Let us think of another power in our minds. We said that by means of our senses we can perceive whatever is around us; but we can sometimes think of things we never saw: this is called imagining. Let us try to imagine a palmtree. I show you this picture to help you to imagine it. Now you must think of a tall straight tree, growing upright, with no branches at the sides, and only one great bunch of leaves at the top. Now look again at the picture; fancy the stem as tall as an elm-tree; the leaves at the top each as long as this room is wide, and a great bunch of fruit in the middle of the leaves. Have you any idea of the palm-tree now? How did you get it? Yes; from the picture, and by what you know of other trees, and by my description. Let us now see how many mental powers we have found out. We can perceive; we use signs or language; remember; compare; judge; imagine. What a wonderful thing is the mind! It is said that God at first made man in his own image; that is, He gave him a thinking spirit or soul, and made him pure and good. Two things our minds can learn about God; how well he has made all things, and how merciful he has been to man, who sinned against him. When we think of these things, it should make us love him more and more every day..

Almighty God has made the great world and all living things, down to the smallest insect, on a regular plan; even the water and air and light obey his laws, and he has put an instinct in every animal, by which it does that which is good and right for it to do. Have we the same instinct in us? No, but we have what is much better, a mind which can judge between right and wrong. How do we know what is right? God has given us a law which tells us. Is this law good? Yes; for God made it, and He does all things well. Those who keep this law are happy, while those who break it are unhappy.

The feeling which we have of what is right or wrong in our actions is called conscience; and although no one might see us when doing a wrong act, conscience would tell us we were not doing as we ought, We should always listen to conscience. We should always do what we know to be right, not what we see others do. Children often try to excuse themselves when in fault, by saying that they only followed the example of some of their companions: is this right? No; for we should not join in any act without first thinking if it be right to do so. Do you know what you ought to do? The great thing is to love and serve God; the next, to love your fellow-creatures, and do them all the good you can. Do you know what it is wrong and wicked to do? Is it right to hate any one, or to try to injure him? Is it right to give way to anger, greediness, and other passions? No; for we should try to govern our minds and obey God's law, and not our own bad feelings. Ought we to say what is not true? No; for God is not pleased with those who lie. May we be rude or disobedient to our parents? No we are commanded to obey them in all things. Can children serve the Lord? Yes; Joseph, the prophet Samuel, king Josiah, Timothy, and many other holy men, sought the Lord while they were yet children: and he led them all through their lives in the right way; and we must try to learn how to be good. We can not do this all at once. Many little children who are naughty when they first come to school, learn by degrees to do what is right. Will you strive to improve? You must try very much, and not be discouraged; endeavor always to find out which is the right way to act. I will tell you about a poor American Indian who was among his white neighbors. He asked a white man to give him a little tobacco. The man had some in his pocket, which he gave him. When the Indian came to use the tobacco, he found a piece of silver money in it; so, the next day he came back and brought it to the owner. When asked why he did not keep the money, he pointed to his breast and said, "I got a good man and a bad man here! the good man say, 'it is not yours, take it back. Bad man say, he gave it you; it is yours. Good man say, 'it is not right; he gave you tobacco, not money.' Bad man say, 'never mind; you got it, go and spend it. So, I don't know what to do, and I try to go to sleep; but good man and bad man keep talking all night, and trouble me; so I bring the money back, and feel good now.' What did the Indian mean by the good man in his breast, who said, take back the money?' He meant his conscience, which told him right from wrong. What was the bad man that told him to keep the money? This was the feeling of selfish greediness, which would have had him buy something for his own pleasure with the money.

Not long ago I saw a little girl come into school one morning; she put her own bread away, and then took some out of another child's bag. As soon as she had got it in her hand she hid it under her cloak, and looked timidly around to see if any one was near. I went to her, and asked her where she got the bread then in her hand. She said, from her own bag. Was this true? No; for I saw her take it from another bag which was now empty. What made her hide the bread, and look round to see if any one noticed what she had done? It was conscience. She knew that she had done wrong: in her own bag she had plenty of bread, but she was greedy and wished for more. This was a sad fault, it led her to steal; and then, to hide her theft from me, she spoke what was false. See how one fault leads to another: covetousness to theft, and theft to lying! But I am glad to say, she soon came to see how badly she had acted, and to be very sorry for it. Per haps she did not think much of what she was doing, but only followed the bad feeling of greediness; yet she knew that she was doing wrong, or why did she try to hide the bread, and then tell an untruth to conceal her fault? Let us always think of what we are doing, and try to act rightly. Even the poor Indian who had not been taught the true way, wished to be honest; and how much more should we who have the law of God.

Hope.

What a delightful feeling is hope! I think we may call it a bright feeling. You may have seen the farmer laboring to plow and sow his fields. Why does he throw the seed into the ground? Is it not that he hopes to see it grow up and bear fruit? He waits long, and is not impatient; for he says to himself, "When harvest time comes, I shall be rewarded for all my labor and cost; I will wait and hope until then." When a merchant sends out a ship laden with goods over the ocean to a far country, he says, "My goods cost me much, but when my ship comes back, I hope she will bring me many more valuable things in return."

If a mother were parting from her son who was going on a long voyage, she would say, "It is, indeed, sad to part, but I will live in hope that my child will return, and then what joy I shall feel to meet him again!" Do you, children, ever feel hope? When you have a lesson given you to learn, you may perhaps say, "It is rather hard, but never mind, I think I can learn it." If you thought you could not learn it, you would have no hope, and be very sad.

When

you bid your mothers good-by in the morning on coming to school, you do it cheerfully, because you say, "In the evening we shall meet our dear mothers again." If you had not this feeling, how miserable you would be.

You all wish to walk abroad and play in the fresh air; think how you would feel when shut up in a prison, with strong stone walls and iron-bound doors, so that you could not get out, and only saw the light through one small grated window. Yet, if you expected to be let out in a month, a year, or any fixed time, you would still live in hope. Perhaps you might say, "It is very hard to be so long in this dark, cold cell; but, oh! how happy I shall be when the day comes, to go out and breathe the fresh air again." Think, then, of those poor prisoners who have been shut in for life, with no hope of liberty. Oh! how sad their fate must have been! no change, no hope in this world! Some have given way to despair, and even gone mad in their dungeons. Others have trusted in God, and borne all patiently, placing their hope on a better world. Think, then, my dear children, what a blessing hope is; how many happy thoughts it gives us; how cheerful we are, and how much we can do, if we have a hopeful spirit. With this feeling our faces are bright, our hearts are light, and our hands are active and so let us always try to hope, and never despond or despair.

basy The foregoing are merely given to show how these subjects should be simplified to suit the capacities of little children. It is a good plan for teachers, when they intend giving a lesson of this kind, to draw out beforehand an outline of the manner in which they mean to treat the subject. We give an example or two.

Love.

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In treating this subject, the first leading idea to be brought out is love to God

for all his boundless goodness to us, and for his infinite perfections. Next, love to parents as a duty commanded, as a return for their unbought care and affection, and for constant benefits. The ties of relationship should then be dwelt upon; the duty of brotherly love and of general union in families, with simple anecdotes illustrative of the happiness and beauty of family union. Then duties of humanity in general, and of kindness and hospitality to strangers; with such narratives as Abraham entertaining the angels; the parable of the merciful Samaritan; the story of Mungo Park entertained by the poor African women; the divine command to love our enemies, and to overcome evil with good, illustrated by the example of the Saviour praying for his murderers.

The foregoing principles may be contrasted with examples of the dreadful effects of hatred, and of the misery of quarreling and anger. Inculcate, also, kindness to animals, and frequently show their uses both to man and in the scheme of creation. Also show the cruelty and cowardice of giving pain to weak and helpless things, which are placed by Divine Providence under our protection. Try to cultivate a love for natural objects generally; flowers, trees, and so forth. As children come to perceive and admire the beauty and order of creation, a feeling of love extends itself to every natural object, as exhibiting the power and goodness of God. Fear.

Show the evil and folly of indulging in unnecessary alarm at common dangers or mere appearances. Try to strengthen the minds of children to meet dangers, by directing them how they should act in such ordinary occurrences as may excite alarm. Explain what is meant by moral courage, and show how fear is generally accompanied by guilt, and that innocence gives the best feeling of security. Try to induce a constant dependence on divine protection. Explain that the feeling of fear or insecurity in darkness arises from physical causes, such as the impossi bility of seeing where to step, and show how the blind overcome this feeling.

On the continual support of all things by Divine Power. ! 1+

Time. Our experience and knowledge of the past, the duties of the present, and our ignorance of the future.

The design and wisdom shown in the works of creation.

The starry heavens; the idea of distant worlds.

The stages of life, and their mutual relation and duties: infancy; youth; maturity; age.

On the various ranks and occupations of men, and of their mutual usefulness and support.

Love to God-to parents and relations-to companions-strangers and enemies. Fear.-Physical and moral.

Truth and justice in our words and actions.

Falsehood, dissimulation, and evil speaking.

Obedience.-Explain the difference between willing obedience and forced

obedience.

Contentment, and submission to unavoidable evils.

Patience and perseverence under difficulties,

Gentleness both in word and action,

Selfishness contrasted with self-denial for the good of others. ́ ́

Industry and diligence.

Self-control-in sudden alarm or cases of illness-of provocation.

The tendency of one fault to give rise to another.

Cleanliness.

Respect due to parents-to age-to good and great characters-to office and to

rank.

The evil of ridicule. Forbearance and sympathy due to misfortune and deformity. Punctuality. Destructiveness. Order. Honesty.

Loyalty and love of country.

WE shall avail ourselves of recent applications of Photography to transferring engravings to electrotypes, ready to be used in ordinary type printing, to give our readers exact impressions from the illus'trations of some of the earliest school books. We have before us a little book of about the size of the "New England Primer Improved," with the following title,

"A GUIDE FOR the Child and Youth, in Two PARTS. The first for Chil dren: containing plain and pleasant directions to read ENGLISH; with Prayers, Graces, and Instructions, fitted for the capacity. The second for Youth: Teaching to write, Cast Accounts, and Read more perfectly; with several other Varieties, both pleasant and profitable. By T. H., M. A., Teacher of a private school. London: 1762",

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In his Address "to the Parents, or others," Mr. T. H., says: "When I consider how Ignorance of late had prevailed amongst the Vulgar, and how those who never learned anything themselves, will yet pretend to teach others; I was almost at a loss whether I should proceed in this small but useful Tract. But since a blessed Sunshine hath appeared in our Horizon, I resolved to publish it for the use and Benefit of Children, and those of riper years." This is followed by "The Capital Roman Letters;" "The Small Roman Letters;" "The Vowels," "The Consonants," "Double Letters" "The Great Italick Letters" "The Small Italick;" "Syllables, ab, eb, ib, ob, ub, and ba, be, bi, bo, bu, by, &c." which is followed by a page of "The Dutiful Child's Promises," viz. :

"I will fear God and honour my King..

I will honour my Father and Mother.

I will obey my Superiors.

Man, I will submit to my Elders."

I will love my Friends.

I will hate no Man.

I will forgive my Enemies, and pray to God for them.".

Then follows the illustrated Alphabet for "The Child's Guide," which is again introduced as "The Youth's Guide," with extracts mainly from the Bible. We combine the two in the following pages. The illustrations, as well as the rhymes, were either copied from, or suggested by "The New England Primer Improved," or else introduced into the latter from "The Guide," or else both were copied or suggested from an earlier original, which we have not the facilities. at hand for determining. The illustrations were copied for this Journal by the American Phototype Company, whose office is in Leroy Place, Bleeker Street, New York.