thing; knowledge is power," repeated he. "My boys know more at six and seven years of age than I did at twelve. They can read all sorts of books, and talk on all sorts of subjects. The world is a great deal wiser than it used to be. Everybody knows a little about everything Do you not think, sir, that knowledge is an excel

now.

lent thing?"

2. "

Why, sir,” replied the old man gravely, "that depends entirely upon the use that is made of it. It may be either a blessing or a curse. Knowledge is only an increase of power; and power may be a bad as well as a good thing."

3. "That is what I cannot understand," said the bustling little man. "How can power be a bad thing?"

And

4. "I will tell you," meekly replied the old man. thus he went on: "When the power of a horse is under restraint, the animal is useful in bearing burdens, drawing loads, and carrying his master; but when that power is unrestrained, the horse breaks his bridle, dashes the carriage to pieces, or throws his rider." "I see! I see!" said the little man.

5. "When water of a pond is properly conducted by trenches, it renders the fields around fertile; but when it bursts through its banks, it sweeps everything before it, and destroys the produce of the fields." "I see! I see!" said the little man; "I see !"

6. "When a ship is steered aright, the sail that she hoists enables her the sooner to get into port; but if steered wrong, the more sail she carries the further she will go out of her course." "I see! I see!" said the little man;

clearly!"

"I see

QUESTIONS.-What did the little man say about knowledge? On what did the old man say that that depended? What could the little man not understand? How did the old man illustrate what he had said by reference to a horse? To water? To the sail of a ship?

1. JOSEPH II., Empereur d'Allemagne, n'aimait ni la représentation ni l'appareil. En voici un exemple. Un jour, revêtu d'une simple redingote boutonnée, et accompagné d'un seul domestique sans livrée, il était allé dans une voiture à deux places, qu'il conduisait lui-même, faire une promenade du matin aux environs de Vienne. Il fut surpris par la pluie comme il reprenait le chemin de la ville. 2. Il en était encore éloigné, lorsqu'un piéton, qui regagnait aussi la capitale, fit signe au conducteur d'arrêter, ce que Joseph II. fit aussitôt.

3. "Monsieur," lui dit le militaire (car c'était un sergent), "y aurait-il de l'indiscrétion à vous demander une place à côté de vous? Cela ne vous gênerait pas prodigieusement, puisque vous êtes seul dans votre voiture; et ménagerait mon uniforme, que je mets aujourd'hui pour la première fois."

4. "Ménageons votre uniforme,” lui dit Joseph: "mettez-` vous là, mon brave. D'où venez-vous?"

5. "Ah!" dit le sergent, "je viens de chez un gardechasse de mes amis, où j'ai fait un fier déjeuner."

6. "Qu'avez-vous donc mangé de si bon ?"

7. "Devinez."

8. 66

Que sais-je, moi? Une soupe à la bière?” 9. "Ah, bien! oui- -une soupe. Mieux que ça."

10. "De la choucroute?"

11. "Mieux que ça."

1. JOSEPH II., Emperor of Germany, liked neither display nor pomp. Here is an example. One day, dressed in a plain double-breasted coat buttoned up, accompanied only by one servant without livery, he had been in a carriage for two, which he drove himself, to take a morning's drive in the suburbs of Vienna. He was overtaken by a shower as he was returning to the town.

2. He was still at some distance from it, when a pedestrian, who was also making for the capital, made a sign to the driver to stop, which Joseph II. did immediately.

3. "Sir," said the soldier (for he was a sergeant), "would it be rude to ask for a place alongside of you? It would not incommode you prodigiously, since you are alone in your carriage; and it would save my uniform, which I put on to-day for the first time.”

4. "Let us save your uniform," said Joseph: "place yourself there, my brave fellow. Where do you come

from?"

5. "Ah!" said the sergeant, "I come from the house of a gamekeeper, one of my friends, where I made a grand breakfast."

6. "What, then, did you eat, that was so good?"

7. "Guess."

8. "How can I know? Beer-soup?"

9. " Ah, well! yes—a soup.

10. "Sour-crout?"

11. "Better than that."

Better than that."

12. "Une longe de veau?”

13. "Mieux que ça, vous dit-on."

14. "Oh, ma foi, je ne puis plus deviner," dit Joseph.

15. "Un faisan! mon digne homme,—un faisan tiré sur les terres de Sa Majesté!" dit son camarade, en lui frappant sur la cuisse.

16. "Tiré sur les terres de Sa Majesté! il n'en devait être que meilleur."

17. "Je vous en réponds."

18. Comme on approchait de Vienne, et que la pluie tombait toujours, l'Empereur Joseph demanda à son compagnon dans quel quartier il logeait, et où il voulait qu'on le descendit. 19. "Monsieur," dit-il, vous êtes trop aimable. craindrais d'abuser de votre bonté."

20. "Non, non," dit Joseph. "Votre rue?"

Je

21. Le sergent, indiquant sa demeure, demanda à connaître celui de qui il recevait tant d'honnêtetés. 22. "A votre tour," dit Joseph, "devinez.” 23. "Monsieur est militaire, sans doute?" 24. "Comme dit monsieur."

Ah, bien! oui-lieutenant.

27. "Capitaine?"

28. "Mieux que ça."

29. "Colonel, peut-être?"

30. "Mieux que ça, vous dit-on."

Mieux que ça."

31. "Comment!" dit l'autre, en se rencognant aussitôt dans la voiture, "seriez-vous feld-maréchal?"

32. "Mieux que ça.”

33. "Ah! est-ce possible? C'est l'Empereur !"

34. "Lui-même," dit Joseph, déboutonnant sa redingote pour montrer ses décorations.

35. Il n'y avait pas moyen de tomber à genoux dans la voiture; le sergent se confond en excuses, et supplie l'Empereur d'arrêter pour qu'il puisse descendre.

36. "Non pas," dit Joseph. "Après avoir mangé mon

12. "A loin of veal?"

13. "Better than that, one may say."

14. "By my faith, I cannot guess," said Joseph.

15. "A pheasant! my worthy man,—a pheasant shot in His Majesty's grounds!" said his comrade, striking him on the thigh.

16. "Shot in the grounds of His Majesty! it should have been all the better."

17. "You may be sure of that."

18. As they approached Vienna, and it was still raining, the Emperor Joseph asked his companion in which part he lived, and where he wished to be put down.

19. "Sir," said he, "you are too kind. I am afraid of imposing upon you."

20. "No, no," said Joseph. "Your street?"

21. The sergeant, pointing out his dwelling, asked to be informed from whom he was receiving so much civility. 22. "It is your turn now," said Joseph.

23. "Doubtless you are a soldier, sir?" 24. "As you say, sir."

25. "Lieutenant?"

"Guess."

Ah, well! yes—a lieutenant. Better than that."

27. "Captain?"

28. "Better than that."

29. "Colonel, perhaps?"

30. "Better than that, one may say."

31. "What!" said the other, drawing himself back immediately in the carriage,

32. "Better than that."

are you field-marshal?”

33. "Ah! is it possible? It is the Emperor !"

34. "Himself," said Joseph, opening his double-breasted coat to show his orders.

35. It was not possible to fall down on his knees in the carriage; the sergeant stammers out his excuses, and begs of the Emperor to stop that he may get down.

36. "Not so," said Joseph. "After eating my pheasant