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set their minds at rest, his parents determined to consult the preachers and wise men of their society. Accordingly, they all assembled in the meeting-house, and talked the matter over from beginning to end.

Finally, they came to a very wise decision. It seemed so evident that Providence had intended Benjamin to be a painter, and had given him abilities which would be thrown away in any other business, that the Friends resolved not to oppose his desire. They even admitted that the sight of a beautiful picture might convey instruction to the mind and might benefit the heart as much as a good book or a wise discourse.

They therefore committed the youth to the direction of God, being well assured that He best knew what was his proper sphere of usefulness. The old men laid their hands upon Benjamin's head and gave him their blessing, and the women kissed him affectionately. All consented that he should go forth into the world and learn to be a painter, by studying the best pictures of ancient and modern times.

So our friend Benjamin left the dwelling of his parents, and his native woods and streams, and the good Friends of Springfield, and the Indians who had given him his first colors,-he left all the places and persons whom he had hitherto known, and returned to them no more. He went first to Philadelphia, and afterward to Europe.

Here he was noticed by many great people, but retained all the sobriety and simplicity which he had learned among the Friends. It is related of him, that, when he was presented at the court of

the Prince of Parma, he kept his hat upon his head, even while kissing the prince's hand.

When he was twenty-five years old, he went to London, and established himself there as an artist. In due course of time, he acquired great fame by his pictures, and was made chief painter to King George the Third, and President of the Royal Academy of Arts.

When the Friends of Pennsylvania heard of his success, they felt that the prophecy of the old preacher as to little Ben's future eminence was now accomplished. It is true, they shook their heads at his pictures of battle and bloodshed, such as the "Death of Wolfe," thinking that these terrible scenes should not be held up to the admiration of the world.

His picture of "Christ Healing the Sick" was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, where it covered a vast space, and displayed a great number of figures as large as life. On the wall, close beside this admirable picture, there hung a small and faded landscape. It was the same picture that little Ben had painted in his father's garret, after receiving the paint-box and engravings from good Mr. Pennington.

He lived many years in peace and honor, and died in 1820, at the age of eighty-two. The story of his life is almost as wonderful as a fairy tale; for there are few more wonderful changes than that of a little unknown boy of the Society of Friends, in the wilds of America, into the most distinguished English painter of his day.

Let us each make the best use of our natural abilities as Benjamin West did; and, with the bless

ing of Providence, we shall arrive at some good end. As for fame, it is but little matter whether we acquire it or not.

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.

He was

Biography.-Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of our best known American writers, was born at Salem, Mass., in 1804. graduated at Bowdoin College in 1825.

There were times in the life of Hawthorne when, on account of poor health, he was compelled to give up literary work. On several of these occasions, he filled various minor positions of public trust.

The readiness of his mind for sudden changes of employment, may be illustrated by the following incident. In 1849, he was a surveyor of customs in Boston, and lost his position through a change in the national administration. It is related that on the very day he gave up his business duties, he began the composition of "The Scarlet Letter," one of his masterpieces.

Besides the work already mentioned, the most popular of Hawthorne's books are "Twice-told Tales," "The House of the Seven Gables," "The Marble Faun," and of his juvenile works, "Tanglewood Tales," and " Wonder Book."

Hawthorne died at Plymouth, New Hampshire, in 1864.

Composition. -Select the points from the last two lessons, that could be used in a biographical sketch.

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The easy chair, all patched with care,
Is placed by the cold hearth-stone,
With witching grace, in the old fire-place,
The evergreens are strewn;

And pictures hang on the whitened wall,

And the old clock ticks in the cottage hall.

More lovely still, on the window-sill,

The dew-eyed flowers rest,

While midst the leaves on the moss-grown eaves,
The martin builds her nest.

And all day long, the summer breeze
Is whispering love to the bended trees.

Over the door, all covered o'er

With a sack of dark green baize,
Lies a musket old, whose worth is told
In the events of other days;

And the powder-flask, and the hunter's horn,
Have hung beside it for many a morn.

For years have fled with a noiseless tread,
Like fairy dreams, away,

And, in their flight, all shorn of his might,

A father-old and gray;

And the soft winds play with the snow-white hair, And the old man sleeps in his easy-chair.

Inside the door, on the sanded floor,
Light, airy footsteps glide,

And a maiden fair, with flaxen hair,
Kneels by the old man's side-

An old oak wrecked by the angry storm,
While the ivy clings to its trembling form.

Elocution. - With what tone of voice, rate, and force should this poem be read?

Notice the pleasing effect of the rhyme at the middle and end of the first and third lines of each stanza.

Language.—In the second stanza, dew-eyed flowers means that the sparkling dew-drops upon the flowers give one the impression of eyes. What is the name of the figure?

Arrange the words of the third stanza in the order of prose.

11.-MOTHER NATURE'S FAIRIES.

eon fi dĕn'tial, trusting; secret.
ǎd o ră'tion, the act of paying
honors to a divine being.
Ŏra tor, a public speaker.
plush, a fabric with a soft nap on
one side.

eǎn'o py, a covering to protect one.

knoll, a little, round hill.

ex pe di'tions, marches; excursions.

pro fü' şion, great abundance. ar rāys', dresses; envelopes. lăv'ish, great; plentiful. jŎstle (jõs'l), crowd against.

"Spring-time is coming! search for the flowers!

Brush off the brown leaves, the darlings are here!
Joy of the spring-time picking the May-flowers!

Kiss the spring-beauties, the babes of the year!"

The winter is over and gone; the warm southwind blowing over the snow-banks has melted them and they are now running away, joyous and free, down the hill-sides, and through the meadows, singing such a merry song that the birds and flowers are waking up and listening to it.

The day is gaining on the night, and the bright, life-giving rays of the sun shining on the damp ground, have warmed it; the myriad forms of growing root, stem, and leaf feel the warmth, and are already stretching themselves, preparatory to getting up.

The more courageous flowers that are not afraid of a cold morning, have rubbed their sleepy eyes, are up and dressed, and calling in their sweet, winning voices to their brothers and sisters.

Down in the valley, where the sun shines warm, along the low hill-sides, and in the hazel-thickets, the Dog-tooth-violet is ringing his yellow bell, while he gaily nods to passers-by, This flower is really

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