caused their bats to hit each other, and then the hoops met and were entangled, and stopped together.

6. Each boy flew into a rage, and instantly charged the fault upon the other; and they began to beat each other. After two or three hard blows they were both tired of this part of the game, and each took his hoop and marched towards home, crying and scolding, and saying, I'll never play with you again, so long as I live.'

7. When Peter and Philip had gone, two other boys, named Moses and Nathan, came along to drive hoop. Moses was ten years old, and Nathan was only seven; so Nathan could not drive so fast as Moses, and he often drove his hoop out of the path. Once Moses dropped his bat, and the hoop fell; and Nathan then thought that he should win. Moses, however, made haste, and soon overtook Nathan, but he would not pass him. He let his hoop turn aside, that his little friend might enjoy the pleasure of winning, if he wished it.

8. They both laughed heartily at the good run they had had, and were pleased because they had tried so hard to drive their hoops well; but neither cared which won the game. In this pleasant manner they played an hour; and Moses had more pleasure in showing Nathan how to drive his hoop well, than he would have had in winning all the games in the world.

9. Presently another boy, named John, came along without any hoop. He was as old as Moses, and could drive as well. When he saw that Nathan could not go so fast as Moses, he said, 'I guess that Nathan will win half the games, if you will let me drive his hoop.'

10. Moses answered that they did not care about winning, but he was willing that any one should drive the other hoop. So they took a fair start, and both tried with all their might. John won the game; but he called it Nathan's, and only praised Nathan and his hoop. Moses also joined in the pleasure, and said he was glad that Nathan had improved so much.

11. At the next trial Moses fairly won the game. Well,' said Nathan, 'now, Moses, we are even; I am glad you won this, for you are always so kind, that I should not like to gain more than you do.'

12. At the next game John fell down; and Moses stopped short, and gave him another start. Again they tried, and they ran against each other. They went back to the beginning of the race, and took a fresh start; but the cow came back just in time to stop one of the hoops. They all laughed at these interruptions; and Nathan said that the cow ought to learn better manners than to spoil the game.

13. They played very briskly for two hours, without once speaking an ill word, or feeling unkindly. Each of them won a great many games; but, as they cared only to play well and please each other, they kept no account, and neither of them knew which had gained most. When they parted they said they had had a fine play, and they agreed to meet again on the afternoon of the next holiday.

14. Who cannot see that the reason why these boys played so much more pleasantly, and were so much happier than Peter and Philip, was because they were not selfish? If you carefully notice your feelings when you are at play or at work, you will find that you are

patient and kind when you are trying to please others, or to do them good; and that you are fretful and unkind, when you work or play for yourself. You will also find that you are happy when you try to make others happy; but that you have no true happiness, when you are trying to make none happy but yourself.

ERRORS.

1. Jest for just. 3. agane or agin for again. 4. oppersition for opposition; victry for victory. 5. narrer for narrow. 9. presenly for presently. 12. spile for spoil.

QUESTIONS.

How many times are the marks for a quotation used in this Lesson? What do they signify?

3. What mark is used after loudly?

require ?

How long a pause does it

6. What mark is used at I'll? What does it denote ?

Some words are printed in Italic letters, to denote that they should be spoken with great force or emphasis; which are these words in this Lesson Remember that such words are called emphatical.

How many questions are there in this reading Lesson?

How many semicolons are there? How long do you pause at a

semicolon?

What Rule is at the beginning of the Lesson?

What mark is over towards in the spelling Lesson?

What does it mean? On which syllable should towards be ac cented?

RULE. Read not as though you were reading or talking to yourself, but as though you were telling something to your Teacher, and others who hear you.*

A FRIENDLY DISPOSITION.

1. EVERY hour in the day I hear or see that some one is unkind and unhappy because he is selfish. Jane has been told to take good care of the baby, while her mother is gone up stairs to do the morning work; but once in a few minutes Jane thinks of something that she wants to do for herself. Then the baby troubles her. The little fellow wants all the playthings, and wants Jane to help him play with them. She wants to play for her own amusement, and is therefore displeased and unhappy.

*NOTE FOR TEACHERS. This is the most important rule for making children read in a natural style. When they tell you anything, or ask questions, they commonly speak in a tone very different from what they use when reading. They seem to read to themselves; but they speak to others. Now, require them to use the same tone in reading anything, that they would in telling it to you. Then you will easily teach them how loud to read, according to the next rule.

When anything is not read in a proper tone, it is often useful to require different scholars to read it, till some one reads it well. If no scholar can do this, the teacher should do it, and then require each one to imitate him.

Great care should be taken, to encourage the poorest readers to correct some bad habit, and learn something new, at every Lesson.

2. If Jane cared for nothing but to do just what she was bid, both herself and the baby would be easily pleased; and then she would be very useful. Those who love to be useful to others, are happy not only while they are at work or at play, but they have a calm and happy state of mind at all times.

3. Not long ago I heard of a man who robbed another, and then was hung. He was selfish. If he had loved to do good to his neighbor, he might easily have contrived to do it, and then he would have been happy.

4. Every year I hear of some wars. The people of different nations are selfish, and therefore each feels troubled by the other. So they fight, and kill a great many, and make others very miserable. If they loved each other, and desired only to do each other good, all these quarrels and troubles would be easily avoided. 5. Two dogs just passed my window. One was going north, and the other south. There was not even a bone for them to quarrel about; but each had a doggish disposition, and so they flew at each other, and made themselves very unhappy.

6. These dogs belonged to Charles and Henry; and before they had done quarrelling, their masters came along. Charles said "Your dog is the worst and most quarrelsome in the town, and if you don't keep him at home I'll kill him.' 'Your dog is a coward,' said Henry; and perhaps his master is so too. any rate, I will see whether you are, if you kill my dog.'

At

7. Charles could not bear this; so they went to fighting as bad as the dogs I shoved up my window and looked at them, and they and their dogs sneaked