at the head of a great expedition that was to sail for the United States early in 1783. 2. But while these splendid efforts were being put forth peace was declared; the independence of the United States was recognized by Great Britain; the long struggle was over, and Lafayette was able by his own hand to send the first tidings of the glorious. result to Congress. 3. Within a few years after Lafayette's return to his native land the great French Revolution broke out, and Lafayette at once stepped forth as the champion of the people. He was made commander-inchief of a great popular army called the National Guard, and used his vast influence in favor of justice and moderation. 4. As the revolution went on, however, the direction of affairs fell into the hands of violent men. The king, Louis XVI., was dethroned and beheaded, and a "reign of terror" began. 5. Lafayette, who was on the border of Austria fighting his country's foreign foes, was hated by the men in power because he opposed their thirst for blood. They conspired to seize and kill him. Seeing that his life was no longer safe, he fled in disguise across the frontier, but fell into the hands of the despotic Austrian government, and was consigned to a damp, dark dungeon in the citadel of Olmütz. 6. Here he was told that his whereabouts should be held secret; no one of his family or friends. should know whether he were living or dead; and that so long as he lived no word of what was doing in the world outside should reach him. 7. He wasted to a skeleton, and his hair whitened and fell out; but he did not lose heart, and at last the secret of his imprisonment became known. His wife, who had narrowly escaped death on the scaffold from Lafayette's enemies in France, went to Vienna, and with prayers and tears obtained permission to share her husband's cell. 8. Great efforts were now made both in Europe and in America to obtain the release of Lafayette. Washington, who was by this time President of the United States, appealed to the emperor of Austria to liberate the almost dying prisoner. 9. These efforts were all in vain; but finally Napoleon, who had become the ruler of France, and had beaten the Austrians at many points, forced them to free Lafayette before he would grant them peace. After five years of imprisonment almost worse than death, he appeared again among his fellow-men. 10. Let us pass over many years filled with stirring events, in which Lafayette bore a leading part, and advance to a triumphant scene in the career of our hero. It is the year 1824. Lafayette is now a veteran of sixty-seven. Forty years have passed since he bade farewell to the United States. And now, at the invitation of our government, he has arrived to visit, as the guest of the nation, the land whose independence he had done so much to secure. 11. Accompanied by his son George Washington Lafayette, he spent a twelvemonth in visiting the principal cities of the twenty-four States. He was everywhere received with demonstrations of love and respect. Cities and legislatures vied with one another in doing him honor; and he returned to France in a national vessel placed at his service by our government. 12. Lafayette died in 1834, being seventy-seven years of age. Surely no life was ever better spent. From his boyhood to his old age he had always striven to reform abuses, to overthrow injustice, to win liberty for all mankind, and at the same time to teach his fellow-men to use justly and kindly the liberty which they secured. 13. In our own history his name will always be linked with that of Washington. They were both brave, faithful, just, and generous, and both honored the name of American citizen, a name which Lafayette proudly claimed as long as he lived. HEADS FOR COMPOSITION. I. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: Lafayette as champion of the people the "reign of terror." II. IN AN AUSTRIAN DUNGEON: Lafayette seized by the Austrian government - his sufferings at Olmütz-his noble wife release. III. VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES: date of the visit―age of Lafayette account of his tour. IV. CLOSING SCENES: date of Lafayette's death-his character-Washington and Lafayette. 90.- Gulliver among the Lilliputians. PART I. post'üre, position. qual'i-ty, noble birth. sub-mis'sive, obedient. 1. JONATHAN SWIFT, generally called Dean Swift, ranks among the greatest writers of our language. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, more than two hundred years ago. 2. One of Swift's most famous books is Gulliver's Travels. The hero of this romance is named Lemuel Gulliver. He is represented as traveling into various remote parts of the world, where he found pigmies and giants, and all kinds of strange beings. 3. On his first voyage Gulliver was shipwrecked on the coast of the imaginary island of Lilliput, among whose pigmy inhabitants - the Lilliputians - he had some very remarkable adventures, as the following extract will show. 4. What became of my companions in the boat I cannot tell; but I conclude they were all lost. For my own part, I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide. I could often feel no bottom; but when I was almost gone, and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within my depth, and succeeded in wading to the shore. 5. I then advanced about half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants. Being extremely tired, I lay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, and for nine hours slept sounder than ever I remembered to have done in my life. When I awoke it was just daylight. 6. I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir; for I found my arms and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground, and my hair, which was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I likewise felt several slender cords across my body. 7. Being on my back I could only look upwards; the sun began to grow hot, and the light hurt my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me, but in the posture in which I lay I could see nothing except the sky. 8. In a little while I felt something alive moving on my left leg and advancing gently over my breast |