﻿264 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



one or all the foreign or dead languages but appendages to an edu- 

 cation. A person may talk in as many languages as did the builders 

 of Babel, and yet be confused, as they were, at a simple question, 

 which a schoolboy of twelve years should answer. 



Perhaps they thought I was an old man with many whims, (quite 

 likely,) and their guest, and it would not be civil or kind to express 

 different opinions. I must take this occasion to say, I have some 

 notions about the study of the languages to which I may at some 

 subsequent time invite my readers to listen. I was pleased to dis- 

 cover that the parents had looked into my Magazine, and, with few 

 exceptions, which were kindly discussed, approved of the intellect- 

 ual aliment there provided for their children. 



After our excellent dinner was over, Lucy, at my request, took a 

 seat at the piano and played a few tunes very respectably for a girl 

 of her years. I had missed Charles from the number since dinner. 

 It seemed he had slipped off to gather the young folks of the neigh- 

 borhood, in honor of my coming. We had walked but a little 

 while in the orchard, admiring the fruit, with which the trees were 

 bending, when we heard the shout of a merry company, and saw 

 Charles returning with his recruits. Lucy now proposed that we 

 should all go into the arbor and act some charades. To this they all 

 agreed, and skipped along with so much life and animation, that I 

 almost forgot that my days of happy childhood had forever gone. 

 After we had all got seated in the arbor, Lucy took a card out of 

 her pocket, and, writing some figures on it, went round saying, 

 " You see, do you? Five and four make nine." Now all went to 

 guessing what the word could be, of which this represented the first 

 syllable. Next Lucy took a glove in her hand and showed it to all, 

 saying, " This is a mit. We will call this a mit." Next she told a 

 little neighbor, whom she called Eveline, to step out with her. 

 Poor little Eveline soon returned, bearing on her crooked back a 

 large three-legged stool. This scene was received with shouts of 

 merriment by the whole company. Eveline again went out and 

 returned with Lucy to the entrance, where both stood and rapped. 

 They were let in. This scene represented the whole word. Who 

 would guess it first? Lucy looked towards her brothers and sisters 

 and shook her head, by which I supposed she intended to say they 





