m I fSft£&$ UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 11IIP11111 00022228199 . Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://archive.org/details/nationalsecondreOOpark NATIONAL SERIES. — No. 2. THE NATIONAL SECOND READER: CONTAINING - PRELIMINARY EXERCISES IN ARTICULATION, PRONUNCIATION, AND PUNCTUATION; PROGRESSIVE AND PLEASING EXERCISES IN READING; NOTES EXPLANATORY OF THE MORE DIFFICULT WORDS AND PHRASES, ON THE PAGES WHERE THEY OCCUR. By RICHARD G. PARKER, A.M. AND J. MADISON WATSON. NEW YORK: A. S. BARNES & BURR, 51 & 53 JOHN STREET. SOLD BY BOOKSELLERS, GENERALLY, THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. 1859. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, By A. 8. BARNES & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. R. C. VALKNTINW, Etereotyper and Electkotypkr, GEO. W. WOOD, Printer, 81, 83, and 85 Centre-street, No. 2 Dutch-»t., N. Y. New York. PREFACE This volume, though designed to follow " The Word-Builder," is complete in itself, and may be used as a Second Header' in any series. In its prep- aration, we have aimed to adapt the exercises and lessons to the special wants of the pupil ; and, while avoiding a feeble and puerile style, to reconcile sim- plicity with pure literary taste. Beginning with les- sons more easy than some at the close of the pre- ceding work, its gradation is so complete, that the learner, almost insensibly overcoming obstacles, at its close will be thoroughly prepared for the suc- ceeding volume. In Part First, a few simple and comprehensive reading lessons are prepared, to amuse and interest the pupil, to teach him the names of the points used in this work, and, as far as may be, give him a prac- tical knowledge of punctuation as applied to reading. Articulation and Orthoepy are recognized as of primary importance. Complete exercises on the elementary sounds and their combinations are so introduced as to teach but one element at a time, and to apply this knowledge to use as soon as it is acquired. PREFACE. H Children, in first attempting to read, find great difficulty in determining the correct pronunciation of the separate words. As usually taught, they are of necessity so intent upon this that they almost wholly lose sight of the connection, sense, and sen- timent) and thus contract vicious habits, which, in most instances, remain through life. To avoid this difficulty, and to enable pupils to read understand- ingly and with ease, each reading lesson is preceded by a list of the more difficult words, arranged for a class exercise in pronunciation. Clear and satisfactory definitions of words not ea- sily understood by the pupil, as well as all necessary explanations, are given on the pages where they oc- cur. Another feature which we consider of espe- cial importance, is the introduction of numerous dialogues and pieces of a conversational nature. As most of the lessons are original, or have been rewritten for this little work, a list of the names of authors is deemed unnecessary. To one gentleman in particular, however, the authors of this volume confess themselves much indebted, for the liberty so freely given to avail themselves of his labors. We refer to T. S. Arthur, Esq., whose beautiful tales and stories are read with so much avidity by the rising generation. I i CONTENTS PAGE 11 PART I. LESSON. I.— The Period II. — The Interrogation Point III. — The Period and Interrogation Point IV; — The Exclamation Point V.— The Comma 13 15 17 19 VI.— The Semicolon 21 VII.— The Colon 23 VIII. — Marks and Pauses 25 PART II. EXEKCISES IN READING. PIECES LN PROSE. I. — The New Book 28 II. — Spring 32 III.— The Girl and the Fishes IY. — Speak Kindly 34 37 Y. — The Clock 38 VI.— The Clock— concluded VII. — Mary's Kitten 41 44 VIIL— Amy Lee 46 IX.— Nellie 50 . . .i CONTENTS. LBB601C. TAG* X.— Don't Kill the Birds 52 XII.— The Dog and his Shadow 56 XIII.— The Snow-birds 57 XIV.— Gentle Susy 60 XV.— The Dog and the Donkey 62 XVI.— The Lamb 64 XVIL— The Lamb— concluded 66 XVIIL— Sour Grapes 68 XIX.— The Picture-Book ... 71 XX. — The Generous Children 74 Table of the Vowel Elements, or Tonics 77 XXL— Boasting 78 XXII.— Little Nell 80 XXIIL— The Broken Watch 84 XXIV.— Owls 87 XXV.— Kich and Poor Children 90 XXVI.— Hugh Miller 92 XXVII. — A Garden overrun with "Weeds 94 XXVin.— Grapes 98 XXLX.— William the Conqueror 101 XXX.— Birds in Winter 103 XXXI. —The First Day of May 105 XXXIL— The Bat 108 XXXHL— Unjust Blame Ill XXXIV.— The Best Jewels 113 XXXVI. —Little Arthur and King John 118 XXXVII. — Never Play the Truant 121 Table of Consonant Elements — Subtonics 123 XXXVin.— Young Kobinson 123 XXXIX. — Young Robinson — continued 127 XL. — Young Robinson — concluded 130 CONTENTS. LESSOX. PA6I XLI.— The Eagle and the Tortoise 132 XLIL— Babbits 135 XLIIL— What is a Bird f 138 XLIV.— The Little Chinese Boy 142 XLV.— The Little Chinese Boy— concluded 145 XLVL— The Wood-pigeon 147 XL VIII. — Speak Gently 152 XLIX.— Ice-Houses 156 L.— Take Care of that Wolf 159 Table of Consonant Elements— Atonies 161 IX — James at Home 162 LII. — James in the Country 164 LIIL— The Humming-bird 168 Exercise in Articulation — Sub tonic Combinations. . 171 LEV. — Maida, the Scotch Greyhound 171 LV. — Maida, the Scotch Greyhound — concluded 174 LVI. — The Automaton Clarionet- Player 176 LVTI. — The Automaton Clarionet -Player — continued 178 LVIII. — The Automaton Clarionet-Player — concluded 182 Exercises in Articulation — Atonic Combinations. ... 186 LX.— Calling His Sheep by Name 187 LXL— The Echo 189 • LXIIL— The Five Senses 194 LXIV.— The Five Senses— concluded 197 Exercise in Articulation — Subtonic and Atonic Com- binations 199 LXV.— Colors 199 LXVL— The Blind Asylum 202 LXVIL— Laura Bridgman 205 Exercise in Articulation — Subtonic and Atonic Com- binations 207 -. 10 CONTENTS. LES80X. LXVIIL— Mischief PAGB 207 209 212 217 218 25 58 111 135 LXIX. — Mischief — concluded LXX. — King Edward and his Bible Exercise in Articulation — Subtonic and Atonic Com- binations LXXIL— Winter . DIALOGUES. VIII. — Marks and Pauses XIII.— The Snow-birds XXXIIL— Unjust Blame XLII — Rabbits - L.— Take Care of that Wolf PIECES IN VERSE. XI.— Don't Kill the Birds XXXV.— The Sorrowful Yellow-bird XLVIL— The Bird set Free LIX.— Faith in God 159 . 54 116 150 184 191 215 221 LXIL— The Violet— a Fable LXXL— The Child and the Skeptic LXXIII.— The Children at the Oak THE NATIONAL SECOND READER. PART I. MARKS AND PAUSES USED IN HEADING. LESSON I. marks does (cliiz ) mean ing builder (bild'er) points said (sed) al most ma ny (men' ny) pause lit' tie no tice noth ing (nuth'ing) John aft er use ful ev'er y Kate let ter per haps' pe' ri od Charles Mary les son (les'sn) un der stand' T THE PERIOD. OU have just read all the lessons in the Word-Builder. In those lessons you read Note. — The object of arranging the difficult words in col- umns is, that pupils may learn to pronounce them correctly, in the class, before attempting to read the lessons that follow ; thus enabling them to read, without hesitation, in a natural and unconstrained manner. These lists of words may be used for spelling lessons, but pupils should not be confined to them. Each reading lesson should also be used as a spelling lesson. 12 NATIONAL SECOND READER. letters and small words ; but there were many- little marks, on each page, that you did not read, nor, perhaps, notice. 2. In all books, you will see these little marks. They are not letters; but they are almost as useful as letters, for .they teach the meaning of your lessons. 3. These marks teach you when to pause, or rest, in reading, and help you to understand' what is read. If, then, you do not learn the use of these little marks, you will never be able to read well. 4. I will now teach you the names and use of some of these little marks, or points. The first one I wish you to notice is a little round dot like this . It is called a Pe f ri od. 5. The period is put after almost every thing that is said. When you come to a pe- riod, you must stop and rest. You must let your voice fall, as though you had nothing more to say. 6. John is a good boy. 7. John and Charles are good boys. 8. Mary is a kind little girl. 9. June is the month of roses. 10. Mary gave a white rose to Kate. 11. A red rose is as sweet as a white one. INTERROGATION POINT. 13 12. Green leaves are on the trees. 13. Birds sing their sweet songs. 14. The horse and ox eat the green grass. 15. You must stop reading at each period. 16. You must let your voice fall at each pe- riod. 17. You may count the periods in this les- son. 1 8. Tell your teacher how many periods there are in this lesson. LESSON II. taught al ways ques tion an swer (an' ser) called some times teach er Ion ger (long' ger) voice placing because' finger (fin g' ger) length crook ed an oth' er in ter ro ga' tion THE INTERROGATION POINT. TN the last lesson, you were taught what the pe'riod is, and how it is used. In this les- son, I wish you to learn the name and use of anoth'er mark. 2. The mark which you are to notice in this lesson is of this shape ? You see it is made by placing a little crooked mark over a period. 14 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 3. The name of this mark is the Question Mark, because it is always put after a question. Sometimes it is called by a longer and harder name. The long and hard name is the Inter- roga'tion Point 4. When you come to a question mark, you must stop and rest. If the question may be answered by yes or no, your voice must rise on the last word before the question mark. In this lesson, all the questions may be answered by yes or no. 5. Can you read your lesson well ? 6. Can you read the long and hard words ? 7. Can Charles read better than you ? 8. Do you wish to be at the head of your class? 9. Have you ten fingers? 10. Are your fingers all of the same length? 11. Has any boy or girl more fingers than you have? 12. Does the sun rise in the west? 13. Can a lamb fly in the air? 14. Can a sheep bark like a dog ? 15. Does the horse like hay and oats? 16. Do you know the name of this little mark? IT. May all these questions be answered by yes or no f PERIOD AND INTERROGATION. 15 18. Does your voice rise when you come to the question mark, in this lesson ? 19. Can you tell your teacher by what name the question mark is sometimes called ? 20. Can you tell your teacher how many In- terrogation Points there are in this lesson ? LESSON III. cream birth day break fast (brek' fast) taste sup per brought (brawt) fa' ther bought (bawt) sug ar (shug' ar) prop er pret ty (prif ty) co coa (ko' ko) THE PERIOD AND INTERROGATION POINT. TN the first lesson, you were told that the voice must fall on the last word before the period. In the lesson you have just read, you were told that the voice must rise at each question mark, when the question may be answered by yes or no. 2. In questions that cannot be answered by yes or no, the voice must fall at the question mark. Such questions must be read in the same manner as you would read periods. 3. In this lesson, you will see both periods 16 NATIONAL SECOND READER. and question marks. Some of the questions may be answered by yes or noj and to some, yes or no would not be a proper answer. 4. Where did you get that pretty cap ? 5. My father bought it for me. 6. How old shall you be on your next birth- day? 7. The cow gives us milk for our supper. 8. Do you like cream and sugar in your tea? 9. Did you ever see a nut that had milk in it? 10. The cocoa-nut is full of milk. 11. Cocoa-nuts grow on tall trees in very dis- tant lands. 12. They are brought to us in ships. 13. Did you ever taste a cocoa-nut cake? 14. How many periods are there in this les- son? 15. Do you see any questions in this lesson that may be answered by yes or no f 16. After what questions must the voice rise? 17. After what questions must the voice fall? 18. Does the voice rise or fall at a period? 19. How many questions are there in this les- son? 20. How many questions in this lesson cannot be answered by yes or no f EXCLAMATION POINT. 17 LESSON IV. bright' ly speak ing rab bit hun gry (liiing' gry) sweet ly wash ing de lights' tan gled (tang' gld) suffer injured pretty ex cla ma' tion THE EXCLAMATION POINT. rPHE Ex cla ma' tion Point is a mark like ■*■ this ! When you see something that is very strange, or that delights or pleases you very much, the words you would use in speaking of it should have the mark of exclamation after them. 2. If a little boy fall and break his arm or his leg, or is very much injured in any way, what he says should have this mark after it. 3. In this lesson, the voice should fall on the last word before this mark, and you should rest for a short time. 4. Tell your teacher how many times the exclamation point is used in this lesson, and on what words the voice falls. 5. What a fine morning it is ! How brightly the sun shines ! How green the grass is ! How sweetly the birds sing ! 18 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 6. Why, there goes a little rabbit! How shy it is ! How fast it runs ! Oh, how glad I am to see it ! 7. Dear Mother! What a cold day it is! How fast it snows! How thick the ice is! How the poor little birds must suffer! How hungry they must be ! 8. How hot the fire is ! How black the cake is burnt ! 9. How tired I am ! What a great distance I have run ! How badly I have torn my dress ! 10. Oh, how hungry I am! How long it seems since I ate my breakfast ! How long it will be before I have my dinner ! 11. How pretty the baby looks! Oh, how dearly I love him ! What a pretty child it is ! 12. Ah, you careless boy! How dirty your hands are! How much they need washing! How tangled your hair looks ! LESSON V. clothes com' ma further trouble (trub'bl) gnaw bet ter sen tence be tween' scratch faster treated besides THE COMMA. .19 THE COMMA. T)ESIDES the Period, the Interrogation or Question Mark, and the Exclamation Point, there is another little mark used in books. It is shaped like this 5 and it is called the Com! ma. 2. The Comma is often used in places where there are many words to read before you come to a period. 3. It will be proper, before you read more about the comma, to explain to you what is meant by a sentence. 4. The words which stand between one pe- riod, question, or exclamation, and another pe- riod, question, or exclamation, are called a sen- tence. 5. The sentence almost always ends with a period ; and the sentence itself is also called a period. 6. When you read a sentence in which there is a comma, you may stop at the comma a very short time, to take breath. 7. You must try to read every thing just as you would say it if you had no book before you, and you were saying what is in your book to some of your friends. 8. Now, you may read the sentences that fob 20 NATIONAL SECOND HEADER. low, and tell your teacher how many commas there are in each sentence. 9. Tray is a pretty, kind, and gentle little dog. 10. The horse, if he is well treated, is very kind and useful. 11. The cat will scratch with her sharp claws, and hurt you very much, if you trouble her. 12. The dog does not scratch, like a cat, but, when he is angry, he bites. 13. The cow, when she is cross, will some- times toss the dog into the air with her long horns, if he bark at her. 14. The cat catches mice and rats, when they come out of their holes, by night or by day, to gnaw the cheese, the bread, the cake, or other things. 15. What boy, in this class, did not study his lesson, because it was too long ? 16. Where is the boy, but nine years old, who can run faster, jump further, or swim better, than James Bruce ? 17. Will the little white mouse, the cross do°:, the sly cat, and the pet bird all play in the same room? 18. If the old hen and her chickens could live in the water, if the little fishes could live on THE SEMICOLON. 21 land, if little boys and girls could fly in the air, should we not think it very strange ? 19. In the morning, as soon as you rise from your bed, wash your face and your hands, comb your hair, brush your teeth, clean your finger- nails, brush your clothes, and, when you are all neat and clean, kneel down by the side of your bed, and say your prayers to the great and good God, who made you. LESSON VI. sleighs hurt 7 ful kitchen coy ered wolves weath er paw ing an' i mal hawks chil dren swift ly sem' i co Ion THE SEMICOLON. HPHIS mark is called the /Sera' i co Ion ; You see it is made by placing a period over a comma. 2. When you come to a semicolon in read- ing, you may make a longer pause than when you come to a comma. 3. In the sentences that follow, you will find all the marks I have now described to you, and I hope you will try to use them as you have been taught. 22 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 4. In cold weather, children sometimes go to school in sleighs ; and then they have fine fun, and laugh, and shout, as they are drawn swiftly over the snow. 5. When school is out, they play with their sleds ; or, perhaps, go on the river or the pond to skate ; and then they do not seem to care for the cold, nor the snow, nor the ice. 6. Dear father, do look out of the window, and see how fast the snow falls ! It has cov- ered the tops of the houses ; it has bent down the branches of the trees ; it has blown under the cracks of the door, and it seems as if the air is full of snow. 7. See, mother, see the big moon, and the pretty little stars! I think the moon is the little star's mother. No, my dear, the stars are much larger than the moon ; but they are so far off, that they look smaller than they are. 8. When it is cloudy, in the night, we cannot see the moon and stars; and then it is very dark. 9. How fast the rain is falling ! The cows, the horses, and the sheep have gone into the barn to get out of the storm ; and the dog is pawing the door, to ask leave to come in and dry himself by the kitchen fire. THE COLON. 23 10. Good an'imals are in' no cent and useful ; but evil animals are cruel and hurtful. 11. Sheep, and cows, and doves are good an- imals; but wolves, and bears, and hawks are evil animals. 12. Can you count the semicolons in this les- son, and tell your teacher how many there are ? Tell your teacher the names of all the marks in this lesson, and the number of each. LESSON VII. co' Ion tiny sparkle allowed clearly upright ceiling cor reef ly bios soms loud ly re cite' dis tinct ly THE COLON. r PHERE is one more mark that I wish to show you : it is the Co' Ion. The colon is made by placing one period over another, like this : ,2. The colon is not seen so often in books as the semicolon ; but if you see one when you are reading, you may rest longer at it than you would stop at a semicolon. 3. A little boy is by no means to be allowed to do as he pleases : he must mind what is said to him : he must try to please his father and 24 NATIONAL SECOND READER. mother : he must be kind and pleasant to every one : he should treat others, as he would wish that they should treat him. 4. The grass grows in the green meadow: the leaves appear on the trees : the blossoms are all open : the weather is mild and warm. 5. Learn your lessons well : study them a long time : be careful to read the words cor- rect' ly ; and, when you recite your lessons, speak clearly, distinct' ly, and loudly. G. You have said in your joy : I will study my lesson : I will spell all the hard words ; I will learn the names of all the marks : I will read as though I were talking : I will stand at the head of my class. 7. One day, a good little girl, whose name is Anna Smith, learned these lines, at the request of her teacher : 8. I see, my little fly, your wings, That sparkle in the sun : I see your legs, what tiny things ! And yet how fast they run ! 9. You walk along the ceiling now, And down the upright wall : I'll ask mamma to tell me how You walk and do not fall. MARKS AND PAUSES. 25 10. I'll near you stand, to see you play ; But do not be afraid : I would not lift my little hand To hurt what God has made LESSON VIII. MARKS AND PAUSES. Teacher. I will now ask some questions about the marks used in reading. In the lessons you have just read, you were told the names and use of these marks. If you attend to what I say, I think you Avill be able to answer all my ques- 26 NATIONAL SECOND READER. tions. Charles, what is the name and use of the little curved dot you see on the blackboard ? Charles. That little curved dot is called a comma. It is used to mark the shortest pause. When I come to a comma in reading, I may stop and rest long enough to say one. Teacher. That is right, Charles. You may tell me, Mary, which of the marks is called the semicolon, and what it shows. Mary. The semicolon is a comma with a little round dot over it. The semicolon shows a pause twice as long as a comma. I may rest at a semicolon long enough to say one, two. Teacher. Emma, you may tell me all you know of the next mark you see on the board. Emma. The next mark is two dots, one over the other: it is called the colon. The colon shows a pause twice as long as the semicolon. When reading, I may rest at a colon long enough to say one, two, three, four. Teacher. William, you may tell me the name and use of this little round dot. William. It is a period. When I come to a period, I must stop, as if I had done reading. My voice must fall at a period, and I must rest longer than at a colon. The period is placed at the end of a sentence. MARKS AND PAUSES. 27 Teacher. Anna, can you tell what a sentence is? Anna. The words that are used to ask or to tell something are called a sentence. The sen- tence almost always ends with a period; and it is sometimes called a period. Teacher. If I say, The good hoy, are these three words a sentence ? Anna, No, sir. They do not tell us any thing. Teacher. James, if I say, The good bog studies, are these four words a sentence ? James. Yes, sir. They tell us something. They tell us what the good boy does. Teacher. Very well, James : can you tell the name and use of this crooked mark ? James. It is the interrogation point, or ques- tion mark, and it is always placed after a ques- tion. If the question may be answered by yes or no, the voice must rise at the interrogation point. If the question cannot be answered by yes nor no, the voice must fall at this point Teacher. You may tell me, Charles, what you know of the last mark on the board. Charles. The name of the last mark on the board is the exclamation point. I must rest at that point ; and, when it is placed at the end of a sentence, my voice must fall. THE NATIONAL SECOND READER. PART II. EXERCISES IN BEADING. LESSON I * build through wa ter weath er bridge catch sis' ter broth er some times in sect ev' er y an oth' er road school stream morn ing pic ture pleas ant pas ture spark led dur ing beau' ti ful pret ty (prif ty) e ven ing (e' vn ing) THE NEW BOOK. ANE fine morning, in the month of June, a lit- tie boy, by the name of John True, was seen going to school, with his sister Mary. 2. He was a very good little boy, and his sis- ter was also a very kind girl ; but she was larger and older than her brother. * Pupils should be required to pronounce the words preceding each reading lesson, before attempting to read. THE NEW BOOK. 29 3. Though they lived a great way from the school-house, you will see, if you look at the picture below, that it was a very pleasant walk. ?« .ws^>^ 4. On the left side of the road, there is a fine stream of clear, cold water. Sometimes they would stand on the bridge that passes over the stream, and watch the little fishes playing in the water. 5. The little fishes would sometimes spring up from the water, to c&tch flies, or other in- 30 NATIONAL SECOND READER. sects. Sometimes they would chase one an- other in the stream, or turn over and over, and show their bright little fins, that sparkled like silver or gold. 6. You see, on the right side of the road, some very fine trees. Here the little birds built their nests ; and, every morning and even- ing, John and Mary could hear them singing their sweet songs. 7. The cows and sheep used to come from the pasture to drink ; and, on warm days, the cows would stand in the water, under that large tree near the stream. 8. John was very happy this morning, though he had not once thought of these beautiful things. What do you think made him so happy ? I will tell you. 9. He had been to school during all the cold weather, and had tried so hard to learn to read, that he had read all the lessons in the Word- Builder, and could spell the words in it, with- out looking at his book. 10. You see, in the picture, he has a book in his hand. It is a new book. His father bought it for him the day before, and his class were to read the first lesson in it this morning. 11. It was a very pretty book. Its name you THE NEW BOOK. can see on the back of the book you hold in your hand, for his book was just like yours. 12. It was the new book, then, that made John so happy. As he was thinking of it, he asked his sister Mary how long it would be be- fore he could read all the lessons in his new book, and have still another. 13. My dear brother, said his sister, that de- pends on yourself. If you study your lessons with care, see how the words are spelled, and attend to what your teacher says, you will soon be able to read all the lessons in your new book. 14. I hope, my young reader, that you will remember what Mary said to her little brother. If you study your lessons with great care, and learn to pronounce and spell all the hard words, you will soon be able to read all the lessons in this book, and then you can have a new one. AKTICULATION. a or a. age, ape, hale; bathe, cage, cave*, dale, dame, flake ; flame, gate, gave ; haste, hate, lake ; make, rage, same ; save, tale, tape ; vale, wake, wave. Note. — Letters representing the element taught in each exercise in Articulation, wherever they occur in reading lessons immediately succeeding, are printed in itahct. 32 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON II • spring breath lion ey ma pie cro CUS pur pie wheth er snow-flake boughs burst river lilac melt ed w T in ter ap peared' vi' o let scents swelled pat ter gar den dog wood bios som gath er ing but ter-cup o'dor show er flower bus y (biz' zj) dewy yel low drop ping fro zen (fro' zn) tSj^Jg^E^- i^* '/§• Wjm Wmm -«*& SPRING. OPRING has come. The sftft, rich rains have melted the snow and ice of winter. The SPRING. 33 water in the frozen brook and river is now set free. 2. The red blossoms of the maple, and the white blossoms of the d6g-wood, have appeared. The buds upon the lilac have swelled and burst, and their sweet odor scents the air. The white blossoms of the cherry-tree hang upon its boughs, like snow-flakes. 3. The white snow-drop, the yellow and pur- ple crocus, and the blue violet, have appeared; and now the May flowers open their soft blue eyes. 4. The sftngs of the birds are heard in the garden and the wood ; the little lambs skip and play in the green pastures; and the busy bees are gathering their honey. 5. Men are at work in the gardens and the fields ; and the fresh earth sends up a pleasant smell. 6. Children are let loose in the fields and gardens. They walk upon the green grass, and pick the early flowers. They hold butter-cups under each others' chins, in play, to see whether they love butter. 7. The dewy evening comes on. There are no clouds in the blue sky. The moon and stars shine with a soft and clear light. All is still. 34 NATIONAL SECOND READER. There is not a breath of wind ; no hum of bees ; no s6ng of birds ; not a sound upon the earth, or in the air. 8. If there are clouds in the sky, there will be no wild storm of wind and rain. The warm drops of the gentle shower will patter on the roof, like the light tread of your little brother or sister's feet. You will not wish to sleep ; but you will lie awake to hear the pleasant sound of the dropping rain. at, clam, lamp, samp, act, clamp, land, sash, ARTICULATION. a or a. ash ; clash ; lash : brad, damp, rank, scant ; van, hade, dank, rant, valve, brand : dash ; rash ; vamp. bread crumbs friends fa' ther moth er Bos ton fish es lcs son oth ers al wavs LESSON HI. num hei an' i mals pieces car' ri ages tur ties af fee' tion kind ness tin gers (t'mg' gers) se cure' creat ures (kref vers) THE GIRL AND FISHES. 35 THE GIRL AND THE FISHES. TN a town near Boston, there once stood a small house, close by the side of a river. A little girl lived in this house, with her father and mother. 2. This was a very kind little girl. Every day she used to take some bits of bread, and go near the edge of the river, and call "Turtie, turtie." 3. A number of turtles would swim to the place where she was, and catch the pieces of bread she threw into the water, or take them out of her hand. 4. When the little fishes saw how kind and 36 NATIONAL SECOND READER. gentle she was, and that she did them no harm, they would also come and eat the crumbs of bread. 5. The turtles and fishes soon became so tame, that she could put her hands into the water and take hold of them. 6. People came many miles in their carriages to see the little girl feed the fishes and turtles. She was so gentle and kind, that the little creatures had no fear of her. They would crowd around her hands in the water, and take the bread from her fingers. 7. You see, from this lesson, how much may be done by kindness. The little boy or girl that is kind to others, will always have friends. By kindness to dogs, horses, and other animals, you may always secure their affection ;? and, as you have seen, even turtles and fishes may be tamed by kindness. ARTICULATION a. arch, arm, art ; bard card, carve, dark ; darn, farm, hard, hark ; harm march, mark, park ; part, bard, barge, hark ; , dart, far ; ar^e, lark ; smart, starch. Af fee' tion, love ; good will. SPEAK KINDLY. 37 LESSON IV. tears Ilen'ry children again (a gen') filled kind ly scarce 1 y spok en (spok' n) grieved moment wounded roughly (riif'ly) bruised sun shine eas' i ly sin gle (sing' gl) SPEAK KINDLY. PEAK kindly to your brother, Henry : kind words are as easily said as harsh ones. 2. See! there are tears in little Charley's eyes. It was but a moment since that his hap- py laugh filled the whole room. 3. Ave you not grieved, my boy, that a sin- gle word, roughly spoken by you, should have chased the sunshine from that sweet little face ? 1 am sure you are. 4. There, now his tears have all gone, and his dear little arms are around your neck. Never speak harshly to him again, Henry ; nor, indeed, to any one. 5. Kind words are easily spoken, and they do good to all ; while angry words hurt as badly as blows ; and, sometimes, a great deal worse. 6. Words hurt as badly as blows ? Oh, }^es ; and, as I have just said, a great deal worse. 7. I have seen a little boy, who scarcely ever 38 NATIONAL SECOND READER. minded a fall, even though his flesh was some- times bruised, or wounded, weep, as if his heart would break, at an unkind word. Speak kindly to each other, then, my children. ARTICULATION. all, ball, bald; a. chalk, Mil, false ; gall, hall, halt ; malt, salt, scald ; stall, swath, tall; talk, thrall, wall ; walk, warm, ward ; warn, want, warp. LESSON Y. clock dinner morn in^ some times watch sup per point iiig nam bers twelve pic ture speak ing break fast use' ful broth er let ters fig ures THE CL rPHE clock is a very useful thing. It tells the time of the day, and of the night. 2. We wish to know at what time to rise in the morning, at what time to take our break- o c K. THE CLOCK. 39 fast, at what time to go to school, at what time to go home from school, at what time to have our dinner and our supper, and when it is time to go to bed. 3. This is what a clock or a watch will tell us. 4. But how can the clock tell us the time ? The clock cannot speak. 5. Oh, no, the clock cannot speak ; but the clock can tell us the time by pointing to it. 6. If your little brother should ask you where his ball is, and you should point to the floor, under the table, with your finger, that would be telling him, without speaking. 7. So the clock tells the hours, by pointing to them, without speaking. 8. The clock has no lingers to point with ; 40 NATIONAL SECOND READER. but it lias two long and slim bars, which we call its hands, which I shall show you in this picture. 9. In the picture, you see the round face of the clock, with its two hands pointing at the figures, which are all around the face. 1 10. The figures stand for numbers, and there are twelve of them on the face of the clock. These numbers are sometimes made with fig- ures, and sometimes with letters. 11. Here are the numbers, made both with letters and with figures, which you must read before I can tell you any thing more about the clock. One 1 Two 2 Three ... 3 Four 4 Five 5 Six G I II in IY Y YI Seven Eight. Nine . Ten. . Eleven Twelve . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 YII Yin IX X XI xn The face of the clock is called the Dial-plate. THE CLOCK. 41 LESSON VI reached slowly twenty fif teen min ute near est tliir ty quar ter wlietli er be cause' eleven (elev'yn) exactly (egzakt'ly) THE CLOCK CONCLUDED. HPHE clock has two hands, a 16ng one and a short one. The short hand is the hour- hand, and the long one is the minute-hand. 2. The short hand, or hour-hand, moves very slowly ; and the long hand, or minute-hand, goes all around the face of the clock, while the hour- hand goes from one figure to the next one. 3. In this picture, you see that the hour-hand points to the number one, and the minute-hand points to twelve. It is now exactly one o'clock, by this clock. 4. When the minute-hand points to twelve, the hour-hand always points to the hour of the 42 NATIONAL SECOND READER. day, and it is exactly that hour at which the hour-hand points. 5. It would be very easy to tell what o'clock it is, if we had to tell only the hour, because the hour-hand points to the hour. 6. But, to tell the time exactly, we must look at the minute-hand, as well as the hour-hand, and see where the minute-hand is. 7. When the minute-hand points to the fig- ure one, it is five minutes past the hour at which the hour-hand points 8. When the minute-hand is at the figure two, it is ten minutes past the hour. 9. When the minute-hand is at three, it is fifteen minutes, or a quarter, past the hour at which the hour-hand points. 10. When the minute-hand is at four, it is twenty minutes past the hour. 11. When the minute-hand is at five, it is twenty -five minutes past the hour. 12. When the minute-hand is at six, it is thirty minutes, or half-past the hour, and the hour- hand has reached half way to the next hour. 13. When the minute-hand is at seven, it then wants twenty-five minutes of the next hour; that is, the hour to which the hour-hand is nearest. T II E C L O C K. 43 14. When the minute-hand is at eight, it then wants twenty minutes of the next hour. 15. When the minute-hand is at nine, it wants a quarter of that next hour. 16. When the minute-hand is at ten, it wants ten minutes of that next hour 17. When the minute-hand is at eleven, it then wants five minutes of the hour to which the hour-hand is nearest. 18. And when the minute-hand is again at twelve, it is exactly the hour at which the hour- hand points. 19. Now, see whether you can tell what o'clock it is by the three clocks in the picture above. ARTICULATION. a. bare, care, chair ; dare, fare, flare ; glare, hare, latr ; mare, pare, rare ; scare, snare, spare ; stare, tare, ware. Note. — The fifth element, or sound, represented by a, is its first or alphabetic sound, modified or softened by r. 44 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON YII. sneezed Su san dress ing ev'ery mewed cellar running against (agensf) brought tow el perhaps' enough (enuf) kit' ten pi hy ful ex cept mis' chiev ous MARY S KITTEN. T ONCE knew a little girl named Mary. She had a little kitten that had blue eyes, and was all white except the tip of its tail and one paw, which were black. 2. The kitten loved Mary very much. Every morning she would come to her door, and, when it was opened, she would run in and jump on her bed, and pur, and rub her face against Mary's cheek, as if to say, "Good-morning!" 3. She was a playful little kitten, too. When Mary was dressing, she would run after her, and play with her shoe-ties, so that sometimes Mary was not dressed when the breakfast-bell was rung. 4. One day, Mary went to see her aunt, and, on her return home, she could not find her kit- ten. She called all over the house, but the kit- ten did not come. " Oh, mother !" said she, " I fear my kitten is 16st." 5. Her mother opened the cellar-door, and mary's kitten. called " Kitty, kitty!" In a moment, a little kitten came running up the stairs. As soon as Mary saw her, she began to cry, and said, " This is not my kitten : my kitten is all white, and this one is all black." 6. And, sure enough, the little mischievous creature had been among the coal, and was so full of the black coal-dust, that you would have thought she had never been white. Mary's mother laughed, as she said, "Kitty is some- thing like my little girl. When she is cr6ss, I say, ' That is not my little Mary, for my little girl is pleasant, and this little girl is cross.' Let Susan wash kitty, and perhaps she will be white again." 7. Susan brought a pail of water and some soap, and held the kitten fast in the pail while she rubbed her well. Kitty did not like it much, and tried to get away. She sneezed and mewed, as the water got into her mouth. But pretty soon she was all white again, and Susan rubbed her as dry as she could with a towel, and put her into Mary's apron. 8. Mary ran smiling into her mother's room. " Oh! here is my white kitten come back again," she said. And, sure enough, the kitten was as pretty as ever. 46 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 9. "Now the kitten is like my little Mary, when she is good," said her mother. "I then say, I am so glad to have my pleasant little girl back again, instead of the cross child who was here a short time ago." ARTICULATION. ask, bask, blast; a. branch, brass, cask ; cast, chance, class ; dance, fast, glance ; glass, grasp, grass; lass, last, mast ; pass, stiff, task; path, vast, waft. Note. — The sixth element represented by a is a sound interme- diate between a, as heard in fat, hat, and a, as in arm, arch. LESSON VIII. sum'mer butter thankful fountain gar den flower bush es during wo man coun try parents picking basket stories watching swim ming gold-fish ques tions weath er explains pretty (prit'ty) nothing (niith'ing) people (pe'pl) ex' er cise AMY LEE. AN the next page is a picture of the farm- house where Amy Lee lives with her aunt m summer. AMY LEE. 47 ^■^jssxo^ 2. When the weather is cold, she lives with her parents, in the city of New York ; but dur- ing the warm weather she is left with her aunt in the country. 3. You see the rear 1 of this house. Vines have grown up and covered its sides ; and two large rose-bushes form an arch 2 over the door. 4. Here is a fine flower-garden and some fruit trees. You see Amy standing by the fountain, 3 watching some pretty little gold-fishes that are swimming in the clear, cold water. 1 Eear, the back part. 3 Fount' ain, a spring of water 2 Arch, a part of a circle or rim a small basin of rising water. 48 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 5. She has just been picking some flowers for her aunt, and the exercise has given a glow of health to her cheeks. 6. The pure morning air, the bright sun- shine, the songs of the birds, and the sweet scent of the fruit and the flowers, have made her heart glad. 7. She loves the little fishes, and she would like to hold them in her hands, and play with them ; but her aunt has told her that she must not, and she is a kind and good little girl, and does as she is bid. 8. Amy's aunt has no little boys nor girls of her own ; but she loves Amy very much, and takes great pains to teach her many useful things. 9. Her aunt tells her many fine stories, and gives her little books, and teaches her how to read them. 10. Amy sometimes asks very strange ques- tions ; but her aunt is always kind, and explains to her what she wishes to know. 11. When poor people call at the door to beg for food, Amy's aunt allows her to take some bread and butter, or meat, to them, and some- times she gives them some nice pie and cake, or fruit. AMY LEE. 49 12. Here you see a poor woman, with a bas- ket on her arm. She has a sick little boy at home, whom she loves very much, but she has nothing to give him to ,^— g |B^=^_ eat. Amy has just giv- en her a loaf of bread, and she has some fine ripe grapes, in her lit- tle basket, to send to the poor sick boy. How happy she looks, and how thankful the poor woman is ! 13. I hope that all the boys and girls, who read this story of Amy Lee, will always be kind to the poor ; for if they would be happy themselves, they must strive to make others happy also. AKTICULATIOK a or e. be, eke, scene, beam, he, breve, scheme, beard. m£; cede; she; beat; w&, glebe, the, dear, here, these, fear. eve; mere ; theme hear. 50 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON IX. seamed taking Nellie carried pushed imcle middle scissors qui et wag on shear ing an oth' er quep ing bring ing skip ping play fill ly basket* pieces replied' following THE LAMB CONCLUDED. "T FOUND this dear little lamb all alone in "** the fields, as I went to school," said Clara, when she saw the farmer. "Mother said it must be yo^rs ; and I have brought it over to you" 2. " Yes, it is my lamb," said farmer Wilkins, as he took the little animal 1 from her arms; u and you are a good girl for bringing it home 1 An' imal, any thing that lives and hreathes. THE LAMB. 67 to me. If the d6gs had found it, they would have torn it all to pieces.' 7 3. As the farmer said this, he put the lamb upon the ground, but, as Clara thought, not very gently. Stooping down, she put her arms around its neck and kissed it. Then looking into the farmer's face, she said : " You will not hurt the poor lamb, sir, will you ?" 4. " Oh, no, child, I will not hurt it." As the farmer said this, he saw that there were tears in the eyes of the little girl, and knowing that she loved the lamb, and would like to keep it, he said . "If that lamb were yowrs, what would you do with it ?" 5. " Oh !" replied she, " I would feed it with new milk from our cow every day ; and I would make it a nice s6ft bed to sleep on, where no cold nor rain can touch it. And I would love it so much!" 6. " Take it, then, my good little girl," said the farmer. " I have a great many lambs in my flocks, and shall not miss this one. Take it; it is yours. 11 7. " Oh, I am so glad!" said the now happy child. Then lifting the lamb once more into her arms, she ran home with it, as fast as she could. She nursed the lamb with so much 68 NATIONAL SECOND READER. care, that it scarcely 1 missed the mother from which it had been taken. It soon learned Clara's voice, and would follow her about, and sport with her as playfully as a kitten. 8. Every day, when she went to school, her mother had to shut the lamb up in the house to keep it from following her ; but when she came home, it would see her a good way off, and run, skipping along, to meet her. 9. Though the lamb could not tell, in words, how much it loved its dear young friend, yet Clara could read love in its eyes ; and she kneiv all it would have said, if it had been gifted with speech. ARTICULATION. xi or u. bud, bump, bunch ; blush, brush, club ; clump, clutch, crust ; duck, dust, fund ; flush, hunt, hush; judge, jump, just; lump, much, mull; pump, rush, rust. LESSON XVIII. hang'ing trel'lis offered attempt' passing master happened en'vious clusters scholar Carney dis ap point' ed 1 Scarce' ly, in a very small degree. SOUR GRAPES. 69 SOUR GRAPES. A FABLE. A FOX passing by a garden, one day, saw some very sweet and ripe grapes, hanging in clusters 1 from the vines. But the vines had been trained, 2 as vines should be, on a high wall or on a tall trellis, 3 and he could not reach them. 2. He jtonped wp, and ran round the vines, and tried every way in his power to get at the 1 Clus' ters, bunches. 2 Trained, made to go in the right way. 3 Trel' lis, a frame made by thin strips laid across each other. 70 NATIONAL SECOND READER. grapes. But all was in vain. He could not reach one of them. 3. At last, tired in the vain attempt to reach them, he went 6ff, saying to himself, " They are nothing b^t sour grapes after all. I would not pick them wp, if they were lying at my feet." 4. Sometimes, little boys and girls act just as the fox did. If they want something which they have tried to get, and find that some one else has been so lucky as to obtain it, they say it is good for nothing, and they would not take it, if they could get it. 5. John Carney was an envious 1 boy. He had been trying very hard to secure a prize which his teacher had offered to the scholar that should be at the head of his class on a cer- tain day. 6. It so happened that James Read obtained the prize, and John Carney, who wanted it very mwch, being disappointed, said to James, " You feel very proud because you have the prize. I would not take it, if the master would give it to me." 7. In saying and doing so, John acted just as the fox did, when he could not reach the grapes. 1 En' vi ous, wishing to have what others have. THE PICTURE-BOOK. 71 8. Now, if you hear any one say, " Sour grapes" I hope you will understand what it means. ARTICULATION. n u. bull, bush, full ; pull, push, puss ; put, w bi^, wi^. LESSON XXV. kltch'em ; cham bers eo#rs est de prived pud ding *s par lors scarce ly ob tain roast ed bed stead cloth ing W bra ry bath ing mir rors stock ings fam i ly eel lars cur tains com forts po ta/ toes ap pies shut ters learn ed re spect ed sta bles dwell ings pro tect' veg' e ta bles RICH AND POOR CHILDREN. T ITTLE boys and girls, who have kind par- j*- ents and pleasant homes, do not think how other little boys and #irls live. 1 En'mity, hatred. RICH AND POOR CHILDREN. 91 2. Some of my little readers, perhaps, live in lar^e houses, with many rooms in them. They have lar^e kitchens, where the cooking is done. There bread is made, and puddings and pies, and cake also, and nice meat is roasted. 3. They also have rooms in the house where the clothes are washed, and bathing-rooms, with hot and cold water, where all the family may wash and bathe themselves. 4. Then there are fine lar^e cellars, where apples and potatoes, and other vegetables, may be kept. They have barns and stables, and wood-houses and coal-bins. 5. Then they have lar^e chambers to sleep in, and parlors, and drawing-rooms, and dining- rooms, and a library, where the books and newspapers are kept. 6. In their houses, there are beds, bedsteads, chairs, tables of all kinds, mirrors, curtains to the windows, and blinds or shutters to keep out the sun by day, and the cold by night. 7. While the children of the rich see all these things and enjoy them, they must remember that there are very many children, full as good as themselves, who live in small, low, and dark dwellings. They eat the coarsest food, and can scarcely obtain enough of that. They have 92 NATIONAL SECOND READER. no shoes nor stockings, nor warm caps in win- ter, nor cool hats in summer, to protect them from the cold and the heat. 8. When you see other children thus de- prived of so many comforts, you should pity them, and speak kindly to them, and do all the #ood to them that you can. 9. Many of these poor children, who have so few comforts when they are young, become wise and learned and ea/^ seel', weal ; bad, pael, tacl. LESSON XLIII. schol' ars sen tence tim' id ly un der stand' qnes tion quick ly rap id 1 y an swer (an' ser) puz zle re quire' re mem' ber wo men (wim' en) WHAT IS A BIRD? A TEACHER, who was very anxious to male his scholars understand their lessons, said to them one day, " Now, children, I have a very hard question to asl you. It does not require you to study, but only to thinl about it, in or- der to answer it well. The one who gives me the best answer shall go to the head of his class. The question is this : What is a bird ?" WHAT IS A BIRD? 139 2. Before they heard the question, they looked very sober, and thought then- teacher wished to puzzle them, or to give them a long sentence to learn. But, as soon as they heard the question, they began to smile among them- selves, and wonder why their teacher should call that a hard question. 3. A dozen hands were at once raised, to show that so many of the children were ready to answer it. 4. " Well, John," said the teacher, " your hand is up ; can you tell me ivliat a bird is f" 5. John quickly rose, and, standing on the right side of his seat, said, " A bird is a thing that has two legs." 6. "Well," said the teacher, "if some one should saw off two of the legs of my chair, it would then be a thing that has two legs ; but it would not be a bird, would it ? You see, then, that your answer is not correct." 1 7. One of the children said that a bird is an animal with two legs. " But," said the teacher, "all little boys and girls, and all men and women, are animals with two legs; but they are not birds." 1 Correct', right, without mistake. 140 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 8. Another child said that a bird is an ani- mal that has wings. But the teacher said, there are some fishes that have wings, and that fishes are not birds. 9. A bright little girl then rose and said, " A bird is an animal that has legs and wings, and that flies." The teacher smiled upon her very kindly and told her that "it is true that a bird has legs and wings, and that it flies ; but, there is another animal, also, that has legs and wings, and that flies very fast in the air. It is called a bat. It flies only in the night ; but it has no feathers, and therefore is not a bird." 10. Upon hearing this, another bright-eyed child very timidly rose and said, U A bird is an animal that has legs, wings, and feathers." "Very well," said the teacher; "but can you not thin/c of any thing else that a bird has, which other creatures have not ?" 11. The children looked at one another, won- dering what their teacher could mean ; and no one could thmJc what to say, until the teacher said to them, " Tiling a moment, and try to tell me how a bird's mouth looZrs. You see I have two lips, and these two lips form my mouth. Now, tell me whether a bird has two lips ; and if he has not, what he has instead of lips." WHAT IS A BIRD? 141 12. One of the children quic&ly arose and said, that a bird has no lips, but he has a bill ; and that bill opens as the lips of a man do, and forms the mouth of the bird. 13. " Yes," said the teacher ; " and now list- en to me while I tell you the things you should always mention, when you are as&ed what a bird is : A bird is an animal that has feathers, two legs, two wings, and a hard, glossy 1 bill." 14. " And now," said the teacher, u you see I was right, when I told you that I had a hard question to as& you. Try to remember what I have told you about a bird, and when you are asZred what any thing is, thin& of all you ever knew about the thing, and, in this way, you will be able to give a correct answer. 15. " This will also teach you to thin& of what you read, and to understand it. Thus, you will improve rapidly, for you can always read those things best which you understand." ARTICULATION. pace, jpail, ^>ain ; paut, pass, past ; j^eace, peak, peep ; pike, pine, pipe ; ^oncl, pop, pomp; plump, pulp, pump. 1 Gloss' y, shining. 142 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON XLIY. Chi'na sil ver char coal dutiful pa/m-trees plat ted man aged del i cate trow sers gath ered Can' ton Macao (makou') jacket oys ters CM nese' pretty (prit'ty) ank les mus cles nan keen taken (tak'n) nar row shoid. der cu.' ri ous earthen (erth'n) THE LITTLE CHINESE BOY. A TUNG was a little Chinese boy. He had - no mother. She had been dead a great many years. THE LITTLE CHINESE BOY. 143 2. He lived all alone with his old father in a poor little hut, standing among some green palm-trees, near a Chinese village in Macao, which is in China, about eighty miles from the great city of Canton. 3. I dare say, you have seen some of the very curious things which are brought from thence. 4. Atung was a good and pretty boy. He wore nankeen trowsers, and a sort of jacket, which came down to his knees, and round his ankles were little narrow strips of tin. 5. The children of rich men in China wear silver anklets ;* but the father of Atung was so poor, he could buy his son only tin ones. His hair 2 was very olack, and he wore it platted in a long braid, hanging down his back. 6. He would have seemed a very strangely dressed little boy to you ; but, think as you would, I am sure, if Atung could have seen you, he would have thought your dress even more odd. 7. His father was very poor, and so old, that he could scarcely pull the rice which grew in a small spot of ground back of the little hut. 1 Ank'lets, ornaments for the ankles. a Hat'r. 144 NATIONAL SECOND READER. He would sit most of the day, and smoke his long pipe. 8. Little Atung did not mean that his father should suffer, if he could prevent it. He was very dutiful 1 and kind to him, gathered oysters off the rocks near the sea, and picked up deli- cate muscles, 2 for his old father to eat. 9. Once or twice a day he would take a great earthen jar upon his shoulder, and go off to the springs, among the hills of Macao, and fill it with sweet fresh water, that his father might drink. He cooked rice and fish over a little pan of charcoal, at the door of the hut. He also took great care to keep the hut neat and tidy. 10. But, by and by, the old man was taken very ill, and pined away, day after day, until, at length, he died ; and poor little Atung was left all alone with the dead body of his father, in that small hut, by the green palm-trees. ARTICULATION. s. safe, sake, same ; sane, save, slave ; sea, seal, seat ; see, seed, seen ; self, send, sense ; silk, since, sing. 1 Du'tiful, kind and attentive to parents and the aged. 1 Mus' cles, a kind of small shell-fish. THE LITTLE CHINESE BOY. 145 LESSON XLV, 6' cean for lorn' re ward' ed coffin clis tress heaven (hev'n) wast eel pre pared hastened (hast'nd) vil lage com mancl a gainst (a genst') view ing im' a ges sunk en (sungk' n) sparrow lg no rant language (lang'gwaj) Isnbwl edg gen tie men mis' sion a ries LITTLE CHINESE BOY CONCLUDED. T)OOR little Atung now had no friend but God ! And yet he had never heard of the great God of heaven. He had been taught to bow down before images 1 of wood and stone. But God loved him, poor little ignorant boy as he was. 2. The Bible tells us that not a sparrow falls to the ground, without the knowledge of our heavenly Father. He loves all his children, and now he raised up friends for this forlorn 2 little boy. 3. One day, it chanced that some foreign 8 gentlemen and ladies were viewing the rice- fields near a Chinese village, when suddenly 1 Im'ages, forms made to represent other things. 5 Forlorn', forsaken, helpless, lost. "For'eign, belonging to another coun- try. 146 NATIONAL SECOND READER. they heard low sobs and cries, as of some one in pain, or in grief. 4. These cries came from a little wood, near by. They hastened to it, as fast as they could, and there, sitting on the ground, with his head leaning against the body of a palm-tree, was poor little Atung. 5. He was very pale ; his eyes were sunken, and his form wasted. One of the gentlemen, who could speak the Chinese language, went up to the little boy, and kindly taking his hand, asked the cause of his distress. 6. Atung was so weak that he could hardly speak. At last He told them that he was nearly starved ! For three days he had not touched a morsel of food ! His father had no c6ffin, and he had saved the few fishes he had caught, and even every grain of rice that he had, that he might sell them, and thus be able to bury his poor old father ! 7. The party were all moved by the strong love which this little boy showed for his father. The same day, a coffin was prepared, and the body of the old man was given to the earth. 8. One of the gentlemen took the poor for- lorn little boy home with him to his own house, which stood fronting the great ocean, in one of THE LITTLE CHINESE BOY. 147 the first streets of Macao. He soon became fond of the Chinese boy, who showed himself grateful in many ways for the kindness he had received. 9. In a few weeks, when Atung was strong again, the same gentleman placed him at a school taught by some kind missionaries, 1 where he might learn about our great Father in heav- en, and his son Jesus Christ. 10. Do you not think the little Chinese boy was rewarded for his love and duty to his old father ? So will all children be, who remember to keep the command — "Honor thy Father and thy Mother.'' articulation. t. taint ; £ar, tale, taste, targe, tart ; taunt, taught, tempt ; tent, test, text', tilt, tint, tinge ; toast, to\\ y tone. IESS0N XLVL p!g' eon shy est sports men mere ly kitch en con stant dan ger re gret' ex posed qui' et ly difficult lib er ty 1 Mis' sion a ries, persons sent to teach the true religk 148 NATIONAL SECOND READER. THE WOOD-PIGEON. npiIE common wood-pigeon, or the ring-dove, as it is sometimes called, is one of the shy- est birds in the woods. It is so wild, that sports- men find it very diffi- cult indeed to gvt with- in shot of it. Bu£ this wild bird will become quite feme, if caught when young, and freak- ed with great kind- ness. 2. A friend of mine bought two young wood- pigeons from some boys, merely to save their lives. He sent them to an old woman near his house to be bred up. She took great care of them, feeding them with peas, of which they were very fond. 3. One of them died, hut the other grew up, and was a fine bird. Its wings had not been cut, and as soon as it could fly, it was set at liberty. 4. But this bird was so fond of the old woman, who had freaked it so kindly, that it would never quite leave the place. It would THE WOOD-PIGEON. 149 fly to a great distance, and even go with birds of its own kind. But ft never failed to come to the house of my friend, twice a day, to be fed. 5. The peas were placed for ft in the kitchen window. If the window was shu£, it would fcip with its beak till it was opened ; then, ft would come in, eat its, meal, and fly off again. 6. If by chance, after ft had tapped for a long time, the window was not opened, the pigeon would fly upon a free, that was near, and waft till the cook came out. As soon as ft saw her, ft would alight on her shoulder, and go with her into the kftchen. 7. Wha£ made this more strange was, that the cook had not bred the bird up ; and the old woman's cott&ge was at some distance ; hut as she had no peas left, ft came to my friend's house, as I have said, to be fed. 8. This went on for some time ; bift the poor bird, having lost its fear of man, was exposed to constant danger from those who did not know ft. It met with the fate of most pefe. A stranger saw ft quietiy sitting on a free, and shot ft, to the great regret of all fts former friends. 150 NATIONAL SECOND READER. ARTICULATION. th. thank, thick, thing; think, third, thirst ', thigh, thorn, thumb ', thump, thatch, theft ; bath, breath, -path; hath, truth, youth. LESSON XLVII. an' them fran cliised pris on er mer ri est freedom rejoiced' merrily opened (6'pnd) out spread' con fined min is tered wliis tied (wins Id) bound' less hast' i ly feafli er y war bled (war'bld) mis tress s6r row f ul mel low er sick ened (sick'nd) THE BIRD SET FREE. 1. OHE opened the cage, and away there flew A bright little bird : as a short adieu, It hastily whistled, and passed the door ; And felt that its sorrowful hours were o'er. 2. An an/Aem 1 of freedom it seemed to sing, To utter its joy for an outspread wing ; That now, it could sport in the boundless air; And might go any and every where. 3. And Anna rejoiced in her bird's delight ; But her eye was w r et, as she marked its flight; 1 An' them, a song. THE BIRD SET FREE. 151 L 5. Till, this was the song that she seemed to hear; And, merrily warbled, it dried the tear : " I had a mistress, and she was kind In all but keeping her bird confined. She ministered food and drink to me ; But oh ! I was pining for liberty ! " My fluttering bosom she loved to smooth ; But the heart within it she could not soothe ; I sickened and longed for the wildwood breeze, My feathery kindred, and fresh green trees. " A prisoner here, with a useless wing, I looked with sorrow on every thing. 152 NATIONAL SECOND READER. I 16st my voice, I forgot my song, And mourned in silence the whole day long. 7. " But I will go back with a mellower pipe, And sing, when the cherries are round and ripe, On the topmost bough, as I lock my feet To help myself, in my leafy seat. 8. u My merriest notes shall there be heard, To draw her eye to her franchised 1 bird ; The burden, then, of my song shall be ? Earth for the wingless • but air for me /" chafe, chsim, cheese, cheek, chili, each, RTICULATION. ch. chase ; change, cheer ; chick, inch ; march, charm, chin, much, chart ; chip ; LreacA. roll' ing pass ing draw ing wag on liu. mor rough ly troub ling LESSON XLVIII. hap pened in' slant ly enip ty of lend' ed small er dis plec/s lire qitar rel in ter rupt' re plied' dif fi cul ty be tween an gry (Aug' gry) ap peered youn ger (young' ger) Fran' chised, made frue. SPEAK GENTLY. 153 SPEAK GENTLY. " n ET out of my way," said John to William, ^ as lie was rolling his hoop along a narrow passage, through which William was drawing his wagon. "You are always getting in my way, whenever I wish to have a little fun with my hoop, or my ball, or any of my playthings." 2. These angry words of his brother made William feel out of humor too, and he very roughly replied, u You get out of my way. I can not play anywhere with any thing without your coming to interrupt me. I have as much right to be in the road as you have, and, if you can not amuse yourself without troubling me, go somewhere else to play." 3. These unkind words between his two sons were heard by Mr. Conway, who from a win- dow in the house saw what was going on, with- out his sons knowing that he was near. 4. A few days after, he happened to be in the barn, in one part of which he had caused a fine swing to be made for his c/dldren. Wil- liam was enjoying the swing with another lad of about his own age, when John entered the barn in great haste, and in no very good humor. 5. " Get out of that swing, Bill," said John. 154 NATIONAL SECOND READER. " You and Harry Jones have had it a long time, and it is my turn to swing, now. Father did not have it put up for you, and all the ragged boys in the village." 6. "I came here first," said William. "I have the swing and mean to keep it. You only came here to interrupt us. If you wanted to swing, why did not you come and take it before we left our balls ? The swing has been empty all the morning, and you would not have thought of it if you had not seen us here." 7. "I don't care for that," said John. "I want it, and I will have it. If you do not get out of it this minute, I will pitch you out." These angry words did no good. Although William was younger and smaller than John, he thought, with the aid of Harry, he could pre- vent his brother from taking the swing, and keep it for himself. 8. John was just about to carry out his threat, and had taken hold of the rope to pull the seat from under his brother, when their father, whom they had not before seen, appeared before them. 9. "I believe, my sons," said Mr. Conway, mildly, "I must have the swing taken down. I had it nicely put up, hoping that it would SPEAK GENTLY. 155 amuse my children and make them happy, but, I find it causes them to quarrel." 10. u father," said William, " do not take it down. John shall have it this time, if you will only let it remain." John also said that he would give it up to his brother the whole day, if his father would not take it down. 11. "Children," said Mr. Conway, "I have no wish to remove it, if you will not compel me to do so. It was not the swing that caused the difficulty between you, but the unkind manner in which you spoke to one another. I heard all that passed between you about the swing, as well as the quarrel that took place a few days ago in the road. 12. " My son, when you wished your brother to let you pass by him with your hoop, you roughly said to him, ' Get out of my way ! ' Your angry manner offended him. Now, if you had said gently to him, ' Please, William, move your wagon a little, so that I may pass with my hoop,' he could have had no cause of displeasure, and would, without doubt, have moved out of your way. 13. "This morning, if you had said to him, 'William, please let me swing a little while,' I have no doubt that he would instantly have 156 NATIONAL SECOND READER. given up the swing to you, but you very roughly Mole him, ' Get out of that swing !' 14 " Now, my sons, I wish you both to re- member, when you ask any one to do any thing for you, to speak kindly. No one likes to be ordered to do any thing ; but, if kindly asked to do it, no one who is not very ill-tempered will refuse to oblige you." sheet ; sAout ; 6'Aawl. ARTICULATION sh. sAade, shake, shame ; sheaf, sheep, s A ark, sharp, shore ; short, should shall, sash, marsh ; shell, shift. LESSON XLIX. thaw'ing rancid Lawrence ministers weafli er hurt fnl pre vent' re fresh' ing double thirsty compelled entirely trouble churches cov'ering hos'pital shav ings wor thy dan ger cms bus i ness (biz' nes) i ICE-HOUSES. CE-HOUSES are made to keep ice when the weather is warm, and to prevent its thaw- g. They are sometimes made below the ICE-HOUSES. 157 ground, with a low covering to keep out the suns/dne and heat. Sometimes they are made above the ground, and then the sides are double, and filled with sawdust, or shavings. 2. Ice is very useful in warm weather. When milk, cream, and butter are kept on the ice, the butter will not become rancid, 1 nor the milk and cream sour. 3. Meat, and food of all kinds, will also keep good much longer and better on the ice. A glass of water with ice in it is very refreshing, on a warm day in summer. But it is very dan- gerous and hurtful to drink a great deal of ice- water on a very hot day. 4. Not long ago there was a rich man, who lived in Boston. He was a very worthy man, and every one loved him. When people were in trouble, he gave them good advice, and helped them in many ways. He was very kind to the poor, and gave them money, and cloth- ing, and food. 5. One very warm day, many years ago, this good man, after working very hard in his busi- ness, went to visit some poor people. When he returned home, he was very warm and 1 Ran' cid, having a strong unpleasant smell and taste. 158 NATIONAL SECOND READER. thirsty. He drank some ice-water, and it tasted so refreshing that he did not think of the harm it would do him. He drank too much of the very cold water, and was taken very ill. 6. At first it was thought that he would die. But he had a very skillful doctor, under whose care his life was saved ; though he never after was entirely well. 7. He lived many years, but was obliged to be very careful in his diet. Every thing he ate or drank was weighed, and he was compelled to deprive himself of many pleasures in which he saw his friends indulge. 8. The only pleasure he had was in being good and doing good. There are very many people now living whom he aided. He gave large sums of money to build churches, and hospitals, and to support worthy ministers. 9. This good man died a very short time ago, and both the rich and the poor, the old and the young, were very much grieved at his loss. The name of this good man was Amos Lawrence. ARTICULATION. wh. whale, wharf, what ; wheat, wheel, wheeze ; whelm, whelp, ivhence ; where, which, whiff', while, whine, whir) ; whirl, whist, white. TAKE CARE OF THAT WOLF. 159 LESSON L. say' ing feelings in' no cent affection kind ness per ished an i mal pas sions (pash' uns) ereat lire de stroy' for got' ten e ven ing (e' vn ing) TAKE CARE OF THAT WOLF. Mother. Take care of that wolf, 1 my son : you are saying harsh things about William. Alfred. What wolf, mother ? Mother. The wolf in your heart. Have you forgotten ivlidX I told you last evening, about the wild beasts within you ? Emily. But you told us, too, about the inno- cent lambs. There are gentle and good ani- mals in us, as weir as fierce and evil ones. Mother. Oh, yes. Kindness and love are the innocent animals of your hearts, and evil pas- sions and hate are the cruel beasts, that are al- ways ready, if you will permit them, to rise up and destroy your good affections. Take care, my children, how you permit the wild beasts to rage. Emily. But what did you mean by saying that there was a wolf in brother Alfred ? Tell us the meaning of that, mother. 1 A wolf is a wild beast like a dog, but very savage and cruel. 160 NATIONAL SECOND READER. ^ Alfred. Yes, do, mother. I want to know wh&t the wolf in my heart means. Mother. Do you know any thing about the nature of wolves ? Emily. They are very cruel, and love to seize and eat up dear, little, innocent lambs. Mother. Yes, my children, their nature is cruel ; and they prey upon innocent creatures. Until now, Alfred, you have always loved to be with your playmate, William Jarvis. Was it not so, my dear ? Alfred. Yes, mother ; I used to like him. Mother. Often, you would get from me a fine, large apple, or a choice flower, from the gar- den, to give him. But the tender and inno- cent feelings that moved you to do this have perished. Some wolf has rushed in, and de- stroyed them. How innocent, like gentle lambs, were your feelings, until now ! When you thought of William, it was with kindness. But it is not so now. Only the wolf is there. Will you still let him rage and eat your lambs, or will you drive him out ? Alfred. I will drive him out, mother, if I can. How shall I do it ? Mother. Try to forget the fault of William ; think how good he has been to you, and try to ATONICS. 161 excuse him, for he did not mean to offend you. Then, ivheii you love him, the innocent lambs will again be seen, and the wolf must flee. Alfred. I don't think I am angry with Wil- liam, mother. Mother. But you were just now. Alfred. Yes ; but the wolf is no longer in my heart. He has been driven out. Mother. I am glad of it. Do not again, Al- fred, do not, any of you, my children, let wild beasts prey upon the lambs of your flock. Fly from them in as much terror as you would fly from a wolf, a tiger, or a lion, were one to meet you in a wood. Wild beasts injure the body, but evil passions injure the soul. TABLE OF CONSONANT ELEMENTS. A-TONICS. f, as in fame, /ane, /ate, ham, Aate, Aale, keel, peep, same, taste, thank, chase, shade, shake, shame, wh, " whale, what, wheat, IV, % th, ch, sh, Jcee\>, pipe, sane, tart, thing. kiss, plump, save, taught, tfAink, charge, charm, /i/e, hark, kink, pulp, send, tempt, truth, much, sAallj which, /ile. Aarm. kirk, pump, sense, toast, youth, march, shout, white. 11 162 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON LI. Wal'ton Broadway servant vaca/tion handsome merchant prepare' Lafayette(lafayet') JAMES AT HOME. 'THIS is the picture of a fine street in the city - 1 - of New York. It is called Lafayette Place. 2. There are some large and very handsome houses, behind those trees, on the right side of the street. James Walton's father lives in one of them. His name is Edward Walton, and he JAMES AT HOME. 163 owns a large store in a very wide and long street, called Broadway. 3. James has a very good and wise mother. Though she is the wife of a rich New York merchant, 1 she dresses him in a very plain and simple manner, and does not allow him to be vain and proud, as boys sometimes are that have rich par'ents. 4. James loves his mother, and does all he can to please her. She has taken so great pains to teach him to do right at all times, that he has become .a good and thoughtful boy. 5. I mean that he is a good boy on the whole ; though, like other boys of his age, he sometimes does wrong. 6. There are no boys that always do right ; but some, when they do wr6ng, love the wrong and cling to it, and mean to do it as 6ften as they can. James, when he has done wr6ng, is s6rry for it, and resolves to do so no more. 7. He rises very early in the morning and prepares for school. He does not trouble the servants, for he has been taught to help himself. 8. He does not play with Bruno, his pet d6g, nor with Prince, his little pony, nor with 1 Mer' chant, a man who trades with distant countries ; one who huys and sells goods. 164 NATIONAL SECOND READER. any of his playthings, in the morning, but he hastens to school, and studies all the time he has, till his class is called out. 9. Mr. Clark, his teacher, loves him very much, for he is quiet in school, and always learns his lessons well, and is kind to his school- mates on the play-ground. 10. James learned his lessons so well, and was so good a boy at home and at school, that his father promised to let him pass the summer vacation in the country, with his uncle Alfred. 11. In the next lesson, I will tell you what James saw at his uncle's in the country, and how he enjoyed his visit. shield scythe Jer' sey mow er LESSON III. hhy ing swal low health' i er cur rants pitch fork sur round' ed clier ries wood house goose' ber ries wind row Cold-brook tink led (tlngk' kid) JAMES IN THE COUNTRY. MIL ALFRED WALTON, or Uncle Alfred, as James calls him, lives on a very fine farm in the State of New Jersey. 2. It is about twenty miles from the city of JAMES IN THE COUNTRY. 165 New York, and is called Coldbrook farm, be- cause a brook of very cold and clear water runs through it. 3. Here you see a picture of the farm-house. It is cool and pleasant in summer ; for, though not large, it is surrounded by fine shrubs and trees, which shield it from the heat of the sun. 4. Mr. Clark's school closed the last of June, and he had a vacation of ten weeks. James passed all this time in the country, with his Un- cle Alfred, and he enjoyed his visit very much. 5. I dare say he would have been lonely, 166 NATIONAL SECOND READER. had it not been for his cousin Henry, who was about his own age. They soon became great friends, and were seldom found apart. 6. James did not idle his time away, nor trouble his uncle, as some boys do, when they visit their friends ; but he was very useful. 7. He would rise early in the morning, and help his cousin to water the horses, and drive the cows to pasture, after they had been milked. 8. Sometimes he would carry in wood from the wood-house ; and he and Henry would climb cherry-trees, and gather cherries, and pick cur- rants and gooseberries in the garden, for his aunt. 9. One morning James and Henry rose very early, and took their rods and lines, and fol- lowed the brook down through the meadow, to c&tch some fish for Henry's mother, who was ill, and did not relish 1 her food. 10. It was a very pleasant walk. The clear and cold water tinkled 2 over the little pebbles in the brook, and the green moss and mint had grown up in the grass on its banks. The birds were singing, and the air was sweet with the odor of clover and wild flowers. 11. They followed the brook down to a deep 1 Rel'ish, to like or to enjoy. 2 Tink'le, to make sounds like a small Dell, quick and sharp. JAMES IN THE COUNTRY. 167 iS> place, under the roots of an old tree, in the wood, where they soon caught six fine spotted trout. This was rare sport for James, as he had never before been a-fishing. 12. In haying- time, James and Henry helped Mr. Walton make hay. But some of the boys and girls, who read this lesson, may not know how hay is made. I will now tell you. 13. The mowers 1 first cut down the grass with scythes, into thick swaths, or rows. Here you see James and Henry turning over these thick rows, and spreading them out, so that the grass may dry. They wear straw hats, with wide rims, so that the sun may not shine in their faces. James has a rake, with which he turns over the rows, and Henry has a pitchfork, to spread them. 14. After the grass is dry, it is raked up into 1 Mow' er, one who cuts grass with a scythe. 168 NATIONAL SECOND READER. large rows, called wind-rows. It is then loaded on the wagon, and taken to the barn. James and Henry sometimes raked up the hay that fell from the wagon as it was loaded. 15. Sometimes, when there was a shower, they would lie on the sweet new hay, in the barn, and hear the rain-drops patter on the roof, and the swallows twitter in their nests under the eaves. 16. When vacation was over, and James re- turned home, his face was so brown and sun- burnt, that his schoolmates hardly knew him ; but he was much stronger and healthier than he would have been, if he had remained in the city. LESSON LIII. tongue mo tion sail cer prov o ca' tion straight red dish pur pose fore head (for* ed) ca/ lyx spark les cheer ful hand some (han' sum) bottom sweetness plumage quarrel (kwor'rel) green ish hum ming 6' pen ing ex am pie (egz am' pi) THE HUMMING-BIRD. 'THE humming-bird is the smallest of all birds, and it is also one of the handsomest. It is almost always on the wing, and it flies so fast, that the wings can scarcely be seen. THE HUMMING-BIRD. 169 2. It has a very long bill, in the shape of an awl. The bill is sharp at the point, so that it can be thrust into a flower, and extract the sweet honey from the bottom of its cup. 3. The cup of a flower is called the calyx. The calyx is sometimes deep, and it has a very narrow opening. With its long and sharp bill, the humming-bird can reach to the bottom of the flower, where all its sweetness lies. 4. The tongue of the humming-bird is forked ; that is, it is divided so that it looks like two tongues, or like the prongs of a fork. The feathers on its wings and tail are black, but those on its body, and under its wings, are of a greenish brown, with a fine reddish gloss, which no silver, gold, nor velvet can imitate. 5. It has a small crest or tuft of feathers, on its head. The crest is green at the bottom, and brighter than gold at the top. It sparkles in the sun like a little star in the middle of its forehead. The bill is black, straight, and slen- der, and of the length of a small pin. 6. This bird keeps- its wings in such rapid motion, that their beautiful color can only be seen by the glitter. This rapid motion of its wings causes a humming sound, and from this sound it has its name of humming-bird. 170 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 7. The humming-bird lays but two eggs, and they are about the size of small peas. The eggs are as white as snow, with a few yellow specks on them. These birds hatch their eggs in ten days. 8. When the young first appear, they are of the size of a blue-bottle fly. The plumage of the young is not so bright as that of the old birds. 9. The humming-bird is easily tamed. In an hour after it has been caught, the little cheerful captive will often come and suck the honey, or sugar and water, from flowers held out to it. 10. In a few hours more it becomes tame enough to sip sweets from a saucer, and soon it will come to the hand that feeds it. In dark or rainy weather, it seems to pass most of the time dozing on the perch, or roost, in its cage. 11. The humming-bird is a brave little fel- low. It sometimes dares to attack other birds much larger than itself, if they go too near its nest. He attacks even the king-bird, and drives the martin back to his box. 12. Sometimes it will attack the yellow-bird and the sparrow without any provocation. 1 I 1 Prov o ca' tion, any thing that causes anger. SUBTONIC COMBINATIONS. 171 hope none of my little readers will copy the bad example of these pretty little birds, and quarrel purposely with other children, larger or sma ler tha EX n themselves. 4.TI0N. .ERCISE IN ARTICUL. SUB-TONIC COMBINATIONS. bl, as in blade, blame, blaze, black, bland ; a blast, bleak, bleat, bleed, bless. gi, " glaze, glass, glance, gleam, glean ; a glee, glide, ^impse, globe, glue. br, " brave, b?"ain, break, broad, broth ; u brass, branch, brick, bring, brink. dr, " drain, drawl, dream, dread, dregs ; a dress, drive, drink, bought, drown. gr, « grace, grapes, grave, grand, grant ; a' green, greet, grind, grine, grove. LESSON LIV.^ Gre' cian dig ni tied at tach ment Mai da powerful sus pi cious Scot land troub le some sur round ed symp toms neace a ble u' su a iiy. grey hound scru pu lous dis po si' tion black guard jealousy cu ri 6s i ty or' i gin ap near' ance par tic ' u lar ly . ...1 172 NATIONAL SECOND READER, MAIDA, THE SCOTCH GREYHOUND. A HOUND is a ddg, with long, smooth, hang- ing ears, and 16ng limbs, that enable him to run very swiftly. The greyhound is not so called on account of his color, but from a word which denotes his Grecian origin. 1 2. The Scotch grey- hound is a larger and more powerful ani- mal than the common greyhound ; and its hair, instead of being sleek and smooth, is long, stiff, and brist- ly. It can endure great fatigue. 3. Sir Walter Scott had a very fine dog of this kind. His name was Maida. He was one of the finest d6gs of the kind ever seen in Scotland, not only on ac- count of his beauty and dignified appearance, but also from his great size and strength. 4. When Sir Walter travelled through strange towns, Maida was usually surrounded by crowds of people. He indulged their curiosity with 1 Or' i gin, that from which any thing first springs. 173 great patience until it began to be trouble- some, and then he gave a single short bark, as a signal 1 that they must trouble him no more. 5. Nothing could exceed the fidelity, obe- dience, and attachment of this dog to his mas- ter, whom he seldom quitted, and on whom he was a constant attendant, when travelling. 6. Maida was a high-spirited and beautiful dog, with black ears, cheeks, back, and sides. The tip of his tail was white. His muzzle, 2 neck, throat, breast, and legs were also white. 7. The hair on his whole body and limbs was rough and shaggy, and particularly so on the neck, throat, and breast. That on the ridge 3 of the neck he used to raise, like a lion's mane, when excited to anger. 8. His disposition was gentle and peace- able, both to men and animals ; but he showed marked symptoms of anger to ill-dressed or blackguard-looking people, whom he always regarded 4 with a suspicious 5 eye, and whose motions he watched with the most scrupulous 6 jealousy; 1 Sig' nal, a sign that gfVes notice of something. a Muz' zle, the nose and front part of the mouth of an animal. 3 Ridge, the top, or upper part. * Re gard' ed, noticed, looked upon. 6 Suspicious (suspish'us), doubtful; not trustful. « Scrupu- lous, nice ; exact. 174 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON LV. pen'cil prepared majestic reap ers ter' ri iied in scrip tion por trait 6 ver throw ex liib it ed (egz liib') head long Ab bots ford pe cul iar i ty (pe kul jar') re straint' a ver' sion dis pleas lire (plez' ur) MAIDA, THE SCOTCH GREYHOUND: CONCLUDED. IE- WALTER used to give an amusing ac- count of an incident which befell Maida in one of his chases. " I was once riding over a s MAIDA, THE GREYHOUND. 175 field, on which the reapers were at work, the stooks or bundles of grain being placed behind them, as is usual. 2. " Maida, having found a hare, began to chase her, to the great amusement of the spec- tators, as the hare turned very 6ften and very swiftly among the stooks. At length, being hard pressed, she fairly bolted into one of them. 3. " Maida went in headlong after her, and the stook began to be much agitated in va- rious directions ; at length the sheaves tum- bled down, and the hare and the dog, terrified alike at their overthrow, ran different ways, to the great amusement of the spectators." 4. Among several peculiarities 1 which Maida possessed, one was a strong aversion 2 to artists, arising from the frequent restraints he was sub- jected to, in having his portrait taken, on ac- count of his majestic appearance. 5. The instant he saw a pencil and paper produced, he prepared to beat a retreat ; and, if forced to remain, he exhibited the str6ngest marks of displeasure. 6. Maida 7 s bark was deep and hollow. Some- times he amused himself with howling, in a very » Peculiarities (pe kul yar' e tes) , things found in one person or thing and in no other. 2 A ver' sion, dislike. 176 NATIONAL SECOND READER. tiresome way. When he was very fond of his friends, he used to grin, tucking up his whole lips, and showing all his teeth ; but this was only when he very much desired to recom- mend himself. 7. Maida lies buried at the gate of Abbots- ford, Sir Walter's country-seat, which he long protected. A gravestone is placed over him, on which is carved the figure of a dog. It bears the following inscription i 1 " Beneath the sculptured form which late tou wore, Sleep soundly, Maida, at your master's door." LESSON LVI. Rob'erts musical delujht' ed ku turn a ton turning gentleman understood' clarionet' eas' i ly hand some ly in tel' li gent ma chin' er y opening instrument inquisitive pi a' no-for' te THE AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER. A GENTLEMAN, by the name of Roberts, had a little son, of about eight years of age, named George, who was a very bright and intelligent lad. 1 In scrip' tion, something written to give knowledge to persons in after years. AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER. 177 2. By intelligent, I mean that he easily un- derstood what was said to him. This little boy was also very inquisitive. By inquisitive, I mean that he asked a great many questions, in order to understand what he heard or saw. 3. His father, one day, took George to see a very great curiosity, 1 which was exhibited 2 in Bdston. A German had made the figure of a man, and dressed it very handsomely, and had put a great deal of work on the inside of the man. 4. He had also a door, or opening, in the back of the man, where any one could see how it was made to move its eyes, its arms, and its fingers. 5. This wooden man was called an au- tomaton, because it appeared to move itself, while, all the time, it was not the man that moved, but the work, called machinery, in the inside of the man, that moved. 6. As the wooden man stood up in the room, it was at first covered with a screen. The maker would go behind the screen, and wind up the machinery, in the same manner that a watch or clock is wound up. 1 Cu ri os' i ty, something rarely seen, but well worth seeing. 2 Exhib' ited, brought out to be shown. 12 178 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 7. The maker then moved the screen, and the wooden man lifted up its head, and bowed three times to all the people that had come to see it ; turning its head first to the right, then to the left, and then in front. 8. It held in its hand a musical instrument, called a clarionet. When it had bowed, as I have said, it raised its eyes, and lifted the clar- ionet up to its mouth, and closing its lips tight around the mouth-piece of the instrument, it raised its fingers, one after another, and played some very sweet tunes. 9. Its maker also played on a piano-forte the same tunes with the wooden man. George and his father, and all the persons in the room, were delighted with the music which it made. 10. In the next lesson, you will read what George Roberts and his father said, when they returned home from visiting the musical wooden man. But first I will tell you its name. It was called the Automaton Clarionet-Player. LESSON LVII. home' ward kernel bellows exhibition carriage berries conversed' conversation coffee powder dialogue curiosity AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER. 179 THE AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER: CONTINUED. A FTER George and his father had left the room, where they had seen the wooden man, they conversed together about it, on their way homeward. 2. When two persons talk together about any thing, what they say to one another is called a dialogue. The following is the con- versation, or dialogue, which took place be- tween George and his father at that time. Father. Well, George, my son, how were you pleased with the exhibition ? George. I don't know what you mean, father, by an exhibition. I never saw such a thing. Father. Did not the man show you the beau- tiful wooden man, that made the sweet music ? George. Oh yes, father, I saw the wooden man. Is that an exhibition ? Father. When any thing is showed to a num- ber of persons, it is called an exhibition of that thing. The person who shows it is called an exhibitor, and the thing is said to be exhibited. And now, George, what do you think of the exhibition ? George. It was very pleasing, father, and the 180 NATIONAL SECOND READER. man was handsome, and it made very sweet music. But was it not alive, father ? Father. No, my son, not any more than a car- riage is alive, when it moves, and we ride in it. George. What made it move, father, if it was not alive ? Father. I will answer your question by ask- ing another. You have seen Anna, the cook, put coffee into the mill, and turn the handle of the mill, to grind the coffee. The coffee came out of the mill, not in kernels, or berries, as it was put in, but, as you know, in the form, of powder. George. Yes, father, but Anna grinds the coffee, and that breaks up the berries into very small pieces. Father. True, my dear; but Anna merely puts the coffee into the mill, and turns the han- dle, and the fine coffee falls out. It is not Anna, but the work, called machinery, inside of the mill, that grinds the coffee. The mill will not grind the coffee unless Anna turns the handle. George. Is there work, or machinery, in the musical man, father ? Father. Yes, George. There is a great deal of machinery inside of an automaton, and the AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER. 181 wonder is how a man can make it produce so many and such beautiful effects. George. Does not the wooden man make the music, father? Father. The wooden man can not make music, of itself, my son. Some of the machinery in the inside of the wooden man makes a pair of bellows blow, other machinery carries the wind to little reeds, and still other machinery causes the wooden man to lift up its fingers, and move its head and its eyes ; but it can not walk, nor do any thing, except what the machinery makes it do. George. But is it not very curious, father, to see it move its eyes and its head, and look around the room, as if it were alive ? Father. Yes, George ; and if the wooden man could walk about, and talk too, it would be the greatest curiosity in the world. George. Father, are there any wooden men that can walk about and talk ? Father. There are many men that can walk about and talk, but none that are made of wood. George. But you have told me, father, that all men, and even you yourself, were once little boys and helpless infants. Was the wooden man ever a little wooden boy ? 182 NATIONAL SECOND READER. In the next lesson, you may read what answer George's father made to this question, and what further he said to his son. LESSON LYIII. sleep' ing worship won' der ful in tend' ed waking displaced' medicine creator THE AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER I CONCLUDED. u "VTO, my son," said George Roberts' father. "It was made a wooden man, and always will be a wooden man. But curious and won- derful as it is, it is by no means so wonderful as any living man or child that you see. 2. " You have in you a great deal more ma- chinery than the wooden musical man, and so have I, and everybody else. But we can not see our machinery. There is no hole in our backs, nor can it be seen while we are alive. 3. "So long as we live, this machinery is al- ways at work. By means of it, we walk, and talk, and laugh, and cry, and eat, and drink. 4. "We have a great Creator who made us, and the smallest of his works is much more wonderful than any thing that man ever made. AUTOMATON CLARIONET-PLAYER. 183 5. " We have never seen this great Creator, but he always sees us, and knows what we do. The wooden man will sometimes get out of order, because the machinery breaks or gets displaced. 6. " When our machinery gets out of order, we are ill, or sick. The medicine that we are re- quired to take when we are ill, is intended to put the machinery in order to make it work right. 7. " The wooden man does not take medi- cine, because it would do it no good. When it is out of order, the man who made it can open its back and put the machine in order. 8. " And now, my son, I wish you to think of our great Creator, who made us and all the machinery in us. How wonderful he is, how great, and how good to us ! Every thing we do and every thing we enjoy, we owe to him, 9. " He watches over us at all times, whether we are sleeping or waking. He made all things that we see around us, in the fields, and the woods, and everywhere else. 10. " We should love, worship, and obey our great Creator, and attend to all that he tells us. He has given us a book in which he has told us what to do. That book is called the Bi- ble, and the name of our great Creator is God." 184 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON LIX. searched piercing prayer (prar) parsed fleeting an swered (an' serd) shil' ling wretch ed list en ing (lis' sn ing) FAITH IN GOD. 1. T KNEW a widow very poor, * Who four small children had : The oldest was but six years old, A gentle, modest lad. 2. And very hard this widow toiled To feed her children four ; A noble heart the mother had, Though she was very poor. 3. To labor, she would leave her home, For children must be fed ; And glad was she when she could buy A shilling's worth of bread. 4. And this was all the children had On any day to eat : They drank their water, ate their bread, But never tasted meat. 5. One day, when snow was falling fast, And piercing was the air, FAITH IN GOD. 185 I thought that I would go and see How these poor children were. 6. Ere long I reached their cheerless home ; 'Twas searched by every breeze ; When, going in, the eldest child I saw upon his knees. 7. I paused to listen to the boy : He never raised his head, But still went on, and said, u Give us This day our daily bread." 8. I waited till the child was done, Still listening as he prayed ; And when he rose, I asked him why That prayer he then had said. 9. "Why, sir," said he, "this morning, when My mother went away, She wept, because she said she had No bread for us to-day. 10. " She said we children now must starve, Our father being dead ; And then I told her not to cry, For I could get some bread. 11. " 'Our Father,' sir, the prayer begins, Which made me think that he, 186 NATIONAL SECOND READER. As we have no kind father here, Would our kind Father be 12. "And then you know, sir, that the Asks God for bread eaeh day ; So in the corner, sir, I went ; And that's what made me pray." prayer 13. I quickly left that wretched room, And went with fleeting feet, And very soon was back again With food enough to eat. 14. " I thought God heard me," said the boy. I answered with 'a nod ; I could not speak, but much I thou ght Of that boy's faith in God. EXERCISES IN ARTICULATION. ATONIC COMBINATIONS. SrC, 1 is in skate, skiff, skill, skirt, skulk ; " shill, scarf, scold, scorn, scowl. sp, " space, spade, span, spark, speak ; " speed, spell, spend, spice, spike. st, " stain, stamp, stand, start, stalk ; " stick, stone, stove, stoop, stout. sq. " square, squash, s'arately COLORS. TT7HAT makes the woods and the green meadows, and the sweet-smelling flowers, so beautiful ? It is the bright colors, which are mixed together in them, that make them so pleasing to the eye. 200 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 2. One is never tired of looking at the green grass in the meadows, the white and red blos- soms in the trees, and the beautiful blue sky above our heads. 3. Why do we not see them in the dark night ? The grass is on the meadows, the blossoms are on the trees, and the sky is still above our heads in the night time ; but we can not see the bright green on the grass, nor the red and white blossoms on the trees, nor the soft blue in the sky. 4. Where are the colors in the night time ? They have gone away, but they will return again with the cheerful light of day. In the night time, when there is no light, every thing looks black. 5. The colors come with the light, and when the light goes away the gloomy black returns. Black, then, is no color, but only the absence of light and color. 6. Did you ever see a beautiful rainbow ? There all kinds of bright colors are seen. There you may see the red, 6range, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, all separately, and all mixed up together. 7. The ends of this brilliant bow seem to rest on the earth, while it extends up to the COLORS. 201 very top of the sky. In it, as I have said, you see seven colors ; red, orange, yellow, blue, in- digo, green, and violet. But after all, there are but three colors in the bow, and these are red, blue, and yellow. 8. The other colors are only a mixture, formed from these. When the blue and yel- low are mixed together, they make a green. When the blue and the red are mixed, they produce a violet, or purple. 9. The beautiful colors in the fields, the trees, in pictures and paintings, and on the feathers of birds, the leaves of flowers, and every object that you see, all are produced by mixing to- gether the simple colors, blue, yellow, and red. The blue you see in the sky, the red in the rose, and the yellow on the butter-cup and the bright sun-flower. 10. But the poor blind boy is deprived of all these beautiful sights. For him, there is no beautiful sunrise; no purple and golden sun- set ; no silver moon ; no green fields nor trees ; not a bright flower or bird. They are all lost to him, for he can not see them. How thank- ful ought you to be to your heavenly Father, who has opened your eyes to all these beau- tiful sights 202 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON LXVI. THE BLIND ASYLUM. TN South Boston, there is a very large house, T with very many rooms in it, where blind children are received, to be taught to read, write, and spell. 2. It may seem strange to you, that blind children can be taught to read, when they can not see a letter. They can not read such books THE BLIND ASYLUM. 203 as you read, which are printed with black and red letters, for they can see no colors. 3. But there are books made on purpose for the blind, and they can read them, by feeling the letters with their fingers. The letters are not black, nor red, but are of the same color with the leaf on which they are made. 4. The letters are raised on the page, and stand up, something like buttons on your dress. If you shut your eyes, and pass your fingers up and down your dress, you can feel the buttons ; and if one button is larger, or smaller than another, you can tell, by feeling, which is the larger and which is the smaller, without open- ing your eyes. 5. Sometimes, too, there are figures on some of your buttons, and others are plain. With your eyes shut, you can tell, by the feeling, which is a figured button, and which is a plain one. In this manner, the blind are taught to read, by feeling the letters. By long practice, they learn to read, with their fingers, almost as fast as other people can with their eyes. 6. I know a blind man, who when he hears of any thing that is very handsome, or pretty, asks to see it. He can not see it, but when it is put into his hands, he feels all over it, and very 204 NATIONAL SECOND READER. quickly finds out as much about it as most peo- ple can, who see it with their eyes. 7. The large house, where the blind children are taught, is called the Asy'lum for the Blind. The blind children are there taught how to read, write, and spell ; and some of them also are taught most other things that children learn who are not blind. 8. Some of the blind children are taught to sing, and to play on the piano-forte, on the harp, on the flute, on the guitar, or violin, or some other musical instrument. Some learn to make almost every thing that others can make, who are not deprived of their sight. 9. Some of the children have to put away the clothes of the other children, after they have been washed. Although they can not see, they never make a mistake in putting each one's clothes into the drawers where they belong. 10. Now these blind children are very happy at the asylum, because they always have some- thing to do, which they know how to do. Other blind children, who have never been taught to be useful, are not as happy as those at the asylum, who always have some one about them to amuse them, and to teach them what to do, and how to do it. LAURA BRIDGMAN. 205 LESSON LXYII. Brklg'man in'dustry noth ing (nutli' ing) described' understood' creature (kret'yer) LAURA BRIDGMAN. A MONG the children who were sent to the blind asylum, that was described in the last lesson, was one very unfortunate little girl, whose name is Laura Bridgman. 2. This little girl was sent there when she was very young, and she was the most unfortu- nate little child that I ever heard of. 3. She was not only blind, but she was also deaf and dumb. Deaf persons are those who can not hear, and dumb persons are those who can not speak. 4 Some persons are only slightly deaf, and can hear when loud noises are made ; and some can hear only when the noises are very loud. But poor little Laura could not hear a sound, whether loud or not. 5. She could see nothing. She could hear nothing. She could not speak a word. Now what could this poor little unfortunate creature do ? She could feel, she could smell, and she could taste, and that was all that she could do, 206 NATIONAL SECOND READER. until she came to the blind asylum. There she was taught to read, to write and to spell. 6. Does it not seem strange to you that she could read, though she could not see a letter, hear a sound, nor speak a word ? She does not speak when she reads, but she spells with her fingers, and she can tell with her fingers what she reads. 7. When she reads, she takes hold of some one's hand, and makes motions with her fin- gers, which are understood by the person whose hand she holds. She reads the same kind of books that other blind persons read, with raised letters. 8. But she has now learned to read and write herself, and has grown up to be quite an intelligent woman ; - although, when she first went to the blind asy'lum, she knew but little more than a young kitten, or little puppy. 9. Now if a little girl, who was deaf, dumb, and blind, has learned so much by attention and in'dustry, how much ought other children to do, who can see, hear, and speak ! 10. You can not be too thankful to your good and great Creator, who has given you the use of all your senses, seeing, hearing, feel- ing, smelling, and tasting. SUBTONICS AND ATONICS. 207 11. Think, for a moment, of how much poor Laura is deprived. She can not hear sweet music. She can not talk in words to her friends. She can not see beautiful pictures, nor enjoy the pleasant sight of the country, and the green grass, and trees, and flowers, as you can. But she can smell the sweet flowers, and enjoy the sweet breeze of summer, and thank her friends and her God for what she has learnt. EXERCISE IN ARTICULATION. SUB-TONIC AND A-TONIC COMBINATIONS, cr, as in crape, crave craze, crank, " creak, cream, creek, creep, fr, " frail, frame, freak, free, " friend, frost, froth, f*own, pr, " pride, prize, print, prince, " prank, prompt, prone, proof, tr, " trace, train, trail, trade, " treat, tread, trice, trick, crash ; (,roo\. freeze ; yWiit. praise ; proud, tramp ; ■trill. LESSON LXYIII. Oakes Tombs Mm nie fight ers mis chi^f mal ice bon net ma li' cious 208 NATIONAL SECOND READER. MISCHIEF. IV/TR. EDWARD read in his paper, one even- ing, the story of a very bad man whose name was Oakes. 2. This bad man stole a trnnk, that had a great deal of money in it ; but he was soon found out in his theft. The money was sent to the bank, and Oakes went to the Tombs. 3. " Do you mean, by that, that they hung him ?" said his little daughter Minnie. 4. u Oh no!" replied Mr. Edward. u The ' Tombs' is a great stone prison in New York, where they shut up fighters and thieves. It is such a gloomy -looking place, that they call it the 'Tombs.'" 5. " Well," said Minnie, drawing a long breath, U I think he ought to be sent to prison for stealing the trunk. I dare say it was the worst kind of mischief he could do." 6. U I am not so sure of that," said Mr. Ed- ward. " He did not wish to do the man, who owned the trunk, any harm. There was no malice in his mind against anybody. He want- ed some money for himself, and if he could have got it without taking it from anybody else, I suppose he would have done so." MISCHIEF. 209 7. "But, Minnie, when John Rough met you coming home from school last winter, and seized your bonnet and shawl and ran 6ff with them, that was malicious mischief. He did not want the bonnet and shawl ; but he wished you evil, and he did this trick on purpose to injure you. 8. " Now, when mischief is done on purpose to injure others, it is called malicious mischief; and it is much worse than that which is done for the sake of getting something that is need- ed for one's self." 9. "I think so, too," said Minnie. LESSON LXIX. Frank' lin kneeling workmen Ben'jamin building ankles carried Injuring MISCHIEF CONCLUDED. "T3ENJAMIN FRANKLIN did some mis- chief once," said Mr. Edward, "when he was a boy, but it was not malicious mischief. 2. "When Franklin lived in B6ston, there was a pond on one side of the town, at a place which has long since been filled up, and which is now covered with streets and houses. 14 210 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 3. " The boys used to go to this pond to fish. The shores of the pond were quite low, and at the place where the boys used to stand, it be- came very wet and muddy. To keep out of the mud and water, the boys built a pier, or wharf, to stand upon." 4. Here is a picture of Franklin and the other boys, building the pier, or little wharf. The boy you see kneeling on the pier is Frank- lin himself. He has charge of the work. The other boys are bringing stones. 5. There are four boys helping him. They have their clothes turned up to keep them from getting wet, for, in bringing the stones, they MISCHIEF. 211 have to wade in the water. One of the boys is above his ankles in the water, and is bring- ing a stone as large as he can lift. 6. There is one stone, that they are bring- ing, which is too large for one boy to lift, and two have taken it between them. There is a boy with a strange cap upon his head, who is calling to the two boys who have the big stone in their hands, to bring it round to his side of the pier. 7. U I don't see what harm there was, in making a pier like that," said Minnie. 8. " The harm was in the manner in which they got the stones," said her father. " There were no stones to be found about the ground, where the pier was to be built, and the boys went a little way off where some had been left, to build a house with ; and, when the work- men had gone to dinner, they took these stones and carried them down to their pier." 9. "Yes," said Minnie, "that was mischief." 10. " Yes, it was mischief," said Mr. Edward, "but it was not malicious mischief. The boys did not wish to do the workmen any harm. All they wished was to get a pier for them- selves. 11, "Now, if those boys had not wished to 212 NATIONAL SECOND READER. build a pier, but had taken the stones and thrown them into the pond, for the sake of in- juring the workmen, that would have been ma- licious mischief, and would have been worse than taking the stones for a useful purpose." LESSON LXX. eight' j serene' earnestly commanded good ness se' ri ous rev er ence mis' er a hie sickness countenance devo'tions imme'diatelj KING EDWARD AND HIS BIBLE. T WILL tell you a little story about a young and good king. He was king of England more than two hundred and eighty years ago. His name was Edward, and, because there had been five kings before him of the name of Ed- ward, he was called Edward the Sixth. 2. He was only nine years old when he be- gan to reign. He was early taught to be good, by pious teachers, and he loved to do what they told him would please God. He had a great reverence 1 for the Bible, which he knew contained the words of his Father in heaven. . 1 Rev' er ence, love mingled with fear and respect. KING EDWARD AND HIS BIBLE. 213 3. Once, when quite young, he was playing with some children about his own age. Wish- ing much to reach something which was above his head, they laid a large thick book in a chair, for him to step on. Just as he was putting his foot upon it, he discovered it to be the Bible. 4. Drawing back, he took it in his arms, kissed it, and returned it to its place. Turning to his little playmates, he said, with a serious face, " Shall I dare to tread under my feet that which God has commanded me to keep in my heart ?" 5. This pious king never forgot his prayers. Though the people with whom he lived were ever anxious to amuse him, and show him some new thing, they never could induce him to omit his daily devotions. 214 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 6. One day he heard that one of his teachers was sick. Immediately, he retired to pray for him. Coming from his prayers, he said, with a cheerful countenance, " I think there is hope that he will recover. I have this morning earnestly begged of God to spare him to us." 7. God did spare the teacher's life. After he became well, he was told of this ; and he very much loved the young king, for remem- bering him in his prayers. 8. Edward the Sixth died when he was six- teen years old. He was beloved by all, for his goodness and piety. His mind was calm and serene in his sickness. 9. If you are not tired of my story, I will tell you part of a prayer which he used often to say, when on his dying bed. 10. "My Lord God, if thou wilt deliver me from this miserable life, take me among thy chosen. Yet not my will, but thy will, be done. Lord, I commit my spirit unto thee. Thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with thee. Yet, if thou shouldst send me life and health, grant that I may truly serve thee." 11. Children, you should do like King Ed- ward, reverence your Bible, and love to pray to God. THE CHILD AND THE SKEPTIC. 215 LESSON LXXI. cot' tage l!v6 long re freshed' ac knowl' edged maiden whispered traveler draught (draft) skeptic worshiped exam'ined pre cious (presh' us) THE CHILD AND THE SKEPTIC. 1. A LITTLE girl was sitting beside a cot- •^ tage-door, And with the Bible on her knee, she conned its pages o'er, When by there passed a traveler, that sul- try summer-day, And begged some water, and a seat, to cheer him on his way. 216 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 2. " Come in, sir, pray, and rest awhile," the little maiden cried ; "To house a weary traveler is mother's joy and pride." And while he drank the welcome draught, and chatted merrily, She sought again the cottage-door, the Bi- ble on her knee. 3. At length refreshed, the traveler, a skeptic he, uprose : " What, reading still the Bible, child ? your lesson, I suppose." u No lesson, sir," the girl replied, "I have no task to learn ; But often to these stories here with joy and love I turn." 4. " And wherefore do you love that book, my little maid, I pray, And turn its pages o'er and o'er the live- long summer-day ?" " Why love the Bible, did you ask? — how angry, sir, you look ! I thought that everybody loved this holy, precious book." 5. The skeptic smiled, made no reply, and pondering, traveled on, SUBTONICS AND ATONICS. 217 But in his mind her answer still rose ever and anon : "I thought all loved the holy book" — it was a strange reply ; " Why do not I then love it too ?" he whis- pered with a sigh. 6. He mused, 1 resolved, examined, prayed ; he looked within, above ; He read, acknowledged it, the truth, and worshiped Him, the love. A nobler life from that same hour the skep- tic proud began, And lived and labored many a year a Bible- loving man. EXEECISE IN ARTICULATION". SUB-TONIC AND A-TONIC COMBINATIONS. sm, as in smack, smash, smart, small, smell ; smile, smite, smith, smoke, smooth. snail, snake, snatch, snarl, sneak ; sneeze, snow, snore, smiff, snug, straight, strain, strange, strand, strap ; stream, street, stride, strife, struck, sway, swear, swarm, sweep, sweet ; swine, swift, swing, switch, swoon. 1 Muse, to think or study carefully. sn, sir, 218 NATIONAL SECOND READER. LESSON LXXII. WINTER. TT snows. The large, soft flakes fall, one by A one, through the still air, 1 and lose them- selves in the dry grass, 2 or melt in the path 3 and on the door-stone. Soon the snow be- comes fine and falls thick and fast. 4 2. Hour after hour passes, 5 and the grass in the meadow is hid. The doorstep is covered with a soft mat of white. The brown roof of » Air (&r).- -» Gtvfa path -« Fast. -» Pass'es. WINTER. 219 the barn is concealed. The dry and leafless boughs of the garden trees bend under the weight of the winter snow 3. The horses are in the warm stable. Men are milking the cows under the sheds. The sheep in the pasture 1 are moving towards the barn, and the lambs gambol 2 after them. The old house-dog marches slowly through the strange covering of earth. He shakes the flakes of snow from his 16ng ears, and seeks his dry bed in the kennel. 8 4. In a few days the cold weather sets in. The air is keen and frosty. The white breath of winter is on the window-panes. The sharp north wind bites your ears, your nose, and your fingers, and almost chills your blood. The wa- ter in the brooks is frozen hard, and the ponds and rivers are covered with thick ice 5. In pleasant weather, you loved to wander in the fields and the woods, and were tempted to play the truant ; but now, you are glad to go to school. As you hear the fierce winds blow, and, looking out of the window, see the snow fly, the thoughts of the cold almost make 1 Pasture (past'yer), land covered with grass for cattle. * Gambol, to leap and skip, or frolic. 3 Ken'nel, a place or small house for dogs. 220 NATIONAL SECOND READER. your teeth chatter. You lean cheerfully over your book and learn your task. 6. When Saturday comes, if you have been good and learned your lessons well, your par- ents will allow you to coast with your play- mates. You draw your sleds up to the top of a high hill, in the field, and then start them, all at once, to see which will go farthest and be down first. Your sled goes so fast over the hard and smooth snow, that it almost takes away your breath. 7. You sometimes go to the river or pond to see the large boys skate. How smooth and bright the ice is ! How fast they go on their skates ! Some boys skate backwards, some slide a great distance on one skate, and others cut letters and figures on the ice. 8. You and your little sister ride to town with your par' ents, in the sleigh. The sleigh slips so smoothly over the snow that it makes no noise. The bells tinkle merrily, and you are so very happy, that you don't once think of the cold air. 9. On a winter's night, you like to sit up and hear pleasant stories. Sometimes you read a fine book, or study the lessons your teacher gave to you. Then you have nice apples and nuts to eat. You throw the shells of the nuts THE CHILDREN AT THE OAK. 221 into the fire, and as you sit watching the strange shapes they make on the bright coals, you fall asleep in your chair. LESSON LXXIII THE CHILDREN AT THE OAK. 1. "BENEATH an old oak's leafy shade, In careless infant glee, Three little children sat, and played, Or chased about the tree. 222 NATIONAL SECOND READER. 2. So light and airily 1 they went With each a beaming face, The grass beneath their footsteps bent, Sprang back and took its place. 3. The flowers they'd plucked and carried there, Lay scattered all around, And spread their odors on the air, While they adorned the ground. 4. As round the tree they ran and leapt, Those gladsome little boys Upon the last year's acorns stepped, And gathered them for toys. 5. When down they sat to count them o'er, Beneath those branches high, That once the pretty playthings bore, An aged man drew nigh. 6. His hair 2 was white ; his eye was dim ; So slow his way he. made, The children, rising, ran to him, And led him to the shade. 7. When, braced against the firm old oak, And leaning on his staff, 3 He listened, while the prattlers spoke, And joined their childish laugh. 4 » Airily (ar'ily). 2 Hair. 3 Staff. * Laugh (laf). THE CHILDREN AT THE OAK. 223 8. He said, "My children dear, Take each an acorn sound, And, though an old man's word you hear, Go hide it in the ground. 9. " For every one a future oak Contains within its shell ; And when the germ 1 its sheath 2 has broke, 'Twill peer 8 from out the cell. 10. "My father, when a playful child But in his seventh year, An acorn from the forest wild Brought out and planted here. 11. " Thence rose the good old tree, which thus Throws wide its leafy vail, And stands, while overshadowing us, A witness to my tale. 12. " When, feeling life's swift years were spent, He saw its end appear, He asked 4 to have his monument 5 The oak he planted here. 13. "And now, beneath this grassy mound In nature's beauty dressed, » Germ, part of a seed which first begins to grow. 2 Sheath, a case or covering. 3 Peer, to peep, to look out carefully. 4 Asked (askt). 5 Mon'ument, a thing by which a person or event is remembered. 224 NATIONAL SECOND READER. Which you have scattered flowers around, His hallowed ashes rest." 14. The speaker ceased ; when, quick and mute, Each listener stepped apart ; In earth to lay the oaken fruit, As faith lay in his heart. THE END. C F Standard School ;§ook 51.? S3 JOHN S7. N.Y. 1. SPEL'TNC- READING, AND ELOCUTION. The Nationa 1 School Prirr.T ! Header. Th a! 1 I >f liner. - S-.-hoo! - •J.\\1\£ ENGLISH Oram mar vliOgfs. et.iai Philosophy, itonc. 3. MONTEITH AND J*«iIAU in G"o!di:'-'-ion to the Manual. DAVIP.S ViMk: £._ETORIJ. &c. m's for >hc T< ■ V Milii»n - l';'i Poll. k> Course nfT --•asons. Boyd's Yin ng's Sight Thoua •S SERIES OF GEOGRAPHIES Moateim's Mania! i>f Geogra] MtNaily's Complete School lERIES OF ARITH , i^TiC3 AND HIGHER MATHEMATICS r Arithmetic ] _>'»' iea' ' union's Algebra. " l > vies' jL*ge»dre T s Geometry. ^/iivies' Kir/iJe/it. a of Sarve ■ i)avi»«' Analytical Geometry." MavVs' Descriptivi )a ii-s' Shades and Shadow?, m 1); 'es 1 Louie of Matherm TJiivi a'.ui i'tttk's Dlctioi nrj 5. H Ph Fir* : of Cm ■ i i: >oks- 1 , -i sol. .tif: 1 1, v . 1 1 ■ ii. XHOLOGY, Ac. ■ villi's Komaii Mis! .»l.VsAli>- DEPARTMENT. I Meuiry.e .-n ! Pto : ' * and Op | lift rtle it's Synthetical Mu )> IJavtleti • al Meuu. Barth Church's Eleioents I jiinv's Eiemeu 'li nji >ORS' CLASSICS. Y