Reading Made Easy for Foreigners Third Reader by John L. Huelshof

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READING MADE EASY FOR FOREIGNERS

Third Reader

BY

JOHN L. HUeLSHOF

TEACHER OF MODERN LANGUAGES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OF NEW YORK CITY

HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE

31-33-35 West 15th Street, New York City

COPYRIGHT, 1909,

BY

HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE

PREFACE

This Reader is intended more particularly for pupils in Class A of the
public evening schools.

The pupils of this class may be considered as having passed the
transition stage of which mention was made in the Second Reader, and as
having entered upon the last stage in acquiring the English language.

They have not only acquired a considerable vocabulary, but have now a
practical mastery of our vernacular. They use English in their
conversation; in short, they have acquired the power of expressing
their feelings and thoughts in the English language. Notwithstanding
all this, they are conscious of the fact that their _language_ is less
idiomatic than that of the native born, and their power over the
written expression is wofully weak.

To remedy these defects, they flock to the evening schools. They have
decided to make this country their permanent home, and they are deeply
interested in everything appertaining to our government, our
institutions, our literature, in fact our civilization.

A glance at the contents of this reader will convince the experienced
teacher that the reading material is many-sided enough to satisfy the
demands of both teacher and pupils.

That this series of readers may become a powerful incentive in
implanting right ideals of social conduct, and lay the foundation of
true American citizenship, is the heartfelt wish of

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

REMARKS TO THE TEACHER

LESSONS.

I. FLAG DAY
II. BREATHE PURE AIR
III. COFFEE
IV. OUR NATIONAL FLAG
V. PRESS ON
VI. RESIGNATION
VII. STATUE OF LIBERTY IN NEW YORK HARBOR
VIII. INDEPENDENCE
IX. NEWFOUNDLAND
X. THE USE OF TRIFLES
XI. ROSA BONHEUR
XII. ALEXANDER AND THE ROBBER
XIII. THE AMERICAN INDIAN
XIV. THE FIRST STEAMBOAT
XV. KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION
XVI. TACT AND TALENT
XVII. GEORGE WASHINGTON, PART I
XVIII. BEHAVIOR
XIX. ESSENCE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
XX. THE ART OF OBSERVATION
XXI. LETTERS
XXII. REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
XXIII. ALI BABA
XXIV. BIRDS
XXV. SLEEP
XXVI. CURIOUS BIRDS' NESTS
XXVII. BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS
XXVIII. ABBREVIATIONS OF NAMES OF STATES
XXIX. THE SUN
XXX. IVORY
XXXI. FLOWERS
XXXII. THE MOSQUITO
XXXIII. SELF-RELIANCE
XXXIV. FRANKLIN'S TOAST
XXXV. HUMANITY REWARDED
XXXVI. WORK PROCLAIMS A WORKMAN
XXXVII. REPUBLICS
XXXVIII. FALSE NOTIONS OF LIBERTY
XXXIX. THE VOICE
XL. THE INTREPID YOUTH
XLI. AUTUMN
XLII. WORDS AND THEIR MEANING
XLIII. HOW TO SELECT A BOY
XLIV. SALT
XLV. STUDIES
XLVI. RULES OF BEHAVIOR
XLVII. USING THE EYES
XLVIII. THE AFFECTION AND REVERENCE DUE A MOTHER
XLIX. WHEAT
L. COUNTENANCE AND CHARACTER
LI. THE VALUE OF TIME
LII. THE STUDY OF CIVICS
LIII. THE SEA AND ITS USES
LIV. WONDERLAND
LV. OUR COUNTRY TO-DAY, PART I
LVI. OUR COUNTRY TO-DAY, PART II
LVII. PICTURES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY
LVIII. THOMAS A. EDISON
LIX. ABRAHAM LINCOLN
LX. ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE DEDICATION OF
THE CEMETERY AT GETTYSBURG
LXI. WAGES
LXII. LOVE FOR THE DEAD
LXIII. ECONOMY OF TIME
LXIV. GEORGE STEPHENSON, THE ENGINEER
LXV. GEORGE WASHINGTON, PART II
LXVI. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
LXVII. NOBILITY REWARDED

POETRY

SELECTION.

I. A CITY STREET
II. THE SHIP OF STATE
III. BE TRUE
IV. BRING BACK MY FLOWERS
V. "OLD IRONSIDES"
VI. TREASURE TROVE
VII. THE HERITAGE
VIII. THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER
IX. THE SWORD OF BUNKER HILL
X. THE HUNTERS
XI. MY FATHERLAND
XII. WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE
XIII. PRAYER IN BATTLE
XIV. THE RETORT
XV. A PSALM OF LIFE
XVI. THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET
XVII. OFT IN THE STILLY NIGHT
XVIII. THE PICKET OF THE POTOMAC
XIX. COLUMBIA, THE GEM OF THE OCEAN; OR,
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
XX. RECESSIONAL
XXI. HUMAN PROGRESS
XXII. GIVE ME THE PEOPLE

MISCELLANEOUS

CHARACTERISTIC OF HEROISM CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE FREEDOM OF THOUGHT USEFUL INFORMATION WISE SAYINGS

REMARKS TO THE TEACHER

Complete answers should be given by the pupils. The simple words "yes"
or "no" do not constitute an answer in these exercises; such
expressions give no practice in the use of the language.

The teacher should prepare himself thoroughly for each lesson in order
to ask many pointed questions relative to the reading matter.

The entire time spent in reading the lesson and questioning the class
should not exceed thirty minutes. Too much detail will only confuse
and fatigue the pupils. Five or six words that present any difficulty
_either in spelling or pronunciation_ may be selected from the reading
lesson for dictation. Such words should not be given singly, but
rather in short sentences.

These sentences may first be read by the class from the blackboard and
then copied. After new slips have been distributed, the same sentences
should then be written from dictation (the writing on the blackboard
being covered or erased in the meantime). The pupils are afterwards
required to compare their work with that on the board and make the
necessary corrections themselves.

READING MADE EASY FOR FOREIGNERS

THIRD READER

LESSON I

FLAG DAY

In this fair land of ours you can see the Stars and Stripes floating
over every public school. This beautiful flag stands for our country.
Every American is proud of his country's flag. It stands for all that
is good and dear to an American. It stands for Liberty. It proclaims
liberty to all. Every star stands for liberty. Every stripe stands
for liberty. It stands for liberty of thought and liberty of speech as
well.

The first American flag was made in June, 1777, by Mrs. Ross, in the
city of Philadelphia. When General Washington saw the flag, he was
delighted with it. Every American is not only delighted with it, but
he loves the dear old flag. The fourteenth day of June of each year is
set apart as Flag Day.

"_I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands;
one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all_."

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABOVE LESSON ACCORDING TO THE RATIONAL METHOD.

_See Remarks to the Teacher, Page vii_.

What kind of a land is ours? What is meant by the stars and stripes?
Over what buildings do we see the flag floating? What kind of a flag
is it? For what does our flag stand? For what else does it stand?
What does our flag proclaim? Who is proud of the flag? What does our
flag tell to all the people? How many stars are there in the flag?
For what does each star stand? When was the first American flag made?
By whom was it made? In what city was it made? What did Washington
think of it when he saw it? How do we Americans look upon the flag?
When is Flag Day? etc., etc.

DICTATION EXERCISES

_See Remarks to the Teacher, Page vii_.

Our country has a _beautiful_ flag. This flag _proclaims_ or declares
liberty to the people. I am _delighted_ with my country's flag. I
pledge _allegiance_ or _fidelity_ to my flag. Our nation is
_indivisible_; it cannot be parted.

SELECTION I

A CITY STREET

I love the woods, the fields, the streams,
The wild flowers fresh and sweet,
And yet I love no less than these
The crowded city street;
For haunts of men, where'er they be,
Awake my deepest sympathy.

I see within the city street
Life's most extreme estates;
The gorgeous domes of palaces;
The dismal prison gates;
The hearths by household virtues blest,
The dens that are the serpent's nest.

I see the rich man, proudly fed
And richly clothed, pass by;
I see the shivering, houseless wretch
With hunger in his eye;
For life's severest contrasts meet
Forever in the city street.

Hence is it that a city street
Can deepest thoughts impart,
For all its people, high and low,
Are kindred to my heart;
And with a yearning love I share
In all their joy, their pain, their care.

_Mary Howitt_.

_Questions_: Can you put this little poem in prose? Tell what you
admire in nature. Then tell what you observe in the city. Tell about
the rich and where they live. Also about the poor and how they are
housed and clothed. Let us write a composition together.

LESSON II

BREATHE PURE AIR

Some boys were playing hide-and-seek one day, when one of their number
thought it would be good sport to hide little Robert in a large empty
trunk. He did so and then turned the key in the lock. The little
fellow in the chest was very quiet indeed, and they almost forgot about
him. After some time they thought of him and some one went to the
trunk and asked: "Hello, Robert. Do you want to come out now?" No
answer came. They opened the trunk and found poor little Robert nearly
dead. The doctor had to be called, and he worked long and hard to
restore the poor boy to health.

The air which we breathe out is not fit to be breathed in again. We
soon use up, in this way, all the pure air about us. So we must have a
fresh supply. As soon as Robert had breathed in all the good air that
was in the trunk, there was nothing left but poisoned air. If fresh
air had not been given to him by opening the trunk, he could not have
lived three minutes longer.

Nothing is so needful to health as good, pure air. Whether you are in
the schoolroom or in the house, remember this. Bad air is so much
poison, and the more we breathe it the worse it gets. The poison is
carbonic acid, and to breathe it long is certain death.

Not many years ago, during a storm at sea, a stupid sea-captain ordered
his passengers to go below in the hold of the vessel. Then he covered
up the hold, so that no fresh air could enter. When the storm was over
he opened the hold, and found that seventy human beings had died for
want of pure air.

Through his gross ignorance of the laws of life, he had done all this
mischief. Remember what I say: insist on having good air; for impure
air, though it may not always kill you, is always bad for your health.

LESSON III

COFFEE

Coffee is made from the berries of a tree called the coffee plant, or
coffee tree. This tree grows in some of the hot countries of the
world, as Brazil, Cuba, Arabia, and Java. The best coffee comes from
Arabia. But most of the coffee that is used in this country comes from
Brazil.

When first known, the coffee tree was a wild shrub growing among the
hills of Caffa, in the northeastern part of Africa. But when people
learned what a pleasant drink could be made from its berries, they
began to take it into other countries, where they cultivated it with
much care.

There is an old story told of a shepherd who, it is said, was the first
to use this drink. He noticed that after his goats had fed on the
leaves of a certain tree--the coffee plant--they were always very
lively and wakeful. So he took some of the leaves and berries of the
plant, and boiling them in water, he made a drink for himself. He
found it so pleasant to the taste that he told some of his neighbors
about it. They tried it and were as much pleased as himself. And so,
little by little, the drink came, after a while, into common use.

The coffee plant is a beautiful little tree, growing sometimes to the
height of twenty feet. It has smooth, dark leaves, long and pointed.
It has pretty, white blossoms, which grow in thick clusters close to
the branches. Its fruit looks a little like a cherry; and within it
are the coffee berries, two in each cherry.

When ripe, the red fruit turns to a deep purple and is sweet to the
taste. In Arabia the fruit is allowed to fall on mats placed under the
trees; but in other countries it is commonly gathered as soon as it is
ripe, and it is then dried by being placed on mats in the sun.

After the outside part has been removed the berries are again dried.
They are then put in sacks and boxes to be sent into other parts of the
world.

LESSON IV

OUR NATIONAL FLAG

There is a national flag. He must be cold indeed who can look upon its
folds rippling in the breeze without pride of country. If he be in a
foreign land, the flag is companionship and country itself with all its
endearments. Who, as he sees it, can think of a state merely? Whose
eyes, once fastened upon it, can fail to recognize the image of the
whole nation? It has been called a "floating piece of poetry."

Its highest beauty is in what it symbolizes. It is because it
represents all, that all gaze at it with delight and reverence. It is
a piece of bunting lifted in the air, but it speaks sublimely, and
every part has a voice. Its stripes of alternate red and white
proclaim the original union of thirteen states. Its stars of white on
a field of blue proclaim the union of the states. A new star is added
with every new state. The very colors have a language, which was
understood by our fathers.

White is for purity, red for valor, blue for justice. Thus the
bunting, stripes and stars together, make the flag of our
country--loved by all our hearts and upheld by all our hands.

SELECTION II

THE SHIP OF STATE

Thou, too, sail on, O ship of State!
Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity, with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate.

We know what Master laid thy keel,
What Workman wrought thy ribs of steel,
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
In what forge and what a heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!

Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
'Tis of the wave, and not the rock;
'Tis but the flapping of the sail,
And not a rent made by the gale.
In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore,
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea.
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee;
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee,--are all with thee.

_H. W. Longfellow_.

LESSON V

"PRESS ON"

This is a speech, brief, but full of inspiration, and opening the way
to all victory. The secret of Napoleon's career was this,--under all
difficulties and discouragements, "Press on." It solves the problem of
all heroes; it is the rule by which to weigh rightly all wonderful
successes and triumphal marches to fortune and genius. It should be
the motto of all, old and young, high and low, fortunate and
unfortunate, so called.

"Press on." Never despair; never be discouraged, however stormy the
heavens, however dark the way; however great the difficulties, and
repeated the failures, "Press on."

If fortune hath played false with thee today, do thou play true for
thyself to-morrow. If thy riches have taken wings and left thee, do
not weep thy life away; but be up and doing, and retrieve the loss by
new energies and action. If an unfortunate bargain has deranged thy
business, do not fold thy arms, and give up all as lost; but stir
thyself and work the more vigorously.

If those whom thou hast trusted have betrayed thee, do not be
discouraged, do not idly weep, but "_Press on_." Find others: or, what
is better, learn to live within thyself. Let the foolishness of
yesterday make thee wise to-day.

LESSON VI

RESIGNATION

Rabbi Meir, the great teacher, sat one Sabbath day in the school of the
holy law, and taught the people. The rabbi had two sons, who were
youths of great promise and well instructed in the law. On that
Sabbath day they both died.

Tenderly their mother bore them to an upper chamber, laid them on her
bed, and spread a white sheet over their bodies.

In the evening Rabbi Meir came home. "Where are my sons," asked he,
"that I may give them my blessing?"

"They are gone into the school of the law," was his wife's reply.

"I looked around me," said he, "and I did not see them."

She set before him a cup; he praised the Lord for the close of the
Sabbath, drank, and then asked again, "Where are my sons, that they may
also drink of the wine of blessing?"

"They cannot be far off," said his wife, as she placed food before him
and begged him to eat.

When he had given thanks after the meal, she said, "Rabbi, allow me a
question."

"Speak, my beloved," answered he.

"Some time ago," said she, "a certain one gave me jewels to keep for
him, and now he asks them back. Shall I give him them?"

"My wife should not need to ask such a question," said Rabbi Meir.
"Would you hesitate to give anyone back his own?"

"Oh, no," replied she, "but I did not like to give them back without
your knowing beforehand." Then she led him to the upper chamber,
stepped in, and took the covering off the bodies.

"Oh, my sons," sobbed the father, "my sons, my sons!" The mother
turned herself away and wept.

Soon, however, his wife took him by the hand and said: "Rabbi, have you
not taught me that we must not refuse to give back what was intrusted
to us to keep? See, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: the
name of the Lord be blessed."

And Rabbi Meir repeated the words, and said from the depths of his
heart, "Amen."

LESSON VII

STATUE OF LIBERTY IN NEW YORK HARBOR

"Liberty," or Bartholdi's statue, was presented to the United States by
the French people in 1885. It is the largest statue ever built. The
great French sculptor Bartholdi made it after the likeness of his
mother. Eight years were consumed in the construction of this gigantic
image. Its size is really enormous. The height of the figure alone is
fully one hundred and fifty feet. Forty persons can find standing room
within the mighty head, which is fifteen feet in diameter. A six-foot
man, standing upon the lower lip, can hardly reach the eyes of the
colossal head. The index finger is eight feet long, and the nose is
over three feet long. Yet the proportion of all the parts of the
figure is so well preserved that the whole statue is in perfect harmony.

The materials of which the statue is composed are copper and steel.
The immense torch which is held in the hand of the giantess is three
hundred feet above tidewater.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a pigmy compared with this huge wonder.

LESSON VIII

INDEPENDENCE

Scholars, who are enjoying the priceless blessings of that liberty
which cost our forefathers so much treasure and so much blood,--have
you read the Declaration of Independence? If you have not, read it; if
you have, read it again; study it; make its noble sentiments your own,
and do not fail to grave deep in your memories these immortal lines:--

"We hold these truths to be self-evident; That all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;
that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles,
and organizing its powers in such forms, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their safety and happiness."

SELECTION III

BE TRUE

Thou must be true thyself,
If thou the truth wouldst teach;
Thy soul must overflow, if thou
Another's soul would'st reach;
It needs the overflow of hearts
To give the lips full speech.

Think truly, and thy thoughts
Shall the world's famine feed;
Speak truly, and each word of thine
Shall be a fruitful seed;
Live truly, and thy life shall be
A great and noble creed.

_Anonymous_.

LESSON IX

NEWFOUNDLAND

Newfoundland is an island about the size of New York State. It belongs
to England. The cod fisheries there are very extensive.

The people of Newfoundland are strong, healthy and industrious. They
are law-abiding, and serious; crime is very rare among them. Their
kindness and hospitality to strangers who visit the country are
proverbial. Kindness to the poor and unfortunate is a marked feature
in the character of the people. When business is poor they are ready
to share their last morsel with those in distress.

The fishermen are the working classes of the country. During the
height of the fishery season, and when fish are abundant, their labors
are severe; but during winter they are for the most part in a condition
of enforced idleness. Much of the work of curing the fish is done by
women and girls, and their labors are often very heavy. When the
fisheries are over, there are boats, nets, etc., to repair, stages to
look after, and fuel to be cut in the woods and hauled over the snow.

If the fishery has been successful, then the fisherman has a balance
coming to him after paying for his summer supplies, and is enabled to
lay in a stock of provisions for the winter.

Winter is the season for enjoyment among the fishermen. This season
for fireside enjoyments, home-born pleasures, is welcome. They have
their simple social enjoyments of various kinds. Dancing is a favorite
winter amusement among the fishermen and their families. Weddings are
celebrated with great festivity.

Newfoundland is often regarded as the very paradise of sportsmen. Its
countless lakes and ponds abound with trout of the finest description,
and these bodies of water are the abodes of the wild goose, the wild
duck, and other fresh-water fowl.

The pine forests are the home of numerous wild animals. The fox, the
bear and the caribou furnish the highest prizes for the hunter.

SELECTION IV

BRING BACK MY FLOWERS

A child sat by a limpid stream,
And gazed upon the tide beneath;
Upon her cheek was joy's bright beam,
And on her brow a blooming wreath.
Her lap was filled with fragrant flowers,
And, as the clear brook babbled by,
She scattered down the rosy showers,
With many a wild and joyous cry,
And laughed to see the mingling tide
Upon its onward progress glide.

And time flew on, and flower by flower
Was cast upon the sunny stream;
But when the shades of eve did lower,
She woke up from her blissful dream.
"Bring back my flowers!" she wildly cried;
"Bring back the flowers I flung to thee!"
But echo's voice alone replied,
As danced the streamlet down the lea;
And still, amid night's gloomy hours,
In vain she cried, "Bring back my flowers!"

O maiden, who on time's swift stream
Dost gayly see the moments flee,
In this poor child's delusive dream
An emblem may be found of thee.
Each moment is a perfumed rose,
Into thy hand by mercy given,
That thou its fragrance might dispose
And let its incense rise to heaven;
Else when death's shadow o'er thee lowers,
Thy heart will wail, "Bring back my flowers!"

_Lucy Larcom_.

LESSON X

THE USE OF TRIFLES

A certain painter once said he had become great in his art by never
neglecting trifles. It would be well for all of us to follow that
simple and easy rule. No man's house but would be more comfortable,
and no family but would be more cheerful, if the value of trifles and
the art of using them were better understood. Attention to trifles is
the true art of economy.

We must, however, take care not to confound economy with parsimony.
The former means a frugal and judicious use of things without waste,
the latter a too close and sparing use of things needed. Now a person
who understands the use of little things is economical; for instance.
If you wipe a pen before you put it away it will last twice as long as
if you do not.

Generally the habits we acquire in our youth we carry with us into old
age; hence the necessity of proper training in childhood. A woman who
attends to trifles and has habits of economy will not hastily throw
away bits of cotton or worsted, nor will she waste soap by letting it
lie in the water. She will keep an eye to the pins and matches,
knowing that the less often such things are bought, the more is saved.
She will not think it above her care to mend the clothes or darn the
stockings, remembering that "_a stitch in time saves nine_."

LESSON XI

ROSA BONHEUR

Rosa Bonheur was born at Bordeaux, France, the daughter of a painter.
Her father was her first teacher in art.

At an early age, when most children draw in an aimless way, her father
guided his little girl's efforts with his own experienced hand. He
taught her to study and sketch from nature instead of relying on copies.

As a child she cared nothing for dolls and toys, but loved animals
dearly. Is it any wonder, then, that she took them for her subject
when she began to paint?

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