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The Arabian Nights, rehearsed in bed;
The Fairy Tales, in school-time read
By stealth, 'twixt verb and noun!
The angel form that always walked
In all my dreams, and looked and talked
Exactly like Miss Brown!

The "omne bene"-Christmas come!
The prize of merit won for home-
Merit had prizes then!

But now I write for days and days,

For fame-a deal of empty praise,

Without the silver pen!

Then home, sweet home; the crowded coach-
The joyous shout-the loud approach;

The winding horns, like rams';

The meeting sweet, that made me thrill;
The sweetmeats, almost sweeter still,
No "satis" to the "jams."

When, that I was a tiny boy
My days were full of joy,

My mates were blithe and kind—
No wonder that I sometimes sigh,
And dash the tear-drop from my eye,

To cast a look behind.

THE RATS AND THE BARLEY.

SOME Rats, having found a sack of barley deposited in the corner of a garret, enjoyed themselves every day, in feasting abundantly upon it, till it was all gone. The winter now set in, but they had no provision, and

COLUMBUS.-RESENTMENT.

75.

none could they get at in the neighborhood. "How foolish were we," said one of them, "that we did not eat less at a time, and then we might have had plenty to last us all the winter."

COLUMBUS.

WHEN Columbus, after having discovered the Western Hemisphere, was, by order of the king of Spain, brought home from America, in ehains, the captain of the ship, who was intimately acquainted with his character, his knowledge and his talents, offered to free him from his chains, and make his passage as agreeable as possible. Columbus rejected his friendly offer, saying, “Sir, I thank you; but these chains are the rewards and honors for my services from my king, whom I have served as faithfully as my God; and as such, I will carry them with me to my grave."

RESENTMENT.

RESENTMENT may be distinguished into anger and revenge. Anger is the pain we suffer, upon the receipt of an injury, or an affront. Revenge is the inflicting of pain on the person who has injured or offended us. When prompted to resentment, we should particularly advert to the following reflections; the possibility of mistaking the motives from which the conduct that offends us proceeded; how often our own offences have been the effect of inadvertence, when they were construed into indications of malice; that the object of our resentment is suffering, perhaps, under a contrition, which he is ashamed, or wants opportunity, to confess; how ungenerous it is to triumph, by coldness

or insult, over a spirit already humbled in secret; that the returns of kindness are sweet, and that there is neither honor, nor virtue, nor utility in resisting them.

EXERCISE.

WITHOUT the regular exercise of the body, its health cannot be maintained; the body becomes weak, the countenance pale and languid, and the spirits depressed and gloomy. Regular bodily exercise, on the contrary, creates a healthy appetite, invigorates the powers of digestion, causes sound and refreshing sleep, a freshness of the complexion, and cheerfulness of the spirits; it wards off disease, and tends to preserve the vigor of both mind and body to an advanced age.

During the winter season, active exercise in the open air preserves the warmth of the body, and renders it less, susceptible to the influence of cold, and less dependent for its comfort on artificial heat. The periods of the day best adapted to exercise are, early in the morning, and towards the close of the day.

Walking is the most beneficial and most natural exercise, because, in the erect position, every part of the body is free from restraint, while by the gentle motion communicated to each portion of it, in the act of walking, free circulation is promoted. Next to walking, riding on horseback is the kind of exercise to be preferred.

Many other species of exercise may be considered as contributing to the support of health; such as working in the garden, or in the fields, running, leaping, dancing and swimming.

APHORISM.-THE FISHERMAN.

APHORISM.

WHEN Sorrow weeps o'er virtue's sacred dust,

Our tears become us, and our grief is just;
Mourns, but not murmurs; sighs, but not despairs;
Feels as a man, and as a Christian bears.

THE FISHERMAN.

A PERILOUS life, and sad as life may be,
Hath the lone fisher on the lonely sea,
In the wild waters laboring, far from home,
For some bleak pittance e'er compelled to roam!
Few friends to cheer him in his dangerous life,
And none to aid him in the stormy strife:
Companion of the sea and silent air,
The lonely fisher thus must ever fare;

Without the comfort, hope, with scarce a friend,
He looks through life, and only sees-its end!

Eternal Ocean! Old majestic Sea!

Ever love I from shore to look on thee,

And sometimes on thy billowy back to ride,
And sometimes o'er thy summer breast to glide:
But let me live on land-where rivers run,
Where shady trees may screen me from the sun;
Where I may feel, secure, the fragrant air;
Where whate'er toil or wearying pains I bear,

Those eyes, which look away all human ill,
May shed on me their still, sweet, constant light,
And the little hearts I love, may day and night,
Be found beside me, safe and clustering still.

METAPHYSICS.

A SCOTCH blacksmith being asked the meaning of metaphysics, explained it as follows: "When the party who listens dinna ken what the party who speaks means, and when the party who speaks dinna ken what he means himsel; that is metaphysics."

PROVERBS.

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"Every man thinks his own geese swans,' This proverb intimates that self-love is the mother of vanity, pride and mistake. It blinds the understanding, and perverts the judgment. It makes a man so fondly conceited of himself, that his vices seem to him virtues, and his deformities, beauties.

"Good wine needs no bush." This proverb intimates, that virtue is valuable for itself, and that internal goodness stands in need of no external ornaments.

"Harm watch, harm catch." This is a trite adage, and intimates that malice, spite and envy, are generally self-injurers; that to intend, study, or contrive any harm to our neighbors, will injure ourselves at last. He who prepares evil for another, prepares it for himself.

"Hunger's the best sauce." This proverb is a severe satire against all unnecessary varieties and delicacies of food, and dictates the best way of living in the world, with an injunction of temperance and frugality.

“A lark is better than a kite." This proverb intimates, that things are not to be valued by their bulk, but according to their intrinsic worth and value.

"A shoemaker must not go beyond his last." The moral instruction of this proverb is, that persons, though skil

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