The ape and the ant.
The ape has hands.
The ant has legs.
Can the ant run?
The bat and the boy.
Can the bat fly?
Can the boy run?
See the moon.
The cat and the cow.
The cat bas a mouse.
The cow gives milk.
It is an old cow.
The dog and the duck.
Can the dog run?
Can the duck swim?
See the dog jump!
An elk and an egg.
Is it the egg of a hen?
It is a large egg.
A fan and a fish.
Do you like a fan?
Can the fish swim?
The fish can swim.
A girl and a goat.
Is it a tame goat?
Who feeds it?
Ann feeds it.
A hive and a harp.
Who plays on the harp?
Bees live in the hive.
Do yon see the bees?
The ibex is a goat.
It lives on the hills.
It is wild.
Can it run fast?
A jug and a jay.
The jay is a bird.
This jay is tame.
What is in the jug?
A key and a kite.
1 A key for the door.
The kite is in the air.
It is up high.
A lamb and a lark.
Is it a pet lamb?
The lark is a bird.
It is on a tree.
The man and the moon.
The moon gives light in the night.
It is up in the sky.
A net and a nest.
The nest of a bird.
Men catch fish in a net.
A fish can swim.
Here is an ox.
The ox has horns.
The owl has large eyes.
The owl is a bird.
A pink and a pear.
Is the pink as sweet as the rose?
Is the pear good?
A quail and a quill.
A quail is a bird.
It is not tame.
What is a quill for?
A rose and a rat.
Is the rose as sweet as the pink?
The rat is sly.
A ship and a stag.
The ship is at sea.
A ship has sails.
The stag has horns.
A trap and a top.
Boys play with tops.
Do traps catch rats?
A trap has teeth.
An urn or a vase.
Do you see it?
What do we use to shield us from the sun?
Grapes on the vine.
They are ripe.
The vane shows which way the wind blows.
The wolf is wild, and lives in the woods.
The wasp can fly.
Can the wasp sting?
The man chops wood with the ax.
The ox draws the cart.
The man has a whip.
The yew is a kind of tree.
Is it tall?
What is the yoke for?
See the chain.
A zebra and a zebu.
What is the zebra like?
A horse?
The zebu is a kind of ox.
Is it a new book?
Is it a nice new book?
May I read the book?
You may take the book, and read it, and then you may tell me what is in it.
Take good care of the book. Do not soil it; nor tear it.
I go in.
We go in.
They go in.
See us go in.
Now let us all go in.
We may go in.
They will let us go in.
May I go in with you?
You may go in if you wish.
You and I may go in if we can.
May all of us go in?
Yes; we may go in.
Now we are in.
Do see us!
Are you in deep now?
Do you like it?
Can you get out?
You are wet now.
Come out and get dry.
Will you come?
Do not wade too far.
Now will you take my boat, and put it down?
Do you see me hold up my boat?
You will see that my boat will sail well.
This boy has a new kite.
Do you see him run with it?
He can fly the kite in the air.
He has hold of the line.
Do you see the kite go up?
It is up in the sky.
Take care; or the line will get fast in the tree.
Do you see this boy?
Do you know his name?
The boys call him Ned.
He has a new cap.
He is glad to get a new cap, for his old cap is torn.
He must take good care of the new cap, and not let it get wet.
One boy has a hat on his head.
He says, "I must have a new cap, too, for my hat is old."
This boy has a long coat.
Do you see it?
He is a tall boy.
See the cat!
It is on the bed.
It is not a good cat if it gets on the bed.
Can you make the cat get off?
Will the cat bite me if I put my hand on her?
May the cat go, or may she stay?
The cat may stay in the room, but she must not stay on the bed.
Did you see the cat have a rat?
It was not a big rat.
Do you see the man in the boat?
How can he make the boat go?
He has an oar in his hand, and he can row the boat with the oar.
The boat is on a lake.
Fish are in the lake; but they are down so deep that the man can not see them.
Will the man fish for them?
Do you see the boys at play?
Yes; I see them.
What do they play with?
They play with a ball; and the ball is as large as my head.
They kick the ball.
Do you see them do it?
No; but I see them hit it with a club.
Is it a bard ball?
No; it is a soft ball; and if it hits them it will not hurt them.
Boys love to play ball.
It is good for them to play; but they must not play all of the time.
Do not play too long when it is a hot day.
You must not get too warm, for that will hurt you.
The sun is up, and it is time for us to get up.
We must not lie in bed when the sun is up.
We can see the sun now, but we did not see the sun rise.
Do you see how red the sun is?
Will it rain when the sun is so red, or will it be a dry time?
Can you tell?
What bush is this?
Is it a rose bush?
Do you see the buds on it?
The bush is full of red buds.
May I pick a bud?
No, do not pick it now.
If you will let the bud be on the bush, in a few days it will blow out, and be a fine red rose.
Then you may pick the rose.
Do you see this bird?
This bird is tame.
It will eat out of my hand.
It has a nest in the pear tree.
Can you see the nest?
It has four eggs in it.
I can see them from the shed.
We must not take the eggs from the nest.
Ann has gone to feed the hens.
Do you see her?
Do you see the hens eat?
Do you see how fast the old hen eats?
Can a bird eat as fast as a hen?
Can it eat as much?
O no.
It can not eat so much.
What do the hens eat?
They eat corn.
Do you see Jane?
She has a bird, and she has put it in a cage.
Do you see her feed the bird?
Is the bird tame, or wild?
The bird is tame now; but once it was wild.
The bird is a jay.
Can a bird sing?
Yes; it can sing.
Do not you like to hear it sing?
Yes; do not you like to hear it?
I like to hear it sing, and I like to see it, too.
Did the bird hop, or did it fly?
It flew up to the top of the tree, and now it sits on a limb of the tree.
Can the bird see me now?
It can see you, and it can hear you, too.
Is that the bird that Jane lost?
Yes; it is the same bird.
Is it glad to get out of the cage?
Will it come back, or will it fly off?
See the big dog with the ring on his neck!
What a good face he has!
He is not a bad dog.
He is kind and good.
Do you see him look at the pup?
See the pup try to play with the big dog!
The big dog will not hurt him.
Are all dogs good?
No; some dogs are bad.
Some boys are bad, too.
Bad boys we do not like; and we try to keep them far from us.
Can we love bad boys?
If they will not be good, we will not hurt them; but we will not go with them.
CHILDREN IN THE WOODS.
Is he kind to her?
Yes, he is kind.
He leads her by the hand, that she may not fall.
Will they get lost there?
No, they will not get lost, for the boy knows the way.
Do they fear to be in the wood?
No, they do not fear.
The girl will trust him, and he will lead her, and they will be as safe there as in the house.
They can go back to the house when they wish to.
The boy knows the path.
THE OLD MAN.
Do you see this old man with a staff in his hands?
Why does he use a staff?
He sits on a rock by the wayside, and rests his hands on a cane.
His face and his white beard show that he is an old man, and that he is bent with age.
Do you need a cane to walk with?
Why not?
First I said staff, and now I say cane.
Is a cane the same thing as a staff?
What are canes made of?
Has this old man a hat on his head?
Is it a hat, or is it a cap?
It is not a hat, and it is not a cap.
Can you tell what it is?
Why does the old man sit there?
Can he get up?
Can he walk?
Yes; the old man can get up, and he can walk; but he can not walk fast.
BLOWING THE TRUMPETS.
Blow! blow! blow!
How hard they blow!
They make a loud noise; so loud that it can be heard a great way off.
Do you know what it is they make a noise with?
Can you tell me the name of it?
Is it a horn?
Do you think that is the right name?
Are these old men?
No; they are not old men.
Are they boys?
How can you tell that they are not boys?
Do they stand up, or do they sit down?
Have they hats or caps on their heads?
Can you tell which?
Here are four more men.
Do you think they are old men?
Are they as old as the old man with the cane in his hands?
See the eyes of these men!
See how they look!
See the hands of the man who has a cap on his head!
Do you think he is a good man?
I think not.
ANOTHER OLD MAN.
This must be an old man, for he has a long white beard.
What a fine face he has!
I like such a face.
This must be a good man, for his face says he is; and I do not think his face will tell a lie.
What do you think he has in his lap?
Do you think it is a book?
No; it is a roll.
A roll?
A roll of what?
Can you tell what it is a roll of?
Do you see the eyes of this man?
Does he look at the roll?
What else do you see?
I see an inkstand, and a pen in it.
The man can take the pen, and write on the roll; and then he can read from the roll just as well as from a book.
Will the good old man read to us, if we ask him? Does he like boys?
Yes, he likes good boys
No one likes bad boys.
Do you see this girl?
What makes her look so?
Why does she hold up her hands so?
Ah, I know why she does it.
A. man let her have a cage, with a bird in it; but she did not take good care of the bird.
She did not feed it; and so the bird got out of the cage as soon as it could.
When it got out it flew off to the woods.
Ann! it is of no use to hold up your hands in that way.
Your bird has gone, and you can not catch it.
I am glad your bird has gone, for you had no right to keep it in a cage, and not feed it.
Birds like to be free.
Who does not like the birds?
Who does not like to hear them sing?
Do you not like to see them, too?
Birds love to be in the trees.
There most of them make their nests, and hatch their young.
The wren is a small bird.
The jay has a tuft on its head.
This is a brig.
This is a ship.
A brig is one kind of ship; but a brig has two masts, and a ship has three.
Do you see the masts?
Do you see flags at the tops of the masts?
Would you like to go in a brig, or a ship, and sail on the sea?
When the wind blows, and the waves roll high, I would not like to be in a ship at sea.
I like to be on the land when the wind blows.
See!
Here is a ship at sea in a storm!
How hard the wind blows!
Ships at sea go so far from the land, that the land can not be seen for days and weeks.
Ann has a nice doll, and she has a hoop, too.
Would you like a hoop and a doll?
Would you take good care of a doll?
Could you roll the hoop?
Could you make it go fast?
Would it go as fast as you could go?
Ann has a stick to make her hoop go.
Could you roll your hoop with a stick?
Ann makes her hoop go fast, and she must run fast to keep up with it.
Do you think she loves that boy?
Does the boy love her?
Do you see his fine round face?
She loves him; and I think we can see that the boy loves her.
We can tell by his good face.
He has long hair.
See how it curls.
His feet are bare, but they are not cold; for it is warm there.
Do you know the name of the boy?
No, I do not know his name.
A nose, an ear, a mouth, and an eye.
The nose is to smell with, the ear to hear with, the mouth to taste with, and to speak with, and the eye to see with.
Is not this a fine face?
We have but one nose, and one mouth; but we have two eyes, and two ears.
As we have but one mouth, and two ears, we must not speak so much as we hear.
A hand, an arm, a foot, a boot, and a shoe.
We have two hands, two arms, two feet, two ears, two eyes, and but one nose, and one mouth.
The shoe and the boot are for the foot.
We wear boots and shoes on our feet.
Do you see the hand take hold of the boot?
Is it the hand of a man?
Do you see how large that arm is?
Could we walk much on one foot?
Could we work as well with one hand as with two?
Come, John and James, come here to me,
And tell me now what you can see.
I see
A house on the hill,
A barn and a mill,
A horse and a cow,
A hoe and a plow,
A dog on the mat,
A rat in the trap,
A bird on the tree,
An ant and a bee,
A bat and a bug,
A jar and a jug,
A man by the door,
A cat on the floor,
A hat in the hall, and
A glass on the wall.
These are not all that I can see,
But all whose names are known to me.
Is it a fly?
Is it a fly, or a bee?
It is not a bee; it is a fly.
If I try to catch it, will it fly, or will it run?
Can it run fast?
Can it fly fast?
If you try to catch it in your hand, it will fly up to the wall, or out of the door.
Some flies are small, and some are large; but they are not so large as birds.
A fly has eyes, and legs, and wings.
Are bugs and bees like flies?
All the day long an owl sat in the old oak tree: but when night came, away flew he.
The owl is a large bird; and it bas large round eyes.
THE TOY SHOP.
Jane has gone with her aunt to a toy shop, to buy some toys.
Do you see the toys in the shop?
Jane asks her aunt to buy a doll for her.
She says, Ann has a doll.
Do you see Jane point to the dolls on the shelf?
Is not Jane too old to play with dolls?
Jane, which would you like to have me get; a doll or a hoop?
Jane says she would like both.
Jane likes to have all the toys she can get.
But Jane is a good girl; and she says she will be kind to the doll, and take good care of it.
So Jane's aunt got the doll, and the hoop too; and Jane took them home with her.
Do see the man on the horse!
How fast the horse runs!
Do you like to ride on a horse?
Do you like to ride so fast?
I like to ride; but I do not like to ride so fast as that.
I like to make the horse trot.
What makes this horse go so fast?
Does he like to run?
Does the man whip the horse?
The man likes to ride fast, but he does not whip the horse.
Why does the man ride so fast down the hill?
Do you see the man look back?
Do you know what he sees?
One of the men has a cap and a cane in his left hand.
He has a large round face, and a fat chin.
His hair is long; and you can see that it curls on his neck.
He wears a long and warm coat; and he has just come in from the cold.
The man with the cap on his head has no coat on, and his arm is bare; for he has been at work.
It is warm in the room.
He is glad to see the man who has come in, and to hear him talk.
You can see he is glad.
He says, "Ah! is that your plan?
I am glad to hear it."
The boy hears all they say.
The men mow the grass, and when it is dry they call it hay.
They take up the hay, and then they put it on the cart, and the horse draws it to the barn.
The men must work fast, and put the hay in the barn, so that it may not get wet by the rain.
The hay is for the horse, and the cow, and the ox to eat.
Which does the horse love best; hay, or oats, or corn?
It loves oats best.
Does the cow love oats, too?
Yes.
And corn, too?
Yes.
And do sheep love oats?
Yes.
Ah, my little boy, do not go too deep into the water.
Do not reach too far.
What do you wish to get there?
I want to get that pretty lily, and the large lily leaves.
Don't you see them on the water?
But if you wade out too far, the water may be too deep for such a little boy as you.
THE SWAN
The swan is a large bird.
Jane says it is like a goose.
When it is young it is gray; but when it is grown to its full size, it is as white as snow.
It has a long neck, and short legs.
It makes a nest of short sticks, and grass, and leaves.
The eggs of the swan are large and white. Have you ever seen a swan?
No; I never saw one.
Where do swans live?
They swim on the water, and they fly in the air.
A cat will mew and purr.
Our cat sits by the fire.
Flies and bees will buzz.
The bees fly to the hive.
Birds will chirp and sing.
They fly from tree to tree.
Mice, rats, and pigs, will squeal.
The mice run to their holes.
Sheep and lambs will bleat.
The lambs frisk and play.
The owl hoots.
Owls do not hoot in the day time.
The lion roars.
The lion is fierce and strong.
The doves will coo.
The dovecote is a small house for the doves.
The snake will hiss.
Snakes crawl in the grass.
The hen clucks.
See how proud the old hen is!
John goes to school where there are boys and girls.
All go there to read their books, and study their lessons.
There are slates, and maps, and books in the school.
Do you love to go to school?
I hope you do.
Can you read and spell?
Can you spell baker?
Do you know what a baker is?
A baker is one who bakes bread.
Can you spell paper, and pupil, and tidy?
Try.
WINTER.
It is cold now, and there is snow on the ground, and on the trees, and in the pond.
It is winter.
Boys love to skate on the ice, and to slide down hill on a sled.
They must take care, or they will fall on the ice, and hurt them.
John has a new sled, and he will let James take it to slide on.
Is not John a good boy?
Good boys and girls will be kind to their mates, and kind to all.
Which do you like best, Winter, or Summer?
One boy slides down the hill on his sled.
See him lie down on his sled!
Do you see the girl on a sled?
Does she look cold?
She has a muff to keep her hands warm.
This boy has found a nest of eggs in the barn.
The hen was on the nest but she flew off.
The hen had six eggs in her nest.
Do you see them?
Ducks and geese lay eggs; but their eggs are not so good as the eggs of a hen.
Birds, as well as hens, build nests.
Some birds build their nests in trees, and some on the ground.
Some make their nests of grass, or of straw; some make them of leaves, and some make them of small sticks.
Birds lay eggs in their nests, and then they sit on them a long time to keep them warm, and so hatch out young birds.
Some birds lay eggs that are white, and some birds lay eggs that are blue.
Some birds lay eggs that have red spots on them, and some lay eggs that have blue spots on them.
See the three boys run!
Do you see the dog run, too?
What fine fun,
To see a dog run!
The pig is in the lot,
And our dog Trot
Has gone to catch him.
Bow, wow! Hark!
Do you hear him bark?
Now he comes here
With the pig by the ear:
I thought he would fetch him.
A dog, a wolf, a horse, and a bear.
A dog will bark,
A wolf will howl,
A bear will growl.
Boys like to be out in the fields, where the men are at work.
If the pigs, or the cattle, get into the corn, or the oats, or the wheat, or the meadow, they like to take the dog and drive them out.
Which would you like best to live in; the city, or the country?
A bunch of pinks, and a rose-bush.
Which do you like best, a pink or a rose?
John bas a bunch of pinks in his band; and Jane bas a large white rose in her hair.
Where did John get the pinks?
Did be get them in the garden?
Did Jane get the rose there, too?
Are some roses red?
What makes roses and pinks grow?
God sends the sun to shine on the rose and the pink, the grass, and the trees, to warm them, and to give them light, and to make them grow.
He sends the rain and the dew also.
If they did not have any sun, nor any heat, nor any rain, nor any dew, they could not grow: they would soon die.
God is good.
He made all things.
He made the sun to give light by day, and the moon to give light by night.
He made the stars, also.
THE MICE.
The mice are in their holes,
And there they hide by day;
But when 'tis still at night,
They all come out to play.
They climb upon the ~helves,
And taste of all they please;
They drink the milk and cream,
And eat the bread and cheese.
But if they hear the cat,
At once they stop their fun;
In fright they seek their holes
As fast as they can run.
When the cat is away,
The mice will play.
THE SLEIGH-RIDE.
O, do come here!
Do see what a load of boys and girls!
Do you know who they are?
O, I know now.
They are the boys and girls from our school.
How I would like to be with them!
But I have been so sick, they did not think I could go.
What a fine time they have!
The boys shout, and swing their caps.
Do you hear them?
And they have a flag, too!
Our dog barks at them as they go past the house, and they shout back to the dog.
Now they see me.
Did you see them swing their caps when they saw me?
The next time they take a sleigh-ride, I hope I can go with them.
What fine sport it is to ride in a sleigh in the winter!
Hark!
Did you hear a noise?
Do you think the noise was in the box?
Was it in the box, or in the basket?
What do you think it was?
Do you think it was a rat or a mouse, or a cat?
I think it must have been a mouse.
Perhaps it was a very little mouse; for it was a very little noise.
Did you ever hear a rat squeal?
Is that the way the rat talks?
Sometimes it talks, and sometimes it cries, when it squeals.
Did you ever hear an owl hoot in the night?
Does the owl sing, as well as hoot?
No; the owl does not sing.
The owl hoots in the night; but not in the daytime.
There are many kinds of owls.
Some are large, and some are small: but all of them have large eyes.
There is one kind that is called the screech-owl.
Do you know why it is called so?
Did you ever hear it?
Can you spell screech?
You may try to spell it.
It is a very hard word.
YOUTH AND OLD AGE.
Here are four children; two of them are sitting down, and two are standing up; and a good man is telling them about God and His works.
He tells them that they must love the Lord in their youth; and that, if they wish to be happy, they must be good.
Those little children are now in the springtime of life, and now is the time to sow in their minds the seeds of wisdom.
A full-grown and active man is said to be in his manhood; but old age is called the winter of life.
The old man whom you see with a cane in his hand, is lame and blind; but he was a boy once, and then he could run, and jump, and play, as well as you can.
Now he totters along, and a little child leads him.
He is now in the winter of life.
THE OLD OAK TREE.
Thou art an old oak tree.
But who knows how old thou art?
Thou hast a large trunk: but if we could saw thy trunk in two, and count the rings of thy growth, we could tell thy age.
It would be equal to the number of the rings.
But we will not cut thee down.
The ax shall not harm thee.
We will spare thee, thou old oak tree, for thou art an old friend.
We love to look on thee, and to sit in the cool shade of thy branches.
Thy branches are large; they reach up to the sky, and they toss to and fro in the wind.
The birds love thee: they sing in thy branches, and there they build their nests, and rear their young.
Once thou wast young: thou wast a little sprig that a man might take in his hand; but now thou art tall, and large, and strong.
Now a man can not push thee down with his hand, nor tread on thee, nor pull thee up by the roots.
Many years have gone by since thou wast young.
Thy bark was once smooth, but now it is rough with age.
Cold and keen winds have blown on thee; hail has beat upon thee; the rain has wet thee; and the snow has hung on thy branches.
But thou dost still live; and in a ripe old age thy branches are yet green.
But many are the trees that die before they grow to be as old, or as large, as thou art.
Often they begin to die at the top.
Their dead branches look, among the green leaves, like gray locks on the head of age.
Who has made them differ from thee?
This oak tree grew from a little seed; from a little acorn that you might hold in your hand, or put into your pocket.

A CHILD'S MORNING PRAYER.
O God, I thank thee that the night,
In peace and rest hath passed away;
And that I see, in this fair light,
My Father's smiles, which make the day.
Be Thou my guide; and let me live
As under Thine all-seeing eye:
Supply my wants, my sins forgive,
And make me happy when I die.
These men have been out on the lake in a boat, and they have caught some
n a net.
When the net is drawn in the lake, it takes in all the fish it meets with, the large and the small, the good and the bad.
Do you see the three men?
Do you see how many fish they have taken?
There is a large heap of fish on the shore.
Some of them are good, and some are bad.
One of the men has just thrown two bad fish back into the lake.
The man that is partly sitting down is just putting a nice large fish into a jar.
Do you see the two jars?
When they get the jars full of nice fish, they will take them home.
THE GARDEN.
What place do you think this is?
It must be a garden.
There must be a great many nice things there.
Do you think it is a fine place for these boys and girls?
Do you think they like to play there?
Do you see the boy who has a spade in one hand?
Which hand has hold of the spade, the right band, or the left hand?
Can you tell?
Which hand has hold of the cap?
Do you see the girl that stands near this boy?
What do you think she bas in her hand?
I think it is a little hoe.
Which hand has hold of the hoe?
Do you see what the other boy is doing?
What does the other girl hold in her hand?
In which hand?
Do you see the girl's bonnet?
Is that a little girl, also, who has a basket on her head?
No; that is the servant.
She has been to the garden to get some melons for dinner.
Do you see the melons in the basket?
Do you think the melons are ripe?
Would you like to have such a garden to walk in?
Do you see the two dogs in the garden?
What are they doing?
Do they seem to be playing?
Here is a garden, also.
It is not the same garden that we saw on the other page.
One man has a basket full of grapes.
A child is picking grapes from the vines.
The grapes are ripe now.
One woman is sitting down, and a little child is near her.
The man who stands up is talking to the woman.
This man has a long beard, and his feet are bare.
We do not know what he is saying.
This is the man who takes care of the first garden that we saw.
The children call him Uncle Ben.
What do you think he said to the children?
He said: "Now, my little boys and girls, you must not touch any of the fruit, nor any of the flowers.
By-and-by, I will give each of you some fruit, and a bunch of flowers!"
"THOU GOD SEEST ME."
God can see me every day,
When I work, and when l play;
When I read, and when I talk;
When I run, and when I walk;
When I eat, and when I drink;
When I sit and only think;
When I laugh, and when I cry,
God is ever watching nigh.
When I'm quiet, when I'm rude,
When I'm naughty, when I'm good;
When I'm happy, when I'm sad,
When I'm sorry, when I'm glad;
When I pluck the scented rose,
That in my neat garden grows;
When I crush the tiny fly,
God is watching from the sky.
When the sun gives heat and light,
When the stars are twinkling bright,
When the moon shines on my bed,
God still watches o'er my head;
Night or day, at church or fair,
God is ever, ever near,
Mark_ing all I do or say,
Pointing to the happy way.
BHEEP AND LAMBS.
The little lambs, how kind and gentle they are!
Who would hurt the lambs?
Do you not like to see them?
Did you ever see them run, and jump, and play, on the hillside?
When lambs are grown to their full size, they are called sheep.
Do you know what sheep are good for?
Do you know what it is that covers their bodies?
Is it the same that covers the bodies of the cat, and the cow?
No.
Wool grows on the body of the sheep; but hair grows on the body of the cat and the cow.
Men shear the wool from the body of the sheep; and then the wool is cleaned, and carded, and spun into yarn, and the yarn is woven into cloth, and the
cloth is made into garments.
THE BASKET OF FRUIT.
Here is a basket full of fruit.
There are melons, and grapes, and, perhaps, other kinds of fruit in the basket.
There is also the branch of a grapevine leaning against the basket.
Do you see the shadow of the grapevine on the ground, and the shadow of the basket on the ground, also?
You can not see the sun: but can you tell which way it is from the basket?
Is it on the right of the basket, or on the left of it?
THE TWO DOGS.
Two dogs, Tray and Snap, went out one day to walk.
Tray was a good dog, and would not hurt the least thing in the world; but Snap was cross, and would snarl and bite at all the dogs that came in his way.
At last they came to a great town; and all the dogs came out to see them.
Tray hurt none of them, and was kind to all; but Snap would growl at all; and at length he bit one that came too near him.
Then the men and boys came out with clubs and stones, and they beat Snap; and the dogs sprang on him, and tore him in pieces.
As Tray was with him, they dealt with him in the same way; and so he met with his death at the same time.
They thought Tray was bad, because he was with a bad dog.
We should learn from this that good boys and girls may come to much harm if they go with those who are bad.
MORNING.
See the sun rise!
It will be a fine day.
The hens have left the roost.
The birds sing, and fly from tree to tree.
The grass is fresh with the dew.
The men have gone to the field; some to plow, and some to hoe the corn.
James has gone out to the field with the men, and the old dog Fido has gone with him.
Do you see James with the dog?
Do you see the dog look up at James?
What do you suppose James has gone to the field for?
NOON.
Now it is noon.
How hot it is!
It is very hot in the sun; but it is cool in the shade of the trees.
Some of the cows lie down, some stand in the shade, where it is cool, and some have gone to the brook to drink.
There is a bridge over the stream.
Do you see it?
Can you point it out?
The men have left their work, and gone to the house.
James has gone, too.
Old Fido is asleep on the floor in the hall.
Where do you think the men are?
They must be at dinner.
That is a farmhouse.
The man who lives in it is a farmer.
Farmers spend much of their time at work in the fields.
EVENING.
Now the sun bas gone down, and it will soon be dark.
The men have come in from the field.
The cows are in the yard, and the gate is shut.
Jane has been to the yard to milk the cows, and now here she comes with her pail full of milk.
James would like some new milk to drink, and puss would like some, too.
Do you see puss?
Does she look as if she were asking for milk?
The hens have gone to roost.
Do you see old Fido sitting by the door?
What do you suppose he is thinking about?
Do dogs think?
Fido will keep watch all night; and no thief will dare to come near the house.
Fido is a good dog.
A good dog is of much use to a farmer.
THE EAGLE.
As the eagle is the strongest, the most fierce, and daring of birds, he is often called the King of birds.
He also belongs to the class of birds called Birds of Prey
Such birds feed on flesh.
The eagle flies high in the air, and makes his nest on lofty rocks; but he comes down to the plain in search of food for himself and for his young.
He will seize, and carry off geese, and ducks, and lambs, and rabbits; and he has also been known to carry off infants, and even to attack quite large children.
Two boys, the one five, and the other seven years of age, were playing in a field near the city of New York, while their parents were at dinner.
A large eagle soon came sailing over them, and, making a sudden swoop, tried to seize the elder boy, but missed him.
The eagle soon tried again; but the boy, who had a sickle in his hand, struck at the bird with it.
It was a lucky blow; for the sickle hit the bird under the left wing, and killed it.
WILD GOATS.
There are wild goats, as well as tame goats.
The wild goats live among the rocks.
Here are some wild goats.
One of them is standing up on a high rock, and others are lying down.
The goat is much like the sheep: but goats have beards, while sheep have none.
The horns of goats are not like those of sheep.
A young goat is called a kid; but a young sheep is called a lamb.
Kid gloves are made from the skin of the kid.
A CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.
Another day its course bas run,
And still, O God, Thy child is blest;
For Thou hast been by day my Sun,
And Thou wilt be by night my rest.
Sweet sleep descends, mine eyes to close;
And now, while all the world is still,
Igive my body to repose,
My spirit to my Father's will.
I will not fear,
For God is near,
Through the dark night
As in the light.
Now, while I sleep,
Safe watch He'll keep.
Why should I fear
When God is near?
THE LION.
The lion is often called the King of Beasts; and when he is wild, and roaming over his native plains in pursuit of his prey, he is feared both by beasts and men.
We can not well judge how strong and fierce he is, from what we see of him in a tame state.
Very large and fierce lions are found in the south of Africa; and they are a terror to the tribes who dwell there.
They carry off cattle; and sometimes they come into the fields, near the houses, and carry off men.
A man in South Africa was once out late in the day, far from home, when he saw a lion at a distance.
The lion saw him at the same time, and began to follow him slowly.
When the man walked fast, the lion walked fast; and when he stopped, the lion stopped.
He saw that the lion meant to follow him until dark, and then spring upon him, and make a meal of him.
As he could not run away from the lion, he knew that his only chance for life was to cheat the beast in some way.
So when he came to a high cliff, below which was a deep rocky hollow, he climbed down, where the lion could not see him.
Here he fixed a stick in the rocks, and put on it his coat and hat, so as to make them look like a man; and then he hid under a rock on one side.
Soon the lion came creeping slyly along, when, seeing the coat and hat, he made a sudden spring at them, and, falling down the rocks, was killed.
The lion will watch for hours for his prey to come near him.
Here is one lying by a rock on the plain.
He has been watching for a herd of zebras ; but they are going farther away, and he will not catch one.
CHRIST BLESSING CHILDREN.
And Jesus said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
And be took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.
I think, when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.
I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
That his arms had been thrown around me
And that I might have seen his kind look, when he said,
"Let the little ones come unto me."
But still, to his footstool in prayer I may go,
And ask for a share in his love;
And if I thus earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above,
In that beautiful place he has gone to prepare
For all that are washed and forgiven;
And many dear children are gathering there,
"For of such is the kingdom of heaven."
A FABLE.
What is a fable?
A fable is a story which is not true.
Yet many fables teach truths.
Do you ask how this can be?
Here is a fable that is not true; yet it teaches a truth which you should all know.
Two or three boys stood one day at the side of a pond, in which there were some frogs.
Now, though the poor frogs did them no harm, yet as soon as a frog put up its head, these bad boys would pelt it with stones.
"My dear boys," says one of the frogs, "you do not think, that though this may be sport to you, it is death to us."
This fable teaches that we should not hurt those who do not hurt us, nor should we laugh at what gives them pain.
LITTLE THINGS.
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean,
And the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
Thus our little errors
Lead the soul away
From the path of virtue,
Off in sin to stray.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.
COUNTING.
Can you count?
Can you count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten pennies?
If John should give you ten apples, and Mary should give you six, can you tell me how many you would then have?
You must learn to count, and you must learn to do a great many little sums.
Do you ever play marbles?
How could a boy play marbles, if he could not count them?
Do you know how to write figures on a slate, or on paper?
Can you make the figures for four, six, eight, and nine?
If you can not make all the figures, you must learn them.
Here they are,
Two peaches had John:
His sister had one:
They gave them to me,
And then I had three.
Two and one are how many?
Two peaches had Jane,
And Mary two more:
They gave them to me,
And then I had four.
Two and two are how many?
Mary had a cushion,
Given by her mother;
It had five pins on one side,
And four pins on the other.
How many pins in all
Were on the little ball?
Five and four are how many?
Ten apples on a table lie,
And Jane takes three in passing by:
How many does she leave?
Three from ten leave how many?
When Mary had ten pins,
She gave Eliza four;
Then all that she had left
Were just six, and no more.
Four from ten leave how many?
When Peter had just seven plums,
He gave his sister three,
And then he was so very kind,
He gave the rest to me.
How many did he give to me?
A poor woman was begging.
Mary gave her ten pennies.
Then the poor woman paid five pennies for a loaf of bread, and took the other pennies home.
How many did she carry home?
Two and one are three.
2 and 1 are 3.
Four and two are six.
4 and 2 are 6.
Four and three are seven.
4 and 3 are 7.
Eight and two are ten.
8 and 2 are 10.
Seven and two are nine.
7 and 2 are 9.
Five and three are eight.
5 and 3 are 8.
Six and four are ten.
6 and 4 are 10.
Twice one are two.
Twice two are four.
Twice three are six.
Twice four are eight.
Twice five are ten.
Twice six are twelve.
Three times one are three.
3 times 1 are 3.
Three times two are six.
3 times 2 are 6.
Three times three are nine.
3 times 3 are 9.
Three times four are twelve.
3 times 4 are 12.
Four times one are four.
4 times 1 are 4.
Four times two are eight.
4 times 2 are 8.
Four times three are twelve.
4 times 3 are 12.
Five times one are five.
5 times 1 are 5.
Five times two are ten.
5 times 2 are 10.
Six times one are six.
6 times 1 are 6.
Six times two are twelve.
6 times 2 are 12.
GOD MADE ALL THINGS.
God made the sun to give us light,
The moon and stars that shine at night.
He made the earth that gives us grain,
He made each beast that treads the plain,
He made the clouds, He made the sky,
He made the birds that soar on high.
He shields us when we close our eyes,
He guards us when at morn we rise.
He knows all things, by night or day,
He sees us when we kneel to pray;
And if we serve him till we die,
He'll take us to His home on high.
A CHILD'S EVENING PRAYER.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take:
And this I ask for Jesus' sake.
LEARN ING TO READ.
Come hither, good Trusty;
See how still you can be:
For I've come to teach you
Your A, B, C.
Brother says you can't learn,
And father says, may be,
Though you never will read,
You may bark .A, B, C.
Now, good Trusty, attend;
Let us show them that we
Can learn, if we please,
Our A, B, C.
To what little Kate said,
Trusty seemed to agree:
Do you think he learned much
Of his A, B, C?
COUNTRY SOUNDS.
The wind is blowing;
The cows are lowing;
The brook is babbling;
The geese are gabbling;
The mule is braying;
The horse is neighing;
The sheep are baaing;
The boys hahaing;
The: birds are singing;
The bells are ringing;
The cartwheels squeaking;
The barndoor creaking;
And John is sawing;
Willie hurrahing;
The peacock screeching;
And Carrie teaching
Three little boys
Amid all the noise.
THE PRIESTS OF THE JEWS.
In the Bible, we read about the Jews, who were the chosen people of the Lord.
The Lord gave to them laws, and taught them how to worship Him.
They had priests who were set apart by the Lord, to attend to the duties of public worship.
Here is a Jewish priest, with a kind of cap, or hood, on his head, and a neckpiece that comes down over his shoulders.
He has on a flowing garment, with a girdle around his waist; and he wears a sash that crosses on his breast.
The other man, standing near, has two doves in his hand, and he is giving them to the priest.
For what purpose do you suppose he has brought the doves; and what do you think the priest will do with them?
The doves are to be killed, and burned on an altar before the Lord; for this was a part of the worship of the Jews.
And here is a woman, also, who has brought two doves, to be offered to the Lord.
She has given one to the priest, and she holds the other in her hand.
She brought them in the basket which you see.
But the Lord does not wish us to worship Him in this way.
This kind of worship was for the Jews only, and was to show that Christ should suffer and die for the sins of the world.
THE CAMEL.
The camel is a very useful animal.
It is found where it is most needed; in lands where there are great deserts.
From its use in crossing these oceans of sand, it is called "the Ship of the Desert."
The camel bas a long neck, a small bead, and a stout body.
It bas long legs.
Some camels have two bumps on the back, and some have only one.
The camel bas broad feet; and the sole of the foot is covered with a tough skin, so that the animal can travel with ease over dry, stony, and sandy places.
It carries a heavy load on its back; and it can travel, with a load, thirty or forty miles in a day.
It can go many days without water.
The camel will kneel for its master to put the load on its back, or to have it taken off.
This animal supplies the people of the desert with almost all their wants.
Its flesh and milk are used for food; and its hair and wool are made into cloth.
SOWING AND REAPING.
Here are two pictures, which show how some people dressed and looked a long time ago.
They are the people of whom we read in the Bible.
They are the same who are now called Jews.
The first picture shows a man sowing seed in the field.
He carries the seed in a basket.
His legs and feet are bare; for he lives in a warm country, and he does not need as many clothes as we do.
A man is plowing in the field, with a yoke of cattle.
He is a great way off; and that is why he seems so small.
The next picture shows the time of harvest.
Both men and women gather the grain.
They tie up the grain in bundles, and then they carry it to the barn.
Of the grain they make flour, and of the flour they make bread.
"GOD IS EVER GOOD."
See the shining dewdrops
On the flowers strewed,
Proving, as they sparkle,
"God is ever good."
See the morning sunbeams
Lighting up the wood,
Silently proclaiming,
"God is ever good."
Hear the mountain streamlet
In the solitude,
With its ripple saying,
"God is ever good."
In the leafy treetops,
Where no fears intrude,
Merry birds are singing,
"God is ever good."
Bring, my heart, thy tribute,
Songs of gratitude,
While all nature utters.
"God is ever good."
THE CLOTHES WE WEAR.
Do you know what your clothes are made of?
The new coat which you think so pretty, was once wool which grew on the back of the sheep.
It kept the sheep warm before it kept you warm.
It was a coat which the sheep wore.
And when the sheep had done with it, it was made into a coat for you.
Has your brother a pair of nice silk gloves?
A little worm spun the silk of which they were made.
Is your dress as pretty as that which the tulip wears?
Some flies are dressed in rich green coats; and the butterfly wears a coat of many colors.
Are your clothes as pretty as theirs?
How proud we are; how fond to show
Our clothes, and call them rich and new;
When the poor sheep and silkworm wore
That very clothing long before.
The tulip, and the butterfly,
Appear in gayer coats than I;
Let me be dressed fine as I will,
Flies, worms, and flowers, exceed me still.
MONEY.
We can not buy bread, or meat, or clothes, without money; and when we have money, we ought to know the value of it, so that, when we buy, or when we sell, we may make no mistakes.
But we must learn to count money, as well as to know the name of each piece of money that we use.
Each piece of money is called a coin; and coins are made of copper, silver, and gold.
Our copper coin is a cent.
Ten copper cents are equal to one silver Dime, which is a Ten-cent piece: and ten dimes are equal to a Dollar.
So the Dollar is just one hundred cents.
We have also a Three-cent piece, a Five-cent piece, a Twenty-five-cent piece, a Fiftycent piece, and a Dollar piece, all of which are silver coins.
We have gold coins also.
The gold Dollar is a small coin; but it is worth just as much as the large silver Dollar.
We have a gold coin which is sometimes called the Gold Eagle.
It is the same as the Ten-dollar piece which you see on the next page.
Our largest gold coin is the Double Eagle, which is a Twenty dollar piece.