Chapter I: Preface: The purpose of the compilers of this volume is

_First_, to provide some new material in poetry and eloquence that has never before appeared in books of this character, in addition to many standard selections familiar to the general public;

_Second_, to furnish selections that will stand the test of literary criticism and at the same time prove to be popular and successful for public entertainment;

_Third_, to offer for the use of classes in public speaking such carefully selected literature of varied scope as will be helpful and stimulating in the practice of reading aloud and profitable in acquiring power of vocal interpretation;

_Fourth_, to stimulate interest in the works of the authors from whom we have chosen and in the speeches or books from which extracts have been taken;

_Fifth_, to present as models for students in public speaking notable specimens of eloquence, among which are masterpieces of the seven great orators of the world and from the six great triumphs in the history of American oratory;

_Sixth_, to provide carefully chosen scenes from a few standard, modern dramas for class-room and platform use. In these scenes the attempt has been made to preserve the spirit and unity of the plays, to shorten them to practical length, and to adapt them to the demands of the public audience.

To avoid reprinting material which is already universally accessible, we have inserted no scenes from Shakespeare; but the reader is referred to Fulton and Trueblood's "Choice Readings" (published by Ginn and Company), which contains copious Indexes to choice scenes from Shakespeare, the Bible, and hymn-books. The two volumes include a wide field of literature best suited for public speaking.

The selections throughout the book are arranged under six different classes and cover a wide range of thought and emotion. While many shades of feeling may be found in the same selection, it has been our aim to place each one under the division with which, as a whole, it is most closely allied.

We are grateful to the many authors and publishers who have courteously permitted us to use their publications. Instead of naming them in the preface we have chosen to make due acknowledgment in a footnote wherever their selections appear in the volume.

F. AND T.

CONTENTS

I

NARRATIVE, DESCRIPTIVE, PATHETIC

PAGE
Arena Scene from "Quo Vadis?" The _Sienkiewicz._ 1

Arrow and the Song, The _Longfellow._ 8

Aux Italiens _Lytton._ 8

Bobby Shafto _Henry._ 12

Carcassonne _Nadaud._ 13

Child-wife, The _Dickens._ 15

Count Gismond _Browning._ 21

Death of Arbaces, The _Lytton._ 25

Dora _Tennyson._ 32

Easter with Parepa, An _Delano._ 37

Evening Bells, Those _Moore._ 41

Ginevra _Coolidge._ 42

High Tide at Lincolnshire, The _Ingelow._ 47

How Did You Die? _Cooke._ 52

Indigo Bird, The _Burroughs._ 53

Jackdaw of Rheims, The _Barham._ 54

Jaffar _Hunt._ 57

Jim Bludsoe _Hay._ 59

King Robert of Sicily _Longfellow._ 61

Lady of Shalott, The _Tennyson._ 67

Legend of Service, A _Van Dyke._ 72

Little Boy Blue _Field._ 76

Mary's Night Ride _Cable._ 77

Nydia, the Blind Girl _Lytton._ 80

O Captain, My Captain! _Whitman._ 88

On the Other Train _Anon._ 89

Pansy, The _Anon._ 92

"Revenge," The _Tennyson._ 94

Rider of the Black Horse, The _Lippard._ 98

Sailing beyond Seas _Ingelow._ 101

Sands of Dee, The _Kingsley._ 102

School of Squeers, The _Dickens._ 103

Secret of Death, The _Arnold._ 110

Shamus O'Brien _Le Fanu._ 113

Ships, My _Wilcox._ 117

Soldier's Reprieve, The _Robbins._ 118

Song, The _Scott._ 123

Stirrup Cup, The _Hay._ 124

Swan-song, The _Brooks._ 125

Sweet Afton _Burns._ 129

Violet's Blue _Henry._ 130

Waterfowl, To a _Bryant._ 132

Wedding Gown, The _Pierce._ 133

When the Snow Sifts Through _Gillilan._ 137

Wild Flower, To a _Thompson._ 138

Zoroaster, The Fate of _Crawford._ 139

II

SOLEMN, REVERENTIAL, SUBLIME

Centennial Hymn _Whittier._ 144

Chambered Nautilus, The _Holmes._ 145

Crossing the Bar _Tennyson._ 146

Destruction of Sennacherib, The _Byron._ 147

Each and All _Emerson._ 148

Laus Deo! _Whittier._ 149

Pilgrim Fathers, The _Hemans._ 151

Present Crisis, The _Lowell._ 152

Recessional, The _Kipling._ 155

Sacredness of Work, The _Carlyle._ 156

What's Hallowed Ground? _Campbell._ 157

III

PATRIOTIC, HEROIC, ORATORICAL

The Seven Great Orators of the World 159

I. Demosthenes

Encroachments of Philip, The 159

II. Cicero

Oration against Antony 162

III. Chrysostom

Undue Lamentations over the Dead 165
On Applauding Preachers 167

IV. Bossuet

On the Death of the Prince of Condé 169

V. Chatham

I. War with America 171
II. Attempt to Subjugate America 173

VI. Burke

I. Impeachment of Hastings 175
II. Conciliation with America 178
III. English Privileges in America 182

VII. Webster

I. Bunker Hill Monument 185
II. Revolutionary Patriots 188
III. Character of Washington 191

Six Great Triumphs in the History of American Oratory 193

I. Henry

Call to Arms, The 193

II. Hamilton

Coercion of Delinquent States 196

III. Webster

Reply to Hayne, The 199

IV. Phillips

Murder of Lovejoy, The 202

V. Lincoln

Slavery Issue, The 206

VI. Beecher

Moral Aspect of the American War 208

Abolition of War _Sumner._ 212

American Flag, The _Beecher._ 215

American People, The _Beveridge._ 217

American Question, The _Bright._ 218

America's Relation to Missions _Angell._ 220

American Slavery _Bright._ 222

Armenian Massacres, The _Gladstone._ 222

Battle Hymn of the Republic _Howe._ 225

Blue and the Gray, The _Lodge._ 226

Corruption of Prelates _Savonarola._ 228

Cross of Gold, The _Bryan._ 231

Death of Congressman Burnes _Ingalls._ 235

Death of Garfield, The _Blaine._ 237

Death of Grady, The _Graves._ 246

Death of Toussaint L'Ouverture _Phillips._ 239

Dedication of Gettysburg Cemetery, The _Lincoln._ 241

Fallen Heroes of Japan, The _Togo._ 242

Glory of Peace, The _Sumner._ 248

Hope of the Republic, The _Grady._ 249

Hungarian Heroism _Kossuth._ 250

International Relations _McKinley._ 251

Irish Home Rule _Gladstone._ 255

Lincoln _Castelar._ 258

Lincoln _Garfield._ 260

Louisiana Purchase Exposition _Hay._ 261

Man with the Muck-rake, The _Roosevelt._ 264

Message to the Squadron _Togo._ 271

Minute Man, The _Curtis._ 273

More Perfect Union, A _Curtis._ 275

Napoleon _Corwin._ 278

Napoleon _Ingersoll._ 279

National Control of Corporations _Roosevelt._ 280

Negro, The _Grady._ 283

New England _Quincy._ 284

New South, The _Grady._ 284

O'Connell _Phillips._ 290

Open Door, The _Henry._ 292

Organization of the World _Mead._ 294

Permanency of Empire, The _Phillips._ 296

Pilgrims, The _Phillips._ 297

Principles of the Founders _Mead._ 299

Responsibility of War, The _Channing._ 302

Scotland _Flagg._ 304

Secession _Stephens._ 243

Second Inaugural Address _Lincoln._ 305

Slavery and the Union _Lincoln._ 307

Subjugation of the Filipino _Hoar._ 309

Sufferings and Destiny of the Pilgrims _Everett._ 312

To Arms _Kossuth._ 313

True American Patriotism _Cockran_. 314

Vision of War _Ingersoll_. 315

War in the Twentieth Century _Mead_. 318

Washington _Phillips_. 321

IV

GAY, HUMOROUS, COMIC

A Boy's Mother _Riley_. 323

Almost beyond Endurance _Riley_. 324

Bird in the Hand, A _Weatherly_. 328

Breaking the Charm _Dunbar_. 325

Candle Lightin' Time _Dunbar_. 327

"Day of Judgment, The" _Phelps_. 330

De Appile Tree _Harris_. 335

Dooley on La Grippe Microbes _Dunne_. 337

Doctrinal Discussion, A _Edwards_. 340

Finnigin to Flannigan _Gillilan_. 343

Gavroche and the Elephant _Hugo_. 345

Hazing of Valiant, The _Anon_. 349

Hindoo's Paradise, The _Anon_. 353

If I Knew _Anon_. 354

Imaginary Invalid, The _Jerome_. 354

Jane Jones _King_. 357

Knee-deep in June _Riley_. 359

Little Breeches _Hay_. 362

Low-Backed Car, The _Lover_. 364

Mammy's Pickanin' _Jenkins_. 366

Mandalay _Kipling_. 368

Mr. Coon and Mr. Rabbit _Harris_. 370

Money Musk _Taylor_. 373

One-legged Goose, The _Smith_. 375

Pessimist, The _King_. 379

Schneider Sees Leah _Anon_. 380

Superfluous Man, The _Saxe_. 384

Usual Way, The _Anon_. 386

Wedding Fee, The _Streeter_. 387

When Malindy Sings _Dunbar_. 389

When the Cows Come Home _Mitchell_. 391

V

DRAMATIC, NOT IN THE DRAMA

Confessional, The _Anon._ 395

Jean Valjean and the Good Bishop _Hugo_. 400

Lasca _Anon._ 404

Michael Strogoff _Verne_. 408

Mrs. Tree _Richards_. 414

Portrait, The _Lytton_. 423

Tell-tale Heart, The _Poe_. 426

Uncle, The _Bell_. 431

VI

SCENES FROM THE DRAMA

Beau Brummell, Act I, Scene I; Act II, Scene 3 _Jerrold_. 468

Bells, The, Act III, Scene I _Williams_. 437

Lady of Lyons, The, Act II, Scene I; Act III,
Scene 2 _Lytton_. 441

Pygmalion and Galatea, Act I, Scene I; Act II,
Scene I _Gilbert_. 493

Rip Van Winkle, Act I, Scene I; Act II, Scene I _Irving_. 449

Rivals, The, Act I, Scene 2; Act II, Scene I;