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1. KING Bruce of Scotland flung himself down
In a lonely mood to think;

'Tis true he was monarch and wore a crown,
But his heart was beginning to sink.

2. For he had been trying to do a great deed,
To make his people glad;

He had tried and tried, but could not succeed,
And so he became quite sad.

3. He flung himself down in deep despair,
As grieved as a man could be;
And after a while, as he pondered there,
"I will give it all up," said he.

4. Now, just at the moment a spider dropped

With its silken cobweb clew,

And the king, in the midst of his thinking, stopped

To see what the spider would do.

5. 'Twas a long way up to the ceiling's dome,
And the spider's rope was so fine

That how it would get to its cobweb home
King Bruce could not divine.

6. He saw it soon begin to climb,
Still striving more and more;
But down it fell in a little time,
As near to the ground as before.

7. Up, up it ran not a second's delay,
And not the least complaint;

Then it fell still lower, and there it lay,
And seemed a little faint.

8. It's head grew steady-it started again,
And traveled a half-yard higher;
'Twas a delicate thread it had to tread,
And a road where its feet would tire.

9. Again it fell and swung below,

But again it quickly mounted,
Till up and down, now fast, now slow,
Nine brave attempts were counted.

10. "Sure," cried the king, "that foolish thing
Will strive no more to climb,

When it toils so hard to reach and cling,
And tumbles every time."

11. But up the insect went once more-
And now 'tis an anxious minute,
He is only a foot from his cobweb door-
Oh, say, will he lose or win it?

12. Steadily, steadily, inch by inch,
Higher and higher he got,

And a bold little jump at the very last pinch
Brought him up to the wished-for spot.

13. "Bravo, bravo!" the king cried out,
"All honor to those who try;
The spider up there defied despair,
He conquered, and why should not I."

14. And Bruce of Scotland braced his mind,
Determined to prevail;

He tried once more as he tried before,
And this time did not fail.

15. Now pay heed, all ye who read,

And beware of saying "I can't,"
'Tis a cowardly word, and apt to lead
To idleness, folly, and want.

16. Whenever you find your heart despair
Of doing some noble thing

Con over this strain, try bravely again,
And remember the Spider and King!

ELIZA COOK.

LESSON XLIX.

VOCAL GYMNASTICS.

REFER TO CAUTION 12.-This error is common and very vulgar. Take special care to avoid it.

It shows a bad reader.

(1.) Dividing and gliding sprawling. (3.) And driving

and sliding. (2.) And falling and brawling and and riving and striving. (4.) And sprinkling and twinkling and wrinkling. (5.) He was robbing the robin's nest. (6.) Here it comes sparkling and there it lies darkling. (7.) Be sure to sound the ing in reading, writing, spelling, and singing.

LESSON L.

CON'VICT, one legally proved guilty of
a crime.

IM'PLE-MENT, an instrument, a tool.
IN STI-GATE, to incite, to set on, to urge.
IN-TOX'I-CA-TING, (from a Greek word
signifying poison,) inebriating, making
drunk.

MA'NI-AC, a madman.

PEN-I-TEN'TIA-RY, (from penitent,) a house in which offenders are confined for punishment and reformation. PROSPECT, (from Latin prospicio, to look forward,) a looking forward, expectation.

PAU'PER, (Latin pauper, poor,) a poor person, one who is supported by alms.

PRONUNCIATION.-Fol'low-ing 6, hund'red 11, chil'dren 11, so-ci'e-ty 2d, con'vict 1g, a'ged 33, su'i-cide 16 and 19, ig no-rance 2d, po-lit ́ic-al 2d, i'ron 11, pic ́ture 17 and 18, im'ple-ments 16.

INTOXICATING DRINK.

1. INTOXICATING drink, according to good authority, has, in ten years, in the United States, worked out the following results:

2. It has cost the nation twelve hundred millions of dollars. It has destroyed three hundred thousand lives. It has sent one hundred thousand children to the poor-house. It has consigned at least one hundred and fifty thousand persons to the jails and penitentiaries. It has made at least one thousand maniacs.

3. It has instigated to the commission of one thousand five hundred murders. It has caused two thousand persons to commit suicide. It has burned, or otherwise destroyed, property to the amount of ten millions of dollars. It has made two hundred thousand widows and one million of orphan children.

To this must be added the

4. All this it has done in ten years. ignorance, vicious habits, and sufferings-impossible to be estimated that will throw their dark shadows forward for years to come, threatening the stability of our political and religious institutions, besides destroying the souls of countless numbers.

5. The darkness of the picture will be further exhibited by the following illustration:-A company of individuals unite themselves in a society for their common benefit.

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6. The blacksmith comes, and says:- "Gentlemen, I wish to become a member of your association." -"Well, what can you do?" "Oh, I can shoe your horses, iron your carriages, and make all kinds of implements."-"Very well; come in, Mr. Blacksmith.” 7. The mason applies for admission into the society.

"And what can you do, sir?"-"Oh, I can build your barns and houses, stables and bridges."-"Very well, come in; we cannot do without you."

8. Then comes the shoemaker, and says:-"I wish to become a member of your society."-"Well, what can you do?”—“I can make boots and shoes for you.". "Come in, Mr. Shoemaker; we

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cannot go barefoot. Your trade is useful. You are welcome; we must have you."

9. So in turn apply all the different trades and professions; till lastly another individual comes and wants to become a member. "And what are you?"—"I am a rumseller.”. "A rumseller! And what can you do?"-"I can build jails and prisons and poorhouses."

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10. "And is that all?"-"No; I can fill your jails with criminals, your prisons with convicts, and your poor-houses with paupers.""And what else can you do?"

11. "I can bring the gray hairs of the aged to the grave with sorrow; I can break the heart of the wife, and blast the prospects of the children, and fill your land with more than the plagues of Egypt."

12. "Is that all you can do!"-"Good heavens!" cries the rumseller, "is not that enough?"

JAMES L. CHAPMAN.

LESSON LÌ.

FEATH'ERS, the covering of birds. To fly in feathers, to be light and joyous. LA-BUR NUM, a tree that bears yellow flowers.

POOL, a small collection of water.
SPIRE, a body that shoots up to a point,
the top of any thing.

PRONUNCIATION.-Re-mem'ber 1, peep'ing 12, vi'o-lets 3d, win'dow 6, swallows 6, ig no-rance la.

RECOLLECTIONS OF CHILDHOOD.

1. I REMEMBER, I remember, the house where I was born;
The little window where the sun came peeping in at morn.
He never came a wink too soon, nor brought too long a day;
But now I often wish the night had borne my breath away.

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2. I remember, I remember, the roses red and white;
The violets and the lily-cups. those flowers made of light;
The lilacs, where the robins built, and where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday - the tree is living yet.

3. I remember, I remember, where once I used to swing,
And felt the air that rushed as fresh as swallows on the wing;
My spirit flew in feathers then, that is so heavy now;
And summer pools could hardly cool the fever on my brow.

4. I remember, I remember, the fir-trees dark and high;

I used to think their slender spires were close against the sky;
It was a childish ignorance; but now 'tis little joy

To know I'm farther off from heaven than when I was a boy.
T. HOOD.

LESSON LII.

BE-NIG'NANT, kind, gracious, benevo- | DIS-CLOSE', to lay open to the view, to bring to light.

lent.

CATH'A-RINE, a name derived from a EX-PRESS', to press out, to set forth in
Greek word signifying pure.
words.
CON-FIRM', to make firm, to add strength. | Ex-CITE', to call into action, to stir up.

PRONUNCIATION.-El'e-vate 1, ex'qui-site 5a and 26d, de-serves' 3b, be-nig'nant la, creat'ure 17 and 18, Cath'a-rine 5a, bal'co-ny 3d, beau'ti-ful 16, moun'tain 3c, rob'in 1c.

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LOVE TO GOD.-A DIALOGUE.

Catharine. CERTAINLY, mother, if you tell me to love God, I will try to do so. But why should I love Him? and how shall I love Him? I do not see Him; I do not hear Him. Mother. Step to this balcony, my child. its purple light is fading from the valley. and the stars begin to twinkle in the sky. the moon is rising in the east. Stay here, C. It is beautiful, mother; it is indeed beautiful!

The sun is setting, and The night is coming on, As the sun goes down and study this scene.

M. Is it not even more than beautiful, Catharine? Is it not sublime? While one world is setting in the west another is rising in the east! As the light fades a curtain seems drawn from the sky, disclosing thousands of other worlds shining above us.

C. Yes, mother, and it is all wonderful.

M. And who made these things, Catharine?

C. I know that God made them.

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