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com pre hen'sion, _the power of the mind to understand_.
ap pall'ing, _terrifying_.
grand'eur, _majesty; vastness of size_.
lu'rid, _gloomy; dismal_.
tre men'dous, _terrific; awful_.
* * * * *
VOLCANOES.
In various parts of the earth, there are mountains that send out from
their highest peaks, smoke, ashes, and fire.
Mountains of this class are called volcanoes, and they present a
striking contrast to other mountains, on account of their conical form
and the character of the rocks of which they are composed.
All volcanoes have at their summits what are called craters. These are
large, hollow, circular openings, from which the smoke and fire escape.
Nearly all volcanoes emit smoke constantly. This smoke proceeds from
fires that are burning far down in the depths of the earth.
Sometimes these fires burst forth from the crater of the volcano with
tremendous force. The smoke becomes thick and black, and lurid flames
shoot up to a height of hundreds of feet, making a scene of amazing
grandeur.
[Illustration]
With the flames there are thrown out stones, ashes, and streams of
melted rock, called lava. This lava flows down the sides of the
mountain, and, being red-hot, destroys every thing with which it comes
in contact. At such times, a volcano is said to be in eruption.
A volcanic eruption is generally preceded by low, rumbling sounds, and
trembling of the earth's surface. Then follows greater activity of the
volcano, from which dense volumes of smoke and steam issue, and fire and
molten lava make their appearance.
Such is the force of some of these eruptions, that large rocks have been
hurled to great distances from the crater, and towns and cities have
been buried under a vast covering of ashes and lava.
The quantity of lava and ashes which sometimes escapes from volcanoes
during an eruption, is almost beyond comprehension.
In 1772, a volcano in the island of Java, threw out ashes and cinders
that covered the ground fifty feet deep, for a distance of seven miles
all around the mountain. This eruption destroyed nearly forty towns and
villages.
In 1783, a volcano in Iceland sent out two streams of lava; one forty
miles long and seven miles wide, and the other fifty miles long and
fifteen miles wide. These streams were from one hundred to six hundred
feet deep.
Near the city of Naples, Italy, is situated the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.
This fiery monster has probably caused more destruction than any other
volcano known.
In the year 79 A.D., it suddenly burst forth in a violent eruption, that
resulted in one of the most appalling disasters that ever happened.
Such immense quantities of ashes, stones, and lava were poured forth
from its crater, that within the short space of twenty hours, two large
cities were completely destroyed. These cities were Herculaneum and
Pompeii.
At this eruption of Vesuvius, the stream of lava flowed directly through
and over the city of Herculaneum into the sea. The quantity was so great
that, as it cooled and became hardened, it gradually filled up all the
streets and ran over the tops of the houses.
While the lava was thus turning the city into a mass of solid stone,
the inhabitants were fleeing from it along the shore toward Naples, and
in boats on the sea.
At the same time, too, the wind carried the ashes and cinders in such a
direction as to deluge the city of Pompeii.
Slowly and steadily the immense volume of ashes and small stones,
blocked up the streets and settled on the roofs of houses.
The light of the flames that burst out from the awful crater, aided the
people in their escape; but many who for some reason could not get away,
perished.
Pompeii was so completely covered that, nothing could be seen of it.
Thus it remained buried under the ground until the year 1748, when it
was discovered by accident.
Since that time much of the city has been uncovered, and now one can
walk along the streets, look into the houses, and form some idea how the
people lived there eighteen hundred years ago.
* * * * *
_Language Lesson_.--Let pupils write an account of a supposed journey
from their homes to Naples, telling about the route they would take, and
the particulars as to time and distance. Be very particular about
handwriting, spelling, punctuation, and capital letters.
* * * * *
LESSON LX.
coot, _a water-bird_.
hern (her'on), _a wading bird_.
ed'dying, _moving in small circles_.
mal'low, _a kind of plant_.
bick'er, _move quickly; quarrel_.
fal'low, _plowed land_.
gray'ling, _a kind of fish_.
cress'es, _a kind of water-plant_.
sal'ly, _a rushing or bursting forth_.
thorps, _villages_.
bram'bly, _full of rough shrubs_.
* * * * *
THE BROOK.
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Till last by Philip's farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come, and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve my bank I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-wood and mallow.
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come, and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel.
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come, and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses.
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come, and men may go,
But I go on forever.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Point out the places in the poem where two
lines should be joined in reading.
Mark the _inflection_ of the following lines.
"I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows."
"For men may come, and men may go,
But I go on forever."
Read the last two lines, and state whether the _inflected words_ are
also _emphatic words_.
Find a similar example of _inflection_ and _emphasis_ upon the same
words in the last stanza of Lesson XXXVI.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils explain the meaning of the following
expressions.
_Join the brimming river_.
_Netted sunbeam_.
* * * * *
LESSON LXI.
de terred', _kept from_.
en'ter prise, _an undertaking_.
im'ple ments, _articles used in a trade_.
sur vey'ing, _measuring land_.
in'di cated, _showed; pointed out_.
re clin'ing, _partly lying down_.
re lease', _let go_.
con clu'sion, _final decision_.
suc ces'sion, _following one after another_.
hur'ri cane, _a high wind_.
an'ec dote, _incident; story_.
com pact', _closely put together_.
* * * * *
ANECDOTE OF WASHINGTON.
PART I
It was a calm, sunny day in the year 1750; the scene, a piece of forest
land in the north of Virginia, near a noble stream of water.
Implements of surveying were lying about, and several men reclining
under the trees, indicated by their dress and appearance, that they were
engaged in laying out the wild lands of the country.
These persons had just finished their dinner. Apart from the group
walked a young man of a tall and compact frame, who moved with the firm
and steady tread of one accustomed to constant exercise in the open air.
His face wore a look of decision and manliness not usually found in one
so young, for he was but little over eighteen years of age.
Suddenly there was a shriek, then another, and then several more in
rapid succession. The voice was that of a woman, and seemed to proceed
from the other side of a small piece of wooded land.
At the first scream, the youth turned his head in the direction of the
sound; but when it was repeated, he pushed aside the undergrowth and
soon dashed into an open space on the banks of the stream, where stood a
small log-cabin.
As the young man broke from the undergrowth, he saw his companions
crowded together on the banks of the river, while in their midst stood a
woman, from whom proceeded the shrieks he had heard. She was held by two
of the men, but was struggling to free herself.
The instant the woman saw the young man, she exclaimed, "O sir, you will
do something for me! Make them release me. My boy--my poor boy is
drowning, and they will not let me go!"
"It would be madness; she will jump into the river," said one of the
men, "and the rapids would dash her to pieces in a moment!"
The youth had scarcely waited for these words; for he remembered the
child, a bold little boy four years of age, whose beautiful blue eyes
and flaxen ringlets made him a favorite with every one.
He had been accustomed to play in the little inclosure before the cabin;
but the gate having been left open, he had stolen out, reached the edge
of the bank, and was in the act of looking over, when his mother saw
him.
The shriek she uttered only hastened the accident she feared; for the
child, frightened at the cry of his mother, lost his balance and fell
into the stream, which here went foaming and roaring along among rocks
and dangerous rapids.
Several of the men approached the edge of the river, and were on the
point of springing in after the boy. But the sight of the sharp rocks
crowding the channel, the rush and whirl of the waters, and the want of
any knowledge where to look for the child, deterred them, and they gave
up the enterprise.
Not so with the noble youth. His first act was to throw off his coat;
next to spring to the edge of the bank. Here he stood for a moment,
running his eyes rapidly over the scene below, taking in with a glance
the different currents and the most dangerous of the rocks, in order to
shape his course when in the stream.
He had scarcely formed his conclusion, when he saw in the water a white
object, which he knew was the boy's dress; and then he plunged into the
wild and roaring rapids.
"Thank God, he will save my child!" cried the mother; "there he is!--O
my boy, my darling boy! How could I leave you!"
Every one had rushed to the brink of the precipice and were now
following with eager eyes the progress of the youth, as the current bore
him onward, like a feather in the power of a hurricane.
Now it seemed as if he would be dashed against a projecting rock, over
which the water flew in foam, and a whirlpool would drag him in, from
whose grasp escape would appear impossible.
At times, the current bore him under, and he would be lost to sight;
then in a few seconds he would come to the surface again, though his
position would be far from where he had disappeared.
Thus struggling amid the rocks and angry waters, was the noble youth
borne onward, eager to succeed in his perilous undertaking. Those on
shore looked on with breathless interest.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Point out the _emphatic words_ and mark
_inflection_ in the third paragraph on page 295.[17]
What effect has very strong _emphasis_ upon _inflection_? (See
_Directions for Reading_, page 238.)[18]
Should this lesson be read more slowly, or somewhat faster than
conversation?
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils fill blanks in the sentences given below,
using in turn, each of the following sets of words:
(1) _saw, knew, was, plunged;_
(2) _sees, knows, is, plunges;_
(3) _perceived, thought, was, jumped;_
(4) _perceives, thinks, is, jumps;_
(5) _noticed, concluded, was, dived;_
(6) _notices, concludes, is, dives_.
He ---- in the water a white object, which he ---- -- the boy's dress.
Then he ---- into the roaring rapids.
When the first, third, and fifth sets of words are used, the action is
represented as something that is past; but when the second, fourth, and
sixth sets are used, the action is represented as going on at the
present time.
The forms of _verbs_ (_action-words_) which are given in the first,
third, and fifth sets are used to indicate past time, and are called
_past tenses_; and the forms given in the second, fourth, and sixth
sets are used to indicate present time, and are called _present
tenses_.
[17] See fifth paragraph from the end of the passage.
[18] See Lesson L.
* * * * *
LESSON LXII.
e merge', _come out_.
vor'tex, _water in whirling motion; a whirlpool_.
con fid'ed, _given into the care of_.
vis'i ble, _in sight_.
spec ta'tors, _those who look on_.
vent'ured, _dared_.
re ward', _that which is received in return for one's acts_.
des'ti nies, _lives and fortunes_.
sup pressed', _kept back_.
re doub'led, _made twice as great_.
* * * * *
ANECDOTE OF WASHINGTON.
PART II.
O, how that mother's straining eyes followed the struggling youth! How
her heart sunk when he went under, and with what joy she saw him emerge
again from the waters, and, flinging the waves aside with his strong
arms, struggle on in pursuit of her boy!
But it seemed as if his generous efforts were not to succeed; for,
though the current was bearing off the boy before his eyes, scarcely ten
feet distant, he could not overtake the drowning child.
Twice the boy went out of sight; and a suppressed shriek escaped the
mother's lips; but twice he reappeared, and then, with hands wrung
wildly together, and breathless anxiety, she followed his progress, as
his form was hurried onward.
The youth now appeared to redouble his exertions, for they were
approaching the most dangerous part of the river.
The rush of waters at this spot was tremendous, and no one ventured to
approach it, even in a canoe, lest he should be dashed to pieces.
What, then, would be the youth's fate, unless he soon overtook the
child? He seemed fully sensible of the increasing peril, and now urged
his way through the foaming current with a desperate strength. Three
times he was on the point of grasping the child, when the water's
whirled the prize from him.
The third effort was made just as they were entering within the
influence of the current above the falls; and when it failed, the
mother's heart sunk within her, and she groaned, fully expecting the
youth to give up his task.
But no; he only pressed forward the more eagerly; and, as they
breathlessly watched, amid the boiling waters, they saw the form of the
youth following close after that of the boy.
And now both pursuer and pursued shot to the brink of the falls. An
instant they hung there, distinctly visible amid the foaming waters.
Every brain grew dizzy at the sight.
But a shout burst from the spectators, when they saw the child held
aloft by the right arm of the youth--a shout that was suddenly changed
to a cry of horror, when they both vanished into the raging waters
below!
The mother ran forward, and then stood gazing with fixed eyes at the
foot of the falls. Suddenly she gave the glad cry, "There they are! See!
they are safe! Great God, I thank Thee!"
And, sure enough, there was the youth still unharmed. He had just
emerged from the boiling vortex below the falls. With, one hand he held
aloft the child, and with the other he was making for the shore.
They ran, they shouted, they scarcely knew what they did, until they
reached his side, just as he was struggling to the bank. They drew him
out almost exhausted.
The boy was senseless; but his mother declared that he still lived, as
she pressed him to her bosom. The youth could scarcely stand, so faint
was he from his exertions.
Who can describe the scene that followed--the mother's calmness while
striving to bring her boy to life, and her wild gratitude to his
preserver, when the child was out of danger, and sweetly sleeping in her
arms?
"God will give you a reward," said she. "He will do great things for you
in return for this day's work, and the blessings of thousands besides
mine will attend you."
And so it was: for, to the hero of that hour were afterward confided the
destinies of a mighty nation. Throughout his long career, what tended to
make him honored and respected beyond all men, was the spirit of
self-sacrifice which, in the rescue of that mother's child, as in the
more important events of his life, characterized George Washington.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--Read the first two pages of the lesson
quietly, but not slowly. About the middle of page 299, the manner of
reading should be changed, when the feeling of anxiety is turned to
that of joy.[19]
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils rewrite the first paragraph of the lesson,
changing _past tenses_ to _present tenses_ throughout.
What effect will this change have upon the meaning?
[19] This lesson, seventh paragraph from the end.
* * * * *
LESSON LXIII
ex ist'ing, _living_.
mas'sive _large and solid_.
hy e'na, _a beast of prey_.
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