Soon, with downcast eye, and throbbing heart, he stood before his teacher, acknowledging, in broken accents, his fault, and asking forgiveness. 8. The sunbeams streamed in through the open window, filling the room with golden light, but the sunlight in those hearts was brighter yet. Ah! children, if you would always have the sunlight in your hearts, never let the clouds of anger rise to dim your sky. 9. He was a hero. He conquered himself; and Solomon says, "He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that ruleth a city." At first he was cowardly, and ran away; but his courage came again; he rallied his forces, and was victorious. Brave is the boy that has courage to do right when his proud heart says, "I will not." XLV. THE CHARACTER OF WASHINGTON. 1. AMERICA has furnished to the world the character of Washington. And if our American institutions had done nothing else, that alone would have entitled them to the respect of mankind. own! 2. Washington! "First" in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen!" Washington is all our The enthusiastic veneration and regard in which the people of the United States hold him prove them to be worthy of such a countryman; while his reputation abroad reflects the highest honor on his country. 3. I would cheerfully put the question to-day to the, intelligence of Europe and the world, what character of the century, upon the whole, stands out, in the relief of history, most pure, most respectable, most sublime; and I doubt not that, by a suffrage approaching to u-na-nim ity, the answer would be Washington. ΕΙ 4. I claim him for America. In all the perils, in every darkened moment of the state, in the midst of the reproaches of enemies and the misgiving of friends, I turn to that transcend'ent name for courage and for consolation. 5. To him who denies or doubts whether our fervid liberty can be combined with law, with order, with the security of property, with the pursuits and advancement of happiness; to him who denies that we have contributed anything to the stock of great lessons and great examples; to all these I reply by pointing to Washington. Webster XLVI. THE WIND IN A FROLIC. 1. THE Wind one morning sprang up from sleep, 2. So it swept with a bustle right through a great town, 43 Shutters; and whisking, with merciless squalls, As the apples and oranges trundled about. 3. Then away to the field it went blustering and humming, And the cattle all wondered whatever was coming; But, offended with such an unusual salute, They all turned their backs, and stood sulky and mute. 4. So on it went capering and playing its pranks, 5. It was not too nice to rustle the bags Of the beggar, and flutter his dirty rags; 6. Through the forest it roared, and cried, gayly, "Now, And it made them bow without more ado, And cracked their great branches right through and through. 7. Then it rushed like a monster on cottage and farm, Striking their dwellers with sudden alarm, So they ran out like bees when threatened with harm. Where the thatch from the roof threatened soon to be gone. 8. But the wind had pressed forward, and met, in a lane, 9. Then away went the wind in its holiday glee, But, lo! it was night, and it sank to rest How little of mischief it had done! 36 1. Two barn-swallows came into our wood-shed in the spring-time. Their busy, earnest twitterings led me at once to suspect they were looking out a building spot; but as a carpenter's bench was under the window, and hammering, sawing and planing, were very frequently going on, I had little hope that the swallows would choose a location under our roof. 44 2. To my surprise, however, they soon began to build in the crotch of a beam over the open doorway. I was de lighted. It was, in fact, a beautiful little drāma" of domestic love. 3. The mother bird was so busy, and so important; and her mate was so attentive! Never did any newly-married couple take more satisfaction with their first nicely-arranged drawer of baby-clothes, than they did in fashioning their little woven cradle. 4. The father bird scarcely ever left the side of the nest. There he was all day long, twittering in tones that were most obviously the outpourings of love. Sometimes he would bring in a straw or hair to be interwoven in the little fabric. 5. When the young became old enough to fly, anybody would have laughed to watch the manoeuvres of the parents. Such a chirping and twittering! Such diving down from the nest, and flying up again! Such wheeling round in circles, talking to the young ones all the while! Such clinging to the sides of the shed with their sharp claws, to show the timid little fledglings that there was no need of falling! 6. For three days all this was carried on with increasing activity. It was obviously an infant flying-school. But all their talking and fussing was of no avail. The little things looked down, then looked up, but, alarmed at the infinity of space, sank down into the nest again. At length the parents grew impatient, and summoned their neighbors. 7. As I was picking up chips, one day, I found my head encircled by a swarm of swallows. They flew up to the nest, and chattered away to the young ones; they clung to the walls, looking back to tell how the thing was done; they dived, and wheeled, and balanced, and floated, in a manner perfectly beautiful to behold. 43 8. The pupils were evidently much excited. They jumped on the edge of the nest, and twittered, and shook their feathers, and waved their wings, and then hopped back again, as if they would have said, "It's pretty sport, but we can't do it." 9. Three times the neighbors came and repeated their graceful lesson. The third time, two of the young birds gave a sudden plunge downward, and then fluttered and hopped till they lighted on a small upright log. And, O! such praises as were warbled by the whole troop! The air was filled with joy. 10. Some flew round, swift as a ray of light; others perched on the hoe-handle and the teeth of the rake; multitudes clung to the wall, after the fashion of their pretty kind, and two were swinging in most graceful style on a pendent hoop. Never, while memory lasts, shall I forget the swallow-party. Mrs. Child. 1. WITH silent awe I hail the sacred morn, That slowly wakes while all the fields are still! The skylark warbles in a tone less shrill. 2. Hail, light serene! hail, sacred Sabbath morn! The sun a placid yellow lustre throws; LEYDEN. XLIX. THE ALPHABET THE KEY TO KNOWLEDGE. 1. WITH a knowledge of the alphabet a man may, by perseverance, acquire all other kinds of knowledge. In |