Some glasses make a fly look as large as a mouse. These glasses are called microscopes. Look at a drop of water through a microscope. You will see in it a great many living creatures. We swallow many of these every time we drink. TABLE 38.-XXXVIII. It is a rule in the language, thatcand gare hard at the end of words, and they commonly are so at the end of syllables; but in the following table they are soft like sandjat the end of the accented syllables. Thus, magic, acid, are pronounced majic, asid, and ought to be divided mag-ic, ac-id. It is a matter disputed by teachers which is the most eligible division-mag-ic, ac-id, or ma-gic, a-cid. However, as children acquire a habit of pronouncing e and g hard at the end of syllables, I choose not to break the practice, but have joined these consonants to the last syllable. The figures show that the vowels of the accented syllables are all short. le gi ble im a gine ma cer ate *g soft. TABLE XII. We should always speak the Truth. WHEN General Washington was a little boy, his father gave him a hatchet, of which like most little boys, he was very fond: and was constantly going about, chopping every thing that came in his way. One day, in the garden, where he often amused himself by hacking his mother's peasticks, he came to a beautiful young English Cherry tree-and not knowing the value of the tree, he cut and hewed it so with his hatchet, that he spoiled the tree. The next morning his father, as he was walking in the garden, saw how his tree had been cut, and ruined; and as the tree was a great favorite of his, he was quite angry. He went directly to the house, and assembled all his servants and domesticks together, for the purpose of ascertaining who had spoiled his tree, and intending to punish the one severely, who had done it. Nobody could tell him any thing about it. But while he was examining his servants, George came into the room. Thinking that he might know which of his servants had done it, his father questioned him. "George," said he, "do you know who killed that beautiful cherry-tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken twenty dollars for it; and the one who has done the mischief must be punished". This was a terrible question for George to answer. He knew that he had cut the tree, and was afraid if he confessed it, that his father would punish him. But as he knew it was very wicked to speak a falsehood, and that none but bad, wicked, and mean boys ever told lies, he knew he must speak the truth, let what would happen. Looking at his father with a sweet face, he said, "I cannot tell a lie, papa; you know I cannot tell a lie. I cut the tree myself.-I cut it with my hatchet." "Come to my arms," said his father, "come to my arms, my dear boy! I pardon you for killing the tree; for I had rather you should kill twenty such trees, than tell one base lie." All little children should do as George Washington did. They should always speak the truth; and then every body will believe them, respect them, and love them. Some children think, that by telling a falsehood, they can escape punishment. But the truth will always sooner or later be found out, and their falsehood exposed. Words whose pronunciation is not shown in any of the foregoing tables. Written. Pronounced Written. Pronounced TABLE 40.-XL. In the following, with their compounds and derivatives, z is pronounced like gz; exact is pronounced egzact, &c. Ex åct ex em pli fy ex or bit ant In most or all other words x is pronounced like ke, except at the beginning of Greek names, where it sounds like z. TABLE 41.-XLI. The History of the Creation of the World. In six days God made the world, and all things that are in it. He made the Sun to shine by day, and the Moon to give light by night. He made all the beasts that walk on the earth, all the birds that fly in the air, and all the fish that swim in the sea. Each herb, and plant, and tree, is the work of his hands. All things, both great and small that live, and move, and breathe in this wide world, to him do owe their birth, to him their life. And God saw that all the things he had made were good. But as yet there was not a man to till the ground; so God made man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, and gave him rule over all that he had made. |