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The New England Primer 89
could not fee a Stranger hurt, without feeling what he fuf-fered, without pitying him, and wifhing he could help him. He loved his Papa and Mamma, his Brothers and Sifters with the deareft Affection; he learnt his Duty to God, thanked him for his Goodnefs, and was glad that he had not made him a Horfe or a Cow, but had given him Senfe enough to know his Duty, and every Day when he faid his Prayers, thanked God for making him a little Man. One Day he went to Church, he minded what the Parfon faid, and when he came home afked his Papa, if God loved him ; his Papa faid Yes, my Dear. O ! my dear Papa, faid he, I am glad to hear it; what a charming Thing it is to have God my Friend ! then nothing can hurt me; I am fure I will love him as well as ever.I can. Thus he every day grew wifer and better. Every Body was pleafed with him, he had many Friends, the Poor bleffed him, and every one Strove to make him happy.
A Philadelphia edition of 1797 " much improved" indulged in some similar fiction that took the form of eighteen little reading lessons, one of which was the following: —
Har-ry ! fays Bil-ly, what do you think the world ftands on ? I don't know, fays Har-ry; but I can tell you what our Tom fays: Old Tom fays the world ftands on a great tur-tle; but he could not tell me what the tur-tle ftood on. Well, fays Bil-ly, I will tell you what my pa-pa fays ; My pa-pa fays the world don't ftand on a-ny thing; but is ba-lanc-ed on its own cen-tre, and goes round the fun, in the o-pen fpace, once e-ve-ry year.
Another story is this from The Royal Primer, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1787: — |
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