Anne. I want all those hours of idleness, wherein were nurtured effeminate dispositions, all those dainty viands that have sapped the energies of the son, all those nameless appliances of refinement, which have grown to be the very necessaries of life, and which have strengthened their hold upon his nature with his strength, to be charged in the grand Day-Book and Ledger account, to the father, as his share of providing for the future misery of many a young erchant. Uncle. Well, Anne, you have made out a pretty clear case, and I'm half inclined to think you are right; but, surely, in nine cases out of ten, it is the fault of individuals alone, which causes the unhappiness in the domestic world. There is but a slight difference between the rich man and the poor, if each lives within his means, irrespective of circumstances. Anne. You are willing, then, to acknowledge what I was saying to James, had some truth in it, and that there is an under-current of deep distress, oftentimes, where, to a casual observer, everything is bright and cheerful, and that this distress is frequently occasioned by assuming and endeavoring to maintain a "FALSE POSITION." LESSON LIX. WORDS FOR SPELLING AND DEFINING. CON STER NA TION, terror. DE TAIL', relate; narrate. AN NOYANCE, something vexatious. Har pooners, those who throw THROES, pangs; severe pains. the harpoon, or whale-dart. BE TOK EN ING, showing. EX PLORING, searching for dis-DYE ING, staining; coloring. coveries. FLOUNDER INGS, strugglings. PER TI NACIOUs, stubbornly per severing. SQUADRON, ships in company. NAR' RA TIVE, account. FLOUNDER ING, struggling vio-TUR BU LENCE, tumult lently. Ex' TRI CATE, disengage. CON TOR TIONS, writhings. BAITS, attacks; harasses. ENEMIES OF THE WHALE. H. T. CHEEVER. 1. The only natural enemies the whale is known to have, are the sword-fish, thrasher, and killer. This latter is itself a species of whale, that has sharp teeth, and is exceedingly swift in the water, and will bite and worry a whale until quite dead. When one of them gets among a gam, or school of whales, he spreads great consternation, and the timid creatures fly every way, like deer chased by the hounds, and fall an easy prey to whale-boats that may be near enough to avail themselves of the opportunity. 2. I have heard a captain detail, with interest, a scene of this kind, in which the killers and harpooners were together against the poor whale, and the killers actually succeeded in pulling under and making off with a prize which the whalemen thought themselves sure of. In the United States exploring squadron, on board the Peacock, as we learn from the narrative of Commander Wilkes, they witnessed a sea-fight between a whale and one of these enemies. The sea was quite smooth, and offered the best possible view of the combat. 3. First, at a distance from the ship, a whale was seen floundering in a most extraordinary way, lashing the smooth sea into a perfect foam, and endeavoring, apparently, to extricate himself from some annoyance. As he approached the ship, the struggle continuing, and becoming more violent, it was perceived that a fish, about twenty feet long, held him by the jaw his spoutings, contortions, and throes, all betokening the agony of the huge monster. 4 The whale now threw himself at full length upon the water, with open mouth: his pursuer still hanging to his under jaw, the blood issuing from the wound dyeing the sea for a long distance round. But all his flounderings were of no avail; his pertinacious enemy still maintained his hold, and was evidently getting the advantage of him. Much alarm seemed to be felt by the many other whales about Such was the turbulence with which they passed, that a good view could not be had of them, to make out more nearly the description. 5. These fish attack a whale in the same way that a dog baits a bull, and worry him to death. They are endowed with immense strength, armed with strong, sharp teeth, and, generally, seize the whale by the lower jaw. It is said the only part they eat of them, is the tongue. The sword-fish and thrasher have been, also, seen to attack the whale together; the sword-fish driving his tremendous weapon inco the body from beneath upward, and the thrasher fastened to his back, and giving him terrific blows with his flail. 6. The thrasher having no power to strike through the water, it has been observed by all who have witnessed these strange combats, that it seems to be the instinctive war policy of the sword-fish to make his attack from below: thus causing the whale to rise above the surface, which, under the goad of the cruel sword of the enemy, he has been known to do, to a great hight: the unrelenting thrasher meanwhile holding on like a leech, and dealing his blows unsparingly through the air, with all the force of his lengthy frame. QUESTIONS.-1. What are the natural enemies of the whale? 2. Can you describe the killer? 3. What effect does the presence of the killer produce among a school of whales? 4. Can you describe the sea-fight mentioned in Wilkes' narrative? 5. How do the swordfish and the thrasher attack the whale? LESSON LX. WORDS FOR SPELLING AND DEFINING. NATIVE, pertaining to the place { TRACK' LESS, without tracks, or of birth. OF YORE, of old time; long ago. WRETCHED NESS, unhappiness. traces. SUB SIDE', become calm. UN RUFFLED, undisturbed. MIRROR ED reflected, as ir a mirror. MY NATIVE BAY. 1. My native bay is calm and bright When, in the days of hope and love, The sky is glowing, soft and blue, 2. The sky-how oft hath darkness dwelt So, oft hath darker woe come o'er 3. Now, after years of absence, passed I come and find those seas and skies And gentle, as in youth, once more 4. O that like thee, when toil is o'er, And while it lay all calm, like thee, In pure, unruffled sleep, Oh! might a Heaven as bright as this, ANON. QUESTIONS.-1. What reflections arise in the mind of the speaker on beholding his native bay? 2. What wish, in the last stanza? What pause after sky and sea, 2d stanza? See p. 43. With what different modulation, should the last stanza be read? LESSON LXI. WORDS FOR SPELLING AND DEFINING. 8Us PI CION, act of suspecting. OB' LO QUY, reproach; disgrace. Judge not!-though clouds of seeming guilt may dim thy brother's fame; For fate may throw suspicion's shade upon the brightest name; Thou canst not tell what hidden chain of circumstances may Have wrought the sad result that takes an honest name away. JUDGE NOT! II. Judge not!-the vilest criminal may rightfully demand III. JUDGE NOT! Judge not!-thou canst not tell how soon the look of bitter scorn May rest on thee, though pure thy heart as dew-drops in the morn. Thou dost not know what freak of fate may place upon thy brow A cloud of shame to kill the joy that rests upon it now. IV. JUDGE NOT! Judge not!-but rather in thy heart let gentle pity dwell: V. Judge not!-for one unjust reproach an honest heart can feel, JUDGE NOT! |