12. Such is the story of the bobolink once spiritual, musical, admired, the joy of the meadows, and the favorite bird of spring; finally, a gross little sensualist, who expiates his sensuality in the larder. His story contains a moral worthy the attention of all little birds and little boys; warning them to keep to those refined and intellectual pursuits which raised him to so high a pitch of popularity during the early part of his career, but to eschew 16 all tendency to that gross and dissipated indulgence which brought this mistaken little bird to an untimely end.

1 TURTLE. The turtle dove.

2 EN-AM'ELLED. Overlaid with enam

9 BON-VIVANT
A good liver.

(bon(g)'vē-vän(g)'),

el, or adorned so as to resemble 10 GÖUR'MAND. One fond of good eatenamel; variegated.

8 REV'EL RY. Festivity; jollity; carousal.

♦ VÄRʼLET. A servant or attendant; also, a rogue; a scapegrace.

6 VO-LUPT'U-A-RY. One given to pleasure and indulgence.

6 RUSTIC. An inhabitant of the country; a peasant.

7 DŎFFS. Puts off; lays aside.

8 RUS'SET. A reddish gray color.

ing; an epicure.

11 GAS-TRO-NŎM'I-CAL.

Relating to

good living; gluttonous.

12 CÖR'PỤ-LENT. Fleshy; fat.
13 EP'I-CURE. One addicted to luxu-
rious eating.

14 FIRE'LŎCK. A gun.
15 IN-COR'RI-ĢI-BLE.

corrected.

That cannot be

16 ES-CHEW' (es-chû'). Avoid; shun.

[James Merrick, the author of this popular poem, was an English clergy man, born in 1720, died in 1768.]

1. OFT has it been my lot to mark
A proud, conceited, talking spark',
With eyes that hardly served at most
To guard their master 'gainst a post;
Yet round the world the blade2 has been,
To see whatever could be seen.

2. Returning from his finished tour,
Grown ten times perter than before,
Whatever word you chance to drop,
The travelled fool your mouth will stop:
"Sir, if my judgment you'll allow-
I've seen -and sure I ought to know."
So begs you'd pay a due submission,
And acquiesce in his decision.

3. Two travellers of such a cast,

As o'er Arabia's wilds they passed,
And on their way, in friendly chat,
Now talked of this, and then of that,
Discoursed a while, 'mongst other matter,
Of the chameleon's' form and nature.

4. "A stranger animal," cries one,
"Sure never lived beneath the sun;
A lizard's body, lean and long,
A fish's head, a serpent's tongue,
Its foot with triple claw disjoined";
And what a length of tail behind!
How slow its pace! and then its hue-
Who ever saw so fine a blue!".

5. "Hold there," the other quick replies, ""Tis green; I saw it with these eyes, As late with open mouth it lay, And warmed it in the sunny ray: Stretched at its ease the beast I viewed, And saw it eat the air for food."

6. "I've seen it, sir, as well as you, And must again affirm it blue;

At leisure I the beast surveyed
Extended in the cooling shade."

7. ""Tis green, 'tis green, sir, I assure ye.” "Green!” cries the other in a fury : "Why, sir, d' ye think I've lost my eyes?" "Twere no great loss," the friend replies; "For if they always serve you thus, You'll find them of but little use."

8. So high at last the contest rose,
From words they almost came to blows:
When, luckily, came by a third;
To him the question they referred,
And begged he'd tell them, if he knew,
Whether the thing was green or blue.

9. "Sirs," cries the umpire", "cease your pother
The creature's neither one nor t'other.
I caught the animal last night,
And viewed it o'er by candle light;
I marked it well; 'twas black as jet.
You stare; but, sirs, I've got it yet,
And can produce it."-"Pray, sir, do;
I'll lay my life the thing is blue."
"And I'll be sworn, that when you've seen
The reptile, you'll pronounce him green."

10. "Well, then, at once to end the doubt,"
Replies the man, "I'll turn him out;
And when before your eyes I've set him,
If

you don't find him black, I'll eat him." He said; and full before their sight

Produced the beast, and lo!-'twas white.

11 Both stared; the man looked wondrous wise:
"My children," the chameleon cries,
(Then first the creature found a tongue,)
"You all are right, and all are wrong:
When next you talk of what you view,
Think others see as well as you:
Nor wonder if you find that none
Prefers your eyesight to his own."

1 SPÄRK. A lively, showy man.
2 BLADE. A gay, dashing fellow.
8 TOUR. A journey.

4 AC-QUI-ESCE' IN. Assent to;
mit to quietly.

6 CHA-ME'LE-ON.

sub

An animal of the lizard kind, noted for changing its color.

6 DIS-JÖINED'. Separated; parted; di vided; disunited.

7 UM'PĪRE. A party, to whom a dispute or question between two or more is referred for settlement.

8 PŎTH'ER. Tumult; bustle.

9 REP'TILE. A creeping animal, as a snake, a lizard, &c.

XXXII. THE PROGRESS OF HUMANITY.

SUMNER.

[Charles Sumner was born in Boston, January 6, 1811, and was graduated at Harvard College in 1830. He was admitted to the bar in 1834, and in 1837 visited Europe. Having become earnestly engaged in the anti-slavery cause, he was chosen to the Senate of the United States from the State of Massachusetts, in the winter of 1851, and still continues a member of that body, having been twice reëlected. He is well known for the energy and eloquence with which he has assailed the institution of slavery. His works, consisting of speeches and occasional addresses, have been published in three volumes, and are remarkable for fervid eloquence and abundant illustration.]

1. LET us, then, be of good cheer. From the great Law of Progress we may derive at once our duties and our encouragements. Humanity has ever advanced, urged by the instincts and necessities implanted by God,- thwarted' sometimes by obstacles which have caused it for a time a moment only, in the immensity of ages to deviate from its true line, or to seem to retreat, but still ever onward.

2. Amidst the disappointments which may attend individual exertions, amidst the universal agitations which now surround us, let us recognize this law, confident that whatever is just, whatever is humane, whatever is good, whatever is true, according to an immutable ordinance of Providence, in the golden light of the future, must prevail. With this faith, let us place our hands, as those of little children, in the great hand of God. He will ever guide and sustain us through pains and perils, it may be in the path of Progress.

-

3. In the recognition of this law, there are motives to beneficent activity, which shall endure to the last syllable of life. Let the young embrace it: they shall find in it an ever-living spring. Let the old cherish it still they shall derive from it fresh encouragement. It shall give to all, both old and young, a new appreciation of their existence, a new sentiment of their force, a new revelation of their destiny.

4. Be it, then, our duty and our encouragement to live and to labor, ever mindful of the Future. But let us not forget the Past. All ages have lived and labored for us. From one has come art, from another jurisprudence3, from another the compass, from another the printing-press; from all have proceeded priceless lessons of truth and virtue. The earliest and most distant times are not without a present influence on our daily lives. The mighty stream of Progress, though fed by many tributary waters and hidden springs, derives something of its force from the earlier currents which leap and sparkle in the distant mountain recesses, over precipices, among rapids, and beneath the shade of the primeval forest.

5. Nor should we be too impatient to witness the fulfilment of our aspirations. The daily increasing rapidity of discovery and improvement, and the daily multiplying efforts of beneficence, in later years outstripping the im