On a fine morning in the fall of 1737, Mr. Washington, having little George by the hand, came to the door and asked my cousin and myself to walk with him to the orchard, promising to show us a fine sight. On arriving at the orchard, we were presented with a fine sight indeed. The whole earth as far as we could see, was strewed with fruit and yet the trees were bending under the weight

of apples, which hung in clusters, like grapes, and vainly strove to hide their red cheeks behind the green leaves.

"Now, Gcorge," said his father, "look here, my son! don't you remember, when this good cousin of yours brought you that fine large apple, last spring, how hardly I could prevail on you to divide with your brothers and sisters; though I promised you that if you would but do it, God Almighty would give you plenty of apples this fall?”

Poor George could not say a word; but, hanging down his head, looked quite confused, while with his little naked toes he scratched in the soft ground." Now look up, my son," continued his father, " and see how richly that blessed God has made good my promise to you. Wherever you turn your eyes, you see the trees loaded with fine fruit, many of them indeed breaking down, while the ground is covered with mellow apples, more than you could ever eat, my son, in all your life time."

George looked in silence on the wide wilderness of fruit ; he marked the busy humming bees, and heard the gay notes of birds; then lifting his eyes, filled with shining moisture, he said, softly, to his father, "Well, Pa, only forgive me this time, and see if I ever be so stingy any more.

When George was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! of which, like most boys, he was immoderately fond, and was constantly going about, chopping every thing that came in his way.

One day in the garden, where he had often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-bushes, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got the better of it.

The next morning, the old gentleman, finding out what had befallen his favourite tree, came into the house, and asked for the author of the mischief, declaring at the same time, that he would not have taken five guineas for the tree.

Nobody could tell him any thing about it. Presently George and his little hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?"

This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself; and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth, brightened with the charm of honesty, he bravely cried out, "I can't

tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did it with my little hatchet."

"Run to my arms, my dearest boy," said his father 16 you have paid me for my tree a thousand times; and I hope my son will always be hero enough to tell the truth, let come what will come."

LANGUAGE.

Language is human speech, or a set of articulate sounds, used by any nation or people to convey their ideas to each other.

Grammar is the art of speaking and writing any language with propriety.

Orthography is that part of grammar, which teaches the nature and power of letters, and the just method of spelling words.

A letter is the first principle, or least part of a word. The letters of a language are called the alphabet, which in the English language are twenty-six in number.

Letters are divided into vowels and consonants.

A vowel is a letter, which can be perfectly sounded by itself; or without moving the parts of the mouth.

A consonant is a letter, which cannot be perfectly sounded by itself; but, joined with a vowel, forms an articulate or significant sound.

The vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes, w and y.

W and y are consonants, when they begin a word or syllable; but in every other situation they are called vowels. A diphthong is the union of two vowels in one syllable ; as ea in beut, ou in sound.

A triphthong is the union of three vowels in one syllable; as, ieu in adicu, lieu.

A syllable is a sound, either simple or compounded, pronounced by a single impulse or effort of the voice, and constituting a word or part of a word; as man, man-ful.

Words are articulate, or significant sounds, which are used to express our ideas.

A word of one syllable is called
A word of two syllables,
A word of three syllables,

A word of four or more syllables,

a mon'osyllable,
a dis'syllable,
a tris'yllable,

a polysyllable.

Orthography or spelling is the art of expressing syllables and words by their proper letters.

N. B. These questions upon the vowels, consonants, &c. should be repeated till children can readily distinguish them, and tell what they are.

RULES FOR SPELLING.

[These rules and exceptions should be committed to memory.]

Rule 1. Monosyllables ending with the consonant f, l, or s, preceded by a single vowel, double the final or last consonant; as, staff, mill, pass, &c.

The only exceptions are, as, has, is, this, was, his, if, of, us, yes, and thus.

Rule 2. Monosyllables ending with any consonant but f. 1, or s, and preceded by a single vowel, never double the final consonant; as, far, thin, for, set.

The only exceptions are, add, cbb, butt, egg, odd, err, inn bunn, burr, buzz.

Examples.

Spell, staff, mill, gross, stress, shall, will.
Car, war, drug, nor, hum, fin, fur,

Thief, heal, says, as, has, is, this.

Small, thin, great, add, egg, odd, inn.

Practical Questions.

Why should the final consonant / be doubled in the word spell?
Ans. Because it is a monosyllable ending in preceded by the
single vowel &; Rule 1. Monosyllables, &c.

Why should the firal consonant r be single in the word car?
Ans. Because monosyllables, ending with any consonant but f, l, or s,
preceded by a single vowel, do not double the final consonant.
Rule 2.

Why does not the word thief double the fina! consonant ƒ?

Ans. Because the final consonant f is not preceded by a single vowel, but by a diphthong; Rule 1. Monosyllables, &c.

Why does not the word is double the final consonant s, as it is preceded by the single vowel i?

Ans. Because it is an exception to Rule 2; as the only exceptions are as, has, is, &c.

Why does the word add double the consonant d?

Ans. Because it is an exception to Rule 2; Monosyllables ending, &c.-The only exceptions are add, ebb, &c.

N. B. These questions should be repeated and varied, till the rules are perfectly understood, and the exceptions readily recollected.

Rule 3. Words ending with y, preceded by a consonant, form the plurals of nouns, the persons of verbs, verbal nouns, past participles, comparatives, and superlatives, by changing y into i; as, spy, spies; I carry, thou carriest, he carries ; carrier, carried; happy, happier, happiest.

The present participle in ing retains the y, that i may not be doubled; as, carry, carrying.

But y preceded by a vowel, in such instances as the above, is not changed; as, boy, boys; cloyed. Except in lay, pay, and say; from which are formed laid, paid, said.

Rule 4. Words ending with y, preceded by a consonant, upon assuming or taking an additional syllable beginning with a consonant, commonly change y into i; as, happy, happily.

But when y is preceded by a vowel, it is rarely changed in the additional syllable; as, boy, boyish, boyhood.

Rule 5. Monosyllables, and words accented on the last syllable, ending with a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, double that consonant, when they take another syllable beginning with a vowel; as, wit, witty; thin, thinnish; begin, beginner.

But if a diphthong precedes, or the accent is on the preceding syllable, the consonant remains single; as, toil, toiling; offer, offering.

Rule 6. Words ending in any double letter but 7, and taking ness, less, ly, or ful, after them, preserve the letter