is qualified to ask such questions as may be necessary, and should always vary and adapt them to the age and capacity of the scholar.

2. Uniformly asking questions in a given set of words has a tendency to elicit answers of a corresponding uniformity. Such a habit becomes prejudicial to freedom of thought, as well as unrestrained narration of circumstances.

3. Children soon learn to give some laconic answer, which they suppose to be implied by the very words of the question, and think no more of the matter.

4. Any teacher can, ordinarily, bring the subject of the lesson before the class in his own way, so as to create a more general interest, and inspire a noble emulation to excel, in giving the most correct analysis of the whole, or of any particular part. If the subject admit, let the pupils assign reasons for and against, and thereby develop their *thinking powers.

Some of the more important characters used in punctuation, the table of numbers, and a synopsis of elementary sounds, are inserted, to which the attention of the pupil will be occasionally directed in the several reading lessons.

PAUSES IN READING.

A comma (,) denotes a pause long enough to

count one.

A semicolon (;) denotes a pause twice as long

as a comma.

A colon (:) denotes a pause three times as long

as a comma.

A period () denotes a pause four times as long as a comma.

The interrogation point (?) denotes that a question is asked.

The exclamation point (!) denotes wonder, surprise, or admiration.

The interrogation and exclamation points usu`ally require a pause as long as the colon.

The apostrophe (') denotes the possessive case; as, Man's; or the omission of a letter; as, Lov'd, for loved.

The parenthesis () is used to enclose an explanatory clause, or sentence.

The hyphen (-) is used to separate syllables, or the parts of a compound word; as, Ba-ker, inkstand.

The dash (-) is used to divide the parts of a sentence, and denotes a pause of uncertain length.