And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue-

Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place-

Awaiting the touch of a little hand,

The smile of a little face;

And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,

What has become of our Little Boy Blue,

Since he kissed them and put them there.

THE NINETY AND NINE

-Eugene Field.

There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold;

But one was out on the hills away,

Far off from the gates of gold,—

Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

"Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine:
Are they not enough for Thee?"

But the Shepherd made answer: ""Tis of mine
Has wandered away from me;

And although the road be rough and steep
I go to the desert to find my sheep.'

But none of the ransomed ever knew

How deep were the waters crossed,

Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through

Ere he found his sheep that was lost.

Out in the desert he heard its cry—

Sick and helpless, and ready to die.

"Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way,
That mark out the mountain-track?"
"They were shed for one who had gone astray

Ere the Shepherd could bring him back."
"Lord, whence are thy hands so rent and torn?"
"They are pierced to-night by many a thorn."
But all through the mountains, thunder-riven,
And up from the rocky steep,

There rose a cry to the gate of Heaven,
"Rejoice! I have found my sheep!"

And the angels echoed around the throne,
"Rejoice! for the Lord brings back His own!"

-Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane.

HOME THOUGHTS, FROM ABROAD

Oh, to be in England

Now that April's there,

And whoever wakes in England

Sees, some morning, unaware,

That the lowest boughs and the brush-wood sheaf

Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,

While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England-now!

And after April, when May follows,

And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows! Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops-at the bent spray's edge That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!

And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's dower
-Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

-Robert Browning.

CHAPTER IV

QUALITY TESTS

There should be no edge on any tone, whether high or low; it should be as soft and smooth as the expulsion of the breath itself. To insure this quality at all times, we study a tone from three points of view: the attack, the middle, and the end. By attack we mean the starting of the tone. This is especially important in beginning vowel sounds, as the organs of speech do not help in projecting them as they do the consonants. A tone may be attacked in three ways: by the sustained diaphragm, by the explosive diaphragm, and by the glottis stroke.

For ordinary speech, we use the sustained diaphragm. The ribs are held out forcibly and the breath is sent out slowly and steadily by the movement of the dorsal and the upper abdominal muscles. Learn to think of the tone as starting from the diaphragm, and so relieve the throat of any responsibility in the matter. If it still shows a tendency to contract, when starting a vowel, yawn or swallow to release the tension.

I. Exercise for Teaching Attack with the Sustained Diaphragm

1. Say: ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha; he, he, he, he, he, he; ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho; heel, hole, hang, hung, hallelujah.

Hold the ribs out forcibly, trying to get the sensation of starting every syllable with the diaphragm. Forget all about the throat and think only of the connection between the lower ribs and the nose.

2. Say: "Hold it for fifteen days!—we have held it for eighty-seven." Note the H sounds and see that they start at the diaphragm, with a slight contraction of the muscles there.

3. After working with this sound that naturally starts at the base of the breath-control, take vowel sounds, trying to attack them in the same way. Say: over and over; ever and always; every evening; over the mountains.

4. Recite, seeing that each sound is attacked without any grating quality in the throat:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord

And of his Christ, and of his Christ! And he shall reign Forever and ever! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

King of Kings and Lord of Lords! King of Kings and

Lord of Lords!

And He shall reign forever and ever! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

-Arranged from The Hallelujah Chorus
in Handel's "Messiah."

A LAUGHING CHORUS

Oh, such a commotion under the ground
When March called "Ho, there, ho!"
Such spreading of rootlets far and wide,
Such whispering to and fro.

And "Are you ready?" the Snow-drop asked;
""Tis time to start, you know."
"Almost, my dear," the Scilla replied;
"I'll follow as soon as you go."
Then, "Ha! ha! ha!" a chorus came
Of laughter soft and low

From the millions of flowers under the ground-
Yes-millions-beginning to grow.

"I'll promise my blossoms," the Crocus said, "When I hear the bluebird sing.

"And straight thereafter," Narcissus cried,
"My silver and gold I'll bring."

"And ere they are dulled," another spoke,
"The Hyacinth bells shall ring."
The Violet only murmured, "I'm here,"
And sweet grew the breath of Spring.

Then, “Ha! ha! ha!" a chorus came

Of laughter soft and low

From the millions of flowers under the ground-
Yes-millions-beginning to grow.