FOURTH READER.

I-THE WHISTLE.

1. When I was a child, seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pockets with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys for children; and, being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered him all my money for one.

2. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth.

3. This put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and they laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with

vexation.

4. This, however, was afterward of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind; so that often, whèn I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, "Don't give too much for the whistle"; and so I saved my money.

5. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.

6. When I saw any one too ambitious of the favor of the great, wasting his time in attendance on public dinners, sacrificing his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, "This man gives too much for his whistle."

7. When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in politics, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect, "He pays, indeed," said I, "too much for this whistle."

8. If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of 7 comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, "Poor man," said I, "you do indeed pay too much for your whistle."

9. When I met a man of pleasure, sacrificing the improvement of his mind, or of his fortune, to mere bodily comfort, "Mistaken man," said I, “you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure: you give too much for your whistle."

10. If I saw one fond of fine clothes, fine furniture, fine horses, all above his fortune, for which he contracted debts, and ended his career in prison, "Alas!” said I, "he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle."

11. In short, I believed that a great part of the miseries of mankind were brought upon them by the false estimates they had made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.

Adapted from Benjamin Franklin.

FOR PREPARATION.-I. Allusions, historical, geographical, and literary. II. Spelling and pronunciation; words to be copied, and marked with diacritical marks, hyphens, and accents. III. Language lesson. IV. Words and phrases to be explained in the pupil's own words, giving the meaning as used in the lesson (not the general definition). V. Style and thought. Numbers I. and V. to suggest topics of conversation on the reading lesson; Numbers II., III., and IV. to be prepared by the pupil. There may be some points in Numbers I. and V. that are too difficult for many of the pupils for whom this Reader is intended. The teacher will use his discretion in selecting topics from these numbers for explanation to his class.

I. Benjamin Franklin, an eminent American philosopher and statesman, born at Boston, Mass., January 17, 1706. His father was a soap and candle maker. Benjamin learned the printer's trade, and removed to Philadelphia. He discovered the identity of lightning and electricity. His efforts secured the alliance of the French with America in the Revolution. He also assisted in making important treaties, and in forming the Constitution of the United States. (See Lesson LXV.)

II. Write out and mark the pronunciation of friends, filled, whis'-tle, läughed, un-něç'-es-sa-ry, neg-leet'-ing. (See Webster's diacritical marks on page 98, and in the introduction to the spelling lessons of the Appendix.)

III. "Children"—what change is necessary to make this word refer to only one? What meaning does ing give to the word whistling? Find other words in which it makes the word refer to continued action. Dr. Franklin wrote "says I" (7, 8, 9, 10) for "said I"-why incorrect?

IV. "Coppers"-what coin does this mean? What does "charmed " mean (1)? "Voluntarily "? (willingly, of his own accord.) "Disturbing " means what? Who is a cousin? What is a bargain? What is folly? -vexation? "Impression continuing on my mind ”? (i. e., I remembered it.) "Ambitious of the favor of the great"? "Fond of popularity"? (in this case, desiring the people's votes.) Who is a miser? What is the meaning of esteem ?—benevolent ? —" accumulating wealth"?-comfortable? -"contracted debts"? (ran in debt.) "Ended his career means what? "False estimates they had made of the value of things"? (i. e., made mistakes about the worth of things.)

V. Do you think of any other examples to add to these of Dr. Franklin, in which people have "given too much for the whistle"? Write out such a case in your own words. What is meant by "the great"? How can they bestow "favor"?

II. THE KITTEN AND THE FALLING LEAVES.

1. See the kitten on the wall,
Sporting with the leaves that fall,

Withered leaves-one, two, and three-
From the lofty elder tree!

2. Through the calm and frosty air
Of this morning bright and fair,
Eddying round and round, they sink
Softly, softly:

4. But the kitten, how she starts,
Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts!
First at one, and then its fellow,
Just as light and just as yellow:
There are many now-now one;
Now they stop, and there are none.

5. What intenseness of desire
In her upward eye of fire!
With a tiger leap halfway
Now she meets the coming prey,
Lets it go as fast, and then
Has it in her power again :