Of his springboard, and teeters to try its strength.
Now he stretches his wings, like a monstrous bat;
Peeks over his shoulder, this way an' that,

Fur to see 'f the' 's any one passin' by,
But the''s on'y a ca'f an' a goslin' nigh.
They turn up at him wonderin' eye,
To see The dragon! he's goin' to fly!
Away he goes! Jimminy! what a jump!

Flop flop — an' plump to the ground with a thump!
Flutt'rin' an' flound'rin', all'n a lump !

As a demon is hurl'd by an angel's spear,
Heels over head, to his proper sphere,―
Heels over head, and head over heels,
Dizzily down the abyss he wheels,—
So fell Darius. Upon his crown,

In the midst of the barnyard, he came down,
In a wonderful whirl of tangled strings,
Broken braces and broken springs,
Broken tail and broken wings,

Shooting stars, and various things,—
Barnyard litter of straw and chaff,

And much that wasn't so sweet by half.
Away with a bellow fled the calf,

And what was that? Did the gosling laugh?
'Tis a merry roar from the old barn door,
And he hears the voice of Jotham crying,
Say, D'rius! how do you like flyin'?”
Slowly, ruefully, where he lay,

Darius just turn'd and look'd that way,

As he stanch'd his sorrowful nose with his cuff. "Wal, I like flyin' well enough,"

He said; "but the' ain't sich a thunderin' sight
O' fun in't when ye come to light."

I just have room for the MORAL here:

And this is the moral,- Stick to your sphere;

Or, if you insist, as you have the right,
On spreading your wings for a loftier flight,
The moral is, — Take care how you light.

SECTION V. FALSETTO QUALITY

The Falsetto is a pure, shrill, penetrating Quality ranging above the ordinary Pitch, with the resonance in the upper part of the pharynx. It is literally the "false voice," and begins where the ordinary tone "outruns its compass" and breaks into a very high tone, which may range over an additional octave or more of Pitch. It is heard in nature in the cry of a whipped dog, the feeble voice of old age, the scream of a frightened child, the shriek of intense pain, and in the excited cheers of a crowd. It shows a condition of physical excitability in which the impelling emotion has unpoised the vital powers. for the moment and the vocal utterance has outrun the natural compass; so this Quality plainly represents a physical condition of utterance and belongs to the Vital class in our triune division. It is sometimes due to a weakness and lack of control of the vocal cords, and habitual breaking of the voice is the result; such a habit is a serious fault and should be overcome by judicious vocal culture. In expression the Falsetto is used to express great excitement such as fright, yelling, screaming, and shouting.

Selection illustrating Falsetto.

NOTE. The underscored parts of the following selection may very appropriately be given in Falsetto Quality. The excitement carries the voice above the natural compass.

HOW WE HUNTED A MOUSE

JOSHUA JENKINS

I was dozing comfortably in my easy-chair, and dreaming of the good times which, I hope, are coming, when there fell upon my ears a most startling scream. It was the voice of my Maria

Ann in agony. The voice came from the kitchen, and to the kitchen I rushed. The idolized form of my Maria was perched on a chair, and she was flourishing an iron spoon in all directions, and shouting "Shoo," in a general manner at everything in the room. To my anxious inquiries as to what was the matter, she screamed, "O! Joshua, a mouse, shoo—wha—shoo—a great—ya, shoo—horrid mouse, and—she—ew—it ran right out of the cupboard—shoogo away—O Joshua—shoo—kill it, oh, my—shoo.”

All that fuss, you see, about one little harmless mouse. Some women are so afraid of mice. Maria is. I got the poker and set myself to poke that mouse, and my wife jumped down and ran off into another room. I found the mouse in a corner under the sink. The first time I hit it I didn't poke it any on account of getting the poker all tangled up in a lot of dishes in the sink; and I did not hit it any more, because the mouse would not stay still. It ran right toward me, and I naturally jumped, as anybody would; but I am not afraid of mice, and when the horrid thing ran up inside the leg of my pantaloons, I yelled to Maria, because I was afraid it would gnaw a hole in my garment.

There is something real disagreeable about having a mouse inside the leg of one's pantaloons, especially if there is nothing between you and the mouse. Its toes are cold, and its nails are scratchy, and its fur tickles, and its tail feels crawly, and there is nothing pleasant about it, and you are all the time afraid it will try to gnaw out, and begin on you instead of on the cloth. That mouse was next to me. I could feel its every motion with startling and suggestive distinctness. For these reasons I yelled to Maria, and as the case seemed urgent to me, I may have yelled with a certain degree of vigor; but I deny that I yelled fire, and if I catch the boy who thought that I did, I shall inflict punishment on his person.

I did not lose my presence of mind for an instant. I caught the mouse just as it was clambering over my knee, and by pressing firmly on the outside of the cloth I kept the animal a prisoner on the inside. I kept jumping around with all my might to confuse it, so that it would not think about biting, and I yelled so that the mice would not hear its squeaks and come to its assistance. A man can't handle many mice at once to advantage.

Maria was white as a sheet when she came into the kitchen, and asked what she should do,— as though I could hold the mouse and plan a campaign at the same time. I told her to think of something, and she thought she would throw things at the intruder; but as there was no earthly chance for her to hit the mouse, while every shot took effect on me, I told her to stop, after she had tried two flatirons and the coal scuttle. She paused for breath; but I kept bobbing around. Somehow I felt no inclination to sit down anywhere. "Oh, Joshua," she cried, "I wish you had not killed the cat." Now I submit that that wish was born of the weakness of woman's intellect. How on earth did she suppose a cat could get where that mouse was? Rather have the mouse there alone, anyway, than to have a cat prowling around after it. I reminded Maria of the fact that she was a fool.

Then she got the teakettle and wanted to scald the mouse. I objected to that process, except as a last resort. Then she got some cheese to coax the mouse down, but I did not dare let go for fear it would run up. Matters were getting desperate. I told her to think of something else, and I kept jumping. Just as I was ready to faint with exhaustion, I tripped over an iron, lost my hold, and the mouse fell to the floor very dead. I had no idea a mouse could be squeezed to death so easily.

That was not the end of trouble, for before I had recovered my breath a fireman broke in one of the front windows, and a whole company followed him through, and they dragged hose around, and mussed things all over the house, and then the foreman wanted to thrash me because the house was not on fire, and I had hardly got him pacified before a policeman came in and arrested me. Some one had run down and told him I was drunk and was killing Maria. It was all Maria and I could do, by combining our eloquence, to prevent him from marching me off in disgrace, but we finally got matters quieted and the house clear.

Now when mice run out of the cupboard, I go outdoors, and let Maria "shoo" them back again. I can kill a mouse, but the fun don't pay for the trouble.

SECTION VI. GUTTURAL QUALITY

The Guttural is a harsh, grating, impure Quality, the resonance of which is in the upper part of the throat. It is heard in nature in the snarl of a dog, the growl of an angry tigress, or the crash of a violent storm. It is the natural expression of man when hostile passions produce that tense, rigid condition of the body experienced by an angry or infuriated person. This rigidity of body which hardens the whole vocal organism into a harshness of tone is produced by the intensity of the controlling emotion; so we may safely conclude that this Quality represents about equally the Emotive and Vital natures of man. It is used, then, to express the malignant emotions and passions, such as malice, scorn, detestation, anger, revenge, violent hate, and uncontrollable rage. In oratorical invective or in certain strong dramatic situations the Guttural is indispensable.

Selection illustrating the Guttural.

NOTE. We should hate the false as well as love the "good, the true, and the beautiful," and therefore this Quality, so different from the ideal Normal in purity and significance, is not to be despised in expression. It is one of the extreme Qualities to be used sparingly, and only when needed to emphasize the particular word which embodies the malignant emotion. Indeed, one word uttered in Guttural Quality is often sufficient to portray the anger of the entire sentence.

In the first paragraph of the following selection we have underscored some of the words which should take this Quality; the student should indicate such words throughout the selection, and, with a realization of their meaning, give them in Guttural Quality.

HORRORS OF SAVAGE WARFARE

WILLIAM PITT, EARL OF CHATHAM

I am astonished, shocked, to hear such principles confessed, to hear them avowed in this House, or even in this country! principles equally unconstitutional, inhuman, and unchristian !

My lords, I did not intend to trespass again upon your attention, but I cannot repress my indignation, I feel myself impelled by