orrespond to the
stanza forms, but the lesson may become very wearisome by insisting on
too great detail. The poem often falls into two or three main divisions,
into which the various stanzas may be grouped. With Senior Forms it is a
good exercise to ask the pupils to make this grouping, but, with those
not so advanced, the teacher himself may make it and ask the pupils for
the central thought in each group. In the teacher's anxiety to have
these subjects clearly stated, he runs the risk of wasting time and,
worse than that, of killing whatever interest the pupils may have had up
to this point. If the pupils could give these subjects with perfect
clearness now, there would be little else to do. The greatest care must
be exercised to prevent the work becoming mechanical, thus destroying
the interest and making the selection distasteful.

With some pupils, the logical sense is quite strong, and they find their
greatest delight in seeing the purpose of each part in a complex
mechanism. With others, this work does not afford much pleasure. These
are children who, later, can take delight in the flimsy plot of a
musical comedy. Such pupils should be encouraged to do their best to
discover some points of beauty or skill in the arrangement of the
selection. In different lessons there is a difference in construction.
In some, the logical connection and development is so important that
this quality must be stressed, but the works of some authors have merits
which throw the arrangement into a very subordinate position; for
example, "Ring out, Wild Bells", from _In Memoriam_.

MINUTE ANALYSIS

The next stage in the analysis is the examination of the passage
minutely. There is always a place in the lesson for the study of words
and phrases. The teacher should ask questions on these, in order to
ascertain if the pupils have felt their force and vitality. They are to
be taken up only to illuminate and impress the main thoughts and
emotions of the poem.

In some cases, as in prose lessons, the pupils may acquire the
dictionary habit. This develops and cultivates a studious disposition
and accuracy of statement. But in poetry there are many subtle meanings
that the dictionary will not give, but which the pupil has learned
through contact with educated people and acquaintance with books. Most
of the words that people use have not been learned from the dictionary,
but from their context in reading or conversation.

On the other ha