CONTAINING A SELECTION OF LESSONS, EXCLUSIVELY FROM AMERICAN AUTHORS. By SALEM TOWN, A. M., AUTHOR OF TOWN'S SPELLER AND DEFINER; ANALYSIS OF COMPOUND SCHOOL READERS. "Knowledge is Power." CINCINNATI: DERBY, BRADLEY & CO., 113 MAIN-ST. 1845. ENTERED according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1845, by SALEM TOWN, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New-York. PREFA CE. THE selections in the Second and Third Readers in this Series, are taken both from British and American authors. Those contained in this, Fourth Reader, are exclusively American productions. It was the design of the compiler to give as great a variety of specimens, both of style and language, from some of the best writers of our own country, as the limits of the work would allow. He has moreover endeavored to make such selections and abstracts as contain valuable instruction, both as to matters of fact, correct sentiment, and commonly received opinions. Nothing more effectually secures interest in any class of readers than the perusal of such articles as abound with rich thought clearly and forcibly expressed. The mere verbiage. of a sentence may flow smoothly and fall in harmonious. accents on the ear, but aside from that living imagery of ideas which feasts the intellect, such productions afford the reader little pleasure and less profit. Reading lessons for the use of schools should be selected with special reference to style, sentiment, and instruction. The style should be chaste, elevated, and attractive; the sentiment correct and the instruction substantially beneficial. The scholar requires no more time to read a well written article, abounding with such ideas as are involved in the topic, than an equal amount of language comparatively barren. F. F. War 402 (RECAPyon 1911 70408 We are all imitative beings, and our habits of thought, mcdes of expression, moral sentiments, and intellectual character, are no less influenced by the books we read, than our social habits and common deportment are by the company we keep. Both exert a powerful influence over the young. The one on the embellishments of the mind; the other, on the urbanity of manners. The rules and observations designed to promote correct reading are the same as found in Reader No. 3. In addition to these however, are a few very concise Rules, for the benefit of young writers in their first efforts in composition. These should be committed to memory and rendered entirely familiar. In the latter part of this Reader are a few selections suitable for declamation, or rhetorical reading. Speaking is an important exercise, and is becoming somewhat common in the primary schools generally. At the close of the Reader are ORIGINAL RULES, by which the true place of accent may be determined in most words in the language. Eleven of these Rules designate the accented syllable in entire classes of words, without even a single exception. |