disgust upon any person who cannot give a better reason for his pride than that he is born to do nothing. They say of such, “Send him to the basket-maker."

prẻ pâred'

dis pūte' ärgu ment ȧ void'ing

heärth

LIX.-TELLING FABLES.

měm'o ry

One day in school the teacher said to a group of children in the reading class, "Let us have a lesson in fables to-morrow. Each one may come to class prepared to recite a fable."

The children were delighted. They had been reading Æsop's Fables, and were fond of them. They decided to commit the fables to memory and recite them for the teacher just as they are in the book.

The next day the teacher began the lesson by telling them just what a fable is. She told them that the purpose of a fable is to teach a truth without directly stating it. Animals are made to talk and to act like persons

just to show how persons should and should not talk and act. Then she asked them to recite, and they did so.

THE DOG AND THE SHADOW.

FRED.-One day a dog found a piece of meat. He took it in his mouth to carry it home. On his way he had

to cross a narrow plank

八心

lying across a smooth stream.

As he was

walking carefully across, he chanced to look down into the water. He saw what he took to be another dog with another piece of meat.

He did not know it was his own shadow. He made up his mind to have the meat the other dog had. He snapped at the shadow in the water, and the meat he was carrying fell into the stream and sank. He went home hungry and unhappy.

THE SUN AND THE NORTH WIND.

JAMES.-A dispute once arose between the Sun and the North Wind as to which was the stronger. While they were in the argument they saw a traveler coming down the road, and the Sun said:

"I see a way to decide our dispute. See! the traveler has a cloak tightly drawn about him. Let us see which of us can make him remove his cloak. The one that succeeds shall prove himself the stronger. You begin."

Then the North Wind began to blow as hard as he could. But the harder he blew, the more closely did the traveler wrap his cloak about him. The North Wind did his best to blow the cloak from its owner. But the cloak remained. The North Wind gave up in despair.

Then the Sun, driving away the clouds that had gathered, came out and shone in all his glory. He darted his beams upon the traveler, who soon looked up, saw the Sun, drew off his cloak and ran for protection to a nearby shade tree.

The North Wind confessed that the Sun had fairly proven himself the stronger.

THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL.

MARY.-A sly cat once lived in a large old house. In this house were many mice. They greatly feared the cat. They decided to hold a council to find some way of avoiding the cat. When the mice were all assembled one said, "Do as I say; hang a bell to the cat's neck. This will ring and tell us when she is near."

This plan seemed so good that the mice danced for joy. But one old mouse looked quietly on the scene and then said, "Well, we have a very good plan, but who shall hang the bell to the cat's neck?" The mice had not thought of that. Not a mouse

would do it.

THE FOX AND THE CROW.

LUCY.-A fox once saw a crow fly off with a piece of cheese in her beak, and light on the branch of a tree.

Then the fox called, "Good-morning, Mistress Crow. How well you are looking today! Your feathers are glossy and your eyes are so bright! Please let me hear just one song from you, that I may greet you queen of the birds."

The crow was much pleased at these words. She lifted up her head and began to caw. But the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground. This was just what the sly old fox knew would happen. He snapped up the cheese and ran laughing away.

THE SILLY CAT AND THE APE.

NED.-Once a cat and an ape were sitting before an open hearth. On the hearth some nuts were roasting in the fire. The ape wanted some of the nuts; but he knew only too well that he would burn his paw if he were to reach for the nuts.

So the ape said to the cat, "Puss, you are fond of nuts. Take some from the hearth."