THE CHILDREN'S SONG Land of our Birth, we pledge to theeOur love and toil in the years to be,When we are grown and take our place,As men and women with our race. Father in Heaven who lovest all,Oh help Thy children when they call;That they may build from age to age,An undefilèd heritage. Teach us to bear the yoke in youthWith steadfastness and careful truth;That, in our time, Thy Grace may giveThe Truth whereby the Nations live.... more...

RIP VAN WINKLE I Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all... more...

PHILEMON AND BAUCIS   I Long ago, on a high hill in Greece, Philemon and Baucis lived. They were poor, but they were never unhappy. They had many hives of bees from which they got honey, and many vines from which they gathered grapes. One old cow gave them all the milk that they could use, and they had a little field in which grain was raised. The old couple had as much as they needed, and were always ready to share whatever they had... more...

LESSON I. The Author's Address to the Pupil. 1. I present to you, my little friend, a new book, to assist you in learning to read. I do not intend that it shall be a book full of hard words, which you do not understand. 2. I do not think it proper to require children to read what they cannot understand. I shall, therefore, show you how you may understand what is in this book, and how you may be able, with very little assistance from your... more...

LESSON XLVI NEW WORDS. so bath sick please tub wrap shawl sis'ter Now, Ned, please do not put my kitty into the bath tub. Yes, sister, I must give her a bath. Here is the bath tub with some nice warm water. But, Ned, kitty will get sick if you put her into the water. She will take cold.   No, I will wrap her well in the big shawl, and then she can not take cold. So Ned gave kitty a bath, and then put her into the nice... more...

LESSON I. news'paper cold or'der seem through stock'ings chat sto'ry light Har'ry branch'es kiss burns Mrs. e vents' an oth'er Mr. stool lamp mends [Illustration: Family at evening; father reading newspaper, mother sewing, boy and girl reading.] EVENING AT HOME. 1. It is winter. The cold wind whistles through the branches of the trees. 2. Mr. Brown has done his day's work, and his children, Harry and Kate, have come home from school. They... more...

KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES.   Many years ago there lived in Eng-land a wise and good king whose name was Al-fred. No other man ever did so much for his country as he; and people now, all over the world, speak of him as Alfred the Great. In those days a king did not have a very easy life. There was war almost all the time, and no one else could lead his army into battle so well as he. And so, between ruling and fighting, he had a busy time... more...

LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD PERSONS IN THE PLAY—Little Red Riding-Hood, Mother, Bird, Wolf, Miller, Grandmother Scene I.—At Red Riding-Hood's Home Mother. Would you like to go to grandmother's to-day, my child? The sun is bright and the air is warm and pleasant. Little Red Riding-Hood. Yes, mother, you know I always like to visit dear grandmamma. Mother. Then you may go. You may carry your little basket, and I'll put some honey and a... more...

VERSE AND PROSE FOR BEGINNERS IN READING. ALPHABET. A was an apple-pie;B bit it;C cut it;D dealt it;E ate it;F fought for it;G got it;H had it;J joined it;K kept it;L longed for it:M mourned for it;N nodded at it;O opened it;P peeped into it;Q quartered it;R ran for it;S stole it;T took it;V viewed it;W wanted it;X, Y, Z, and amperse-and,All wished for a piece in hand. A DEWDROP. Little drop of dew,  Like a gem you are;I believe... more...

I. TROY BEFORE THE SIEGE. Design by Burne-Jones. That part of Asia Minor which borders the narrow channel now known as the Dar-da-nellesГЉВ№, was in ancient times called TroГЉВ№as. Its capital was the city of Troy, which stood about three miles from the shore of the Æ-geГЉВ№an Sea, at the foot of Mount Ida, near the junction of two rivers, the SimГЉВ№o-is, and the Sca-manГЉВ№der or XanГЉВ№thus. The people of... more...