, andtherefore our responsibility is heavy, to ourselves, to theworld as it is to-day, and to the generations yet unborn.
There is no good reason why we should fear the future,but there is every reason why we should face it seriously,20neither hiding from ourselves the gravity of the problemsbefore us, nor fearing to approach these problems with theunbending, unflinching purpose to solve them aright.
Yet after all, though the problems are new, though thetasks set before us differ from the tasks set before our5fathers who founded and preserved this republic, thespirit in which these tasks must be undertaken and theseproblems faced, if our duty is to be well done, remainsessentially unchanged. We know that self-government isdifficult. We know that no people needs such high traits10of character as that people which seeks to govern its affairsaright through the freely expressed will of the free men whocompose it.
But we have faith that we shall not prove false to memoriesof the men of the mighty past. They did their work;15they left us the splendid heritage we now enjoy. We in ourturn have an assured confidence that we shall be able to leavethis heritage unwasted and enlarged to our children's children.
To do so, we must show, not merely in great crises, butin the everyday affairs of life, the qualities of practical20intelligence, of courage, of hardihood, of endurance, andabove all, the power of devotion to a lofty ideal, whichmade great the men who founded this republic in the daysof Washington; which made great the men who preservedthis republic in the days of Abraham Lincoln.25
1. Give a full report of Roosevelt's life and activities—political, literary, personal. Try to describe the kind of man you think he was.2. Find in this section of your Reader expressions similar to lines 10-13, page 355.3. What qualities does Roosevelt say we must display if our country is to survive? Why does he speak of our form of government as an experiment?
1. Give a full report of Roosevelt's life and activities—political, literary, personal. Try to describe the kind of man you think he was.
2. Find in this section of your Reader expressions similar to lines 10-13, page 355.
3. What qualities does Roosevelt say we must display if our country is to survive? Why does he speak of our form of government as an experiment?
Charles Evans Hughes (1862- ) has had a conspicuous political career. He has been successively governor of New York for two terms, a justice of the Supreme Court; Republican nominee for the Presidency; and Secretary of State.At the time of the delivery of this speech Europe was in the throes of the World War. America was soon to join forces with the Allies against Germany. This extract from Mr. Hughes's speech should be read with the spirit of portending war in mind. But the four-square interpretation of Americanism that is herein set forth holds to-day with as much force as in 1916. Read the selection especially to get the notion of an ideal America and the ideal citizen.
Charles Evans Hughes (1862- ) has had a conspicuous political career. He has been successively governor of New York for two terms, a justice of the Supreme Court; Republican nominee for the Presidency; and Secretary of State.
At the time of the delivery of this speech Europe was in the throes of the World War. America was soon to join forces with the Allies against Germany. This extract from Mr. Hughes's speech should be read with the spirit of portending war in mind. But the four-square interpretation of Americanism that is herein set forth holds to-day with as much force as in 1916. Read the selection especially to get the notion of an ideal America and the ideal citizen.
We want something more than thrills in our patriotism—wewant thought; we want intelligence—anew birth of the sentiment of unity in the nation.
My dream of America is America represented in publicoffice by its best men working entirely for the good of the5Republic and according to the laws and ordinances establishedby the people for the government of their conduct,and not for personal or political desires and ambitions;America working her institutions as they were intended tobe worked, with men whose sole object shall be to secure10the end for which the offices were designed.
And if one will throw his personal fortunes to the winds,if he will perform in each place, high or low, the manifestobligations of that place, we will soon have those victoriesof democracy which will make the Fourth of July in its15coming years a far finer and nobler day than it has everbeen in the fortunate years of the past.
When we are thinking of the ideals of democracy, weare thinking of the schools, and we deplore every conditionin which we find man lower than he should be under a freegovernment, and we want greater victories of democracy,that the level of success shall be raised.5
We are not a rash people; we are not filled with thespirit of militarism. We are not anxious to get into trouble,but if anybody thinks that the spirit of service and sacrificeis lost and that we have not the old sentiment of self-respect,he doesn't understand the United States.10
We want patriotism, and I don't think that we are goingto lose it very soon, although I do devoutly hope that outof the perils and difficulties of this time may come a newbirth of the sentiment of unity. I do hope that in themidst of all these troublesome conditions we will have a15better realization of our national strength and the importof our democratic institutions.
The boy is going to thrill at the sight of the flag to-dayjust as he did fifty years or one hundred years ago. Weare all going to thrill when we hear the words of our20national hymn and we think of the long years of struggleand determination that have brought us to this hour. Butwe want something more than thrills in our patriotism:we want thought; we want intelligence.
Not vast extent of territory, not great population, not25simply extraordinary statistics of national wealth, althoughthey speak in eloquent words of energy and managingability; but what we need more than anything else is anintelligent comprehension of the ideals of democracy.Those ideals are that every man shall have a fair and equal30chance according to his talents. It is not an ideal of democracythat one alone shall emerge because of conspicuousability, but that there shall be a great advance of the plainpeople of the country, upon whom the prosperity of thecountry depends.
It is all very well to talk about the Declaration of Independenceand the strong sentiments it contains, but that5was backed by men who couldn't have committed it tomemory, men who couldn't have repeated it, but men inwhose lives was the incarnation of independence and whosespirit was breathed into that immortal document.
It is because we had men who were willing to suffer, to10die, to venture, to sacrifice, that we have a country, andit is only by that spirit that we will ever be able to keep acountry. I love to think of those hardy men coming herewith the same spirit that led the pioneers to the West andFarther West, the same spirit which in every part of our15land has accounted for our development.
Quiet men, not noisy men; sensible men, not foolishmen; straight men, honest men, dependable men, realmen—that is what we mean by Americanism.
—From a Speech Delivered at Easthampton, L. I., July 4, 1916.
1. What evidences do you find in the speech that it was delivered in war times? When did we enter the World War? On what occasion was the speech made?2. Explain what Mr. Hughes describes as his "dream of America."3. Discuss: "But we want something more than thrills in our patriotism," lines 22-24, page 357.4. What ideals of democracy are described?5. Define Americanism in your own words.6. Explain what you think an ideal citizen of your community should be and do; of your school.
1. What evidences do you find in the speech that it was delivered in war times? When did we enter the World War? On what occasion was the speech made?
2. Explain what Mr. Hughes describes as his "dream of America."
3. Discuss: "But we want something more than thrills in our patriotism," lines 22-24, page 357.
4. What ideals of democracy are described?
5. Define Americanism in your own words.
6. Explain what you think an ideal citizen of your community should be and do; of your school.
What constitutes a State?Not high-raised battlement or labored mound,Thick wall or moated gate;Not cities proud with spires and turrets crowned;Not bays and broad-armed ports,5Where, laughing at the storm, rich navies ride;Not starred and spangled courts,Where low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride.No:—men, high-minded men,With powers as far above dull brutes endued10In forest, brake, or den,As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude;Men who their duties know,But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain,Prevent the long-aimed blow,15And crush the tyrant while they rend the chain:—These constitute a State.
1. What is meant by the word "State" as it is here used? In what "State" do you live?2. How many things are named, which do not constitute a State? Why do these things not make a State?3. What is it that makes a State? Why?4. Give in your own words the meaning of lines 13-16.
1. What is meant by the word "State" as it is here used? In what "State" do you live?
2. How many things are named, which do not constitute a State? Why do these things not make a State?
3. What is it that makes a State? Why?
4. Give in your own words the meaning of lines 13-16.
To serve my country day by dayAt any humble post I may;To honor and respect her flag,To live the traits of which I brag;To be American in deed5As well as in my printed creed.To stand for truth and honest toil,To till my little patch of soil,And keep in mind the debt I oweTo them who died that I might know10My country prosperous and free,And passed this heritage to me.I must always in trouble's hourBe guided by the men in power;For God and country I must live,15My best for God and country give;No act of mine that men may scanMust shame the name American.To do my best, and play my part,American in mind and heart;20To serve the flag and bravely standTo guard the glory of my land;To be American in deed,—God grant me strength to keep this creed.
(FromOver Here, copyrighted by Reilly & Lee Co., Publishers. Reproduced by permission.)
(FromOver Here, copyrighted by Reilly & Lee Co., Publishers. Reproduced by permission.)
FROM GREAT BOOKSOnly a few great books can be represented in this small section of your Reader. The extracts are offered in the firm belief that you will wish to read further in the volumes from which they were taken. Good books are like good friends; the better you know them the better you like them; and they stand ready always to give you genuine pleasure.
FROM GREAT BOOKS
Only a few great books can be represented in this small section of your Reader. The extracts are offered in the firm belief that you will wish to read further in the volumes from which they were taken. Good books are like good friends; the better you know them the better you like them; and they stand ready always to give you genuine pleasure.
Only a few great books can be represented in this small section of your Reader. The extracts are offered in the firm belief that you will wish to read further in the volumes from which they were taken. Good books are like good friends; the better you know them the better you like them; and they stand ready always to give you genuine pleasure.
The Lists at AshbyThe Lists at Ashby(See following page)
The following is the larger part of chapter eight of Scott'sIvanhoe. The hero of the novel is a Saxon knight, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, son of Cedric. Ivanhoe is in love with his father's ward, Rowena, but Cedric wishes her to marry a thick-headed Saxon thane, or lord, called Athelstane. According to Scott, the period was one of unrest. England had come into the possession of the Normans, and the native Saxons hated their new masters. Richard was king. But since he had gone to the Holy Land as a leader in one of the crusades, his brother, Prince John, ruled in his stead. Both were foreigners, but the common people liked Richard and hated John, who was not only a tyrant, but was also planning to seize his brother's throne. He had had Richard imprisoned in Austria, and had surrounded himself with ambitious and dissatisfied Norman knights. The tournament at Ashby was really a trial at arms between the Prince's followers and those of Richard, of whom Ivanhoe was one.
The following is the larger part of chapter eight of Scott'sIvanhoe. The hero of the novel is a Saxon knight, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, son of Cedric. Ivanhoe is in love with his father's ward, Rowena, but Cedric wishes her to marry a thick-headed Saxon thane, or lord, called Athelstane. According to Scott, the period was one of unrest. England had come into the possession of the Normans, and the native Saxons hated their new masters. Richard was king. But since he had gone to the Holy Land as a leader in one of the crusades, his brother, Prince John, ruled in his stead. Both were foreigners, but the common people liked Richard and hated John, who was not only a tyrant, but was also planning to seize his brother's throne. He had had Richard imprisoned in Austria, and had surrounded himself with ambitious and dissatisfied Norman knights. The tournament at Ashby was really a trial at arms between the Prince's followers and those of Richard, of whom Ivanhoe was one.
The lists now presented a most splendid spectacle.The sloping galleries were crowded with all that wasnoble, great, wealthy, and beautiful in the northern andmidland parts of England; and the contrast of the variousdresses of these dignified spectators rendered the view as5gay as it was rich, while the interior and lower space, filledwith the substantial burgesses and yeomen of merry England,formed, in their more plain attire, a dark fringe, orborder, around this circle of brilliant embroidery, relieving,and at the same time setting off, its splendor.10
The heralds finished their proclamation with their usualcry of "Largess, largess, gallant knights!" and gold andsilver pieces were showered on them from the galleries,it being a high point of chivalry to exhibit liberality towardthose whom the age accounted at once the secretaries andthe historians of honor. The bounty of the spectatorswas acknowledged by the customary shouts of "Love of5Ladies—Death of Champions—Honor to the Generous—Gloryto the Brave!" To which the more humblespectators added their acclamations, and a numerous bandof trumpeters the flourish of their martial instruments.When these sounds had ceased, the heralds withdrew from10the lists in gay and glittering procession, and none remainedwithin them save the marshals of the field, who, armed cap-a-pie,sat on horseback, motionless as statues, at the oppositeends of the lists.
Meantime, the inclosed space at the northern extremity15of the lists, large as it was, was now completely crowdedwith knights desirous to prove their skill against the challengers,and when viewed from the galleries presented theappearance of a sea of waving plumage intermixed withglistening helmets and tall lances, to the extremities of20which were, in many cases, attached small pennons ofabout a span's breadth, which, fluttering in the air as thebreeze caught them, joined with the restless motion of thefeathers to add liveliness to the scene.
At length the barriers were opened, and five knights25chosen by lot advanced slowly into the area; a single championriding in front and the other four following in pairs.All were splendidly armed, and my Saxon authority recordsat great length their devices, their colors, and the embroideryof their horse trappings. It is unnecessary to be30particular on these subjects. To borrow lines from acontemporary poet, who has written but too little—
"The knights are dust,And their good swords are rust,Their souls are with the saints, we trust."
Their escutcheons have long moldered from the walls oftheir castles. Their castles themselves are but green5mounds and shattered ruins—the place that once knewthem knows them no more—nay, many a race since theirshas died out and been forgotten in the very land which theyoccupied with all the authority of feudal lords. What,then, would it avail the reader to know their names or the10evanescent symbols of their martial rank!
Now, however, no whit anticipating the oblivion whichawaited their names and feats, the champions advancedthrough the lists, restraining their fiery steeds and compellingthem to move slowly, while, at the same time, they15exhibited their paces, together with the grace and dexterityof the riders. As the procession entered the lists, the soundof a wild barbaric music was heard from behind the tents ofthe challengers, where the performers were concealed. Itwas of Eastern origin, having been brought from the Holy20Land; and the mixture of the cymbals and bells seemed tobid welcome at once, and defiance, to the knights as theyadvanced.
With the eyes of an immense concourse of spectatorsfixed upon them, the five knights advanced up the platform25upon which the tents of the challengers stood, andthere separating themselves, each touched slightly, andwith the reverse of his lance, the shield of the antagonist towhom he wished to oppose himself. The lower orders ofspectators in general—nay, many of the higher class, and30it is even said several of the ladies—were rather disappointedat the champions choosing the arms of courtesy.For the same sort of persons who, in the present day, applaudmost highly the deepest tragedies were then interested in atournament exactly in proportion to the danger incurred bythe champions engaged.
Having intimated their more pacific purpose, the champions5retreated to the extremity of the lists, where theyremained drawn up in a line; while the challengers, sallyingeach from his pavilion, mounted their horses, andheaded by Brian de Bois-Guilbert, descended from theplatform and opposed themselves individually to the knights10who had touched their respective shields.
At the flourish of clarions and trumpets they started outagainst each other at full gallop; and such was the superiordexterity or good fortune of the challengers that thoseopposed to Bois-Guilbert, Malvoisin, and Front-de-Bœuf,15rolled on the ground. The antagonist of Grantmesnil,instead of bearing his lance point fair against the crest orthe shield of his enemy, swerved so much from the directline as to break the weapon athwart the person of his opponent—acircumstance which was accounted more disgraceful20than that of being actually unhorsed; because thelatter might happen from accident, whereas the formerevinced awkwardness and want of management of theweapon and of the horse. The fifth knight alone maintainedthe honor of his party and parted fairly with the25Knight of St. John, both splintering their lances withoutadvantage on either side.
The shouts of the multitude, together with the acclamationsof the heralds and the clangor of the trumpets,announced the triumph of the victors and the defeat of30the vanquished. The former retreated to their pavilions,and the latter, gathering themselves up as they could,withdrew from the lists in disgrace and dejection, to agreewith their victors concerning the redemption of their armsand their horses, which, according to the laws of thetournament, they had forfeited. The fifth of their numberalone tarried in the lists long enough to be greeted by the5applauses of the spectators, amongst whom he retreated, tothe aggravation, doubtless, of his companions' mortification.
A second and a third party of knights took the field; andalthough they had various success, yet, upon the whole,the advantage decidedly remained with the challengers,10not one of whom lost his seat or swerved from his charge—misfortuneswhich befell one or two of their antagonistsin each encounter. The spirits, therefore, of those opposedto them seemed to be considerably dampened by their continuedsuccess. Three knights only appeared on the fourth15entry, who, avoiding the shields of Bois-Guilbert andFront-de-Bœuf, contented themselves with touching thoseof the three other knights, who had not altogether manifestedthe same strength and dexterity. This politic selectiondid not alter the fortune of the field: the challengers20were still successful. One of their antagonists was overthrownand both the others failed in the attaint, that is,in striking the helmet and shield of their antagonist firmlyand strongly with the lance held in a direct line, so that theweapon might break unless the champion was overthrown.25
After this fourth encounter, there was a considerablepause; nor did it appear that anyone was very desirousof renewing the contest. The spectators murmured amongthemselves; for, among the challengers, Malvoisin andFront-de-Bœuf were unpopular from their characters, and30the others, except Grantmesnil, were disliked as strangersand foreigners.
But none shared the general feeling of dissatisfactionso keenly as Cedric the Saxon, who saw, in each advantagegained by the Norman challengers, a repeated triumphover the honor of England. His own education had taughthim no skill in the games of chivalry, although, with the5arms of his Saxon ancestors, he had manifested himself onmany occasions a brave and determined soldier.
He looked anxiously to Athelstane, who had learned theaccomplishments of the age, as if desiring that he shouldmake some personal effort to recover the victory which was10passing into the hands of the Templar and his associates.But, though both stout of heart and strong of person,Athelstane had a disposition too inert and unambitious tomake the exertions which Cedric seemed to expect fromhim.15
"The day is against England, my lord," said Cedric, ina marked tone; "are you not tempted to take the lance?"
"I shall tilt to-morrow," answered Athelstane, "in themêlée; it is not worth while for me to arm myself to-day."
Two things displeased Cedric in this speech. It contained20the Norman wordmêlée(to express the generalconflict), and it evinced some indifference to the honor ofthe country; but it was spoken by Athelstane, whom heheld in such profound respect that he would not trust himselfto canvass his motives or his foibles. Moreover, he25had no time to make any remark, for Wamba thrust in hisword, observing, "It was better, though scarce easier, to bethe best man among a hundred than the best man oftwo."
Athelstane took the observation as a serious compliment;30but Cedric, who better understood the jester's meaning,darted at him a severe and menacing look; and lucky itwas for Wamba, perhaps, that the time and place preventedhis receiving, notwithstanding his place and service, moresensible marks of his master's resentment.
The pause in the tournament was still uninterrupted,excepting by the voices of the heralds exclaiming—"Love5of ladies, splintering of lances! Stand forth, gallant knights,fair eyes look upon your deeds!"
The music also of the challengers breathed from time totime wild bursts expressive of triumph or defiance, whilethe clowns grudged a holiday which seemed to pass away10in inactivity; and old knights and nobles lamented inwhispers the decay of martial spirit, spoke of the triumphsof their younger days, but agreed that the land did not nowsupply dames of such transcendent beauty as had animatedthe justs of former times.15
Prince John began to talk to his attendants about makingready the banquet, and the necessity of adjudging theprize to Brian de Bois-Guilbert who had, with a singlespear, overthrown two knights and foiled a third.
At length, as the Saracenic music of the challengers concluded20one of those high and long flourishes with whichthey had broken the silence of the lists, it was answeredby a solitary trumpet, which breathed a note of defiancefrom the northern extremity. All eyes were turned to seethe new champion which these sounds announced, and no25sooner were the barriers opened than he paced into thelists.
As far as could be judged from a man sheathed in armor,the new adventurer did not greatly exceed the middle sizeand seemed to be rather slender than strongly made.30His suit of armor was formed of steel, richly inlaid withgold, and the device on his shield was a young oak treepulled up by the roots with the Spanish wordDesdichado,signifying "disinherited". He was mounted on a gallantblack horse, and as he passed through the lists he gracefullysaluted the prince and the ladies by lowering hislance. The dexterity with which he managed his steed,5and something of youthful grace which he displayed in hismanner, won him the favor of the multitude, which someof the lower class expressed by calling out, "Touch Ralphde Vipont's shield—touch the Hospitaler's shield; hehas the least sure seat; he is your cheapest bargain."10
The champion, moving onward amid these well-meanthints, ascended the platform by the sloping alley whichled to it from the lists, and to the astonishment of allpresent, riding straight up to the central pavilion, struckwith the sharp end of his spear the shield of Brian de15Bois-Guilbert until it rang again.
All stood astonished at his presumption, but none morethan the redoubted knight whom he had thus defied tomortal combat and who, little expecting so rude a challenge,was standing carelessly at the door of the pavilion.20
"Have you confessed yourself, brother," said the Templar,"and have you heard Mass this morning, that youperil your life so frankly?"
"I am fitter to meet death than thou art," answered theDisinherited Knight; for by this name the stranger had25recorded himself in the books of the tourney.
"Then take your place in the lists," said Bois-Guilbert,"and look your last upon the sun; for this night thou shaltsleep in Paradise."
"Gramercy for thy courtesy," replied the Disinherited30Knight, "and to requite it, I advise thee to take a freshhorse and a new lance, for by my honor you will need both."
Having expressed himself thus confidently, he reined hishorse backward down the slope which he had ascended andcompelled him in the same manner to move backwardthrough the lists till he reached the northern extremity,where he remained stationary in expectation of his antagonist.5This feat of horsemanship again attracted the applauseof the multitude.
However incensed at his adversary for the precautionswhich he recommended, Brian de Bois-Guilbert did notneglect his advice; for his honor was too nearly concerned10to permit his neglecting any means which might insurevictory over his presumptuous opponent. He changedhis horse for a proved and fresh one of great strength andspirit. He chose a new and tough spear, lest the wood ofthe former might have been strained in the previous encounters15he had sustained. Lastly, he laid aside his shield,which had received some little damage, and received anotherfrom his squires. His first had only borne the generaldevice of his order, representing two knights riding upon onehorse, an emblem expressive of the original humility and20poverty of the Templars, qualities which they had sinceexchanged for the arrogance and wealth that finally occasionedtheir suppression. Bois-Guilbert's new shield borea raven in full flight, holding in its claws a skull, and bearingthe mottoGare le Corbeau.25
When the two champions stood opposed to each otherat the two extremities of the lists, the public expectationwas strained to the highest pitch. Few augured the possibilitythat the encounter could terminate well for theDisinherited Knight, yet his courage and gallantry secured30the general good wishes of the spectators.
The trumpets had no sooner given the signal than thechampions vanished from their posts with the speed oflightning and closed in the center of the lists with theshock of a thunderbolt. The lances burst into shivers upto the very grasp and it seemed at the moment that bothknights had fallen, for the shock had made each horse recoil5backwards upon its haunches. The address of the ridersrecovered their steeds by use of the bridle and spur; andhaving glared on each other for an instant with eyes whichseemed to flash fire through the bars of their visors, eachmade a demivolt, and retiring to the extremity of the10lists, received a fresh lance from the attendants.
A loud shout from the spectators, waving of scarfs andhandkerchiefs, and general acclamations, attested the interesttaken by the spectators in this encounter; the most equal,as well as the best performed, which had graced the day.15But no sooner had the knights resumed their stationthan the clamor of applause was hushed into a silence sodeep and so dead that it seemed the multitude were afraideven to breathe.
A few minutes' pause having been allowed, that the20combatants and their horses might recover breath, PrinceJohn with his truncheon signed to the trumpets to soundthe onset. The champions a second time sprung from theirstations and closed in the center of the lists, with the samespeed, the same dexterity, the same violence, but not the25same equal fortune as before.
In this second encounter, the Templar aimed at the centerof his antagonist's shield and struck it so fair and forciblythat his spear went to shivers, and the Disinherited Knightreeled in his saddle. On the other hand, that champion30had, in the beginning of his career, directed the point of hislance toward Bois-Guilbert's shield, but changing his aimalmost in the moment of encounter, he addressed it to thehelmet, a mark more difficult to hit, but which, if attained,rendered the shock more irresistible. Fair and true, hehit the Norman on the visor, where his lance's point kepthold of the bars.5
Yet, even at this disadvantage, the Templar sustainedhis high reputation; and had not the girths of his saddleburst, he might not have been unhorsed. As it chanced,however, saddle, horse, and man rolled on the ground undera cloud of dust.10
To extricate himself from the stirrups and fallen steedwas to the Templar scarce the work of a moment; and,stung with madness, both at his disgrace and at the acclamationswith which it was hailed by the spectators, hedrew his sword and waved it in defiance of his conqueror.15The Disinherited Knight sprang from his steed and alsounsheathed his sword. The marshals of the field, however,spurred their horses between them and reminded themthat the laws of the tournament did not, on the presentoccasion, permit this species of encounter.20
"We shall meet again, I trust," said the Templar,casting a resentful glance at his antagonist; "and wherethere are none to separate us."
"If we do not," said the Disinherited Knight, "the faultshall not be mine. On foot or horseback, with spear,25with ax, or with sword, I am alike ready to encounter thee."
More and angrier words would have been exchanged,but the marshals, crossing their lances betwixt them,compelled them to separate. The Disinherited Knightreturned to his first station, and Bois-Guilbert to his30tent, where he remained for the rest of the day in anagony of despair.
Without alighting from his horse, the conqueror calledfor a bowl of wine, and opening the beaver, or lower partof his helmet, announced that he quaffed it "To all trueEnglish hearts, and to the confusion of foreign tyrants."He then commanded his trumpet to sound a defiance to5the challengers, and desired a herald to announce to themthat he should make no election, but was willing to encounterthem in the order in which they pleased to advanceagainst him.
The gigantic Front-de-Bœuf, armed in sable armor, was10the first who took the field. He bore on a white shield ablack bull's head, half defaced by the numerous encounterswhich he had undergone, and bearing the arrogant motto,Cave, adsum. Over this champion the DisinheritedKnight obtained a slight but decisive advantage. Both15knights broke their lances fairly, but Front-de-Bœuf, wholost a stirrup in the encounter, was adjudged to have thedisadvantage.
In the stranger's third encounter, with Sir Philip Malvoisin,he was equally successful; striking that baron so20forcibly on the casque that the laces of the helmet broke,and Malvoisin, only saved from falling by being unhelmeted,was declared vanquished like his companions.
In his fourth combat, with De Grantmesnil, the DisinheritedKnight showed as much courtesy as he had25hitherto evinced courage and dexterity. De Grantmesnil'shorse, which was young and violent, reared and plunged inthe course of the career so as to disturb the rider's aim,and the stranger, declining to take the advantage whichthis accident afforded him, raised his lance, and passing30his antagonist without touching him, wheeled his horseand rode back again to his own end of the lists, offeringhis antagonist, by a herald, the chance of a second encounter.This De Grantmesnil declined, avowing himselfvanquished as much by the courtesy as by the address ofhis opponent.
Ralph de Vipont summed up the list of the stranger's5triumphs, being hurled to the ground with such force thatthe blood gushed from his nose and his mouth and he wasborne senseless from the lists.
The acclamations of thousands applauded the unanimousaward of the prince and marshals, announcing that day's10honors to the Disinherited Knight.
—Ivanhoe.