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volume of "Classical Studies" dedicated to Henry Drisler and bearing his name.

Shakespeare and the Elizabethans

As we approach Shakespeare it is well to take a glance at the condition and development of the stage previous to his day. The rise of the drama through the "mysteries" and miracle plays although familiar in a general way, will bear review with reference to a closer study of the Elizabethan drama. For this purpose Mr. Symonds' "Shakespeare's Predecessors" is admirably adapted. Read, if you can, Fletcher's "Faithful Shepardess," Ben Johnson's "Every Man in his Humor," and Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus." Then turn to Shakespeare.

A very sensible if not very celebrated authority, has advised his readers to take Shakespeare, at first, as one vast whole, reading the plays in as rapid succession as possible, not pausing for notes. This has the advantage of producing a brilliant, kaleidoscopic impression of Shakespeare's genius and is to be followed, of course, by a slow and studious rereading, with notes and commentators. The plan would be an admirable one for people of leisure but it has the drawback for busy people that even a hasty reading of all the plays would take nearly all one's spare time for many months. For us, who have already some familiarity with the plays in a general way, the deliberate selection of one play and steady devotion to it until we know it through and. through and in and out, seems to me the best way of getting well and truly acquainted with Shakespeare.

I have a vivid recollection of attacking Hamlet in this fashion, when a very young girl. The edition I read from had no notes nor had I ever read a critical essay on the play at that time, but I know more about Hamlet now than about almost any other of the plays, simply because I lived in it for weeks at that time. Once get the movement and the personnel of a play so fixed in your mind, and every word you hear spoken or see written concerning it forever after, falls into place.

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It is not a bad plan to take Shakespeare as we considered taking the great epics - read one or two of the plays every year say one comedy and one tragedy. You may demur that, even at that, it will take you twenty years to read them all. Well, and what then. You are in no danger of outgrowing Shakespeare and he will never go out of fashion. Life is long, Shakespeare is perennial; and in any case, you would better know "As You Like It" by heart, than to know the whole thirty-odd by rote.

Shakespeare's Women

Teeming as the Shakespearian dramas are with all kinds and varieties of human life, to you and me his women present themselves with the most overwhelming fascination

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a coterie that can never grow wearisome. From "sweet Mistress Anne, who has brown hair and speaks small like a women," to the audacious Beatrice and the untamed Katherine, from Juliet, young love incarnate, to Cleopatra, passion at its zenith, they are all wonderful and of infinite variety. How they stoop before us as we summon themPortia, Hermione, Desdemona, Viola, Imogene, Ophelia, and the peerless Rosalind. Beautiful, noble, witty, stimulating, they are the most thoroughly alive of any women in all literature.

Libraries have been written about Shakespeare and many volumes about his women. To hint at a choice among them is all but impossible. The greatest critics all have paid their homage at that shrine, and you may safely choose those among them who seem to appeal most closely to your own sympathies and judgment. But first of all, know the men and women about whom Shakespeare wrote. It will be time enough afterward to know those who wrote about him.

Some Day

And only the Master shall praise us and only the Master shall blame,

And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,

But each for the joy of working, and each in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as
They Are.
-Rudyard Kipling.

IN

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IN the ideal school where the teacher has plenty of time and blackboard room, the children come to school some morning to find drawn upon the board a large calendar, with a pretty border of golden-rod around it. They do not know what it is for, but the teacher tells them that the long word at the top is "September," is the name of the month, and that each little square stands for one day in the month, as they can see by looking closely, for in the corner of each is a little number.

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Then they are asked to notice at recess the way the wind is blowing, and to look for the moon that night so that they can make a picture of it to-morrow, for this calendar is to become a faithful weather record of the month, and each day several things are to be marked upon it, kind of day, the direction of the wind, and the phase of the moon. In doing this, it is not necessary to use technical subjects, but rather those that the children can understand. A sunny day may have a little yellow sun with long rays, shining in the corner of that square, in another corner is the white crescent moon, as seen on the night before, and there is room in the middle for the arrow which tells us that the wind is blowing north. Or if the day is gray and cloudy, the space may be filled with a soft gray tone, over which the arrow and moon are drawn, while snowy and rainy days may be represented by covering the space with little white dots for snow-flakes, or long, light, slanting lines for rain.

Such a calendar may be started at any time, but it is better to begin it sometime in September, when the children have been at school long enough to feel acquainted with their surroundings, and have begun to notice, through the prompting of their teacher, the happenings in the world of nature around them.

At first it is the teacher who does the marking,- always,

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however, according to the report of the children, but later, when they have seen how it is done, they themselves may be allowed the delight of helping to "mark the calendar."

For the first month or two, at least, it is perhaps better to have spaces for the five week-days only, as the childish memories are apt to give out over Saturday and Sunday.

There are throughout the year many special days, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Washington's birthday, and the like, whose dates and meaning are to be explained some weeks before they occur. It is a good plan, at the beginning of each month, to talk over all such days occurring in that month, and when the date is given, to let the children find it on the calendar and mark the space with a cross. This fixes the date more firmly in their minds, and the children delight in "counting up" the days to each joyful occasion, especially if instead of the cross, the teacher sketches in simple outline some little reminder, a turkey, perhaps, for the last Thursday in November, for Christmas, a star, or little green Christmas tree, New Year's bells for the first of January, flags for Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, a white envelope with a red seal for St. Valentine's day, and similar ones for the others. These are for the future, so that the children may watch their approach ("three weeks to Christmas,-one week,-to-morrow"), but there are also other special days, whose dates are not fixed on any calendar,-the day when the first spring flower was seen, the first home-coming bird, the day of the rainbow, and these too should be noted in some simple way upon this convenient record.

Then at the end of the month, a few moments may be given to a backward look, for the children see pictured before them the month as a whole, and can grasp the idea of the proportionate number of sunny, cloudy, or rainy days, the direction of the prevailing wind (as shown by trees, weather-vanes, clouds, and most plainly of all, by the smoke from chimneys) will be described as "this way," with a waving of little arms, but as the points of the compass are taught, the teacher should insist upon the use of the names, "north," "south," etc., instead. It is better to have the calendar placed upon the north wall, as the actual east and west are then represented on the sides where they are conventionally given in maps, which will make it easier for the children to connect the pictorial symbol with the facts.

At first the picture of the moon should be drawn only when the preceding night has been clear enough for the children to see it, but as they gradually come to see that its changes take place under regular laws, they. can judge whether, behind the clouds, it is just a "little smaller," or a little larger than the night before. And later, when they have also been led to notice which direction its horns are always pointing while waning or growing, they can be taught the pretty couplets :

"O Lady Moon, thy horns point toward the east:
Shine! Be increased!

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O Lady Moon, thy horns point toward the west;
Wane! Be at rest!"

and if the teacher is clever with her pencil, she can sketch upon the board (and, by the way, it should be the south board this time, because for us in North America, the moon never gets into the northern part of the sky) the pretty illustrations which accompany these words in St. Nicholas for December, 1884.

Then later, in the upper grades, when the time comes for the lesson upon the scientific explanation of the phases of the moon, they will understand the subject more readily from having already observed its apparent changes in the sky, as all upper grade pupils have by no means done. The marking of the calendar fits in naturally and delightfully with the morning song and the morning talk, or with what in some schools is still called the language lesson. Through the fall, when we are studying, or should be, such things as the fall fruits, leaves, seeds, insects and squirrels, we should never forget, especially with the little children, to approach such subjects from the living side, and let the first thought be of these objects in their natural surroundings.

The calendar offers a natural and easy way of bringing this to pass. After marking the rain, for example, what more natural than to ask, "What do you think the squirrels are doing this rainy day?" and so on to the talk about their ways of living, or it may be the crickets, or the other little friends who hide under the stones and weeds, while before, or after, wherever it seems to belong, comes the little rain-song. In the same way we can talk about what a good time this south wind must be having, playing with the leaves and seeds, and on the bright days, when we can sing "Good morning, merry sunshine," wonder "what the merry sunshine' is doing to the apples."

One of the principal benefits of a daily calendar is the regularity with which this attitude is maintained, and with which the children are led to observe the varying phenomena of nature. It takes but a few minutes every day, but it comes every day, and at the end of the year, the children have acquired not only a habit of observation, and of deducing a few natural laws from the observed facts, but they also have a great deal of actual information which later will be applied to geography and natural philosophy, which has, in fact, been both of these all along, without their knowing it.

And besides, when the children have been educated into looking at the world with eyes which observe as well as look, they also gradually come to perceive the beauty of it all; and this is one of the most precious gifts which any fairy godmother can bestow upon a child,-the awakening of the artist side of his soul, and the giving him the power to see and enjoy the beauty of nature's picture gallery.

"It seems as if the day was not wholly profane in which we have given heed to some natural object. The fall of snowflakes in a still air, preserving to each crystal its perfect form; the blowing of sleet over a wide

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sheet of water, and over plains; the waving rye-field; the mimic waving winds and just how many weeks came between each full of acres of houstonia, whose innumerable flowers whiten and ripple before the eye; the reflections of trees and flowers in glassy lakes; the musical, steaming, odorous south wind, which converts all trees to wind-harps; the crackling and spurting of hemlock in the flames,- these are the music and pictures of the most ancient religion."

On the whole, we feel that the results of the calendar are valuable enough for every teacher to try to make room for the "just one thing more," and give the very, very few moments a day to this part of the program,- not only in the ideal school where there is plenty of time, but above all, in the crowded school-room, the country school especially, where there is so little time that it can be given only to the important things; - among them the daily calendar.

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As a decoration the calendar is a bright and cheerful addition to the room, and there are different ways of making it both attractive and appropriate to the season. For most of these a box of colored crayons is necessary, but this is something which no school-room should ever be without, for in half a dozen ways it proves a magic wand to a fairy world of enjoyment for the color-loving children. With these and a simple copy, it does not require much artistic skill to make a bunch of yellow golden-rod or purple thistles nod from behind September's calendar; a cluster of crimson leaves brighten October; a pumpkin vine encircle Novem. ber; holly, evergreens, or snowflakes surround December, January, and February; while the pussy-willow and the early flowers decorate the spring months.

One year the children enjoyed very much a calendar set in the midst of a simple landscape which changed with the outside season, through the agency of the same colored crayons. In the autumn the trees had foliage of brown and red, with many falling leaves, but as the season advanced the trees were left bare, the grass turned brown, and the first snowfall cutside gave occasion for powdering our mimic ground with white, as well. It remained so during the winter, till the spring sent a flush of green over it, and melted the snow in the crotches of the trees These gradually took on the green few ieaves (It is not difficult to "nach un" green chalk), and by May we had dandelions. and vioiets growing in the grass.

Some teachers prefer to have their calendars on large sheets of cardboard, and sometimes this is necessary through lack of blackboard space. There is a certain advantage in this plan, because the calendar is not erased at the end of the month, but the sheets preserved during the entire year, and at any time a general comparison may be made, to see which months had many sunny days or many snowy ones, which season had the most north

These cardboard calendars should be as large as the blackboard ones (at least twenty inches square, including decorations), and if the paper is rough enough, may be marked with the colored crayon, otherwise a paint-box with a few colors would be necessary. For the landscape calendar, a larger sheet of some rough paper (cartridge or ingrain wall paper, mounted on cardboard to stiffen it), may he used for the landscape part, and drawn upon with chalk quite as successfully as the blackboard, and the calendar in the middle may be on smaller sheets, which are fastened down together and one detached each month.

To keep before the children the thought of the continuity of the year, a fanciful border representing the different months may be sketched along the top of some blackboard. A pretty conceit of this sort is a row of candles in white chalk on the blackboard. As each month comes around, the candle representing that month is "lit" (that is, a yellow flame added to the wick with colored chalk), and when the month is past, it is "blown out," and the next one lit, and so on through the year.

Each candle-stick may have some device suggestive of the month, and if the children help in choosing appropriate ones, they will like it all the better, a snowflake for January perhaps, simple flowers and fruits for the months where they belong, a pumpkin for November, and for December a tin Christmas candle-holder on a branch of evergreen may take the place of the regular candle-stick, and lo! the candle becomes a Christmas candle, to set astir the pulses of every Christmas child.

Below this border may be written each month a little couplet or stanza, to be explained to the children and perhaps learned by them. The following are suggested for those who may not find it convenient to look through the poets for their own selections.

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H

"Playing School"

A TEACHER

OW many teachers have ever watched children playing school?

If each of us could find an opportunity of watching some of our own pupils in play with those of another teacher's pupils, we might learn considerable that would be of advantage to us, in regard to the manners and methods of teaching. For it is known that children almost invariably copy the ways of the teacher with whom they are most of the session.

At one time, I was the unobserved witness of five little girls and two boys playing school. It was quite evident that the facilities for teaching in the way of seats and desks was a secondary consideration-in fact, no consideration at all; for matters progressed as earnestly and realistically as though carried on in a thoroughly equipped school-room. Naturally there was some discussion as to who should be lucky enough to hold those enviable positions of superintendent, principal, and teacher; but the difficulty was settled by drawing lots and as there was a scarcity of children it was decided to have the Right Honorable Superintendent an imaginary evil, to be called on only in case of "expension."

The principal-ah! That dignitary can not well be pictured. She had perched on her nose, an old pair of spectacles, minus one glass, and with all the air of supreme authority and superiority which that person of high estate could command, she strutted around the room critically examining the work, and giving special directions here and there.

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This little girl was a "pointer teacher," that is, a teacher with the pointer always in hand, ready for any emergencyYou know her. We've all heard of them.

Well, the pointer must be used in marking the time, so, majestically it was waved back and forth, but the matter of lagging time was of small significance with the manner of executing the song.

The singing lesson is over. Now for spelling. With pointer still in evidence, our teacher, not very gently, raps several knuckles for letters not according to her model, and with high pitched voice, the words are pronounced.

Teacher: All take gogerfies and learn questions about

New York State. You don't never knows 'em, and can't tell if the city you're livin' in is on 'Lantic Ocean or Red Sea. Most likely as not, you'll say it's the largest city in 'Merica coz you're livin' here. Don't seem's if I could never get anything knocked into your brains, if you've got any, and I half doubt it. B class, order, for language."

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Boy number one, is in all classes, answers at all times, and is a general mischief maker.

Teacher:-Who can give synnim for "Farewell? " Bobbie knows, O yes, Bobbie always knows; and promptly comes the answer, "So Long." A commotion follows and as a punishment, Bobbie must write a composition on "Squirrels." Here is a copy of the original manuscript.

The Squirrels

I was in the country and I went in the wood to get some Squirrels, And I seen one on the top of a tree he had A nut up there And he was eaten Away and I got the gun and when I came back the squirrel was gone. Did you thinks that I would come And I was going back I saw one in a chestnuts tree And I was going to shoot him but You see he had a hole in the tree an I can't think of no more to-day, so good-bye. End of the Squirrels.

Matters continued rather smoothly the rest of the school

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All figures of speech appeal to children. They respond to them with unerring recognition of their under-meaning. When I tell my little folks to bottle their feelings a moment and put the cork in tight, till they get out of doors, do you not suppose the instant quiet in the cloak room is the quick translation of the figure of speech?

Again, I need but to say "I hear a fly buzzing in my room; let us drive it out," to see a comprehending smile on little faces, and lo! the buzzing has ceased.

Does not every one understand about those wooden shoes that will thump so and the velvet slippers that never make a noise!

Speak of pines - the beautiful straight pine-trees that grow so tall, or of soldiers who march so erect, and rounding shoulder and crooked backs straighten in the twinkling of an eye.

No letter 's in our room, we say, and smile, because we know how much like that letter small backs can get to be.

We don't always remember the dots to our 's. How queer we would look without eyebrows! Next time the eyebrow is pretty sure to be in evidence.

When Willie is so slow about rising from his seat, so that all the others are standing before he is, I wonder if a certain little boy is getting old and has the rheumatism, so that he cannot move quickly.

And then those queer storks, that will stand on one foot ! This has troubled you, I am sure, as many another teacher. We cannot always be saying, "Stand on two feet." Let us avoid all appearances of "nagging." It is harmful to all concerned.

Can you stand as I do? Has your plant one, or two roots? There are many ways to put it. Once in a while an effectual method is to go and look very closely for that retiring member, with an air of astonishment at its nonappearance.

Is there a right and a

Are these details unimportant? wrong way to even such trifles? Let us try the metaphor once in a while and see what wonders it can work in a sunshiny way.

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