least some little time be devoted to the study of the mighty forces which at present are working out problems of the greatest moment? If by chance nations go to war, we eagerly await the roar of the artillery and the shouting of the hosts advancing to the fray. Shall we not incline our ear to the voices pleading at The Hague for universal peace? Are the events of the reign of Edward the VII of less importance than the quarrels of the kings who ruled in the long ago? Are not the victories of science, of industry, of reason, of honesty, as interesting and as far reaching in their consequences, as those which were won by the shedding of human blood?

Frequently people say they read the daily papers for current events. Much valuable information may be gathered in this way, but it is doubtful if the best results can be attained from reading only the dailies. World events need to be read in what Bacon called "Dry Light”—that spirit which concerns itself wholly with truth-and this dry light often fails to harmonize with wild-cat head lines and pink ink. To meet the difficulty there has arisen a class of weekly or monthly papers, such as The Outlook, The Independent, The Nation, Popular Science, World's Work and many others. With the many aids afforded there is no good reason why teachers should not have a fair knowledge of the important events of the world, and especially of those which mark distinct stages of advancement in civilization.

In regard to the second group of subjects, the so-called professional reading, much might be said. Matthew Arnold once wrote that the man who wants to become a great military leader, a great painter or a great poet will not only study the lives of the great military leaders, the great painters or the great poets, but will also love and admire those who have gone before him and shown him the way. No effort will be made in this discussion to catalogue the books on teaching which should receive attention. Suffice it to say that the teacher who is not thrilled with the simple story of the sacrifices of Pestalozzi; or who does not seek to become familiar with the great men and women of the past, who made the public school system of to-day a living fact, can hardly be said to love her work or to be well prepared for it.

It is a trite saying that a teacher should read at least one educational paper. The objection frequently raised, that such papers lack merit, is hardly sufficient excuse for your not reading them. It may be that some of the writers have no real message, but write to fill space; the better class of periodicals, however, have always some excellent features. A person would act unwisely if he should refuse all food simply because his landlady happens to prepare some dish which he does not relish.

The teacher should be familiar with the standard works of

general literature. By common consent some works have come to be considered masterpieces. What scholar has not been deeply impressed with the symbolism of that ancient mythic theology, that represents the muse of epic poetry, Calliope, as being the eldest daughter of the all-wise Jove and the goddess of memory! Literature is the incarnation of the wisdom of the ages, and if the teacher can imbue her pupils with a love for good books, her work cannot be a failure. The boy who leaves school with a passion for the companionship of the "master minds of earth," will likely measure up to the fullness of the stature of honorable and noble manhood. One of the great functions of the school is to give pupils the desire and the ability to read thoughtful books, but if the maximum of good is to be accomplished, the teacher must know those productions which are the accepted models of excellence. How can she be an inspiration to her pupils, when she herself had rather gaze into her looking-glass than into the "full orb of Homeric or Miltonic song," or, when she prefers to pose in the bright glare of the ballroom or the public street, rather than walk with Æneas and the Sibyl in the mild light of the Elysian Fields, among the peaceful spirits of the mighty dead?

In addition to all this, it may be said that the mind needs some relaxation. Constant, arduous employment causes loss of freshness, vigor and elasticity of mind. The teacher will find moments when spirit as well as body will require repose. This is the law of all human organism, and the teacher is fortunate if she has attained the standard of culture represented by the words of one whose name is honored in the legal profession of our country :

66 Happy is he who has laid up in youth and has held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love of reading. True balm of hurt minds; of surer and more healthful charm than poppy or mandragora or all the drowsy syrups of the world-by that single taste, by that single capacity, he may bound in a moment into the still region of delightful studies and be at rest; he shall there find rest from labor; succor under its burdens; forgetfulness of its cares; and composure in its annoyances."

The same thought is beautifully expressed in the familiar words of our great poet :

"The day is done, and the darkness

Falls from the wings of Night,

As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.

"I see the lights of the village

Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me,
That my soul cannot resist :

"A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only

As the mist resembles the rain.

"Come, read to me some poem,

Some simple and heartfelt lay,

That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
"Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.

"For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.

"Read from some humbler poet,

Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;

"Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.

"Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,

And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.

"Then read from the treasured volume

The poem of thy choice,

And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.

"And the night shall be filled with music,

And the cares that infest the day,

Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away."

Examination Questions for Shakespeare's Macbeth

MAUD E. KINGSLEY

1. Relate the narrative which forms the nucleus of Shakespeare's Tragedy of MACBETH. To what extent is this narrative historical? 2. What is the plot of MACBETH? Enumerate the steps by which Macbeth obtains the crown. Besides the promise of the crown, what other revelations of destiny are made to Macbeth by the witches? Interpret these oracular revelations. Show that the attempt to frustrate the witches' prophecies brings on the catastrophe.

3. "No drama has more wonderfully amalgamated the natural and the supernatural-or made the substances of truth more awful by their superstitious shadows-than has the tragedy of MACBeth.” State at some length just what you understand by this criticism.

4. What is the meaning of the appellation Weird Sisters as applied to the witches? To what extent do Shakespeare's witches possess the attributes (1) of the classical Fates; (2) of the powers of darkness which seek to betray the souls of men; (3) of the witches of vulgar superstition?

5. Show by giving an outline of the plot developing scenes of the drama that the ethical motive of MACBETH is "the temptation, the surrender, and the perdition" of a soul.

6. Trace Macbeth's progress in crime, step by step. Enumerate all the agents concerned in his downfall. Is Macbeth represented as a good man helpless in the hands of these agents, or as one whose "nature has predisposed him to take their equivocal suggestions in the most mischievous sense?" i. e., Does Macbeth plan the murder of Duncan, for instance, because of his encounter with the witches, or does he encounter the witches because he has already conceived the idea of the murder?

7. Show that it is from sheer moral cowardice that we find Macbeth shrinking from the murder. What, in your opinion, was the ruling passion of Macbeth's life? Do you think that this ruling passion would have led him to commit the murder had it not been for the influence of his wife? Show that Lady Macbeth had a just estimate of her husband's character.

8. Describe the change produced, as the story proceeds, in the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, by the transforming power of evil deeds. To what extent is the effect produced upon Lady Macbeth a proof that her nature is "finer and higher strung" than that of her husband?

9. From the progress of the story, show whether or not Macbeth is at any time visited with remorse. the Lady Macbeth story.

Show that remorse is the motif of

10. Justify the following characterization of Lady Macbeth: "She is a terrible impersonation of evil passions and mighty powers, never so far removed from our own nature as to be cast beyond the pale of our sympathy; for she remains a woman to the last, and is always linked with her sex and with humanity."

11. What effect upon your previous estimate of Lady Macbeth's character is produced upon you by the Sleep Walking Scene? Give a delineative picture of Lady Macbeth as you imagine her.

12. Throughout the entire play is there any scene in which we question the personal courage of Macbeth?

13. Discuss the following question: "Was the murder of Duncan the fruit of sudden impulse on the part of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?" Of what value is the Letter Scene in the discussion of this question?

14. By what devices does Shakespeare heighten the horror of the Murder Scene? of the Air-Drawn Dagger Scene? of the Ghost Scene? 15. Imagine that you are watching the drama as it is acted upon the stage. What effect do you think would be produced by the "Knocking at the Gate"?

16. Enumerate the apparently impossible conditions which shall bring about the ruin of Macbeth. Show how each of these is fulfilled.

Describe in detail the Apparition Scene.

17. State the part played in the drama by Malcolm and Donalbain. What effect did their hasty action after the murder have upon the career of Macbeth and upon the development of the plot?

18. Show the extent to which the prophecies of the witches concerned Banquo. What was his attitude toward the murder and the murderer of Duncan? What was the fate of Banquo?

19. Who becomes the chief secondary character in the drama after the death of Banquo? What is his function in the play?

20. Comment on the character of Macduff and on his selfishness in leaving his wife and children exposed to the cruelties of Macbeth. 21. Describe Act III, Scene iv, and state its purpose.

22. For what purpose is Scene vi of Act III obviously introduced? 23. What moral lessons applicable to your own time are taught by MACBETH?

24. Describe the diction and rhythm of the Witch Scenes of the drama.

25. Why is MACBETH called by critics (1) a Tragedy of the Imagination; (2) a Drama of Conscience? In whom are the workings of conscience seen the more clearly, in Macbeth or in Lady Macbeth?