marshes and then disappear. These were the days of his wasted life. He saw a star fall from heaven and vanish in darkness. This was an emblem of himself; and the sharp arrows of unavailing remorse struck home to his heart. Then he remembered his early companions, who entered on life with him, but who, having trod the paths of virtue and of labour, were now honoured and happy on this New-Year's night. The clock in the high church-tower struck, and the sound, falling on his ear, recalled his parents' early love for him, their erring son; the lessons they had taught him; the prayers they had offered up on his behalf. Overwhelmed with shame and grief, he dared no longer look toward that heaven where his father dwelt. His darkened eyes dropped tears, and with one despairing effort, he cried aloud: "Come back, my early days! come back!" And his youth did return; for all this was but a dream which visited his slumbers on New-Year's night. He was still young; his faults alone were real. He thanked God fervently that time was still his own; that he had not yet entered the deep, dark cavern, but that he was free to tread the road leading to the peaceful land where sunny harvests wave. Ye who still linger on the threshold of life, doubting which path to choose, remember that, when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountain, you will cry bitterly, but cry in vain: "O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!"-Jean Paul Richter. QUESTIONS. Where was the old man standing? What did he gaze at? What did the stars resemble? How old was the man? Why was he sad? What was he thinking about? What did he remember about his father? Where did one of th roads lead? and the other? What were in the cave? What did the old man wish? Why could his wish not be realised? What were the wandering lights he saw? Of what was the falling star an emblem? What were his feelings as he thought of his wasted life? Where now were his early companions? What did the striking of the clock remind him of? Why did he not dare to think of heaven? What did he cry? Was his cry answered? Explain how his youth returned. For whose instruction is this story written? If the young choose the wrong road of life, what will they do when they are old?" Spell adjectives formed by adding -less to these nouns: sleep, hope, pity, mercy, grace, shame, fault, defence, penny, care, heart. DICTATION. Raise your head. The sun's rays fell on his sleepless eyes. Did the pitiless foe raze the defenceless city to its foundations? The boy has grown careless. The merciless heart causes many a groan of anguish. He knew he had shot the harmless hart with his new rifle. How many feet have you? That is a dangerous feat. A stair led to the entrance of the cave. Why do you stare at him so? [THE Poet prays that falsehood, strife, and sin of every form may vanish with the dying year; and that the new year, which the bells are ringing in, may bring with it peace and contentment, and all that is pure and good and true.] RING out, wild bells, to the wild sky, Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new— Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The Ring out the grief that saps the mind, Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring in the Christ that is to be.-Tennyson. Party strife-contention between the different factions or parties into which society is divided. Faithless coldness of the times-that general indifference to the wants and miseries of mankind, which arises from a want of faith in the use of means to make society better than it is. Pride in place-a disposition to boast of superior rank or station. Pride in blood-a disposition to boast of noble birth. The poet calls this pride false: it is not high rank or noble birth, but manly character, that confers true dignity on man. Civic slander circulating false reports about an opponent to gain a political advantage over him. Lust of gold-eager desire of being rich. Greed narrows or contracts the affections: the miser thinks only of himself. Thousand years of peace-the Millennium, during which many pious men suppose that Christ will reign with his people on earth (see Rev. xx. 4). The Christ that is to be-the Saviour, who will come to redress all wrongs and rule in righteousness. QUESTIONS. What adjectives are here used as nouns ? What is meant by party strife? the coldness of the times? pride in place? pride in blood? civic slander? the thousand years of peace? What is meant by lust of gold? What effect has it upon men? Repeat the Rule for spelling ceed or cede after prefixes. DICTATION. He succeeded so well in Glasgow that he resolved to proceed at once to London. A relative agrees with its antecedent. The amount did not exceed what he expected. The waves began to recede from the land. When I met him on the preceding day, he asked me to intercede for him with his father. Who succeeded Robert Bruce? Who preceded him on the throne? The Southern States seceded and prepared for war. Before you proceed, allow me to say that I cannot accede to your terms. He might have conceded so much for the sake of peace. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713. His method of procedure is quite wrong. OH, KILL that great ugly spider that is running across the floor! Stay! Do you know what a curious piece of living mechanism that creature is? I hardly think you do, or you would neither call it ugly nor crush it out of shape under your heavy foot. Catch the active fellow and examine him. He does not seem to relish the idea of a close inspection. How fast he scampers along, using all his four pairs of limbs as if his life depended upon his speed. Where is he going? He has been abroad on business, perhaps, and is hurrying home to entertain any winged visitors who may have called in his absence. A warm welcome he will give them, no doubt! Or, perhaps, the silken cord by which he lately hung dangling from the ceiling has broken under his weight, and he is hastening to recover his position by climbing the walls. Well, let him go! We may learn something about his family without his assistance. How many eyes do you think the spider has ? Some kinds have six, but most of the commoner species have eight; and these are so arranged upon their heads that they can see on all sides at once. They have no eyelids, and they need none; for their eyes are covered with a hard, transparent substance, resembling horn, which protects them from injury. On the front of the spider's head are two small fangs ending in claws which he can erect at pleasure, but which, when he is at rest, lie in a narrow groove like the blades of a clasp-knife. The microscope shows us that the claw is hollow, and that, near the point of it, there is an opening through which the animal can emit a poisonous fluid, harmless to us, but fatal to insects. The spider subsists chiefly on the juices contained in the bodies of flies; and as it has no wings to enable it to pursue its prey, it weaves a net or web of fine thread, in which its victims are trapped and easily overcome. These webs are suspended in such places as flies frequent in search of food or shelter. We may see them in dusty holes and corners in stables and barns; and even in our own dwellings, if the housemaid's broom has spared them, we will find them hanging in sly corners or near the |