OF

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOOKS.

EDITED BY

THOS. A. BOWDEN, B.A., Oxon.;

(Late Government Inspector of Schools)

AND

SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE SCHOOLS IN NEW ZEALAND
AND THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

SECOND

READING BOOK.

LONDON:

GEORGE PHILIP & SON, 32 FLEET STREET.

LIVERPOOL: CAXTON BUILDINGS, SOUTH JOHN STREET.
SOLD AT THE "NEW ZEALAND EDUCATIONAL DEPOSITORY
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND.

1872.

[Entered at Stationers' Hall.]

TO THE TEACHER.

THE Second Reading Book has been prepared upon the same plan as the First Reading Book, and is intended to teach children to read at sight all words with the signification of which they are already familiar, and to provide them with a vocabulary sufficient to qualify them to enter upon the Third Reading Book. It is recommended to use the First Spelling Book as a companion to this Second Reading Book.

The pieces of Poetry have been selected from numerous publications, but have been abridged, and otherwise altered, in order to make them suit the design of the Editor.

SECOND READING BOOK.

1. SCHOOL.

WHY do boys and girls go to school? List-en to me and I will tell you why. It is that they may be good boys and girls, and that, when they grow up, they may be good men and wo-men too. In lands where there are no schools, boys and girls can-not learn to read, or write, or do sums, or or darn, or hem; so, when they grow up, they can-not read books, or write let-ters, or keep accounts, or make clothes, or mend them. While we are young is the time to learn, that, when we are old-er, we may be of use to our fa-thers and moth-ers, and earn our own bread, and have good hab-its.

sew,

It is nice to play when work is o-ver, and if we have done our work well, we can run a-bout and en-joy a game of play. But we must nev-er play in school, and we must at-tend to all that our teach-er tells us. We must come to school with clean fa-ces and hands, and we must take care of our books and keep them clean. It is sad to see books torn and dir-ty. No good boy or girl would like to have a torn or a dir-ty book.

Some day you will all be men, or wo-men, and if you try and learn now, you will be ver-y glad you have done so then; and all that you learn now will

be of use to you then; and if you have chil-dren of your own, you will be glad to send them to school, that they may learn too.

2. PLAY.

Now that we have done school, let us have a game of play. What shall it be first? Shall it be "hide and seek," or "blind man's buff?" Play will make us strong and well, and a-ble to work, both at our books and in the field or house. We may run a-bout and shout, but we must not use bad words, or lose our tem-per, or strike, or kick, or hurt our play-mates. If we are run a-bout to get warm, fire, or stand with our hands in our pock-ets. When we are hot from play we feel all in a nice glow, and are warm all o-ver, and do not feel the cold; but when we are hot from the fire, our faces get burnt, while our feet are still cold; and we grow cold all o-ver as soon as we go from it. There is a boy with a hoop. See how fast he runs! He will soon be warm, and so will the girl with her skip-ping rope. Let us go to those mer-ry ones who stand in a ring, with join-ed hands, and sing

cold, it is the best way to and not to crouch by the

"Work while you work, play while you play,

That is the way to be cheer-ful and gay."

In five

Let us

But, hark! there is the school-bell! min-utes we must all be in our places, with clean slates, and sharp pen-cils, to do our sums. leave off play at once, that we may be read-y in good time.

3. WORK AND PLAY.

1.

WORK while you work, play while you play,
That is the way to be happy and gay;
Whatever you do, exert all your might;
Things done by halves are never done right.

2.

One thing at a time, and that thing done well,
Is a very good rule, as we all can tell.
When work is done, and books away
Let us be merry, and laugh and play.

3.

Time is a treasure that flies away fast;
Be careful to use it before it is past.
Moments are useless, if trifled away;
Work while you work, play while you play.

4. THE SUN.

How nice it is when the sun shines bright! It makes all things look so gay and hap-py. When we get up from our beds, it is the sun which gives the bright light of day. It ri-ses in the east, and then the birds be-gin to move from their roosts, and sing their nice songs; and then we know it is time for us to get up and work. It gives light all day long, and makes all things warm, so that the grass grows, and trees and plants too; and they o-pen their gay flow-ers, and its heat makes their seeds ripen. But the sun sets at eve in the west, and then we know it is time for us to think of bed. Then the birds get on their roosts