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ing the peculiar tones of "Indian summer (e. g., "the embattled forests," on slumbrous wings," etc.). "Where erst the jay" (now gone with the swallows to the south for the winter). Why is the thistle down called the "ghost of flowers"? Why does he say spiders wove "shrouds "? "Inverted torch" (a symbol of death). "Sat like a Fate" (the Fates were represented as spinning the thread of human life). "Twice War bowed to her" (her husband falls in battle-in the Revolutionary War—and then her son). Compare this poem with Gray's "Elegy" (first a long introduc tion descriptive of scenery and surroundings, and meditations on them; and at last a person described in keeping with the scene. In Gray's "Elegy " it is the pensive poet himself; in this it is the aged relict of a revolutionary chaplain).

APPENDIX.

WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL.

THE difficulty of spelling English words arises from uncertainty In regard to the combinations used to represent elementary sounds. For instance, the sound ĕ is represented in eleven different ways in the words ebb, dead, again, aesthetics, many, nonpareil, jeopardy, friend, bury, guest, says. Again, the words bead, head, great, heart, wear, ocean, earth, present ea with seven sounds.

The pupil will readily learn to spell all words in which the sounds are represented by the usual combinations of letters, by seeing them in print whenever he reads a book or newspaper.

A list of words to spell should not be cumbered by the introduction of easy words, such as contain only the usual combinations, but should have only those that are difficult because of the exceptional combinations of letters used.

The spelling book, then, may be a very small book, containing about fifteen hundred words. This small list of words should be so thoroughly learned that the pupil can spell orally or write every word in it without hesitation. This can be accomplished by the pupil of twelve years of age in six months' time, having one lesson of twenty words a day to write from dictation, and using every fifth day for an oral review of all words from the beginning.

This thorough drill on a few words will train the child's faculty of observing unusual combinations of letters, and his memory thus trained will make him a good speller without spending any further time over the spelling book. His memory will absorb and retain hard words wherever he sees them, just as a sponge absorbs and retains water.

The words are arranged in the following list so as not to bring together a number of words of the same combination, and thereby paralyze the memory, as is too frequently the case in the lists given in spelling books, which, for example, collect in one lesson the words ending in tion, or tain, or ture, or cious, etc., thus giving to the pupil by the first word that is spelled a key to all that follow.

Correct pronunciation is as important as correct spelling, and the rare combinations of letters are the ones most likely to be mispronounced. The following list contains the words liable to be mispronounced as well as misspelled, and even some words easy to spell that are often mispronounced. The following mode of analysis is recommended as an excellent auxiliary to the oral and written spelling lesson. It should always be practiced in connection with the reading lesson, and with the book open before the pupil, in preference to the usual plan.

Spelling Analysis.--The pupils and teacher have reading books or spelling books open at the lesson. The pupils, in the order of recitation, analyze the list of difficult words one after the other, as follows:

First Pupil-Groat, g-r-o-a-t (pronounces and reads its spelling from the book). It is a difficult word, because the sound aw is represented by the rare combination oa; it is usually represented by aw or au (awl, fraud). This sound may be represented in six ways, and is essentially identical with that of ó before r (born).

Second Pupil-Police, p-o-l-i-c-e. It is a difficult word, because the sound è is represented by i, and not by one of the more frequent modes, e, ea, ee, ie, and ei. There are twelve ways of representing this sound. The word is also more difficult to spell, because it represents the sound of s by ce.

Third Pupil-Sacrifice, s-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e. It is difficult, because the sound (before f) is obscure, and may be represented by any one of twelve ways. The letter c in fice has here the sound of z, a very rare use of that letter. The word is liable to be mispronounced sa'-kri-fis or săk'-ri-fis for sǎk'-ri-fiz.

A. Table of Equivalents representing Elementary Sounds. I.—The sound à is represented in eleven ways: 1. In many words by ā (āle), ái (āid), and āy (bāy); 2. In a few words by ey (they), ei (veil), ea (breāk), āu (gāuge), ão (gãol, for jail), e and ee (employé, soirée), aye (meaning ever).

II. The sound ǎ is represented in three ways: 1. In many words by ǎ (ǎt); 2. In a few words by ăi (plăid), uă (guărantee). III.—The sound ä is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by

ä (fäther); 2. In a few words by äu (täunt), eä (heärt), uä (guärd), e (sergeant), äa (bazäar).

IV. —The sound â is represented in seven ways: 1. In many words by â (câre); 2. In a few words by âi (fâir), eâ (peâr), ây (prâyer), ê (thêre), êi (thêir), aâ (Aâron).

V.-The sound å is represented only by ȧ (åsk) in a few words. VI. The sound a is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by (all), aw (awl), au (fraud); 2. In a few words by ou (bought), oa (broad), awe.

VII.—The sound ē is represented in twelve ways: 1. In many words by ē (ēve), ēa (bēat), ēe (bēef), iē (chiëf); 2. In a few words by ei (decēive), ï (marïne), éy (kéy), éo (pēople), uay (quay), uē (Portuguese), æ (Cæsar), œ (Phœbus).

VIII. The sound ĕ is represented in twelve ways: 1. In many words by ě (mět), ča (bread); 2. In a few words by ai (said), æ (diæresis), a (any), ši (hěifer), čo (leopard), iě (friend), u (bury), uě (guěst), ay (says), œ (Edipus).

IX. The sound ẽ is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by ẽ (fērn), î (sir); 2. In a few words by ea (heard), ỹ (mỹrtle),

a (liar), uẽ (guẽrdon). See XIX., û sound.

X. The sound i (a diphthong composed usually of the sounds ä (or ȧ) -Ĭ, pronounced very briefly, is represented in ten ways: 1. In many words by i (īce), ÿ (bỹ), ie (die); 2. In a few words by ui (guide), ei (height), uỹ (buỹ), ai (aīsle), ÿe (rỹe), eỹe, aỹ (baỹou). XI.—The sound ĭ is represented in twelve ways: 1. In many words

by Ĭ (it), ǎ (lỹnx), ie (duties); 2. In a few words by ui (build), aĬ (certain), u (busy), e (pretty), ee (been), o (women), eĬ (foreign), ia (carriage), of (tortoise).

XII. The sound ō is represented in ten ways: 1. In many words by

ō (nōte), ōa (bōat), ōw (blōw); 2. In a few words by ōu (fōur), õe (fōe), ōo (dōor), au (hautboy), ew (sew), eau (beau), eō (yeōman). XIII.-The sound ŏ is represented in four ways: 1. In many words

by Ŏ (not), a (was); 2. In a few words by Ŏu (lough), ŏw (knŏwledge).

XIV. The sound ô is represented in three ways: 1. In many words by ô (bôrn); 2. In a few words by eô (Geôrge), aô (extraôrdinary).

XV.-The sound oo is represented in four ways: 1. In many words by oo (bloom); 2. In a few words by o (do), ou (group), oe (shoe).

XVI. The sound oo is represented in four ways: 1. In many words by oo (foot); 2. In a few words by ọ (woman), ụ (put, and the termination fụl), ou (would).

XVII. The sound ù (a diphthong composed of 1-00, the ĭ being nearly displaced by a consonant y glide when the ū begins a syllable, or when it follows the consonants p, b, m, v, f, e, or g) is represented in fourteen ways: 1. In many words by u (tube), ew (few); 2. In a few words by ue (hūe), ūi (jūice), eū (neūter), ieū (lieū), iew (view), eaŭ (beaūty), ūa (mantūamaker), eo (feodal), yū (yüle), ewe, yew, you.

XVIII.—The sound ŭ is represented in ten ways: 1. In many words

by ǎ (bŭt), ỏ (són), ou (touch, and terminations in ous); 2. In a few words by ỏo (blood), ¿e (dóes), ỏi (porpoise), iỏ (cushion, and terminations in ion), eò (dungeon), eou in righteous, iou in gracious.

XIX. The sound û is represented in three ways: 1. In many words by û (bûrn); 2. In a few words by o (work), oû (scoûrge). This sound is diphthongal, occasioned by the transmutation of the rough or trilled r to the smooth or palatal r, the effort expended in trilling the tongue having weakened into a guttural vowel sound ŭh, heard as a glide from the previous vowel sound to the r. Very careful speakers distinguish the sound of ĕ (equivalents ĩ and ỹ) from û (and its equivalent o sound), although the common usage, here and in England, is to pronounce them all alike, except before a trilled r. Smart says: "Even in the refined classes of society in England sur, durt, burd, etc., are the current pronunciation of sir, dirt, bird; and, indeed, in all very common words it would be somewhat affected to insist on the delicate shade of difference." The careful teacher will, however, practice his pupils in this delicate distinction. XX. The sound u is represented in four ways: 1. In many words by u (rule); 2. In a few words by ew (grew), ue (true), ui (fruit). This sound occurs only after r, and in sure and its derivatives. It is very similar to the sound of oo, the chief difference being caused by the modification which the preceding r sound gives. XXI. The diphthong oi (= a-1), as in coil, is represented also by oy (boy).