There's a midnight darkness changing into gray: Aid it, for the hour is ripe'! And our efforts must not slacken into play': 3. Lo! a cloud's about to vanish from the day'! With that right shall many more Enter smiling at the door: With that giant wrong shall fall Many others, great and small, That for ages long have held us for their prey: [This is a lesson on the Spirit of Progress-the advancement of light, and truth, and human rights-the crumbling away of wrongs, and the ushering in of a better future. Men of thought and action-the daring tongue, and pen, and type-are called upon to aid in the glorious consummation. It is an earnest, soul-stirring piece, well adapted for declamation. Why is the style bold and nervous? (See p. xii.) Why is loud force required? Why rapid time? High pitch? Orotund tone? What is the meaning of "midnight darkness changing into gray?" This is represented as being like what? Construct the simile in full. Observe that the clause "Men of thought!" in the first verse, has the rising inflection, because it is a case of direct address; that "Lo!" in the third verse, requires the paus? of suspension, without any inflection; and that in all other cases the exclamatory phrase takes the falling inflection.] THE excesses of our youth are drafts upon our old age, payable, with interest, about thirty years after date. Those who value themselves merely on their ancestry, have been well compared to potatoes-all that is good of them is under ground. A few drops of oil will set machinery at work, when a ton of vinegar would only corrode the wheels, and canker the movements. (What is the moral ?) LESSON XXXVIII. THE NUTCRACKERS OF NUTCRACKER LODGE. 1. MR. and MRS. NUTCRACKER were as respectable a pair of squirrels as ever wore gray brushes over their backs. They were animals of a settled and serious turn of mind, not disposed to run after novelties, but filling their station in life with prudence and sobriety.b a 2. Nutcracker Lodge was a hole in a sturdy old chestnut overhanging a shady dell, and was held to be as respectably kept an establishment as there was in the whole forest. Even Miss Jenny Wren, the greatest gossip of the neighborhood, never found fault with its arrangements; and old Parson Too-whit, a venerable owl who inhabited a branch somewhat more exalted," as became his profes sion, was in the habit of telling his parishioners to "look at the Nutcrackers," if they wanted to see what it was to live a virtuous life. 3. Every thing had gone on prosperously with them, and they had reared many successive families of young Nutcrackers, who went forth to take their places in the forest of life, and to reflect credit on their bringing upso that naturally enough they began to have a very easy way of considering themselves models of wisdom. 4. But at last they had a son named Featherhead, who was destined to bring them a great deal of anxiety. Nobody knows what the reason is, but the fact was, that Master Featherhead was as different from all the former children of this worthy couple as if he had been dropped out of the moon into their nest. 5. Young Featherhead was a squirrel of some smartness; but he was sulky, and contrary, and unreasonable; and he always found matter of complaint in every thing his respectable mamma and papa did. Instead of assisting in the cares of a family-picking up nuts, and learning other lessons proper to a young squirrel-he seemed to have, from his earliest years, a sort of lofty contempt for the Nutcrackers, for Nutcracker Lodge, and for all the good old ways of the domestic hole, which he declared to be stupid and unreasonable, and entirely behind the times. 6. To be sure, he was always on hand at meal-times, and played a very lively tooth on the nuts which his mother had collected, always selecting the very best for himself; but he seasoned his nibbling with so much grumbling and discontent, and so many severe remarks, as to give the impression that he considered himself a peculiarly ill-used squirrel in having to "eat their old grub," as he called it. 7. Papa Nutcracker, on these occasions, was often fiercely indignant; and poor little Mamma Nutcracker would shed tears, and beg her darling to be a little more reasonable; but the young gentleman seemed always to consider himself the injured party. 8. Now nobody could tell why Master Featherhead h thought himself aggrieved, since he was living in a good hole, with plenty to eat, and without the least care or labor of his own; but he seemed rather to value himself upon being gloomy and dissatisfied. While his parents, and brothers, and sisters, were cheerfully racing up and down the branches, busy in their domestic toils, and laying up stores for the winter, Featherhead sat gloomily apart, declaring himself weary of existence, and feeling himself at liberty to quarrel with every body and every thing about him. 9. Nobody understood him, he said; he was a squirrel of a peculiar nature, and needed peculiar treatment; and nobody treated him in a way that did not grate on his feelings. He had higher notions of existence than could be bounded by that old rotten hole in a hollow tree; he had thoughts that soared far above the miserable, petty' details of every-day life; and he could not and would not bring down these soaring aspirationsk to the contemptible toil of laying up a few chestnuts or hickory-nuts for win ter. 10. "Depend upon it, my dear," said Mrs. Nutcracker solemnly, "that fellow must be a genius." "Fiddlestick on his genius!" said old Mr. Nutcracker; "what does he do?" "Oh, nothing, of course; that's one of the first marks of genius. Geniuses, you know, never can come down to common life." 11. "He eats enough for any two," remarked old Nutcracker, "and he never helps gather nuts.". "My dear, ask Parson Too-whit; he has conversed with him, and quite agrees with me that he says very uncommon things for a squirrel of his age; he has such fine feelings-so much above those of the common crowd." 12. "Fine feelings be hanged!" said old Nutcracker. “When a fellow eats all the nuts that his mother gives him, and then grumbles at her, I don't believe much in his fine feelings. Why don't he set himself about something'? I'm going to tell my fine young gentleman, that, if he doesn't behave himself, I'll tumble him out of the nest, and see if hunger won't do something toward bringing down his fine airs." 13. But then Mrs. Nutcracker fell on her husband's neck with both paws, and wept, and besought him so piteously to have patience with her darling, that old Nutcracker, who was himself a soft-hearted old squirrel, was prevailed upon to put up with the airs of his young scapegracel a little longer; and, secretly, in his silly old heart, he asked himself if possibly it might not be that a great genius was actually to come of his household! The Chipmunks, of Chipmunk Hollow. 14. The Nutcrackers belonged to the old established race of the Grays; but they were sociable, friendly people, and kept on the best of terms with all branches of the Nutcracker family. The Chipmunks, of Chipmunk Hollow, were a very lively, cheerful, sociable race, and on the very best of terms with the Nutcracker Grays. 15. Young Tip Chipmunk, the oldest son, was in all respects a perfect contrast to Master Featherhead. He was always lively and cheerful, and so very active in providing for the family, that old Mr. and Mrs. Chipmunk had very little care, but could sit sociably at the door of their hole and chat with neighbors, quite sure that Tip would bring every thing out right for them, and have plenty laid up for winter. 16. Now Featherhead took it upon him, for some reason or other, to look down upon Tip Chipmunk, and on every occasion to speak of him as a very common kind of squir |