In 1875, Mr. Muir spent some weeks in the Sequoia forests, learning what he could of the life and death of the giant trees. This selection is from his account of his experiences. How does the author make you feel the fierceness of the fire? Why does it become calmer when it enters the forest? Would most people care to linger in a burning forest? What is shown by Mr. Muir's willingness to stay? Note the vividness of the passage beginning "Though the day was best": How does the author manage to make it so clear? Might this passage be differently punctuated, with advantage? What is the value of the figure "like colossal iron bars"? Note the vivid words in the passage beginning "The thick" and ending with "half a ton." What do you think of the expressions _onlooking trees_, and _childlike Sequoias_? Explain why the burned trees fall up hill. Go through the selection and pick out the words that show action; color; sound. Try to state clearly the reasons why this selection is clear and picturesque. THEME SUBJECTS The Forest Fire A Group of Large Trees Felling a Tree A Fire in the Country A Fire in the City Alone in the Woods The Woodsman In the Woods Camping Out for the Night By-products of the Forest A Tree Struck by Lightning A Famous Student of Nature Planting Trees The Duties of a Forest Ranger The Lumber Camp A Fire at Night Learning to Observe The Conservation of the Forests The Pine Ravages of the Paper Mill SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING =A Fire at Night=:--If possible, found this theme on actual observation and experience. Tell of your first knowledge of the fire--the smoke and the flame, or the ringing of bells and the shouting. From what point of view did you see the fire? Tell how it looked when you first saw it. Use words of color and action, as Mr. Muir does. Perhaps you can make your description vivid by means of sound-words. Tell what people did and what they said. Did you hear anything said by the owners of the property that was burning? Go on and trace the progress of the fire, describing its change in volume and color. Try at all times to make your reader see the beauty and fierceness and destructiveness of the fire. You might close your theme with the putting out of the fire, or perhaps you will prefer to speak of the appearance of the ruins by daylight. When you have finished your theme, read it over, and see where you can touch it up to make it clearer and more impressive. Read again some of the most brilliant passages in Mr. Muir's description, and see how you can profit by the devices he uses.