the legs stretched out, so that the height to the shoulder could be exactly taken. From foot to shoulder, in a direct line, nine feet, one inch; circumference of foot, four feet, eight inches.

We now left the jungle and found our horses waiting for us in the bed of the river by the waterside, and we rode toward our camp, well satisfied with the day's sport.

SIR SAMUEL WHITE BAKER.

Biography.-Sir Samuel White Baker, the African traveler and explorer, was born in 1821, at Thorngrove, England.

Baker studied civil engineering, and early in life, went to Ceylon. There, led by love of field-sports into the recesses of the island, he gave evidence of that love of adventure which was to make him famous as an explorer.

In 1862, Baker, accompanied by his wife, visited Khartoum, and then ascended the White Nile. After a perilous journey, they succeeded in reaching a vast lake, which he named the Albert 'Nyanʼza. For this exploit, Baker was knighted by the Queen of England.

The principal literary works of Baker are: "Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon," "The Albert 'Nyanza, Great Basin of the Nile," and "The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia."

Notes.-The Indian species of elephant mentioned in the lesson, is found in Hin do stan', Cey lon', and other parts of the East Indies.

Bagging is a word used by sportsmen, and referred originally to small game, which could be carried in a bag. In a broad sense, the word is applied to the capture of game of any size. Language. —A sentence is a thought expressed in words, and consists of the combination of a subject and a predicate.

The predicate of a sentence is an action-word (verb) with or without modifying words; the subject is a single word or a collection of words, which taken with the predicate forms a complete thought.

Sentence." The great leader came directly toward us."

66

The subject of this sentence consists of the name-word (noun) "leader," modified by the words 'great" and "the"; and the action-word " came," modified by "directly" and "toward us."

The modifiers of a name-word are called adjectives; of an actionword, adverbs,

16.-GRADATIM.N

de posed', conquered; laid aside.

săpphire (săf'îr), a precious stone
of a blue color.
vault'ed, arched.

slain, put to death.
sen'sū al (sen'shụ al), relating to
the body.

as pire, long after.

Heaven is not reached at a single bound;

But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to the summit round by round.

I count this thing to be grandly true:

That a noble deed is a step toward God-
Lifting the soul from the common sod

To a purer air and a broader view.

We rise by things that are under our feet;

By what we have mastered of good and gain; By the pride deposed and the passion slain, And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.

We hope, we aspire, we resolve, we trust,

When the morning calls us to life and light; But our hearts grow weary, and ere the night, Our lives are trailing the solemn dust.

We hope, we resolve, we aspire, we pray,

And we think that we mount the air on wings,
Beyond the recall of sensual things,

While our feet still cling to the heavy clay.

Wings for the angels, but feet for the men!

We may borrow the wings to find the wayWe may hope, and resolve, and aspire, and pray; But our feet must rise, or we fall again.

Only in dreams is a ladder thrown

From the weary earth to the sapphire walls; But the dreams depart, and the vision falls, And the sleeper wakes on his pillow of stone.

Heaven is not reached at a single bound;

But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to the summit round by round. J. G. HOLLAND.

Biography.-Josiah Gilbert Holland was born in Belchertown, Massachussets, in 1819, and died in New York City, in 1882.

Holland was engaged in the practice of medicine for a number of years; but gave up his profession to engage in educational and literary work.

In 1870, he became the editor of "Scribner's Monthly,” and kept up his association with that periodical until the time of his death.

Holland's reputation was chiefly due to his prose writings, although his poems "Katrina" and "Bitter-Sweet" are widely and favorably known. His principal prose works are: "The Bay Path," "Timothy Titcomb's Letters," "Miss Gilbert's Career," and "Life of Abraham Lincoln."

Notes.-The title of this poem-"Grā dā' tim," means step by

step.

Elocution.-With what tone of voice, rate, and force should this poem be read?

In the fourth, fifth, and sixth stanzas, there should be a slight increase of force given to each member of the series of words, in order to give them the proper emphasis. An increase of force of the kind suggested is called an elocutionary climax. Mark inflections used in the last stanza.

Language. -Is not reached in the first stanza means

be reached.

can not

Count in the second stanza means consider. What figure of comparison is used frequently throughout the poem ? Select one or two examples of the figure and explain their meaning in ordinary language.

Point out the lines in the first two stanzas which rhyme.

During my many journeys in Borneo, and especially during my various residences among the natives, I first came to appreciate the admirable qualities of the bamboo. In those parts of South America which I had previously visited, these gigantic grasses were comparatively scarce, and but little used where found; their place being taken, as to one class of uses, by the great variety of palms, and as to another, by the hard rind of calabashes and gourds. Almost all tropical countries produce bamboos; and, wherever they are found in abundance, the natives apply them to a variety of uses.

Their strength, lightness, smoothness, straightness, roundness, and hollowness, the facility and regularity with which they can be split, their many different sizes, the varying length of their joints, the ease with which they can be cut, and with which holes can be made through them, their hardness outside, their freedom from any pronounced taste or smell, their great abundance, and the rapidity of their growth and increase, are all qualities which render them useful for a hundred different

purposes, to serve which, other materials would require much more labor and preparation. The bamboo is one of the most wonderful as well as beautiful productions of the tropics, and one of nature's most valuable gifts to uncivilized man.

The Dyak houses are all raised on posts, and are often two or three hundred feet long and forty or fifty feet wide. The floor is always formed of strips, about three inches wide, split from large bamboos, so that each may be laid nearly flat, and these are firmly tied down with rattan to the joists beneath. When well made, this is a delightful floor to walk upon barefooted, the rounded surfaces of the bamboo being very smooth and agreeable to the feet, while at the same time affording a firm hold.

But what is more important, they form, with a mat over them, an excellent bed, the elasticity of the bamboo and its rounded surface being far superior to a more rigid and flatter floor. Here we at once find a use for bamboo which can not be supplied so well by any other material without a vast amount of labor. Palms and other substitutes require much cutting and smoothing, and are not so good when finished.

When, however, a flat, close floor is required, excellent boards are made by splitting open large bamboos on one side only, and flattening them out so as to form thin boards eighteen inches wide and six feet long, with which some Dyaks floor their houses. These, with constant rubbing of the feet and the smoke of years, become dark and polished, like walnut or old oak, so that their real material can hardly be recognized.