THE POPULAR EDUCATOE. 



tended tho raceme, the panicle, the corymb, the umbel, the spilce 

 the capitulum, and the cyme, all of which we shall now proceec 

 to describe. 



The raceme, from the Latin racemus, a cluster, is that kind o 

 inflorescence in which the pedicels or secondary axes are almos 

 equal in length, and arise immediately from the primary axi 

 or stem. Of this kind of inflorescence the black, white, ant 

 red currant-trees offer familiar examples (Fig. 62). 



The panicle (from the Latin panicula, anything 1 of a lifctl 

 round swollen figure, the diminutive of panus, a woof about the 

 quill in a shuttle), sometimes called a compound raceme, is a 

 form of inflorescence in which the secondary axes or pedicels 

 springing from the primary axis or stem, do not at once bear 

 each a terminal flower, but ramify a third, and sometimes even 

 a fourth time. Of this description is the inflorescence of the 

 horse-chestnut (Fig. 63). 



The corymb, from the Greek Kopv/j.&os (pronounced Icor-um'-bos), 

 a branch, is that kind of inflorescence in which the lowei 

 pedicels, much longer than the upper ones, terminate, in conse- 

 quence of this difference of length, at the same level, or nearly 

 so, as the latter. An example of this is afforded by the 

 Mahaleb cherry, of whose inflorescence a diagram is appended 

 (Fig. 64). 



The umbel, from the Latin umbella, a little shade, the dimi- 

 nutive of umbra, a shade, is an inflorescence in which the 

 pedicels or secondary axes, being equal in length amongst 

 themselves, spring from the same level, rise to the same 

 height, and diverge like the ribs of an umbrella or parasol. 

 An umbel is simple when each pedicel terminates at once in a 

 flower, as, for example, in the common cherry (Fig. 65) ; and 

 compound when the pedicels, instead of terminating at once each 

 in its own flower, severally give off other pedicels on which the 

 flowers are arranged. An example of this is seen in the common 

 fennel (Fig. 66). 



The spilce, from the Latin spica, a point, may be either simple or 

 compound. The compound spike is that form of inflorescence in 

 which the pedicels are completely, or almost completely wanting, 

 and the flowers accordingly are sessile, as may be seen in the 

 vervain (Fig. 70). The compound spike is that form in which 

 tho secondary axes, instead of terminating in a flower, emit each 

 a little flower-bearing pedicel. Of this description is the inflo- 

 rescence of wheat flFig. 69). 



The capitulum, from the Latin caput, a head, is the form of 

 inflorescence in which sessile flowers are collected upon the 

 thickened head, called torus, of a peduncle. This torus may be 

 flat, as we see it in the marigold and the scabious (Fig. 71), or 

 concave, as in the fig. It appears, then, that the capitulum is 

 that form of inflorescence to which the fig belongs. 



The cymfijfrom the Greek KV/JUI (pronounced ku'-ma), a wave, 

 is a definite inflorescence which imitates by turns several of the 

 indefinite kinds of inflorescence, from all of which it essentially 

 differs in the circumstance that the primary axis is itself termi- 

 nated by a flower which appears before the others ; each of the 

 subsidiary axes also terminates in a flower, but the secondary 

 axes flourish before the tertiary ones, tertiary axes before 

 quaternary ones, and so on in like manner for the rest. The 

 chief varieties of the cyme are the racemous cyme, as in tho 

 . campanula or blue-bell; the dicJiotomous, or divided, cyme (Fig. 

 67), from the Greek Stxa, apart, and re/iva (pronounced tern-no), 

 to cut; the corymbous cyme (Fig. 72) ; the umbellar cyme (Fig. 74) ; 

 the scorpioidal, or scorpion-like, cyme, as in the myosotis or 

 forget-me-not; and the contracted cyme, in which the flowers are 

 crowded together through the extreme shortness of the axes. 

 The fascicule, from the Latin fasciculus, a little bundle, is an 

 inflorescence in which the axes preserve a certain length and an 

 irregular distribution, as in the sweet-william. 



Mixed inflorescence is that which partakes of tho characters of 

 both definite and indefinite inflorescence. In the dead-nettle 

 the general inflorescence is indefinite, whilst the partial inflo- 

 rescence consists of true cymes or fascicules. In the mallow 

 there is a similar arrangement (Fig. 73). In the groundsel 

 (Fig. 68) and the chrysanthemum the general inflorescence is a 

 definite corymb, but the partial inflorescences are capitulous. 

 In the family of plants called umbelliferous, and to which the 

 carrot, the fennel, angelica, etc.. belong, each umbel in itself is 

 indefinite, but the aggregate of umbels is definite ; frequently, 

 indeed, the axis of an umbel bears a little central umbel of 

 its own. 



BEADING AND ELOOUTION.- 



PUNCTTJATION (continued). 

 XI. THE APOSTROPHE. 



-VII. 



71. THE Apostrophe is a mcw-fc which differs from a comma in its 

 being placed above the line, and in being used for a. different 

 purpose. 



72. The apostrophe shows that some letter or letters are left 

 out ; as, 'tis for it is, tho' for though, lov'd for loved. 



73. The apostrophe is likewise used in grammar to designate 

 the possessive case ; as, John's book. 



XII. THE QUOTATION MARK. 

 



74. A Quotation mark consists of four commas placed above tlie 

 line ; two at the beginning and two at the end of a word, sentence, 

 or part of a sentence. The two which are placed at tlie beginning 

 are inverted, or turned upside down. 



75. A quotation mark shows that the word or sentence was 

 spoken by some one, or was taken from some other author. 



XIII. THE DLERESIS. 



76. A Dicercsis consists of two periods placed over a vowel : 

 thus, a. 



77. The diceresis shows that the letter over which it is 

 placed is to be pronounced separately ; as, Creator, Zoonomia, 

 aerial. 



In the following examples the student will recognise each of 

 the above-mentioned marks, and read them accordingly. 



Examples* 



The kindling fires o'er Leaven so bright, look sweetly out from yon 

 azure sea. 



Banished from Borne ! what's banished, but set free from daily 

 contact of the things I loathe? "Tried and convicted traitor" 

 Who says this ? Who'll prove it, at bis peril, on my head ? 

 "Banished?"! thank you for 't. It breaks my chain! I held 

 some slack allegiance till this hour but now my sword's my own. 



Your consul's merciful. For this all thanks. He dares not tonch 



a hair of Catiline. " Traitor ! " I go but I return. This 



trial ! Here I devote your senate ! I've had wrongs to Stir a fever 

 in the blood of age. * * * * This day is the birth of sorrows. 



The eye could at once command a long-stretching vista, seemingly 

 closed and shut up at both extremities by the coalescing cliffs. 



It seemed like Laocoon struggling ineffectually in the hideous coils 

 of the monster Python. 



In those mournful months, when vegetables and animals are 

 alike coerced by cold, man is tributary to the howling storm and 

 the sullen sky; and is, in the pathetic phrase of Johnson, a " slave to 

 gloom." 



I would call upon all the true sons of humanity to cooperate with 

 ;he laws of man and the justice of Heaven in abolishing this " cursed 

 ;raffic." 



Come, faith, and people these deserts ! Come and reanimate these 

 regions of forgetfulness. 



I am a professed lucubrator ; and who so well qualified to delineate 

 he sable hours, as 



"A meagre, muse-rid mope, adjust and thin ?" 



He forsook, therefore, the bustling tents of his father, the pleasant 

 ' south country " and the " well Lahai-roi ;" he went out and pen- 

 ively meditated at the eventide (see Genesis xxiv. 62). 

 The Grecian and Koman philosophers firmly believed that " the 

 ead of midnight is the noon of thought." 



Young observes, with much energy, that " an undevout astronomer 

 s mad." 



Young Blount his armour did unlace, and, gazing on his ghastly 

 ace, said " By Saint George, he's gone ! that spear-wound has our 

 master sped ; and see the deep cut on his head ! Good night to 

 Maruiion ! " " Unnurtured Blount ! thy brawling cease ; he opes his 

 yes," said Eustace, "peace !" 

 A celebrated modern writer says, " Take care of the minutes, and 



* In this lesson, as well as in some of the preceding lessons, there 

 re several sentences of poetry, which are not divided into poetical 

 nes. The object of printing these lines without regard to this 

 ivision, was to prevent the student from falling into tlt " sing song " 

 tterance, into which he is too apt to fall in reading verse. It 



mains to be observed here, that abbreviations and contractions, 

 uch as occur in poetical sentences in this lesson and others, which 

 wcear in the form of prose, are not allowable in prose itself. 



