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LESSON CXXVIII.

FRET FUL, disposed to fret, angry, tur- | SEV'ER, to be parted, to be divided. bulent.

GROUP, a collection, assemblage.

TINT, hue, color.
WEA'RI-LY, in a tired or weary manner.

PRONUNCIATION. Show'ers 9, burst'ing 9, flourished 1, clear 22, far 9, and 29, paths 14, an-oth'er 27a, for'tunes 16 and 18, se-cures' 16,

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1. IT came with spring's soft sun and showers,
'Mid bursting buds and blushing flowers;
It flourished on the same light stem;
It drank the same clear dews with them.
The crimson tints of summer morn,
That gilded one, did both adorn.

2. The breeze, that whispered light and brief
To bud or blossom, kissed the leaf;
When o'er the leaf the tempest flew
The bud and blossom trembled too.

3. But its companions pass away,
And yield the leaf to lone decay.
The gentle gales of spring go by;
The fruits and flowers of summer die;
The autumn winds sweep o'er the hill,
And winter's breath comes cold and chill.

4. The leaf now yielded to the blast,
And on the rushing stream was cast.

Far, far it glided to the sea,
And whirled and eddied wearily,
Till suddenly it sank to rest,

And slumbered in the ocean's breast.

5. Thus life begins, its morning hours
Bright as the birthday of the flowers;-
Thus passes like the leaves away,
Withered and lost as soon as they.

6. Beneath the parent-roof we meet
In joyous groups, and gaily greet
The golden beams of love and light
That dawn upon the youthful sight.

7. But soon we part; and one by one,
Like leaves and flowers, the group is gone.
One gentle spirit seeks the tomb,

His brow yet fresh with childhood's bloom;-
8. Another treads the paths of fame,
And barters peace to win a name ;-
Another, still, tempts fortune's wave,
And, seeking wealth, secures a grave.

9. The last grasps yet the brittle thread,
Though friends are gone and joy is dead;
Still dares the dark and fretful tide,
And clutches at its power and pride;
Till suddenly the waters sever,
And, like the leaf, he sinks forever.

LESSON CXXIX.

BE-NIG'NANT, kind, gracious, benevo- | FACʼUL-TY, power of mind or body, lent.

talent, endowment. DIS-PLAY', to exhibit, to show. PER-PET'U-AL, endless, uninterrupted. Ex-CESS'IVE, beyond due bounds, ex- SEN'TI-NEL, a soldier on guard, watch,

treme.

guard.

PRONUNCIATION.-A-gain' 33, for-get' 33, du'ty 16, be-come' 1, be-sides' 1, mis-tak'en 4d, hund'red 11, ev'er-y 3b, per-pet'u-al 3e, pil'low 6, grat'i-tude 16, in'fi-nite 5a, in-di-vid'u-al 3e, shrub 23.

PLEASURE AND PAIN.

William. OH, dear, dear, dear!

Susan. What is the matter, William?

What have

you done?

W. Oh, that naughty door has pinched my finger.
S. I am very sorry for it, William.

Let me see your finger.
You will soon

The skin is not broken; it is only reddened a little. get over it.

I wish

IV. Soon get over it! That is what you always say. there were no such thing as pain; I do not see the use of it. S. That is a thoughtless speech, my brother. I think pain is useful-necessary in fact-to creatures like us.

W. Pain useful!

How can you make that out, Sue?

S. Very easily. What prevents us from exposing our lives by carelessness? What is it prevents us from breaking our limbs, tearing our flesh, or bringing on disease from exposure to excessive heat or cold? It is the pain that will follow, which prevents us from thus injuring ourselves.

Pain may be regarded as a kind of sentinel, placed in every part of our bodies to defend them. If you are careless and strike your toe against a stone, Pain says," I will punish you for that to make you careful not to do so again." If you were to go on and strike your toes constantly, you would knock them all to pieces.

If you pinch your finger, Pain says, "Take care, my boy; if you pinch your fingers, you shall suffer from it. It is your duty to take care of your fingers, and if you forget this, I will remind you of it." Why what would become of your long nose, Will, if you had not learned by sad experience to take care of it?

W. Well, Susan, you have made out your case better than I supposed you could. But, after all, it is very troublesome to take care of one's self, and, besides, it seems to me that there is a great deal more pain than pleasure.

S. There you are greatly mistaken, William. The pleasures of life are a hundred fold greater and more numerous than its pains. Every moment, when we are in health, brings us some enjoyment. It is pleasant to see the light-it is pleasant to breathe the air—it is pleasant to hear and to feel.

Why, Will, except when you have pinched your finger, or struck your toe, or bumped your nose, or done some careless thing of that sort, you yourself are running over with enjoyment; you leap, skip, hop, jump; you sing and dance, race for the mere pleasure of racing, and shout for the mere fun of making a noise.

From morning till night life is to you a perpetual feast—a constant round of enjoyments; and when you go to your pillow, how sweet is the repose that steals over you! And, then,what bright and beautiful dreams visit you in slumber! Dear Will, if you would only reflect upon your enjoyments, there would be a constant flow of gratitude in your heart toward that good Being who has bestowed upon you such an existence.

W. No doubt I ought to feel so.

S. And can you help feeling so? Why has God made the world so beautiful? It is to please his children-men and women, little boys and little girls. Look around, and reflect upon the pains He

has taken to please us. See the rose; is it not lovely? How fair its form-how smooth its leaves-how delicate its color-and then its odor-how delicious! Does it not seem to breathe of heaven, and may it not fitly remind us of that love which heaven is constantly bestowing upon us?

And then look at the other flowers! What infinite variety, what endless beauty!-the wide world is covered over with trees and plants and shrubs, and flowers. What an amazing exercise of power, design, invention, thought, and care, on the part of the Creator, is here displayed! And for what has He done all this? To give happiness to His creatures.

He has not overlooked any one of them. He has provided for insect, bird, and beast; but man is the noblest object of His care. To us He has given the highest faculties. He has not only bestowed upon us the five animal senses, but he has given us mind and soul, thus enabling us to derive the highest enjoyment from the exercise of thought and emotion..

W. Well, I am very much obliged to you, Sue, for telling me all this. I hope I shall be as wise and good as you are, sometime or other. But really, it seems to me that there is a great deal of trouble in the world. Grandmother is always talking about it. I hear her say every day of her life, "Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.'

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S. You must consider, William, that grandmother is very old, and we can hardly expect her to be as gay as you are, but I believe she takes a great deal of comfort after all. In fact, she takes great pleasure, I imagine, in talking about trouble. It is a mistake with many good people to be constantly wailing and moaning, and speaking as if this were a mere world of sorrow.

It is not true. No doubt there is a great deal of sorrow in the world; but the greater part of it arises from the misconduct of those who suffer. They do that which they know will bring punishment. If they suffer, is it for them to complain?

W. I suppose not; but do not people sometimes suffer when they have done nothing wrong? Does not disease sometimes attack us when we have not exposed ourselves by imprudence?

S. Certainly. There are events quite beyond our control and beyond our influence. There is an unseen Providence around us, guiding the course of things, and this may sometimes make us the subject of pain and suffering. But one thing we may safely bear in mind, that Providence is ever kind and benignant. It never uses pain but with a view to some good end. Pleasure is the great harvest of life-pain is a tax which we pay for its protection and cultivation. In general, we may say that cach individual has it in his power to make that tax heavy or light, as he pleases.

LESSON CXXX.

COPSE WOOD, a growth of shrubs and bushes.

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CRAZY, weak, feeble, out of order.

HEATH, a place overgrown with heath, or with other shrubs.

HEDGE ROW, a hedge of bushes in a row.

FAG'OT, a bundle of sticks for burning. | LIST, to hearken to, to attend to.

PRONUNCIATION.-Un-der-neath' 15,been 33, lurk'ing 12, here 22, a-gain' 33, tents 29.

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THE GYPSIES.

1. UNDERNEATH the greenwood tree,
There we dwell right merrily,
Lurking in the grassy lane-
Here this hour, then gone again.

2. You may see where we have been
By the burnt spot on the green;
By the oak-branch drooping low,
Withered in our fagots' glow;

3. By the grass and hedge-row cropped,
Where our asses have been grazing;
By some old torn rag we dropped
When our crazy tents were raising.

4. Over heath and over field

He must scramble who would find us,
In the copse-wood close concealed,
With a running brook behind us.

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