76 GEORGE WILSON, WHO BECAME A MAN OF SCIENCE. king, and he, being a mathematician himself, did not fail to admire the genius of the young American. With the prize which he had so nobly won, and presents from the French monarch, George Wilson next proceeded to the Royal Society in England, where he obtained a similar premium for the same solution. He He returned to America; but the Emperor of Russia had heard of his fame as a mathematician, and invited him to come to St. Petersburg. accepted the invitation, and was at once appointed Professor of Mathematics there. His career is a bright example of what diligence in acquiring knowledge will do for youth. As a child he was a charity boy; in after life he was a famous man of science, and the favourite of an emperor. DICTATION. Divide the following words into syllables so as to make each syllable show the pronunciation as nearly as possible, and mark the accented syllable:-Alphabet, delightful, unkindness, errands, useful, courage, gentleman, approached, strangeness, clergyman, benefactor, calculations, ultimately, discovered, valuable, mathematician, invitation, diligence. QUESTIONS. Of what poorhouse was George Wilson an inmate? What kind of child was he? What kind of manners had he? What did his pleasing manners gain for him? What did Gaffer teach him? What did he tell him he would come to know when he had learned to read good books? When Gaffer died what did no other inmate take? What caused him to run away from the workhouse? What did he hope some person would take him to do? What did he desire much? What did he stand gazing at? Who approached him at this moment? How was the old gentleman dressed? What did the orphan say to the old gentleman? What did the old gentleman say to him? What did the boy wish to know about? If the gentleman would teach him to read, how did George say he would serve him? Where did the gentleman take him to? Where did he bring him up? By whom was little George greatly beloved? Why was he so beloved? What did he learn to be? What did he delight in making? What did he discover? Who appointed him to be a professor? What was he when a child? What was he when a man? purpose be wise, Whate'er your condition may be; Nor deem it impossible ever to rise To a station of higher degree. For plebeian toil has oft earned the spoil Of riches and fame as its due; And what has been done in the race that you run Success without merit was never the rule, And what has been won in the race that you run The plodding and patient, though mean and obscure, Of all are most worthy to lead; The diligent hand shall abundance secure, While the faithless shall never succeed. So success to deserve you must strain every nerve, In the proud roll of history's illustrious names, Are heroes of peace and of sanctified aims 77 78 BE EARNEST IN EFFORT. Then a niche with the brave do you ardently crave? DICTATION Syllable and accent the following words :-Purpose, condition impossible, plebeian, numerous, exceptions, patient, sluggard honoured. OSTRICHES were regarded by the ancients as partly bird and partly beast. The large thighs without feathers are more like those of a quadruped than of a bird; added to which, the foot is formed very like that of the camel; hence it was at one time called the camel-bird. Like the camel, this bird inhabits the sandy desert, beneath the burning sun. It is found roaming over the arid plains of Arabia and Africa. Several ostrich hens lay all their eggs together in one nest, which is formed by merely scraping up the sand, and making a circular hollow about the size one hen can cover. The hens relieve each other in the duty of hatching during the day; and the male takes his turn at night, when his greater strength is required to protect the eggs or the young from the attacks of jackals, tiger-cats, and other enemies. These animals are often found lying dead near the nest, killed by a blow from the foot of this powerful bird. more common. As many as sixty eggs are sometimes found in and near an ostrich's nest; but a smaller number is Each female lays from twelve to sixteen eggs. They continue to lay during incubation, and even after the young birds are hatched; the eggs thus laid are not placed in the nest, but around it, and are said to be designed to feed the young birds until they are old enough to eat and digest the hard food on which the old birds feed. The food of the ostrich consists of the tops of shrubby plants, seeds, and grain; strange to say, however, it will swallow greedily sticks, stones, pieces of metal, leather, and other substances, which sometimes cause its death. Probably these substances are taken into the stomach to grind the hard food which it has eaten, even as the common barn-door hens pick up little pebbles and bits of glass for a similar purpose. It takes from thirty-six to forty days to hatch the young ostriches, but in the middle of the day the nest is often left by all the birds, as the heat of the sun is then sufficient to keep the eggs at the proper warmth. This gave rise to a belief at one time that the ostrich did not sit on her eggs to hatch them, but left the sun to do the work which she was too heedless to perform. When the ostrich is young, its flesh is very good to eat, and its eggs are also excellent. If, however, the birds discover that the eggs have been disturbed in the nest, they break them all, and leave the spot; hence the natives remove the eggs by means of a long stick, so as to make the birds continue to lay for some time. The voice of the ostrich is a hoarse sort of chuckle, but it is said to utter at night a roaring somewhat like that of the lion. The height of the adult male is from seven to eight feet. The beautiful feathers, which are so highly valued by ladies, are got from the wings and |