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up on the last syllable, instead of being dropped, as in a cadence, and the preceding syllable is lowered.

There are other modes of producing emphasis-as by greater loudness of voice, giving intensity to the inflections, protracting the sound of a syllable or vowel; but these, as being more obvious, I shall not particularly illustrate.-To remove a quite frequent error, that of emphasizing only a part of a phrase which is emphatical, I add the following general rule :

ALL THE WORDS WHICH ARE EMPLOYED TO EXPRESS AN EMPHATIC IDEA, THOUGHT, OR SENTIMENT, SHOULD BE READ WITH AN APPROPRIATE EMPHASIS, AND NOT A PART OF THEM ONLY.

READING OF POETRY.

The reading of poetry requires the same general rules as the reading of prose. Poetry, however, employs rising inflections rather more frequently than the latter, as it deals more in the language of tender emotion; and for this reason it also deals more in semitones.

At the close of every line in poetry, where the sense is incomplete, and no grammatical pause is required, there should be made, what is called, the pause of suspension; that is, such a pause as is produced by a moderate stopping of the voice, together with the rising slide.

EXAMPLE.

Who that hears the mellow note'
From my robin's little throat'
On the air of morning float',

Could desire to kill her'?
Who her beauty can behold',
And consent to have it told'
That he had a heart so cold',
As to try to kill her'?

READER'S MANUAL.

LESSON I.

FRANKNESS.

THERE are some persons who are never willing to acknowledge that they have done wrong. Whenever they are blamed for any thing, they will be sure to have some excuse or palliation to offer', or they will continue to turn the attention to the share which somebody else had in the wrong. James Benson was just such a boy. Why, what a looking place you have made of this room, children'," his mother said, as she entered the parlor one day.

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'Why, William' took down every one of those books'," vociferated James'; "I didn't touch one of them—and Emily tore up that paper into little bits', and threw it upon the floor -I could'nt help it': I told her not to."

"I should like now' to have you gather up those quill tops' and put them out of the way," interrupted his mother'; you know that I have always cautioned you against letting your pen-cuttings fall upon the carpet."

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Well, William has been cutting too,-they are more than half' his'," replied James', instead of stooping at once to pick them up.

Now, such a disposition as James here showed, is far from being the right one. James had a hand in putting things into disorder, and his own blame was all that he had any concern with. It was nothing to him' what his brothers and sisters had been doing'; he ought to have acknowledged his own fault', and obeyed his mother's directions immediately, instead of stopping to look up excuses', or to tell what the others had done. It is very mean and ill-natured to wish to bring others into difficulty, or to expose their faults', when it

will answer no good purpose. It is very absurd, too, for any person to suppose that he himself is any the less to blame, because somebody else has also been to blame. Suppose that a man who is brought to trial in a court of justice, for the crime of stealing', should say in self-defencé-" Why, to be suré, I have been guilty of stealing', but then, such a person stole too, he stole just as much as I did." This would be foolish enough', and yet nothing is more common than for boys and girls, when they are reproved for any misconduct', to begin to tell what some of their brothers, or sisters, or companions, have done that is quite as bad.

It is always a bad sign for persons, and especially for young persons', to be very forward to defend themselves when they are reproved. It is better to bear a little more censure than we really deservé, than to shield ourselves when we know we are to blame. Nothing is gained by making excuses. James, for example, was often supposed to be more to blame than he really was', for he was so backward about acknowledging his faults, that his friends could never rely implicitly upon his statement of the matter', when he had been guilty of any misconduct. They always suspected him of making the best of his own story', or of withholding the part most important to be known. His father said to him, one evening when they were sitting by themselves', "James', your teacher tells me that you have not seemed lately to be doing your best at school. I am really sorry to hear it."

"It is only because I hav'nt done all my sums in arithmetic for some days', that Mr. C. says that'," replied James, with his usual readiness at self-justification. "We are in the very hardest part of the book', and scarcely any of the boys can get them all right."

"I should suppose that Mr. C. would be quite ready to make allowance for the difficulty of the sums"," rejoined his father. "Do you make real faithful efforts to do as many as you can'?"

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Why, I always try to do them, of coursé," returned James', in the tone of one who felt himself accused unjustly.

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Well, how is it with your other studies', with your geography', for example? Are you prepared with your lessons generally'?"

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"Why, I miss sometimes, and so do the other boys.

Mr. C. gives such lōng lessōns that I can't always' get them; and besides', my maps are so torn and blotted that sometimes I can't find half the places. John always tears them when ne uses them`; and the other day he tipped over a whole inkstand full of ink on them', and blotted them all over."

"You ought to have stated the case to me before this'," replied his father', "and I should have seen you furnished with a new atlas. It seems, then," he continued, "that you are excusable for your bad recitations, Has Mr. C. nothing else to complain of'? Is your deportment' such as to give him no unnecessary troublé ?"

"I don't know," replied James, rather languidly.

"It seems to me that you might very easily tell," said his father. "Don't you know' whether you are always diligent', and quiet', and orderly', in school timé, or whether you sometimes sit idle, or play and whisper with the other boys', or do any thing to make disturbance ?"

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Why, I have been called up sometimes to Mr. C.'s desk'," replied James'; "but two or three times he sent for me when I was not doing the least thing that was wrong. He very often speaks to a boy because he happens to be barely looking off from his book for a minute." In this way James would go on to justify himself', even when he knew perfectly well that he had done wrong. He was never willing freely and fully to acknowledge himself to blame. He never would be heard to say directly, and frankly', "I was very negligent, or unfaithful," or, "I think that I showed an improper spirit in such and such a casè; but it would always bé, "why, I couldn't help it-I am sure, I wasn't to blame," or, he would bring to view the share of the blame that belonged to somebody else.

Now, nothing was gained by this. No person was any more ready to overlook his faults' on account of his being so ready to excuse and defend himself. On the contrary`, as has been said beforé, his friends in many cases supposed him more to blame than he really was', and they were far less ready to make allowances for him, than if he had been willing to be convinced of his faults', and to make efforts to correct them.

How much pleasanter it is to see boys and girls frank`, and ingenuous', and candid-ready to be convinced of their faults', and to yield their opinions when they see them to be wrong. This is the spirit which every body ought to show.

James's teacher once assigned it as an exercise to his class', to find the texts in the Bible which inculcated frankness. When the class met for reading their texts, James said that he was not prepared with any`, for he could not find the word frankness' in the whole Bible. It is true that precisely that word does not occur in the Bible', but the virtue itself is enjoined upon us in a great many places. We would recommend it to those who may read these pages, to search their Bibles for the passages which relate to a willingness to be convinced of their faults', and a readiness to acknowledge them freely', instead of trying to cover them up', or to find excuses for them.

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LOUISA MORTON, and her class-mate, Ellen Sturgess, were returning from school together one afternoon.

"What book is that which you have with your history'?" inquired Ellen', perceiving that her companion was carrying a volume which seemed not to be a school-book-" Rōmance of the Forest' ?" she inquired with some surprise, as she looked at the lettering upon the back. "Does your mother let you read such books as that', Louisá ?"

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Why, nò; she doesn't like to have me read such books when she knows it'," replied Louisà; "but I am very careful not to let her see me reading them. She little suspects how many volumes I contrive to despatch in the course of almost every week'," continued the heartless girl', with a laugh.

An expression of unaffected surprise escaped from Ellen. She never had suspected her companion of deceit`, and, least of all', would she have supposed her capable of boasting openly of her success in deceiving her mother. She almost involuntarily withdrew her arm from Louisa's, and, for a few minutes, their walk was pursued in silence.

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Why, what is the matter', Ellen'?" said Louisa, at length', as she affected a laugh. "Do you think there is really any thing wicked in reading novels' ?"

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