6. Describe in detail the fight of chapters v-vii. Trace the movements of Harvey Birch throughout the scenes connected with this fight. 7. What purpose in the story development does the introduction of Isabella Singleton serve? What part is played by Frances Wharton in the career of Harvey Birch? by Caesar? 8. Identify André, De Lancey, Burgoyne, Sir Henry Clinton, Gates, Hale, Stark, Arnold. 9. Make chapter captions for any ten of the chapters of this novel. Study five of the title verses and tell why each is appropriate. 10. Draw a character sketch of Dr. Sitgreaves; of Col. Wellmore; of Katy Haynes. Point out the contrast between Cooper's sketches of his soldier characters and those of the women of the novel. 11. Tell the story of Sarah Wharton. Does the Spy appear in this portion of the story? 12. Give a detailed description of the dinner-party at the Locusts, describing food, dress, service, conversation, etc. 13. Relate in detail the story of the last chapter of the novel. 14. What was the peddler's motive in visiting the Locusts with his wares while Mr. Harper was at the house? 15. Make a list of the most striking scenes of the story and describe the part played in each scene by Harvey Birch. 17. Describe the political attitude of the inhabitants of the Neutral Ground. Which of the characters in the novel are types of this class of society? 18. Enumerate those characters of the novel necessary to the development of the plot. State the circumstances under which each one appears for the first and last time. 19. Make a comprehensive outline of the first four chapters of "The Spy," adding numerous sub-headings to the headings of B, I, 1, a. 20. Relate the various adventures of Captain Wharton, mentioning the part played by Harvey Birch in each of them. 21. Cooper is criticised for the pretentious and stilted diction of portions of his novels. Point out passages which justify such criticism. 22. What was the purport of the bit of paper which the spy swallowed? Explain the spy's words in connection with this act "My only safeguard." 23. Cite instances from the text to prove that Harvey Birch was an American spy. Cite other passages to prove that he was a Tory spy. Which side of the argument has the better proofs. 24. Tell the story connected with the hut on the mountainside. Why was it necessary that Mr. Harper and Harvey Birch should not meet in the hut? 25. Give the significant facts in the life of Cooper. With what character in fiction is his name more closely associated than with the spy? II. THEME SUBJECTS 1. A Colonial Household. 2. The War of 1812. 3. The Neutral Ground and its Inhabitants. 4. The Journey into the Highlands of the Hudson. 5. Harvey Birch-A Loyalist. 6. Harvey Birch-A Patriot. 7. Interesting Manners and Customs of the Period. 8. Government and Activities of the Colonists in 1780. 9. The Women of the Novel. 10. The Value of "The Spy" in the Class room. Cultivating Acquaintance with the Magazines ERNEST ERWIN LEISY, THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, S URBANA, ILL. TARTLED by the results of an assignment to my rhetoric class on My Favorite Magazine, in which a timid favoritism centered at length on The Saturday Evening Post, I began to reflect on some measures that might be taken to bring students to know the "run of the stands." The need for this was driven home when investigation among other classes revealed ignorance of even the general nature of the contents of a dozen or two magazines that come off the press each month. When one considers that in after life most of the reading of our students will be in the newspaper and current magazine, it is imperative that the school cultivate wise orientation. His favorite "daily" is easily decided for a man by his locality, but lest his reading should be confined to that altogether, a taste for judicious browsing among magazines should be formed early. The logical years for this are the later ones in the high school, when the student has been awakened to a considerable range of ideas and before he probably leaves the schoolroom altogether. The college rhetoric classes might well devote a period or two to such a discussion, if for some reason the high school has been unable to give it, or has neglected it. If students are not familiar with the names of magazines, one may stimulate interest by a guessing contest, such as this: 1. One hundred years old (Century). 2. What we cling to (Life). 3. A noted fairy (Puck). 4. Dispenser of justice (Judge). 5. A prospect (Outlook). 6. A citizen of the world (Cosmopolitan). 7. Hash (Review of Reviews). 8. Prosperity (Success). 9. Money the trusts want (Everybody's). 10. Resident of New York (Metropolitan). 11. What we are proud to be (American). 12. What a rich man is (Independent). 13. A tiresome person (Harper). 14. A large body of water (Atlantic). The nature and contents of magazines may next be taken up. In order to get concrete results one may proceed as follows: Make a list of twenty-five non-technical magazines. Let each member of the class choose a magazine for an investigation. Have him go through a copy or two with a view to writing a critique based on the following points: a. General make-up and impression. (Cover, proportion, paper, type, etc.) b. Nature of subject-matter. (Chiefly articles? stories? poetry? What is the tone or quality, and what readers are appealed to?) C. Illustrations. (What number? Any cartoons? Taste?) d. What is the amount and the nature of the advertising? e. Considering the field of the magazine, suggest improvements. Naturally, it is not to be expected that this outline will serve the needs of all classes without modifications here and there, but it has proved helpful for intensive study. To make the acquaintance extensive, let each student make a list of some twenty-five non-technical magazines, arranging them as in a bibliography, i. e., arrange the titles in alphabetical order; in the next column give publisher, place of publication, and price; indicate briefly the general content; in a word, show what class of readers the magazine seems intended for. If one wishes to continue the work, various plans may be followed. One might set aside one day each month as Magazine Day, on which one would hear the report of each student on the con tents of his magazine. In order to give range, let there be progressive selection, i. e., let the student who reported on the Ameri can last month review the Atlantic this month, while the one at the foot of the class takes the American. Other modes of procedure will suggest themselves to suit individual needs. For the purpose of this paper, however, it is regarded sufficient if it has been pointed out how students and magazines may cultivate a closer acquaintance. Hymn to the Stars Stars that are suns to myriad millions of bepeopled spheres, On which unknown, strange beings thrive throughout the endless years, How fair you are to us benighted souls in this far place, To whom you seem bright flowers blooming in remotest space! How oft in childhood days we gazed on you in silent awe! In youth's sweet, golden days how bright you were those charming nights Oh, how our souls were lifted to your iridescent heights! So, through the years, you keep watch on the changeful moods of life; GEORGE LAWRENCE ANDREWS. |