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“ O Almighty God, the Father and Preserver of all mankind! I desire to offer thee my sincerest thanks that I am arisen this morning in health and safety. May I spend [Pg 104] the day on which I am now entered in endeavouring to do thy will: let me carefully avoid all that I know to be displeasing in thy sight, and diligently apply myself to perform all the good in my power. May I keep a strict watch over my lips and temper, and try to live in peace with those around me. Grant thy protection and blessing to my relations and friends ”

“ Willingly, my dear. You have read that after the flood, the world was peopled by Noah's children: Shem and his descendants spread over Asia, Ham over Africa, and Japhet over Europe. It is uncertain who were the original inhabitants of America. Europe, though the smallest of the four parts of the world, is much the most populous; and here the arts and sciences are brought to the greatest perfection: it is divided into different countries, of which the following are the principal, though many of them, have undergone great changes during the last few years. ”

“ You know, my dear, what is meant by Geography?
Anne. O yes, mamma, Geography is a description of the earth we inhabit.
Mrs. Harley. And the earth (which the globe before us represents,) is divided into four parts, viz. Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The three first are contained in the eastern hemisphere, and are called the old world. America is situated in the western hemisphere, and is called the new world, because discovered in modern times. ”

“ A Shore or Coast, is that land which borders upon the sea.
The Ocean, is that general collection of water which surrounds the whole earth. It is distinguished by the names of the four cardinal points [Pg 127] of the world; viz. the northern or icy ocean, which environs the north pole; the western or Atlantic Ocean, which lies between Europe and America, extending to the Equator; the southern or Ethiopic Ocean, which extends from the Equator between Africa and America; and the Eastern or Indian Ocean, which washes the eastern coast of Africa, and the southern coast of Asia. ”

“ We have been so long in Europe, that I fear I must give you a very short description of the other parts of the world.
Asia is rendered famous on account of its having been the residence of our first parents, and the scene of almost every transaction mentioned in the scriptures: here our Saviour was born, lived and died; and from hence the gospel was first promulgated to mankind. Its inhabitants, though formerly celebrated for their refinement, are now, in general, a lazy, ignorant people. ”

“ A verb is a word which signifies to be, to do, or to [Pg 53] suffer. Verbs are divided into neuter, active, and passive. Neuter verbs merely signify being, or that kind of action which has no effect upon any thing beyond the performer, as, I am, I sit, I walk. (You may distinguish those neuter verbs that seem to imply action from active verbs by their making a complete sense by themselves, whereas active verbs always require a noun or pronoun after them to finish the sense.) ”

“ Benson wished to return home, and Fanny begged to accompany her, fearing that if deprived of her aunt's counsel before her good habits were entirely fixed, she might relapse into her former errors.
Several years are now past since these events happened. Fanny has been constantly improving, she is now the delight of her family, and the favourite of all who know her.
Let the history of Fanny teach all little girls that to be good is to be happy!
"What an interesting story," said Anne, as she shut the book: [Pg 27] "now I find what a silly thing it is to be naughty, I will always try to be good." ”

“ Any word is a verb before which you can place a noun, a pronoun, or the word to, as Mary talks, he works, to be. The different times when actions are performed are called tenses, there are properly only three, the present, as I am, the past as I was, and the future as I shall be ”

“ Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, was a very wicked man, and treated the Jews (who had been brought captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, a former king) with great cruelty. At a splendid entertainment which he one night gave to the lords of his court, he ordered the vessels that had been taken from Solomon's temple to be brought to him, and, with his guests, insulted the Jewish religion by drinking out of them; his impiety was, however, speedily punished, for that very night Cyrus entered Babylon with a powerful army, made himself master of [Pg 169] the kingdom, and Belshazzar was slain. ”

“ God soon after commanded Abraham to remove with his wife Sarah into the land of Canaan, and here when they were far advanced in age, their son Isaac was born. God made many remarkable promises to Abraham, and one of them was, "that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed." ”

“ Number is the distinction of one from many: there are two numbers, the singular which speaks of one; and the plural which speaks of more than one. Tell me some nouns with their genders and numbers.
Anne. I know that mamma is a noun of the feminine gender and singular number; men is a noun masculine and plural; table is neuter and singular.
Mrs. Harley. Very well. A Pronoun is used to avoid repeating the noun as, Frederic was good, and [Pg 50] he went out. There are four kinds of pronouns. Personal pronouns, as, I, me; thou, thee; he, him; she, her; it: we, us; you; they, them. ”

“ Lift up your heart with gratitude to the great God who made you, and, when you reflect on the many blessings you enjoy, never, if you do meet with little disappointments, give way to discontent and murmurings. Remember, it is easy to be good humoured when every thing happens agreeably to our wishes: it is only by cheerfully submitting to the opposition of them that a really good temper is proved. We must now hasten to our other business, or we shall not have time to finish it before dinner.
Anne. I am quite ready to attend to you, dear mamma ”

“ Jeroboam's kingdom was named Israel and its chief city was Samaria.
Jeroboam was succeeded by his son Nadab; and after he had reigned two years, he was killed by Baasha, who usurped the crown and destroyed the whole race of Jeroboam, a man remarkable for his impiety.—All the succeeding kings of Judah were descendants of Rehoboam, which fulfilled the promise made by God to David, that he would "establish his house and the throne of his kingdom for ever:" [Pg 95] this was a declaration that the Messiah was to be a descendant of David. ”

“ Justice was administered in the name and by the laws of Rome, and taxes were paid immediately to the emperor. Several of the Roman governors severely oppressed and persecuted the Jews, and at length, in the reign of Nero they openly revolted from the Romans. Then began the Jewish war, which was terminated after an obstinate defence and unparalleled suffering, on the part of the Jews, by the total destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, by Titus son of Vespasian the Roman emperor. Since that time the Jews have no where subsisted as a nation. ”

“ God enabled him to discover that they predicted seven years of plenty which would be followed by seven years of famine; and the wise advice Joseph gave the king on this subject, induced the monarch to raise him to a very high office in his kingdom, and entrust to him the whole care of collecting and managing the corn. This famine was severely felt in Canaan, and Jacob sent his sons into Egypt to purchase corn. ”

“ I wish you, my dear child, to be convinced, from this story, that there is no situation in life, however humble, which does not afford opportunities for exercising those duties recommended to us by our Saviour.—To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to comfort the afflicted, is, to a certain degree, in the power of us all. You may be in a situation that will enable you to dispense comfort to many ”

“ It was in the thirty sixth year of the reign of Herod, and while Augustus was Emperor of Rome that our Saviour Jesus Christ was born, four years before the common æra.
Herod was a cruel tyrant to his [Pg 99] people, and even to his own children: but to keep the Jews in subjection, and to erect a lasting monument to his own name, he repaired the temple at Jerusalem, and considerably enlarged the kingdom of Judea. ”

“ Do you understand this explanation, my dear?
Anne. Perfectly mamma; a man, an orange, mean any man, or any [Pg 48] orange; but the man, the orange, refer to some particular man or orange.
Mrs. Harley. Quite right, a you perceive is used before a consonant and an before a vowel.
A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. Nouns are divided into proper and common; proper nouns are the names of particular persons, places, or things, common nouns are the names that belong to all persons, places or things of the same kind. Give me some examples.
Anne. Anne, Clapham, Limetree, are proper nouns ”

“ Edward and James were the sons of a respectable farmer, who spared no pains in giving them an education suited to their situation in life. Having been pleased with their good conduct in some circumstances [Pg 5] that had lately occurred, he promised them a holiday the first time the weather should be fine enough for them to visit their aunt, who lived a few miles distant from the village where they resided. The wished for morning at length arrived, the farmer gave each of his sons a shilling, and a basket filled with provisions. ”

“ To these have been added by later discoveries the Pacific Ocean, commonly called the Great South Sea, between America and Asia; and the Antarctic Icy Ocean which surrounds the South Pole.
A Sea, is a part of the Ocean, into which we must enter by some strait, and it is almost surrounded [Pg 128] by land, as the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.
A Strait, is a narrow passage opening a way into some sea, as the Straits of Gibraltar, the Hellespont.
A Gulf is a part of an ocean or sea, which runs up considerably into the land, as the Gulf of Venice, the Gulf of Mexico, &c. ”

“ Active verbs, denote action as, I eat, I love, I work. Passive verbs, denote suffering, they are only the participle passive of an active verb with a tense of the neuter verb to be before it; as, I am loved, you are dressed. ”

“ Goldworthy, though master of a large fortune, and consequently placed above the reach of many misfortunes to which the more indigent are exposed, yet possessed a heart always alive to the distresses of others.—He determined with Hodson's consent, to take charge of young Robert, and fit him for some respectable employment, where he might have a larger scope for the exercise of his virtues and more abundant means for gratifying his generous disposition. ”

“ Pharoah gave Joseph's family the land of Goshen for their residence; and during his reign, the Hebrews were held in great estimation. The descendants of Jacob multiplied to so great a degree, that about sixty years after the death of Joseph, the king who then reigned over Egypt became [Pg 91] jealous of their numbers, and endeavoured to check their increase by slaying the infants, and reducing the parents to a state of slavery. ”

“ Thus conversing, these good lads [Pg 10] arrived at their aunt's, where they spent a very pleasant day, and in the evening returned home, to delight their father's heart, with an account of their morning's adventure.—The poor boy came the next morning to the farmer's, who having made the necessary enquiries into his former conduct, took him into his service. The brothers had soon the satisfaction of seeing him restored to health, and in time he became a useful, faithful, and grateful servant to his benevolent master.
"Well, my dear Anne," said Mrs. Harley, "how do you like my first story?" ”

“ Frederic yielded to her reasons; and when their affairs obliged him to leave her, a constant correspondence maintained the affection that had always subsisted from their earliest years.
"Dear mamma," said Anne, "I think I like Elizabeth better than any of the young people I have yet [Pg 123] read about, but do you really believe there ever was so good a character?"
Mrs. Harley. Certainly, my dear; and I have no doubt but many such are to be found. They must be depraved indeed, who can be wanting in affection to their parents. ”

“ The Andes, a ridge of mountains in South America, are considered the highest in the world; their tops are covered with perpetual snow, notwithstanding the excessive [Pg 161] heat of the climate in which they are situated. In North America are the Appalachian or Allegany mountains. ”

“ They suffered many hardships during several years, but at length God was pleased to deliver them in a miraculous manner by the hand of Moses, who would soon have conducted them into the promised land, had not their disobedience and perverseness brought upon them the punishment of a forty years' wandering in the wilderness. During this time, God commanded Moses to deliver his laws to the people of Israel. Aaron the brother of Moses was made High Priest, and to him was committed the superintendance of religious ceremonies. ”

“ She had profited by the excellent education her parents had been careful to give her, and this enabled her to bring up her own children with little assistance from others. Frederic and Elizabeth were the happiest little boy and girl in the neighbourhood: they tenderly loved their parents, and feeling the necessity [Pg 113] of doing their duty, it became quite habitual to them. The little faults natural to childhood they were conscious would not be punished with severity, and their good actions they knew would never pass unrewarded. ”

“ The descendants of Noah and his sons multiplied greatly, and "they were all of one language," after a time the whole race of men moved from their original habitations in Armenia, and settled in the plains of Shinar near the Euphrates. Here they determined to establish themselves, and build a tower whose top might reach the heavens. ”