It is not only in the rose, It is not only in the bird, Not only where the rainbow glows, Nor in the song of woman heard, But in the darkest, meanest things There alway, alway something sings. 'Tis not in the high stars alone, Nor in the cup of budding flowers, Nor in the redbreast's mellow tone, Nor in the bow that smiles in showers, But in the mud and scum of things There alway, alway something sings. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. TO TEACHERS. At this point a review of Chapter XII, "Vade Mecum, or Catechism," of _Practical English Composition_, Book I, will be found an invaluable exercise. CHAPTER VIII THRILLERS "'Tis strange, but true; for truth is always strange, Stranger than fiction." BYRON. I. Assignments 1. Relate the most exciting adventure that has occurred to you. Use the third person. Reporters usually are not allowed to use the pronoun "I." 2. Relate the most exciting adventure that has befallen any person whom you personally know well enough to interview on the subject. 3. If you can obtain material in neither of the foregoing ways, get a story from the movies, after the manner suggested in the following dispatch: TEACH REPORTING BY "MOVIES" _Journalism Instructors at Columbia Use Films to Develop Students' Faculty of Observation._ Reporters' "copy" telling in graphic style of the Balkan War poured into the "city room" of the newspaper plant at the Columbia University School of Journalism yesterday. The reason was that moving pictures had been adopted as a means of giving to the students an opportunity to exercise their powers of observation and description in such a fashion as would be required of them in real newspaper work. The idea of using a moving picture machine to train future newspaper reporters in accuracy of observation was originated by Professor Walter B. Pitkin, and was approved immediately by Dr. Talcott Williams, director of the school. Dr. C. E. Lower, instructor in English, is the official operator, but this work will probably be given later to a student. 4. A last resort is literature. In Stevenson, Poe, or Conan Doyle, you can probably find a story that can be translated into a sufficiently thrilling newspaper dispatch. II. Models I Colonel Folque, commander of a division of artillery at the front, recently needed a few men for a perilous mission, and called for volunteers. "Those who undertake this mission will perhaps never come back," he said, "and he who commands will be one of the first sons of France to die for his country in this war." Volunteers were numerous. A young graduate of a polytechnic school asked for the honor of leading those who would undertake the mission. It was the son of Colonel Folque. The latter paled, but did not flinch.