3

You friendly Earth! how far do you go

With the wheatfields that nod and the rivers that

flow,

With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles
And people upon you for thousands of miles?

4

Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,

I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers, to-day,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,

"You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot;

You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!"

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Cecil Frances Alexander

Beware of a sing-song in speaking this poem. Use the rising inflection at the end of each line except at the close of each stanza; and the last lines of stanzas 4 and 6 should also be passed with the rising inflection.

I

ALL things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,—
The Lord God made them all.

2

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,-
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

3

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And order'd their estate.

4

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The morning, and the sunset
That lighteth up the sky.

5

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden,— He made them every one.

6

The tall trees in the greenwood,

The meadows where we play,

The rushes by the water

We gather every day;

7

He gaves us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who hath made all things well.

Song of Life

Charles MacKay

Note that this poem, up to near the close, illustrates and leads up to the thought contained in the last four lines, and these lines should be given with proper emphasis and strong force. No gestures are needed.

I

A TRAVELER on a dusty road

Strewed acorns on the lea;

And one took root and sprouted up,

And grew into a tree.

Love sought its shade at evening-time,
To breathe its early vows;

And Age was pleased, in heights of noon,
To bask beneath its boughs.

The dormouse loved its dangling twigs,

The birds sweet music bore

It stood a glory in its place,
A blessing evermore.

2

A little spring had lost its way
Amid the grass and fern;
A passing stranger scooped a well

Where weary men might turn.
He walled it in, and hung with care
A ladle on the brink;

He thought not of the deed he did,
But judged that Toil might drink.
He passed again, and lo! the well,
By summer never dried,

Had cooled ten thousand parched tongues,
And saved a life beside.

3

A nameless man, amid the crowd
That thronged the daily mart,
Let fall a word of hope and love
Unstudied from the heart,

A whisper on the tumult thrown,
A transitory breath,

It raised a brother from the dust,
It saved a soul from death.
O germ! O fount! O word of love!
O thought at random cast!
Ye were but little at the first,
But mighty at the last.

Which Loved Best?

Joy Allison

Take special pains to give the quotations naturally and to place the emphasis so that the character of each child is fittingly portrayed.

I

"I LOVE you, mother," said little John.

Then forgetting his work, his cap went on,

And he was off to the garden swing,

Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

2

"I love you, mother," said little Nell, "I love you better than tongue can tell." Then she teased and pouted half the day, Till mother rejoiced when she went to play.

3

"I love you, mother," said little Fan.
"To-day I'll help you all I can."

To the cradle then she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

4

Then stepping softly, she took the broom,
And swept the floor and dusted the room;
Busy and happy all day was she,
Helpful and cheerful as child could be.

5

"I love you, mother," again they said—
Three little children, going to bed.
How do you think that mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

In School Days

John Greenleaf Whittier

You will find several lines in this poem which should be passed without pausing at the end. Thus you will avoid any tendency to a sing-song delivery. Aim to give naturally the quotation in stanza 9, and be sure to employ a rather long pause between stanzas 9 and 10.

I

STILL sits the schoolhouse by the road,

A ragged beggar sunning;

Around it still the sumachs grow,

And blackberry vines are running.