LESSON LX1. Spell and Define. 1. Irk'some, wearisome, tiresome. 1. Mo-not'o-nous, continued with dull uniformity. 2. An'them, a hymn sung in alternate parts. 2. Mu-ta-bil'i-ty, changeableness. 3. O-rac'u-lar, uttering oracles, wise. 3. Per-pet'u-ate, to make perpetual. 4. Sa-lu'bri-ous, favorable to health. ERRORS.-2. Cat'a-rac for cat'a-ract; 2. mag-nif'i-sunt for mag-nif'i-cent 2. yu'man for hu'man; 3. ce-les'ti-al for ce-les'tial; 3. en-srin'ed for en-shrin'ed, 4. tyran-ny for tyr'an-ny; 6. ware for were; 9. he'ro-ism for her'o-ism. MISS C. A. PAYSON. 1. Laura.. We have again met. Have you all concluded where you would like best to reside? I am weary of study and of the irksome confinement of school, and had I wings, how soon would I bid adieu to these monotonous scenes! 2. Abby.—I would fain dwell in Italy," that land of the poets, around whose brow the fairest flowers twine, that played amid the bowers; where the purple tints of morning and the golden skies of evening, glow with brilliant light and beauty. I would rove with delight through its bowers of myrtle, and groves of citron; look on its sunny bays and winding streams, flashing with golden light. I would listen to the soft melody of the leaping fountain, and the deep-toned anthem of the foaming cataract; stand amidst the magnificent, and recall by-gone days, when the far-famed "City of Hills" and her conquerors flourished in glory. I would view Vesuvius, grand and majestic Vesuvius, sending up its perpetual cloud of smoke as a lasting monument of its power, and be NOTES. -a It'aly; a delightful country in the south of Europe. b City of Hills Rome, the capital of Italy, situated on seven hills. • See Vesuvius, p. 332 note a. holding at its foot, the fallen grandeur of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and learn sad tales of the mutability of all things human. 3. Catharine.—I would inhabit Greece, famed in history and renowned in song, rendered dear by a thousand recollections; that land where the poet imagined the earth to be peopled with celestial inhabitants; where mountain, hill, and rock, each had its deity; where the murmuring streams, as they wound along, and the stars, as they gleamed with beauty from their golden thrones, were supposed to be oracular; where the spirits of the beautiful were believed to dwell enshrined in the gentle flowers, and their wild strains to be borne on the passing breeze. There the Muses loved to dwell. There Plato taught and Homerf sung. There Pindar struck his lyre, and the laurels of Parnassus crowned the brow of the triumphant victor. There, too, was heard the voice of Demosthenes, whose eloquence caused the Macedonian throne to tremble. There sages taught, and the blood of patriots moistened the field of Marathon,' and crimsoned the straits of Thermopyla," to perpetuate their country's freedom in that far-famed land, whence nations once drew the light of science and liberty. There would I reside. 4. Harriet. -Has not the glory of Greece departed like the fleeting hues of a summer's cloud? Though its atmosphere is still salubrious, and its climate as rugged and beautiful as ever, Turkish tyranny has subdued the genius of the NOTES. a Her-cu-la'ne-um; an ancient city of Italy, overwhelmed by an eruption of Vesuvius, in 79, b See Pompeii, p. 338, note a. c See Greece, p. 303, note a d Mu'ses; goddesses who were supposed to preside over poetry and music. e Pla'to; a celebrated Greek philosopher, born 429 years before Christ. f Ho'mer; the greatest of the Greek poets, born probably about 900 years before Christ. g Pin'dar; one of the most energetic and sublime poets of Greece, born 520 years before Christ. h Par-nas'sus; a mountain in ancient Greece, sacred to Apollo and the Muses. i Demosthenes (de-mos'then-ez); the most distinguished of the Grecian orators, born 381 years before Christ. k The throne of Philip, the king of Macedonia. 1 Mar'a. thon; a town in ancient Greece, distinguished for the victory of Miltiades over the Persians. m Thermopyla (thur-mop'e-le); a narrow defile in ancient Greece, where Leonidas and the 300 Spartans fell. a people, and put to flight the arts and sciences, for which they were once so justly renowned. Were I to wander from my native land, I would not choose a dwelling-place in Greece, nor in Italy's sunny vales, but would fix my habitation in Switzerland, so replete with wild and picturesque scenery. But I cannot describe the imagery of that country, as it is impressed on the imagination. The clear and almost transparent glaciers, here smooth, and there broken into irregular masses; the flowery vales enclosed between lofty ridges of mountains; the beautiful lakes, reflecting on their surface the wild scenes with which they are surrounded; the rapid, rushing torrents, and above all, the lofty snow-capped Alps," where the eagle has his eyry, towering over all, and seeming placed by Heaven, to guard the vales below, all rest upon the mind, and linger about the fancy, until they seem a reality, and I sigh to dwell with the Swiss in his mountain-home. But what say you? 5. Louisa. You inquire where I would select a habitation. Alas! I am one of those unfortunate beings in whose character discontent is a predominant quality. Since we last met, I have endeavored to decide in what part of the earth I should prefer a residence. I have perused the history of different lands, Nova Zembla and Terra del Fuego not excepted; but as the dove, sent forth over the wide waste of waters, could find no sweet spot where the weary wing might be folded, or where the fainting heart find rest, so in this wide world, I can discover no sunny spot where I would reside. would have for my home, some bright star in the neighborhood of a wandering meteor, and feast upon the wild dreams of fancy. I 6. Adaline. Would I were in some green island encircled b See NOTE. -a Swit'zer-land; a mountainous country in Europe, east of France. Alps, p. 249, note a. c No'va Zem'bla; the name of two large islands in the Arctic d Terra del Fuego (ter'rä del foo-a'go;) a large island south of South Ocean. America. by the blue sea, where spring, smiling and beautiful spring, ever reigns; where I might be regaled by breezes, fragrant with the odors of the perfumed groves, cheered by the wild melody of birds of rich and diversified plumage, that inhabit the spicy forests and repose in Elysian bowers. Here, removed from the conflicts of ambition and power, that imbitter the scenes of other lands, I would abide in peace and happi ness. a 7. Sarah.—I care not for your murmuring rivulets and spicy groves, for your leaping fountains or roaring cataracts; the tiresome monotony of these scenes would soon disgust me, and I should seek for new enjoyments. I would dwell in Paris, amid the din and bustle of that splendid city; I would mingle with the gay, polite, and fashionable; and with the votaries of amusement and pleasure, would throng the public gardens and walks, and view those admirable collections of paintings and sculpture in that renowned city. 8. Mary. in England. I desire a quiet life, and would choose a home I would inhabit one of those beautiful little cottages of which I have often read, covered with honeysuckle and columbine, peeping forth amidst flowers, the patterns of modesty and neatness. There would I study the scenes of nature, and learn from them lessons of morality and duty. 9. Ellen.-I would not rove from the shore of our own loved America; this consecrated land of freedom, where the blighting influence of a tyrant has never been experienced where man has never shrunk, in obsequiousness, before the frown of man; but from whose mountain summits and green valleys, is borne the voice of freedom and independence, where liberty finds an altar in every heart. What though we may boast of no vine-clad shores like the sunny region of NOTES. -a See Paris, p. 304, note h. b See England, p. 110, note c. cAmerica; the Western Continent, lying between the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and Pacific on the west. poetic song, no fairy land of the rose and myrtle, where nature pours forth her ripened stores, disdainful of the toil of man. Here content and prosperity are spread abroad over the community; we can boast of a code of laws superior to that of any nation; of institutions, blessed and blessing in their influence, and character produced by the same noble and patriotic spirit, which formed our system of government; of associations for the relief of the suffering, and many establishments for the diffusion of knowledge, the promotion of science and religion. What though it boast no classic fields, no pomp of heraldry, no succession of kings; we can turn to a history, bright with deeds of lofty heroism, and of pure and spotless excellence. We can boast an honored lineage, deduced from a noble and pious ancestry; point to a long list of names ever to be revered, chief among which stands the name of Washington, the father of his country, and friend of man. Ever, O ever, will I be proud and happy, that it has been my destiny to dwell in America, glorious America. NOTE. -a Wash'ington (George); a distinguished general, and the first president of the United States. QUESTIONS. 2. Where does Abby say she would dwell? Why? 2. What is Italy? 2. What is meant by the City of Hills? 2. What is Herculaneum? 3. What country does Catharine say she would inhabit? Why? 3. Who were the Muses? 3. What is said of Plato? 3. Who was Homer? 3. Who was Pindar? 3. What is said of Parnassus? 3. Who was Demosthenes? 3. What was the throne of Macedon? 3. What is said of Marathon? 3. What was Thermopyla? 4. Where does Harriet say she would fix her habitation? Why? 4. What is Switzerland? 5. What are Nova Zembla and Terra del Fuego? 5. What does Louisa say she would have for her home? Why? 6. Where does Adaline wish she might live? Why? 7. Where would Sarah dwell? Why? 8. Where would Mary choose a home? Why? 9. Where would Ellen live? Why? 9. Who was Washington |