Against the Pride of Noble Birth, The Troubles of a Young Thief, Satire on Pretended Philosophers and Projectors, Absurdity of Useless Learning, Greatness not conferred by Station, On the Employment of Indians in the American War, : Elegy written in a Country Church-yard, Account of Beginning and Conclusion of his Great Work, Description of Milton's Residence, From the Funeral Sermon of the Princess Charlotte, Address to Miss A. Baillie, on her Birth-day, . Lines composed a few Miles above Tiatern Abbey, Adventure at the Town of Sego, Summons of the Destroying Angel to the City of Babylon, Wooing Song of jarl Egill Skallagrim, Review of Lockhart's Life of Burns, . BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, The Way to Wealth, JOEL Barlow, The Hasty Pudding, ALEXANDER MAMILTON, The Fate of André, William W187, . Who is Blannerhasset? JAMES KIRKE PAULDING, The Quarrel of Squire Bull and his Son, WASHINGTON Allston, Rosalie, William ELLERY CHANNING, Dancing, The Sense of Beauty, Books, DANIEL WEBSTER, To the Survivors of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Importance of Preserving the Union, WASHINGTON IRVING, The Fatness of Aldermen, Primitive Habits in New Amsterdam, Levi FRISBEE, A Castle in the Air, JOSEPH STEVENS BUCKMINSTER, 272 272 274 . 274 . 278 278 . 280 280 282 283 285 285 286 287 288 289 289 289 292 293 . • 294 295 297 297 299 Escape of the Ariel from the Shoals, Tribute to the Aborigines of our Country, The Puritan Sabbath in New England, • . 371 . . . 377 . 381 ELIZABETH C. GOETHE, CAROLINE GUNDERODE, BETTINA BRENTANO, Letter from Gunderode to Bettine, On Leaving France for the East, Don Quixote's Adventure with the Windmills, The Bridal of Andalla, (Author unknown,) Description of the Plague at Milan, REMARKS UPON THE ART OF READING. a TRULY good readers and speakers — those who seem to have so full an understanding and appreciation of the thoughts and sentiments of their author that they can reproduce them orally, as they arose lifelike in his mind, and fell glowing from his pen - are very rarely to be found. And yet, the power of doing this would seem to be an art very easily acquired. All have sufficient capacities of voice for it. The child, in his earliest attempts at uttering ideas, repeating stories which have been told him, or reading those simple ones that he understands, generally gives the right tones and inflections in an impressive manner. But as he becomes older, either from having lessons given him to read which he does not understand, or from gross neglect or incapacity on the part of the teacher, he soon falls into a habit of monotonous, unmeaning utterance, which it is very difficult for him to get rid of in after years. If the teacher never allowed the young scholar to read a sentence without evolving the true shades of meaning, in all their distinguishing niceties, habits of bad reading would never be formed, and it would always be as easy and natural to express the full sense of an author in an effective manner, as, to utter intelligibly one's own feelings or wishes, in common conversation. The origin of the evil complained of, thus seems to lie with those who have the instruction of children in their earliest years. But as it respects those who may use this as a reading-book, it is necessary only to recognize the facts, that bad reading exists, that probably some of them fall into the class of poor readers, and that, however they came by the habit, they must now take the matter, in a great degree, into their own hands, and endeavor to reform. Good reading is acknowleged to rank among the very first of polite accomplishments. It would, indeed, seem to have the precedence of any other in point of practical utility. Books can always be at hand, even in the humblest circumstances; and, if well chosen, they are vehicles of the highest and noblest thoughts and sentiments that have |
