guide. Had Dr. Johnson and Webster and Walker any other guide?

You ask an important question, my son, said Professor Cadmus. It calls up the whole subject of spelling.

Father, asked the somewhat impatient boy, did they spell words as they are spoken?

No, my son, answered the Professor, and in this lies the difficulty of spelling English words. Words are not spelled as they are spoken. The writing and speaking of words do not agree. We call, for instance, a small branch of a tree, a bow, and write it, bough. Learned men have tried to remove this difficulty. Some of them wish to write words as they are pronounced.

That is a good plan, said Wilmer.

I do not know that, replied the Professor. There is no certainty in pronouncing them. The same word is spoken differently at the East, South, and West. If every one wrote his words as he speaks them, there would be little regularity.

Others wish to speak English words according to the languages from which they have been borrowed.

You remember, my son, that I told you the English language was a mixed one. I compared it to the army of the Crusades. It is made up of words from the Celtic, Gothic, French, Latin, Greek, and other languages. Now, it is said that the true way to spell words, is to spell them as they were spelled in the languages from which we have borrowed them. This, you see, requires the good speller to know something about a great many languages, which cannot be expected from children or the great mass of the people. • Both these standards, then, are useless, because they are not practicable. There is another one, to which I direct your

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attention. It is CUSTOM, as seen in the good writers of the nation-custom as seen in a good dictionary. The EAR is our only guide in the spoken word: the EYE is our only guide in the written one. The EYE and EAR and DICTIONARY are our only dependence for correct spelling.

Father, said Wilmer, with much animation, I am greatly pleased with all you have said to-night. I must try and remember it.

Professor Cadmus continued: I would tell you something more about orthography, or the right writing or spelling of words, if I thought it would please you. I fear what I have to say is too dry.

No, father, said Wilmer; I wish to hear it.

Very good, said the father. The speaking and spelling of words in our language do not agree. This you know. It may be seen in the following words: Rough, cough, bough, enough. The careful use of the EAR alone can give you the spoken word. The careful use of the EYE alone can give you the written one.

Wilmer, said Professor Cadmus, I will point out a few things in the use of some letters, that will be of service to you in spelling English words.

1. The letter c has the sound of K before a, o, u; and the sound of s before e, i, y. Followed by h, it has the sound of ts; as in church.

2. The letter D has the sound of t, at the end of many words; as in heaped, leaped, tossed.

3. The letter G has a hard sound before a, o, u, and h; and soft sound of J, before e, i, y.

4. The letter H is joined with t, s, and e, to express some

simple sounds, for which we have no letters; as, th, in thin; th, in thine; sh, in shine; and ch, in church.

5. The letter K is rarely doubled, and is used before e, i, and y.

6. The letter s has, in addition to its own sound, that of z, in a large number of words; as in stays, peas, balls.

7. The letter Q is the same as kw; and x is the same as ks, cs, or gs.

8. The letter z has the sound of tsh, as in azure and glazier. 9. The letters OU, OI, EW, stand for compound sounds; as in house, oil, new.

I hope, my son, these statements about some of the letters and sounds of our language, will aid you in speaking and writing it correctly.

Wilmer sat at the fire-side. The south wind was blowing about the lattice. He seemed to be cold. The fire blazed, and all around him was merry and glad. He was sorrowful. His head hung upon his breast, as if he was ashamed. Now and then he put his hand into his pocket, and wanted to take something out.

Professor Cadmus at length observed his silence and sadness. Come, my son! what is the matter? Are you sick? No, father.

Are you unhappy?

Yes.

Come here, my boy. What is the matter?

Father, said the noble boy, I wrote a letter to-day. You did, my son! Is this any thing to make you sad? No, father; but it is all blots. My teacher told me the letters and words were not put together in the right way. I am ashamed to let you see it.

Ashamed, my son! said the Professor. No, no, my boy! Let me see it at once. You know we must learn to creep

before we are able to walk.

The letter was slowly brought forth.

THE CORRECTED LETTER.

"Boston, June 7th, 1848.

"DEAR FATHER,-I have written a letter to sister. Now

It is to be about gram-
Is it not so? I wonder

I am going to write one to you. mar. I think it is a hard study. what it is about. The boys say it is about rules and words -about writing and speaking. How can this be? I will try and find out. James Gordon says he will help me.

"Your dear son,

“WILMER.”

This is not so bad, Wilmer, said the hopeful father. There are some blots in it, it is true. I see that the pen of your kind teacher has been making them. Well, it will all come right by and by. You made worse work than this when you began to speak.

Yes, father. But I was an infant then! a babe!

I know it, my son, said his father. But we are all a little babyish when we first attempt new things. Written language is almost as hard to you now, as spoken language was to Wilmer, the babe. The mistakes you made, you would not make in speaking. But it will all come right.

The grammar of language will come to you, as language itself came. Spelling, too, will be learned by writing. Grammar and spelling! repeated Wilmer. Will they help me to write good letters?

Certainly they will, said Professor Cadmus.

I am glad to hear this, said the boy. But what is grammar?

Grammar, said the Professor, is the art of putting words together, to make known what we think and feel. Do you not remember that I compared it to a mariner's compass? I told you it was the constitution of language, its fixed rules.

Oh, yes, I remember now! said the boy. Father, it cannot be hard.

No, my son, said the father, it is not hard. You will learn it readily. You will learn it as the boy learned the art of turning.

of

An apprentice was bound to a turner in wood for a term years. He entered the shop of his master. All was new to him. He looked upon the huge pile of apple-tree blocks. The rack of tools caught his eye. He gazed with wonder at the great buzzing wheel: But the turner and lathe made him stare. His eye followed the motions of the chisel. A few moments passed, and the rough block was a neat, smooth handle for a hammer.

George, said the turner, take one of these blocks, and put it in the lathe. He did so. Now take this chisel, and go to work. Turn it like mine. I cannot, sir. Do as I bid you, George. You must never say cannot. Try. He