VII. BIOGRAPHY OF LONGFELLOW.

From your previous study of Longfellow and his poems you have learned many of the chief facts of his life. Write an outline for a somewhat full biography of Longfellow.

In describing him you may wish to use some of his own stanzas on other poets which apply so aptly to himself. See the lines on Chibiabos, "the sweetest of all singers," in "Hiawatha"; the poem to Bayard Taylor; the description of the Student in one of the preludes to the "Tales of a Wayside Inn."

VIII. THE PICTURES OF PURITAN LIFE.

Two of Longfellow's dramas, "The New England Tragedies," are very valuable reading in connection with your work in history on colonial life. "Giles Corey of the Salem Farms" tells the pitiful story of the time "When in all lands that lie within the sound

Of Sabbath bells, a witch was burned or drowned."

"John Endicott" gives the story of Puritan persecution of Quakers. See Whittier's "The Witch's Daughter" and " In the Old South Church."

TO THE TEACHER. When it is not practicable for the whole class to study these dramas, much interest may be aroused by assigning to one or two pupils the duty of reading them thoughtfully and telling the story to the class. These pupils may look for passages in the conversation of the personages of the dramas, in which the thought of the historical period is crystallized. The pupils may put these selections on the blackboard as subjects for discussion in class.

IX. THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH.

Mr. Underwood says of this poem: "It was a beautiful thought of the poet, after more than two centuries, to go back to the Old Colony and lay his tribute of Mayflowers on the grave of the mother of his race."

Read the poem through at home just for the enjoyment of the tale, and then read it again more thoughtfully, marking the passages that especially please you.

Oral Exercises.

I. Refer to what is said in Chapter III of this book about the description of persons. Study then the portraits of Miles Standish and John Alden in the first twenty lines of the poem.

2. The boys of the class may study the passage where the "valorous Captain" counts over his " glittering weapons of warfare," and may tell what he says of them and the conflicts through which he bore them.

3. Give in your own words Standish's description of Julius Cæsar, mentioning traits in the great Roman's character he thinks worthy of imitation. Give a notable instance of his failure to follow the example he so much admired.

4. Study carefully the lines that describe Priscilla in her home as John Alden saw her when he came to deliver his message. Describe the picture you would

like to have made of that scene.

5. Find in the poem the landscape views of Plymouth scenery; its winter aspects; the beauty of sea and sky in spring and summer. Did the "stern and rock-bound

coast always present a sad face to these pilgrims ? Was it natural that they should feel the homesick feeling that Priscilla speaks of for "the blossoming hedgerows of England"? Find the bright pictures of early morning scenes.

6. In connection with your studies in Style, page 92, you will find that you can get from this poem many examples of:

(a) Fine descriptive adjectives, and adjective and adverbial phrases.

(b) Lines in which force is gained by making the predicate adjective, subject, or adverbial element emphatic. (c) Apt comparisons put in the form of simile or metaphor.

7. A very noticeable ornament in many of Longfellow's poems is alliteration. Have you learned to recognize this repetition of the same initial sound? Look for illustrations of it and for passages like the following, where the words and the rhythm are especially fitted to the sense:

66

Silently out of the room then glided the glistening savage,

Bearing the serpent's skin, and seeming himself like a serpent."

Written Exercise.

Write in the form of an essay your thoughts about Miles Standish, using the following outline:

(a) His ancestry as he tells it himself, and the inherited traits spoken of in the poem.

(b) What the Pilgrim elders and people thought of him.

(c) His relations with John Alden; how he felt toward the young man; Alden's regard for him.

(d) What Priscilla thought of the Captain. Her words in the poem are very expressive.

(e) The Captain's opinion of himself as he gives it on various occasions. Was it always favorable?

(f) Summary: Your thoughts about the influence of such a character on the young colony, and about Standish's place in history.

References: The Library Journal for September and October, 1880, Vol. V, has many references to the poetry of Longfellow which is "interwoven with New England local and historical associations."

The Literary World, Vol. XII, "American History in Longfellow's Poems."

"Historic Pilgrimages in New England," by Edwin M. Bacon, gives most interesting accounts of historic and literary landmarks and personages.

TO THE TEACHER. It is suggested that pupils keep a "Longfellow Note-book," into which they copy outlines given by the teacher for the study of his works, opinions of his writings by eminent men, anecdotes of his life, and choice passages. Each pupil should be encouraged to put into the book what appeals to his own taste. The book can be illustrated with the fine cuts so often seen in the magazines, or with the very good pictures which are now selling so cheap.

Many fine selections from "Outre Mer" can be used in the geography class. A pleasant entertainment for a series of Friday afternoons might be given from “Tales of a Wayside Inn.” Let one pupil describe the old inn, another the real persons meant by the Student, the Theologian, the Musician, and the other friends

Select

whom the author brings into the circle of story-tellers. some of the Tales (or abstracts of them) to be read. See the biographies referred to in this Chapter and the Riverside Edition of these Tales.

X. EVANGELINE: A TALE OF ACADIE.

TO THE TEACHER. The work that pupils may be led to do as they study and use this poem as a basis for compositions both oral and written, is shown in the suggestive exercises which follow. Before any study of this poem is made, a simple explanation of the meter and rhythm should be given.

1. Where did Longfellow obtain the incident that suggested this poem?

2. Tell the historical events that led to the exile of the Acadians. Was this act necessary for the safety of the neighboring English colonies, as was claimed? State the case for the English; for the Acadians.

3. The last four lines of the introduction give the motive of the poem. Tell in your own words what it is. 4. In Part I, find the fine descriptions of scenery, -the "forest primeval," the valley in which Grand-Pré lay, the village street at twilight, the outdoor pictures of the pleasant farms.

5. The home of Evangeline and her father.

6. Study thoughtfully the character-painting of Evangeline, the most famous of Longfellow's heroines. Mention all the pictures the first part gives of her daily life. Why was it that

"When she had passed, it seemed like the ceasing of exquisite music"?