Not only must impression cause expression, but the impression must be intense. Not only must there be careful observation, not only must the mind create out of its own apperceptions a definite image, but this image must be felt; feeling must be co-ordinated with thinking, experience must be united with the idea and form a vital part of the impression. Hence our observation must be sympathetic and in creating the ideas and realizing the successive references, in such lines as the preceding, our sympathy must be awakened. We must not only think; we must also feel.

In reading or speaking we may give words without suggesting ideas. We may give even ideas without stimulating thinking, and last, we may give thinking without feeling. The most common fault in all forms of vocal expression is a certain neutrality. Ideas may be conveyed without any suggestion of the experience which is associated with them. Complete expression demands that ideas must be lived.

For example, in reading these lines, supposed to be spoken by a little girl full of joy on her birthday, does the feeling change in passing from the bells to the lark? Certainly, when rightly realized, they would not awaken the

same emotion, and there would be change of pitch and change of color and possibly other changes, when the thought is rightly assimilated.

You bells in the steeple, ring, ring out your changes,

How many soever they be,

And let the brown meadow-lark's note as he ranges

Come over, come over to me.

THE HUMMING BIRD

A flash of harmless lightning,

A mist of rainbow dyes,

The burnished sunbeams brightening,
From flower to flower he flies:

While wakes the nodding blossom,
But just too late to see

What lip hath touched her bosom
And drained her nectary.

Jean Ingelow

John Banister Tabb

Why is a humming bird called in this little poem, by John B. Tabb, a "flash of harmless lightning"? Why is it called "mist"? What is meant by "rainbow dyes"? By "burnished sunbeams?" How many descriptive titles does Mr. Tabb give the humming bird in the first stanza? Have you seen all these qualities? Can you explain the meaning of the second stanza?

After you have observed the humming bird carefully and have studied the poem you will be able to read it with spirit and admiration for this, the smallest and most charming of birds.

SUMMER

O, warm is the sun on a bright summer day,
And softly the wind sings to me.

The song that it sings tells of joy and of love,
And beauty of earth and of sea.

The call of the birds, and the hum of the bees,
Make music that's gladsome and sweet.
The butterflies flit from the leaf to the rose
And nod to each neighbour they meet.

The leaves and the grass are so fresh and so green.

The sky is so clear and so blue.

The daisies, and buttercups yellow as gold,

Are sparkling with morning's own dew.

O, summer's the time for the young and the old,
For happiness breathes through the air.
All heaven is bright, and all earth is gay,
All nature is gladsome and fair.

Author not known

In reading this poem, "Summer," we can pause and listen after the word "softly; " after the words "the wind sings," pause again to realize the feeling we are going to tell about. Every phrase contains something new, something definite, something which our imagination pictures for us. What we ourselves have seen on summer days returns without our knowing why or how, and now we are made glad by pleasant pictures, or by new things which we have never seen at all. The faithful observation of what we see gives us this power.

In reading the first line of the second stanza do you give "the call of the birds" and "the hum of the bees " alike? Are they on the same pitch? Do they have the same tone color? If they do you are not using your imagination. You have not taken time to see and enjoy each one successively. When you really hear the birds and express the feeling that awakens within you at the hum of the bees and the soft murmuring music, different pictures and different emotions will change the color of your tone. If not, you must keep trying and pay attention to the right conception and sympathetic realization of the scenes until your voice responds to your mind. Our sympathetic attention enables us to realize not only the difference between two flowers or two butterflies or the different thought of successive clauses, but the spirit of a poem or story.

We have found in preceding lessons that attention leads us to a definite conception of the character of objects. Without careful attention our ideas will be vague and indefinite, our feeling will be lacking.

In the same way, in reading and speaking, true attention causes each successive idea that springs up in the mind to have decided character. It awakens also definite feeling. Since we cannot express what we do not possess, the gaining of thoughts by careful attention is necessary, and, given normal conditions of voice and body, we respond to each

idea in such a way that a union is established between impression and expression. Now, not only must all ideas be definite; but each conception must have definite character in order to give definite character and life to the expression. Study and read naturally another beautiful poem, "The Song of the Poppy Seed."

THE SONG OF THE POPPY SEED

Little brown brother, oh! little brown brother,
Are you awake in the dark?

Here we lie cosily, close to each other;

Hark to the song of the lark

"Waken!" the lark says,

"waken and dress you,

Put on your green coats and gay,

Blue sky will shine on you, sunshine caress you,
Waken! 't is morning - 't is May!"

Little brown brother, oh! little brown brother,
What kind of flower will you be?

What! you're a sunflower? How I shall miss you,

When you're grown golden and high!

But I shall send all the bees up to kiss you,

Little brown brother, good-by!

E. Nesbit

A tiny seed is talking to its " little brown brother." You can be the little seed in your imagination and feel what it says. Your imagination and instinct will give you many experiences and enable you to enter deep into the life of flowers and plants as well as of animals and people. When you have done this you can reveal the emotion by your voice.

For example, your voice, if you really let it share in your thinking and feeling when you say "little brown brother " or "Waken," will be tender, as if it came from your heart, and will seem to flow all through your body. And though a change in thinking and feeling may be slight, still you must realize it and let your tone change with it.

Not all our attention is to be given to the things around us. Sometimes we have to give attention to things within us. Here is a peculiar little poem called "The Stranger," but the stranger who is described in the first four lines is, to your surprise none but "yourself as other people see you."

THE STRANGER

He entered; but the mask he wore
Concealed his face from me.

Still, something I had seen before
He brought to memory.

"Who art thou? What thy rank, thy name?”
I questioned, with surprise;

66 Thyself," the laughing answer came,
"As seen of others' eyes."

PUSSY-WILLOW AND THE SOUTH WIND

Wind. Fie! moping still by the sleepy brook?

Little Miss Pussy, how dull you look!

Prithee, throw off that cloak of brown,

John B. Tabb

And give me a glimpse of your gray silken gown.

Willow. My gray silken gown, Sir Wind, is done,
But its golden fringes are not quite spun.

Wind. What a slow little spinner! Pray, pardon me,
But I have had time to cross the sea.

Haste forth, dear Miss Pussy! the sky is blue,
And I have a secret to whisper to you.

Willow. Nay, nay, they say Winds are changeful things,
I'll wait, if you please, till the bluebird sings.

Emily A. Braddock

In the conversation between the pussy-willow and the south wind, you can feel the dashing, joyous character of the wind as it speaks to the pussy-willow; its comical rebuke to the pussy-willow for being so slow; then the willow's answer. Just such wide contrasts are found all through the poem.

CONTENT AND DISCONTENT

Some murmur when their sky is clear,
And wholly bright to view,

If one small speck of dark appear

In their great heaven of blue;

And some with thankful love are filled,

If but one streak of light,

One ray of God's good mercy, gild
The darkness of their night.