BRIEF HISTORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.

A GREAT While ago, there lived a man named Jacob, and he had twelve sons. He had also very many cattle, sheep, goats, and other useful animals.

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father Isaac was a stranger, even in the land of Canaan.

Now Jacob loved his son Joseph more than all his children; not only because he was the son of his old age, but because he was a good boy, and did what his father 'told him. So he made him a coat of many colours, as a token of his affection towards him.

But Joseph's brothers were not such dutiful sons. And when they saw that their father loved him more than the rest of his children, they envied Joseph, and hated him so as not to speak kindly to him.

SPELL history; Joseph; brethren; twelve; animals; stranger; colours; affection; envied; feeding; country; whether; towards; con. spired; define it. Spell stripped; wilderness; coat; company; balm

And it came to pass, as they were feeding and attending to the flocks of sheep and cattle in a part of the country at some distance from home, that Jacob sent his son Joseph to see whether it was well with his brothers, and with the flocks.

But when his envious and wicked brethren saw Joseph coming towards them, even before he was near them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And when he came to them, they stripped him of his coat of many colours, and cast him into a pit or deep hole that had been dug in the wilderness, like a well.

Then there came along a company of traders, with balm, and spices, and myrrh, going to carry them down into Egypt.

So those wicked brothers lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to these merchant-men for twenty pieces of silver: and they took Joseph down into Egypt, and sold him to an officer of the king of that country.

To add to their wickedness, and to deceive their aged father, these cruel brothers killed a kid of the goats, and dipped Joseph's coat of many colours in the blood. They then sent the bloody coat to Jacob their father, with a message that they had so found it all bloody and torn.

And Jacob knew the coat, and concluded that some evil wild beast had killed Joseph and devoured him. And Jacob said, Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces: and he mourned for him many days.

BUT the Lord was with Joseph, though sold as a servant in Egypt: and he became a prosperous man in the house of his master; for he was honest and faithful in all things, and he was made a steward or overseer of all his master's goods. myrrh; Egypt; merchant-men; pieces; officer; deceive; bloody; message; knew; pieces; mourned; prosperous; honest; steward

Such was the confidence of his master in Joseph's integ rity and uprightness, that he intrusted all he had in Joseph's hands; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all his business, both in the house and in the field; and the Lord made all that he did to prosper.

At length, however, it came to pass, that on a false charge of his mistress, his master became angry with him, and put him in prison; although Joseph was entirely innocent of the wicked charge made against him.

But the Lord whom he loved, and whom he served, was with him in the prison, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison: so that he put all the prisoners under Joseph's care; and all that Joseph did, even in the prison, the Lord made it to prosper.

After some time, even two years, the king of Egypt had dreams which seemed to presage some great event, but none of his wise men nor priests could explain them to him. And they sent for Joseph out of the prison, in order that he might interpret the king's dreams, as he had done for two of the prisoners.

So the king told his dreams to Joseph. And Joseph explained the meaning of them, and told the king that there would first be seven years of great plenty through all the land of Egypt, and then there would be seven years of great dearth and famine in the land.

Joseph also advised the king to lay up stores of grain and corn for food, during the seven plenteous years, so that the people might not perish for want during the seven years of famine. And the king appointed Joseph to attend to this business, and to be ruler over his house, and over all the land of Egypt.

overseer; integrity; uprightness; business; field; nowever; mis tress; entirely; innocent; prisoners; dreams; presage; define it. Spell explain; interpret; death; famine; plenteous; business; cities;

till about the thirteenth century. Before that period, the hour-glass and sun-dial were used to measure, or tell the time of day.

Time, once passed, never returns.

While we have it, we

ought to value and make a proper use of it; since the moment that is lost, is lost for ever.

All mortal men that live,

Must surely die;

But how or when, is hid
From human eye.

LESSON X.

A WIGWAM is the house, or dwelling-place of an Indian. It is often made of posts, stakes, or slabs, set in the ground and covered with bark, with a hole in the middle of the roof to let out the smoke.

Pine-apples do not grow on pine trees; but are so called, because they are, in shape, like the cones that contain the seeds of the pine tree. Pine-apples grow on a single stem, which rises in the middle of a tuft of green leaves near the root of the plant. They are cultivated in the West Indies, and are esteemed for the richness of their flavour.

A factory is properly a house or place where traders reside, or where they meet to transact business. A manufactory is a building or place where things are made or formed by art and labour: such as cotton goods, broad-cloths, iron-ware, porcelain, glass, &c.

It is about four hundred years since printing was invented. Before that time, books were very scarce and very dear; because they were all written by hand, they were therefore

LESSON X. Spell wigwam. What is a wigwam? Spell dwelling; Indian; pine-apple; cultivated. Define cultivated. Spell esteemed; flavour. Define flavour. Spell factory; transact; business. What is a factory? Spell manufactory; building; broadcloth; porcelain.

very few in number, compared with what they now arc. Learn from this, to value your books, to use them with proper care, and keep them neat and clean.

The sun, with all its attendant planets, is but a very little part of the great universe of creation. Every star, though, by reason of its vast distance from us, it appears to us so small, is yet really a large globe, like the sun in size and glorious brightness. Around every star, as the sun and centre of its system, there may be planets with their moons revolving, and receiving their light from its beams.

LESSON XI.

THE natural magnet, or loadstone, is a hard mineral body, and is found to be an ore of iron.

A kind word, nay, even a kind look, may often afford comfort to the afflicted.

Pure air is needful to the full enjoyment of health.

There are reckoned to be forty thousand species of insects. Every part of the world is said to be peopled with living creatures of various kinds.

Gum arabic is a gum that exudes from a small tree which grows in the deserts of Arabia.

Take not, in sport, that life you cannot give;

For all things have an equal right to live.

He that always speaks the truth, will be believed; but he that is guilty of telling falsehoods, will often not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.

It is said, one half the people of Asia live upon rice; and

Define those words. Spell invented, and define it. Spell and define attendant; universe; system; centre.

LESSON XI. Spell natural; magnet; loadstone; mineral; afflicted. Define afflicted. Spell enjoyment; reckoned; species; creatures; various; exudes. What is the meaning of exudes? of various!? Spell guilty; falsehods; believed; nervous; system; library. What is a