342 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



GRAMMAR IN RHYME. 



Three little words you often see, 

 Are Articles a, an and the. 



A Noun's the name of any thing. 



As school or garden, hoop or swing. 



Adjectives the kind of Noun, 



As great, small, pretty, white, or oroacn. 



Instead of Nouns the Pronouns stand — 

 Her head, his face, your arm, niy hand. 



Verbs tell something to be done — , 



To read, count, sing, laugh, jump or run; 



How things are done the Adverbs tell, 

 As slowly, quickly, ill or well ; 



Conjunctions join the words together — 



As men and women, wind or weather. 



The Preposition stands before 



A Noun, as in or through a door. 



The Interjection shows surprise, 

 . As oh ! how pretty — ah I how wise. 

 The whole are called Nine Parts of Speech 

 Which; reading, writing, speaking teach. 



The Elephant that Loved to br Fed. — A sentinel 

 belonging to the menagerie at Paris, anxious to discharge 

 his duty, was extremely vigilant, every time he mounted 

 guard near the elephants, to 'prevent the spectators from 

 supplying them with casual food. This conduct was not 

 much calculated to procure him the friendship of those 

 sagacious animals. The female, in particular, beheld 

 him with a very jealous eye, and had several times en- 

 deavored to correct his officious interference, by be- 

 sprinkling him with water from her trunk. One day, 

 when a great number of people were collected to view 

 these noble quadrupeds, the opportunity seemed con- 

 venient for receiving, unnoticed, a small piece of bread ; 

 but the rigorous sentinel happened then to be on duty. 

 The female, however, placed herself before him, watched 

 all his gestures, and the moment he opened his mouth to 

 give the usual admonitions to the spectators, discharged 

 a stream of water full in his face. A general laugh en- 

 sued, and the sentinel having wiped himself, stood a little 

 on one side, and continued his vigilance. Soon after he 

 had occasion to repeat his charge to the company, not to 

 give anything to the elephants; but no sooner had he 

 uttered the words, than the female laid hold of the mus- 

 ket, twisted it around her trunk, trod it under foot, and 

 did not restore it till she had twisted it into the form of a 

 corkscrew. Whether this put a stop to his officiousness 

 we are not informed ; but it probably taught him more 

 caution in coming within the reach of an animal, whose 

 natural appetites he was disposed unnecessarily to con- 

 trol. 



It's Vert Hard. — "'It's very hard to have nothing to 

 eat but bread and milk, when others have every sort of 

 nice things," muttered Charlie, as he sat with his wooden 

 bowl before him. " It's very hard to have to get up on 

 these cold mornings, and work hard all day, when others 

 can enjoy themselves without an hour of labor. It's very 

 hard to have to trudge along through the snow, while 

 others roll about in their coache3." 



" It s a great blessing," said his grandmother, as she 

 sat at her knitting—" it's a great blessing to have food, 

 when so many are hungry ; to have a roof over one's 



head, when so many are homeless. It's a great blessing 

 to have sight, and hearing, and strength for daily labor, 

 when so many are blind, deaf, or suffering." 



" Why, grandmother, you seem to think that nothing 

 is hard," said the boy, still in a grumbling tone. 



"No, Charlie, there is oue thing that I think very 

 hard." 



"What's that?" cried Charlie, who thought that at 

 last his grandmother had found some cause for complaint. 



" Why, boy, I think tliat heart is very hard that is not 

 thankful for so many blessings." 



M. Jouanoet relates that, in the year 1835, several old 

 Celtic tombs were discovered near Begorac. Under the 

 head of each of the dead bodies there was found a small 

 square or brick, with a hole in r each, containing a few 

 seeds, which had been placed there beside the dead by 

 the heathen friends, who had buried them, perhaps, 1,500 

 or 1,700 years before. These seeds were carefully sowed 

 by those who found them. What was seen to spring 

 from the dust of the dead ? Beautiful sun-flowers, blue 

 corn flowers, and clover-bearing blossoms, as bright and 

 sweet as those which are woven into wreaths by the 

 merry children now playing in our fields. 



Some years ago, a vase, hermetically sealed, was found 

 in a mummy pit in Egypt by the English traveller, Wilk- 

 inson, who sent it to the British Museum. The librarian 

 there, having unfortunately broken it, discovered in it a 

 few grains of whtat and one or two peas, old, wrinkled, 

 and as hard as a stone. The peas were planted care- 

 fully under glass on the4th of June, 1844, and at the end 

 of thirty days, these seeds were seen to spring tip into 

 new life. They had been buried probably 3,000 years 

 ago, perhaps in the time of Moses, and had slept all that 

 long time, apparently dead, yet still living in the dust of 

 the tomb. — Gvassen. 



Better the child weep than the father. 



The world is for him who has patience. 



No pains, no gains; no sweat, no sweet. 



It is too late to spare when all is spent. 



He who says what he likes, shall hear what he does not 

 like. 



It is easy to go afoot when one leads a horse by the 

 bridle. 



Who has a mouth, let him not say to another, " Blow." 



Birds Flt. — A very simple game, in which all [the 

 players place a finger on the table, or ou the knees of the 

 conductor of the game, to be raised in the air when the 

 conductor says — " Birds fly" "Pigeons (or any winged 

 object in natural history)^." 



If he names a non-winged animal, and any player raises 

 his hand in distraction, the latter pays a forfeit — the 

 same in case of his neglecting to raise it at the name of a 

 bird or winged insect. 



Refraction of Light. — Take a basin, put a .shilling 

 into it, withdraw from the basin until the shilling cannot 

 be seen ; then let the basin be filled up with water, aud 

 the coin will again appear. This is caused by the rays of 

 light passing from the lighter medium of the air through 

 the denser medium of the water, and thus becoming re- 

 fracted. J 



