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 half-way
Now she meets the coming prey,
Lets it go as fast, and then
Has it in her power again :

"See the kitten on the wall,

Sporting with the leaves that fall."

("The Kitten and the Falling Leaves," p. 10.)

6. Now she works with three or four,
Like an Indian conjurer;

Quick as he in feats of art,

Far beyond in joy of heart.

7. Were her antics played in the eye
Of a thousand standers-by,
Clapping hands with shout and stare,
What would little Tabby care
For the plaudits of the crowd?
Over-happy to be proud,

Over-wealthy in the treasure

Of her own exceeding pleasure!

William Wordsworth.

FOR PREPARATION.-I. Like an "Indian conjurer" (i. e., possessing great skill in tossing up balls and catching them, keeping several in the air at a time).

II. Păr'-a-çhụte (păr’a-shoot), a-gain' (-gèn'), prey (distinguish from pray), trĕaş'-ūre (trězh'ur), con'-ju-rer (kŭn'-), erouch'-eş, played, exçeed'-ing.

III. Tell some differences that you have noticed between a poem and a piece in prose. (Lines of regular length? Capitals, where placed? Accented syllables occur how often? Difference in the order of words in the sentence? etc.) Change the second paragraph to prose, beginning, "They sink softly and slowly through the calm," etc.

IV. Give the meaning as used in the poem, in your own words, of "withered leaves,” “eddying round and round,” “conveyed (carried) sylph or fairy hither tending " (i. e., riding down from the sky on the falling leaf), invisible (not to be seen), mute (making no sound), “wavering parachute” (like a large umbrella, used to descend with, in safety, from a balloon), crouches, its fellow (leaf), "intenseness of desire" (very desirous), prey, "feats of art" (quickness of hand, and ability to do difficult things), antics (funny actions), plaudits (clapping of hands, etc.).

V. "Upward eye of fire”—real fire, or only a shining in her eyes that looks like fire? What is referred to by "clapping hands," etc. ?—by "little Tabby"? Give some other names used in naming kittens. Where is the kitten represented as standing, in this poem?