QUEEN CAROLINE, wife of George II., was informed that her eldest daughter, afterwards Princess of Orange, was accustomed on going to bed to employ one of the ladies of the court to read aloud to her till she should drop to sleep. On one occasion the Princess suffered the lady, who was unwell, to continue the fatiguing duty until she fell into a swoon. Determined to teach her daughter a lesson of humanity, the Queen on the following night, when in bed, sent for the Princess, and commanded her to read aloud. After some time her Royal Highness began to be tired of standing, and paused in hope of receiving an order to be seated. Proceed," said her Majesty. In a short time a second pause seemed to plead for rest. Read on," said the Queen again. The Princess again stopped and again received an order to proceed, till at length, pale and breathless, she was forced to complain. Then said this excellent parent, "If you thus feel the pain of this exercise for one evening only, what must your attendants feel who do it every night? Hence learn, my daughter, never to indulge your own ease A ROYAL LESSON OF HUMANITY. 147 while you suffer your attendants to endure unnecessary fatigue."-Memoirs of George II. DICTATION. Fatigue, league, colleague, plague, beleaguer. Supply the words omitted in:-The arrived. The is a deadly she endured hurt her health. malady. The soldiers go to He entered into a with our the citadel of the town. enemies. My has not yet ALL'S for the best, be sanguine and cheerful, All's for the best if a man will but know it, All's for the best, then fling away terrors, Trust like a child while you strive like a man, 148 ALL'S FOR THE BEST. All's for the best, unbiassed, unbounded LXXIV.-NEVER RAIL AT THE WORLD. At-ta'in, reach to. At-tempt', try. De-press'ed, cast down. De-ta'ils, matters one by one. Never rail at the world—it is just as we make it— Never rail at the world, nor attempt to exalt DICTATION. Charles Swain, 1803. He will Believe, relieve, retrieve, grieve, achieve, conceive, receive, deceive. Supply the words omitted in-I do what he says. You should his wants. He cannot his fortune. Do not over spilt milk. not his design. I cannot anything so foolish. Did you your wages? You should not any person. QUESTIONS. What should you never rail at? If we do not sow the seed, what shall we not see? What cannot impede a heart that is in earnest? What is this world next to? What should we not be depressed by? What should we not wear like a fetter? THE postage stamp was first used in London on the 10th of January, 1840, and for ten years it was employed in the British Isles alone. France adopted it on the 1st of January, 1849, and Germany in 1850. It was a curious incident that gave rise to the idea of postage stamps. A traveller, about forty years ago, was passing through a district in the north of England. He arrived at the door of an inn where a postman had stopped to deliver a letter. A young girl came out to receive it; she turned it over and over in her hand. The price demanded for the letter being a shilling, she said she had no money to pay it, although it was a letter from her brother, and, sighing sadly, she returned it to the postman. The traveller was a kind-hearted man, and he paid the postage and handed the letter to the girl. Scarcely had the postman turned his back than the girl confessed that the signs marked on the outside of the letter told her all she wanted to know; that this plan had been adopted by her brother and herself to save expense, and that the letter did not contain any writing inside. The traveller continuing his journey asked himself if a system which gave occasion for such frauds was not a vicious one. 150 THE POSTAGE STAMP. Rowland Hill (that was the name of the traveller) believed that in England, where family ties are so strong, and where the spirit of commerce knows no bounds, the sending of letters was only limited by the cost of the post; and that if the price were reduced a great service would be rendered to society without injury to the revenue of the country. These views were passed into law, and from the date above mentioned letters were circulated over the length and breadth of the British Isles for one penny. This bold scheme soon surpassed the hopes of the legislators, for in ten years the number of letters had increased fivefold. Rowland Hill ultimately became secretary to the Postmaster-General, and aided much in perfecting the plans he had devised, and which are now adopted by every civilized country in the world.-Chatterbox. DICTATION. When the letters c and g are followed by e, i, or y they have almost always their name sounds, as in :-Commerce, France, receive, price, scarcely, service, reduced, circulated, incident circumstances, vicious, society, civilized, cyder, postage, gem, gin, gypsum. QUESTIONS. When was the postage stamp first used in London? How long was it employed in the British Isles alone? When was it adopted in France? When was it introduced into Germany? What gave rise to the idea of postage stamps? How long since did the traveller mentioned in the lesson pass through the North of England? At what door did he arrive? Who stopped there to deliver a letter? Who came out to receive it? What did she do with the letter? What was the price of the letter? From whom had the letter come? What did the girl do when she returned the letter to the postman? What did the traveller do for the girl? What did she confess when the postman had turned his back? What was the traveller's name? By what was the sending of letters only limited? When were his views passed into law? Over what are letters circulated for a penny? Whose hopes did the bold scheme surpass? How much had the letters increased in ten years? What did Rowland Hill ultimately become? In what places are the plans he devised now adopted? |