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206 Old-time Schools and School-books
thou know that it is thy duty to pray to the Lord every night, to return him thanks for his preservation through the day, and to desire his protection through the night; also, in the morning to return thanks to him for relieving thee from darkness.
When thou sittest down to meals, recollect how many there are that would be glad of the smallest morsel, while thou hast full and plenty : return the Almighty thanks for his bounty, and be good to the poor.
Mind the advice of thy uncles, aunts, and friends. Love every body ; even thine enemies. Endeavour to assist thy poor afflicted mother, who is struggling through the world, with four children without a father, and her fifth going to be taken from her. Love thy little brother and sister, and walk in the paths of truth, and the Almighty will be a father to thee.
Among spellers of British origin Dilworth's, Fen-ning's, Murray's, and Perry's long continued in circulation, but in the early years of the nineteenth century Perry's was by far the most popular. It was entitled The Only Sure Guide to the English Tongue, although one would have difficulty in perceiving wherein it was essentially better than some of its contemporaries. The thing in Perry's book which most impressed those who studied it was the frontispiece — a tree of learning. This was growing in a schoolyard, and groups of boys were playing in its shadow. A ladder reached from the ground up into the branches, and several boys were ascending with open books in their hands. Another book boy had stepped off the ladder into the tree and was preparing to climb higher, while three boys engrossed |
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