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and he stood contemplating with silent admiration the glossy smoothness of his hair, the blackness and regularity of the streaks with which he was marked, the symmetry of his limbs, and above all, the placid sweetness of his countenance.

3. "What is the name of this lovely animal," said he to the keeper, "which you have placed near one of the ugliest beasts in your collection; as if you meant to contrast beauty with deformity?" "Beware, young man,” replied the intelligent keeper, "of being so easily captivated with external appearance.

4. "The animal which you admire is called a tiger; and notwithstanding the meekness of his looks, he is fierce and savage beyond description: I can neither terrify him by correction, nor tame him by indulgence. But the other beast, which you despise, is in the highest degree docile, affectionate, and useful.

5. "For the benefit of man, he traverses the sandy deserts. of Arabia,* where drink and pasture are seldom to be found; and will continue six or seven days without sustenance, yet still patient of labor. His hair is manufactured into clothing; his flesh is deemed wholesome nourishment; and the milk of the female is much valued by the Arabs.

6. "The camel, therefore, for such is the name given to this animal, is more worthy of your admiration than the tiger; notwithstanding the inelegance of his make, and the two bunches upon his back. For mere external beauty is of little estimation; and deformity, when associated with amiable dispositions and useful qualities, does not preclude our respect and approbation."

LESSON XVIII.

The Discontented Pendulum.-JANE TAYLOR.

1. An old clock that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen, without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped.

2. Upon this, the dial-plate (if we may credit the fable) changed countenance with alarm; the hands made a vain effort to continue their course; the wheels remained motionless with surprise; the weights hung speechless; each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others.

* Arabia, an extensive country in the south-west of Asia; the inhabitants are a wandering people, called Arabs.

3. At length, the dial instituted a formal inquiry as to the cause of the stagnation-when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice, protested their innocence.

4. But nowa faint tick was heard below from the pendulum, who thus spoke:-"I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage; and I am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of ticking." Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged, that it was on the very point of striking.

5. "Lazy wire!" exclaimed the dial-plate, holding up its hands. "Very good!" replied the pendulum, "it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as every body knows, set yourself up above me,-it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness! You, who have had nothing to do all the days of your life, but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen! Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and to wag backwards and forwards year after year, as I do."

6. "As to that," said the dial, "is there not a window in your house, on purpose for you to look through?"—"For all that," resumed the pendulum, "it is very dark here; and, although there is a window, I dare not stop, even for an instant, to look out at it. Besides, I am really tired of my way of life; and if you wish, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. I happened this morning to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course of only the next twenty-four hours; perhaps some of you, above there, can give me the exact sum.

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7. The minute hand, being quick at figures, presently replied, "Eighty-six thousand four hundred times." "Exactly so," replied the pendulum. "Well, I appeal to you all, if the very thought of this was not enough to fatigue one; and when I began to multiply the strokes of one day, by those of months and years, really it is no wonder if I felt discouraged at the prospect; so, after a great deal of reasoning and hesitation, thinks I to myself, I'll stop."

8. The dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue; but resuming its gravity, thus replied: "Dear Mr. Pendulum, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as yourself, should have been overcome by this sudden action. It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time; so have we all, and are likely to do; which although it may fatigue us to think of, the question is, whether it will fatigue

us to do. Would you now do me the favor to give about half a dozen strokes to illustrate my argument?"

9. The pendulum complied, and ticked six times in its usual pace. "Now," resumed the dial, "may I be allowed to inquire if that exertion was at all fatiguing or disagreeable to you?" "Not in_the_least," replied the pendulum, "it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions."

10. "Very good," replied the dial; "but recollect, that though you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one; and that, however often you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing in." "That consideration staggers me, I confess," said the pendulum. "Then I hope," resumed the dial-plate, "we shall all immediately return to our duty; for the maids will lie in bed if we stand idling thus."

11. Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed; when, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and to its credit, ticked as loud as ever; while a red beam of the rising sun that streamed through a hole in the kitchen, shining full upon the dial-plate, it brightened up, as if nothing had been the matter. 12. When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning, upon looking at the clock, he declared that his watch had gained half an hour in the night.

MORAL.

13. A celebrated modern writer says, "Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves." This is an admirable remark, and might be very seasonably recollected when we begin to be "weary in well-doing," from the thought of having much to do.

14. The present moment is all we have to do with, in any sense; the past is irrecoverable, the future is uncertain; nor is it fair, to burden one moment with the weight of the next.Sufficient unto the moment is the trouble thereof.

15. If we had to walk a hundred miles, we should still have to take but one step at a time, and this process continued, would infallibly bring us to our journey's end. Fatigue generally begins, and is always increased, by calculating in a minute tha exertion of hours.

16. Thus, in looking forward to future life, let us recollect that we have not to sustain all its toil, to endure all its sufferings, or encounter all its crosses, at once. One moment comes

laden with its own little burdens, then flies, and is succeeded by another no heavier than the last:-if one could be borne, so can another and another.

17. Even looking forward to a single day, the spirit may sometimes faint from an anticipation of the duties, the labors, the trials to temper and patience, that may be expected. Now this is unjustly laying the burden of many thousand moments

upon one.

18. Let any one resolve always to do right now, leaving then to do as it can; and if he were to live to the age of Methuselah, he would never do wrong. But the common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or after dinner, or to-morrow morning, or next time; but now, just now, this once, we must go on the same as ever.

19. It is easy, for instance, for the most ill-tempered person to resolve that the next time he is provoked, he will not let his temper overcome him; but the victory would be to subdue temper on the present provocation. If, without taking up the burden of the future, we would always make the single effort at the present moment; while there would, at any one time, be very ittle to do, yet, by this simple process continued, every thing would at last be done.

20. It seems easier to do right to-morrow than to-day, merely because we forget that when to-morrow comes then will be now. Thus life passes with many, in resolutions for the future, which the present never fulfils. It is not thus with those, who, "by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honor, and immortality."

21. Day by day, minute by minute, they execute the appointed task, to which the requisite measure of time and strength is proportioned; and thus, having worked while it was called day, they at length rest from their labors, and their works "follow them." Let us, then, "whatever our hands find to do, do it with all our might, recollecting that now is the proper and accepted time."

LESSON XIX.

Battle of Lexington.*-WEEMS.

1. APRIL the 19th, 1775, was the fatal day marked out by mysterious heaven, for tearing away the stout infant colonies *Lexington, a town in Massachusetts, 11 miles N. W. of Boston.

from the old mother country. Early that morning, General Gage,* whose force in Boston was augmented to 10,000 men, sent a detachment of 1,000 to destroy some military stores which the Americans had collected in the town of Concord, near Lexington.

2. On coming to the place, they found the town militia assembled on the green near the road. "Throw down your arms, and disperse, you rebels," was the cry of the British officer, (Pitcairn,) which was immediately followed by a general discharge - from the soldiers; whereby eight of the Americans were killed, and several wounded.

3. The provincialst retired. But finding that the British still continued their fire, they returned it with good interest; and soon strewed the green with the dead and wounded. Such fierce discharges of musketry produced the effect that might have been expected in a land of freemen, who saw their gallant brothers suddenly engaged in the strife of death.

4. Never before had the bosoms of the swains experienced such a tumult of heroic passions. Then throwing aside the implements of husbandry, and leaving their teams in the half finished furrows, they flew to their houses, snatched up their arms, and bursting from their wild shrieking wives and children, hasted to the glorious field where LIBERTY, heaven-born goddess, was to be bought with blood.

5. Pouring in now from every quarter, were seen crowds of sturdy peasants, with flushed cheeks and flaming eyes, eager for battle! Even age itself forgot its wonted infirmities: and hands, long palsied with years, threw aside the cushioned crutch and grasped the deadly firelock. Fast as they came up, their ready muskets began to pour the long, red streams of fiery

vengeance.

6. The enemy fell back appalled! The shouting farmers swift-closing on their rear, followed their steps with death. while the British, as fast as they could load, wheeling on thei pursuers, returned the deadly fire. But their flight was not in safety. Every step of their retreat was stained with blood—

*Thomas Gage was an officer of some distinction in the British army.He was appointed Governor of Massachusetts in 1774, and soon began that course of illegal and oppressive acts which brought on the war of the revolution. Soon after the commencement of the war, he returned to England, where he died, 1787. He was the last Governor of Massachusetts appoint ed by the King.

Provincials, those troops raised in the provinces, and sent to oppose the British army.

+ Pronounced strowd

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