1_ -_.l. UC-NRLF wiirw^^Mmwm^'mmmmmm $B 3D7 773 PLETONS iPCliOOLttETDEl,^ .,„>: / I ..... LIJRAtY UNive«tnv • CALIPOl^NtA Ryi'D. Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2008 witii funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation littp://www.archive.org/details/fourthreaderOOharrrich Blessings on thee, littie man — Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan ! " (" The Barefoot Boy,"' p. 80.) AP F LETOJ^S' SCHOOL READERS. THE FOURTH READER JOHIi S. PHELL Cidl & Mechanical En^neet, SAN FRANCISCO, OAL. BY WILLIAM T. HARRIS, A.M., LL.D., SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, ST. LOUIS, MO. ANDREW J. RICKOFF, A. M., SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTION, CLEVELAND, OHIO. MARK BAILEY, A, M., INSTRUCTOR IN ELOCUTION, YALE COLLEGE. NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI •:• CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY Copyright, 1878 Bt d. appleton and company w. i>. 9 /?ctic(urtroir Add to liib« GIFT CONTENTS ^^4 f]3/7 LBSSOK SELECTION. AUTHOR. FAQB I. The Whistle Adapted from Benjamin Franklin. *? II. The Kitten and the Falling Leaves William Wordsworth. 10 III. The Discontented Pendulum Jane Taylor. 12 IV. Logical Analysis ; or, What to Emphasize 3fark Bailey. 16 V. The Spider and the Fly Mary Howitt. 20 VI. Stepping Stones Louisa M. Alcott. 23 VII. The Voice of Spring. Felicia Hemans. 26 VIII. Dan, the Firebrand Louisa M. Alcott. 28 IX. Dan's Bullfight •. . .Louisa M. Alcott. 31 X. The Fox and the Cat J. Cunningham. 34 XI. The Lark . . Translated by J. C. Pickardfrom F. W. Carove. 35 XII. The Complaint of the Wild Flowers Anonymotis. 38 XIII. Alice Fell William Wordsworth. 42 XIV. What Alice said to the Kitten Leiois Carroll. 44 XV. The Spider F. A. Krummacher. 48 XVI. Alice's Dream of the Chess Queens Lewis Carroll. 49 XVII. \a.i\ie¥ovesi . .Translated by J. C. Pickardfrom F. W. Carove. 53 XVIII. Emphasis by Time Mark Bailey. 55 XIX. The Shipwreck of Robinson Crusoe Daniel De Foe. 56 XX. The Chase 8ir Walter Scott. 59 XXI. Driving Bees London Correspondent. 62 XXII. The Huntsman Sir Walter Scott. 64 XXIII. Solon Herodotus. 66 XXIV. The Razor Seller John Wolcott. 69 XXV. Robinson Crusoe's Manufacture of Pottery . .Daniel De Foe. 71 XXVI. A Psalm of Life Henry W. Longfellow. 14 XXVII. An Elephant Hunt Library of Fntertaining Knowledge. 76 375 4 FOURTH READER. LESSON SELECTION. ATJTHOE. PAGE XXVIII. The Barefoot Boy John G. Wliittier. 80 XXIX. The Story of a Wavelet. Translated hy J. C. Pickardfrom F. W. Carove. 83 XXX. Emphasis by Slides Mark Bailey. 86 XXXI. Beth's Sickness Louisa 31. Alcott. 90 XXXII. Beth's Sickness (Continued) Louisa M. Alcott. 93 XXXIII. The Rainy Day Henry W. Longfellow. 95 XXXIV. Ax Grinding Benjamin Franklin. 96 XXXV. March William Wordsworth. 99 XXXVI. The Careful Observer Colton. 100 XXXVII. The Mariner's Dream William Dimond. 102 XXXVIII. How much Emphasis Mark Bailey. 105 XXXIX. The Death of the Flowers William Cullen Bryant. 101 XL. The Tempest Charles and Mary Lamb. 109 XLI. The Tempest (Continued) Charles and Mary Lamb. 114 XLII. The Tempest (Concluded) Charles and Mary Lamb. 118 XLIII. The Adopted Child Felida ffemans. 120 XLIV. The Hedgehog and the Hare 123 XLV. The Village Blacksmith Renry W. Longfellow. 12Y XL VI. On Stress Mark Bailey. 129 XL VII. I remember, I remember Thomas Hood. 131 XLVIII. The Prairie on Fire James Fenimore Cooper. 133 XLIX. The Mountain and the Squirrel. . .Ralph Waldo Emerson. 137 L. The Lilliputian War at Sea Dean Swift. 138 LI. Alexander Selkirk William Cowper. 142 LII. Suspense of Voice Mark Bailey. 145 LIII. Lilliputian Tailors and Cooks Dean Swift. 146 LIV. Country Scenes in Old Times /. Fletcher. 148 LV. Perseverance of a Spider Oliver Goldsmith. 151 LVI. The Old Clock on the Stairs Henry W. Longfellow. 154 LVII. Gulliver among the Giants Dean Swift. 157 LVm. The Compound Slides Mark Bailey. 160 LIX. Summer Wind William Cullen Bryant. 162 LX. Daniel Boone S. G. Goodrich. 165 LXI. Afternoon in February Henry W. Longfellow. 168 FOUETH READER. 8 LBSSON SELECTION. AUTHOR. PAGS LXII. The Soldier's Reprieve. . . .{Mrs. Robbhis.) Mark Bailey. 169 LXIII. The Talents Matthew, Chapter XXV. 174 LXIV. Soldier, rest ! Sir Walter Scott. 176 LXV. Benjamin Franklin lliomas Wentworth Higginson. 1*78 LXVI. The Three Black Crows John Byrom. 180 LXVII. The Birthday of Washington. {Eufics Choate.) Mark Bailey. 183 LXVIII. The Brook Alfred Tennyson. 184 LXIX. The Sermon on the Mount Matthexo, Chapter V. 186 LXX. The Sermon on the Mount (Continued),. J/^rtAez^j, Chap. VI. 189 LXXI. The Fight of Paso del Mar Bayard Taylor. 192 LXXII. Robert Bruce and the Spider Sir Walter Scott. 195 LXXIII. The Swiftest Runners. {Hans Christian Andersen.) Mark Bailey. 198 LXXIV. Oft in the Stilly Night Thomas Moore. 200 LXXV. Harvey Birch James Fenimore Cooper. 201 LXXVI. Burial of Sir John Moore Charles Wolfe. 206 LXXVII, The Castle by the Sea. {Uhland, translated by H. W. Longfellow.) Mark Bailey. 207 LXXVIII. Hohenlinden Tliomas Campbell. 209 LXXIX. Over the River Nancy Priest Wakefield. 211 LXXX. A Letter of Dr. Franklin Benjamin Franklin. 21S LXXXI. Little Hal ( Colton.). Mark Bailey. 214 LXXXn. Goody Blake and Harry Gill William Wordsworth. 216 LXXXni. Two Views of Christmas. , ( Charles Dickens.) Mark Bailey. 221 LXXXIV. The Three Fishers Charles Kingsley. 222 LXXXV. Julius Caesar {Shakespeare.) Mark Bailey. 223 LXXXVI. Robin Hood Sir Walter Scott. 226 LXXXVII. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. . . TJiomas Gray. 230 Appendix. Words Difficult to Spell 237 THE PREPARATORY KOTES. The work to be done by the pupil is included under : I. Biographical, historical, geographical, scientific, and literary allusions or references. The notes under this head are intended to suggest topics for discussion in the recitation, and the pupil is not required to study these, although he may read them with some profit. II. Spelling and pronunciation. In the Appendix to this volume will be found suggested a method of teaching spelling by analysis. If preferred, the old method of oral or written spelling will suflSce. III. Language lesson on the principles of written or printed language as found in the lesson. If carefully learned, the pupil will acquire a prac- tical knowledge of grammatical forms, without the usual technicalities. He will learn to write and speak correctly. But the logic of language as given in technical grammar is not attempted here. IV. Definitions, synonyms, and paraphrases, to be given by the pupil in his own language, i. e., in such words as he uses in everyday life, and not in words borrowed from the dictionary. He must find the words in the piece and study their connection with the rest, and give the special sense of the words as there used, not the general definition. This method will secure the most rapid mastery of a good vocabulary on the part of the pupil. (Numbers II., III., and IV. are to be studied by the pupil, and he may be held responsible for the work required.) V. Style and thought of the piece. The notes under this head should be read and discussed in the recitation, and they will answer a useful pur- pose in sharpening the pupil's faculty of criticism, even if the thoughts advanced are condemned and refuted. It is evident that each selection from classic literature furnishes work enough for three, four, or five recitations. First, the pupil should leam the spelling, pronunciation, peculiarities of form, and meaning of the words in the lesson (II., III., IV.) ; second, the references and allusions made in the piece (I.) ; third, the thought and the style of expression (V.) ; fourth, the proper rendering of it as taught in the lessons on elocution. The work here suggested is intended only as an auxiliary, and may be omitted for other topics presented by the teacher. Only a few hints are risked on the more important phases of each piece, and no attempt is made to exhaust the proper field of inquiry. It is safe to say that a thorough study of each literary piece in the higher Readers will be of more benefit to the pupil, in giving him an insight into human life, and directive power and influence among his fellow men, than all that he will or can leafn from the other branches taught in the schools. FOURTH READER I.— THE WHISTLE. 1. When I was a child, seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pockets with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys for children ; and, being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered him all my money for one. 2. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, and sisters, and cousins, un- derstanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth. 3. This put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and they laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation. 4. This, however, was afterward of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind ; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, "Don't give too much for the whistle"; and so I saved my money. 8 FOURTH READER. 5. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle. 6. When I saw any one too ambitious of the favor of the great, wasting his time in attendance on public dinners, sacrificing his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, " This man gives too much for his whistle." 7. When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in politics, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect, " He pays, indeed," said I, " too much for this whistle." 8. If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, "Poor man," said I, "you do indeed pay too much for your whistle." 9. When I met a man of pleasure, sacrificing the improvement of his mind, or of his fortune, to mere bodily comfort, " Mistaken man," said I, " you are pro- viding pain for yourself, instead of pleasure : you give too much for your whistle." 10. If I saw one fond of fine clothes, fine furniture, fine horses, all above his fortune, for which he contracted debts, and ended his career in prison, " Alas ! " said I, " he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle." , 11. In short, I believed that a great part of the mis- eries of mankind were brought upon them by the false estimates they had made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles. Adapted from Benjamin Franklin. FOURTH READER. 9 For Preparation. — I. Allusions, historical, geographical, and literary. II. Spelling and pronunciation ; words to be copied, and marked with dia- critical marks, hyphens, and accents. III. Language lesson. IV. Words and phrases to be explained in the pupil's own words, giving the meaning as used in the lesson {not the general definition). V. Style and thought. Numbers I. and V. to suggest topics of conversation on the reading lesson ; Numbers II., III., and IV. to be prepared by the pupil. There may be some points in Numbers I. and V. that are too diflScult for many of the pupils for whom this Reader is intended. The teacher will use his discre- tion in selecting topics from these numbers for explanation to his class. I. Benjamin Franklin, an eminent American philosopher and states- man, born at Boston, Mass., January IV, 1706. His father was a soap and candle maker. Benjamin learned the printer's trade, and removed to Phila- delphia. IIo discovered the identity of lightning and electricity. His efforts secured the alliance of the French with America in the Revolution. He also assisted in making important treaties, and in forming the Consti- tution of the United States. (See Lesson LXV.) II. Write out and mark the pronunciation of friSnds, filled, whis'-tle, laughed, un-nSg'-es-sa-ry, neg-lS-et'-ing. (See Webster's diacritical marks on page 98, and in the introduction to the spell- ing lessons of the Appendix.) III. " Children " — what change is necessary to make this word refer to only one? What meaning does ing give to the word wJiistling ? Find other words in which it makes the word refer to continued action. Dr. Franklin wrote "says I" (7, 8, 9, 10) for "said I" — why incorrect? IV. " Coppers " — what coin does this mean ? What does " charmed " mean (1) ? " Voluntarily " ? (willingly, of his own accord.) " Disturbing " means what ? Who is a cousin ? What is a bargain ? What is folly ? — vexation? "Impression continuing on my mind"? (i. e., I remembered it.) " Ambitious of the favor of the great " ? " Fond of popularity " ? (in this case, desiring the people's votes.) Who is a miser? What is the meaning of esteem ? — hene^mlent ? — " accumulating wealth " ? — comfortable ? — "contracted debts"? (ran in debt.) "Ended his career" means what? "False estimates they had made of the value of things "? (i. e., made mis- takes about the worth of things.) V. Do you think of any other examples to add to these of Dr. Franklin, in which people have "given too much for the whistle" ? Write out such a case in your own words. What is meant by "the great"? How can they bestow " favor " ? lO FOURTH READER. II.— THE KITTEN AND THE FALLING LEAVES. 1. See the kitten on the wall, Sporting with the leaves that fall, Withered leaves — one, two, and three — From the lofty elder tree ! 2. Through the calm and frosty air Of this morning bright and fair, Eddying round and round, they sink Softly, softly : 3. One might think, From the motions that are made, Every little leaf conveyed Sylph or fairy hither tending, To this lower world descending, Each invisible and mute, In his wavering parachute. 4. But the kitten, how she starts. Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts I First at one, and then its fellow. Just as light and just as yellow : There are many now — now one ; Now they stop, and there are none. 5. What intenseness of desire In her upward eye of fire ! With a tiger leap halfway Now she meets the coming prey, Lets it go as fast, and then Has it in her power again : See the kitten on the wall, Sporting with the leaves that fall." (" The. Kitten and the Falling Leaves.'" p. lO.V FOURTH READER. 11 6. Now she works with three or four, Like an Indian conjurer ; Quick as he in feats of art, Far beyond in joy of heart. 7. Were her antics played in the eye Of a thousand standers-by, Clapping hands with shout and stare, What would little Tabby care For the plaudits of the crowd ? Over-happy to be proud, Over-wealthy in the treasure Of her own exceeding pleasure ! William Wordsworth. For Preparation. — I. Like an " Indian conjurer " (i. e., possessing great skill in tossing up balls and catching them, keeping several in the air at a time). II. Par'-a-chute (par'-a-shut), a-gain' (-gSn'), prey (distinguish from pray)^ tr6as'-ure (trezh'ur), con'-jur-er (kun'-), -erouch'-eg, played, ex- §eed'-ing. III. Tell some differences that you have noticed between a poem and a piece in prose. ( Lines of regular length ? Capitals, where placed ? Accented syllables occur how often ? Difference in the order of words in the sen- tence? etc.) Change the second paragraph to prose, beginning, "They sink softly and slowly through the calm," etc. IV. Give the meaning as used in the poem, in your own words, of " with- ered leaves," " eddying round and round," " conveyed (carried) sylph or fairy hither tending " (i. e., riding down from the sky on the falling leaf), invisible (not to be seen), mute (making no sound), " wavering parachute " (like a large umbrella, used to descend with, in safety, from a balloon), crouches, its fellow (leaf), " intenseness of desire " {very desirous), prey, " feats of art " (quickness of hand, and ability to do difficult things), antics (funny actions), plaudits (clapping of hands, etc.). V. *' Upward eye of fire " — real fire, or only a shining in her eyes that looks like fire ? What is referred to by " clapping hands," etc. ? — by " lit- tle Tabby " ? Give some other names used in naming kittens. Where is the kitten represented as standing, in this poem ? 12 FOURTH READER, III.— THE DISCONTENTED PENDULUM. 1. An old Clock, that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the fam- ily was stirring, suddenly stopped. Upon this the Dial Plate (if we may credit the fable) changed countenance with alarm ; the Hands made an ineffectual effort to con- tinue their course ; the Wheels remained motionless with surprise; the Weights hung speechless. Each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others. 2. At length the Dial instituted a formal inquiry into the cause of the stop, when Hands, Wheels, Weights, with one voice, protested their innocence. But now a faint tick was heard from the Pendulum, who thus spoke : 3. " I confess myself to be the sole cause of the pres- ent stoppage, and am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of ticking." Upon hearing this, the old Clock became so enraged that it was on the point of striking. 4. " Lazy Wire ! " exclaimed the Dial Plate. — "As to that," replied the Pendulum, " it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me — it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness — you who have noth- ing to do all your life but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen. 5. " Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and wag backward and forward year after year, as I do." — " As to that," said the Dial, " is there not a window in your house on pur- pose for you to look through ? " FOURTH READER. 13 6. " But what of that ? " resumed the Pendulum. " Although tliere is a window, I dare not stop, even for an instant, to look out. Besides, I am really weary of my way of life ; and, if you please, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. 7. " This morning I happened to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course only of the next twenty-four hours. Perhaps some of you above there can tell me the exact sum ? " — The Minute Hand, being quick at figures, instantly replied, "Eighty-six thousand four hundred times." — "Exactly so," replied the Pendulum. 8. " Well, I appeal to you all if the thought of this was not enough to fatigue one ? And when I began to multiply the strokes of one day by those of months and years, really it is no wonder if I felt discouraged at the prospect. So, after a great deal of reasoning and hesita- tion, thought I to myself, ' I'll stop ! ' " 9. The Dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue ; but, resuming its gravity, thus replied : " Dear Mr. Penduhim, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as yourself should have been overcome by this suggestion. 10. " It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time ; so have we all, and are likely to do ; and though this may fatigue us to thinh of, the question is, Will it fatigue us to do f Would you now do me the favor to give about half a dozen strokes, to illustrate my argument?" — The Pendulum complied, and ticked six times at its usual pace. 11. " 1^0 w," resumed the Dial, " was that exertion fatiguing to you ? " — " Kot in the least," replied the Pen- 14 FOURTH READER. dulum ; " it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions." 12. " Yery good," replied the Dial ; " but recollect that, although you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one ; and that, however often you may hereafter have to swing, a mo- ment will always be given you to swing in." 13. " That consideration staggers me, I confess," said the Pendulum.—" Then I hope," added the Di^l Plate, " we shall all immediately return to our duty, for the people will lie in bed till noon if we stand idling thus." 14. Upon this, the Weights, who had never been ac- cused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed ; when, as with one consent, the Wheels began to turn, the Hands began to move, the Pendulum began to swing, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever ; while a beam of the rising sun, that streamed through a hole in the kitchen shutter, shining full upon the Dial Plate, made it brighten up as if nothing had been the matter. 15. When the farmer came down to breakfast, he declared, upon looking at the Clock, that his watch had gained half an hour in the night. jane Taylor. Fob Preparation. — I. The use of each one of the parts of the clock here named should be explained in the recitation. II. P6n'-du-ltim, st5p'-page, sat-is-fa-e'-tion, as-sign' (-sin'), fa- tigue' (-teeg'). III. Little^ less^ least: explain the difiPerence in meaning of these words. Also of much^ more, most, and of quick, quicker, quickest. IV. Give the meaning of the following expressions, as used in the piece, in your own words: Dial Plate, "credit the fable," "ineffectual FOURTH READER. 15 effort," "formal inquiry" (i. e., as a court examines witnesses and takes testimony from those who are supposed to know anything about the case), " protested their innocence," disgust, calculating, fatigue, "quick at figures," discouraged, harangue, "resuming its gravity," half a dozen, illustrate, complied, pace, resumed, instant, execute. V. What happens to the face of a person when he " changes coun- tenance with alarm " ? The author describes the parts of the clock as acting like persons : does she make their actions correspond also to their nature as parts of the clock ? (For example : " The Wheels remained mo- tionless from surprise " — would they not have remained motionless without surprise ? Would not the Weights have hung speechless ?) " Point of strik- ing " — how does a clock strike ? " Set yourself up above me " — what two meanings ? What " dark closet " is meant ? " Keep its countenance " (keep from laughing ?). " Overcome by this suggestion " — what suggestion ? What difference between thinking of something to do and executing it ? "That consideration staggers me" — state this thought in other words. What two meanings to the word " light " ? (" light conduct " and light weight.) What would happen to a clock if the weights should become light? (Clocks with weights are now rarely seen.) IV.— LOGICAL ANALYSIS; OR, WHAT TO EMPHASIZE. PART I. Eeading should be like talking. In conversation we do not speak words for their own sake, but for the higher purpose of saying something — that is, of expressing ideas. And the meaning of what is said we understand read- ily by the way the words are spoken — by the louder tones given to words of special meaning. N"ow, these more important words are called "Em- phatic." And the louder force they are spoken or read with is called " Emphasis." Emphasizing, then, in reading, is merely giving the sense with the voice. If, then, we would learn to read with the same intelligent emphasis and natural tones that we use in talking, we must study out the meaning of 16 FOURTH READER. what we are to read, until we understand it as well as what we say in conversation. Suppose a school visitor came in here, and, after hear- ing a few lessons, said, "That little boy reads well," we should know just what he meant by the word he spoke loudest. If he said, " That little boy reads well " — emphasizing the last word only — he would mean to tell us how he reads. He would make that idea stand out distinctly, above all the rest. He reads, not badly or indifferently, hut ''welV Suppose he said, " That little boy reads well," then our attention would be specially called to the reading. That emphasis makes the reading itself stand out distinct from any other lesson. Whatever else he may do poorly, he " reads " well. If he said, " That little hoy reads well," he would mean that the hoy, instead of the girl, or others, reads well. " That little boy reads well," means that the little boy, instead of the larger boy, reads well. " That little boy reads well," means that that one little boy, as distinct from some other little boy or boys, reads well. ]N'ow, give the emphasis so as to make us think — 1. Of the " hoy " instead of the girl. 2. Of the " little " instead of the larger boy. 3. Of some " one " particular little boy. 4. Of the " reading " exercise. 5. Of " how " he reads. Thus, by changing the emphasis, ^^^ different mean- ings and readings have been given to that line of five words ; and we learn that the emphasis depends on the sense, and the sense on the emphasis. FOURTH READER. 17 Observe, also, that, in each reading, the important word is that which expresses the distinctive idea; and when the idea in any given word is not distinctive, the word is not emphatic ; and, when trying to think out the meaning of your reading lessons, keep in mind, to aid you, this first principle of '^Logical Analysis " : The distinctive ideas are emphatic. PART II. First, there must be some distinct " thing " we are to read about, and attention should be called to it by em- phasis, as "winter," or " summer" ; then, there must be something ^' said^^ about it, distinct from all other say- ings, which needs emphasis : as, " Winter has gone, and summer has come'^'' ; or, '^ Winter is often too cold, and summer too warm ; and so spring and autumn arepleas- anter seasons of the year." The last words, " seasons of the year," should not be emphasized ; for winter and summer are " seasons of the year " too. That idea, then, is not distinctive of " spring " and " autumn," and is not emphatic. The writer did not intend to tell us that they are "seasons of the year" (he supposed we knew that), but merely that they are " pleasanter." Hence the second principle of ^^ Logical Analysis " : What is well known, or understood, needs no emphasis. Emphasis is too valuable to be wasted. Its great use is to INTRODUCE to hearers the new important ideas. And so, when an idea has been introduced once, it does not need to be emphasized right over again, any more than a man needs to be introduced to the same person over and over again. Nor do persons well ac- 2 18 FOURTH READER. quainted with each other need any introduction. No more do ideas, familiar and well understood, need em- phasis. If we add to the thought above, that spring is pleasanter than winter, too, " because the birds and flowers come then," the ideas of "spring" and "win- ter," and that the one is " pleasanter " than the other, having all been given with emphasis once, onlj the new reason — that the " birds and flowers come then " — re- quires the " extra force." " The light shmes." Both " light " and " shines " are new, and need em- phasis. " The moon shines." " The stars shine." "Shines" was emphasized before, and only "moon" and " stars " are new. " The stars shine dimly to-night." Now both " stars " and " shine " are understood, and only how they shine, viz., " dimly," needs emphasis. " The stars shine dimly to-night, because the moon is so bright." All is understood now, and unemphatic, except the reason why they shine so dimly, " because the moon is so hright?^ PART in. Read this verse from the story of the " Prodigal Son," in the New Testament : " But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet." What did the father order his servants to bring forth ? The " best ro'be^'' and a " ring^'' and " shoesP These, then, are emphatic, because they are all dis- FOURTH READER. 19 tinctive points; for the poor prodigal was ragged.^ and liis hands and feet were lave. But if we try to make "hands" and "feet" distinctive (reading, "and put a ring on his hand., and shoes on \n.^feet^'' as we too often hear it), we put, in the place of the gracious command, a most absurd and foolish one : as if the servants needed to be i(Mju8t where to put the ring, lest they put it in one ear, or in his nose ; or just where to put the shoes, lest they put them on his hands ! Often we can not tell how to read a line until we look at what is before and after it. " You have done that you should be sorry for," would be the right reading of Brutus's words to Cassius in the quarrel scene from " Julius Caesar," if these words stood thus alone. But when we read, just before these, the words of Cassius, " Do not presume too much upon my love ; I may do that I shall be sorry for," we learn that the words " that " and " sorry " are not distinctive at all, but common to both sayings, while "have" and "should" stand out in sharp contrast to " may " and " shall " ; and that the true reading of this reply must- therefore be, " You have done that you should be sorry for." Read these few lines from the " Pickwick Papers " : " ' What's your name, sir? ' inquired the judge. * Sam Weller, my lord,' replied that gentleman. ^Do you spell it with a " Y " or a " W " ? ' inquired the judge. * That depends upon the taste and fancy of the speller, my lord,' replied Sam ; ^ I never had occasion to spell it more than once or twice in my life, but / spells it with a 20 FOURTH READER. " F." ' Here a voice in the gallery exclaimed aloud, ' Quite right, too, Samivel — quite right ! Put it down a " we," my lord ; put it down a " we." ' " Thus we see that anything., from a single letter to a thought in Shakespeare or in the Bible, may be the dis- tinctive idea requiring emphasis. A general rule has been given that a word once read with "extra force" needs it no more. But sometimes a word or phrase is repeated for the very purpose of Tnore emphasis ; then, of course, the word is spoken more and more earnestly as it is repeated. " You must not, you MUST not go so near the edge of the steep bank ! " " Oh, how heantiful, how beautiful the rainbow is ! " " Come over, come over the river to me ! " " Oh, dear maw^ma ! oh, DEAR MAMMA ! " So, too, words like " himself," " itself," " yourself," etc., are used for the sole purpose of emphasizing another word, as, " He did it himself'' ; " You yourselves are to blame " ; " It is an attribute to God himself ^'^ v.— THE SPIDER AND THE FLY. 1. " Will you walk into my parlor ? " said the Spider to the Fly ; " 'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy- The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, And I have many curious things to show when you are there." " Oh no, no," said the little Fly ; " to ask me is in vain. For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again." " FOURTH READER. 21 2. " I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high ; Will you rest upon my little bed ? " said the Spider to the Fly. " There are pretty curtains drawn around ; the sheets are fine and thin, And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!" " Oh no, no," said the little Fly, " for I've often heard it said, They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed ! " 3. Said the cunning Spider to the Fly : '• Dear friend, what can I do To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you ? I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice ; I'm sure you're very welcome — will you please to take a slice ? " " Oh no, no," said the little Fly ; " kind sir, that can not be : I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see ! " 4:. " Sweet creature ! " said the Spider, " you're witty and you're wise ; How handsome are your gauzy wings ! how brilliant are your eyes ! I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf ; If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself." " I thank you, gentle sir," she said, " for what you're pleased to say, And, bidding you good morning now, I'U call another day." 22 FOURTH READER. 5. The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den, For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again : So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly, And set his table ready to dine upon the Fly ; Then came out to his door again, and merrily did sing: " Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing ; Your robes are green and purple ; there's a crest upon your head ; Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead ! " 6. Alas, alas ! how very soon this silly little Fly, Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by; With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew, Thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and pur- ple hue. Thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing ! At last Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast; Y. He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal * den. Within his little parlor — but she ne'er came out again ! And now, dear little children, who may this story read, To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you, ne'er give heed; FOURTH READER. 23 Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye, And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly. Mary Howitt. For Preparation. — I. Is the spider a " cunning " animal ? Is the Qy a vain animal, pleased with the attentions of others, or only a greedy animal, that likes sweet things to eat ? II. Walk, par'-lor, pret'-ti-est (prit'-), stMr, -eu'-ri-oiis, wind'-ing, wea'-ry, soar'-ing, -e^r'-taing, a-while', heard, friSnd, prove, -erea'- ture, gauz'-y, briF-liant, new (nu), pleaged, siib'-tle (siit'i), pearl, plir'-ple, di'-a-mond, biizz'-ing, fierge'-ly, -eoun'-sel-or. III. What letters are omitted in ne'er, Pm, I'll, I've, that's, you're, what's, you'll, there's ? IV. Winding stair, curious, soaring, snugly, cunning, prove, pantry, welcome, " gauzy wings," behold, " wove a subtle web," crest, wily, flitting, dismal, counselor, flattering. V. Note what the Spider said to persuade the Fly, in the first stanza (a beautiful parlor ; then, curious things to see up the winding stair). Second stanza (a bed, with pretty curtains and fine sheets ; kind attentions prom- ised by the Spider, who tries to show how anxious he is for the Fly's com- fort). Third stanza (fine things to eat in his pantry — sugar and molasses, so tempting to flies, doubtless ; but the Fly knows better). Fourth stanza (praises the wit and wisdom of the Fly ; then her personal beauty, gauzy wings, brilliant eyes ; has a looking-glass for her use. The Fly, who knew so well what was in the pantry, now concludes to believe that he has a look- ing-glass, and promises to call ; thinks that it will be too sudden a change of mind to go in at once). Fifth stanza (the Spider has found the weak side of the vain Fly, and now sings about her beauty and his own plainness). Sixth stanza (flattery of her wings and eyes secures the Spider's victim). VI.— STEPPING STONES. 1. When 'Nat went into school on Monday morning, he quaked inwardly, for now he thought he should have to display his ignorance before them all. But Mr. Bhaer 24 FOURTH READER. gave him a seat in the deep window, where he could turn his back on the otHers, and Franz heard him say his les- sons there, so that no one could hear his blunders, or see how he blotted his copy book. He was truly grateful for this, and toiled away so diligently that Mr. Bhaer said, smiling, when he saw his hot face and inky fingers : 2. " Don't work so hard, my boy ; you will tire your- self out, and there is time enough." " But I must work hard, or I can't catch up with the others. They know heaps, and I don't know anything," said JS'at, who had been reduced to a state of despair by hearing the boys recite their grammar, history, and geog- raphy with what he thought amazing ease and accuracy. 3. " You know a good many things which they don't," said Mr. Bhaer, sitting down beside him, while Franz led a class of small students through the intricacies of the multiplication table. " Do I ? " and IsTat looked utterly incredulous. " Yes. For one thing, you can keep your temper, and Jack, who is quick at numbers, can not ; that is an excel- lent lesson, and I think you have learned it well. Then, you can play the violin, and not one of the lads can, though they want to do it very much. But, best of all, Kat, you really care to learn something, and that is half the battle. It seems hard at first, and you will feel dis- couraged ; but plod away, and things will get easier and easier as you go on." 4. ^N'at's face had brightened more and more as he listened, for, small as the list of his learning was, it cheered him immensely to feel that he had anything to fall back upon. " Yes, I can keep my temper— father's beating taught me that ; and I can fiddle, though I don't know where the bay of Biscay is," he thought, with a FOURTH READER. 2S sense of comfort impossible to express. Then lie said aloud, and so earnestly that Demi heard him : 5. " I do want to learn, and I will try. I never went to school, but I couldnt help it; and, if the fellows don't laugh at me, I guess I'll get on first-rate— you and the lady are so good to me." " They sha'n't laugh at you. If they do, I'll— I'll — tell them not to," cried Demi, quite forgetting where he was. The class stopped in the middle of 7 times 9, and every one looked up to see what was going on. 6. Thinking that a lesson in learning to help one another was better than arithmetic just then, Mr. Bhaer told them about Nat, making such an interesting and touching little story out of it, that the good-hearted lads all promised to lend him a hand, and felt quite honored to be called upon to impart their stores of wisdom to the chap who fiddled so capitally. This appeal estab- lished the right feeling among them, and Nat had few hindrances to struggle against, for every one was glad to give him a " boost " up the ladder of learning. Louisa M. AlcoU. For Preparation. — I. Have you read Miss Alcott's " Little Men " ? This extract from " Little Men " describes the kind manner in which a poor homeless, boy was received into the private school at Plumfield. Nat Blake had been found in a damp cellar, sick and friendless, mourning for his dead father and his lost violin, with which he had earned his scanty living as a street musician. II. Ea§'-i-er, bright'-ened (brit'nd), lis'-tened (lis'nd), toiich'-ing, h6n'-ored (on'erd), Bhaer (pronounced like "bare"), Franz (Mnts). TIL Nat is a nickname (for Nathaniel). Easy^ easier, easiest: what change in the meaning does the addition of er and est make ? " Father's beating " — what does 's express ? What is omitted in canH ? — sha^nH (U and o) ? 26 FOURTH READER. IV. Ignorance, diligently, reduced, despair, accuracy, students, intrica- cies, incredulous, discouraged, plod, immensely, established, appeal, hin- drances. V. " Quaked inwardly " (i. e., his heart beat hard with fear) ? Notice the acts of kindness : having him say his lessons where the others could not hear his blunders (such an act shows what is called a " delicate con- sideration " for Nat's feehngs ; it is not sufficient to be kindly disposed toward others, but we should delicately consider their feelings) ; then, the gentle manner of encouraging the boy to self-respect, by giving him credit for what he already knew, such as playing the violin. Notice the expres- sions : " They know heaps," " get on first-rate," " fiddle," " sha'n't," " boost." (These expressions do not shock us when we hear them spoken by boys and uneducated people ; but when we see them in print we mark them as slang, or " vulgarisms," because they are only "colloquial," and are avoided by refined people. The writer of a story is obliged to use these expressions in order to paint the characters of the persons of the story ; but we should learn to avoid them in writing, and even in conver- sation.) VII —THE VOICE OF SPRING. 1. I come, I come ! ye have called me long; I come o'er the mountains, with light and song. Ye may trace my step o'er the waking earth By the winds which tell of the violet's birth. By the primrose stars in the shadowy grass, By the green leaves opening as I pass. 2. I have breathed on the South, and the chestnut flowers By thousands have burst from the forest bowers, And the ancient graves and the fallen fanes Are veiled with wreaths on Italian plains ; But it is not for me, in my hour of bloom. To speak of the ruin or the tomb ! 3. I have looked o'er the hills of the stormy ITorth, And the larch has hung all his tassels forth ; FOURTH READER. 27 The fislier is out on the sunny sea, And the reindeer bounds o'er the pastures free, And the pine has a fringe of softer green, And the moss looks bright, where my step has been. 4. I have sent through the wood paths a glowing sigh. And called out each voice of the deep blue sky. From the night bird's lay through the starry time, In the groves of the soft Hesperian clime, To the swan's wild note by the Iceland lakes. When the dark fir branch into verdure breaks. 5. From the streams and founts I have loosed the chain ; They are sweeping on to the silvery main. They are flashing down from the mountain brows, They are flinging spray o'er the forest boughs. They are bursting fresh from their sparry caves, ,And the earth resounds with the joy of waves. Felicia Hemans. For Preparation. — I. Eight of the thirteen verses of this piece are omitted. Can you describe the plants mentioned — violet, primrose, chest- nut, larch, pine, moss ? " Hesperian clime " (refers to the western countries of Europe, which have a mild climate through the influence of the ocean winds that blow from the west in the temperate zones). II. An'-cient (an'shent), veiled (vaid), wreaths (reethz), rein'-deer, sigh (si), bough (bou), voigie, bright (brit), moun'-taing (-tinz). III. Make a list of the name-words in the first and second stanzas (words used as names of objects ; e. g., mountains, light, song, step, earth, winds, violet's, birth, stars, grass, leaves, etc.). IV. Trace, bowers, glowing, clime, verdure, " silvery main," " loosed the chain," resounds, " fallen fanes " (ruined temples). V. How is the approach of spring to be known ? (" Trace my steps by soft winds, primroses, green leaves.") Is the reindeer referred to (3) the one used in Lapland instead of the horse or the cow, or one kept in a park as a curiosity ? (Mrs. Hemans lived in the north of Wales. Reference to the " Iceland lakes " shows that she thought of the effect of spring on the northern, winter-bound countries.) 28 FOURTH READER. VIM.— DAN, THE FIREBRAND. 1. " Please, ma'am, could I speak to you ? It is some- thing very important," said Nat, popping his head in at the door of Mrs. Bhaer's room. It was the fifth head which had popped in during the last half-hoiir ; but Mrs. Jo was used to it, so she looked up, and said briskly : " What is it, my lad ? " 2. Nat came in, shut the door carefully behind him, and said, in an eager, anxious tone : " Dan has come ! " "Who is Dan?" " He's a boy I used to know when I fiddled 'round the streets. He sold papers, and was kind to me. I saw him the other day in town, and told him how nice it was here, and he's come." ' * 3. " But, my dear boy, that is rather a fiudden way to pay a visit." " Oh, it isn't a visit ; he wants to stay, if you will let him ! " said Nat, innocently. "Well, but I don't know about that," began Mrs. Bhaer, rather startled by the coolness of the proposi- tion. 4. "Why, I thought you liked to have poor boys come and live with you, and be kind to them, as you were to me," said Nat, looking surprised and alarmed. " So I do ; but I like to know something about them first. I have to choose them, because there are so many. I have not room for all. I wish I had." " I told him to come because I thought you'd like it ; but if there isn't room, he can go away again," said Nat, sorrowfully. FOURTH READER, 29 5. The boy's confidence in her hospitality touched Mrs. Bhaer, and she could not find the heart to disappoint his hope and spoil his kind little plan ; so she said : " Tell me about this Dan." " I don't know anything, only he hasn't got any folks, and he's poor, and he was good to me ; so I'd like to be good to him, if I could." 6. " Excellent reasons, every one. But really, Kat, the house is full, and I don't know where I could put him," said Mrs. Bhaer, more and more inclined to prove herself the haven of refuge he seemed to think her. " He could have my bed, and I could sleep in the barn. It isn't cold now, and I don't mind. I used to sleep any- where with father," said Nat, eagerly. 7. Something in his speech and face made Mrs. Jo put her hand on his shoulder, and say, in her kindest tone : " Bring in your friend, Kat ; I think we must find room for him without giving him your place." Nat joyfully ran off, and soon returned, followed by a most unprepossessing boy, who slouched in and stood looking about him, with a half -bold, half -sullen look, which rnade Mrs. Bhaer say to herself, after one glance : " A bad specimen, I am afraid." 8. " This is Dan," said Nat, presenting him as if sure of his welcome. " Nat tells me you would like to come and stay with us," began Mrs. Jo, in a friendly tone. " Yes," was the gruff reply. " Have you no friends to take care of you \ " "No." " Say ' No, ma'am,' " whispered Nat. " Sha'n't, neither ! " muttered Dan. so FOURTH READER, 9. " How old are you ? " " About fourteen." " You look older. What can you do ? " " 'Most anything." " If you stay here, we shall want you to do as the others do — work and study, as well as play. Are you willing to agree to that ? " " Don't mind trying." 10. " Well, you can stay a few days, and we will see how we get on together. — Take him out, Nat, and amuse him till Mr. Bhaer comes home, when we will settle about the matter," said Mrs. Jo, finding it rather difficult to get on with this cool young person, who fixed liis big black eyes on her with a hard, suspicious expression, sorrow- fully unboyish. ^o^i,^ m. aUou. For Preparation. — I. A short time after Nat had been received into the school at Plumfield, the events described in this and the next piece took place. II. Pleage, dur'-ing, Snx'-ioiis (Snk'Bhus), in'-no-Qent-ly, toilched (tiicht), rea'-§on§ (re'znz), ea'-ger (o'-), shouF-der, friend'-ly, whis'- pered. III. Make a list of ten of the name-words of this piece, and change them so as to make each of them express more than one (need, needs ; door, doors ; room, rooms ; lad, lads, etc.). IV. Lad, choose, folks, bold, presenting, reply, muttered, agree, amuse, difficult, important, briskly, alarmed, surprised, confidence, hospitality, dis- appoint, excellent, inclined, " haven of refuge," returned, unprepossessing, slouched, sullen, specimen, welcome, gruff, suspicious. V. Notice the language that the boys use : " Hasn't got any folks," " Sha'n't, neither," " 'Most anything," " Don't mind trying." Point out the expressions which you consider improper, and suggest the proper ones. FOURTH READER. 31 IX.— DAN'S BULLFIGHT. 1. One Saturday afternoon, as a party of the boys went oiit to play, Tommy said : " Let's go down to the river and cut a lot of new fish poles." " Take Toby to drag them back, and one of us can ride him down," proposed Stuffy, who hated to walk. " That means you, I suppose. Well, hurry up, lazy- bones ! " said Dan. 2. Away they went, and, having got the poles, were about to go home, when Demi unluckily said to Tommy, who was on Toby, with a long rod in his hand : " You look like the picture of the man in the bull- fight, only you haven't got a red cloth, or pretty clothes on." " I'd like to see one ; wouldn't you ? " said Tommy, shaking his lance. 3. " Let's have one. There's old Buttercup, in the big meadow : ride at her, Tom, and see her run," proposed Dan, bent on mischief. " ISTo, you mustn't," began Demi, who was learning to distrust Dan's propositions. " Why not, little fuss-button ? " demanded Dan. " I don't think Uncle Fritz would like it." " Did he ever say we must not have a bullfight ? " " ^o, I don't think he ever did," admitted Demi. 4. " Then hold your tongue. — Drive on, Tom, and here's a red flag to flap at the old thing. I'll help you to stir her up." And over the wall went Dan, full of the new game, and the rest followed like a flock of sheep — even Demi, who sat upon the bars, and watched the fun with interest. 32 FOURTH REABER. 5. Poor Buttercup was not in a very good mood, for she had lately been bereft of her calf, and mourned for the little thing most dismally. Just now she regarded all mankind as her enemies (and I do not blame her) ; so, when the matadore came prancing toward her with the red handkerchief flying at the end of his lance, she threw up her head and gave a most appropriate " Moo ! " 6. Tommy rode gallantly at her, and Toby, recogniz- ing an old friend, was quite willing to approach ; but, when the lance came down on her back with a loud whack, both cow and donkey were surprised and dis- gusted. Toby backed with a bray of remonstrance, and Buttercup lowered her horns angrily. "At her again, Tom! She's jolly cross, and will do it capitally ! " called Dan, coming up behind with another rod, while Jack and Ned followed his ex- ample. 7. Seeing herself thus beset, and treated with such disrespect. Buttercup trotted around the field, getting more and more bewildered and excited every moment ; for, whichever way she turned, there was a dreadful boy yelling, and brandishing a new and very disagreeable sort of whip. It was great fun for them, but real misery for her ; but she soon lost patience, and turned the tables in a most unexpected manner. 8. All at once she wheeled short around and charged full at her old friend Toby, whose conduct cut her to the heart. Poor, slow Toby backed so precipitately that he tripped over a stone, and down went horse, matadore, and all, in one ignominious heap ; while distracted But- tercup took a surprising leap over the wall, and galloped wildly out of sight down the road. FOURTH READER. 33 9. " Catch her ! — stop her I — head her off ! Run, bojs, run ! " shouted Dan, tearing after her at his best pace ; for she was Mr. Bhaer's pet Alderney, and, if anything happened to her, Dan feared it would be all over with him. Such a running, and racing, and bawling, and puffing, as there was before she was caught ! The fish poles were left behind. Toby was trotted nearly off his legs in the chase ; and every boy was red, breathless, and scared. 10. They found poor Buttercup, at last, in a flower garden, where she had taken refuge, worn out with the long run. Borrowing a rope for a halter, Dan led lier home, followed by a party of very sober young gentle- men ; for the cow was in a sad state, having strained her shoulder in jumping, so that she limped, her eyes looked wild, and her glossy coat was wet and muddy. Louisa M. Alcott. For Preparation. — I. Continuation of the story of Dan. " Alderney " (fine breed of cows). " Mat'-a-dore " (the man who kills the bull in the bullfight). II. Mead'-ow, inis'-chief (-chif), tongue (tung), -eaught (kawt), s-eared, fol'-lowed, d6n'-key. III. Make a list of ten name-words in this piece that express more than one object each, and change them so as to express only one (poles, pole, etc.). IV. Lance, proposed, distrust, admitted, flap, interest, mood, bereft, mourned, dismally, regarded, enemies, blame, prancing, appropriate, gal- lantly, recognizing, willing, approach, whack, bray, remonstrance, capitally, beset, bewildered, disagreeable, misery, patience, unexpected, charged, con- duct, precipitately, ignominious, distracted, galloped, pace, refuge, halter, limped. V. " Lot of fish poles " — use a better expression for " lot," and also for " lazybones," "haven't got," *' fuss-button," " old thing," " jolly cross." 34 FOURTH RE;ADER. X.— THE FOX AND THE CAT. 1. The Fox and the Cat, as they traveled one day, With moral discourses cut shorter the way. "'Tis great," says the Fox, "to make justice our guide." " How godlike is mercy ! " Grimalkin replied. 2. While thus they proceeded, a Wolf from the wood, Impatient of hunger and thirsting for blood, Kushed forth — as he saw the dull shepherd asleep — And seized for his supper an innocent sheep. " In vain, wretched victim, for mercy you bleat ; When mutton's at hand," says the Wolf, " I must eat." 3. The Cat was astonished ; the Fox stood aghast, To see the fell beast at his bloody repast. " What a wretch ! " says the Cat. " 'Tis the vilest of brutes ! Does he feed upon Hesh, when there's herbage and roots ? " Cries the Fox : " While our oaks give us acorns so good. What a tyrant is this, to spill innocent blood ! " 4. Well, onward they marched, and they moralized still, Till they came where some poultry picked chaff by a mill ; Sly Reynard surveyed them with gluttonous eyes. And made, spite of morals, a pullet his prize. A mouse, too, that chanced from her covert to stray, The greedy Grimalkin secured as her prey. 5. A Spider, that sat in her web on the wall. Perceived the poor victims, and pitied their fall : She cried, " Of such murders how guiltless am I ! " Then ran to regale on a new-taken fly. J. Cunningham. Eagerly he looked upward after the unwearied bird." C' The Lark,'' p. 35.) FOURTH READER. SS For Preparation. — I. You have read the story of " The Discontented Pendulum," " The Spider and the Fly," and now you come to " The Fox and the Cat." These stories are called /a6/es, not because they tell merely what did not happen, but because they tell what never could happen. Franklin's story of " The Whistle," Wordsworth's " Kitten and the Falling Leaves," Miss Alcott's story of " Nat," etc., all may have happened — and similar things will happen. But a fable relates what could not possibly have happened. Its object is to bring out a moral. II. Trav'-eled, guide (gid), thirst'-ing, shep'-herd (-erd), seized, wr6tch'-ed, a-ghdst', herb'-age (erbaj), poul'-try, sur-veyed', per- ceived', brutes. (How is u pronounced after r ?) III. 3Iake a list of five name-words which express more than one object by the addition of s or es, or by some other change (discourses, brutes, etc.). Change ten name-words that express one object each, so as to make them express more than one (foxes, cats, days, ways, etc.). IV. Proceeded, impatient, hunger, victim, bleat, mutton, astonished, repast, " fell beast," brutes, tyrant, moralized, " spite of morals," pullet, covert, secured, prey, regale. V. Do we laugh at the idea of a cat and a fox making " moral dis- courses " (like a preacher) ? Why ? What names are given to the cat besides Grimalkin ? (See Lesson II.) Who is called Reynard ? Difference between sheep and mutton .<'— between hens and poultry ? Do the cat and the fox really like " herbage and roots and acorns " themselves ? Were the poultry eating the chaff, or picking it over for the grain left in it ? Differ- ence between greedy and gluttonous ? What is absurd in the words and actions of the spider ? Are we not all more apt to see the evil deeds of others than we are to correct our own ? XL— THE LARK. 1. A little child went into the meadow just sprinkled with dew, and a thousand little suns glanced up at him, and a Lark arose, warbling her morning lay. 2. This Lark announced the joys of the coming sea- son, and awakened endless hopes ; while she herself soared 36 FOURTH READER. circling higher and higher, till her song was at last like the voice of an angel far up in the clear, blue sky. 3. The child had seen the earth-colored bird soar on high, and it seemed to him as if the earth had sent her forth to announce her joy and her gratitude to the sun above, because he had in friendliness and love turned his beaming face again toward her. 4. The Lark warbled her joyous and exultant lay above the hopeful fields ; she sang of the loveliness of the morning, and of the earliest sunbeams playing in youthful freshness ; of the gladsome springing of the flowers, and of the joyful sprouting of the fruit stalks ; and the song pleased the child beyond measure. 5. But the Lark soared still higher in her circlings, and her song grew softer and fainter still ; and she sang of pleasure trips with a friend to free and sunny hilltops, and of pleasing expectations that rise out of the blue and fragrant distance. 6. The child did not exactly understand what he heard, but would have been glad to understand it ; for he was now in expectation of wonderfully glorious things. Eagerly he looked upward after the unwearied bird ; but she was lost in the fragrance of spring. 7. Then the child bent his head, turning one ear to the sky, to learn whether the little messenger of spring was no longer singing. In her vanishing tones he heard how she sang of her longings after the pure and all-pres- ent light. 8. Much longer did he listen ; for the notes of the song bore him away to regions which his thoughts had never before reached, and he felt himself happier than ever in that blissful, upward flight. FOURTH READER. 37 9. But now the Lark came quickly down again, be- cause its little body was too heavy for the high air, and its wings were not strong nor large enough for the pure element. 10. Then the red Corn Poppies laughed at the plain little bird, and cried out with a shrill voice to one another, and to the surrounding stalks of corn : " Now you see that nothing comes of flying so high, and striving for empty air, since one loses his time, and brings back noth- ing but weary limbs and an empty stomach. 11. " That ugly, ill-dressed little creature wished to exalt herself above us all, and kept up a mighty noise. It lies there now on the ground, and can scarcely breathe any longer. But we have kept our places at the feast, and have prudently stuck to the solid ground, and have grown a great deal fatter and stronger." 12. The other little Poppies loudly clapped applause, so that the child's ears tingled, and he was about to pun- ish them for their malicious delight, when a sky-blue Flower, just in blossom, took the word, and with gentle voice thus addressed her younger companions : " Do not suffer yourselves, my dears, to be led astray by appear- ances, nor by talk based on outward show. 13. " True, the Lark is tired out, and it is but empty space into which she has soared ; but it is not empty space that the Lark has sought, nor has she come empty home. She strove for freedom and light, and light and freedom has she praised in her song. 14. " Earth and its joys she left behind, but she drank instead the pure air of life, and learned that it is not the earth but the sun that is abiding. Her desire to sing and to soar to thfe sun will make men praise her name long 38 FOURTH READER. after these sillj boasters shall have gone down into and been buried in the ground." 15. The Lark heard this kind-hearted speech, and, with strength renewed, she sprang again into the cheer- ful sky. The child clapped his little hands for joy that the bird had flown up again, and the Corn Poppies were mute, and their red faces grew pale with shame. Th-anslated by J. C. Pickard from F. W. Carove. For Preparation. — I. In what country is the lark found? What " little suns " glanced up at him ? (shining dewdrops.) II. M6ad'-ow, sea'-§on (se'zn), a-wak'-ened ( nd), ear'-li-est, lis'-ten (lis'n), re'-gion§ (junz), v61'-a-tile, st6m'-a«h, -erea'-ture, ex-t611ed'. III. Write out ten of the name-words in this piece, and change them so as to express possession (child's, meadow's, sun's, lark's, etc.). IV. Warbling, lay, announced, soared, converse, gratitude, exultant, vanishing, presentiments, ether, exalt, prudently, applause, malicious, void, abiding, demanded, retain, mute. V. Study out the meaning of the words in this piece, and then make short sentences, in your own words, describing what the Lark did: 1. The Lark warbled her morning song. 2. The Lark told of the joys of the coming summer. 3. The Lark made all who heard her hopeful. 4. The Lark soared higher and higher, in circles ; etc. XII.— THE COMPLAINT OF THE WILD FLOWERS. 1. In the comer of a large field, and close to a swift- running brook, grew a great many wild flowers. The farmer had not driven his plow near them ; and, as it was not a meadow, the cows and sheep had not cropped them off. They had a very pleasant time of it. The sun shone on them all day long, the soft wind played with them. Many, by reaching over a little, could see them- selves in the water, and they could all hear the sweet FOURTH READER. 39 songs of the birds, who liad bnilt their nests in a tree close by. " How gay we look, in our snug little corner ! " said the Daisy one day ; " that last shower has made us all so fresh ! " 2. " It is all very well," said a Dandelion who grew close by, " but this place is too dull for me. I want to go and see the world." " That is very foolish ! " said a piece of Ivj^, who had been busy for the last three years covering up some large stones that were lying in a heap beside the brook ; " wan- dering about is not the way to get on." " Well," said the Daisy, "I should be quite content if only the little children would come and see us, and clap their hands, and say how pretty we are ! " 3. A Lark, whose nest was close by, heard what the Daisy said, and loved her for it ; so he flew up in the air, and sang as he went : " The Daisy has a gold eye set round with silver. She looks always up into the sky like a little star ; but she does not shine at night. When the dew begins to fall, the Daisy shuts her eye and sleeps. But the birds sing on, for they love the little flower, she is so meek and fair." The Daisy heard what the Lark said, and blushed quite red. If you look well among the daisies, you will find some of them always blushing. 4. " It is quite true," said the Buttercup, when the Lark had flown so high they could no longer hear him. " Little children once loved us very much, but now they go by to school, and do not even look at us ! I am as bright a yellow as any flower can be — so bright that they used to put me under their chins to see who loved butter. I made a little chin a bright yellow, and they laughed, 40 FOURTH READER. and said, ' See how lie loves butter ! ' I was merry to hear how they laughed. They called me Buttercup be- cause I was as yellow as butter." 5. " I hope I am yellow too," said the Dandelion, " and larger than Buttercup. The Lark called the Daisy a star ; but I am like a small sun. I am not a single flower, like Buttercup, but a great many little flowers made into one large one. When I go to seed I shall have a round, white head ; then my head will blow to pieces, and I shall set out on my travels. Wherever I stop I shall plant one of my seeds. There will be more dandelions than ever next year." 6. " Wait till you see if we leave you any room ! " said a gruff voice, and they all knew that it was a Thistle who spoke. '^ My seeds fly about. Cousin Dandelion, like yours ; and my prickly leaves take up so much room, I am not sure you will have space to grow." That was true enough, for the thistle is larger than the dandelion, and, though its flower is pretty and red, no one can gather it without pricking himself. 7. " I am gtad I have no prickles," said a sweet voice, that filled the air with scent. " I like to be plucked by the little children. I send out a sweet smell to meet them, and they cry, ' There is a Yiolet ! ' They lift up my green leaves gently one by one ; they find me hidden there, and their eyes sparkle with pleasure as they carry me off." "Every one loves you, dear Yiolet ! " said the Daisy, "and your sweet scent attracts more even than your beau- tiful color and thick, green leaves." 8. " Yes, it must be the scent," said a Dog Yiolet, who was growing where every one could see him ; " for my FOURTH READER. 41 leaves are just like my sister's, and I have a larger blos- som, yet no one cares to gather me. It surely can not be because I am a few shades lighter in color." " ^o, no ! " said a Cowslip, shaking his long, yellow bells ; " it is scent you lack. But even we who have it are not loved by little children as we should be. 9. " When they named me Cowslip, because my breath is like that of the cow, so sweet and pure, they used al- ways to gather me. The mothers made wine and tea of me, but the little children made me into cowslip balls — round balls — bright-yellow balls. They threw me in the air, and I filled it with scent, and dropped down into their little hands again, giddy with my pleasant flight. But now," said the Cowslip, in a sad voice, " the little children do not know how to make cowslip balls." All the flow- ers sighed, they were so sorry the little children did not love them. For Preparation. — I. Dandelion (dent = tooth : tooth of the lion). Daisy (day's-eye). Cowslip (cow's-lip). II. Field (feid), grew (gru), plow, could (kdbd), reach'-ing, mgad'- ow, built (bilt), dai'-§y, laughed, pieg'-es, -eoiig'-in (kuz'n). sighed (sTd), show'-er, dan'-de-li-on, this' -tie (tbis'i), eyes (iz), beati'-ti-ful (bu'-), sggnt (also cent and sent). III. Certain words are used for the speaker, or the person spoken to or spoken of, to avoid repetition of name-words (these are : I, thou, you, he, she, it) ; they are called pronouns. Find eight pronouns in this piece. IV. Gruff, scent, plucked, gently, sparkle, attracts, complaint, merry, blushed, giddy, flight, wandering, content, " the way to get on." V. In what way does ivy cover up stones ? Is the song of the Lark about the Daisy true ? Do you know any other wild flowers besides those mentioned here ? Was there anything envious in the speech of the Dog Violet ? What is envy ? Was the Cowslip envious too ? 42 FOUUTH READER. XIII.— ALICE FELL 1. The postboy drove with fierce career, For threatening clouds the moon had drowned, When suddenly I seemed to hear A moan, a lamentable sound. 2. As if the wind blew many ways, I heard the sound, and more and more ; It seemed to follow with the chaise, And still I heard it as before. 3. At length I to the boy called out ; He stopped his horses at the word ; But neither cry, nor voice, nor shout, Nor aught else like it, could be heard. 4. The boy then smacked his whip, and fast The horses scampered through the rain ; And soon I heard upon the blast The voice, and bade them halt again. 5. Said I, alighting on the ground, " What can it be, this hideous moan ? " ' And there a little girl I found, Sitting behind the chaise alone. 6. " My cloak ! " — no other word she spoke, But loud and bitterly she wept. As if her little heart wbuld burst ; And down from off her seat she leapt. Y. ^' What ails you, child ? "—She sobbed, " Look here ! " I saw it in the wheel entangled, A weather-beaten rag as e'er From any garden scarecrow dangled. FOURTH READER. 43 8. 'Twas twisted between nave and spoke ; Her help she lent, and, with good heed, Together we released the cloak — A miserable rag indeed ! 9. " And whither are yon going, child. To-night, along these lonesome ways ? " '* To Durham," answered she, half wild. " Then come with me into the chaise." 10. She sat like one past all relief ; Sob after sob she forth did send In wretchedness, as if her grief Could never, never have an end. 11. " My child, in Durham do you dwell 1 " She checked herself in her distress, And said : " My name is Alice Fell ; I'm fatherless and motherless ; 12. " And I to Durham, sir, belong ! " Again, as if the thought would choke Her very heart, her grief grew strong. And aU was for her tattered cloak I 13. The chaise drove on ; our journey's end Was nigh ; and, sitting by my side. As if she had lost her only friend She wept, nor would be pacified. 14. Up to the tavern door we post ; Of Alice and her grief I told, And I gave money to the host. To buy a new cloak for the old. 44 FOURTH READER. 15. " And let it be of duffel gray, As warm a cloak as man can sell ! " Proud creature was she the next day, The little orphan, Alice Fell. William Wordsworth. For Preparation. — I. The story of a poor little orphan girl who tries to ride behind the chaise to Durham on a rainy night. Her miserable cloak gets entangled in the wheels, and her moans attract the attention of a kind old gentleman inside the coach. Wordsworth loved to write poems de- scribing kind acts done to the poor and suffering. Find, on the map, Dur- ham in England. II. Fierce, nei'-ther, re-lief, -erea'-ture, blew (blu) (and blue), ^haige (shaz), nave (and knave). . III. Make a list of ten action-words in this piece (words which tell what the objects expressed by the " name-words " do ; as, drove, had drowned, seemed, hear, blew, heard, follow). IV. " Fierce career," threatening, suddenly, halt, alighting, hideous, bit- terly, entangled, scarecrow, dangled, ails, spoke, heed, released, lonesome, dwell, checked, nigh, pacified, tavern, host, " duffel gray " (coarse woolen cloth having a thick nap). V. " A moan, a lamentable sound " (he says " moan," and then adds a description of it). "As if the wind blew many ways " (carrying the sound with different degrees of clearness). XIV.— WHAT ALICE SAID TO THE KITTEN. 1. One thing was certain : that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it ; it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bore it pretty well, considering) : so you see that it couldn't have had any hand in the mischief. 2. The way Dinah washed her child's face was this : First she held the poor thing down by its ear with one FOURTH READER. 45 paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose ; and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to pur — no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good. 3. But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon ; and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great armchair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted that Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again ; and there it was, spread over the hearth rug, all kinds of tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle. 4. " Oh, you wicked, wicked little thing ! " cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. " Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners ! — Yon ought, Dinah ; you know you ought ! " she added, looking re- proachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage ; and then she scrambled back into the armchair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. 5. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretend- ing to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might. 6. " Do you know what to-morrow is, kitty ? " Alice began. " You'd have guessed if you'd been up in the window with me ; only Dinah was making you tidy, so 46 FOURTH READER. you couldn't. I was watching the boys getting in sticks for the bonfire ; and it takes plenty of sticks, kitty ! But it got so cold, and it snowed so, they had to leave off. 7. " Never mind, kitty ; we'll go and see the bonfire to-morrow." Here Alice wound two or three turns of the worsted round the kitten's neck, just to see how it would look : this led to a scramble, in which the ball rolled down upon the floor, and yards and yards of it got unwound again. 8. " Do you know, I was so angry, kitty," Alice went on, as soon as they were comfortably settled again, " when I saw all the mischief you had been doing, I was very nearly opening the window and putting you out into the snow ? And you'd have deserved it, you little, mis- chievous darling ! What have you got to say for your- self ? Now, don't interrupt me ! " she went on, holding up one finger. " I'm going to tell you all your faults. Number One : You squeaked twice while Dinah was washing your face this morning. 9. " Now, you can't deny it, kitty ; I heard you ! What's that you say ? " — pretending that the kitten was speaking. — " Her paw went into your eye ? Well, that's your fault, for keeping your eyes open. If you'd shut them tight up, it wouldn't have happened. Now, don't make any more excuses, but listen. Number Two : You pulled Snowdrop away by the tail, just as I had put down the saucer of milk before her. — What ? you were thirsty, were you ? How do you know she wasn't thirsty too ? Now for Number Three : You unwound every bit of the worsted while I wasn't looking ! 10. "That's three faults, kitty, and you've not been punished for any of them yet. You know, I'm saving up FOURTH READER. 47 all your punislimeiits for Wednesday week. — Suppose they had saved up all my punishments," she went on, talking more to herself than to the kitten, " what would they do at the end of a year ? I should be sent to prison, I suppose, when the day came. Or — let me see — sup- pose each punishment was to be going without a dinner ? Then, w^en the miserable day came, I should have to go without fifty dinners at once. Well, I shouldn't mind that much. I'd far rather go without them than eat tnem. Lewis Carroll. For Preparation.— I. From " Through the Looking- Glass." " One thing was certain : that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it " (tangling up Alice's worsted). " Snowdrop " is the name of the white kit- ten. " Dinah " is the old cat. II. Mis'-chief (-chif), ear'-li-er, talk'-ing (tawk'-), worst'-ed (wdbst'-), a-gain' (-gSn'), hearth (Mrth), wick'-ed, -eatch'-ing, knee (nee), toiich'- ing (.tuch'-), faults, thirst'-y. III. When an action-word is used, it tells something that an object does. Make a list of ten of the action-words in this piece, and write before each the name of the object which it tells about (Dinah — washed, held, etc.). IV. Certain, considering, tangle, disgrace, reproachfully, manage, de- murely, pretending, progress, bonfire, deserved, interrupt, excuses, punished, miserable, " Wednesday week " (i. e., a week from next Wednesday). V. " Wicked little thing." Is ivicked a word that can be applied to ani- mals ? Why not ? Is it laughable to apply it to animals ? Is it laughable to speak o-f a kitten as the cat's " child " — of a kitten " feeling that it was all meant for its good "^as if the kitten were human, and could think ? ri:\d the other laughable expressions which speak of the animals as though they had human thoughts and feelings (" Dinah ought to have taught you better manners," etc.). We sometimes laugh at a person who says or thinks one thing and does another : was it laughable for Alice to call the kitten " wicked," and then kiss it ? Find other absurd things like this ("mischievous darling," etc.). 48 FOURTH READER. XV.— THE SPIDER. 1. A child went with his father into the vineyard, and there saw a bee in the web of an ugly spider. The spider was just opening his fangs to attack the bee, when the child took his stick, broke the web, and set the little prisoner free. 2. When his father saw this, he asked the boy how he could be so regardless of the toilsome and beautiful web which the spider had prepared with so much ingenuity. 3. The child replied, '' Has the spider not directed all his ingenuity to blood and malice, while the bee collects honey and wax, from which man derives much pleasure and benefit ? " 4. " But," said the father, " perhaps you have done the spider injustice ; for, see how his web protects the grapes from flies and wasps, that otherwise would do much mischief!" 5. " Ah ! " said the boy, " it is not with the intent to shield the grapes, but to satisfy his thirst for blood, that the spider labors with so much dexterity." " True," said the father ; ^' probably the spider has little reason to be concerned about the grapes." 6. " Then," said the boy, " the good the spider does is of no avail to his spiteful character ; for a good intention is certainly the only merit in a good deed." 7. "True," said the father; "but Nature, you see, knows how to apply even malicious things for the preser- vation of the good and useful." 8. "And why," asked the boy, "does the spider not work his web in social union, like the bees, that live together with so much comfort and happiness ? " FOURTH READER. 49 9. " Dear child," said the father, " onlj for good ends can multitudes associate. The bond of malice and selfish- ness carries the seed of destruction within itself ; but Nature has placed the hostile and the friendly, the ma- licious and the good, side by side, so tha4: the contrast might be the greater, and thus convey a lesson to those who are willing to learn." f. A. Krummadier. For Preparation. — I. Is this story a fable, or could the event here de- scribed have actually happened ? (See Lesson X.) II. Vine'-yard (vin'-), beati'-ti-ful (bu'-), un'-ion, as-s6'-ci-ate (-8hi-at), bon'-ey, mis'-chief (-chif). III. Action-words express the time in which the action is performed. To express past time, some add ed ; some make other changes. Make a list of ten action-words in this piece that express past time, and write op- posite each the word expressing present time (went — go ; saw — see ; was — is ; took— take ; broke — break ; set — set ; asked— ask, etc.). IV. Ugly, fangs, attack, regardless, toilsome, web, replied, directed, malice, derives, benefit, avail, spiteful, intention, merit, apply, malicious, social, multitudes, destruction, hostile. (The stiff, pompous language into which this fable is translated should all be paraphrased into such words as the pupil uses. It will make a good language lesson.) V. The spider's labors are spoken of as showing " ingenuity," " dex- terity," and what else ? Illustrate the meaning of these words by telling what the spider does that shows dexterity, etc. What do you think of the reason which the father gives for the fact that spiders do not work together in company ? (" social union.") Do not wolves hunt in droves, and robbers and burglars work together ? But, on the other hand are evil men likely to be faithful and kind toward each other ? XVI.— ALICE'S DREAM OF THE CHESS QUEENS. 1. " I didn't know I was to have a party at all," said Alice ; " but if there is to be one, I think I ought to invite the guests." 4 • -> so FOURTH READER. " We gave you the opportunity of doing it," the Red Queen remarked ; " but I dare say you've not had many lessons in manners yet." 2. " Manners are not taught in lessons," said Alice. " Lessons teach you to do sums, and things of that sort." " Can you do addition ? " the White Queen asked. " What's one and one, and one and one, and one and one, and one and one, and one and one ? " 3. " I don't know," said Alice. " I lost count." " She can't do addition," the Eed Queen interrupted. — " Can you do subtraction ? Take nine from eight." " Nine from eight ! I can't, you know," Alice re- plied, very readily ; '' but — " 4. '' She can't do subtraction," said the White Queen. — " Can you do division ? Divide a loaf by a knife — what's the answer to that ? " — " I suppose — " Alice was beginning ; but the Eed Queen answered for her : " Bread and butter, of course. Try anotlier subtraction sum : Take a bone from a dog, what remains ? " 5. Alice considered. " The bone wouldn't remain, of course, if I took it ; and the dog wouldn't remain — it would come to bite me ; and I'm sure I shouldn't re- main ! " " Then you think nothing would remain ? " said the Eed Queen. " I think that's the answer." 6. " Wrong, as usual," said the Eed Queen ; " the dog's temper would remain." " But I don't see how — " " Why, look here ! " the Eed Queen cried. " The dog would lose his temper, wouldn't he ? " '' Perhaps he would," Alice replied, cautiously. FOURTH READER. 31 1. " Then, if the dog went away, his temper would remain ! " the Eed Queen exclaimed, triumphantly. Alice said, as gravely as she could, " They might go different ways." But she couldn't help thinking to her- self, " What dreadful nonsense we're talking ! " '" She can't do sums a bit ! " the queens said together, with great emphasis. 8. " Can you do sums ? " Alice said, turning suddenly on the White Queen ; for she didn't like being found fault with so much. The queen gasped, and shut her eyes. " I can do ad- dition," she said, " if you give me time ; but I can't do subtraction under any circumstances." 9. " Of course you know your ABC?" said the Eed Queen. " To be sure I do ! " said Alice. " So do I," the White Queen whispered ; " we'll often say it over together, dear. And I'll tell you a secret : I can read w^ords of one letter ! Isn't that grand ? How- ever, don't be discouraged ; you'll come to it in time." 10. Here the Eed Queen began again. " Can you an- swer useful questions ? " she said. " How is bread made ? " " I know that ! " Alice cried, quickly. " You take some flour — " " Where do you pick the flower ? " the White Queen asked — " in a garden, or in the hedges ? " '' Well, it isn't picked at all," Alice explained ; " it's ground — " " How many acres of ground ? " said the White Queen. " You mustn't leave out so many things." 11. " Fan her head ! " the Eed Queen anxiously in- terrupted. " She'll be feverish after so much thinking." 52 FOURTH READER. So thej set to work, and fanned her with branches of leaves, till she had to beg them to leave off, it blew her hair about so. "She's all right again now," said the Eed Queen. " Do you know languages ? What's the French for ' fid- (( ( Fiddledeedee ' is not English," Alice replied, gravely. "Who ever said it was?" asked the Red Queen. 12. Alice thought she saw a way out of the difficulty this time. "If you'll tell me what language 'fiddledee- dee ' is, I'll tell you the French for it ! " she exclaimed, triumphantly. But the Red Queen drew herself up rather stiffly, and said, " Queens never make bargains." " I wish queens never asked questions," Alice thought to herself. 13. " Don't let us quarrel," the White Queen said, in an anxious tone. " What is the cause of lightning ? " " The cause of lightning," Alice said, very decidedly, for she felt quite certain about this, " is the thunder — no, no ! " she hastily corrected herself ; " I meant the other way." " It's too late to correct it," said the Red Queen ; " when you've once said a thing, that fixes it, and you must take the consequences." Lewis Carroll. For Preparation. — I. From " Through the Looking-Glass," or Alice's dream of what she saw when she walked through the looking-glass into the room on the other side. II. Guests, quick'-ly, ex-plained', a'-ere§ (a'kerz), lan'-guag-e§, ■e5n'-se-quen5-es. III. Make a list of five action-words in this piece that express past time with ed ; of five expressing past time in other ways. FOURTH READER. S3 IV. Invite, opportunity, addition, interrupted, subtraction, replied, read- ily, division, remains, considered, usual, temper, cautiously, triumphantly, gravely, nonsense, fault, gasped, circumstances, secret, grand, discouraged, hedges, difficulty, bargains, quarrel, correct, fixes. V. The opportunity for absurd and laughable situations is found in this story, in the fact that everything seen in a looking-glass is changed from right to left. There is a change of this sort even in the methods of think- ing of the chess queens that Alice meets. XVII.— IN THE FOREST. 1. In the cottage it was dull and close and quiet, while out of doors everything seemed to smile and exult in the clear air and boundless world. So the child went out into the green wood, of which the dragon fly had told him so many pleasant things. 2. There he found everything even more beautiful and lovely than he had been told. For, wherever he went, the tender mosses kissed his feet, the grasses clasped his knees, the flowers caressed his hands, the bushes stroked his cheeks kindly and coolingly, and the tall trees welcomed him to their fragrant shadow. 3. There was no end to his delight. The little birds of the forest piped and sang as well as they could, and skipped and flitted gayly about, and the little wood flow- ers vied with each other in beauty and fragrance, and every sweet sound took a sweet odor by the hand, and so went down into the heart of the child and had a merry wedding dance. 4. The nightingale and the lily of the valley led the dance. Each lived so entirely — single and alone — in the S4 FOURTH READER. heart of the other, that one could not tell whether the notes of the nightingale were winged lilies, or the lilies nightingale notes visible like dewdrops. 5. The child was filled with joy. He sat down, and almost thought he must take root and dwell among the little plant people, that he might take part more inti- mately in their tender joys. 6. For he had an inward satisfaction in the secret, quiet, obscure life of the moss and heather, which knew nothing of storm, nor of frost, nor of the burning heat of the sun ; but were well content with their many neigh- bors and friends, refreshing themselves, in peace and good- fellowship, with the dew and tlie shadow bestowed upon them by the lofty trees. T. For them indeed it was always a high festival w^hen a sunbeam sought them out ; w^hile the tops of the tall trees above them found great delight only in the glowing red of morning and evening. Translated hy J. C. Pickardfrom F. W. Carove. For Preparation. — I, In the " Story without an End," from which also the piece about " The Lark " (Lesson XI.) was taken, the child goes out into the forest to see for himself the wonderful things which the dragon fly has described to him. II. C8t'-tage, plSag'-ant, beau'-ti-ful, wh^r-Sv'-er, de-light' (-iif), ■eould (kdbd), night'-in-gale, lil'-y, val'-ley, breathed, naught (nawt), bowed (bond), liF-ie§, thought (thawt), peo'-ple (ps'pi), h6atii'-er, neigh'- bors (na'berz), growths, sought (sawt). III. Change the following so as to express present time : was, seemed, went, told, kissed, clasped. Find other action-words expressing past time, in the third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs. IV. Exult, boundless, dragonfly, clasped, "birds piped," vied, fra- grance, visible, intimately, obscure. FOURTH READER. S5 V. In this story of the child's visit to the forest, and of his communion with the flowers and birds, the birds and flowers are represented as having human feelings and habits. The child is like a poet, and fancies animals and things to be alive, to possess souls, and to act like human beings. XVIII.— EMPHASIS BY TIME. We observed, in our first lesson, that we know the meaning of what is said to ns by the louder tones given to the important words — that is, by the emphasis of '\forcey Listen to another way by which a word is made emphatic. " Y-o-ic did that ; I k-n-o-io you did." Observe that " you " and " know " are spoken more slowly than the other words — that we give more time to them. " Time^^ then, as well as " force," helps us to empha- size. As louder force is represented to the eye by printing the emphatic words in italics and capitals, so longer time may be represented to the eye by spacing the words to which it can be given, thus : " Y-o-u are the very s-o-u-1 of mischiefs and, if you don't behave hetter^ I shall send you a-w-a-y." We can not stretch out the long time on the syllable " mis " in mischief, or " l)et " in better. And the reason is, that these syllables are short (by nature and good usage), and time long enough for good emphasis can be given only to the longer sounds. But, when the accented syllables are open and long, remember that the emphasis of time is much more thoughtful and graceful than that of force. U ( Thanks ! ' said the judge ; ' a s-w-e-e-t-e-r draught From a f-a-i-r-e-r hand was never quaffed.' " 56 FOURTH READER. " I had a brother once, a g-r-a-cious boj, A summer b-1-o-o-m on his f a-i-r cheeks, a s-m-i-1-e Parting his innocent lips. In one short hour, The pretty, h-a-r-m-less boy was s-1-a-i-n." " Oh ! you h-a-r-d hearts, you c-r-u-e-1 men of Rome ! " " D-e-a-r, gentle, p-a-tient, n-o-b-l-e I^ell was dead — n-o s-1-e-e-p so b-e-a-u-tiful and c-a-l-m." "Gentle" and "dead" are short, and can not take long time ; so they, like all other short syllables, must be emphasized by force and slide. XIX.— THE SHIPWRECK OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. 1. Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which I felt when I sank into the water ; for though I swam very well, yet I could not deliver myself from the waves so as to draw breath, till that wave, having driven me, or rather carried me, a vast way on toward the shore, and having spent itself, went back, and left me upon the land almost dry, but half dead with the water I took in. 2. I had so nmch presence of mind as well as breath left, that, seeing myself nearer the mainland than I ex- pected, I got upon my feet, and endeavored to make on toward the land as fast as I could, before another wave should return and take me up again. But I soon found it was impossible to avoid it ; for I saw the sea come after me as high as a great hill, and as furious as an enemy which I had no means or strength to contend with. 3. My business was to hold my breath, and raise my- self upon the water, if I could ; and so, by swimming, to FOURTH READER. 87 preserve my breathing and pilot myself toward the shore, if possible : my greatest concern now being, that the wave, as it would carry me a great way toward the shore when it came on, might not carry me back again with it when it gave back toward the sea. 4. The wave that came upon me again buried me at once twenty or thirty feet deep in its own body, and I could feel myself carried with a mighty force and swift- ness toward the shore, a very great way ; but I held my breath, and assisted myself to swim still forward with all my might. I was ready to burst with holding my breath, when, as I felt myself rising up, so, to my immediate relief, I found my head and hands shoot out above the surface of the water; and though it was not two seconds of time that I could keep myself so, yet it relieved me greatly, and gave me breath and new courage. 5. I was covered again with water a good while, but not so long but I held it out ; and, finding the water had spent itself, and began to return, I struck forward against the return of the wave, and felt ground again with my feet. I stood still a few moments to recover breath, and till the water went from me, and then took to my heels and ran, with what strength I had, farther toward the shore. But neither would this deliver me from the fury of the sea, which came pouring in after me again ; and twice more I was lifted up by the waves and carried for- ward as before, the shore being very flat. 6. The last time of these two had well-nigh been fatal to me ; for the sea, having hurried me along, as before, landed me, or rather dashed me, against a piece of a rock, and that with such force that it left me senseless, and indeed helpless as to my own deliverance ; for the blow, taking my side and breast, beat the breath, as it were, quite 58 FOURTH READER. out of my body ; and, had it returned again immediately, I must liave been strangled in the water : but I recovered a little before the return of the wave, and, seeing I should again be covered with the water, I resolved to hold fast by a piece of the rock, and so to hold my breath, if pos sible, till the wave went back. 7. Now, as the waves were not so high as the first, being nearer land, I held my hold till the wave abated^ and then fetched another run, which brought me so neai the shore that the next wave, though it went over me, yet did not so swallow me up as to carry me away ; and, the next nin I took, I got to the mainland, where, to my great comfort, I clambered up the cliifs of the shore, and sat me down upon the grass, free from danger, and quite out of the reach of the water. Danid De Foe, For Preparation. — I. Have you read the "Adventures of Robinson Crusoe"? II. En-d8av'-ored, busi'-ness (biz'-nes), re-lieved', -eoiir'-age (kiir'aj), -eon-fu'-sion (-zhun), raige (raz), breath, to'-ward (to'erd), bur'-ied (bSr'rid), nught'-y (Qut'-i), a-gain' (-g6n'). III. Change, so as to express present time, these words : sunk^ swaniy carried, driven, went, left, took, had, got, found, was, saiv, came, gave. Past forms of stand, walk, run ? IV. Confusion, deliver, presence of mind, furious, concern, surface, fatal, abated, fetched, contend, pilot, recov6r, resolved; clambered. V. How many waves did Crusoe encounter before he reached the land? What was the nature of the shore of the island upon which Crusoe was wrecked ? (steep and precipitous, or flat ? See § 1.) Can you explain what causes waves ? Notice old-fashioned expressions and uses of words in this piece, and change them to such expressions as we use in ordinary life ; e. g., " water I took in " ; " make on toward the land " ; " held it out " ; " the blow taking my side and breast"; "gave back", "fetched another run " ; " sat me down." " The antlered monarch of the waste Sprang from his heathery couch in haste." (*• Th$ CTiau,^' p. 69.) FOURTH READER. 89 XX.— THE CHASE. 1. The stag at eve had drunk his fill, Where danced the moon on Monan's rill, And deep his midnight lair had made In lone Glenartney's liazel shade ; But when the sun his beacon red Had kindled on Ben Yoirlich's head, The deep-mouthed bloodhound's heavy bay Kesounded up the rocky way. And faint, from farther distance borne, Were heard the clanging hoof and horn. 2. As chief who hears his warder call, " To arms ! the foemen storm the wall ! " The antlered monarch of the waste Sprang from his heathery couch in haste. But, ere his fleet career he took, The dewdrops from his flanks he shook ; Like crested leader proud and high, Tossed his beamed frontlet to the sky ; A moment gazed adown the dale, A moment snuffed the tainted gale, A moment listened to the cry, That thickened as the chase drew nigh ; Then, as the headmost foes appeared. With one brave bound the copse he cleared, And, stretching forward free and far. Sought the wild heaths of Uam-Yar. 3. Yelled on the view the opening pack ; Rock, glen, and cavern paid them back ; To many a mingled sound at once The awakened mountain gave response. 60 FOURTH READER. A hundred dogs bayed deep and strong, Clattered a hundred steeds along ; Their peal the merry horns rung out, A hundred voices joined the shout ; With bark, and whoop, and wild halloo, No rest Ben Yoirlich's echoes knew. 4. Far from the tumult fled the roe, Close in her covert cowered the doe ; The falcon, from her cairn on high. Cast on the rout a wondering eye, Till, far beyond her piercing ken. The hurricane had swept the glen. Faint, and more faint, its failing din Returned from cavern, cliff, and lin ; And silence settled, wide and still. On the lone wood and mighty hill. 5. Less loud the sounds of sylvan war Disturbed the heights of Uam-Yar, And roused the cavern where, 'tis told, A giant made his den of old : For ere that steep ascent was won. High in his pathway hung the sun, And many a gallant, stayed perforce, Was fain to breathe his faltering horse ; And of the trackers of a deer Scarce half the lessening pack was near ; So shrewdly, on the mountain side. Had the bold chase their mettle tried. 6. The noble stag was pausing now Upon the mountain's southern brow. Where broad extended, far beneath. The varied realms of fair Menteith. FOURTH READER, 61 With anxious eye he wandered o'er Mountain and meadow, moss and moor, And pondered refuge from his toil Bj far Lochard or Aberfojle. Y. But nearer was the copsewood gray That waved and wept on Loch Achray., And mingled with the pine trees blue On the bold cliffs of Ben Yenue. Fresh vigor with the hope returned ; With flying foot the heath he spurned, Held westward with unwearied race, And left behind the panting chase. Sir Walter Scott. For Preparation.— I. From the beginning of the " Lady of the Lake." " Monan's rill " (branch of the Teith, which empties into the Firth of Forth), Glenart'ney, Uam-Var', Ben Voirlich (vor'lik), Menteith', Lombard', Aberfoyle (ii-ber-foil'), Loch Achray, Ben Venue' (places among the Scottish Highlands, sixty miles northwest of Edinburgh). II. Foe'-men, fal'-€on (faw'kn), -eairn, pierg'-ing, anx'-ioiis (ank'- shus), bea'-eon (bekn), kin'-dled (did), heaths (a word used much in Scotland, a flowering shrub), ^'er {^). IIL Number of poetic feet in each line? "The stag \ dX eve \ had drunk \ his fill.'''' Accent on the first or second syllable of each foot ? Distinction between roe and doe ? IV. Lair, *' hoof and horn," warder, " antlered monarch," waste, crested, dale, glen, cavern, response, covert, rout (clamorous throng of huntsmen), ken (view), din, Hn (mountain brook), sylvan, gallant, perforce, shrewdly, mettled, realms, varied, copse. Meaning of Ben (a mountain) and Loch (a lake). V. What time is meant by the " sun kindling his beacon red," etc, ? (1.) " Opening pack " ? (of hounds.) " Less loud the sounds," etc. ? (5.) What explanation given of this in the last eight lines of the stanza ? 62 FOURTH READER. XXI.— DRIVING BEES. 1. In former times all the bees in a hive had to be destroyed before the honey could be got. This cruel method has now been abandoned, and the honey is se- cured without killing a single bee. The new mode was publicly exhibited at a bee show in the Crystal Palace, near London, in September, 1874, and is thus described : 2. A few pulfs from a pipe caused the bees to retreat among the combs, and the hive was gently turned upside down. A new and empty hive was then placed above the other so as to cover it completely; then the chief beemaster drummed with his fist upon the lower hive, and waited for the rush of the bees to the upper hive. 3. At the first disturbance of their hive, the bees had all run to fill their bags with honey. Thus they were heavy and good-tempered, and even those who escaped through the gap between the two hives did not sting the beemaster, although his face and hands were unpro- tected. 4. After the lapse of a few minutes a rushing sound was heard. This proved that the bees had begun to move upward. Whenever the queen bee passed up, the others immediately followed. It was now safe to lift up the edge of the top hive, so that what was going on in- side could be distinctly seen. 5. Like soldiers swarming up the walls of a city which they were about to take by storm, the bees were seen hurrying upward in thousands, climbing over each other's bodies several deep, without ever regarding the open space between the two hives, by which they might easily have escaped into the open air. FOURTH READER. 63 6. The combs were then taken out of the old and de- serted hive, and put into frames and placed in a machine for extracting the honey. This machine is turned rapidly round by a handle, and the speed with which it makes the combs revolve drives all the honey out of the cells. As the honey flies out of the combs it is dashed against the inside of the vessel, and falls down to the bottom, whence it drops into the jar placed below to collect it. 7. The next thing is to tie up with tape the old combs, some emptied of their honey, and some still full, in new frames, and to place them in the new hive. In twenty-four hours, or at most forty-eight, the tape will be no longer needed, for the bees, with cement and wax, will have built the combs into the new frames, and will quickly proceed to fill them anew with honey. 8. By thus making use a second time of the old combs the time of the bees is saved, and they give to honey making the precious days of summer, which would otherwise require to be devoted to the building up of fresh waxen cells. The whole process of driving the bees from the old to the new hive occupied less than an hour's time. London Correspondent For Preparation. — I. " Crystal Palace, near London " — what was this building erected for ? Why called " Crystal " ? IT. Hon'ey, ptib'-li-e-ly, e^-hib'-it-ed, -eombg (komz), gmp'-ty, chief, wait'-ed, hgav'-j, gap, edge (ej), -ellmb'-ing (klim'-), nia-Qhine' (-sheen'), a-gainst' (-ggnsf), c^ni'-eiit, qnick'-ly. III. For the following action-words write corresponding name-words of which the actions are told : Could be got (honey), has been abandoned (method), was exhibited (mode), caused (puffs), turned, placed, drummed, waited, passed, were seen. IV, Method, abandoned, retreat, hive, completely, disturbance, escaped, unprotected, lapse, proved, immediately, distinctly, swarming, deserted, ex- tracting, revolve, precious, require, devoted, process, occupied. 64 FOURTH READER. V. " A few puffs " — of what ? (tobacco smoke.) " Fill their bags with honey" (what bags do bees have?) What is a "queen bee"? What is gained by the process of saving the honeycomb and using it over again ? XXII.— THE HUNTSMAN. 1. Alone, but with unbated zeal, The horseman plied the scourge and steel ; For, jaded now and spent with toil, Embossed with foam and dark with soil, While every gasp with sobs he drew, The laboring stag strained full in view. 2. Two dogs of black Saint Hubert's breed. Unmatched for courage, breath, and speed. Fast on his flying traces came. And all but won that desperate game : For, scarce a spear's length from his haunch, Yindictive toiled the bloodhounds stanch ; 3. Nor nearer might the dogs attain, !N"or farther might the quarry strain. Thus up the margin of the lake. Between the precipice and brake, O'er stock and rock their race they take. 4. The hunter marked that mountain high, The lone lake's western boundary. And deemed the stag must turn to bay. Where that huge rampart barred the way ; Already glorying in the prize, Measured his antlers with his eyes ; 5. For the death wound, and death halloo. Mustered his breath, his whinyard drew. FOURTH READER. 65 But, thundering as he came prepared, With ready arm and weapon bared, The wily quarry shunned the shock, And turned him from th' opposing rock ; 6. Then, dashing down a darksome glen. Soon lost to hound and hunter's ken. In the deep Trossach's wildest nook His solitary refuge took. 7. There, while, close couched, the thicket shed Cold dews and wild flowers on his head, He heard the baffled dogs in vain Rave through the hollow pass amain, Chiding the rocks that yelled again. 8. Close on the hounds the hunter came, To cheer them on the vanished game ; But, stumbling in the rugged dell, The gallant horse exhausted fell. 9. The impatient rider strove in vain To rouse him with the spur and rein ; For the good steed, his labors o'er. Stretched his stiff limbs to rise no more. Then, touched with pity and remorse. He sorrowed o'er the expiring horse : 10. " I little thought, when first thy rein I slacked upon the banks of Seine, That Highland eagle e'er should feed On thy fleet limbs, my matchless steed ! Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day. That costs thy life, my gallant gray ! " Sir Walter Scott, For Preparation. — I. This is another extract from " The Lady of the Lake," continuing " The Chase " (Lesson XX.). The King of Scotland is n ee FOURTH READER. hunting among the Highlands of Scotland, and gets lost in the wilds ; his steed dies of overexertion. Where is the Seine River ? II. ■6oiir'-age (kur'aj), haunch, rein (ran), fleet, ex-haust'-ed (egz- ast'ed). III. Explain what time is denoted in the following action-words, and tell how you know it by the spelling : plied, spent, dreiv, strained, came, won, toiled, migMy take, fell, strove, costs, thought. IV. Unbated zeal, jaded, embossed, desperate, brake, stanch, bay, quarry, wily, shunned, ken, solitary refuge, couched, thicket, baffled, amain, chiding, rugged dell, spur, remorse, slacked, steed, gallant. V. " Plied the scourge and steel " (scourge = the whip, and steel = the spurs). " All but won "—express this in other words. " The hunter marked " — what meaning has marked here ? " Huge rampart " (the mountain is called a "rampart," as though it " barred the way," like the wall of a fort). " Measured his antlers " (the hunters saved the antlers, or branching horns, of their game, as trophies of their success). " Whinyard " (he drew his sword and rode up to strike the deer, but the deer turned in a different direction from the " rampart," and escaped down a dark, narrow valley). " Woe worth the chase ! " (worth means betide, or be to : Woe be to the chase !) XXII I. — SOLON. 1. Solon was one of the wise men of Greece. He it was who gave that clever answer to CrcBsus, King of Lydia. Croesus was so rich, that even now it is common to say, "as rich as Croesus." This king showed his wealth to Solon, and then asked " if he did not think the possessor of so much gold the happiest of men." " ^o," replied the philosopher ; " I know a happier man : an honest laborer who has just enough to live on." 2. " And who the next happiest ? " said the king, ex- pecting himself to be named. " The next happiest," answered Solon, "are two virtuous sons who were re~ markable for their duty and kindness to their mother." — " And think you not that I am happy ? " exclaimed the FOURTH READER. 67 disappointed monarch. — " No man can be deemed happy till his death." said the sage ; meaning, I suppose, that according as his life was spent could his state be judged. 3. When Croesus afterward was taken prisoner by Cyrus, and was about to be burnt, he recollected this conversation, and cried out, " O Solon, Solon ! " Cyrus inquired the meaning of this exclamation ; and when the cause of it was explained, he set Croesus at liberty, and owned himself instructed by the hint of Solon. So the philosopher saved the life of one king and improved another. 4. Thespis was the first poet who performed comedies at Athens. They had no playhouses, but used to act upon an open cart, somewhat as our Merry-andrews do now. Solon did not disapprove of these shows, but went himself to see them. When the play was over, he called Thespis, who had been acting various characters, and asked him if he was not ashamed to speak so many lies. Thespis replied, " It was all in jest." 5. Admire, I beseech you, the answer of Solon. Strik- ing his staff on the ground violently, he cried : " If we encourage ourselves to speak falsely in jest, we shall run the chance of acquiring a habit of speaking falsely in serious matters." Had he never spoken any other words than these, he would have deserved the character of a wise man. 6. ^sop, who wrote so many ingenious fables, was much caressed by King Croesus; while Solon, for his bluntness, was little noticed. JEsop therefore said : " A man should not converse with kings, if he does not choose to say what is agreeable to them." 68 FOURTH READER. But Solon noblj answered this flatterer : " He should not speak, unless he says what is useful." Y. You will observe that all wise and good persons are equally remarkable for truth. Indeed, there can be no virtue where there is no truth ; and as for falsehood and cunning, none but fools and knaves condescend to adopt them. Adapted from Herodotus. For Preparation. — I. Lydia, made by Croesus an empire occupying most of Asia Minor. Find Athens on the map of Greece. II. M5n'-ar€b, -Croe'-sus (kree'sus), a-gree'-a-ble, false'-ly. III. There are describing-words which are used with name-words to describe the objects. Make a list of ten of these describing-words, and the name-words to which they belong {wise men^ clever answer^ much gold, hap- pier man, etc.). IV. Clever, laborer, remarkable, duty, disappointed, conversation, in- quired, exclamation, explained, instructed, hint, improved, performed come- dies, disapprove, jest, encourage, serious, deserved, ingenious, caressed, bluntness, converse, flattered, condescend, adopt. (The use of a dictionary to find these definitions should not be approved. The exact shade of meaning that the word has in the place where it is used in the reading lesson should be given, rather than the general definition. Definitions can be given and discussed best in the recitation.) V. Do you think that Solon was right in calling what Thespis, the actor, said, " lies" ? Could not Solon have called all fables lies ? All poems and stories, and all pictures of events that did not occur — are these lies ? Are the stories of " Robinson Crusoe," " The Spider and the Fly," " The Fox and the Cat," lies ? (No ; because they are not intended as histories, or as narrations of facts. Thespis did not intend to be taken as the real per- son whose part he was acting ? nor was he so taken by the spectators.) Was there not wisdom in ^Esop's fables as well as in Solon's bitter remarks ? Do we see Merry-andrews in this country (as they do in England) ? FOURTH READER. 69 XXIV.— THE RAZOR SELLER. 1. A fellow in a market town, Most musical, cried " Razors ! " up and down, And offered twelve for eighteen pence ; Which certainly seemed wondrous cheap. And for the money quite a heap, As every man would buy, with cash and sense. 2. A country bumpkin the great offer heard — Poor Hodge, who suffered by a broad black beard, That seamed a shoe brush stuck beneath his nose; With cheerfulness the eighteen pence he paid, And proudly to himself in whispers said : " This rascal stole the razors, I suppose. 3. " No matter if the fellow be a knave. Provided that the razors shave ; It certainly will be a most enormous prize." So home the clown with his good fortune went, Smiling, in heart and soul content. And quickly soaped himself to ears and eyes. 4. Being well lathered from a dish or tub, Hodge now began, with grinning pain, to grub, Just like a hedger cutting furze. 'Twas a vile razor ! Then the rest he tried : All were impostors. " Ah ! " Hodge sighed, " I wish my eighteen pence were in my purse." 5. Hodge sought the fellow, found him, and begun : " P'rhaps, Master Eazor-rogue, to you 'tis fun That people flay themselves out of their lives. 70 FOURTH READER. You rascal ! for an hour have I been grubbing, Giving my crying whiskers here a scrubbing With razors just like oyster knives. Sirrah ! I tell you, you're a knave. To cry up razors that can't shave ! " 6. " Friend," quoth the razor man, " I'm not a knave. As for the razors you have bought. Upon my word, I never thought That they would shave." " I^ot think they'd shave ! " quoth Hodge, with won- dering eyes, And voice not much unlike an Indian yell : " What were they made for, then ? — you scamp ! " he cries. " Made ! " quoth the fellow, with a smile — " To sell!" John Wolcott. For Preparation. — I. John Wolcott (called " Peter Pindar "). " Eight- een pence " English money (about thirty-six cents of our money. Razors at three cents apiece — " wondrous cheap," indeed !). II. Mu'-§i-e-al, ra'-zor§, broad (brawd), be-neath', paid, sighed (sid), frifind, bought (bawt), would (wood). III. What do quotation marks (" ") inclose ? Tell whose words are included between them in the first place where they are used ; — in the second place, etc. IV. Fellow, offered, "eighteen pence," certainly, cheap, bumpkin (blockhead), rascal, knave, provided, enormous, prize, lathered, grinning, grub, " hedger cutting furze," impostors, rogue, scamp, quoth. V. Was it quite honest in Hodge to buy the razors if he thought they were stolen V Is there any need of " most " before " enormous " ? Why is Iftie bumpkin called a " clown " ? " Flay themselves " (i, e., the razor scratched the skin off, but would not cut the beard). FOURTH READER. 71 XXV.— ROBINSON CRUSOE'S MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY. 1. I had long studied, by some means or other, to make myself some earthen vessels — which, indeed, I wanted much, but knew not where to come at them. However, considering the heat of the climate, I did not doubt but, if I could iind out any clay, I might botch up some such pot as might, being dried in the sun, be hard and strong enough to bear handling, and to hold anything that was dry, and required to be kept so ; and as this was necessary in the preparing corn meal, etc., which was the thing I w^as upon, I resolved to make some as large as I could, and fit only to stand like jars, to hold what should be put into them. 2. It w^ould make the reader pity me, or rather laugh at me, to tell how many awkward ways I took to shape this jar ; what odd, misshapen, ugly things I made ; how many of them fell in, and how many fell out — the clay not being stiff enough to bear its own w^eight ; how many cracked by the over-violent heat of the sun, being set out too hastily ; and how many fell in pieces wdth only removing, as well before as after they were dried ; and, in a word, how, after having labored hard to find the clay, to dig it, to temper it, to bring it home, and work it, I could not make above two large earthen, ugly things (I can not call them jars) in about two months' labor. 3. However, as the sun baked these tw^o very dry and hard, I lifted them very gently, and set them down again in two great wicker baskets, Avhich I had made on purpose for them, that they might not break ; and, as be- tween the pot and the basket there was a little room to 72 FOURTH READER. spare, I stuffed it full of the rice and barley straw ; and these two pots, being to stand always dry, I thought would hold my dry corn, and perhaps the meal, when the corn was bruised. 4. Though I succeeded so poorly in my design for large pots, yet I made several smaller things with better success, such as little round pots, flat dishes, pitchers, and pipkins, and anything my hand turned to ; and the heat of the sun baked them very hard. 5. But all this would not answer my end, which was to get an earthen pot to hold liquids and bear the fire, which none of these could do. It happened some time after, making a pretty large fire for cooking my meat, when I went to put it out after I had done with it, I found a broken piece of one of my earthenware vessels in the fire, burnt as hard as a stone, and red as a tile. I was agreeably surprised to see it, and said to myself that certainly they might be made to bum when whole, if they would burn when broken. 6. This set me to study how to order my fire so as to make it burn some pots. I had no notion of a kiln, such as the potters burn in, or of glazing them with lead, though I had some lead to do it with ; but I placed three large pipkins and two or three pots in a pile, one upon another, and placed my firewood all around it, with a great heap of embers under them. 7. I plied the fire with fresh fuel round the outside and upon the top^ till I saw the pots in the inside red- hot quite through, and observed that they did not crack at all. When I saw them clear red, I let them stand in that heat about five or six hours, till I found one of them, though it did not crack, did melt or run ; for the sand FOURTH READER. 73 which was mixed with the clay melted by the violence of the heat, and would have run into glass if I had gone on. 8. So I slacked my fire gradually, till the pots began to abate of the red color ; and watching them all night, that I might not let the fire abate too fast, in the morning I had three very good — I will not say handsome — pip- kins, and two other earthen pots, as hard burnt as could be desired ; and one of them perfectly glazed with the running of the sand. 9. After this experiment, I need not say that I wanted no sort of earthenware for my use ; but as to the shapes of them, they were very indifferent (as any one may sup- pose), as I had no way of making them but as the chil- dren make dirt pies, or as a woman would make pies who had never learned to raise paste. 10. No joy at a thing of so mean a nature was ever equal to mine, when I found I had made an earthen pot that would bear the fire ; and I had hardly patience to stay till they were cold, before I set one on the fire again with some water in it, to boil me some meat, which it did admirably well ; and with a piece of a kid I made some very good broth, though I wanted oatmeal and several other ingredients requisite to make it as good as I would have had it. Daniel Be Foe. Fob Preparation. — I. After Crusoe had escaped from the sea (Lesson XIX.), he tried to make himself comfortable. He made a house out of a cave ; planted some seeds that he recovered from the wreck ; tamed some goats, etc. This extract tells us how he learned to make crockery from clay. II. N^Q'-es-sa-ry, pre-p4r'-ing, awk'-ward, weight (wat), la-bored, liq'-uid, piegie, kiln (kii). III. In the following, which word is the name of the object, and which one the description of it ? — some means^ earthen vessels^ any clay^ awkward 74 FOURTH READER. ways, ugly thmgs, little room. Notice the old-fashioned expressions and uses of words : " come at them" and " I was upon " (1) ; " answer my end " (purpose) (6) ; " wanted " for needed (10). (All sentences containing unusual modes of expression should be paraphrased by the pupil in his own words.) IV. Considering, climate, botch, required, temper, bruised, design, tile, notion, glazing, pipkins, embers, fuel, violence, slacked, gradually, abate, experiment, indifferent, patience, admirably, ingredients, requisite. V. Write in your own words the sixth, seventh, and eighth paragraphs, and try to tell the particulars in fewer words. XXVI.— A PSALM OF LIFE. 1. Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream ! For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what thej seem. 2. Life is real ! life is earnest ! And the grave is not its goal ; Dust thou art, to dust return est, Was not spoken of the soul. 3. ^N'ot enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way ; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day. 4. Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, tliDugh stout and brave. Still, like muflled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. 6. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life. Be not like dumb, driven cattle — Be a hero in the strife ! FOURTH READER. 76 6. Trust no future, howe'er pleasant ; Let the dead past bury its dead ! Act, act in the living present, Heart within, and God o'erhead ! T. Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time : 8. Footprints that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. 9. Let us, then, be up and doing. With a heart for any fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait. Henry W. Longfellow. For Preparation. — I. " Dust thou art " (Eccl. iii. 20 : " All go to one place ; all are of dust, and all turn to dust again"). XL Biv'-ouae (biv'wak), diimb (diim), -eiit'-tle, a-cliiev'-ing. III. What words are used to describe "numbers," "dream," "life," " marches," " field," " cattle," " brother " ? IV. Slumbers, goal, returnest, destined, fleeting, muffled, stout, funeral, hero, strife, present, remind, sublime, departing, " sands of time," " solemn main," forlorn, pursuing. V, " Mournful numbers " (poetry is divided into feet, of which there are a certain number in each line ; hence poetry is sometimes called " num- bers"). The thought of the first stanza is: Do not say. Life is a dream, for a dream occurs in sleep, and the sleep of the soul is death, in which there are no dreams. Then, again, in a dream things only seem — they do not exist. But such things are not; hence life, which is a real thing, is not a dream. " The grave is not its goal " (i. e., the soul does not find its end in the p-rave — does not return to dust). " Like muffled drums are 76 FOURTH READER. beating," etc. ("Brave hearts" would seem to refer to tlie soul, but "beating" must refer to the heart in the body; otherwise the soul would be here described as marching to the grave. It is the idea of the muffled drimi that suggests " brave and stout " as a soldierly contrast.) In the battle and in the bivouac (in action and in rest). " Sands of time " (as, on the sands of the seashore, whatever marks are made are soon effaced by the waves, so time soon effaces the memory of events, especially if they are of little account. But the lives of great men show us that we may, by heroic action, leave footprints which will remain to be seen by others, and 90 encourage them). XXVII.— AN ELEPHANT HUNT. 1. On the 2d of September, 1832, intelligence was brought to the collector of Tinnevelly that some wild elephants had appeared in the neighborhood. A hunt- ing party was immediately formed, and a large number of native hunters were engaged. We left the tents, on horseback, at half-past seven o'clock in the morning, and rode three miles to an open spot, flanked on one side by rice fields, and on the other by a jungle. 2. After waiting some time, Captain B and my- self walked across the rice fields to the shade of a tree. There we heard the trumpet of an elephant ; we rushed across the rice fields up to our knees in mud, but all in vain, though we came upon the track of one of the animals, and then ran five or six hundred yards into the jungle. 3. After various false alarms, and vain endeavors to discover the objects of our chase, the collector went into the jungle, and Captain B and myself into the bed of the stream, where we had seen the tracks ; and here it was evident the elephants had passed to and fro. Dis- appointed and impatient, we almost determined to give FOURTH READER. 77 up the chase and go home ; but shots fired just before us reanimated us, and we proceeded, and found that the col- lector had just fired twice. 4. Off we went through forest, over ravine, and through streams, till at last, at the top of the ravine, the elephants were seen. This was a moment of excitement ! We were all scattered. The collector had taken the mid- dle path ; Captain B , some huntsmen, and myself took the left ; and other hunters scrambled down that to the right. At this moment I did not see anything but what I took to be a native hut roofed with leaves ; but, after advancing a few yards, the huge head of an ele- phant shaking above the jungle, within ten yards of us, burst suddenly upon my view. 5. Captain B and a hunter were just before me ; we all fired at the same moment, and in so direct a line that the percussion cap of my gun hit the hunter, whom I thought at first I had shot. This accident, though it proved sliglit, troubled me a little. The great excitement occasioned by seeing, for the first time, a wild beast at liberty and in a state of nature, produced a sensation of hope and fear that was intense. 6. The startling appearance of such a huge creature, and our being scattered and separated, created for an in- stant a slight dismay, which may be better understood than described. The beast gave one of his horrid trumps, and charged somebody whom I could not see ; but I fol- lowed him, and the next instant beheld the collector run- ning, without hat or gun, and the elephant after him. I fired instantly, intending to hit a vital part, which is under the ear ; the shot struck, but, unfortunately, with- out taking proper effect. 78 FOURTH READER. 7. My servant boy, with a reserve gun, was ten or twelve yards off — a long way at such a moment ; but no more time was lost than could be avoided in exchanging guns with him. I turned back as quickly as possible, and at this instant the elephant seized the collector and lifted him off the ground. I instantly leveled my gun, in the hope that a chance of saving him might offer. 8. The beast turned partly around the tree, still hold- ing the collector in the grasp of his trunk, and I saw that I had a clear shot at his head. I fired, and struck him, the ball entering his left eye. He staggered, stum- bled, let the collector fall, and made off without tram- pling on him. I then rushed forward, intending to dis- charge my second barrel ; but, some objects coming be- tween the elephant and me, he escaped, and I lost sight of him entirely. 9. The collector now lay apparently lifeless on the ground. A painful sensation of dizziness nearly over- powered me. I went toward him: he moved, and as- sisted himself by taking hold of a tree. I then hastened, and found him like one risen from the grave, pale as death. I saw blood — but it was that of the elephant — dropping from his brow. 10. IS^ever shall I forget my feelings when I saw the monster rushing on him, still less those when I saw the brute's huge trunk twine round and take him up. All this occurred in less than a minute. The collector w^as, of course, very faint. We gave up the pursuit, and got some brandy and water, which revived him. He told us that he had advanced till within six yards of the elephant, and then fired, thinking that, as usual, it would retreat, instead of which it charged him. FOURTH READER, 79 11. He then fired a second time, within three yards of the beast, and fled ; but the animal gained upon him : he threw his gun at it, and tried to run round a tree ; but it was too cunning, and ran round the tree also, seized him by the neck, and threw him down. It then at- tempted to gore him. Luckily, the tusks stuck into the ground on each side of him, and thus he was pre- served. 12. The collector then felt the brute take him up in his trunk; he heard my shot, and immediately found himself on the ground. He quietly lay there a second or two, then inclined himself slightly, and perceived that the elephant's back was toward him. The animal must have carried away at least twenty balls. Perhaps he was led to select the collector on account of his being dressed in bright white jean. 13. Four days after our exploit, a report reached us that some hunters had killed the elephant, which had continued to wander about the place where he had been wounded. It was fourteen feet long from the root of the tail to the joining of the trunk to the head, and eleven feet high. My balls had struck in the neck and left eye, and the head was terribly marked with shots. Library of EnteHaining Knowledge. For Preparation. — I. Find, on your map, Tinnevelly, in the southern part of Hindostan. What European nation governs this part of India ? (English.) II. Neigh'-bor-hobd (na'-), pro-geed'-ed, sep'-a-rat-ed, has'-tened (has'nd\ pur-SUit' (-But'). III. Arrange a list of the action-words in the first three paragraphs, writ- ing out their several forms in parallel columns : in the first column, write the form denoting present time and a single person spoken of ; in the is are brings bring has have 80 FOURTH READER. second column, present time and more than one person spoken of ; in the third column, past time. £. g. : brought IV. Intelligence, flanked, jungle, reanimated, collector, ravine, excite- ment, slight, accident, occasioned, sensation, intense, percussion cap, dis- may, trumps, vital, reserve, avoided, leveled, revived, gore, tusks, inclined, jean, report, mangled. V. Write an analysis of this piece (merely naming the several items, thus: September 2, 1832, wild elephants appear near Tinnevelly ; hunting party formed ; ride to the place — rice fields and jungle ; delay ; elephants heard, tracks seen, but no elephant ; false alarms ; impatience ; shots fired by the collector ; elephants seen up the ravine, etc.). XXVIII.— THE BAREFOOT BOY. 1. Blessings on thee, little man — . Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan ! With thy turned-up pantaloons, And thy merry whistled tnnes ; "With thy red lip, redder still. Kissed by strawberries on the hill ; With the sunshine on thy face, Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace ; From my heart I give thee joy ! I was once a barefoot boy ! 2. Oh, for boyhood's painless play, Sleep that wakes in laughing day. Health that mocks the doctor's rules ; Knowledge, never learned of schools, Of the wild bee's morning chase. Of the wild flower's time and place, FOURTH READER. 81 Flight of fowl, and habitude Of the tenants of the wood ; How the tortoise bears his shell, How the woodchuck digs his cell, And the ground mole sinks his well ; 3. How the robin feeds her young, How the oriole's nest is hung ; Where the w^hitest lilies blow, Where the freshest berries grow, Where the groundnut trails its vine ; Where the wood grape's clusters shine ; Of the black wasp's cunning way, Mason of his walls of clay. 4. Oh, for boyhood's time of June, Crowding years in one brief moon. When all things I heard or saw Me, their master, waited for ! I was rich in flowers and trees. Humming birds and honeybees ; For my sport the squirrel played. Plied the snouted mole his spade ; 6. Laughed the brook for my delight. Through the day and through the night, Whispering at the garden wall, Talked w^th me from fall to fall ; Mine the sand-rimmed pickerel pond, Mine the walnut slopes beyond. 6. Oh, for festal dainties spread. Like my bowl of milk and bread — 82 FOURTH READER. Pewter spoon and bowl of wood, On the doorstone, gray and rude ! O'er me, like a regal tent, Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent. Purple-curtained, fringed with gold. Looped in many a wind-swung fold ; While for music came the play Of the pied frogs' orchestra ; And, to light the noisy choir, Lit the fly his lamp of fi^e. I was monarch : pomp and joy Waited on the barefoot boy ! 7. Cheerily, then, my little man. Live and laugh, as boyhood can I Though the flinty slopes be hard, Stubble-speared the new-mown sward, Every morn shall lead thee tlirough Fresh baptisms of the dew ; Every evening from thy feet Shall the cool wind kiss the heat. 8. All too soon these feet must hide In the prison cells of pride, Lose the freedom of the sod. Like a colt's for work be shod. Made to tread the mills of toil, Up and down in ceaseless moil : Happy, if their track be found Never on forbidden ground ; Happy, if they sink not in Quick and treacherous sands of sin. Ah ! that thou couldst know thy joy. Ere it passes, barefoot boy ! John G. Whittier. FOURTH READER. 83 For Preparation. — I. A part only of this poem is given in this place. Why is the black wasp called a "mason"? What spade does the mole use ? Why called " pickerel pond " ? What fly " lights his lamp " ? II. T6r'-toise (-tis), wood'-cliiick, o'-ri-ole's nest, «hoir (kwir) (and quire). III. What meaning is given by 's in brim's, boyhood's, bee's ? Explain estm whitest; ies in berries. Explain the abbreviations i. e., e.g. IV. " From fall to fall," " frogs' orchestra," " ceaseless moil." V. "Cheek of tan " (made out of tan, or only cheek of tan color?). " Redder still " (because he had stained his lips with strawberry juice). " Mocks the doctor's rules " (neglects his rules, or has no need of them — which ?). What does he mean by all things waiting for him, their master? " Oh, for festal dainties " (that he could enjoy with such relish as he did his bowl of bread and milk). The sky at sunset (6) was like a royal tent with beautiful curtains. " Flinty slopes " and " stubble-speared " (the trials of the boy with bare feet are to walk over a field of stubble or over flinty stones), Explain how shoes may be called " prison cells of pride." XXIX.— THE STORY OF A WAVELET. 1. The child had sunk into a dream of delight, and was thinking how gladly he would be a sunbeam or a moonbeam. He would have liked to hear more from the dragon fly. When all grew still, and remained so, he opened his eyes and looked around for his dear guest ; but she had flown away into the wide world. 2. As the child did not care to sit alone any longer, he arose and went down to the purling brook. This was flowing along right joyously, and bustling on in a comical way to plunge into the river, just as if the huge mountain were following close upon its heels — the moun- tain from which it had run away but a little while be- fore, escaping only by a perilous leap. 3. Then the child talked to the little waves, and asked them whence they came. For a long time they would 84 FOURTH READER. give him no answer, but rolled awaj, one over another, until at last one tiny wave, clear as crystal, dropped down, and stopped behind a stone so as not to grieve the friendly child. From her he heard very strange stories, some of which he did not understand ; for she told him of her earlier adventures, and of the inside of the mountain. 4. " A long time ago," she said, " I dwelt with count- less sisters in a great sea, in peace and unity. We en- joyed many a pastime : now we mounted as high as a house, and peeped at the stars. We saw how the coral builders worked themselves tired, in order to come at length to the sweet light of day. 5. " But I was proud, and thought myself much bet- ter than my sisters. So once, when the sun had sunk down into the sea, I clung to one of his warm rays, and thought I should now mount even to the stars, and be like one of them. But I had not risen far when the sunbeam shook me off, and, not caring what might be- come of me, let me fall into a dark cloud. 6. " Soon there was a flash of fire through the cloud, and I was in great peril ; but the whole cloud settled down upon a mountain, and I escaped, after much anxiety. Now I hoped to be out of danger, when all of a sudden I slipped upon a pebble, and fell from one stone to an- other, deeper and deeper down into the mountain, till at last it grew dark as night about me, and I could hear and see nothing more. 7. " Then I found, indeed, that ' pride goeth before a fall.' I resigned myself to my fate ; and as I had already, while in the cloud, laid aside all pride, so here, now, hu- mility came to be my portion. At length, after many FOURTH liEABER. 85 purifications by means of the mysterious virtues of metals and minerals, I was allowed to come again into the open and pleasant air. I wish now to return to my sisters in the ocean, and there patiently wait till I am called to something better." 8. She had scarcely done speaking when the roots of a forget-me-not caught her, and drew her in, that she might become a flower, and sweetly shine, a little blue star in the green firmament of earth. Translated hy J. C. Pickard from F. W. Carove. For Preparation. — I. From the " Story without an End." Lesson XI., the story of " The Lark," is the thirteenth chapter of the same book ; Les- son XVII., " In the Forest," is the fifth ; and this one, " The Story of a Wavelet," is the second. The dragon fly has finished his account of the world, and now the child hears the wavelet's story. II. De-light' (-lit'), ti'-ny, -e-rys'-tal, -edr'-al, re-gigned' (-zind'). III. Arrange the three forms of the action-words that you find in the fourth and fifth paragraphs, in columns. Arrange " said " and " dwelt," for example, thus : noio now then (he) (they) (he or they) says say said dwells dwell dwelt IV. Purling, bustling, comical, huge, perilous, adventures, unity, anxi- ety, austere, humility, purifications, mysterious. V. " Coral builders " (little animals, incorrectly called "insects," that secrete a stony substance in such quantities as to build the coral formations from the bottom of the sea up toward the surface). The wavelet " clung fast to a ray." Have you seen water " dry up " — i. e., be taken up or ab- sorbed by the air when exposed to the warm sun? What was the "flash of fire through the cloud " ? (6.) " Purifications by means," etc. — i. e., water is filtered through sand and other substances. Read Longfellow's poem, " Flowers," and note the allusion to this story : " When he called the flowers, so blue and golden, stars that in earth's firmament do shine." 86 FOURTH READER. XXX.— EMPHASIS BY SLIDES. PAItT I. Listen again, and notice still another way by whicli words are emphasized. "Are you coming' f^^ " Yes\ in a moment." " Shall we read' together, or taW f " "Let us read^P "Will you' read to me' f or shall P read to yov^ f " Obsei-ve how the voice slides uj^ on some emphatic words, and down on others. When I say, "Will you' read to me'f^^ my voice slides upward on " you " and on " me " / and when I say, " Or shall I^ read to you'' f " my voice slides downward on "/" and on " you^"^ These emphatic tones, which we use in asking and answering direct questions, are called " the Slides." On the simple question, the ''^rising slide'''' is heard (marked thus [']) ; as, " Do you hear' f " On the answer, the ''^falling slide'''' is heard (marked thus [^]) ; as, " Yes\ I hear'' you." For the right use of these rising and falling slides in reading, we must divide emphatic ideas into two classes, which we will call positive and negative ideas. The most important ideas are positive statements ; as, " Life is real\ life is earnest.'''' " Art is long\ and Time \& fleeting'' P The less important ideas are negative statements, often in contrast with positive ideas ; as, " Be not like dumb, driven cattle' — Be a hero" in the strife." The last line is a positive statement. " Do rights and you will be happy\''^ are both positive. FOURTH READER. 87 "If you do right' ^ you will be Jiappy'P Here the first idea of doing right is not a command — is not cer- tain, but doubtful — is not positive, but negative, and must be read with the rising slide. Hence the general principle for the slides : Positive ideas should be read with the falling SLIDE. Negative ideas should be read with the rising SLIDE. " Will you take tea' or coffee' f " " I^o, I thank you ; I will take water" or miW, if you please." The rising slide is given to tea and to coffee because both are negative. The person asking the question is in doubt on both points. But suppose it were certain that one of the two would be taken ; then one idea is (in the mind of the person asking the question) jmsitive, and one of the slides vcm^ifall. " Will you take tea', or coffee^ f " "I will take coffee':' " Shall we go to the mountains', or to the seaside^ ? " This gives us, also, one positive idea. We are going to one place or the other. But, " Shall we go to the moun- tains' or seaside' this summer?" makes both '-''moun- tains'''' and " seaside ''' negative. The person asking is in doubt on each point, and so each has the rising slide. But the answer, "We are going to the moun- tains', or, " We are going to the seasideV' or, " We shall stay at homeV' is positive, and therefore requires the fall- ing slide. " Will you', or you', or you' do me this favor ? " These are all negative ideas. The person asking is not sure that any one will favor him, and so the rising slide must be given to each and all. But if it is positively be- lieved that one of the three will do the favor, then the 88 FOURTH READER. last one appealed to will take the falling slide : ^' Will you', or you', or you^ do me this favor ? " " Is your brother' at home ? " " No', sir ; he has sailed for Europe\" " Has he gone for pleasure', or for study' ? " " He has gone for both^ " ; or, " He has gone for his health', rather than for pleasure' or study'." * "The Golden Rule' is the very life and souV of jpoliteness\''^ " Come, read? to me some poem" — Some simple^ and hearHoii lay, Not from the grand old masters'^ Not from the bards sublime'. Read from some humbler' poet. Whose songs gushed from his hearty As showers' from the clouds of 8ummer\ Or tears'" from the eyelids^ start." A fine example of the positive and negative slides is seen in these beautiful words of Dickens, after the death of little Nell : " She seemed a creature yV-^sA^ from the hand of God, and waiting" for the breath of life ; not one who had' lived, and suffered death'. '''^ PART n. SIMPLE AND COI^IPOUND QUESTIONS. The simple question is, from its very nature, a nega- tive idea. It asserts nothing ; it only asJcs something, * The rule, so comraonly given, that " the voice must fall when the sense is completed," fails here, and often elsewhere, because the sense is com- pleted with the negative idea, which must have the rising slide, even at the end of the sentence. FOURTH READER. 89 and is therefore to be read witli the rising slide ; as, " Do you undei'standJ me % " " Is it clear' f " But if this usual interrogative sense changes to a positive appeal, the question must be read, like any other positive idea, with the falling slide : " That is not right, is' it ? " " I would not do that, would you" f " The question is not asked in doubt, but with the certainty in the speaker's mind that the one appealed to will agree with him. " I said an elder' soldier, not a letter' ; Did' I say better?" " Isn't that a splendid' story you are reading ? " Thus we see that the sense, and not the form, of the sentence must determine the right reading. Compound questions, such as, " Where are you going' f " " What are you doing' f " take the falling slide. Why? Because every such question has one positive idea^ which comes last, and is emphasized. " You are going' somewhere," is positive. " Will you tell me where' f " " Where " only is interrogative, and this is not emphasized when the question is read with the falling slide. " Where are you going' f Where are you going\?" It is generally given as a rule that, when such questions as these are repeated, they take the rising slide. This is not true in fact or principle / for, when such a question is not heard the first time, it is repeated in the very same way, with more positive emphasis, until the person spoken to is forced to hear it. Then only, if his answer is not distinctly heard, the ques- tion may be given with the rising slide ; but not until the emphasis is taken from the positive, and put on the negative — the interrogative— idesi ; as, " WTiere' are you going ? " 90 FOURTH READER. Thus any such double-ideaed question — beginning with when, where, who, what, why, which, etc. — may be analyzed and read. XXXI— BETH'S SICKNESS. 1. Beth had the scarlet fever, and was much sicker than any one, except Hannah and the doctor, suspected. The girls knew nothing about illness, and Mr. Lawrence was not allowed to see her ; so Hannah had everything her own way, and busy Dr. Bangs did his best, but left a good deal to the excellent nurse. 2. Meg staid at home, lest she should infect the Kings, and kept house, feeling very anxious, and a little guilty when she wrote letters in which no mention was made of Beth's illness. She could not think it right to deceive her mother ; but she had been bidden to mind Hannah, and Hannah would not hear of "Mrs. March bein' told, and worried just for sech a trifle." Jo devoted herself to Beth day and night — ^not a hard task, for Beth was very patient, and bore her pain uncomplainingly as long as she could control herself. 3. But there came a time when, during the fever fits, she began to talk in a hoarse, broken voice, to play on the coverlet as if on her beloved little piano, and try to sing with a throat so swollen that there was no music left ; a time when she did not know the familiar faces around her, but addressed them by wrong names, and called im- ploringly for her mother. Then Jo grew frightened, Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth, and even Hannah said she " would think of it, though there was no danger yet." A letter from Washington added to FOURTH READER. 91 their trouble, for Mr. March had had a relapse, and could not think of coming home for a long while. 4. How dark the days seemed now ! how sad and lonely the house ! and how heavy were the hearts of the sisters as they worked and waited, while the shadow of death hovered over the once happy home ! Then it was that Margaret, sitting alone, with tears dropping often on her work, felt how rich she had been in things more precious than any luxuries money could buy — in love, protection, peace, and health, the real blessings of life. 5. Then it was that Jo, living in the darkened room, with that suffering little sister always before her eyes, and that pathetic voice sounding in her ears, learned to see the beauty and sweetness of Beth's nature, to feel how deep and tender a place she filled in all hearts, and to acknowledge the worth of Beth's unselfish ambition to live for others, and make home happy by the exercise of those simple virtues which all may possess, and which all should love and value more than talent, wealth, or beauty. 6. And Amy, in her exile, longed eagerly to be at home, that she might work for Beth, feeling now that no service would be hard or irksome, and remembering, with regretful grief, how many neglected tasks those willing hands had done for her. Laurie haunted the house like a restless ghost, and Mr. Lawrence locked the grand piano, because he could not bear to be reminded of the young neighbor who used to make the twilight pleas- ant for him. 7. Every one missed Beth. The milkman, baker, grocer, and butcher inquired how she did ; poor Mrs. Hummel came to beg pardon for her thoughtlessness, 92 FOURTH READER. and to get a shroud for Minna ; the neighbors sent all sorts of comforts and good wishes ; and even those who knew her best were surprised to find how many friends shy little Beth had made. 8. Meanwhile she lay on her bed, with old Joanna at her side ; for even in her wanderings she did not for- get her forlorn pi'otegSe. She longed for her cats, but would not have them brought, lest they should get sick ; and, in her quiet hours, she was full of anxiety about Jo. She sent loving messages to Amy, bade them tell her mother that she would write soon, and often begged for pencil and paper to try to say a word, that her father might not think she had neglected him. 9. But soon even these intervals of consciousness ended, and she lay hour after hour tossing to and fro, with incoherent words on her lips, or sank into a heavy sleep which brought her no refreshment. Dr. Bangs came twice a day ; Hannah sat up at night ; Meg kept a telegram in her desk, all ready to send off at any minute ; and Jo never stirred from Beth's side. 10. The 1st of December was a wintry day indeed to them, for a bitter wind blew, snow fell fast, and the year seemed getting ready for its death. When Dr. Bangs came that morning, he looked long at Beth, held the hot hand in both his own a minute, and laid it gently down, saying in a low tone to Hannah, " If Mrs. March can leave her husband, she'd better be sent for." For Preparation. — I. This extract is from " Little Women " (Chap- ter XVIII.). While the mother, Mrs. March, is away nursing the father in a hospital in Washington, Beth is taken sick with the scarlet fever. At first they hesitate to inform the absent parents of the state of the case. Mrs. Humrael's baby, "Minna," had died of the scarlet fever, and Beth had been exposed to the disease while at Mrs. Hummel's. FOURTH READER. 93 II. N6tli'-ing (nuth'-), bu§'-7 (biz'zy), gmlt'-y, pa'-tient (-shent), diir'- ing, throat (throt), fa-miF-iar, fright'-ened (frit'nd), heav'-y, wait'-ed, vir'-tue§, viil'-ue, ea'-ger-ly, haunt'-ed, ghost (gost), neigh '-bor (na'-), should (shood), -eom'-forts (kumfcrts), read'-y. III. Describing-words are frequently changed to express comparison {sicker compares with another one; sickest would compare with more than one). IV. Suspected, allowed, excellent, infect, anxious, mention, deceive, trifle, devoted, uncomplainingly, control, hoarse, addressed, imploringly, relapse, pathetic, tender, acknowledge, ambition, possess, exile, service, irksome, regretful, neglected tasks, reminded, twilight, inquired, shy, pro- tegee (pro-ta-zha' — one under the care of another), forlorn, intervals, in- coherent, consciousness. V. Notice the stages in the progress of the disease, as described here : The gradual increase in the interest of all as the case grows critical ; the pathetical mention of Beth's thoughtfulness of her parents, sisters, and even of her cats; the traits of character exhibited by the nurse and the doctor. XXXII.— BETH'S SICKNESS (Continued). 1. It was past two o'clock when Jo, w^lio stood at the window thinking how dreary the world looked in its winding sheet of snow, heard a movement by the bed, and, turning quickly, saw Meg kneeling before their mother's easy-chair, with her face hidden. A dreadful fear passed coldly over Jo as she thought, " Beth is dead, and Meg is afraid to tell me ! " 2. She was at her post in an instant, and to her ex- cited eyes a great change seemed to have taken place. The fever flush and the look of pain were gone, and the beloved little face looked so pale and peaceful in its ut- ter repose, that Jo felt no desire to weep or to lament. Leaning low over this dearest of her sisters, she kissed the damp forehead with her heart on her lips, and softly whispered, " Good-by, my Beth — good-by ! " 94 FOURTH READER. 3. As if waked by the stir, Hannah started out of her sleep, hurried to the bed, looked at Beth, felt her hands, listened at her lips, and then, throwing her apron over her head, sat down to rock to and fro, exclaiming under her breath : " The fever's turned ! She's sleepin' nat'ral! Her skin's damp, and she breathes easy ! Praise be given ! my goodness me ! " 4. Before the girls could believe the happy truth, the doctor came to confirm it. He was a homely man, but they thought his face quite heavenly when he smiled, and said, with a fatherly look at them : " Yes, my dears, 1 think the little girl will pull through this time. Keep the house quiet. Let her sleep ; and, when she wakes, give her — " 5. What they were to give, neither heard ; for both crept into the dark hall, and, sitting on the stairs, held each other close, rejoicing with hearts too full for words. When they went back to be kissed and cuddled by faith- ful Hannah, they found Beth lying, as she used to do, with her cheek pillowed on her hand, the dreadful pallor gone, and breathing quietly, as if just fallen asleep. " If mother would only come now ! " said Jo, as the winter night began to wane. 6. '" See ! " said Meg, coming up with a white, half- opened rose, " I thought this would hardly be ready to lay in Beth's hand to-morrow, if she — went away from us. But it has blossomed in the night, and now I mean to put it in my vase here ; so, when the darling wakes, the first thing she sees will be the little rose and mother's face." 7. Never had the sun risen so beautifully, and never had the world seemed so lovely, as it did to the heavy eyes of Meg and Jo as they looked out in the early morn- ing, when their long, sad vigil was done. FOURTH READER. 9S 8. " It looks like a fairy world," said Meg, smiling to herself, as she stood behind the curtain, watching the dazzling sight. " Hark ! " cried Jo, starting to her feet. Yes, there was a sound of bells at the door below, a cry from Hannah, and then Laurie's voice, saying, in a joyful whisper : " Girls — she's come — she's come ! " Louisa M. Alcott. For Preparation. — I. Meanwhile Laurie has telegraphed for the moth- er, and brings word that Mr. March is better. Mrs. March is expected to arrive at two in the morning. The doctor says that a change for better or worse will take place at midnight. Midnight has passed, but the sisters are still in doubt. II. Drear'-y, kneel'-ing (neer-), a-fraid', lis'-tened (lis'nd), a'-pron (a'purn), vase, hSav'-y, watch'-ing, sight (Bit). III. Explain the '^s in " the fever's turned " ; in " skin's damp " ; in *' she's come" ; in " mother's face." IV. " Winding sheet," instant, " utter repose," desire, lament, homely, pallor, dazzling, vigil. V. Correct " She's sleepin' nat'ral." Use a better expression for " pull through," What does " my goodness me ! " express ? (Anything more than joyful surprise and relief?) XXXIII.— THE RAINY DAY. The day is cold, and dark, and dreary ; It rains, and the wind is never weary ; The vine still clings to the moldering wall, But at every gust the dead leaves fall. And the day is dark and dreary. My life is cold, and dark, and dreary ; It rains, and the wind is never weary ; My thoughts still cling to the moldering past, But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast, And the days are dark and dreary. 96 FOURTH READER. Be still, sad heart, and cease repining ; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining ; Thj fate is the common fate of all ; Into each life some rain must fall : Some days must be dark and dreary. H. W. Longfellow. For Preparation. — I. Have you read this author's poem, "Afternoon in February"? (See Lesson LXI.) Note the resemblances and differ- ences. The day, cold, dark, dreary, rainy, with dead leaves falling, corre- sponds to the life within, the thoughts, hopes, etc. In the poem referred to (LXI.) there is a similar correspondence. II. Drear'-y, wea'-ry. III. Correct : It rain ; the vine cling. IV. " Moldering past," repining. V. What is the consolation which the poem mentions ? What, in the second stanza, corresponds to the day, the vine, the dead leaves, in the first stanza ? XXXIV.— AX GRINDING. 1. When I was a little boy, I remember, one cold winter's morning, I was accosted by a smiling man with an ax on his shoulder. " My pretty boy," said he, '* has your father a grindstone ? " " Yes, sir," said I. " You are a fine little fellow ! " said he. " Will you let me grind my ax on it ? " 2. Pleased with the compliment of "fine little fel- low," " Oh, yes, sir," I answered. " It is down in the shop." " And will you, my man," said he, patting me on the head, " get me a little hot water ? " How could I refuse ? I ran, and soon brought a kettleful. FOURTH READER. 97 3. " How old are you ? — and what's your name ? " con- tinued he, without waiting for a reply. " I'm sure you are one of the finest lads that I have ever seen. Will you just turn a few minutes for me ? " 4. Tickled with the flattery, like a little fool, I went to work, and bitterly did I rue the day. It was a new ax, and I toiled and tugged till I was almost tired to death. The school bell rang, and I could not get away. My hands were blistered, and the ax was not half ground. 5. At length, however, it was sharpened, and the man turned to me with, " Kow, you little rascal, you've played truant ! Scud to the school, or you'll rue it ! " " Alas ! " thought I, " it was hard enough to turn a grindstone this cold day, but now to be called a little rascal is too much." 6. It sank deep into my mind, and often have I thought of it since. When I see a merchant over-polite to his customers, begging them to take a little brandy, and throwing his goods on the counter, thinks I, " That man has an ax to grind." 7. When I see a man flattering the people, making great professions of attachment to liberty, who is in private life a tyrant, methinks, " Look out, good people ! That fellow would set you turning grind- stones ! '^ 8. When I see a man hoisted into office by party spirit, without a single qualification to render him either respectable or useful, " Alas ! " methinks, " deluded people, you are doomed for a season to turn the grind- stone for a booby." Benjamin Franklin. 7 98 FOURTH READER. For Preparation. — I. Who wrote this piece? (See the signature at the end.) Supposing that the event described actually occurred in the life of the author of this piece, about what year was it ? (See Lessons I. and LXV. for the date of his birth.) II. Write, with diacritical marks (as here indicated), dividing into syllables, marking the accent and the pronunciation of the important vowels, the following words : Shoul'-der, pret'-ty (prif-), said (sed), an'-swered (serd), brought (brawt), peo'-ple (pe'pl), min'-utes (-its), ax. Write these words in a column, and explain in each case the difficulties of spelling and pronunciation, as in the following model. (See spelling lessons in the Appendix for fuller directions.) WORDS. EXPLANATION OF DIFFICULTIES OF SPELLING, ETC. Shoul'-der uses the combination ou to represent the sound o. It is more common to use o, oa, or ow ; less common to use oe, oo, eau, ew, eo, or au. Pret'-ty (prit'ty). . . .uses e for i; more common to use i, y, ui, or u; less common, ee, ie, or o. said uses ai for e ; more common, e or ea ; less common, ae, a, ei, eo, ie, u, or ue. an'-szoered w is silent; also an e in the final syllable. hvoughl uses ou for a ; more common, aw, au, or o ; less com- mon, oa. The gh also is silent, rain'-utcs (min'its). .uses u for i (see above, *' pretty") ; also e silent, peo'-ple uses eo for e ; more common, e, ea, ee, ie, ei, i, ey, and ae ; less common, uay. Sx spelled by English authorities, and by Worcester, axe. Webster's Diacritical Marks : a, e, i, o, u, y, long ; a, S, i, 5, ii, y, short; care, far, last, fall, what; th^re, veil, term; p'lque, firm ; done, for, do, wolf, food, foot ; fArl, rude, push ; silent let- ters in italics ; q as s ; gh as sh ; -e, -eh, as k ; g as j ; g as in get ; § as z ; 5 as gz ; n as in linger, link ; th as in thine. III. Explain the use of the apostrophe in winter's, what's, you've ; — the use of the hyphen in over-polite, and its omission in grindstone. What is the use of s in minutes ? " Look out, good people ! " — why is capital L used, and why the ! at the end ? IV. Define compliment, accosted, scud, rue, flattery, blistered, booby ; use synonyms for these in the sentences where they occur, if possible. V. Why " a smiling man " ? (i. e., why did he smile ?) Explain the motive for the use of the words, " fine little fellow," " my man," " how old are you ? " etc. Why did he pat the boy on the head ? (Dr. Frank- FOURTH READER. 99 lin's style is regarded as a model of purity and simplicity. It contains many colloquial expressions, however, that should not be approved in writing ; e. g., he frequently uses such phrases as " says I," " thinks I.") Point out some sentence in this piece which you think particularly clear and strong in style. What is the thought of the piece, stated in your own words ? Compare the style and thought of this piece with that of Lesson I., on " The Whistle." Each conveys a moral. XXXV.— MARCH. 1. The cock is crowing, The stream is flowing, The small birds twitter, The lake doth glitter, The green field sleeps in the sun ; The oldest and youngest Are at work with the strongest ; The cattle are grazing. Their heads never raising ; There are forty feeding like one ! 2. Like an army defeated. The snow hath retreated And now doth fare ill On the top of the bare hill ; The plowboy is whooping anon, anon There's joy in the mountains ; There's life in the fountains ; Small clouds are sailing, Blue sky prevailing ; The rain is over and gone ! William Wordsworth. For Preparation. — I. Have you read any other selection from Words- worth ? (Lesson IL, " The Kitten and the Falling Leaves " ; Lesson XIII., "Alice Fell.") Hejs famed for deep thought, but sometimes wrote child- ish and whimsical pieces. lOO FOURTH READER. II. Plow '-boy, whoop'-ing (hoop'-), pre-vail'-ing, small. III. Explain the th in doth (expresses present time and person ad- dressed) ; s in sleeps (present time and person spoken of) ; est in oldest (what form of the describing-word would you use, if only two things were compared ?) ; ing in grazing ; ed in defeated ; ne in gone (past time). Differ- enee in meaning between is and are .? When do you use w, and when are ? IV. " Twitter " — does this word indicate its meaning by its sound ? What does "anon" mean? ("anon, anon" — again and again.) V. Notice the rhymes, fare ill and bare hill. Do the English pronounce the h as strongly as we do ? Anon rhymes with gone : this is the way the English pronounce gone. We ought to say giin, and not gon. "Forty feeding like one " — what effect does this sentence have in painting the picture ? Can you see, in imagination, how the scene looked ? Why were the cattle so intent on eating ? Was it the taste of the new grass growing after the shower, and the fact that the cattle had had no fresh grass all winter ? XXXVI— THE CAREFUL OBSERVER. 1. A dervish was journeying alone in a desert, when two merchants suddenly met him. " You have lost a camel," said he to the merchants. " Indeed we have," they replied. 2. " Was he not blind in his right eye, and lame in his left leg ? " said the dervise. " He was," replied the merchants. " Had he not lost a front tooth ? " " He had," said the merchants. " And was he not loaded with honey on one side, and with wheat on the other ? " " Most certainly he was," they replied ; " and, as you have seen him so lately, and marked him so particularly, you can, in all probability, conduct us to him." 3. " My friends,"*! said the dervish, " I have never seen your camel, nor ever heard of him, but from you ! " " A pretty story, truly," said the merchants ; " but where are the jewels which formed a part of his burden ? " "I FOURTH READER. lOl have seen neither your camel nor your jewels," repeated the dervish. 4. On this, they seized his person, and forthwith hur- ried him before the cadi; but, on the strictest search, nothing could be found upon him, nor could any evidence whatever be adduced to convict him either of falsehood or of theft. 5. They were about to proceed against him as a sor- cerer, when the dervish, with great calmness, thus ad- dressed the court : " I have been much amused with your surprise, and own that there has been some ground for your suspicions ; but I have lived long and alone, and I can find ample scope for observation even in a desert. 6. " I knew that I had crossed the track of a camel that had strayed from its owner, because I saw no mark of any human footstep on the same route. I knew that the animal was blind of one eye, because it had cropped the herbage only on one side of its path ; and that it was lame in one leg, from the faint impression which that particular foot had produced upon the sand. 7. " I concluded that the animal had lost one tooth, because, wherever it had grazed, a small tuft of herbage had been left uninjured in the center of its bite. As to that which formed the burden of the beast, the busy ants informed me that it was corn on the one side ; and the clustering flies, that it was honey on the other." Colton. For Preparation. — I. Who is a dervish ? (spelled also dervis and der- vise — a Turkish or Persian monk.) What country does he inhabit? (Western Asia.) What deserts are found there ? For what purposes are camels used on deserts, and why used instead of horses or oxen ? Who is a cadi ? (A Turkish "justice of the peace.") 102 FOURTH READER. II. Copy spelling and pronunciation, and give explanations (according to form in Lesson XXXIV.) of jotir'-ney-ing (jfir'-ny-), {ey before ^), hon'-ey (hun'j^) {o as u and ey as *), frigndg (fr^ndz), sus- pi'-cio^s (-pish'us), -erdpped {pped pronounced pt\ strayed, seized, route {ou as d&), bu§'-y (biz'zy), €a'-di, der'-vish. III. Explain the modification in meaning produced by the addition of ed in loaded, ly in lately, « in jewels, n in seen, r in your, est in strictest, ness in calmness, er in owner. IV. Define sorcerer, ample, scope. V. What persons, from their mode of life and the business that they are engaged in, are likely to become careful observers of the traces left by wild animals ? — of the signs of change in the weather ? — of the obstructions on railway tracks ? — of the signs of disease in men ? — of errors in print- ing ? — of signs of dishonesty among people on the street ?— of the indica- tions of strength and speed in horses ? XXXVII.— THE MARINER'S DREAM. 1. In slumbers of midnight the sailor boy lay ; His hammock swung loose at the sport of the wind, But, watchworn and weary, his cares flew away. And visions of happiness danced o'er his mind. 2. He dreamed of his home, of his dear native bowers, And pleasures that waited on life's merry morn ; While Memory stood sidewise, half covered with flowers, And restored every rose, but secreted its thorn. 3. Then Fancy her magical pinions spread wide. And bade the young dreamer in ecstasy rise : Now far, far behind him the green waters glide, And the cot of his forefathers blesses his eyes. FOURTH READER. 103 4. The jessamine clambers in flowers o'er the thatch, And the swallow \chirps sweet from her nest in the wall; All trembling with transport, he raises the latch, And the voices of loved ones reply to his call. 5. A father bends o'er him with looks of delight ; His cheek is impearled with a mother's warm tear ; And the lips of the boy in a love kiss unite With the lips of the maid whom his bosom holds dear. 6. The heart of the sleeper beats high in his breast ; Joy quickens his pulses — all hardships seem o'er, And a murmur of happiness steals through his rest : " O God ! thou hast blessed me ; I ask for no more." 7. Ah, what is that flame which now bursts on his eye ? Ah, what is that sound which now 'larms on his ear « 'Tis the lightning's red gleam, painting hell on the sky! 'Tis the crashing of thunders, the groan of the sphere ! 8. He springs from his hammock — he flies to the deck ! Amazement confronts him with images dire ; Wild winds and mad waves drive the vessel a wreck — The masts fly in splinters — the shrouds are on fire ! 9. Like mountains the billows tremendously swell ; In vain the lost wretch calls on Mercy to save ; Unseen hands of spirits are ringing his knell, And the Death Angel flaps his broad wings o'er the wave ! 104 FOURTH READEB. 10. O sailor boy, woe to thy dream of delight ! In darkness dissolves the gay frostwork of bliss. Where, now, is the picture that Fancy touched bright — Thy parents' fond pressure, and Love's honeyed 11. O sailor boy, sailor boy, never again Shall home, love, or kindred thy wishes repay ! Unblessed and unhonored, down deep in the main Full many a fathom, thy frame shall decay. 12. 1^0 tomb shall e'er plead to remembrance for thee, Or redeem form or frame from the merciless surge ; But the white foam of waves shall thy winding sheet be, And winds, in the midnight of winter, thy dirge ! 13. On a bed of green sea flowers thy limbs shall be laid ; Around thy white bones the red coral shall grow ; Of thy fair yellow locks, threads of amber be made ; And every part suit to thy mansion below. 14. Days, months, years, and ages shall circle away. And still the vast waters above thee shall roll ; Earth loses thy pattern forever and aye. O sailor boy, sailor boy, peace to thy soul ! William Dimond. For Preparation. — I. For what people would this poem possess the most interest ? (For a people living on an island — Great Britain — and fur- nishing multitudes of sailors ? How many friends and relatives on that island have occasion every year to mourn those lost by shipwreck !) Do you think that the author of this poem was an American, or an Englishman ? FOURTH READER. 103 II. E-e'-sta-sy, hon'-eyed (hun'id), mer'-fi-less, m6m'-o-ry. III. Of what two words is midnight composed, and what does each mean ? "0 God ! thou hast blessed me," etc. — whose words do the quo- tation marks here indicate ? " 'Larms " — what is omitted ? (" 'Larums his ear " is another reading of this passage.) " Parents' fond pressure " — what does the s' indicate ? What effect on the meaning, if it were changed to 's ? "Many a fathom" — what does a mean after many? (It makes us think of each one of the number, and therefore makes it seem larger.) '• Shall e'er plead " — what is omitted in e'er ? IV. Hammock, watchworn, jessamine, clambers (how can a plant be said to clamber ?), transport, fathom, " amber threads," thy pattern, " for- ever and aye," red coral. V. Do you pronounce wind so as to rhyme with mind? (see first stanza.) *' Memory stood sidewise." (Memory is personified here, or described as a person.) How could she stand so as to conceal the thorns, and show only the roses ? Do all roses grow on thorny bushes ? How is Fancy personified (as an angel) in the third stanza ? What is meant by " groan of the sphere " ? " Unblessed " (i. e., by parents, or by the clergyman) *' and un- honored " (i. e., without the usual ceremonies in honor of the dead — without tombstone, etc.). Is this not a dreary poem — without any consolation ? XXXVIII.— HOW MUCH EMPHASIS. The degree of emphasis of all kinds varies wath the relative worth and spirit of the ideas. Mere facts call only for force, time, and slide enough to distinguish the more important words from the others. " How many were with" you on your excursion ? " " Twenty\" " Where did you go' f " " Where' ? To the moun- tains\" Here the distinctive force, time, and slide are all mod- erate. But when earnest feeling is added to the facts, the degree of emphasis increases accordingly. " Did you 106 FOURTH READER. enjoy' the mountain scenery ? " " Oh, eveb^ so much ! It was so w-i-L-D^ and g-r-a-n-d^ ! I never saw'' anything Here the "force" grows louder with the earnest- ness, the "slides" are longer, and the "time" (when applicable) is longer. But gentle ideas, tenderness, and sadness require svhdued force — softer than that given to matter-of-fact ideas. The slides, also, are a half tone shorter. But the time is longer, and fills more s-p-a-c-e, in emphasizing sacred or sad parts. EXAMPLE. Paid had never risen' from his little bed\ . . . " Floy ! what is' that ? " <' Where', dearest ?" " There', at the bottom of the hed\''^ " There's nothing there, except jpapa' P The figure lifted up its head, and rose", and, coming to the bedside, said': "J/^/ — <^^^ — hoy ! Don't you hnow^ mef' " jDonH be so sorry' for me\ dear papa'. Indeed, I am quite happy'. Now, lay me down. And, Floy', come close' to me, and let me see you^P .... " How faM' the river' runs, between its green banks and the rushes , Floy ! But it's very near — the— sea' now. I hear the waves ! They always' said so ! " Presently, he told her that the motion of the boat upon the stream was lulling him to rest\ JSTow, the boat was out at sea' ; and now, there was a shore' before him. Who' stood on the bank ? He put his hands together, as he had been used to do at his prayers'. He did not re- move his arms' to do it, but they saw him. fold them so FOURTH READER. 107 behind his sister's neclc\ ''Mamma is like y-o-u\ Floy' ; I know" her by the face^ ! The light about the head" is shining - on - we as I go' / " From '"'■ Dorahey and Son,^- by Dickens. XXXIX.— THE DEATH OF THE FLOWERS. 1. The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year, Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sear. Heaped in the hollows of the grove, the autumn leaves lie dead ; They rustle to the eddying gust, and to the rabbit's tread. The robin and the wren are flown, and from the shrubs the jay. And from the wood top calls the crow through all the gloomy day. 2. Wliere are the flowers, the fair young flowers, that lately sprang and stood In brighter light and softer airs, a beauteous sister- hood ? Alas ! they all are in their graves — the gentle race of flowers Are lying in their lowly beds, with the fair and good of ours. The rain is falling where «,they lie ; but the cold IN'o- vember rain Calls not from out the gloomy earth the lovely ones again. 108 FOURTH READER. 3. The windflower and the violet, they perished long And the brier rose and the orchis died amid the sum- mer glow ; But on the hill the golden-rod, and the aster in the wood, And the yellow sunflower by the brook in autumn beauty stood. Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven, as falls the plague on men, And the brightness of their smile was gone from up- land, glade, and glen. 4. And now, when comes the calm, mild day, as still such days will come, To call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home ; When the sound of dropping nuts is heard, though all the trees are still, And twinkle in the smoky light the waters of the rill; The South Wind searches for the flowers whose fra- grance late he bore. And sighs to find them in the wood and by the stream no more. 6. And then I think of one who in her youthful beauty died. The fair, meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side : In the cold, moist earth we laid her, when the forests cast the leaf, And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief ; FOURTH READER. 109 Yet not unmeet it was that one, like tliat young friend of ours, So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flowers. William Cullen Bryant. For Preparation. — I. What month is here described ? Collect the assertions relating to plants and to animals which indicate the season. II. M61'-an-eh61-y, sad'-dest, sear (sere), beati'te-oiis (bu'-), plague (plag). squir'-rel (pronounced in England squir'rel, or squSr'rel ; in this country we generally hear it pronounced skwer'rel). III. Turn into prose the fourth stanza, using words of your own if re- quired to make the expression clear and complete. IV. Eddying, " brier rose," orchis, windflower, golden-rod, aster, brief, " glade and glen." V. " The mel-dn-chol-y days are come, the sac?-dest of the 2/mr" (w— | v^— I v^— I v-^— 11^— I «^— I ^--). Contrast the regularity of the rhythm in this piece with that in XLIII, and LVI. Note the personification of South Wind in the fourth stanza, the description of melancholy external conditions affecting nature, and of the corresponding inward melancholy at the decease of a person — a young friend. (See XXXIII. and LXI. for a similar transition.) XL— THE TEMPEST. 1. There was a certain island in the sea, the only in- habitants of which were an old man, whose name was Prospero, and his daughter Miranda, a very beautiful young lady. She came to this island so young, that she had no memory of having seen any other human face than her father's. 2. They lived in a cave, or cell, made out of a rock. It was divided into several apartments, one of which Prospero called his study. There he kept his books, which chiefly treated of magic — a study at that time much afi^ect- ed by all learned men ; and the knowledge of this art he found very useful to him, for, being thrown by a strange no FOURTH READER. chance upon this island, which had been enchanted by a witch called Sycorax, who died there a short time before his arrival, Prospero, by virtue of his art, released many good spirits that Sycorax had imprisoned in the bodies of large trees, because they had refused to execute her wicked commands. These gentle spirits were ever after obedient to the will of Prospero. Of these, Ariel was the chief. 3. The lively little sprite Ariel had nothing mischie- vous in his nature, except that he rather took too much pleasure in tormenting an ugly monster called Caliban ; for he owed him a grudge because he was the son of his old enemy Sycorax. This Caliban Prospero found in the woods, a strange, misshapen thing, far less human in form than an ape. He took him home to his cell, and taught him to speak ; and Prospero would have been very kind to him, but the bad nature which Caliban inherited from his mother Sycorax would not let him learn anything good or useful ; therefore he was employed like a slave, to fetch wood, and do the most laborious offices ; and Ariel had the charge of compelling him to do these ser- vices. 4. When Caliban was lazy and neglected his work, Ariel, who was invisible to all eyes but Prospero' s, would come slyly and pinch him, and sometimes tumble him down in the mire ; and then Ariel, in the likeness of an ape, would make mouths at him ; then, swiftly changing his shape, in the likeness of a hedgehog, he would lie tumbling in Caliban's way, who feared the hedgehog's sharp quills would prick his bare feet. With a variety of such like vexatious tricks Ariel would often torment him, whenever Caliban neglected the work which Pros- pero commanded him to do. FOURTH READER. Ill 5. Having these powerful spirits* obedient to his will, Prospero could, by their means, command the winds and the waves of the sea. By his orders they raised a violent storm, in the midst of which, and struggling with the wild sea waves, that every moment threatened to swallow it up, he showed his daughter a fine large ship, which, he told her, was full of living beings like themselves. " Oh, my dear father," said she, " if by your art you have raised this dreadful storm, have pity on their sad distress. See ! the vessel will be dashed to pieces ! Poor souls ! they will all perish. If I had power, I would sink the sea beneath the earth, rather than that the good ship should be destroyed, with all the precious souls within her ! " 6. " Be not so amazed, daughter Miranda," said Pros- pero ; " there is ho harm done. I have so ordered it that no person in the ship shall receive any hurt. What I have done has been in care of you, my dear child. You are ignorant who you are, or where you came from ; and you know no more of me, but that I am your father, and live in this poor cave. Can you remember a time before you came to this cell ? I think you can not, for you were then not three years of age." 7. " Certainly I can, sir," replied Miranda. " By what ? " asked Prospero ; "by any other house, or person ? Tell me what you can remember, my child." Miranda said : " It seems to me like the recollection of a dream ; but had I not once four or five Avomen who attended upon me ? " Prospero answered : " You had, and more. How is it that this still lives in your mind 1 Do you remember how you came here ? " " No, sir," said Miranda ; " I remember nothmg 112 FOURTH READER. 8. " Twelve years ago, Miranda," continued Prospero, " I was Duke of Milan, and you were a princess and my only heir. I had a younger brother, whose name was An- tonio, to whom I trusted everything ; and, as I was fond of retirement and deep study, I commonly left the man- agement of my state affairs to your uncle, my false broth- er (for so, indeed, he proved). I, neglecting all worldly ends, buried among my books, did dedicate my whole time to the bettering of my mind. 9. " My brother Antonio, being thus in possession of my power, began to think himself the duke indeed. The opportunity I gave him of making himself popular among my subjects awakened in his bad nature a proud ambition to deprive me of my dukedom. This he soon effected with the aid of the King of Naples, a powerful prince, who was my enemy." " Wherefore," said Miranda, " did they not that hour destroy us ? " 10. " My child," answered her father, " they durst not, so dear was the love that my people bore me. An- tonio carried us on board a ship, and, when we were some leagues out at sea, forced us into a small boat, without either tackle, sail, or mast. There he left us, as he thought, to perish ; but a kind lord of my court, one Gonzalo, who loved me, had privately placed in the boat water, pro- visions, apparel, and some books, which I prize above my dukedom." " Oh, my father," said Miranda, " what a trouble I must have been to you then ! " 11. " No, my love," said Prospero ; " you were a little cherub that did preserve me. Your innocent smiles made me bear up against my misfortunes. Our food lasted FO URTH READER. 1 1 3 till we landed on this desert island, since which time my chief delight has been in teaching you, Miranda ; and well have you profited by my instructions." " Heaven thank you, my dear father ! " said Miranda. " Now, pray tell me, sir, your reason for raising this sea storm." " Know, then," said her father, " that by means of this storm my enemies, the King of Naples and my cruel brother, are cast ashore upon this island." 12. Having so said, Prospero gently touched his daughter with his magic wand, and she fell fast asleep ; for the spirit Ariel just then presented himself before his master to give an account of the tempest, and how he had disposed of the ship's company ; and, though the spirits were always invisible to Miranda, Prospero did not choose she should hear him holding converse, as would seem to her, with the empty air. For Preparation. — I. This, and the following selections from the " Tales from Shakespeare," written by Charles Lamb and his sister Mary, give the greater part of the story forming the plot of Shakespeare's *' Tem- pest." There are difficult passages in the piece, but the study necessary to master them will be rewarded. Some pupils, perhaps, will be induced to read at a future time the great drama of Shakespeare itself, II. Is'-land (!'-), chief -ly, mis'-chie-voiis (-che-vus), -eom-pSl'-ling, dr^ad'-ful, heir (dr), bur'-ied (ber'-), leagueg (legz), troii'-ble, a-gainst' (-genst), wand, Pros'-pe-ro, Sy-e'-o-rax, A'-ri-el, Mil'-an, Gon-zii'-lo. III. Make a list of the action-words in the first two paragraphs, and write out four forms of each (e. g., is, are, was, being ; comes, come, came, coming ; has, have, had, having ; lives, live, lived, living ; makes, make, made, making). IV. Apartments, chance, enchanted, witch, obedient, sprite, torment- ing, " owed grudge," misshapen, ape, inherited, invisible, threatened, perish, precious, amazed, harm, recollection, *' state affairs," dedicate, possession, popular, subjects, ambition, apparel, prize, cherub, preserve, converse. 1 1 4 FOURTH READER. V. " Treated of magic " (treated of an art which pretended to control the forces of nature). " A study much affected " (then much in fashion). " Four or five women who attended upon me " (V). Note the statement above (1), "had no memory of having seen," etc. XLI.— THE TEMPEST (Continued). 1. " Well, my brave spirit," said Prospero to Ariel, " how have you performed your task ? " Ariel gave a lively description of the storm, and of the terrors of the mariners; and how the king's son, Ferdinand, was the first who leaped into the sea, and his father thought he saw this dear son swallowed up by the waves and lost. " But he is safe," said Ariel, " in a cor- ner of the isle, sitting with his arms folded sadly, lament- ing the loss of the king his father, whom he concludes drowned. Kot a hair of his head is injured ; and his princely garments, though drenched in the sea waves, look fresher than before." 3. " That's my delicate Ariel ! " said Prospero. " Bring him hither: my daughter must see this young prince. Where are the king and my brother ? " " I left them," answered Ariel, " searching for Ferdi- nand, whom they have little hopes of finding, thinking they saw him perish. Of the ship's crew, not one is missing, though each one thinks himself the only one saved ; and the ship, though invisible to them, is safe in the harbor." 3. " Ariel," said Prospero, " thy charge is faithfully performed ; but there is yet more work." " Is there more work ? " said Ariel. " Let me remind you, master, you have promised me my liberty. I pray, The Prince followed with amazement the sound of Ariel's voice, till ro, I seek), residence, mechanically turned (having a taste for inventing mechanical contrivances), lawn (what two meanings?), mathematical computation (i. e., by multiplication : twice round the thumb = once round the wrist ; twice round the wrist = once round the neck, etc.). V. The Lilliputians are one-twelfth the height of a man ; an inch with us corresponds to a foot with them, and so their yardstick measures about three inches, and their cloth is three inches wide. " Their mutton yields to ours " (is inferior). LIV.— COUNTRY. SCENES IN OLD TIMES. MORNING. 1. See, the day begins to break. And the light shoots like a streak Of subtile fire ; the wind blows cold While the morning doth unfold. FOURTH READER. 149 Kow the birds begin to rouse, And the squirrel from the boughs Leaps, to get him nuts and fruit ; The early lark, that erst was mute, Carols to the rising day Many a note and many a lay. 2. Shepherds, rise, and shake off sleep \ See, the blushing morn doth peep Through the windows ; while the sun To the mountain tops is run, Gilding all the vales below With his rising flames, which grow Greater by his climbing still. 3. Up, ye lazy swains ! and fill Bag and bottle for the field ; Clasp your cloaks fast, lest they yield To the bitter northeast wind. Call the maidens up, and find Who lies longest, that she may Be chidden for untimed delay ; Feed your faithful dogs, and pray - Heaven to keep you from decay ; So unfold, and then away. EVENING. 4. Shepherds all, and maidens fair, Fold your flocks up, for the air 'Gins to thicken, and the sun Already his great course hath run. See the dewdrops, how they kiss Every little flower that is. Hanging on their velvet heads Like a rope of crystal beads ! ISO FOURTH READER. 5. See the heavy clouds low-falling, And bright Hesperus down-calling The dead night from underground ; At whose rising, mists unsound. Damps and vapors, fly apace. Hovering o'er the wanton face • Of these pastures, where they come Striking dead both bud and bloom. 6. Therefore from such danger lock Every one his loved flock ; Let your dogs lie loose without, Lest the wolf come, as a scout From the mountain, and, ere day, Bear a kid or lamb away ; Or the crafty, thievish fox Break upon your simple flocks. 7. To secure yourself from these, Be not too secure in ease ; So shall you good shepherds prove. And deserve your master's love. . Now, good night ! may sweetest slumbers And soft silence fall in numbers On your eyelids ! So, farewell ! Thus I end my evening knell. /. Fletcher. For Preparation. — T. Hesperus (Venus, as evening star). In what country and at what season of the year are these scenes laid ? (Note the mountains, the lark, shepherds, bitter northeast wind, dogs, wolf, heavy clouds, fox, etc.) II. -€01111'- try, break, streak, rou§e, boughg (bouz), fruit (what sound has u after rf), car'-ol§, shSp'-herd§, (-erdz), through (throb), clirab'-ing (kUm'-), yield, faith'-ful, thick'-en (thlk'n), course, crys'-tal, hov'-er-ing, pas'-ture§, thiev'-ish, knell (nei). FOURTH READER. 1S1 III. Make a list of five action-words in this piece that end in ing (de- noting present time and continued action), and write out the other forms which they have (e. g., blushing, blushes, blush, blushed ; gilding, gilds, gild, gilded, etc.). In solemn style, there are forms in st and th (wast, doth). IV. Streak, " subtile fire," " morning doth unfold," erst, carols, lay, gilding, swain, chidden, decay, " air 'gins to thicken," " Hesperus down- calling the dead night " (called " dead " because it had been buried " under- ground " while the day lasted), "from underground" (i.e., from beyond the horizon in the east), " mists unsound " (unhealthy), " fly apace," scout, secure, " fall in numbers." V. In the first stanza of the above, what scene is described ? (the dawn.) In the second and third stanzas? (sunrise.) Note the use of the word " unfold" in the first and third stanzas. In shepherd dialect, this means to release the sheep from the pen. In the fourth verse (scene, evening), " fold up" is used of flocks in contrast to "unfold your flocks" in the morning scene. LV.— PERSEVERANCE OF A SPIDER. 1. I perceived, about four years ago, a large spider in one comer of my room, making its web ; and, though the maid frequently leveled her fatal broom against the labors of the little animal, I had the good fortune then to prevent its destruction, and, I may say, it more than paid me by the entertainment it afforded. 2. In three days the web was, with incredible dili- gence, completed; nor could I avoid thinking that the insect seemed to exult in its new abode. It often trav- ersed it round, and examined the strength of every part of it ; retired into its hole, and came out very frequently. The first enemy, however, it had to encounter, was an- other and much larger spider, which, having no web of its own, and having probably exhausted all its stock in former labors of this kind, came to invade the property of its neighbor. 152 FOURTH READER. 3. Soon a terrible encounter ensued, in which the invader seemed to have the victory ; and the laborious spider was obliged to take refuge in its hole. Upon this I perceived the victor using every art to draw the enemy from his stronghold. Pie seemed to go off, but quickly returned, and, when lie found all arts vain, began to demolish the new web without mercy. This brought on another battle, and, contrary to my expectations, the laborious spider became conqueror, and fairly killed his antagonist. 4. Now in peaceable possession of what was justly its own, it awaited three days with the utmost impa- tience, repairing the breaches of its web, and taking no sustenance that I could perceive. At last^ however, a large blue fly fell into the snare, and struggled hard to get loose. The spider gave it leave to entangle itself as much as possible, but it seemed to be too strong for the cobweb. 5. I must own I was greatly surprised when I saw the spider immediately sally out, and in less than a minute weave a new net around its captive, by which the motion of its wings was stopped ; and when it was fairly ham- pered in this manner, it was seized and dragged into the hole. 6. In this manner it lived, in a precarious state ; and Nature seemed to have fitted it for such a life, for upon a single fly it subsisted for more than a week. I once put a wasp into the net ; but when the spider came out in order to seize it as usual, upon perceiving what kind of an enemy it had to deal with, it instantly broke all the bands that held it fast, and contributed all that lay in its power to disengage so formidable an antago- nist. FOURTH READER. 153 7. I had now a mind to try how many cobwebs a sin- gle spider could furnish ; wherefore I destroyed this, and the insect set about another ; when I destroyed the other also, its whole stock seemed entirely exhausted, and it could spin no more. 8. The arts it made use of to support itself, now de- prived of its great means of subsistence, were indeed sur- prising. I have seen it roll up its legs like a ball, and lie motionless for hours together, but cautiously watching all the time ; when a fly happened to approach sufficiently near, it would dart out all at once, and often seize its prey. 9. Of this life, however, it soon began to grow weary, and resolved to invade the possession of some other spider, since it could not make a web of its own. It formed an attack upon a neighboring fortification with great vigor, and at first was as vigorously repulsed. Not daunted, however, with one defeat, in this manner it continued to lay siege to another's web for three days, and, at length having killed the defendant, actually took possession. 10. The insect I am now describing lived three years ; every year it changed its skin, and got a new set of legs. At first it dreaded my approach to its web ; but at last it became so familiar as to take a fly out of my hand, and, upon my touching any part of the web, would im- mediately leave its hole, prepared either for a defense or an attack. Oliver Goldsmith. For Preparation. — I. One of the many works that Goldsmith wrote was a " History of the Earth and Animated Nature." What do you under- stand by " animated nature " ? (all animals.) Would you suppose that the author of this piece was a poet, or only a man of science ? Contiast the style of this piece with that in Lesson XV. : how simple and natural the words and expressions are in this one; how difficult and unnatural the words in that ! 134 FOURTH READER, II. L6v'-eled (or levelled), in-erSd'-i-ble, dil'-i-genge, neigh'-bor (na'-), t6r'-ri-ble, per-^eived', siege, seize, prey (difference froni pray\ €6Q'-quer-or (kon'ker-er), pea^e'-a-ble (why e retained before able? compare changeable), ap-proach', blue. III. What does im mean in impatience ? — dis in disengage ? IV. Fatal broom, invade, demolish, antagonist, cobweb (co6, a word meaning spider\ precarious, subsisted, fortification, vigor, repulsed, daunted. V. What style is best adapted to the science of natural history ? (De- scription or narration ; not a dramatic style, for that would distract atten- tion from the details which ought to be observed.) LVI— THE OLD CLOCK ON THE STAIRS. 1. Somewhat back from the village street Stands the old-fashioned country seat ; Across its antique portico Tall poplar trees their shadows throw ; And from its station in the hall An ancient timepiece says to all : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " 2. Halfway up the stairs it stands, And points and beckons with its hands, From its case of massive oak, Like a monk, who, under his cloak, Crosses himself, and sighs, alas ! "With sorrowful voice to all who pass : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " 3. By day its voice is low and light ; But in the silent dead of night, Distinct as a passing footstep's fall, It echoes along the vacant hall. FOURTH READER. ISS Along the ceiling, along tlie floor, And seems to say, at each chamber door : '• Forever — never ! I^ever — forever ! " 4. Through days of sorrow and of mirth, Through days of death and days of birth, Through every- swift vicissitude Of changeful time, unchanged it has stood ; And as if, like God, it all things saw. It calmly repeats those words of awe : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " 5. In that nlansion used to be Free-hearted hospitality : His great fires up the chimney roared ; The stranger feasted at his board ; But, like the skeleton at the feast, That warning timepiece never ceased : " Forever — ^never ! Never — forever ! " 6. There, groups of merry children played ; There, youths and maidens, dreaming, strayed. O precious hours ! O golden prime. And affluence of love and time ! Even as a miser counts his gold, Those hours the ancient timepiece told : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " ^. From that chamber, clothed in white, The bride came forth on her wedding night ; 1S6 FOURTH READER. There, in that silent room below, The dead lay in his shroud of snow ; And in the hush that followed the prayer Was heard that old clock on the stair : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " 8. All are scattered now, and fled ; Some are married, some are dead ; And when I ask, with throbs of pain, " Ah ! when shall they all meet again, As in the days long since gone by ? " The ancient timepiece makes reply : " Forever — never ! [N^ever — ^forever ! " 9. I^ever here — forever there, Where all parting, pain, and care. And death, and time, shall disappear — Forever there, but never here ! The horologe of eternity Sayeth this incessantly : " Forever — never ! Never — forever ! " H. W. I^ngfellow. For Preparation. — I. See Lesson XLV. (Does this perhaps refer to Longfellow's residence ?) II. Stair§, slgh§ (siz), Qeil'-ing, door, Sv'-er-y, vi-Qis'-si-tude, cliange'-a-ble (why ge before dble?)^ -ealra'-ly (kSm'-), awe, geased, gone (gon), skel'-e-ton, chim'-ney. III. Why is a hyphen used in " old-fashioned " ? Make a list of ten name-words in this piece that end in s to denote more than one (e. g., trees, shadows, etc.). What do the marks " " before and after former indicate? What kind of a letter must be used at the beginning of the word God? Name other words to which the same rule will apply. What FOURTH READER. 157 does the s mean in sighs, beckons, stands, and es in crosses.^ Find other words to illustrate the same thing (present action). From ifs case : correct this phrase. IV. Find synonyms for affluence (wealth, abundance), horologe, man- sion, antique, ancient, vacant. V. " Skeleton at the feast " (in Egypt, a skeleton was placed at the table to remind all of death — death being the chief thought of the ancient Egyp- tian). Notice the kind of clock implied : one with a long case ; long pen- dulum, and consequent slow ticking ; room for the heavy weights to descend for a week before " running down " ; " ancient timepiece." Find the ac- cented syllables in the first stanza, and divide it into feet, marking it thus: Some'what | back' from the | village | street' Stands' the old- [ fash'ioned [ coun'try | seat'," etc. LVII.— GULLIVER AMONG THE GIANTS. 1. It was about twelve at noon, and a servant brought in dinner. It was only one substantial disli of meat (fit for the plain condition of a husbandman), in a dish of about f our-and-twenty feet diameter. The company con- sisted of the farmer and his wife, three children, and an old grandmother. When they were seated, the farmer placed me at some distance from him on the table, which was thirty feet high from the floor. 2. I was in a terrible fright, and kept as far as I could from the edge, for fear of falling. The wife minced a bit of meat, then crumbled some bread on a trencher, and placed it before me. I made her a low bow, took out my knife and fork, and fell to eating, which gave them exceeding delight. The mistress sent her maid for a small dram cup, which held about two gallons, and fllled it with drink. 3. I took up the vessel with much difficulty in both hands, and in a most respectful manner drank to her 158 FOURTH READER. ladyship's health, expressing the words as loudly as I could in English ; which made the company laugh so heartily, that I was almost deafened with the noise. This liquor tasted like a small cider, and was not un- pleasant. 4. Then the master made me a sign to come to his trencher side ; but, as I walked on the table, being in great surprise all the time, as the indulgent reader will easily conceive and excuse, I happened to stumble against a crust, and fell flat on my face, but received no hurt. 5. I got up immediately, and, observing the good people to be in much concern, I took my hat (which I held under my arm, out of good manners), and, waving it over my head, gave three huzzas, to show I had re- ceived no mischief by my fall. 6. On advancing toward my master (as I shall hence- forth call him), his youngest son, who sat next to him, an arch boy of about ten years old, took me up by the legs, and held me so high in the air that I trembled in every limb ; but his father snatched me from him, and at the same time gave him such a box on the left ear as would have felled a European troop of horse to the earth, and ordered him to be taken from the table. 7. Being afraid the boy might owe me a spite, and well remembering how mischievous all children among us naturally are to sparrows, rabbits, young kittens, and puppy dogs, I fell on my knees, and, pointing to the boy, made my master to understand as well as I could that I desired his son might be pardoned. The father complied, and the lad took his seat again ; whereupon I went to him and kissed his hand, which my master took, and made him stroke me gently with it. FOURTH READER. 159 8. In the midst of dinner, mv mistress's favorite cat leaped into her lap. I heard a noise behind me like that of a dozen stocking weavers at work ; and, turning m^^ head, I found it proceeded from the purring of that ani mal, who seemed to be three times larger than an ox, as 1 computed by the view of her head and one of her paws, while her mistress was feeding and stroking her. 9. The fierceness of this creature's countenance alto- gether discomposed me, though I stood at the farther end of the table, above fifty feet off, and though my mis- tress held her fast, for fear she might give a spring and seize me in her talons. But it happened that there was no danger, for the cat took not the least notice of me when my master placed me within three yards of her. 10. As I have been always told, and found true by experience in my travels, that flying, or discovering fear before a fierce animal, is a certain way to make it pursue or attack you, so I resolved, in this dangerous juncture, to show no manner of concern. 11. I walked with intrepidity five or six times before the very head of the cat, and came within half a yard of her ; whereupon slie drew herself back, as if she were afraid of me. I had less apprehension concerning the dogs, whereof three or four came into the room — as it is usual in farmers' houses — one of which was a mastiff, equal in bulk to four elephants, and a greyhound some- what taller than the mastiff, but not so large. Dean Swift. For Preparation. — I. From " The Voyage to Brobdingnag." Two months after Gulliver escaped from Lilliput and reached home, he goes to sea again, and, being driven by storm to the northeast of Asia, comes to an island inhabited by giants, as much larger than men as men are larger than Lilliputians. He is left on this island, and wanders into a field 160 FOURTH READER. of barley, the stalks of which are forty feet high. He is found by one of the reapers, and is eariied home by the farmer, who places him on the table at dinner, as described in the piece. II. Tgr'-ri-ble, fright (frit), knife c°if), dgaf'-ened (defnd), mis'- chief (-chif). III. Correct : " The company was the farmer and his wive, three childs^ and an old grandmothers " ; — " Me keeped away from the edge of table " ; — " I took two knifes " ; — " His son set next to him." What is the difference between " three times larger than an ox " and *' three times as large as an ox"? IV. Substantial, husbandman (farmer), trencher (wooden plate), small cider (not strong), " in great surprise " (filled with wonder), indulgent, " in much concern " (fearful that I was hurt), " an arch boy," pardoned, com- plied, computed (reckoned or estimated, judging of her entire size by what he could see of her), discomposed (made nie uneasy), talons (do we apply the name talons to the claws of cats, or only to those of birds ?), *' discovering fear" (showing fear), juncture (occasion), intrepidity, apprehension. V. Write out the last three paragraphs, using your own language (If you read the whole story, you will see how absurd some of man's political arrangements seem, when you look at them from the point of view of a giant — e. g., man's customs in regard to war, etc.). LVIII.— THE COMPOUND SLIDES. The union of the simple rising and falling slides forms the " compound slide." If the voice falls first and rises last, it is called the "rising compound" slide, and is marked thus {''). If the voice rises first and falls last, it is called the " falling compound " slide, and is marked thus ( ^ ). EXAMPLES. If a friend says, " Do you like' this work ? " you an- swer, when you speak sincerely, with the straight slides, " Yes\ very much' ; it is fine' ! — charming^ ! " But if you wish to make sport of it, or to be sarcastiG, you say, " Oh'' ! it is finer'' than I expected'' of you'P FOURTH READER. 161 " Xow, haven't'' you made a nice^ piece of work of it ! You're define" workman' ! You deserve a prize^ ! " Irony (saying one thing with the words, and another quite opposite thing with the voice) is a kind of double speaking, and therefore requires the double or compound slides. So does punning, which plays on the double meaning of words. " To charm the fish he never spoke, Although his voice was fine ; He found the most convenient way Was just to drop -a -line".'''' " Truly, sir, aW that I live by is with the awV.^^ Sir Peter Teazle— ''Yqvj well, ma'am, very well! So a husband is to have no influence — no authority ! " Lady Teazle — '' Authority^ 'I No", to be sure! If you wanted authority^ over me, you should have adopted" me, and not married'' me; I am sure you were old^ enough." In the last example Lady Teazle is ridiculing the idea of authority. Hence the use of the compound slides. " I give you a hundred dollars'." There are few per- sons so dull of ear or sense as not to know the difference between this positive assertion, which the simple falling slide gives, that they are to have a gift of a hundred dol- lars, and the scornful surprise, which the rising com- pound slide gives, that they are foolish enough to expect it : " / give" you' a hundred/ dollars' f " Thus we see that the sense and spirit of what is read often depend 11 162 FOURTH READER. more on the tones of the voice for their expression than on the words. If we now generalize this lesson, we have for the use of simple and compound slides these suggestive principles : Sincere, honest, simple ideas should be read with THE "simple slides." Jesting, sarcasm, ridicule, scorn, irony, etc., should LIX.— SUMMER WIND. 1. It is a sultry day ; the sun has drunk The dew that lay upon the morning grass ; There is no rustling in the lofty elm That canopies my dwelling, and its shade Scarce cools me. 2. All is silent save the faint And interrupted murmur of the bee, Settling on the thick flowers, and then again Instantly on the wing. 3. The plants around Feel the too potent fervors ; the tall maize Rolls up its long, green leaves ; the clover droops Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms. But far in the fierce sunshine tower the hills. With all the growth of woods, silent and stern, As if the scorching heat and dazzling light Were but an element they loved. 4. Bright clouds, Motionless pillars of the brazen heaven — FOURTH BEADEE. 163 Their bases on tlie mountains, their white tops Shining in the far ether — fire the air With a reflected radiance, and make turn The gazer's eyes away. 6. For me, I lie Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf, Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun. Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind That still delays its coming. 6. Why so slow, Gentle and voluble spirit of the air ? Oh, come and breathe upon the fainting earth Coolness and life ! T. Is it that in his caves He hears me ? See, on yonder woody ridge. The pine is bending his proud top, and now, Among the nearer groves, chestnut and oak Are tossing their green boughs about. He comes ! Lo ! where the grassy meadow runs in waves ! The deep, distressful silence of the scene Breaks up with mingling of unnumbered sounds And universal motion. 8. He is come, Shaking a shower of blossoms from the shrubs. And bearing on their fragrance ; and he brings Music of birds, and rustling of young boughs. And sound of swaying branches, and the voice Of distant waterfalls. 9. All the green herbs Are stirring in his breath ; a thousand flowers, 164 FOURTH READER. By the roadside and the borders of the brook, Nod gayly to each other ; glossy leaves Are twinkling in the sun, as if the dew Were on them yet ; and silver waters break Into small waves and sparkle as he comes. William Cullen Bryant. For Preparation. — I, Who is the author of this piece ? Did he not live in the city ? Who describe country scenery best : those who live in the country constantly, or those who come from the city to visit the country ? Compare this with Lesson XXXIX. in regard to season described, tone of sadness or of joy, and in regard to the images of nature called up. II. Copy, with diacritical marks, the following words, dividing them into syllables, indicating the accent, and explaining peculiari- ties of spelling, as in Lesson XXXIV. : Maize {ai for a), daz'-zling (02), h6av'-en (hev'n) {ea for e), fierce {ie for e), eye (T), breathe, chest- nut (silent <), oak, boughg (bouz), mSad'-ow§ {ea for e and ow for iJ), scene {sc for «), blSs'-somg, gay'-ly (written also gaily)., sway'-ing («y before i). III. Explain the change from canopy to canopies ; — the '» in gazer's ; — the s in waves ; — the omission of the hyphen in roadside and waterfalls ; — the meaning of un in w/mumbered ; — of ful in distress/wZ. IV. Define or give synonyms for potent, fervors (too potent fervors= too powerful heat), foliage, canopies, ether, radiance, languidly, voluble, blooms (blossoms), as they are used in the poem. V. How do you distinguish poetry from prose ? (By its rhythm, or reg- ular succession of feet, each foot being composed of accented and unac- cented syllables. '* It is' a swf-try day' ; the sun has drunk' ^'' etc. : here there are five feet to each line, and each foot has two syllables, one accented and one unaccented.) Point out the feet of the third and fourth lines. (Besides the rhythm of a poem, there is also requisite a peculiar style of expression. Inanimate or lifeless things are conceived and described as living and acting like persons [personification] ; and persons, on the other hand, are compared with things and natural forces [metaphor] ; things are likewise compared with other things, as, in section 4, " bright clouds " are called " motionless pillars." Thus, the poet finds similarity or likeness of things to persons, and of things to things. He looks upon the world as filled with resemblances— one thing reflecting FOURTH READER. 168 another, somewhat as a mirror reflects the objects before it. But rhythm, or meter, and personification and metaphor, are only the materials out of which poetry is made, just as a temple is made of hewn stone. There is a central thought in a poem, and these materials are used for its expres- sion, just as the hewn stone is used to fill up and make solid the outlines of the temple. The central thought or subject of this poem is the summer wind — the suffering condition of animals and plants without it, and the refreshment of all upon its arrival.) "The sun has drunk" (section 1) — in what sense does the sun drink the dew ? Point out the objects per- sonified in sections 6 to 9, and name the words which indicate the personifi- cation (as "his," of pine, section 7; "voice" of waterfalls, section" 8). Why " sick " flowers ? (section 3.) Why " brazen " heavens ? (section 4.) Bryant's poetry is noted for the freshness and reality of its treatment of nature. Select the passage which you think to be most true to nature ; — the passage which you think to be the best poetry. LX.— DANIEL BOONE. 1. The most remarkable of all the attempts to people the Western country, during the period just preceding the Revolutionary War, was made by Colonel Daniel Boone, of Korth Carolina. He was a great hunter, and had rambled in the forests of the " mighty West " sev- eral years before he ventured, in defiance of wild beasts and still wilder men, to take up his residence there. 2. He first left home, in company with six other ad- venturers, in 1769. Kentucky was found to be a fine place for hunting the buffalo. At length he and a com- panion of the name of Stuart were taken prisoners by the Indians. They escaped, and found their way back to their camp ; but it had been plundered, and the rest of the company were dispersed. 3. Soon after this his brother and one other man joined him, so that the company was increased to four. 166 FOURTH READ En. Stuart was soon after killed by the Indians, and the other man by wolves, so that Boone and his brother alone re- mained. They, however, built themselves a cottage of poles and bark, and wintered there. 4. In May, 1770, the brother of Boone returned to North Carolina, in order to procure a recruit of horses and ammunition, leaving him entirely alone, and, as he himself says, "without bread, salt, or sugar, or even a horse or a dog." The preceding winter, in one of his rambles, he narrowly escaped the savages. But he was one of those men who, like Washington, seem spared for special purposes. 5. His brother returned to him late in July, and they spent the rest of the year and the following winter there. During this time they discovered and gave names to the principal rivers of the country. The whole region seemed to them a paradise, and in March, 1771, they returned home to bring their families with them. 6. In September, 1773, they set out for Kentucky. Five other families had, by their representations, been induced to join them. Foi-ty men also joined them at Powell's Ferry, on the road. Soon after this they were attacked by the Indians, and six of the party slain, among whom was Boone's eldest son. Their cattle also were scattered. 7. They retreated forty miles to a settlement on Clinch River, where they left their families. From this time, for nearly two years, Boone was employed in surveying the country, and in building roads and forts. Among the rest, they built a fort at a place which they called Boones- borough. He removed his family to the fort in June, 1775, about the time of the battle of Lexington. FOURTH READER. i67 8. This is supposed to have been the first permaDent settlement in Kentucky — then a part of Virginia — though two others were made not far from the same time. The wife and daughter of Colonel Boone were, as he says, the first w^hite women that ever stood on the banks of Ken- tucky River. 9. But this settlement was not made without great peril. Several times did the Indians attack Boone's party during the journey from Clinch River to Boonesborough. Five of the company were killed, and as many wounded. Others were slain after their arrival. The daughter of Boone was even carried off by the savages in 1776, but her father recovered her. 10. The whole life of this father of Kentucky is event- ful and interesting. We can only add here, that he re- mained in his favorite State, though often much exposed and once taken prisoner, till 1798, when he removed, with a large train of relatives and friends, to Missouri, where he spent his days in hunting and trapping. He died in 1822, at the age of eighty-five. ^S'. G. Goodrich. For Preparation. — I. Explain what is alluded to by " Revolutionary War" (1);—" battle of Lexington " (7) (Bunker Hill is meant). Daniel Boone was born February 11, 1*735, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. Locate on the map Boone's birthplace; — the Yadkin River, S. C. (whither he went in 1753); — Clinch, Powell's, and Kentucky Rivers (and tell into what each flows) ; — Boonesborough (eighteen miles southeast of Lexington, Ky.) ; — also Booneville and the Femme Osage River, Missouri (whither he removed). Stuart (spelled Stewart elsewhere). II. Indicate spelling and pronunciation (by diacritical marks, as in Lesson XXXIV.) of the following words, and explain their peculiarities: Re-eruit' {ui for w), whole (hoi), at-tacked' (not at- tackted), dangh'-ter (daw'-), pri§'-on-er (priz'n-er), -eolo'-nel (k(ir'-nei), re-moved'. (Besides unusual combinations of vowels and consonants to represent elementary sounds, e. g., eo for e in people, sc for s 168 FOURTH READER. in scene, or silent letters, there are short and obscure vowel sounds in unaccented syllables, which render it difficult to tell whether the vowel should be *, ^, or u: I is represented by y^ ui, u, ei, e, ee, ie, ia, 6>, ai, oi ; e by ea, ai, cp, a, ei, eo, ie, w, ue ; u by o, ou, oo, oe.) in. "Mighty West" — explain capital and quotation marks ; eldest — explain est. In section 9, change the place of the word even, and notice the effect on the meaning of the sentence (place it successively after daughter, Boone, oflf, savages). IV. Define and substitute synonyms or phrases of your own for defiance, residence (1), ammunition (4), paradise (5), surveying (7), permanent (8), favorite, trapping (9). V. Why is the life of Boone said to be " eventful and interesting " ? (10.) Select the two most interesting events mentioned in the lesson. Contrast these with others mentioned, and give reasons for your choice. LXI.— AFTERNOON IN FEBRUARY. 1. The day is ending, The night is descending ; The marsh is frozen, The river dead. 2. Through clouds like ashes, The red sun flashes On village windows That glimmer red. 3. The snow recommences ; The buried fences Mark no longer The road o'er the plain ; 4. While through the meadows, Like fearful shadows, Slowly passes A funeral train. FOURTH READER. 169 6. The bell is pealing, And every feeling Within me responds To the dismal knell. 6. Shadows are trailing, My heart is bewailing And tolHng within Like a funeral bell. H. W. Longfellow. For Preparation. — I. What pieces of this author have you read be- fore? (Lessons XXVI., XXXIII., XLV., LVI.) II. De-sg6nd'-ing, viF-lage, glim'-mer, mSad'-ow§, di§'-mal, kn611 (nel). III. What force has er in longer ? — es in ashes ? — es in passes ? — en in frozen ? IV. Trailing, responds, bewailing. V. " The river dead " — why does it seem dead ? (frozen.) Note the description of outward nature (all wintry, gloomy, and forlorn), and the correspondence of the world without to the internal feelings of the heart, as stated in the last stanza. Compare the composition of the above piece, in this respect, with that of Lesson XXXIII. LXII.— THE SOLDIER'S REPRIEVE. EXAMPLE OF NOBLE PATHOS AND TENDERNESS. PART I. " I thought, Mr. Allan, when I gave my Bennie" to his country.^ that not a father in all this broad land^ made so precious' a gift — no, not one\ The dear hoy only slept a minute', just one little minute', at his post'. I 'know' that was all, for Bennie never dozed' over a duty' . How jprompt and reliable^ he was ! I know^ he only slept 170 FOURTH READER, one Utile second^ ; — ^he was so young^, and not st/rong^^ that hoy of mine ! Why, lie was as tall' as /\ and only eight- een' ! And now they shoot' him — because he was found asleep" when doing sentiner-dutj. ' Twenty-four hoursV the telegram said . Only twenty-four hours'' ! W-h-e-r-e i-s^ Bennie n-o-w"" f " " We will hope, with his Heavenly' Father ^^^ said Mr. Allan, soothingly. " Yes, yes" ; let us hope^. God'' is very mercifuV ! * I should be ashamed\ father,' Bennie said, * when I am a marC^ to think I never used this great right arm ' (and he held it out so proudly before me") ' for my country^, when it needed' it. P-a-l-sy' it, rather than keep it at ihQplow'.'' ' Go\ then — go', my boy,' I said, 'and God keep" you ! ' God has'' kept him, I think", Mr. Allan." " Like the apple of his eye\ Mr. Owen ; doubt it not\^^ Little BlossorrC sat nearthem, listening, with blanched cheek. She had not shed a tear. Her anxiety had been so concealed that no one had noticed' it. Now she an- swered a gentle tap at the kitchen door, opening it to receive a tetter^ from a neighbor's hand. "It is from A^^?^'," was all she said. It was like a message from the dead" ! Mr. Owen tooTc the letter, but could not hreaJz the envelope on ac- count of his tremhling fingers, and held it toward Mr. Allan", with the helplessness of a child\ The minister opened it, and read as follows : — " Dear Father' : When this reaches yoio — I^shall — he in — eternity\ At first it seemed a-w-fid" to me ; but I have thought about it so much now', that it has no terror\ They say they will not hind' me nor hlind' me, but that I may meet my death like a man'. I thought, FOURTH READER. 171 father", it might have been on the hattle'field for my country\ and that, when I fell", it would be f-i-g-h-t-ing g-l-o-r-irously^ 'j but to be shot down like a dog^ for nearly 'betraying'' it — to die for neglect- of - duty ! — oA, father .^ I wonder the very thougJif does not TtilV me ! But I shall not disgrace you^. I am going to write you all about^ it ; and, when /- am - gone', you may tell my com- rades^. I can not now\ You know I promised Jimmie Carr's^ mother^ I would loo¥ after her boy ; and, when he fell sick', I did all I could^ for him. He w^as not strong when ordered back into the ranks, and the day before that night I carried all his' luggage, besides my own., on our march. Toward night we went in on douhle- quich\ and though the luggage began to feel very heavy', everybody else' was tired too'. And as for Jimmie", if I had not lent him an arm' now and then, he would have dropped^ by the way\ I was all-tieed-out^ when we went into camp, and then it was Jimmie^ s^ turn to be sentry'^, and T -would -t2ikQ- his- plaxie'^ ; but I was too tired\ father. I could not have kept awahe' if a gun" had been pointed at my head ; but I did not know it untir — well — until' -it- was too late\" " God he thanked ■ ! " said Me. Owen. " I haew'' Bennie was not the boy to sleep' carelessly at his post'." " They tell me, to-day, that I have a short reprieve^ — ' time to write to yov)^ our good colonel says. Forgive^ him, father" ; he only does his duty ; he would gladly save me if he could^ And do not lay my death up against Jimmie'. The poor boy is hroJcen-hearted\ and does nothing but leg -and -entreat them to let h-i-m' die in m-y stead. " I can't hear to think of mother' and Blossom'. Com- roET^ them, father! Tell them I die as a hrave^ hoy 172 FOURTH READER. should, and that, when the war is ove7', they will not be ashamed^ of me, as they must be now\ God help' me; it is" very hard' to bear ! Good-by \ father ! God^ seems near^ and dear to me, as if he felt sorry" for his jpoor^ hroken-hearted child", and would take me to be with hirri' — in a l)etter\ better^ life. " To-night I shall see the cows' all coming home from pasture', and precious little Blossom' standing on the back stoop, waiting' for me; but — I" — shall never" — never" — coME^ ! God' BLEss^ you all ! Forgive^ your ^oor Bennie\" PART n. Late that night a little figure glided down the foot- path toward the Mill Depot\ The conductor, as he reached down to lift her into the car", wondered ^ at the ^^fl^/'-stained face that was upturned toward the dim lan- tern^ he held in his hand. A few questions and ready answers told hira aW^ and no father^ could have cared more tenderly for his only child \ than he for our little Blossom'. She was on her way to Washington^ to ask President Lincoln^ for her hrother^s life'. She had brought Bennie's letter^ with her; no good^ hind heart, like the Presidents', could refuse to be melted ' by it. The next morning they reached New York", and the conductor hurried her on to Washington\ Every min- ute\ now, might be the means of sa/t)ing' her 'brother'' s Ufe^. The President had but just seated himself to his evening's task", when the door softly opened", and Blos- som'., with downcast eyes and folded hands, stood before him. FOURTH READER. 173 " Well', my childV' be said, in his pleasant, cheerful tones, " what do you' want f " '' Bennie'sjA'Fv)^p-l-e-a-s-e\ sir," faltered Blossom. " Bennie' ! Who is" Bennie % " " My l)rother\ sir. They are going to shoof him for sleeping'' at his^<95^\" " Oh, yes^ ; I remember. It was a fatal^ sleep. You see, child, it was a time of special danger". Thousands^ of lives might have been lost by his negligence" T " So my father^ said," replied Blossom, gravely. " But poor - Bennie was s-o - t-i-r-e-d\ sir, and Jimmie so wea¥. He did the work of two\ sir, and it was Jimmie' s"" night, not his ; but Jimmie was too tired\ and Bennie never thought about himself \ that he' was tired too' P " What is this you say', child ? Come here^ ; I do not understand'." And the kind man, as ever, caught eagerly at what seemed to be d^ justification^ of an offense. Blossom went to him. He put his hand tenderly on her shoulder, and turned up the pale, anxious face toward liis\ How taW he seemed ! And he was President of the United 8tates\ too ! A dim thought of this kind passed for a moment through Blossom's mind" ; but she told her simple, straightforward story\ and handed Ben- nie's letter^ to Mr, Lincoln to read. He read it carefulhf ; then, taking up his pen, wrote a few hasty lines and rang his bell. Blossom heard this order^ given : " Send this dispatch at once\" The President then turned to the girl, and said : " Go home"", my child, and tell thd^t father^ of yours, who could approve his country^ s sentence, even when it took the life of a child like that", that Abraham Lincoln thinks tlie life 174 FOURTH READER. far too precious' to be lost. Go back\ or — wait until to- morrow' ; Bennie' will need a chamge after he has so hravely faced death" ; he^ shall go with you." " God bless' you, sir ! " said Blossom. Two days after this interview, the young soldier^ came to the White House with his little sister\ He was called into the President's private room, and a strap" fastened upon his shoulder. Mr. Lincoln then said : " The soldier that could carry a sick comrade'' s haggage', and die"" for the act so uncomplainingly, deserves well' of his country'" P Then Bennie and Blossom took their way to their Green - Mountain - home\ A crowd" gathered at the Mill Depot to welcome' them back ; and, as Farmer Owen^s hand grasped that of his hoy, tears' flowed down his cheeks, and he was heard to say fervently, " The Lord^ BE praised' ! " Mrs. R. D. C. RohUm. LXIII.— THE TALENTS. 1. The kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one : to every man ac- cording to his several ability ; and straightway took his journey. 2. Then he that had received the ^yq talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five tal- ents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 3. After a long time the lord of those servants com- eth, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had re- FOURTH READER. 178 ceived five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, tliou deliveredst unto me five talents : be- hold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the jo J of thy lord. 4. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, 1 have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him. Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 5. Then he which had received the one talent came and said. Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed : and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. Lo, there thou hast that is thine. 6. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed : thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the ex- changers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 7. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew, Chapter XXV. 176 FOURTH READER. For Preparation. — I. How much, in our money, is the value of the talent as used in Judea in the time of Christ? ($1,645 to $1,916.) Our word " talent," as meaning mental endowment, is derived from the figura- tive application made in this parable. All words relating to the mind, or to what is spiritual, are derived by the same process from words used first for material things. II. Gnash'-ing (nash'-), straight'-way (strat'-), jotir'-ney, brought (brawt), a-fraid', ^n'-swered (-serd). III. Likewise {wise meaning manner, or guise, in this word, as also in othermse and lengthi^we). " Sown " and " strewed " — what two ways of indicating past time or completed action, illustrated in these words ? Note the use of " which " (5 and 6), referring to " him " and " he." What word do we use to refer to persons ? (who.) Note also the use of " that " ("thou hast that is thine "). (The style of the Bible is that of good English of the time of the settlement of this country by the English — 1600 to 1630.) Make a list of expressions that are no longer used — e. g , " unto one," " straight- way took," "he that" for "he who," "other two," "cometh" {eth = s, denoting present time and continued action), "thou deliveredst" (st to with tIiou\ " behold," " thee," " mine own," "an hard," etc. IV. Slothful, unprofitable. V. What figure of speech is used in the parable ? (The allegory is a con- tinued metaphor, wherein imaginary events are told as though they were realities, but with the unexpressed intention that a figurative application shall be made of them. The parable is a continued simile, the figurative application being expressly stated : " The kingdom of heaven is as [like] a man traveling," etc.) Do faculties of the mind — memory, attention, power of thought — all increase by frequent use ? Does one's character improve by repetition of good acts ? Can we all increase the " talents " we have, by making good use of them ? LXIV.— SOLDIER, REST! 1. Soldier, rest ! Thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking ; Dream of battled fields no more. Days of danger, nights of waking. FOURTH READER. 177 2. In our isle's enchanted halL Hands unseen thy couch are strewing ; Fairy strains of music fall, Every sense in slumber dewing. 3. Soldier, rest ! Thy warfare o'er. Dream of fighting fields no more ; Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, Morn of toil, nor night of waking. 4. No rude sound shall reach thine ear, Armor's clang, or war-steed champing ; Trump nor pibroch summon here Mustering clan, or squadron tramping. 5. Yet the lark's shrill fife may come. At the daybreak, from the fallow, And the bittern sound his drum, Booming from the sedgy shallow. 6. Ruder sounds shall none be near ; Guards nor warders challenge here ; Here's no war-steed's neigh and champing. Shouting clans, or squadrons stamping. Sir Walter Scott. For Preparation. — T. This song is found in Scott's " Lady of the Lake," and is sung by the Lady of the Lake herself. What is a bittern ? — a lark ? In what country are they found ? What is a pibro-eh, and where used ? (The scene of this piece is a beautiful island in Loch Katrine, a lake of Scotland surrounded by woody hills ; on the south are Ben Venue and Aber- foyle, on the east Loch Achray, on the north the Trossachs, Ben Voirlich, Uam-Var, etc. See Lessons XX. and XXII. : the lady sings for the hunts- man there described, who is lost, and has wandered to this island. 178 FOURTH READER. II. War'-fare, break'-ing, bit'-tern, squad'- ron, neigh (na), chS,!- III. When would you use thy^ and when thou? (Note the use of " thy " and " thou," and words of this style, in modern poetry as well as in old English prose.) What is omitted in o'er? Why not say "sleep who knows not," etc., instead of " that knows not " ? Explain 's in isle's, ar- mor's, lark's, here's. IV. "Battled fields," clang, fallow (uncultivated land), clan, sedgy, champing. V. Contrast the first and second stanzas : the allusion to battle scenes in the former, and the quiet, peaceful surroundings of the latter. Make the same contrast between the third and fourth stanzas, and the fifth (the lark's fife instead of the soldier's fife, and the bittern's drum instead of the soldier's drum). Note the difference between squadrons (of the regular Scotch anny) and the " shouting clans " (of wild mountaineers, who strove to be independent). LXV.— BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 1. One of the Americans who rendered the greatest services to the liberty of their country was Dr. Benjamin Franklin. He was born in Boston in 1706, and was the son of a poor tallow chandler. When a boy, he learned the printer's trade ; at seventeen he left home, and estab- lished himself in Philadelphia. 2. He and a young partner began business with no capital, and felt very grateful to a friend whom they met in the street and who gave them a five-shilling job. Afterward they set up a newspaper, and published an almanac called " Poor Kichard's Almanac," which had a great circulation. They also dealt in all sorts of small wares — rags, ink, soap, feathers, and coifee. 3. Franklin was a great reader, and a great student of science, and especially of electricity. He formed the FOURTH READER. 179 theory that lightning and the electrical fluid are the same thing. This he said in a pamphlet, and some readers thought it a very absurd view. Then he resolved to prove it. He and his young son made a great kite of a silk handkerchief, fastened a piece of sharpened wire to the stick, and went out to fly the kite in a thunder- storm. 4. As the low thundercloud passed, the electric fluid came down the string of the kite. When Franklin touched a key that he had fastened to the string, his knuckles drew sparks from it, and proved that there was electricity there. This led him to invent the lightning rod, which is now in almost universal use. This discov- ery at once made him very famous in Europe, as well as in America. 5. He was afterward sent to England on a public mission, and remained there till the outbreak of the Revolution. Returning to America, he was one of the framers and signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was sent to France as ambassador, and aided in mak- ing the treaty with France which secured the independ- ence of the American colonies. 6. He was a man of the greatest activity, public spirit, and wit. He exercised great influence in all pub- lic affairs, and founded more good institutions and be- nevolent enterprises than any other American of his time. His last public act was to sign a memorial to Congress in behalf of the Philadelphia Antislavery So- ciety, of which he was president, asking the abolition of slavery. 7. He lived to the age of eighty-four, dying in 1790. The whole nation mourned when he died. Mirabeau, 180 FOURTH READER. then the leader of the French Assembly, called him "the sage whom two worlds claim as their own," and pro- posed that the Assembly should wear mourning on the arm for him during three days, w^hich was done. It was said of him after his death, by a celebrated French- man (Turgot), that " he snatched the lightning from the sky, and the scepter from tyrants ! " t, w. Higgimon. For Preparation. — I. From Higginson's " Young Folks' History of the United States." To whom is the word " Americans " applied ? Why not to Mexicans and Canadians ? The literature relative to the Revolutionary War fixed the word in a national meaning, partly from the difficulty of forming a descriptive word from the name of our nation (United Statesians !). II. Sgi'-enge, kniick'-le§ (nuk'iz), al'-ma-na€, out'-break, Mi-ra-beau' (-bo), Tur-got' (-go'). III. Make a list of ten abbreviations that you remember, and write opposite each the full word, thus : Dr. — Doctor; N. A. — North America; U. S. — United States ; Mo. — Missouri ; N. Y. — New York, etc. IV. Rendered, universal, famous, sage, memorial, " electric fluid " (is it really a "fluid "?), partner, capital (money, and other means, to carry on business), lightning rod, " Declaration of Independence." V. " With no capital " (2). Some capital was furnished by his partner. He withdrew in 1729, and Franklin afterward started the store and the al- manac alone. The famous experiment of Franklin " drew electricity from the clouds." Doubtless it can be drawn from the upper air on a cloudless day. Had the lightning really descended his kite string, it would have killed Franklin, as it did the Russian who undertook to repeat the experiment. LXVI.— THE THREE BLACK CROWS. Two honest tradesmen meeting in the Strand, One took the other briskly by the hand. " Hark ye," said he, " 'tis an odd story, this. About the crows ! " " I don't know what it is," FOURTH READER. 181 Replied his friend. " ]N"o ? I' in surprised at that. Where I come from, it is the common chat. 2. " But you shall hear — an odd affair, indeed ! And that it happened, they are all agreed. !N"ot to detain you from a thing so strange : A gentleman, who lives not far from 'Change, This week, in short, as all the Alley knows. Taking a vomit, threw up three black crows ! " 3. " Impossible ! " " ^ay, but 'tis really true ; I had it from good hands, and so may you." " From whose, I pray ? " So, having named the man, Straight to inquire his curious comrade ran : " Sir, did you tell — " (relating the affair). " Yes, sir, I did ; and, if 'tis worth your care, 'Twas Mr. Such-a-one who told it me. But, by the bye, 'twas two black crows — not three." 4. Resolved to trace so wondrous an event. Quick to the third the virtuoso went : " Sir — " (and so forth). " Why, yes — the thing is fact. Though, in regard to number, not exact : It was not two black crows^'twas only one. The truth of that you may depend upon : The gentleman himself told me the case." " Where may I find him ? " " Why, in such a place." 5. Away he went ; and, having found him out : " Sir, be so good as to resolve a doubt." Then to his last informant he referred, And begged to know if true what he had heard : 182 FOURTH READER. " Did you, sir, throw up a black crow ? " " l^oi I ! " " Bless me, how people propagate a lie ! Black crows hav^e been thrown up, three, two, and one; And here, I find, all comes at last to none ! 6. "Did you say anything of a crow at all ? " " Crow ? — crow? Perhaps I might, now I recall The matter over." " And pray, sir, what was't ? " " Why, I was horrid sick, and, at last, I did throw up — and told my neighbor so — Something that was as black, sir, as a crow ! " John Byrom. <( u For Preparation. — I. What locality is indicated by " the Strand " ? — 'Change " (Exchange) ?— " Alley " ? (Is it London ?) II. Two (t63), straight (strfit), €6m'-rade (kdm'rad), bfigged, pr6p'-a- gate, none (nfin). TIL Supply omission in His ; — meaning of im in impossible ; — of se in whose (like '«, it denotes possession). Of what is Mr. an abbreviation? What punctuation mark must always be placed after an abbreviation? Meaning of n in thrown? (like cc?, it denotes past or completed action.) "Horrid sick" — is this proper language to use? (Such expressions are called vulgarisms, or slang.) IV. " Curious comrade " (curious for anxious^ or inquiring), " by the bye," virtuoso, " and so forth " (stands for what remarks in the line where it occurs?), "such a place" (stands for the name of the locality given by the speaker), "resolve a doubt." V. Make a list of the different steps in reducing this street rumor to its foundation. Which party says, "Bless me, how people propagate a lie!" " All the Alley " — what is meant? FOURTH READER. 183 LXVII.— THE BIRTHDAY OF WASHINGTON. MARKED FOR LOGICAL ANALYSIS AND EMPHASIS. The Mrthday of the " Father of his Country ! " May it ever be freshly remeTribered by American Hearts ! May it ever reawaken in them a filial ven- eration for his memory ; ever rekindle the fires of patriotic regard for the country he loved so well ; to which he gave his youthful vigor and his youthful energy during the perilous period of the early Indian warfare ; to which he devoted his life in the maturity of his powers in the field j to which again he offered the counsels of his wisdom and his experience 2i^ presi- dent of the convention that framed our Constitution j which he guided and directed while in the chair of State ; and for which the last prayer of his earthly supplication was offered up, w^hen it came the moment for him so well, and so grandly, and so calmly to die. He was the first man of the time in which he grew. His memory is first and most sacred in our love ; and ever hereafter, till the last drop of hlood shall freeze in the last American heart, his name shall be a spell of power and of might. Yes, gentlemen, there is one personal, one vast felicity, which no man can share with him. It was the daily beauty and towering and matchless glory of his life which enabled him to create his country, and at the same time secure an undying love and regard from the WHOLE American people. " The first in the hearts of his countrymen r^ Undoubtedly there were hrave and wise and good men, before his day, in every colony. But the American nation, as a nation, I do not reckon to have begun before 1774. And the first love of that Young America was Washington. Ru/m Choate. 184 FOURTH READER. LXVIM.— THE BROOK. 1. I come from haunts of coot and hem,* 1 make a sudden sallj, And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley. 2. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the ridges. By twenty thoi-ps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. 3. I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles ; I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. 4. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river; For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. 6. I wind about, and in and out. With here a blossom sailing. And here and there a lusty trout. And here and there a grayling, 6. And here and there a foamy flake Upon me, as I travel, With many a silvery water break. Above the golden gravel. 7. I steal by lawns and grassy plots, I slide by hazel covers ; " I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles." (" The Brookr u. 184.) FOURTH READER. 18S I move the sweet forget-me-nots That grow for happy lovers. 8. I murmur under moon and stars In brambly wildernesses ; I linger by my shingly bars ; I loiter round my cresses. 9. And out again I curve and flow To join the brimming river ; For men may come and men may go. But I go on forever. Alfred Tennyson. For Preparation. — I. " The Brook : An Idyl," is the name that Tenny- son gives to the poem from which this is taken. The song of the brook winds along through the poem like a silver thread, suggesting melancholy memories to the poet, which he relates in longer and less musical lines that interrupt the song of the brook at irregular intervals. (The " Scene by the Brook," in Beethoven's " Pastoral Symphony," is suggested.) Let the pupil select the names of animals, and other things, that indicate the country in which the scene is laid. II. Haunts, loi'-ter, bridg'-e§, p6b'-ble. III. Copy the first stanza, and mark the feet and accented syllables. Change the order of the words in the second stanza, adding words where needed to make good prose. IV. Coot (a waterfowl), hern (heron), bicker (to quiver), thorps (small villages), eddying, cresses. V. What is " a sudden sally " ? " Little sharps and trebles " (it describes the tones of the chattering — in high, shrill tones). River (4) — why " brimming" ? Is the brook represented as being gay and chattering because it goes on forever, while men come and go, meet and part, and are sad in consequence ? What kind of a fish is a " grayling " ? " Hazel covers" (in England, the expression used by hunters to describe under- brush that covers or conceals game). " Shingly bars" (shallow places, with gravel — shingle — bottoms). 186 FOURTH READER. LXIX.— THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 1. And there followed liim great multitudes of peo- ple from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusa- lem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when he was set, his disciples came unto him : And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying : Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. Blessed are tlie meek : for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right- eousness : for they shall be filled. 2. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the king- dom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceed- ing glad : for great is your .reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 3. Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thence- forth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill can not be hid. jN'either do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. FOURTH READER. 187 4. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you. That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 5. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill ; and w^hosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment : but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. . . . Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brotlier hath aught against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. . . . 6. And if thy right eye offend thee, plu^k it out, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members shoulcL perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thv whole body should be cast into hell. ... Y. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time. Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths : but I say unto you. Swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; for it is God's 188 FOURTH READER. throne : nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your com- munication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 8. Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth : but I say unto you. That ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that ask- etli thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 9. Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine ememy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? do not even the publicans the same ? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew^ Chapter V. For Preparation. — I. Point out, on the map, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, Jordan River. What mountain (near Capernaum) did Christ as- cend ? Point out the passages known as " The Beatitudes " (1 and 2). FOURTH READER. 189 II. ^Jom-pSl', peo'-ple (pe'pl), moun'-tain (-tin), dis-Qi'-ple^, o'-pened (-pnd), mourn, right'-eous-uess (n'chiis-nes), taught (tawt), a-gainst' (-gensf), false'-ly, proph'-ets, noth'-ing, ful-filled'. III. Do you find the word its used anywhere in the Bible ? What word was used instead in the time when the Bible was translated? (3 : "if the salt have lost his savor,") What is our use of " his " ? Note the use of " which " for " who " and " that " (Lesson LXIII.) ; " an " (*' on an hill "). IV. Bushel, reconciled, multitudes, comforted, meek, inherit, merciful, obtain, persecuted, revile, reward, savor, trodden, glorify, destroy, jot, tittle, except, exceed, scribes, Pharisees, danger, judgment, altar, offend, pluck, profitable, perish, forswear, perform, oaths, communication, yea, nay, re- sist, smite, twain, borrow, despitefully, salute, perfect. V. Note, in the fifth paragraph, the distinction between legal and religious views. The law (enforced by the state, or the courts of the land) takes notice of a deed actually done, not of one merely wished to be done (hence it is called an " overt act," i. e., an open, public act); but religion takes cog- nizance of the frame of mind — the wish, or desire, or intention of the inmost heart — rather than of the overt act. The same distinction exists between sin and crime (crime — a breach of the law of the land ; sin — a breach of the law of God. Of course, some acts may be both sins and crimes, and some may be one or the other only). Note, further, the expiation of the two kinds of transgressions : crime being expiated by a definite limited punishment ; but sin being infinite in its nature, and not expiated by ex- ternal acts, but only escaped by internal repentance, which is met by mercy and pardon on the part of the lawgiver. So, in the ninth paragraph, the distinction between kindness, or love, which is good toward all men, and {a) politeness, which merely treats all with the external show of good feel- ing, Or (b) justice, which returns upon each his own deed — love for love, or hate for hate. LXX— THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (Continued). 1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them : otherwise ye have no reward of yonr Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Yerily I say unto you, 190 FOURTH READER. They have their reward. But when thou doest ahns, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth : that thine alms may be in secret : and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 2. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are : for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Yerily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret : and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do : for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 3. After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy king- dom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we ^forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is^the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you : but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 4. Moreover, when ye fast, be not, as the hyj)ocrites, of a sad countenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Yerily I say unto you. They have their reward. But thou, when thou fast- est, anoint thy head, and wash thy face ; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in FOURTH READER. 191 secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secrpt, shall re- ward thee openly. 5. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : but lay up for yourselves treas- ures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal ; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark- ness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness ! ;No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon. 6. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor ■yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ? And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin : and yet I say unto you. That ev^n Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 7. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith'? 192 FOURTH READER. Therefore t^-ke no thought, saying, What shall we eat ? or. What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? . . . For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufiicient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew, Chapter VI. For Preparation. — I. Who was Solomon ? People of what religion meet in synagogues ? " Mammon " — what is meant ? II. Hyp'-o-crites, 8yn'-a-g6gue§ (-gogz), alm§ (amz), pray'-est, ei'-ther, rai'-ment, sow, reap, 6v'-en (uv'n), h6av'-en (hgv'n), dfebts (dfitfl), tr6as'-ure§ (trfizh'urz). III. What meaning is given by e in men ? — capital F in Father ? — est in doest ? — ine in thine ? — ee in thee ? — y in thy ? — ih in seeth ? — ne in done ? — ill/ in daily ? — r in your ? — ies in lilies ? IV. Repetitions, hallowed, forgive, trespasses, reward, verily, secret, "eye be single," else, despise, arrayed, temptation, deliver, fast, disfigure, anoint, moth, rust, corrupt, morrow, sufficient. V. What do moths attack ? What things rust ? What is the origi- nal meaning of the word cubit, and what does it signify when used as a measure of length ? LXXI.— THE FIGHT OF PASO DEL MAR. . Gusty and raw was the morning ; A fog hung over the seas. And its gray skirts, rolling inland, Were torn by the mountain trees. No sound was heard but the dashing Of waves on the sandy bar. When Pablo of San Diego Rode down to the Paso del Mar= FOURTH READER. 198 2. The pescador, out in his shallop, Gathering his harvest so wide, Sees the dim bulk of the headland Loom over the waste of the tide ; He sees, like a white thread, the pathway Wind round on the terrible wall, Where the faint, moving speck of the rider Seems hovering close to its fall ! 3. Stout Pablo of San Diego Rode down from the hills behind ; With the bells on his gray mule tinkling, He sang through the fog and wind. Under his thick, misted eyebrows Twinkled his eye like a star. And fiercer he sang as the sea winds Drove cold on the Paso del Mar. 4. '^ow Bernal, the herdsman of Corral, Had traveled the shore since dawn, Leaving the ranches behind him : Good reason had he to be gone ! The blood was still red on his dagger, The fury was hot in his brain, And the chill, driving scud of the breakers Beat thick on his forehead in vain. 5. With his blanket wrapped gloomily round him, He mounted the dizzying road, And the chasms and steeps of the headland Were slippery and wet as he trode. Wild swept the wind of the ocean. Rolling the fog from afar, When near him a mule bell came tinkling, Midway on the Paso del Mar. 13 194 FOURTH READER. 6. " Back ! " shouted Bernal full fiercely, And " Back ! " shouted Pablo in wrath, As his mule halted, startled and shrinking, On the perilous line of the path. The roar of devouring surges Came up from the breakers' hoarse war ; And " Back, or you perish ! " cried Bernal ; '"• I turn not on Paso del Mar ! " 7. The gray mule stood firm as the headland ; He clutched at the jingling rein, When Pablo rose up in his saddle And smote till he dropped it again. A wild oath of passion swore Bernal, And brandished his dagger still red ; While fiercely stout Pablo leaned forward. And fought o'er his trusty mule's head. 8. They fought till the black wall below them Shone red through the misty blast. Stout Pablo then struck, leaning farther, The broad breast of Bernal at last ; And, frenzied with pain, the swart herdsman Closed round him with terrible clasp, And jerked him, despite of his struggles, Down from the mule in his grasp. 9. They grappled with desperate madness On the slippery edge of the wall ; They swayed on the brink, and together Reeled out to the rush of the fall ! A cry of the wildest death anguish Rang faint through the mist afar. And the riderless mule went homeward From the fight of the Paso del Mar ! ' Bayard Taylor. FOURTH READER. 19B For Preparation. — I. Find San Diego (de-a'go) (in California). " Paso del Mar " (Spanish, Pass of the Sea) ; *' pes-ca-dor' " (fisherman) ; " ranches " (rude huts of herdsmen, called " ranchos " by the Mexicans). II. Pa'-blo, moun'-tain (-tin), shal'-lop, tSr'-ri-ble, hov'-er-ing, twin'-kled (kid), f6re'-head (fdr'ed), diz'-zy-ing, de-vour'-ing, grap'- pled (-pid), slip'-per-y. III. What is denoted hy er in fiercer? — the7' in farther? {Thei\ ter, der, and similar forms, occur often in English and Latin, to denote that the word expresses something that stands in contrast to something else, or depends on it, a.s father is related to child, or under to over ; e. g., father, mother, brother, sister, under, sunder, further, hither, yonder ; Latin : ma- ter, pater, frater, contra, intra, etc. The syllable er is not so ancient a termination to denote comparison as ter and its kindred forms.) IV. Gusty, shallop, loom, " misted eyebrows," " scud of the breakers," swayed, " death anguish," swart. V. The figure of speech by which the fog has its gray skirts torn by the trees, is called what? (Personification.) Why are the fisherman's gainings called so wide a harvest ? LXXII.— ROBERT BRUCE AND THE SPIDER. 1. It was about the time when King Robert Bruce was in his greatest difficulties, that an incident took place which, although it rests only on tradition in families of the name of Bruce, is rendered probable bj the manners of the time. After receiving the last unpleasing intelli- gence from Scotland, Bruce was one morning lying on his wretched bed, and deliberating with himself whether he tad not better resign all thoughts of again attempting to make good his right to the Scottish crown, and, dis- missing his followers, transport himself and his brothers to the Holy Land, and spend the rest of his life iu fight- ing against the Saracens. 2. But then, on the other hand, he thought it would be both criminal and cowardly to give up his attempts to 196 FOURTH READER. restore freedom to Scotland, wliile there yet remained the least chance of his being successful in an undertaking which, rightly considered, was much more his duty than to drive the infidels out of Palestine, though the super- stition of his age might think otherwise. While he was divided between these reflections, and doubtful of what he should do, Bruce was looking upward to the roof of the cabin in which he lay, and his attention was attracted by a spider, which, hanging at the end of a long thread of its own spinning, was endeavoring, as is the fashion of that creature, to swing itself from one beam in the roof to another, for the purpose of fixing the line on which it meant to stretch its web. 3. The insect made the attempt again and again, with- out success ; and at length Bruce counted that it had tried to carry its point six times, and been as often unable to do so. It came into his head that he had himself fought just six battles against the English and their allies, and that the poor, persevering spider was exactly in the same situation with himself, having made as many trials and been as often disappointed in what it aimed at. 4. " Now," thought Bruce, " as I have no means of knowing what is best to be done, I will be guided by the luck which shall attend this spider. If the insect shall make another effort to fix its thread, and shall be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my for- tune in Scotland ; but if the spider shall fail, I will go to the wars in Palestine, and never return to my native country more." 5. While Bruce was forming this resolution, the spider made another exertion with all the force it could muster, and fairly succeeded in fastening its thread to the beam which it had so often in vain attempted to reach. Bruce, FOURTH READER. 197 seeing the success of the spider, resolved to try his own fortune ; and as he had never before gained a victory, so he never afterward sustained any considerable or decisive check or defeat. I have often met with people of the name of Bruce so completely persuaded of the truth of this story that they would not on any account kill a spider, because it was that insect which had shown the example of perseverance, and given a signal of good luck, to their great namesake. 6. Having determined to renew his efforts to obtain possession of Scotland, notwithstanding the smallness of the means which he had for accomplishing so great a pur- pose, the Bruce removed himself and his followers from Rachlin to the island of Arran, which lies in the Firth of Clyde. The king landed, and inquired of the first woman he met what armed men were on the island. She returned for answer that there had amved there very lately a body of armed strangers, who had defeated an English officer — the governor of the castle of Brodick — had killed him and most of his men, and were now amusing themselves with hunting about the island. 7. The king, having caused himself to be guided to the woods which these strangers most frequented, there blew his horn repeatedly. Now, the chief of the stran- gers who had taken the castle was James Douglas, one of the best of Bruce's friends, and he was accompanied by some of the bravest of that patriotic band. 8. When he heard Robert Bruce's horn, he knew the sound well, and cried out that yonder was the king — he knew by his mannei- of blowing. So he and his com- panions hastened to meet King Robert, and there was great joy on both sides ; while, at the same time, they could not help weeping when they considered their own 198 FOURTH READER. forlorn condition, and the great loss that had taken place among their friends since they had last parted. But they were stout-hearted men, and looked forward to freeing their country, in spite of all that had yet happened. Sir Walter Scott. For Preparation. — I. From " Tales of a Grandfather," First Series. " Holy Land" (this was a short time after the eighth Crusade). Who were the Saracens ? Palestine — where ? Location of Rachlin (Rathlin) (on the noitheastern coast of Ireland) and Arran ? II. Dif-fi-eul-tie§, re-Qeiv'-ing, wrStch'-ed (rech'-), re-§ign' (-an'), 6f'-ten (6f'n), fre-qu6nt'-ed. III. Why is lohich (2) used, instead of toho^ to relate to the spider ? " Best to be done " (4) — what word for best, when no comparison is in- tended ? — when comparison between two objects ? Of what use is the word " more " after return ? (end of 4.) TV. Incident, tradition, intelligence, deliberating, transport, infidels, cabin, exertion, considerable, decisive, defeat, patriotic, yonder. " While he was divided " (body or mind ?). v. ** Superstition of his age " (2). Was not the act of Bruce, in casting his fate upon luck, also a superstitious act ? Is not a superstitious habit also mentioned of people of his name ? (5.) LXXIII.— THE SWIFTEST RUNNERS. EXAMPLE OF *' KIDICULE " FOR THE COMPOUND SLIDES. There was a prize^ offered — or rather two' prizes, a large' and a smalF one — for the greatest s]peed\ not in a single' race, but to such as had raced the whole year". '' I^ took the first^ prize," said the Hare\ " One had a right to expect justice'' when one's own family^ and best friends^ were in the council; but that the SnaiT should have got the second"^ prize"", I consider as almost an insulf to m/." • FOURTH READER. 199 " ]^o," observed the Fence Rail', who had been a wit- ness to the distribution of the prizes ; " you must take diligence' and good-wilt into consideration. The Snair, to be sure, took half a year^ to cross the threshold^; but he broke his thigh bone'' in the haste' he made. He devoted himself entirely" to this race^ ; and, moreover, he ran with his house" on his back. And so he' took the second" prize." *' I think my" claims might also have been taken into account," said the SwaUow\ "More speedy than I"", in flight and motion, I believe no one has shown' himself. And where have I not been ? Far, far away' ! " " And that is just your misfortune^," said the Fence Rail. " You- gad about" too much. You are always" on the wingP " I can declare upon my honor^ that each prize — at least, as far as my'' voice in the matter went — ^was accorded with strict jnstiGe\^'^ said the old Signpost^ in the wood. " My plan was to give t\\Q first" prize' to one of t\iQfirsf letters'^ in the alphabet, and the second/ prize to one of the last" letters. If you will be so good as to grant me your attention, I will explain^ it to you. The eighth'' letter in the alphabet from A'' is H" / that stands for Hare", and therefore I awarded the greatest" prize to the Hare" ; and the eighth letter from the end'' is S", therefore the Snail" obtained the second" prize. Everything should go by Tule\ RuLE^ must precede merit\" " I'' should certainly have voted for myself", had I not been among the judges", ^^ said the 3fule\ " There is one" thing which ought never to be disregarded' : it is called The Beautiful'. I saw that" in the Hare's" charm- 200 FOUllTH READER. ing, well-grown ears"; it is quite a pleasure to see how long^ they are. I fancied that I beheld myself" when I was little\ and so I voted for hiin. I must say, I expect great things from ihQ future" — we have made so good a heginning"'^ Ham Christian Anda-sen. LXXIV.— OFT IN THE STILLY NIGHT. 1. Oft in the stilly night, Ere Slumber's chain has bound me, Fond Memory brings the light Of other days around me : The smiles, the tears Of boyhood's years. The words of love then spoken ; The eyes that shone, Now dimmed and gone. The cheerful hearts now broken ! Thus, in the stilly night. Ere Slumber's chain has bound me, Sad Memory brings the light Of other days around me. 2. When I remember all The friends, so linked together, I've seen around me fall. Like leaves in wintry weather, I feel like one Who treads alone Some banquet hall deserted. Whose lights are fled. Whose garlands dead, And all but he departed ! FOURTH READER. 201 Thus, in the stilly night, Ere Slumber's chain has bound me, Sad Memory brings the light Of other days around me. Thomas Moore. For Preparation. — I. Compare the sad feeling of this poem with that of Hood's "I Remember," or of Longfellow's "Rainy Day." (In this one, and in Hood's, memory of the past brings sadness, because of its contrast with the present, which has lost the charming personal relations that were enjoyed in the past. The present condition is empty — only a shell — the delightful social meetings of other days being only suggested, but no longer contained in it.) (This poem, like Lesson XL VII., is intended to be sung rather than read. It is inserted here to afiPord practice in reading this diffi- cult species of poetry.) II. MSm'-o-ry, linked, ban'-quet, de-part'- ed, de-§ert'-ed, shone (8h6n), gone (gon). III. Mark the feet, underscoring the accented syllables in the first four lines. Why are "Slumber" and "Memory" printed with capitals ? IV. Dimmed, banquet hall, garlands. V. Point out the similes in this piece (i. e., comparisons, or figures of apeech, expressed by like or as) ; also the personifications (inanimate things made to act as persons — Slumber, Memory). LXXV.— HARVEY BIRCH. 1. ^' What animal is moving through the field on our right?" '' 'Tis a man," said Mason, looking intently at the suspicious object. ''By his hump, 'tis a dromedary!" added the cap- tain, eying it keenly. Wheeling his horse suddenly from the highway, he exclaimed, " Harvey Birch ! Take him, dead or alive ! " Mason, and a few of the leading dragoons only, under- stood the sudden cry, but it was heard throughout the 202 FOURTH READER. line. A dozen of the men, with the lieutenant at their head, followed the impetuous Lawton, and their speed threatened the pursued with a sudden termination of the race. 2. Birch prudently kept his position on the rock, where he had been seen by Henry Wharton, until even- ing had begun to shroud the suiTOunding objects in darkness. From this height he had observed all the events of the day as they occurred. He had watched with a beating heart the departure of the troops under Dun wood ie, and with difficulty had curbed his impa- tience until the obscurity of night should render his moving free from danger. 3. He had not, however, completed a fourth of his way to his own residence, when his quick ear distinguished the tread of the approaching horse. Trusting to the increasing darkness, he determined to persevere. By crouching, and moving quickly along the surface of the ground, he hoped yet to escape unseen. 4. Captain Lawton was too much engrossed with the foregoing conversation to suifer his eyes to indulge in their usual wanderings ; and the peddler, perceiving by the voices that the enemy he most feared had passed, yielded to his impatience, and stood erect, in order to make greater progress. The moment his body rose above the shadow of the ground it was seen, and the chase com- menced. 5. For a single instant Birch was helpless, his blood curdling in his veins at the imminence of the danger, and his legs refusing their natural and necessary office. But it was only for a moment. Casting down his pack where he stood, and instinctively tightening the belt he wore. FOURTH READER. 203 the peddler betook himself to flight. He knew that, while bringing himself on a line with his pursuers and the wood, his form would be lost to sight. 6. This he soon effected, and was straining every nerve to gain the wood itself, when several horsemen rode by him a short distance on his left, and cut him off from this place of refuge. The peddler threw himself on the ground as they came near him, and was passed un- seen. 7. But delay now became too dangerous for him to remain in that position. He accordingly arose, and, still keeping in the shadow of the wood, along the skirts of which he heard voices crying to each other to be watch- ful, he ran with incredible speed in a parallel line, but in an opposite direction, to the march of the dragoons. 8. The confusion of the chase had been heard by the whole of the men, though none distinctly understood the order of Lawton but those who followed. The remain- der were lost in doubt as to the duty that was required of them ; and the cornet was making eager inquiries of the trooper near him on the subject, when a man, at a short distance in his rear, crossed the road at a single bound. 9. At the same instant the stentorian voice of Law- ton rang through the valley, shouting : " Harvey Birch ! Take him, dead or alive!" Fifty pistols lighted the scene, and the bullets whistled in every direction round the head of the devoted peddler. A feeling of despair seized his heart, and in the bitterness of that moment he exclaimed : " Hunted like a beast of the forest ! " 10. He felt life and its accompaniments to be a bur- den, and was about to yield himself to his enemies. Ka- 204 FOURTH READER. ture, however, prevailed. If taken, there was great rea- son to apprehend that he would not be honored with the forms of a trial, bnt that, most probably, the morning's sun would witness his ignominious execution ; for he had already been condemned to death, and had only escaped that fate by stratagem. 11. These considerations, with the approaching foot- steps of his pursuers, aroused him to new exertions. He again fled before them. A fragment of a wall, that had withstood the ravages made by war in the adjoining fences of the wood, fortunately crossed his path. He hardly had time to throw his exhausted limbs over this barrier, before twenty of his enemies reached its opposite side. 12. Their horses refused to take the leap in the dark, and, amid the confusion of the rearing chargers and the execrations of their riders, Birch was enabled to gain a sight of the base of a hill, on whose summit was a place of perfect security. The heart of the peddler now beat high with hope, when the voice of Captain Lawton again rang in his ears, shouting to his men to make room. 13. The order was obeyed, and the fearless trooper rode at the wall at tlie top of his horse's speed, plunged the rowels into his charger, and flew over the obstacle in safety. The triumphant hurrahs of the men, and the thundering tread of the horse, too plainly assured the peddler of the imminence of his danger. He was nearly exhausted, and his fate no longer seemed doubtful. 14. " Stop, or die ! " was uttered above his head, and in fearful proximity to his ears. Harvey stole a glance over his shoulder, and saw, within a bound of him, the man he most dreaded. By the light of the stars he beheld the uplifted arm and the FOURTH READER. 205 threatening saber. Fear, exhaustion, and despair seized his heart, and the intended victim fell at the feet of the dragoon. The horse of Lawton struck the prostrate ped- dler, and both steed and rider came violently to the earth. 15. As quick as thought. Birch was on his feet again, with the sword of the discomfited dragoon in his hand. Yengeance seems but too natural to human passions. There are few who have not felt the seductive pleasure of making our injuries recoil on their authors ; and yet there are some who know how much sweeter it is to return good for evil. 16. All the wrongs of the peddler shone on his brain with a dazzling brightness. For a moment the demon within him prevailed, and Birch brandished the powerful weapon in the air; in the next, it fell harmless on the reviving but helpless trooper. The peddler vanished up the side of the friendly rock. James Fenimore Cooper. For Preparation. — I. In " The Spy," Cooper makes Harvey Birch to be a secret spy, through whom Washington gets intelligence of the plans and movements of the British. He is obliged to play a part that makes him suspected by the American troops, and they constantly endeavor to capture him. Captain Lawton, of Dunwoodie's Virginia cavalry, has succeeded in this twice, but Harvey has escaped both times, although condemned to death on the second occasion. He was allowed by the American com- mander to enter into the service of the British general, and this circum- stance heightened the difficulty and danger of his delicate position in the greatest degree. In the extract given here, we have a vivid account of one of his narrow escapes from Lawton's troops. II. Sus-pi'-cioiis (-pisb'us), yield'-ed, vein§, val'-ley, strat'-a-gem, p^d'-dler, ej-haust'-ed, ey'-ing, lieu-ten'-ant, height (hit), nerve, par'- al-lel, ea'-ger, in-qulr'-ieg, seized, rea'-gon (-zn), rear'-ing, pre-vailed'. III. Change the following so as to indicate more than one : Man, woman, child, ox, thou, he, it, son-in-law. IV. Intently, dromedary, dragoons, impetuous, termination, prudently, obscurity, persevere, crouching, engrossed, indulge, erect, curdling, immi- 206 FOURTH READER. nence (and eminence), instinctively, incredible, stentorian, apprehend, igno- minious, execution, condemned, stratagem, ravages, exhausted, barrier, rowels, charger, triumphant, proximity, saber, prostrate, discomfited, bran- dished, recoil. V. " Curbed his impatience " (as an impatient horse is curbed by the rein and bit). LXXVI.— BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE. 1. ^N"©! a drum was heard, nor a funeral note, As his corse to the rampart we hurried ; Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot O'er the grave where our hero we buried. 2. We buried him darkly, at dead of night. The sods with our bayonets turning, By the struggling moonbeams' misty light, And the lantern dimly burning. 3. Ko useless coffin inclosed his breast, Nor in sheet nor in shroud we wound him ; But he lay, like a warrior taking his rest. With his martial cloak around him. 4. Few and short were the prayers we said. And we spoke not a word of sorrow ; But we steadfastly gazed on the face of the dead. And we bitterly thought of the morrow. 5. We thought, as we hollowed his narrow bed. And smoothed down his lonely pillow, That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head. And we far away on the billow ! FOURTH READER. 207 6. Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone, And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him ; But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on. In the grave where a Briton has laid him ! 7. But half of our heavy task was done When the clock tolled the hour for retiring. And we heard the distant and random gun That the foe was sullenly firing. 8. Slowly and sadly we laid him down, From the field of his fame fresh and gory ! We carved not a line, we raised not a stone. But we left him alone in his glory. Charles Wolfe. For Preparation. — I. Lord Byron pronounced this poem the most per- fect in the language. Sir John Moore was killed by a cannon ball at Co- runna, Spain, in 1809. His army repulsed Marshal Soult, one of Napoleon's generals, but embarked for England immediately afterward. II. Bay'-o-nets, war'-rior (war'yer), striig'-gling, bur'-ied (bdr'-rid). III. Explain the use of the apostrophe in o'er, theyUl^ heHl^ thafs. IV. Corse, rampart, random, sullenly, upbraid, reck. V. Make a list of rhymes used in this poem, and mark the imperfect ones (note, shot ; hurried, buried ; down, stone). Divide the lines of the first stanza into feet, marking the accented syllables ("Not a drum \ was heard, \ nor a/w- | neral note''''). Do you pronounce gone so as to rhyme with on, or with lawn ? (See Lesson LXXIV.) LXXVII.— THE CASTLE BY THE SEA. EXAMPLE OF JOYOUS AND SAD EXPRESSION FOK THE SIMPLE RISING AND FALLING SLIDES. [The happy spirit of the questions r^qmre,^ faster time, and louder and smoother force, and longer slides, and clearer, happier tones, to express the cumulating, eager 208 FOURTH READER. joy ; while the sad spirit of the answers requires slow and slower time, with softer force, and shorter slides, and a slightly abrupt stress, to give the cumulating sorrow so vividly suggested.] " Hast thou seen' that lordly' castle\ That castle by the sea' f Golden and red' above it The clouds' float gorgeously^. " And fain it would stoop downward^ To the mirrored wave'' below ; And fain it would soar upward' In the evening's crimson glow." " Weir have I seen that ca8tle\ That castle by the sea\ And the moon'' above it standing, And the mist rise solemnh/.^^ " The winds and the waves' of ocean, Had they a merry' chime ? Didst thou hear, from those lofty chambers, The harp' and the minstreVs' rhyme ? " " The winds and the waves of ocean , They rested' quietly ; But I heard on the gale a sound of wail\ And tears'" came to mine eye." " And sawest thou on the turrets The king' and his royal hride' f — And the wave of their crimson mantles' f — And the golden crown of pride' f FOURTH READER. 209 "Led tliey not forth, in rapture, A beauteous maiden' there, Resplendent as the morning sun\ Beaming with golden hair' f " " WelV saw I the ancient parents , Without^ the crown oipride^ ; They were moving slow, in weeds of woe^ / No maiden" was by their side ! " Uhland {translated by H. W. Longfellow). LXXVIII.— HOHENLINDEN. 1. On Linden, when the sun was low, All bloodless lay th' untrodden snow, And dark as winter was the flow Of Iser, rolling rapidly. 2. But Linden saw another sight. When the drum beat at dead of night, Commanding fires of deathr to light The darkness of her scenery. 3. By torch and trumpet fast arrayed. Each horseman drew his battle blade, And furious every charger neighed. To join the dreadful revelry. 4. Then shook the hills, with thunder riven ; Then rushed the steed, to battle driven ; And, louder than the bolts of heaven. Far flashed the red artillery. 6. But redder yet that light shall glow On Linden's hills of stained snow, 14 210 FOURTH READER. And bloodier yet the torrent flow Of Iser, rolling rapidly. 6. 'Tis mom, but scarce yon lurid sun Can pierce the war clouds, rolling dun, Where furious Frank and fiery Hun Shout in their sulph'rous canopy. 7. The combat deepens. On, ye brave. Who rush to glory or the grave ! Wave, Munich ! all thy banners wave. And charge with all thy chivalry ! 8. Few, few shall part where many meet ! The snow shall be their winding sheet, And every turf beneath their feet Shall be a soldier's sepulcher. Thomas Campbell. For Preparation. — I. Campbell, at the age of twenty-three, on a visit to Germany to study its literature, witnessed, from a safe position, this battle between the French (" furious Frank "), under Moreau, and the Austrians (" fiery Hun," named from the Huns, who settled in Austria, or Hungary, after overrunning Europe in the fifth century), under Archduke John. (Hohenlinden means linden [kind of tree] heights.) Find, on the map, the I'§er, and trace its waters to the sea. Munich is the capital of Bavaria ; find it on the map. II. S?en'-er-y, neighed (nad), pierge, sol'-dier (-jer), sSp'-ul-eher (ker), roU'-ing, sight (sit), tftr'-rent. III. " Sulph'rous " — why u omitted ? Explain the meaning of the pre- fix un and the suffix en in untrodden. Note the alliteration in this poem (recurrence of I (1), d (2), 6, battle blade (3), /, far flashed (4), etc.). IV. "Dead of night," arrayed, charger, revelry, riven, "bolts of heaven," artillery, dun, canopy, combat, banners, chivalry, " winding sheet," " fires of death." V. Note the succession of scenes and their contrasts: (1) Snow un- trodden ; bloodless ; near sunset ; dark and rapid river. (2) The night fol- FO URTH READER. 2 1 1 lows ; drums beat the alarm ; torches light up the troops arrayed for battle. (3) The charging of squadrons, and the flashing and thundering of artillery. (4) Morning; but the sun is lurid as seen through the smoke rising from the field. (5) Munich (the Bavarians were allies of the French in this battle) troops are distinguished in the fierce charges. (6) On the hills of blood- stained snow lie seven thousand Austrian and five thousand French soldiers, dead or wounded. LXXIX.— OVER THE RIVER. 1. Over the river they beckon to me, Loved ones who've crossed to the farther side : The gleam of their snowy robes I see, But tlieir voices are lost in the dashing tide. There's one, with ringlets of sunny gold, And eyes the reflection of heaven's own blue ; He crossed in the twilight gray and cold. And the pale mist hid him from mortal view. We saw not the angels who met him there ; The gates of the city we could not see : Over the river, over the river. My brother stands waiting to welcome me. 2. Over the river the boatman pale Carried another, the household pet ; Her brown curls waved in the gentle gale — Darling Minnie ! I see her yet. She crossed on her bosom lier dimpled hands, And fearlessly entered the phantom bark ; "We felt it glide from the silver sands. And all our sunshine grew strangely dark. We know she is safe on the farther side, Where all the ransomed and angels be : Over the river, the mystic river, My childhood's idol is waiting for me. 212 FOURTH READER. 3. For none return from those quiet shores, Who cross with the boatman cold and pale ; We hear the dip of the golden oars, And catch a gleam of the snowy sail, And lo ! they have passed from our yearning heart ; They cross the stream and are gone for aye. We may not sunder the veil apart That hides from our vision the gates of day ; We only know that their barks no more May sail with us o'er life's stormy sea ; Yet somewhere, I know, on the unseen shore. They watch, and beckon, and wait for me. 4. And I sit and think, when the sunset's gold Is flushing river, and hill, and shore, I shall one day stand by the water cold. And list for the sound of the boatman's oar ; I shall watch for a gleam of the flapping sail, I shall hear the boat as it gains the strand ; I shall pass from sight with the boatman pale, To the better shore of the spirit land ; I shall know the loved who have gone before, And joyfully sweet will the meeting be, When over the river, the peaceful river. The angel of death shall carry me. [ Nancy Priest Wakefield. For Preparation. — I. The authoress lived on the banks of the Con- necticut River. Do you think there may be something in this fact that suggested the imagery of the piece (see fourth stanza), or was it, rather, the allegory in the "Pilgrim's Progress " ? II. B6-e'-kon (Mk'kn), re-flS-e'-tion (-shun), view (vu), ring'-lets, wSl'-€6me, boat'- man, veil. III. Why is ha omitted in who've ? — i in there's ? Difference in mean- ing caused by adding let to ring ? FO UBTH READER. 2 ] 3 IV. Gleam, phantom, ransomed, mystic, dimpled, " childhood's idol." V. Is the metaphor, " their barks no more may sail with us o'er life's stormy sea" (3), in keeping with the fundamental metaphor of the poem, in which we stand on the bank of a river ? (If they had had barks of their own, and were used to the terrors of the " stormy sea," a mere river would scarcely be the gulf of separation that it is. This is called " mixed metaphor.") LXXX.— A LETTER OF DR. FRANKLIN. Easton, Pa., Saturday Morning^ November 13, 1756. My dear Child : I wrote to you a few days since by a special messen- ger, and inclosed letters for all our wives and sweet- hearts : expecting to hear from you by his return, and to have the JS^orthern newspapers and English letters, per the packet ; but he is just now returned, without a scrap for poor us. So I had a good mind not to write you by this opportunity ; but I can never be ill-natured enough, even when there is the most occasion. The messenger says he left the letters at your house, and saw you afterward at Mr. Dentic's, and told you when he would go, and that he lodged at Honey's, next door to you, and yet you did not write ; so let Goody Smith give one more just judgment, and say what should be done to you. I think I won't tell you that we are well, nor that we expect to return about the middle of the week, nor will send you a word of news ; that's poz. My duty to mother, love to the children and to Miss Betsey and Gracey, etc., etc. I am your loving husband, Benjamin Franklin. P. S. — I have scratched out the loving words, being written in haste by mistake, when I forgot I was angry. 214 FOURTH READER. For Preparation. — I. A letter of Dr. Franklin to his wife (he married Deborah Read). II. SpS'-cial (spSsh'ai), jtidg'-ment, done, scratched. III. In the above letter, point out what is called the date. What items does it include ? (Name of post office, town, or city, and state [and, if the place is small, the county], day of month, and year.) Point out the address ; — the subscription. Where should the superscription be ? (On the envelope of the letter, thus : Mrs. Deborah Franklin, Philadelphia, Pa.) What does " P. S." mean ? IV. Inclosed, return, packet, scrap, opportunity, occasion, lodged. v. Notice the humor of the style. (He pretends to be angry, and to forget that he is angry ; then to remember it, and scratch out the loving words ; calls himself " we," and " poor us " ; calls his wife, " all our wives and sweethearts " ; playfully says that he won't tell her that he is well, etc., and tells it all.) ''That's poz" (positively so). Write a letter to some friend, and give an account of your visit to the country, or of some other event that you may select, taking care to have the date^ address, subscrip- tion, and supei'sa-ipfion right. LXXXI.— LITTLE HAL EXAMPLE FOR VARIED AND IMPASSIONED EXPRESSION. " Old Ironsides^ at anclior^ lay, In the harbor of Mahon^ ; A dead c-a-l-m^ rested on the bay — The w-a-v-e-s to s-1-e-e-p^ had gone — When little j3al\ the captain's^ son, A lad both h-r-a-v-e and g-o-o-d , In sjport up shroud and rigging ran, And on the m-a-i-n^ truck stood ! " A shudder^ shot through every vein" / All eyes were turned on high" ; There stood the boy, with dizzy" brain, Between the s-e-a' and s-h-y". FOURTH READER. 21 S No Ji-o-l-d} had lie above', 'below' j A-l-o-n-e" he stood in air^: To XhsXf-d-r' height none d-a-r-e-d' to go — lN"o a-i-d^ could r-e-a-c-K' him there." [The word "• shudder " is very abrupt in emphasis ; it expresses sudden pain and fear. The first syllable is short, and time can not be given to it. Sound sharply the " sA," with a little prolongation, to aspirate it, and bring out thus the shocJc and terror.'] " We g-a-z-e-d, but not a man could speaTc" ! With horror' a-l-l aghast. In groups, with pallid brow and cheek. We watched'' the quivering mast. The atmosphere grew thick' and hof^ And of a l-u-rid^ hue, As, riveted unto the spot, Stood officers and crew\" [Half whisper the word " horror," to suit the quality of voice to the spirit — on the general principle that all painful, disagreeable ideas demand the disagreeable aspi- ration / all pure and pleasing ideas require a clear, pure tone, to suit the sound to the sense.] " The f-a-ther^ came on deck. He gasped , ' O God' ! trh-if will be done ! ' Then suddenly a rifle'' grasped. And aimed it at his sorC: * Jump^—f-a-r - out, boy, into the wave^t Jump'', or \f-i-^-e^! ' he said ; ^ That o-n-l-y chance your l-i-f-e" can s-a-v-e^ ! Jump" ! juMp\ boy ! ' He obeyed'. " He sanfc^ — ^he r-o-s-e^ — ^he lived' — he m-o-v-e-d\ And for the ship^ struck out : 216 FOURTH READER, On hoard we Ti-a-l-e-d} the lad beloved, With many a manly shout. 'Q.i^f-ather drew, in s-i-lent j-o-y^ Those wet a-r-m-s round his neGTi"^ And folded to his h-e-a-r-t his boy — Tii&Cif-a-i-n-t-e-d) on the deck." Colton. [" Jump " should be shouted louder and louder as it is repeated. "He sank — he rose — he lived — he moved," should be read with very long jpauses between the ideas, and with very long quantity on " rose " and " moved," so as to give time enough for all this to take place. . You must see it all, imagine it, and speak it very earnestly. In the third and fourth lines, smooth^ loud, and pure tones should shout with joy that little Hal is safe. But i\\Q father is too deeply moved to shout, or even to speah ; his silent joy we should read with suldued tenderness.] LXXXII.— GOODY BLAKE AND HARRY GILL . Oh ! what's the matter ? — what's the matter? What is't that ails young Harry Gill, That evermore his teeth they chatter — Chatter, chatter, chatter still ? Of waistcoats Harry has no lack, Good duffel gray and flannel fine ; He has a blanket on his back, And coats enough to smother nine. . In March, December, and in July, 'Tis all the same with Harry Gill ; The neighbors tell, and tell you truly, His teeth they chatter, chatter stiU. FOURTH READER. 217 At night, at moming, and at noon, 'Tis all the same with Harry Gill ; Beneath the sun, beneath the moon, His teeth they chatter, chatter still ! 3. Young Harry was a lusty drover — And who so stout of limb as he ? His cheeks were red as ruddy clover ; His voice was like the voice of three. Old Goody Blake was old and poor ; Ill-fed she was, and thinly clad ; And any man who passed her door Might see how poor a hut she had. • 4. All day she spun in her poor dwelling. And then her three hours' work at night — Alas ! 'twas hardly worth the telling — It would not pay for candlelight. Remote from sheltering village green. On a hill's northern side she dwelt, Where from sea blasts the hawthorns lean. And hoary dews are slow to melt. 5. By the same fire to boil their pottage, Two poor old dames, as I have known. Will often live in one small cottage ; But she — poor woman ! — housed alone. 'Twas well enough when summer came. The long, warm, lightsome summer day ; Then at her door the canty dame Would sit, as any linnet gay. 6. But when the ice our streams did fetter. Oh, then how her old bones would shake \ You would have said, if you had met her, 'Twas a hard time for Goody Blake. 218 FOURTH READER. Her evenings then were dull and dead ; Sad case it was, as you may think, For very cold to go to bed, And then for cold not sleep a wink ! 7. Oh, joy for her ! whene'er in winter The winds at night had made a rout, And scattered many a lusty splinter And many a rotten bough about. Yet never had she, well or sick, As every man who knew her says, A pile beforehand, turf or stick. Enough to warm her for three days. 8. Kow, when the frost was past enduring, And made her poor old bones to ache, Could anything be more alluring Than an old hedge to Goody Blake ? And now and tlien, it must be said, When her old bones were cold and chill, She left her fire, or left her bed, To seek the hedge of Harry Gill. 9. ITow, Harry he had long suspected This trespass of old Goody Blake, And vowed that she should be detected, And he on her would vengeance take. And oft from his warm fire he'd go, And to the fields his road would take ; And there at night, in frost and snow. He watched to seize old Goody Blake. 10. And once, behind a rick of barley, Thus looking out did Plarry stand ; The moon was full and shining clearly, And crisp with frost the stubble land. FOURTH READER. 219 He hears a noise ! — he's all awake ! — Again ! — on tiptoe down the hill He softly creeps. 'Tis Goody Blake! She's at the hedge of Harry Gill ! 11. Right glad was he when he beheld her! Stick after stick .did Goody pull ; He stood behind a bush of elder, Till she had filled her apron full. When with her load she turned about, The byway back again to take, He started forward with a shout, And sprang upon poor Goody Blake ; 12. And fiercely by the arm he took her. And by the arm he held her fast ; And fiercely by the arm he shook her. And cried, " I've caught you, then, at last ! " Then Goody, who had nothing said. Her bundle from her lap let fall ; And, kneeling on the sticks, she prayed To God, who is the Judge of all. 13. She prayed, her withered hand uprearing, While Harry held her by the arm — " God, who art never out of hearing, Oh, may he nevermore be warm ! " The cold, cold moon above her head, Thus on her knees did Goody pray. Young Harry heard what she had said, And, icy cold, he turned away. 14. He went complaining all the morrow That he was cold and very chill : His face was gloom, his heart was sorrow- Alas ! that day for Harry Gill ! 220 FOURTH READER, That day he wore a riding coat, But not a whit the warmer he ; Another was on Thursday brought, And ere the Sabbath he had three. 15. 'Twas all in vain — a useless matter — And blankets were about him pinned ; Yet still his jaws and teeth they clatter. Like a loose casement in the wind. And Harry's flesh it fell away ; And all who see him say, " 'Tis plain That, live as long as live he may, He never will be warm again." 16. 1^0 word to any man he utters, Abed or up, to young or old ; But ever to himself he mutters, " Poor Harry Gill is very cold ! " Abed or up, by night or day, His teeth they chatter, chatter still. i^Tow, think, ye farmers all, I pray, Of Goody Blake and Harry Gill ! William Wordsworth. For Preparation. — I. What pieces of Wordsworth have you read be- fore? (Lessons II., XIII., XXXV.) Mention some of the qualities of hia poems (kindness to animals and to poor children, simplicity, etc.). He calls this piece " A True Story." II. Waist'-eoats, flan'-nel, neigh '-bor§ (na'-), n6rth'-ern, hoar'-y, light'-some (Ut'sum), lin'-net, al-lur'-ing, trgs'-pass, vSn'-gean^e, fieldg, seize, fierge'-ly, up-rear'-ing. III. Correct : " Three hour's work " ;— " t'was " ;— " on a hills' side." What is omitted in " he'd " ? IV. " Hoary dews," canty, " fetter streams," rout, " lusty splinter," alluring, casement. V. "Good duffel gray" — do you remember what Alice Fell's warm cloak was to be made of? (Lesson XIII.) ("Duffel" — a coarse woolen, 4 FOURTH READER. 221 with a thick nap left on it, so that it is very warm.) " March, December, and July " — why select these three months ? (whether in moderate, cold, or hot weather.) "From sea blasts the hawthorns lean" (i. e., owing to the incessant wind, they have grown in a leaning position). " For very cold to go to bed " (i. e., to be obliged to go to bed for reason of the cold ; very = actual). "Right glad was he when he beheld her" (11) — what kind of a spirit did this show ? What kind of a spirit did Goody Blake show when she prayed that Harry Gill might never be warm again? LXXXIII.— TWO VIEWS OF CHRISTMAS. [Tlie following is a good example for tlie very smooth and the very abrupt stress, from the " Christmas Carol," by Dickens. The part of the nephew is good and pleas- ing in spirit, and calls for the smooth, happy stress. The part of old Scrooge is hateful in spirit, and should have the most abrupt stress, to suit the sound to the sense.] Nephew — A merry Christmas, uncle ! God save you ! Scrooge — Bah ! humbug ! Nejph. — Christmas a humbug, uncle ! You don't mean that, I am sure. Scrooge — I do. Out upon " Merry ClTristmas " ! If I had my will, every idiot who goes about with " Merry Christmas " on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should ! iV^j?A.— Uncle ! Scrooge — l^ephew, keep Christmas time in your own way, and let me keep it in mine. Neph. — Keep it % But you don't keep it ! Scrooge — Let me leave it alone, then ! Much good may it do you ! Much good it has ever done you ! 222 FOURTH READER. JS'eph. — I am sure I have always thought of Christ- mas as a good time — a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; and therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good, and will do me good ; and I say, God bless it ! LXXXIV.— THE THREE FISHERS. 1. Three fishers went sailing out into the west — Out into the west, as the sun went down ; Each thought on the woman who loved him the best. And the children stood watching them out of the town: For men must work, and women must weep. And there's little to earn, and many to keep, Though the harbor bar be moaning. 2. Three wives sat up in the lighthouse tower. And they trimmed the lamps as the sun went down ; They looked at the squall, and they looked at the shower, And the night rack came rolling up ragged and brown : But men must work, and women must weep. Though storms be sudden, and waters deep. And the harbor bar be moaning. 3. Three corpses lie out on the shining sands. In the morning gleam, as the tide goes down. And the women are weeping, and wringing their hands. For those who will never come home to the town : FOURTH READER. 223 For men must work, and women must weep, And the sooner it's over, the sooner to sleep. And good-by to the bar and its moaning. Charles Kingsley. For Preparation. — I. Harbor bar. (At the entrance of a harbor where the shores approach, the water is often very shallow, and the shoal thus formed is called a " bar," When the high waves break over it, a " moan- ing" sound is caused.) II. Moan'-ing, thought, wom'-en (wim'-), rag'-ged, wring'-ing. III. What change, in pronunciation and spelling, in the word " woman," to make it mean more than one ? IV. Gleam, tide, " night rack," corpses. V. What state of the waves is indicated by the "moaning" on the bar ? By the fact of the three wives sitting up in the tower and trimming the lamps, do you infer that the men were lighthouse keepers ? Write out, or tell, the story implied in the last stanza. LXXXV.— JULIUS C/tSAR. EXAMPLE OF ANGRY EARNESTNESS AND JESTING. [The anger of Flavius and Marulhis requires the very abrupt force, and their direct questions and earnestness demand the simple slides. The second citizen is jesting and fooling, and his part, therefore, should be read with the compound slides. The last answer alone is spoken directly, with straightforward honesty, and this only should have the straight or simple slides.'] Act I., Scene 1. Flavius — Hence^ ! home\ you idle^ creatures — get you home^ ! Is this a holiday' ? What ! know you not, Being mechanical, you ought not walk, 224 FOURTH READER. Upon a laboring day, without the sign' Of your profession' ? Speak^ — what trade^ art thou ? 1 Citizen — Why, sir, a carpenter^ Marullus — Where is thy leather apron \ and thy rule^ ? What dost thou with thy test'' apparel on ? — You"., sir — what trade are you" f 2 Cit. — Truly, sir, in respect of 2ifine' workman, I am but, as you would say, a coWhler. Ma/r. — But what trade^ art thou ? Answer me directly'. 2 Cit — A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe'' con'^science ; which is, indeed, sir, a mend'^er of bad'' soles^. Mar. — What trade\ thou knave? — thou naughty knave, what trade^ ? 2 Cit. — Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out" with me : yet, if you be out", sir, I can mend" you. Mar. — What meanest thou by that^ ? Mend' me ? — thou saucy fellow ! 2 Cit. — ^Why, sir, cob^ble you. Flavins — Thou art a cobbler\ art' thou % 2 Cit. — Truly, sir, alV that I live by is with the awT. I meddle with no tradesman's" matters, nor women's" mat- ters, but with awl". I am, indeed, sir, a sur^geon to old shoes'; when they are in great danger, I recov^er them. As proper men as ever trod upon neat's" leather have gone upon my" handiwork. Flavins — But wherefore art not in thy shop' to-day ? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets' ? 2 Cit. — Truly, sir, to wear out" their shoes^, to get my- self into more" work^. But, indeed, sir, we make holi- day to see Coesar^, and to rejoice^ in his triumph^. Shakespeare. FOURTH READER. 225 LXXXVI.— ROBIN HOOD. 1. A target was placed at the upper end of the south- ern avenue which led to the lists. The contending arch- ers took their station in turn, at the bottom of the south- ern access ; the distance between that station and the mark allowing full distance for what was called a " shot at rovers." The archers, having previously determined by lot their order of precedence, were to shoot each three shafts in succession. The sports were regulated by an officer of inferior rank, termed the provost of the games; for the high rank of the marshals of the lists would have been held degraded had they condescended to superintend the sports of the yeomanry. 2. One by one the archers, stepping forward, delivered their shafts yeomanlike and bravely. Of twenty-four ar- rows shot in succession, ten were fixed in the target, and the others ranged so near it that, considering the distance of the mark, it was accounted good archery. Of the ten shafts which hit the target, two within the inner ring were shot by Hubert, a forester in the service of Malvoi- sin, who was accordingly pronounced victorious. 3. " Kow, Locksley," said Prince John to the bold yeoman, with a bitter smile, " wilt thou try conclusions with Hubert, or wilt thou yield up bow, baldric, and quiver to the provost of the sports ? " '^ Sith it be no better," said Locksley, " I am content to try my fortune ; on condition that, when I have shot two shafts at yonder mark of Hubert's, he shall be bound to shoot one at that which I shall propose." " That is but fair," answered Prince John, " and it shall not be refused thee. If thou dost beat this braggart, Hubert, I will fill the bugle with silver pennies for thee." 15 226 FOURTH READER. "A man can but do his best," answered Hubert; "but nij grandsire drew a good longbow at Hastings, and I trust not to dishonor his memory." 4. The former target was now removed, and a fresh one of the same size placed in its room. Hubert, who, as victor in the first trial of skill, had the right to shoot first, took his aim with great deliberation, long measuring the distance with his eye, while he held in his hand his bended bow, with the arrow placed on the string. At length he made a step forward, and, raising the bow at the full stretch of his left arm, till the center or grasping place was nigh level with his face, he drew the bowstring to his ear. • The arrow whistled through the air, and lighted within the inner ring of the target, but not exact- ly in the center. " You have not allowed for the wind, Hubert," said his antagonist, bending his bow, " or that had been a bet- ter shot." 5. So saying, and without showing the least anxiety to pause upon his aim, Locksley stepped to the appointed station, and shot his arrow as carelessly in appearance as if he had not even looked at the mark. He was speak- ing almost at the instant that the shaft left the bowstring, yet it alighted in the target two inches nearer to the white spot which marked the center than that of Hubert. " By the light of heaven ! " said Prince John to Hu- bert, " an thou suffer that runagate knave to overcome thee, thou art worthy of the gallows ! " 6. Hubert had but one set speech for all occasions. " An your highness were to hang me," he said, " a man can but do his best. ^Nevertheless, my grandsire drew a good bow — " FOURTH READER. 227 " The foul fiend on thy grandsire and all his genera- tion ! " interrupted John. " Shoot, knave, and shoot thy best, or it shall be the worse for thee ! " Thus exhorted, Hubert resumed his place, and, not neglecting the caution which he had received from his adversary, he made the necessary allowance for a very light breath of wind which had just arisen, and shot so successfully that his arrow alighted in the very center of the target. " A Hubert ! a Hubert ! " shouted the populace, more interested in a known person than in a stranger. " In the clout ! — in the clout ! A Hubert forever ! " Y. " Thou canst not mend that shot, Locksley," said the prince, with an insulting smile. "I will notch his shaft for him, however," replied Locksley. And, letting fly his arrow with a little more precaution than before, it lighted right upon that of his competitor, which it split to shivers. The people who stood around were so astonished at his wonderful dex- terity, that they could not even give vent to their surprise in their usual clamor. " This must be the devil, and no man of flesh and blood," whispered the yeomen to each other ; " such archery was never seen since a bow was first bent in Britain ! " 8. " And now," said Locksley, " I will crave your grace's permission to plant such a mark as is used in the north country, and welcome every brave yeoman to try a shot at it." He then turned to leave the lists. " Let your guards attend me," he said, " if you please. I go but to cut a rod from the next willow bush." Prince John made a signal that some attendants 228 FOURTH READER. should follow him, in case of his escape ; but the cry of " Shame ! shame ! " which burst from the multitude, in- duced him to alter his ungenerous purpose. 9. Locksley returned almost instantly, with a willow wand about six feet in length, perfectly straight, and rath- er thicker than a man's thumb. He began to peel this with great composure, observing, at the same time, that to ask a good woodsman to shoot at a target so broad as had hitherto been used was to put shame upon his skill. " For my own part," said he, " in the land where I was bred, men would as soon take for their mark King Ar- thur's round table, which held sixty knights around it. A child of seven years old might hit yonder target with a headless shaft ; but," he added, walking deliberately to the other end of the lists and sticking the willow wand upright in the ground, " he that hits that rod at five score yards, I call him an archer fit to bear both bow and quiver before a king, an it were the stout King Eichard himself ! " 10. " My grandsire," said Hubert, " drew a good bow at the battle of Hastings, and never shot at such a mark in his life ; and neither will I. If this yeoman can cleave that rod, I give him the bucklers — or, rather, I yield to the devil that is in his jerkin, and not to any human skill. A man can but do his best, and I will not shoot where I am sure to miss. I might as well shoot at the edge of our parson's whittle, or at a wheat straw, or at a sunbeam, as at a twinkling white streak which I can hardly see." '* Cowardly dog ! " exclaimed Prince John. — " Sirrah Locksley, do thou shoot ; but if thou hittest such a mark, I will say thou art the first man ever did so. Howe'er it be, thou shalt not crow over us with a mere show of superior skill." FOURTH READER. 229 " ' A man can but do his best ! ' as Hubert says," an- swered Locksley. 11. So saying, lie again bent his bow, but, on the pres- ent occasion, looked with attention to his weapon, and changed the string, which he thought was no longer truly round, having been a little frayed by the two former shots. He then took his aim with some deliberation, and the multitude awaited the event in breathless silence. The archer vindicated their opinion of his skill : his ar- row split the willow rod against which it was aimed. A jubilee of acclamations followed ; and even Prince John, in admiration of Locksley's skill, lost for an instant his dislike to his person. 12. " These twenty nobles," he said, '' which with the bugle thou hast fairly won, are thine own : we will make them fifty if thou wilt take livery and service with us as a yeoman of our bodyguard, and be near to our person ; for never did so strong a hand bend a bow, or so true an eye direct a shaft." " Pardon me, noble prince," said Locksley ; " but I have vowed that, if ever I take service, it should be with your royal brother King Richard. These twenty nobles I leave to Hubert, who has this day drawn as brave a bow as his grand sire did at Hastings. Had his modesty not refused the trial, he would have hit the wand as well as I." Hubert shook his head as he received with reluctance the bounty of the stranger; and Locksley, anxious to escape further observation, mixed with the crowd and was seen no more. Sir Walter Scott. For Preparation. — I. This piece is taken from Scott's gi-eatest novel, " Ivanhoe." The scene is laid in England, in the time of John, who had usurped the place of Richard I., the Lion-hearted, while the latter was 230 FOURTH READER. away on a crusade. Richard has returned incognito^ and is looking on at the various tournaments held by his brother John, and now and then ex- hibiting his prodigious strength and skill in behalf of those oppressed by the tyranny of John or his minions. Robin Hood, the ideal of perfection in EngU:*h archery, makes his appearance at the trial of archers here de- scribed, under the name of Locksley. He has been chief of the highway- men in Sherwood Forest, and desires to attach himself to Richard's service. Malvoisin (mal-vwa-zang') is one of the favorites of Prince John, who finally succeeded Richard as king. II. Sotith'-ern (suth'-), al-low'-ing, pre-ged'-ence, pr6v'-6st (prov'ust). yeo'-man-like, f6i*'-est-er, an'-swered (-serd), whis'-tled (hwis'id), in-ter- riipt'-ed, e^-bort'-ed, guards (gardz), straight (strut). III. " Sith " (old form for since) ; " it be no better " (" be " was the correct form in old English ; we should now say, " Since it is no bet- ter "). IV. Target, lists, "contending archers," access, previously, "order of precedence," shafts, inferior, provost, " held degraded," ranged, " try con- elusions," baldric, jerkin, braggart, deliberation, runagate, "set speech," resumed, competitor, antagonist, adversary, dexterity, composure, " head- less shaft," bucklers, whittle, vindicated, "jubilee of acclamations," livery, reluctance. V. " Sports of the yeomanry." (Archery belonged to the common peo- ple ; to fight, or "joust," with spears, and on horseback, belonged to the nobles.) "In the clout " (piece of white cloth on the center of the target). " An it were the stout King Richard himself" (" an " was formerly much used where we now use if). Is there any sarcasm in Locksley's allusion to Hubert's grandsire at Hastings, as he gives him the twenty nobles ? LXXXVII.— ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD. 1. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day ; The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea ; The plowman liomeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. FOURTH READER: 231 2. ]S'ow fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight. And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds ; 3. Save that, from yonder ivy-mantled tower. The moping owl does to tlie moon complain Of such as, wand'ring near her secret bower. Molest her ancient, solitary reign. 4. Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a moldering heap. Each in his narrow cell forever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 5. The breezy call of incense-breathing morn, The swallow twitt'ring from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. 6. For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her evening care ; No children run to lisp their sire's return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share. 7. Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield. Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke ; How jocund did they drive their team afield ! How bow^ed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke ! 8. Let not Ambition mock their useful toil. Their homely joys, and destiny obscure ; Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile The short and simple annals of the poor. 232 FOURTH READER. 9. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave. Await alike the inevitable hour : The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 10. Kor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault. If Memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault. The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. 11. Can storied urn, or animated bust, Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath ? Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust. Or Flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of Death ? 12. Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire — Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed, Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre : 13. But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page. Rich with the spoils of time, did ne'er unroll; Chill Penury repressed their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul. 14. Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark, unf athomed caves of ocean bear ; Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 15. Some village Hampden, that, with dauntless breast, The little tyrant of his fields withstood ; FOURTH READER. 233 Some mute, inglorious Milton here may rest — Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood. 16. The applause of listening senates to command, The threats of pain and ruin to despise, To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land, And read their history in a nation's eyes, lY. Their lot forbade ; nor circumscribed alone Their growing virtues, but their crimes con- fined ; Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne. And shut the gates of mercy on mankind ; 18. The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide, To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame, Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride With incense kindled at the Muse's flame. 19. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, Their sober wishes never learned to stray ; Along the cool, sequestered vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. • 20. Yet e'en these bones from insult to protect. Some frail memorial still erected nigh. With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked, Implores the passing tribute of a sigh. 21. Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered Muse, The place of fame and elegy supply ; And many a holy text around she strews. That teach the rustic moralist to die. 234 FOURTH READER. 22. For who, to dumb forgetfulness a prey, • This pleasing, anxious being e'er resigned, Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day, ^ov cast one longing, lingering look behind? 23. On some fond breast the parting soul relies. Some pious drops the closing eye requires ; E'en from the tomb the voice of JSTature cries, E'en in our ashes live their wonted fires. 24. For thee, who, mindful of the unhonored dead, Dost in these lines their artless tale relate, If chance, by lonely contemplation led. Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate — 25. Haply some hoary-headed swain may say : " Oft have we seen him, at the peep of dawn, Brushing with hasty steps the dews away, To meet the sun upon the upland lawn. 26. " There, at the foot of yonder nodding beech. That wreathes its old, fantastic roots so high, His listless length at noontide would he stretch, And pore upon the brook that babbles by. 27. " Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn. Muttering his wayward fancies, he would rove ; Now drooping, Woful-wan, like one forlorn. Or crazed wit}i care, or crossed in hopeless love. 28. " One mom I missed him on the customed hill, Along the heath, and near his fav'rite tree ; Another came, nor yet beside the rill, l^or up the lawn, nor at the wood was he ; FOURTH READER. 23S 29. " The next, with dirges due, in sad array. Slow through the church-way path we saw him borne : Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay Graved on the stone beneath yon aged thorn." THE EPITAPH. 30. Here rests his head, upon the lap of earth, A youth to Fortune and to Fame unknown ; Fair Science frowned not on his humble birth, And Melancholy marked him for her own. 31. Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere ; Heaven did a recompense as largely send : He gave to misery — all he had — a tear ; He gained from Heaven — 'twas all he wished — a friend. 32. No further seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode — There they alike in trembling hope repose — The bosom of his Father and his God. Tliomas Gray. For Preparation. — I. Of this elegy General Wolfe said, as he repeated it on the evening before Quebec : " I would rather have written that poem than beat the French to-morrow." Hampden, Milton, Cromwell — three great names connected with the English Revolution that overthrew Charles I. II. Knell (nei), S«h'-o-ing, house'- wife, gran'-deur (-dyur), tro'- phie§, S-e'-sta-sy, daunt'-less, sgi'-enQe, m6r-an-«h61-y, jo«'-und. III. Transpose stanzas 16 and 17 into prose. IV. Solitary, folds, moping, rugged, hamlet, incense-breathing, envied, glebe, jocund, sturdy, ambition, destiny, obscure, annals, disdainful, her- aldry, pomp, inevitable, impute, long-drawn aisle, fretted vault, anthem, storied urn, animated bust, celestial fire, ample page, penury, genial, se- rene, unfathomed, " little tyrant of his fields," mute applause, senate, cir- 236 FOURTH READER, cumscribed, ingenuous, shrine, ignoble, sequestered, tenor, memorial, erected, uncouth, sculpture, " passing tribute," " unlettered Muse," elegy, "rustic moralist," pleasing, anxious,, resigned, precincts, pious, wonted, art- less, contemplation, kindred, haply, swain, fantastic, heath, dirges, bounty, recompense, merits, disclose. V. " Curfew " {cover fire. On the ringing of the curfew at 8 p. m., the English people were required to extinguish their fires and candles. The law was enacted by William the Conqueror in 1068, and abolished by Henry I. in 1100; but the ringing of bells at sunset, practiced for centuries afterward, was still called the curfew). What " ivy-mantled tower " is referred to here ? (of the church in this " country churchyard.") What is meant by "heaves the turf" ? — " narrow cell " ? — " shrill clarion " ? — " echoing horn " ? Why are these mentioned as sounds that will rouse the sleeper? (the first sounds heard in the morning.) " Lowly bed " (lowly means low in the grave, ov poor and humble — such beds as they slept on in their cottages). *' Evening care " means what ? (Is care used for the sake of rhyme with share .? If so, why not let the rhymes be task — ask ?) " Their furrow oft," etc. (the effect is used for the cause : the furrow for the plow. This figure of speech is called metonomy^ which means name changing). " Nor Grandeur " (" Grandeur " used for " grand people "). " If Memory o'er their tomb," etc. (referring to the memorials erected by the rich and powerful within the churches). " Repressed their noble rage" (i. e., the celestial fire of poetry). " Guiltless of his country's blood " (i. e., was not at the head of armies, as Cromwell was). " For thee," etc. (24) — (i. e,, the poet describes himself in the speech of the hoary-headed swain and in the epitaph. The description tells us how much like an idiot a poet seems to an uneducated " swain " ; while absorbed in his reveries and constructing his rhymes (i. e., " Muttering his wayward fancies"), his behavior could not be accounted for on the hoary-headed swain's theory of life). " Another came" (i. e., another mom). "The next" (morn). "Large was his bounty" — what is meant? (he was very generous, for he gave to people in misery all he had.) Heaven, as "recompense" for his "bounty," be- came his " friend." FOURTH READER. 237 APPENDIX. WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL. The difficulty of spelling English words arises from uncertainty in regard to the combinations used to represent elementary sounds. For instance, the sound 6 is represented in eleven different ways in the words ebb, dead, again, aesthetics, many, nonpareil, jeopardy, friend, bury, guest, says. Again, the words bead, head, great, heart, wear, ocean, earth, present ea with seven sounds. The pupil will readily learn to spell all words in which the sounds are represented by the usual combinations of letters, by seeing them in print whenever he reads a book or newspaper. A list of words to spell should not be cumbered by the intro- duction of easy words, such as contain only the usual combinations, but should have only those that are difficult because of the excep- tional combinations of letters used. The spelling book, then, may be a very small book, containing about fifteen hundred words. Tliis small list of words should be so thoroughly learned that the pupil can spell orally or write every word in it without hesitation. This can be accomplished by the pupil of twelve years of age in six months' time, having one lesson of twenty words a day to write from dictation, and using every fifth day for an oral review of all words from the beginning. This thorough drill on a few words will train the child's faculty of observing unusual combinations of letters, and his memory thus trained will make him a good speller without spending any further time over the spelling book. His memory will absorb and retain hard words wherever he sees them, just as a sponge absorbs and retains water. 238 FOURTH READER. The words are arranp;ed in the following list so as not to bring together a number of words of the same combination, and thereby paralyze the memory, as is too frequently the case in the lists given in spelling books, which, for example, collect in one lesson the words ending in tion, or tain^ or ture^ or cious^ etc., thus giving to the pupil by the first word that is spelled a key to all that follow. Correct pronunciation is as important as correct spelling, and the rare combinations of letters are the ones most likely to be mis- pronounced. The following list contains the words hable to be mispronounced as well as misspelled, and even some words easy to spell that are often mispronounced. The following mode of analy- sis is recommended as aA excellent auxiliary to the oral and writ- ten spelling lesson. It should always be practiced in connection with the reading lesson, and with the book open before the pupil, in preference to the usual plan. Spelling Analysis. — The pupils and teacher have reading-books or spelling books open at the lesson. The pupils, in the order of recitation, analyze the list of difficult words one after the other, as follows: First Pupil — Oroat^ g-r-o-a-t (pronounces and reads its spelling from the book). It is a difficult word, because the sound aw is rep- resented by the rare combination oa ; it is usually represented by aw or au {awl., fraud). This sound may be represented in six ways, and is essentially like that of 6 before r {horn). Second Pupil — Police., p-o-l-i-c-e. It is a difficult word, because the sound e is represented by *, and not by one of the more fre- quent modes, e, ea., ce, ie., and ei. There are twelve ways of repre- senting this sound. The word is also more difficult to spell, because it represents the sound of s by ce. Third Pupil — Sacrifice., s-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e. It is difficult, because the sound % (before /) is obscure, and may be represented by any one of twelve ways. The letter c in fice has here the sound of s, a very rare use of that letter. The word is liable to be mispronounced sa'-kri-fis or s&k'-ri-fis for sak'-ri-fiz. A. — Table of Equivalents representing Elennentary Sounds. I. — The sound a is represented in eleven ways: 1. In many words by a (ale), ai (aid), and ay (bay) ; 2. In a few words by ey (they), ei (veil), ea (break), au (gauge), ao (gaol, for jail)., e and ee (employ6, soi-r6e), aye (meaning ever). FOURTH READER. 289 II. — The sound a is represented in three ways: 1. In many words by a (at) ; 2. In a few words by ai (plaid), ua (guarantee). HI. — The sound a is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by a (father); 2. In a few words by au (taunt), ea (heart), ua (guard), e (sergeant), aa (bazaar). IV.— The sound a is represented in seven ways: 1. In many words by k (care) ; 2. In a few words by ai (f^ir), ea (pear), ay (prayer), ^ (th^re), 6i (thMr), aa (Aaron). V. — The sound a is represented only by a (ask) in a few words. YI. — The sound a is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by a (all), aw (awl), au (fraud) ; 2. In a few words by ou (bought), oa (broad), awe. VII.— The sound e is represented in twelve ways : 1, In many words by e (eve), ea (beat), ee (beef),.ie (chief); 2. In a few words by ei (deceive), i (marine), ey (key), eo (people), uay (quay), ue (Portuguese), se (Caesar), oe (Phoebus). VIII. — The sound 6 is represented in twelve ways : 1. In many words by 6 (mSt), ga (brgad); 2. In a few words by ai (said), 86 (diaeresis), a (any), 6i (hSifer), ^o (leopard), ie (friend), u (bury), u6 (guSst), ay (says), oe ((Edipus). IX. — The sound e is represented in six ways: 1. In many words by e (fern), i (sir) ; 2. In a few words by ea (heard), y (myrtle), a (liar), ue (guerdon). See XIX., 4 sound. X. — The sound i (a diphthong composed usually of the sounds a (or a) -i, pronounced very briefly, is represented in ten ways: 1. In many words by i (ice), y (by), ie (die) ; 2. In a few words by ui (guide), cl (height), uy (buy), ai (aisle), ye (rye), eye, ay (bayou). XL — The sound i is represented in twelve ways: 1. In many words by i (it), y (lynx), le (duties); 2. In a few words by ui (build), ai (certain), u (busy), e (pretty), ee (been), o (women), ei (for- eign), ia (carriage), oi (tortoise). XII. — The sound o is represented in ten ways : 1. In many words bj o (note), oa (boat), ow (blow) ; 2. In a few words by ou (four), oe (foe), 00 (door), au (hautboy), ew (sew), eau (beau), eo (yeoman). XIII. — The sound 6 is represented in four ways: 1. In many words by 5 (not), a (was) ; 2. In a few words by 6u (lough), ow (knowl- edge). XIV. The sound 6 is represented in three ways: 1. In many words by 6 (born) ; 2. In a few words by eo (George), a6 (extra6rdi- nary). 240 FOURTH READER. XV. — The sound oo is represented in four ways: 1, In many words by 00 (bloom); 3. In a few words by o (do), ou (group), oe (shoe). XVI. — The sound do is represented in four ways: 1. In many words by do (foot) ; 2. In a few words by o (woman), u (put, and the termination ful), ou (would). XVII. — The sound ti (a diphthong composed of i-oo, the i being nearly displaced by a consonant y glide when the ti begins a syllable, or when it follows the consonants p, b, m, v, f, -e, or g) is represented in fourteen ways : 1. In many words by \l (tube), ew (few) ; 2. In a few words by tie (htie), ui (juice), efl (neuter), ieii (lieti), iew (view), eati (beaQty), aa (manttia- maker), eo (feodal), yti (ytile), ewe, yew, you. XVIII. — The sound li is represented in ten ways: 1. In many word* by ii (but), 6 (son), ou (touch, and terminations in ous); 2. In a few words by 6o (blood), 6e (does), 6i (porpoise), io (cushion, and terminations in ion), eo (dungeon), eou in righteous, iou in gracious. XIX. — The sound ti is represented in three ways : 1. In many words by ti (btrn) ; 2. In a few words by o (work), oti (scotirge). This sound is diphthongal, occasioned by the transmutation of the rough or trilled r to the smooth or palatal r, the effort expended in trilling the tongue having weakened into a gut- tural vowel sound iih, heard as a glide from the previous vowel sound to the r. Very careful speakers distinguish the sound of e (equivalents I and y) from ti (and its equivalent o sound), although the common usage, here and in England, is to pro- nounce them all alike, except before a trilled r. Smart says: "Even in the refined classes of society in England aur, durt, ourd, etc., are the current pronunciation oisir^ dirt, Hrd ; and, indeed, in all very common words it would be somewhat affected to insist on the delicate shade of difference." The careful teacher will, however, practice his pupils in this delicate distinction. XX. — The sound u is represented in four ways: 1. In many worda by u (rule) ; 2. In a few words by ew (grew), ue (true), ui (fruit). This sound occurs only after r, and in sure and its derivatives. It is very similar to the sound of oo, the chief difference being caused by the modification which the preceding r sound gives. XXI. — The diphthong oi (= a-i), as in coil, is represented also by oy (boy). FOURTH READER. ^ 241 XXII. — The diphthong ou (= a-o6), as in bound, is represented also by ow (crowd). XXIII. — The sounds of g in gem, of g in get, of s in so, of § in wag, of Q in gell, of -e in €at, of ch in child, of €h in -chorus, of qh in machine, of x in ox (ks), of $ in e^act (gz), of n in no, of n in concord (kongkord), of th in thing, of th in tlie, are marked, when marked, as here indicated. XXIV. — The sound of f is represented by ph (philosopher) in many words, and by gh (cough) in a few words. The sound of v is represented by f in of, and ph (Stephen) in a few words. The sound of sh is represented by c (oceanic), s (nauseate), t (nego- tiation), ce (ocean), ci (social), seo (nauseous), si (tension), ti (captious), gh (ghaise), sc (conscientious), sch (schorl), sci (con- science), xi = ksh in noxious, x = ksh in luxury, s = sh in sure; zh is represented by si (fusion), zi (grazier), s (symposium), ti (transition), ssi (abscission), g (rouge) ; z = zh in azure. B. — Table of Sounds represented by Letters and Combinations. 1. a — eight sounds: ale, at, alms, ask, care, all, was, any (6). 2. e — eight sounds : eve, m6t, th^re, her, eight, sergeant (a), liar (e), pretty (i). 3. i — four sounds : ice, it, fatigue, fir. 4. o — eight sounds: note, n6r, n6t, move, wolf, work (A), son, women (i). 5. u — seven sounds: use, but, rude, pull, ftlr, busy (i), bury (S). 6. y — three sounds: by, lyric, myrrh. 7. aa = a, a : ae = e, S ; ai = a, k, a, S, i, i ; ao = a, a ; au = a, a, a, o; aw = a; awe = a; ay = a, 4, S, i; aye = a. 8. ea = a, A, a, e, 6, e ; ee = e, i, a ; ei = a, 4, e, 6, i, i ; ey = a, e, i ; eo = e, S, 6, 6, u, H ; eu = u ; ew = u, o, u ; eau = o, ti ; ewe = u; eye = i; eou = ii. 9. ia = 1, ya ; ie = e, S, i, i, y§, yii ; io = yo, yii, ii ; iu = yii ; ieu = u ; iew = u ; iou = ti, yii. 10. oa = o, a; oe = e, S, o, oo, ii; oi = oy, i, i, u, wa, wi, wo; oeu = u ; 00 = 00, 00, o, ti ; ou = ow, a, o, 6, oo, 66, ti, ti ; ow = ou, o, 5 ; oy = oi. 11. ua = a, a, u, wa, wa, wa, wa, w5; ue = e, S, e, we, wS, ti, u; ui = i, i, ti, u, wi, wi, we, we ; uo = wo, wo ; uy = we, e, i ; uay = e, wa; uea = we ; uee = we ; uoy = woi. 242 FOURTH READER. D. — Less Common Words. ffts'sil di-8Br'e-sis de-gSp'tion gam'ut 68'si-fy fa-Qe'tious (-shus) 8€ab'bard ma-neuVer (-noo'-) vi'ti-ate (vish'-) 8tti«'-eo myrrh (mer) in-i'tial (-ish'-) vi-e'ar na'dir in-si'tion (-sish'un) vls'^id pha'lanx se-di'tious tSr'race phe'nix (fs'-) tu-i'tion 86r'tie si'phon €6n'scienQe (-shenB) t5n-tme' na'§al au-da'cioiis pse'an 86n'ti-eDt (-shi-) pre-«o'cioiis IV. pug-na'ciotls (-shus) Sv-a-lanQhe' nau'se-ate (-she-) tran-8i'tioii (-sizh'-un) al'ien pSn'iard Ci-vil'ian €6riier-y (-yer-) pa-virion (-yun) 8tilt'ure V. su'ture fitat'ue 8t3,t'ute g6n'u-me 8tr6n'u-otis aq'ue-duet (we-) 6q'ui-page 6q'ui-ty r6q'ui-§ite «0-qu6tte' (-kgf) VI. ex-chSq'uer (-chfik'er) mos-qui'to (mos-ke'-) an-tique' (-teek') gro-tSsque' (-tosk') m5sque o-paque' ■ehynie (kim) bur-16sque' ■eri'tique' ■ehi-me'ra VII. €hro-n51'o-gy stry-eli'nme ar'«he-type la^h'ry-mal m8«h'aii-i§m P6ii'ta-teu«h (-tuk) gan'grene triph-thSn'gal dis-blirse' ingense Vlil. dftelle mis'sile ■erys'tal-line ttir 'pen -tine ■edr'al-llne sSt'el-lite granite siie-^gs'sive ar'a-ble ri§'i-ble IX. gl'i-gi-ble in-dSl'i-ble re-§i8t'i-ble cy'-ele pin'na-ele re-ggp'ta-ele griz'zle mas'sa-ere (-ker) driv'el (v'l) wee'vil (Vi) FOURTH READER. 243 XI. XII. bea'-eon (-kn) ob-lique' (-leek') de-e'a-16gue syn'a-gogue bail'iff har'ass sub'tle (sut'l) czar (zar) ab'sQess Gi-bral'tar a-e-qui-Ss^e' gnarl (narl) phlegm (flem) di'a-phragm (-fram) astii'ma (as'-) naph'tha (nap'-) hals'er (haws'-) pneu-mo'ni-a (nu-) psal'ter-y (sawi'-) p6r'emp-to-ry ap'ro-pos (-p6) trgs'tle (s'l) schigm (sizm) mortgage (mor'g^ mi§'tle-toe (miz'l-) in-fal'li-ble fira-ment man'age-a-ble liD'i^ment nu'tri-ment XIII. sSd'i-ment ■ea-tarrh' (-tar') fas'gi-nate siip'pli-eate e-qui-lib'ri-iim ■eo-me'di-an gram-ma'ri-an ■ea-liim'ui-otts de-lir'i-um S,-e-a-dSm'i€-al XIV. re-Qip'ro-eaJ las'si-tude a-tr6e'i-ty ■ea-pag'i-ty e-las-tig'i-ty al-le-g5r'i-e-al an-te-ged'ent an'ti-dote ni'ce-ty an-tl-ehris'tian XV. de-lude' de-lin'e-ate di-m^n'sion e-lu'gi-date im-mSn'si-ty iii-5€'u-late fer-men-ta'tion fir'ma-ment aiis'te-nanQe ■eon-eur'ren^e XVI. de-gease' a-e-gSpt'ange chan'gel-lor sur-vey'or (-va'-) a-e-eou'ter (-kdb'-) am-phi-the'a-ter eon-gen'ter in-ter-gede' 8u-per-sede' gaz-et-teer' XVII. su-per-in-tSnd'ent Qyl'in-der at'mos-phere fin-an-9ier' (-seer') ■eo-erQe' as-perse' re-im-btirse' av'a-rige 6r'i-fice trea'tise XVIII pro-b5s'gi8 ■eon-ta'gioiis mar'Qhion-ess (-shun-) vo-ra'cious dis-perse' fi-e-tftiotis su-per-sti'tious ge-Sm-e-tri'cian (-trish'an) ■e5n-de-sQ6n'sion m-ter-mis'sion (-mish'un) 244 FOURTH READER. XIX. XX. XXI. a-e-efel-er-a'tion big'ot pan'i« €$-hil-a-ra'tion (gz) -earum-ny ■eom-inSd'i-ty sgin-til-la'tion ■eat'e-ehige de-v61'op ^m'bas-sy ■e6m'i« , e-lab'o-rate -eotir'te-sy (kflr'-) flag'on en-am'el fal'la-cy frig'ate 6p-i-d6ra'i-e mil-lgn'ni-um 6b'e-lisk e-vap'o-rate Mthe'some pSri-ean ex-p6r'i-ment malra'sey (mam'-) tgn'or pi-rat'k-al ^ai'e-thyst vlg'or re-tal'i-ate XXII. xxin. XXIV. lig'gre-gate flip'pant wlt'ti-5i§ra ^■e-a-dSm'i-e fSp'pish a-e-€6m 'mo-date ba-rom'e-ter mfit'to am-bas'sa-dor bar-ri-eade' mtim'ray ban-dit'ti bat'ter-y pai'lid Bri-tan'ni-a br&g'gart p6n'nant €o-15s'sus -er&b'bed pSrien ■eora-mit'tee dis'si-pate s6n'na em-bar'rass dit'ty steriar e$-ag:'ger-ate -eav-a-lier' tr&f'fi« siif'fo-eate XXV. XXVI. XXVII. in-flam'ma-to-ry ty-ran'ni«-al a-chieve'raent pi-az'za a-e-kn5wl'edg-raeiit ad'mi-ra-ble ad-van-ta'geoiis am-phib'i-oiis a-nal'y-sis ^n-ni-ver'sa-ry a-nSn'y-moiis a-p5«'ry-pha as-g6nd'en-gy St'tri-bute au^-iFia-ry be-ngf'i-Qenge a-p5th'e-«a-ry blas'phe-my bo-hea' bora-ba-zine' blir'gla-ry ■ear-toucb' chir'rup ■eh5r'is-ter git'a-del bril'lian-gy ^Sl'er-y gem'e-t8r-y Q6r'e-mo-ny ■eon-fS^'tion-er-y FOURTH READER. 245 xxvm. ■crev'iQe dim-i-nu'tion dis-p6n'sa-ry dram'a-tist e-e5n'o-my 6f-fer-v6s'5enQe e-le-e-trig'i-ty e-Iix'ir en-Qj-elo-pe'-di-a e-the're-al XXIX. Sr-y-sip'e-las St-y-mol'o-gy par'a-Qhute ex-erSs'genge dys'en-ter-y en-deav'or er-ro'ne-ous em-bSd'ded fu-ne're-al gyra-nas'ti-es XXX. bj-dro-pho'bi-a il-lit'er-ate in-di-e'a-tive in-stan-ta'ne-oiis in-tsrii-gi'ble irk'some ja-guar' (ja-g-war') j^ve'lin (jav'-) jottr'ney-man ker'§ey-mere XXXI lat'tige lit'er-a-ture liq'ue-fy (-we-) lu'-era-tive ma-la'ri-a pal'pa-ble pam'plilet pa-ral'y-sis par'lia-ment fis'sure (fish'ur) XXXII. XXXIII, pSn-i-t6n'tia- ry (-sha-) sap'phire (safir) ve-neer pha'e-t5n phy§-i-6ro-gy pSr'al-lel pr6m'i-neDt rS«'om-p6nse re-p5§'i-to-ry rS§-ur-r6«'tion ri-di-e'u-loiis pr6d'i-gy pyr'a-mid dis-a-gree'ing skir'mish so-lig'i-ttide s6ri-ta-ry sttir'di-ly sfir'ger-y sym'me-try XXXiV. syn-on'y-moiis syr'inge tan'ta-lize tam'a-rind tSl'e-s-eope tSn'e-ment tyr'an-nize ve-15Q'i-pede vict'ual-er (vit'l-) vo-lti'mi-nous XXXV. vSn'quisb Ra'leigh Sa-van'nab Bat'on Rouge (roozh) Du-buque' (ddo-buk') Pough-keep'sie (po-kip'-) Prai'rie dti Chien' (sheen) Worces'ter (wobs'-) Tgr're Haute (hot) Ra-QiQe' . XXXVI. An-nap'o-lis Hai'ti Cleve'land Mil-wau'kee Des Moines' (de moin') In-di-an-ap'o-lis Pitts'burg Ja-mai'«a •€ar-ib-be'aii Schuyrkill (skdbl'-) 246 FOURTH READER. XXXVII. XXXVIII. Ab-ys-sin'i-a C^'cil (or QS^'il) Shang-hal Ab'i-gail HaVre Ad'e-laide Pjr'e-neeg -Ga'naan (-nan) Ha-van'a Mar-seilles' (-salz') Rio de Janeiro (re'o Es'ki-mo§ (-ki-moz) dys-pSp'si-a Si'nai [da zha-na'e-ro) mon-sieur' (mS-sye') gey'ser (gi'-) •€al'ais (-is) an-tiq'ui-ty hy-drop'a-thy Dnie'per (nee'-) gp'au-l$t da-guSrre'o-type (-gSr'-) "6ay-enne' (ka-y5n') -ea'liph porte'mon-naie (na) XXXIX. sheik ma-de-moi-selle' (ma-dmwa-zfii') al-16p'a-thy mes-sieurs (ma-sye') s&€'ri-16ge XL bay'ou (bi'oo) ho-me-6p'a-thy Hu'gue-not (-ge-) gly^'er-in scron en-am'el-ing -ealm (kam) ■eiip'board (kub'berd) f6re'head (for'ed) XLI. bay'o-net €6m'rade «6n'5en-trate ■eon'«6rd di8-h5n'est (-6n'-) ej-haust' e$-hib'it fas'ten (fas'n) flor'id folks (foks) XLII. for-bSde' (bM') gul-tar' (gi-) IQnch'eon (-un) m6a§'ure (zh) men-^g'er-ie (-azh'-) mer'ean-tile mu-§e'um o'a-sis op-po'nent skgre-ton XLIII. squir'rel (skwer'- or wrist'band [Bkwir'-) Sg'gran-dize Sl-ter'nate ap-pa-ra'tus a-ro'ma ar-tif'i-Qer ar'ti-§an as-pir'ant -eom-po'nent XLIV. ^om p5§1te «6m'pro-mi§e dSf'i-cit d6s'pi-€a-ble 6p'o-eh fi-nange' forge fr5n'tier gib'ber goo§e'bSr-ry XLV. ho-ri'zon house'wife il-liis'trate im'be-^ile im'po-tent in-gi'sive in-eom'pa-ra-ble in-de-fat'i-ga-ble in-dis'pu-ta-ble in'dus-try FOURTH READER. 247 XLVI XLVII. XLVI 1 1 in-6x'o-ra-ble m5n'as-ter-y tap'es-try in-s6p'a-ra-ble 6b'li-ga-to-ry tar'get in'te-gral Pan-the'on tgp'id in'ter-6st-ed pat'ent ti'ny lara'ent-a-ble re-lax-a'tion ti-rade' le'ni-ent re-volt' tre'mor ISv'ee route trib'une leVer s61'der (sod'er) va-e'Qi-nate lu'di-eroiis sou-ve-nir' va-ga'ry ma'm-a« sphinx wrath XLIX.* (4) heir (4) e'er (2) altar (2) bait (2) bade (2) beau (2) been (2) bier (2) belle (2) bury (2) bough (2) brake (2) cell (2) seller (2) climb (2) course (2) corps (2) creak (2) due (2) dough LI.* (2) dun (2) dost (2) dire (2) dyeing (3) ewe (3) yew (2) fawn (2) fare (2) feat (2) flue LI!.* (2) fourth (2) gait (2) guilt (2) gored (2) grown (2) hale (2) haul (2) hart (2) hew (2) hire Llll.* (2) whoop (2) inn (2) lessen (2) led (2) lye (2) maid (2) mail (2) raane (2) mown (2) neigh LIV. (2) knead (2) knight (3) o'er (2) won (2) pale (3) pear (2) paws (2) piece (2) peal (2) purl 248 FOURTH READER. LV. LVI, LVii:* (2) plain (2) wring (2) tier (2) plait (3) road (2) through (2) plumb • (2) roar (2) thrown (2) prey (2) rood (2) thyme (3) praise (2) sail (2) toe (3) rein (2) scene (2) tun (2) wrap (2) seam (2) vein (2) red (2) seize (2) veil (2) reed (2) sleigh (3) viol (2) rice (3) so (2) waist LVI 1 1.* (2) week (2) wood (2) throe (2) rime (2) moat (2) meed (2) grieves (2) cygnet (2) corol (2) bruit LIX.t (2) abuse (2) bow (2) cleanly (2) hinder (2) lead (2) live (2) lower (2) minute (2) mow (2) row LX.t (2) slough (2) wind (2) mall (2) gallant (2) grease (2) gill (2) close (2) rise (2) irony (2) wound * When the teacher pronounces a word from these lessons (XLIX.-LVIII"), the pupil should spell and define the two or more words having the same pronunciation. t When the teacher pronounces a word from these lessons (LIX., LX.), the pupil should give its two pronunciations and the definition in each case : e. g., bow (bou), to incline the head ; bow (bo), a weapon for propelling arrows, or the doubling of a string in a knot, etc. Elementary English The following books are adapted for beginners in the study of Language and Composition : LONG'S New Language Exercises. Part 1 20 cents New Language Exercises. Part II 25 cents Lessons in English (Grammar and Composition) . 35 cents jUAXWELL'S First Book in English 40 cents METCALF AND BRIGHT'S Language Lessons. Part 1 35 cents Language Lessons. Part II. ..... 55 cents METCALF'S Elementary English 40 cents SWINTON'S Language Primer ....... 28 cents Language Lessons 38 cents School Composition ....... 32 cents Language Tablets and Blanks NATIONAL Language Tablets. 15 Nos. . . . Per dozen, 90 cents STICKNEY'S Child's Book of Language. 4 Nos. . . Each, 8 cents Letters and Lessons in Language. 4 Nos. . Each, 16 cents The Same. No. 5. Grammar .... 35 cents WARD'S Grammar Blanks. 2 Nos. . . . Per dozen, 90 cents • These Tablets and Blanks supply a great variety of graded exercises for practice and review in Language Lessons, Grammar and Composition. Their use will economize the time of both pupil and teacher. Specimen copies of any of the above books will be sent prepaid to any address^ on receipt of the price ^ by the Publishers : American Book Company New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago Books for Supplementary Reading Dana's Plants and their Children By Mrs. William Starr Dana. Illustrated uy Alice Josephine Smith $0.65 Kelly's Short Stories of Our Shy Neighbors By Mrs. M. A. B. Kelly. Illustrated 50 McGuffey's Natural History Readers. Illustrated McGuffey's Familiar Animals and their Wild Kindred . .50 McGuffey's Living Creatures of Water, Land, and Air . .50 Lockwood's -Animal Memoirs. Illustrated Part I. Mammals. 317 pages 60 Part II. Birds. 397 pages 60 Treat's Home Studies in Nature. Illustrated By Mrs. Mary Treat. Part I.— Observations on Birds. Part II. — Habits of Insects. Part III. — Plants that Con- sume Animals. Part IV. — Flowering Plants ... .90 Monteith's Popular Science Reader By James Monteith. Illustrated . . * . . .75 Carpenter's Geographical Reader — Asia By Frank G. Carpenter. With Maps and Illustrations .60 The Geographical Reader and Primer A series of journeys round the world. Illustrated . . .60 Johonnot's Geographical Reader By James Johonnot. Illustrated 1.00 Goho's Pennsylvania Reader. Historical and Patriotic By Stephen O. Goho. Illustrated 50 Shepherd's Historical Reader By Henry E. Shepherd 1.00 Van Bergen's Story of Japan By R. Van Bergen. With Double Map of Japan and Korea and Numerous Illustrations 1.00 Holbrook's 'Round the Year in Myth and Song By Florence Holbrook. With beautiful Illustrations . .60 Copies of any of these books will be sent prepaid to any address, on receipt of the price by the Publishers : American Book Company NEW YORK ♦ CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO (7) Eclectic School Readings A carefully graded collection of fresh, interesting, and instructive supplementary readings for young children. The books are well and copiously illustrated by the best artists, and are handsomely bound in cloth. Folk-Story Series Lane's Stories for Children First Reader Grade. i2mo, 104 pages . Baldwin's Fairy Stories and Fables Second Reader Grade. i2mo, 176 pages Baldwin's Old Greek Stories Third Reader Grade. r2mo, 208 pages . Famous Story Series Baldwin's Fifty Fannous Stories Retold Second Reader Grade. i2mo, 172 pages Baldwin's Old Stories of the East Third Reader Grade. i2mo, 215 pages . Defoe's Robinson Crusoe Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 246 pages Clarke's Arabian Nights Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 271 pages Historical Story Series Eggleston's Stories of Great Annericans Second Reader Grade. i2mo, 159 pages Eggleston's Stories of Annerican Life and Adventure Third Reader Grade. i2mo, 214 pages . Guerber's Story of the Greeks Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 288 pages Guerber's Story of the Romans Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 288 pages Guerber's Story of the Chosen People Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 240 pages Clarke's Story of Troy Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 255 pages Natural History Series Kelly's Short Stories of Our Shy Neighbors Third Reader Grade. i2mo, 214 pages . Dana's Plants and Their Children Fourth Reader Grade. i2mo, 272 pages 25 cents 35 cents 45 cents 35 cents 45 cents 50 cents 60 cents 40 cents 50 cents 60 cents 60 cents 60 cents 60 cents 50 cents 65 cents Copies of any of these books will be sent prepaid to any address^ on receipt of the price ^ by the Publishers: American Book Company New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago (^5) A Trip Through Asia with the Children Carpenter's Geographical Reader— Asia By Frank G. Carpenter. Cloth, i2mo, 304 pages. With colored Maps and numerous Illustrations. Price, 60 cents In the interest of its subjects, as well as in its artistic, literary, and mechanical execution, this new Geographical Reader is by far the most attractive and noteworthy book of its kind. It combines in one volume studies in geog- raphy to supplement the regular text-books in use, and a book of travels adapted to serve as a reading book in school or in the home. The studies in geography are not mere compilations from other books, or stories of imaginary travels, but are based on actual travel and personal observation. The author, who is an experienced traveler and writer, has given interesting and vivacious descriptions of his recent extended journeys through the different countries of Asia, together with graphic pictures of their native peoples, just as they are found to-day in their homes and at their work. This has been done in such simple language and charming manner as to make each chapter in the book as entertaining as a story. The interest and effectiveness of the book are greatly enhanced by the illustrations found on almost every page. These are all new, being mostly reproductions from photo- graphs taken by the author on the ground. The book is also well supplied with maps of Asia and all the countries described. Copies of Carpenter s Geographical Reader will be sent, prepaid, to any address, on receipt of the price, by the Publishers : American Book Company New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago (47) GEOGRAPHY Natural Elementary Geography By Jacques W. Redway, F.R.G.S. Linen Binding, Quarto, 144 pages. With numerous Maps and Illus- trations ..... Price, 60 cents The publication of the Natural Elementary Geography marks a new era in the study and teaching of geography. Some of the important features which distinguish this book from all other primary geographies are: Central idea. — The study of man in his geographic rela- tions, leading to the industrial and commercial treat- ment of countries and cities. Method — Development of the subject in a perfectly natural manner; hence the title — the Natural Series of Geographies. Treatment. — Simple, inductive, and progressive. Maps. — The physical relief maps and colored political maps are distinct and easily read. Those of corre- sponding divisions are drawn on a uniform scale to facilitate direct comparison of areas. Illustrations. — The subject-matter is made clear and im- pressive by attractive and appropriate pictures on almost every page. Other Special Features. — Topical outlines for language work; exercises in correlation and comparisons; nat- ural subdivisions of continents and \;ountries; use of suggestive questions, etc. The Natural Advanced Geography is in prepa- ration. An Illustrated Circular describing the plan and method of the Natural Elementary Geography will be sent free to any address on application. Copies of the Natural Elementary Geography will be sent prepaid to any address, on receipt of the price , by the Publishers : American Book Company New York ♦ Cincinnati ♦ Chicago (48) Supplementary Reading FOR ELEMENTARY GRADES For First Reader Grade Crosby's Little Book for Little Folks Lane's Stories for Children Easy Steps for Little Feet . Johonnot's Book of Cats and Dogs Johonnot's Grandfather's Stories Rickoff's Supplementary First Reader Wood's Companion First Reader $0.30 .25 .25 .17 .27 .25 .18 For Second Reader Grade Baldwin's Fairy Stories and Fables Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories Retold Eggleston's Stories of Great Americans Golden Book of Choice Reading Johonnot's Stories of Heroic Deeds Johonnot's Friends in Feathers and Fur For Third Reader Grade .35 .35 .40 .30 .30 .30 Baldwin's Old Greek Stories 45 Baldwin's Old Stories of the East . ' 45 Eggleston's Stories of American Life 50 Kelly's Short Stories of our Shy Neighbors ... .50 Standard Book of Tales 50 Johonnot's Stories of our Country 40 Johonnot's Stories of Other Lands 40 Johonnot's Neighbors with Wings and Fins ... .40 Johonnot's Curious Flyers, Creepers, and Swimmers . . .40 McGuffey's Familiar Animals ...... .50 Holbrook's 'Round the Year in Myth and Song ... .60 Carpenter's Geographical Reader — Asia .... .60 Copies of any of the above books will be sent prepaid to any address^ on receipt of the price by the Publishers : American Book Company NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO (iQ) Supplementary Reading FOR INTERMEDIATE GRADES Defoe's Robinson Crusoe "$0.50 Guerber's Story of the Greeks 60 Guerber's Story of the Romans 60 Guerber's Story of the Chosen People 60 Clarke's Story of Troy 60 Clarke's Story of Aeneas Clarke's Story of Caesar Clarke's Arabian Nights 60 Johonnot's Stories of the Olden Time -54 Johonnot's Ten Great Events in History 54 Johonnot's Neighbors with Claws and Hoofs ..... .54 McGuffey's Living Creatures of Water, Land, and Air . . .50 Dana's Plants and their Children . ' 65 Readings in Nature's Book 65 Geographical Reader and Primer 60 Monteith's Popular Science Reader 75 Seven American Classics (Standard Series) 50 Seven British Classics (Standard Series) 50 Herrick's Chapters on Plant Life 60 Treat's Home Studies in Nature 90 Johonnot's Glimpses of the Animate World . . . . LOO Cooper's Animal Life L25 Johonnot's Geographical Reader 1.00 Van Bergen's History of Japan 1.00 Shepherd's Historical Readings . . . . . .1.00 Skinner's Readings in Folk-Lore 1.00 Copies of any of these Supplementary Readers will be settt prepaid to any address^ on receipt of the price by the Publishers : American Book Company NEW YORK ♦ CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO (20) Spelling and Word Study Patterson's American Word Book Graded Lessons in Spelling, Defining, Punctuation, and Dictation. By Calvin Patterson, M.A. . . , $0.25 This New Spelling Book embodies a carefully developed and progressive plan for teaching the forms and values of English words in common use. The selection of words is based on the needs of the present, as shown by long experience in teaching English. Harrington's Spelling Book. Complete 20 Part I, separate for Primary Grades 15 Part II, separate for Higher Grades 15 A graded spelling book in two parts, which may be had separately or complete as may best suit the wants of schools. Metcalf's Spelling and Language Book 20 A book for teaching spelling in connection with language work and word-study. McGuffey's Revised Eclectic Spelling Book 17 An old favorite revised, with many new features. Natural Speller and Word Book 20 Contains a carefully selected and graded list of words with valuable special features. Swinton's Word Primer 15 A beginner's book in oral and written spelling. Swinton's Word Book of English Spelling 18 A graded speller with the words arranged in natural groups, according to origin or use, and containing other valuable features. FOR STUDIES IN ETYMOLOGY AND ORTHOGRAPHY Swinton's New Word Analysis . • 35 A practical work on Etymology with exercises in analysis, etc. Wright's Analytical Orthography 18 A new edition of this popular and standard work. Copies of any of the above books will be sent prepaid to any address^ on receipt of the price by the Publishers : American Book Company NEW YORK ♦ CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO (17) YB 36790 )naiMi ww MTri i inar ii nirnn i tTiin i r i i a tn ii ri i ii i i IMPROVED READING BOOKS mmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmmmmmmmmmmmiiBmmmMmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmmmmim Supplementary Reading FOR FOURTH READER GRADES Defoe's Robinson Crusoe Clarke's Arabian Nights Guerber's Story of the Greeks rber's Story of the Roman Uuerber's Story of the "" pie Clarke's Story of T roy Johonnofs Stories of the Oldc. i .:;,c Johonnot's Ten Great Bvents in History Johonnot's Neighbo; lod Uana's i'lants and their Children AMERICAN BOOK COMRANY w Yjhk ♦ CiNciNT.ATj ♦ Chicago