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4. In the second year after this public festival was held, the day was rendered more solemn and impressive in consequence of a special deliverance of the colony, by Divine Providence, from impending famine.

5. "In 1623," continues the historian, "fears were entertained for the safety of the colony, by reason of an anticipated famine. From the third week in May to the middle of July, no rain fell. The corn withered under the heat of the scorching sun. The Indians prophesied famine for the colony, and a consequent easy triumph over them.

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6. "In this extremity, a public fast was observed, with great solemnity, the first ever kept on these Western shores. The morning of the fast was cloudless, and the day proved intensely hot. Nine hours, these trusting and faithful Christians continued in prayer, wrestling for a blessing. Yet the sun shone brightly, and the air was sultry.

7. "But, as evening approached, a change was visible; clouds collected; and, before morning, rain descended in moderate but refreshing showers. The rain continued at intervals for fourteen days; the languishing crops revived, and a bountiful harvest succeeded.

8. "In token of the general gratitude, a day of public thanksgiving was ordered, the second such day ever observed in New England, the first having been observed after the 'first harvest' had been gathered by the Fathers,' as before stated."

9. This festival was originally confined in its observance to the sons of the Pilgrims and the State of Massachusetts; but it has now become almost a national festival, peculiarly appropriate as an expression of gratitude to God, and an acknowledgment of dependence upon him for his bounties.

10. It is also productive of many pleasing reminiscences, connected with the joys of our childhood, and the maturer but more exquisite delights of our own hearth-sides; for there parents and children, brothers and sisters, and all the loved objects of the family group, renew, at the festive board, the

vows of affection, exchange kind greetings, and revive recol lections of the past, to enliven the present.

11. The pilgrimage of life is brightened and sweetened by innocent amusements and healthful recreations; and a sense of obligation to the Giver of all good is implanted more deeply in the heart, sanctifying our trials, and enhancing our blessings, by a consciousness of the presence and protection of God..

QUESTIONS.1. When did the custom of observing a day of thanksgiving begin? 1. For what purpose did the Pilgrim Fathers set it apart? Who were the Pilgrim Fathers, and where were they from? 2. What is said of the crops of the "first harvest"? 2. How did the Pilgrims observe the day? 3. Who were present on the oc casion? Who are the Indians? 4. In what year was the day rendered more solemn and impressive? 4. Why? 5. What fears were entertained in 1623? 5. For how long a time was there no rain? 6. When was the first public fast in New England? 6. What was the appearance of the morning? 6. How long was prayer continued? 7. What took place toward evening? 7. How long did the rain continue, and what was its effect on the crops? 8. What was ordered in token of their grati tude? 9. To whom was this festival originally confined? 10. Of what is it produc tive? 10, 11. What are its benefits?

LESSON XXXII.

2. COLLEGE, a literary institution of high | 3. CA'LIF, a civil and ecclesiastical officer rank.

of high rank in the Turkish empire.

2. AN'VIL, an iron block on which smiths 6. IN'NO-CENT, free from guilt. hammer their work.

7. TRUST'FUL, confiding.

2. COUNTER, a table on which goods are 7. RE-PIN'ING, murmuring.

displayed for sale.

7. BAN'ISH-ED, expelled, driven away.

Articulate distinctly the consonant combinations in the following words: uncles Seusins, aunts, books, rolled, dreamed, custards, trustful, banished.

THANKSGIVING SONG.

1. COME, uncles and cousins; come, nieces and aunts; Come, nephews and brothers, -no won'ts, no can'ts; Put business, and shopping, and school-books away; The year has rolled round; it is Thanksgiving Day.

2. Come home from the college, ye mirth-loving youth; Come home from your factories, Ann, Katy, and Ruth

From the anvil, the counter, the farm, come away;

Home, home with you! home, it is Thanksgiving Day.

3. The table is spread, and the dinner is dressed;

The cooks and the mothers have all done their best:
No Calif of Bagdad* e'er saw such display,

Or dreamed of a treat like a Thanksgiving Day.

4. Pies, puddings, and custards, pigs, oysters, and nuts;
Come forward and seize them, without ifs or buts;
Bring none of your slim little appetites here;
Thanksgiving Day comes only once in a year.

5. Now children revisit the darling old place,
Now brothers and sisters, long parted, embrace.
The family ring is united once more;

And the same voices shout at the old cottage door.

6. The grandfather smiles on the innocent mirth,

And blesses the Power that has guarded his hearth.
He remembers no trouble, he feels no decay,
But thinks his whole life has been Thanksgiving Day.

7. Then praise for the past and the present we sing, And trustful await what the future may bring; Let doubt and repining be banished away,

And the whole of our lives be a Thanksgiving Day!

QUESTIONS.-1. Who are here invited to come? 1. Why are they invited? 2. Where are they invited to come? 3. What is said in this stanza? What is said of Bagdad? 4. What are the uncles, cousins, &c. invited to do? 5. What is next done? 6. What does the grandfather do? 7. What do all now unite in doing? What is the general character of the composition of this piece? On what key, and with what quality of voice, &c. should it be read? See Rule 3, page 114.

* 'Bag dad', (by the poet pronounced Bag'dad,) a large and celebrated city of Asiatic Turkey, formerly the capital of the Empire of the Califs, but now the capital of the Pashawlic of the same name, on the banks of the river Tigris, about one hundred and ninety miles above its junction with the Euphrates.

* S

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1. MERCHANT, one who buys and sells 17. AR-IS-TO-CRAT'IC, favoring an aristoc goods, a trader.

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racy, haughty.

UN-GEN-TEEL', unfashionable, not con
sistent with politeness.

27. MOR-TI-FI-CA'TION, humiliating vexa-
tion, chagrin.

29. CER-E-MO'NI-OUS, formal, precise.
31. TOILET, mode of dressing.
37. OP-PO'NENT, one that opposes.

ERRORS. -Pros'prous for pros'per-ous; dol'lurs for dollars; srewd'ness for shrewd'ness; ruth'er for rath'er; fa'vor-ites for fa'vor-ites; ed-e-ca'tion for ed-u-ca'tion; morn'in for morning.

GENTILITY.-THE GEM.

[Narrative and Conversational. The class may point out the examples of circumflex in this lesson, and tell why they require the circumflex.]

1. In one of the flourishing villages in that part of New England generally known by the very definite appellation of "Down East," there resided a distinguished merchant, whose name was McGregor.

2. He was regarded as a prosperous man by every one in that region, having accumulated a fortune of twenty thousand dollars, which was safely invested in some of the best mortga ges in the county.

3. He also had a good house and farm, with all needful appendages, the marriage portion of his incomparable wife. In addition to this, he had a capacious store, well stocked with that indescribable "variety" of merchandise, which none but a country merchant can conceive of as belonging to one establishment.

4. But, besides the claims to distinction founded on his wealth and his shrewdness as a man of business, he was an intelligent and kind-hearted man; and his prosperity was the prosperity of the village, exciting the gratitude rather than the envy of his neighbors.

5. His wife was modest, amiable, and refined, one of those good angels, whose house may properly be called a home, and

1

whose name is sure to be whispered in the daily prayers o the poor, the sick, and the afflicted.

6. Their two daughters, Henrietta and Fanny, whose respective ages were eighteen and sixteen years, were naturally endowed with gentle and lovely dispositions and good minds. These native gifts had been sedulously cultivated by judicious training at home, aided by several years' attendance at one of the best schools in Boston.

7. No pains nor expense had been spared to secure for them such accomplishments as were suited to their social position; and their own inherent good sense had disposed and enabled them to make the most of these advantages.

8. Without pride or ostentation, they were intelligent in conversation, engaging in manners, and possessed of that happy influence in the society of which they were the acknowl edged head, which made them the favorites equally of the rich and the poor. There was no assumption of superiority on account either of their wealth or their education.

9. I say nothing of their personal appearance; for a wellregulated heart and a well-disciplined mind, accompanied with agreeable manners, will make any woman handsome. They invest her with a charm that outlives all external beauty, and which grows upon the heart, while the luster of the eye and the bloom of the cheek are fading from the disappointed vision.

10. Nor were these sisters, though living in a retired village, altogether ignorant of the world. They were familiar with all that is essential to a good reception in the best society. They had passed two winters in Washington with their mother, while their father was a Representative in Congress.

*

* Wash'ing-ton, the capital of the United States, is situated on the left bank of the Potomac River, between the two tributary streams, East Branch on the east, and Rock Creek on the west. It is principally interesting for being the place where Congress and the Supreme Court assemble, and for its public buildings; among which the Capitol, President's House, Treasury Buildings, Patent-Office, Smithsonian Institute, And the National Observatory are the most interesting.

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