1. The sailor boasts his stately ship,

The bulwark of the isle,

The soldier loves his sword, and sings
Of tented plains the while;

But we will hang the ploughshare up
Within our father's halls,

And guard it as the deity
Of plenteous festivals.

2. We'll pluck the brilliant poppies,
And the far-famed barley-corn,

To entwine with bursting wheat-ears
That out-shine the saffron morn.

We'll crown it with a glowing heart,
And pledge our fertile land,
The ploughshare of Old England,
And the sturdy peasant band.

3. The work it does is good and blest,
And may be proudly told;
We see it in the teeming barns,
And fields of waving gold.
Its metal is unsullied,

No blood-stain lingers there;
"God speed the plough" and let it thrive,
Unshackled everywhere.

4. The bark may rest upon the wave,
The spear may gather dust,
But never may the prow that cuts
The furrow lie and rust.
Fill up, fill up with glowing heart,
And pledge our fertile land,
The ploughshare of Old England,
And the sturdy peasant band.

SUMMARY.-The sailor loves his ship and the soldier his sword, but we prefer to sing the praises of the old ploughshare. Its work brings blessings and no bloodstains are found on its metal The ship may rest on the wave and the spear may grow dusty; but may the ploughshare of Old England never lie idle or be covered with rust.

What does the sailor boast? | plough is the share? What is What is the stately ship here called? What weapon is more commonly in the hands of soldiers than a sword? What part of the

meant by the words, " Fields of waving gold?" What is meant by "the prow that cuts the furrow?"

XXXVI. THE LITTLE OLD MILL; OR, WHY THE SEA IS SALT-A FAIRY TALE.

1. There were, in very ancient times, two brothers, one of whom was rich, and the other poor. Christmas was approaching, but the poor man had nothing in the house for a Christmas dinner; so he went to his brother and asked him for a trifling gift.

2. The rich man was ill-natured, and when he heard his brother's request he looked very surly. But as Christmas is a time when even the worst people give gifts, he took a fine ham down from the chimney, where it was hanging to smoke, threw it at his brother, and bade him begone-never to let him see his face again.

3. The poor man thanked his brother for the ham, put it under his arm, and went his way. He had to pass through a great forest on his way home. When he had reached the thickest part of it, he saw an old man, with a long, white beard, hewing timber. Good evening," said he to him.

4. Good evening," returned the old man, raising himself up from his work, and looking at him. "That is a fine ham you are carrying." On this, the poor man told him all about it.

5. "It is lucky for you," said the old man," that you have met with me. If you will take that ham into the land of the dwarfs, the entrance to which

lies just under the roots of this tree, you can make a capital bargain with it; for the dwarfs are very fond of ham, and rarely get any. But mind what I say you must not sell it for money, but demand

for it the old hand-mill which stands behind the door.' When you come back, I'll show you how to use it."

6. The poor man thanked his new friend, who showed him the door under a stone below the roots of the tree, and by this door he entered into the land of the dwarfs. No sooner had he set his foot in it, than the dwarfs swarmed about him, drawn by the smell of the ham. They offered him queer, old-fashioned money and gold and silver ore for it; but he refused all their tempting offers, and said that he would sell it only for the old hand-mill behind the door.

7. At this, the dwarfs held up their little old hands, and looked quite puzzled. We cannot make a bargain, it seems," said the poor man, "so I'll bid you all a good day."

8. The fragrance of the ham had by this time reached the far-off parts of dwarf-land. The dwarfs came flocking around in little troops, leaving their work, and eager for the ham.

9. "Let him have the old mill," said some of the new-comers; "it is quite out of order, and he doesn't know how to use it. Let him have it, and we will have the ham."

10. So the bargain was made. The poor man took the old hand-mill, which was a little thing not half so large as the ham, and went back to the woods. Here the old man showed him how to use it. All this had taken up a great deal of time, and it was midnight before he reached home.

11. Where in the world have you been?" said his wife. "Here I have been waiting and waiting, and we have no wood to make a fire, nor anything to put into the porridge-pot for our supper."

12. The house was dark and cold, but the poor man bade his wife wait and see what would happen. He placed the little hand-mill on the table, and began to turn the crank. First, out there came some grand, lighted wax-candles, and a fire on the hearth, and a porridge-pot boiling over it, because in his mind he said they should come first. Then he ground out a table-cloth, and dishes, and spoons, and knives and forks.

13. He was himself astonished at his good luck,