8

9

THE VALUE OF TIME.

It suggests the necessity of using

207

1. Diligence in acquiring Useful Knowledge. Have you yet a few years before you commence the anxieties of life 10 on your own account?

12

How are you improving their fleet11 ing precious moments? Are you wasting any of them? 2. Diligence in Business. 13 Are you the possessor of only ten years of life, and those perhaps half spent, and do you stand idling in the market-place: the very centre of ac14 tivity? But little need be said here'; an idler is universally despised. 15 3. Economy of Time. 16 Are you the possessor of on. y

ten years, and those, it may be, nearly exhausted, and are you seeking expedients to kill time? Alas! go on with 17 your reduction, and from these ten years deduct those lost by negligence, or wasted in idleness, or murdered by vice, and what is the final result?

18 4. This reflection suggests Energy in Benevolence. Look around on your fellow-men: you mean to do a great deal 19 of good, but you are hesitating, considering, calculating, what you shall do; and while you are thus hesitating, the poor and distressed are starving, sickening, dying! dying in ignorance, misery, and vice.

20

But, have you already far outlived this calculation, and do you see many probable years of existence still before you? Be it so sit down then, with pen in hand, and cal21 culate how many years have you employed in your proper sphere of duty? how many years or days have you filled up in acts of beneficence to men, justice to yourself, or devotion to your Maker? Farewell, reader; pursue these in22 quiries alone; "take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write;" and may conscience do its office!

DEFINITIONS, &C.-Define calculated, enforced, mean duration, (average duration,) rational, accountable, creation, (creatures, mankind,) universally extended, (i. e. over all the country as well as over all cities,) average, existence, exceed, deducted, cultivated, reduces, possession, allow, intellectual improvement, (improvement of the mind,) being, tediousness, slow flight, (slow lapse, movement,) diversion, fashionable, amusement, consumed, bitterly, rarely, reflecting, uncertainty, inconsistency, important, point, (force,) inference, premises, suggests, idling, in the market-place, (where business is going forward,) despised, economy, exhausted, expedients, kill time, (put it out of the way when it hangs heavy on our hands,) reduction, deduct, final, hesitating, sphere, beneficence.

208

CHILDREN ADMITTED INTO SOCIETY.

SECT. CCXXV.-CHILDREN SHOULD BE ADMITTED INTO SOCIETY AND TAUGHT TO BEHAVE WELL WHILE THERE.

1

THERE are two extremes, which it is necessary to avoid 2 The one is that of secluding children altogether from society; the other is, of wearying our friends, by their presence and their ceaseless talk. If we consider our chil dren as troubles, to be kept out of the way, whenever we 3 wish for social enjoyment'; if the entrance of a few friends to pass the evening, is the signal for their immediate departure to another room'; how can we expect them to improve, or to become acquainted with the proprieties of 4 life! They must listen to the conversation, and observe the manners of their superiors, that their minds and their man5 ners may be improved.-Not long since, I heard a gentle

man speaking of an unusually interesting family he had 6 just visited. It was known that he was coming to pass the 7 evening. As he entered the room, he saw three little chil8 dren sitting quietly and silently by the fire. The mother 9 was sitting by the table, with her sewing. The father was rising to receive him. The children remained for an hour 10 or more, listening with interest to the conversation, which

passed between their parents and the gentleman. They 11 made not the least interruption, but by their presence and cheerful looks, contributed much to the enjoyment of the 12 evening. At eight o'clock, the mother said, "Children, it 13 is eight." Without another word, they all rose and left 14 the room. The mother soon followed, and after being absent a few moments, returned. Now how much enjoyment 15 is there in such a family as this! and how much improve

ment do the children derive from being accustomed to the 16 society of their superiors! In this way, they are taught

humility; for they see how much less they know, than 17 others. They gain information, and their minds are strength18 ened, by the conversation they hear. Their manners are im

proved; for children learn more by example, than precept. DEFINITIONS, &c.-Extremes-the most distant point of any thing from the beginning or middle: here, of two different lines of conduct. Defino avoid, secluding, (shutting out,) society, (company,) altogether, wearying, presence, ceaseless, troubles, social, enjoyment, entrance, pass the even ing, (spend the evening,) signal, immediate, improve, proprieties, ob serve, superiors, manners, since, quietly, sewing, passed between, (car

ried on by,) least, interruption, looks, contributed, absent, returned, family, derive, accustomed, humility, taught, gain, information, strengthened, example, precept.

SECT. CCXXVI.-ONLY TRY.

1.

A YOUNG man, in order to assist his old mother, united the 1 duties of chorister to the more profitable employment of journeyman tailor. One day, when he had taken an article. 2 of dress to Mr. Nozari's house, that celebrated singer, after looking at him earnestly, said to him very kindly, "It appears to me, my good fellow, that I have seen you somewhere'." 'Quite likely, sir: you may have seen me at the church, where I take a part in the choruses."

3

4

"Have you a good voice ?"-"Not remarkably, sir: I can 5 with great difficulty reach sol.' "Let me see," said Mr. No

6 zari, going to the piano: "begin the gamut." Our chorister 7 obeyed; but when he reached sol, he stopped short, out of 8 breath." Sound la: come: try."-9"Sir, I cannot.' 10 "Sound la, I say."-11" La, la, la."—12 "Sound si."13 "My dear sir, I cannot.”—14 “Sound si, I tell you, or I will" -"Do not get angry, sir: I will try: la, si, la, si, do.” 16 "I told you so," said Mr. Nozari with a voice of triumph"; "and now, my good friend, I will say only one word to you: if you will only study and practice, you will become the first tenor in Italy."

15

17 Mr. Nozari was right. The poor chorister, who, to gain 18 his bread, had to mend old clothes, possesses now a fortune of two millions, and is called Rubini.

With the blessing of heaven on honest endeavors, what cannot a man do, what cannot a boy do, if he will only try?

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define united, duties, chorister, (observe this word does not mean here a leader of a choir, but one who joins in singing a chorus,) profitable, employment, journeymen, (formerly apprentices, after they had served their time, were obliged to travel two years to principal places and there become finished workmen. They were then men who had made the journey; i. e. journeymen,) difficulty, remarkably, gamut, triumph, fortune, (of dollars understood after millions?)

210

THE MEANING OF CHAGRIN.

THE MEANING OF "CHAGRIN."

2.

GREME BROWN was a little boy who was always reading 1 silly stories about fairies, and giants; and what is worse, though he was a very sensible boy, he believed every word he read. When he first came to school he was put in the 2 youngest class; and his intelligence soon made him a favorite 3 of his master. One day soon after his coming, his class was

called up to read their lesson, and he appeared at the head 4 of it. A boy who was reading, came to the word chagrin, 5 and was stopped to tell the meaning. "You ?-6 You?7 You?" said the master to one after another. 8 "You, Greme Brown: What is the meaning of chagrin ?”

9 Greme looked down at the floor for a moment, and 10 then up at the ceiling. "Give an example," said the mas11 ter. Greme began as if he was quite at home, and in a solemn, measured tone, said, "If one giant saw a man in a garden, and caught hold of him, and was going to eat him'; and if another giant was looking over the wall, and came, and took the man away'; then the first giant would feel chagrin."

12

All the boys laughed at this illustration. 13 'Quite right," said the master";

14

66

boy, made you think of giants?"

"but what in the world,

"Mr.

The boy stared up in his face with astonishment.

15 Gow!" exclaimed he as solemnly as before, "did you never read Jack the Giant-killer?"

16 "No," said Mr. Gow, as Greme thought, naturally ashamed to confess his ignorance.

17

18

66

'Well, Mr. Gow," continued he, "I have lent it to a boy, but I will lend it to you when he has read it'."

"Why, the boy is mad!" ejaculated the school-master, 19 unable to restrain his laughter: "perfectly mad! Go out to play, and do not let me hear you talking of such nonsense 20 again! Ha! ha! ha! giants indeed!" said he, laughing to himself every now and then; but so taken with the idea, that it kept him in good-humor for the rest of the afternoon. DEFINITIONS, &C.-Define fairies, (little beings supposed to live in lonely and beautiful places, giants, school, class, intelligence, favorite, master, ceiling, laughed, &c. Read Sent. 5th, 6th and 7th, each with the rising slido.

EXTRACT FROM A SPEECH OF THE REVOLUTION. 211

SECT. CCXXVII.—EXTRACT FROM A SPEECH OF the

REVOLUTION.

WHO has the front to ask, Wherefore do you complain? I who dares assert, that every thing worth living for is not lost, -when a nation is enslaved? Are not pensioners, stipendiaries, and salary-men, unknown before, hourly multiplying upon us, to riot in the spoils of miserable America? does not every eastern gale waft us some new insect, even of that 2 devouring kind, which eat up every green thing? is not the bread taken out of the children's mouths and given unto the dogs? are not our estates given to corrupt sycophants, without a design, or even a pretence, of soliciting our assent; and our lives put into the hands of those whose tender mercies are cruelties? has not an authority in a distant land, in the most public manner, proclaimed a right of disposing of 3 the all of Americans? In short, what have we to lose? what have we to fear? Are not our distresses more than we can bear? and, to finish all, are not our cities, in a time 4 of profound peace, filled with standing armies, to preclude us from that last solace of the wretched: to open our mouths in complaint, and send forth our cries in bitterness of heart?

But is there no ray of hope? is not Great Britain inhabited by the children of those renowned barons, who waded 5 through seas of crimson gore to establish their liberty? and will they not allow us, their fellow-men, to enjoy that freedom which we claim from nature, which is confirmed by our constitution, and which they pretend so highly to value? Were a tyrant to conquer us, the chains of slavery, when 6 opposition should become useless, might be supportable; but to be shackled by Englishmen, by our equals, is not to be borne. By the sweat of our brow we earn the little we 7 possess; from nature we derive the common rights of man; and by charter we claim the liberties of Britons. Shall we, 8 dare we, pusillanimously surrender our birthright? is the obligation to our fathers discharged? is the debt we owe 9 posterity paid? Answer me, thou coward, who hidest thyself in the hour of trial! If there is no reward in this life, no prize of glory in the next, capable of animating thy das10 tard soul, think and tremble, thou miscreant! at the whips and stripes thy master shall lash thee with on earth,—and