God kneeling in the dust." With these words
he sank to the ground, and his spirit ascended to heaven.

* * * * *

Copy the last paragraph, omitting all marks of punctuation.

Close the book, and punctuate what you have written. Compare your work
with the printed page.

Memory Gems:

If thou wouldst live long, live well; for folly and wickedness shorten
life.

_From "Poor Richard's Proverbs"_

The older I grow--and I now stand upon the brink of eternity--the more
comes back to me the sentence in the catechism which I learned when a
child, and the fuller and deeper becomes its meaning: "What is the chief
end of man? To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."

_Thomas Carlyle._

* * * * *

_43_

dole
man' na
em' blem
re leased'
plumes
breathe
crim' son
feath' ered
soared
dou' bly
hom' i ly
ser'a phim

THE SERMON OF ST. FRANCIS.

Up soared the lark into the air,
A shaft of song, a winged prayer,
As if a soul, released from pain,
Were flying back to heaven again.

St. Francis heard; it was to him
An emblem of the Seraphim;
The upward motion of the fire,
The light, the heat, the heart's desire.

Around Assisi's convent gate
The birds, God's poor who cannot wait,
From moor and mere and darksome wood
Came flocking for their dole of food.

"O brother birds," St. Francis said,
"Ye come to me and ask for bread,
But not with bread alone to-day
Shall ye be fed and sent away.

"Ye shall be fed, ye happy birds
With manna of celestial words;
Not mine, though mine they seem to be,
Not mine, though they be spoken through me.

"O, doubly are ye bound to praise
The great Creator in your lays;
He giveth you your plumes of down,
Your crimson hoods, your cloaks of brown.

"He giveth you your wings to fly
And breathe a purer air on high,
And careth for you everywhere,
Who for yourselves so little care!"

With flutter of swift wings and songs
Together rose the feathered throngs,
And singing scattered far apart;
Deep peace was in St. Francis' heart.

He knew not if the brotherhood
His homily had understood;
He only knew that to one ear
The meaning of his words was