TRANSPORT' ED, highly delighted.THREAT' EN ING, impending.COR' O NAL, crown; chaplet.MYR' I AD, innumerable.LUS' CIOUS, delicious.LUS TY, strong; vigorous.WAR' BLING, singing; caroling.CHURL, sour, surly man.RE FRESH', cool; make fresh.LAN' GUID, dull; sluggish.DROUTH' Y, dry; arid.SUS TAIN', uphold; support.UN GRUDG'ING, free-hearted; liberal.NIG GARD, miser; stingy person.
S.W. PARTRIDGE.
1. "Not to myself alone,"The little opening flower transported cries."Not to myself alone I bud and bloom;With fragrant breath the breezes I perfume,And gladden all things with my rainbow dyes.The bee comes sipping, every eventide,His dainty fill;The butterfly within my cup doth hideFrom threatening ill."2. "Not to myself alone,"The circling star with honest pride doth boast,"Not to myself alone I rise and set;I write upon night's coronal of jetHis power and skill who formed our myriad host;A friendly beacon at heaven's open gate,I gem the sky.That man might ne'er forget, in every fate,His home on high."3. "Not to myself alone,"The heavy-laden bee doth murmuring hum,"Not to myself alone, from flower to flower,I rove the wood, the garden, and the bower,And to the hive at evening weary come;For man, for man, the luscious food I pileWith busy care,Content if he repay my ceaseless toilWith scanty share."4. "Not to myself alone,"The soaring bird with lusty pinion sings,"Not to myself alone I raise my song;I cheer the drooping with my warbling tongue,And bear the mourner on my viewless wings;I bid the hymnless churl my anthem learn,And God adore;I call the worldling from his dross to turn,And sing and scar."5."Not to myself alone,"The streamlet whispers on its pebbly way,"Not to myself alone I sparkling glide;I scatter health and life on every side,And strew the fields with herb and floweret gay.I sing unto the common, bleak and bare,My gladsome tune;I sweeten and refresh the languid airIn droughty June."6."Not to myself alone:"--O man, forget not thou,--earth's honored priest,Its tongue, its soul, its life, its pulse, its heart,--In earth's great chorus to sustainthypart!Chiefest of guests at Love's ungrudging feast,Play not the niggard; spurn thy native clod,Andselfdisown;Live to thy neighbor; live unto thy God;Not to thyself alone!
QUESTIONS.—1. What things are mentioned, that contribute to our comfort and happiness? 2. How does the suffixless,affect the meaning of the wordscease, view, hymn,&c.? 3. What is the meaning of the suffixesletandet,in the wordsstreamletandfloweret?See SANDERS & McELLIGOTT'S ANALYSIS, page 140, Ex. 185 and 187.
NURS'ING, nourishing; cherishing.AB HOR', detest; loathe.RE LI' ED, depended.FRA TER' NAL, brotherly.SU PER' NAL, heavenly.COM BINE', unite; join together.RE HEARS' AL, recital; repetition.BIG' OT RY, blind zeal; prejudice.SHEATHE, put in a sheath.U NI VERS AL, general.CUS TOM, practice; usage.TAL' ENT, natural ability.AF FECT'ING, making false show.IS' O LATE, separate; detach.
W.H. COBB.
1. If men cared less for wealth and fame,And less for battle-fields and glory,—If writ in human hearts a nameSeemed better than in song and story,—If men instead of nursing pride,Would learn to hate it and abhor it,—If more reliedOnloveto guide,—The world would be the better for it.2. If men dealt less in stocks and lands,And more in bonds and deeds fraternal,—If Love's work had more willing handsTo link this world to the supernal,—If men stored up Love's oil and wine,And on bruised human hearts would pour it,—If"yours"and"mine"Would once combine,—The world would be the letter for it.3. If more wouldactthe play of Life,And fewer spoil it in rehearsal,—If Bigotry would sheathe his knifeTill Good became more universal,—If Custom, gray with ages grown,Had fewer blind men to adore it,—If talent shoneIn Truth alone,—The world would be the better for it.4. If men were wise in little things,Affecting less in all their dealings,—If hearts had fewer rusted stringsTo isolate their kindly feelings,—If men, when Wrong beats down the Right,Would strike together and restore it,—If Right made MightIn every fight,—The world would be the letter for it.
In reading these antithetic sentences, an excellent effect may be produced by dividing the class equally into two parts, and letting one part read, in concert, the line marked1st Voice, and the other part, the line marked2d Voice;or, one pupil may read one line, and the next pupil the other, alternately.
1st Voice. A wise son maketh a glad father;2d Voice, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
1 V. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing;2 V. but righteousness delivereth from death.
1 V. He becometh poor, that dealeth with a slack hand;2 V. but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
1 V. Blessings are upon the head of the just;2 V. but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
1 V. The memory of the just is blessed;2 V. but the name of the wicked shall rot.
1 V. The wise in heart will receive commandment;2 V. but a prating fool shall fall.
1 V.He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely;2 V.but he that perverteth his ways, shall be known.
1 V.Wise men lay up knowledge;2 V.but the mouth of the wicked is near destruction.
1 V.He is in the way of life, that keepeth instruction;2 V.but he that refuseth reproof, erreth.
1 V.It is as sport to a fool to do mischief;2 V.but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
1 V.The fear of the Lord prolongeth days;2 V.but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
1 V.The hope of the righteous shall be gladness;2 V.but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
1 V.The righteous shall never be removed;2 V.but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
1 V.The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom;2 V.but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
1 V.A false balance is an abomination to the Lord;2 V.but a just weight is his delight.
1 V.Riches profit not in the day of wrath;2 V.but righteousness delivereth from death.
1 V.The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way;2 V.but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
1 V.By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;2 V.but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
1 V.Where no counsel is, the people fall,2 V.but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
1 V.He that diligently seeketh good, procureth favor;2 V.but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
1 V.The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast;2 V.but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
1 V. The lip of truth shall be established forever;2 V. but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
1 V. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord;2 V. but they that deal truly are His delight.
1 V. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule;2 V. but the slothful shall be under tribute.
1 V. A wise son heareth his father's instruction;2 V. but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
1 V. He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life;2 V. but he that openeth wide his lips, shall have destruction.
1 V. A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;2 V. but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
1 V. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man;2 V. but the end thereof are the ways of death.
1 V. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil;2 V. but the fool rageth, and is confident.
1 V. The poor is hated even of his neighbor;2 V. but the rich hath many friends.
1 V. He that oppresseth the poor, reproacheth his Maker;2 V. but he that honoreth Him, hath mercy on the poor.
1 V. He that is slow to wrath, is of great understanding;2 V. but he that is hasty in spirit, exalteth folly.
1 V. A soft answer turneth away wrath;2 V. but grievous words stir up anger.
1 V. He that walketh with wise men, shall be wise;2 V. but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
1 V. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water;2 V. but a man of understanding will draw it out.
1 V. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness;2 V. but the righteous hath hope in his death.
IM PRES' SION, idea; notion.AT TRAC' TIONS, allurements.SA TI' E TY, excessive fullness.SAT' ED, glutted; satiated.PAM' PER ED, over-fed.SUC' CU LENT, full of sap; juicy.UM BRA' GEOUS, shady.GOR' GEOUS, showy; brilliant.DREAR' I NESS, gloominess.REG' IS TER, record; note down.SUG GEST' IVE, giving signs.DEC LA RA' TION, announcement.EX TREM' I TIES, ends.DRA' PER Y, hangings; decorations.EN CHANT' MENT, charms; fascination.FRET' TED, furnished with frets, of ornamental raised work.DEC O RA' TIONS, adornments.
[Headnote 1: AR' A BESQUES, is a word, denoting ornaments after the Arabian manner, often intricate and fantastic, from the intermingling of foliage, fruits, &c., with other objects real or imaginary.]
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
1. It is the impression of many, that only in summer, including spring and autumn, of course, is thecountrydesirable as a residence. The country in summer, and the city for the winter. It is true, that the winter gives attractions to the city, in endless meetings, lectures, concerts, and indoor amusements; but it is not true that the country loses all interest when the leaves are shed and the grass is gone. On the contrary, to one who has learned how to use his senses and his sensibilities, there are attractions in the winter of a peculiar kind, and pleasures which can be reaped only then.
2. It appears to me, that winter comes in to relieve the year of satiety. The mind grows sated with greenness. After eight or nine months of luxuriant growths, the eye grows accustomed to vegetation. To be sure, we never are less pleased with the wide prospect; with forms of noble trees, with towns and meadows, and with the whole aspect of nature. But it is the pleasure of one pampered. We lose the keen edge of hunger. The eye enjoys, without the relish of newness. We expect to enjoy. Every thing loses surprise.
3. Of course, the sky is blue, the grass succulent, the fields green, the trees umbrageous, the clouds silent and mysterious. They were so yesterday, they are so to-day, they will be so to-morrow, next week, next month. In short, the mind does not cease to feel the charm of endless growths; but needs variety, change of diet, less of perpetual feasting, and something of the blessings of a fast.Thiswinter gives. It says to us: You have had too much. You are luxurious and dainty. You need relief and change of diet.
4. The cold blue of the sky, the cold gray of rocks, the sober warmth of browns and russets, take the place of more gorgeous colors. If, now, one will accept this change in the tone of nature, after a time a new and relishful pleasure arises. The month formed by the last fortnight of November and the first two weeks of December, is, to me, the saddest of the year. It most nearly produces the sense of desolateness and dreariness of any portion of the year.
5. From the hour that the summer begins to shorten its days, and register the increasing change along the horizon, over which the sun sets, farther and farther toward the south, we have a genial and gentle sadness. But sadness belongs to all very deep joys. It is almost as needful to the perfectness of joy, as shadows in landscapes are to the charm of the picture. Then, too, comes the fading out of flowers,—each variety in its turn, saying, "Farewell till next summer."
6. Scarcely less suggestive of departing summer are the new-comers, the late summer golden-rod, the asters, and all autumnal flowers. Long experience teaches us that these are the latest blossoms that fall from the sun's lap, and next to them is snow. By association we already see white in the yellow and blue. Then, too, birds are thinking of other things. No more nests, no more young, no more songs,—except signal-notes and rallying-calls; for they are evidently warned, and go about their little remaining daily business, as persons who expect every hour to depart to a distant land.
7. It is scarcely ever that we see the birdsgo. They are here to-day, and gone to-morrow. They disappear without observation. The fields are empty and silent. It seems as if the winds had blown them away with the leaves. The first sight of northern waterfowl, far up in the air, retreating from Labrador and the short, Arctic summer, is always to us like the declaration: "Summer is gone; winter is behind us; it will soon be upon you." At last come the late days of November. All is gone,—frosts reap and glean more sharply every night.
8. A few weeks bring earnest winter. Then begin to dawn other delights. The bracing air, the clean snow-paths, the sled and sleigh, the revelation of forms that all summer were grass-hidden; the sharp-outlined hills lying clear upon the sky; the exquisite tracery of trees,—especially of all such trees as that dendral child of God, the elm, whose branches are carried out into an endless complexity of fine lines of spray, and which stands up in winter, showing in its whole anatomy, that all its summer shade was founded upon the most substantial reality.
9. In winter, too, particularly in the latter periods of it, the extremities of shrubs and branches begin to take on ruddy hues, or purplish browns, and the eye knows that these are the first faint blushes of coming summer. Now, too, we find how beautiful are the mosses in the woods; and under them we find solitary green leaves, that have laughed all winter because they had outwitted the frost.
10. Wherever flowing springs gush from sheltered spots looking south, one will find many green edges, young grass, and some few tougher leaves. Now, too, in still days, the crow swings heavily through the air, cawing with a pleasing harshness. For dieting has performed its work. Your appetite is eager. A little now pleases you more than abundance did in August. Every tiny leaf is to you like a cedar of Lebanon.
11. All these things are unknown to dwellers in cities. It is nothing to them that a robin appeared for the first time yesterday morning, or that a blue-bird sang over against the house. Some newprima-donna[Footnote: The first female singer in an opera.] exhausts their admiration. They are yet studying laces, and do not care for the fringe of swamps, for the first catkins of the willow. They are still coveting the stores of precious stones at the jewelers, and do not care for my ruby buds, and red dogwood, and scarlet winter berries, and ground pine, and partridge-berry leaves.
12. There is one sight of the country, at about this time of the year—the first of March—that few have seen, or else they have passed it by as if it were not worthy of record. I mean the drapery of rocks in gorges, or along precipitous sides of hills or mountains. The seams of rocks are the outlets of springs. The water, trickling through, is seized by the frost, and held fast in white enchantment. Every day adds to the length of the ice drapery; and, as the surface is overlaid by new issuings, it is furred and fretted with silver-white chasings, the most exquisite.
13. Thus, one may find a succession, in a single gorge, of extraordinary ice-curtains, and pendent draperies, of varying lengths, of every fantastic form, of colors varying by thickness, or by the tinge of earth or rock shining through them. In my boyhood, I used to wander along these fairy halls, imagining them to be now altars in long, white draperies; now, grand cathedral pillars of white marble; then, long tapestries chased in white, with arabesques[Headnote 1] and crinkled vines and leaves.
14. Sometimes they seemed like gigantic bridal decorations, or like the robes of beings vast and high, hung in their wardrobes while they slept. But, whatever fancy interpreted them, or whether they were looked upon with two good, sober, literal eyes, they were, and still are, among the most delightful of winter exhibitions, to those who are wise enough to search out the hidden beauty of winter in the country.
QUESTIONS.—1. What are some of the attractions of winter in the city? 2. What are some of the delights of winter in the country? 3. What is said of the drapery of rocks? 4. What did the writer imagine them to be, in boyhood?
UN SUL' LIED, pure; clear.PHE NOM' E NON, appearance.TRANS PAR' EN CY, clearness.AS TON' ISH ING, amazing.RAM I FI CA' TION, branch, or branching out.IN DE SCRIB' A BLY, beyond description.MA JES' TIC, grand.OC CA' SION AL, occurring at times.IM PRESS'IVE, powerful; effective.IN TER SECT' ING, meeting and crossing.PEN' E TRA TING, piercing.E' THER, thin or refined air.CON GEAL' ED, frozen.BUR' NISH ING, brightening.EN GEN' DER ED, produced.EM' BLEM, symbol.CON TEM PLA' TION, meditation.EL E VA' TION, loftiness.
1."Ere yet the clouds let fall the treasured snow,Or winds begun their hazy skies to blow,At evening, a keen eastern breeze arose,And the descending rain unsullied froze.Soon as the silent shades of night withdrew,The ruddy morn disclosed at once to viewThe face of Nature in a rich disguise,And brightened every object to my eyes.For every shrub, and every blade of grass,And every pointed thorn, seemed wrought in glass."
2. Since Sunday, [Feb. 1st, 1852,] we have had presented to our view, the beautiful phenomenon of FROSTED TREES, the most astonishing and brilliant that I ever remember to have noticed. The previous storm and mist had thickly covered every exposed object,—the loftiest trees, the minutest blade, hill and dale, with the icy garment. This transparency was most perfect, defining every form and ramification into exact models of the entire body, branch, or limb.
3. Dwellings and barns were incrusted by the chilling vapor. It hung upon the manes of the cattle, and decorated, wherever seen, the humble grass, which appeared bending, like threads of crystal. The small bushes were indescribably beautiful, and seemed as if chiseled out of the whitest marble. As far as the eye could extend, over brooks, fields, and woods, the same striking and singular sight was universal.
4. I could not remain contented in the house, and toward sunset, hastened away, where the view might be free and uninterrupted. Here, the scene, if possible, was more impressive and interesting. There was scarcely a breath of air, and the general silence was only interrupted by the occasional flight of some winter bird, which, alighting on a limb, would shake down a thousand feathery showers, until he seemed frightened at the unusual sound. The forest trees made a truly majestic appearance, with their naked, giant arms and mossy branches intersecting each other, and fast bound by the frozen barriers.
5. I shall not attempt to describe the brilliancy of the undergrowth and dwarf trees, upon whose limbs hung a delicate frosting, like unwrought silver, nor the crimson glow of the holly-berries through their transparent and icy covering,—all, all was a dazzling and splendid winter array,
"That buries wide the works of man."
It brought to my mind some of the Eastern fairy tales, and their gardens ornamented with shrubs and plants of sparkling crystals.
6. The exposed sides of the rocks and fences were completely iced over, not the smallest particle escaping the penetrating and congealed ether. It was truly astonishing to examine its thickness. On some twigs, not larger than a wheat straw, the ice measured half an inch through. One would scarcely imagine what an immense weight of the frozen mass a tree will sustain, before it breaks under the unusual load. Many branches were bent so low that I could reach them with my hands; and, shaking off their frosted barks, they would instantly spring far above my reach. Every few minutes, I was startled by the rattling noise of these falling icicles from some neighboring tree or grove.
7. Just when the sun went down, there was not a single cloud to be seen in the horizon, and his cold, bright, setting rays brought out, on every hand, frozen gems, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, in every possible prismatic beauty, wherever his departing beams fell. Presently the moon bathed the whitened earth, and every congealed drop, in her soft light, burnishing, with dazzling icy brilliancy, trees, dwellings, and streams. I am an ardent lover of Nature and her scenery, and have often, delighted, gazed upon the Queen of Night; butneverdid I behold such a brilliant moonlight night as this.
8. Who could help bringing to mind the sublimities of Job and of David,—"The hoary frost of heaven, who hath engendered it? The waters are hid, as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."—"By the breath of the Mighty God, ice is produced, and the waters which were spread on all sides, are held in chains." The Psalmist says, "He giveth the snow like wool, He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."—Well may poets look to the falling snow-flake for their images of purity and innocence, ere it receives the stain of earth. I know of no litter emblem.
9. Such a winter's night!and the skies! the skies!So resplendent in brightness are the hosts of heaven at this moment, that they should be contemplated by every lover and student of the works of God. Their numbers who can count,—their twinkling beauty who can describe, as onward they roll in the deep blue of midnight? In their contemplation are inspired "thoughts that wander through eternity," with an elevation of feeling, as if we were separated from the toils and tumults of earth, and exalted into a higher state of being than that in which we toiled through the day! These heavens tell us of a WISDOM and POWER we can not search or estimate. There we seem to stand more immediately in the vailed presence of the Infinite Majesty, who "laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy."
QUESTIONS.—1. Describe the appearance of frosted trees. 2. What is said of the appearance of shrubs, bushes, &c.? 3. What, of the weight sustained by a single tree? 4. What was the appearance at sunset? 5. What passages of Scripture did the scene bring to mind? 6. Of what is the snowflake an emblem? 7. What is said of the skies?
SPLEN' DOR, brightness; glory.E TER' NAL LY, everlastingly.WAY'-WEA RY, tired; fatigued.GAZE, eager look.EV' ER GREEN, always green.LONG' ED, earnestly desired.RE POSE, rest; quietude.RAN' SOM ED, redeemed.PAL' ACE, mansion; abode.UN CEAS' ING LY, constantly.
JAMES G. CLARK.
1. There's a land far away, 'mid the stars, we are told,Where they know not the sorrows of time,—Where the pure waters wander through valleys of gold,And life is a treasure sublime;'Tis the land of our God, 'tis the home of the soul,Where the ages of splendor eternally roll,—Where the way-weary traveler reaches his goal,On the evergreen Mountains of Life.2. Our gaze can not soar to that beautiful land,But our visions have told of its bliss;And our souls by the gale from its gardens are fanned,When we faint in the desert of this;And we sometimes have longed for its holy repose,When our spirits were torn with temptations and woes,And we've drank from the tide of the river that flowsFrom the evergreen Mountains of Life.3. Oh! the stars never tread the blue heavens at night,But we think where the ransomed have trod;And the day never smiles from his palace of light,But we feel the bright smile of our God.We are traveling homeward, through changes and gloom,To a kingdom where pleasures unceasingly bloom,And our guide is the glory that shines through the tomb,From the evergreen Mountains of Life.
QUESTIONS.—1. What is said of that land far away? 2. How do we know there is such a land? 3. Of what do the stars remind us?
IM AG' IN A RY, not real.AN TIC' I PATE, take beforehand.PRE FER' RED, chosen.OC CUR' RED, happened.SUS TAIN', support; uphold.PER MIT', allow.IN VIS' I BLE, unseen.EN CHAIN', bind; fasten.FORE BOD' ING, dread of evil.IN VEN' TION, contrivance.CON FER' RED, bestowed.AP PRE HEN' SION, dread; fear.
CHARLES SWAIN.
1. Let to-morrow take care of to-morrow;Leave things of the future to fate;What's the use to anticipate sorrow?Life's troubles come never too late.If to hope overmuch be an error,'Tis one that the wise have preferred;And how often have hearts been in terrorOf evils that never occurred.2. Have faith, and thy faith shall sustain thee;Permit not suspicion and careWith invisible bonds to enchain thee,But bear what God gives thee to bear.By His Spirit supported and gladdened,Be ne'er by forebodings deterred;But think how oft hearts have been saddenedBy fears of what never occurred!3. Let to-morrow take care of to-morrow;Short and dark as our life may appear,We may make it still darker by sorrow,Still shorter by folly and fear;Half our troubles are half our invention,And often from blessings conferred,Have we shrunk in the wild apprehensionOf evils that never occurred!
QUESTIONS.—1. What is said of imaginary evils? 2. How may we be supported under trials? 3. What tends to shorten life? 4. Whence proceed half our troubles? 5. What rule for doubling theranddin such words asoccurred,saddened, &c.? See SANDERS' NEW SPELLER, page 168, Rule II.
WASTE, desolate region.PRO CEED', come forth.CHASM, gap; opening.COILS, folds; convolutions.MAN I FEST, plain; evident.PRE SERV' ER, protector.AL LE' GI ANCE, duty; loyalty.RAY, make bright; adorn.EX PAND, swell; dilate.FA' THER LAND, native land.GUER DON, reward; recompense.PROF' FER, offer; tender.PIT' E OUS, mournful; sorrowful.IM PET' U OUS LY, furiously.AT TRACT', (AT,to; TRACT,draw;) draw to; allure.IN VEST', (IN,to; VEST,clothe;) clothe in or with; inclose; surround.PRO TEST, (PRO,before; TEST,witness;) witness before; openly declare.
[Headnote 1: PY THON is the name of a large serpent, fabled to have been slain by the god Apollo.]
A. WALCHNER.
1. Sir Walter of Thurn, over the Syrian waste,Rides away with a flowing rein;But he hears a groan that checks his haste,As if death were in the strain.He spurs his steedWhence the sounds proceed;And there, from a rocky chasm, ariseFierce cries of pain, that assail the skies;And his horse uprearsIn excess of fears,As the glance of a lion attracts his eyes.2. Fierce struggling there in the monster foldsOf a serpent that round him twines;Sir Walter a moment the scene beholds,Then to save the beast inclines.His good sword stoutFrom its sheath leaps out,When down it falls on the Python's[Headnote 1] crest,And cleaves the coils that the lion invest;And the noble beast,From its thrall released,Shows grateful joy most manifest.3. He shakes his mane, and bends his form,And licks his preserver's hand,As if he yields allegiance warmTo his supreme command.Like the faithful houndTo be constant found,And follow his steps for evermore;And thus he follows, on sea and shore,In the battle's tide,He stands by his side,Or with him rests when the strife is o'er.4. In Palestine Sir Walter is known,—Long years attest his fame;And many brave deeds he there hath done,That ray with glory his name;But his heart doth expandFor the fatherland,And he fain its pleasant scenes would see,With his friendly lion for company;But with fearful breast,The sailors protest,As they glanced at the beast and his majesty.5. Rich guerdon he proffers, and golden store;But though the prize were great,The sailors hurry away from the shoreAs if from the doom of fate.The poor beast moansIn piteous tones,Then darts impetuously o'er the sands,—Then looks to the ship, and mournfully stands;Then plunges into the gloomy wave,The perils of the depths to brave.Already he nears the flying bark,Already his roar of grief they hark;But his strength is spent, and the sea is strong,And he may not the fearful struggle prolong.His dying glances are fondly castAlong the track where the loved one passed;Then sinks to his graveBeneath the wave,And the night and the ocean behold him the last.
QUESTIONS.—1. What did Sir Walter discover as he was riding over the Syrian waste? 2. What did he do? 3. What did the lion do, after being released? 4. Did the sailors allow the lion to go on board the ship? 5. What did the lion then do? 6. What became of him?
VAL' IANT, strong; courageous,INC LI NA' TION, desire; tendency.RE PLEN' ISH ED, filled up.DIS SEV' ER, part; sunder.SHIV' ER, dash to pieces.EC STAT' IC, rapturous.CON CLU' SION, result.CON CEP' TION, thought; idea.DEF' ER ENCE, respect.PHYS I CAL, material.AR' RANT, mere; vile.TIME'-BAN DI ED, time-lost.DE VEL' OP ED, brought out.CON STEL LA' TIONS, clusters of stars.DE SIGN ED, planned.COM BIN' ED, united.UNINTERRUPTED, (UN,not; INTER,in between; RUPTED,broken;) not broken in between; unbroken.
It is sometimes desirable to have each member of the class read a piece complete in itself. To answer this end, the following collection of brief, though beautiful productions, have been brought together all under one head.
It is not what we earn, but what we save, that makes us rich. It is not what we eat, but what we digest, that makes us strong. It is not what we read, but what we remember, that makes us learned. It is not what we intend, but what we do, that makes us useful. It is not a few faint wishes, but a life-long struggle, that makes us valiant.
There's not a flower that decks the vale,There's not a beam that lights the mountain,There's not a shrub that scents the gale,There's not a wind that stirs the fountain,There's not a hue that paints the rose,There's not a leaf around us lying,But in its use or beauty showsGod's love to us, and love undying!
To acquire a thorough knowledge of our own hearts and characters, to restrain every irregular inclination, to subdue every rebellious passion, to purify the motives of our conduct, to form ourselves to that temperance which no pleasure can seduce, to that meekness which no provocation can ruffle, to that patience which no affliction can overwhelm, and that integrity which no interest can shake;this is the task which is assigned to us,—a task which can not be performed without the utmost diligence and care.
The brightest stars are burning suns;The deepest water stillest runs;The laden bee the lowest flies;The richest mine the deepest lies;The stalk that's most replenished,Doth bow the most its modest head.Thus, deep Humility we findThe mark of every master-mind;The highest-gifted lowliest bends,And merit meekest condescends,And shuns the fame that fools adore,—That puff that bids a feather soar.
A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner. Neither do uninterrupted prosperity and success qualify man for usefulness or happiness. The storms of adversity, like the storms of the ocean, rouse the faculties and excite the invention, prudence, skill, and fortitude of the voyager.
MRS. S.R.A. BARNES.
Why turn we to our mountain homesWith more than filial feeling?'Tisherethat Freedom's altars rise,And Freedom's sons are kneeling!Why sigh we not for softer climes?Why cling to that which bore us?'Tis here we tread on Freedom's soil,With Freedom's sunshine o'er us!
If you do not begin, you will never come to the end. The first weed pulled up in the garden, the first seed set in the ground, the first dollar put in the savings-bank, and the first mile traveled on a journey, are all important things; they make abeginning, and thereby give a hope, a promise, a pledge, an assurance that you are in earnest in what you have undertaken. How many a poor, idle, erring, hesitating outcast is now creeping his way through the world, who might have held up his head and prospered, if, instead of putting off his resolutions of amendment and industry, he had only made a beginning!
GEORGE W. BUNGAY.
1. Drop follows drop, and swellsWith rain the sweeping river;Word follows word, and tellsA truth that lives forever.2. Flake follows flake, like spritesWhose wings the winds dissever;Thought follows thought, and lightsThe realm of mind forever.3. Beam follows beam to cheer,The cloud a bolt might shiver;Throb follows throb, and fearGives place to joy forever.4. The drop, the flake, the beam,Teach us a lesson ever;The word, the thought, the dreamImpress the soul forever.
CAROLINE F. ORNE.
1. Note the ecstatic joy of the student, who has labored long over a problem or proposition, but finally comes to a logical conclusion; who has struggled with the misty darkness of his own mind, for a clear view of some difficult subject, until the clouds, one after another, have dispersed, and he beholds, with his mental vision, in bright and glorious light, the conception for which he labored. Think you he would exchange his joys for the pleasures of sense'? It is of a higher and more ennobling character, and not to be bartered for paltry wealth.
2. What dignity and self-respect invest the man of thought! His very looks bespeak of mind. He is approached with deference, as a being of higher order in the scale of intelligence,—as one who has a right to command and be obeyed. For what moves mind, but mind? A strong intellect, coming in contact with one of less energy, will as naturally move it, as superior physical strength will overcome the weaker.
MOTHERWELL.