COMPOSITION 5.-Describe the scene in the frontis

piece.

"David

ADDITIONAL THEMES IN ARTISTIC DESCRIPTION. COMPOSITION. -1. A Horse Trade (cf. Wescott's Harrum," ch. i.). 2. Our Neighbour's Goat. 3. The Last Buffalo. 4. Animal Life in a Pond. 5. A Visit to a Zoological Garden or a Menagerie. 6. A Barn Yard. 7. A Cattle Show.

CHAPTER IV.-BUILDINGS.

LESSON L.

MEMORIZATION. FROM "THE HOMES OF ENGLAND."

The stately Homes of England,

How beautiful they stand,

Amidst their tall ancestral trees,

O'er all the pleasant land.

The deer across their greensward bound,
Through shade and sunny gleam;

And the swan glides past them with the sound
Of some rejoicing stream.

The cottage Homes of England!

By thousands on her plains,

They are smiling o'er the silvery brooks,
And round the hamlet-fanes.

Through glowing orchards forth they peep,
Each from its nook of leaves;

And fearless there the lowly sleep,
As the bird beneath their eaves.

The free fair Homes of England!
Long, long, in hut and hall,
May hearts of native proof be reared
To guard each hallowed wall!
And green for ever be the groves,

And bright the flowery sod,

Where first the child's glad spirit loves
Its country and its God!

-Mrs. Hemans.

THEME: THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES.

There it rose, a little withdrawn from the line of the street, but in pride, not modesty. Its whole visible exterior was ornamented with quaint figures, conceived in the grotesqueness of a Gothic fancy, and drawn or stamped in the glittering plaster, composed of lime pebbles and bits of glass, with which the wood-work of the walls was overspread. On every side, the seven gables pointed sharply towards the sky, and presented the aspect of a whole sisterhood of edifices, breathing through the spiracles of one great chimney. The many lattices, with their small, diamond-shaped panes, admitted the sunlight into hall and chamber, while, nevertheless, the second storey, projecting far over the base, and itself retiring beneath the third, threw a shadowy and thoughtful gloom into the lower rooms. Carved globes of wood were affixed under the jutting stories. Little spiral rods of iron beautified each of the seven peaks. On the triangular portion of the gable, that fronted next the street, was a dial. The principal entrance, which had almost the breadth of a church-door, was in the angle between the two front gables, and was covered by an open porch, with benches beneath its shelter.

The deep projection of the second storey gave the house such a meditative look, that you could not pass it without the idea that it had secrets to keep, and an eventful history to moralize upon. In front, just on the edge of the unpaved sidewalk, grew the Pyncheon Elm, which, in reference to such trees as one usually meets with, might well be termed gigantic. It had been planted by a great-grandson of the first Pyncheon, and, though now fourscore years of age, or perhaps nearer a

hundred, was still in its strong and broad maturity, throwing its shadow from side to side of the street, overtopping the seven gables, and sweeping the whole black roof with its pendant foliage. It gave beauty to the old edifice, and seemed to make it a part of nature. -Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Theme:

OUTLINE.

The House of Seven Gables.

General Introduction: Situation, general aspect.

Descriptive Details:

Conclusion:

Unity of the house with the landscape.

EXERCISE I.-Examine the passage for principles of description: (1) the statement of the theme, (2) the general introduction, (3) the methodical succession of the details, (4) the selection of characteristic details, (5) the conclusion.

EXERCISE II.-Point out the phrases or sentences in this description that appeal to the imagination.

REPRODUCTION.-Describe, following Hawthorne, the House of Seven Gables.

COMPOSITION.-Draw to a set scale a plan of the house in which you dwell; add a plain, accurate description of the house, following this outline :—

Theme:

Introduce while stating the situation of the house.

General Introduction: General character of the whole-likeness or

Details:

Conclusion:

unlikeness to dwellings in general; your
interest in it.

Exterior walls, roof, entrance.
Interior-rooms, furniture, decorations.
General comment on its comfort, ugliness or
beauty, etc.

LESSON LI.

MEMORIZATION.-FROM "IN SCHOOL-DAYS."

Still sits the school-house by the road,
A ragged beggar sunning ;
Around it still the sumachs grow,
And blackberry vines are running.
Within, the master's desk is seen,
Deep-scarred by raps official ;
The warping floor, the battered seats,
The jack-knife's carved initial.

The charcoal frescoes on its wail;

The door's worn sill betraying

The feet that, creeping slow to school,

Went storming out to playing.

-John Greenleaf Whittier.

STYLE: FORCE.

1. Simplicity.—The second cardinal quality of style is Force. Force is gained in many ways. Clearness itself is a means of force, for confusion and ambiguity distract the attention from the thought, and weaken its impression. So, too, simplicity of words and sentence structure aids force, for if we must pause to solve the meaning of difficult words and intricate constructions we forget the thought itself.

Simplicity is gained (i) by the use of short terms rather than long ones; by definite, concrete terms rather than vague, abstract ones. Compare :

Our days are few. Human life is transitory.

(ii) By short sentences rather than complex long See p. 49.

ones.

(iii) By familiar illustrations and comparisons.

EXERCISE.-Secure simplicity in the following:(1) His health will, I hope, ameliorate. (2) We extend you an invitation to be present. (3) The trustee goes to Toronto in connection with school matters. (4) He will return at the earliest practicable period. (5) She performs on the piano beautifully. (6) Many men are in poverty who might have won high positions in the community. (Use concrete terms.) (7) Am I so degraded that I should ask for charity? (8) In that country we see the greatest extremes between riches and poverty, the military and the mercantile callings. (9) Maternal affection is more necessary to the child than scholastic discipline. (10) Does your Majesty imagine that Job's good conduct is the effect of mere personal attachment and affection? (Cf. Job, I., 9).

COMPOSITION I-Draw to a set scale a plan of the school that you attend; write a plain description of it.

COMPOSITION 2.-Describe the situation and construction of any wild creature's building-a Kingfisher's Nest, an Oriole's Nest, a Honey-bee's Hive, a Spider's Web, a Beaver Dam.

COMPOSITION 3.-Describe, adding what suggestions you can of natural beauty and human associations, the Mill-stream, Mill-dam and Flour-mill at ; or, The Mill-pond and Saw-mill at ; or, The Church and Churchyard at -.

ADDITIONAL THEMES IN ARTISTIC DESCRIPTION.

COMPOSITION.--I. Visit, note particulars of, and describe any place of industry :-Railway shops; a knitting factory; a cotton factory; a canning factory; a cheese factory; a planing factory; a shingle mill; a brewery; a coal mine; a foundry; a ship yard; a laundry; a photographer's studio; a printing office; a newspaper office; a telegraph office; a departmental store. 2. A City Boy's Impressions of a Farm House; or, a Country Boy's Impressions