ing at a camp meeting, and he was
preaching upon the miracle of Joshua, and he began his sermon with this
sentence: "My hearers, there are three motions of the sun. The first is
the straightforward or direct motion of the sun; the second is the
retrograde or backward motion of the sun; and the third is the motion
mentioned in our text--'the sun stood still.'" [Laughter.]

Now, gentlemen, I don't know whether you see the application of the
story--I hope you do. The after-dinner orator at first begins and goes
straight forward--that is the straightforward motion of the sun. Next he
goes back and begins to repeat himself--that is the backward motion of
the sun. At last he has the good sense to bring himself to the end, and
that is the motion mentioned in our text, as the sun stood still. [Great
laughter, in the midst of which Mr. Lowell resumed his seat.]

* * * * *

"THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE"

[Speech of James Russell Lowell at the annual Ashfield Dinner at
Ashfield, Mass., August 27, 1885,--the harvest-time festival in behalf
of Sanderson Academy, given for several years under the leadership of
Charles Eliot Norton and George William Curtis, long summer residents
in this country town. Mr. Lowell had recently returned from his post
as Minister to England; and he was presented to the literary gathering
by Professor Norton, President of the day. Professor Norton closed his
eloquent words of introduction as follows: "On our futile laurels he
looks down, himself our highest crown.--Ashfield speaks to you to-day,
and the welcome is your own to New England."]

MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:--I cannot easily escape
from some strength of emotion in listening to the words of my friend who
has just sat down, unless I receive it on the shield which has generally
been my protection against many of the sorrows and some of the hardships
of life. I mean the shield of humor, and I shall, therefore, take less
seriously than playfully the portrait that he has been kind enough to
draw of me. It reminds me of a story I once heard of a young poet, who
published his volume of verses and prefixed to it his own portrait drawn
by a friendly artist. The endeavor of his life from that time forward
was to look like the portrait that his friend had drawn. [Applause.] I
shall make the same endeavor.

It is a great pleasure to me to come here to-day, not only because I
have met some of