READING 



m-2 



READING 



and sixth stanzas, and a fourth the seventh and 

 eighth. 



4. Watch carefully for the faulty expression 

 which shows lack of comprehension. 



5. Let each pupil indicate the words whose 

 meaning is not perfectly clear to him, and ex- 

 plain th* 



6. Pick out the objects in the poem which 

 may be strange to some of the children. Many 

 city dwellers have probably never seen a 

 smithy. Others know nothing of the manner 

 of growth of a chestnut tree, or will not get 

 the exact significance of the sledge, the bel- 

 lows, the chaff or the threshing floor. Only as 

 definite pictures of all of these are called up in 

 the child's mind can the pictures in the poem 

 be complete. 



7. Emphasize, though not too strongly, the 

 lessons taught in the last two stanzas. The 

 lesson of industry taught in stanza seven is 

 quite within the comprehension of any pupil 

 who can read the rest of the poem understand- 

 ingly, but the lesson of the last stanza cannot 

 always be fully grasped by young pupils. 



Review. 1. If the class is not large, have 

 each pupil read the entire poem. 



2. Have the pupils memorize the poem. 



Incident of the French Camp. This differs 

 from The Village Blacksmith as decidedly as 

 Browning differs from Longfellow, for each is 

 typical of its author. 



Introductory. A story of the life of Brown- 

 ing, based on the biography on page 956, may 

 well precede the reading of this poem. While 

 Browning is far from being a children's poet, he 

 has qualities which can be an inspiration to any 

 child, and he wrote a number of poems, such 

 as this Incident of the French Camp, How They 

 Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix 

 and Herve Riel, which every child should read. 

 Lay emphasis, on his optimism and his courage. 



Teacher's Preparation. 1. Read the poem 

 carefully, marking points which call for study 

 or explanation. 



INCIDENT OP THE FRENCH CAMP 



You know we French stormed Ratisbon : 



A mile or so away, 

 On a little mound, Napoleon 



Stood on our storming day. 

 With neck out-thrust, you fancy how, 



Legs wide, arms locked behind, 

 As if to balance the prone brow 



Oppressive with its mind. 



Just as perhaps he mused, "My plans 



That soar, to earth may fall, 

 Let once my army-leader Lannes 



Waver at yonder wall, " 



Out 'twixt the battery-smokes there flew 



A rider, bound on bound 

 Full-galloping: nor bridle drew 



Until he reached the mound. 



Then off there flung in smiling joy, 



And held himself erect 

 By just his horse's mane, a boy : 



You hardly could suspect 

 (So tight he kept his lips compressed, 



Scarce any blood carae through) 

 You looked twice ere you saw his breast 



Was all but shot in two. 



"Well," cried he, "Emperor, by God's grace 



We've got you Ratisbon ! 

 The Marshal's in the market place, 



And you'll be there anon, 

 To see your flag-bird flap its vans 



Where I, to heart's desire, 

 Perched him !" The chief's eye flashed ; his plans 



Soared up again like fire. 



The chiefs eye flashed; but presently 



Softened itself, as sheathes 

 A film the mother eagle's eye 



When her bruised eaglet breathes. 

 "You're wounded !" "Nay," the soldier's pride 



Touched to the quick, he said: 

 "I'm killed, Sire !" And his chief beside, 



Smiling, the boy fell dead. 



2. Mark all passages which show peculiarities 

 of structure, omission of words or inversion of 

 the natural order of words, as nor bridle drew, 

 his chief beside, to heart's desire, full-galloping. 

 These are very characteristic of Browning. 



3. Acquaint yourself with the following facts, 

 which will be necessary in making the poem 

 clear to the pupils: 



(a) Ratisbon, or Regensburg, is a city in Ba- 

 varia. Napoleon's forces did storm it in 1809, 

 as the poem relates, and reduced a great part of 

 the city to ashes. See the article RATISBON in 

 these volumes. 



(&) Napoleon. Make yourself familiar with 

 the outstanding features of his life, as given on 

 pages 4062-4066. The picture which this poem 

 gives of him, his ambition, his moodiness, his 

 sympathy with the boy, are all in accord with his 

 true character. 



(c) Prone here means inclined forward. 



(d) Lannes was one of the bravest of Napo- 

 leon's marshals. 



(e) Vans is an old word meaning wings. It 

 is evident that Browning chose it to rhyme with 

 plans, but he was very fond at all times of un- 

 usual words. Notice the compounds, full-gal- 

 loping, out-thrust, flag-bird, which he coined. 



(/) As sheathes a film the mother eagle's eye. 

 The eagle, like some other birds, has a milky 

 membrane which can be drawn over the eye at 

 will, while the other lids are open. Scientists 

 call this the nictitating or winking membrane. 



4. Form the pictures in your own mind that 

 is, stage the little drama mentally. 



