6. Present time is all-important. The poc that passes over us is the conflux of two et It is made up of currents that come from the past, and flow onward into the remotest future.

7. Reckoning the motion of the earth on its seventeen miles a minute, it follows that, if y off your hat in the street to bow to a friend, a long distance bareheaded without taking col 8. "I do not like to say any thing against son in question," said a very polite man “but merely remark, in the language of the poet, him 'truth is strange, stranger than fiction.'"

9. A lazy fellow once complained in compa he could not find bread for his family. "Neit I," said an honest laborer; "I have to work for bread I get."

10. "Did you knock my hat over my head in e sir?" asked one man of another, in a crowd. tainly, I did, sir." "It is well you did, sir; f not put up with jokes of that kind.”

11. Let no man be too proud to work. Let r be ashamed of a hard fist or sunburnt face. L be ashamed only of ignorance and sloth. Let n be ashamed of poverty. Let him only be ashan dishonesty and idleness.

12. Be slow to promise, and quick to perform. not the tongue run before the thought. He kee road well who gets rid of bad company. Cred is like a broken looking-glass. He is an ill boy like a top, goes no longer than he is whipped.

13. A young naval officer, when asked what of a certain battle was the most dreadful, re "The few hushed moments when they sprinkle deck with sand to drink the human blood as y shed."

Give the y sound to u in tune. Do not say pint for point, winder for win'dow, fors erd for forward, akyount for ac-count'. Pronounce toward to rhyme with board.

1. As a talker the parrot has some rivals among birds. The magpie, the jay and the raven, may be aught to utter intelligible sentences; but all these, and even the parrot himself, must yield to the staring, who, to the faculty of speech, adds the charm of wild but melodious song.

2. Anecdotes of the starling are not uncommon. Every body knows the story of Sterne's imprisoned ird, who complained unceasingly, "I can't get outI can't get out;" and perhaps most of our readers could match that story with another as good.

3. But I once fell in with a starling whose genius soared far above that of the bird of Sterne; and I will give you an account of that memorable interview, in which I shall be careful to set down nothing more than the simple fact. Thus it was.

4. On a day, now many years ago, when I happened to require the services of a barber, I stepped into the shop of one in a rather retired street. It was verging toward sunset, and, the shop-window being darkened with wigs, busts, bottled hair-brushes, perfumes and sponges, the contents of the apartment were not clearly visible in the dim light.

5. On my opening the door, a voice called out:

“Gentlemen wants to be shaved. centlemen wonta

"Gentleman wants to be shaved!" rang the voice

again.

6. The barber came forward from an inner room, saying, "You're wrong this time, Jacob; " and, drawing up a small blind to let in more light, revealed a starling in a cage, who, I then saw, had been the sole shopkeeper when I entered.

7. While I sat under the scissors, the operator commenced a conversation with the bird. "Come, Jacob, give us a song, now; come, Jacob! "Come and kiss me, then," said the bird, in accents almost as plain as those of a child of six or seven years;

66 come and kiss me come and kiss me come and kiss me!" 8. The barber put his lips to the wires of the cage, and the bird thrust his bill between them, and a succession of loud kisses ensued, in which it was not pos sible to distinguish those of the human from those of the feathered biped, until the barber had resumed his task, when the bird continued kissing the air for some minutes.

9. "Come, that 's kissing enough, Jacob; now give us a song. Come, Home, sweet home!'" With that the barber began whistling the air; the starling took it up, and continued it alone to the concluding bar of the second strain, whistling it with perfect accuracy up to that point, and then breaking into its own wild natural song.

10. "Ah! Jacob, Jacob! why don't you finish your music? That's the way it is, sir; you can't get them to sing a whole tune; they always go off into their own wild notes before they get to the end."

11. Jacob now began again to insist that I wanted shaving; he would only be convinced to the contrary by more kissing. When he was quieted, I asked his owner how he had succeeded in teaching him so effectually.

SIR CHARLES NAPIER.

21

12. "I had him young, sir," he said, "and he had nothing to unlearn when I got him. I sit by him nearly all day, perhaps weaving a wig, or doing some other quiet job; and I talk to him, and he talks to me. Of course I don't try to teach him more than one thing at a time. He can talk more than you have yet heard, and he'll speak again presently."

13. Of this I had some doubts, as the bird was then busy feeding; but no sooner was the cloth removed from my neck, and I rose from my seat, than up started Jacob to his perch, and began shouting, with the whole force of his little lungs : "Gentleman, pay your money gentleman, pay your money!" and he continued to vociferate this delicate reminder long after the money was paid - as long, indeed, as I continued within hearing.

FEAT, n., a rare deed; a trick.

STAFF, n., officers about a general.

STEADY, a., firm.

come.

STAT'URE, n., height of a man.

DE-TERRED', v. t., stopped by fear.
PER'IL-OUS, a., full of danger.
ES-PLA-NADE', n., a sloping grass-plat.

CON'QUER (kŎnk'er), v. t., to over- MEN'A-CING, a., threatening.

JUGGLER, n., a person who practices sleight of hand tricks.

SEN'SI-TIVE, a. having acute feelings. COL-LU'SION, n., a secret agreement for fraud.

FOR TI-TUDE, n., endurance.

Pronounce Napier, Na'peer; extraordinary, ex-tror'di-na-ry; wound, woond; sword, surd. Do not say holler for hollow, meeount for mount, venter for venture, sperrit for spir'it.

1. SIR CHARLES NAPIER was an English general, of extraordinary courage and determination. He was born in the year 1782. As a child he was weak and sickly, but of a noble spirit. Bold and fearless, he was at the same time compassionate as a girl. Naturally sensitive, he could, by his force of will, call up daring and fortitude to conquer his timidity.

2. Unlucky as to accidents, he was never de thereby from striving in all the perilous feats of in youth, and in all great actions becoming age i When but ten years old, he struck his leg, in le against a roughly-riveted bar with such force tear the flesh from the bone in a frightful m The wound was severe, but he bore the pain an with a spirit that excited the admiration of stern 3. His moral resolution was very early s When he was but six years old, a wandering man was one day displaying his powers on th planade at Castletown. This showman was sho stature, but huge of limb, with a savage expressi face, thick red hair and beard, and a harsh voice was rather an alarming object to a child.

4. A crowd of people gathered round him, and displaying some of his tricks, the man, balanc ladder on his chin, invited, or rather, with men tone, ordered a chimney-sweep to mount and s the top; but the boy shrank with fear from the s ing ruffian. Charles Napier was asked by his if he would venture. Silent for a moment, he seto fear; but, suddenly looking up, said yes, and borne aloft amid the cheers of the spectators.

5. Again at ten years of age, having, when ang caught a fish, he was surprised by the descent half-tamed eagle, of great size and fierceness, w floating down from a tree, settled on his shoul covered him with its huge dark wings, and took fish out of his hands. Far from being frightene pursued his sport, and, on catching another fish, it up, inviting the eagle to try again, at the same threatening the formidable bird with the spear-en the rod.