as, harmlessness, carelessness, carelessly, stiffly, successful, distressful, &c. But those words which end with double 7, and take ness, ly, or ful after them, generally omit one : as, fulness, skilless, fully, skilful, &c.

§ 52. Ness, less, ly, and ful, added to words ending in silent e, do not cut it off: as, paleness, guileless, closely, peaceful; except in a few words: as, duly, truly, awful.

§ 53. Ment, added to words ending with silent e, generally preserves the e from elision: as, abatement, chastisement, incitement, &c. The words judgment, abridgment, and acknowledgment, are deviations from this rule.

54. Able and ible, when incorporated into words ending with silent e, almost always cut it off: as, blame, blamable; cure, curable; sense, sensible, &c.; but if c or g soft comes before e in the original word, the e is then preserved in words ending with able: as, change, changable; peace, peacable, &c.

§ 55. When ing or ish is added to words ending in silent e, the e is almost universally omitted: as, place, placing; lodge, lodging; slave, slavish; prude, prudish.

§ 56. We generally form the plural of nouns by adding s to the singular: as, lot, lots; end, ends. But if the singular ends in x, ss, sh, and ch, the plural is formed by adding es: as, box, boxes; church, churches; class, classes. When the sin

gular ends in for fe, change it into ves: as, wife, wives.

57. Respecting ei and ie, the student will find that generally when the diphthong has the sound of a, or followed by the sound of t, it will be ei, otherwise, it will be ie. A number of exceptions to this rule.

Remarks on the questions on the Lessons.

No. 1. contains general questions on the lesson. No. 2. derivation of words. No. 3. false pronunciation. No. 4. words spelled alike, but differently accented. No. 5. figures of speech. No. 6. punctuation. No. 7. words pronounced the

same, but different in meaning. No. 8. rules for reading. No. 9. compound words. No. 10. analyzing sentences. See § 1, Note. No. 12. spelling and defining words. W. D. Webster's Dictionary.

EXERCISES IN READING.

LESSON I.

PORCELAIN TOWER OF NANKIN.

1. NANKIN is a large city of China, and was formerly the capital of that empire. The streets are narrow, but handsome and well paved, and on each side are shops neatly furnished.

2. The most remarkable building in Nankin is the celebrated porcelain tower which is two hundred feet high, and divided into nine stories. Inside, there are one hundred and ninety steps leading to the different apartments which are filled with gilt idols; placed in niches in the wall. The Chinese say that this building was commenced five or six hundred years ago, and that it took nineteen years to complete it.

3. My young readers may have heard something of the peculiar manners and customs of the Chinese. These people are of the middle stature, with broad faces, small eyes, broad noses turned upwards, high cheek-bones, and thick lips.b Like the Mahomedans, they shave the whole head, except a lock on the crown, which they tie in a long cue, that hangs down the back, not unfrequently like the lash of a whip, and as low as the calf of the leg.

4. Many of the higher classes let their nails grow to an enormous length, to show that they are not engaged in hard labor with their hands. This is very foolish, as industry is certainly more entitled to respect than idleness.b Little feet are reckoned a great part of female beauty, and these are in consequence so tightly bandaged from infancy, that they are subjected to very great pain, and can hardly walk.h

5. The dress of the common people is generally of blue or black cotton. White is worn only as mourning. The men's caps are shaped like a bell. The rest of the attire consists of a vest with wide trowsers or petticoats, and a loose coat or

gown covering the whole. The use of silk and furs is forbidden to children, and boys are not permitted to wear a cap till a certain age.

6. When this arrives, an officer of ceremoniesa places the cap on the boy's head, and gives him an exhortation to this effect:"You will now dress like a man, take care you act like a man ;e and put away all the toys and trifles of childhood; become grave and study virtue, and deserve a happy life."

7. Rice is considered as the staff of life in China, and great quantities of it are eaten. The Chinese also make use of various kinds of animal food, in the choice of which they are by no means particular, as the common people eat pork, fish, fowls, cats, dogs, rats, and almost every other animal that has either died naturally or been killed.b

a § 49. 1. b § 14. 1. c See W. D. d § 14. 3. § 13. e § 12. 3.

§ 11. 2. h§ 44. 6.

nese.

g

No. 1. Where is Nankin? What was it formerly? Describe its streets. What remarkable building in Nankin? Describe it. When was it commenced and how long was it in building? Describe the person of the ChiWhat can you say of the hair of the higher class? What of female beauty? Its consequences? What is the color of their dress? What color is worn for mourning? What of their caps? The rest of their attire? What is forbidden to children and boys? When a boy arrives at a certain age, what is done? What is the food of the Chinese ? No. 2. Formerly, remarkable, different, upward, foolish, idleness, childhood, consist.

No. 3. Hos for horse, pised for poised.

No. 4. Why is there a comma after China, in the first verse? § 11. 3. A period after empire? § 14. 1. In verse second one comma is omitted; restore it. One semicolon is used for a comma; correct it.

No. 8. Repeat § 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

No. 9. Tell the subject in the last sentence of verse third. The prediLet the teacher ask many more such questions.

cate.

No. 10. Spell and define all the words in verse first.

LESSON II.

MODES OF SALUTATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

1. MODES of salutation have sometimes very different characters, and it is no uninteresting speculation to examine their shades. Many display a refinement of delicacy, while others

are remarkable for their simplicity or for their sensibility. In general, however, they are the same in the infancy of nations, and in more polished societies. Respect, humility, fear, and esteem, are expressed much in a similar manner, for these are the natural consequences of the organization of the body.

2. These demonstrations become in time only empty civilities, which signify nothing; we shall notice what they were originally, without reflecting on what they are. The first na

tions have no peculiar modes of salutation;d they know no reverences or other compliments; or they despise and disdain them the Greenlanders laugh when they see an European uncover his head, and bend his body before him whom he calls his superior.

3. The Islanders, near the Philippines, take the hand or foot of him they salute, and with it they gently rub their face. The Laplanders apply their nose strongly against that of the person they salute. Dampier says, that at New Guinea they are satisfied to put on their heads the leaves of trees, which have ever passed for symbols of friendship and peace. This is at least a picturesquef salute.

4. Other salutations are very incommodious and painful; it requires great practice to enable a man to be polite in an island situated in the straits of the Sound. Houtman tells us they saluted him in this grotesquef manner: They raised his left foot, which they passed gently over the right leg, and from thence over his face." The inhabitants of the Philippines use a most complex attitude; they bend their body very low, place their hands on their cheeks, and at the same time raise one foot in the air with their knee bent.

5. In the progress of time it appears serviles to uncover one's self. The grandees of Spain claim the right of appearing covered before the king, to show that they are not so much subjected to him as the rest of the nation; and this writer truly observes, we may remark, that the English do not uncover their heads so much as the other nations of Europe. Mr. Hobhouse observes, that uncovering the head, with the Turks, is a mark of indecent familiarity; in their mosques,f the Franks must keep their hats on. The Jewish custom of

wearing their hats in their synagogues, is, doubtless, the same oriental custom.

6. In a word, there is not a nation, observes the humorous Montaigne, even to the people who, when they salute, turn

their backs on their friends, but what can be justified in their

customs.

7. The negroes are lovers of ludicrous actions, and hence all their ceremonies seem farcical. The greater part pull the fingers till they crack. Snelgrave gives an odd representation of the embassy which the king of Dahomy sent to him. The ceremonies of salutation consisted in the most ridiculous contortions. When two negro monarchs visit, they embrace by snapping three times the middle finger.

8. Barbarous nations frequently imprint their dispositions on their salutations. When the inhabitants of Carmena, says Athenæus,i would show a peculiar mark of esteem, they broached a vein, and presented, for the beverage of their friend, the blood as it issued. The Franks tore the hair from their heads, and presented it to the person they saluted. The slave cut his hair, and offered it to his master.

9. The Chinese are singularly affected in their personal civilities.b They even calculate the number of their reverences. These are the most remarkable postures. The men move their hands in an affectionate manner, while they are joined together on the breast, and bow their head a little. If they respect a person, they raise their hands joined, and lower them to the earth in bending the body. If two persons meet after a long separation, they both fall on their knees, and bend the face to the earth, and this ceremony they repeat two or three times.

10. Surely we may differ here with the sentiment of Montaigne, and confess this ceremony to be ridiculous. It arises from their natural affectation. They substitute artificial ceremonies for natural actions.

11. Their expressions mean as little as their ceremonies. If a Chinese is asked how he finds himself in health, he answers,i Very well; thanks to your abundant felicity. If they would tell a man that he looks well, they say, Prosperity is painted on your face; or, Your air announces your happiIf you render them any service, they say, My thanks shall be immortal.

ness.

a § 11. 8. b § 49. 1. c § 11. 2. d § 12. 1. f See W. D. g servile or servile? h § 12. 2. i§ 11. 4. j§ 45. What used for?

No. 1. What do the different modes of salutation denote? What do the Greenlanders think of the European mode? What is the manner of salutation among the Islanders near the Philippines? How was Mr. Houtman