A CENTURY FROM THE BIRTH OF WASHINGTON. 103 3 James. Indeed, sir, you should. 4 Love. Well, then, kill the old hen; for she has done 5 7 8 9 10 laying. James. Mercy! sir, how the folks will talk of it! 6 Indeed, people say enough of you already. Love. Eh! why what do the people say, pray ? James. Ah, sir, if I could be assured you would not be angry'. Love. Not at all'; for I am always glad to hear what the world says of me". James. Why, sir, since you will have it then, they make a jest of you everywhere: nay'; of your servants, on your 11 account. One says, you pick a quarrel with them quarterly, in order to find an excuse to pay them no wages. 12 13 14 15 16 Love. Poh! poh! James. Another says, you were taken one night stealing your own oats from your own horses. Love. That must be a lie"; for I never allow them any. James. In a word, you are the by-word everywhere; and you are never mentioned, but by the names of covetous, stingy, scraping, old Love. Get along, you impudent villain! 17 James. Nay, sir'; you said you would not be angry'. 18 Love. Get out, you dog! you DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define poultry, (what is understood after should in Sent. 3d?) laying, (i. e. eggs in the nest,) folks, angry, pick a quarrel, quarterly, excuse, wages, (what feeling is expressed by poh! poh!?) taken, (caught, seized,) oats, lie, allow, any, in a word, by-word, covetous, stingy, scraping, impudent, dog, (really a dog? or like on " SECT. CXII.-A CENTURY FROM THE BIRTH OF WASHINGTON. 1 GENTLEMEN, we are at the point of a century from the birth of Washington; and what a century it has been! During its course, the human mind has seemed to proceed 2 with a sort of geometric velocity: accomplishing, for human intelligence, and human freedom, more than had been done 3 in fives or tens of centuries preceding. Washington stands at the commencement of a new era, as well as at the head 4 of the new world. A century from the birth of Washing5 ton has changed the world. The country of Washington has been the theatre on which a great part of that change has been wrought; and Washington himself a principal 6 agent by which it has been accomplished. His age and his country are equally full of wonders, and of both he is the chief. If the prediction of the poet, uttered a few years before 7 his birth, be true; if indeed it be designed by Providence that the grandest exhibition of human character and human affairs shall be made on this theatre of the western world'; if it be true that, "The first four acts already past, A fifth shall close the drama with the day'; how could this imposing, swelling, final scene, be appropriately opened, how could its intense interest be adequately sustained, but by the introduction of just such a character as our Washington! DEFINITIONS, &c.-Point of a century-point at the end of a hundred years, as a period at the end of a sentence. Define geometric, velocity, accomplishing, intelligence, (minds?) preceding, era, head, (i. e. of men in, in the most honorable places among men in, &c. Because the head is the most important part, dignified part of the body, we call the most important part of any thing the head,) theatre, (here a place for the performance of plays? or any place on which a great business has been transacted?) principal, agent, wonders, chief, prediction, designed, Providence, grandest, exhibition, western, acts, drama, offspring, imposing, swelling, final, appropriately, opened, intense, interest, adequately, sustained, introduction, just such, our. SECT. CXIII.-NEWSPAPERS. 1 Books are very pretty ornaments for a library, but for common, every-day use, what is there so cheap, so interesting, so instructive, so amusing, so indispensable as a good 2 family newspaper? Nothing, that we ever heard of. 3 As it comes smoking from the press, it contains all the freshness, 4 and ten times the variety, of a new book every week. It smooths the thoughtful brow of age, and affords to the younger members of a family a most easy and agreeable 5 mode of acquiring habits of reading and reflection. Verily, the newspaper causes many hours to pass away pleasantly FLOUR AND GRAIN. 105 and profitably, which would otherwise have been spent in 6 idleness and mischief. Long evenings are before us once more, and we pity him who has not a good supply of these pleasant companions. DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define books, pretty, ornaments, library, cheap, interesting, instructive, amusing, indispensable, newspaper, smoking, press, freshness, variety, smooths, affords, easy, agreeable, mode, acquiring, reflection, pleasantly, profitably, otherwise, spent, idleness, mischief, evenings, pity, good supply, companions. SECT. CXIV.-FLOUR AND GRAIN. 1 THE quantity of flour, wheat, and corn left at tide-water, from the commencement of navigation to the 30th of November, in the years 1846 and 1847, is as follows: 2 By reducing the wheat to flour, the quantity of the latter left at tide-water this year, compared with the corresponding period of last year, shows an excess equal to 1,187,635 barrels of flour. 3 4 The receipts of corn thus far exceed by 4,279,627 bushels the entire receipts of 1846. The following table shows the quantity of some others of the principal articles of produce left at tide-water, from the commencement of navigation to the 30th of November, inclusive, during the years 1846, (229 days,) and 1847, (214 days.) 106 PROVIDENCE GUIDES IMPERCEPTIBLY. DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define navigation, (on the canal and river ?) Novem ber, wheat, corn, flour, tide-water, (water influenced by the tide,) reducing, compared, corresponding, period, shows, excess, barrel, receipts, exceed, entire, following, table, principal, articles, inclusive. 1 2 SECT. CXV.-THE CHRISTIAN ISRAEL. THUS far on life's perplexing path, Here then we pause, look back, adore. Strangers, and pilgrims here below, Or follow any voice but thine. DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define perplexing, snatched, pursuing, wrath, unharmed, ransomed, Israel, (children of Israel,) pause, adore, strangers, pilgrims, land of promise, (the land promised: heaven,) appointed, guide, illumine, cheer, flight, flutters, pinions, provides, bears, (carries ?) instructs, sky, (heaven,) protect, fiery, serpents, plague, living streams, (perennial, unfailing streams,) rebel, (i. e. rebellious,) repine. 1 SECT. CXVI.-PROVIDENCE GUIDES IMPERCEPTIBLY. PROVIDENCE Conducts us with so much goodness through the different periods of our life, that we do not perceive our THE SEVEN CHILDREN. 107 2 progress. This last takes plaće gently: it is imperceptible: it is the shadow of the sun-dial whose motion we do not see. 3 If, at twenty years of age, we could see in a mirror, the face we shall have at threescore, we should be shocked at the contrast, and terrified at our own figure; but it is day by day we advance: we are to-day as we were yesterday, and shall be to-morrow as we are to-day: so we go forward without perceiving it: and this is a miracle of that Providence whom I adore. DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define imperceptible, sun-dial, mirror, contrast, figure, yesterday, to-morrow, to-day, miracle. SECT. CXVII.-THE SEVEN CHILDREN. 1 EARLY in the morning as the day began to dawn, the devout father of a family arose with his wife from their couch, and thanked God for their new day, and for their refreshing slumber. 2 3 But the red glow of morning beamed into the little chamber where their seven children lay in their beds and slept. 66 Then they gazed at the children one by one, and the mother said, They are seven in number: alas! it will be 4 hard for us to find them food." Thus sighed the mother"; for there was a famine in the land. 5 But the father smiled and said, "See: do they not lie 6 there and sleep, all the seven? And they have all red cheeks, and the beams of the morning stream over them, so that they appear lovelier than ever, like seven blooming roses. 7 Mother, that shows us that He who creates the morning, and sends us sleep, is true and unchangeable." 8 And as they stepped from the chamber, they saw at the door, fourteen shoes in a row: growing smaller and smaller, 9 two by two; a pair for each child. The mother gazed on them, and when she saw that they were so many, she wept. 10 But the father said, Mother, why dost thou weep ? 11 Have not all the seven received sound and active feet? 12 Why, then, should we be anxious about that which covers 13 them? If the children have confidence in us, should we not have confidence in Him who can do more than we can com prehend? |