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have them read before the class. After the reading, let pupils make
oral _analyses_. The stories should be short, and the exercise
conducted without the use of pencils or paper.
* * * * *
LESSON LXXI.
en'sign, _flag_.
dis man'tled, _stripped of masts, sails, and guns_.
pa tri ot'ic, _full of love for one's country_.
hulk, _a dismantled ship_.
frig'ate, _a ship of war_.
tat'tered, _torn_.
me'te or, _a fiery body in the heavens_.
van'quished, _conquered; overcome_.
har'pies, _destroyers_.
manned, _supplied with men_.
* * * * *
OLD IRONSIDES.
During our second war with Great Britain, which began in the year 1812,
many battles were fought both on land and sea.
Among the ships of war belonging to the United States Government, was a
frigate named the Constitution. She was built about the beginning of
the present century, and owing to her good fortune in many engagements,
her seamen gave her the name of "Old Ironsides."
She was in active service throughout the entire war, and captured five
ships of war from the British, two of which were frigates.
In all her service, her success was remarkable. She never lost her
masts, never went ashore, and though so often in battle, no very serious
loss of life ever occurred on her decks. Her entire career was that of
what is called in the navy "a lucky ship."
Perhaps this may be explained by the fact that she always had excellent
commanders, and that she probably possessed as fine a ship's company as
ever manned a frigate.
In 1829, the Government ordered the Constitution to be dismantled and
taken to pieces, because she had become unfit for service.
At that time, Oliver Wendell Holmes, who has since become famous as a
writer, was a young man twenty years of age, about completing his
studies at Harvard College.
When he heard of the intended destruction of "Old Ironsides," he went
directly to his room, and, inspired by patriotic feelings, wrote the
following poem.
OLD IRONSIDES.
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout
And burst the cannons' roar:
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victors' tread,
Or know the conquered knee:
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
O, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave!--
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave.
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning, and the gale!
The effect of this poem upon the people was so great that a general
outcry arose against the destruction of the gallant old ship.
The Government was induced to reconsider its determination. The old ship
was saved, repaired, and for many years has delighted the eyes of
thousands of people who have visited her.
At present, she is used as a receiving-ship at the United States Navy
Yard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--With what tone of voice should the prose part
of the lesson be read?
Read the poetry--first, slowly and quietly; then, in a loud tone of
voice, expressing the feeling of anger.
Which method of reading the poem do the pupils prefer?
Which do they think represents the poet's feelings?
Let pupils pronounce in concert, and singly, the following words: _hero,
year, people, deep, eagle, knee, serious, meteor, complete, pieces_.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils point out and explain the unusual
expressions found in the first two stanzas, writing out a list of the
changes made.
* * * * *
LESSON LXXII.
ver'tic al, _upright_.
cat'a ract, _a great fall of water over a precipice_.
pro vis'ions, _stock of food_.
con struct'ed, _made; formed_.
in cred'i ble, _not easily believed_.
sta'tion a ry, _not moving; fixed_.
ex tinct', _inactive; dead_.
de pos'it, _that which is laid or thrown down_.
ap'er ture, _an opening_.
di am'e ter, _distance across or through_.
com pris'es, _includes; contains_.
* * * * *
NATURAL WONDERS OF AMERICA.
PART I.
Within the vast extent of territory belonging to the United States,
there are many wonderful natural curiosities which attract visitors from
all parts of the world.
A short description of some of the principal attractions is here given,
with the hope that many who read this lesson, may at some time visit a
part or all that are noticed.
GEYSERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
The Yellowstone Park is a tract of country fifty-five by sixty-five
miles in extent, lying mainly in the northwest corner of the Territory
of Wyoming, but including a narrow belt in southern Montana. It
contains nearly thirty-six hundred square miles, and is nearly three
times as large as the State of Rhode Island. No equal extent of country
on the globe comprises such a union of grand and wonderful scenery.
Numerous hot springs, steam jets, and extinct geyser cones exist in the
Yellowstone basin. Just beyond the western rim of the basin, lies the
grand geyser region of Fire-Hole River.
Scattered along both banks of this stream are boiling springs from two
to twelve feet across, all in active operation.
One of the most noted geysers of this district is "Old Faithful." It
stands on a mound thirty feet high, the crater rising some six feet
higher still.
The eruptions take place about once an hour, and continue fifteen or
twenty minutes, the column of water shooting upward with terrific force,
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet.
The great mass of water falls directly back into the basin, flowing over
the edges and down the sides in large streams. When the action ceases,
the water recedes from sight, and nothing is heard but an occasional
escape of steam until another eruption occurs.
[Illustration]
Just across the river and close to the margin, a small conical mound is
observed, about three feet high, and five feet in diameter at the base.
No one would suspect it to be an active geyser. But in 1871, a column of
water entirely filling the crater shot from it, which by actual
measurement was found to be two hundred and nineteen feet high.
Not more than a hundred yards from the river, there is a large oval
aperture eighteen feet wide and twenty-five feet long. The sides are
covered with a grayish-white deposit which is distinctly visible at a
depth of a hundred feet below the surface.
This geyser is known as the "Giantess," and a visitor in describing it
states that "no water could be discovered on the first approach, but it
could be distinctly heard gurgling and boiling at a great distance
below. Suddenly it began to rise, spluttering and sending out huge
volumes of steam, causing a general scattering of our company.
"When within about forty feet of the surface, it became stationary, and
we returned to look upon it. All at once it rose with incredible
rapidity, the hot water bursting from the opening with terrific force,
rising in a column the full size of this immense aperture to the height
of sixty feet.
"Through, and out of the top of this mass, five or six lesser jets or
round columns of water, varying in size from six to fifteen inches in
diameter, were projected to the marvelous height of two hundred and
fifty feet."
[Illustration: View in the Grand Canon]
THE CANONS OF THE COLORADO RIVER.
The length of the Colorado River, from the sources of the Green River,
is about two thousand miles.
For five hundred miles of this distance, the river has worn deep cuts or
gorges through the soft rock, called canons.
The rocky sides of these canons form lofty vertical walls, which, in
some places, rise to a height of more than a mile above the surface of
the water.
The largest and most noted of these vast gorges is the Grand Canon,
which extends a distance of more than two hundred miles. The height of
the walls of this canon varies from four thousand to seven thousand
feet.
The river, as it runs through it, is from fifty to three hundred feet
wide. So swift is the current, that it is almost impossible to float a
boat down the stream without having it dashed to pieces against the
rocky walls on either side.
The first descent through these canons was made in 1867, from a point on
Grand River, about thirty miles above its junction with Green River.
Three men were prospecting for gold, and being attacked by Indians and
one of their number killed, the other two decided to attempt the descent
of the river, rather than retrace their steps through a country where
Indians were numerous.
They constructed a raft of a few pieces of drift-wood, and having
secured their arms and provisions, commenced their journey down the
stream.
A few days afterward, while the raft was descending a cataract, one of
the men was drowned and all the provisions were washed overboard.
The third man, hemmed in by the walls of the canon, continued the
journey alone amid great perils from cataracts, rocks, and whirlpools.
For ten days he pursued, his lonely way, tasting food but twice during
the whole time. Once he obtained a few green pods and leaves from bushes
growing along the stream, and the second time from some friendly
Indians.
At last he succeeded in reaching Callville in safety, after having
floated several hundred miles.
* * * * *
LESSON LXXIII.
pro por'tions, _relations of parts to each other_.
in te'ri or, _the inside_.
al a bas'ter, _a kind of whitish stone_.
chasm, _a deep opening_.
a're a, _any surface, as the floor of a room_.
an'cient, _belonging to past ages_.
un ex am'pled, _without a similar case_.
co los'sal, _of great size_.
feat'ure, _any thing worthy of notice_.
dra'per y, _hangings of any kind_.
o ver awed', _held in a state of fear_.
sur pass'ing, _exceeding others_.
* * * * *
NATURAL WONDERS OF AMERICA.
PART II.
THE MAMMOTH CAVE.
In the year 1809, a hunter named Hutchins, while pursuing a bear in
Edmondson County, Kentucky, was surprised to see the animal disappear
into a small opening in the side of a hill.
Upon examining the spot, Hutchins found that the opening led into a
cave. Following up the examination soon after, it was discovered that
the cave was immense in its proportions.
On account of its great size, it was named Mammoth Cave. It has an area
of several hundred square miles, and two hundred and twenty-three known
and numbered avenues, with a united length of from one hundred and
fifty to two hundred miles.
The interior of this cave is divided by huge columns and walls of stone
into chambers of various shapes and sizes. Some of these are large
enough to afford standing room for thousands of people.
One of the largest of these chambers is called Mammoth Dome. This room
is four hundred feet long, one hundred and fifty feet wide, and two
hundred and fifty feet in height.
The walls of this grand room are curtained by alabaster drapery in
vertical folds and present to the eye a scene of unexampled beauty and
grandeur.
A large gateway at one end of this room opens into another room, in
which the position of the huge stone pillars, reminds one of the ruins
of some ancient temple.
Six colossal columns, or pillars, eighty feet high and twenty-five feet
in diameter, standing in a half circle, are among the imposing
attractions of this wonderful room.
Another striking feature of Mammoth Cave is what is called the Dead Sea.
This body of water is four hundred feet long, forty feet wide, and very
deep.
A curious fish is found in this dark lake. It is without eyes, and, in
form and color, is different from any fish found outside the cave.
There are found also a blind grasshopper, without wings, and a blind
crayfish of a whitish color, both of which are very curious and
interesting.
The fact that these living creatures are blind would seem to indicate
that nature had produced them for the distinct purpose of inhabiting
this dark cave.
NIAGARA FALLS.
Of all the sights to be seen on this continent, there is none that
equals the great Falls of Niagara River, situated about twelve miles
north of Buffalo, in the State of New York.
On first beholding this most wonderful of all known cataracts, one is
overawed by its surpassing grandeur, "and stunned by the sound of the
falling waters as by a roar of thunder."
For quite a distance above the falls, the Niagara River is about one
mile wide, and flows with great swiftness.
Just at the edge of the cataract stands Goat Island, which divides the
waters of the river, and makes two distinct cataracts; one on the
Canadian side, and one on the American side of the river.
The one on the Canadian side, called from its shape the Horse-shoe Fall,
is eighteen hundred feet wide, and one hundred, and fifty-eight feet
high. The other, called the American Fall, is six hundred feet wide, and
one hundred and sixty-four feet high.
As the immense body of water leaps over this vast precipice, it breaks
into a soft spray, which waves like a plume in the wind. At times, when
the rays of the sun strike this spray, a rainbow is formed which
stretches itself across the deep chasm, and produces a beautiful effect.
During the winter, much of the water and spray freezes, and as each
moment adds to the frozen mass, some curious and wonderful ice
formations are produced.
Sometimes, during a very cold winter, the ice at the foot of the falls
forms a complete bridge from one shore to the other.
An interesting feature of a visit to these falls is a descent to the
level of the foot of the cataract behind the great sheet of water.
A long flight of steps leads down to a secure footing between the rocky
precipice and the falling torrent. By a narrow footpath, it is possible
for the visitor to pass between this column of water and the wall of
rock.
Once behind the sheet of water, the roar is deafening. One can only
cling to the narrow railing or his guide, as he picks his way for more
than a hundred feet behind the roaring torrent.
A single misstep, a slip, or a fall, and nothing remains but a horrible
death by being dashed to pieces upon the jagged rocks below.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Point out four places in the lesson where
words would likely be run together by a careless reader.
The word _canon_ is pronounced _can'yon_.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Give rules for marks of punctuation and capital
letters used in the first paragraph of the account of Niagara Falls.
Let pupils make out an _analysis_ in five or six parts, treating some
well-known scene.
* * * * *
LESSON LXXIV.
vo ra'cious, _greedy; very hungry_.
o ver whelmed', _overcome by force of numbers_.
a bound'ing, _existing in large numbers_.
as cend'ing, _going up_.
her'ald ed, _gave notice of_.
im pet'u ous, _furious; without care for what happens_.
crim'i nals, _those who have broken the law_.
con'cen trate, _gather in a large mass_.
in tol'er a ble, _not to be borne_.
ir re sist'i ble, _can not be opposed_.
* * * * *
AFRICAN ANTS.
A strange kind of ant is very abundant in the whole region I have
traveled over in Africa, and is the most voracious creature I ever met.
It is the dread of all living animals, from the leopard to the smallest
insect.
I do not think that these ants build nests or homes of any kind. At any
rate they carry nothing away, but eat all their prey on the spot. It is
their habit to march through the forests in a long, regular line--a line
about two inches broad and often several miles in length. All along this
line are larger ants, who act as officers, stand outside the ranks, and
keep this singular army in order.
If they come to a place where there are no trees to shelter them from
the sun, whose heat they can not bear, they immediately build
underground tunnels, through which the whole army passes in columns to
the forest beyond. These tunnels are four or five feet underground, and
are used only in the heat of the day, or during a storm.
When, they grow hungry the long file spreads itself through the forest
in a front line, and attacks and devours all it overtakes with a fury
which is quite irresistible. The elephant and gorilla fly before this
attack. The black men run for their lives. Every animal that lives in
their line of march is chased.
They seem to understand and act upon the tactics of Napoleon, and
concentrate with great speed their heaviest forces upon the point of
attack. In an incredibly short space of time the mouse, or dog, or
leopard, or deer, is overwhelmed, killed, eaten, and the bare skeleton
only remains.
They seem to travel night and day. Many a time have I been awakened out
of a sleep, and obliged to rush from the hut and into the water to save
my life, and after all suffered intolerable agony from the bites of the
advance-guard, that had got into my clothes.
When they enter a house they clear it of all living things. Cockroaches
are devoured in an instant. Rats and mice spring round the room in vain.
An overwhelming force of ants kill a strong rat in less than a minute,
in spite of the most frantic struggles, and in less than another minute
its bones are stripped. Every living thing in the house is devoured.
They will not touch vegetable matter. Thus they are in reality very
useful, as well as dangerous, to the natives, who have their huts
cleaned of all the abounding vermin, such as immense cockroaches and
centipedes, at least several times a year.
When on their march the insect world flies before them, and I have often
had the approach of an ant-army heralded to me by this means. Wherever
they go they make a clean sweep, even ascending to the tops of the
highest trees in pursuit of their prey.
Their manner of attack is an impetuous leap. Instantly the strong
pincers are fastened, and they let go only when the piece gives way.
At such times this little animal seems animated by a kind of fury which
causes it to disregard entirely its own safety, and to seek only the
conquest of its prey. The bite of these ants is very painful.
The natives relate that in former times it was the custom to expose
criminals in the path of these ants, as the most cruel way that was
known of putting them to death.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Name the _emphatic words_ in the last
paragraph of the lesson, and mark the _inflections_.
In determining upon the _emphasis_ to be given to the words of a
sentence, the only guide we have to follow is the _meaning_. We must
ask ourselves, "Which, words are of special importance to the meaning?"
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