asm by Jewish histrionic and aesthetic art; Jewish science has helped to. number the stars in their courses, to loose the bands of Orion and to guide Arcturus with his sons.

Jewish literature has delighted and instructed all classes of mankind, and the world has listened with rapture and with tears to Jewish melody and song. For never since its spirit was evoked under the shadow of the vines on the hills of Palestine to soothe the melancholy of her king has Judah's harp, whether in freedom or captivity, in sorrow or joy, ceased to wake the witchery of its tuneful strings.

Time forbids that I should even name the greatest of those who have distinguished themselves and made good their claim to rank with the foremost of earth. No section of the human family can boast a greater list of men and women entitled to be placed among the true children of genius going to make up the primacy of our race-in every branch of human affairs, in every phase of human civilization. Mr. Draper says that for four hundred years of the Middle Ages-ages more dark and terrible to them than to any others-they took the most philosophical and comprehensive view of all European people. On the whole, and after due deliberation, I think it may be truthfully said that there is more of average wealth, intelligence and morality among the Jewish people than there is among any other nation of equal numbers in the world! If this be true-if it be half true-when we consider the circumstances under which it has all been brought about, it constitutes in the eyes of thinking men the most remarkable moral phenomenon ever exhibited by any portion of the human family. For not only has the world given the Jew no help, but all that he has ever received, and that but rarely, was to be left alone.

PROMINENCE AND IMITATION.

[Perhaps in no way is a thing made to stand out so prominently as by its imitation, and this fact demands most careful consideration. When and in what degree to imitate is one of the most vital questions in expression. Imitation embraces the reproduction of character, imitating the voice, the dialect, the attitude, the gesture, the appearance, dress, manner, walk; the reproduction of actions such as stumbling, striking, throwing, struggling, and the like; the reproduction of shape, dimensions, direction.

To reproduce a

Imitation restricts the listener's imagination. man's exact voice, to show by imitation how a man walked or bowed, to reproduce precise length or shape or size, prevents the listener from using his imagination. Imitation says to the listener: 'What you see is a literal reproduction of the thing itself in all detail. Nothing is left for you to do but to use your eyes and ears.'

To know when and where to imitate becomes a comparatively easy matter if a student will first determine the author's united aim What does he wish to make most prominent? In describing Scrooge, Dickens says: "Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?'"' Here the author is not desirous of making prominent the manner in which these words could be spoken, but the matter. Therefore there is no imitation. On the other hand, in the description of the death of little Joe (Dickens), it is clear the author wishes to make prominent the personality of little Joe, hence imitation of Joe's manner is warranted. The rule that must guide the speaker is: Leave to the listener's imagination everything which the speaker's imitation would fail to fully convey or would misconvey or overconvey, or which in itself is self-evident, and as a corollary of this decrease imitation and increase suggestion in proportion to the culture of the listener.

Throughout each selection under this heading the student should determine carefully whether imitation is demanded, and if so, the kind and degree.]

Dialect and Humor.

MELLVILLE D. LANDON.

All dialects are funny. Why? They are a language deformed. I could tell you a simple story in plain English

and you wouldn't smile at all, and then I could tell that same story in an Irish, Scotch, Dutch or negro dialect, and you would all burst out laughing.

To illustrate the fun of dialect:

One frosty morning I met a German, shivering with the cold, and remarked:

"Hans, you have frozen your nose.”

"Nein, he froze hisself, Mr. Berkins."

"How did it happen, Hans?"

"I no understand dis ting. I haf carry dot nose dese fordy year, unt he nefer freeze hisself before."

A good instance of Irish brogue, or dialect, is instanced in Mrs. Colonel Kelly's cross-examination in the O'Toolihan suit for damages.

"You claim, Mrs. Colonel Kelly," said the Judge, "that Mrs. O'Toolihan gave you that bruised and blackened face?" "She did, yer Honor-indade she did, or I'm not Irish born."

"And what you want is damages, Mrs. Kelly ?"

"It is damages yez says, yer Honor? Damages! No, bad luck ter the O'Toolihan, I have dam-ages enough. I wants sat-is-fac-shun, begorry!"

Again, an Irish judge, who had been over from the old sod but two years, was examining a Corkonian who had just arrived in New York.

"Phat's yer name, yez spalpeen ?" he asked.

"Patrick McGoolihan, yer Honor."

"Is it an Irishman yez are? Begorra, yez shows it by yer sthrong wakeness for the Oirish accint."

"Yis, yer Honor; I was born abroad."

"That's what oi thought, sorr. Yer accint is froightful. Yer not in Oirland, mon, and yez should spake our Unighted Shtates toong more dacently and not be givin' uz yer furren brogue."

Scotch dialect is always dry and funny:

"Dae ye ken," said a member of the Newark Caledonian Club, as he walked homeward from church with a fellowcountryman, "dae ye ken, I think oor minister's in the habit o' gemblin'?"

"What gars ye think that?"

"I'll tell ye, Sandy. Ae Sunday no lang ago in his prayer instead o' saying, 'O, Thou who hast the hearts of kings in Thy hands,' he prayed, 'O, Thou, who has the king of hearts in Thy hands.' What dae ye think o' that?"

"It dis'na look richt," commented the other, shaking his head sadly.

The Chinese dialect always amuses.

Mrs. Van Auken, of Fifth avenue, recently employed a Chinese cook-Ah Sin Foo. When the smiling Chinaman came to take his place, Mrs. Van Auken asked him his name. "What is your name, John?" commenced the lady. "Oh! my namee, Ah Sin Foo."

"But I can't remember all that lingo, my man. I'll call you Jimmy."

"Velly wellee. Now what chee namee I callee you?" asked Ah Sin, looking up in sweet simplicity.

"Well, my name is Mrs. Van Auken; call me that."

"Oh, me can no 'member Missee Vannee Auken. Too big piecee namee. I callee you Tommy-Missee Tommy."

The Italian dialect is sweet and laughter-provoking. A New York policeman thus accosted an Italian organ-grinder: "Have you a permit to grind this organ in the street?" "No. Me no habbe de permit."

me

"Then, sir, it becomes my duty to request you to accompany

"Alla righta. Vatta you sing?"

The dialect of the dude is very modern, but we recognize it as a deformed language.

"Going widing to-day, Awthaw?" asked one dude of another.

"Naw. Got to work."

"So sawy, deah boy. What is the-aw-job, eh?"

"Maw's written me a lettaw, and I've-aw-got to wead it befaw I can make another dwaft on haw. Did you evaw heah of such a boah ?"

"Nevaw, deah boy, nevaw."

The deformed language of the colored preacher always produces laughter among the whites, while the colored auditors, who do not see the deformity, never dream of smiling.

I heard a sermon once from a dear, good old clergyman, who had once been a slave in Maryland. I remember the old man started off with these words:

"I takes my tex' dis maunin', bredrin', from dat po'tion ob de scripter whar de Postol Paul p'ints his pistol to de Fenians."

"Why, bress yer soul, young men," he continued, "I'ze got an' ol' mudder, an' I hab to do fo' her, ye see, an' ef I don't buy her shoes an' stockin's she don't get none. Now, ef I war to get married, young men, I'd hab to buy des fings for my wife, an' dat would be taking de shoes and stockin's right out o' my mudder's mouf.”

Dora.

CHARLES DICKENS.

Dora and I were engaged. Being poor, I felt it necessary the next time I went to my darling to expiate on that unfortunate drawback. I soon carried desolation into the bosom of our joys-not that I meant to do it, but that I was so full of the subject by asking Dora, without the smallest preparation, if she could love a beggar.

"How can you ask me anything so foolish? Love a beggar!" "Dora, my own dearest, I am a beggar!"