A Poem about Labor

Ask your teacher to read the following poem aloud to you:

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;

His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,

And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;

You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,

Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks that fly

Like chaff from a threshing floor.

A POEM ABOUT LABOR

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;

He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,

And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!

He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling rejoicing - sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 1

13

Smithy means blacksmith shop; sinewy means strong; brawny means full of muscle.

1 Used by permission of, and by special arrangement with, Houghton Mifflin Company, authorized publishers of the works of Longfellow.

The first two stanzas give you a picture of the smith. Tell how he looks. Can you see him? Do you know any one that looks like him?

What does the third stanza tell?

Give the picture described in the fourth stanza. Chaff is the light husks that fly away when wheat is threshed, just as the sparks fly away from the blacksmith's anvil.

Why is the blacksmith a man you would like to know? Should you be willing to trust him with money? Why do you think he would never have to borrow or beg?

Read aloud the parts of the poem that you like best. Then memorize them.

Reading Aloud

One pupil may read the first stanza, another pupil the second, and so on. Every other line is indented, because the uneven lines rime.

Copying

Notice that each line begins with a capital letter. The first word of every line of poetry begins with a capital letter.

Copy the stanza that you like best.

The Author

The Village Blacksmith was written by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow often passed the shop of a real blacksmith who worked in a smithy under a chestnut tree. The poet saw the children standing around the smith, watching him at work.

Years after the poem was written the children of Cambridge, Massachusetts, had a chair made from the old chestnut tree and gave it to Longfellow. You may be sure that he was proud of it.

A Blackboard Paragraph

Work out several sentences that will make a connected paragraph about the blacksmith. A pupil may write the paragraph on the board, as the other pupils give the sentences. Be sure that each sentence fits into the one before it. Do not begin your sentences with and or so.

Copy the paragraph from the blackboard. Leave a margin of one inch on the left of your paper. Indent the first word. Begin each sentence with a capital. Game-It Is I, It Is He, It Is She1

Another

A child stands in the corner blindfolded. pupil stands beside him not blindfolded. A third child steps up and taps the blindfolded one on the back. The blindfolded pupil asks, "Who is it?" The child who did the tapping says, "It is I." If the blindfolded pupil guesses the correct child, the pupil beside him says, "It is he," or "It is she." If he does not guess correctly, the other pupil says, "It is not she," etc. When the right one is guessed, he takes the place of the blindfolded one, who sits down.

1 Adapted from Speaking and Writing English, by Bernard M. Sheridan, Benjamin H. Sanborn and Company, Publishers. With permission.

IV. OUR SCHOOLHOUSE

Making the Schoolhouse Attractive

Tell what you think are the attractive features of your schoolhouse or schoolroom. Tell what features you think are not attractive. Suggest improvements. (Tell things that can really be done.) Tell how you think each pupil may help improve the school's appearance. Form a club for improving the schoolhouse. Elect a president, two "clean-up" officers, and a decorating committee. Tell what each of these officers should do to improve the schoolhouse.

Plan what you have to say, and say it in complete sentences. Stand squarely on both feet, and look at the class when you speak.

Dictation Question Mark

After every sentence that asks a question place a question mark; as, "Where are you going?"

Notice the question marks and the periods in the following paragraph. Study this paragraph until you can write it perfectly when it is dictated.

What can we do to improve our schoolhouse? Let every pupil try to keep papers and dirt off the floor. Don't you think this will make our schoolhouse more attractive?