At morn, at eve, upon the altar laid,

While sweet obedience binds, safe, safe shall be thy head.

There kneels the mother by her partner's side;
Silent her tongue, but, oh, how full her eyes!
Look at those sacred tears, whose gentle tide
The loudest torrent of the lips supplies.
Oh! what can equal her beseeching sigh?
If 'tis not heard in heaven, then never came
Thither the sound of supplications high:

Vainly have nations piled the altar's flame,
The intensest of them all ne'er reached a mother's claim.

Beside her, rising into manhood's form,

Her son, her secret pride and glory, bows;
Bright is his cheek, with labor's color warm,
The honorable tint his forehead shows;
His eyes' dark glance is veil'd, as it would close
Awhile to all on earth his heart deems fair;
His lips, soft moving, tell responsive vows
Are rising to his hoary father's prayer,

Pleading with the high Heavens-"Oh, guide from every snare."

And yonder there's a group in happiest being,
The fairy tenants of the cottage dome,
Kneeling before the eye of Him, all-seeing,
Who watches if their thoughts or glances roam;
The doll, untouch'd, is laid beside the drum ;
That treasured instrument of loudest sound
Stands close beside its master, but is dumb
As if forgotten, on the darksome ground,
While like night's dew-closed flowers they bend and
cluster round.

Look at the little hand upon each brow,

Covering the face, before the unseen God!
Listen, ye might have heard the lisped vow
Like cherub-echoes seeking his abode;

Revile it not, despise it not, ye proud!
Nor say it is the jargon learned by rote,
Useless and meaningless, those words allowed
Upon the youthful memory to float

Shall be the wakening chord of many a heavenly note.

Spell altar, if thou bring thy gift to the altar ;-alter, he saw fit to alter his purpose.

Partner, partaker, sharer, associate.

Spell tongue, kneels, obedience, eyes. Spell side, her partner's side;-sighed, he turned from the grievous spectacle, and sighed ;-tide, he sailed with the tide ;-tied, his hands were tied.

Torrent of the lips, &c. Her silent tears indicate more heartfelt devotion, than any verbal prayer, however passionate and elevated the language. Mother's claim. Is this just? For whose behalf are these desires offered? How do you account for their great strength?

Manhood's form, approaching to adult age.

Spell son, a wise son maketh a glad father ;—sun, he labored till the sun went down.

Labor's color. What is meant by it? Why is it called an honorable tint ?

Forehead, for hed, part of the face from the eyes upwards, impudence.

Glance is veiled. In what way? Is this proper? Spell eyes, veiled, hoary, prayer, guide.

Group. Who are intended by this word?

.Fairy, fa'rè, a fabled being of a diminutive human form, belonging to fairies, enchanting, engaging. Dome, building, house, hemispherical arch.

Him. Who is meant? All-seeing. Of what compounded?

Doll-drum. Why are they here introduced? Are both these toys equally pleasing to children of the same sex?

Darksome, gloomy, obscure.

Brow, forehead, arch of hair over the eye.

What is the attitude and demeanor of these children at prayer?

Lisping, softly speaking, indistinct and hesitating ut

terance.

.Cherub, tsher'ůb, celestial spirit. His. Whose ?
Revile, reproach, vilify, treat with contumely.
Jargon, gabble, cant, unintelligible talk.

Meaningless, without meaning. From what derived?
Wakening chord, origin, spring, cause, giving birth to.

Oh lovely scene! most lovely! would that thou
Didst not bedeck the cottage bower alone,
But beneath every roof in beauty glow,

From the low hamlet to the lofty throne.
Then, England, were the smiles of Heaven thine own,
The bright paternal smiles of Deity;

Then, my loved country, would thy soil be known
The hallowed, and the blest, the truly free,
And every evening hour a nation's worship see!

LESSON XXVI.

Confidence and Modesty: A Fable.-MRS. BARBAULD.

When the gods knowing it to be for the benefit of mortals that the few should lead, and that the many should follow, sent down into this lower world Ignorance and Wisdom, they decreed to each of them an attendant and guide, to conduct their steps, and facilitate their introduction. To Wisdom they gave Confidence, and Ignorance they placed under the guidance of Modesty. Thus paired, the parties travelled about the world for some time with mutual satisfaction.

Wisdom, whose eye was clear and piercing, and commanded a long reach of country, followed her conductor with pleasure and alacrity. She saw the windings of the road at a great distance; her foot was firm, her ardor was unbroken, and she ascended the hill, or traversed the plain with speed and safety.

Ignorance, on the other hand, was short-sighted and timid. When she came to a spot, where the road branched out in different directions, or was obliged to pick her way through the obscurity of the tangled thicket, she was frequently at a loss, and was accustomed to stop till some one appeared, to give her the necessary information, which the interesting countenance of her companion seldom failed to procure her. Wisdom, in the mean time, led by a natural instinct, advanced towards the temple of Science and Eternal Truth. For some time the way lay plain before her, and she followed her guide with unhesitating steps: but she had not proceeded far before

Note, tune, voice, sound in music, mark, notice.
Oh lovely scene! What figure is here employed?
Bedeck, ornament, deck, adorn.

Beneath every roof. What is here the poet's wish?
Hamlet, small village, habitation in a village.
Throne, seat of a monarch, king's palace.
Smiles of Heaven, favor, blessing of heaven.
Paternal, fatherly, benignant, belonging to a father.
Hallowed, consecrated, sacred.

Spell throne, he succeeded to his father's throne ;— thrown, he was thrown from his horse and bruised. Fable. What is a fable? See App.

Gods, fictitious deities. This method of writing is borrowed from ancient pagans.

Ignorance. What is ignorance represented to be? Decreed, allotted, determined.

.Facilitate, make easy, free from difficulty.

Introduction, from introduce, entrance, coming in. .Guidance, from guide, direction, control.

-Paired, connected, coupled.

Spell travelled, mutual, parties, satisfaction. .Piercing, peer'sing, or pêrs'ing, penetrating, sharp. -Reach, extent, region.

Conductor, director, guide, leader. From conduct.
Alacrity, willingness, nimbleness, promptness.
.Traversed, went across, wandered over.
Shortsighted, able to see but a short distance.
Timid, fearful, cowardly.

Branched out. From what object is the figure taken!
-Pick, search out with care, eat slowly.

Tangled thicket, trees twisted together, growing thick.

Spell obliged, obscurity, necessary.

Information, from inform. Is inform itself a primi

tive ?

Interesting, suited to awaken interest, affecting.

Instinct, natural desire or aversion, innate propensity.

Science, knowledge, certainty grounded on demonstration.

Eternal truth. Why is truth called eternal?
Unhesitating, ready. Change it into a verb.

the paths grew intricate and entangled; the meeting branches of the trees spread darkness over her head, and steep mountains barred her way, whose summits, lost in clouds, ascended beyond the reach of mortal vision. At every new turn of the road, her guide urged her to proceed; but after advancing a little way, she was often obliged to measure back her steps, and often found herself involved in the mazes of a labyrinth, which, after exercising her patience and her strength, ended but where it began.

In the mean time Ignorance, who was naturally impatient, could but ill bear the continual doubts and hesitation of her companion, she hated deliberation, and could not submit to delay. At length it so happened that she found herself on a spot where three ways met, and no indication was to be found which might direct her to the right road. Modesty advised her to wait; and she had waited till her patience was exhausted.—At that moment Confidence, who was in disgrace with Wisdom for some false steps he had led her into, and who had just been discarded from her presence, came up, and offers himself to be her guide: He was accepted. Under his auspices, Ignorance, naturally swift of foot, and who could at any time have outrun Wisdom, boldly passed forward, pleased and satisfied with her new companion. He knocked at every door, visited castle and convent, and introduced his charge to many a society whence Wisdom found herself excluded.

Modesty in the mean time, finding she could be of no further use to her charge, offered her services to Wisdom. They were mutually pleased with each other, and soon agreed never to separate. And ever since that time Ignorance has been led by Confidence, and Modesty has been found in the society of Wisdom.

LESSON XXVII.

The Instability of earthly Greatness.-PHILLIPS.

When the follies and the crimes of the old world may have buried all the pride of its power and all the marks