New National Fourth Reader by Charles J. Barnes and J. Marshall Hawkes

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"True. There must therefore be some power or force which causes things
to fall," said her father.

"And what is it?" asked Lucy.

"If things away from the earth can not move themselves to it," said her
father, "there can be no other cause of their falling than that the
earth pulls them."

"But," said Lucy, "the earth is no more animate than they are; so how
can it pull?"

"That is not an ordinary question, but I will try an explanation," said
her father. "Sir Isaac Newton discovered that there was a law in nature
called attraction, and that all bodies exert this force upon each
other. The greater the body, the greater is its power of attraction.

"Now, the earth is an immense mass of matter, with which nothing near it
can compare in size. It draws therefore with mighty force all things
within its reach, which is the cause of their falling. Do you understand
this?"

"I think that I do," said Lucy; "the earth is like a great magnet."

"Yes," said her father; "but the attraction of the magnet is of a
particular kind and is only over iron, while the attraction of the earth
acts upon every thing alike."

"Then it is pulling you and me at this moment!" said Lucy.

"Certainly it is," replied her father; "and as I am the larger, it is
pulling me with more force than it is pulling you. This attraction is
what gives every thing weight.

"If I lift up any thing, I am acting against this force, for which
reason the article seems heavy; and the more matter it contains, the
greater is the force of attraction and the heavier it appears to me."

"Then," said Lucy, "if this attraction is so powerful, why do we not
stick to the ground?"

"Because," replied her father, "we are animate beings, and have the
power of motion, by which, to a limited degree, we overcome the
attraction of the earth."

"Well then, father," said Lucy, "if our power of motion can overcome the
attraction, why can not we jump a mile high as well as a foot?"

"Because," replied her father, "as I said before, we can only overcome
the attraction to a certain extent. As soon as the force our muscles
give to the jump is spent, the attraction of the earth pulls us back."

"Did Sir Isaac Newton think of all these things, because he saw the
apple fall?" inquired Lucy.

"Yes; of all these and many more. He was a man of great knowledge. The
name by which the force he discovered is generally known, is the
Attraction of Gravitation, and some time you will learn how this force
keeps the earth, and the sun, moon, and stars, all in their places."

* * * * *

LESSON XXXVI.

en'vy, _wish one's self in another's place_.

doffed, _took off, as an article of dress_.

blithe, _very happy; gay_.

fee, _what is received as pay for service done_.

boast, _object of pride_.

quoth, _spoke_.

hale, _in good health; strong_.

* * * * *

THE MILLER OF THE DEE.

There dwelt a miller, hale and bold,
Beside the river Dee;
He worked and sang from morn till night--
No lark so blithe as he;
And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be:
"I envy nobody--no, not I,
And nobody envies me!"

"Thou'rt wrong, my friend," said good King Hal;
"As wrong as wrong can be;
For could my heart be light as thine,
I'd gladly change with thee.
And tell me now, what makes thee sing,
With voice so loud and free.
While I am sad, though I'm a king,
Beside the river Dee?"

The miller smiled and doffed his cap:
"I earn my bread," quoth he;
"I love my wife, I love my friend,
I love my children three;
I owe no penny I can not pay;
I thank the river Dee,
That turns the mill that grinds the corn
That feeds my babes and me."

"Good friend," said Hal, and sighed the while,
"Farewell! and happy be!
But say no more, if thou'dst be true,
That no one envies thee.
Thy mealy cap is worth my crown;
Thy mill, my kingdom's fee;
Such men as thou are England's boast,
O miller of the Dee!"

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--In the second stanza of the lesson, _wrong_
becomes very _emphatic_ on account of _repetition_ (being repeated a
number of times). _My_ and _thine_, in the same stanza, are
_emphatic_ on account of _contrast_ (contrary meaning of the words).

Point out an example of _emphasis_ by _repetition_, and an example
of _emphasis_ by _contrast_, in the third stanza.

* * * * *

Language Lesson.--Hal = Harry = Henry.

Let pupils place _un_ before each of the following words, and give
their meaning.

changed burdened envied

* * * * *

LESSON XXXVII.

fero'cious, _savage; fierce_.

rosette', _an article made to resemble a rose_.

aban'doned, _left forever; given up_.

encoun'ter, _meet face to face_.

in'fluence, _power over others_.

keen, _sharp; piercing_.

reputa'tion, _what is known of a person_.

wit'ness, _see or know by personal presence_.

trail, _track; footsteps_.

alert', _on the watch; careful_.

* * * * *

THE JAGUAR.

The jaguar, or as he is sometimes called, the American tiger, is the
largest and most ferocious of the cat family found on this continent.

Some jaguars have been seen equal in size to the Asiatic tiger; but in
most cases the American, animal is smaller. He is strong enough,
however, to drag a horse or an ox to his den--sometimes to a long
distance; and this feat has been frequently observed.

The jaguar is found in all the tropical parts of North and South
America.

While he bears a considerable likeness to the tiger, both in shape and
habits, the markings of his skin are quite different. Instead of being
striped like the tiger, the skin of the jaguar is beautifully spotted.

Each spot resembles a rosette, and consists of a black ring with a
single dark-colored spot in the middle.

Jaguars are not always of the same color; some have skins of an orange
color, and these are the most beautiful. Others are lighter colored; and
some few have been seen that were very nearly white.

There, is a "black jaguar," which is thought to be of a different
species. It is larger and fiercer than the other kinds, and is found
only in South America.

This animal is more dreaded by the inhabitants than the other kinds and
is said always to attack man wherever it may encounter him. All the
other beasts fear it.

Its roar produces terror and confusion among them and causes them to
flee in every direction. It is never heard by the natives without a
feeling of fear, and no wonder; for a year does not pass without a
number of these people falling victims to its ferocity.

It is difficult for one living in a country where such fierce animals
are unknown, to believe that they have an influence over man, to such
an extent as to prevent his settling in a particular place; yet such is
the fact.

In many parts of South America, not only plantations, but whole
villages, have been abandoned solely from fear of the jaguars.

There are men, however, who can deal single-handed with the jaguar; and
who do not fear to attack the brute in its own haunts.

They do not trust to fire-arms, but to a sharp spear. On their left arm
they carry a strong shield.

This shield is held forward and is usually seized by the jaguar. While
it is busied with this, the hunter thrusts at the animal with his sharp
spear, and generally with deadly effect.

A traveler in South America relates the following incident as having
come under his observation:

"Desiring to witness a jaguar hunt, I employed two well-known Indian
hunters, and set out for the forest. The names of these hunters were
Nino and Guapo. Both of them had long been accustomed to hunt the
jaguar, and I felt perfectly safe in their company.

"Guapo, the larger of the two, was a man of wonderful muscular power,
and had the reputation of having at one time killed a black jaguar with
only a stout club.

"When all the preparations had been made for our start, we looked as if
we might capture all the jaguars that came in our way.

"Some hours after we had entered the forest, the quick eye of Guapo
discovered the trail of a large jaguar which he assured me was recently
made.

"Stopping for a moment, both Guapo and Nino looked carefully about in
every direction, and listened attentively, in order that they might see
or hear the animal if he were near.

"Then motioning me to follow at a little distance behind them, they
stepped off quietly in the direction of the trail, Guapo being about
thirty feet in advance of Nino.

"We went forward in this manner several hundred yards, not a word being
spoken, and the keen eyes of both the hunters constantly on the alert.

"Guapo, in the meantime, who seemed to have no fear and became more and
more excited as he approached to where he thought the animal must be,
had increased the distance between himself and Nino considerably.

[Illustration]

"Suddenly a terrific roar, and at the same time a cry of pain and a
shout, warned us that Guapo had met the jaguar.

"Nino bounded forward, and I followed as quickly as I could. A fearful
sight met our eyes!

"The jaguar, which had been hiding in the branches of a large tree, had
sprung down upon Guapo and fastened its terrible teeth in his thigh.

"With a shout filled with fury and determination, Nino at once sprung
forward and savagely attacked the beast with his spear.

"This caused the jaguar to let go its hold of Guapo, who, made furious
from the pain of the wound the animal had given him, turned, and with
his spear attacked it with a mad ferocity as savage as that of the
beast itself.

"In a moment all was over, and the jaguar lay dead at our feet. I
dressed Guapo's wound the best I could, while Nino took the skin from
the body of the animal, which proved to be nearly eight feet long.

"We returned very slowly to the village with the wounded man and our
prize. In a few weeks Guapo had entirely recovered from his wounds, and
was ready for another hunt."

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--Let pupils pronounce in concert, and singly,
the following words: _O, most, ferocious, only, whole, hold, slowly,
over, both, roar_.

What tone of voice should be used in reading this lesson?

* * * * *

Language Lesson.--Place _re_ before each of the following words, and
then give the meaning of each.

turned told join capture call

* * * * *

LESSON XXXVIII.

dikes, _high banks of earth_.

con'tra ry, _quite different from what is usual_.

dis as'trous, _causing great loss or suffering_.

keels, _strong timbers extending along the bottom of boats_.

stork, _a kind of bird_.

bus'tle, _quick and excited motion_.

mire, _soft and wet earth_.

scorn'ing, _turning from any thing as if of no value_.

sat'u rat ed, _wet through and through_.

moored, _tied fast, as a ship to land_.

slouched, _hung down_.

mim'ic, _copied in a smaller form_.

* * * * *

HOLLAND.

PART I.

Holland is one of the queerest countries under the sun. It should be
called Odd-land, or Contrary-land; for, in nearly every thing, it is
different from other parts of the world.

In the first place, a large portion of the country is lower than the
level of the sea. Great dikes have been built at a heavy cost of money
and labor, to keep the ocean where it belongs.

On certain parts of the coast it sometimes leans with all its weight
against the land, and it is as much as the poor country can do to stand
the pressure.

Sometimes the dikes give way, or spring a leak, and the most disastrous
results follow. They are high and wide, and the tops of some of them are
covered with buildings and trees. They have even fine public roads upon
them, from which horses may look down upon wayside cottages.

Often the keels of floating ships are higher than the roofs of the
dwellings. The stork, on the house-peak, may feel that her nest is
lifted far out of danger, but the croaking frog in the neighboring
bulrushes is nearer the stars than she.

Water-bugs dart backward and forward above the heads of the chimney
swallows; and willow-trees seem drooping with shame, because they can
not reach so high as the reeds near by.

Ditches, canals, ponds, rivers, and lakes are every-where to be seen.
High, but not dry, they shine in the sunlight, catching nearly all the
bustle and the business, quite scorning the tame fields, stretching
damply beside them. One is tempted to ask: "Which is Holland--the shores
or the water?"

The very verdure that should be confined to the land has made a mistake
and settled upon the fish ponds. In fact the entire country is a kind of
saturated sponge, or, as the English poet Butler called it--

"A land that rides at anchor, and is moored,
In which they do not live, but go aboard."

Persons are born, live, and die, and even have their gardens on
canal-boats. Farmhouses, with roofs like great slouched hats pulled over
their eyes, stand on wooden legs, with a tucked up sort of air, as if to
say, "We intend to keep dry if we can."

Even the horses wear a wide stool on each hoof to lift them out of the
mire.

It is a glorious country in summer for bare-footed girls and boys. Such
wadings! Such mimic ship sailing! Such rowing, fishing, and swimming!
Only think of a chain of puddles where one can launch chip boats all
day long, and never make a return trip!

But enough. A full recital would set all Young America rushing in a body
toward the Zuyder Zee.

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--In reading the first line of page 187, there
will be a slight rising of the voice after each of the words,
_ditches', canals', ponds', rivers'_, and a slight falling of the voice
after _lakes'_.[11]

This rising or falling of the voice is called _inflection_, and may be
indicated as above.

Language Lesson.--What is the meaning of "Young America"?

[11] See paragraph 7.

* * * * *

LESSON XXXIX.

freight, _cargo; that which forms a load_.

convey'ance, _the act of carrying_.

jum'ble, _a number of things crowded together without order_.

bobbed, _cut off short_.

bewil'dering, _confusing_.

gild'ed, _covered with a thin, surface of gold_.

yoked, _joined together with harness_.

rare'ly, _not often_.

impris'oned, _shut up or confined, as in a prison_.

clat'tering, _making a loud noise_.

* * * * *

HOLLAND.

PART II.

Dutch cities seem, at first sight, to be a bewildering jumble of
houses, bridges, churches, and ships, sprouting into masts, steeples,
and trees. In some cities boats are hitched, like horses, to their
owners' door-posts, and receive their freight from the upper windows.

[Illustration]

Mothers scream to their children not to swing on the garden gate for
fear they may be drowned. Water roads are more frequent there than
common roads and railroads; water-fences, in the form of lazy green
ditches, inclose pleasure-ground, farm, and garden.

Sometimes fine green hedges are seen; but wooden fences, such as we
have in America, are rarely met with in Holland. As for stone fences, a
Hollander would lift his hands with astonishment at the very idea.

There is no stone there excepting those great masses of rock that have
been brought from other lands to strengthen and protect the coast.

All the small stones or pebbles, if there ever were any, seem to be
imprisoned in pavements, or quite melted away. Boys, with strong, quick
arms, may grow from aprons to full beards without ever finding one to
start the water-rings, or set the rabbits flying.

The water roads are nothing less than canals crossing the country in
every direction. These are of all sizes, from the great North Holland
Ship Canal, which is the wonder of the world, to those which a boy can
leap.

Water-omnibuses constantly ply up and down these roads for the
conveyance of passengers; and water-drays are used for carrying fuel and
merchandise.

Instead of green country lanes, green canals stretch from field to barn,
and from barn to garden; and the farms are merely great lakes pumped
dry. Some of the busiest streets are water, while many of the country
roads are paved with brick.

The city boats, with their rounded sterns, gilded bows, and gayly-painted
sides, are unlike any others under the sun; a Dutch wagon with its
funny little crooked pole is a perfect mystery of mysteries.

One thing is clear, you may think that the inhabitants need never be
thirsty. But no, Odd-land is true to itself still. With the sea pushing
to get in, and the lakes struggling to get out, and the overflowing
canals, rivers, and ditches, in many districts there is no water that is
fit to swallow.

Our poor Hollanders must go dry, or send far inland for that precious
fluid, older than Adam, yet young as the morning dew.

Sometimes, indeed, the inhabitants can swallow a shower, when they are
provided with any means of catching it; but generally they are like the
sailors told of in a famous poem, who saw

"Water, water, every-where,
Nor any drop to drink!"

Great flapping windmills all over the country make it look as if flocks
of huge sea birds were just settling upon it. Every-where one sees the
funniest trees, bobbed into all sorts of odd shapes, with their trunks
painted a dazzling' white, yellow, or red.

Horses are often yoked three abreast. Men, women, and children, go
clattering about in wooden shoes with loose heels.

Husbands and wives lovingly harness themselves side by side on the bank
of the canal and drag their produce to market.

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--Let pupils practice upon the inflections
marked in the following

Model.--Houses', bridges', churches', and ships', sprouting into
masts', steeples', and trees'.

Which words take the _falling inflection_?

* * * * *

LESSON XL.

whisk'ing, _pulling suddenly and with force_.

lus'ti er, _stronger; louder_.

of fend'ed, _made angry_.

fa mil'iar, _friendly; as of a friend_.

ma'tron ly, _elderly; motherly_.

com mo'tion, _noise; confusion_.

pant'ed, _breathed quickly_.

sa lute', _greeting_.

mute, _silent; unable to speak_.

stur'dy, _strong; powerful_.

ker'chiefs, _pieces of cloth worn about the head_.

a do', _trouble; delay_.

in'mates, _the persons in a house_.

* * * * *

THE WIND IN A FROLIC.

The wind one morning sprung up from sleep,
Saying, "Now for a frolic! Now for a leap!
Now for a madcap galloping chase!
I'll make a commotion in every place!"

So it swept with a bustle right through a great town,
Creaking the signs and scattering down
Shutters, and whisking with merciless squalls,
Old women's bonnets and gingerbread stalls.
There never was heard a much lustier shout,
As the apples and oranges tumbled about.

Then away to the fields it went blustering and humming,
And the cattle all wondered whatever was coming.
It pulled by their tails the grave, matronly cows,
And tossed the colts' manes all about their brows,
Till, offended at such a familiar salute,
They all turned their backs and stood silently mute.

So on it went, capering and playing its pranks;
Whistling with reeds on the broad river banks;
Puffing the birds, as they sat on the spray,
Or the traveler grave on the king's highway.
It was not too nice to hustle the bags
Of the beggar, and flutter his dirty rags.
'Twas so bold that it feared not to play its joke
With the doctor's wig, and the gentleman's cloak.

Through the forest it roared, and cried gayly, "Now
You sturdy old oaks, I'll make you bow!"
And it made them bow without more ado,
Or it cracked their great branches through and through.

Then it rushed like a monster o'er cottage and farm,
Striking their inmates with sudden alarm;
And they ran out like bees in a midsummer swarm.
There were dames with their kerchiefs tied over their caps,
To see if their poultry were free from mishaps;
The turkeys they gobbled, the geese screamed aloud,
And the hens crept to roost in a terrified crowd;
There was raising of ladders, and logs laying on,
Where the thatch from the roof threatened soon to be gone.

But the wind had passed on, and had met in a lane
With a school-boy, who panted and struggled in vain;
For it tossed him, and whirled him, then passed, and he stood
With his hat in a pool, and his shoe in the mud.

Then away went the wind in its holiday glee,
And now it was far on the billowy sea;
And the lordly ships felt its powerful blow,
And the little boats darted to and fro.

But, lo! it was night, and it sunk to rest
On the sea-birds' rock in the gleaming west,
Laughing to think, in its frolicsome fun,
How little of mischief it really had done.

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--Let some pupil in the class state the manner
in which the lesson should be read.

Point out four lines that should be read more quietly than the rest of
the lesson.

Vary the reading by having parts of lesson read as a concert exercise.

What effect has the repetition of the word _now_, in the second and
third lines?

* * * * *

Language Lesson.--Let pupils write six sentences, each containing one
of the following words, used in such a manner as to show its proper
meaning: _right, write; reed, read; tied, tide_.

Let pupils make out an _analysis_ of the lesson, and use it in
giving the story in their own words.

* * * * *

LESSON XLI.

veg e ta'tion, _every thing that grows out of the ground_.

meth'od, _way; manner_.

ta'per ing, _growing smaller toward the end_.

men'tioned, _spoken of_.

struct'ure, _arrangement of parts; a building of any kind_.

marsh'y, _wet_.

swamp, _low ground filled with water_.

sprung, _started; begun_.

* * * * *

SOMETHING ABOUT PLANTS.

The name plant belongs in a general way to all vegetation, from the
tiniest spear of grass or creeping flower one sees on the rocks by the
brook-side, to the largest and tallest of forest trees.

Plants are divided into numerous groups of families, and the study of
the many species belonging to each family, is very interesting.

There are thousands of kinds of grasses, shrubs, and trees, scattered
over the different parts of the earth, and the larger portion of them
are in some way useful to mankind.

In speaking of grasses, we are apt to think only of the grass in the
meadows, which is the food for our horses and cattle; but there are
other kinds of grasses which are just as important to man as the grass
of the meadow is to the beast. These are oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn,
and others, all of which belong to the grass family.

Perhaps it appears strange to you to hear wheat and corn called grass,
and you ask how can that be.

In the first place, all plants that have the same general form and
method of growth, belong to the same family.

Now, if you will pull up a stalk of grass and a stalk of wheat or rye
and compare them, you will find that they are alike in all important
respects.

The roots of each look like a little bundle of strings or fibers, and
are therefore called fibrous; the stalks you will find jointed and
hollow; and the leaves are long and narrow, tapering to a point at their
ends.

Then, if you examine the seeds, you will see that they are placed near
together and form what we call an ear or head, as in an ear of corn, or
a head of wheat.

This same general form or structure applies to every one of the plants
belonging to the grass family; and in this family are included all the
different kinds of canes and reeds that grow in swamps and marshy
places, as well as the bamboo of the tropics.

Shrubs are those plants which have woody stems and branches. They are
generally of small size, rarely reaching over twenty feet in height.
Small shrubs are usually called bushes.

In this class of plants, the branches generally start close to the
ground, and in some cases, a little below the surface of the ground,
rising and spreading out in all directions.

The common currant bushes, blackberry bushes, and rose bushes which we
see in gardens, are shrubs.

So also are grape-vines, honeysuckles, ivy, and all other creeping
vines. These are called climbing plants, because little tendrils or
claspers which grow out of their branches, wind around and fasten
themselves to any thing in their way.

Trees are the largest and strongest of all plants.

They have woody stems or trunks, and branches. These branches do not, as
in shrubs, start close to the ground, but at some distance above, from
which height they extend in different directions.

It is difficult to believe that some of the large trees we see, sprung
from small seeds; yet it is true that all trees started in this manner.

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